a buddhist perspective

Yesterday I received an email from a Pure Land practitioner. I have not heard from him in a while so was glad to hear how he was doing. He told me that he "had been going through a series of distractions, learning about other Buddhist traditions, but kept being drawn back to Pure Land." He then wondered why it "seem[ed] so difficult to be at peace in a Buddhist tradition."

It's an interesting question to try to respond to.

Thinking about Christians and Jews I know, I have to say that these people do seem settled in their choice. In my classes here in Elkhart and South Bend, there are several people who attend either the Unitarian-Universalist Fellowship or Unity Church of Peace. I haven't heard them saying how they try a church in one denomination for awhile and than in another. Yes, they attend my classes, but I focus on teaching about causality and ethics, not religious practices.

But in countries I have been in both the West and the East, a good number of Buddhists do seem to move around within the different traditions. They'll go listen to a visiting Theravada master one week, a Tibetan master another week, and a Pure Land master still another week.

Why?

Is it because westerners were not brought up in a Buddhist tradition while Christians and Jew were usually raised in their religions, so they are practicing the religion their parents did? But if that is the case, what about in Asia? I know many Malaysians (Malaysia being a country I have been fortunate enough to visit on several occasions) who also do not solely focus on just one tradition within Buddhism. I saw a similar occurrence of not settling on just one tradition in Singapore when I was based there for a few years.

Is it because people today misunderstand what the Buddha said to the people of Kalama about belief, that people today feel they can pick and choose from the different traditions and formulate their own style of practice?

Is it because people feel that since all the teachings are equally good, they do not need to choose just one?

Is it because we do not know that we need to settle on one practice as soon as we can so we can advance on the path to enlightenment, rather than widening the path where we stand, transfixed by all we hear?

I could go on asking "Is it because..." but I'd like to change this from a one-nun lecture to a group discussion. Why do you think people often find it "so difficult to be at peace in a Buddhist tradition."? Or do you perhaps feel that this is not an issue for many Buddhists?

I'd love to hear your thoughts on this! 

The Buddha taught us to have “a mind that embraces the expanse of space and encompasses the vastness of the universe.” He taught “Compassion is the essence, and expediency is the means.” He taught us to have loving-kindness and compassion, to end delusion and attain enlightenment, and to end suffering and attain happiness. If what we think, say, and do is the very opposite of his teachings, is this learning from the Buddha? No, this is going against the teachings of the Buddha. Such a person believes in his afflictions and residual habits. He believes in fame and wealth. He does not believe in the Buddha’s teachings.

What should we do if we wish to help propagate the teachings? We should start with ourselves. This is an era of democracy, freedom, and openness. For many, individual rights are considered to be of the utmost importance. Therefore, we must not interfere with others or criticize them. We can only examine ourselves to see if we have these faults. It is very important to start with examining ourselves. We should be modest and praise others, even when they praise themselves and disparage everyone else. If a person has ninety-nine faults and only one merit, we praise the merit and do not mention the ninety-nine faults or keep them in mind. We focus on cultivating our purity and goodness. If we do this, the Buddha’s teachings will have bright future to be passed on to many generations to come.

Buddhist practitioners should try to keep in contact and encourage one another often. If other Buddhists accept us, we can work together to propagate Buddhism and benefit others. If they do not accept us, we should not pressure them but respect their wishes.

~ Based on Ven. Master Chin Kung's 2003 lecture series on the Amitabha Sutra

A little over half of those who read this blog live in the US and Australia, the two countries with the largest average carbon footprint per citizen. A reasonable number of the remainder of readers live in countries that are not that far behind these two "leaders." So I believe most of us are in a position to understand what Sharon Astyk wrote on her Casaubon's Book a few days ago.

With kindergarten ethics there’s enough food for every person in the world to eat to fullness, enough water to have everyone drink their fill and still a bit more to grow good things.  There are fish enough in the ocean for each of us to celebrate and enjoy a lobster or fish dinner once in a while.  There’s enough oil in the wells for us to visit beloved family and friends on occasion, and hold a huge family reunion feast.  There are enough trees for each of us to sit in the shade - all 6.6 billion.  There’s enough wealth for all of us to have clothes enough and shoes and a little house.  There’s enough space for all of us to have public parks and most of us to have a little garden somewhere.  There’s enough.  Not as much as you or I might want, having gotten accustomed to more, but enough to make people in Nigeria cry out with delight.  Enough to impress your own great-grandparents. 

In our "kindergarten ethics" worldview, there is enough.

But really, is there "enough"? 

We have yet to break out of our self-focused world and to, instead, look at the world as others see it. It is comforting to think that others can live as we who are fortunate live, comforting to tell ourselves that there is enough for everyone. I count myself in this group, for I still also get hooked by established ways of perceiving the current world situation and thus fail to do all I can, and should.

We live in a world of technology with access to vast amounts of information: a world in which it is our responsibility as intelligent people living in democratic societies to learn the truth even when that truth is frightening or depressing. We live in a world where the Buddha taught to do no harm: a world in which it is our responsibility as ethical people who upon learning what harm is to refrain from doing it.

Frankly, kindergarten ethics is fine for children. But you and I are no longer children.

We are grownups and have the responsibility to act wisely and compassionately. Our practice as Buddhists is not to withdraw from the world and to look after just ourselves. Our practice is to take the strength we derive from our meditation and learning and, with that strength, to turn to face the world. Our practice is making the hard decisions; it is finding the courage to accept the reality that we share this world with almost seven billion people and an uncountable numbers of other beings. Practice is recognizing the suffering of others as acutely as we feel our own.

Practice is realizing that there is NOT enough for everybody—and acting accordingly.  

No, that's not allegorical, it's literally what we did today.

Here in Nanango, we're in early fall. Imagine it as a late summer day in Tuscany. Lots of sunlight and dry, clear air. In the grove on the side of gently rolling hill, there are 400 olive trees and thousands of beautiful olives. (Want to come yet? ;-))

Celine and I were picking the kalamatas (a favorite of mine), and Charles and Dave were up the hill picking a smaller but equally dark variety of olives. We had gotten a later start in the morning than planned because the olive trees owner's son, daughter-in-law, and grandson had been visiting and the latter had apparently been playing wth the phone. (Grandparents and parents will understand what this means, others can use their imaginations.)

When Celine couldn't get through on the phone, we all decided to get in the car and drive to Olive Oasis to see if Malcolm and Beverly Thompson were around. They were, and Mal joined us in the picking (after hanging up the phone).

If you’re wondering about a Buddhist nun picking olives; no, it’s not in the job description. But according with conditions and not wasting food are, so I happily joined in. The others were going and the olives needed to be picked. Celine had volunteered to help a friend harvest his crop and Mal had offered to split the profits from the sale of the olives at the monthly market this weekend. So our share would go the Amitabha Buddhist Retreat Centre.

First lesson—friendship. Celine and Charles wanted to help a neighbor who was recovering from an operation. Dave, an old friend of theirs, was visiting the centre to help all of us.

Second lesson—generosity. Not wanting to take advantage, Mal and Beverly offered to share the income from the sale of the olives.

Third lesson—patience! I picked a lot of blueberries when I was growing up and olives are, fortunately, larger than blueberries, but there were a LOT of olives and, hey, I’m not a kid anymore. (Unless you compare me to Charles who’s ninety-three. Fourth lesson—relativity in accordance with perception.) Some olives were over ripe and others still green. Some were high on the trees and others low. Some in the shade and many others in the bright sun.

The olives needed to be picked one at a time, although some were in a group of three or four. And some very cooperatively just fell off the branches and landed in my bucket. (Yes, buckets again…must be destiny or something…)

So today was a good day, a day filled with friendship, generosity, and patience.  

The Three Jewels are the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha. They are called jewels because they are of immeasurable value.

All Buddhas strive to teach us universal truths that will enable us to awaken—to uncover the true nature within each of us and escape suffering and attain happiness. Their determination to help us as well as their patience in teaching us is infinite. While our love for others is transitory, the Buddhas’ love for all beings is endless. Our love is conditional and discriminatory, but the Buddhas’ love is unconditional and held equally for all beings.

Buddhas help us by teaching us the principles of reality, principles such as causality; the impermanence of all conditioned phenomena; the non-existence of a permanent, independent self; and the interconnectedness of everything that exists. In other words, they teach us the universal, eternal laws of the cosmos—the Dharma. When we truly comprehend these teachings, we will then be able to eliminate our mistaken views and, instead, have right views and correct understanding. When we do not have such understanding, we will continue to wander aimlessly throughout countless lifetimes, immersed in our ignorance and delusion.

We improve our understanding and practice the teachings with the support of the Sangha, the community of those who practice the teachings. With the help of good friends on the path, we strive to attain purity of mind and to live lives of harmony. The pure mind is the mind that has no wandering thoughts and discriminations. It has no worries, no attach­ments, no thoughts of like or dislike. To live lives of harmony is to be gentle and caring in our thoughts and behavior.

We express our gratitude to the Three Jewels by endeavoring to practice as the Buddhas have taught us. How? By being content with the circumstances we find ourselves in. By listening to what the other person is saying, instead of being pre-occupied with our own self-interest. By empathizing with the pain and disappointment in the lives of those we encounter. Ultimately, we express our gratitude by awakening to correct views and understanding, and attaining purity of mind and living in harmony with all beings. In this way, we will begin to repay our immense debt to the Three Jewels for all their patience and help.