Category Archives: Daily Buddhism

Daily Buddhism, Koans

Koan: Reciting Sutras

Reciting Sutras

A farmer requested a Tendai priest to recite sutras for his wife, who had died. After the recitation was over the farmer asked: “Do you think my wife will gain merit from this?”

“Not only your wife, but all sentient beings will benefit from the recitation of sutras,” answered the priest.

“If you say all sentient beings will benefit,” said the farmer, “my wife may be very weak and others will take advantage of her, getting the benefit she should have. So please recite sutras just for her.”

The priest explained that it was the desire of a Buddhist to offer blessings and wish merit for every living being.

“That is a fine teaching,” concluded the farmer, “but please make one exception. I have a neighbor who is rough and mean to me. Just exclude him from all those sentient beings.”

Daily Buddhism

Am I Buddhist Enough?

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Question:

I’m wondering how much of the Buddhist mythology someone has to follow or believe in order to call themselves a “Buddhist”. For example, I don’t believe in reincarnation or nirvana. However, I think the lifestyle Buddhism promotes leads to a healthy mind, a general sense of wellbeing, and happiness. A lot of what Alan Watts has to say is especially enlightening. I follow the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold path as closely as I can, and meditate daily. Am I a Buddhist?

Answer:

First, not everyone is going to agree with what follows. It’s only my opinion, and I absolutely invite dissent and debate in the comment area.

Technically, ALL the mythology or “magical stuff” (deities, boddhisattvas, mysticism, demons, hundreds of Buddhas, etc.) can be taken with a grain of salt if you prefer. There are many very enlightening stories that use these characters, so it is worthwhile to look at them in study, but there is no need to actually believe in any of them as literal fact. If you do believe in them, that’s fine too, but I don’t think it is required to be considered a Buddhist. Do not misunderstand me, various denominations or sects of Buddhism do require certain beliefs. If you want to be a Tibetan Buddhist, there are certain things you need to accept. The same with Zen. The same with Pure Land. There are lots of ways to NOT qualify as a Tibetan practitioner for example, but you can still be called a Buddhist.

Reincarnation or rebirth is a tough pill to swallow here in the West. Karma and samsara are necessarily tied in with this idea, and it’s hard to accept or reject any of these without accepting or rejecting all three. Are these ideas necessary? The way I was taught to look at it is like this: All these stories and ideas are here to help us along the path. Some of it is cultural baggage that is not required to follow the path and reach Enlightenment. If some idea or concept causes you suffering (in the form of confusion, doubt, or conflict) then throw it out and take the rest.

Buddha said (or so we’re told!):

Believe nothing, no matter where you read it, or who said it, no matter if I have said it, unless it agrees with your own reason and your own common sense.

It would be hard (although still not impossible) to call yourself a Buddhist if you do not believe that the Buddha himself was real, but how much of what is attributed to him you actually believe is up for debate. I do believe that he really came up with the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path. He probably laid down the Five Precepts as well. I accept these as the bottom-line foundation of Buddhism. All that other stuff? I don’t know, and no one else can say for sure either. Did he come up with all those hundreds of rules for monks, all those Tibetan rituals, the techniques of meditation, or the ideas of Pure Land? I don’t believe that he did, although many will disagree with me. Much has been invented and attributed to Buddha in the intervening years. That doesn’t mean that information is useless or wrong, but it does “mythologize” the Buddha.

Comments?

Daily Buddhism

War and Peace

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Sometimes I get more than one question on a single topic at the same time. What better way to know what needs to be covered!

Question:

I have been practicing Buddhism for about 5 years and I feel that this is truly my path but I also have a strong desire to also serve my country in the military, specifically the Army. Now, I realize that there are areas within the various branches of the military that don’t require the taking of life or things of that nature. I also realize that regardless of my position in the Army I will be in a profession that places me a great deal closer to combat and the taking of life, either directly or indirectly. I am resolved not to take life under most circumstances but there are several scenarios that I have recently meditated upon that I can say with relative certainty, I would shoot back. I don’t believe that I could watch the deaths of my fellow soldiers and not fight to defend them. And this is my conflict.

I truly feel that I was born to protect but doing so could lead me closer to taking life, if I choice this path. I am conflicted and was wondering what might be your view on this matter. The thoughts and comments from the other listeners would be great appreciated as well.

…AND another reader asks…

I struggle with the concept of nonviolence almost daily. As a rule I agree with and understand the negativity of taking life and doing harm. I’ve really internalized this concept, and that has led to a spiritual conflict. The problem is I am in a commissioning program to be an officer in the US Army. I have been since before I became interested in Buddhism. In the foreseeable future I will be in Afghanistan or Iraq, and will likely find myself in a situation where I will have to take another life to protect those around me.

The internal argument goes like this:

A) Get out, you don’t want to take another life, it is negative and wrong. Even those who terrorize and kill deserve to live because they are deluded and ignorant. “Forgive them for they know not what they do.”

B) You have a duty to protect the lives of innocent people, even if it would do harm to yourself. Getting out for some ideal when there is real work to be done protecting people is cowardice.

Answer:

We did touch on this very topic way back in June. I strongly recommend reading the earlier post, including the comments that readers added at the bottom. Here is a link to the relevant post: http://www.dailybuddhism.com/archives/68

I have mixed thoughts on this topic. I had them back in June, and nothing has really changed.

Basically, there is no flat-out correct answer to this. Killing is wrong, but is killing always wrong? Some say that it is, and some say that it is sometimes can be justified. Usually if it’s “kill or be killed” in a one-on-one situation (a mugging for example), Buddhism would tend to lean to the “be killed” side of the equation. It’s better to give up your own life than take someone else’s, even if that someone else is a criminal. That being said, it’s sometimes considered acceptable to kill one person to save a larger group, but even then only in extreme circumstances.

The Dalai Lama has gone on record saying he is against war of any kind, and his actions when Tibet was overrun prove that he meant it; he and his followers didn’t fight back and have lived in exile for fifty years. I admit that my pessimistic, realistic side has problems with this concept. If all Buddhists refused to fight back, eventually the more aggressive groups would wipe out all the Buddhists. Pacifism in a war-torn world is not the best method for survival. In the case of the Dalai Lama, he has been homeless for fifty years, and that’s very likely not going to change; he let the “bad guys” win.

As you can probably tell, I’m not quite sure what I believe myself here. Nonviolence is to be advocated and desired, but in a realistic world, is it always possible? I honestly don’t think it can be.

Comments?

Daily Buddhism

Who was Buddha? Basics, part 2

Who was Buddha?
By Brian Schell

The legend of Buddha’s life has been told and re-told for thousands of years. There are versions of the story that are very fanciful and magical, and others that are more down-to-Earth and realistic. Nothing was written down during the Buddha’s lifetime, so everything we know today comes to us secondhand. Don’t be too attached to the factuality of the story, as most of it is probably mythological embellishment. There is a lot of mythology involved with Buddhism, and it is completely unnecessary to believe any of it to practice Buddhism. The accuracy of the story is not really the point, but you should know the details to understand much of what has been written about Buddhism. Here is probably the most commonly told version of the tale:

Around 2500 years ago, King Shuddodana Gautama of the Shakya clan ruled in northern India. He built a great castle and ruled his people well. One night, his wife, Queen Maya, had a strange dream wherein she saw a white elephant enter her womb through the side of her chest. She soon found that she was indeed pregnant. The people of the kingdom were thrilled that there would soon be a royal heir.

Planning to have the child at her parent’s home, Maya traveled there before the birth. Legend states that on April 8th, on the way to Queen Maya’s ancestral home, she stopped to rest in a garden. Reaching for a blossoming branch in the garden, she suddenly, painlessly, had the child. Unfortunately, a few days later, Queen Maya died.

The baby was named Siddhartha, which means ‚ÄúEvery wish fulfilled,‚Äù and was raised within his father’s grand castle. His father, of course, expected young Siddhartha to succeed him as King at some point in the future.

Fate, however, had other plans for Siddhartha. A wandering holy man came to the castle to see the King. He had a vision concerning the young Prince and went to tell the King. He foretold that the young boy had two possible futures; either as a great King who would rule the entire world, or as a great holy man. The King decided immediately that his son would not leave the castle and learn to be the great future King.

Young Siddhartha lived in the castle and grew up inside its protective walls, never seeing anything that would make him think of spiritual or religious things. His father was careful to remove all hints of the real suffering that accompany this world. The Prince lived a perfectly shielded life. His father arranged a marriage, and then Siddhartha had a son of his own. Not long after, on a parade through the city, he spotted four sights that forever changed his life. First he saw a sick man. He had never been sick or even seen sickness before, and it shocked him. He asked his good friend and charioteer, “Will I become sick?” The charioteer answered truthfully, “Yes, eventually we all get sick.” They continued through the city, and the Prince spotted a very old man. Never having seen an old person before, he asked, “Will I grow old like that man?” to which the charioteer answered similarly. Lastly, he saw a dead man being carried away in a funeral procession. “Will I die?” he asked, and did not like the answer. He then saw a wandering holy man, begging for food and telling people who would listen how to be good and live in peace. This struck Siddhartha as the best way to live, so he decided to become a wandering monk.

That very night, leaving his wife and young son behind, Siddhartha abandoned the castle and went off to live in the wilderness as a wandering holy man. He met up with five other ascetic mendicants, monks who refused to eat, and spent all day in meditation and denying all worldly pleasures. For years he studied with the ascetics, and nearly starved to death in the process. After six years studying in this manner, he finally decided that he would learn no more following this path. He decided that denying the world was wrong, but that enjoying life too much, as in his younger days, was bad as well. He decided to follow a “Middle Path.” His friends, the other five mendicants, abandoned him, since he no longer believed as they did. They called him “weak” for giving up that lifestyle.

He then sat beneath a Bodhi tree and meditated. During this meditation, he was tempted in many ways to abandon his search for truth and live a life of pleasure. He rejected every temptation and continued his struggle to know. At last, he succeeded, becoming enlightened under the Bodhi tree, and the world would never be the same for him. At 35 years old, he became a Buddha, one who is “awake.”

He met up with his five mendicant friends, and he quickly convinced them that his path was real, and they became his first followers. He traveled the countryside, teaching his ways, and word quickly spread about this man who taught the Path to Enlightenment. He soon had many thousands of followers. He was eventually reunited with his father, wife and son, and they too, became his followers.

He traveled around teaching for decades, and at around age 80, died from eating some spoiled food. He foresaw his death, but continued teaching as always until the very moment of death. He closed his eyes and in perfect peace, moved on to Nirvana. Stories about his life, his teachings, and his Path were written down and his followers continued to spread the message for the next 2500 years.

Since then, people have known him by many names; Siddhartha, Buddha, Gotama, Shakyamuni, Enlightened One, Tathagata, and many others. Not a god, just a man, but the greatest teacher of all time.

Daily Buddhism

The Four Noble Truths Basics, part 3

The Four Noble Truths
By Brian Schell

The First Noble Truth

The very foundation of Buddhism is the Four Noble Truths. I can’t think of a better place to start than these ideas. This is really the heart of Buddhism.

The first Noble Truth is that “In life there is much suffering.”

Buddha later explained this to include suffering during birth, aging, illness, death, association with unpleasant people and conditions, separation from loved ones and pleasant conditions, and inability to possess what one desires. Everyone experiences these things.

Many people, hearing this most basic rule of Buddhism, immediately come to the conclusion that Buddhism is a negative thing; a depressing thing; a real downer. This is not the case.

Buddha expanded on the idea of suffering by taking into consideration that all happiness is temporary. Everything is in fact temporary. This idea is what Buddhists call ‚Äúimpermanence.‚Äù No matter what you have, who you love, or what you do, eventually you will lose it. You will grow old and suffer; your friends and family will die. The great works you have done in your life will fade from memory. You will eventually die. You can build a stone monument that lasts three thousand years, but it too will eventually turn to dust. Yes, it’s depressing, but you have to admit that it’s true.

Buddha, coming from a background as a Hindu, took that second idea of suffering and expended it infinitely. If so much of life is suffering, then what does rebirth add to the mix? The answer is eternal suffering. Once you die and get a little relief in this life, the cycle starts over again.

Also keep in mind that when I say “suffering,” I am poorly translating the word “Dukkha” which does mean suffering, but also means “imperfect” and “unsatisfying” as well as “grasping.” Here is one translation of Buddhas own explanation:

“Now this … is the noble truth of suffering:birth is suffering, aging is suffering, illness is suffering, death is suffering; union with what is displeasing is suffering; separation from what is pleasing is suffering; not to get what one wants is suffering; in brief, the five aggregates subject to clinging are suffering.”

This idea of suffering is hard to accept, because we have been raised to think of life and the world as basically a good thing. And this is true to a certain extent; we can be happy for a while, but you always know in the back of your mind that sooner or later the happiness will end. This really is some depressing and sad stuff. Fortunately, Buddha found the reason for this suffering and figured out a way to defeat it.

The Second Noble Truth

The Buddha wanted to “cure” the condition of suffering in the world, and he did. But just like any doctor, before he could cure the suffering, he had to diagnose the cause of the suffering.

The Second Noble Truth is the idea that “There is a single cause to suffering: Attachment.”

Again, all things are impermanent. No matter how much you love your car, or your dog, or your family, someday you will lose them. Or you will die yourself, and thereby lose everything you have accumulated in life. Nothing is permanent. Nothing. I don’t like it, and you probably don’t like it either, but that’s tough. Attachment to things and the resultant loss of those things causes suffering. If you’ve ever lost a loved one, you know exactly what I mean. But you don’t actually have to lose someone to suffer, because you know deep down that someday you are going to lose them. That thought is always in the back of your mind; death is part of living, and we have accepted the idea.

This is a very logical idea, and if you think it through, I think you will agree. All suffering comes from attachment, or put in another way, desire. I desire a new Ferrari, but I can’t afford it. I suffer because I cannot have what I want. I’m hungry; all I have to do is go the kitchen and make a sandwich, but right now, I desire food, and that little bit of hunger is a mild form of suffering. Poor people around the world are hungry too, but they don’t have sandwiches handy; they suffer too, albeit more seriously than I do. I want to date a supermodel, but they won’t give the time of day. Maybe my sights aren’t so high and I have a crush on the girl next door (but she hates me!); there’s more suffering. Greed, Lust, Anger, Ignorance, and even emotions we think of as positive, such as Love are all forms of attachment or clinging. There’s no way around it; even Buddha himself got hungry and had physical needs.

What about physical pain? That’s attachment as well. You are attached to your own body, believing that this life is somehow real. Your body is not you, it’s just another temporary vessel. We’ll discuss this further another time, but your attachment to yourself is just as bad as aching with lust for a supermodel.

Think about it for yourself, don’t take my word for it. You will find that everything about essential Buddhism is completely logical when you dwell on it and analyze it a bit. Think about various forms of suffering, and see how they can be traced back to desire, attachment, or clinging of one form or another.

The Third Noble Truth

Now we know that the world is full of suffering, and the cause of all is desire and attachment. These are important ideas to really understand and think through.

The Third Noble Truth is the idea that Suffering can be beaten.

We know from the first two Truths that everyone, everywhere is suffering in one way or another and that all this suffering is related to attachment and desire. “Doctor Buddha” first identified the problem (suffering), then he found the cause of the sickness (Attachment), so the next step was to prescribe a cure.

Yes, there is a way to beat this depressing cycle of misery that we’ve been talking about. Most people haven’t attained this, and most won’t in this lifetime. Let’ s see if we can work it out on our own; as I said, it’s pretty easy. Since suffering is the problem we are trying to beat, and suffering is caused by attachment and desire, then it seems that the way to beat suffering is to control desire and limit attachments. Attachment and desire come from within; they are caused by our own minds. If we have control of our own minds, we should be able to just shut off the suffering. In fact, Buddhists go so far as to claim that reality is what you make of it. Simple, eh? Well, no, of course it isn’t, but this idea that everything is in your mind and that you need to learn to control your mind is at the heart of Buddhism.

But there is a way to do it, and Buddha went on to explain it in the Fourth Noble Truth.

The Fourth Noble Truth

Just to summarize, we now know that life is full of suffering. This suffering is caused by attachments and desire. Yet, there is a way to end this suffering. To continue our medical analogy, Doctor Buddha, saw the problem, identified the cause, and then prescribed a cure. Today we are going to discuss this cure.

The Fourth Noble Truth is the path (or “Way”) that ends suffering.

This prescription to end suffering is usually called The Eightfold Path, because it has eight steps or components. These eight components are:

1. Right Thought
2. Right Speech
3. Right Actions
4. Right Livelihood
5. Right Understanding
6. Right Effort
7. Right Mindfulness
8. Right Concentration

This path is also sometimes called “The Middle Way” because it goes directly between all opposite concepts. It is the middle way between asceticism and self-indulgence. By focusing on perfecting these eight components, you can attain enlightenment and be released from all suffering. This is what is called attaining Nirvana (or Enlightenment).

“I teach about suffering and the way to end it” —Shakyamuni Buddha

You can probably guess what we’ll be discussing tomorrow. Some of the steps on the eightfold path are intuitively simple, yet hard to put into practice. Others are conceptually complex and take a lifetime of practice to master (if ever).
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Daily Buddhism

The Eightfold Path : Basics, Part 4

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The Eightfold Path
By Brian Schell

And now, Buddha’s great “cure” to solve the problem of grasping, desire, and attachment, the Noble Eightfold Path:

The Eightfold Path Step 1: Right View

The first two steps on the path, Right View and Right Intention, are often paired together and called the “Wisdom” portion of the path. Right Speech, Action, and Livelihood fall into the “Ethical Conduct” category, and Right Effort, Mindfulness, and Concentration are considered “Mental Discipline.” So between wisdom, ethics, and mental disciple, the eightfold path covers all the important stuff a Buddhist should focus on.

‚ÄúRight View‚Äù is also called ‚Äúright perspective‚Äù, ‚Äúright vision‚Äù or ‚Äúright understanding.‚Äù It’s all about having the right perspective on the yourself and the universe. You need to see the world and yourself as they truly are, not what you have been conditioned to see. Much of this relates to really understanding the four Noble Truths. Understand that nothing is permanent or perfect. To think through karma and all the effects it has on you. Having the proper way of looking at the world is especially crucial to a Buddhist, since your perspective actually shapes your life and how you live it.

It is important that in perfecting your “right view” that you clear out your misunderstanding, misconceptions, and confusion. Keep an open mind, and look at everything in a critical manner.

The Eightfold Path Step 2: Right Intention

Right intention is also called “right thought”, “right resolve”, or “right aspiration” or “the exertion of our own will to change.” It involves your commitment and your reasons for following the tenets of Buddhism. Do you really want to give up desire? Are you willing to make sacrifices to attain Enlightenment? Are you willing to give up anger, hatred, and negative feelings while embracing compassion? Are you willing to avoid doing harm to others?

The Eightfold Path Step 3: Right Action

Right action is also called “right conduct,” and involves how to behave in the physical world from day to day. Some examples of the “rules” are to avoid killing, stealing and sexual misconduct. This idea leads us right into another famous Buddhist “list” called The Five Precepts, which we will examine tomorrow.

The idea behind right action is that improper physical actions leads to an unsound mind, so that in order to have a sound mind and attain Enlightenment, one should act properly with the physical body. In another way of looking at the five precepts, all of these rules involve physical attachments and desires, and as we learned yesterday with the Noble Truths, desire and attachment is the Buddhists’ ‚ÄúRoot of all evil.‚Äù

The Eightfold Path Step 4: Right Speech

One important Buddhist scripture explains, ‚Äú‚Ķwhat is right speech? Abstaining from lying, abstaining from divisive speech, abstaining from abusive speech, abstaining from idle chatter: This, monks, is called right speech.‚Äù This is all very simple to understand, and pretty much follows the old adage ‚ÄúIf you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all.‚Äù It’s better to live your life under a vow of silence (yes, Buddhists have those too) than it is to hurt others or yourself through your words.

In practice, this is one of the harder points of the Eightfold Path to follow. Watch yourself today or tomorrow and see how easy it is to complain, to gossip, or even just to waste time talking “about nothing.”

The Eightfold Path Step 5: Right Livelihood

‚ÄúRight Livelihood‚Äù is the goal of trying to make a living with right thought, speech and actions. You don’t have to give up everything and become a propertyless monk, but no Buddhist practitioner should engage in trades or occupations which, either directly or indirectly, result in harm to other living beings or systems.

Think about your job; is anyone, anywhere harmed, either physically, emotionally or mentally? How about animals? If you analyze your life, you are probably going to see where you live at someone else’s expense. In my opinion, this is one part of the Eightfold Path that was easier to accomplish back in Buddha’s day than it is now. Today, everyone is so interdependant that it’s extremely hard to live without doing some damage.

The Eightfold Path Step 6: Right Effort

Right effort, also known as ‚Äúright endeavoring,‚Äù concerns the Buddhist practitioner’s continuous effort to keep his or her mind free of thoughts that might impair his or her ability to realize or put into practice the other elements of the Eightfold Path.

I have mentioned in the past that a Buddhist believes that reality bends to his own perception of it. By an effort of mind, a Buddhist can shape his reality. This can be a double-edged sword, creating both wholesome and unwholesome conditions. Right Effort concerns making the conscious effort to positively shape our minds and our world. The same type of mental energy that fuels desire, envy, aggression, and violence can on the other side fuel self-discipline, honesty, benevolence, and kindness.

Right effort consists of four major actions that a Buddhist should attempt at all times:

1. Make an effort to prevent the creation of unwholesome states.
2. Make an effort to abandon pre-existing unwholesome states.
3. Make an effort to encourage wholesome states.
4. Make an effort to maintain pr-existing wholesome states.

The Eightfold Path Step 7: Right Mindfulness

Right mindfulness, also translated as “Right Memory,” together with concentration, is concerned broadly with the practice of meditation. Roughly speaking, “mindfulness” refers to the practice of keeping the mind alert to phenomena, both internal and external as they are affecting the body and mind. It concerns seeing yourself and the universe as it really is.

Right mindfulness requires clear perception and it penetrates impressions, both correct and incorrect. Right mindfulness enables us to be aware of the process of how our own minds work in such a way that with practice, we can actively observe and control the way our thoughts go. Buddha accounted for this as the four foundations of mindfulness:

1. The contemplation of the body
2. The contemplation of feeling (repulsive, attractive, or neutral)
3. The contemplation of the state of mind
4. The contemplation of the phenomena.

The Eightfold Path Step 8: Right Concentration

Right concentration together with right mindfulness, is concerned broadly with the practice of Buddhist meditation.

According to the Pali canon, one of the classic Buddhist scriptures, right concentration is dependent on the development of all the preceding steps upon the eightfold path:

The Blessed One said: ‚ÄòNow what, monks, is noble right concentration with its supports & requisite conditions? Any singleness of mind equipped with these seven factors ‚Äî right view, right resolve, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, & right mindfulness ‚Äî is called noble right concentration with its supports & requisite conditions.’

Concentration (in this context) is a state where all mental faculties are directed onto one particular object or point. Right concentration for the purpose of the eightfold path means concentration on wholesome thoughts and actions.

Meditation is the primary path to achieving right concentration, and most Buddhists practice meditation extensively. As we have seen, there are many forms of meditation, but most Buddhists practice it in some form. With enough practice meditating, it becomes natural to apply elevated levels concentration also in everyday situations.

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Daily Buddhism, Ethics

The Five Precepts : Basics, part 5

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The Five Precepts
By Brian Schell

Today, we start looking at the last of the major Buddhist “lists.” We’ve talked about the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path already. Let’s look at the Five Precepts now. First, I will point out that some groups of Buddhists have eight precepts and some have ten, but these five are universal and apply to all Buddhists of every group. These rules apply not only to monks, but to laypeople like you and me as well. The five precepts are the rules of behavior, much like the Judeo-Christian “Ten Commandments.” These are the things you cannot do.

The five precepts are often written and recited as a vow, repeated regularly by the Buddhist. The recitation goes like this:

I undertake the precept to refrain from destroying living creatures.
I undertake the precept to refrain from taking that which is not given.
I undertake the precept to refrain from sexual misconduct.
I undertake the precept to refrain from incorrect speech.
I undertake the precept to refrain from intoxicating drinks and drugs which lead to carelessness.

These are often shortened to say no killing, no stealing, no sexual misconduct, no lying, and no drinking. But this is vastly oversimplifying things.

The First Precept

The first precept is to refrain from destroying living creatures. Killing causes suffering and we already know the Buddhist perspective on suffering. This is a lot harder than it may appear at first. At first glance, you are probably thinking it matches up with the Biblical “Thou Shalt Not Kill.” Actually the Biblical Commandment more correctly translates to “Thou Shalt Not Murder,” and really only applies to humans. The first precept, however, applies to all living creatures. All life is valuable.

One very famous modern-day Buddhist teacher is Thich Nhat Hanh, a monk from Vietnam. He’s written dozens of fantastic books on Buddhism. He has come up with his own modern translation of the five precepts. Here is his version of the First Precept:

“Aware of the suffering caused by the destruction of life, I vow to cultivate compassion and learn ways to protect the lives of people, animals, plants and minerals. I am determined not to kill, not to let others kill, and not to condone any act of killing in the world, in my thinking, and in my way of life.”

Take some time and think this one through for yourself. There’s a lot more to this than skipping the steak dinner or not going on a rampage to kill your co-workers. This precept covers supporting wars, capital punishment, or even supporting governments that condone those things.

Yes, the bottom line is that Buddhists are often vegetarian and most usually pacifists.

The Second Precept

The Second of the Buddhist precepts is no to take that which is not given. Nope, stealing is a bad thing, but living in a modern civilized society, we already knew that. But just as with the first precept, there’s more to it than it appears at first glance. Remember that one of the steps on the Eightfold Path was Right Livelihood. That means not making a living taking or exploiting what is not yours. There’s no cheating or stealing allowed either. Being lazy at work is even a form of stealing; you are taking time away from your job that you are being paid for.

This also means that Buddhists encourage charitable giving. Give to the poor, the needy, and the sick. Give your money, give your time, and give as much as you can. You don’t have to give everything you own, but selfishness and greed are really bad.

Thich Nhat Hanh. Has this to say in his updated version of the precepts:

“Aware of the suffering caused by exploitation, social injustice, stealing and oppression, I vow to cultivate loving kindness and learn ways to work for the well being of people, animals, plants and minerals. I vow to practice generosity by sharing my time, energy and material resources with those who are in real need. I am determined not to steal and not to possess anything that should belong to others. I will respect the property of others, but I will prevent others from profiting from human suffering or the suffering of other species on Earth.”

As you can see there’s a lot more to this than just not stealing.

The Five Precepts: The Third Precept

Rule number three is no sexual misconduct. How do you define misconduct? That depends on where you live. The social rules are different from country to country and region to region, and what’s considered misconduct in America might be completely appropriate elsewhere in the world. That doesn’t matter; the real problem here is suffering. If something is inappropriate to the society you are in, then it needs to be avoided.

Self-restraint is crucial to a Buddhist. Remember the eightfold path again; right effort, right action and right mindfulness all deal with self-control and restraint.

What does our new friend Thich Nhat Hanh have to say?

“Aware of the suffering caused by sexual misconduct, I vow to cultivate responsibility and learn ways to protect the safety and integrity of individuals, couples, families and society. I am determined not to engage in sexual relations without love and a long-term commitment. To preserve the happiness of myself and others, I am determined to respect my commitments and the commitments of others. I will do everything in my power to protect children from sexual abuse and to prevent couples and families from being broken by sexual misconduct.”

He seems to enhance the importance of responsibility and commitment beyond simple sexual misdeeds. There is definitely an emphasis on commitment; monogamous relationships and marriage are strongly advocated.

The Fourth Precept

Rule number four is to refrain from incorrect speech. Right Speech, if you remember was a step on the eightfold path all by itself. Not only is right speech promoted and valued with Buddhists, but here “Wrong Speech” is singled out for special negative treatment. We all know how damaging our words can be. Buddhism is all about seeking Truth, whatever that may be, and falsehoods work against that goal, often causing suffering in the process. Our words are powerful, and that’s really all that needs to be said. Even Thih Nhat Hanh had little to really add to this precept. In his words:

“Aware of the suffering caused by unmindful speech and the inability to listen to others, I vow to cultivate loving speech and deep listening in order to bring joy and happiness to others and relieve others of their suffering. Knowing that words can create happiness or suffering, I vow to learn to speak truthfully, with words that inspire self-confidence, joy and hope. I am determined not to spread news that I do not know to be certain and not to criticize or condemn things of which I am not sure. I will refrain from uttering words that can cause division or discord, or that can cause the family or community to break. I will make all efforts to reconcile and resolve all conflicts, however small.”

There’s not much I can add to that. Lying is bad.

The Fifth Precept

The last rule is to avoid intoxicants.

Why? The first-glance answer is that drunks cause all kinds of suffering. Drug addicts harm everyone near them over and over again. This is bad behavior, and we all know it. Yet, most of us are not alcoholics or drug addicts, but that doesn’t let us off the hook. Mind-altering actions of all kinds, including smoking, coffee, caffeine, and other stimulants are also prohibited. Why? They affect your state of mind, and Buddhism is all about the mind. Your world is created by your own perceptions and mindfulness. If you change the way your mind works by the use of stimulants or mind-altering drugs, you are harming your own chances for enlightenment. These chemicals are also often bad for your physical health as well, and causing physical harm and suffering is bad, even if you are doing it to yourself.

Thich Nhat Hanh has a field day with this one:

“Aware of the suffering caused by unmindful consumption, I vow to cultivate good health, both physical and mental, for myself, my family, and my society by practicing mindful eating, drinking and consuming. I vow to ingest only items that preserve peace, well-being and joy in my body, in my consciousness, and in the collective body and consciousness of my family and society. I am determined not to use alcohol or any other intoxicant or to ingest foods or other items that contain toxins, such as certain TV programs, magazines, books, films and conversations. I am aware that to damage my body or my consciousness with these poisons is to betray my ancestors, my parents, my society and future generations. I will work to transform violence, fear, anger and confusion in myself and in society by practicing a diet for myself and for society. I understand that a proper diet is crucial for self-transformation and for the transformation of society.”

Yes, he really did say that TV shows, conversations, and magazines can be toxic as well. He also suggests that a proper diet can be good for all of society.

Daily Buddhism

Life and Death

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If you have been reading for a while, you’ll remember that I have done reviews of two books from Master Sheng Yen, and he was quickly becoming one of my favorite authors. Well, last week Master Sheng Yen died at age 80. I didn’t have much information, so I didn’t want to make a special post about it here, but I did make mention of it on Twitter. Someone read one of those postings and emailed me with:

Question:

I am following your messages on Twitter. Yesterday you wrote about life and death and how the reality of death must be accepted. But isn’t death something that is impossible to actually experience? As long as we are alive, we obviously can’t experience death. So in our mind, we are alive – until we actually die, but then we can’t experience it anymore. Therefore, death is real, but our own death will never be real for us. What do you think?

Answer:

You are right– you cannot really experience what it means to be dead. At least not to the point where you can remember death. But that’s not really what the quote was getting at. Here’s the full quote I posted from Sheng Yen:

Master Sheng Yen once said, “Where there is life, there must be death. If one cannot face this reality it will become one’s greatest barrier in life, if one can regard death merely as a fraction within the eternal time and space then death is not an end to life but the beginning of the next.”

But you CAN experience death… in your mind. Buddhists often do a thing called “meditation on a corpse,” which involves visualizing your own decomposing corpse. By visualizing this, one can explore the idea of death and by becoming more and more familiar with it, you are supposed to lose your fear. It’s a natural thing that must be accepted, and by understanding all aspects of death, you find it’s nothing to fear.

Check out http://www.dailybuddhism.com/archives/229 for more on this style of meditation. It sounds disgusting, but people have been doing it for thousands of years.

More about Master Sheng Yen of Dharma Drum Monastery: Link

Daily Buddhism

Reflective Journaling and Meditation

4 Comments

We haven’t had a guest post in a couple of weeks, so I’m thrilled to introduce you all to Manata (He’s @manata on Twitter if you want to follow him there). He’s a 28 year old father of twin three-year-old girls, and husband to a fantastic wife. He came to Buddhism and Soto Zen practices about a year and a half ago. His plan to hand-write a journal of his meditation and daily mindful experiences was spawned from very simple means: a skeptical nature, and the fact that he found a really cool pen to write with one day.

Manata
Manata

Reflective Journaling and Meditation
by Manata

I have recently recommitted myself to practicing Soto Zen Buddhism over the last few months. This is a type of Zen Buddhism that involves a lot of zazen, or seated meditation. In the past, I practiced off and on for about a year – and benefited from it greatly – but my practice, as these things often do, got pushed to the side of what I considered at the time to be “real life”.

Most of us are skeptical by nature. Believe me, I’m at least as skeptical as the next guy; so much so that I’m even skeptical of myself. Did I really have that great of a success in the past? Will I have this type of success (or greater) in the future? Had it simply become a “big fish” story that improved the results in my memory as time passed? This time, I decided that if I was going to do this, then I was going to do it right. I have decided to begin keeping a journal of my zazen practice and reflections of daily mindfulness. I want to prove to myself that the results were worth pursuing regardless of previous successes. The goal is to have a practical way to observe this progress and track my own understanding of myself and the Dharma. With a simple journal, I can reflect on my meditation, as well as my skillfulness throughout the day, and uncover questions that I may be able to clarify later. Maybe one day I’ll read these early entries and laugh at my own inexperienced monkey-mind.

Comparing moments, though, seems contradictory to the Zen philosophy of living in the now. Of course, those who practice Zen Buddhism should know that there is a practical side to this that should not be overlooked – one must still mail their mortgage payment, buy groceries for future meals, etc. On one hand, comparing one mindful moment to another may be absurd; apples to elephants. On the other hand, proving progress to myself by way of comparison may be a way to increase commitment to the practice and overall understanding. I hope that knowing this contradiction exists is enough to eliminate expectations, but I remain curious.

I plan on handwriting these entries in my own journal, as I find it to be an intimate way of organizing my thoughts. To the extent it is helpful to others, I am willing to share parts of these journal entries with anyone who is interested. I’m only a month or two into my practice (again!), and only a few days into the documentation process, but the steps have begun, I believe, toward the greater good. I must take care to avoid letting one practice overpower the other. The worst thing I can do is taint my zazen time with thoughts like “hey, look at what my mind did just now…that’s an interesting thought…I should jot it down in the journal!” That, of course, would be the opposite of what I’m trying to accomplish.

When I first emailed Brian about this, he reminded me that mindful meditation is just another type of program that one may follow, like a diet or exercise regimen. There is benefit to documenting the progress in those programs, so why not meditation? This is a simple enough conclusion to draw, and one to which anyone should be able to relate.

I’ll check in with updates if anyone cares to share in the discovery.

Daily Buddhism

Why Do Buddhists Pray To Idols?

38 Comments

Question:

148129180_45294027a9I was rared in the Monotheistic traditions and my question is basic. It concerns iconography and the reason why Buddhist pray to idols.

Arguably, Buddha himself was suspicious of being venerated. And it would be nice to know how contemporary Buddhist rationalise the practice.

It is intriguing to see the Tibetans do their prostrations and in manner not unlike Orthodox Christians (whose influence on Islamic prayer worship has been remarked).

Answer:

I’m going to quote Pema Ch√∂dr√∂n for the rest of this post:

Pema Chodron
Pema Chodron

‘Not at all! A piece of clay or bronze or jade is not the object of our respect and worship. When we bow before Buddha images, we are recalling the qualities of the enlightened beings. It is their impartial love and compassion, generosity, morality, patience, joyous effort, concentration and wisdom that we are showing respect to. The statue or painting serves to remind us of the qualities of the Buddha, and it is the qualities, not the clay, that we are bowing to. We need not have a statue in front of us in order to bow to or respect the Buddhas and their qualities.

For example, if we go to a place far away from our family, we think about them and feel much love. But we also like to have a photo of them with us to remember them better. When we look at the photo and feel love for our family, we are not loving the paper and ink of the photo! The photo merely strengthens our memory. It is similar with a statue or painting of the Buddha.

By showing respect to the Buddhas and their qualities, we are inspired to develop these extraordinary qualities on our own mind streams. We become like the people we respect. When we take the love-kindness and wisdom of the Buddhas as our example, we strive to become like them’.

So what do you think? Does this seem like a reasonable explanation to you, or do you think this is still justification for worshipping idols?