Buddhism Basics
A long time ago (it doesn't matter when), somebody (it doesn't matter who) had an
epiphany and realized that there was a better way to deal with the
anxiety, stress and suffering that each of us face in our daily lives.
This person came up with a simple plan to achieve this goal. First, this
person realized something they called "The Four Noble Truths":
- Everyone experiences anxiety, stress and suffering in their
lives (even rich people!)
- This suffering comes from us wanting people and things we like,
and us not wanting people and things we don't like
- There is a state of mind that frees us from this suffering (and
anxiety and stress, etc)
- Something called "The Eightfold Path" can lead us to that
state of mind!
Simple enough. We all suffer (poor, rich, diseased, healthy - doesn't
matter) because we all crave things (or the opposite; we want to avoid
things). If we simply stopped those cravings, then that ache you feel in
your heart or your belly would no longer happen. Here's one way we can
accomplish that:
- Right View - Seeing the world as it is (reality) and not
how we want or wish it to be (see those Four Noble Truths up above)
- Right Thought - Let's commit to this plan and work really
hard to stick with it. Practice makes perfect - especially when it
comes to retraining your mind!
- Right Speech - Watch your mouth! Pay attention to the
things you say during the day - how much of it is helpful and
nurturing, versus how much of it is hateful and deceptive. STOP
LYING!
- Right Action - "DO NO HARM"; a good Buddhist mantra that
means don't kill bugs, don't cut people off on the highway, just
generally act like a civilized person.
- Right Livelihood - Whatever your job or career is, try to
do something that benefits your fellow humans and allows you to
continue on the path. For instance, if you are currently a drug
dealer or a lawyer, perhaps think about becoming a florist or a care
giver.
- Right Effort - Try really hard (but not too hard!). Read
some Buddhism books. Learn to play guitar. Be cheerful but
determined on your journey.
- Right Concentration - Learn meditation (such as Zazen) to
clear your mind. The more you do it, the easier it will be to deal
with random thoughts and urges.
- Right Mindfulness - Try and be aware of what's going on
inside your head and your body. Learn to deal with random thoughts,
urges, cravings. Just be aware!
Seems pretty simple, right? It is! But like anything, it takes
practice. You will find the more you follow this path, the easier it
will be to continue. If you want a really good book that gives you more
information on how to do all this, I recommend this one:
Buddhism Plain And Simple by
Steve Hagen. It just talks about all the stuff I've listed above,
and none of the other stuff that people associate with Buddhism (such as
wearing orange robes, or shaving your head, or quitting your job and
becoming a beggar on a street corner). There are lots of other books,
but this is a great one to start with.
If you are interested in Buddhism, and begin to investigate it
further, you'll find like I did that here are a myriad of schools (or
versions) of Buddhism, and lots and lots of hard to read books and
scriptures. There are all kinds of rules (like NEVER SIT IN A
COMFORTABLE CHAIR!) and dogma that comes with any religion. In my
opinion, this stuff actually gets in the way of the whole purpose of
Buddhism! So I try my best to not let it all interfere. The above (4
truths, 8 fold path) are all you really need.
So, you say "OK! I am sold! Sign me up! What do I need to do to
become a Buddhist? Kiss a fish, or throw beans or something?" Great!
Here's what you need to do:
Accept these five precepts as part of your daily life:
- Do not kill or cause harm (even bugs!)
- Do not steal (including music and movies online!)
- Avoid sexual misconduct (varies from culture to culture)
- Do not lie (this is pretty easy)
- Abstain from intoxicants (drinking, smoking, drugs, etc)
Pretty easy. Some of this is open to interpretation (such as sexual
misconduct). But we all have an innate understanding of right and wrong
- listen to that! I remind myself of these precepts every morning.
Another daily ritual you can do is to "Take Refuge In The Three Jewels":
- The Buddha - using him as your inspiration (learn about a
guy named Siddhartha Gautama!)
- The Dharma - keep the Buddhist teachings in mind (read
some Buddhist books!)
- The Sangha - the community of practicing Buddhists (make
some Buddhist friends!)
That's about all there is to it. Well, actually there is TONS more -
but this is the key stuff. Try to keep an open and calm mind. It is very
ironic that Buddhism tends to be one of the hardest religions to
understand and get into, yet the core mission of Buddhism is libration
from suffering. Go figure!
The Story of Wu-Ming
This is one of my favourite stories ever...
My dear friend, the most reverend master
Tung-Wang,
Old and ill, I lay here knowing that writing this note will be my last act
upon this earth and that by the time you read it I will be gone from this life.
Though we have not seen each other in the many years since we studied
together under our most venerable Master, I have often thought of you, his most
worthy successor. Monks from throughout China say that you are a true lion of
the Buddha Dharma; one whose eye is a shooting star, whose hands snatch
lightning, and whose voice booms like thunder. It is said that your every action
shakes heaven and earth and causes the elephants and dragons of delusion to
scatter helplessly. I am told that your monastery is unrivaled in severity, and
that under your exacting guidance hundreds of monks pursue their training with
utmost zeal and vigor. I've also heard that in the enlightened successor
department your luck has not been so good. Which brings me to the point of this
letter.
I ask that you now draw your attention to the young man to whom this note is
attached. As he stands before you, no doubt smiling stupidly as he stuffs
himself with pickled cucumbers, you may be wondering if he is as complete a fool
as he appears, and if so, what prompted me to send him to you. In answer to the
first question, I assure you that Wu-Ming's foolishness is far more complete
than mere appearance would lead you to believe. As for the second question, I
can only say that despite so benumbed a condition, or perhaps because of it,
still more likely, despite of and because of it, Wu-Ming seems to unwittingly
and accidentally serve the function of a great Bodhisattva. Perhaps he can be of
service to you.
Allow him sixteen hours of sleep daily and provide him with lots of pickled
cucumbers and Wu-Ming will always be happy. Expect nothing of him and you will
be happy.
Respectfully, Chin-Mang
After Chin-mang's funeral, the supporters of his temple arranged for
Wu-Ming's journey to Han-hsin monastery, where I resided, then, as now, as
Abbott. A monk found Wu-ming at the monastery gate and seeing a note bearing my
name pinned to his robe, led him to my quarters.
Customarily, when first presenting himself to the Abbott, a newly arrived
monk will prostrate himself three times and ask respectfully to be accepted as a
student. And so I was taken somewhat by surprise when Wu-ming walked into the
room, took a pickled cucumber from the jar under his arm, stuffed it whole into
his mouth, and happily munching away, broke into the toothless imbecilic grin
that would one day become legendary. Taking a casual glance around the room, he
smacked his lips loudly and said, "What's for lunch?"
After reading dear old Chin Mang's note, I called in the head monk and asked
that he show my new student to the monk's quarters. When they had gone I
reflected on chin-mang's words. Han-hsin was indeed a most severe place of
training: winters were bitterly cold and in summer the sun blazed. The monks
slept no more than three hours each night and ate one simple meal each day. For
the remainder of the day they worked hard around the monastery and practiced
hard in the meditation hall. But, alas, Chin-mang had heard correctly, Among all
my disciples there was none whom I felt confident to be a worthy vessel to
receive the untransmittable transmitted Dharma. I was beginning to despair that
I would one day, bereft of even one successor, fail to fulfill my obligation of
seeing my teacher's Dharma-linage continued.
The monks could hardly be faulted for complacency or indolence. Their sincere
aspiration and disciplined effort were admirable indeed, and many had attained
great clarity of wisdom. But they were preoccupied with their capacity for harsh
discipline and proud of their insight. They squabbled with one another for
positions of prestige and power and vied amongst themselves for recognition.
Jealousy, rivalry and ambition seemed to hang like a dark cloud over Han-shin
monastery, sucking even the most wise and sincere into its obscuring haze.
Holding Chin-mang's note before me, I hoped and prayed that this Wu-ming, this
"accidental Bodhisattva" might be the yeast my recipe seemed so much in need of.
To my astonished pleasure, Wu-ming took to life at Han-shin like a duck to
water. At my request, he was assigned a job in the kitchen pickling vegetables.
This he pursued tirelessly, and with a cheerful earnestness he gathered and
mixed ingredients, lifted heavy barrels, drew and carried water, and, of course,
freely sampled his workmanship. He was delighted!
When the monks assembled in the meditation hall, they would invariably find
Wu-ming seated in utter stillness, apparently in deep and profound samadhi. No
one even guessed that the only thing profound about Wu-ming's meditation was the
profound unlikelihood that he might find the meditation posture, legs folded
into the lotus position, back erect and centered, to be so wonderfully conducive
to the long hours of sleep he so enjoyed.
Day after day and month after month, as the monks struggled to meet the
physical and spiritual demands of monastery life, Wu-ming, with a grin and a
whistle, sailed through it all effortlessly. Even though, if the truth be told,
Wu-ming's Zen practice was without the slightest merit, by way of outward
appearance he was judged by all to be a monk of great accomplishment and perfect
discipline. Of course . I could have dispelled this misconception easily enough,
but I sensed that Wu-ming's unique brand of magic was taking effect and I was
not about to throw away this most absurdly skillful of means.
By turns the monks were jealous, perplexed, hostile, humbled and inspired by
what they presumed to be Wu-ming's great attainment. Of course it never occurred
to Wu-ming that his or anyone else's behavior required such judgments, for they
are the workings of a far more sophisticated nature than his own mind was
capable. Indeed, everything about him was so obvious and simple that others
thought him unfathomably subtle.
Wu-ming's inscrutable presence had a tremendously unsettling effect on the
lives of the monks, and undercut the web of rationalizations that so often
accompanies such upset. His utter obviousness rendered him unintelligible and
immune to the social pretensions of others. Attempts of flattery and invectives
alike were met with the same uncomprehending grin, a grin the monks felt to be
the very cutting edge of the sword of Perfect Wisdom. Finding no relief or
diversion in such interchange, they were forced to seek out the source and
resolution of their anguish each within his own mind. More importantly, and
absurdly, Wu-ming caused to arise in the monks the unconquerable determination
to fully penetrate the teaching "The Great Way is without difficulty" which they
felt he embodied.
Though in the course of my lifetime I have encountered many of the most
venerable progenitors of the Tathagata's teaching, never have I met one so
skilled at awakening others to their intrinsic Buddhahood as this wonderful fool
Wu-ming. His spiritual non-sequiturs were as sparks, lighting the flame of
illuminating wisdom in the minds of many who engaged him in dialogue.
Once a monk approached Wu-ming and asked in all earnestness, "In the whole
universe, what is it that is most wonderful?" Without hesitation Wu-ming stuck a
cucumber before the monks face and exclaimed, "There is nothing more wonderful
than this!" At that the monk crashed through the dualism of subject and object,
"The whole universe is pickled cucumber; a pickled cucumber is the whole
universe!" Wu-ming simply chuckled and said, "Stop talking nonsense. A cucumber
is a cucumber; the whole universe is the whole universe. What could be more
obvious?" The monk, penetrating the perfect phenomenal manifestation of Absolute
Truth, clapped his hands and laughed, saying, "Throughout infinite space,
everything is deliciously sour!"
On another occasion a monk asked Wu-ming, "The Third Patriarch said, "The
Great Way is without difficulty, just cease having preferences." How can you
then delight in eating cucumbers, yet refuse to even take one bit of a carrot?"
Wu-ming said, "I love cucumbers; I hate carrots!" The monk lurched back as
though struck by a thunderbolt. Then laughing and sobbing and dancing about he
exclaimed, "Liking cucumbers and hating carrots is without difficulty, just
cease preferring the Great Way!"
Within three years of his arrival, the stories of the "Great Bodhisattva of
Han-hsin monastery" had made their way throughout the provinces of China.
Knowing of Wu-ming's fame I was not entirely surprised when a messenger from the
Emperor appeared summoning Wu-ming to the Imperial Palace immediately.
From throughout the Empire exponents of the Three Teachings of Buddhism,
Confucianism and Taoism were being called to the Capitol, there the Emperor
would proclaim one to be the true religion to be practiced and preached in all
lands under his rule. The idea of such competition for Imperial favor is not to
my approval and the likelihood that a religious persecution might follow
troubled me greatly. But an order from the Emperor is not to be ignored, so
Wu-ming and I set out the next day.
Inside the Great Hall were gathered the more than one hundred priests and
scholars who were to debate one another. They were surrounded by the most
powerful lords in all China, along with innumerable advisors, of the Son of
Heaven. All at once trumpets blared, cymbals crashed, and clouds of incense
billowed up everywhere. The Emperor, borne on by a retinue of guards, was
carried to the throne. After due formalities were observed the Emperor signaled
for the debate to begin.
Several hours passed as one after another priests and scholars came forward
presenting their doctrines and responding to questions. Through it all Wu-ming
sat obliviously content as he stuffed himself with his favorite food. When his
supply was finished, he happily crossed his legs, straightened his back and
closed his eyes. But the noise and commotion were too great and, unable to
sleep, he grew more restless and irritable by the minute. As I clasped him
firmly by the back of the neck in an effort to restrain him, the Emperor
gestured to Wu-ming to approach the Throne.
When Wu-ming had come before him, the Emperor said, "Throughout the land you
are praised as a Bodhisattva whose mind is like the Great Void itself, yet you
have not had a word to offer this assembly. Therefore I say to you now, teach me
the True Way that all under heaven must follow." Wu-ming said nothing. After a
few moments the Emperor, with a note of impatience, spoke again, "Perhaps you do
not hear well so I shall repeat myself! Teach me the True Way that all under
heaven must follow!" Still Wu-ming said nothing, and silence rippled through the
crowd as all strained forward to witness this monk who dared behave so bold a
fashion in the Emperor's presence.
Wu-ming heard nothing the Emperor said, nor did he notice the tension that
vibrated through the hall. All that concerned him was his wish to find a nice
quiet place where he could sleep undisturbed. The Emperor spoke again, his voice
shaking with fury, his face flushed with anger: "You have been summoned to this
council to speak on behalf of the Buddhist teaching. Your disrespect will not be
tolerated much longer. I shall ask one more time, and should you fail to answer,
I assure you the consequence shall be most grave. Teach me the True Way that all
under heaven must follow!" Without a word Wu-ming turned and, as all looked on
in dumbfounded silence, he made his way down the aisle and out the door. There
was a hush of stunned disbelief before the crowd erupted into an uproar of
confusion. Some were applauding Wu-ming's brilliant demonstration of religious
insight, while others rushed about in an indignant rage, hurling threats and
abuses at the doorway he had just passed through. Not knowing whether to praise
Wu-ming or to have him beheaded, the Emperor turned to his advisors, but they
were none the wiser. Finally, looking out at the frantic anarchy to which his
grand debate had been reduced, the Emperor must surely have realized that no
matter what Wu-ming's intentions might have been, there was now only one way to
avoid the debate becoming a most serious embarrassment.
"The great sage of Han-hsin monastery has skillfully demonstrated that the
great Tao cannot be confined by doctrines, but is best expounded through
harmonious action. Let us profit by the wisdom he has so compassionately shared,
and each endeavor to make our every step one that unites heaven and earth in
accord with the profound and subtle Tao."
Having thus spoken the Son of Heaven concluded the Great Debate.
I immediately ran out to find Wu-ming, but he had disappeared in the crowded
streets of the capitol.
Ten years have since passed, and I have seen nothing of him. However, on
occasion a wandering monk will stop at Han-hsin with some bit of news. I am told
that Wu-ming has been wandering about the countryside this past decade, trying
unsuccessfully to find his way home. Because of his fame he is greeted and cared
for in all quarters with generous kindness; however, those wishing to help him
on his journey usually find that they have been helped on their own.
One young monk told of an encounter in which Wu-ming asked him, "Can you tell
me where my home is?" Confused as to the spirit of the question. The monk
replied, "Is the home you speak of to be found in the relative world of time and
place, or do you mean the Original Home of all pervading Buddha nature?"
After pausing a moment to consider the question, Wu-ming looked up and,
grinning as only he is capable, said, "Yes."
Exactly!