Buddhism: Perfection of Meditation

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Perfection of Meditation Jan 31st 2012, 16:22 I hope to focus on dhyana paramita, the perfection of meditation, a bit this week. But many of you already are experienced meditators, so I'm not sure what to say about meditation that would be helpful. Here's one way you could help me. All of my experience in Buddhism has been in the Zen tradition, so I may be qualified to write about Zen meditation.  But I have no personal experience with the meditation practices of other traditions. So, those of you who are not-Zen Buddhist meditators -- if there's a website or book you can recommend that does a good job explaining or describing your meditation practice, please let me know!  Also, if you have any meditation-related questions, let me know that, too, and I'll attempt to address them.

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Buddhism: The Debate Tradition

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The Debate Tradition Jan 31st 2012, 10:02 Following up on the last post on the role of debate in Buddhism -- this brings to mind one of my favorite women of Buddhist history -- Liu Tiemo (ca. 780-859), also called the "Iron Grindstone." Liu Tiemo was born into a family of farm workers in north central China. It was a hard life. It's said that one day, while she was still an adolescent, she simply put her tools down and walked away. I imagine her taking to the road, alone, bristling with teenage attitude. She took shelter in convents, and eventually she was ordained a nun. She learned to read, and then she learned to debate. Her reputation as a fierce debater spread, and monks came to challenger her. She earned the nickname "Iron Grindstone" because she relentlessly ground her debate opponents into bits. She studied witha renowned male teacher, Guishan Lingyou (771-854), and became one of his dharma heirs. Liu Tiemo's name is still listed on many of the the lineage charts displayed in Zen monasteries today. The larger point here is that challenging the understanding of another student is a tradition that goes way back.

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Buddhism: What's Hot Now: Buddhist Sciptures Overview

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Buddhist Sciptures Overview Jan 31st 2012, 11:05 Is there a Buddhist Bible? Not exactly. Buddhism has a vast number of scriptures, but no one text is accepted as authentic and authoritative by every school of Buddhism. Instead, each school of Buddhism has its own ideas about which scriptures are important. There is one other reason that there is no Buddhist Bible. Many religions consider their scriptures to be the revealed word of God or gods. In Buddhism, however, it is understood that the scriptures are teachings of the historical Buddha -- a human being -- or other enlightened masters. The teachings in Buddhist scriptures are directions for practice, or how to realize enlightenment for oneself. What's important is to understand and practice what the texts are teaching, not just "believe in" them. Types of Buddhist Scripture Many scriptures are called "sutras" in Sanskrit or "sutta" in Pali. The word sutra or sutta means "thread." The word "sutra" in the title of a text indicates the work is a sermon of the Buddha or one of his major disciples. However, as I will explain later, many sutras probably have other origins. Sutras come in many sizes. Some are book length, some are only a few lines. No one seems willing to guess how many sutras there might be if you piled every individual one from every canon and collection into a pile. A lot. Not all scriptures are sutras. For example, the rules of the monastic orders are recorded in a text called the Vinaya-pitaka. There is also a text called the Abhidharma (Sanskrit) or Abhidhamma (Pali), of which there is more than one version. The Abhidharma is a work of analysis or philosophy rather than a sermon, so it isn't called a "sutra." Theravada and Mahayana Canons About two millennia ago, Buddhism split into two major schools, called today Theravada and Mahayana. Buddhist scriptures are associated with one or the other, divided into Theravada and Mahayana canons. Theravadins do not consider the Mahayana scriptures to be authentic. Mahayana Buddhists on the whole consider the Theravada canon to be authentic, but in some cases Mahayana Buddhists think some of their scriptures have superseded the Theravada canon in authority. To add to the confusion, schools of Mahayana Buddhism have different views about which Mahayana scriptures are authentic and authoritative. Some Mahayana scriptures are important to some schools and ignored by others. For example, the Lotus Sutra is the only scripture accepted by the Nichiren school, but it plays no part in Tibetan Buddhism. Theravada Buddhist Scriptures The scriptures of the Theravada school are collected in a work called the Tipitaka (or Tripitaka in Sanskrit). The Pali word Tipitaka means "three baskets," which indicates the Tipitaka is divided into three parts, and each part is a collection of works. The three sections are the basket of sutras (Sutra-pitaka), the basket of discipline (Vinaya-pitaka), and the basket of special teachings (Abhidharma-pitaka). As I mentioned earlier in this article, the Vinaya gives the rules for the orders of nuns and monks, and the Abdhidharma provides analysis of the sutras but is not a sutra (sermon) itself. The most complete and most common version of the Tipitaka is in the Pali language. This Pali Tipitaka, also called the Pali Canon, contains the scriptures followed by Theravada Buddhism. The Pali Canon is thought to be the words of the historical Buddha and some of his disciples, preserved for a time by oral tradition and then written down in the 1st century BCE. For a more complete explanation of the origins of the Tipitaka, please see "The Pali Canon: The First Buddhist Scriptures." There are ancient versions of parts of the Tipitaka in other languages. For example, there are sutras in Sanskrit that correspond to some of the sutras in the Pali Sutra-pitaka, and the collection of these early discourses is called the Agamas. There also have been versions of the Abhidharma that are considerably different from the one in the Pali Canon. Some of these exist today only in fragments. But one, called the Sarvastivada Abhidharma, is still intact. Saravastivada was an early sect of Buddhism that emerged in the 3rd century BCE. Mahayana Buddhist Scriptures Although there are myths and stories that associate each of the Mahayana sutras to the historical Buddha, historians tell us the works were mostly written between the 1st century BCE and the 5th century CE, and a few even later than that. For the most part, the provenance and authorship of these texts are unknown. The mysterious origins of these works give rise to questions about their authority. As I've said Theravada Buddhists disregard the Mahayana scriptures entirely. Among Mahayana Buddhist schools, some continue to associate the Mahayana sutras with the historical Buddha. Others acknowledge that these scriptures were written by unknown authors. But because the deep wisdom and spiritual value of these texts have been apparent to so many generations, they are preserved and revered as sutras anyway. Many of the Mahyana sutras are thought to have been originally written in Sanskrit, but the oldest extant versions are Chinese translations, and the original Sanskrit is lost. Some scholars, however, argue that the first Chinese translations are, in fact, the original versions, and their authors claimed to have translated them from Sanskrit to give them more authority. Within the Mahayana canon are many sub-canons. For example, the Prajnaparamita (perfection of wisdom) Sutra is a collection of about forty sutras, some very long, other very brief. The Heart Sutra is one of these. Because their central theme is prajna, wisdom, scholars sometimes call them the "wisdom literature." Some Mahayana Sutras are unique to a particular school. For example, there are three "Pure Land" sutras that are the main scriptures of Pure Land Buddhism but which are not much used by other schools. Others, like the Lotus, are revered by several schools of Mahayana Buddhism but not all of them. This list of major Mahayana Sutras is not comprehensive but provides brief explanations of the most important Mahayana sutras.

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Buddhism: What's Hot Now: Theravada Buddhism

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Theravada Buddhism Jan 31st 2012, 11:05 Theravada is the dominant form of Buddhism in southeast Asia, and for this reason it is sometimes called the "Southern School." It claims about 100 million adherents worldwide. Its doctrines are taken from the Tripitaka , and its basic teachings begin with the Four Noble Truths. Above all, Theravada emphasizes insight gained through critical analysis and personal experience rather than blind faith. Theravada is distinctive from the other major school of Buddhism, Mahayana, in several ways. Individual Enlightenment Theravada emphasizes individual enlightenment; the ideal is to become an arhat (sometimes arahant), which means "worthy one" in Pali. An arhat is a person who has realized enlightenment and freed himself from the cycle of birth and death. Beneath the arhat ideal is an understanding of the doctrine of anatman -- the nature of the self -- that differs from that of the Mahayana. Very basically, Theravada considers anatman to mean that an individual's ego or personality is a fetter and delusion. Once freed of this delusion, the individual may enjoy the bliss of Nirvana. Mahayana, on the other hand, considers all physical forms to be void of intrinsic self and individual autonomy to be a delusion. Therefore, according to Mahayana, "individual enlightenment" is an oxymoron. The ideal in Mahayana is to enable all beings to be enlightened together. Self-Power Theravada teaches that enlightenment comes entirely through one's own efforts, without help from gods or other outside forces. Some schools of Mahayana emphasize this also, but others (for example, Pure Land) are more devotional. Literature All schools of Buddhism recognize the Tripitaka as scripture. However, there are several sutras (sometimes collectively called the "Northern Canon" or "Mahayana Canon") that are essential to Mahayana but not considered legitimate by Theravada. Pali Versus Sanskrit Theravada Buddhism uses the Pali rather than the Sanskrit form of common terms; for example, sutta instead of sutra; dhamma instead of dharma. Meditation The primary means of realizing enlightenment in the Theravada tradition is through Vipassana meditation. Vipassana emphasizes disciplined self-observation of body and thoughts and how they interconnect. Some schools of Mahayana also emphasize meditation, but other schools of Mahayana do not meditate.

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Buddhism: What's Hot Now: Buddha

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Buddha Jan 31st 2012, 11:05 Definition: In Buddhism, the Sanskrit word buddha, "awakened one," is used in several different ways. First, a Buddha is someone who has realized the enlightenment (bodhi) that ends the cycle of birth and death (samsara). Sometimes Buddha is used specifically to refer to the historical Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama, whose teachings founded the religion of Buddhism. In Mahayana Buddhism, the word is sometimes used in the context of the Trikaya. In this usage, "Buddha" might be thought of as a principle that is both manifested and unmanifested. Finally, also in Mahayana Buddhism, Buddha is used to mean "Buddha-nature." Buddha-nature is the absolute, unconditioned nature of all things. Read More: What's a Buddha?

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Buddhism: Conflicted Aversion to Conflict Aversion

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Conflicted Aversion to Conflict Aversion Jan 30th 2012, 09:52 Lewis Richmond has an essay at Huffington Post about a couple of topics dear to my heart. One topic is the growing inclusion of women as equals in Buddhism, and the other is that "'right speech' is often wrongly interpreted to mean never saying anything critical or difficult." If you're a regular here you've probably noticed I'm not exactly conflict averse where discussion of dharma is concerned. I dearly love a good argument, as long as it stays on topic and doesn't devolve into personal insults. Having to defend one's understanding can be a great learning tool. Often a commenter will seem upset that people are disagreeing at all. Apparently some think that we're all supposed to just respect everyone else's opinions about teachings and avoid all conflict. But  vigorous debate is part of Buddhist tradition. In many monastic traditions monks and nuns take part in intense debates. Challenging the understanding of another monastic, preferably a senior one, is encouraged. In the Zen tradition "dharma combat" has become somewhat ritualized, but Zen history records many such challenges that got physical as well -- grabbing, shoving, punching, the occasional broken bone. I'm not saying we should replicate that (especially since I would lose), but it's important to understand that disagreement is OK. Lewis Richmond writes that people who seek out Buddhism in the West are looking for a refuge from emotional strife. He writes, "As one prominent Buddhist leader has said, '80 percent of meditators at Buddhist centers have a background of trauma and abuse, and the other 20 percent are lying.'" He continues, "As a consequence of this, however, Western Buddhists are often conflict averse and averse to expressing negative thoughts and feelings. This can give Buddhist communities an unreal patina of peace and harmony, masking a deeper current of resentment, anger and frustration." It's also the case that one comes to Buddhism to learn something. Central to that learning process is challenging our current views and assumptions. If you're looking for a tradition in which no one will ever tell you that your present understanding is out of whack, Buddhism ain't it. In thinking about this topic, the poem "Heaven-Haven: A Nun Takes the Veil" by Gerard Manley Hopkins, written in 1864, keeps popping into my head. Here it is: I have desired to go Where springs not fail, To fields where flies no sharp and sided hail And a few lilies blow. And I have asked to be Where no storms come, Where the green swell is in the havens dumb, And out of the swing of the sea. This is a poem about escape. But there is no escape. We may all wish to be someplace where there is no "sharp and sided hail," but the fact is that we take the hail with us, wherever we go. There's no running away from it. And monastic communities can be just as conflict-ridden as families, schools, and workplaces. Ultimately there is no alternative to getting to the root of where the hail is coming from, and liberating yourself from it. Unrealistically, some of us go to dharma centers thinking that everyone else there will have his or her act together and will be devoted to being compassionate to us. But the fact is that everyone else is there for the same reason we are  -- dukkha, suffering.  And you don't deal with dukkha by pretending it's not there.

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Buddhism: What's Hot Now: The Wheel of Life: The Realm of Hungry Ghosts

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The Wheel of Life: The Realm of Hungry Ghosts Jan 30th 2012, 11:05 Hungry Ghosts (Pretas) are pitable things. They are wasted creatures with huge, empty stomachs. Their necks are too thin to allow food to pass. So, they are constantly hungry. Greed and jealousy lead to rebirth as a Hungry Ghost. The Hungry Ghost Realm often, but not always, is depicted between the Asura Realm and the Hell Realm. It is thought the karma of their lives was not quite bad enough for a rebirth in the Hell Realm but not good enough for the Asura Realm. Psychologically, Hungry Ghosts are associated with addictions, compulsions and obsessions. People who have everything but always want more may be Hungry Ghosts.

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Buddhism: What's Hot Now: China Today

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China Today Jan 30th 2012, 11:05 Mao Zedong's Red Army seized control of China in 1949, and the People's Republic of China was born. In 1950, China invaded Tibet and declared it to be part of China. How has Buddhism fared in Communist China and Tibet? Although Tibet and China are under the same government, I am going to discuss China and Tibet separately, because the situations in China and Tibet are not identical. Buddhism in China Under Mao Zedong Mao Zedong was famously hostile to religion, and Buddhism and Communism disagree on many philosophical points. However, Buddhism had been under some degree of state control through most of its history in China, and Buddhist institutions in China submitted to Communist authority. In the early years of Mao Zedong's dictatorship, some monasteries and temples were converted to secular use. Others became state-operated organizations, and the priests and monks became employees of the state. These state-operated temples and monasteries tended to be in large cities and other places likely to receive foreign visitors. They were intended for show, in other words. In 1953 all of Chinese Buddhism was organized into the Buddhist Association of China. The purpose of this organization was and is to place all Buddhists under the leadership of the Communist Party so that Buddhism will support the party's agenda. It should be noted that when China brutally suppressed Tibetan Buddhism in 1959, the Buddhist Association of China fully approved the actions of the government of China. During the "Cultural Revolution" that began in 1966, Mao's Red Guards did incalculable damage to Buddhist temples and art as well as to the Chinese sangha. After Mao Zedong's death in 1976 the government of China relaxed -- somewhat -- its oppression of religion, and Buddhism made a slow comeback. However, Buddhist institutions are still controlled by the government, and the Buddhist Association of China still exists to keep Buddhism in line. Olympic Good Behavior? For the past couple of years, the government of China has made many conciliatory gestures to Buddhism in China. In April 2006 China even hosted the World Buddhist Forum, in which Buddhist scholars and monks from many countries discussed world harmony. (His Holiness the Dalai Lama did not, however, attend.) On the other hand, also in 2006 the Buddhist Association of China expelled a master of Huacheng Temple in Yichun city, Jianxi province, after he performed ceremonies for the benefit of the victims of the Tiananmen Square Massacre of 1989. It is hard for outside observers to know how much real freedom the Chinese sangha has to practice Buddhism, and if the Chinese government's current show of tolerance will continue after the Beijing Olympic Games. Tibet Please see "Behind the Turmoil in Tibet" for the basic historical background of the current crisis in Tibetan Buddhism. Here I want to look at Buddhism in Tibet since the March 2008 riots. As in China, the monasteries in Tibet are controlled by the government, and the monks are, in effect, government employees. China appears to favor monasteries that are lucrative tourist attractions. Monasteries frequently are visited by government agents to ensure proper behavior. Monks complain that they cannot so much as conduct a ceremony without government approval. After the March 2008 riots, Tibet was so well locked down that little verifiable news escaped. Not until June 2008, when a few foreign journalists were allowed carefully guided tours of Lhasa, did outsiders learn that large numbers of monks are missing from Lhasa. Of 1,500 or so monks from the three major monasteries of Lhasa, about 1,000 are being detained. About 500 more probably are accused of crimes and imprisoned. There is no official information about what happened to them. Journalist Kathleen McLaughlin wrote on July 28, 2008: "Drepung, the largest Tibetan monastery and once home to as many as 10,000 monks, is now a reeducation camp for monks involved in the March 14 uprising. China’s state media says an 'education work group' is being conducted inside the monastery 'to restore religious order.' Up to 1,000 monks are reportedly locked inside, human-rights groups say, being retrained in line with Chinese Communist Party directives. The monastery is one of Lhasa’s taboo topics these days. Questions to locals about Drepung are typically met with a shake of the head and a wave of the hand." Zero Tolerance On July 30, 2008, the International Campaign for Tibet accused China of "Sweeping new measures introduced in Kardze to purge monasteries of monks and restrict religious practice." The measures include: Monks who express dissent or refuse to 'conform' can be expelled and their residence demolished. Tulkus (reincarnate lamas) could be 'stripped of the right to hold the incarnation lineage' if they communicate with foreigners or engage in protests against the Chinese authorities - a measure that is consistent with an earlier ruling that all reincarnate lamas must have the approval of the Chinese government. Buddhist practice will be suspended in monasteries where a specific percentage of monks have engaged in protest or dissent. Senior religious teachers could face public 'rectification' or imprisonment if they are shown to have even 'tolerated' peaceful protest activity. Pervasive Oppression It's true that China has invested a great deal of money into Tibet to modernize it, and that the Tibetan people overall enjoy a higher standard of living because of it. But that does not excuse the pervasive oppression of Tibetan Buddhism. Tibetans risk imprisonment merely for possessing a photograph of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. The government of China even insists on choosing the reincarnated tulkus. This is tantamount to the government of Italy muscling it's way into the Vatican and insisting on choosing the next Pope. It's outrageous. A great many reports say that younger Tibetans, including monks, are much less likely to try to compromise with China as His Holiness the Dalai Lama have tried to do. The crisis in Tibet may not always be on the front pages of newspapers, but it is not going away, and it is likely to get worse.

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Buddhism: What's Hot Now: The Wheel of Life: The Realm of the Gods

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The Wheel of Life: The Realm of the Gods Jan 30th 2012, 11:05 The Realm of the Gods (Devas) sounds like a nice place to live. And, no question, you can do a lot worse. But even the Realm of the Gods isn't perfect. Those born in the God Realm live long and pleasure-filled lives. They have wealth and power and happiness. So what's the catch? The catch is that because the Devas have such rich and happy lives they don't recognize the truth of suffering. Their happiness is, in a way, a curse, because they have no motivation to seek liberation from the Wheel. Eventually their happy lives end, and they must face rebirth in another, less happy, realm. The Devas are perpetually at war with their neighbors on the Wheel, the Asuras. This depiction of the Wheel shows the Devas charging the Asuras.

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Buddhism: What's Hot Now: The Wheel of Life: The Center

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The Wheel of Life: The Center Jan 30th 2012, 11:05 At the center of every Wheel of Life are a cock, a snake and a pig, which represent greed, anger and ignorance. In Buddhism, greed, anger (or hate) and ignorance are called the "Three Poisons" because they poison whoever harbors them. These are the forces that keep the Wheel of Life turning, according to the Buddha's teaching of the Second Noble Truth. The circle outside the center, which is sometimes missing in depictions of the Wheel, is called the Sidpa Bardo, or intermediate state. It is also sometimes called the White Path and the Dark Path. On one side, bodhisattvas guide beings to rebirths in the higher realms of Devas, Gods and Humans. On the other, demons lead beings to the lower realms of Hungry Ghosts, Hell Beings and Animals.

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Buddhism: What's Hot Now: Faith, Doubt and Buddhism

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Faith, Doubt and Buddhism Jan 29th 2012, 11:05 The word "faith" often is used as a synonym for religion; people say "What is your faith?" to mean "What is your religion?" In recent years it's become popular to call a religious individual a "person of faith." But what do we mean by "faith," and what part does faith play in Buddhism? As a Buddhist I call myself religious but not a "person of faith." It seems to me "faith" has been dumbed down to mean nothing but rigid and uncritical acceptance of dogma, which is not what Buddhism is about. "Faith" also is used to mean uncritical belief in divine beings, miracles, heaven and hell, and other phenomena that cannot be proved. Or, as crusading atheist Richard Dawkins defines it in his book The God Delusion, "Faith is belief in spite of, even perhaps because of, the lack of evidence." Why does this understanding of "faith" not work with Buddhism? As recorded in the Kalama Sutta, the historical Buddha taught us not to accept even his teachings uncritically, but to apply our own experience and reason to determine for ourselves what is true and and what isn't. This is not "faith" as the word is commonly used. Some schools of Buddhism appear to be more "faith-based" than others. Pure Land Buddhists look to Amitabha Buddha for rebirth in the Pure Land, for example. The Pure Land sometimes is understood to be a transcendent state of being, but some also think of it is a place, not unlike the way many people conceptualize Heaven. However, in Pure Land the point is not to worship Amitabha but to practice and actualize the Buddha's teachings in the world. This sort of faith can be a powerful upaya, or skillful means, to help the practitioner find a center, or focus, for practice. The Zen of Faith On the other end of the spectrum is Zen, which stubbornly resists belief in anything supernatural. As Master Bankei said, "My miracle is that when I'm hungry, I eat, and when I am tired, I sleep." Even so, a Zen proverb says that a Zen student must have great faith, great doubt, and great determination. A related Ch'an saying says the four prerequisites for practice are great faith, great doubt, great vow, and great vigor. Common understanding of the words "faith" and "doubt" renders these sayings nonsensical. We define "faith" as an absence of doubt, and "doubt" as an absence of faith. We assume that, like air and water, they cannot occupy the same space. Yet a Zen student is encouraged to cultivate both. Sensei Sevan Ross, director of the Chicago Zen Center, explained how faith and doubt work together in a dharma talk called "The Distance Between Faith and Doubt." Here's just a bit: "Great Faith and Great Doubt are two ends of a spiritual walking stick. We grip one end with the grasp given to us by our Great Determination. We poke into the underbrush in the dark on our spiritual journey. This act is real spiritual practice -- gripping the Faith end and poking ahead with the Doubt end of the stick. If we have no Faith, we have no Doubt. If we have no Determination, we never pick up the stick in the first place." Faith and Doubt Faith and doubt are supposed to be opposites, but the Sensei says "if we have no faith, we have no doubt." I would say, also, that true faith requires true doubt; without doubt, faith is not faith. This kind of faith is not the same thing as certainty; it is more like trust (shraddha). This kind of doubt is not about denial and disbelief. And you can find this same understanding of faith and doubt in the writing of scholars and mystics of other religions if you look for it, even though these days we mostly hear from absolutists and dogmatists. Faith and doubt in the religious sense are both about openness. Faith is about living in an open-hearted and courageous way and not a closed up, self-protecting way. Faith helps us overcome our fear of pain, grief and disappointment and stay open to new experience and understanding. The other kind of faith, which is a head filled up with certainty, is closed. Pema Chodron said, "We can let the circumstances of our lives harden us so that we become increasingly resentful and afraid, or we can let them soften us and make us kinder and more open to what scares us. We always have this choice." Faith is being open to what scares us. Doubt in the religious sense acknowledges what is not understood. While it actively seeks understanding, it also accepts that understanding will never be perfect. Some Christian theologians use the word "humility" to mean about the same thing. The other kind of doubt, which causes us to fold our arms and declare that all religion is bunk, is closed. Zen teachers talk about "beginner's mind" and "don't know mind" to describe a mind that is receptive to realization. This is the mind of faith and doubt. If we have no doubt, we have no faith. If we have no faith, we have no doubt. Leaps in the Dark Above, I said that rigid and uncritical acceptance of dogma is not what Buddhism is about. The Vietnamese Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh says, "Do not be idolatrous about or bound to any doctrine, theory, or ideology, even Buddhist ones. Buddhist systems of thought are guiding means; they are not absolute truth." But although they are not absolute truth, Buddhist systems of thought are wonderful guiding means. The faith in Amitabha of Pure Land Buddhism, the faith in the Lotus Sutra of Nichiren Buddhism, and the faith in deities of Tibetan tantra are like this also. Ultimately these divine beings and sutras are upaya, skillful means, to guide our leaps in the dark, and ultimately they are us. Just believing in them or worshiping them is not the point. I found a saying attributed to Buddhism, "Sell your cleverness and buy bewilderment. Take one leap after another in the darkness until the light shines." That's good. But the guidance of the teachings and the support of the sangha give our leaping in the dark some direction. Open or Closed I think the dogmatic approach to religion, the one that demands unquestioning loyalty to an absolute belief system, is a faithless one. This approach causes people to cling to dogmas rather than follow a path. When taken to extremes, the dogmatist can be lost within the fantasy edifice of fanaticism. Which takes us back to speaking of religion as "faith." In my experience Buddhists rarely speak of Buddhism as a "faith." Instead, it's a practice. Faith is part of the practice, but so is doubt.

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Buddhism: What's Hot Now: Buddhist and Abortion

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Buddhist and Abortion Jan 29th 2012, 11:05 (This is the second part of an essay on Buddhist Views of Abortion. Click "Continued from Page 1" to read the first part.) The Buddhist Approach to Morality Buddhism does not approach morality by handing out absolute rules to be followed in all circumstances. Instead, it provides guidance to help us see how what we do affects ourselves and others. The karma we create with our thoughts, words and actions keeps us subject to cause and effect. Thus, we assume responsibility for our actions and the results of our actions. Even the Precepts are not commandments, but princples, and it is up to us to decide how to apply those principles to our lives. Karma Lekshe Tsomo, a professor of theology and a nun in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition, explains, "There are no moral absolutes in Buddhism and it is recognized that ethical decision-making involves a complex nexus of causes and conditions. 'Buddhism' encompasses a wide spectrum of beliefs and practices, and the canonical scriptures leave room for a range of interpretations. All of these are grounded in a theory of intentionality, and individuals are encouraged to analyze issues carefully for themselves. ... When making moral choices, individuals are advised to examine their motivation--whether aversion, attachment, ignorance, wisdom, or compassion--and to weigh the consequences of their actions in light of the Buddha's teachings." What's Wrong With Moral Absolutes? Our culture places great value on something called "moral clarity." Moral clarity rarely is defined, but I infer it means ignoring the messier aspects of complex moral issues so that one can apply simple, rigid rules to solving them. If you take all facets of an issue into account, you risk not being clear. Moral clarifiers love to rework all ethical problems into simple equations of right and wrong, good and bad. There is an assumption that an issue can have only two sides, and that one side must be entirely right and the other side entirely wrong. Complex issues are simplified and oversimplified and stripped of all ambiguous aspects to make them fit into "right" and "wrong" boxes. To a Buddhist, this is a dishonest and unskillful way to approach morality. In the case of abortion, often people who have taken a side glibly dismiss the concerns of any other side. For example, in much anti-abortion literature women who have abortions are portrayed as selfish or thoughtless, or sometimes just plain evil. The very real problems an unwanted pregnancy might bring to a woman's life are not honestly acknowledged. Moralists sometimes discuss embryos, pregnancy and abortion without mentioning women at all. At the same time, those who favor legal abortion sometimes fail to acknowledge the humanity of the fetus. The Fruits of Absolutism Although Buddhism discourages abortion, we see that criminalizing abortion causes much suffering. The Alan Guttmacher Institute documents that criminalizing abortion does not stop it or even reduce it. Instead, abortion goes underground and is performed in unsafe conditions. In desperation, women submit to unsterile procedures. They drink bleach or turpentine, perforate themselves with sticks and coat hangers, and even jump off roofs. Worldwide, unsafe abortion procedures cause the deaths of about 67,000 women per year, mostly in nations in which abortion is illegal. Those with "moral clarity" can ignore this suffering. A Buddhist cannot. In his book The Mind of Clover: Essays in Zen Buddhist Ethics, Robert Aitken Roshi said (p.17), "The absolute position, when isolated, omits human details completely. Doctrines, including Buddhism, are meant to be used. Beware of them taking life of their own, for then they use us." What About the Baby? My understanding is that an individual is a phenomenon of life in the same way a wave is a phenomenon of ocean. When the wave begins, nothing is added to the ocean; when it ends, nothing is taken away. Robert Aitken Roshi wrote (The Mind of Clover, pp. 21-22), "Sorrow and suffering form the nature of samsara, the flow of life and death, and the decision to prevent birth is made on balance with other elements of suffering. Once the decision is made, there is no blame, but rather acknowledgment that sadness pervades the whole universe, and this bit of life goes with our deepest love." The Buddhist Approach In researching this article I found universal consensus among Buddhist ethicists that the best approach to the abortion issue is to educate people about birth control and encourage them to use contraceptives. Beyond that, as Karma Lekshe Tsomo writes, "In the end, most Buddhists recognize the incongruity that exists between ethical theory and actual practice and, while they do not condone the taking of life, do advocate understanding and compassion toward all living beings, a lovingkindness that is nonjudgmental and respects the right and freedom of human beings to make their own choices."

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Buddhism: What's Hot Now: Historic Temples of Japan: Ryoanji

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Historic Temples of Japan: Ryoanji Jan 29th 2012, 11:05 The Rinzai Zen temple Ryoanji -- Temple of the Peaceful Dragon -- was built in Kyoto in the late 1400s, and the garden may be nearly as old. Its fifteen moss-covered boulders are placed so that, viewed from any point, only fourteen of the boulders are visible. Tradition says only the enlightened see all fifteen boulders. The garden invites us to contemplate imperfection and limitation. We may know there are fifteen stones, yet in the imperfect world we do not see them all. In this way, the garden becomes a visual koan.

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Buddhism: What's Hot Now: Tibetan Buddhist History

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Tibetan Buddhist History Jan 28th 2012, 11:07 The history of Buddhism in Tibet begins with Bon. The Bon religion of Tibet was animistic and shamanistic, and elements of it live on today, to one degree or another, in Tibetan Buddhism. Although Buddhist scriptures may have made their way into Tibet centuries earlier, the history of Buddhism in Tibet effectively begins in 641 CE. In that year, King Songtsen Gampo (d. ca. 650) unified Tibet through military conquest and took two Buddhist wives, Princess Bhrikuti of Nepal and Princess Wen Cheng of China. The princesses are credited with introducing their husband to Buddhism. Songtsen Gampo built the first Buddhist temples in Tibet, including the Jokhang in Lhasa and the Changzhug in Nedong. He also put Tibetan translators to work on the Sanskrit scriptures. Guru Rinpoche and Nyingma During the reign of King Trisong Detsen, which began about 755 CE, Buddhism became the official religion of the Tibetan people. The King also invited famous Buddhist teachers such as Shantarakshita and Padmasambhava to Tibet. Padmasambhava, remembered by Tibetans as Guru Rinpoche ("Precious Master"), was an Indian master of tantra whose influence on the development of Tibetan Buddhism is incalculable. He is credited with building Samye, the first monastery in Tibet, in the late 8th century. Nyingma, one of the four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism, claims Guru Rinpoche as its patriarch. According to legend, when Guru Rinpoche arrived in Tibet he pacified the Bon demons and made them protectors of the Dharma. Suppression In 836 King Tri Ralpachen, a supporter of Buddhism, died. His half brother Langdarma became the new King of Tibet. Langdarma suppressed Buddhism and re-established Bon as the official religion of Tibet. In 842, Langdarma was assassinated by a Buddhist monk. Rule of Tibet was divided between Langdarma's two sons. However, in the centuries that followed Tibet disintegrated into many small kingdoms. Mahamudra While Tibet was plunged into chaos, there were developments in India that would be keenly important to Tibetan Buddhism. The Indian sage Tilopa (989-1069) developed a system of meditation and practice called Mahamudra. Mahamudra is, very simply, a methodology for understanding the intimate relation between mind and reality. Tilopa transmitted the teachings of Mahamudra to his disciple, another Indian sage named Naropa (1016-1100). Marpa and Milarepa Marpa Chokyi Lodro (1012-1097) was a Tibetan who traveled to India and studied with Naropa. After years of study, Marpa was declared a dharma heir of Naropa. He returned to Tibet, bringing with him Buddhist scriptures in Sanskrit that Marpa translated into Tibetan. Hence, is he called "Marpa the Translator." Marpa's most famous student was Milarepa (1040-1123), who is remember especially for his beautiful songs and poems. One of Milarepa's students, Gampopa (1079-1153), founded the Kagyu school, one of the four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism. The Second Dissemination The great Indian scholar Dipamkara Shrijnana Atisha (ca. 980-1052) came to Tibet by invitation of King Jangchubwo. At the request of the King, Atisha wrote a book for the the king's subjects called Byang-chub lam-gyi sgron-ma, or "Lamp to the Path of Enlightenment." Although Tibet was still politically fragmented, Atisha's arrival in Tibet in 1042 marked the beginning of what is called the "Second Dissemination" of Buddhism in Tibet. Through Atisha's teachings and writings, Buddhism once again became the main religion of the people of Tibet. Sakyas and Mongols In 1073, Khon Konchok Gyelpo (1034-l 102) built Sakya Monastery in southern Tibet. His son and successor, Sakya Kunga Nyingpo, founded the Sakya sect, one of the four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism. In 1207, Mongol armies invaded and occupied Tibet. In 1244, Sakya Pandita Kunga Gyeltsen (1182-1251), a Sakya master was invited to Mongolia by Godan Khan, grandson of Genghis Khan. Through Sakya Pandita's teachings Godon Khan became a Buddhist. In 1249, Sakya Pandita was appointed Viceroy of Tibet by the Mongols. In 1253, Phagba (1235-1280) succeeded Sakya Pandita at the Mongol court. Phagba became a religious teacher to Godan Khan's famous successor, Kublai Khan. In 1260, Kublai Khan named Phagpa the Imperial Preceptor of Tibet. Tibet would be ruled by a succession of Sakya lamas until 1358, when central Tibet came under control of the Kagyu sect. The Fourth School: Gelug The last of the four great schools of Tibetan Buddhism,the Gelug school, was founded by Je Tsongkhapa (1357-1419), one of Tibet's greatest scholars. The first Gelug monastery, Ganden, was founded by Tsongkhapa in 1409. The third head lama of the Gelug school, Sonam Gyatso (1543-1588) converted the Mongol leader Altan Khan to Buddhism. It is commonly believed that Altan Khan originated the title Dalai Lama, meaning "Ocean of Wisdom," in 1578 to give to Sonam Gyatso. Others point out that since gyatso is Tibetan for "ocean," the title "Dalai Lama" simply might have been a Mongol translation of Sonam Gyatso's name -- Lama Gyatso. In any event, "Dalai Lama" became the title of the highest-ranking lama of the Gelug school. Since Sonam Gyatso was the third lama in that lineage, he became the 3rd Dalai Lama. The first two Dalai Lamas received the title posthumously. It was the 5th Dalai Lama, Lobsang Gyatso (1617-1682), who first became ruler of all Tibet. The "Great Fifth" formed a military alliance with the Mongol leader Gushri Khan. When two other Mongol chiefs and the ruler of Kang, an ancient kingdom of central Asia, invaded Tibet, Gushri Khan routed them and declared himself king of Tibet. In 1642, Gushri Khan recognized the 5th Dalai Lama as the spiritual and temporal leader of Tibet. The succeeding Dalai Lamas and their regents remained the chief administrators of Tibet until the invasion of Tibet by China in 1950 and the exile of the 14th Dalai Lama in 1959.

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Buddhism: What's Hot Now: The Buddha's Robe in Korea

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The Buddha's Robe in Korea Jan 28th 2012, 11:07 In Korea, as in China and Japan, it is common for monks to wrap the kashaya robe over a sleeved robe. Also as in China and Japan, robes can come in a variety of colors and styles. Every year, this Chogye (Korean Zen) monastery in Seoul "ordains" children temporarily, shaving their heads and dressing them in monks' robes. The children will live in the monastery for three weeks and learn about Buddhism. The "little" monks wear "little" kashaya robes in the style of a rakusu (see Photograph 7). The "big" monks wear a traditional kashaya.

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Buddhism: What's Hot Now: The Buddha's Robe in China

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The Buddha's Robe in China Jan 28th 2012, 11:07 The rice paddy pattern is preserved in the Chinese kashaya, although an abbot's kashaya might be made of ornate, brocaded cloth. Yellow of a common color for monks' sleeved robes. In China, yellow represents earth and is also the "central" color that might be said to represent equanimity.

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Buddhism: What's Hot Now: The Wheel of Life

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The Wheel of Life Jan 28th 2012, 11:07 The rich iconography of the Wheel of Life can be interpreted on several levels. The six major sections represent the Six Realms. These realms can be understood as forms of existence, or states of mind, into which beings are born according to their karma. The realms also can be viewed as situations in life or even personality types -- hungry ghosts are addicts; devas are privileged; hell beings have anger issues. In each of the realms the Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara appears to show the way to liberation from the Wheel. But liberation is possible only in the human realm. From there, those who realize enlightenment find their way out of the Wheel to Nirvana. The gallery shows sections of the Wheel and explains them in more detail. The Wheel of Life: The Wheel of Life: Yama, Lord of the Underworld The Wheel of Life: The Realm of the Gods The Wheel of Life: The Realm of Asuras The Wheel of Life: The Realm of Hungry Ghosts The Wheel of Life: The Hell Realm The Wheel of Life: The Animal Realm The Wheel of Life: The Human Realm The Wheel of Life: The Center The Wheel of Life: The Buddha The Wheel of Life: The Door to Nirvana

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