Sunday, 17 November 2013

Buddhism: What's Hot Now: Karma and Rebirth

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Karma and Rebirth
Nov 17th 2013, 11:03, by buddhism.guide@about.com

What Is Karma? The Sanskrit word karma means "volitional act" or "deed." The law of karma is a law of cause and effect, or an understanding that every deed produces fruit.

Karma is created by the intentional acts of body, speech, and mind. Only acts pure of desire, hate and delusion do not produce karmic effects. Once set in motion, karma tends to continue in many directions, like ripples on a pond.

Karma is not mysterious or hidden. Once you understand what it is, you can observe it all around you. For example, let's say a man gets into an argument at work. He drives home in an angry mood, cutting off someone at an intersection. The driver cut off is now angry, and when she gets home she yells at her daughter. This is karma in action -- one angry act has touched off many more.

However, if the man who argued had the mental discipline to let go of his anger, the karma would have stopped with him.

What Is Rebirth? Very basically, when the effects of karma continue across lifetimes it causes rebirth. But in light of the doctrine of no-self, what exactly is reborn?

The classical Hindu understanding of reincarnation is that a soul, or atman, is reborn many times. But the Buddha taught the doctrine of anatman -- no soul, or no-self. The various schools of Buddhism approach this question in somewhat different ways.

One way to explain rebirth is to think of all existence as one big ocean. An individual is a phenomenon of existence in the same way a wave is a phenomenon of ocean. A wave begins, moves across the surface of the water, then dissipates. While it exists, a wave is distinct from ocean yet is never separate from ocean. In the same way, that which is reborn is not the same person, yet is not separate from the same person.

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Buddhism: What's Hot Now: Right Action

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Right Action
Nov 17th 2013, 11:03, by buddhism.guide@about.com

Right Action is the fourth aspect of the Buddhist Eightfold Path. But what is "right action," exactly?

For me, the words "right action" evoke social and environmental activism, and such work can be examples of right action. But "Right Action" in the Buddhist sense also means acting in harmony with the other aspects of the path. These aspects are:

  1. Right View
  2. Right Intention
  3. Right Speech
  4. Right Action
  5. Right Livelihood
  6. Right Effort
  7. Right Mindfulness
  8. Right Concentration

This means that when we act "rightly," we act without selfish attachment to our work. We act mindfully, without causing discord with our speech. Our "right" actions spring from compassion and from understanding of the dharma. Each aspects of the path supports all the other aspects.

Right Action and the Precepts

Right Action, Right Speech and Right Livelihood make up the ethical conduct part of the path. Most basically, Right Action refers to keeping the precepts. The many schools of Buddhism have various lists of precepts, but the precepts common to most schools are these:

  1. Not killing
  2. Not stealing
  3. Not misusing sex
  4. Not lying
  5. Not abusing intoxicants

The precepts are not a list of commandments. Instead, they describe how an enlightened being naturally lives and responds to life's challenges. As we work with the precepts, we learn to live harmoniously and compassionately.

Read More: The Buddhist Precepts: An Introduction
Read More: The Three Pure Precepts

Right Action and Mindfulness Training

The Vietnamese Zen teacher Thich Nhat Hanh said, "The basis of Right Action is to do everything in mindfulness." He teaches Five Mindfulness Trainings that correlate to the five precepts listed above.

The first training involves respecting life. In awareness of the suffering caused by destruction of life, we work to protect all living things and this planet that sustains life.

The second training involves generosity. We give freely of our time and resources where they are needed, without hoarding things we don't need. We do not exploit other people or resources for our own gain. We act to promote social justice and well-being for everyone.

The third training involves sexuality and avoiding sexual misconduct. In awareness of the pain caused by sexual misconduct, we honor commitments and also act when we can to protect others from sexual exploitation.

The fourth training involves loving speech and deep listening. This means avoiding language that causes enmity and discord. Through deep listening to others, we tear down the barriers that separate us.

The fifth training involves what we consume. This includes nourishing ourselves and others with healthful food and avoiding intoxicants. It also involves what books we read or what television programs we watch. Entertainments that are addictive or cause agitation might best be avoided.

Right Action and Compassion

The importance of compassion in Buddhism cannot be overstated. The Sanskrit word that is translated as "compassion" is karuna, which means "active sympathy" or the willingness to bear the pain of others. Closely related to karuna is metta, "loving kindness."

It's important to remember also that genuine compassion is rooted in prajna, or "wisdom." Very basically, prajna is the realization that the separate self is an illusion. This takes us back to not attaching our egos to what we do, expecting to be thanked or rewarded.

In The Essence of the Heart Sutra, His Holiness the Dalai Lama wrote,

"According to Buddhism, compassion is an aspiration, a state of mind, wanting others to be free from suffering. It's not passive -- it's not empathy alone -- but rather an empathetic altruism that actively strives to free others from suffering. Genuine compassion must have both wisdom and lovingkindness. That is to say, one must understand the nature of the suffering from which we wish to free others (this is wisdom), and one must experience deep intimacy and empathy with other sentient beings (this is lovingkindness)."

Read More: Buddhism and Compassion

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Buddhism: What's Hot Now: The Three Jewels: The Buddha, the Dharma, the...

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The Three Jewels: The Buddha, the Dharma, the...
Nov 17th 2013, 11:03, by buddhism.guide@about.com

"I Take Refuge in the Buddha"

When we say "the Buddha" often we are speaking of the historical Buddha, the man who lived 26 centuries ago and whose teachings form the basis of Buddhism. But the Buddha taught his disciples that he was not a god, but a man. How can we take refuge in him?

Bikkhu Bodhi wrote that taking refuge in the Buddha is not merely taking refuge in his "concrete particularity. ... When we go for refuge to the Buddha we resort to him as the supreme embodiment of purity, wisdom and compassion, the peerless teacher who can guide us to safety out of the perilous ocean of samsara."

In Mahayana Buddhism, while "Buddha" may refer to the historical Buddha, called Shakyamuni Buddha, "Buddha" also refers to "Buddha-nature," the absolute, unconditioned nature of all things. While "Buddha" may be a person who has awakened to enlightnment, "Buddha" might also refer to enlightenment itself (bodhi).

Robert Thurman said we take refuge in the Buddha as the embodiment of teacher. "We turn to the teaching of the reality of bliss, the teaching of the method of achieving happiness in whatever form it comes to us, whether it comes as Christianity, whether it comes as humanism, whether it comes as Hinduism, Sufism, or Buddhism. The form doesn't matter. The teacher is Buddha to us, one who can point the way to our own reality for us. He could be a scientist; she could be a religious teacher."

Zen teacher Robert Aitken said of the First Jewel:

"This refers, of course, to Shakyamuni, the Enlightened One, but it also has a far broader meaning. It includes mythological personages who preceded Shakyamuni and dozens of archetypal figures in the Buddhist pantheon. It includes all the great teachers of our lineage ... but also everyone who has realized his or her nature -- all the monks, nuns, and lay people in Buddhist history who have shaken the tree of life and death.

"In a deeper and yet more ordinary dimension, all of us are Buddha. We haven't realized it yet, but that does not deny the fact."

"I Take Refuge in the Dharma"

Like "Buddha," the word Dharma can point to several meanings. For example, it refers to the Buddha's teachings, and also to the law of karma and rebirth. It is also sometimes used to refer to ethical rules and to mental objects or thoughts.

In Theravada Buddhism, dharma (or dhamma in Pali) is a term for the factors of existence, or the transitory conditions that cause phenomena to come into being. In Mahayana, the word is sometimes used to mean "manifestation of reality" or "phenomenon." This sense can be found in the Heart Sutra, which refers to the voidness or emptiness (shunyata) of all dharmas.

Bikkhu Bodhi said that there are two levels of dharma. One is the teaching of the Buddha, as expressed in the sutras and other articulated discourses. The other is the Buddhist path, and the goal, which is Nirvana.

Robert Thurman said,

"Dharma is our own reality that we seek to understand fully, to open to fully. Dharma, therefore, also consists of those methods and the teaching of those methods that are the arts and sciences which enable us to open ourselves. The practices that we do, which will open us, which follow those teachings, which implement them in our lives, in our practice, and in our performance, which deploy those arts-they are also Dharma."

Studying the Buddha's teachings -- one definition of dharma -- is important, but to take refuge in the Dharma is much more than just trust and acceptance of teachings. It's also trusting your practice of Buddhism, whether regular meditation and regular chanting. It's about trusting mindfulness, the present moment, right here, not putting faith in something far away.

"I Take Refuge in the Sangha"

Sangha is another word with multiple meanings. It most often refers to the monastic orders and the institutional bodies of Buddhism. However, it is also often used in a way similar to how some western Christians use "church." A sangha can be a particular group of Buddhists, lay or monastic, who practice together. Or, it can mean all Buddhists everywhere.

The importance of sangha cannot be overestimated. Trying to achieve enlightenment by yourself and only for yourself is like trying to walk uphill during a mudslide. Opening yourself to others, supporting and being supported, is critical to loosening the fetters of ego and selfishness.

Especially in the West, people who come to Buddhism very often do so because they are hurt and confused. So they go to a dharma center and find other people who are hurt and confused. Oddly, this seems to anger some people. They want to be the only ones who hurt; everyone else is supposed to be cool and pain-free and supportive.

The late Chogyam Trungpa said of taking refuge in the Sangha,

"The sangha is the community of people who have the perfect right to cut through your trips and feed you with their wisdom, as well as the perfect right to demonstrate their own neurosis and be seen through by you. The companionship within the sangha is a kind of clean friendship-â€"without expectation, without demand, but at the same time, fulfilling."

By taking refuge in the Sangha, we become the refuge. This is the path of the Buddhas.

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Buddhism: What's Hot Now: Jizo Bosatsu

Buddhism: What's Hot Now
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Jizo Bosatsu
Nov 17th 2013, 11:03, by buddhism.guide@about.com

His Sanskrit name is Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, and he is known in China as Dizang or Ti-ts'ang. He is the bodhisattva of hell beings, having vowed not to enter Nirvana until the Hell Realm is empty. His vow: "Not until the hells are emptied will I become a Buddha; not until all beings are saved will I certify to

As Jizo, the bodhisattva has become one of the most beloved figures of Japanese Buddhism. Stone figures of Jizo populate cemeteries, temple grounds, and country roads. Often several Jizos stand together, dressed in bibs or children's clothes.

Jizo is the protector of children, expectant mothers, firemen, and travelers. Most of all, he is the protector of deceased children, including miscarried, aborted or stillborn infants. In Japanese folklore, Jizo hides the children in his robes to protect them from demons and guide them to salvation.

When he is not portrayed carrying children, Jizo carries a wish-fulfilling jewel and a staff with six rings to show his mastery of the Six Realms.

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Saturday, 16 November 2013

Buddhism: What's Hot Now: The First Noble Truth

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The First Noble Truth
Nov 16th 2013, 11:03, by buddhism.guide@about.com

The study of Buddhism begins with the Four Noble Truths, a teaching given by the Buddha in his first sermon after his enlightenment. The Truths contain the whole dharma. All teachings of Buddhism flow from them.

The First Noble Truth often is the first thing people hear about Buddhism, and often it is translated into English as "life is suffering." Right away, people often throw up their hands and say, that's so pessimistic. Why shouldn't we expect life to be good?

Unfortunately, "life is suffering" doesn't really convey what the Buddha said. Let's take a look at what he did say.

The Meaning of Dukkha

In Sanskrit and Pali, the First Noble Truth is expressed as dukkha sacca (Sanskrit) or dukkha-satya (Pali), meaning "the truth of dukkha." Dukkha is the Pali/Sanskrit word that has often been translated as "suffering."

The First Noble Truth, then, is all about dukkha, whatever that is. To understand this truth, be open to more than one view of what dukkha may be. Dukkha can mean suffering, but it can also mean stress, discomfort, unease, dissatisfaction, and other things. Don't remain stuck on just "suffering."

Read More:

What the Buddha Said

Here is what the Buddha said about dukkha in his first sermon, translated from Pali. Note that the translator, Theravada monk and scholar Thanissaro Bhikkhu, chose to translate "dukkha" as "stress."

"Now this, monks, is the noble truth of stress: Birth is stressful, aging is stressful, death is stressful; sorrow, lamentation, pain, distress, & despair are stressful; association with the unbeloved is stressful, separation from the loved is stressful, not getting what is wanted is stressful. In short, the five clinging-aggregates are stressful."

The Buddha's isn't saying that everything about life is absolutely awful. In other sermons, the Buddha spoke of many types of happiness, such as the happiness of family life. But as we delve more deeply into the nature of dukkha, we see that it touches everything in our lives, including good fortune and happy times.

The Reach of Dukkha

Let's look at the last clause from the quotation above -- "In short, the five clinging-aggregates are stressful." This is a reference to the Five Skandhas Very roughly, the skandhas might be thought of as components that come together to make an individual -- our bodies, senses, thoughts, predilections, and consciousness.

Theravadin monk and scholar Bikkhu Bodhi wrote,

"This last clause -- referring to a fivefold grouping of all the factors of existence -- implies a deeper dimension to suffering than is covered by our ordinary ideas of pain, sorrow, and despondency. What it points to, as the fundamental meaning of the first noble truth, is the unsatisfactoriness and radical inadequacy of everything conditioned, owing to the fact that whatever is impermanent and ultimately bound to perish." [From The Buddha and His Teachings [Shambhala, 1993], edited by Samuel Bercholz and Sherab Chodzin Kohn, page 62]

You may not think of yourself or other phenomena as "conditioned." What this means is that nothing exists independently of other things; all phenomena are conditioned by other phenomena.

Read More: Dependent Origination

Pessimistic or Realistic?

Why is it so important to understand and acknowledge that everything in our lives is marked by dukkha? Isn't optimism a virtue? Isn't it better to expect life to be good?

The problem with the rose-colored glasses view is that it sets us up for failure. As the Second Noble Truth teaches us, we go through life grasping at things we think will make us happy while avoiding things we think will hurt us. We are perpetually being pulled and pushed this way and that by our likes and dislikes, our desires and our fears. And we can never settle in a happy place for very long.

Buddhism is not a means to cocoon ourselves in pleasant beliefs and hopes to make life more bearable. Instead, it is a way to liberate ourselves from the constant push-pull of attraction and aversion and the cycle of samsara. The first step in this process is understanding the nature of dukkha.

Three Insights

Teachers often present the First Noble Truth by stressing three insights. The first insight is acknowledgment -- there is suffering, or dukkha. The second is a kind of encouragement -- dukkha is to be understood. The third is realization -- dukkha is understood.

The Buddha didn't leave us with a belief system, but with a path. The path begins by acknowledging dukkha and seeing it for what it is. We stop running away from what bothers us and pretending the unease isn't there. We stop assigning blame or being angry because life isn't what we think it should be.

Thich Nhat Hanh said,

"Recognizing and identifying our suffering is like the work of a doctor diagnosing an illness. He or she says, 'If I press here, does it hurt?' and we say, 'Yes, this is my suffering. This has come to be.' The wounds in our heart become the object of our meditation. We show them to the doctor, and we show them to the Buddha, which means we show them to ourselves." [From The Heart of the Buddha's Teaching (Parallax Press, 1998) page 28]

Theravadin teacher Ajahn Sumedho advises us to not identify with the suffering.

"The ignorant person says, 'I'm suffering. I don't want to suffer. I meditate and I go on retreats to get out of suffering, but I'm still suffering and I don't want to suffer.... How can I get out of suffering? What can I do to get rid of it?' But that is not the First Noble Truth; it is not: 'I am suffering and I want to end it.' The insight is, 'There is suffering'... The insight is simply the acknowledgment that there is this suffering without making it personal." [From The Four Noble Truths (Amaravati Publications), page 9]

The First Noble Truth is the diagnosis -- identifying the disease -- the Second explains the cause of the disease. The Third assures us that there is a cure, and the Fourth prescribes the remedy.

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Buddhism: What's Hot Now: Rohatsu

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Rohatsu
Nov 16th 2013, 11:03, by buddhism.guide@about.com

Definition:

Rohatsu is Japanese for "eighth day of the twelfth month." December 8 has come to be the day Japanese Buddhists observe the enlightenment of the historical Buddha.

In Japanese Zen monasteries, Rohatsu is the last day of a week-long sesshin. A sesshin is an intensive meditation retreat in which all of one's waking time is dedicated to meditation. Even when not in the meditation hall, participants endeavor to maintain meditation focus at all times -- eating, washing, doing chores. Silence is maintained unless speaking is absolutely necessary.

In a Rohatsu Sesshin, it is traditional for each evening's meditation period to be longer than the previous evening's. On the last night, those with enough stamina sit in meditation through the night.

The Buddha's enlightenment is observed at different times in other parts of Asia. For example, Theravada Buddhists of southeast Asia commemorate the Buddha's birth, enlightenment and passing into Nirvana at death on the same day, called Vesak Puja, which is usually in May. Tibetan Buddhists also observe these three events in the life of the Buddha at the same time, during Saga Dawa Duchen, which usually is in June.

Also Known As: Bodhi Day

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Buddhism: What's Hot Now: Sutra

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Sutra
Nov 16th 2013, 11:03, by buddhism.guide@about.com

Definition:

The name sutra (Sanskrit for "thread") in Buddhism originally was given only to the sermons of the historical Buddha. The sutras were recited from memory by the Buddha's disciple Ananda at the First Buddhist Council. From Ananda's memory they were collected in the part of the Tripitaka called the Sutra-pitaka.

For more about how the Tripitaka originated, see "The First Buddhist Scriptures: The Tripitaka or Pali Canon."

The Mahayana sutras, however, were most likely written no earlier than five centuries after the death of the Buddha, possibly later, which would seem to make them unlikely candidates for the title.

Even so, they were written in the style of the original sutras as if Ananda had recited them. Those later sutras considered essential texts by at least some Mahayana schools are included in what is called the Northern or Mahayana Canon of sutras

.

To confuse matters further, there are some texts that are called sutras but are not. An example of this is the "Platform Sutra," which contains the biography and discourses of the 7th century Ch'an master Hui Neng. The work is one of the treasures of Ch'an and Zen literature. It is generally and cheerfully agreed that the Platform Sutra is not, in fact, a sutra, but it is called a sutra nonetheless.

Alternate Spellings: Sutta

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