Blog of Buddhism Teacher

Both of these traditions and all of the schools can be found in the United States. Sometimes the different practices of Buddhism are incorrectly labeled ethnically or culturally, such as Korean Buddhism, Japanese Buddhism, Thai Buddhism, Tibetan Buddhism, etc. This is because as Buddhism spread to these different countries and cultures it absorbed some of each country’s traditions, ceremonial customs, and indigenous religious philosophies and beliefs. 

It is important to understand, however, that the basic Buddhist teachings of the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path, which include, but are not limited to the teachings of karma and samsara, are basically the same in all traditions and schools. Methods of practice, explanations of dharma and some interpretations may differ, but the importance of practicing metta and karuna (loving kindness and compassion with action) is stressed by the sangha and all dharma teachers in each tradition and in all schools. 

His Holiness the Dalai Lama refers to sunyata as “the knowledge of the ultimate reality of all objects, material and phenomenal.” Sunyata explains that everything is interrelated, interdependent and is without substance or soul.

Sunyata or emptiness does not mean that there is no existence of matter. It does not mean that there is no existence of feelings, perceptions or ideas. The five aggregates that comprise a sentient being, i.e., body, feelings, perceptions, mind formations or thought process, and consciousness, are impermanent, ever-changing and therefore empty. Forms or material things are compounded, the result of something else, the effect of a cause, and are therefore impermanent and empty.

Each of us is made of stardust, and even the stars are the result of something else. Can you imagine there being a beginning of anything and there being an ending? Name something that was not the result of something else and the cause of something else. How far back can we go in naming our ancestors? The human brain has a difficult time coping with the idea that there either is a beginning and an end, or that there is not.

The reason for the Buddhist teaching of emptiness is to loosen all attachments to views, stories and assumptions, leaving the mind empty of all greed, anger, and delusion; therefore, empty of suffering of stress, anxiety, frustration and unsatisfactoriness. 

When the body “dies,” it is the first aggregate of organic matter that is dead. The other four cannot experience death, because they are not material. They are the unseen and intangible essences, sometimes called energy or spirit. Some religions might refer to them as the soul, but in Buddhism the idea of a permanent, unchanging soul or spirit, is rejected.

What causes us to change? It is our intention, volition and action. Just as the seed we plant and nourish grows into its intended and resulting flower or fruit, so we grow into the result of the seeds “inside” us that receive our nourishment. We have many kinds of both positive and negative seeds in our “store consciousness.” Some are inherited from our ancestors. Choosing which seeds to nourish creates who we are to become. Because we control our decisions and actions, we also determine our destiny. By deciding what we do we are deciding who we are to be.

This process of choosing and doing is called karma. Karma is not something that someone has, because there is no someone. According to Buddhist teachings, what is mistaken for a “someone” is this ever-changing process. In short, karma is who and what each of us is. It is the answer to the question, “Who am I?” The answer: “I am karma.” 

Clever answers may be given to the question, what is nirvana. Answers may be explained in glowing terms, but no words can really give us an answer.  

Nirvana is beyond words, logic and reasoning. It is easier and safer to speak of what nirvana is not. It isn’t nothingness or annihilation of self, because the dharma teaches there is no self to be annihilated. 

In our attempt to explain it we use words which have limited meanings. It isn’t heaven; it isn’t purgatory, it isn’t Pure Land, and it isn’t the end. Nirvana is the Absolute Reality, which is realized through the highest mental training and wisdom. It is beyond the reach of the spoken or written word. 

The Buddha said: 

“It occurred to me, monks, that this dhamma I have realized is deep, hard to see, hard to understand, peaceful and sublime, beyond mere reasoning, subtle and intelligible to the wise. . . Hard, too, is it to see this calming of all conditioned things, the giving up of all substance of becoming, the extinction of craving, dispassion, cessation, nibbana. And if I were to teach the dhamma and others were not to understand me that would be weariness, a vexation for me.” 

This is a clear indication from the Buddha himself that the extinction of desire (nirvana) is difficult to see, difficult to understand. 

Buddhists call nibbana the Supreme Happiness, that it is the total absence of dukkha, that it is truth and reality. 

Ven. Dhammapiya concludes, “Finally it is my contention that although a partial understanding is possible with a philosophical approach, without having personal experience of the meditative practice, one will not truly understand what the word nibbana really means.” 

One last comment: One doesn’t have to die to experience nirvana. Most of us already have had momentary glimpses of it. I am partial to this quotation from the famous Lebanese – American writer Kahlil Gibran: 

“Yes, there is a Nirvana: it is in leading your sheep to a green pasture, and in putting your child to sleep, and in writing the last line of your poem.” 

In Huston Smith’s book, Forgotten Truth (1976, chapter 4, The Levels of Selfhood), the author retells a Sufi story taken from Tales of the Dervishes. The story is titled, The Tale of the Sands. It can be found on the Web, but Huston’s book is available in paperback at Amazon.com. I highly recommend the book and the “Tale” for insight into the meaning of samsara. 

For instance, among the many sutras favored or considered of great importance in the Mahayana tradition are three; they are known as the Diamond Sutra, the Lotus Sutra, and the Heart Sutra. Sutras are available in books and audio tapes, as well as on a variety of websites on the Internet. 

The cycle of life is one of unsatisfactoriness, caused by ignorance, which in turn causes one to crave for things one feels will alleviate the unsatisfactoriness. This is a mistake, for only by reaching a state of desiring nothing can one attain true happiness. To reach this state one must turn inward, master one’s own mind and find peace within.

There are many books available relating the life story of the Buddha. However, it is sometimes difficult to separate the true facts of his life from fictional interpretations or from legendary stories. The Buddha was not a god; he was a man – a man who searched for and found enlightenment; a man who was asleep, but who woke up.

While the life of the Buddha is interesting, it is his dharma (teachings) that is most important. 

The “Buddhism Teacher” actually could be called the “Dharma Teacher”, for it is the structure of Buddhism that is used to present acceptable “truths” or facts found in other teachings, including some religions, philosophies and psychologies.

It is not consistent with Buddhism’s dharma to be attached to Buddhism. This dharma, which teaches equanimity, non-attachment, tolerance, patience, compassion, loving kindness and emptiness would also be teaching bigotry if it were to exclude other enlightened and wise teachings. The basic dharma of Buddhism is “oneness.” Oneness includes, rather than excludes.

The growing interest in Buddhism in the western cultures, is partly due to the way the dharma is structured in the Four Noble Truths . . . so simply and reasonably stated, so seemingly logical and easy to understand, and so appealing to the intellect of searchers for an understanding of life and one’s place in it. 

Solidity is the element of expansion. Because of this element objects occupy space. Seeing an object is seeing it extended in space and we label it. he element of expansion is in solids, as well as in liquids. When we see a body of water, we are actually seeing solidity. The hardness of rock and the softness of paste, the quality of heaviness and lightness in things are qualities of solidity; they are states of it.

Fluidity is the element of cohesion. This element holds the particles of matter together. The cohesive force in liquids is so strong that they coalesce even after their separation. Once a solid is broken up or separated the particles cannot coalesce again, unless they are converted to liquid. This is accomplished by increasing their temperature, such as is done when welding metals. The object we see is a limited expansion or shape, which is made possible through the cohesion.

The element of heat or temperature is transmitted to the other three primaries. It preserves the vitality of all beings and plants. When we say that an object is cold, we only mean that the heat of that particular object is less than our body heat. It is relative.

Motion is the element of displacement and is relative. To know whether a thing is moving or not we need a point which we regard as being fixed, so the motion can be measured. Since there isn’t a motionless object in the universe, stability is also an element of motion. Motion is dependent on heat. Atoms cannot vibrate when there is no heat.

These Primaries are always co-existing and give birth to other phenomena and qualities; among them the five senses and their purposes: the eyes, which see; the ears, which hear; the nose, which smells; the tongue, which tastes; and the body or skin, which feels.

The second is the Aggregate of Feeling or Sensation. Feelings can be either pleasant, unpleasant or neutral and they arise from contact. Such contact as seeing something, hearing something, etc., creates an idea or thought, and we get a feeling about that idea or thought. An arising feeling cannot be prevented.

Feelings differ from person to person. We don’t all feel the same way about the same thing. Our feelings are dependent on our experiences and the way we process information. Not every person processes information in the same way, nor do they come to the same conclusion. And our feeling can and do change during our existence.

The third is the Aggregate of Perception. This aggregate perceives or recognizes both physical and mental objects through its contact with the senses. When we become aware or conscious of an object or idea, our perception recognizes its distinctions from other objects or ideas. This distinction makes us familiar with the object or idea when we sense it in the future. Perception is what enables memory. They can also be deceptive, and they too change during our existence.

A familiar Buddhist illustration tells of a farmer, who after sowing a field, sets up a scarecrow for protection from the birds, who usually mistake it for a man and will not land. That is an example of the illusionary possibilities of perception; this aggregate can produce false impressions. A perception can become so indelible on our mind that it becomes difficult to erase.

The fourth is the Aggregate of Mental Formations or Thought Process. This aggregate includes all mental factors except feeling and perception, which are two of the possible fifty-two mental factors noted in Buddhism. These factors are volitional; no action produces change or karma, unless there is intention, volition (choice), and action. Contact through the senses brings about the necessity of choosing an action and the action we choose depends upon our thought process, which is the result of our experiences and our individual evolution, including that of gaining or loosing wisdom.

The fifth is the Aggregate of Consciousness, the most important of the aggregates, because it is where the mental factors wind up. Without consciousness there can be no mental factors; they are interrelated, interdependent and coexistent.

The mind and its faculty is not something physical. It is concerned with thoughts and ideas. Forms are seen only via the eye, not via the ear, whose faculty of hearing is not that of the eye, etc. Thoughts and ideas belong to the faculty of the mind. The senses cannot think, nor can they mull over ideas, choose possible actions and arrive at conclusions.

Consciousness is made possible through the interaction of the senses. Thoughts and ideas originate in the mind, which in Buddhism is called the sixth sense. The five aggregates are not permanent; they are ever subject to change, and they do change as we experience life.

A human is composed of mind and matter, and according to Buddhism, apart from mind and matter, there is no such thing as an immortal soul, an unchanging “thing” separate from these five aggregates.

Thus, the combination of the five aggregates is called a being which may assume as many names as its types, shapes, and forms. According to Buddhism’s dharma, a human is a moral being with both positive and negative potentials. We make choices concerning which of these potentials we choose to nourish thereby becoming a part of exactly who each one of us is, in terms of characteristics, personality traits, and disposition. It is the potential of each human to gain wisdom and enlightenment. Buddhism teaches that each one of us is the architect of our own fate, and we will reap what we sow. 

Upekkha, Equanimity: May all beings always be free from the poisons of judgment, attachment and anger, and may they always understand that things are as they are, but not indifferent and unwilling to make them better.

Following the Eightfold Path is an evolutionary process through many states of spiritual development until the ultimate goal is reached, which is enlightenment. 

Practically the entire teaching of the Buddha is concerned in some way or other with this Path. The Buddha explained it in different ways and in different words to different people, according to the stage of their development and their capacity to understand it. 

All eight elements are linked, and each helps to cultivate the others. They are not listed in order of importance, nor are they to be followed one at a time. They should be followed to the best of one’s ability all at the same time. When practiced, when you try to live your life by using these guides, you are perfecting the three essentials of Buddhist training, namely: Ethical Conduct (Sila), Mental Discipline (Samadhi) and Wisdom (Panna). 

Practitioners of the Paramitas are concerned about the welfare of all beings. Therefore they: 

1. strive to help others to be happy and secure by giving, without first investigating whether or not they are worthy,
2. avoid doing them any harm by observing morality,
3. strive toward performing tasks without hope of obtaining wealth, fame or privileges, and avoid the seeking of pleasures so that morality can be perfected,
4. strive for insight, for wise and clearer understanding of what is beneficial and injurious to themselves and others,
5. constantly exert energy and enthusiastic effort for the happiness of themselves and others,
6. practice patience through compassion and lovingkindness by realizing the imperfections of ourselves and others,
7. strive to be reliable, honest, truthful and dependable by not breaking promises, pledges or oaths,
8. are determined to work constantly for the welfare of ourselves and all beings,
9. reflect lovingkindness and compassion through the practice of kind and helpful acts toward all beings,
10. harbor no thoughts of expectation or reward for our actions through the practice of equanimity.

The Buddha, or the Enlightened One, is the teacher who discovered, realized and proclaimed to the world the law of deliverance, which is the rescue from one’s own enslavement, danger and ignorance. The dhamma is the law or truthful and practical deliverance, and the sangha is the community of the disciples or followers, who have realized or are striving to realize the law of deliverance. 

A deeper meaning or interpretation of these Three Gems is that when one takes refuge in them, he/she is calling upon one’s own buddhanature, the potential buddha within each one of us, to dominate when deciding our intentions, choices and actions. He / She also is taking refuge in truth and enlightenment and in those who are or who seek to be enlightened. 

The Threefold Refuge or pledge, when given or taken in the ancient language of Pali, still used in the Theravada tradition, is a beautiful sounding chant than can be heard in temples throughout the world. It is easy to memorize, because there are really only five words to remember. Then you can chant it along with the temple monks. 

The earliest writings of the texts were on long, narrow leaves, sewn together on one side and bound in bunches, then stored in baskets, therefore the origin of the name, the Three Baskets.

Vinaya Pitaka – Discipline Basket
The first basket, the Vinaya Pitaka, explains and analyzes the R and Rs set forth for the monks and nuns to follow in their monastic life. The several hundred regulations are concerned with basic morality, but include details on robe-making, monk and nun interaction, and other essentials for successful life in the sangha.

Sutta Pitaka – Discourse Basket
The second basket, the Sutta Pitaka, is similar to a transcription of the conversations between the Buddha and the monks and nuns, the Buddha’s sermons and verbal discourses and teachings. Additional information about the Suttas (Pali) or Sutras (Sanskrit) are discussed under those titles.

Abhidhamma Pitaka – Philosophy Basket
The third basket, the Abhidhamma Pitaka, which means further or special teachings, is a systematic philosophical and sometimes “scientific” description of the nature of mind, matter and time.