Articles from the IBMC Monthly Guide
Bringing Dharma
into Relationships
by Ven. Dr. Karuna Dharma
I would like
to share a few things I have learned over the years about
bringing Dharma into relationships. Human relations is the
area in which our practice is most seriously tested. By
looking at our relationships, we can gauge the progress
of our practice and see how profoundly it is affecting our
lives.
In a room with
forty people, there are forty different universes. Each
one of us sits at the center of our universe. Because it
is a universe that we have created, we believe in it. The
problem is that each of us views our individual universe
from our own particular little time and space, and our universes
do not always coincide, so frictions develop. Each of us
sits and looks at the others, honestly not understanding
what has created the disharmony. Each of us creates our
own fictitious universe which we genuinely believe to be
true. This can cause serious problems when we become involved
in relationships.
How do we solve
these problems? How do we remove the barrier that we have
drawn around our little universe so we won't be constantly
bumping and grating against someone else's? The best way
is to drop all the defenses we've thrown up to protect the
person who sits in the middle of that universe. We spend
so much time building and shoring up these defenses. That
means less time is spent in communicating directly.
Where do the
defenses come from? Our defenses are there to protect the
fictitious universe we have fabricated and regard as true.
I may not buy your fabrication, because I didn't create
it, but I buy mine and I know mine is superior to yours.
See? This is what really interferes with our human relationships.
We very busily try to keep a fiction going that is all of
our own creation.
Suppose we are
on a train and see, for just one second, something happening
outside the window. How accurate is our interpretation of
that event? How much can we understand of the image we see?
We peek into each other's universes for a brief moment,
as if passing on a speeding train, yet we're very quick
to interpret what we glimpsed in that moment. We are sure
our interpretation is correct. This is very dangerous.
If I can free
myself from what I have fabricated, there will be no need
to continue building or repairing my defenses. And the fewer
defenses I have, the better I can communicate and understand
you, because I no longer feel threatened. What you think
of me means nothing if I feel secure. I only feel fearful
because my view of reality has been threatened. The problem
is not that someone has been talking behind my back; the
problem is that I found out about it and I don't deserve
it.
We can disagree
about things, but why should that cause conflict? We may
never agree on some things, because we perceive things from
different angles, but that doesn't have to result in conflict.
Why should we be upset because we disagree? When we don't
have anything to protect, there is no longer anything to
fear. We can experience everything fully, which is wonderful.
We can really enjoy being in other people's company, because
we're not busy maintaining our own identity. Why waste the
time? Why create the anger and the hurt?
We need to let
go, but it is not easy. The closer the relationship, the
closer we come to our image of who we are. The closer things
strike this concept of self we have fabricated, the more
difficult it is. Meditation can be very helpful here. We
need just hear the sounds, observe the view, and become
one with all of it, without feeling any separation. This
can help us change our viewpoint and interpretation of the
self. We don't have to protect ourselves from the little
bird that just went by; we just hear it.
We can begin
knocking down the barriers in everything we do: in groups,
at work, with our friends, our boss, our lover. If something
disturbs us, we can just observe it, and gradually we become
a bit more objective. When someone says something, we don't
automatically think: "What does that mean? It's because
I'm a woman. It's because of my ethnic background. It's
because I belong to a certain religious tradition." Maybe
it's because you did something that was insensitive or hurtful.
There may be many reasons, but once we let our fabricated
self-image drop away, we can begin to understand people.
We can be either
content or discontent, happy or unhappy. So why be unhappy?
Usually we regard as positive those things which reinforce
our concept of who we are, and as negative those things
which either don't reinforce that concept or threaten it.
These habit patterns are very difficult to break, but once
I break them, I am not bothered even if someone launches
a full-scale attack on me.
If others are
making our life miserable, why let them win? Instead, we
can look at ourselves and our idiosyncrasies, accept them,
and learn to laugh at them. We learn to love ourselves with
all our perceived strengths and all our perceived weaknesses.
When I become angry, to feel guilty because I am not a fully
enlightened Buddha is the height of egotism. On the phenomenological
level, we are not Buddhas yet. When misunderstandings occurred,
my teacher used to say, "Well, we're not Buddhas yet!" We
need not expect ourselves to be Buddhas nor expect our partners
to be Buddhas either.
Situations of
hurt need to be depersonalized so that the victim does not
become burdened with guilt or shame. Healing cannot occur
as long as we internalize events and blame ourselves. In
a sense, in not understanding the essence of the mind, the
perpetrator is also the victim. Rather than creating a separation
between myself as victim and the other as perpetrator, we
need to understand that each of us is capable of the most
heinous acts. If you don't believe it, you have not explored
yourself very well yet. Rather than deny it, we need to
confront ourselves very directly. There are also countless
ways in which we victimize ourselves.
By contrast,
a bodhisattva, one who is truly on the path, has an invincible
armor: the armor of love. The love of a bodhisattva is immeasurably
great, and we can glimpse it through intensive meditation.
Such a being willingly endures lifetimes of suffering to
save other beings. The bodhisattva path is wisdom and compassion:
a path of choosing wisely, with love.
Wisdom and Compassion
by Dat Dhammashila Nguyen
Wisdom or prajna
is a central notion of Buddhism, especially in Mahayana
and Vajrayana traditions. It refers to an immediately experienced
intuitive wisdom that cannot be conveyed by concepts or
in intellectual terms. The definitive moment of prajna is
insight into the emptiness or sunyata which is the true
nature of reality. The realization of prajna is often equated
with the attainment of enlightenment and is one of the essential
marks of Buddhahood. Prajna is also one of the perfections
or paramitas actualized by Bodhisattvas in the course of
their development. Wisdom is both the crowning achievement
and vehicle of the Theravadins; it leads to Liberation and,
at the same time, it is Liberation.
Compassion or
karuna is active sympathy and gentle affection. It is the
outstanding quality of all Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. Compassion
extends itself without distinction to all sentient beings.
It is based on the enlightened experience of the oneness
of all beings. Karuna must be accompanied by wisdom in order
to have the right effect. The person striving for Nirvana
aspires to be compassionate, self-sacrificing, altruistically
aiding others by teaching, doing good, transferring merit,
and offering prayers in order to build up moral and spiritual
perfections.
The virtue of
compassion is embodied in the Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara.
Karuna is often translated as "pity" or "sympathy." Since
these notions tend to suggest passive attitudes that do
not contain the quality of active help that is an essential
part of karuna, the concept of "compassion" is more suitable.
Karuna and prajna are the principle virtues for adherents
of the Mahayana, whereas in the Theravada tradition, wisdom
is regarded as the most important factor on the path to
enlightenment. In the Pure Land schools of China, Japan
and Vietnam, the compassionate approach finds expression
in the saving grace of Amitabha Buddha.
The Three Jewels
by Ven. Sarika Dharma
When we offer
incense, we light three sticks, bow toward the altar and
place each stick separately in the incense burner: one for
the Buddha, one for the Dharma and one for the Sangha.
We may think
of these three jewels in different ways. Here is one view:
The Buddha can
be seen as the trailblazer. He explored unknown territory,
went further than others had gone and came back with a map
showing the way to the end of suffering. That map is the
eightfold path.
The Dharma then
is the trail, the path to follow, the teachings of the Buddha,
the teachings of others who have followed him and attained
awakening. This trail also includes the world outside us
and within us. When we begin to see clearly, we gain understanding
of how this world works.
The Sangha are
the pioneers, the practitioners who follow the trail, making
their own discoveries with the guidance of the Buddha's
map. Whether monks or laity, we all need to do our own explorations;
we also help each other on the way.
Reaction, Reflection
and Response
by Rev. Kusala Ratna Karuna
What do these
three words have in common? Could these words be the key
to personal liberation and freedom? Perhaps, or maybe they
are an explanation of a problem facing all of us: how to
stay in the present moment.
Reaction is our
habitual way of making the world pay attention to us. A
non-thinking, conditioned way of dealing with life's challenges.
In Buddhism, this reactionary way of dealing with the world
is created by sankharas.
Sankhara is a
term used in Buddhist psychology to define our mental habit
patterns, those patterns formed by past conditioning. Our
pro-actions turn into reactions after enough repetition.
When this transformation occurs, the mind is taken out of
the present moment. Our choices are then based on something
that no longer exists, rather than current sensory information.
When our reactions are based on past experience, we lose
the opportunity to change our future karmic situation.
Karma can be
seen as existing in three time frames: past, present and
future. The karma of our past drives us to the present moment,
and It is in that present moment that we find our opportunity
for either a wholesome or unwholesome future. This is best
done not by the choices based on our past experience, but
by the choices based on the present moment. In order for
us to make those choices, we have to be fully present, reflecting
the reality of the present moment, without value judgments.
In other words, we must be in the non-duality of pure awareness.
In order to achieve
this state of pure awareness, a skill is needed: the discipline
of meditation. Meditation quiets our discursive thoughts,
allowing us to know the world before we become separate
from it. In deep states of meditation, that feeling of separation
from the world collapses into oneness, allowing a reflective
quality to be present. It is in that place of reflection
that we can find an appropriate response to the present
moment.
The Buddha said
that our life is in a constant state of flux. Even the present
moment is ever-changing. Ideas and concepts keep us imprisoned
in the past, with no hope of ever being in the present.
If reaction to
the present moment can only occur in the past, then response
can only happen in the present. But the response I think
of here needs to grow out of reflection, not reasoning.
Response is a product of the heart, not the mind, and meditation
is the process of opening to the present moment through
heart. Knowing reality through heart develops with practice,
the practice of being with whatever is occurring here and
now.
Buddhism is a
path of response. The practice of reflection is the key
to opening all the possibilities of the present moment,
the field where life and all its options are played out.
We have the choice
of being either the hero or the victim. Our life is being
written moment by moment with a pen that lies just out of
reach. Reflection allows us to pick up that pen and start
writing, no longer oppressed by our past conditioning.
Shades of Gray
by Ven. Sarika Dharma
From the beginnings
of Western civilization, from the time of the Greek and
Roman philosophers, the world has been explained in terms
of opposites. Everything must fit into one of two categories.
Black or white. Tall or short. Right or wrong. Happy or
sad.
Either/or is
the mind of dichotomies and separation. It demands an unavoidable
choice between two possible alternatives, with no other
options available.
To have such
a mind interferes with our ability to see reality clearly
and to live our daily lives effectively. We are limited
in our understanding and that affects our thoughts and actions.
For example,
if we view our behavior as either good or bad, we are proud
of ourselves when we do something we see as good and we
feel guilty or ashamed when we do something bad. Pride,
guilt and shame are not the answer to changing our behavior.
In fact, they stifle our development. Buddhism teaches us
that when we make a mistake, we just try not to repeat it.
We learn and
grow when we see our mistakes. There is no need to punish
ourselves for them. As human beings, we contain everything.
And accepting that everything expands our awareness and
encourages us to allow ourselves to be who we are. It is
not possible to make significant changes until we accept
the part of ourselves that needs changing.
Either/or thinking
is apparent in the view of body and mind as two different
things. These two are not separate; they are one thing,
like the two sides of a piece of paper. Mind exists in every
cell of our bodies, and ultimately mind itself is body and
body itself is mind.
Impermanence
is a characteristic of all life. As we continue our practice,
we see that form is actually activity and energy, and these
are not dualistic. The Middle Way integrates it all.
Seeing thus allows
us to be comfortable in the world. We don't need to constantly
judge ourselves or others. Our hearts are more easily filled
with loving-kindness and compassion. This is the way to
make the world a better place.
Comments on The
Diamond Sutra
by Gunaratna Sarika
Before
practicing Zen, mountains were
mountains and rivers were rivers.
While practicing Zen, mountains are
no longer mountains and rivers are
no longer rivers. After practicing Zen,
mountains are mountains again and
rivers are rivers again.
The Sanskrit
title of this sutra is Vajracchedika. It is number nine
of the Great Prajna Paramita Literature. The author is unknown,
but the text is considered to have been written in the first
century.
The theme of
the Diamond Sutra is that all definitive things, phenomena
and ideas are subjective and unreal, being merely manifestations
of one's own mind. Even the highest conceptions of Dharma
and of the Tathagata are mind-made and, therefore, empty.
For me, this
work expresses true freedom, by showing one how to look
at all dharmas in their true nature of equality. There can
be no discriminatory thought or conditional concepts, if
one is to truly see the sameness of all things.
I realize that
to achieve this, I must apply it to all areas of my present
life. Regardless of what I may be doing at any given moment,
I must do so without expectation or discriminating thought.
In mindfulness, all things must be accomplished in and for
the moment.
In reality, labels
only further create deeper ignorance and deception. To transcend
this, I must turn within, going deeper into this journey,
finding the place of "intuitive" understanding. Clinging
to no-one, no-thing or no-place, but gaining from each vehicle
what I can. Then it must be discarded. As one master put
it, "While on the path, if you see the Buddha, kill him."
I take this to
mean that we should not even cling to the Buddha or his
teachings. Like the raft, which is useful when crossing
the river, but not meant to be carried on one's back on
dry land, we will reach a certain point at which we can
even let go of Buddha and Dharma.
Buddha is Buddha,
the awakened one, because he is free of the web of ideas.
The true meaning of this sutra cannot be grasped intellectually,
as true understanding is beyond all conception or discussion.
The fruits of putting the teachings of the Buddha into practice
cannot be described in words.
The Diamond Sutra
points out that, in reality, there is no such thing as the
"highest most fulfilled awakened mind." This is but another
label. The only avenue to see the true tathagata of all
dharmas is to perceive the root nature of things in the
sense of non-discrimination. All are truly and ultimately
one and the same.
The Buddha said
to Subhuti, "Someone who looks for me in form or seeks me
in sound is on a mistaken path and cannot see the Tathagata."
The following
gatha ends this sutra:
All
composed things are like a dream,
a phantom, a drop of dew, a flash of lightning.
This is how to meditate on them;
That is how to observe them.
The Zen Path
by Rev. Chakara Dhammo
The Zen perspective
develops a different scope from most other major Buddhist
schools. Zen tells us not to rely on intellectual learnings
as the way to liberation. Such practices as reciting sutras
from memory, pujas (offerings), scholarly explorations,
reliance on a teacher, etc., are de-emphasized.
If one is going
to follow the example of the Buddha who developed while
not relying on anything, then one should indeed not rely
on anything, including the tradition. All systems that are
susceptible to being so codified that they are crystallized
are seen as inflexible and unadaptable and thus to be disregarded.
Zen encourages intuitive development and a concentration
on the mind so as to rid oneself of the kleshas or hindrances
that cause our suffering.
Zen also emphasizes
compassion, stressing the Buddha-nature inherent in all
beings. Presence in the world of conditioning is prerequisite
to being able to awake from the illusion conditioning brings.
Beings who are not yet awakened deserve compassion and assistance,
especially instruction in the way to achieve freedom from
the samsaric world.
Practitioners
are exhorted to live in a common sense way despite dwelling
in a complex world. Liberation is not considered as a higher
developed unworldsome realm. The path to liberation is to
simplify, let go of attachments and minimize worldly pursuits.
Create as little as possible demand or attention to oneself.
Hence, we can
learn from and respect events of the world but also learn
not to be dependent on them. The accomplished student will
have the benefit of personally experiencing the impermanence
of the world and know there is no reason to be bothered
about transient transactions.
The Benefits
of Yoga
by Julian Banzon
Meditation is
the heart of most spiritual paths the stilling of the fluctuations
of the mind and the transcendence of ordinary consciousness.
To meditate one needs to be established in bodily equanimity
for more profound experiences.
Hatha yoga's
contribution to any spiritual practice, yoga postures (asanas),
began in ancient times as a technique for stilling the body
and mind. Today, these forms have evolved into a multi-faceted
discipline with enormous therapeutic value.
Practiced for
thousand of years by cultures of the East, yoga asanas have
gone mainstream globally as a means to fitness and well-being.
Scott Conlin, a Glendale chiropractor, recommends yoga to
his clients as part of good spinal hygiene. Mutual of Omaha,
an insurance company, pays for the prevention or reversal
of heart disease through Dr. Dean Ornish's program of meditation,
yoga exercise and vegetarian diet. Ninety to ninety-five
percent of those patients have been able to avoid bypasses
and angioplasties. Not only is yoga exercise healthy, relaxing
and a great workout, but it is indeed an intelligent response
to the demands of today's urban lifestyle.
Because asanas
combine the physical aspects of stretching movements with
the inner aspects of mental focus, breath control and relaxation,
practitioners find it more enjoyable and fulfilling than
other forms of exercise.
There are two
basic kinds of asanas: those that serve the meditative process
and those that purify and balance the body/mind. This practice
has universal values that can be utilized by other paths
towards higher states of consciousness and enlightenment.
Whether this is called Zen, Taoist, Arhatic, Christian,
Tantric or Vedic yoga, the basic features of the postures
remain the same. This generic essence is yoga's contribution
to the many rivers seeking the ONE OCEAN.
Buddhism and
God: A Clarification
by Bhikkhu Chakara Dhammo
A question may
naturally arise when contrasting the words Buddha and God.
People who practice western religions may inquire as to
the Buddhist attitude toward God. And they may get the impression
that, according to doctrine, Buddhism would, at least from
a philosophical position, tend to negate the concept of
God altogether.
Today, if one
visits Buddhist cultures one may see apparent evidence to
the contrary, for example, the presence of many figurines
and images of respect and much talk about various heavenly
or deified beings. Yet, according to Buddhist philosophy,
one is to expect a non-relationship with any kind of god
among Buddhists. How is one to understand this relationship?
First, look at
the term Buddha. It does not apply to anyone or anything.
Buddha is a word which means awakened or fully-enlightened,
but it is not applied to any specific subject. It's not
the name or title of anyone. Rather, it refers to one that
is awakened from all the trappings of worldliness and is
clear of any identities or notions including those related
to the idea of an essence or self.
Over 2500 years
ago, Siddhartha Gautama, the only son of a king who ruled
a small kingdom near the Himalaya mountains, renounced his
worldly position, including his inheritance of the throne.
At the age of twenty-nine years old, he left home in order
to find a way to end suffering for all beings. He determined
that reliance on authority could not guarantee freedom from
the manifold worldly conditions.
Resolving to
use introspection and find purity, he strove through many
levels of different experiences. This included realms that
may be described as being heavens and their denizens as
being gods. Having abided for some time in those realms,
he found the gods not to be totally free or unconditioned,
rather they abided in a rare kind of existence.
Thereafter, he
proceeded to a further development, that which is pure,
eternal and unmitigatedly free from all sources of prejudiced
notions and conditioning, and is without essence, termed
Nibbana in Pali and Nirvana in Sanskrit, "cooling," where
his pursuit successfully ends. He is Buddha, awakened. He
does not refer to himself as god nor with any other definite
designation.
Thus, after his
attainment, he taught the method termed The Middle Way and
always advocated no total reliance on other authorities,
as they may not be on the path of liberation. One needs
to rely on the skill of one's development, on the unprejudiced
astuteness achieved through diligence and practice of goodness
and worthy character comportment. Buddha never set himself
up as an absolute authority, nor did he want anyone else
to be considered that way. He is not an object of devotion
nor an embodiment of reality. Nibbana and the path do not
contain any such taints or distractions. It is for purity
only.
Hence, in Buddhism,
the gods, their realms and their ways are not negated but
are considered aside the path and are not to be relied upon
as the realm where total freedom will be found. Nevertheless,
it is recognized that everyone who follows the path in their
lifetime may not be as successful as the Buddha. Therefore,
it is permissible in Buddhism to respect experiential denizens
of realms higher than the worldly, as they may be considered
to be more refined and as such worthy, but one must recall
that they are inferior to pure nibbana, which is beyond
inclusivity of heavenly realms and creation/destruction,
i.e., beyond moral dualism. Thus for this reason, gods are
not advocated nor are they negated in Buddhism. Hence, the
Buddhist orientation is non-theocentric.
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