Buddhism: Vassa Begins

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Vassa Begins Jul 31st 2012, 16:42 (Image credit: Eddie Crimmins, flickr.com, Creative Commons License) Theravada monastics are about to begin the annual three-month "rains retreat," Vassa. I understand Vassa begins officially with the first waning moon day of the eighth lunar month, which I believe is this Wednesday, August 2. The full moon is tomorrow.

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Buddhism: What's Hot Now: Ritual and Buddhism

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Ritual and Buddhism Jul 31st 2012, 11:06 Touching the Heart of the Buddha A reader once commented that he had been exploring Buddhism for about five years but could not relate to Buddhist rituals. He loved the "spiritual" side of Buddhism, he said, but hated the ritualistic side. The rituals made Buddhism "just another religion." This was my answer: "Regarding the rituals â€" without knowing what tradition you’re working with I can’t comment specifically. Most of my experience is with Zen rituals. But it’s all skillful means. The power in Buddhism is found in giving yourself to it. "Remember, it’s all about realizing the ephemeral nature of ego. As Dogen said, 'To carry yourself forward and experience myriad things is delusion. That myriad things come forth and experience themselves is awakening.' In ritual, quiet yourself and let the myriad things experience themselves. It can be very powerful. "If you’re standing apart from it and judging it, it’s not helping you much. But perhaps Buddhism is not the right practice for you." The reader didn't care for this answer. It proved to him that "Buddhism, like all other religions, has its rigid robots who know everything about their religion’s ritual and nothing about its heart." Since my answer was unskillful, I want to try again. What Rituals Mean It's often said that you have to practice Buddhism to understand Buddhism. Through the experience of Buddhist practice you come to appreciate why it is the way it is, including the rituals. The power of the rituals manifests when you engage in them fully and give yourself to them completely, with your entire heart and mind. When you are fully mindful of a ritual, the "I" and "other" disappear and the heart-mind opens. But if you hold back, judging what you like and don't like about the ritual, there's no power. There's just you, cut off, closed up. The many schools and sects and traditions of Buddhism have diverse rituals, and there are also diverse explanations for the rituals. You might be told that repeating a certain chant or offering flowers and incense gains you merit, for example. That particular explanation isn't compelling to me, although it works for some people. Whatever explanation you may be given for a particular ritual, however, the ultimate purpose of all Buddhist rituals is the realization of enlightenment. No Magic There's no magic power in lighting a candle or bowing to an altar. If you perform a ritual no force outside yourself will come to your aid and give you enlightenment. Indeed, enlightenment is not a quality that can be possessed, so no one can give it to you. In Buddhism, enlightenment (bodhi) is awakening from one's delusions, especially the delusions of the ego and of a separate self. For more on the realization of enlightenment, see "The Four Noble Truths" and "What Is the Self?" Rituals in Buddhism are a upaya, which is Sanskrit for "skillful means." Rituals are performed because they are helpful for those who participate. Of course, if you are new to Buddhism you may feel awkward and self-conscious as you try to mimic what others around you are doing. Feeling awkward and self-conscious means you are bumping into your delusional ideas about yourself. Acknowledging those feelings and getting beyond them is vital spiritual practice. We all come into practice with issues and buttons and tender spots that hurt when something pushes them. Usually we go through our lives wrapped in ego armor to protect the tender spots. But the ego armor causes its own pain, because it cuts us off from ourselves and everyone else. Much Buddhist practice, including ritual, is about peeling off the armor. Usually this is a gradual and gentle process that you do at your own pace, but you will be challenged to step out of your comfort zone at times. Allow Yourself to Be Touched I highly recommend reading this talk on Zen and ritual given by Zen teacher James Ishmael Ford, Roshi. The Roshi acknowledged that people are often disappointed when they come to Zen centers. "After reading all those popular books on Zen, people visiting an actual Zen center or sangha, are often confused or even shocked by what they find," he said. Instead of, you know, cool Zen stuff, visitors find rituals, bowing, chanting, and lots of silent meditation. We come to Buddhism looking for remedies for our pain and fear, but we bring with us our many issues and suspicions. We find ourselves in a place that is foreign and uncomfortable, and we wrap ourselves tighter in our armor. "For most of us as we come into this room, things are encountered with some distance. We place ourselves, frequently, just beyond where we might be touched," the Roshi said. "We must allow ourselves the possibility of being touched," he continued. "This is, after all, about life and death, about our most intimate questions. So, we need just a little openness to the possibilities of being moved, to turn in new directions. Here, during this talk, I would ask a minimum suspension of disbelief, allowing the possibility there are methods to the madness." Empty Your Cup Suspending disbelief doesn't mean taking up belief. Neither believe nor disbelieve; just be open. Rituals can be transformative if you are open to them. And you never know, going forward, which particular ritual or chant or other pracitce might open the bodhi door. Something that you find pointless and annoying at first might be of infinite value to you someday. Long ago a professor visited a Japanese master to inquire about Zen. The master served tea. When the visitor's cup was full, the master kept pouring. Tea spilled out of the cup and over the table. "The cup is full!" said the professor. "No more will go in!" "Like this cup," said the master, "You are full of your own opinions and speculations. How can I show you Zen unless you first empty your cup?" The Heart of Buddhism The power in Buddhism is found in giving yourself to it. Certainly there is more to Buddhism than ritual. But rituals are both training and teaching. They are your life practice, intensified. Learning to be open and completely present in ritual is learning to to be open and completely present in your life. And that's where you find the heart of Buddhism.

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Buddhism: What's Hot Now: Tibetan Buddhist History

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Tibetan Buddhist History Jul 31st 2012, 11:06 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: Not Speaking of Buddha Nature

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Not Speaking of Buddha Nature Jul 30th 2012, 22:21 I've been working all week on an article on Buddha Nature. Buddha Nature is a Mahayana doctrine that defies explanation. English language syntax, the whole subject-verb-object thing, makes it very difficult to speak of Buddha Nature without getting it wrong. For example, it's common to say that all beings have Buddha Nature. Beings (subject) have (verb) Buddha Nature (object). That's how English, and many other languages, work. It's just about impossible to say anything in English without falling into that pattern, somehow. So there are beings, and Buddha Nature, but a being is not really a subject and Buddha Nature is not really an object, and "has" is just all wrong. Mahayana says that Buddha Nature is the fundamental nature of all beings. Theravadins argue, with some justification, that Buddha Nature is just a means to sneak a self, an atman, back into Buddhism. I say "with some justification" because I have read essays about Buddha Nature that make it sound like the atman doctrine of the early Vedic religion, just with different labels. The atman of the Vedic religions, and Hinduism today, was thought of as the essential nature of individuals that is also identical with Brahman, the absolute or source of reality. Some scholars of Hinduism describe the individual as a "pot" for the essence of Brahman. The Buddha explicitly denied this doctrine, teaching instead anatman, no self. When you hear that all beings have Buddha Nature, it's really easy to conceptualize something just like atman, an essence that one possesses that is identical with some universal transcendent Buddha. But the Buddha rejected such a concept. In Rinzai Zen, the koan Mu works to dissolve the "me and my Buddha Nature" dichotomy. Dogen, the great patriarch of Japanese Soto Zen, stressed that Buddha Nature is not something we have; it's closer to say it's what we are. See Dogen's Bussho, Buddha Nature, chapter 22 of the 95-Fascicle Shobogenzo, to see a real master take on the subject-verb-object barrier and smash it to bits. This isn't easy. Anyone who thinks it is simple to understand doesn't understand it. The best most of us can do is to try hard to not get stuck in conceptualizations while staying open to realization. And practice, practice, practice.

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Buddhism: What's Hot Now: Nichiren Buddhism

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Nichiren Buddhism Jul 30th 2012, 11:06 In spite of differences, most schools of Buddhism respect each other as valid. There is widespread agreement that any school whose teachings conform to the Four Dharma Seals can be called Buddhist. Nichiren Buddhism, however, was founded on the belief that the true teachings of the Buddha could be found only in the Lotus Sutra. Nichiren, the Founder Nichiren (1222-1282) was a Japanese Tendai priest who came to believe the Lotus Sutra constitutes all of the true teachings of the Buddha. He believed also that the Buddha's teachings had entered a time of degeneration. For this reason, people must be taught through simple and direct means rather than by complex doctrines and rigorous monastic practices. Nichiren compacted the teachings of the Lotus Sutra to the daimoku, which is a practice of chanting the phrase Nam Myoho Renge Kyo, "Devotion to the Mystic Law of the Lotus Sutra." Nichiren taught that daily daimoku enables one to realize enlightenment in this life. However, Nichiren also believed that the other sects of Buddhism in Japan -- in particular, Shingon, Pure Land and Zen -- were corrupted and no longer taught the true dharma. In one of his early essays, The Establishment of Righteousness and the Security of the Country, he blamed a series of earthquakes, storms and famines on these "false" schools. The Buddha must have withdrawn his protection from Japan, he said. Only the practices he, Nichiren, prescribed would return the Buddha's favor. Nichiren came to believe it was his mission in life to prepare the way for true Buddhism to spread throughout the world from Japan. Some of his followers today consider him to have been a Buddha whose teachings take precedence over those of the historical Buddha. Practices of Nichiren Buddhism Daimoku. Daily chanting of Nam Myoho Renge Kyo, or sometimes Namu Myoho Renge Kyo. Some Nichiren Buddhists repeat the chant for a fixed number of times, keeping count with a mala, or rosary. Others chant for a fixed amount of time. For example, a Nichiren Buddhist might set aside fifteen minutes morning and evening for daimoku. The mantra is chanted rhythmically with a meditative focus. Gohonzon. A mandala created by Nichiren that represents Buddha-nature and which is an object of veneration. The Gohonzon often is inscribed on a hanging scroll and kept in the center of an altar. The Dai-Gohonzon is a particular Gohonzon thought to be in Nichiren's own hand and enshrined at Taisekiji, the head temple of Nichiren Shoshu in Japan. The Dai-Gohonzon is not recognized as authentic by all Nichiren schools. Gongyo. In Nichiren Buddhism, gongyo refers to chanting of some part of the Lotus Sutra in a formal service. The precise sections of the sutra that are chanted vary by sect. Kaidan. Kaidan is a sacred place of ordination or a seat of institutional authority. The precise meaning of kaidan in Nichiren Buddhism is a point of doctrinal disagreement. Kaidan might be the place from which true Buddhism will spread to the world, which could be all of Japan. Or, kaidan might be wherever Nichiren Buddhism is sincerely practiced. Today a number of schools of Buddhism are based on Nichiren's teaching. These are the most prominent: Nichiren Shu Nichiren Shu ("Nichiren School" or "Nichiren Faith") is the oldest school of Nichiren Buddhism and considered one of the most mainstream. It is less exclusionary than some other sects. Nichiren Shu recognizes the historical Buddha as the supreme Buddha of this age, and considers Nichiren to be a priest, not a supreme Buddha. Nichiren Shu Buddhists study the Four Noble Truths and and retain some practices common to other schools of Buddhism, such as taking refuge. Nichren's main temple, Mount Minobu, now is the main temple of Nichiren Shu. Nichiren Shoshu Nichiren Shoshu ("True School of Nichiren") was founded by a disciple of Nichiren named Nikko. Nichiren Shoshu considers itself to be the only authentic school of Nichiren Buddhism. Nichiren Shoshu followers believe that Nichiren replaced the historical Buddha as the One True Buddha of our age. The Dai-Gohonzon is highly venerated and kept in the main temple, Taisekiji. There are three elements to following Nichiren Shoshu. The first is absolute trust in the Gohonzon and in Nichiren's teachings. The second is sincere practice of gongyo and daimoku. The third is study of Nichiren's writings. Rissho-Kosei-kai In the 1920s a new movement called Reiyu-kai emerged from Nichiren Shu that taught a combination of Nichiren Buddhism and ancestor worship. Rissho-Kosei-kai ("Society for Establishing Righteousness and Friendly Relations") is a lay organization that split from Reiyu-kai in 1938. A unique practice of Rissho-Kosei-kai is the hoza, or "circle of compassion," in which members sit in a circle to share and discuss problems and how to apply the teachings of the Buddha to resolve them. Soka-gakkai Soka-gakkai, "Value Creation Society," was established in 1930 as a lay educational organization of Nichiren Shoshu. After World War II the organization expanded rapidly. Today Soka Gakkai International (SGI) claims 12 million members in 120 countries. SGI has had its problems with controversy. The current president, Daisaku Ikeda, challenged the Nichiren Shoshu priesthood over leadership and doctrinal issues, resulting in Ikeda's excommunication in 1991 and the separation of SGI and Nichiren Shoshu. Nevertheless, SGI remains a vibrant organization dedicated to Nichiren Buddhist practice, human empowerment and world peace.

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Buddhism: What's Hot Now: Right Action

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Right Action Jul 30th 2012, 11:06 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: Right View Right Intention Right Speech Right Action Right Livelihood Right Effort Right Mindfulness 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: Not killing Not stealing Not misusing sex Not lying 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: Karma

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Karma Jul 30th 2012, 11:06 Definition: Karma means "intentional action" and refers to the universal law of cause and effect. Karma is created not only by physical action but also by thoughts and words. Just as action causes reaction, karma causes effects that come back to the original actor. Karma also tends to generate more karma that reaches out in all directions. We bear the consequences of the karma we create, but everyone around us is affected by our intentional acts as well, just as we are affected by theirs. Buddhists do not think of karma as "destiny" or as some kind of cosmic retribution system. Although the fruits of "good" karma might be pleasant and beneficial, all karma keeps one entangled in the cycle of death and rebirth. Actions free from desire, hate and delusion do not create karma. The enlightened being ceases to create karma and thus is liberated from rebirth. Alternate Spellings: Kamma

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Buddhism: What's Hot Now: Skandha

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Skandha Jul 29th 2012, 11:06 Definition: (Note: For more about the skandhas, see "The Five Skandhas.") The Sanskrit word skandha means "heap" or "aggregate." The Buddha taught that an individual is a combination of five aggregates of existence, called the Five Skandhas. These are: Form Sensation Perception Mental formations Consciousness Various schools of Buddhism do not interpret the skandhas in exactly the same way. Generally, the first skandha is our physical form. The second is made up of our feelings, emotional and physical, and our senses -- seeing, hearing, tasting, touching, smelling. The third skandha, perception, takes in most of what we call thinking -- conceptualization, cognition, reasoning. This also includes the recognition that occurs when an organ comes into contact with an object. Perception can be thought of as "that which identifies." The object perceived may be a physical object or a mental one, such as an idea. The fourth skandha, mental formations, includes habits, prejudices and predispositions. Our volition, or willfulness, also is part of the fourth skandha, as are attention, faith, conscientiousness, pride, desire, vindictiveness, and many other mental states both virtuous and not virtuous. The causes and effects of karma are especially important to the fourth skandha. The fifth skandha, consciousness, is awareness of or sensitivity to an object, but without conceptualization. Once there is awareness, the third skandha might recognize the object and assign a concept-value to it, and the fourth skandha might react with desire or revulsion or some other mental formation. The fifth skandha is explained in some schools as base that ties the experience of life together. The Buddha taught that our egos, personalities and the sense that the "self" is something distinctive and permanent enclosed within our bodies, are just illusory effects of the skandhas. Also Known As: Aggregates of existence; the Five Heaps Alternate Spellings: Khanda (Pali) Common Misspellings: skandas, kandas

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Buddhism: What's Hot Now: Compassion

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Compassion Jul 29th 2012, 11:06 The Buddha taught that to realize enlightenment, a person must develop two qualities: wisdom and compassion. Wisdom and compassion are sometimes compared to two wings that work together to enable flying, or two eyes that work together to see deeply. In the West, we're taught to think of "wisdom" as something that is primarily intellectual and "compassion" as something that is primarily emotional, and that these two things are separate and even incompatible. We're led to believe that fuzzy, sappy emotion gets in the way of clear, logical wisdom. But this is not a Buddhist understanding. The Sanskrit word usually translated as "wisdom" is prajna (in Pali, panna). I understand this word could also be translated as "consciousness," "discernment," or "insight." The many schools of Buddhism understand prajna somewhat differently, but generally we could say that prajna is understanding or discernment of the Buddha's teaching, especially the teaching of anatta, no self. The word usually translated as "compassion" is karuna, which is understood to mean active sympathy or a willingness to bear the pain of others. In practice, prajna gives rise to karuna, and karuna gives rise to prajna. Truly, you can't have one without the other. They are a means to realizing enlightenment, and they are also enlighenment manifested. Compassion as Training In Buddhism, the ideal of practice is to selflessly act to alleviate suffering wherever it appears. You may argue it is impossible to elminate suffering, and maybe it is, yet we're to respond anyway. What does being nice to others have to do with enlightenment? For one thing, it helps us realize that "individual me" and "individual you" are mistaken ideas. And as long as we're stuck in the idea of "what's in it for me?" we are not yet wise. In Being Upright: Zen and the Bodhisattva Precepts, Soto Zen teacher Reb Anderson wrote, "Reaching the limits of practice as a separate personal activity, we are ready to receive help from the compassionate realms beyond our discriminating awareness." Reb Anderson continued, "We realize the intimate connection between the conventional truth and the ultimate truth through the practice of compassion. It is through compassion that we become thorougly grounded in the conventional truth and thus prepared to receive the ultimate truth. Compassion brings great warmth and kindness to both perspectives. It helps us to be flexible in our interpretation of the truth, and teaches us to give and receive help in practicing the precepts." 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)." No Thanks Have you ever seen someone do something courteous and then get angry for not being properly thanked? True compassion has no expectation of reward, even a simple "thank you," attached to it. Expecting a reward maintains the idea of a separate self and a separate other. The ideal of dana paramita -- the perfection of giving -- is "no giver, no receiver." For this reason, traditionally begging monks receive alms silently and do not express thanks. Of course, in the conventional world there are givers and receivers, but it's important to remember that the act of giving is not possible without receiving. Thus, givers and receivers create each other, and one is not superior to the other. That said, feeling and expressing gratitude chips away at our selfishness, so unless you are a begging monk it's all right to say "thank you" when appropriate. Developing Compassion To draw on an old joke, you get to be more compassionate the same way you get to Carnegie Hall -- practice. It's already been noted that compassion arises from wisdom, just as wisdom arises from compassion. If you're feeling neither especially wise nor compassionate you may feel the whole project is hopeless. But the nun and teacher Pema Chodron says, "start where you are." Whatever mess your life is right now is the soil from which enlightenment may grow. In truth, although you may take one step at a time, Buddhism is not a "one step at a time" process. Each of the eight parts of the Eightfold Path support all the other parts. Every step integrates all the steps. That said, most people begin by better understanding their own suffering, which takes us back to prajna, wisdom. Usually meditation or other mindfulness practices are the means by which people begin to develop this understanding. As our self-delusions dissolve, we become more sensitive to the suffering of others. As we are more sensitive to the suffering of others, our self-delusions dissolve further. Compassion for Yourself After all this talk of selflessness, it may seem odd to end with compassion for oneself. But it's important not to run away from our own suffering. Pema Chodron said, "In order to have compassion for others, we have to have compassion for ourselves." She writes that in Tibetan Buddhism there is a practice called tonglen, which is a kind of meditation practice for helping us connect to our own suffering and the suffering of others. "Tonglen reverses the usual logic of avoiding suffering and seeking pleasure and, in the process, we become liberated from a very ancient prison of selfishness. We begin to feel love both for ourselves and others and also we being to take care of ourselves and others. It awakens our compassion and it also introduces us to a far larger view of reality. It introduces us to the unlimited spaciousness that Buddhists call shunyata. By doing the practice, we begin to connect with the open dimension of our being." Again, we see the way compassion "introduces us to a far larger view of reality." This larger view is seen by the two eyes of wisdom and compassion.

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Buddhism: What's Hot Now: Three Turnings

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Three Turnings Jul 29th 2012, 11:06 It is said there are 84,000 dharma gates, which is a poetic way of saying there are infinite ways to enter the practice of the Buddha dharma. And over the centuries Buddhism has developed an enormous diversity of schools and practices. One way to understand how this diversity came about is by understanding the three turnings of the dharma wheel. The dharma wheel, usually depicted as a wheel with eight spokes for the Eightfold Path, is a symbol of Buddhism and of the Buddha dharma. Turning the dharma wheel, or setting it in motion, is a poetic way to describe the Buddha's teaching of the dharma. In Mahayana Buddhism, it is said the Buddha turned the dharma wheel three times. These three turnings represent three significant events in Buddhist history. The First Turning of the Dharma Wheel The first turning began when the historical Buddha delivered his first sermon after his enlightenment. In this sermon he explained the Four Noble Truths, which would be the foundation of all the teachings he gave in his life. To appreciate the first and subsequent turnings, consider the Buddha's position after his enlightenment. He had realized something that was beyond ordinary knowledge and experience. If he had simply told people what he had realized, no one would have understood him. So, instead, he developed a path of practice so that people could realize enlightenment for themselves. In his book The Third Turning of the Wheel: Wisdom of the Samdhinirmocana Sutra, Zen teacher Reb Anderson explained how the Buddha began his teaching. "He had to speak in a language that the people listening to him could understand, so in this first turning of the dharma wheel he offered a conceptual, logical teaching. He showed us how to analyze our experience and he set out a path for people to find freedom and liberate themselves from suffering." His purpose was not to give people a belief system to soothe their suffering, but to show them how to perceive for themselves what was causing their suffering. Only then could they understand how to free themselves. The Second Turning of the Dharma Wheel The second turning, which also marks the emergence of Mahayana Buddhism, is said to have occurred about 500 years after the first. You might ask, if the historical Buddha was no longer alive, how could he have turned the wheel again? Some lovely myths arose to answer this question. The Buddha was said to have revealed the second turning in sermons delivered on Vulture Peak Mountain in India. However, the contents of these sermons were kept hidden by supernatural creatures called nagas and revealed only when humans were ready. Another way to explain the second turning is that the basic elements of the second turning can be found in the historical Buddha's sermons, planted here and there like seeds, and it took about 500 years before the seeds began to sprout in the minds of living beings. Then great sages such as Nagarjuna came forth to be the Buddha's voice in the world. The second turning gave us the perfection of wisdom teachings. The main component of these teachings is sunyata, emptiness. This represents a deeper understanding of the nature of existence than the first-turning doctrine of anatta. For further discussion of this, please see "Sunyata or Emptiness: The Perfection of Wisdom." The second turning also moved away from the focus on individual enlightenment. The second-turning ideal of practice is the bodhisattva, who strives to bring all beings to enlightenment. Indeed, we read in the Diamond Sutra that individual enlightenment is not possible -- "... all living beings will eventually be led by me to the final Nirvana, the final ending of the cycle of birth and death. And when this unfathomable, infinite number of living beings have all been liberated, in truth not even a single being has actually been liberated. "Why Subhuti? Because if a bodhisattva still clings to the illusions of form or phenomena such as an ego, a personality, a self, a separate person, or a universal self existing eternally, then that person is not a bodhisattva." Reb Anderson writes that the second turning "refutes the previous method and the previous path based on a conceptual approach to liberation." While the first turning made use of conceptual knowledge, in the second turning wisdom cannot be found in conceptual knowledge. The Third Turning of the Dharma Wheel The third turning is more difficult to pinpoint in time. It arose, apparently, not long after the second turning and had similar mythical and mystical origins. It is an even deeper revelation of the nature of truth. The main focus of the third turning is Buddha Nature. The doctrine of Buddha Nature is described by the Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche this way: "This [doctrine] declares that the fundamental nature of mind is utterly pure and primordially in the state of buddhahood. It is the absolute buddha. It has never changed from beginningless time. Its essence is wisdom and compassion that is inconceivably profound and vast." Because all beings are fundamentally Buddha Nature, all beings may realize enlightenment. Reb Anderson calls the third turning "a logical approach that is based on the refutation of logic." "In the third turning , we find a presentation of the first turning that is in accord with the second turning," Reb Anderson says. "We are offered a systematic path and a conceptual approach that are free of self." The Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche said, ... our fundamental nature of mind is a luminous expanse of awareness that is beyond all conceptual fabrication and completely free from the movement of thoughts. It is the union of emptiness and clarity, of space and radiant awareness that is endowed with supreme and immeasurable qualities. From this basic nature of emptiness everything is expressed; from this everything arises and manifests. Because this is so, all beings are without an abiding self yet may realize enlightenment and enter Nirvana.

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Buddhism: What's Hot Now: The Heart Sutra

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The Heart Sutra Jul 29th 2012, 11:06 The Heart Sutra (in Sanskrit, Prajnaparamita Hrdaya), possibly the best known text of Mahayana Buddhism, is said to be the pure distillation of wisdom (prajna). The Heart Sutra is also among the shortest of sutras. An English translation can easily be printed on one side of a piece of paper. The teachings of the Heart Sutra are deep and subtle, and I do not pretend to completely understand them myself. This article is a mere introduction to the sutra for the completely baffled. Origins of the Heart Sutra The Heart Sutra is part of the much larger Prajnaparamita (perfection of wisdom) Sutra, which is a collection of about 40 sutras composed between 100 BCE and 500 CE. The precise origin of the Heart Sutra is unknown. According to the translator Red Pine, the earliest record of the sutra is a Chinese translation from Sanskrit by the monk Chih-ch'ien made between 200 and 250 CE. In the 8th century another translation emerged that added an introduction and conclusion. This longer version was adopted by Tibetan Buddhism. In Zen and other Mahayana schools that originated in China, the shorter version is more common. The Perfection of Wisdom As with most Buddhist scriptures, simply "believing in" what the Heart Sutra says is not its point. It is important also to appreciate that the sutra cannot be grasped by intellect alone. Although analysis is helpful, people also keep the words in their hearts so that understanding unfolds through practice. In this sutra, Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva is speaking to Shariputra, who was an important disciple of the historical Buddha. The early lines of the sutra discuss the five skandhas -- form, sensation, conception, discrimination, and consciousness. The bodhisattva has seen that the skandhas are empty, and thus has been freed from suffering. The bodhisattva speaks: Shariputra, form is no other than emptiness; emptiness no other than form. Form is exactly emptiness; emptiness exactly form. Sensation, conception, discrimination, and consciousness are also like this. What Is Emptiness? Emptiness (in Sanskrit, shunyata) is a foundational doctrine of Mahayana Buddhism. It is also possibly the most misunderstood doctrine in all of Buddhism. Too often, people assume it means that nothing exists. But this is not the case. His Holiness the 14th Dailai Lama said, "The existence of things and events is not in dispute; it is the manner in which they exist that must be clarified." Put another way, things and events have no intrinsic existence and no individual identity except in our thoughts. The Dalai Lama also teaches that "existence can only be understood in terms of dependent origination." Dependent origination is a teaching that no being or thing exists independently of other beings or things. In the Four Noble Truths, the Buddha taught that our distresses ultimately spring from thinking ourselves to be independently existing beings with an intrinsic "self." Thoroughly perceiving that this intrinsic self is a delusion liberates us from suffering. All Phenomena Are Empty The Heart Sutra continues, with Avalokiteshvara explaining that all phenomena are expressions of emptiness, or empty of inherent characteristics. Because phenomena are empty of inherent characteristics, they are neither born nor destroyed; neither pure nor defiled; neither coming nor going. Avalokiteshvara then begins a recitation of negations -- "no eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, mind; no color, sound, smell, taste, touch, thing," etc. These are the six sense organs and their corresponding objects from the doctrine of the skandhas. What is the bodhisattva saying here? Red Pine writes that because all phenomena exist interdependently with other phenomena, all distinctions we make are arbitrary. "There is no point at which the eyes begin or end, either in time or in space or conceptually. The eye bone is connected to the face bone, and the face bone is connected to the head bone, and the head bone is connected to the neck bone, and so it goes down to the toe bone, the floor bone, the earth bone, the worm bone, the dreaming butterfly bone. Thus, what we call our eyes are so many bubbles in a sea of foam." The Two Truths Another doctrine associated with the Heart Sutra is that of the Two Truths. Existence can be understood as both ultimate and conventional (or, absolute and relative). Conventional truth is how we usually see the world, a place full of diverse and distinctive things and beings. The ultimate truth is that there are no distinctive things or beings. The important point to remember with the two truths is that they are two truths, not one truth and one lie. Thus, there are eyes. Thus, there are no eyes. People sometimes fall into the habit of thinking that the conventional truth is "false," but that's not correct. No Attainment Avalokiteshvara goes on to say there is no path, no wisdom, and no attainment. Referring to the Three Marks of Existence, Red Pine writes, "The liberation of all beings revolves around the liberation of the bodhisattva from the concept of being." Because no individual being comes into existence, neither does a being cease to exist. Because there is no cessation, there is no impermanence, and because there is no impermanence, there is no suffering. Because there is no suffering, there is no path to liberation from suffering, no wisdom, and no attainment of wisdom. Thoroughly perceiving this is "supreme perfect enlightenment," the bodhisattva tells us. Conclusion The last words in the shorter version of the sutra are "Gate Gate Paragate Parasamgate Bodhi Svaha!" The basic translation, as I understand it, is "gone (or ferried) with everyone to the other shore right now!" Thorough understanding of the sutra requires working face-to-face with a real dharma teacher. However, if you want to read more about the sutra, I recommend two books in particular: Red Pine, The Heart Sutra (Counterpoint Press, 2004). An insightful line-by-line discussion. His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, Essence of the Heart Sutra (Wisdom Publications, 2005). Compiled from heart wisdom talks given by His Holiness.

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Buddhism: What's Hot Now: Bhavana

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Bhavana Jul 29th 2012, 11:06 Buddhist meditation takes many forms, but all of them are bhavana. Bhavana is an ancient discipline. It is based in part of the discipline of the historical Buddha, who lived more than 25 centuries ago, and in part on even older forms of yoga. Some Buddhists think it is incorrect to call bhavana "meditation." The Theravada monk and scholar Walpola Rahula wrote, "The word meditation is a very poor substitute for the original term bhavana, which means 'culture' or 'development', i.e., mental culture or mental development. The Buddhist bhavana, properly speaking, is mental culture in the full sense of the term. It aims at cleansing the mind of impurities and disturbances, such as lustful desires, hatred, ill-will, indolence, worries and restlessness, sceptical doubts, and cultivating such qualities as concentration, awareness, intelligence, will, energy, the analytical faculty, confidence, joy, tranquility, leading finally to the attainment of highest wisdom which sees the nature of things as they are, and realizes the Ultimate Truth, Nirvana." [Walpola Rahula, What the Buddha Taught (Grove Press, 1974), p. 68] Walpola Rahula's definition ought to distinguish Buddhist meditation from many other practices that get lumped under the English word meditation. Buddhist meditation is not primarily about reducing stress, although it can do that. Nor is it about "blissing out" or having visions or out-of-body experiences. Theravada The Ven. Dr. Rahula wrote that in Theravada Buddhism, there are two forms of meditation. One is the development of mental concentration, called samatha (also spelled shamatha) or samadhi. Samatha is not, he said, a Buddhist practice, and Theravada Buddhists do not consider it necessary. The Buddha developed another form of meditation, called vipassana or vipashyana, which means "insight." It is this insight meditation, the Ven. Dr. Rahula wrote in What the Buddha Taught (p. 69), that is Buddhist mental culture. "It is an analytical method based on mindfulness, awareness, vigilance, observation." For more on the Theravada view of bhavana, see "What Is Vipassana?" by Cynthia Thatcher of the Vipassana Dhura Meditation Society. Mahayana Mahayana Buddhism also recognizes the two types of bhavana, which are shamatha and vipashyana. However, Mahayana considers both to be necessary for the realization of enlightenment. Further, just as Theravada and Mahayana practice bhavana somewhat differently, so do the various schools of Mahayana practice them somewhat differently. For example, the Tiantai (Tendai in Japan) school of Buddhism calls its bhavana practice by the Chinese name zhiguan (shikan in Japanese). "Zhiguan" is derived from the Chinese translation of "shamatha-vipashyana." Just so, zhiguan includes both shamatha and vipashyana techniques. Of the two commonly practiced forms of zazen (Zen Buddhist bhavana), koan study often is associated with vipashyana, while shikantaza ("just sitting") appears to be more of a shamatha practice. Zen Buddhists generally aren't given to shoving bhavana forms into separate conceptual boxes, however, and will tell you that the illumination of vipashyana arises naturally from the stillness of shamatha. The esoteric (Vajrayana) schools of Mahayana, which includes Tibetan Buddhism, think of shamatha practice as a prerequisite for vipashyana. More advanced forms of Vajrayana meditation are a unification of shamatha and vipashyana.

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Buddhism: What's Hot Now: Buddhist Sciptures Overview

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Buddhist Sciptures Overview Jul 28th 2012, 11:06 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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