EH 60_Jan_2020 by Eastern Horizon YBAM

Group Photo of the participants

40th National Trainee Teachers Dharma Camp Theme: “Let’s Go Home Together”

Malaysian Buddhist Association, Penang 26.11.2019 - 1.12.2019

Chairperson of Organizing Committee OoiShu Ling presenting a souvenir to Y.B. TehLai Heng, accompanied by President of YBAM Tan King Leong (right).

Participants experiencing peace and calmness during a meditation session.

Participants in a group game with lots of puzzles to solve.

Yong Chin facilitating a Family Relationship Workshop for participants

Group photo of participants with popular singing group SMZDPY.

Looking Back with Gratitude, Looking Forward with Confidence In 2020 the Young Buddhist Association of Malaysia (YBAM) will be celebrating its 50th year of establishment. Celebrating its golden anniversary is a great opportunity to thank volunteers, sponsors, benefactors, Saṅgha members, and staff for their contributions over the years. It is also an occasion to recognize the specific achievements made by YBAM over half a century as a nonsectarian Buddhist organization to grow the Dharma in the community, especially among the youths. It offers an opportunity for us to reflect and look back with gratitude on the many challenges that YBAM has overcome as an organization. This helps to invigorate all those who are supporting the organization. However, anniversaries are also an excellent way to inform the wider audience not just of one’s history and accomplishments, as well as one’s plans for the future. Looking forward, the biggest challenge for YBAM in this modern digital age is whether it will be able to attract Buddhist youths to study and practice Buddhism, and convey the message that the Buddha Dharma is still relevant in today’s alluring consumeristic culture. If it succeeds, then it would have a meaningful role to play in the years to come.

Consumerism, by definition, is the human desire to acquire and own worldy goods in excess of one’s basic needs. In a consumeristic culture, everything is fast-paced, highly competitive, and focussed on wanting more and more. According to the psychology of well-being, the most reliable predictor of long-term happiness is building and maintaining positive longterm human relationships. So, while consumerism, which is a result of economic prosperity, may give us worldy happiness, often, the reverse is true for long-term relationships, hence, leading to a rise in depression among youths in society. This is an aspect of human psychology that the Buddha knew 2600 years ago. While the Buddha did not deny the importance of worldly happiness, he nevertheless warned against its fleeting nature, which would inevitably result in different forms of unhappiness, including mental stress and a sense of lack or inadequacy. This is where, in his many discourses to lay disciples, many of whom were youths like the famous Sīgāla in the Pāli Canon, he talked about a higher form of happiness which is based on certain core principles. The emphasis of these principles is on right livelihood and right conduct, the need to have good hearted friends, how to earn money and be wealthy through honest means

and integrity, and most importantly how to calm the mind despite the many vicissitudes in life. The beauty of spiritual happiness is that it gives us peace of mind which is not ethereal in nature. The message of the Buddha is that we need to live life in moderation to be happy, neither overindulging nor subjecting ourselves to extreme self-denial. Youths can still be fully engaged in this modern world while cultivating wholesome values taught by the Buddha, thus enabling them to enjoy both material and spiritual happiness in an affluent society. If Buddhist organizations like the YBAM can instil the Buddha’s underlying message of balance and moderation to the youths, it would be a significant contributor to the growth of the Buddhist community in the country. As such, YBAM will need to continuously review and reinvent its current programs on how to instil Buddhist values so that youths of today and tomorrow can resonate with the timeless essence of the Buddha Dharma. May all be well and happy, and Happy New Year! January 1, 2020

CONTENTS 04

LEAD ARTICLE Studying Buddhism in the Digital Age

TEACHINGS Willingness to Jump in and Help

The Bodhisattva Attitude

16 22

By Dr. Alexander Berzin

By HH The 17the Karmapa

By Norman Fisher

Taking Refuge in the Triple Gem and the 5 Lay Vows By Venerable Geshe Tenzin Zopa

Affirming the Truths of the Heart - The Buddhist Teachings on Saṃvega & Pasāda By Thanissaro Bhikkhu

ISSUE NO.60

JAN 2020

Skillful speech: Saying what helps, heals, and creates happiness

12 Pieces of Wisdom that will Transform your Lives

32 38

By Dr Roger Walsh

By Matt Valentine

Satipaṭṭhāna: The Objective Observation By Venerable Bhikkhu T. Seelananda

How to Study Buddhism By Venerable Master Hsing Yun

FEATURES Can Mindfulness Save Buddhism in Japan?

The two things all Buddhists need to know

By Karen Jensen

By Lim K. Fong

...................................................................... Jan 2020 ISSUE NO. 60 (Published 3 times a year)

48 50 53 60

REFLECTION Conversions in the Family

By Assoc. Prof. Dr. Punna Wong Yin Onn

Buddhism in the Internet Age

EASTERN HORIZON PUBLICATION BOARD CHAIRMAN EDITOR SUB-EDITOR

: Dr. Ong See Yew

: B. Liow <Bennyliow@gmail.com> : Dr. Ong Puay Liu

By Vincent Horn

MANAGER : Teh Soo Tyng

FORUM Criterion of Knowledge: How to Know the Truth?

PUBLISHER : YBAM <ybam@ybam.org.my>

By Venerable Āyasmā Aggacitta, Venerable Ming Wei & Geshe Dadul Namgyal

DHARMA THOUGHTS What price Happiness? By Vijaya Samarawickrama

ART DIRECTOR : Geam Yong Koon

PRINTER : Nets Printwork Sdn Bhd Lot 52, Jalan PBS 14/4, Taman Perindustrian Bukit Serdang, 43300 Sri Kembangan, Selangor, MALAYSIA. Tel : 603-89429858 Email : info@netsgroup.com.my

COVER DESIGN : Geam Yong Koon

EASTERN HORIZON is a publication of the Young Buddhist Association of Malaysia (YBAM). A non-profit making project, this journal is non-sectarian in its views and approach. We aim to inspire, stimulate and share.

The opinions expressed in EASTERN HORIZON are those of the authors and in no way represent those of the editor or YBAM. Although every care is taken with advertising matter, no responsibility can be accepted for the organizations, products, services, and other matter advertised. We welcome constructive ideas, invite fresh perspectives and accept comments. Please direct your comments or enquiries to: The Editor EASTERN HORIZON Young Buddhist Association of Malaysia 9, Jalan SS 25/24, Taman Mayang, 47301 Petaling Jaya, Selangor, MAlAYSIA Tel : (603) 7804 9154 Fax : (603) 7804 9021 Email : admin@easternhorizon.org or Benny Liow <Bennyliow@gmail.com> Website : www.easternhorizon.org KDN PP 8683/01/2013(031165)

EASTERN HORIZON | LEAD ARTICLE

Studying Buddhism in the Digital Age By Dr. Alexander Berzin

Dr. Alexander Berzin (1944 - present) is a Buddhist translator, teacher, scholar and practitioner with more than 50 years of Buddhist experience. After receiving his Ph.D. at Harvard, Dr. Berzin spent 29 years in India training under the guidance of some of the greatest Tibetan masters of our times. There he served as occasional interpreter for H.H. the 14th Dalai Lama and His tutors. He is the founder and author of the Berzin Archives and studybuddhism.com.

His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama has called for 21st-century Buddhism, with the emphasis not on ritual, prayer and devotion, but rather on study, especially of the works of the seventeen great Nalanda masters. In keeping with Buddha’s skill in methods, study needs to fit the circumstances of the 21st century and be in accord with the communication methods of the Digital Age. For Buddhist education to remain effective, it needs to adapt to the present-day needs, as it has always done in the past. Especially for the great Nalanda tradition of Buddhist education to continue, it needs to adapt to the modern methods of education, so as to provide access to its wisdom for the younger generation. Let me give some historical background to demonstrate that adapting to the times accords with the Buddhist tradition.

Shakyamuni Buddha was a masterful teacher. According to the scriptures, what made him so effective was his omniscient mind, his enlightening speech and his skill in methods for leading others to liberation and enlightenment. This means he knew fully all the methods that would be the most effective to transmit his teachings to each being as the conditions of the

times would change. In addition, because of the enlightening quality of Buddha’s speech, each listener would be able to understand his teachings in their own language no matter now often their language would change until the time of their enlightenment. For language to become an effective means of communication, it needs a medium. Before Buddha’s teachings were written down, they were transmitted through oral transmission. Disciples learned the teachings through hearing someone repeating them. They studied them further by memorizing the words and periodically reciting them. After several centuries, Buddha’s enlightening words were put down in writing to safeguard them for the future. The written word now became an additional medium for learning and studying the Buddha’s teachings. Over time, language evolved and different languages became more popular. This posed no obstacle for Buddha’s enlightening speech to be understood by its audience. After all, Buddha taught that cause and effect do not operate in a vacuum; they are affected by conditions and circumstances. Because of that fact of dependent arising,

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and because different portions of Buddha’s teachings were written down at different times, some of his enlightening words were recorded in Pali and some in Sanskrit. Because of this skillful means, people could read and understand Buddha’s words in the written languages of their times.

As Buddha’s teachings were propagated beyond the Indian subcontinent to further regions of Asia, they were translated and recorded in even more languages and scripts. These included a wide variety of Central and East Asian languages, most prominently Chinese and Tibetan. This transmission trend has continued over time, so that presently Buddha’s teachings are available in written form in most major modern languages and scripts. In this way, the great translators have furthered the enlightening activity of Buddha’s speech to communicate to people in each of their languages. The written language, however, requires a medium for reaching its audience. Therefore, in keeping with conditions of time and place, Buddha’s words have been written on palm leaves or paper, and kept loose or bound together in books. The texts have been handwritten or printed from woodblocks or moveable type. All these developments have been in keeping with the principle of skillful means to better communicate Buddha’s enlightening words to those who would learn them.

The 21st century has seen the dawn of the Digital Age. An everincreasing percentage of people receive their information in digital form, through the Internet. They read that information either on computers or, increasingly more, on cell phones or tablets. Their knowledge comes not only from websites, but to an evergreater extent through social media. Further, the present trend, especially among the younger generation, is that people prefer receiving information in video form, rather than through written text. Many even favor animation over live presentation and, moreover, their information needs to be entertaining. This has spawned an even newer medium, called “infotainment,” a hybrid of information and entertainment.

In the field of higher education, many universities have started offering interactive Massive Open Online Courses, the socalled MOOC’s, where students pursue e-learning by watching and listening to online classroom lectures. But, the most popular online educational courses have adapted to the modern trend of Internet usage. Due to the fast pace of social media feeds and people’s shortened attention spans, the ideal length of educational videos has now become three minutes, not the ninety minutes of videotaped lectures that only the most devoted students watch to the end. Adapting to this trend, educational channels, such as Coursera and Lynda, offer courses through online series of

three-minute video clips, some with live talks and others with animation. They have found this to be the optimal length and medium for people to learn, digest and remember complex material. This is the reality of the Digital Age.

Let me present the project I have been involved with as an example of one way to promote and further the Nalanda tradition in the present age. Anticipating the needs of the 21st century, I founded a German nonprofit organization, Berzin Archives, and we published the first version of its multimedia, educational website, berzinarchives. com, in December 2001. Having received a PhD from Harvard University in Far Eastern Languages and Sanskrit and Indian Studies, I had then spent 29 years in India. There, I studied with some of the greatest masters of the last century from all four traditions of Tibetan Buddhism, including His Holiness the Dalai Lama and his tutors, and translated for many of them. Over the years, I built up a large archive of translations of Tibetan and Sanskrit texts and transcripts of teachings I had translated from my teachers. Lecturing on Buddhist topics around the world, I had also built up a large store of transcripts of my own lectures and writings, transmitting further what I had been taught. I also had written many books and articles explaining these profound and extensive teachings. Through the Berzin Archives website, I made this vast treasure of knowledge available to the world, free of charge, and

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continued to add to it transcripts and audio and video recordings of my further lectures.

By 2015, the website had grown to over 1200 written English items, with many of them translated into 20 other European and Asian languages, including six from the Islamic world. It was reaching over 5000 users each day. But modern educational trends had been changing rapidly over those previous ten years and it was time for an upgrade.

Heeding His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s call for 21st-century Buddhism with an emphasis on study, we accepted the challenge. Although His Holiness advises studying the works of the seventeen Nalanda masters, these texts are beyond the scope of beginners. Newcomers to Buddhism need more basic teachings to gain access to the Dharma contained in those advanced texts. They need to be guided step-by-step and, in keeping with the developments of the Digital Age, this guidance needs to be provided first through the Internet, especially for young people, and then, when these students are prepared, through personal study with qualified teachers. Our task at Berzin Archives was to provide that access to the Nalanda tradition for the newcomers of the 21st century, in keeping with Buddha’s emphasis on using skillful means. With an easier to navigate interface, a more user-friendly information architecture and a more modern,

mobile-first design, we renamed the website studybuddhism.com so that newcomers and Google would identify more easily what it is. We launched the upgrade of our website in May 2016. Automatically adjusting in size to show properly on all digital devices, from the most expensive smartphone to the cheapest mobile, people everywhere can now access the site any time, any place. This is very important because more than half of Internet usage is now through mobile phones, and this percentage is increasing ever faster. Making a modern website accessible on all devices, however, is not enough. People need to find the website. This is not easy. There are over a billion websites on the Internet, with over 150,000 being added each day, all competing for people’s time and attention. Therefore, to improve Google ranking so potential users can find us, we have employed the latest search engine optimization techniques, including making some of our written material media rich with photos, illustrations and audio and video clips.

Even if users can find your website, if the aim of the website is to educate users, it is necessary to engage your users and encourage them to come back. To meet this need, we have expanded our social media presence on Facebook, prepared new YouTube and Sound Cloud channels, and launched a monthly newsletter for our growing number of core users. We have also started a series of short video

clips of a wide variety of Buddhist teachers, both Tibetan and Western from all four Tibetan traditions, answering the most frequently asked questions posed on Google. For the sustainable future of Buddhism, it is vital that teachers join efforts in projects such as our online interviews, to foster a nonsectarian face of Buddhism and attract a wide audience.

In addition, we have prepared our first online course of four threeminute videos, “An Introduction to Buddhism,” as a pilot project for developing a modern online educational program. As a further pilot project, we have also produced our first animated video, “How to Gain Peace of Mind.” Study buddhism is still in its developmental stage. We are still in the process of migrating all the language sections from the old to the new format. Once this is completed, we plan to add discussion forums for debate and other interactive features. We also plan to develop a full program of online video education courses, in the format of three-minute clips, which will include further animation material. Gradually we will make all these resources available in the current 21 languages of our website, and all will remain free of charge. Our hope is that our efforts will inspire others to follow our example and develop it further. Many Buddhist teachers already have an online presence and so they have the vehicles for making

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full use of the latest online educational methods. For example, Geshe Jampa Dagpa in Moscow has started an online forum for Geshe Lharampas from all over the world to debate various topics that any member can suggest. This is an excellent usage of 21st-century technology to further the Nalanda tradition of Buddhist study through debate. But to train students to reach this level of Buddhist study requires reaching the younger generation.

The future of 21st-century Buddhism and the Nalanda tradition lies, in fact, in the hands of the younger generation. To provide a Buddhist education to this new generation and those that will follow requires skill in means, as it always has. In the Digital Age, this means using the full scope of modern online educational methods and always keeping up to date as new developments continue to emerge. In this way, we can follow Buddha’s example of always using skillful means that dependently arise in accord with the changing times. Thank you. Keynote address to conference on “Buddhism in the 21st Century” Nava Nalanda Mahavihara, Nalanda, India, March 2017 EH

Willingness to Jump in and Help By HH The 17the Karmapa

His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama (left) with His Holiness the 17th Karmapa (right)

His Holiness the 17th Gyalwang Karmapa, Ogyen Trinley Dorje, is the head of the 900-year old Karma Kagyu lineage and guide to millions of Buddhists around the world. Currently 33 years old, the Karmapa resides in his temporary home at Gyuto Monastery in India, after making a dramatic escape from Tibet in the year 2000. Traveling the world, the Karmapa skilfully teaches traditional Tibetan Buddhist Dharma while also advocating topic such as environmental conservation, feminism, digitization of the Dharma, and much more.

The following article is an extract of a lecture His Holiness the Karmapa gave at York College, Queens, New York, on June 7, 2018 on Lama Tsongkhapa’s Three Principles of the Path. On the third day of the Monlam, the Karmapa continued his teaching with the reminder, “We are looking at the text of Je Tsongkhapa known as the Three Principles of the Path. Its subject is common to all four traditions of Tibetan Buddhism, though the words themselves and the enumerations might differ. In addition to the Geluk tradition of this text, we find in the Nyingma and Kagyu tradition the Four Thoughts That Turn the Mind, and in the Sakya tradition, Parting from the Four Attachments.

EASTERN HORIZON | TEACHINGS

“The key points of all these teachings are the same: They present a summary of the entire path of the sutra and tantra, brought together in one place and formulated as practical instruction. Since the Buddha’s teachings are vast, it would be very difficult to find the time and opportunity to study them all. However, if we study well these key instructions of the great gurus and come to understand them, we will know how to practice Dharma.

“Yesterday we began looking at the desire for liberation as it is presented in the Three Principles of the Path. This is one of the three main topics of this treatise along with developing bodhichitta and a correct view. The text is also presented in three parts: the introduction, the main part, and the conclusion. The Introduction with its several subdivisions is not as important as the main part, so we will focus on this, reprising the topic of the desire for liberation, and then turning to generating bodhichitta. “As we saw before, the first topic has three aspects: the reason for developing the desire for liberation, the way to do this, and how to gauge its extent. The first one is described in the following stanza:

Without a completely pure desire for freedom from samsara, There is no way to pacify suffering while one is seeking the results of pleasure in the ocean of existence. Through craving for further existence beings are utterly bound. Therefore, first seek to develop a sincere desire for freedom from samsara.

“The first reason why we need to cultivate the desire for liberation at the very beginning is that we have not become saddened, displeased, or fed up with saṃsāra, and so we do not let go of our craving for its pleasures. Consequently, it would not be possible for us to attain liberation. We must, therefore, relinquish our attachment and craving for saṃsāra itself. An analogy for our mind’s relation to saṃsāra is that of a moth to light. The moth is attracted to the light, but the heat burns and kills the moth. The light itself does not cause its death; it is the moth’s own attachment to light that ends its life. Likewise, through our attraction to saṃsāra, we humans take what is actually suffering to be happiness and so bring about our endless cycling through saṃsāra.

“Usually when we describe the root of saṃsāra, we say it is a powerful fixation on oneself, which is a kind of ignorance. Actually, this is the first of the twelve interdependent links that generate saṃsāra. In addition ignorance, the eighth link of craving and the ninth link of undertaking—all considered afflictions—play an important role in the formation of saṃsāra. When all three are present, the causes and conditions for samsara are complete and it becomes fully functional. However, without craving, the mechanism of saṃsāra does work well. Since ignorance, craving, and undertaking cause us to remain in saṃsāra, it is essential that we bring an end to our craving and attachment. “Over the years, we may have done a lot of spiritual practice, performing prostrations, making offerings, and meditating on the yidam deities, and we hope that blessings will come to us from doing all this. Yet we have neither tamed nor transformed our minds. The

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fundamental reason for our lack of progress is that we do not know the essential point of how to practice the Dharma. What is the real way to practice? How is it that Dharma turns into true Dharma? The key point is that actual practice happens through reversing our attachment to saṃsāra.

“Often we use the term saṃsāra without really knowing what the term means. For example, where I was born, ordinary people think that saṃsāra refers to householders, who get married and have children. They think monastics are much better off because they have abandoned saṃsāra. When speaking of their own experience of raising and supporting many children, they say saṃsāra is no fun, but they really do not understand the depth of saṃsāra; marriage and having children is much too narrow a definition. “Those who have studied Dharma a little bit think that saṃsāra refers to this world or the three realms of saṃsāra. If, however, we were to ask, ‘What is saṃsāra really?’ we would have to think carefully about it. Usually, saṃsāra is described as our connection with the five aggregates that are contaminated and that continually take on or appropriate saṃsāric existence one moment after another. This is the way we cycle helplessly through the three realms of saṃsāra.

“A story about Phakmo Drukpa (1110-1170) further illustrates this. He was the one of the great disciples of Gampopa, and from him stem the eight later lineages of the Kagyu. He first studied in the Kadampa monastic colleges, then received the teachings of Path and Result from a Sakya master, and finally, he became a close disciple of Gampopa.

“From his early studies, Phakmo Drukpa had a question that he thought about a lot and frequently asked: What is the cause of cycling in saṃsāra? When he asked his tutors in the monastic college, they replied, ‘Ignorance,’ and gave him extensive explanations of this classic reply found in most texts. Though this was true, Phakmo Drupa did not find it particularly helpful. When he was studying with the great Sakyapa and asked the question, he did find the reply somewhat helpful. Finally, when he came to meet Lord Gampopa, he asked him this same question.

“How did the meeting go? When Phakmo Drupa meet Gampopa, the master was eating tsampa (roasted barley flour, a Tibetan staple) rolled up into balls. By way of introduction, Phakmo Drukpa related to Gampopa an account of what he had studied and practiced, and then he asked his question. Gampopa replied, ‘The cause of saṃsāra is this mind of the present moment.’ He added, ‘You have done a lot of Dharma practice, but you’ve completely missed the point. Your practice amounts to nothing. My ball of tsampa here is more valuable than all of your study and practice put together.’ Gampopa’s answer benefited Phakmo Drupa so much that he realized Gampopa was his karmically destined guru on whom he had relied in previous lives, and so he took him as his guru for this life, too. “You might wonder why Gampopa’s reply, ‘The cause of saṃsāra is this mind of the present moment,”’ finally answered Phakmo Drupa’s question. When ignorance is defined as the root of saṃsāra, and it becomes something we talk about and discuss, we are actually distancing ourselves from our own ignorance.

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to practice the Dharma: All the conditions conducive to the practice of Dharma are present and all the conditions what could prevent it are absent. As such, Why? Because in thinking of ignorance as an object to discuss, we are distancing ourselves from it, setting it apart in some place over there. Meanwhile, we are not looking at our ignorant mind that is right here in front of us. If in this way, we separate ignorance from our present mind, our study and practice will not reduce self-fixation, because we are not paying attention to its real source—our present mind. Ignorance is just this mind. Self-fixation is just this mind. The accumulator of karma is just this mind. And it is only on the basis of encountering this mind directly that we can effect real change.

The second section about the desire for liberation concerns the means for removing the craving for saṃsāra from our minds. This has two divisions— turning around the attachment to this life and to future lives—which are explained in a single stanza:

By meditating on the difficulty of attaining our freedoms and resources, and the short time we have in this life, Our attachment to this existence is reversed. By meditating repeatedly on the infallible results of actions and the sufferings of samsara, Our attachment to future lives is reversed. “The type of rebirth we all of us here have is a combination of freedoms and resources that allow us

this life is extremely useful and very rare. Nevertheless, there are many situations, however, that can destroy this life, and further, the time of our death is uncertain. Contemplating these two things—the positive and rare attributes of our life and tits immanent destruction— are an excellent way to keep us from being distracted by the entertainments of this world and turn our minds to practicing Dharma. “Many people entertain the thought of practicing Dharma, but their problem is procrastination. They say, “I’ll start tomorrow or the day after,” and in this way deceive themselves. This is why the precious human rebirth with its freedoms and resources is taught together with the contemplation of impermanence; it allows us to get the point that although this precious human birth is rare and supremely useful, it is easily lost. This spurs us on to engage in practice. “It is easy to describe the freedoms and resources that make this human body so precious. It is more difficult, however to describe how rare it is to have one, since this requires a belief in past and future lives. I will not enumerate the eight freedoms and ten resources now, but give their essence. More than other species, as human beings we have a great capacity for conscious moral choices. We have the discernment that can know what we should and should not do. The means that as human beings if we use this capacity well, we can make our human lives extraordinarily meaningful. However, we also have the capacity to waste our life or worse to

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misuse it. Making our lives meaningful and worthwhile is a key point of the Dharma.

The second key point is meditation on impermanence. Many people think that this means creating the fear of death by fixating on the thought “I’m going to die.” But impermanence is more than focusing on the fact that things pass away; it also means that everything is changing moment by moment—nothing stands still— and so impermanence brings us the opportunity to change at any time. We need to know the good news that we are not limited to just one chance; every instant opens up a new opportunity. We need to see this and not waste our chances in frivolous actions, but use the opportunities that are constantly unfolding before us.

The second section deals with reversing attachment to future lives. This is contemplated through two aspects: the infallible connection between cause and result and also the faults and hence the sufferings of saṃsāra. These two contemplations are brought together because virtuous and unvirtuous actions are respectively the causes of pleasure and pain in saṃsāra. In other words, since karma is the cause of saṃsāric birth and experiences, these two are contemplated together. The third section under the topic of the desire for liberation is how to gauge its extent. Here the verse reads:

By meditating on these points, if the wish for the attractions of saṃsāra Does not arise even for a single moment, And the desire for liberation arises throughout the day and night, This is the time when the desire for liberation has arisen.

“Through repeatedly using these means to reverse our attachment to saṃsāra, we come to the point where we do not believe in saṃsāra and no longer find it pleasant. We could feel a flash of renunciation, but this is ephemeral, and what we need is an authentic desire for liberation that is stable throughout the day and night so that the craving for saṃsāra never arises.

“A short while ago I spoke of the different ideas people have about what saṃsāra is, and how some people without much education think of it as family life and how those with a bit more education define saṃsāra as this mundane world. Similarly, there are different understandings about the term ngejung that we have been translating here as the desire for liberation. It can also be translated as “renunciation.” Sometimes this word is misunderstood as becoming disgusted with saṃsāra based on a particular situation. When we are involved in family life, which can be problematic and disturbing to us, we could feel for a while, ‘Oh, this is pointless.’ This is not what is meant here, because authentic renunciation is not just for one situation but for saṃsāra as a whole.

“Further, to have authentic renunciation we must know what saṃsāra is; otherwise, how would we know what we are renouncing? We have to know the object of our thinking. Once we know what saṃsāra is, we have a basis for our renunciation. “The second main topic is bodhichitta, which has two parts, the reason why we should generate bodhichitta and the effective means for doing it.

Furthermore, if the desire for liberation Is not combined with a pure generation of bodhichitta, It will not become a cause for perfect happiness. Therefore, generate bodhichitta, the wish for supreme awakening.

“As practioners of the Mahāyāna, it is essential that we generate bodhichitta, which here means the intention to attain supreme awakening, (which includes the wish to benefit others). We could wish to attain the awakening of the Foundational path, but here we are dealing with the Mahāyāna path and for this, bodhichitta must arise in our being. If our bodhichitta is uncontrived, there is no need to mention that this is a cause of awakening. But even small virtuous actions motivated by contrived bodhichitta, such as giving a morsel of food to an animal, are definite causes of awakening. On the other hand, even the authentic contemplation of emptiness cannot be a cause of buddhahood if it lacks bodhicitta.

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The bodhichitta of the Mahāyāna is wanting to achieve buddhahood for the good of others, and this depends on the altruistic motivation of wanting to benefit them. This in turn depends on compassion— the wish that others be free of suffering and its causes—and on love—the desire that others possess happiness and its causes. We could say then that the main cause of bodhichitta is the altruistic commitment to benefit others and that compassion and love are its branches. There is a difference between what is meant by altruistic commitment and what is meant by love and compassion. One sūtra gives the example of a child who has just learned to walk and falls into a cesspool. It was so large that one had to be able to swim in order to reach the child. Of course, everyone was horrified by what had happened, but only the father knew how to swim and could rescue the child. All of the people there felt compassion and the altruistic commitment to help others, but the father just jumped in.

To balance the genders here, I will tell a story in which the mother is the heroine. It comes from the Aṅgulimāla Sūtra, about a man who was a serial killer and later an arhant. At the time of this story, he had already killed 999 people, so no one wanted to go near him and he could not find food. His parents were still alive, however, and his mother asked the father to take him food, but he replied, “I don’t dare. He’ll kill me.” So the mother, knowing she was risking her life, went to bring him food. The fact that she was willing to actually do something rather than just feel sorry for him, is an example of true altruism. In either case, the difference between what we normally think of as compassion and real altruistic endeavor is that the latter is more than simply wishing or praying, “May it be so,” or “Wouldn’t it be great if they were free from suffering.” The real thing is the thought, “I will make it happen.” “I will free them from suffering.” And in a powerful form, we can even say, “I will make it happen all by myself.” With this encouragement to engage directly in helping others, the Karmapa closed his morning talk. EH

The Bodhisattva Attitude By Norman Fisher

Zoketsu Norman Fischer is an American poet, writer, and Soto Zen priest, teaching and practicing in the lineage of Shunryu Suzuki. He is a Dharma heir of Sojun Mel Weitsman, from whom he received Dharma transmission in 1988. Fischer served as co-abbot of the San Francisco Zen Center from 1995–2000, after which he founded the Everyday Zen Foundation in 2000, a network of Buddhist practice group and related projects in Canada, the United States and Mexico. Fischer has published more than twenty-five books of poetry and non-fiction, as well as numerous poems, essays and articles in Buddhist magazines and poetry journals. His most recent book is The World Could Be Otherwise: Imagination and the Bodhisattva Path. He received a B.A. from Colgate University, where he studied religion, philosophy, and literature, an M.F.A. in poetry from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop at the University of Iowa, and an M.A. in history and phenomenology of religion at the University of California, Berkeley, and the Graduate Theological Union Traditionally, the practice of the perfection of generosity (dana paramita in Sanskrit) is the gateway to the bodhisattva path. Why? Bodhisattva practice is radical. It involves a fundamental shift in our approach to life. It begins with a serious examination of our attitudes, where they come from, and how they condition the way we see, think, feel, and act.

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Photo by Liza Matthews

What is attitude anyway? Attitude is the climate of our lives. Everyone has some kind of attitude or set of attitudes. Probably we have never thought about them, never examined them, and don’t much experience ourselves as having any particular attitudes. A fish doesn’t know what water is because it sees and experiences everything through the medium of water. Like a fish in water, we swim in the medium of our attitudes.

In the bodhisattva path, we don’t assume anything is fixed and solid.

Or maybe attitude is character: We are this or that sort of person. We are kind, generous, animated, quiet, fearful, grouchy, stingy, “nice,” not very nice, relaxed, anxious. We think life is good, people are good. Or we think life is a struggle and people are not to be trusted. And so on. However much we haven’t examined them, all of us have fairly consistent attitudes that condition our lives. Our attitudes may be self-contradictory and confused, but we don’t notice. Few of us have the time or capacity for deep self-reflection, and even if we did, the more we looked, the more confused we’d get. It’s hard to see ourselves accurately. Our attitudes distort the picture.

Attitude literally means “stance.” The way you hold your body, your posture; the way you stride forth into your life. We come by our attitudes honestly. We get them from our parents, communities, and cultures; from our experiences, traumas, and triumphs. We assume our attitudes reflect reality. We assume they are fixed and unchangeable.

But attitudes aren’t fixed. Neither is the world. Neither are we. In the bodhisattva path, we don’t assume anything is fixed and solid. And we don’t assume that our picture of the world is the way the world has to look. This is where imagination enters in. Imagination is a warm breeze that loosens up what seems rigid and cold. Bodhisattvas have imagination. They assume that anything can be fluid and warm, subject to challenge and revision. They see that everything is provisional and open. Inspired by their imaginations, bodhisattvas believe that there are always possibilities. The perfection of generosity confronts and softens our basic attitudes. To practice it is to appreciate the natural abundance of being, the inherent generosity of

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time and space, and the ongoing unfolding of life. These are exquisite gifts. Life itself is generous. Life is always making more life. Life is abundant and expansive, never stingy or small-minded. It keeps on going, bubbling up and expanding wherever it has a chance.

You don’t need to create life; you just have to let it in. The grasses on the hillside are ready to burst out green as soon as a little rain falls and a little sunlight peeps through. Weeds and vines tangle all over the place. Life stopped in one place pops up somewhere else. Nature is prolific. Even the falling apart of things is generous: big trees topple willingly in heavy winds; they provide food for insects, bacteria, fungi, and other trees and plants. It’s sad in our time to see so many species disappearing. More than sad. But species have always disappeared, and new species have always arisen. When we say we are destroying or protecting the earth, we are expressing our dismay and our love, but we are also being a bit arrogant: the earth is fine, and life on earth will continue in some form no matter what we do, because life is generous and fecund and it cannot be stopped. As long as the sun shines, life in some form will continue.

It’s true that human activity is messing up life as we have known it, and this is terrible. We absolutely must correct this. But we are not smart enough or destructive enough to kill life. Life is too generous and resilient for that to happen. And it’s not as though we exist in a special category outside of life. We are life as much as anything else. Life goes on even if we do not. The practice of the perfection of generosity eventually effects a basic attitude shift toward the recognition that we are living creatures who share in life’s great abundance, freedom, and energy. So we always have possibilities. We always find a way, no matter how or what, to further our life. We just have to figure out how to stop getting in our own way. This is where the intentional practice of the perfection of generosity helps.

Someone once asked Tang dynasty Zen Master Baijang why giving is the gateway to the bodhisattva path. Baijang answered that it is because to practice giving is to practice letting go. The monk then asked, “What do you let go of?” Baijang said, “You let go of narrow views. You let go of the idea that things are small and tight, graspable and possessable.” Baijang is emphasizing the open and wide spirit of generosity. He is showing us that it is the crabbiness of our thinking, the stinginess of our minds, our desire to judge, evaluate, separate, define—holding on to scraps— that stop us from opening to the abundance that must be within us, living beings that we are. Why can’t we be as generous as trees? How to Open Up How do we go about challenging and opening up our stingy attitudes about reality?

“The World Could be Otherwise: Imagination and the Bodhisattva Path” By Norman Fischer Shambhala Publications, 224 pages, paperback, $17.95

First, we pay close attention to our thoughts and viewpoints, which are expressions of our attitudes. If as living beings we are heir to a generous spirit, what blocks it? We have to investigate this. We have to become diligent students of our own minds, messy and unpleasant as they often are.

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Usually when we ask these questions, we answer no. We are not really under attack, and there really is enough to go around. What’s bothering us is probably more a matter of pride and habitual defensiveness than reasonable necessity. When we reflect further, we notice that the consequences of this habitual response are not good: we end up with words, deeds, and feelings that cause us trouble and mess and that compromise our health, state of mind, and relationships. If we investigate and intervene like this again and again, we will eventually see our smallmindedness for what it is: an unsuccessful habit based on inaccurate information—a bad attitude. Doing this consistently takes mental discipline. It is a kind of emotional yoga. But when you are motivated and determined, you can do it, especially if you have the support of your meditation practice and a community of friends to help you. We study our minds by noticing in detail whenever we feel pinched, small, fearful, or stingy; whenever we find ourselves seeing the glass half-empty rather than half-full, or clenching up with defensive and protective feelings. We learn to identify these feelings in our bodies and minds—noticing the tightness in our chests and breathing, the clenching in our shoulders and faces, the old familiar paranoid and panicky trains of thought.

With lots of patient repetition and training, eventually we learn how to notice these things before they run away with us. We learn to catch ourselves in midstream and just, literally, stop. If we are walking, we stop walking. If we are sitting, we stand up. We take a conscious breath or two and ask ourselves, “Is this really true? Am I really under attack? Is there really not enough to go around?” And we ask further, “What are the effects of this habit of mind?” This process and these questions are practices. We take them up repeatedly. We work at them.

When you practice the perfection of generosity in meditation, you open up.

In fact, meditation practice is the best way I know to cultivate the expansive attitude of generosity. It is, of course, possible to sit down in meditation crabbed into yourself, obsessed with your thoughts, worries, and the constrictions of your situation. To practice the perfection of generosity in meditation is the opposite of this. When you practice the perfection of generosity in meditation, you open up, your fear and anxiety soften and dissolve, and you sit in the middle of the great gift of limitless, imaginative life. Settling down and paying attention to body and breath will absorb the free-floating anxiety that is usually there in your mind, without your knowing it. This enables you to relax and let go into that generous spaciousness. Sit in the midst of it. You can say to yourself, “This is life: body, breath, consciousness. I share it with everyone and everything. It holds and protects me.” Be willing to keep sitting like this every day, and bit by bit you will be able to see some daylight in your basic

attitude that wasn’t there before—patches of blue. EH

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Taking Refuge in the Triple Gem and the 5 Lay Vows By Venerable Geshe Tenzin Zopa

Geshe Tenzin Zopa holds the Geshe (doctorate) degree from Sera Je Monastic University, South India having completed the 20 year monastic curriculum in just 17 years. He was ordained at the age of nine by the late great mahasiddha Geshe Lama Konchog, received novice ordination from Geshe Lundrup Sopa Rinpoche and full ordination from HH the 14th Dalai Lama. Geshe-la has been the longest serving Resident Geshe at Losang Dragpa Centre in Petaling Jaya, Malaysia, and was instrumental in establishing Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition (FPMT)’s Basic Program as the core study regime there, training members to lead classes, rituals, meditation, and Dakini Dance for long life pujas. Geshe-la was an integral part of the Centre’s children and youth programs based on Essential Education’s “16 Guidelines”. Geshe-la further served as the Dharma advisor to Kasih Hospice Care Society and retreat centre Rinchen Jangsem Ling Dharma Society, both under the FPMT network. Of particular impact was the internet-based “Prayer Support”, an online prayer support network initiated by Geshela for anyone (domestic or international) facing sickness or end-of-life issues.

A prolific teacher, Geshela is the author of 12 books, including “Buddha Nature and Preliminary Prayers and Their Explanations”, “Karma & the 12 Links”, “Ask the Geshe – Ancient Wisdom for Modern Times”, “Mirror to Your Life”, “Whose Truth?”, “The Yamantaka Short Sadhana Practice”, “Meditation”, “A concise commentary to the Lamp on the Path to Enlightenment”; “Lam Rim – Graduated Path to Enlightenment” and “Buddhist Tenets - A commentary on Chokyi

Gyaltsen’s A Presentation of Tenets” , “The Thousand Buddha Relic Stupa”, “The Holy Child of Kopan”. In an effort to introduce Buddhist values and teachings on life, death and reincarnation, Geshela played a pivotal role in the documentary “Unmistaken Child” and participated in “Forbidden Journey to Tibet”. Geshe Tenzin Zopa is undertaking the important responsibility of overseeing the physical, mental and spiritual development of Tulku Tenzin Phuntsok Rinpoche, the

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such a precious human rebirth, we are able to embark on the 3 higher trainings namely, morality, concentration and cultivation of wisdom realizing emptiness. These are critical if we wish to eradicate samsaric suffering, including that of birth, aging and death.

unmistaken reincarnation of the late Geshe Lama Konchog. Geshela conducted a three-day retreat on Atisha’s “Lamp on the Path to Enlightenment” in Malaysia on Nov 29-Dec 1, 2019. Why take Refuge? If one wishes to optimize this human life, there is much benefit to taking Refuge in the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha. Holding Refuge vows is crucial to those inspired to follow the path of the Buddha. Whether one becomes a child of the Buddha and under the protection of the Buddha or not, is determined at the time when one receives the blessing of Refuge from Buddha, Dharma and Sangha. Even though one’s family may follow the Buddha’s path and call themselves Buddhists, if one has not taken Refuge with the full understanding of what Refuge means and involves, one is not yet a Buddhist. Firstly, we need to know that we have obtained this precious human rebirth which has the 8 freedoms and the 10 Endowments which enable us to practice the Path. The Buddha has taught us that with

In order to actualize the wisdom realizing emptiness, one requires realizations in concentration; in order to gain realizations in concentration, one needs to live in and gain realisations of morality. Without these 3, there can be no antidote to Saṃsāra, let alone attaining enlightenment. In relation to the practice of morality, Refuge Vows forms the basis. Refuge Vows are also the foundation of all other vows such as individual liberation / prātimokṣa vows, ordination vows, bodhisattva vows and tantric vows. Refuge vows are like the mother to all other vows and the basis of gaining all positive qualities.

The Buddha’s teachings are to tame and transform one’s mind and are not mere information to be collected by the mind. Every samsaric being – no matter how rich, powerful or high in status one may be - is subject to decay and death. This rebirth is not permanent. Whether one gains a higher or lower rebirth is dependent on the karma (action) one has committed. There is white (virtuous) karma, black (negative) karma and neutral karma. The nature of the results follow the nature of our deeds. If we carry out action based on negative emotion or intent, it will bring about the result of suffering. The results of the

karma also affects type of rebirth. Positive karma brings about rebirth in the human, demi god or god realms; non virtuous karma brings about animal, hungry ghost and hell being rebirths. In the case of neutral karma, rebirth would be in the 4 stages of concentration in the form/ formless realm.

If we examine how we currently live our lives, if we investigate how we apply our body, speech and mind, we would probably find that most of the time, we create negative action; this is followed by neutral karma and least of all, do we perform virtuous karma. As today is such a holy and auspicious day, we should put effort into having the most positive mind and doing positive deeds. If instead, we find ourselves having angry thoughts, attachment thoughts, we doubt Dharma and the like, no good results are going to arise from these. The Buddha stated that karma is definite (i.e. a result from an action is certain). Hence, if we keep committing negative deeds, it is quite likely that we will be born in extremely suffering lower realms. As it is, we already find that some of our human suffering is unbearable. Yet suffering in the lower realms is far more intense. Therefore, do you think you can afford to be born there? No.

The Buddha has given us guidance and protection so that we do not have to incur suffering and for this, he gave teachings on karma and Refuge through the teachings on the 4 Noble Truths: The Truth of Suffering, the Truth of the Cause of Suffering, the Truth of Cessation and

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the Truth of the Path. The last two (Cessation and Path) are to comfort us and convince us that we can be fully protected.

Buddha gave teachings on Refuge as a form of insurance, in case we are unable to strictly abide by the laws of karma and in case we are unable to follow the 4 Noble Truth teachings thoroughly. By taking Refuge, there is at least one chance - for one’s immediate next rebirth - to be spared from a lower rebirth. When death comes, with a mind of Refuge in your heart, one will not be born into lower realms in one’s next rebirth. Death is certain, time of death is uncertain. Just look back into history, even Shakyamuni Buddha manifested death. Similarly, we can conclude that our aggregates will be exhausted at some stage. Death can suddenly come. It could be tomorrow. It could be 50 years later. The moment of death is totally unknown and by taking Refuge, having this insurance of not being born in the lower realms and possibly coming back as a human and hopefully, meet the right spiritual path, meet the Dharma. Look at our past and present mental attitudes. We are completely directed by delusions – mainly the ignorant mind which blindly accepts the egoistic, selfidentity. This ignorant mind brings about other two main delusions of anger and attachment. These two act like Ministers to the King (ignorance) which further bring about the 20 secondary afflictive emotions. With so many afflictions

being activated in our mind, there

teachings before adopting them.

How to have stable Refuge in the Triple Gem There are two causes for Refuge to be firmly established in our mental continuum: One of the causes is irreversible faith due to knowing about the qualities of the Buddha, such as his great compassion and wisdom. However, Buddha adviced us not to blindly follow him but to reflect and analyze his

We have committed negative actions many times and gained rebirth in the lower realms such as crocodiles and killer-animals which constantly take many lives; we have been world destroyers many times. Hence, we very much need the insurance of Refuge.

is not much space nor opportunity for us to control our minds. Thus we need to change the system. We need to change our “King” of ignorance and de-construct its negative kingdom. We should then appoint the new king of wisdom realising emptiness, which will follow ethics and karmic law and cherish others; we need to appoint the “Ministers” of mindfulness and introspection to help to guard our actions of body, speech and mind. By being mindful one is able to determine what is to be adopted and what is to be abandoned and not allow negative emotions any entry. In this way, we can gain total peace and happiness, virtue and Dharma.

The second cause for Refuge to be well grounded in us, requires us to genuinely understand that there is an existence of the 3 lower realms (which are the results of negative karma) and these 3 lower realms are to be avoided; If we think about it, we are already having experiences like those in the 3 lower realms- they come about from our anger, attachment and ignorance. We should think. “If I don’t stop getting angry or fail to purify the karma of being angry, I will suffer the experience of the hell realms. If I have boiling jealousy in my heart, it will create the intense karma to throw me in the lower realms and it would be just a matter of time. Right now, I can’t even bear a small cut. Imagine how it will be if I am born in the suffering lower realms”.

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However, this does not mean that one can conveniently take Refuge as insurance from being born in the lower realms and not care about living ethically. Living life according to the law of karma is the other form of insurance. Remember however, that taking Refuge provides coverage for only one life and that life/one’s consciousness continues on and on and does not just finish in 2 lifetimes. The kind of rebirth and the kind of life we have now and will have, is all determined by one’s own karma. Therefore we need to prevent rebirth in lower realms and for this, we need to engage in 3 higher trainings which beings with morality, which in turn starts with Refuge.

What are the objects of refuge? Buddha, Dharma and Sangha (known as the Triple Gem). Having taken Refuge in the Triple Gem, we should not take refuge in spirits, ancestors, worldly gods etc…These may be able to grant some form of temporary support but these beings themselves are stuck in samsara, so how can they truly help us? These can be objects of our respect but not objects of Refuge. As Buddhist practitioners, every object can be an object of respect but not an object of Refuge. Our Refuge lies solely in the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha. This we need to differentiate and be clear about. Having taken refuge, one needs to respect all images of the Buddha as a real, living Buddha, including a small picture of the Buddha. By having this attitude, when we pray and seek help, the effect will be

Tulku Tenzin Phuntsok Rinpoche

Geshe Tenzin Zopa with Lama Zopa Rinpoche, Bendigo, Australia, April 2018.

great. Without irreversible faith in the Triple Gem and when our mind & reliance on the Triple Gem is very shaky, we will not be a sturdy container to hold the blessings of Refuge. The Buddha is always there to bless and help, always holding out a ring to us but if we do not throw our hook to connect to him, how are we to receive blessings?

forget about the Buddha – then we create the causes to face suffering and troubles will start to surface in our lives. Even if the Buddha is front of us holding a wishfulfilling jewel, we cannot receive that help because we have not created the causes to receive it. Also, we should not ask for things that we cannot handle. Example, one may be able to manage RM100 but can one responsibly manage RM1million? So there is no point asking for RM1 million. Boudha Stupa in Kathmandu, Nepal has a reputation of being able to fulfil one’s wishes. I always make prayers there but I never pray for things like being transformed into a rainbow-body by 2010 nor for RM1million. Instead, I always pray for a greater inspiration to practice Dharma and that wish has always been fulfilled.

Sometimes our prayers and wishes are self-centred or have an intent to harm others. The Buddhas blessings cannot be used in this way. So how does one ask for Buddha’s help? By thinking this way, “May I actualise fully enlightenment for not only myself but for every single living being. For that, I need to have my material needs taken care of so that I will not be distracted in practising dharma to benefit others”. Then one should do one’s best to be helpful at all times but if upon gaining success, we forget about practising Dharma, about helping others or we

How should we view the Refuge Objects namely the Buddha, Dharma and and Sangha?

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Geshe-la at Tara Institute, Melbourne

Buddha is like a qualified doctor, who through his analysis, discovered that we are suffering from (karma and delusion) and formulated the Path to be free from karma and delusion.

Dharma is like the medicine which will heal us of all delusions and suffering. Dharma is selflessness/ emptiness. Conventionally, Dharma refers to the scriptures, including one syllable of Dharma or mantra. Sangha are like the doctor’s assistants to help practitioners on the Path. The main thing to remember is that we should not allow ourselves to be influenced by the 8 worldly concerns (wanting gain and not loss; wanting praise and not criticism; wanting comfort and not discomfort; wanting good reputation and not bad reputation). Sangha – the actual Sangha Refuge refers to Arya Beings, like the Bodhisattva Kuan Yin, Manjushri, Maiteya , the Pandits etc.. those who possess the direct realization of emptiness. The conventional aspect of the Sangha Refuge are the ordained monks and nuns. We should avoid negative friends who

Rinchen Jangsem Ling, Triang, Pahang, Malaysia.

distract us from Dharma and those who encourage us to engage in negative behavior.

The 5 Lay Vows In addition to the Refuge Ceremony, there is the taking of the 5 lay vows. One can take all the 5 vows or only some of them. It is important to know that the 3 causes to gain the precious human rebirth is (1) practicing vows; (2) engaging in 6 Perfections; (3) having the wish to obtain higher rebirth.

Not intentionally killing a human or any living beings including animals. For “intentional killing” to arise, there needs to be the intention to kill, identifying of the object to be killed, the act of killing and the feeling of satisfaction at the result of killing. If after taking this vow, one accidentally causes death, the full karma of killing does not happen (although there is still some negative karma accumulated). By avoiding killing, we are able to purify past karma of killing and will find ourselves having better health, for instance.

Not stealing – this includes taking anything that belongs to others without permission (even a stalk of flower from a garden). Why is there the urgency in taking this vow? Because in our lives, we experience loss and failure in our jobs/projects or we get wealth but cannot retain it. This is not due to one’s lack of skill or the world economy. It is due to one’s karma of being miserly and stingy; or even when we give, it is given with difficulty or is made conditional upon receiving acknowledgment or having expectations in return, including merit. We can see that even during a period of economic crisis, some people are very successful. Why is this so? This clearly shows how karma works. If one has been generous in the past, the result is having abundance. Generosity refers to 3 kinds of generosity - the generosity of giving material possessions, the generosity of granting protection and the generosity of sharing Dharma. Our Guru, Kyabje Lama Zopa Rinpoche practices pure giving – he has no idea of counting – sometimes he receives Rp 1 from you to give

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at them, they feel that the person has merit and offer respect to such a person.

Losang Dragpa Center, Petaling Jaya, Malaysia.

a beggar but returns you Rp 1000 and sometimes, it’s the other way around! Rinpoche has huge projects worldwide and many of them have materialised because he practices pure generosity.

No sexual misconduct – If one has sexual relations (this includes physical action, thoughts, verbal chats – all with intention to activate desire) with someone other than one’s partner who is conventionally accepted by law/community as a partner, one then commits sexual misconduct. Other actions which bring about sexual misconduct include having such relations at the wrong place, the wrong time, the use of the wrong organ. This is why there are so many problems in relationships these days. Even a husband and a wife who previously expressed love to each other, can gradually encounter doubt and unhappiness with each other. To overcome all this, one should avoid sexual misconduct. Some people are attractive but that attractiveness generates desire and trouble; whereas some others are attractive or even ugly but when people look

Not lying – Sometimes we find that people do not listen to us, misinterpret us, doubt our words or accuse us of saying things we did not. We cannot blame others for doing so. This is the result of our previous karma of lying which has weakened the power of our speech. By avoiding lying, we gain people’s trust and respect. No intoxicants – this refers to alcohol, drugs and smoking. Buddha said, “If you want to follow thoroughly the Path, not even a drop of alcohol from a straw is to be consumed”. This is because alcohol hallucinates one’s mind. The severity of consuming alcohol is shown in the story of a good monk who met a woman who was naked who insisted on him doing one of actions – drink alcohol, kill the goat she had brought with her or go into union with her and disrobe. He thought the first choice was the least harmful, so he chose to drink alcohol. After drinking alcohol, he committed the other 2 acts. So you can see how harmful taking intoxicants is. Further, intoxicants will harm our mind at the time of death because in order to experience the clearlight mind (the most subtle aspect of one’s consciousness) peacefully and with minimal distractions, our nerves and chakras must not be made numb such as by intoxication because that will affect our mental stability. As a minimum, one should

resolve “I will not take alcohol to the point of getting drunk and losing control over oneself”.

When a person receives the Refuge Vows, one should regard the Lama granting Refuge either as a Guru or as a Loben. Both will give rise to a Guru-Disciple relationship which will require the disciple to always view the Guru as inseparable from the Buddha. If one is unsure about whether one is ready to accept the Lama as a Guru or as a Loben, then it is advisable to regard the Lama merely as a Dharma mentor, a Dharma friend. Remember always the motivation for taking Refuge namely, wishing to attain enlightenment not just for oneself but for all living beings, and the 2 causes of stable Refuge in the Triple Gem (irreversible faith and wishing to avoid rebirth in the lower realms). EH

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Affirming the Truths of the Heart - The Buddhist Teachings on Saṃvega & Pasāda By Thanissaro Bhikkhu

Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu, also known as Ajahn Geoff (born 1949), is an American Buddhist monk. Belonging to the Thai Forest Tradition, for 22 years he studied under the forest master Ajahn Fuang Jotiko (himself a student of Ajaan Lee). Since 1993 he has served as abbot of the Metta Forest Monastery in San Diego County, California — the first monastery in the Thai Forest Tradition in the US — which he cofounded with Ajahn Suwat Suvaco.

Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu is perhaps best known for his translations of the Dhammapada and the Sutta Pitaka - almost 1000 suttas in all - providing the majority of the sutta translations for the reference website Access to Insight, as well as for his translations from the dhamma talks of the Thai forest ajahns. He has also authored several dhamma-related works of his own, and has compiled study-guides of his Pali translations.

A life-affirming Buddhism that teaches us to find happiness by opening to the richness of our everyday lives. That’s what we want — or so we’re told by the people who try to sell us a mainstreamlined Buddhism. But is it what we need? And is it Buddhism?

Think back for a moment on the story of the young Prince Siddhartha and his first encounters with aging, illness, death, and a wandering contemplative. It’s one of the most accessible chapters in the Buddhist tradition, largely because of the direct, true-to-the-heart quality of the young prince’s emotions. He saw aging, illness, and death as an absolute terror, and pinned all his hopes on the contemplative forest life as his only escape. As Asvaghosa, the great Buddhist poet, depicts the story, the young prince had no lack of friends and family members who tried to talk him out of those perceptions, and Asvaghosa was wise enough to show their life-affirming advice in a very appealing light. Still, the prince realized that if he were to give in to their advice, he would be betraying his heart. Only by remaining true to his honest emotions was he able to embark on the path that led away from the ordinary values of his society and toward an unsurpassed Awakening into the Deathless.

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This is hardly a life-affirming story in the ordinary sense of the term, but it does affirm something more important than life: the truth of the heart when it aspires to a happiness absolutely pure. The power of this aspiration depends on two emotions, called in Pāli saṃvega and pasāda. Very few of us have heard of them, but they’re the emotions most basic to the Buddhist tradition. Not only did they inspire the young prince in his quest for Awakening, but even after he became the Buddha he adviced his followers to cultivate them on a daily basis. In fact, the way he handled these emotions is so distinctive that it may be one of the most important contributions his teachings have to offer to American culture today.

Saṃvega was what the young Prince Siddhartha felt on his first exposure to aging, illness, and death. It’s a hard word to translate because it covers such a complex range — at least three clusters of feelings at once: the oppressive sense of shock, dismay, and alienation that come with realizing the futility and meaninglessness of life as it’s normally lived; a chastening sense of our own complacency and foolishness in having let ourselves live so blindly; and an anxious sense of urgency in trying to find a way out of the meaningless cycle. This is a cluster of feelings we’ve all experienced at one time or another in the process of growing up, but I don’t know of a single English term that adequately covers all three. It would be useful to have such a term, and maybe that’s reason enough for simply adopting the word saṃvega into our language. But more than providing a useful term, Buddhism also offers an effective strategy for dealing with the feelings behind it — feelings that our own culture finds threatening and handles very poorly. Ours, of course, is not the only culture threatened by feelings of saṃvega. In the Siddhartha story, the father’s reaction to the young prince’s discovery stands for the way most cultures try to deal with these feelings: He tried to convince the prince that his standards for happiness were impossibly high, at the same time trying to distract him with relationships and every sensual pleasure imaginable. To put it simply, the strategy was to get the prince to lower his aims and to find

satisfaction in a happiness that was less than absolute and not especially pure.

If the young prince were living in America today, the father would have other tools for dealing with the prince’s dissatisfaction, but the basic strategy would be essentially the same. We can easily imagine him taking the prince to a religious counselor who would teach him to believe that God’s creation is basically good and not to focus on any aspects of life that would cast doubt on that belief. Or he might take him to a psychotherapist who would treat feelings of saṃvega as an inability to accept reality. If talking therapies didn’t get results, the therapist would probably prescribe mood-altering drugs to dull the feeling out of the young man’s system so that he could become a productive, well-adjusted member of society. If the father were really up on current trends, he might find a Dharma teacher who would counsel the prince to find happiness in life’s little miraculous pleasures — a cup of tea, a walk in the woods, social activism, easing another person’s pain. Never mind that these forms of happiness would still be cut short by aging, illness, and death, he would be told. The present moment is all we have, so we should try to appreciate the bittersweet opportunity of relishing but not holding on to brief joys as they pass.

It’s unlikely that the lion-hearted prince we know from the story would take to any of this well-meant advice. He’d see it as propaganda for a life of quiet desperation, asking him to be a traitor to his heart. But if he found no solace from these sources, where in our society would he go? Unlike the India of his time, we don’t have any well-established, socially accepted alternatives to being economically productive members of society. Even our contemplative religious orders are prized for their ability to provide bread, honey, and wine for the marketplace. So the prince would probably find no alternative but to join the drifters and dropouts, the radicals and revolutionaries, the subsistence hunters and survivalists consigned to the social fringe. He’d discover many fine minds and sensitive spirits in

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these groups, but no accumulated body of proven and profound alternative wisdom to draw on. Someone might give him a book by Thoreau or Muir, but their writings would offer him no satisfactory analysis of aging, illness, and death, and no recommendations for how to go beyond them. And because there’s hardly any safety net for people on the fringe, he’d find himself putting an inordinate amount of his energy into issues of basic survival, with little time or energy left over to find his own solution to the problem of saṃvega. He would end up disappearing, his Buddhahood aborted — perhaps in the Utah canyon country, perhaps in a Yukon forest — without trace. Fortunately for us, however, the prince was born in a society that did provide support and respect for its dropouts. This was what gave him the opportunity to find a solution to the problem of saṃvega that did justice to the truths of his heart.

The first step in that solution is symbolized in the Siddhartha story by the prince’s reaction to the fourth person he saw on his travels outside of the palace: the wandering forest contemplative. The emotion he felt at this point is termed pasāda, another complex set of feelings usually translated as “clarity and serene confidence.” It’s what keeps saṃvega from turning into despair. In the prince’s case, he gained a clear sense of his predicament and of the way out of it, leading to something beyond aging, illness, and death, at the same time feeling confident that the way would work. As the early Buddhist teachings freely admit, the predicament is that the cycle of birth, aging, and death is meaningless. They don’t try to deny this fact and so don’t ask us to be dishonest with ourselves or to close our eyes to reality. As one teacher has put it, the Buddhist recognition of the reality of suffering — so important that suffering is honored as the first noble truth — is a gift, in that it confirms our most sensitive and direct experience of things, an experience that many other traditions try to deny. From there, the early teachings ask us to become even more sensitive, to the point where we see that the true cause of suffering is not out there — in society or some

outside being — but in here, in the craving present in each individual mind. They then confirm that there is an end to suffering, a release from the cycle. And they show the way to that release, through developing noble qualities already latent in the mind to the point where they cast craving aside and open onto Deathlessness. Thus the predicament has a practical solution, a solution within the powers of every human being.

It’s also a solution open to critical scrutiny and testing — an indication of how confident the Buddha was in the solution he found to the problem of saṃvega. This is one of the aspects of authentic Buddhism that most attracts people who are tired of being told that they should try to deny the insights that inspired their sense of saṃvega in the first place.

In fact, early Buddhism is not only confident that it can handle feelings of Saṃvega but it’s also one of the few religions that actively cultivates them to a radical extent. Its solution to the problems of life demand so much dedicated effort that only strong saṃvega will keep the practicing Buddhist from slipping back into his or her old ways. Hence the recommendation that all Buddhists, both men and women, lay or ordained, should reflect daily on the facts of aging, illness, separation, and death — to develop feelings of saṃvega — and on the power of one’s own actions, to take saṃvega one step further, to pasāda. For people whose sense of samvega is so strong that they want to abandon any social ties that prevent them from following the path to the end of suffering, Buddhism offers both a long-proven body of wisdom for them to draw from, as well as a safety net: the monastic sangha, an institution that enables them to leave lay society without having to waste time worrying about basic survival. For those who can’t leave their social ties, Buddhist teaching offers a way to live in the world without being overcome by the world, following a life of generosity, virtue, and meditation to strengthen the noble qualities of the mind that will lead to the end of suffering. The symbiotic relationship designed for these two branches of the Buddhist parisa, or community,

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guarantees that each will benefit from contact with the other. The support of the laity guarantees that the monastics will not need to be overly concerned about food, clothing, and shelter; the gratitude that the monastics inevitably feel for the freely-offered generosity of the laity helps to keep them from turning into misfits and misanthropes. At the same time, contact with the monastics helps the laity foster the proper perspective on life that nurtures the energy of saṃvegaand pasāda they need to keep from becoming dulled and numbed by the materialistic propaganda of the mainstream economy.

So the Buddhist attitude toward life cultivates saṃvega — a clear acceptance of the meaninglessness of the

cycle of birth, aging, and death — and develops it into pasāda: a confident path to the Deathless. That path includes not only time-proven guidance, but also a social institution that nurtures it and keeps it alive. These are all things that our society desperately needs. It’s a shame that, in our current efforts at mainstreaming Buddhism, they are aspects of the Buddhist tradition usually ignored. We keep forgetting that one source of Buddhism’s strength is its ability to keep one foot out of the mainstream, and that the traditional metaphor for the practice is that it crosses over the stream to the further shore. My hope is that we will begin calling these things to mind and taking them to heart, so that in our drive to find a Buddhism that sells, we don’t end up selling ourselves short. EH

Skillful speech:  Saying what helps, heals, and creates happiness By Dr Roger Walsh

Roger Walsh, M.D., Ph.D. DHL. graduated from Australia’s Queensland University with degrees in psychology, physiology, neuroscience, and medicine, and then came to the United States as a Fulbright Scholar. He is now at the University of California at Irvine where he is professor of psychiatry, philosophy, and anthropology, as well as a professor in the religious studies program.

Roger’s research and writings span several areas. These include the nature of psychological health and wellbeing, meditation and contemplative practices, religion and spirituality, wisdom and other virtues, integral studies, and the psychological roots of our current global crises. He is deeply immersed in contemplative practices as a student, researcher, and teacher. Roger’s books include Paths Beyond Ego (one of Common Boundary’s “Most Influential Books”), Meditation: Classic and Contemporary Perspectives (“Outstanding Academic Book of the Year Award”), Essential Spirituality: The Seven Central Practices with a foreword by The Dalai Lama, and The World of Shamanism. He is currently editing The World’s Great Wisdom: What Sages Say about Living Wisely and Well.

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Religious traditions regard speech as enormously powerful. In the 3,000 year old Hindu Vedas, sacred speech is regarded as a primal creative force, while the Christian gospel of St. John opens with, “In the beginning was the word.” These texts imply that the power of speech is awesome. And so it is. A hateful outburst can hurt and harm; kind words can heal and help. In fact, kind words offer much and cost little. Not surprisingly, skillful speech is regarded as a key component of ethical living, and ethical living is a key component of spiritual practice.

When properly understood, ethics is not self-sacrifice but rather enlightened self-interest. Ethical living helps, heals and creates happiness, not only for others, but for ourselves also. It is truly a win-win practice, and a key element of that practice is skillful speech. One would think our words, so fleeting and unsubstantial, would be easy to change. In practice, it is quite a challenge. Most of us have grown careless with our speech: sometimes saying what people want to hear rather than what is true, spouting little lies to protect our egos, big lies to protect our little lies. All too quickly this becomes a vicious cycle that harms us in ways we don’t even recognize. In her wonderful book Kitchen Table Wisdom, the physician Rachel Remen tells the following story of the costs of unethical speech.

A woman with heart disease had suffered frequent chest pain from her disease. Over the years she modified her diet, learned to meditate, and had been successful in controlling most of her pain. Yet some of her pain had been resistant to her efforts. Paying very careful attention to this, she had been shocked to notice that she experienced pain when she was about to do or say something that lacked integrity that really wasn’t true to her values. These were usually small things like not telling her husband something that he did not seem to want to hear, or stretching her values a bit in order to go along with others. Times when she allowed who she really was to become invisible. Even more surprising, sometimes she would know this was happening but sometimes the chest pain would come

first, and then, examining the circumstances which provoked it, she would realize for the first time that she had been betraying her integrity. Stress may be as much a question of a compromise of values as it is a matter of external time pressure and fear of failure.

Once the toxic costs of unethical behavior are recognized, life is never quite the same. After all, who wants to continue hurting themselves once they see this is exactly what they are doing? For thousands of years the great religions have warned about the cost of unethical living, and now we see that these costs are not only spiritual, but also psychological and physical. In light of this, it is no wonder the great religions urge us to choose our words with care and compassion, and to say only what is true and helpful. Buddhists call it “right speech.” Right speech requires sensitivity both to other people and to our own motives and emotions. Only then can we see what is both true to our experience and also likely to be helpful. Right speech is a skill, and like all skills it improves with practice. Practiced over time, it becomes increasingly effortless and produces a growing sense of peace. Gradually it becomes apparent that Jesus was not exaggerating when he claimed that, “The truth will make you free.” According to the Buddha, those people who master right speech Offend no one, Yet they speak the truth. Their words are clear, But never harsh. They do not take offense, And they do not give it.

Exercises in skillful speech I have found no better nor more succinct summary of skillful speech than the words of the Buddha who recommended, “say only what is true and helpful.” This is the essential guideline for practicing skillful speech. So with this guideline in mind, here are two powerful exercises that put it into practice.

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Exercise #1: For a Day, Say Only What It True and Helpful. This exercise has multiple benefits. First, it requires being sensitive to your experience to see what is really true for you. For actually, the only thing you can tell the truth about is your own experience. Second, it helps us notice all the temptations to lie or fudge. Suddenly we become sensitized to the fears and phobias, dubious motives, and hidden agendas that can color our words. To enhance the benefit, it’s worth taking some time at the end of the day to reflect on your experience. Were you tempted to fudge, and if so why? What did you gain from truth telling? Less guilt? Perhaps a sense of strength and integrity? This truth telling exercise requires only a few minutes during the day but can offer insights that endure for years. The long-term goal is to eventually make truthful, helpful speech a natural spontaneous way of communicating. Exercise #2: Give Up Gossip. Curb your tongue and senses, and you are beyond trouble. Let them loose and you are beyond help. —Lao Tzu

For this exercise choose a time period of perhaps a day or a week. Then commit to not saying anything about other people unless you have already said, or would be willing to say this to them directly. Whenever you find yourself tempted to gossip, try to recognize the underlying motive.

Take some time at the end of the day to reflect on your experience. Notice the sense of integrity and strength that comes from holding to the truth, treating people with respect, and refusing to succumb to hurtful talk. “Better than a thousand hollow words,” said the Buddha, “is one word that brings peace.”

The higher rewards of skillful speech With practice, skillful speech and ethical living become a way of life. Then they are no longer a struggle or even a practice. Rather they become a natural, effortless, and enjoyable expression of our true nature. Jack Kornfield summarized the growth of ethics as follows:

At first, precepts [ethics] are a practice. Then they become a necessity, and finally they become a joy. When our heart is awakened they spontaneously illuminate our way in the world. This is called Shining Virtue. The light around someone who speaks truth, who consistently acts with compassion for all, even in great difficulty, is visible to all around them. Effortless skillful speech and spontaneous ethical living are expressions of the higher reaches of spiritual practice in general, and of Dzogchen practice in particular. Dzogchen is rare among spiritual traditions in emphasizing spontaneity as both a powerful practice and a culminating way of being.

Skillful speech and ethical living allow us to recognize that we are not who we thought we were, and that who we are is naturally ethical and trustworthy. As such we can relax and simply be ourselves, trusting that the natural expression of our true nature will tend towards appropriate, compassionate action guided by the desire to ensure the well-being of all.

Acknowledgments This article is based on the section on ethics from Roger Walsh’s Essential Spirituality: The Seven Central Practices to Awaken Heart and Mind, (Wiley Press: 1999). This article was originally published in the Dzochen Center newsletter, and is published in Eastern Horizon with the kind permission of the author. EH

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12 Pieces of Wisdom that will Transform your Lives By Matt Valentine

1. Live with compassion Compassion is one of the most revered qualities in Buddhism and great compassion is a sign of a highly realized human being.

Matt Valentine is a father, husband, and a self-published author. He writes weekly on his blog, Buddhaimonia.com, about everything from spirituality to selfmastery. Buddhaimonia is a resource for those looking to live with greater peace and balance through the practices of mindfulness, related meditations, and Buddhist wisdom

Compassion doesn’t just help the world at large, and it isn’t just about the fact that it’s the right thing to do. Compassion, and seeking to understand those around you, can transform your life for a number of reasons. First, self-compassion is altogether critical towards finding peace within yourself. By learning to forgive yourself and accepting that you’re human you can heal deep wounds bring yourself back from difficult challenges.

Next, we can often be tortured because of the fact that we don’t completely understand why people do certain things.

Compassion is understanding the basic goodness in all people and then seeking to discover that basic goodness in specific people. Because of this, it helps you from going through the often mental torture we experience because we don’t understand the actions of others. But even more than that, expressing compassion is the very act of

connecting wholeheartedly with others, and simply connecting in this way can be a great source of joy for us. The reasons for practicing compassion are numerous and powerful. Seek to live in a way that you treat everyone you meet as you would yourself. Once you begin trying to do this, it will seem altogether impossible. But keep at it, and you’ll realize the full power of living with compassion. 2. Connect with others and nurture those connections

In Buddhism, a community of practitioners is called a “saṅgha”. A saṅgha is a community of monks, nuns, laymen, and laywomen who practice together in peace towards the united “goal” of realizing greater awakening, not only for themselves but for all beings. The saṅgha is a principle which much of the world can greatly benefit from. People come together in groups all the time, but it’s usually for the purpose of creating monetary riches or obtaining substantial power and rarely towards the united goal of attaining peace, happiness, and realizing greater wisdom. The principle of the saṅgha can be expressed in your own life in many

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greater peace in realizing the natural way of things. This cultivates in us the ability to savor every moment of life, to find peace in even the most mundane activities, as well as the ability to transform your typically “negative” experiences into something altogether nourishing and healing.

ways. The saṅgha is ultimately just one way of looking at life, through the lens of the individual “expressions” of the totality.

By living in a way that you’re fully aware of the power of connecting with others, whether it’s one person or a group of 100, and seeking to nurture those relationships in the appropriate way, you can transform your life in ways that will pay dividends for years to come. 3. Wake up One of the most powerful points on this list, the power of simply living in a way that you’re fully awake to every moment of your life pretty much couldn’t be exaggerated even if I tried.

Mindfulness, greater awareness, paying attention, whatever you want to call it- it changes every facet of your life and in every way. It’s as simple as that. Strive to live fully awake to each moment of your daily life and overcome your greatest personal struggles, find a great sense of peace

and joy, and realize the greatest lessons life can teach you as a result of living fully awake to the present moment.

4. Live deeply To live deeply, in a way that you become keenly aware of the precious nature of life, is to begin down the path of true peace and happiness. Why? Because to live in this way is to gradually become aware of the true nature of the world. This will happen essentially in “sections” of the whole, such as realizing your interconnectedness (you begin to see how everything is connected to everything else) and impermanence (you begin to see how everything is ever-changing, constantly dying only to be reborn in another form). These realizations are the bread and butter of Buddhism and all spiritual practice. These “sections of the whole” are fragments of the ultimate realization, ways for us to understand that which can’t be fully understood in the traditional sense. By living in a way that you seek to realize these various “qualities of the ultimate” you find greater and

5. Change yourself, change the world Buddhists understand that you can hardly help another before you help yourself. But this isn’t referring to you gaining power or riches before you can help others, or living in a way that you ignore others.

This is mostly referring to the fact that because we’re all interconnected, by you helping yourself you create an exponentially positive effect on the rest of the world.

If you want to make an impact on the world, don’t falsely convince yourself that it’s “you or them”. You don’t need to drag yourself through the mud to help those around you. If you do this, you’ll greatly hamper your ability to create a positive impact. At the deepest level of understanding, by making it about you you’re also making it about them because you know there’s no separating “you” and “them”. Take care of yourself and seek to be more than just a help, but an example of how to live for others to follow and you’ll create waves of exponential possibility that inspires others to do the same.

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6. Embrace death Death is an often taboo topic in Western society. We do everything we can to not only avoid the subject, but pretend that it doesn’t even exist. The reality is, this is really unfortunate and in no way helps us to lead better lives. Becoming keenly aware of your own impermanence and deeply understanding the nature of death with regards to our interconnectedness are both things which can help us find great peace. In Buddhism, students in many sects at one point or another “meditate on the corpse” as it were (a practice which is said to have originated at least as far back as the Buddha’s lifetime).

This is literally what it sounds like. They meditate on the image of a corpse slowing decomposing and imagine that process through to its end, eventually resulting in a deep and profound realization on the true nature of death.

That might sound a little intense to you, but the truth is, if you live your entire life acting as if you’re never going to die or ignoring your own impermanence then you won’t ever be able to find true peace within yourself. You don’t necessarily have to meditate on the image of a corpse, but simply opening up to yourself about death so that you’re no longer shielding it from your mind (which you’re likely doing unconsciously, as that’s how most of us were brought up in the West) can

begin to be a great source of peace and help you appreciate the many joys in your everyday life.

A true appreciation for life can never be fully realized until you come face-to-face with your own impermanence. But once you do this, the world opens up in a new and profound way.

7. Your food is (very) special Buddhist meditative practice, particularly mindfulness and contemplation, helps you realize the precious nature of the food in front of you. Indeed, with how integral a part food plays in our lives, to transform our relationship with food is to transform a key aspect of our entire lives, both now and in the future. By contemplating on the food in front of us, for example, we can come to realize the vast system of interconnectedness that is our life, and how our food coming to be on our dinner plate as it is depended on numerous elements coming to be. This helps us to deepen our relationship with food, cultivate a deep sense of gratitude before each meal, and learn to respect the delicate but ever-pressing balance that is life.

8. Understand the nature of giving

Giving is more than the act of giving Christmas and Birthday gifts, it’s

also about those gifts which we give each and every day which we don’t typically see as gifts at all.

Buddhists hold a very deep understanding of the nature of giving, particularly in that life is a constant play between the act of giving and receiving. This doesn’t just help us find peace in understanding the way of the world around us, but helps us realize the amazing gifts we all have within us that we can give others in every moment, such as our love, compassion, and presence. 9. Work to disarm the ego The easiest way to sum up all “spiritual” practice is this: spirituality is the act of coming in touch with the ultimate reality or the ground of being, and as a result spiritual practice is the act of overcoming those obstacles which keep us from realizing that. The primary obstacle in our way? The ego.

To put it short and sweet, the reason the ego is the major obstacle in spiritual practice, or simply the practice of finding true peace and happiness (whatever you choose to call it, it’s all the same), is because it’s very function is to pull you away from the ground of your being by convincing you that you’re this separate self. The process of unraveling the ego can take time, as it’s something which has been with us, intertwined with us, for years. But it’s infinitely rewarding and altogether necessary

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if we want to realize our best life.

10. Remove the 3 poisons Life is filled with vices, things which attempt to bind us to unwholesome ways of living and therefore do the very opposite of cultivating peace, joy, and greater realization in our lives. Among these, the three poisons are some of the most powerful. The three poisons are: Greed, Hatred, and Delusion. Together, these three poisons are responsible for the majority of the pain and suffering we experience as a collective species. It’s perfectly normal to be affected by each of these poisons throughout your life, so don’t knock yourself for falling for them. Instead, simply accept that they’re something you’re experiencing and begin working to remove them from your life. This can take time, but it’s a key aspect on the path towards realizing true peace and happiness.

11. Right livelihood We should all strive to work and make our living in a way that’s more “conscious” or aware. This generally means not selling harmful items such as guns, drugs, and services that harm other people, but it goes deeper than that. There’s ultimately two aspects to this: making a living by doing something which doesn’t inhibit your own ability to realize peace and making a living doing something which doesn’t inhibit others ability to realize peace. Facing this can lead to some

interesting situations for some people, and as Thich Nhat Hanh has mentioned this is a collective effort as opposed to a solely personal one (the butcher isn’t a butcher only because he decided to be, but because there is a demand from people for meat to be neatly packaged and made available for them to be purchased from supermarkets), but you should strive to do your best.

working, etc., while simultaneously not being attached to any of these things. It simply means to live in a way that you’ve become aware of and accepted the impermanence of all things in this life and live in a way that you’re ever-aware of this fact.

Whatever the case, seek to make a living doing something that promotes the peace and happiness of yourself and those around you as much as possible.

Keep in mind, this doesn’t mean that you stop feeling emotions. On the contrary, these emotions are welcomed and expected, and fully experienced with mindfulness in the moment of their impact. But this is simply the natural course of things.

Following the teaching on right livelihood can help you realize the harmful effect that your own work is having on you and therefore coming up with a solution can result in a largely positive shift in your life as a whole. Only you can decide if a change needs to happen though.

12. Realize non-attachment This is a difficult point to put into so few words, but a profound one I felt would be greatly beneficial to mention nonetheless. To realize non-attachment in a Buddhist sense doesn’t mean to abandon your friends and family and live alone for the rest of your life, never truly living again just so that you don’t become attached to these desires.

Non-attachment refers to living in a way that you exist in the natural flow of life and generally living a typical modern life, building a family,

It’s perfectly normal for a Zen student in Japan, once having completed his training, to actually de-robe and go “back into the world” so to speak. This is because, once they’ve reached this level of realization, they see the beauty in all things and are compelled to live fully absorbed in all the beauty and wonders of this life. From this point on, they can truly “live life to the fullest”, while not clinging to any of these things.

Once these emotions subside though, and when we have no mental formations or obstructions to block our path, a natural healing process takes place that heals the wound and allows us to continue on living in peace and joy instead of dragging us down into darkness. http://cultureofawareness. com/2015/03/06/matt-valentine12-pieces-of-buddhist-wisdom-thatwill-transform-your-life/. Published with kind permission of Matt Valentine. EH

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Satipaṭṭhāna: The Objective Observation By Venerable Bhikkhu T. Seelananda

Venerable Seelananda was born and bred in Sri Lanka as a Theravāda monk. Having received the invitation extended from American Sri Lankan Buddhist Association of New York he came to U.S. for the dissemination of the Dhamma in 2002. Bhante Seelananda, along with his friends, established a meditation center named “Samatha Vipassana Meditation Centre” in Edmonton Canada. Ven. Seelananda continues to lead retreats at the Bhavana Society in Virginia, USA, and worldwide. Many of his audio Dhamma talks can be found in Internet Archive as well as his numerous Dhamma Dayada YouTube videos Dhamma talks and guided meditations in both English and Sinhala.

A wonderful characteristic of Buddhism, the teaching of the Buddha, is “come and see” (ehipassiko). This singular teaching of the Dhamma, invites everyone to ‘come and see’. In order to understand and see things, one should have clear eyes and a clear mind. Only then can one see things as they really are, otherwise, one could see but have misperceptions or a misconception. For this reason, one should see things objectively, should see that objective observation is the way to realize the real nature of the whole world system. This is the way for the attainment of the final goal, Nibbāna by eradicating the whole mass of defilements. Buddhism always encourages us to see things objectively.

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Sitting Meditation Postures

Satipaṭṭhāna (Establishment of Mindfulness) Here, the writer’s endeavor is to give some idea of what Satipaṭṭhāna really means and thereafter to show how to practice it as a method of objective observation in order to see the object as it is, so that one could see reality in oneself and the whole universe. This characteristic of objective observation is clearly and categorically depicted from the beginning to the end of the Mahā Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta (The Great Discourse on the Establishment of Mindfulness.) This is one of the most important discourses delivered by the Buddha as a manual of mental development (bhāvana). In this discourse, the Buddha described four kinds of contemplations. They are:

Mindfulness of the body (Kāyānupassanā) Mindfulness of sensations (Vedanānupassanā) Mindfulness of consciousness (Cittānupassanā) Mindfulness of mind-objects (Dhammānupassanā) These four are further classified into 44 objects of meditation. All these 44 objects are to be observed objectively for the successful development of meditation and the attainment of perfect peace, Enlightenment. When one practices objective observation it is nothing but simple calmness and insight (samatha and vipassanā). Satipaṭṭhāna deals with the fourfold development of mental qualities. Mindfulness is the most significant factor to be developed and cultivated by practitioners who really want to live happily, peacefully, and eventually to attain Nibbāna. So mindfulness is the key word, the watchword in the teaching of the Buddha. Mindfulness is to be developed and cultivated by

everyone for the understanding and realization of the Dhamma. There is no meditation without mindfulness, no attainment of Nibbāna without mindfulness. Establishment of mindfulness is the way, the direct way, the correct way for the purification of all beings.

Mindfulness Mindfulness is the seventh factor of the Noble Eightfold Path. Here it means practicing and developing the four establishments of mindfulness. When developed, cultivated and properly established, it gradually becomes a spiritual faculty, a mental power, and a factor of enlightenment that leads one to the realization of the Four Noble Truths and the attainment of enlightenment. Indeed, it has been called by the Buddha the “Ekāyano maggo” the one way, or the direct way, to the attainment of Nibbāna. From the average man’s point of view, mindfulness is also a very desirable quality. Common sense will tell us that the practice of mindfulness makes us more alert and minimizes the possibility of errors, mistakes, lapses and accidents. Common sense also tells us that the habit of mindfulness will induce a healthy balance, a sense of proportion and a sense of mental alertness, and keep us constantly on our guard.

As the Buddha said, mindfulness has the effect of purifying beings, overcoming sorrow, and giving entry to the Noble Eightfold Path ultimately realizing Nibbāna. These results are attainable if the mindfulness practiced is not merely mundane or worldly, but mindfulness of a spiritual or supra-mundane nature. Once mindfulness is fully developed and cultivated all the promised

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results can be realized; seeing things objectively and not subjectively. Subject and Object Perception According to the teachings of the Buddha, it is very important to understand and grasp the distinction between objective and subjective perception. Whenever a person sees things subjectively he has self-centered thinking. However, if a person sees things objectively he/she can see things as they really are. This is the teaching of the Buddha.

Once when Pythagoras was asked to define who a philosopher is, he said something to this effect: “When all are invited to the feast of life some go there to enjoy, some go there to win name and fame, and there are yet others who go there just to look on. These others are the philosophers.” What is meant by this is that the philosopher does not identify himself with life. He looks at life standing, as it were, outside of life. That is how the practitioner of mindfulness should look at things. That is the Buddhist way of practicing mindfulness. When one looks at a thing subjectively, there is mental affinity between oneself and the thing that one is looking at. Then one brings oneself mentally very close to what one is looking at. However, if one looks at a thing objectively, one keeps oneself mentally far removed from the object. In short, the practitioner is a bare observer, as distinguished from an interested observer. The observer should be always uninfluenced by the observation. That is the real observation. When the observer has observed a thing, if the observer is influenced by emotions, the observation becomes

a completely distorted process. Then the facts are definitely distorted, discolored and disorientated.

The teaching of the Buddha is expounded, revealed and made clear for the understanding of things as they really are (yathabhuta). This teaching is to be realized by the wise individual (paccattam veditabbo viññuhi). The Buddha emphatically said that his Dhamma is only for the wise. That means for those who see things objectively or without grasping things as their own.

Vipassanā Sati, or mindfulness, is the lens of the camera or the microscope through which one sees all objects whether small or large. Without mindfulness, one cannot see things as they really are. This is very significant in the teachings of the Buddha. This seeing of reality as it is, in the language of the Buddha is called, ‘vipassanā’. This is the understanding of the three characteristics of existence namely impermanence, dissatisfaction and soullessness. These three characteristics of existence are common to all animate and inanimate objects. The purpose of Satipaṭṭhāna or the establishment of mindfulness is to observe things objectively and to understand the three characteristics of existence and live in the world with a mind steady and unattached. Those who have really practiced and developed mindfulness and the four establishments of mindfulness for the perfection are the Enlightened Ones in the world. Once, a certain recluse named Bāhiya came to the Buddha and asked him for some quick advice to help him practice meditation and attain Enlightenment. He asked this while the Buddha was on his alms round.

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Walking Meditation Posture

At first, the Buddha refused to answer him. But as he kept asking, over and over again, the Buddha finally admonished him. “Bāhiya, this is the way you should train yourself: ’In the seeing there is just the seeing. In the heard there is just the heard. In the thought there is just the thought. In the cognizing there is just the cognizing’.” These are certainly deeply meaningful words, but for the practitioner when observing things objectively, it is not that difficult to grasp their deep meaning.

Objective Observation as Given in the Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta With this background we can now come to understand how the Buddha has taught this wonderful method of objective observation in the Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta. We see that, from the beginning to the end of the Sutta, it is nothing but objective observation. Once the Buddha said, “Friends, things that are not yours, abandon”. So Satipaṭṭhāna is for this purpose. As we mentioned earlier, the Buddha categorized mindfulness of body first. In this category there are six subdivisions. First, the Buddha explained how to observe the breath objectively. When it is observed objectively one can see it as it is.

For this objective observation of the breath, one should find a comfortable place and sit properly. The Buddha recommended three types of places that provide peacefulness, seclusion, and extra energy respectively.

According to this discourse on the establishment of mindfulness the prescribed three places are as follows: In the woods (about 300 feet away from any human habitation) At the foot of a tree (any tree but the environment should be quite calm, and peaceful)

In an empty house (the house may even be in a city or a village, but it has to be secluded). With regard to these three places, seclusion is the most important condition. Therefore, any place that offers seclusion is a suitable place for meditation. Then one should sit properly adjusting one’s posture, using full lotus, half lotus, or easy posture and practice mindfulness of breathing. That is the observation. Observe your breath objectively.

Breath As you breathe in and out you have to give your attention (wise attention) to the breath and strive to understand the breath clearly but also allow it to flow naturally, peacefully and smoothly. Observe the breath objectively. This breath is not yours, it is not you, and it is not yourself. This is impermanent, this is unsatisfactory and this is insubstantial. That is how one should observe one’s breath objectively. The Buddha of our Era, Gotama, observed natural breathing as the object for his attainment of Buddha-hood. All of

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Standing meditation posture

the Buddhās in the past observed natural breathing as the meditation object for their attainment of Buddhahood. The future Buddhās will also follow this same method as the object for their attainment of Buddhahood. When one observes one’s breath, one can realize different steps of breath. There are a total of sixteen stages of breath (See: Majjhima Nikaya, Sutta No.118).

Four Postures Then in the Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta, the Buddha pointed out how to observe the four postures as meditation objects. The postures here mean the four deportments of the body. Everything that we do, 24 hours a day and seven days a week, we all have only four postures to assume in this body. They are ‘walking’, ‘standing’, ‘sitting’ and ‘lying down’. The Buddha’s advice to us is to observe these four postures objectively. If anyone has any doubt about another posture, as we are changing our positions all the time, the Buddha further said in his language, “Yathā yathā vā panassa kāyo panihito hoti tathā tathānam pajānāti” which means whatever way that you keep your body, observe it objectively. This observation is the way to the realization of truth in the world. Clear Comprehension Next the Buddha explained how to understand clearly the different activities and movements of the body. Here, the Buddha said, “Understand clearly when you go forward, when you turn and come back, when you bend your limbs, when you extend your limbs, when you take

a bowl (any instrument, or tool), when you wear any clothes or ornaments, when you eat, when you drink, when you bite, when you taste; whenever you urinate or defecate, whenever you walk, stand, sit, lie down, and as long as you are awake, clearly comprehend the activities of the body.” The Buddha further said, “Understand them internally and externally, and both internally and externally. Then clearly comprehend the arising of the action and the passing of the action.” This is the way to not attach to anything in the world, but to the complete understanding of things as they are. 32 Parts of the Body The Buddha described the next object of meditation to be observed objectively as the loathsomeness of the body. For this purpose, the Buddha classified the body into 32 parts and advised the practitioners to observe those different parts of the body objectively. There are in this body; the head hairs, body hairs, nails, teeth, skin, flesh, sinews, bones, bone-marrow, kidneys, heart, liver, diaphragm, spleen, lungs, intestines, mesentery, stomach, feces, bile, phlegm, puss, blood, sweat, fat, tear, grease, saliva, mucus, oil in joints, urine, and fluid in brain. All of these are to be observed objectively, meaning without grasping them as yours.

Four Elements The fifth subsection of the classification of the contemplation of the body is the observation of the four elements; namely solidity, liquidity, heat and motion.

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Reclining Meditation Posture

These are also to be observed objectively. In this case the Buddha gave a simile. That is a simile of the cow. When a butcher is feeding a cow or is nourishing it, and then takes it to the slaughtering place, ties it to a post and kills it, he still has the notion that it is a being, a cow. If someone would ask him what he is doing, he would say. “I am feeding the cow” or “I am killing the cow.” Even after having killed it, before he cuts it up into pieces, he still maintains the same notion that it is a cow. But, after cutting the slaughtered cow into pieces, he takes the pieces and puts them on a table at the crossroad to sell, from that point on, he loses the notion of a cow. If someone were to ask him what he is selling, he would not say, “I am selling a cow.” So, after cutting the cow into pieces, he loses the concept of a cow. In the same way, when practitioners “cut” themselves into four elements, whatever is in their body, just four elements, then they will lose the concept of being, a person. When practitioners see the elements clearly, they lose the concept of a being; they see that there are just these four elements; four elements going, four elements standing, and so on. When they see only these four elements going and so on, they cannot see a person and therefore lose the concept of a being. This form came to exist as the results of four elements. Everything is composed with these four elements that dissolve to the same elements at the end of death.

Nine Charnel Ground Observations The Buddha enunciated the nine charnel ground observations as the sixth subsection of this Sutta. In this section, one has to observe these objects objectively. Since it was the custom at the time of the Buddha

that corpses were thrown into the graveyard, here the Buddha admonished his disciples to observe them objectively and to understand the different stages of a corpse decomposing and to compare it to their own bodies. The practitioners should go to these places and observe the corpses objectively and reflect that one day their bodies would undergo the same fate. That then is another kind of objective observation. When practitioners practice in this manner they contemplate the body as a body.

Observe Feelings and Mind as They Are Also while practicing in this manner, if the practitioner feels any sensation that too is to be observed objectively. There are three kinds of sensations; pleasant sensations, painful sensations and neutral sensations. Along with them, there can arise different kinds of mental thoughts like lustful thoughts, hateful thoughts, and deluded thoughts. The practitioner is then advised to also observe those different thoughts objectively. The Buddha has explained nine kinds of feelings and 16 kinds of mental states here in this Sutta. Finally, the Buddha described the observation of the Dhammas. In this section of the Sutta, the Buddha explained how the practitioners experience different characteristics of physicality and mentality (nāmarūpa). The Buddha very clearly said that the practitioner then would be able to see clearly the real nature of the five hindrances and completely abandon them all without an iota of hindrances. And then the practitioner realizes the five aggregates of existence as they really are, the twelve internal and external bases as they are. When the practitioner further observes things as

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they are, he/she can develop the seven factors of enlightenment and eventually realizes the four Noble Truths, dependent origination and the three characteristics of existence. This is the final result of observing objectively, phenomena as phenomena. This is why the Buddha once said, “This Dhamma itself is to be abandoned” (Dhammāpi pahātabbam). These are not to be grasped as ours. So there is nothing to be attached to in the world (naca kiñci loke upadiyati). At the end of this Sutta, giving a full assurance of attainment, the Buddha said, “Monks, whoever is practicing these four establishments of mindful observation for seven years, he can attain enlightenment (Arahant-hood) or if residue remains the attainment of the stage of Non-returner (anāgāmi). Then reducing the time frame, the Buddha said that one would be able to attain enlightenment even within six years, ... five … , four …, three …, two …, one year or with in half of a year. Finally the Buddha said, “Monks, if one would practice this objective observation of the four establishment of mindfulness properly one would attain enlightenment within seven days.”

Therefore, let us all understand these four objective observations (establishments of mindfulness) and strive to observe things whether internal or external objectively so that we all can realize the real nature of things, both in ourselves and the universe. May we all realize real peace, real happiness of Nibbāna ! EH

How to Study Buddhism By Venerable Master Hsing Yun

Venerable Hsing Yun was born on August 19, 1927 and is the founder of the Fo Guang Shan Buddhist Order as well as the affiliated Buddha’s Light International Association (BLIA) in Taiwan. Venerable Hsing Yun is considered to be one of the most prominent proponents of Humanistic Buddhism and also one of the most influential teachers of modern Chinese Buddhism. Through his teachings, hundreds of Buddhist monasteries and centers have been established throughout the world. When the Buddha taught the Dharma, he gave the world an inexhaustible gift: the ability to find true freedom. The Dharma is a mirror that reflects the truth within us and shows us how to free ourselves from our own delusions. This truth is the same truth that governs the universe. As we examine our minds in the mirror of the Buddha’s teachings, we will discover a certain wisdom that has always been present.

The value of learning the Dharma is not something that can be easily measured. The first step we must take when we enter the gate of the Dharma is to look at ourselves. We must decide that we want to change, that we want to learn, and that we will really try to apply the Buddha’s teachings in our daily lives. The moment we embrace the Dharma, our lives will begin to change. The Dharma is like a light that dispels the darkness.

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The process of learning the Dharma is the most exciting and wonderful kind of self-discovery. In the sections below, I will try to explain how to approach and practice the Dharma. The Four Reliances The truths that the Buddha taught are fundamental truths, which mean that they are true everywhere and at all times. As Buddhist practitioners searching for the Dharma, we must rely on four guidelines to keep us on the right path. These “four reliances” are to rely on the Dharma, not on an individual teacher; rely on wisdom, not on knowledge; rely on the meaning, not on the words; and rely on ultimate truth, not on relative truth.

Rely on the Dharma, Not on an Individual Teacher To rely on the Dharma is to always rely on the truth. We cannot rely on people because everyone has different perceptions and interpretations. Any single teacher is subject to birth, aging, sickness, and death, but the Dharma has not changed since beginningless time. So in seeking the Way, we must always rely on the Dharma itself and not on the people who teach it.

Although there are people who can instruct us and help us along the path, we still must experience and understand it for ourselves in order to truly make it our own. When learning from others, we should examine everything under the lens of our own introspection. In a famous Chan story, a student once asked Chan Master Zhaozhou (778-897) how to learn the Dharma. Master Zhaozhou stood up and said, “I am going to go take a piss now. Ah, even trivial matters like taking a piss I must do myself.”

Sakyamuni Buddha once said that we should rely on ourselves and rely on the Dharma, not on others. We should believe in ourselves, rely on ourselves, believe in the Dharma, and rely on the Dharma. Therefore, while we should listen to the teachings of the Buddha and the instructions of our teachers, if we truly wish to gain wisdom we still must rely on ourselves to experience the truth.

Rely on Wisdom, Not on Knowledge What is the difference between wisdom and knowledge? Wisdom is the truth that already lies within us. Knowledge is what we have gained through our experiences in the outside world.

So why must we rely on wisdom and not on knowledge? The knowledge that we acquire through our six sense organs (eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, and mind) is constantly shifting with the changes of phenomena. This is why knowledge is not perfect. On the other hand, wisdom is like a mirror of our true nature. When we use this mirror to look at all the phenomena of the universe, it will reflect things as they really are. As we walk down the path of cultivation, if we can see the reality of all things with our wisdom and not discriminate based on our knowledge, we will not be deluded by the illusions of the world. Rely on Meaning, Not on Words We often gain knowledge and realize the truth through the medium of language and words. While there are many different languages throughout the world, the truth that they express is essentially the same. By realizing this, we can seek to grasp the essential meaning of things rather than being mired in the words. If we are too attached to words, we end up with a superficial understanding and will not comprehend something’s real meaning.

The unusual behavior of Chan masters was calculated to open our minds to this point. In one story, a Chan master exclaimed, “Today, if I saw Sakyamuni Buddha teach the Dharma, I’d beat him to death with a stick and feed him to the dogs!” Another master said, “What of the sacred texts? Bring them here and I’ll use them as a rag!” The wild words of the Chan masters may seem to slander the Buddha and the Dharma, but in fact, they want us to transcend the attachment to language and words, and realize the truth beyond them.

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Fo Guang Shan Buddha Museum, Kaoshung, Taiwan

Fo Guang Shan Monastery, Kaoshung, Taiwan

Fo Guang Shan Nan Tien Monastery, Wollongong, Australia

Fo Guang Shan Dong Zen Monastery, Jenjarom, Malaysia

Rely on Ultimate Truth, Not on Relative Truth When we say, “rely on ultimate truth,” this means that we rely on the definitive meaning and not on the various methods of teaching. Buddhism has divided into different traditions in order to teach the Dharma to as many sentient beings as possible. Within these traditions, many different schools have been established based on various methods of cultivation.

The Four States of Mind for Studying the Dharma What state of mind should Buddhist practitioners have when they study the Dharma? To be able to receive the teachings, we must possess a mind with faith, a mind that questions, a mind of awakening, and finally, no mind at all.

The various methods that the Buddha taught us are all “skillful means,” because they are tailored to the different needs and capacities of sentient beings. However, we cannot consider these skillful means as the ultimate way to learn the Dharma since they are relative truth, and they change with the person and the conditions. According to the Buddha, the ultimate way is to follow the definitive meaning of the Dharma, which is in accordance with the Buddha mind.

Faith We study Buddhism to purify and calm the body and mind, elevate our character, open up our world, and give us direction. Buddhism can help us discover that we are in charge of the mind. On this path to self-discovery, faith plays an important role. Dr. Sun Yat-sen (1866-1925), regarded as the Father of the Republic of China, once said, “Faith is strength.” The Treatise on the Perfection of Great Wisdom says, “The Dharma is as vast as the ocean. It can only be

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Fo Guang Shan Temple, Toronto, Canada

Fo Guang Shan Temple, London, UK

Fo Guang Shan His Lai Temple, Los Angeles, USA

Fo Guang Shan Nan Hua Temple, Pretoria, South Africa

entered with faith.” The Flower Adornment Sūtra says, “Faith is the origin of the Way and the mother of all virtue. It nourishes the roots of goodness.”

bowl. After many years of chanting in this way, she did not need to pick up the beans anymore. Whenever she chanted “Om maṇi padme ūṃ” in her mind, the beans would jump into the bowl on their own.

There is a story in Buddhism that illustrates how faith gives us strength. In the countryside, there was a little old lady who wished to learn the Dharma. Unfortunately, there was no one around to teach her. One day, a layman who did not have a good grasp of Buddhism came to this village. When he saw how much the little old lady wanted to learn the Dharma, he said, “I know a Buddhist mantra I can teach to you: ‘Om maṇi padme ūṃ.’” The layman had made a mistake, and mispronounced the last syllable as “um,” rather than “hum.” The old lady did not know any better, so every day, she chanted “Om mani padme um.” Each time she chanted the mantra, she would pick up a bean and place it in a

Several years later, a monastic was wandering through the village and heard the old lady chanting “Om maṇi padme ūṃ.” The monastic informed her that she had been chanting incorrectly, and that the correct mantra was “Om maṇi padme hūṃ.” The old lady thought, “Oh dear! I have been chanting wrong all these years!” Afterwards, she chanted the mantra correctly, with “hūm,” but the beans no longer jumped into the bowl by themselves. Whether we chant “hūm” or “ūm” is unimportant. As long as we have faith, our faith will give us strength.

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Fo Guang Shan Temple, Bussy St Georges, France

Faith is as important to us as roots to a tree: without it we cannot accomplish anything, for it gives us our strength. As Buddhist practitioners, we should study the Dharma with a mind-set of faith and sincerity. Questioning In what state of mind should Buddhist practitioners approach the Dharma? Perhaps many of you have doubts and questions? The Buddha taught that we should study the Dharma with a questioning mind. This is how Buddhism differs from other religions, for in addition to emphasizing faith, it also tells us to doubt. In the Chan School of Buddhism, practitioners are encouraged to doubt and ask questions. This is why they say in the Chan School, “Small doubts lead to small awakenings. Great doubts lead to great awakenings. No doubt leads to no awakening.”

The Dharma is like a bell. If you tap it gently it will ring softly. If you strike it hard it will resound loudly. However, if you do not strike it at all, it will not ring. We must have questions in order to gain answers. In fact, the Buddhist sutras themselves are largely the questions of disciples, which the Buddha answers. Chan Buddhism instructs practitioners to question and investigate. This method is called huatou, which literally means “speech head,” or essential words. For hundreds of years, Chan masters have used this method to achieve awakening. As a result, much of Chan literature is the

pithy exchange of questions and answers between Chan masters and their students. These exchanges are often profound and difficult for most people to understand. In a Chan meditation hall you are likely to hear such questions as, “What was your original face before you were born?” “What is the meaning of Bodhidharma coming from the west?” and “Who is it that chants the Buddha’s name?” This questions require us to doubt, and from these doubts we can gain wisdom and awaken to the truth. Awakening People go to school to gain knowledge. People study the Dharma to awaken. Awakening is not the process of accumulating knowledge; it is a moment of sudden realization. It is when we think, “Ah ha! I understand.” How then, do we reach the state of awakening?

Once there was a young student who went to ask a Chan master, “I just came to the monastery and do not understand anything. Master, please instruct me: how do I enter the Way?”

The Chan master replied, “Do you hear the birds singing in the trees? The crickets chirping? Can you see the water flowing in the stream? The flowers blooming?” The young student replied, “Yes!”

Then the Chan master told him, “The Way is entered from all these things.”

We can see that the Dharma is not mysterious, nor is it separate from our lives. It is always a part of the world around us. When we “understand” the sound of the flowing water, that is the sound of the Buddha’s voice. When we see flowers blooming, it is the presence of the Buddha. When we awaken to the truth, everything we do is the Way. We do not need to go far away in search of the Way, for it is in our lives and in our minds. There is another story that illustrates this point. Once a novice monk named Longtan went to study under Chan Master Tianhuang (748-807). Year after year passed,

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but Chan Master Tianhuang never gave any formal instruction. Longtan finally became frustrated and went to bid farewell to Chan Master Tianhuang. Surprised by this, Tianhuang said to him, “Where are you going?” Longtan said, “I am going elsewhere to learn the Dharma.”

Chan Master Tianhuang replied, “There is the Dharma right here. Why do you need to go somewhere else to study?” Longtan replied, “I’ve been here for a long time. Why have you never taught me the Dharma?”

Chan Master Tianhuang said, “When you bring me tea, I use my hands to take it from you. When you bring me food, I use my mouth to eat it. When you bow to me, I nod to you. When have I not taught the Dharma to you?” Longtan bowed his head in thought.

Tianhuang then said, “Don’t think. Once you think, you’ve gone astray. You need to experience and directly bear responsibility.” With these words, Longtan suddenly had a great awakening.

Actually, the Dharma is in our every action, just as Chan is in every flower, tree, and stone. We usually do not realize that the Dharma is in our mind, so we look for it outside of ourselves. Yet, the more we seek, the farther away we go. The Dharma teaches us that we must always look within. If we can do this, the Way will become very close to us.

No-Mind Wuxin (無心) or “no-mind” is a Chinese expression to refer to a mind that is empty of discrimination. It is the true mind, and transcends the duality of existence and non-existence. When we study the Dharma we cannot approach it with a discriminating mind, because discrimination and differentiation are based on

knowledge, and knowledge is constantly changing. “Nomind” is a mind that does not differentiate. Only with this kind of wisdom can we deeply penetrate the truths of the Dharma. In the past, someone asked a Chan master, “Master, you usually meditate for a very long time. May I ask: do you enter samadhi with mind or no-mind?”

The Chan master answered, “When I enter samadhi, it is neither with mind nor with no-mind. I enter it with the mind that is beyond all duality.” When we talk about this mind that transcends duality, it does not mean that we do not have any concept of right and wrong, or good and bad. We should have these concepts. However, in dealing with worldly affairs and dualities, we need to face them with the nondifferentiating mind, the mind of wisdom. Once a student asked Chan Master Guishan (771-853), “What is the Way?” Chan Master Guishan replied, “No-mind is the Way.” The student said, “I don’t know how!”

Guishan replied, “Go find someone who knows how.” The student said, “Who knows how?”

The master said, “It is not someone else. It is you!”

No-mind allows us to see the world as it really is, not as our discriminating mind tells us it is. By applying no-mind to the world around us, we will gain the clarity to see the Buddha in everything and our Buddha nature within. EH

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Can Mindfulness Save Buddhism in Japan? By Karen Jensen

In a country where Buddhism has become a “funeral religion,” one Zen monk hopes to use the popular Westernized practice to revive his tradition. In the western imagination, Buddhist meditation in Japan evokes the stoic monk sitting full lotus on a tatami mat or the lone hermit climbing to his mountain hut. But in today’s Japan, the models for these images are slowly receding as many people embrace a growing phenomenon— mindfulness, or maindofurunesu (the English word, now a Japanese loanword).

“Mindfulness Meditation,” released by Fusosha Publishing in July 2017

In 2017 at least three major Japanese magazines ran cover stories touting the benefits of mindfulness, citing scientific studies, and advocating its use in business settings. Mindfulness events cropping up across the country are just one sign that the practice is starting to stick.

Some monks see the growing interest in meditation as an opportunity to revive Buddhism, which most Japanese people view as stuffy and irrelevant. “In Japan, Buddhism is considered conservative—a traditional organized religious institution,” Reverend Takafumi Zenryu Kawakami recently told Tricycle in an email.

Rev. Kawakami is the deputy head priest of Shunkoin, a Rinzai Zen temple in the Myoshinji complex in Kyoto. He’s part of a small group of Zen priests who have been promoting mindfulness in hopes of demonstrating the relevance of Buddhism in people’s lives. He has long been interested in teaching Japanese and Western audiences how Buddhist ideas can cut through our preconceived biases, and has given lectures at universities, corporations, and TEDx conferences. He also leads meditation classes at Shunkoin temple for foreigners and locals. The approach of this Zen priest may sound similar to those of many other mindfulness teachers, but he’s an exception among his fellow Japanese monks, who do not spend a lot of time teaching meditation. Instead, most temples primarily provide memorial services— expensive Buddhist funerals—for deceased followers.

In hopes of reviving popular interest in Buddhism, monks across Japan in recent years have endeavored to shed the stereotype of money-

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mongering spiritual undertakers in hopes of reviving societal interest in Buddhism. Some of their efforts, like spearheading a renta-priest startup with the online retailer Amazon, or launching an easy-to-use website offering low-cost memorial services, are savvy attempts to enliven and modernize the priests—role in Japanese funerals. Other Buddhist monastics have tried more unconventional strategies—starting organic farms and cafés, mixing cocktails at monk-themed bars, engaging in environmental activism, or using anime figures as part of their efforts to appeal to the young. But for Rev. Kawakami, the future of Japanese Buddhism is intertwined with maindofurunesu—and he is choosing to take part in the mindfulness industry with a heedfulness that bespeaks both spiritual and business savvy. Related: The Mindfulness Movement and Its Surprising History

Other monastics are noticeably less enthusiastic. Resistance to mindfulness is evident in a dialogue between Daiko Matsuyama, a Zen priest ordained, like Rev. Kawakami, in the Myoshinji tradition, and corporate mindfulness instructor Yuka Shimada. Their exchange appeared in a 2017 issue of the Japanese women’s magazine President Woman. “The mindfulness of today is used rather like a technique, a how-to,” Matsuyama remarked. “It’s a bit of a shame—mottainai [a waste].” He added that the “right mindfulness” of the Buddha’s eightfold path

cannot be simply extracted for general use. While agreeing that mindfulness alone does produce benefits for the practitioner, he says such results mistake the insignificant for the essential. Reverend Takafumi Zenryu Kawakami, Rinzai Zen priest in Kyoto, Japan, and mindfulness advocate

Although Rev. Kawakami hasn’t shied away from the m word when promoting his temple, underneath those efforts lies a deeper intent.

“I want to teach people what mindfulness lost in the processes of secularization and universalization,” Kawakami explains. “The ideal version of mindfulness is not just for use as a therapeutic method to make ‘you’ happy. It should be used as a way to understand the nature of the interdependent, impermanent self.” Does mindfulness as a chirpy

Western import have the potential to revolutionize a funeral-oriented Japanese Buddhism? Right now, Rev. Kawakami teaches most of his meditation courses in English, mainly to foreigners.

“The answer can be yes and no,” the Zen monk maintains. “If ‘Mc Mindfulness’—a shallow focus on well-being—becomes the major movement in Japan, then definitely, mindfulness will damage us more.

“But if Buddhist priests, who have profound experience in both traditional Buddhism and contemporary mindfulness, speak out about the issues of well-being and happiness, this could be a great opportunity for Buddhism to revive itself in Japan.” Karen Jensen is Tricycle’s assistant web editor.

Source: Tricycle, Winter 2019 www. tricycle.com EH

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The two things all Buddhists need to know By Lim K. Fong

Along the pathways leading to the staging room where His Holiness the 104th Ganden Tripa Lobsang Tenzin Rinpoche, supreme head of the Gelugpa tradition was waiting, were lined by great protectors of Tibetan Buddhism.

There was Tara, the “mother of liberation” and Nagarjuna the founder of the Madhyamika (“Middle Way”) school from which Je Tsongkhapa would use as platform to propel the Gelug school as one of the four major traditions of Vajrayana Buddhism.

Between these powerful protectors laid the stairways leading to the room where HH Ganden Tripa Rinpoche was waiting. The staging room was regal. A small throne was enshrined specially for Rinpoche. As I walked into the room, he was the first person that caught my eye.

The traditional ceremonial scarf khata was handed to me as I kneeled on my knees making the obligatory prostration to a Buddhist teacher. As I moved towards Rinpoche, he put the khata around my neck. What he did next caught me by surprise - he placed his palms on my cheeks as a loving grandfather would to his grandson. He looked me into the eyes and let off a smile with love and kindness written all over it. There and then, a compassionate awakening beckoned. So this is how it felt to be embraced by the loving kindness of a guru from the Himalayas.

Rinpoche’s simple act rendered any preconceived ideas that I had of Tibetan Buddhism moot. Coming from a

Thai Theravāda tradition, could Vajrayāna Buddhism be a little too exotic and esoteric for a typical Malaysian? Losang Dragba Centre, where the interview was taking place, was an epitome of the rich and complex derivation of Tibetan Buddhism. The prayer wheels at the porch, the sand mandala at the door step, various deities and protector Bodhisattvas inside the main hall, the lotus flowers, conch shells, golden fish, victory banners, endless knots etc outlined the gamut of colors and symbolism which could easily overwhelm the senses of a neophyte. There seems to be so much to know and to learn. Where to start? Why Vajrayāna Buddhism need to be this complicated?

And therein lies my dichotomy: Amidst all these chaos of symbolism, could there be some simple sound bytes which define what it means to be a Buddhist? I asked Rinpoche if he could give me just two things that would encapsulate the essence of Buddhism. With that soft smile of his, he turned and said, “Nonviolent conduct and a correct view of dependent origination.”

“These are excellent things to remember all the time. Dependent origination should not be viewed from the aspect of abstract philosophy but in the understanding that everything is dependent on each other, for the sake of harmonious existence. All things are dependent. Ever more so in a multiracial and multi religious society like Malaysia. These teachings are not just for Buddhists. They benefit everyone”, Rinpoche further elaborated. As for non-violent conduct, which was pretty selfexplanatory, Rinpoche linked it to the spirit of Bodhicitta. He says:

“We start by understanding that all beings - not just humans - want the same thing. We all want happiness and not suffering. We need to equalize ourselves with others, seeing that we ourselves are the same with all sentient beings in wanting these very same things. “When you view yourself as one person and others are countless, you can easily see that the benefits of helping

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others are more worthwhile rather than just thinking about yourself. If you seek the mind of enlightenment, you are actually trying to achieve Enlightenment which is basically a state of mind that is free from all falsehoods. The mind that leads you there is naturally an altruistic one. It accomplishes this state not just for the sake of oneself but for all other sentient beings as well. Apply this in daily life and you will reduce egocentric behavior, reduce one’s own self-importance and become a more altruistic being.

“Going further, you realize that your whole livelihood depends on other beings’ existence. It is through their contributions that you get to enjoy life. Start by thinking that all your good qualities arise from cherishing others. It is easier to accomplish your own goals by putting others first. This principle applies not just only to humans but to all sentient beings as well.” And so there you are, two basic essence of Buddhism encapsulated by the clarity of a learned guru. The sound bytes can be further summarized into just two words: Compassion and Wisdom - different sides of the same coin which essentially makes the whole of a complete being. There are so many takeaways from this encounter. From the two basic essence we are implored to explore the gamut of qualities that will help us to attain enlightenment: selflessness, egolessness, altruism, reaching out, gratitude, empathy, interdependence. Taking these teachings into the context of our contemporary situation, can we learn to see how our thoughts and actions impact our well-being and the well- being of bigger things, such as matters on climate change, social inequalities and unsustainable growth?

Just as rich, colorful and elaborate symbolism define Tibetan Buddhism, the multitude array of our interconnected senses and consciousness define our relations with others, humans or otherwise. Practicing for oneself is important but more importantly, our practice needs to directly benefit other beings, not just in thought but also in action.

At the end of the interview, the katha remain wrapped around my neck. I could still feel the warmth of Rinpoche’s palms on my cheeks long after they had left them. I backed away from this wise teacher knowing that I am leaving with not just his warm compassion, but also the glowing wisdom that has been passed on to me, just as what has been passed on to Rinpoche in the long line of a great lineage stretching back to Je Tsongkhapa. The Gelug tradition is in good hands.

May all beings benefit from the wisdom of His Holiness the 104th Ganden Tripa Rinpoche.

The interview was conducted by the Buddhist Channel in conjunction with the 600 years celebration of Lama Tsongkhapa which was presided by His Holiness the 104th Ganden Tripa Lobsang Tenzin Rinpoch, held at the Chempaka Buddhist Lodge, Petaling Jaya from November 23-24, 2019. The Buddhist Channel would like to record its appreciation with Ven Shartse Khensur Jangchup Choeden and Ven Lobsang Tsundue, who helped translated Rinpoche’s answers into English.

Source: The Buddhist Channel, December 1, 2019. www. buddhistchannel.tv EH

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Conversions in the Family By Assoc. Prof. Dr. Punna Wong Yin Onn

A mother wrote to me in desperate hurt. Both her children had been converted by evangelists to another faith, causing her and her husband much pain and hurt. The husband even threatened to throw them out and disowning them, a concept found in Chinese culture when children are unfilial and disrespectful. They sought advice desperately and I was approached to see how I can help.

Dr Wong has been teaching Buddhism regularly in Malaysia and abroad for the last two decades. He had also spoken at several conferences on Buddhism held in various countries. He has a MBBS from University of Malaya, and obtained post-graduate qualifications in Internal Medicine. He has written books on medicine which are widely used by doctors and in universities. In 2016 Yin Onn wrote a book on Buddhism titled, “Walking in the Buddha’s Footprints”.

I wrote that I fully understand her feelings.

Any father and mother will find a child’s conversion to another faith heartbreaking, and yet, they must find a way to love each other despite the faith divide. In Malaysia, evangelical groups prowl around universities and colleges when the young are newly independent and relatively naive. Who will not find a simple message like “Ask and you shall be given, seek and you shall find” attractive? In our 20’s, many of us will begin searching for spiritual enrichment and the Buddhist community is relatively passive in propagation. Many youths like music and songs, both of which are keenly used in evangelism. Many youths crave. Give them what they want and they will follow.

Parents will naturally be devastated with developments like this. It challenges them to the very core, “Have we failed as parents in not educating the children in the Dhamma?” There will be fights, most bitterly at first. But the newly minted “neo-born again, know everything” youngster will quote that his religion’s founder himself had said the families will be split because of faith... and hence find the situation tolerable and a test of his resolve. Each side will contest the rejection of the faiths— deeply precious to each other. Equally divisive will be the break in the family “as a family”. But the elders in the new faith will rush over and offer a “new” family to them. Again, they will be told of tests and challenges, of the “clay that does not know the mind of the potter”. It is indeed frustrating for parents and relatives who try to intervene in the family crisis. The faith debate will become a dead-end argument for the two parties for the child is not listening. His mind is closed.

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I can from experience share that evangelists will cherry pick passages that they want the new convert to hear. I can only, without creating more animosity, advice that the young read their ‘Holy Scriptures’ wholly and objectively for themselves and not just what they are told to read. I had studied their scriptures seriously for 10 years and the more I studied, the more repulsed I became as I see the real picture.

What can the parents do except to continue walking in love in this present state of affair? The hurt will have to be wept over and let go of. The parents will have to stop mourning the child’s choice. Instead love him or her unconditionally as best as they can. A common fear of the parents is the worry that child is not going to “heaven” or a better rebirth when he/she dies? I can only reassure the parents that in the end, it is only Action/Kamma which is important, not words and labels of faith which affects the outcome. It is kamma, and kamma is created by people of all faiths. The reverse may well hold some truth too. Does the child worry about the parent’s future destination?

Each may desperately pray for divine intervention to guide family members to their own beliefs, each may think that only they know best. But the harsh truth is that Minds will be closed to any talk or discussion. The good news is that our actions speak so loud that no one can hear our words! Especially in this trying time when everyone is talking and no one is listening.

The parents must not get stuck in hurt and guilt. Instead, look at the entire picture of saṃsāra, understanding that rebirth gives us many opportunities to learn, that it is not a one shot in the dark game. All of us may well have acted in a similar role on the various stages we call the circle of life. Think about that!

Along the way, help each other to see the realities of nature, the Truths of life for wisdom and insight. All things are Impermanent including this crisis. The fact that a “not so bright” person like me could have invested years of my life in studying their scriptures and finally only understood after so many years, show that there is hope for all. Even delusion is impermanent!

In the meantime, the parents will have to try to stop grieving, worrying and arguing. Talk about things other than religion for the present for it is adding fuel to hurt. Do things together, live life together—share meals, go on vacation. And most importantly continue to love each other. It is this lesson which may finally dawn on their minds that the mother’s love is supreme, more so than any divine being seen or unseen, real or imagined. Please realize that loving someone is not compromise. Throwing them out of the family home is the worst thing anyone can do. Remember that Mettā as taught by the Buddha is unconditional.

It is not easy to resolve family conflicts. I advice that endless patience is the key, and empathy is equally important. It is important to hear each other out. And finally I reassure them that differences in faith may not keep each from being a loving member of the family, if only we let our ego down and just love.

What is the meaning of life? Before long, life ends in death, and whatever is worthwhile and good, should be done, without any delay; and this, is the meaning of life.

Source: originally posted in Facebook page of Metta Lodge Johor Bahru, and reprinted in Eastern Horizon with permission of author. EH

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Buddhism in the Internet Age By Vincent Horn

As we plunge more deeply into the Internet Age, the question of how rapid technological innovation is changing our understanding and practice of Buddhism naturally comes to the fore.

None of us is exempt from the challenge of maintaining presence in the midst of an always-on digital environment. Each of us must figure out how to live with a barrage of e-mails, social media updates, news articles and other information, and try to make some sort of coherent meaning out of it all.

For modern dharma practitioners, one question likely to arise in the midst of such an influx of stimuli is this: how do the practices of mindful awareness, lovingkindness and concentration relate to this light-speed Internet age? Is this new epoch making it harder or easier to realize the truths of the dharma here and now? After exploring the convergence of Buddhism, technology and culture over the past eight years through a project called Buddhist Geeks, I’ve come to see the emergence of three trends that could radically shape the future direction of Buddhism in the Internet Age. 1. Cloud-Based Sanghas The first trend is something that many of us are already familiar with. It started with the rapid growth of the Internet in the mid-’90s and has continued unabated since. This trend has to do with the way that Buddhist sanghas are going virtual. It started a couple of decades

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ago with practitioners connecting online via messaging boards, and then in the mid-2000s progressed to digital media (blogs, books and podcasts). In the last few years, online video software has increasingly made it possible for folks to interact in real time. This has brought about a growing community of practitioners who connect online and who may get all of their support from cloudbased sanghas. In the years to come, look for this trend to continue and for the geocentric community model, i.e., the notion that people get together to practice primarily in physical space, to wane (though probably not disappear). It is hard to imagine it now, but virtualreality and augmented-reality technologies are poised to bring about a level of immersiveness that feels nearly indistinguishable from in-person interactions. Whole sanghas will migrate online, and many new ones will start there. The benefits for these communities include being able to organize around ideas and people rather than geographical location. Other advantages also include the ability to participate in genuinely international groups, with a variety of perspectives coming to bear that were typically only available in very large cities. It will also lower the cost of participation, as there is a much lower fixed cost associated with maintaining virtual spaces than with physical ones. 2. Buddhism Unbundled The second trend has to do with the observation that Buddhism is currently being unbundled. This unbundling started with meditation being pulled out from the three trainings of ethics, meditation and wisdom. This happened in modern Burma with the Mahasi Sayadaw tradition (see Erik Braun’s recent book, The Birth of Insight), and also with the longstanding emphasis in the Ch’an and Zen traditions on the central importance of meditation. Such changes laid the groundwork for the extremely popular mindfulness movement and the further unbundling of mindfulness, one of the dimensions of meditation training, from Buddhist meditation itself. This unbundling has enabled all kinds of new possibilities — including these typically religious mind-training techniques entering various aspects of secular culture and recombining with new disciplines,

thus creating new mindful-hybrid approaches (such as mindfulness-based cognitive therapy within contemporary psychotherapy). It has also brought about many criticisms and concerns regarding mindfulness losing its liberative potential or becoming subsumed by the more negative aspects of capitalist culture. In the coming years, look for additional elements of Buddhism to become unbundled — such as compassion, concentration and even meditative insight. 3. Contemplative Technologies The final trend that relates to the convergence of Buddhism with the Internet Age is in the development of a whole host of new contemplative technologies — what could also be called technodelics. These technologies are in an early stage of development right now and are still relatively unimpressive in comparison to traditional techniques done over long periods of time. Emerging technodelics include things such as meditation apps, electroencephalography (EEG) headsets (such as those you might have seen in photos in recent years wired up to the scalps of Tibetan monks in Western neuroscience experiments), and physical sensors measuring different aspects of our biology, such as breathing, heart rate and skin conductance (measuring the amount of sweat on the skin).

As the field of contemplative science continues to develop and as our increasing understanding of the biology of contemplation converges with nextgeneration hardware — tools such as virtual-reality headsets, wearable computers, increasingly powerful EEG headsets and direct-current brain stimulation devices — be prepared to see the emergence of technologies that can actually enhance our ability to meditate. Several early prototypes and finished products in this field point to enormous possibilities, including an app called “Calm” that uses neurofeedback in the form of particular sights and sounds to help move you toward the state programmed into the app that corresponds with a calm experience. In the realm of finding even more digital calm, Yale researcher Judson Brewer is at work on one of the most exciting EEG projects currently in development:

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creating an application that gives real-time feedback on the activity levels of the posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) area in the brain. I spoke recently with a long-term meditator who has tried versions of the Yale/Brewer app. He was stunned to find that the feedback from his latest session was clearly related to an experience of selfless perception. Meditation teacher Shinzen Young has raved about the prospects of a technology called transcranial direct-current stimulation (tDCS) — a form of neuromodulation technology that can activate and deactivate particular areas of the brain with a mild electrical current:

Our current systematic ways of bringing people to stream entry could be described generically as twocomponent systems. We give people certain ideas (darshana), and we give people certain practices (sādhanā). I envisage the possibility that, in the future, there might be a third component added: science/ technology-based boosters (modern upāya). — Shinzen’s Blog, shinzenyoung.blogspot.com, July 25, 2012

I know it may sound like science fiction, as it did to me several years ago, but I suspect these contemplative technologies could usher in a new era of interest in consciousness that may make the human potential movement of the ’60s and ’70s pale in comparison. The opportunity I see for Buddhism is to provide a context of deep meaning, time-tested practices for working with difficulties, communities of intimate learning that can support the wise use of these technologies, and a space for continuing to explore what awakening means in this time and place. That these Internet Age forms of Buddhism will often look radically different from today’s forms is hard to doubt. But I think the focus will continue, by and large, to be on the diminishment of human suffering and the awakening of the most profound aspects of the heart and mind.

Vincent Horn is part of a new generation of teachers & thinkers translating age-old wisdom into 21st century code. He podcasts @Buddhist Geeks and teaches virtually through Meditate.io and locally at The Asheville Heart of Insight Community. Originally published at www.buddhistgeeks.com on August 3, 2015. EH

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Criterion of Knowledge: How to Know the Truth?

Buddhism envisage a universe with many domains of sentient existence spread out in boundless space and time, a universe in which sentient beings, due to their ignorance, roam and wander from life to life. We also learn that throughout beginningless time, many Buddhas in the past have arisen and turned the wheel of the Dharma, and that each Buddha attains enlightenment after cultivating spiritual perfections over long periods of cosmic time. When we approach the Dhamma we are likely to resist such beliefs and feel that they make excessive demands on our capacity for trust. Thus we inevitably run up against the question whether, if we were to follow the Buddha’s teaching, we must take on board the entire package of classical Buddhist doctrine. The question is therefore: how do we know what is true? We ask our three dharma teachers for their comments.

Traditionally Buddhism has posited two ways to access knowledge (pramāṇa): direct perception, and inference (anumāna). Can you explain with some simple examples this criterion for knowledge? Aggacitta: Rudimentary, non-interpretative awareness of what one’s six senses perceive falls under the first criterion. This can be linked to the Buddha’s instructions: (1) In the seen, there shall be merely the seen; in the heard, merely the heard; in the sensed, merely the sensed; in the cognised, merely the cognised. (1) (2) Having perceived anything with any of the 6 senses, one should not grasp at its signs and features. (2) Another example is spontaneous, intuitive understanding or insight (e.g. of the three characteristics and causality) resulting from the continuous practice of such bare awareness.

Inferential knowledge includes the extrapolation of the

insight gained by introspective awareness to all other things animate or inanimate. I would like to include another important criterion called sutamayā (derived from hearing or learning). This is essential for the practitioner to have the right view so that the practice of introspective awareness can result in impactful insights and inferential understanding.

Min Wei: In Buddhism, direct perception as correct knowledge means a direct cognition which could not possibly contain any error, whereas conceptualization was often considered to be the root of all evil and mental afflictions in the lives of ordinary human beings. Direct perception literally means to have direct awareness of something without intermediation from conceptualization or predispositions. This is a natural mode of function for the five sense consciousness. Direct perception is the easiest way to comprehend since it involves our senses directly. What we see, feel or hear helps us form a perception of things as they are. Our awareness is a result of sensory inputs that our sense organs — eyes, nose, ears, skin — send to the brain that interprets the sensory input and helps us identify things.

However, inference contains two aspects: inference for oneself and proof for others. For instance, seeing smoke, we know there is fire. Dharmakīrti asserted that direct perception and inference are the only valid kinds of knowledge and that, in the processes of the mind, cognition and the cognized belong to distinct moments. According to him, the object of inference is universal and the object of perception may be perceived by the five senses, by the mind, and by self-consciousness.

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Namgyal: In the Buddhist scriptures, particularly the sūtra sources for the field of pramāna, i.e. logic and epistemology, and the related commentarial works, one will find that the entirety of phenomena is divided into three categories: 1) Obvious; 2) Slightly hidden; and 3) Extremely hidden. This classification is based on their general accessibility or lack thereof to our senses. The first category includes phenomena such as books, trees, cups, smells, etc. that are directly perceptible to our five senses. The second category includes phenomena such as impermanence, selflessness, emptiness, etc. that though we can get some hint or inference about them through our senses, they are not directly evident to the ordinary senses and have to be verified through reasoning. The third category includes things such as the subtle workings of karma across lives or across a large span of time or space. That is, the minute details of what, when, how, where, with whom, etc. regarding a connection between a remote action and its subsequent result, not just a general idea about causation. In this regard, the truth of the matter have to be arrived at indirectly through several rounds or layers of rational thinking, ultimately though, grounded on a perceptible fact. This division into these three categories of phenomena is made from the perspective of an ordinary being, not a Buddha, to whom everything is obvious and directly perceived. We could also make a similar division into the three categories, but based on an individual’s capacity and/ or given situation. For example, the fire in front of an individual is an obvious phenomenon; he can perceive it directly. A fire totally covered behind a house in front of him is a slightly hidden phenomenon; he would have to rely on some other empirical evidence to arrive at an inferential cognition of it, like the observation of smoke. Lastly, a fire on the other side of the world is extremely hidden phenomenon to that individual, at that given time and place, warranting him to use much more indirect, multi-layered reasoning to cognize it. In the Kālāma Sutta, AN 3.65, the Buddha advised us not to merely believe but to know the truth for oneself. But how do we even begin this search if we are considered ignorant and unenlightened?

Aggacitta: The Buddha gave this discourse to people who were already bewildered by the diverse teachings of passing ascetics and brahmin priests. He therefore advised them not to merely believe, but to abandon those things that they personally know to be unwholesome, blameworthy, censured by the wise and not conducive to welfare and happiness. (Note that he did not make the often misquoted sweeping statement: Know the truth for yourself.) Then, instead of introducing yet another diverse doctrine, he used an empirical approach to ask them about some obvious ethical norms and the roots of how they could be violated. He managed to get them to agree, through their personal experience, that those roots of greed, hate and delusion were unwholesome, blameworthy, censured by the wise and not conducive to welfare and happiness. Conversely, they also agreed that their opposites were wholesome, etc. The Buddha then concluded that this was what he meant by personal verification of the unwholesome and wholesome, abandonment of the former and fulfilment of the latter.

For those sceptics who find the above so-called “Charter of Free Enquiry” inspiring, there is a discourse (3) in which the Buddha declared that there is a method through which one can attain arahantship without recourse to faith, liking, hearsay, intellection, or reasoned acceptance of (another’s) view. It is simply this: Having perceived anything with the 6 senses, one knows with right wisdom, whether or not there is greed, hate or delusion internally. Min Wei: There is no doubt that in the Kālāma Sutta, the Buddha firmly advised us not to accept something merely because it is a tradition or it is written down in scriptures. Likewise, we should not believe something as true just because the speaker is our teacher, guru or founder of one’s religion. In the Kālāma Sutta, the Buddha taught that none of these are sufficient reasons for truth. Instead, something is only worth considering as true if it has been investigated thoroughly and through direct experience. In this discourse, the Buddha pointed out the important message of independence in thought, study, understanding, practice, and the benefits of practice. However, it does not mean the kind of selfish independence that blindly does whatever we want.

FORUM Rather, we are adviced to think through thoroughly and try them out; then based on our personal experience, investigation, practice, and realization we can have proper beliefs, even though we are still considered ignorant or unenlightened practitioners.

Namgyal: We are considered ignorant and unenlightened, not about everything, but in the matter of cultivating causes for lasting and genuine peace as well as for avoiding causes for miseries and suffering. And we shall remain so if we do not make efforts to get rid of those obscuring conditions. The way to get rid of our ignorance and confusion is to gain understanding of the respective causes and conditions and, then, employ them to experience the outcome ourselves. Being content with just sharing the company of others who profess or experience the teachings, or by repeating the words of others to that effect is not enough. We must try out the teachings ourselves and find the truth about them experientially. So is the case about developing insights into the nature of things. We must make efforts to verify the truth of the related teachings by committing them to examination and practice. Scriptures have always been the source of truth for many religions. But again in the Kālāma Sutta, we are told not to rely on scriptural authority as a source of knowledge. Yet we learn the Dharma from the scriptures. So how should we regard our Buddhist canonical scriptures, as well as their many commentaries and sub-commentaries in our quest for the truth? Aggacitta: The Buddha’s discourses have always to be understood contextually. As I have already pointed out above, the people he was addressing were not Buddhists and since they were already perplexed by diverse teachings, he used an empirical approach to clear their doubts and concluded by teaching them the four Divine Abidings (brahmavihāra) leading to the four assurances of what might happen after death. Incidentally, they all became Buddhists at the end of the discourse. However, Buddhists who have taken refuge in the Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha should have no qualms about relying on the scriptures, particularly

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the canon. The major issue is how to decide when conflicting interpretations are encountered. This is not easy to resolve unless one is a Buddhist scholar and experienced practitioner, or one has a teacher or friend with such qualities. Nevertheless, as a rule of thumb, one should decide by following this hierarchy of scriptural authority: (1) explicit in the canon, (2) implicit in the canon, (3) explained in the commentaries, (4) any other interpretations, e.g. views of the elders found in the commentaries (Theravāda), or of the sub-commentaries, later teachers, scholars, etc. In other words, (1) is the foremost yardstick; if that is still unclear then proceed to (2), etc. Min Wei: According to the Buddha, a claim to knowledge cannot be based solely on one’s strength of faith in any authority or otherwise. It is for this reason that the Buddha adviced in the Kālāma Sutta not to rely on revelation, tradition, sacred scriptures, or the respect for a teacher. According to Buddhism, right knowledge is the knowledge of Noble Truths. It is knowledge which brings about a radical transformation of the person. There may be numerous other varieties of human knowledge that cannot, from the Buddhist perspective, be referred to as right knowledge because those forms of knowledge do not lead to self-transformation and liberation. The noble truths taught in Buddhism are invariably connected with cultivation of wholesome qualities and liberation of the mind. Namgyal: Here I’m reminded of the so-called four reliances, usually rendered in the following: Rely not on the person, but on the teaching; Rely not on the words, but on the meaning;

Rely not on the provisional meaning, but on the definitive meaning;

Rely not on the intellectual understanding, but on the experiential understanding.

This rendition, when taken literally, can create confusion. It may sound like suggesting that we cannot rely on the Buddha, the Sangha, and the scriptures. Only

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Dharma, in the form of inner realizations and degrees of riddance from the mental afflictions, becomes worth relying on, which it is in the final analysis. I think we can understand the above teaching in the following way:

Don’t just be content with meeting a personal teacher of whatever stature, rather strive to gain teachings from him or her; Don’t just be content with knowing the words of the teachings, rather strive to gain understanding of their meaning; Don’t just be content with understanding the provisional meaning of the teaching, rather strive to gain understanding of the definitive meaning of the teaching;

Don’t just be content with an intellectual understanding of the (definitive) meaning, rather strive to gain an experiential, embodied understanding of it.

Understood in this light, it is not so much about whether one can rely on the scriptural authority, rather it is more about what one should do upon encountering a scripture. Let the teachings of others be the guide to show the path, but the actual progress comes only when we begin to walk the path ourselves. Study, reflect, and meditate on the deeper meaning of the scripture and find out its truth through experience.

And yet we say the word of the Buddha (Buddha vacana) is the truth but if the scriptures in the Buddhist Canons, both its Pāli and Sanskrit versions, are not the word of the Buddha, where can we find the truth taught by the Buddha? Aggacitta: I wouldn’t say that the word of the Buddha is the truth; but rather, that it points to the truth. During the Buddha’s time, his discourses were remembered by the monks and transmitted orally, so they had to be summarized and stock passages used repeatedly, as it was impossible to remember his exact words. This continued for about 500 years until the teachings were written down. However, despite diverse dialects/ languages of recording, the passage of time, vast

geographical differences, and some minor differences in the contents of the suttas/sūtras in the scriptures currently available (i.e. the Nikāyas/Āgamas), the fundamental teachings remain remarkably consistent. But even more remarkable is that the Buddha’s root teachings related to spiritual cultivation can still be verified today by millions of practitioners. The worldwide mindfulness revolution bears testimony to this wondrous benefit, although just a fragment of the ultimate truth, that the Buddhavacana points to.

Min Wei: The term of Buddhavacana, from Pāli and Sanskrit, generally refers to the authentic teaching of the historical Buddha. In fact, not all the scriptures were spoken by the Buddha himself, as many of them were taught by his great disciples.

In Mahāyāna Buddhism, a teaching is considered Buddhavacana when it is compared side by side with what is found in the authentic sūtras and Vinaya. It is accepted as Buddhavacana when it has the Buddha’s words. For instance, in the Māhayāna tradition, the words of the Bodhisattvas could also be accepted as authentic Buddhavacana since they too conformed with the reality that is great enlightenment (Mahābodhi). This is explained in the Adhyāśayasañcodana Sūtra: “All which is well-spoken, Maitreya, is spoken by the Buddha.” The Sūtra qualifies the meaning of well-spoken (subhasita), explaining that all inspired speech should be known as the word of the Buddha if it is meaningful and not meaningless, if it brings about the extinction of afflictions and not the increase of afflictions, and if it sets forth the qualities and benefits of ‎Nirvāṇa, and not the qualities and benefits of Saṃsāra. Namgyal: The word of the Buddha is the truth and the scriptures in the Buddhist canons are reliable on their part. However, merely taking their words for it is not going to make for our progress along the path. One has to find the truth of the words by oneself through investigation and examination, and thereby confirm the truth of them through one’s own experience. That is how one is one’s own master and one’s own teacher in the real sense. Others can only do so much, but not walk the path for us.

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Buddhism is known as the most rational among many religions because it does not emphasize blind faith and belief but encourages us to investigate using our mind. But at the same time, the Buddha in the Sandaka Sutta, MN 76 also criticized those who used reason (takka) and logical argument (naya) to arrive at the truth. So when and how should we use reasoning in our approach of the truth? Aggacitta: Investigation is required before deciding whether or not to follow a teacher or his/her teachings. This is encouraged by the Buddha in Caṅkī Sutta (MN 95) and Vīmaṃsaka Sutta (MN 47). Part of the investigation is to ensure that the teaching is not just within the sphere of mere reasoning, but must lead to experiential understanding and realization. Min Wei: Buddhism is not based on any kind of metaphysical theory or on an authority founded on revelation or on an indirect proof related to a priori reasoning in the sense of logic. According to Buddhism, all these are unsatisfactory as means of knowledge. The Kālāma Sutta is also used for advocating prudence by the use of sound logical reasoning arguments for inquiries in the practice that relates to the discipline of seeking truth, wisdom and knowledge. We know very well that logic might work with measurable things, but most human conduct is immeasurable, as it is feeling-based: how do we measure love, desire, hate, ignorance, fear, and other such emotions. This is very clear in such situations as our desire to buy things, desire for pleasure, or our being motivated to do good or evil. That is why the teachings warn us, “Do not go by reasoned thought” and “Do not go by acceptance of a view after pondering on it.”

For the Buddha, reason was part of the raft the aim of which is to get one from this shore to the farther shore which represents liberation or enlightenment. Reason is useful only to the extent that it assists in this function. Hence, the Buddha’s evaluation of reason was pragmatic which is why he generally avoided metaphysical or logical speculations.

Namgyal: How I understand what Buddha was guiding us toward and warning us about, as reflected in the above, is that we do use logic and reasoning, however in a balanced and careful way. We would do well to not be complacent with them, absent of investigation against our own experience. Buddha encouraged us to check everything out in our own experience. We also must watch out to not settle on positions under the assumption they are supported by solid reasoning, when the logic isn’t consistent, and they are biased in the direction of one’s own beliefs. So, using logic, yes. In a balanced and careful way and checking it out in our own experience.

The Buddha rejected metaphysical speculations, and put aside certain questions which he named the unanswerables (avyākṛta), including questions about the soul and if the universe is eternal or not. Is it because there are no answers to such questions or their answers are not relevant for our spiritual quest? Aggacitta: The Buddha gave a simile of a man shot with a very poisonous arrow but who refused to be treated unless he knew the details of the man who shot him and so forth. (4) This shows the futility of asking speculative questions when the most urgent thing to do is to walk the Noble Eightfold Path to liberation. Min Wei: According to Buddhist Sanskrit texts, the “fourteen unanswerable questions” (avyākṛta) refers to fourteen common philosophical questions that Buddha refused to answer. They are questions that are not related to freeing oneself or helping us achieve liberation. Hence, the Buddha refused to answer them.

The Buddha told his disciples not to waste their time and energy in metaphysical speculations. Whenever he was asked a metaphysical question, he remained silent. Instead, he directed his disciples toward practical efforts. The Buddha wanted us to understand that the answers to those questions could only be found from experience, through contemplation and meditation. A meaningful story from the texts tells of a man struck by a poisoned arrow and the doctor wishes to take it

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EASTERN HORIZON | TEACHINGS

out immediately. But the man does not want the arrow to be removed until he knows who shot it, his age, his parents, and why he shot it. What would happen to him? If he were to wait until all these questions have been answered, the man would be dead by then. As life is short, the Buddha adviced that we should not spend our time in endless metaphysical speculation that does not bring us any closer to the truth. Namgyal: In the Tibetan Buddhist literature, we generally speak of 62 such so-called unanswered questions. Collectively enumerated in the Brahmājāla Sūtra, they’re believed to be questions presented to the Buddha by particular individuals with specific philosophical leanings, at different times when Buddha chose to keep silence instead of answering. It’s given that Buddha kept silent as he perceived that answering them one way or the other would have been harmful to those individuals in the long run. Since each of those questions were being asked under the presumption of one of the distorted views, answering the question was either going to further cement their view of eternalism or plunge them into nihilism. As the Buddha’s primary concern was to benefit others, answering those questions, on those occasions would not have achieved his purpose. Buddha, however, deals with those same topics at other appropriate occasions.

This brings us to the question if the Buddha’s approach to truth is purely based on the soteriological and therapeutic concern of ending suffering. We get a glimpse of this in such discourses as the Abhayarājakumāra Sutta, MN 58 where it is stated that the Buddha only speaks what is true, pleasant or unpleasant but useful, and in the parable of the arrow in the Cūḷamālunkya Sutta, MN 63. Does this mean that the Buddha is not interested in truth per se but only truth that can lead us to end our suffering? Aggacitta: Precisely so. He also reiterated this by saying that what he had taught was like the leaves in his hand, compared with what he knew which was like all the leaves in the simsapa forest. (5)

Min Wei: In this Abhayarājakumāra Sutta, the Buddha explains the criteria for determining whether or not something is worth saying. In this discourse, the Buddha not only refers to right speech, but also demonstrates the importance of right speech in action. The Buddha’s most important teaching is known as “The Four Noble Truths,” which is accepted within all Buddhist schools. In the teaching on the Four Noble Truths, the Buddha taught about “suffering and the end of suffering.” It is important to note that the Buddha did not just teach about the truth of suffering, but also the truth of the cause of suffering, the truth of the end of suffering, and the truth of the path that leads to the end of suffering. And they are called noble truths because they liberate us from suffering. They also form the foundation of Buddhism.

Namgyal: The Buddha always speaks the truth or speaks from a benevolent point of view, and never speaks out of a motivation to deceive, which would constitute a lie when what he says does not reflect the fact at hand. However, how he relates that truth or handles the situation depends on what is the most useful in a particular context. Therefore, the manner of his teaching is contextual, although at all given times what he speaks is never a lie. In the Vīmaṃsaka Sutta, MN 47, it is mentioned that truth can only be verified through direct experience. If this refers to meditative experience, what types of meditation would lead us to access the truth? Aggacitta: In Vijjābhāgiya Sutta (AN 2.30), the Buddha said that both samatha (serenity, stilling the mind) and vipassanā (distinct seeing) have a share in vijjā (gnosis). With samatha practice, the mind is developed and passion, a major obstacle in the spiritual quest, is abandoned. With vipassanā, paññā (wisdom) is developed and ignorance abandoned. Note that the term access the truth has to be understood in context: for vipassanā, it means experientially seeing the three characteristics of impermanence, suffering and not-self due to causality in conditioned phenomena; but for paññā, it means realizing the Unconditioned, Nibbāna, the ultimate truth.

TEACHINGS FORUM | EASTERN HORIZON

According to Tatiya-samādhi Sutta (AN 4.94), samatha is the practice for stilling the mind while vipassanā, for distinctly seeing the true nature of all conditioned phenomena.

Min Wei: I would say that mindfulness meditation will be closely related to our personal experience and will guide us to approach the truth. The Buddha taught that suffering comes from ignorance which refers to the misperceptions and delusions that our mind has about its own nature. Thus, the way to free the mind from ignorance is through gaining insight into what truly is.

One of the tools the Buddha taught for gaining insight is mindfulness, the ability to be fully aware in the present moment. Mindfulness enables one to go beneath the surface level of moment-to-moment life experience, which clearly sees the truth of what is happening. Mindfulness is thus the energy that helps us recognize the conditions of things that are already present in our lives. We don’t need to wait years to experience them as it is present in every moment of our daily life.

Namgyal: From what I understand, the path of the arya beings are the meditative experience being spoken of here. The arya paths consist of the path of seeing, which marks the first direct (mental) perception of the truth of selflessness and/or emptiness (depending on the level of tenet system one is dealing with), the path of meditation, and the path of no-more learning. These are the later three of the five paths. The first two are the path of accumulation and the path of preparation, both belonging to the ordinary beings on the path. All three of the above paths belong to the arya beings, who have actualized a corresponding level of true path and true cessation, thus leading to an unerring experience of the truth of the teachings in that one attains an actual state of an enduring realization together with an actual state of enduring freedom from the respective obscuration and defilements. This, in turn, leads to an affirmation of the authenticity of the Tathāgata in accordance with the Dharma. That is “how the Tathāgata is well investigated in accordance with the Dharma.”

Written by Geshe Dadul Namgyal and edited by Martha Leslie Baker. NOTES

1. Mālunkyaputta Sutta, SN 35.78, Bāhiya Sutta, Ud 1.10 2. The exhortation of sense restraint occurs repeatedly in many suttas 3. Atthinukhopariyāya Sutta, SN 35.153 4. Cula-Malunkyovada Sutta, MN 63 5. Simsapa Sutta, SN 56.31

Venerable Āyasmā Aggacitta is the founder of the Sāsanārakkha Buddhist Sanctuary (SBS) in Taiping, Perak, a Pāli scholar and a meditation teacher.

Geshe Dadul Namgyal is a Geshe Lharampa and senior resident teacher at Drepung Loseling Monastery in Atlanta, Georgia, USA Ven. Ming Wei is a teacher of e-learning at the International Buddhist College (IBC) and an independent translator of Buddhism. EH

EASTERN HORIZON | DHARMA THOUGHTS

Dharma Thoughts Vijaya Samarawickrama is an accomplished Dharma educator, teacher, and author. He retired after 60 years of teaching in schools, colleges and universities. However, he continues to give Dharma talks throughout the country, participates in inter-faith dialogues, speaks at various international seminars, and writes for Buddhist books and journals.

Happiness: Heaven or Nibbāna? By Vijaya Samarawickrama

One of the greatest paradoxes of human existence must surely be that while every single one of us desperately wants happiness it is one thing that no one on earth can claim to experience to any satisfactory degree for any length of time. The yearning for happiness is so pervasive that every religion that ever appeared on earth has promised its followers that this will be the ultimate reward when they are admitted to heaven provided that they had been ‘good’ and obedient to their creator’s will when they were alive, but the problem with this is that there is no empirical evidence to indicate that such a heaven exists at all. And this can be proven by the fact that no two religions can agree on what constitutes heaven. In order to overcome this somewhat uncomfortable truth followers are required to accept the possibility of heaven on the basis of Faith, as a result of which countless millions of people over the years pinned their hopes of happiness on heaven in the life to come although they had no way of verifying it. But not everyone was willing to go along with the herd. By the Buddha’s time in India alone there were broadly speaking no

less than sixty two different belief systems pertaining to the nature of this life and the next. Abraham Eraly summarizes some of these beliefs in Gem in the Lotus (2000): “Eternal is the world, this is the truth, all else is delusion. Others held not eternal is the world, this is the truth, all else is delusion. Others again held: this world is finite or the world is infinite or again body and soul are one and the same. Others said body and soul are different things……And each maintained that his own view was the truth, and that all else was delusion. So they lived quarrelsome, noisy, disputatious, abusing each other with words that pierced like javelins.” (p212)

Naturally of course all these differing views led to conflicting ideas on what constituted happiness and how it was experienced. Prince Siddhartha Gautama spent several years studying these various world views under different teachers and eventually dismissed them all because he discovered that they did not point to true happiness. The future Buddha began his own quest by rejecting all forms of speculation about existence and about beliefs which could

Dharma Thoughts not be verified by personal experience and empirical evidence. Throughout his ministry the Buddha adviced his followers to be guided by the evidence of personal experience and not to rely on the testimonies of others: “ But Kālāmas, when you know for yourselves, these doctrines and practices are wholesome, praised by the intelligent, undertaken and observed they lead to benefit and happiness, you should live by them.” (AN 3.17) This emphasis on personal experience and verification is encompassed in the description of the second component of the Triple Gem, the Dhamma, or the sum of the teachings: Well expounded is the Dhamma by the Blessed One To be self-realized With immediate fruit To be but approached to be seen Capable of being entered upon To be attained by the wise, each for himself

The greatness of the Buddha lies in his unsurpassable ability to reduce the highly complex mysteries of human existence to surprisingly simple terms, thus justifying his title as ‘satta devamanussanam’: teacher of gods and men. When asked to summarize his teaching which spanned a period of forty five years he declared simply: To do good To avoid evil To purify the mind This is the teaching of all Buddhas

And for this purification he prescribed very basic techniques which were within the grasp of even the simplest of minds. Describing his method he said that his teaching is like the ocean, very shallow at the beach but becoming progressively deeper as one develops the confidence to venture further. He taught that heaven was not some lofty

abode awaiting the faithful in the after-life as a reward for blind allegiance but a state of mind in the present comprising loving kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy and equanimity. He called them Brahmā Vihāra or Divine Abidings (heavenly states). Anyone could practice them with varying degrees of intensity and thus experience heavenon-earth. In the Kālāma Sutta (AN3.17) the Buddha declares that some one who lives suffused with the Four Brahmā Vihāras has four assurances: “If there is a world beyond, and kamma does take effect, then at death I will be born in heaven. If, however, there is no such beyond, then in this life I live sorrowless and free. Again, if evil kamma produces negative results, since I am blameless, evil cannot touch me. And finally even if evil kamma does not produce results then in both ways I hold myself pure.

Therefore the noble person who is free from hostility, affliction, untainted and purified in this very life receives these four assurances”.

Besides the Brahmā Viharās one can also develop wholesome states of mind which promote immediate happiness. The scriptures contain numerous teachings aimed at helping lay people to help them experience mundane happiness on a daily basis like the Sigālovāda Sutta, Dīghajāṇu Sutta, Mangala Sutta and Mettā Sutta, to name just a few of the best known ones. They encourage the development of basic values like humility, loving kindness, gratitude, kindliness, friendliness, filial piety, generosity, honesty, loyalty and truthfulness. It is not necessary to develop all these virtues all at once because that can be daunting. People are encouraged

EASTERN HORIZON | NEWS

to understand their natural tendencies and recognize which of these virtues they can practice more easily than others. Then as they progress the other virtues will be more easily developed. Eventually more can be added to the upward spiral which will culminate in the development of a noble being with god-like qualities. However it is important to note that this kind of happiness is not the final goal of the Buddhist path. The final goal is ‎nibbāna, a state which arises from the total purification of the mind by eradicating the three defilements of delusion, greed and hatred. According to the Buddha the reason why human beings cannot find happiness in this life is because they wrongly believe that happiness lies in the satisfaction of sensual desires. Giving in to the demands of the senses can only result in pleasure. But because pleasure is dependent on the senses which are in a constant state of change it is always unsatisfactory, leaving one constantly demanding for more. Therefore this ‘happiness’ is actually a source of suffering.

The Buddha teaches that true and lasting happiness can only come by seeing the illusory nature of sense pleasure and giving them up. When sense pleasure is given up the result is that the mind becomes calm and serene.

We can see from this that the Buddha refers to two kinds of happiness—the ‘ignoble’ which although desirable in the short term refers to mundane happiness. Because it is impermanent it is ultimately a source of disappointment and suffering. However, ‘noble’ happiness which comes with the attainment of nibbāna is not subject to change and is therefore irreversible. There are two kinds of happiness, O monks, Of the noble and ignoble -the noble is higher. Of bodily and mental happiness—the mental is higher. (AN 2:68-70). Happiness is a matter of the mind. Guard it well and heaven will be with you. But a greater happiness awaits you when you transcend the demands of this world. EH

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Group photo of the participants

2019 National Young Buddhist Fellowship Leadership Training Camp Ven. Zong Ping leading participants in a short meditation session.

Klang and Coast Buddhist Association 28.11.2019 - 2.12.2019

Welcoming the young Buddhist leaders in an appreciation ceremony

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Committee members and teachers having a group photo with invited speaker Wong Choon Tat

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