EDITORIAL
Non-Attachment, Apathy, and Compassion His Holiness the 17th Gyalwang Karmapa, Ogyen Trinley Dorje, was at Harvard University in early April 2015 when he said that apart from epidemics, wars, violence and starvation, there is another source of disaster that is often overlooked - a lack of love, or apathy. He explained that a lack of love can cause people to have no help when help is needed and no friends when a friend is needed. So, in a sense, the most dangerous thing in the world is apathy. We think of weapons, violence, warfare and disease as terrible dangers, and indeed they are, but we can take measures to avoid them. However, once our apathy takes hold of us, we can no longer avoid it.
shouldn’t be attached to anything, then we end up with ideas like, “Well, I can’t be a Buddhist because I love my wife and children, and I am attached to them. I just can’t let them go. I can’t send them away.” Those kinds of thoughts come from the view that you shouldn’t be attached. But the recognition of attachment doesn’t mean that you get rid of your family. It means you free yourself from wrong views about them. Then you find that there’s love but it’s not attached. It’s not distorting, clinging, and grasping. We are quite capable of caring and loving others in the pure sense of love. But any attachment will always distort that.
The question that has often been asked is whether apathy or indifference is a form of non-attachment that is often taught in Buddhism. If indeed non-attachment is similar to apathy, then it is contradictory to love and compassion.
For instance, if we are attached to our children, we don’t really love them because we are not with them as they are. We will have all kinds of ideas about what they should be and what we want them to be. With this attitude, we are not truly loving them because if they don’t fulfill our wishes, we feel angry and frustrated and averse to them. So attachment to children prevents us from loving them. But as we let go of attachment, we find that our natural way of relating to them is to love. We find that we are able to allow our children to be as they are, rather than having fixed ideas of what we want them to be.
His Holiness the Dalai Lama explained that there are two types of love or compassion. Firstly, there is love that is based on attachment, which tends to be partial, limited, and biased, and is based very much on the consideration that the object of one’s affection is someone who is dear or close. This is attachment and not compassion. On the other hand, genuine compassion is love that is boundless and free from such attachment. One of the best explanations on the subtle difference between attachment and compassion is explained by Ajahn Sumedho in his book, The Mind and its Way. He said we must first recognize what attachment is, and then we can let go of it. That’s when we realize nonattachment. However, this does not mean we shouldn’t be attached. The point is not to take a position against attachment but to observe and ask questions like “does being attached to things bring happiness or suffering?” Then we will develop the insight to see the nature of attachment and learn to let go of it. If we think we
So when we understand the true meaning of nonattachment, expectations will no longer rule our lives. Emotions will arise, but we will have space. Emotions don’t catch and torment us every time. We relate to the world as it is rather than to our concepts about it, which never bring lasting happiness. When we have clarity of mind, we will see through to the truth of things. That’s when we truly see the problems of this world and this will evoke compassion rather than apathy.
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Contents 04
11
04
Lead Article The Grit that Becomes a Pearl by Thanissara
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24 17
may 2015
30 22
38
fACE TO FACE Buddhism and the Gender Issue by Ven. Jampa Tsedroen
Teachings Dzogchen Practice in Everyday Life by Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche
41
17
Bujang – The Lost World of Malaysia by Prof. David Blundell
The Answer to Anger and Aggression is Patience by Ven. Pema Chodron
46
22
Spiritual Practice and Worldy Pursuits by Ven. Khenchen Tsewang Gyatso
Personal Reflection Bible Belt Buddhism by Jim Owens
48
26
Endless Knot – Understanding the Nature of Life by Venerable Miao Jing
FEATURE Guide to a Buddhist Wedding Ceremony by Dr Wong Yin Onn
50
Buddhist Marriages by Vijaya Samarawickrama
32
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The Basis of Shin Buddhism by Rev. Naoyuki Ogi
Issue no.46
40 38 32
50 48 41
Eastern Horizon Many Traditions, One Wisdom.
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MAY 2015 ISSUE NO. 46 (Published 3 times a year)
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BOOK REVIEW by Gary Gach
eastern horizon publication board chairman editor
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TEACHINGS
The Grit That Becomes a Pearl Dukkha, explained By Thanissara
Thanissara with husband Kittisaro, a fellow dharma teacher.
Thanissara (in the middle)
Thanissara (Linda Mary Peacock) comes from
One of the essential messages of the Buddha is that it’s really important to get to know the experience of dukkha, or dissatisfaction. Not to know it intellectually, not to write a thesis about it, but to get to know it by meeting this experience directly. Until we know dukkha, we don’t really have a way to end it. The discourse of the four truths that the Buddha gave after his awakening begins not with enlightenment, but with the encouragement to know dukkha, to know it in order to overcome it.
an Anglo-Irish family in London. She started
Buddhist practice in a Burmese school in 1975. She was inspired to ordain after meeting Ajahn Chah and spent 12 years as a Buddhist nun
where she was a founding member of Chithurst Monastery and Amaravati Buddhist Monastery. Thanissara has taught meditation retreats
internationally for the last 25 years and has an
MA in Mindfulness-Based Psychotherapy Practice from Middlesex University & the Karuna Institute in the UK. She is co-director of Dharmagiri
Meditation Centre (www.dharmagiri.org) and coauthor, with Kittisaro, of Listening to the Heart, A Contemplative Journey to Engaged Buddhism. Thanissara lives between the USA and South Africa.
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To know the experience of suffering can sound fairly straightforward. But the mind is pretty slippery around the experience of dukkha. We tend to say, “The problem is it’s too hot or too cold, or it’s the situation I’m in, or because I got so screwed up when I was a kid, or it’s my partner, or my job.” Of course external factors contribute to our happiness or suffering; we don’t need to dismiss the factors that shape our lives— but in Vipassanā we’re not trying to figure out where the dukkha came from. Instead, we work with pain and
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suffering as we experience it, without blaming others, repressing it, or projecting it inward onto our self. Meeting dukkha in this direct way doesn’t preclude challenging or changing our individual or collective circumstance, but it does empower us to stop unnecessary suffering right at the place we experience it, which is the mind. When we experience dukkha, our first instinct is to move our attention away and distract ourselves. We have billion-dollar industries based on entertainment and consumption keeping us distracted from this core truth of life. But are we more content? Conversely, we can become addicted to pain, finding ourselves repeatedly gravitating toward worry, old wounds and resentments. We can even wallow in suffering, our own and others’. Some people become sufferers, great martyrs thinking “no one suffers as much as me—let me just tell you about it.” We all have complex reactions to this everyday experience of unsatisfactoriness. Often, those reactions are personalized as “my problem.” It is very common for the mind to project suffering onto the “self”, interpreting dukkha as a personal failure: we are failing because we suffer. Or the mind will project our suffering onto those around us; it’s somehow “their fault.” In this activity of projection and blame, we miss how the mind itself generates an endless stream of dukkha through its inability to accept self, others, and life as it is. In short, it’s our reactivity that generates dukkha, keeping us agitated and therefore unable to contemplate the actual, direct, here and now experience of it. The Buddha’s way of explaining dukkha is a great relief. He didn’t say, “Well, it’s your suffering, it’s your fault.” Nor was his teaching, as it is sometimes articulated, “This world’s just a pile of suffering.” That’s pretty negative. Actually, he put it in a very dispassionate way. He just said, “There is dukkha.” Just as one might comment on a fact of nature, saying “It’s raining hard today” or “The trees are shedding their leaves.” Dukkha is inherent within the conditioned realm. Conditions mean anything that emerges from formlessness and comes into form, whether it’s the body, feelings, perception, thought, or sensations.
Whatever form emerges, dukkha is inherent. Things are dukkha because they are impermanent and therefore unreliable. Actually, dukkha is natural and not suffering. It becomes suffering when the mind identifies with phenomena and grasps. The meaning of dukkha that conveys this process is derived from the breakdown of the word into du, which means “apart from” and kha—or akash—which means “space.” This gives the sense of being apart from the spacious, the perfect, and the complete. In this way dukkha conveys the deepest anguish and dilemma of the self, which is its state of separation from the whole. In meditation, when we bring attention to “now,” it allows whatever is present to be real to us. For example, we notice the breath, the body, our feelings, and whatever impinges upon our senses. Attention illuminates whatever is here, which is often the experience of dukkha. Usually, even at a very subtle level, there will be some sense of discontent, anxiety, or restlessness. It’s important to know dukkha, not to obsess about it, but just to meet it. It’s important because if we don’t know it, we continue to generate dukkha from false assumptions. We actually make dukkha; the mind habitually and unconsciously generates it.
Dukkha is different from pain. Buddhist teachings make a distinction between pain and suffering. Pain is part of our human experience. For example, getting sick is painful, as is grief at the loss of a loved one; this is natural and appropriate. However, we then tend to generate a whole extra layer of suffering, through our difficulty in accepting how things are. When we resist the natural flow of life we create suffering, stress, and struggle. When we assume ownership and permanence in a world that is constantly changing, we become burdened. In essence, it is the ignorance of the mind, when it doesn’t see the true nature of reality, that produces suffering. And so, our relationship to “how it is” becomes the conditioning factor for either generating or reducing suffering. We are doing the suffering; no one is doing it to us. It is because of this that we can free ourselves from unnecessary dukkha. This is not always easy to do.
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TEACHINGS
Having loved enough and lost enough, I am no longer searching, just opening, no longer trying to make sense of pain, but being a soft and sturdy home in which real things can land. These are the irritations that rub to a pearl. ~ Mark Nepo
“How it is” can really challenge us. Yet even though it is difficult, this is a doable practice, otherwise the Buddha would not have taught it for regular people like us.
For example, I suffered when the unethical behavior of someone I trusted came to light. It had a devastating impact. I felt betrayed. The theme of betrayal became a powerful contemplation, particularly as there was no resolution. In the end, this situation taught me a lot. I kept reflecting on where the suffering really was. Was it in the behavior of the other, in the divisiveness that followed, in the blame that was projected? I wanted more truth to come out, but it didn’t, it stayed hidden in a web of lies. When lies are covered up, it leaves those abused without recourse to justice. This is a powerful theme that runs through human history: people manipulating others for their own ends, while at the same time distracting from their behavior by shifting blame elsewhere. We’d be 6 | EASTERN HORIZON
naive not to understand that the conversion of lies to “truths” is pervasive in contemporary political and corporate culture. When comprehended correctly, such experiences become the sharpening for our wise realization. To have a conscious relationship to suffering is different than having an unconscious one. We will all experience pain, simply due to our incarnation into form. It is part of being human. We experience bodily pains, ill health, fatigue, hunger, thirst, and as we get older we will feel the pains of aging. That’s just the way it is. Freedom from dukkha doesn’t mean eternal youth, or that we are never going to have a headache, never going to feel irritation, or loss, or get betrayed and hurt by others. Freedom from dukkha is not abdication from the human race, but a deeper acceptance of how we are, an acceptance that brings both equanimity, and also a clearer response.
TEACHINGS
Dukkha is also categorized as the pain of things ending. Even within pleasant experiences there is dukkha, because the nature of conditioned things is to pass. All things already have their endings within them. If we become attuned to this, then we can appreciate the moment. We can appreciate the extraordinary fact of our unique and precious lives. We can even appreciate dukkha, rather than resisting it. We understand that the experience of suffering is a portal to our awakening. We don’t wish for suffering, but once we understand how to be in relationship with it, it becomes the means through which we mature as loving and wise people. The Buddha placed the contemplation of dukkha at the heart of his teaching. The foundation of Buddhist teaching is formulated around his four noble truths: “There is dukkha,” “Dukkha has a cause,” “Dukkha has an end,” and “The eightfold path which brings about the ending of dukkha.” Each of these truths has a corresponding practice. In response to the first truth, the practice is to “meet, understand, and contemplate” dukkha. The practice for the second truth is to “let go or abandon” the causes of dukkha. The third is to “realize or recognize” the end of dukkha, and the fourth is to “develop or cultivate” the path leading out of dukkha. Sometimes this teaching is misrepresented as a negative view on life, such as “Buddhists are just into suffering.” Actually, it’s a very positive message, as it says we can do something about the dukkha we unconsciously generate and then experience. This simple teaching is actually extremely profound and direct. It offers a clear diagnosis of the fact of suffering, an insight into the causes of suffering, and a remedy and cure for suffering. The four noble truths may not be a very fashionable teaching, but it’s an extremely profound one. Wherever we are, when dukkha arises, we have a pathway to peace. In calming meditation, we develop strength of mind through the practice of steadying attention on the breath, body, or our chosen object of contemplation. In insight meditation, we take that same strength of attentiveness and bring it directly to the experience of dukkha, as it is felt within the body and heart. We do this in a very particular way,
by neither justifying nor trying to fix the pain, neither being overwhelmed nor shaped by it, nor repressing or distancing ourselves. The art of meditation is to meet dukkha directly, to breathe with it, and inquire into it. This is ultimately less painful than avoiding it. I remember as a young nun I suffered a lot. I trained in a male monastic hierarchy deeply ambivalent to the presence of nuns. Initially, I didn’t see the impact, but as time went on, I noticed it generated a painful and divisive power dynamic. I was grateful to live as a monastic, but the fine line between “training” and the blunt use of power was unhealthy—particularly when as nuns, we had no agency in the decisions that shaped our lives. However, there wasn’t much I could do about the situation. Basically, it was just a lot of suffering. One day, I was contemplating the pain in my heart due to some new rules that had been handed down without consultation, which I found churlish. I was just right there, holding attention to the sensation. It felt like a knife in my chest and a hand around my throat. It was very visceral, and although the trigger was a controlling hierarchy, the feeling felt ancient. It was the familiar pain of powerlessness. In the middle of my walking meditation, I stopped and stretched out my arms like Jesus on the cross, and screamed out, “I accept this suffering!” It sounds dramatic (and somewhat inflated), and fortunately I was well hidden in the monastery forest! But something profound happened. I realized I could be with a painful dynamic and not suffer. My suffering was there because I didn’t want things the way they were. In my acceptance, the suffering turned to compassion. I felt compassion for the monks and nuns, for myself, for everything and everyone. Meeting experience as it is empowers. We may not always be able to change a challenging situation, but we can be better resourced to engage with it. Ajahn Chah came from a farming community in Northeast Thailand and left school at thirteen. He tended to put things in unacademic, immediate, and straightforward ways. He often pointed to the fact that dukkha arises because the mind is caught up in
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“wanting and not wanting.” We want what is not here and don’t want what is here. This is very simply put and yet challenging to really see. However, framing it like this, Ajahn Chah points to a direct practice. With some steadiness of mind, we can reflect on desire, and its internal narrative of always wanting things to be different from what they are. We frame our experience: “I don’t want it to be like this; I want it to be different.” Each moment we want, long, wait, and look for something that is not there, we generate dukkha. Conversely, when there is resistance or aversion to how it is, we generate dukkha. We resist what is “now.” The push and pull of the mind undermines our capacity for contentment. When we look into the second truth of desire and aversion, we get perspective. What we struggle with can be okay. It is workable. We can work with all of it, people blaming us, pains in the body, emotional turmoil—instead of continually adding dukkha through our judgment, “It shouldn’t be like this.” 8 | EASTERN HORIZON
A lot of the time we feel, “It shouldn’t be like this!” It should be somehow different. We should be in a heaven-like world. But we weren’t born into heaven; we were born in this world, with its wars, environmental degradation, suffering, exploitation, difficulty, and pain. Accepting the reality of dukkha isn’t an abdication from response, it is a way to understand that the most effective way we can change the world is through the quality of our own awareness. As we work to resolve our personal dukkha, we lessen the possibility that our actions will increase the suffering that already exists. When Kittisaro was a novice monk, just before his full ordination, his parents took a trip to Thailand, all the way from Chattanooga, Tennessee, to find out what he was doing. In the process they met Ajahn Chah. Kittisaro’s father is a very astute political observer and at that time he was concerned, as were most Americans, with the war in Vietnam and the threat of communism. He was concerned that the monastery,
TEACHINGS
which was on the border of Laos, would be invaded by communist guerillas. Ajahn Chah said that the thing he should really worry about was the “communist guerrillas in the mind.” I guess nowadays he would have pointed us back to the “terrorists of the mind.” This is where we begin and end. We take everything back to the mind. As we experience life, all sorts of feelings, thoughts, and reactions arise. Our problem isn’t so much “what is” but our relationship to what is. When I consider my own suffering, so much of it comes from the fact that I simply cannot accept life, and people as they are. I get upset by what people do. Ajahn Chah said it’s like hollering at a person who upsets you. Then someone comes up and says, “You know, that person is crazy.” You relax, because suddenly there’s perspective. Until we are mature human beings, we’re all a little crazy; we all produce suffering. So it means we are going to learn patience! The ongoing inquiry into the nature of suffering is a patient process. These four truths are a deepening hologram: wherever we touch them we enter the process of contemplation. When we locate clinging, desire, and aversion, then, as encouraged by the Buddha, we let go.
Letting go is the third noble truth. Vipassanā insight meditation reveals where we hold on. Where we hold on, right there is dukkha. Right where there’s dukkha is the place of letting go. In insight meditation we contemplate the nature of suffering and its release. Actually, the mind in its natural state is open, aware, and present. It is reflective. But the mind, when tinged by ignorance, has a tendency to constrict around thought-forms and desire, generating a sense of self that feels “It’s not enough” or “I’m not enough.” Our lack of inner freedom is often born from this feeling of “not enough.” The constriction around “I need to be something more” or “I don’t want what is here” is a constant irritation. Ajahn Chah likened it to a dog with mange. He goes into the shade, to the heat, from place to place, running around everywhere trying to find relief, scratching here, scratching there. The dog keeps feeling each place is the problem, not realizing his discomfort is due to his own skin.
In a moment of just stopping and relinquishing our addiction to “wanting and not wanting,” a whole other dimension opens up. When the cause of dukkha is released, we recognize a timeless abiding, always here now, which is the heart/mind’s natural state. Recognizing the mind in its natural state is not something to attain; it’s a realization. When grasping and resistance cease, the endless chasing of one thing after another, then the mind recognizes the taste of its own nature, which is the taste of peace. This peace is nibbāna. Just as the grit in an oyster becomes a pearl, so dukkha has its function. Awakening quickens through wise contemplation of suffering. Instead of blindly reacting to the experience of dukkha, shifting around it or blaming someone else for it, we apprehend it directly, and more quickly. A conditioning factor for this process is what the Buddha called nibbida, which means “disenchantment.” We finally come to a place in ourselves when we know another experience isn’t going to alleviate our basic sense of discontent—the next holiday, the next acquisition, or the next exciting distraction. In our contemporary society, when we feel disenchanted it is seen as a problem. We are encouraged to go shopping, take medication, or find some other escape. We think, “If I sit on the beach today I’ll be much happier than staying here.” So we go to the beach. We’re happy for a few minutes and then think, “If I just had a nice coffee, I’d feel better.” Or we think, “It’s too hot here. If I go up into the mountains where it’s cooler, I’d be happy.” This seeking drives us on and on. It’s a good sign when we begin to be suspicious of endless pursuit; it means we’re not buying into it so much. Periods of retreat bring us into direct confrontation with what we’ve been trying desperately to avoid—this basic feeling of dissatisfaction. This isn’t to say that things like anti-depressants and holidays don’t have their place. But even when we get life as perfect as we can, the underlying message of dukkha still crashes in. It prods us until we respond to the invitation to contemplate our experience more carefully. Sometimes when we acknowledge the presence of suffering, we immediately want a solution. Fix it quick! Get a BandAid! Take it away! EASTERN HORIZON | 9
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This is kind and careful work. When circumstances generate pain or anguish, we can lessen dukkha by patiently containing our reactivity. Then, at the place of suffering, the journey of transformation opens up. As beautifully articulated in Mark Nepo’s poem, we become “a soft and sturdy home in which real things can land.” This describes perfectly the quality of awareness and receptivity needed to undertake the journey through suffering. We “no longer try to make sense of the pain.” We create a space and allow awareness to provide a gentle holding for the “irritations that rub to a pearl.” This is the work of Vipassanā. As we inquire into the moment, dukkha becomes dharma, or nature, rather than “me” that is wrong or bad. As we listen more deeply to suffering, we begin to notice non-suffering. The heart realizes its innate courage, strength, and invincibility. This journey through pain and suffering burns away the impurities, and what is revealed is something pristine, clear, and beautiful, like a moonlit pearl: the tender, merciful heart, and its infinite ability to receive the cries of the world. When we’re with suffering, it’s as if we are with a child that’s very unhappy. If the child is wailing and wriggling, wanting to get away, wanting something but it doesn’t know what, we kindly hold the child. Sometimes we can experience our minds as the child and the awareness as the mother. The child of the
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mind can be really hurting and screaming, “I can’t bear this. I’m hopeless!” Or, “No one is there for me,” or just an unnameable pain that seems so familiar, so ancient, and so intractable. But the mother, our aware, present heart, just sits it out and waits patiently for the deeper truth to emerge. She is breathing with the pain while gently holding the mind and body with kind awareness. Then something happens; something beyond the re-activity of the mind. Instead the heart softens. It sees its own nature: spacious, non-suffering, peaceful, and timeless. Here is freedom. Here we find the courage to bear suffering in order to overcome it.
Source: Tricycle Daily Dharma, Dec 16, 2014. Taken from Listening to the Heart, by Kittisaro and Thanissara, published by North Atlantic Books, distributed by Penguin-Random and available via Amazon. Reprinted in Eastern Horizon with the kind permission of Thanissara. EH
FACE TO FACE
Buddhism and the gender issue By Venerable Dr Jampa Tsedroen
Bhikṣuṇī Jampa Tsedroen (Carola Roloff) is Senior Researcher and Lecturer in the area of Buddhism with focus on Dialogical Theology and Gender at the Academy of World Religions (Faculty of Education), University of Hamburg. She studied Tibetan Buddhist philosophy and practice with Geshe Thubten Ngawang at Tibetisches Zentrum e.V. from 1981 to 1996, followed by Tibetology and classical Indology, specializing in Buddhism, at the University of Hamburg, where she received her MA degree in 2003 and her doctorate in 2009. Since 2010 she conducts the DFG Research project “The Ordination of Nuns in the Tibetan Buddhist Canon, its Presentation in the Tibetan Commentaries, and Possibilities of the Revival of the Nuns Order in Tibetan Buddhism.” Her web-site is www.jampatsedroen.de Benny Liow of Eastern Horizon has met Bhikṣuṇī Jampa at various Buddhist conferences, the most recent being in India, and requested an interview from her regarding her current work. The following is her response to several questions on Buddhism and women for Eastern Horizon.
Benny: The Buddha was a revolutionary to allow the Order of Nuns to be established, and yet we read of the “Eight Special Rules”. Some scholars have argued that these rules are not the actual words of the Buddha but added in later by monks. What is your view on this? Jampa: Well, this is a very good and important question but difficult to answer. As a scholar I have to say it depends on the hermeneutics applied, i.e., the theory of text interpretation. In ancient times the “Eight Special Rules” were considered to be Words of the Buddha (buddhavacana). In all traditions they are part of the Buddhists’ sacred texts. All versions transmitted do contain the “Eight Special Rules”, although they vary in order and content. From this we can conclude that they must have been laid down quite early. Nowadays, theologians of world religions as well as Buddhologists apply the historical-critical method, a method developed during the last 250 years. From this perspective, we have to admit that there are some inconsistencies within each canon, not only with regard to the “Eight Special Rules”. Academic scholars agree that this text passage is (partly) an insertion or has undergone some manipulation. After more than 2,500 years, it is almost impossible to reconstruct what the Buddha actually ruled. EASTERN HORIZON | 11
FACE TO FACE
In all religions, we are confronted with such problems and have to find solutions to deal with such text passages. From a traditional point of view, this may sound strange because if we start questioning parts of the Buddhist canon, everything could be questioned. But I believe that this is what the Buddha would have advised us to do. Some texts clearly state that the Buddha said that we should not accept anything he said, just because he himself has said so. He encouraged us to verify his teachings and make our own conclusions, not to follow him blindly. However, if it comes to rules and regulations of a monastic community, it would not be acceptable, if every member of the saṅgha decided for him-/ herself which precept to follow or not. But for the minor rules, the Buddha left the authority to make changes with the saṅgha.
The eight “special rules”, also referred to as “principle rules to be respected” (Skt. gurudharma, Pa: garudhamma) are not part of the set of rules (bhikṣuṇī prātimokṣa) you accept when becoming a nun. Thus there is some space for interpretation. Today monk and nun scholars have different views on this. My Tibetan teacher used to say: “If views of scholars agree they are not true scholars. If thoughts of yogis disagree they are not true yogis.” It is the nature of scholars to disagree. This gives us some space and freedom to find out with whom we agree or disagree. In my view, when reading Buddhist texts you should always consider the context, i.e., the whole context of the teaching of the Buddha as well as the cultural, social, economic, and political circumstances under which, for example the Eight Special Rules and the commentaries on them were taught. We have to ask
ourselves why the Buddha said something and what he would say today? Already about 500 years B.C.E. the Buddha taught that women have the full potential to become enlightened. I was raised as a protestant in a Western country with female priests, female bishops and gender equity in social, political and religious life. I took it for granted that it is the same in Buddhism. But it seems that in Buddhist societies, especially in Asia, as a woman you are treated like second class human being. If so, this is not in accord with what the Buddha taught. Are there clear references in both the early Theravāda texts as well as later Mahāyāna and Tibetan texts that show women have the same potential to become enlightened as men?
Yes. For example, according to Pāli as well as Chinese sources in the Gotamī Sutta1 Ven. Ānanda asked
1 Parallels for AN 8.51 Gotamī (AN iv 274): T 60 (T i 856a04); Zh Dg Kd 17 (T xxii 922c06–923c12); T 1451.29 (T xxiv 350b10–352a25); Zh Mi Kd 17 (T xxii 185b01–186a16); MA 116 (T i 605a08). Retrieved from http://suttacentral.net/an8.51 on 16/02/2015.
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FACE TO FACE
the Buddha whether women can realize the four fruitions of Streamwinning, Once-return, Non-return and Holiness, and the Buddha clearly replied to Ānanda that it is possible to realize these four. The Tibetan Buddhist texts are not as detailed as the Pāli but basically states the same thing. For Tibetan Buddhists it is important whether women can attain Buddhahood. The Tibetan historian Tāranātha (b. 1575) tells in The Golden Rosary which is based on the famous TārāTantra (6th/7th century), of how a woman became a female Buddha, the Bhagavatī Tārā. Before she became a Buddha she was known as the princess ‘Moon of Wisdomknowledge’. Monks urged her to make prayers to become a man. But the princess said: Here there is no man, there is no woman, No self, no person, and no consciousness. Labeling ‘male’ or ‘female’ has no essence,
But deceives the evil-minded world. She then made the vow that until saṃsāra is empty she will work for the benefit of sentient beings in a woman’s body2. Tārā is venerated by all Tibetans of all traditions and protects them from all fears. So how do we explain when certain texts say that female birth is due to bad karma and that a woman cannot become a Buddha?
These are two different questions. But the underlying question is, again, how do we deal with inconsistencies and contradictions within the sacred text collections. In principle, we have to see what the basic teachings of the Buddha are. In the Aṅguttara Nikāya, 8.29, the Buddha explains what makes a human rebirth precious. That is, a birth that is free from the eight inopportune circumstances that are not conducive to living the
spiritual life. One of these eight inopportune circumstances is to be born in a place where one does not find bhikkhunīs, bhikkhus, upāsikās, and upāsakas. The Buddha decided to establish the four-fold community. He did not adopt the caste system into which he himself was born but for example said in Sutta Nipāta 1.7, verse 142: One is not an outcaste by birth, by birth one is not a priest (brahmin), by deeds one becomes an outcaste, one becomes a priest (brahmin) by deeds.
What counts are our deeds, not what we are. The Buddha did not intend to create two new castes, a caste of men and a caste of women. He did not distinguish between a precious male or female birth but spoke about a precious human rebirth and how we can make the best use of this human potential without harming others or discriminating against others.
2 Wilson, Martin (1986): In Praise of Tara. Songs to the Saviouress. London: Wisdom Publications, pp. 33-34. EASTERN HORIZON | 13
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Who would you regard as role models for women in the modern world today based on your knowledge of both the early and later Buddhist scriptures from the three Buddhist traditions – Theravāda, Mahāyāna and Vajrayāna? Well, if you are looking for female figures in the canonical texts, for today’s emancipated woman it will be very difficult to find true role models in those scriptures. However, if taking the circumstances of those times into account, there are many impressive lay women and nuns. I recommend that you search for them and find out whom you feel most inspired by. There is an excellent work by Ven. Damcho Diana Finnegan who analyzes stories of nuns in the Mūlasarvāstivāda Vinaya3. It depends on your own
predisposition, expectations, views, and needs who is best suited to serve as your role model. I have found that for me, next to the Buddha, the female buddha Ārya Tārā is the best role model. The Tārā Tantra refers to the female body in a positive, nondiscriminatory way. I consider Mahāprajāpatī Gautamī, the Buddha’s foster mother and first bhikṣuṇī, the first Buddhist feminist. She was brave enough to question one of the eight gurudharmas, the one which requires a nun of senior standing to pay respect to a junior monk. The Buddha refused her request to replace this rule with a gender 3 http://nunscommunity.net/thesis.html 14 | EASTERN HORIZON
neutral principle of seniority. The reason he gave was that adherents of non-Buddhist sects would not greet women at all. For today’s context this implies that Buddhists do respect women and have no problems to greet them.
While the Order of Nuns has thrived in China, Taiwan, Korea, and Vietnam it has a slow progress in Sri Lanka, and continues to face mounting opposition from senior monks in Thailand and Burma. What do you think are the challenges that need to be overcome by women before female ordination can be accepted in Theravāda countries? Actually, my impression is that in Sri Lanka the bhikkhunī saṅgha is growing quite fast. Sometimes I wonder why Sri Lanka was the first Theravāda country that introduced bhikkhunī training centers. Perhaps it has to do with the collective memory of its nation. Sri Lanka did have a strong bhikkhunī saṅgha from 3rd cent. BCE until the 11th century. The famous Indian King Aśoka sent his daughter, the bhikkhunī Saṅghamittā, together with a quorum of bhikkhunīs, to Sri Lanka. They founded an order of bhikkhunīs that flourished for fourteen centuries. Even after the order of nuns had disappeared from Sri Lankan soil the nuns continued to exist in the nation’s memory. If you travel to Sri Lanka you see large wall paintings of Ven. Saṅghamittā.
The Pāli Therigatha collection of verses attributed to nuns is a record of women’s ability to attain arhatship. The main reason for taking ordination should be a strong wish to attain liberation from saṃsāra, the cycle of involuntary death and rebirth. In Germany we have a saying: “Where there is a will there is a way”. If renunciation, the wish to attain liberation, is strong enough, nobody can stop you from becoming ordained. Why should I entrust myself to a teacher who believes that women are not capable of attaining liberation? The most important thing is social recognition and social acceptance. So we need to use our common sense. In most countries nowadays there is religious freedom. What we need to overcome is our own fear. Where there is trust there is no place for fear. As Buddhists we should be guided by the teachings of the Buddha not by fear.
Tibetan nuns can only be ordained as śrāmaṇerīka and continue to have limited opportunity to study and to meditate even today. Isn’t it paradoxical that when monk teachers emphasize so much on compassion for all beings, yet the women folk seem to miss out on this compassion? Exactly! This is the point. We have to consider the main principles or norms of Buddhism like nonviolence, equanimity, love and compassion. But you would be
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surprised what kind of reasons are given to avoid ordination of women. The strategies seem to match across the Buddhist traditions. You hear fears like “the whole Buddhadharma will go down, if women are allowed to become fully ordained”. On this a leading monk scholar’s response was: “Why should the Buddhadharma go down? The novice nuns are already there, why should there be any harm from a more intensive practice?” Or: “You do not need to become fully ordained in order to become enlightened; it is enough to practice as lay woman or as novice nun. Most important are your bodhisattva or tantric precepts.” Reply: “If this is true, why then is it important for men to become fully ordained?” Or: “The lineage is broken. We have to wait for the next Buddha.” Reply: “Historically speaking, what lineage are you referring to? When was it broken due to which conditions? What do you mean by lineage? Did the Buddha say anything about lineage? How did the nuns order come into existence? Didn’t the Buddha allow monks to ordain nuns? Isn’t it their duty to take care that the four communities of the Buddha continue to exist?” Are there lessons we can learn from the success of the nuns, especially in Taiwan (and Korea), that can be applied for nuns in Tibetan communities as well as in Theravāda countries?
In Taiwan and Korea nuns play a major role in the upholding of the Dharma. The world’s largest Buddhist relief agency, the Tzu Chi Foundation was founded by a nun. Nun scholars teach and research at Buddhist Universities. Others run temples and are responsible for much of the grassroot work. Many are very experienced and determined practitioners; if we do not include women and their other perspective, their great potential gets lost. It will be an enrichment to include women. It is the monks’ responsibility to give space to and empower them. Learning from each other requires openness, dialogue, trust building, mutual respect and admiration of the other. This requires mutual hospitality and giving up thoughts of superiority. We need to develop a sense of one large Buddhist family, in which we all reach back to our common teacher, the Buddha. How can organizations like Sakyadhita support the growth of female ordination, give it legitimacy, and support their monastic lifestyles in conservative Buddhist societies in Asia? First of all, I doubt whether it is helpful to relate the question of nuns’ ordination to categories, typologies, labels or stigmas such as liberal and conservative Buddhists/Buddhist societies. Sometimes I consider myself
liberal, sometimes conservative. I know liberal as well as conservative Buddhists who support or reject Buddhist nuns’ ordination. Most important are education on the issue and dialogue. Nuns are comparable to a dying species. Thus every Buddhist has to feel responsible for them and support their survival. For example, the representatives at the International Buddhist Confederation (IBC) of the various traditions from all over the world are approximately 90% male and only 10% female. This can be considered as a kind of structural violence that Buddhist communities need to overcome. Women need the empowerment from both, men and women. If nuns are not explicitly invited to become members of the IBC, they cannot participate and thus are missing in the governing council’s executive/ working committee. Neither India nor Nepal had a nun candidate that could have been elected. I do not think that Sakyadhita or Buddhist women in general can give female ordination legitimacy. Legally speaking nuns depend on monks. If they do not support them, there are only two ways: 1) no change, 2) Buddhist women decide to found an independent International Bhikkhunī Saṅgha, which has not been considered yet. After almost 30 years of continuous struggle the number of supporting monks has grown. I believe we are close to a breakthrough.
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What about lay people? How can they support the growth of Buddhist nuns in the modern world? In the West you will hardly find any monastery or nunnery for Western monks and nuns. The trend is clearly in the direction of lay Buddhism. Most Buddhist teachers are lay people. Buddhist hierarchy does not fit with modern societies’ democratic structures. This is surprising, because Buddhism, in its nature, seems to be democratic. The Buddha did not appoint a successor but said that the dharma and the vinaya will be his successor. In my view all three mainstream traditions of Buddhism stress that study and practice of Buddhism have to go hand in hand. If we want to uphold Buddhism we need people who devote themselves full time to study and practice the dharma. We have to think about ways to make space for everybody. Monastics should respect and support each other as well as respect and support lay people. We all need to support each other. We need to find new ways of mutual respect and support. Could you tell us your own aspirations for the future of the Bhikṣuṇī order in the world today?
This is a very difficult question to answer. On the one hand, the aspirations for the future of the bhikṣuṇī order in Germany, which I have worked very hard for, have 16 | EASTERN HORIZON
not been achieved. However, I do not regret my efforts. On the other hand, we need to consider that it takes time to bring about changes. But whichever way you look at it, the Buddhist nuns’ ordination movement cannot be stopped anymore. The advantages of the difficulties we faced are, among other things, that due to the lack of adequate education for Buddhist women many nuns have joined universities and now have PhDs and serve as professors. Thus I put all my hope on future generations.
Looking to the history of Christian monasticism in Europe and the development of Buddhism in modern societies, it seems that unlike the past, the future of religion does not primarily depend on monasticism. Today, many Buddhist parents seem to prefer to send their boys for secular studies. In Korea the number of monks and nuns has become equal. In Taiwan, the number of nuns is larger than the number of monks. After our triple platform ordination in Taiwan in 1985, we were told that the main responsibility for upholding the dharma is now also with us. In Theravāda and Tibetan Buddhism, the necessity of nuns is still questioned. The number of monks in those traditions is very large but with increasing costs of living worldwide, in the long run there will be a change. In the future, quality will be more important than quantity. For nuns, we can consider these developments right from the beginning.
So far, in the Tibetan tradition there is only one nunnery that offers nuns full ordination: Sravasti Abbey. The abbey was founded in the United States by its present abbess the Ven. Thubten Chodron. I very much admire her work. With regard to intensive Buddhist studies my hope is that in the future we will be able to set up Buddhist academic “theology” departments at universities worldwide, where similar to protestant male and female Christian priests, male and female Buddhist “priests” can receive their studies and practical training in order to serve the needs of modern societies. Such study should also include training in counseling and teaching youths. Monasteries should be able to send their monks and nuns for studies there. There should be more emphasis on further developing social and intercultural competence and how to contribute individual skills achieved. Thus small bhikṣuṇī orders of at least five to seven fully ordained nuns per abbey should be started wherever there are Buddhist communities to support each other. EH
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Bujang Valley – The Seat of all Felicities By Prof David Blundell
David Blundell received a doctorate in anthropology from the University of California based on the life histories of Buddhist practitioners making their own ethnographic films in Sri Lanka (see Masks: Anthropology on the Sinhalese Belief System. New York: Peter Lang, 1994). Professor Blundell is currently Director of the Asia-Pacific SpatioTemporal Institute, Top University Project in Digital Humanities, Research and Innovation-Incubation Center, National Chengchi University, Taipei, Taiwan. He conducts research with the Electronic Cultural Atlas Initiative (ECAI), University of California, Berkeley, as anthropology and language editor, http://ecai. org. As a filmmaker, Dr Blundell received the United Nations Day of Vesak 2014 Award for Best Documentary, Arising Light: Dr B R Ambedkar and the Birth of a New Era in India. See www. arising-light.org. His publications concern the anthropology of belief systems, Buddhism, visual and aesthetic anthropology, Austronesia, geographic information systems (GIS) mapping, language and culture, Asia-Pacific as a cultural area. During a brief visit to Malaysia in February 2015, Benny Liow discussed with Prof Blundell his interest in the Bujang Valley project, its significance for Buddhism in Malaysia, and how Buddhist organizations in the country could have a partnership on this historical project . http://www.asiapacific.nccu.edu.tw/people/bio.php?PID=28 From the Lembah Bujang Archaeological Museum “The Lembah Bujang Archaeological Museum is the only museum in Malaysia which exhibits archaeological collections that serves as evidence of the existence of a trade and Hindu/Buddhism propagation center in Southeast Asia from the 3rd. to the 12th century AD.
This archaeological evidence clearly shows that Lembah Bujang was a central port, which served as a trade center for traders dominating the trading routes between the eastern and western countries especially the Chinese, Indian and Arab traders as well as Malay
traders in the Malay Archipelago who monopolized spice and exotic jungle goods trade for Middle East export.
Lembah Bujang was also the first port in Southeast Asia via its sea route, which functioned as an alternative route to China or Far East to replace the Silk Road, which connected Chinese and Far Eastern traders by land. Lembah Bang’s significance as Southeast Asia’s central port was evident in archaeological finds and writings of Chinese and Arab seamen as well as in
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Indian literatures. These chronicles, dated between the 2nd and 14th century AD, told of the existence of a prosperous and bustling kingdom in Lembah Bujang that was known as the “seat of all felicities”. Besides being the Nusantara’s ultimate trading center, Lembah Bujang also the focal point of Hindu/ Buddha propagation in Southeast Asia during the 3rd to the 12th century, which proved of the existence of Buddhism with Pala Mahayana influences from southern India. This faith was brought and practiced by Hindu/Buddhist Indian traders who came trading at Lembah Bujang.” http://www.jmm.gov.my/en/museum/lembahbujang-archaeological-museum
Benny: Where exactly is Bujang Valley and how old is it? 確實的地點？與年代？ David: Bujang Valley is located in Pekan Merbok, Kedah, from 2nd century CE. In 1980 the Kedah state built an archaeological museum for the significance of the site, the first and only one in Malaysia, as far as I know. Historically the site dates back to the 2nd century CE. Yet by then, it was already well know, so probably it’s older. It was a famous city similar to Amkor in Cambodia, and existed in the same network of civilization. This network was the gathering place of both great Western and Eastern spheres on influence, that is to say the Mediterranean to China. Bujang Valley has always been depicted as a Hindu-Buddhist polity. Are there periods in history when it was mainly Hindu, or mainly Buddhist? 屬性。是印度教？是佛教？
Bujang Valley was an important port city of merchants. I say this without mentioning religion simply because at the time people paid their respect to deities of choice. People were devotional to a deity
of salvation. Today these are classified as Hindu or Buddhist, Taoist or Buddhist: they coincided at the time of Bujang Valley.
The respect shown to the Buddha was a more inclusive of an overarching belief system. Buddhism diminished in India, as it was supported by kings who were politically replaced by kings devoted to Siva, etc. by about the 10th century CE. It was seen as the raise of Hinduism. Yet, the term Hinduism did not exist. Our view in the present day is to divide and classify those beliefs as Hindu and Buddhist. What was the form of Buddhism that was prevalent in Bujang Valley during the time? 當時流行的佛教樣貌？
The respect for Buddha was prevalent from the 2nd century CE, if not before. What form of Buddhism? At the time, the respect for Buddha was based on the individual. This is known as bhakti or to share, partake in, with your deity.
Would you equate the Bujang Valley to the betterknown sites such as Borobudur in Indonesia and Angkor in Cambodia? 地位？可堪與印尼的婆羅浮屠或柬埔寨吳哥窟（等 同）媲美嗎？ Yes, very much, indeed.
Who were the original inhabitants of the Bujang valley? Did they inter-marry with the Indians who came to settle there? 住在那裡的人是誰？有與從印度移來的人通婚嗎？ We don’t know the ethnicity of the people, as they were traders. This is a good question, and requires further research. I was told when I first went to Bujang Valley in the 1970s bujang implied a place of bachelors, where mariners and merchants braved the seas to trade. The people were both Westerners and Easterners.
1 GIS methods are systems designed to capture, store, manipulate, analyze, manage, and present various complex types of spatial or geographical data. In our project, data is spatiotemporal layered, and enriched with dynamic multimedia visualization tools for empirical scientific analysis. 18 | EASTERN HORIZON
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Why did the Indians choose to settle in the Bujang valley? 為什麼印度人選擇定居在此？ People came from Southern Asia primarily because it was a direct maritime voyage in the rhythm of the Monsoon seasonal prevailing winds from South Asia to the Malay Peninsula. As mariners approached the beacon of Mt. Jerai marked navigation to the Bujang Valley Muda River estuary system, they came into the port.
What is the significance of Bujang Valley to modern day Buddhists in Malaysia? 對於馬來西亞當代的佛教徒，Bujang Valley 有什麼重 要性？ Bujang Valley is important to modern day Buddhists in Malaysia. Why? It marks one of the earliest known entry points for Buddhists coming to present-day Malaysia, and Southeast Asia, eastwards.
How can Malaysian Buddhists help to develop Bujang Valley into a major historical and cultural center as part of our rich heritage? 馬來西亞的佛教徒能做些什麼來發展Bujang Valley為 一個重要的歷史文化中心，使其成為我們豐富資產的 一部份？ Malaysian Buddhists can help to develop Bujang Valley into a major historical and cultural center as part of world heritage. This is true. How? I would say we know about one percent, just a few of the major monuments are known.
Yet, with remote sensing as being conducted at the Angkor region in Cambodia, we could get a better picture of the entire site of approx. 225 sq. km. sprawling from the foothills of Mt. Jerai in the north and Muda River estuaries in the south, it is the richest historical archaeological assemblage in Malaysia.
How feasible would it be to do a documentary on the Bujang valley based on documentation from Chinese records, Indian records, and archaeological evidences? 從中國、印度的記載，或者考古學的證據，進行 Bujang Valley 的紀錄片工作是可行的嗎？
Documentary film? A necessity. We have a range of historical languages from South Asia to China reporting on the “seat of all felicities.” My recent documentary “Arising Light” received the 2014 United Nations Day of Vesak Award providing visibility to the Buddhist movement in India. What suggest is, to work on a documentary series. 1st to present the state of Bujang Valley today. 2nd to reflect of the historical aspects of the city from earliest times. 3rd to give an overview of Prof Lancaster’s Maritime Buddhism Project. 4th to document the remote sensing on the archaeological sites. 5th to propose World Heritage for the collective sites.
Could you tell us also about the project you are working on in Bujang Valley? 你在 Bujang Valley 的研究工作？
Our project is to explore information on ocean transport networks of early religions from ports of South Asia across Monsoon Asia (Indian Ocean to South China Sea). Research components are based on geographic information systems (GIS) spatiotemporal mapping and documentation of Mariners (navigation), Merchants (trade), and Monks (dharma) in terms of their early historical routes and destinations. It is to study the interplay of ancient cultural pursuits across the region. Methodological questions were created on issues of research design and strategy as an empirical science (Lancaster et. al. 2014). 1
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Bujang Valley, Kedah, Malaysia. Dharma related archaeological sites. 2nd to 12-century CE (Courtesy of the Bujang Valley Museum). Composite map of sites, Merbok River estuary with Mount Jerai above (surveyed by James Low, I. H. N. Evans, H. G. Q. Wales, cited in Wheatley 1961. Fig. 44).
The research question: To what extent did international religious systems, such as beliefs in the dharma, beginning about 2,300 years ago, spread into ocean island areas of Monsoon Asia facilitated by
Austronesian navigation? This is to say there was a range of influence stemming from Southern Asia (e.g., India and Sri Lanka) across the Bay of Bengal to Island Southeast Asia. The region became receptive to the dharma in Sumatra, Java, and the Celebes, yet to what extent did the religious system go further east across the islands. Why didn’t the dharma enter Micronesia? How could routes be traced? Was there a limit? And if so, why?
By the first millennium BCE, open-ocean outrigger ‘oru’ voyaging spread across the South China Sea to the Malay-Indonesian side of the Indian Ocean. In the first millennium CE, navigation went regularly to South Asia and East Africa (Blench 2010), yet there is just fragmentary literature on reported findings. 20 | EASTERN HORIZON
Our supposition is the dharma as a literary belief system was carried as far as writing could be traced on palm leaves, metal, earthenware, and stone (written in Indian and Chinese languages). Yet, across the Indian Ocean westward to East Africa and the Red Sea, where literacy existed, why didn’t the dharma travel there? Or is there contrary evidence?
During the 2nd-century CE, my further hypothesis is that the dharma moved out by sea travel onboard ships with seasoned mariners, I suppose were Austronesian navigators as mentioned in South Asian literature, stone relief imagery, and other materials. Yet, there are gaps in the record. To remedy this, I am taking my lifetime pursuit of knowledge, and academic network to further trace the extent of trans-ocean cultures intersected in early history, and its periphery. Spatiotemporal GIS provides us with tools of scientific methods for dealing with
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‘seemingly unrelated data’ and ‘arrays of fragmentary data’ across space and time. The result is a dynamic visualization for analysis. The project is about interactive mapping with geographic information systems points indicating dharma intersecting with Austronesian evidence. Data is scattered, and not dealt with systematically in this way before. Bujang Valley is the project’s focus to better understand a cosmopolitan seaport center of ‘Indian and Chinese’ interaction for trade and
dissemination of religion. This is known as the ‘Sea Silk Road’ of goods, maritime services, and Buddhism from India to China from the earliest times of Buddhism to the Tang dynasty. I have enlisted numerous volunteers interested in registering their collected historical data in spatiotemporal coordinates. This in turn is creating gazetteer style spread sheets generating dynamic research maps. EH
Keywords: spatial humanities, Monsoon Asia, early history, dharma, religious maritime networks, Indian Ocean, Austronesian linkages, navigation, collaborative research structures, Bujang Valley, GIS mapping resources I suggest the following bibliography for further research on the Bujang Valley.
1. Blench, Roger. 2010. Evidence for the Austronesian voyages in the Indian Ocean. In The Global Origins of Seafaring. Atholl Anderson, J.H. Barrett & K.V. Boyle eds. Cambridge: McDonald Institute. Pp. 239-248. 2. Blundell, David. 1976. Metropolitan Ascent of Southern Asia. Ms. based on of early Indo-European, Dravidian, and Chinese literature for the understanding of the growth and dynamics of ancient cities and trade routes in Southern Asia. 3. ------------. 1984. Stone and water. Bulletin of the Department of Anthropology, National Taiwan University 44: 71-78. 4. --------------. 1989. A Sri Lanka hydro-tank complex mapped by sampling and counting as a method in archaeology. Bulletin of the Department of Anthropology 45: 107-121. 5. -------------. 1994. Masks: Anthropology on the Sinhalese Belief System. New York: Peter Lang Publishing. (In Sinhala 1997 Ves Muhunu: Sinhala visvasa paddhatiya pilibanda manava vidyava. Colombo: Pinidiya.) http://buddhanet.net/pdf_file/MASKSbm6. pdf 6. ------------. 1996. Aesthetic ethos. Bulletin of the Department of Anthropology, National Taiwan University 51: 43-58. 7. ---------------. 2003. Metropolitan ascent of Southern Asia (partial version). Proceedings for the Symposium on Indian Religions, Art and Culture. Taipei: National Museum of History. Pp. 103-136. 8. --------------. 2009. Languages connecting the world. Austronesian Taiwan: Linguistics, History, Ethnology, Prehistory. Revised Edition. David Blundell, ed. Taipei: Shung Ye Museum & Berkeley: Phoebe A. Hearst Museum, University of California. Pp. 401-159. 9. ---------------. 2014a. Connecting heritages: Monsoon Asia, Taiwan and Sri Lanka. 2014 International Conference on Formosan Indigenous Peoples: Contemporary Perspective. Institute of Ethnology, Academia Sinica, Taipei. September 15-17. 10. -----------------. 2014b. Dharma civilization and stitched outrigger navigation: Contributions to ECAI project on maritime Buddhism. International Council for 11th United Nations Day of Vesak. Buddhist Perspective towards achieving the UN Millennium Goals. Vietnam. Pp. 41-63. 11. --------------. In Press. Metropolitan Ascent of Southern Asia: Dharma Civilization and Austronesian Navigation. (Revised with GIS). Los Angeles, California: South Asian Studies Association.
12. Blundell, David, and Lisabeth Ryder, eds. 1982. Systems Analysis in the Human Sciences: Writings by Richard L. Weisbrod. Anthropology UCLA, 12. 13. Blundell, David, and Jeanette Zerneke. 2014. Early Austronesian historical voyaging in Monsoon Asia: Heritage and knowledge for museum displays utilizing texts, archaeology, digital interactive components, and GIS approaches. International Journal of Humanities and Arts Computing 8: 237252. 14. Bodenhamer, David J., John Corrigan, and Trevor M. Harris. 2010. The Spatial Humanities: GIS and the Future of Humanities Scholarship. Bloomington & Indianapolis: Indiana University Press. 15. Buckland, Michael. 2004. Histories, heritages, and the past: The case of Emanuel Goldberg. The History and Heritage of Scientific and Technical Information Systems. W. B. Rayward and M. E. Bowden, eds. Medford, NJ: Information Today. Pp. 39-45. 16. Devendra, Somasiri. 2013. Mariners, merchants, monks: Sri Lanka and the eastern seas. In Satish Chandra and Himanshu Prabha Ray, eds. The Sea, Identity and History: From the Bay of Bengal to the South China Sea. New Delhi: Society for Indian Ocean Studies, 2013. Pp. 169-220. 17. Glover, I. C. 1973. Late stone age traditions in South-East Asia. South Asian Archaeology. Hammond ed. London: Gerald Duckworth & Co. Pp. 51-65. 18. Lancaster, Lewis R., Howie Lan, and Ping Auyeung. 2014. Pattern recognition and analysis in the Chinese Buddhist Canon: A study of “original enlightenment.” International Council for 11th United Nations Day of Vesak. Buddhist Perspective towards achieving the UN Millennium Goals. Vietnam. Pp. 107-142. 19. Ray, Himanshu P. 1994. The Winds of Change: Buddhism and the Maritime Links of South Asia. Oxford: Oxford University Press. 20. Redman, Charles L. 2005. Resilience theory in archaeology. American Anthropologist 107(1): 70-77 21. Sopher, David E. 1977. The Sea Nomads: A Study of the Maritime Boat People of Southeast Asia. Singapore: National Museum. 22. Wheatley, Paul. 1961. The Golden Khersonese. Kuala Lumpur: University of Malaya. EASTERN HORIZON | 21
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Spiritual Practice and Worldy Pursuits by Venerable Khenchen Tsewang Gyatso Rinpoche
Khenchen Tsewang Gyatso Rinpoche was born in
Khenchen Tsewang Gyatso has received all the
1954 in Lhodrak, south Tibet. As a child, he had
major lineage empowerments and transmissions
spiritual guidance from tulku Namkhaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;i Nyingpo
of the Nyingmapa school, including the Dudjom
Rinpoche at his monastery. In 1962 Khenpo and his
Tersar from Kyabje Dudjom Rinpoche; the Longchen
family fled Tibet through Bhutan to India, where he
Nyingthig Yabshi, and Nyingma Kama from Dilgo
had his formal education. At the age of ten he took
Khyentse Rinpoche; and the Rinchen Terdzod and
the robes of a monk and continued his education up
Nam Chos from Pema Norbu Rinpoche. He has done
to the eighth grade. He was always the top student.
intensive dzogchen practice under the guidance of Penor Rinpoche and other eminent masters
In 1969 he entered the Central Institute of Higher
including Khenpo Jigme Phuntsok Rinpoche and
Tibetan studies at Sarnath, near Varanasi. There he
Nyoshul Khen Rinpoche. Pema Norbu Rinpoche
followed a nine-year curriculum in Buddhist studies
has authorized him to represent the monastery
and general education under his principal teacher,
and to teach, to confer empowerments and to give
Khenpo Palden Sherab, and other masters. His class
personal instructions in Buddhist practice.
work included Sanskrit, English and intensive studies in the textual traditions of Indian and Tibetan
Khen Rinpoche has traveled and taught extensively
Buddhism. He graduated with the degree of Acharya
in America, in Taiwan, and among the overseas
in 1978, ranking first overall among the four schools
Chinese communities in Singapore, Hong Kong,
of Tibetan Buddhism represented at Sarnath. His
Malaysia, and the Philippines. His open, direct
Holiness the Dalai Lama honored his achievement
and thorough style of teaching has been very well
with the award of a silver medal. After graduation
received.
he was invited to teach at Palyul Namdroling Monastery at the Tibetan settlement in Bylakuppe,
Benny Liow of Eastern Horizon met with Khen
near Mysore, India. For several years he was
Rinpoche on December 24, 2014 at the home of
engaged in training the young monks and teaching
Susan Sim in Kuala Lumpur, and requested for an
in the monastic college, the Ngagyur Nyingma
interview, which was kindly given. The following
Institute (Shedra). In 1983 he was enthroned as a
represents the good advice Khen Rinpoche is giving
khenpo by His Holiness Pema Norbu Rinpoche.
to our readers regarding spiritual practice, especially for lay Buddhists.
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Benny: Could you give us a brief overview of what’s the purpose of spiritual practice in Buddhism? Khenpo: The important purpose for spiritual practice is two-fold. The first and most important purpose is to attain complete enlightenment, to gain Buddhahood in order to benefit all sentient beings. Buddha is one who is completely liberated from saṃsāra and the causes of saṃsāra. To accomplish these enlightened qualities means one is free of birth and death. The second purpose is to study and understand the Buddha’s teachings. One will then benefit from the spiritual knowledge one learns from Buddhism. Such spiritual knowledge helps us to understand the meaning or purpose of life in depth. At the same time, Dharma knowledge teaches us to develop compassion, loving kindness, and care for others, and through such positive thoughts and actions, we ourselves will experience peace, happiness, and joy. Likewise, Dharma knowledge when properly understood and put into daily practice is a panacea for the many types of stress we experience in our everyday life. So when you cultivate spiritual practice daily, and wisdom arises from it, you will experience many benefits in your life.
Does spiritual practice refer to just meditation or does it involve devotional practices such as prayers and chanting? Spiritual practice is not just devotional prayers, chanting mantras, or merely sitting in meditation. By spiritual practice I mean mind training where we develop a noble mind like those of the great Bodhisattvas until one attains enlightenment or is fully awakened. For this kind of mind training, we first need to study the Buddhadharma. This means listening to many Dharma teachings and then contemplating on their meaning. Devotion will arise when one gains some understanding of the Dharma teachings and put it into daily practice. With proper knowledge of Buddhism, one can chant prayers or mantras with devotion to the object of our refuge. Finally, with right view, one can do meditation practice with proper instructions and guidance of a Dharma master.
So we do need a good balance between mind training practices and devotional practices. Could you please explain further? Yes, there should be a balance between mind training and devotional practices. However, in the beginning it is important to have the right mind training on compassion, loving kindness, and care for others based on an understanding of Bodhicitta (altruistic mind). This mind training practice is very important and necessary because it will benefit oneself in this life and in the next life. To properly engage in such mind training practices, one needs to take refuge in the Triple Gem - Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha. To support one’s devotional practices, one should regularly read about Buddhism and receive teachings from Dharma masters in order to fully understand the special qualities of the Triple
Gem, our object of refuge. For those who wish to enter the Vajrayāna path of practice, this includes the three root deities in accordance with Vajrayāna teachings. With enough knowledge and understanding of Dharma teachings, devotion and faith will arise easily. A good knowledge and understanding of Buddhadharma, coupled with devotional practices, will also help us in our practice of meditation. EASTERN HORIZON | 23
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How do we know what level or how deep our spiritual practice should be when we first start to learn and practice Buddhism? When you first start to learn Buddhism, it is not necessary to know exactly what level of spiritual practice you should be or how deep is your practice. I think it is more important to find the right teacher from whom you can receive teachings and who can guide you in your study and practice of Buddhism. A qualified Dharma master can truly guide you on the spiritual path with proper instructions.
The Buddha talked about taking the middle path in spiritual practice. Could you elaborate what is meant by this word “middle”? How do we know if we have not gone to extremes or have become too lax in our practice? In general, all the teachings of the Buddha are based on the middle path which means that they do not fall into any extremes of externalism or nihilism. The middle path prescribes an understanding of the emptiness nature of phenomena, and going beyond the two extremes of existing or non-existing, and permanent or impermanent. One should also understand the emptiness nature without elaboration which is going beyond the four extremes, such as existing, non existing, both existing and not existing, and neither existing nor non-existing. This has been explained in the Madhya Mika Avatar by Acharya Chandrakirti and also by many other great Indian scholars and Tibetan masters. It has also been described as the actual union of appearance as relative truth, and emptiness as absolute truth. However, to have a complete understanding of emptiness and the philosophy of the middle path, one has to study from qualified teachers. Does spiritual practice means we have to become a monastic or it is possible to continue our practice as householders? It is not necessary to become an ordained monk or nun to engage in Dharma practice. It is very much 24 | EASTERN HORIZON
possible to carry on one’s spiritual practice as a lay practitioner or householder. However, if one is ordained as a monk or nun then one will have full time study of Dharma and practice and won’t have to worry so much about worldly life. As you are quite aware, a lay practitioner has many things to worry about and to take care of in his daily life. That is the only main difference. Nevertheless, in terms of spiritual practice in the Vajrayāna tradition, there is no difference between the lay practitioners and the monastics. Both lay practitioners and monastics need to be qualified vessels to cultivate devotion and develop wisdom in order to understand the higher views of the Vajrayāna tradition.
As there are many distractions as a lay person, how should we integrate spiritual practices in our daily life? Yes it is true that lay people have many worldly distractions. Thus, it is important for us to manage our daily schedule such that we set aside some time each day for us to train our mind. In fact, there is no better remedy for the afflictive emotions that we face every day in our life than to study and practice the Buddha’s teachings as they will train us to develop qualities such as patience, perseverance, mindfulness, love, and compassion. Such noble spiritual qualities will be able to help us counter the problems of our everyday saṃsāric life. One can always be busy with many daily chores which the modern world is good at creating. They are mainly distractions but appear nice on the surface because they eventually end up as problems for us. They also make us waste our precious time without bringing us much benefit. But with proper study and practice of Buddhism, we can analyze which of these distractions that affect us on a daily basis are beneficial or not beneficial for ourselves and others. In the case of afflictive emotions that arise, we need to train our minds in order to recognize them and transform them into positive emotions. So it is up to us individually to manage our lives in an appropriate manner so that our spiritual values are not lost as we live in this saṃsāric world. No one else can do it for us.
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When it is not possible to meet a spiritual teacher on a regular basis to guide us, how could we continue our practice of the Dharma? For the time being if any spiritual Buddhist master comes to town to teach, just go and listen to the teachings by developing a positive motivation that you want to learn as much as you can. Besides that you should read some wonderful Dharma books such as “The Words of my Perfect Teacher” by Patrul Rinpoche, “The Bodhisattva Way of Life” by Arya Shantideva, “Tibetan Book of Death and Dying” and other books written by great Dharma masters to gain more knowledge of spiritual mind training. Later when you are ready for more intense meditation practices, you should evaluate which teacher is more suitable for you or who is most qualified to be your main teacher. Once you have identified a qualified teacher and feel a positive connection, then you should continue to receive teachings, instructions and guidance from that teacher. It does not matter if the teacher is far or near as today you can still communicate with your teacher with the help of modern technology, and the teacher will take care of your spiritual development. Can one be a spiritual person without relying on any religious label?
Religion is just a name like cup, table, iPhone, and so forth. You don’t have to worry about religious labels as long as you can find the right teacher who is qualified to guide you spiritually to reduce your afflictive emotions and cut through the roots of the causes and conditions of saṃsāra. What is most important
is the master. If the master has wrong views or has insufficient knowledge of Dharma practices such as the workings of the law of karma, and other relative truths, he will lead you on the wrong path. So a master must possess the wisdom to understand the absolute truth that can lead the student to final enlightenment. Otherwise, it will be like the blind leading the blind irrespective of whatever label we give to the religion. Are there any wrong views one should be careful when embarking on a spiritual practice along the Dharma path?
In this world there are wrong views and right views due to different belief systems. But there is no wrong views based on the teachings of the Buddha. This is because the Buddha taught in accordance with different levels of mental capabilities of his disciples. Hence, there are different vehicles or yāna that cater to the different spiritual inclination of the students. Hence, it is important to understand the Buddhist view according to teachings expressed in the lesser vehicles and greater vehicles. For instance, within the greater vehicles there is both the sutra mahā yāna and vajra yāna. Unless one has proper understanding leading to penetrative wisdom of the absolute truth, it is still possible to fall into wrong views because view is very subtle. Thus, all sentient beings are wondering in saṃsāra because they do not know the absolute truth, such as emptiness or the primordial nature. So it is very important to have proper understanding or knowledge of right view in order to attain liberation from saṃsāra. EH
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Endless Knot â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Understanding the True Nature of Life By Venerable Miao Jing Yin Ching: Could you share with us how you first became interested in Buddhism and what made you decide to ordain as a nun despite having studied to become a chemical engineer?
Venerable Miao Jing is the Abbess of the Fo Guang Shan Temple in Manila, Philippines. She is also Dean of the Buddhist Studies Department at Fo Guang College in the Philippines. She holds a B.S. from Queens University and M.S. in chemical engineering, both from the University of Alberta, Canada. She began her monastic education at Tsung Lin University in Gaoxiong, Taiwan, and later earned her M.A. in Buddhist studies from Fo Guang University in Yilan, Taiwan. She visited Malaysia to give a Dharma talk in English at Fo Guang Shan Temple in Petaling Jaya on January 26, 2015. The next morning, she kindly granted Ho Yin Ching an interview for Eastern Horizon.
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Miao Jing: I was born and raised in Brunei. Later my family moved to Canada and I furthered my studies there. Brunei being a Muslim country, and Canada being a Christian one, I got to know Buddhism mostly in the temple, from a singing group I joined and other temple activities. It was for a period of 11 years that I was exposed to Buddhism, specifically Humanistic Buddhism.
I felt the compassion of Ven Master Hsing Yun; he always wants us to apply Buddhism in our lives and not just read Buddhist books. I have personally benefited from the Dharma. So, I decided to go to Taiwan to further my studies in Buddhism and found that life in the temple suited me. The work of Dharma propagation felt important to me as it helped people in different ways, whether young or old. That was why I renounced. There is a belief, especially in the Chinese community, that if one renounces, it must be because one is disappointed with life. It was not the case with me. Because of Buddhism, I was very happy and life had been good to me: I had a career as a chemical engineer, a house, a car, and a loving family (my parents). But Humanistic Buddhism brings out another aspect of Buddhism that we traditionally would not have thought of. I have always been a quiet person during my youth, but because of Humanistic
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Buddhism, I opened myself up a little more because I wanted to recruit. Ven Master Hsing Yun has started more than 300 temples all over the world. Those who renounce are people who have been with the temples and know Buddhism from very young, unlike in the old days, when people decide to retire in the temples when they grow old. Similarly for me, I felt that I wanted to do something for my life and for Buddhism. I wanted to learn Buddhism more systematically and devotedly. Ven Master Hsing Yun truly emphasizes on education. The Fo Guang (FGS) College was established on the very first day FGS was founded. He built the college before building FGS’s main shrine. The number one objective of FGS is to nurture talent and provide proper education for the understanding of Buddhism. In the application of Buddhism, FGS has a lot of projects, such as art galleries, institutions, our magazine and newspaper. All of these are from different directions, such as culture and education, and, especially in the Philippines, charitable works. Although we are not a charitable organization, we are also active whenever there is a natural disaster, not only in providing emergency relief, medical supplies and goods, but in building schools and often going back to the affected areas to provide teaching. The Philippines is a predominantly Catholic country and I think Catholicism shares many similarities with Humanistic Buddhism. Do you think that has attracted the people there to Humanistic Buddhism, or are there other factors? Filipinos are very accepting. I would say that the Philippines is an international hub because Filipinos travel a lot nowadays and foreigners come to the Philippines for business. Also, because there is no language barrier, Filipinos have been exposed to different cultures and religions. In the Philippines, FGS has always been the representative of Buddhism because Ven Master Hsing Yun wrote many books and presented them to the Buddhist groups there. We are always invited to give talks and share in interfaith forums. When
devotees (of other faiths) see Buddhist nuns and Catholic priests or nuns together, they come to the temple and join in our prayers, making it a friendly exchange. More importantly, Ven Master has written many books that provide a modern perspective on social issues. We have been invited to share on topics like environmental preservation, climate change, compassion, charity work, feminism, and life and death. When Pope Francis came to the Philippines, again we were invited as the representative of Buddhism for the inter-religious meeting.
Secondly, the Philippines is very rich in culture and celebrations. Again, I would say that it is like a friendly exchange; for example, Filipinos, including Muslims, will come during Wesak Day to bathe the Buddha. They also join us in the Chinese New Year celebration. Filipinos have always included us as a part of their family and history. So, our work is no longer restricted to religion; we have gone beyond religion, race and language. The word that Catholics use for this is “Love”. Love brings us together. In Buddhism, we call it compassion. Like you say, Catholicism and Humanistic Buddhism share a lot of similarities. Ven Master Hsing Yun has established a college and the president, Dr Helen Correa, is a Catholic. But she would join our religious service and live in the temple, being a vegetarian, reading the Buddhist scriptures and chanting. She said that Ven Master Hsing Yun and the monastic are so devoted in helping the young people in the Philippines; what more she being a Filipino, she too wants to do the same. For the past 10 years, we have had a musical on the life of the Buddha titled “Siddhartha”. Our casts are non-Buddhists from different professions and backgrounds but they all come together because of their passion for the arts and music.
Some of the feedback I got from the casts were: “Since I join Siddharta, I have been a good person because I eat vegetables.” “I am a good person because I practice the three acts of goodness.” “I have learnt so much from EASTERN HORIZON | 27
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the musical and found much confidence on stage that I could it bring to my work place.” When people like what they do, a lot of beautiful things grow out of it.
Our college, Kwang Ming College, was founded by Ven Master Hsing Yun last June as a school of performing arts to provide young people with a systematic way to study arts, in order for them to explore different talents, feel settled, and learn properly. People ask, what can the students do after finishing art school? Actually, art school is the first stage where they develop character. Once the students are ready, they are also taught livelihood skills, so they not only sharpen their performing arts skills, they also learn living skills such as vegetarian cooking, getting education credits to become a teacher, or administrations of art galleries.
This is a 4-year program for sixteen-year-olds on full scholarship, because there are many young people with talent but no financial means. Ven Master Hsing Yun wants to help these people who are really determined to learn. One of them, upon receiving the letter of acceptance to the college, was initially afraid to come as her relatives dissuaded her, giving reasons such as: “Manila is so far” and they have “never heard of that college”. Ultimately, she decided to come because those who discouraged her could not provide her the education she needed. This year, because of Typhoon Haiyan, we recruited 15 youths from the affected area. I must say that FGS and BLIA (Buddha’s Light International Association) 28 | EASTERN HORIZON
Malaysia have been very supportive. Malaysia and Philippines are like sisters when disasters happen. This is part of what we do in the Philippines.
Master Hsing Yun is well known for propounding Humanistic Buddhism. In your experience how can Humanistic Buddhism help us live a peaceful and harmonious life? Ven Master Hsing Yun emphasizes on the “3 Goodness”, “4 Givings” and “5 Harmonies”. The “3 Goodness” are: Do good things, Think good thoughts, and Say good things. The “4 Givings” are giving of joy, confidence, hope, and convenience. Finally, the “5 Harmonies” refer to harmony between body and mind, harmony in our relationship with others, harmony within the family, harmony in society, and harmony around the world. These principles are very basic. I can say that the “3 Goodness” establishes the base, while the “4 Givings” is based on the Paramita or Perfections practiced by the Bodhisatta. Finally the “5 Harmonies” is the goal we want to attain. In all that we are purifying our karma through body, speech and thought. Dharma has to be applied to solve our everyday challenges. For example, in our college, Ven Master Hsing Yun tells our students that their goal is diligence, tolerance, creativity, and innovation. Diligence is to establish themselves in doing all the good things and eliminating the bad things. Tolerance means to be able to work with others, as Humanistic Buddhism emphasizes on the human world. Practicing
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Buddhism is not just for the benefit of oneself. In Buddhist practice, we have to think about others; putting ourselves in their shoes. Giving is not just about material things; giving is also providing talent and giving time, and that’s why volunteerism in our temple is very active.
Creativity and innovation is emphasized because the college is an art school. So, we have to develop creativity and innovation in applying Buddhism. Otherwise, people would think of Buddhism as being only about the Four Noble Truths and the Noble Eightfold Path!
Creativity and innovation helps us adapt to the culture and needs of the local people. “Siddhartha” is a good example of adaptation, where people can get together and learn Buddhism. Humanistic Buddhism is beyond boundaries. When doing charity, we don’t ask whether one is a Buddhist or not, but many people still ask: which tradition are you from? Ven Master Hsing Yun gives the analogy of a bouquet of flowers; it is beautiful because it has flowers of different colors, complemented by green leaves. This world is actually very beautiful because we have different people. Similarly, FGS has different activities as people have different needs; we even say that we are a department store catering to everyone!
He also gives the example of the 5 fingers: The thumb thinks, “I’m the best.” The 2nd finger says, “I’m important, I can give instructions.” The middle finger says, “I’m the tallest, so I must be the greatest.” The 4th finger thinks, “The most valuable things like diamonds and gold are always on me. People like me.” And the little finger says, “When people put their hands together, I’m the closest to the Buddha or True Mind.” The fingers are all of different lengths and sizes but they are all important. Together they function as a hand. Similarly, different groups, traditions, religions, and different professions are important. When we look at the world like the function of the hand, knowing that our ultimate goal is world peace and happiness, we should be able to include one another.
In the 21st Century, we cannot isolate and segregate. Only by being together can we complete missions and do beautiful things. The fields of economy, technology and media are going global, moving in the direction of exchange. What about religion? Let’s not talk about religion, because even in culture, we are moving into a multicultural world. The United States has a policy of accepting people and that is why they are strong. The more open a group is, the stronger it gets. So do not worry that we are changing because the world will change; things change. Only the core teachings of the Buddha do not change. How we apply the teachings will change too. Many people think that to truly practice Buddhism, one must be a monastic. Is this also true of Humanistic Buddhism?
No. Ven Master Hsing Yun promotes equality among the male and female monastics, and between the monastics and laypeople.
Among the monastics, you can see that many FGS temples are headed by abbesses. They can preside over a ceremony and be a representative in conferences. Ven Master has always maintained that the female monastic has unique qualities such as being thoughtful and caring, which is important for the propagation of Buddhism. Traditionally, a female monastic has to bow all the way to the ground to the male monastic but Ven Master says we only bow to the Buddha. He also promotes equality between the monastics and the laypeople. Besides establishing BLIA for the laypeople, Ven Master has a program to give accreditation to lay Dharma speakers, so there are many talks given by laypeople as well. In fact, in Humanistic Buddhism, the programs are geared towards all kinds of people, taking care of a human from birth to death. We have children’s classes, adulthood ceremonies, different enterprises, museums, newspapers, schools, art galleries (26 around the world) and tea houses. We actually promote Buddhist culture.
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Ven Master Hsing Yun is very open about the different paths that one can take. The monastic path is based on a very personal vow. FGS has a system to take care of monastics to continue their education and to take care of their career and cultivation, by providing mentors and teachers who give guidance. With regard to laypeople, Ven Master has a modern perspective. Traditionally, when devotees come to stay at FGS, a husband and wife are separated; however Ven Master saw no reason for two people who travel together to be split apart. This is the humanistic approach – even though we have our Buddhist cultivation, it does not make us less human. Ven Master also does not want us monastic to put ourselves higher just because we are the monastic; respect is earned, not granted.
Humanistic Buddhism also gives a fresh perspective to many teachings. For example, when we take refuge in the Triple Gem, traditionally we take refuge in the Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha, while in some traditions, we take refuge in the Teacher. Ven Master Hsing Yun said we only take refuge in the Triple Gem, as a teacher is only a witness. The Buddha, too, does not need us to take refuge, but we do it because we want to learn the Buddha’s way to nurture our mind. Everyone, whether female, male, rich or poor, has the potential to attain Buddhahood. In taking the five precepts, traditionally it meant you cannot do this and cannot do that. When we see the five precepts in terms of violation, it sounds pessimistic. We do this because we respect others, which sounds more optimistic. The five precepts is “freedom”; in not violating anything, we have earned our freedom and not be in jail. Humanistic Buddhism is what the Buddha taught; all his teachings are for human beings. It is always about the people and what people want, which is peace and happiness.
Ven Master Hsing Yun wrote a book called Endless Knot where he talked about understanding life, the cycle of birth and death, and learning how to live.
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What must we do to untie this knot that we are all caught in? I’d like to share a story with you. Last year, when we went to the United States to perform the musical Siddhartha, an eight-year old orphan girl, who lost her parents two years before, came to watch the show with her grandmother. She cried at the scene where Siddhartha, after seeing the Four Sights, asked, “My father, who is the powerful king, will he die? My wife, the beautiful princess, will she also die one day?” After the show, she told her grandmother, “I finally understand why my parents died. Mom and Dad died because it is part of nature.” She finally untied the knot.
There are a lot of knots – defilements and doubts – that we are unclear of, cannot see, and cannot understand. Ven Master Hsing Yun wrote the book to address three aspects of human life – we have to live, we have a lifestyle, and we have to face death. Life is not just the life here and now. Life is the cycle of Birth and Death and we cannot restrict ourselves to just 80 or 100 years of life. One may say, “I don’t know who I am before” but this is not true. Life is like a clock: running from 12 o’clock to 3, 6, 9, and then back to 12 o’clock. Or the lifecycle of the seasons: there’s spring, then summer, autumn and winter, and then back again to spring. It is the same with a human - we are born, we grow old, sick and die, and are born again. Ven Master wants us to think of life starting when we get old. One may ask, if everything is impermanent, why bother to work so hard? Ven Master said we have to find the value of our life. For him, he says for one life he can live 300 years as he can do 5 persons’ work a day. Calculating on the 60 years he had been living at that time, it makes 300 years of life! We really have to work hard for our success and our cultivation, which means building affinity for beautiful things to happen. Cherish every moment now and don’t wait until we die. We always have to see life as a simple and natural process, make it care-free, be able to let go. We have
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a devotee who’s 95 years old and not eating anymore, her kidneys are failing, lungs filled with water; yet she asked the Master to chant for her to get better. She can’t let go of her physical body! We have to prepare for death but we cannot prepare only when we are sick. We have to train ourselves. We don’t like to die, but we have to train ourselves to see it clearly, to see what being born and dying is about.
So, to untie the knot, life and death have to be taken as a very natural process. Have a meditative mind and do not live in the past or future. Do what needs to be done right now. Cherish everything, like friendships, the things you have, the environment. Even a simple thing like white rice is very nice when we cherish it. Only when we understand can we untangle our thought. Being clear is like a water pipe. If the water pipe is straight, water flows easily. What are the important qualities that we laypeople must develop in life to untie this endless knot?
Ven Master Hsing Yun says that the 21st Century is a
service era. He advised that we must always be ready to provide. Do not ask, because if we do, then we are always waiting and lacking. We must be always happy, or perfectly willing, to provide.
In looking for a job, some college students would willingly take whatever comes, but many would wait until the right job comes by. Here, one must give oneself the right condition. Ven Master has advised some of our graduates: “Go to the company you want to join and tell them you’re willing to be on probation for 3 months without pay. You work hard for what you want and must be ready to be of service.” One must also make oneself readily accepted by others.
In your talk in Malaysia you mentioned about the Sutra on the Eight Realizations of Great Beings. The second of the eight realizations is that desire brings more suffering. What about our innate desires, such as for a family, connection, career advancement, and even a country’s desire for progress? Is desire always bad? No, the Buddha was very specific when he talked about desires and he mentioned five of them: desire for wealth, sex, fame, food, and sleep. These worldly desires are all for personal comfort. When Buddhism talks about the desire for progress or setting a goal for the future, this is actually for the general benefit of others, and thus not selfish desires. For those desires, we have to work hard for it. To aspire for Bodhisattahood actually means we are diligently striving for the greater benefit of others. For the desire to learn the Dharma, we need to work on that diligently and compassionately too. So it is only the worldly and self-directed pleasures that should be discouraged, or be seen clearly; we should have less of those desires and put more effort towards desires that benefit others. As for the desire for family, when we renounce, we do not segregate ourselves from our family; in fact, we now include, say, the family of FGS. So from a small family, we now have our Dharma family. We also care for our society and community. We must think in a way that Ven Master Hsing Yun advised: “You are big, I am small; you are right, I am wrong.”
The Buddha taught the middle way and we must always find a balance with no extremes. Working for the benefit of all would not be easy because it involves people, but it pacifies and brings on happiness for all. EH
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The Basis of Shin Buddhism By Reverend Shojun Naoyuki Ogi
Reverend Shojun Naoyuki Ogi was born in
translation of “Money Sex War Karma: Notes
1982. He is a vice abbot of Chosho-ji Temple in
for a Buddhist Revolution”), Samgha Vol. 17,
Yamaguchi, Japan. He graduated from Ryukoku
Turning Wheel, The Pure Land, Inter Press
University and the Graduate Theological
Service, Majirox News, Prapañca, etc.
Union/Institute of Buddhist Studies in California, USA. He completed a 2010-2011
Reverend Naoyuki visited Malaysia on December
residential fellow program at Harvard Divinity
23, 2014 where he had a discussion on Shin
School, USA. He has given many lectures on
Buddhism, a form of Pure Land Buddhism, with
Buddhism at universities and seminars in
members of the Buddhist Gem Fellowship in
the world. In addition, he has written and
Petaling Jaya. As Shin Buddhism is relatively
translated many articles as translator and
new to Malaysian Buddhists, Benny Liow of
journalist for various publications both
Eastern Horizon subsequently interviewed
in English and Japanese, including Seiyo
Reverend Naoyuki about its basic teachings, as
no Yokubo Buddkyo no Kibou (Japanese Benny: What is the origin of Shin Buddhism, and did it also originate from China like the other forms of Japanese Buddhism? Shin Buddhism (Jōdo Shinshu in Japanese) is a form of Pure Land Buddhism which was developed in Japan by Shinran (1173-1262) around 11th century with the teaching of Nembutsu: reciting the name of Amida Buddha. Shin Buddhism focuses on three Pure Land Sutras: The Sutra on the Buddha of Infinite Life Delivered by Śākyamuni Buddha, The Sutra on Visualization of the Buddha of Infinite Life Delivered by Śākyamuni Buddha, and The Sutra on Amitāyus Buddha Delivered by Śākyamuni Buddha.
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outlined in the following article below.
Naoyuki: This school of Pure Land Buddhism evolved from the teachings of seven masters of Pure Land Buddhism from India, China, and Japan, prior to Shinran. The Seven Masters are as follows: 1. Nagarjuna, India 2. Vasubandhu, India 3. Tan-luan, China 4. Tao-cho, China 5. Shan-tao, China 6. Genshin, Japan 7. Hōnen (or Genku), Japan
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Does Shin Buddhism refer to both the Jodo school and Jodo-Shinshu school? Which school do you practice in? There are two Jōdo (Pure Land) sects in Japan: Jōdo sect and Jōdo Shin Sect. The Jōdo sect was founded by Honen who was the primary influence and teacher of Shinran. Shin Buddhism refers to the teachings of the Jōdo Shin Sect which was formed around the teachings of Shinran. I am a Shin Buddhist priest of the Hongwanji tradition.
Amida (Amitabha) Buddha is the central figure in Shin Buddhism. Is it a historical Buddha like Sakyamuni and what is the purpose of worshipping Amida Buddha?
Amida Buddha is one of the many Buddhas that was introduced to the world by the teaching of the Shakyamuni Buddha. The term “Amida” comes from the terms Amitābha or Amitāyus in Sanskrit and means “immeasurable light or immeasurable life.” Therefore, Amida Buddha is the Buddha of Immeasurable Light or Life. This could be interpreted as the immeasurable or invisible truth which surrounds us in daily life. When we come to realize even a miniscule portion of the teachings or the true reality of this existence we can recite “Namo-AmidaButsu.” Namo Amida Butsu can be literally translated as “I take refuge in Amida Buddha”, but it roughly means “I thank Amida Buddha for teaching us the ultimate reality.” Are there other important sūtras that form the basis of Shin Buddhism?
Besides the Three Pure Land sūtras that I introduced in Q. 1, Shin Buddhism focuses on a few of Shinran’s writings which are respected as sūtras by Shin Buddhists. One of the most common sūtras chanted in Shin Buddhism is called the “Shoshin Nembutsu Ge” or “Shoshin Ge” (Hymn of True Shinjin and the Nembutsu) which is contained in Shinran’s magnum opus entitled “Ken jōdo shinjitsu kyōgyōshō monrui” or “Kyō gyō shin shō” (The True Teaching, Practice, and Realization
of the Pure Land Way). This sūtra describes how the teaching of Nembutsu was correctly passed down on to Shinran through Śākyamuni Buddha and the Seven Masters and is the most chanted sūtra for all Shin Buddhist followers. What is the meaning of “other power” so often associated with Shin Buddhism compared to “self power”?
In Japanese Buddhism, “self-power” (jiriki 自 力) means the practitioner’s own power to attain Enlightenment and is also called the gate of the Sages’ Path (shōdōmon 聖道門). As opposed to “self-power,” we have the “Other-power” (tariki 他力) which refers to the power of a Buddha or Bodhisattva, especially Amida Buddha and this is called “the gate of Pure Land path” (jōdomon 浄土門). These terms are often emphasized in Pure Land Buddhism. Traditionally, Shin Buddhism focuses on the workings of the Other-power of Amida Buddha and negates the ability of the working of self-power. In Shinran’s doctrine, the concept of the Otherpower becomes his most significant realization. Shinran, himself, criticizes the idea of “self-power” and expounds the importance of “Other-power” to clarify his understanding of Buddhism in his various writings. Accordingly, Shin Buddhist doctrine developed through understanding “self-power” as opposed to the “Other-power.” Although Buddhism usually focuses on “self-power” as “self-effort” to attain Buddhahood, Shin Buddhism focuses on the limitations of human beings and the unhindered promise of the “Other power.” In a sense, this is the ultimate conclusion of most Buddhist practitioners.
Shin Buddhism realizes the limitations of “self-power,” and what is important here is the interpretation of “self-power.” What the Shin Path emphasizes is the heart of “self-power”: the self-centered mind. Shin Buddhism does not deny “self-power” as “self-effort” or the will to live. Otherwise, we will lose the hope EASTERN HORIZON | 33
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to live in this world. The point that Shin Buddhism emphasizes is the heart of self-conceit (endless ego) that one possesses through “self-practice.”
Shin Buddhism is often mistakenly referred to as the “easy path” outwardly; however, inwardly, it is quite a difficult path since one must reflect in the most critical way on one’s self and come to the realization that attainment of Enlightenment through one’s own ego-filled power (self-power) is ultimately impossible. If an individual can seriously conduct such a selfreflection, then one will come to realize that we can’t control ourselves as we wish and there is no way for us to attain Enlightenment. From the Shin Buddhist standpoint, even if we engage in tremendous and arduous practices, day and night, year after year, we will come to realize that it just isn’t possible to remove our desires completely. Even the desire to attain Enlightenment is based on one’s ego. But we must keep in mind that this world of awakening and truth can only be seen by one who has seriously practiced or experienced the limit of one’s own self-power efforts. These concepts form the basis of emphasizing “Other Power” in the Shin Buddhist Path. If one relies only on the Infinite Wisdom and Compassion of Amida Buddha, then what is the role of karma in Shin Buddhism?
Let me introduce one passage written by Shinran in which he explains the evil nature of human existence through a deeper dimension. There is a very important story in the “Tannisho”, a document which is said to record the teachings of Shinran. This story traces a conversation between Shinran and his devout disciple, Yuienbo and appears in Chapter 13 of the “Tannisho:” The master once asked, “Yuien-bō, so you accept all that I say?” “Yes, I do,” Yuienbo answered. “Then will you not deviate from whatever I tell you?” Shinran repeated. 34 | EASTERN HORIZON
“Yes, I humbly affirm this,” replied Yuienbo. Thereupon Shinran said, “Now, I want you to kill a thousand people. If you do, you will definitely attain birth in the Pure Land.”
Yuienbo responded, “Though you instruct me thus, I’m afraid it is not in my power to kill even one person.” “Then why did you say that you would follow whatever I told you?” asked Shinran. He continued, “By this, you should realize that if we could always act as we wished, then when I told you to kill a thousand people in order to attain birth, you should have immediately done so. But since you lack the karmic cause inducing you to kill even a single person, you do not kill. It is not that you do not kill because your heart is good. In the same way, a person may wish not to harm anyone and yet end up killing a hundred or a thousand people.”(CWS. P 324) From the Shin standpoint, we all are just like Yuienbo and share the same existence and karmic conditions which are almost impossible to try to comprehend and understand. That’s why we have to entrust ourselves to Amida’s “working” and Promise which is the Absolute Truth and embraces us just as we are.
The role of karma in Shin Buddhism is the function of preventing or controlling our evil nature as much as possible in the ultimate reality as we try to carry out our actions as we wish. To bring the idea of this concept and to live with the heart of repentance for our evil nature with gratitude for the life we live is the Buddhist way of life for a Shin Buddhist. Why is celibacy and monasticism not emphasized in Shin Buddhism unlike in other Buddhist schools? What is the meaning of the word hisohizoku that Shinran uses?
To explain why our tradition doesn’t follow the (celibacy) precepts, let me go back to the days of Shinran. During his life time, around the 12th century, social conditions were extremely terrible because of natural disasters and famine. According to historical
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records, innumerable people died at the edge of the city and beside the river banks in Kyoto, which was then the capital city of Japan.
Additionally, up until Shinran’s time, Buddhism was only for the ruling class and aristocracy, and not for the ordinary people like farmers and merchants. During the Kamakura period (12th century), Buddhism was dependent on the aristocracy and this ruling class for its support and existence. The major societal role of Buddhism was to pray for the protection of the nation. Buddhism during this time was not the religion of the common people and was known as “Aristocratic Buddhism.” The common people had neither the money nor time to spend practicing Buddhist rituals or supporting temples and monks.
However, under these circumstances, Shinran questioned this old Buddhist tradition and realized that the Nembutsu teaching was for all, without distinction between the upper class and the lower classes, and that all were embraced by Amida’s working equally. In addition, he challenged the old Buddhist traditions which had so many contradictions. At that time, most Buddhist monks externally emphasized the strict practices based on the precepts, but what they, themselves, were actually doing when not seen in public, was quite deplorable. Shinran criticized this deplorable condition of Buddhism. And what he ultimately realized was that even if we tried to follow these (monastic) precepts and practices, we, as mortal human beings could not rid ourselves of our endless desires and passions which block us from doing any pure good during our lifetime. Shinran focused his attention on the deep realization of a life with the Nembutsu as his practice. Countless invisible teachings have been surrounding us since before we were born and existed. Shinran taught us that we should realize and appreciate the countless blessings we receive in daily life. In order to instruct us in this way of thinking, Shinran, himself, discarded his status as a Buddhist monk and thereafter considered himself “neither priest, nor one in worldly life (layperson),” (hisohizoku) and
became just a human being. This is the reason why my tradition doesn’t emphasize the following of the Buddhist monastic precepts. But just why and how does this radical idea of “Hisohizoku” come into play in Shinran’s life and thinking?
During the Kamakura era, another radical thinker at that time who became Shinran’s most respected mentor, Honen, first arose to prominence through his introduction of the Pure Land teachings to the common folk. Amongst Honen’s most devout followers was Shinran. Eventually, these two Pure Land teachers would have great influence on the people of Japanese society. But their teachings were quite different from the older Japanese Buddhist traditions which focused on rituals and praying for the protection of the nation. These Pure Land groups were often criticized by the older traditional Buddhist sects who claimed that the Nembustu teachings ignored the truth and were an evil path. However, most people could not care less about these Pure Land groups and it was only because of a scandal involving several of the Emperor’s female attendants and a few disciples of Honen that caused great chaos which eventually led to Honen and Shinran being exiled by the Emperor. Two of Honen’s disciples, Juren and Anraku, converted two women in the Emperor’s harem to become followers of the Nembutsu path. It is said that the priests also slept with these two women and this caused the Emperor to become angry and issued an exile ruling to persecute the Pure Land (Nembutsu) followers, including founder Honen, along with one of his main disciples Shinran, and other several leading monks, each of whom were exiled to different remote areas of Japan. Shinran was exiled to Echigo, in today’s northeast Niigata prefecture. Honen was sent to Shikoku Island and the two priests involved in the incident, Juren and Ankraku were executed. This scandal became the straw that broke the camel’s back and the Emperor started to persecute the Nembutsu group at the behest of the other Buddhist sects. Even though Shinran himself, was not involved
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with this scandal at all, he was singled out as one of the leaders of the Nembutsu movement along with Honen and was a victim of this incident. Shinran’s status as a Buddhist monk was revoked by the Emperor, and he was ordered to use the secular name Fujii Yoshizane. However, he refused to use this name during his exile. After several years, he was pardoned by the Emperor and his exile ended, but after that, he didn’t care about his status or name anymore. He declared that he was “neither a monk nor one in worldly life.”
This personal declaration of being “Hisohizoku” meant that Shinran was not a monk who would be controlled by the rules of the Government. And neither was he a “common person” who obeyed the secular laws of society. Rather, he chose to live his life as a Buddhist priest who lived with the teaching of the Buddha for the sake of all people. I think he must have appeared to be a very strange individual to the ruling aristocracy. He even called himself “Gotoku Shinran.” “Gotoku” literally means “foolish and stubble–hair” and “toku” refers to the people who were socially discriminated in Kamakura era, so he called himself “Simple foolish, stubble-haired one.”
I believe his personal interpretation that he was “neither a monk nor one in worldly life” was a manifestation of his search for the dignity of a true human being. In calling himself “neither a monk nor one in worldly life” and “Gotoku,” he paradoxically declared that he was an independent human who could live with in the Nembutsu teaching regardless of any restrictions put on him by the government or society.
I can go on and on about this topic but I will conclude this explanation for now. If you are interested in more information about this incident and its impact on Pure Land Buddhism in Japan, you can read more about this scandal and Shinran’s reaction in the Buddhist journal, The Pure Land, vol. 24 (2008), pp 189-206, in an article entitled: “Neither a Monk nor One in Worldly Life” (Hisōhizoku) and “Foolish/Stubble Haired” (Gutoku): Understanding Shinran’s Social Consciousness.” 36 | EASTERN HORIZON
What about meditation? This is a key practice in most other schools of Buddhism but not in Shin Buddhism. Is there a form of meditation that Shin Buddhists practice? In Shin Buddhism, we do not practice any form of sitting meditation as a Shin Buddhist practice. Instead, Shin Buddhism focuses on the Nembutsu, reciting the name of Amida Buddha, Namo Amida Butsu (in Japanese).
The foundation of Nembutsu is samādhi, developed through the visualization of Buddha, at its center. The Pratyutpanna Samādhi Sūtra, which is one of the oldest Mahāyāna sūtras, and the earliest sūtra to contain a reference to Amida Buddha (Amitāyus), refers to the spiritual state wherein one is able to see by mental concentration Buddhas appearing before one’s very eyes, and this sūtra describes the techniques involved in this meditation, giving Amida Buddha who resides in the western paradise of Sukhāvatī (Pure Land) as an example of a Buddha who might appear in such a manner. However, in Japan, the Nembutsu is understood as a form of appreciation for Amida Buddha’s workings that illuminates our ignorance and His acceptance of us just as we are. This developmental state might have been born from the profound self-reflection that occurs at the stage of self-observation in samādhi. Nembutsu emphasizes the importance of realizing that human nature is filled with limitless blind passions and the fact that we cannot attain Nirvāṇa through our own efforts and practices.
Also, one will not know what to do in times of conditioned arising even if one has lived carefully and cautiously according to the Buddhist ethics. However, simultaneously, one can come to realize that one can be saved, just as we are, through the working of Amida Buddha, the infinite, invisible supportive power. With this experience, a profound appreciation for one’s life is born naturally in one’s heart. However, it should be noted that this realization is not possible apart from one’s own efforts and reflections upon life.
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Accordingly, the Nembutsu can be expressed as a path of realization.
I consider samādhi as a mutual root of both the practice of Nembutsu recitation and meditation and point out a difference with respect to the development of samādhi within them. Monastics – and even lay Buddhists – in most Buddhist schools observe various precepts, and one of them is to abstain from alcohol. Are there similar precepts in Shin Buddhism, including for the clergy or priests?
The Shin Buddhist tradition is the most popular Buddhist school in Japan today. Also, as I previously mentioned, another unique aspect of Shin Buddhism is that this path doesn’t demand that its followers must follow or abide by the Buddhist monastic precepts or restrictions. Nor do Shin Buddhists have to spend hours chanting sūtras or doing meditation. I am a good example of this revolutionary path. Although I am wearing Buddhist robes, I have hair and am not required to shave my head. I am not a vegetarian and I like drinking alcohol with my friends, teachers, etc. I follow a different life path than a Theravādin Buddhist monk and am not required to follow the established Buddhist Precepts, yet I can call myself a Buddhist “priest.” Well, what’s the difference then between a Buddhist monk and a Buddhist priest?
If one chooses to follow the Buddhist monastic precepts and become ordained as a Buddhist teacher, then you are called a monk. If you follow a more secular path, and are free to marry, then you are usually called a priest. Shinran tried to control his desires without any precepts, but the precepts I am referring to mean behavioral or external ones. Shinran did not follow these kinds of precept, but his teachings served as a kind of precept to control and remind him of his endless desires and ego as a human. Shinran focused on what is found inside his heart more than what
might be seen as exterior behavior. If we can control our desires, then it would be naturally reflected in our behavior in our daily life.
From a Shin Buddhist point of view, you can drink alcohol if you want. But what Shinran is telling us through the life of a Nembutsu follower is that we should not drink too much. If you drink too much, become drunk and are not able to get up early the next morning for an the examination, then it’s your responsibility and only you are to blame if you miss or do not pass the exam. Another example is that Shin Buddhists can marry or enter into a civil union. But if you enter into such an arrangement, then you have to live up to the responsibilities of this arrangement. Shinran himself was married to a great woman whose name was Eshinni. Before he married, he was very confused if he should get married or not. He consulted with his master Honen, and then, Honen told Shinran: “if you can live your Buddhist way of life while even being married, you should marry. But if not, you shouldn’t.” Shinran understood this reasoning and married. At the same time, he took on the responsibility of being called a “good for nothing monk” by the people and was despised upon and criticized by other Buddhist monks. He tried to show us the independent way of life through his way of Nembutsu life. I believe that his understanding of Buddhism was quite revolutionary and fit into the mindset of the common people and this is the reason why Shin Buddhism spread widely in Japanese society. What is your personal aspiration so that more people can understand Shin Buddhism and its relevance for the modern world today?
I think that most Japanese people do not understand their own Japanese culture today. They are just like the foreigner who comes to Japan for the first time and starts to learn Japanese traditions and culture. I believe that most Japanese people need to reflect and realize the greatness of their own culture. In order to EASTERN HORIZON | 37
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give them such an opportunity, I would like to provide the modern translations and interpretations of
Japanese Buddhist terms, concepts and ideals and use some English to explain the meaning of these Buddhist term in a more easily understood contemporary sense. I had such an opportunity when I attended graduate school in the US and in my current work as an interpreter and translator of Buddhist material. Also, I am currently appearing on a Japanese TV show called Bucchake-ji (literally means â&#x20AC;&#x153;coming out templeâ&#x20AC;?) once a month. This is a kind of comedy show, but the contents are very meaningful to promote the teachings of Buddha for many people including nonBuddhists. Through this program, as a Buddhist priest, I can explain the realities of Japanese Buddhism and can show to the Japanese public that the teachings of Buddhism are applicable to our daily life even in the 21st century. Additionally, I want to create an
Dzogchen Practice in Everyday Life By Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche (1910-1991)
atmosphere where people can feel comfortable about speaking with a Buddhist priest. The Nembutsu teaching is very supportive for many people throughout the world in these turbulent and complicated modern times. With the Nembutsu teaching we can come to the realization that we are totally embraced by Amida Buddhaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s invisible gentleness, infinite wisdom and compassion; we are definitely not alone.
At the same time, I would like to encourage other Buddhist priests to develop their own contemporary Buddhist promotional activities and go beyond the conservative traditions which only focus on funeral rituals, memorial services and other kinds of Buddhist memorial services such as Obon, the selling of talismans, and conducting prayer rituals for good health, happiness and safety so that Buddhism can serve all aspects of modern Japanese life. I believe that even though I am but one individual priest, I accept the challenge to make a solid contribution toward the revitalizing of Buddhism in Japan for the sake of my society and the world. EH
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The everyday practice of Dzogchen is simply to develop a complete carefree acceptance, an openness to all situations without limit. We should realize openness as the playground of our emotions and relate to people without artificiality, manipulation or strategy. We should experience everything totally. Never withdrawing into ourselves as a marmot hides in its hole. This practice releases tremendous energy which is usually constricted by the process of maintaining fixed reference points. Referentiality is the process by which we retreat from the direct experience of everyday life. Being present in the moment may initially trigger fear. But by welcoming the sensation of fear with complete openness, we cut through the barriers created
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Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche was born in Kham,
four lineage traditions. From the ages of fifteen to
Eastern Tibet. He was recognized as the mind
twenty-eight, he lived in silent retreat, in remote
emanation of Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo (1820-
hermitages and caves, actualizing all the teachings
1892), and was one of the closest disciples of
he had previously received. Later, he spent many
Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo’s activity emanation,
years with his second root teacher Jamyang
Jamyang Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö (1893-1959).
Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö, also an incarnation of the
Regarded by many as one of the greatest
first Khyentse, who named him his Dharma heir.
Dzogchen masters of the 20 century, and the very th
embodiment of Padmasambhava, Dilgo Khyentse
When he left Tibet and went into exile, he traveled
Rinpoche was the teacher of many of the important
all over the Himalayas, India, southeast Asia,
lamas of today.
Europe and North America, transmitting and explaining the teachings to his many disciples. He
He was one of the last great masters to have
was not only a principal holder of the Longchen
completed his entire training in Tibet. He entered
Nyingtik lineage of Dzogchen, but a lineage holder
Shechen Monastery in Kham, east Tibet, at the
of teachings from all Schools of Tibetan Buddhism.
age of eleven and there his principal master,
This, together with his exemplary activity within
Shechen Gyaltsap Gyurme Pema Namgyal, formally
the non-sectarian Rimé movement, meant that
enthroned him as an incarnation of the wisdom
there was hardly a practitioner in the Himalayas
mind of the first Khyentse Rinpoche, Jamyang
who did not receive teachings from him. He was the
Khyentse Wangpo (1820-1892).
master of masters — His Holiness the Dalai Lama considers him as his main teacher of Dzogchen
In Shechen, Khyentse Rinpoche spent many
— and also became spiritual advisor to the royal
years studying and meditating in a hermitage
family of Bhutan. He passed away in Bhutan in
above the monastery. He received teachings and
1991. His reincarnation, Khyentse Yangsi Rinpoche,
transmissions from over fifty teachers from all
was born in Nepal in 1993.
by habitual emotional patterns. When we engage in the practice of discovering space, we should develop the feeling of opening ourselves out completely to the entire universe. We should open ourselves with absolute simplicity and nakedness of mind. This is the powerful and ordinary practice of dropping the mask of self-protection. We shouldn’t make a division in our meditation between perception and field of perception, or become like a cat watching a mouse. We should realize that the purpose of meditation is not to go ‘deeply into ourselves’ or withdraw from the world. Practice should be free and non-conceptual, unconstrained by introspection and concentration. Vast unoriginated self-luminous wisdom space is the ground of being - the beginning and the end of confusion. The presence of awareness in the
primordial state has no bias toward enlightenment or non-enlightenment. This ground of being which is known as pure or original Mind is the source from which all phenomena arise. It is known as the great mother, as the womb of potentiality in which all things arise and dissolve in natural self-perfectedness and absolute spontaneity. All aspects of phenomena are completely clear and lucid. The whole universe is open and unobstructed - everything is mutually interpenetrating. Seeing all things as naked, clear and free from obstructions, there is nothing to attain or realize. The nature of phenomena appears naturally and is naturally present in time-transcending awareness. Everything is naturally perfect just as it is. All phenomena appear in their uniqueness as part of the continually changing pattern. These patterns EASTERN HORIZON | 39
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are vibrant with meaning and significance at every moment; yet there is no significance to attach to such meanings beyond the moment in which they present themselves. This is the dance of the five elements in which matter is a symbol of energy and energy a symbol of emptiness. We are a symbol of our own enlightenment.
With no effort or practice whatsoever, liberation or enlightenment is already here. The everyday practice of Dzogchen is just everyday life itself. Since the undeveloped state does not exist, there is no need to behave in any special way or attempt to attain anything above and beyond what you actually are. There should be no feeling of striving to reach some ‘amazing goal’ or ‘advanced state.’ To strive for such a state is a neurosis which only conditions us and serves to obstruct the free flow of Mind. We should also avoid thinking of ourselves as worthless persons - we are naturally free and unconditioned. We are intrinsically enlightened and lack nothing. When engaging in meditation practice, we should feel it to be as natural as eating, breathing and defecating. It should not become a specialized or formal event, bloated with seriousness and solemnity. We should realize that meditation transcends effort, practice, aims, goals and the duality of liberation and non-liberation. Meditation is always ideal; there is no need to correct anything. Since everything that arises is simply the play of the mind as such, there is no unsatisfactory meditation and no need to judge thoughts as good or bad. Therefore we should simply sit. Simply stay in your own place, in your own condition just as it is. Forgetting self-conscious feelings, we do not have to think ‘I am meditating’. Our practice should be without effort, without strain, without attempts to control or force and without trying to become ‘peaceful’. If we find that we are disturbing ourselves in any of these ways, we stop meditating and simply rest or relax for a while. Then we resume our meditation. If we have ‘interesting experiences’ either during or after meditation, we should avoid making anything special of them. To spend time thinking about experiences
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is simply a distraction and an attempt to become unnatural. These experiences are simply signs of practice and should be regarded as transient events. We should not attempt to re-experience them because to do so only serves to distort the natural spontaneity of Mind.
All phenomena are completely new and fresh, absolutely unique and entirely free from all concepts of past, present and future. They are experienced in timelessness. The continual stream of new discovery, revelation and inspiration which arises at every moment is the manifestation of our clarity. We should learn to see everyday life as mandala the luminous fringes of experience, which radiate spontaneously from the empty nature of our being. The aspects of our mandala are the day-to-day objects of our life experience moving in the dance or play of the universe. By this symbolism, the inner teacher reveals the profound and ultimate significance of being. Therefore we should be natural and spontaneous, accepting and learning from everything. This enables us to see the ironic and amusing side of events that usually irritate us. In meditation we can see through the illusion of past, present and future - our experience becomes the continuity of nowness. The past is only an unreliable memory held in the present. The future is only a projection of our present conceptions. The present itself vanishes as soon as we try to grasp it. So why bother with attempting to establish an illusion of solid ground? We should free ourselves from our present memories and preconceptions of meditation. Each moment of meditation is completely unique and full of potentiality. In such moments, we will be incapable of judging our meditation in terms of past experience, dry theory of hollow rhetoric. Simply plunging directly into meditation in the moment now, with our whole being, free from hesitation, boredom or excitement, is Enlightenment. EH Source: www.nyingma.com/dzogchen1.htm
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The Answer to Anger & Aggression is Patience By Ven. Pema Chödrön | March 1, 2005
ABOUT PEMA CHÖDRÖN With her powerful teachings, bestselling books, and retreats attended by thousands, Pema Chödrön is today’s most popular American-born teacher of Buddhism. In The Wisdom of No Escape, The Places that Scare You, and other important books, she has helped us discover how difficulty and uncertainty can be opportunities for awakening. Pema Chödrön is a fully ordained Buddhist nun who is dedicated to the establishment of a Buddhist monastic tradition in the West.
We can suppress anger and aggression or act it out, either way making things worse for ourselves and others. Or we can practice patience: wait, experience the anger and investigate its nature. Pema Chödrön takes us step by step through this powerful practice. The Buddhist teachings tell us that patience is the antidote to anger and aggression. When we feel aggression in all its many forms— resentment, bitterness, being very critical, complaining and so forth—we can apply the different practices we’ve been given and all the good advice we’ve heard and given to other people. But those often don’t seem to help us. That’s why this teaching about patience caught my interest a few years ago, because it’s so hard to know what to do when one feels anger and aggression.
I thought, if patience is the antidote to aggression, maybe I’ll just try
that. In the process I learned a lot about what patience is and about what it isn’t. I would like to share with you what I’ve learned, to encourage you to find out for yourself how patience works with aggression.
To begin with, I learned about patience and the cessation of suffering. It’s said that patience is a way to de-escalate aggression. I’m thinking here of aggression as synonymous with pain. When we’re feeling aggressive—and in some sense this would apply to any strong feeling—there’s an enormous pregnant quality that pulls us in the direction of wanting
to get some resolution. It hurts so much to feel the aggression that we want it to be resolved. So what do we usually do? We do exactly what is going to escalate the aggression and the suffering. We strike out; we hit back. Something hurts our feelings, and initially there is some softness there—if you’re fast, you can catch it—but usually you don’t even realize there is any softness. You find yourself in the middle of a hot, noisy, pulsating, wanting-tojust-get-even-with-someone state of mind: it has a very hard quality to it. With your words or your actions, in order to escape the pain
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of aggression, you create more aggression and pain.
At that point, patience means getting smart: you stop and wait. You also have to shut up, because if you say anything it’s going to come out aggressive, even if you say, “I love you.”
Once, when I was very angry at a colleague of mine, I called him on the telephone. I can’t even remember now what I was angry about, but at the time I couldn’t sleep because I was so furious. I tried meditating with my anger and working with it and doing practices with it, but nothing helped, so I just got up in the middle of the night and called him. When he answered the phone, all I said was, “Hi, Yeshe.” But he immediately asked, “Did I do something wrong?” I thought I would very sweetly cover over what I was really feeling and say something pleasant about all the bad things he had done, whatever they were. But just by the tone of my greeting to him, he knew. That’s what it’s like with aggression: you can’t speak because everyone will feel the vibes. No matter what is coming out of your mouth, it’s like you’re sitting on top of a keg of dynamite and it’s vibrating. Patience has a lot to do with getting smart at that point and just waiting: not speaking or doing anything. On the other hand, it also means being completely and totally honest with yourself about the fact that you’re furious. You’re not suppressing anything—patience 42 | EASTERN HORIZON
has nothing to do with suppression. In fact, it has everything to do with a gentle, honest relationship with yourself. If you wait and don’t feed your discursive thought, you can be honest about the fact that you’re angry. But at the same time you can continue to let go of the internal dialogue. In that dialogue you are blaming and criticizing, and then probably feeling guilty and beating yourself up for doing that. It’s torturous, because you feel bad about being so angry at the same time that you really are extremely angry, and you can’t drop it. It’s painful to experience such awful confusion. Still, you just wait and remain patient with your confusion and the pain that comes with it. Patience has a quality of enormous honesty in it, but it also has a quality of not escalating things, allowing a lot of space for the other person to speak, for the other person to express themselves, while you don’t react, even though inside you are reacting. You let the words go and just be there. This suggests the fearlessness that goes with patience. If you practice the kind of patience that leads to the de-escalation of aggression and the cessation of suffering, you will be cultivating enormous courage. You will really get to know anger and how it breeds violent words and actions. You will see the whole thing without acting it out. When you practice patience, you’re not repressing anger, you’re just sitting there with it—going cold turkey with the aggression.
As a result, you really get to know the energy of anger and you also get to know where it leads, even without going there. You’ve expressed your anger so many times, you know where it will lead. The desire to say something mean, to gossip or slander, to complain— to just somehow get rid of that aggression—is like a tidal wave. But you realize that such actions don’t get rid of the aggression; they escalate it. So instead you’re patient, patient with yourself.
Developing patience and fearlessness means learning to sit still with the edginess of the energy. It’s like sitting on a wild horse, or on a wild tiger that could eat you up. There’s a limerick to that effect: “There was a young lady of Niger, who smiled as she rode on a tiger. They came back from the ride with the lady inside and the smile on the face of the tiger.” Sitting with your discomfort feels like riding on that tiger, because it’s so frightening. When we examine this process we learn something very interesting: there is no resolution. The resolution that human beings seek comes from a tremendous misunderstanding. We think we can resolve everything! When we human beings feel powerful energy, we tend to be extremely uncomfortable until things are resolved in some kind of secure and comforting way, either on the side of yes or the side of no. Or the side of right or the side of wrong. Or the side of anything at all that we can hold on to.
TEACHINGS
But the practice we’re doing gives us nothing to hold on to. Actually, the teachings themselves give us nothing to hold on to. In working with patience and fearlessness, we learn to be patient with the fact that we’re human beings, that everyone who is born and dies from the beginning of time until the end of time is naturally going to want some kind of resolution to this edgy, moody energy. And there isn’t any. The only resolution is temporary and just causes more suffering. We discover that as a matter of fact joy and happiness, peace, harmony and being at home with yourself and your world come from sitting still with the moodiness of the energy until it rises, dwells and passes away. The energy never resolves itself into something solid.
So all the while, we stay in the middle of the energy. The path of touching in on the inherent softness of the genuine heart is to sit still and be patient with that kind of energy. We don’t have to criticize ourselves when we fail, even for a moment, because we’re just completely typical human beings; the only thing that’s unique about us is that we’re brave enough to go into these things more deeply and explore beneath our surface reaction of trying to get solid ground under our feet. Patience is an enormously wonderful and supportive and even magical practice. It’s a way of completely changing the fundamental human habit of trying to resolve things by going either to
the right or the left, calling things right or calling things wrong. It’s the way to develop courage, the way to find out what life is really about.
Patience is also not ignoring. In fact, patience and curiosity go together. You wonder, Who am I? Who am I at the level of my neurotic patterns? Who am I at the level beyond birth and death? If you wish to look into the nature of your own being, you need to be inquisitive. The path is a journey of investigation, beginning to look more deeply at what’s going on. The teachings give us a lot of suggestions about what we can look for, and the practices give us a lot of suggestions on how to look. Patience is one extremely helpful suggestion. Aggression, on the other hand, prevents us from looking: it puts a tight lid on our curiosity. Aggression is an energy that is determined to resolve the situation into a hard, solid, fixed pattern in which somebody wins and somebody loses.
When you begin to investigate, you notice, for one thing, that whenever there is pain of any kind—the pain of aggression, grieving, loss, irritation, resentment, jealousy, indigestion, physical pain—if you really look into that, you can find out for yourself that behind the pain there is always something we are attached to. There is always something we’re holding on to. I say that with such confidence, but you have to find out for yourself whether this is really true. You
can read about it: the first thing the Buddha ever taught was the truth that suffering comes from attachment. That’s in the books. But when you discover it yourself, it goes a little deeper right away.
As soon as you discover that behind your pain is something you’re holding on to, you are at a place that you will frequently experience on the spiritual path. After a while it seems like almost every moment of your life you’re there, at a point where you realize you actually have a choice. You have a choice whether to open or close, whether to hold on or let go, whether to harden or soften.
That choice is presented to you again and again and again. For instance, you’re feeling pain, you look deeply into it, and you notice that there’s something very hard you’re holding on to. And then you have a choice: you can let go of it, which basically means you connect with the softness behind all that hardness. Perhaps each one of us has made the discovery that behind all the hardness of resistance, stress, aggression and jealousy, there is enormous softness that we’re trying to cover over. Aggression usually begins when someone hurts our feelings. The first response is very soft, but before we even notice what we’re doing, we harden. So we can either let go and connect with that softness or we can continue to hold on, which means that the suffering will continue.
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TEACHINGS
It requires enormous patience even to be curious enough to look, to investigate. And then when you realize you have a choice, and that there’s actually something there that you’re attached to, it requires great patience to keep going into it. Because you will want to go into denial, to shut down. You’re going to say to yourself, “I don’t want to see this.” You’ll be afraid, because even if you’re starting to get close to it, the thought of letting go is usually very frightening. You may feel that you’re going to die, or that something is going to die. And you will be right. If you let go, something will die. But it’s something that needs to die and you will benefit greatly from its death.
On the other hand, sometimes it’s easy to let go. If you make this journey of looking to see if there’s something you’re holding on to, often it’s going to be just a little thing. Once when I was stuck with something huge, Trungpa Rinpoche gave me some advice. He said, “It’s too big; you can’t let go of it yet, so practice with the little ones. Just start noticing all the little ways you hold when it’s actually pretty easy and just get the hang of letting go.” That was extremely good advice. You don’t have to do the big one, because usually you can’t. It’s too threatening. It may even be too harsh to let go right then and there, on the spot. But even with small things, you may—perhaps just intellectually—begin to see that letting go can bring a sense of enormous relief, relaxation and 44 | EASTERN HORIZON
connection with the softness and tenderness of the genuine heart. True joy comes from that.
You can also see that holding on increases the pain, but that doesn’t mean you’re going to be able to let go, because there’s a lot at stake. What’s at stake is your whole sense of who you are, your whole identity. You’re beginning to move into the territory of egolessness, the insubstantial nature of oneself—and of everything, for that matter. Theoretical, philosophical, distant-sounding teachings can get pretty real when you’re beginning to have an inkling of what they’re actually talking about. It takes a lot of patience not to beat up on yourself for being a failure at letting go. But if you apply patience to the fact that you can’t let go, somehow that helps you to do it. Patience with the fact that you can’t let go helps you to get to the point of letting go gradually—at a very sane and loving speed, at the speed that your basic wisdom allows you to move. It’s a big moment even to get to the point where you realize you have a choice. Patience is what you need at that point to just wait and soften, to sit with the restlessness and edginess and discomfort of the energy. I’ve come to find that patience has a lot of humor and playfulness in it. It’s a misunderstanding to think of it as endurance, as in, “Just grin and bear it.” Endurance involves some kind of repression or trying to live up to somebody else’s standards of perfection. Instead, you find you
have to be pretty patient with what you see as your own imperfections. Patience is a kind of synonym for loving-kindness, because the speed of loving-kindness can be extremely slow. You are developing patience and loving-kindness for your own imperfections, for your own limitations, for not living up to your own high ideals. There’s a slogan someone once came up with that I like: “Lower your standards and relax as it is.” That’s patience. One of the Indian Buddhist teacher Atisha’s slogans says, “Whichever of the two occurs, be patient.” It means that if a painful situation occurs, be patient, and if a pleasant situation occurs, be patient. This is an interesting point in terms of patience and the cessation of suffering, patience and fearlessness, and patience and curiosity. We are actually jumping all the time: whether it’s pain or pleasure, we want resolution. So if we’re really happy and something is great, we could also be patient then, in terms of not just filling up the space, going a million miles an hour—impulse buying, impulse speaking, impulse acting. I’d like to stress that one of the things you most have to be patient with is, “Oops, I did it again!” There’s a slogan that says, “One at the beginning and one at the end.” That means that when you wake up in the morning you make your resolve, and at the end of the day you review, with a caring and gentle attitude, how you have done. Our normal resolve is to say something like, “I am going to be
TEACHINGS
patient today,” or some other such set-up (as someone put it, we plan our next failure). Instead of setting yourself up, you can say, “Today, I’m going to try to the best of my ability to be patient.” And then in the evening you can look back over the whole day with loving-kindness and not beat yourself up. You’re patient with the fact that when you review your day, or even the last forty minutes, you discover, “I’ve talked and filled up all the space, just like I’ve done all my life, as long as I can remember. I was aggressive with the same style of aggression that I’ve used as long as I can remember. I got carried away with irritation exactly the same way that I have for the last…” If you’re twenty years old, it’s been twenty years that you’ve been
doing it that way; if you’re seventyfive years old, it’s seventy-five years that you’ve been doing it that way. You see this and you say, “Give me a break!” The path of developing lovingkindness and compassion is to be patientwith the fact that you’re human and that you make these mistakes. That’s more important than getting it right. It seems to work only if you’re aspiring to give yourself a break, to lighten up, as you practice developing patience and other qualities such as generosity, discipline and insight. As with the rest of the teachings, you can’t win and you can’t lose. You don’t get to just say, “Well, since I am never able to do it, I’m not going to try.” You are never
able to do it and still you try. And, interestingly enough, that adds up to something; it adds up to loving-kindness for yourself and for others. You look out your eyes and you see yourself wherever you go. You see all these people who are losing it, just like you do. Then, you see all these people who catch themselves and give you the gift of fearlessness. You say, “Oh wow, what a brave one—he or she caught themselves.” You begin to appreciate even the slightest gesture of bravery on the part of others because you know it’s not easy, and that inspires you tremendously. That’s how we can really help each other. Reprinted from Lion’s Roar EH
Are you searching for a spiritually challenging work? Do you enjoy meeting fellow Dharma practitioners, Buddhist leaders, and Dharma masters? Would you like to introduce the latest Buddhist book you read recently? How about researching into the latest web-sites on Buddhist activities around the world? And of course, what about telling us how you first came in contact with the dharma and what the dharma means to you today. Well, if you find all of these interesting, we can make it spiritually challenging for you too! In every issue of eastern horizon, we publish special chat sessions with leading Buddhist personalities, essays on all aspects of Buddhism, book reviews, and news and activities that are of interest to the Buddhist community. We need someone to help us in all these projects. If you are keen to be part of this exciting magazine, please e-mail to the editor at Bennyliow@gmail.com, and we will put you in touch with what’s challenging for the next issue!
Let us share the dharma for the benefit of all sentient beings!
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Personal Reflection
Bible Belt Buddhism An Evangelical Christian reveals how Buddhism has helped him weather a crisis of conscience and faith. By Jim Owens I live in the heart of the Bible Belt. When this article is published, many of my family and friends will fear I am destined for hell. Some Christians, like many others, misjudge what they do not understand. Some simply scratch their heads when they hear of a Christian examining Buddhism, meditation, or even just alternative experiences and faiths. Other Christians will have much stronger objections than that. I know this well, for there was a time when I was one of them.
My journey into examining Buddhism and developing a practice of meditation began when a marriage counselor, a Christian, suggested I read the writings of Richard Rohr. His worksEverything Belongs and Falling Upward make reference to the renowned Trappist monk Thomas Merton, whose engagement with Buddhism led me to read books by the likes of Thich Nhat Hanh and the Dalai Lama. The more I read, the more I found I had little grasp of Buddhism and its many schools. But I noticed how the teachings of the four noble truths and eightfold path were in many ways—though not all—consistent with the teachings of Jesus and Christian doctrine.
For instance, the Buddha’s teaching on right view affords a deeper understanding of Jesus’s warning not to be “conformed to this world but be transformed” (Romans 12:2) and to “let my mind dwell on whatever is good, right, and pure” (Phillippians 4:8). My thinking has transformed in such a way that I perceive my peers’ negative reactions as arising from their own attachments rather than as deliberate efforts to hurt me. By stewarding my mind skillfully, I am better 46 | EASTERN HORIZON
equipped to avoid misjudgments or dwell on difficult circumstances that might otherwise result in unskillful means of dealing with pain. In my pursuit of mindfulness I have found myself giving thanks for all things at a far deeper level. I’m more thankful for simple things as I eat a piece of fruit, walk in the woods, and endure the trials of life. Yes, as I become more mindful I am even grateful for difficulties and pain, as they allow me to access greater compassion for those going through their own hardships.
Releasing attachments, meanwhile, has bolstered my belief that I should “not store up for [myself] treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal” (Matthew 6:19). The biblical observation of how “the earth should change and . . . the mountains slip into the heart of the sea” (Psalm 46:2) has been illuminated by my understanding of impermanence, as has the admonishment to forget “what lies behind and reach forward to what lies ahead . . . press on” (Philippians 3:13). Striving to maintain a beginner’s mind opens me to a faith in Jesus beyond the preconceptions that I’ve carried since I was a young man. Finally, after so many years, I see genuine Christianity anew. These teachings have made their way into my thinking, and my library, during a family and marital crisis that has led me to fundamentally question whether my experience is, in fact, consistent with the belief system to which I’ve adhered for so long. Lately, the tumult in my life has seemed immune to my usual remedies: the Bible, prayer, and the fellowship of other Christians. In my study and meditation I began to see how much of my life was the result of living up to others’ expectations, how little I forgave myself, and
Personal Reflection
how much, even as a Christian, I was prone to harsh, if unspoken judgment of myself and others.
But as I’ve noticed this tendency in myself, my questioning has grown to include not just my habits but my faith. I recently confessed to my wife, son, and daughter that I had begun to wonder whether God even existed. To be sure, these concerns were, and remain, disconcerting to those who have known me as an elder in the church, a Sunday school teacher, and an apologist for the Bible and Christianity. They were and still are dismayed. I can see their pain, their concern, and their suffering, just as I’ve become acutely aware of my own. As I write these words, I sit in a one-bedroom apartment, having separated, about eight weeks ago, from my wife of 31 years. In Christian circles, at least those in which I have fellowshipped, worshipped, and in whose tradition I have raised my children, such a decision is considered cowardly, selfish, and sinful. I have, in short, failed at what is for many the litmus test of Christian manhood.
But amid this chaos, I have nevertheless returned to my faith, albeit in altered form. While Buddhism does not acknowledge a creator God, I am comforted by the Dalai Lama’s words of encouragement to Christians to allow Buddhism to make them better practitioners of their faith. For many Christians, that call would mean I return to my wife. But in the reflective wisdom of Buddhism, I have seen more clearly the message of Christ’s forgiveness.
Though my grappling with divorce is hardly complete, I find myself clearly seeing the pain and suffering of others when they react to me in anger, while recognizing that I am not bound to judge them as they might judge me. I recall the words of the Apostle Paul: “I do not even judge myself.” These are healing words from a man who considered himself “chief among sinners,” and who, according to the Bible, presided over the stoning of Stephen, a disciple of Christ, before Paul’s own conversion from his Jewish faith. Rest assured, my words are not an attempt to reconcile Buddhism with Christianity. In my own experience I
find it difficult to reconcile some of my choices with my beliefs about either path. I am imperfect. And yet in the silence of meditation, I encounter what Buddhists would call the compassion of Avalokiteshvara and Christians call “the peace of Christ.” I have seen the struggle of others in a new light as I realize how my own grasping for permanence in religious vocation and in my marriage has caused both myself and others so much pain. Similarly, I see how my lack of compassion has stranded me on the throne of judgment. As I seek the grace of family and friends, I long to reciprocally grant them grace in their pain, failings, and fear. I no longer find it necessary to believe the Bible is literally true. Its truth is sufficient, though I often struggle to understand it. I see the message of Jesus— to love my neighbor as myself—more clearly, and pray that I become more like him each and every day. But I see the contradictions in my behavior and my belief, just as Paul did in his writing in Romans 7:15 when he admitted, “what I am doing I do not understand; for I am not practicing what I would like to do.” And as I sit in meditation, to quiet the storms of my mind, I find his presence there to comfort me as I endure the tough love of some of my Christian friends.
Upon reading this, many Christians will suggest I have taken words of the Bible out of context, that I have distorted the words of Jesus, Paul, and other writers. Perhaps they are correct. I pray not. But I am reminded of the words of the disciple Peter, one of Jesus’s inner circle, the cornerstone of Jesus’s church, in his description of Christ: “And while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, he uttered no threats” (1 Peter 2:23). I pray I will respond the same way to those who might revile me. While I have yet to entirely reconcile my faith with my newfound Buddhist outlook and meditation practice, I long to live as Jesus did in understanding and compassion, comforting those who suffer. I will do it in prayer, in study, and in sitting. EH
Jim Owens is a banker living in Madison, Alabama.
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Guide to a Buddhist Wedding Ceremony By Dr Wong Yin Onn Associate Professor Dr Wong Yin Onn teaches at Monash University Clinical School in Johore Bahru. He teaches the Dhamma weekly at Metta Lodge in JB and has been sharing in Spore, Jakarta, Manila and Bangkok on invitation the last decade. He is a medical doctor by training.
Let us put our hands together and pay respects to the Lord Buddha. Namo tassa bhagavato arahato sama sambuddhassa X3
Brothers and Sisters in the Dhamma, Buddhism is the path of wholesome transformation of one’s mental and spiritual potential to full Enlightenment. It is a path of Noble qualities, dedicated to serving oneself and others, helping each other to awaken to the truths of life, the Dhamma. A Marriage unites two people, sharing a life and serving one another, expressed through Love, Compassion, Joy and Equanimity. Within a Marriage there must be fairness and equality, and a strong commitment to the happiness of each other, both in mundane and in spiritual life.
Our Noble qualities are developed through education, contemplation and actions, in days of joy and plenty, and also through the challenges that we will inevitably face. Your marriage is dedicated toward the happiness of yourselves and all beings, and everyone gathered here has a very important duty, for We are all witnesses to your pledge of Love and commitment to each other. Brothers and Sisters, should they falter, we must help them stand up stronger. Should their spiritual 48 | EASTERN HORIZON
development stagnate, we must encourage them. The Lord Buddha taught us that:
"In five ways, young householder, should a wife be ministered to by a husband: (i) by being courteous to her, (ii) by not despising her, (iii) by being faithful to her, (iv) by handing over authority to her, (v) by providing her with adornments.
"The wife thus ministered to by her husband shows her compassion to her husband in five ways: (i) she performs her duties well, (ii) she is hospitable to relations and attendants, (iii) she is faithful, (iv) she protects what he brings, (v) she is skilled and industrious in discharging her duties.
Today both of you promise to dedicate yourselves to each other, in body, speech, and mind. In this life, in every situation, in poverty or in wealth, in sickness or in health, in difficulty or in happiness, you will love and support each other.
To all gathered here, ________ and ________ are very happy today because they can share the joy of their love for each other with family and friends, and to express their aspirations for their future in front of us all.
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Two Buddhist weddings in Indonesia attended by Dr Wong Yin Onn
All marriages in Indonesia require a Civil registration AND a Religious service. Wirya and Jenny’s marriage was conducted at the Dhamma Sukha Vihara in Jakarta. The Registrar of Marriage came to the Vihara to conduct the Civil Registration just before the Religious Ceremony. I have the great honour of delivering the Homily. I based my sharing on the relevant parts of the Sigalovada sutta, the Nakulapita sutta and the Manggala sutta.
The second wedding service I attended was held at a Hotel at Bogor. Parents wrapping them in the Robe of the Dhamma. I gave the Homily basing my sharing on duties of a married couple, Nakulapita sutta, Righteous Wealth, how to use Money as advised by the Buddha, and Happiness of wealth in laylife when used appropriately.
Vows ________ and ________, do you pledge to love each other, helping each other to develop your hearts and minds, cultivating generosity, ethics, and wisdom as you travel the ups and downs of life, transforming them into the path of love, compassion, joy and equanimity, walking the Noble 8 fold Path as taught by the Buddha? “We do” Do you pledge to preserve and enrich your love and affection for each other, and in doing so bringing joy and happiness to your families and ultimately to all beings? “We do”
Exchanging of Rings The wedding ring is the outward and visible sign of an inward spiritual bond which unites two hearts in partnership.
Offering of Light The couple will now jointly light a candle in offering to the Lord Buddha symbolising their unity in the pursuit of Love, Wisdom and Happiness. Presenting and Congratulating the Couple Ladies and Gentlemen, Brothers and Sisters in the Dhamma, please join me in congratulating the newly wedded couple __________ and _____________. EH
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Buddhist Marriages By Vijaya Samarawickrama Vijaya is currently a lecturer at Taylors University since 1993. He was previously a lecturer at Universiti Teknologi Mara for 20 years since 1970. Vijaya graduated as a specialist in the Teaching of English as a Second Language (ESL) from the Malayan Teachers’ Training College in Kirkby, Liverpool, England. He received his B.A. (Hons.) in English and Linguistics from University of Malaya, and a M.A. from University of Hawaii, United States. Currently, Vijaya is the Chairman of the Nalanda Education Team, at Nalanda Institute, Serdang, and Patron of the Sasana Abhiwurdhi Wardhana Society, Kuala Lumpur.
It has often been said that marriages are made in heaven but we can safely declare that this cliché does not apply to Buddhism. Marriage is not regarded as a divinely ordained institution and there is no record of the Buddha approving marriages or even witnessing a marriage ceremony, let alone prescribing a ritual to mark the event. This is in marked contrast to the Brahmanical practice of conducting elaborate and long drawn rituals to mark one’s passage from childhood to adulthood. Brahmanical rituals were considered essential to ensure a successful union with enough male offspring to carry on the lineage as well as to conduct the proper funeral for parents when the time came. It was held that only when these rituals were correctly performed without even the slightest room for error that happiness could be assured in this world and the next. Any mistake was regarded as a bad omen which could only be circumvented with more rituals and of course profit for the officiating priest.
The Buddha’s silence on marriage ceremonies can be explained by his attitude to rituals in general. From the very early days of his ministry the Buddha had insisted that rituals in themselves were no guarantee of ultimate happiness or spiritual development or even of being efficacious in warding off evil. He had learned this the hard way. For six long years after leaving the palace he had assiduously carried out the rigorous rituals prescribed by Brahamanical tradition to free 50 | EASTERN HORIZON
the ‘atman’ (soul) from the ‘anatman’ (body) and thus attain moksha or Happiness. However, he found that far from bringing him happiness these ritual practices only caused him physical and mental distress. This led him to the discovery of the middle path which in turn led him to enlightenment. After enlightenment he set up the Sangha Order with the primary aim of helping humanity to break free from the entanglements of daily existence. He consistently declared that he had only one goal: “Monks, only one thing do I teach, suffering and the end of suffering”. (Majjhima Nikaya 1.140) As the life of the householder was fraught with responsibility and worry he enjoined his monks to observe strict voluntary celibacy, thereby making marriage unnecessary. However it must be stressed that while he was engaged in leading the members of the Order to spiritual perfection by abandoning mundane pursuits, his teachings also attracted the attention of a large number of lay people including royalty, wealthy tradesmen, farmers and workers. Burdened as they were with social responsibilities they were not only unable but also unwilling to give up the comforts and security provided by married life. In fact in the Vyagghapajja Sutta it is recorded that one of his kinsmen, a Koliyan called Dighajanu actually approached the Buddha and said: “We, Lord, are laymen who enjoy worldly pleasure. We live a life
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encumbered by wife and children. We use sandalwood from Kasi. We deck ourselves with garlands, perfumes and unguents. We use gold and silver. To those like us Lord, let the Exalted one preach the Dhamma, teach those things that lead to weal and happiness in this life and happiness in future life” (AN 8.54). In response to this need the Buddha delivered several discourses to show how one can pursue the spiritual path while yet indulging in worldly pursuits. One such sutra is the Sigālovāda Sutta where the Buddha advised the young man Sīgāla that rather than ritually worshipping the six directions as the Brahmins had prescribed, it is far more meaningful to pay respects to six sectors of society, namely parents, teachers, spouses and children, friends, employees, and religious persons. What this shows is that the Buddha did not disapprove of the institution of marriage and family relationships. Always a pragmatist, he saw that not all humans were up to the rigors of the life of renunciation and he saw marriage as a social institution which had value in safeguarding the mundane concerns of ordinary people. Therefore, while he did not see the need to prescribe how a marriage should be performed, he gave advice on how one could live a householder’s life and yet strive to progress spiritually although at a different level than true renunciates. The marriage ceremony itself was a secular affair outside the scope of religion.
Given the fact that the Buddha never regarded marriage as a sacrament which needed religious or divine sanction, the monks who carried on the responsibility of the propagation of Buddhism (or, to give it its proper designation, the Dhamma-Vinaya, doctrine-practice) did not show any concern for nuptial arrangements as part of their service to the lay community. Over the centuries therefore marriages took place outside the temple and were officiated by lay people who solemnized the marriage in front of family and friends. But the religious part of the wedding ceremony consisted of the couple visiting the temple before the wedding and offering dāna (alms food) and receiving blessings from the monks. Sometimes it has even happened that couples would attend a ceremony which was not Buddhist as part of
a cultural practice, like the tea ceremony in a Chinese nuptial. In Japan it was not considered unusual for a Shinto wedding to take place. What was the precedence for this? We can go back to the time of the Buddha himself. His own marriage to Yasodhara was conducted according to Brahmanical traditions and we often see ancient paintings depicting the custom of tying the couples’ little fingers together with the father pouring water over the hands. As the water fell to the ground it symbolized asking the earth to witness the betrothal. We are told that the Buddha consented to accept a dāna offered to him to mark the marriage of his step brother Nanda which we can safely surmise was conducted according to Brahmanical custom. This is quite possible because Brahmin priests called purohitas were an important part of a royal household even if it was Buddhist. These purohitas were considered necessary to make astrological predictions, and to carry out various rituals which were normally outside the purview of the Buddhist Sangha. This simply means that while the Buddha did not see the necessity for (in this case) a wedding ritual, he did not forbid it either, because he saw its social value for lay people. Outside the royal palaces, however, we know for a fact that as Buddhism became more firmly established and independent of Brahmin influence, Buddhist wedding ceremonies came into their own. In Sri Lanka for example we are told that Buddhist weddings were officiated during the time of King Dutugemunu who lived several centuries before the Christian era. The basic practice of tying the fingers and pouring water were elaborated upon with the chanting of popular Buddhist verses like the Jayamaṅgala Gāthā, and the invocation of the names of local guardian deities. Today this is known as the Poruwa ceremony. One significant characteristic of the Poruwa ceremony is that while it is strictly Buddhist, no monk is ever present and it is never performed in a temple. The official conducting the marriage is a senior male member of the community. We may remark in passing that in present day Sri Lanka enterprising hotels offer Poruwa ceremonies as part of their services and they are doing good business attracting many foreign couples looking for an exotic experience to commemorate their weddings. It can certainly look
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quite exotic: with betel-leaf dropping, gorgeous Sri Lankan costumes, water pouring, all to the throbbing special drum beat called magul bera against the backdrop of a beautifully decorated marriage dais called the poruwa or marriage throne under the swaying coconut trees by the beach.
As mentioned by Dr Piyasoma Medis, at the time of King Devanampiyatissa, 2350 years ago, the members of the Sinhala community embraced Buddhism and Buddhist Blessings became an integral component of the wedding of a Sinhala Buddhist couple. : “For Sinhala Buddhists, the Poruwa Ceremony is purely a social and secular event. From a social point of view it gives the opportunity for the couple to enter in to a social contract by making a joint promise to live as husband and wife until death, in the presence of parents, relations, and friends. Because of the secular nature of the ceremony this is the only Buddhist function where Sinhala Buddhists extend a respectful rest for the members of the Buddhist clergy. Yet a visit to the temple to get the blessings of the Triple Gem – Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha – and to obtain blessed water and thread to be used at time of tying the nuptial knot is practiced.” Over the last century or so, a new development took place with regard to Buddhist marriages which has impacted South-east Asia. During the colonial period both Mahāyāna and Theravāda Buddhism were brought in by Buddhist migrants who had been transported to the colonies like Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore to assist in exploiting their rich natural resources. Understandably the forms of Buddhism these migrants practiced was initially not as sophisticated as they were in the home countries and served merely to satisfy their more immediate survival needs in their new and harsh environments. But as they settled in and grew prosperous they were able to give a better life to their children especially by providing them with good education. This second generation was then in a better position to turn their attention to higher spiritual pursuits. Happily the monks who served them were able to cater to their needs by giving sermons, explaining the significance of the basic rituals and writing books. Among them just to name a few were venerables such as Sumangalo, 52 | EASTERN HORIZON
Piyadassi, Dhammananda, Seet Kim Beng and Chuk Mor. Throughout the 20th Century these luminaries were so successful in their propagation efforts that they created a generation of lay people who clearly identified themselves as Buddhist and who distanced themselves from the many animistic practices which their parents had wrongly identified as ‘Taoist’. They sought to practice a form of Buddhism unadulterated by superstition and ritualism.
When it came to marriage a growing number of couples wanted a ‘temple wedding’ to reflect their allegiance to Buddhism, although they could also have been influenced very likely by the beauty and grandeur of Christian Church weddings. Coincidentally, the governments in these countries began to allow marriages to be legally performed in the temples with the appointment of official marriage registrars. Temple authorities rose to the occasion by devising marriage ceremonies by bringing together the three elements we have been discussing: • The religious aspect performed by a senior lay person • The legal registration solemnized by an official appointed by the government • The blessing by members of the Sangha Over the last few decades each temple developed its own version of a wedding ceremony depending on the cultural orientation of its Sangha members (Thai, Burmese, Chinese or Sinhalese), but thanks to efforts made by some concerned individuals and groups these elements were gradually formalized into a cohesive “Buddhist Wedding Ceremony” which is unique to the region, namely Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia, all of which have Buddhist minorities in their population. The following is an example of a Buddhist wedding in Indonesia: Wedding Ceremony (Indonesia) Translated, with modifications, from Paritta Suci: kumpulan Wacana Pali untuk Upacara dan Puja. Penerbit: Yayasan Sangha Theravada Indonesia Penyayi: Bhikku Dhammadina
1. Entrance Couple enters hall carrying flowers. Proceed to the altar with a Buddha Image, accompanied by
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a. b.
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respective parents or representatives, relatives and friends. Marriage celebrant (PANDITA) and assistants already at their stations by the altar. Offering of flowers and fruit Couple offers flowers, fruit at the altar. Questions and answers Everyone is seated at their respective places: Couple in the front row – groom on the right of the bride Parents or representatives in the second row Witnesses third row Family and friends The bride and bridegroom are asked if they have been forced to participate in this Buddhist ceremony. If the couple replies in the negative and everyone else is silent, the ceremony can proceed. Celebrant asks the groom: “Are you………. (name), prepared to take Ms………(name) as your lawful wife?” When groom says “Yes”, celebrant asks the bride “Are you,………(name), prepared to take Mr…….. (name) as your lawful husband?” When she says, “Yes”, the ceremony proceeds. Lighting of Candles Parents or representatives of the groom light one blue and one yellow candle. Bride’s parents or representatives light one white candle and one orange candle. The red candle and the main candle are lit by the celebrant. Main Ceremony begins After the candles are lit, celebrant lights three joss sticks and leads the congregation in reciting the Salutation to the Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha. Marriage Oath Bride and groom each hold three lighted joss sticks and read the marriage oath, led by the celebrant:
Groom: “I ask everyone present here to witness that today (state the date, month and year) that I …….. (name), take ……….(name) as my wife before the altar of the Lord Buddha, and I solemnly vow that I will 1 Always respect her 2 Always treat her courteously 3 Always be faithful to her 4 Always provide for her
5 Always provide her with suitable ornaments 6 Always endeavor to provide for my family Bride: “I ask everyone present here to witness that today (state the date, month, and year) that I………. (name), take………(name) as my husband before the altar of the Lord Buddha and I solemnly vow that I will 1 Always remember the importance of all the family members 2 Always be courteous towards the members of both our families 3 Always be loyal to my husband 4 Always protect my husband’s assets 5 Always be skillful and industrious 6 Always listen to my husband’s good advice After reading the oath the couple places joss sticks on the altar and recite the salutation together “Namotassa, bhagavato,arahatto, sammasambuddhasa” (3times)
7. Exchange of rings Couple sit facing each other Groom places ring on bride’s finger Bride places ring on groom’s finger 8. Tying of thread Couple approach the altar, fold palms in ‘anjali’ gesture. Celebrant joins their hands by tying them with a yellow thread. 9. Blessing Holy water is sprinkled on the couple by the groom’s parents, followed by the bride’s parents (or their representatives). Finally the celebrant sprinkles holy water while reciting the gatha of blessing. 10. Talk by celebrant Celebrant gives advice to couple as well as to the guests about the significance of family life according to the teaching of the Buddha. 11. Untying the thread Celebrant unties the yellow thread. 12. Signing of oath Couple sign the oath, followed by parents and the celebrant. 13. End of ceremony Celebrant leads the congregation in reciting the final salutation. EH
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BOOK Review by Gary Gach Silence: The Power of Quiet in a World Full of Noise by Thich Nhat Hanh, Rider, 2015.
his own sense of the famous self-immolation of a member of his order, Venerable Quang Duc (1897-1963). One story, of a French soldier, is worthy of Tolstoy.
There’s a slow, steady progression across the eight chapters — from noise to silence; from paying attention to being with others.
It might seem curious, at first blush, to hear tales of war in the context of a book on silence. Lest we forget, Thich Nhat Hanh’s living legacy is as much about pacifism as about Buddhism. When he teaches us how he listens to the sound of helicopters without being drawn into anger or fear, we ourselves are ennobled and inspired. Peace is composed of non-peace elements, like a bell formed of spent ammunition casings.
People often ask me, “How can I find a Buddhist meditation center where I live?” It’s often someone new to meditation entirely. So I recommend that they look for a Quaker center in town. No worry then whether it’s to be Zen silence, Tibetan silence, or Vipassana silence. It can be so rewarding to sit with other human beings, feeling how silence can happen of its own. But maybe, just by yourself, quite naturally, you’ve felt for yourself a silent presence, whenever fully inhabiting the here and now. It’s wonderful. It’s sufficient cause for happiness. The common standard, however, is anything but silence. Society is addicted to noise. In his new book, Silence: The Power of Quiet in a World Full of Noise, Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh aptly typifies so much of our noise as “Radio NST”: Non-Stop Talking. This, he notes, often takes the form of rumination over the same thoughts, often negative ones, like a cow chewing on its cud. As antidote, he offers ancient and contemporary insights, with simple, immediate, direct ways to turn off the mental radio and live life fully. Throughout, he reminds us of ways silence can delight, surprise, inspire, and deeply nourish. For instance, this book opened my ears to two kinds of silence. There’s my ability to contact silence within me. And there’s my ability to be silent even in the midst of a world full of noise. I tested this out at my weekly mindfulness practice group, as I sat in silence with six others. Aware of my in-breath, aware of my out-breath, I instantly felt silence within me. And, during the session, I felt equanimous toward the sounds of people down the hall, and the sounds of the surf outside. The sounds came to my ear, my ear did not run after them. Like my breath, they arose and passed away. What a perfect wonder. And there’s an amazingly obvious reason why silence is good: happiness. Too often, we place our innate happiness in front of ourselves, and run after it. Only when we turn off Radio NST do we open our eyes (awaken) to what’s right in front of our nose. Silence enables us to appreciate the ample causes and conditions already within and around us that are sufficient reasons to be happy. The simple joys of life. Breathing in and out. The miracle of the blue sky. Mother Earth beneath our feet. Green vegetation. The smile of a little child. With a compassionate heart, Thich Nhat Hanh draws us into the plain light of day and invites us to ask ourselves what do we really want. Too often, he notes, people become victims of their own success, but no one is ever a victim of happiness. This is not abstract philosophy. Over and over, we’re invited to see for ourselves. The author draws numerous instances from life — the life of the Buddha, the lives of people who come to him, his friends, and his own life. Longtime readers of Thich Nhat Hanh will be especially nourished at some of his own stories he’s chosen to reveal. I don’t recall ever hearing before 56 | EASTERN HORIZON
If you’re new to Thich Nhat Hanh, this is a worthy entrance. Longtime readers will find this latest title one of his best, taking its place alongside his recent books on such simple subjects as communication, anger, fear, death, and love. His latest works have all shone with a mastery as of late Rembrandt and Bach. He’s always been simple and powerful. Now he’s even pithier, while the range of his healing is that much more encompassing. There’s a slow, steady progression across the eight chapters — from noise to silence; from paying attention to being with others. There are wholesome practices throughout, such as listening to the voice of a bell, finding answers without thinking, communing with our ancestors; a major practice at the end of each chapter invites the reader into experiences such as stopping and letting go, sitting and walking meditation, finding the island of self, practicing words of love, and so on. Whether you study the book on your own, or with a group, it could nourish a year’s attention. Thich Nhat Hanh is an author whose works you can practice five times as much as you read. Many tell me they too find themselves taking a long time to get through any of his books. They’ll say a paragraph or two will jump off the page and speak right to them, with such profundity that they have to put the book down, right there, and come back to it later. Another of his traits I’ve found people agree on is his subtle blend of light touch as of a butterfly with solidity and power as of a water buffalo. On November 11, 2014 Thich Nhat Hanh experienced a massive cerebral hemorrhage. At the present time, he is not yet able to speak. His Silence becomes that much more precious. One more thing. If you haven’t already noticed, Parallax Press, the publishing arm of his spiritual community, has recently launched an innovative series called “Mindfulness Essentials.” Thus far, they’ve released How To Sit, How To Walk, How To Eat, and How To Love, in a compact 4”x6”, two-color illustrated paperback format that’s snugly in between a short story and a novella in length, and priced under ten US dollars. (Up next, How to Relax). Finding a need and filling it, these wonderful books are a skillful way of addressing essential gists and piths of mindfulness for today’s faster pace. Moreover, each page is designed to be complete unto itself, so the immediate experience of the book itself becomes integral to its teachings. In a world of mindless intoxications, here are oases of sobriety and sanity for us all. EH Gary Gach is author of Complete Idiot’s Guide to Buddhism (third edition), editor of What Book !? -Buddha Poems from Beat to Hiphop, and co-translator of three books by Ko Un. His website is http://www. levity.com/interbeing
BOOKS IN BRIEF Shambhala Publications Horticultural Hall, 300 Massachusetts Avenue, Boston, MA 02115 www.shambhala.com
Tulku Thondup, The Heart of Unconditional Love. A Powerful New Approach to Loving Kindness Meditation. 2015. pp 278. US$18.95 Loving Kindness meditation or mettā bhāvanā in Pāli is perhaps the most popular form of Buddhist meditation today. It is highly effective way to generate positive causation, bring true peace and love into our lives, and release ourselves from habitual suffering. Once we immerse our mind in this unconditional love, we can radiate it to those around us. Aptly called “The Heart of Unconditional Love”, Tulku Thondup’s new approach to loving kindness meditation uses a four-stage approach: 1. In the Outer Buddha Stage, we open our heart with trust and devotion to the Buddha of LovingKindness and enjoy his unconditional love. 2. In the Inner Buddha Stage, we experience the Buddha’s unconditional love within and for ourselves. 3. In the Universal Buddha Stage, we learn to see, hear, and feel the world around us as a blessed realm of unconditional love. 4. In the Ultimate Buddha Stage, we rest in the awareness of unconditional love free from conceptual thinking. The unconditional love that we all long for - in our own lives and in the world around us - can be awakened effectively with this unique approach to the Tibetan Buddhist practice of loving-kindness meditation. Tulku Thondup gives detailed guidance for meditation, prayers, and visualization in four simple stages that can be practiced in as little as thirty minutes a session. The four-stage format is a brand-new approach being presented for the first time in English, distilled from the author’s lifelong study and practice of authentic, traditional teachings. EH
Chogyam Trungpa, Mindfulness in Action. Making Friends with Yourself through Meditation and Everyday Awareness. 2015. pp 196. US$ 21.95 Hardcover. Chogyam Trungpa passed away almost 30 years ago, but he left behind immense dharma knowledge, like the unpublished material that is now the basis for most of this book. Reading through Mindfulness in Action, one can feel it fresh and new. It is divided into three parts. In Part I, “Making Friends with Yourself”, Trungpa introduces the practice of meditation connecting it with the experience of gentleness, clarity, a positive experience of aloneness, and the discovery of compassion. In Part II, “Foundations of Mindfulness”, the author introduces strategies for deepening and enlivening our practice of meditation and linking it with everyday experience. In Part III which is called “Mindfulness in Action”, Trungpa address working with the emotions, as well as walking meditation and working in group retreat situations. The technique of meditation taught by Trungpa stresses openness and engagement with our world. It is compatible with other approaches in that it emphasizes a sense of presence, simplicity, and the development of peace. It is also about developing insight and clear seeing in one’s own practice and daily life. In brief, this is a book about meditation, about the practice and experience of mindfulness and awareness, and about how these meditative qualities influence our everyday lives. It is a practitioner’s book: a book for people who want to practice meditation and also apply meditative insight to their lives. It includes practice instructions, as well as insights into the principles and aspects of meditation that are the foundations of mindfulness. EH
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BOOKS IN BRIEF Taigen Dan Leighton, Just this is It. Dongshan and the Practice of Suchness. 2015. pp 285. US$18.95 The ninth-century Tang dynasty Chinese master Dongshan Liangjie (807-69; Jpn.: Tozan Ryokai) is considered the founder of the Caodong (Soto) lineage, and an important ancestor of the Zen tradition that has spread widely throughout the world in the twentieth century. This is especially the case when it was transmitted to Japan by Eihei Dogen (1200-53). Donshan features prominently in koan texts and teaching stories, but this volume by Dan Leighton is perhaps among the first writings to be available in English. This volume is about suchness (Tathatā) – the ultimate and true nature inherent in all appearance as taught by Dongshan. Dan Leighton looks at the teaching of suchness attributed to Dongshan in his Recorded Sayings as well as stories and koan cases about him, and provides commentary for understanding them. Included in this book is a chapter on the “Jewel Mirror Samadhi”. In the Chinese text, it is called the “Song of the Jewel Mirror Samadhi” though it is questionable if there is a melody to it. This is a long teaching poem attributed to Dongshan, although in the Recorded Sayings, Dongshan presents it to one of his main successors, Caoshan, and tells him that this teaching was secretly entrusted to him by his teacher Yunyan. Though this text is of questionable historical origin, it has been studied since the early 12th century as a work of Dongshan and thus relates in various ways to issues in the study of suchness. EH
Wisdom Publications 199 Elm Street, Somerville, Massachusetts 02144, USA. www.wisdompubs.org
Ajahn Brahm, Don’t Worry Be Grumpy: Inspiring Stories for Making the Most of Each Moment. 2014. pp 226. US$16.95 This is Ajahn Brahm’s second book on inspiring stories published by Wisdom, after his hugely successful Who Ordered this Truckload of Dung. This time, Ajahn Brahm provides us with 108 brief stories with titles like “Camel Face”, “Old Monks Don’t Lie” and “Holy Shit”. These are stories that offer up more timeless wisdom that will speak to people from all walks of life. Coming from his own experiences and some by his students, these short but witty stories can only be summarized as humorous and comprising unexpected depth and inspiration. The author notes that in Buddhism getting angry and insulting your partner is viewed as “temporary insanity.” Considering this behavior from that perspective, we can respond with empathy and equanimity rather than rage or sulking. Couples who regard difficulties as their problem can work on finding solutions together. Many of us carry around bad memories that haunt us. Ajahn Brahm suggests we regularly do a purge of the photo album in our heads. We are bothered not only by bad vibes from the past but also by the stress of the present moment. His advice is to give ourselves a half-hour break in the middle of the day to rejuvenate ourselves. In fact after reading each of the stories, one can already feel a sense of mental relaxation. In the typical Ajahn Brahm style, he ends the book with a Happiness License stating: “This document officially grants the bearer a perpetual right to be happy, for any reason or no reason at all, without let or hindrance. Let no one infringe on this right.” EH
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BOOKS IN BRIEF Melvin McLeod, 21st Century Buddhists in Conversation. 2015. pp 301. US$19.95 His Holiness the Dalai Lama once remarked that “We are now in the twenty first century; we should be twenty first century Buddhists”. With that apt advice, Melvin McLeod has put forth a volume of leading voices of Buddhism to discuss issues and ideas important to Buddhists in the twenty-first century. The essays in this volume comprise of the very best of the round-table discussions recorded in the pages of Buddhadharma Quarterly magazine for over a decade. These conversations between a who’s who of contemporary Buddhist teachers, ranging over topics from student-teacher relationships, study and meditation, to the place of prayer, and the leadership roles of women in modern Buddhism, are always lively and insightful. It is obvious from the pages of the book that the focus is on the practice of Buddhism in the United States. The basic challenge is the same as it’s been in every culture Buddhism has entered: to change what is culturally dependent in order to adapt to the new culture without weakening the timeless and radical truths of the Dharma; to speak in new ways to communicate effectively with the local mindset without giving in to its neuroses; and to create opportunities for serious meditation practice and Dharma study in a culture where none previously existed. It will take many more decades at least, or perhaps centuries, before the development of Buddhism in the United States is complete. But the journey towards this final achievement of an indigenized American Buddhism has already started on a steady course all these decades. EH
Jean Smith, Life is Spiritual Practice. Achieving Happiness with the 10 Perfections. 2015. pp 210. US$17.95 This is a book of helpful exercises that we can incorporate in our daily life to be a more happy person. The first step on the path to happiness is faith: believing that you can be happy but not at others’ expense. Divided into two sections, Jean explains the foundations for happiness in Part 1.This requires us to reflect on the realities of life – aging, impermanence, cause and effect, and the hindrances. The second part is about the Ten Perfections. Each chapter in Part II delineates a particular ideal and begins with a resolve that when nurtured perfects that ideal, as well as a shortened version, a mantra, that may be used in meditation practice. Drawing on her more than twenty years of teaching experience, Jean Smith teases out the subtleties of the perfections and offers helpful exercises, real-life examples, and instructions for an independent self-retreat for their practical application. With this book in hand, embody the Ten Perfections and achieve lasting happiness, regardless of your spiritual tradition. The Ten Perfections are qualities of the heart and mind that cultivate happiness, wisdom, and compassion. They are the Buddha’s foundational teaching for true happiness. The Ten Perfections listed in the book are Generosity • Ethical Integrity • Renunciation • Wisdom • Wise Effort • Patience • Truthfulness • Resolve • Loving-Kindness • Equanimity. Jean has successfully applied these traditional teachings of the Buddha in our contemporary society today. EH
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BOOKS IN BRIEF Buddha’s Light Publishing 3456 S.Glenmark Drive, Hacienda Heights, CA 91745, USA. www.blpusa.com
Hsing Yun. Ten Paths to Happiness. A Commentary on the Sumati Sutra. 2014. pp 171. US$19.95. Hardcover. In this book, Master Hsing Yun pays tribute to women by quoting from the Sumati Sutra, part of the much larger Great Treasures Collection Sutra. By quoting from many examples, the author explains that women have made towering contributions to Buddhism over the past two thousand years. This book is called Ten Paths to Happiness because it represents the ten questions asked by Sumati, a young girl of eight years old, to the Buddha on how we can live happily in this life and beyond. In response, the Buddha gave a detailed explanation that happiness can only be attained when we understand the nature of the world and practice for the benefit of others. The questions posed by Sumati are explained by Master Hsing Yun in ten chapters in the book: (1) How to attain an elegant proper appearance? (2) How to attain wealth and nobility? (3) How to maintain social harmony? (4) How to be reborn in the presence of the Buddha? (5) How does one attain supernatural powers? (6) How to live blamelessly? (7) How to ensure trust by others? (8) How to eliminate obstructions in practicing the Dharma? (9) How to avoid Mara, the Evil One? (10) How to meet the Buddha upon death and be free from suffering? Master Hsing Yun then explained the Buddha’s response to each of the ten questions in a manner easily comprehended by the average lay person, typical of the approach of Humanistic Buddhism that he is famously known for. EH
Hsing Yun. The Biography of Sakyamuni Buddha. 2013. pp 444. US$24.95. Hardcover In the opening pages of the book, Master Hsing Yun explained that if we wish to understand a religion, we should first attempt to understand its founder. We should ponder and ask: Is the founder of that religion pure, free from afflictions, a perfect being himself? To millions of Buddhists, Sakyamuni Buddha fits that description. He is the greatest sage our world has known, and his teachings are the most profound. In this very intimate and imaginative retelling of the life of the original founder of Buddhism, Master Hsing Yun divides his life story into 48 chapters drawn from ancient textual sources. It begins with a background of Indian society 2600 years ago where the young Siddharta was born, how he grew up in the palace as a young prince, marriage to Yasodhara, birth of his only son, and his renunciation. The next part of the biography explains enlightenment and turning the Dharma wheel, followed by the establishment of the Order of Monks, and later the Order of Nuns. Master Hsing Yun also gave a good account of the royal patronage that the Buddha received as well as the treachery of Devadatta, his cousin. There is also reference to the Buddha’s ten great disciples in the book. The biography ends with the last teachings of the Buddha and his final passing away. Throughout the biography it can be said that Master Hsing Yun has very aptly depicted the Buddha’s hardships, triumphs, and boundless wisdom and compassion during his 80 years on earth. EH
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BOOKS IN BRIEF Tzu Chuang. Faxiang. A Buddhist Practitioner’s Encyclopedia. 2012. pp405. US$ 19.95 Hardcover This is a selection of 121 Dharma articles in English listed alphabetically and organized numerically, in the tradition of the Ekottara Āgama. Articles with two major doctrinal topics are grouped together, followed by articles with three topics, and so forth. The articles in English are also accompanied by their corresponding Chinese titles. This is probably the most concise encyclopedia of Chinese Mahāyāna Buddhist terms. To help readers navigate this vast lexicon, Venerable Tzu Chuang, a senior Fo Guang Shan monastic and the first abbot of Hsi Lai Temple, Los Angeles, USA, compiled FaXiang, an encyclopedia of Buddhist terms both extensive and accessible. It is replete with detailed entries explaining Buddhist etymology and history, as well as details of practice and religious significance. One can have a simple and easy to understand explanation of the Eight Kinds of Consciousness, Eight Stages of Buddha’s Progress, Four Great Mountains, Ten Grounds of Bodhisattva Path, Three Dharma Seals, Five Great Violations, Seven Kinds of Spiritual Wealth, Eight Schools of Chinese Buddhism, Twelve Divisions of Sutras, and Three Kinds of Wisdom. The Buddha’s teachings have a unique and sometimes challenging language all their own, constructed from the many cultures and generations of practitioners they have touched over the many centuries. With each English article indexed and annotated in both English and Chinese, FaXiang is a valuable reference for those who wish to learn more about Buddhism, as well as for English readers beginning to delve into reading Chinese Buddhist writing. EH
North Atlantic Books P.O. Box 12327, Berkeley, CA 94712. USA. www.northatlanticbooks.com
Kittisaro and Thanissara, Listening to the Heart. A Contemplative Journey to Engaged Buddhism. 2014. pp 282. US$22.95 This is a personal story of two former monastics of the late Ajahn Chah who later became a husband and wife team teaching Dharma in South Africa. They have taken turns to write chapters in this deeply personal biography where they described the inner practice of meditation in support of enlightenment. While Kittisaro grew up in a middle class environment graduating from Princeton and earning a Rhodes scholarship at Oxford, he was soon drawn to the simple teachings of Ajahn Chah and went to Thailand to meet this wonderful teacher. Thanissara meanwhile came from a working class Anglo-Irish family in London, but later developed a keen interest in Buddhist meditation. Due to past karmic connections, they shared many things in common, including attending the same retreat near Oxford in 1976, and eventually getting married in 1992. As explained by the authors, the guiding refuge for our spiritual journey is the Buddha, the historical teacher. Much of the teaching in the book is derived from the wise sayings and advice of the late Ajahn Chah. However, the authors have also incorporated some Mahāyāna teachings, including emptiness, chanting of Guan Yin mantra to overcome sickness, and practice of the Bodhisattva vows. This is partly due to the influence of the late master Hsuan Hua whom Kittisaro met during his years in the monkhood. Interesting and thought-provoking throughout, the book ends by returning to the simplicity of the authors’ primary teacher, Ajahn Chah, with his encouragement to “Be the Dharma.” EH
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BOOKS IN BRIEF Rafe Martin, Endless Path. Awakening within the Buddhist Imagination: Jataka Tales, Zen Practice, and Daily Life. 2010. pp264. US$19.95 Stories of the Buddha’s past lives, as both humans and non-humans, are known as Jātaka tales. It is believed there are at least 550 of such stories in the Pāli Canon. From this wealth of folklore, awardwinning author and storyteller Rafe Martin, a fully ordained lay Zen practitioner and Dharma teacher, has chosen ten tales that illustrate the ideals of the Buddhist Pāramitā, or “perfections” of character: giving, morality, forbearance, vitality, focused meditation, wisdom, compassionate skillful means, resolve, strength, and knowledge. The Jātaka stories in this book are not translations but original tellings, versions created to speak in a lively colloquial, vernacular voice to the modern readers. Endless Path presents these ancient stories, usually reduced to children’s tales in the West, for adults, reconnecting modern seekers with the more imaginative roots of Buddhism. The Jātaka stories help readers see their own lives, their failures and renewed efforts, in the same light as the challenges the Buddha faced—not as obstacles but as opportunities for developing character and self-understanding. Endless Path demonstrates the relevance of these tales to Buddhist lay practitioners today, as well as to those more broadly interested in Buddhist teaching and the ancient art of storytelling. The author also provides an overall explanation of the 10 Perfections that form the basis for the Jātaka tales in his Closing Words chapter. The artist and designer Richard Wehrman helps bring the spirit of these stories alive with rich illustrations that open each chapter. EH
Claude B Levenson, Tenzin Gyatso. The Early Life of the Dalai Lama. 2002. pp155. US$14.95 Claude’s book on the early life of the Dalai Lama focuses on the first 24 years of his life before his exile to India, including its social and political aspects. This exciting and often intense biography describes the Dalai Lama’s rigorous education and his full assumption of power at the age of fifteen following the Chinese invasion in 1950. Though Tibetan tradition holds that the Dalai Lama is a reincarnation of his predecessors, one still marvels at the level of responsibility, maturity, and wisdom he possessed at a very young age. Through Claude B. Levenson’s account of his youth, illuminated by photographs and many recollections of the Dalai Lama in his own words, we begin to understand how a lama from Tibet has become the worldwide spiritual leader who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989. In the chapter “A Year in China”, one can sense the kindness and compassion in the Dalai Lama even in his younger days when faced with increasing threats from the Chinese. This chapter also gives an overall glimpse of the tyranny that will befall Tibet which has continued till today. However, the respect and adoration of the Tibetan people towards the Dalai Lama was evident even at that time. Claude has also provided a good appendix comprising a chronological reference points in the life of the 14th Dalai Lama, a brief Tibetan chronology, the testament of the 13th Dalai Lama, and a selected English and French biography. EH
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Suffusing Love Up The Highlands by Rasika Quek
Dharma Aftermath
When Venerable Sujivo was back from Europe recently, he conducted two Vipassanā meditation retreats, one in Malacca and the other in Kota Tinggi. A Metta meditation retreat was conducted soon after in Chin Swee Temple in Genting Highlands from March 25-29, 2015. Altogether 86 participants attended the Mettā meditation retreat comprising of folks who were retirees or nearly retiring, from house-wives to the well-heeled. Most of those who came have done Vipassanā meditation before.
It was to be my third Mettā meditation retreat, the last time I had such a retreat was ten years ago. As it was to be a three-and-a-half days retreat, I did not come with any expectations, which was a good thing. For when we left the retreat, I could tell that almost everyone was overwhelmed by their experiences. How was it possible that in three-and-a-half days most of the participants could achieve results that were unexpected? The results achieved are attributable to the skill and experience of the teacher who guided and instructed us, namely, Venerable Sujivo. Of course, the fact that most of the participants were already seasoned Vipassanā meditators may also be a contributory factor as well. I am fortunate to have met a teacher like the Venerable in my life time who is not only a master at Mettā meditation but in Vipassanā meditation as well. In my previous Mettā meditation retreats, I had this belief that trying to gain access concentration (upacāra-samādhi) would take a long time. But this retreat proved me wrong as other meditators related their extraordinary experiences too during the group interview conducted by the Venerable. This was really inspiring and we learnt a lot from each other during the sharing. What we have read or heard about the unblemished counter-image as access concentration was attained
was a real experience for those who “got” it. Yes, incredibly brilliant shiny images or transparent glass-like images coupled with immensely powerful feelings were as real like the light of day itself. They were not mere figments of the imagination. Being a long-time practitioner of vipassanā meditation used to mindful observation of my own mind, any tendency towards being conceited or puffed-up by the results of the Mettā meditation was immediately noted. In this regard, meditators who have a background in Vipassanā have an advantage as any tendency towards conceit and “specialness” can be dealt with by maintaining one’s awareness of his mental state.
In a formal Mettā meditation retreat, one has five types of objects to choose from: a dear person, an intimate person, a neutral person, a disagreeable person, and an enemy. Of course, beginners are not expected to begin practice with a disagreeable person or enemy initially as they may develop enmity instead of loving-kindness as their concentration may still be “weak”. For beginners, they are recommended to start with either a dear or intimate person. But before that, the meditator is supposed to radiate Mettā to himself first. How can you show love to anyone else if you can’t even love yourself? Once the object is selected, the four aspirations are recited in the heart to anchor our loving-kindness to the object, i.e., “May I/He/She be safe and free from danger”, “May I/He/ She be peaceful and free from mental suffering”, “May I/He/She be healthy and free from physical suffering”, “May I/He/She be Happy”. The aspirations are done sequentially and if one finds a particular aspiration going rather well for the object of his meditation, he should maintain that aspiration and recite it in his heart again and again until concentration deepens. However, the recitation should not be done mechanically or as a routine. It must be really heartfelt, otherwise the Mettā will not flow.
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Dharma Aftermath The success factors for Mettā meditation are: 1. Ability to induce “softness” without being rigid or cramped while focusing in his meditation object 2. Being peaceful in mind during the practice, without being restless or in a flurry 3. Having clarity in his meditation practice and in the object of his meditation, i.e., not “foggy” or having a deluded mind.
The above can be further summarized as having mindfulness of the object of meditation and being completely relaxed in the meditation practice. Venerable Sujivo’s unique technique for Mettā meditation lies in relaxing the whole body by beginning at the crown of the head, then the whole head, the upper torso and gradually downwards to every part of the body until reaching the buttocks and feet. This is a “scanning” technique using relaxation to put the body at rest and in calm repose. Of course, while “scanning” from the top to bottom, one can also visualize a healing light that relaxes every part, organ or cell being scanned. The scanning can proceed a few times from top to bottom until relaxation actually sets in. Once this is done, the actual practice of Mettā can begin, starting with loving-kindness to yourself, using the four aspirations. After that we can choose a dear or intimate person as the object of meditation, again using the four aspirations. One should maintain a particular aspiration for as long as possible before moving to the next aspiration, sequentially. When the primary object of our meditation no longer becomes strong even after going through the four aspirations sequentially, one should “switch” to a secondary object, say to another person with whom one has affinity. Once one’s concentration is strong with the secondary object, one could try to switch back to the primary object again. Often times, an intruding object which is neither a primary or secondary object may appear. In such a case, the 64 | EASTERN HORIZON
intruding object should be taken as the object of one’s meditation. Once the concentration and Mettā is strong, one can switch back to the primary object again.
The technique is not difficult but in practice the mind may run helter skelter and even refuse to cooperate. For our minds are “split” (unhealed) and when we try to do anything wholesome, we also create sceptical doubts, restlessness, worry, drowsiness, and sensual thoughts just to detract from the wholesome intent. There is no real “separation” from the observer and the observed object when one is in deep concentration. It is like what some would say as a state of “Oneness”. When this experience of nonduality is attained, one would realize that all thoughts of goodness and of harm are imparted on both the observer and the observed alike. No wonder the Law of Kamma works.
We think the other person is separate from us because he has a body and we have another body. In reality, our minds are formless and cannot be separated. We may see two containers (metaphor for bodies) floating together in the sea (metaphor for minds) but the sea cannot be separated as belonging to this container or that. When we pollute the sea around one container with contaminants such as anger, etc., we end up contaminating the sea around the other container as well. When we are always thinking from the body’s perspective, we fail to see that actually our minds are not separate. This non- duality can be realized through Mettā meditation. Through the practice of Mettā meditation, may all beings realize the truth of non-separation and realize the Supreme Truth. EH April 5, 2015
2014 National Young Buddhist Fellowship Leadership Training Camp The 2014 National Young Buddhist Fellowship (YBF) Leadership Training Camp was successfully held from 4 to 7 December 2014 at Taman Lagenda Gunung Lendang, Johor. This leadership training camp was organised by YBAM, co-organised by YBAM Johor State Liaison Committee, supported by IM4U together with Yayasan Belia Buddhist Malaysia. The event received overwhelming response from 208 young Buddhists all over Malaysia of whom 160 qualified participants were selected.
Group Photo
Participants learning basic Dharma etiquette.
Let see which group’s “building” is the highest and most stable.
Ven. Zong Ping, the main instructor for this camp, accompanied the participants throughout the camp.
Candidates for 2015 You Miao Training Camp.
Although their hands were tied and blindfolded, participants were able to finish their mission impossible.