III - The Way Of Faith
1. Those who take refuge in the three treasures, the Buddha, the Dharma and the Sangha, are called the disciples of Buddha. The disciples of Buddha observe the four parts of mind-control - the precepts, faith, offering and wisdom.
The disciples of Buddha practice the five precepts: not to kill, not to steal, not to commit adultery, not to lie, and not to take intoxicants of any kind.
The disciples of Buddha have faith in the Buddha's perfect wisdom. They try to keep away from greediness and selfishness and to practice offering. They understand the law of cause and effect, keeping in mind the transiency of life and conform to the norm of wisdom.
A tree leaning toward the east will naturally fall eastward and so those who listen to the Buddha's teaching and maintain faith in it will surely be born in the Buddha's Pure Land.
2. It has rightly been said that those who believe in the three treasures of the Buddha, the Dharma and the Sangha are called the disciples of Buddha.
The Buddha is the one who attained perfect Enlightenment and used His attainment to emancipate and bless all mankind. The Dharma is the truth, the spirit of Enlightenment and the teaching that explains it. The Sangha is the perfect brotherhood of believers in the Buddha and Dharma.
We speak of Buddhahood, the Dharma and the Brotherhood as though they are three different things, but they are really only one. Buddha is manifested in His Dharma and is realized by the Brotherhood. Therefore, to believe in the Dharma and to cherish the Brotherhood is to have faith in the Buddha, and to have faith in the Buddha means to believe in the Dharma and to cherish the Brotherhood.
Therefore, people are emancipated and enlightened simply by having faith in the Buddha. Buddha is the perfectly Enlightened One and He loves everyone as though each were His only child. So if anyone regards Buddha as his own parent, he identifies himself with Buddha and attains Enlightenment.
Those who thus regard Buddha will be supported by His wisdom and perfumed by His grace.
3. Nothing in the world brings greater benefit than to believe in Buddha. Just hearing Buddha's name, believing and being pleased even for a moment, is incomparably rewarding.
Therefore, one must please oneself by seeking the teaching of Buddha in spite of the conflagration that fills all the world.
It will be hard to meet a teacher who can explain the Dharma; it will be harder to meet a Buddha; but it will be hardest to believe in His teaching.
But now that you have met the Buddha, who is hard to meet, and have had it explained to you what is hard to hear, you ought to rejoice and believe and have faith in Buddha.
4. On the long journey of human life, faith is the best of companions; it is the best refreshment on the journey; and it is the greatest possession.
Faith is the hand that receives the Dharma; it is the pure hand that receives all the virtues. Faith is the fire that consumes all the impurities of worldly desires, it removes the burden, and it is the guide that leads one's way.
Faith removes greed, fear and pride; it teaches courtesy and to respect others; it frees one from the bondage of circumstances; it gives one courage to meet hardship; it gives one power to overcome temptations; it enables one to keep one's deeds bright and pure; and it enriches the mind with wisdom.
Faith is the encouragement when one's way is long and wearisome, and it leads to Enlightenment.
Faith makes us feel that we are in the presence of Buddha and it brings us to where Buddha's arm supports us. Faith softens our hard and selfish minds and gives us a friendly spirit and a mind of understanding sympathy.
5. Those who have faith gain the wisdom to recognize the Buddha's teaching in whatever they hear. Those who have faith gain the wisdom to see that everything is but the appearance that arises from the law of causes and conditions, and then faith gives them the grace of patient acceptance and the ability to conform to their conditions peacefully.
Faith gives them the wisdom to recognize the transiency of life and the grace not to be surprised or grieved at whatever comes to them or with the passing of life itself, knowing that, however conditions and appearances may change, the truth of life remains always unchanged.
Faith has three significant aspects: repentance, a rejoicing and sincere respect for the virtues of others, and a grateful acceptance of Buddha's appearance.
People should cultivate these aspects of faith; they should be sensitive to their failings and impurities; they should be ashamed of them and confess them; they should diligently practice the recognition of the good waits and good deeds of others and praise them for their sake; and they should habitually desire to act with Buddha and to live with Buddha.
The mind of faith is the mind of sincerity; it is a Jeep mind, a mind that is sincerely glad to be led to Buddha's Pure Land by His power.
Therefore, Buddha gives a power to faith that leads people to the Pure Land, a power that purifies them, a power that protects them from self-delusion. Even if they '-lave faith only for a moment, when they hear Buddha's lame praised all over the world, they will be led to His Pure Land.
6. Faith is not something that is added to the worldly .rind - it is the manifestation of the mind's Buddhanature One who understands Buddha is a Buddha himself; one who has faith in Buddha is a Buddha himself.
But it is difficult to uncover and recover one's Buddha nature; it is difficult to maintain a pure mind in the constant rise and fall of greed, anger and worldly passion; yet faith enables one to do it.
Within the forest of the poisonous Eranda trees only Eranda trees are said to grow, but not the fragrant Chandana. It is a miracle if a Chandana tree grows in an Eranda forest. Likewise, it is often a miracle that faith in Buddha grows in the heart of the people.
Therefore, the faith to believe in Buddha is called a "rootless" faith. That is, it has no root by which it can grow in the human mind, but it has a root to grow in the compassionate mind of Buddha.
7. Thus faith is fruitful and sacred. But faith is hard to awaken in an idle mind. In particular, there are five doubts that lurk in the shadows of the human mind and tend to discourage faith.
First, there is doubt in the Buddha's wisdom; second, there is doubt in the Buddha's teaching; third, there is doubt in the person who explains the Buddha's teachings; fourth, there is doubt as to whether the ways and methods suggested for following the Noble Path are reliable; and fifth, there is a person who, because of his arrogant and impatient mind, may doubt the sincerity of others who understand and follow the Buddha's teachings.
Indeed, there is nothing more dreadful than doubt. Doubt separates people. It is a poison that disintegrates friendships and breaks up pleasant relations. It is a thorn that irritates and hurts; it is a sword that kills.
The beginnings of faith were long ago planted by the compassion of Buddha. When one has faith, one should realize this fact and be very grateful to Buddha for His goodness.
One should never forget that it is not because of one's own compassion that one has awakened faith, but because of the Buddha's compassion which long ago threw its pure light of faith into human minds and dispelled the darkness of their ignorance. He who enjoys the present faith has entered into their heritage.
Even living an ordinary life, one can be born in the Pure Land, if he awakens faith through the Buddha's long continued compassion.
It is, indeed, hard to be born in this world. It is Lard to hear the Dharma; it is harder to awaken faith; therefore, everyone should try one's best to hear the Buddha's teachings.
Thursday, February 16, 2012
The Way of Practical Attainment - 3. The Practice of Faith
The Way of Practical Attainment - 2. Practice
II - The Ways Of Practice
1. For those who seek Enlightenment there are three ways of practice that must be understood and followed: First, disciplines for practical behavior; second, right concentration of mind; and third, wisdom.
What are disciplines? Everyone, whether he is a common man or a way-seeker, should follow the precepts for good behavior. He should control both his mind and body, and guard the gates of his five senses. He should be afraid of even a trifling evil and, from moment to moment, should endeavor to practice only good deeds.
What is meant by the concentration of mind? It means to get quickly away from greedy and evil desires as they arise and to hold the mind pure and tranquil.
What is wisdom? It is the ability to perfectly understand and to patiently accept the Fourfold Noble Truth, to know the fact of suffering and its nature; to know the source of suffering, to know what constitutes the end of suffering, and to know the Noble Path that leads to the end of suffering.
Those who earnestly follow these three ways of practice may rightly be called the disciples 'of Buddha.
Suppose a donkey, that has no nice shape, no voice and no horns like those of the cow, was following a herd of cows and proclaiming, "Look, I am also a cow." Would anyone believe him? It is just as foolish when a man does not follow the three ways of practice but boasts that he is a way-seeker or a disciple of Buddha.
Before a farmer gathers a harvest in the fall, he must first plow the ground, sow the seed, irrigate, and remove the weeds as they come up in the springtime. Likewise, the seeker of Enlightenment must follow the three ways of practice. A farmer cannot expect to see the buds today, to see the plants tomorrow, and to gather the harvest the day after. So a man who seeks Enlightenment cannot expect to remove worldly desires today, to remove attachments and evil desires tomorrow, and to get Enlightenment the day after.
Just as plants receive the patient care of the farmer after the seed has been sown and during the changes of climate and during the growth from plant to fruit, so the seeker of Enlightenment must patiently and perseveringly cultivate the soil of Enlightenment by following the three ways of practice.
2. It is difficult to advance along the path that leads to Enlightenment so long as one is covetous of comforts and luxuries and his mind disturbed by the desires of the senses. There is a wide difference between the enjoyment of life and the enjoyment of the True Path.
As already explained, the mind is the source of all clings. If the mind enjoys worldly affairs, illusions and suffering will inevitably follow, but if the mind enjoys the True Path, happiness, contentment and enlightenment will just as surely follow.
Therefore, those who are seeking Enlightenment should keep their minds pure, and patiently keep and practice the three ways. If they keep the precepts they will naturally obtain concentration of mind; and if they obtain concentration of the mind it will be just as natural for them to grasp wisdom, and wisdom will lead them to Enlightenment.
Indeed, these three ways (keeping the precepts, practicing concentration of mind and always acting wisely) are the true path to Enlightenment.
By not following them, people have for a long time accumulated mental delusions. They must not argue with worldly people, but must patiently meditate in their inner world of a pure mind in order to attain Enlightenment.
3. If the three ways of practice are analyzed, they will reveal the eightfold noble path, the four viewpoints to be considered, the four right procedures, the five faculties of power to be employed, and the perfection of six practices.
The Noble Eightfold Path refers to right view, right thought, right speech, right behavior, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right concentration.
• Right View means to thoroughly understand the Fourfold Truth, to believe in the law of cause and effect and not to be deceived by appearances and desires.
• Right Thought means the resolution not to cherish desires, not to be greedy, not to be angry, and not to do any harmful deed.
• Right Speech means the avoidance of lying words, idle words, abusive words, and double-tongues.
• Right Behavior means not to destroy any life, not to steal, or not to commit adultery.
• Right Livelihood means to avoid any life that would bring shame.
• Right Effort means to try to do one's best diligently toward the right direction.
• Right Mindfulness means to maintain a pure and thoughtful mind.
• Right Concentration means to keep the mind right and tranquil for its concentration, seeking to realize the mind's pure essence.
4. The four view-points to be considered are:
• First, to consider the body impure, seeking to remove all attachments to it.
• Second, to consider the senses as a source of suffering, whatever their feelings of pain or pleasure may be.
• Third, to consider the mind to be in a constant state of flux.
• Fourth, to consider everything in the world as being a consequence of causes and conditions and that nothing remains unchanged forever.
5. The four right procedures are:
• First, to prevent any evil from starting.
• Second, to remove any evil as soon as it starts.
• Third, to induce the doing of good deeds.
• Fourth, to encourage the growth and continuance of good deeds that have already started.
One must endeavor to keep these four procedures.
6. The five faculties of power are:
• First, the faith to believe.
• Second, the will to make the endeavor.
• Third, the faculty of alertness.
• Fourth, the ability to concentrate one's mind.
• Fifth, the ability to maintain clear wisdom.
These five faculties are necessary powers to attain Enlightenment.
7. The perfection of six practices for reaching the other shore of Enlightenment are:
• The path of offering,
• The path of keeping precepts,
• The path of endurance,
• The path of endeavor,
• The path of concentration of mind,
• The path of wisdom.
By following these paths, one can surely pass from the shore of delusion over to the shore of Enlightenment.
The practice of Offering gets rid of selfishness; the practice of Precepts keeps one thoughtful of the rights and comforts of others; the practice of Endurance helps one to control a fearful or angry mind; the practice of Endeavor helps one to be diligent and faithful; the practice of Concentration helps one to control a wandering and futile mind; and the practice of Wisdom changes a dark and confused mind into a clear and penetrating insight.
Offering and keeping Precepts make the foundation necessary to build a great castle on. Endurance and Endeavor are the walls of the castle that protect it against enemies from outside. Concentration and Wisdom are the personal armor that protects one against the assaults of life and death.
If one gives away a gift only when convenient, or ''because it is easier to give than not to give, it is an offering, of course, but it is not a True Offering. A True Offering comes from a sympathetic heart before any request is made, and a True Offering is the one that gives not occasionally but constantly.
Neither is it a True Offering if after the act there are feelings of regret or of self-praise; a True Offering is one that is given with pleasure, forgetting oneself as the giver, the one who receives it and the gift itself.
True Offering springs spontaneously from one's pure compassionate heart with no thought of any return, wishing to enter into a life of Enlightenment together.
There are seven kinds of offering which can be practiced by even those who are not wealthy.
• The first is the physical offering. This is to offer service by one's labor. The highest type of this offering is to offer one's own life as is shown in the following story.
• The second is the spiritual offering. This is to offer a compassionate heart to others.
• The third is the offering of eyes. This is to offer a warm glance to others which will give them tranquility.
• The fourth is the offering of countenance. This is to offer a soft countenance with smile to others.
• The fifth is the oral offering. This is to offer kind and warm words to others.
• The sixth is the seat offering. This is to offer one's seat to others.
• The seventh is the offering of shelter. This is to let others spend the night at one's home.
These kinds of offering can be practiced by anyone in everyday life.
8. Once there was a prince named Sattva. One day he and his two elder brothers went to a forest to play. There they saw a famished tigress which was evidently tempted to devour her own seven cubs to satisfy her hunger.
The elder brothers ran away in fear but Sattva climbed up a cliff and threw himself over it to the tigress in order to save the lives of the baby tigers.
Prince Sattva did this charitable act spontaneously but within his mind he was thinking: "This body is changing and impermanent; I have loved this body with no thought of throwing it away, but now I make it an offering to this tigress so that I may gain Enlightenment." This thought of Prince Sattva shows the true determination to gain Enlightenment.
9. There are Four Unlimited States of Mind that the seeker of Enlightenment should cherish. They are compassion, tenderness, gladness and equanimity. One can remove greed by cherishing compassion; one can remove anger by tenderness; one can remove suffering by gladness, and one can remove the habit of discrimination of enemies and friends by cherishing an equitable mind.
It is a great compassion that makes people happy and contented; it is a great tenderness that removes everything that does not make people happy and contented; it is a great gladness that makes everyone happy and contented with a mind of joy; there is a great peacefulness when everyone is happy and contented, and then one can have equal feelings toward everybody.
With care one may cherish these Four Unlimited States of Mind and may get rid of greed, anger, suffering, and the minds of love-hate, but it is not an easy thing to do. An evil mind is as hard to get rid of as a watchdog, and a right mind is as easy to lose as a deer in a forest; or an evil mind is as hard to remove as letters carved in stone, and a right mind is as easy to lose as words written in water. Indeed, it is the most difficult thing in life to train oneself for Enlightenment.
10. There was a young man named Srona who was born in a wealthy family but was of delicate health. He was very earnest to gain Enlightenment and became a disciple of the Blessed One. On the path to Enlightenment, he tried so hard that finally his feet bled.
The Blessed One pitied him and said, "Srona my boy, did you ever study the harp at your home? You know that a harp does not make music if the strings are stretched too tight or too loose. It makes music only when the strings are stretched just right.
"The training for Enlightenment is just like adjusting the harp strings. You can not attain Enlightenment if you stretch the strings of your mind too loosely or too tightly. You must be considerate and act wisely."
Srona found these words very profitable and finally gained what he sought.
11. Once there was a prince who was skillful in the use of the five weapons. One day he was returning home from his practice and met a monster whose skin was invulnerable.
The monster started for him but nothing daunted the prince. He shot an arrow at him which fell harmless. Then he threw his spear which failed to penetrate the thick skin. Then he threw a bar and a javelin but they failed to hurt the monster. Then he used his sword but the sword broke. The prince attacked the monster with his fists and feet but to no purpose, for the monster clutched him in his giant arms and held him fast. Then the prince tried to use his head as a weapon but in vain.
The monster said, "It is useless for you to resist; I am going to devour you." But the prince answered, "You may think that I have used all my weapons and am helpless, but I still have one weapon left. If you devour me, I will destroy you from the inside of your stomach."
The courage of the prince disturbed the monster and he asked, "How can you do that?" The prince replied, "By the power of the Truth."
Then the monster released him and begged for his instruction in the Truth.
The teaching of this fable is to encourage disciples to persevere in their efforts and to be undaunted in the face of many setbacks.
12. Both odious self-assertion and shamelessness offend mankind, but dishonor and shame protect human beings. People respect their parents, elders, brothers and sisters because they are sensitive to dishonor and shame. After self-reflection it is meritorious to withhold honor from one's self and to feel ashamed by observing other people.
If a man possesses a repentant spirit his sins will disappear, but if he has an unrepentant spirit his sins will continue and condemn him forever.
It is only the one who hears the true teaching rightly and realizes its meaning and relation to oneself who can receive and profit by it.
If a man merely hears the true teaching but does not acquire it, he will fail in his search for Enlightenment.
Faith, modesty, humbleness, endeavor and wisdom are the great sources of strength to him who is seeking Enlightenment. Among these, wisdom is the greatest of all and the rest are but the aspects of wisdom. If a man, while in his training, loves worldly affairs, enjoys idle talk or falls asleep, he will be retired from the path to Enlightenment.
13. In training for Enlightenment, some may succeed quicker than others. Therefore, one should not be discouraged to see others becoming enlightened first.
When a man is practicing archery, he does not expect quick success but knows that if he practices patiently, he will become more and more accurate. A river begins as a brook but grows ever larger until it flows into the great ocean.
Like these examples, if a man trains with patience and perseverance, he will surely gain Enlightenment.
As already explained, if one keeps his eyes open, he will see the teaching everywhere, and so his opportunities for Enlightenment are endless.
Once there was a man who was burning incense. He noticed that the fragrance was neither coming nor going; it neither appeared nor disappeared. This trifle incident led him to gain Enlightenment.
Once there was a man who got a thorn stuck in his foot. He felt the sharp pain and a thought came to hire, that pain was only a reaction of the mind. From this incident a deeper thought followed that the mind may get out of hand if one fails to control it, or it may become pure if one succeeds. From these thoughts, a little later, Enlightenment came to him.
There was another man who was very avaricious. One day he was thinking of his greedy mind when he realized that greedy thoughts were but shavings and kindling that wisdom could burn and consume. That was the beginning of his Enlightenment.
There is an old saying: "Keep your mind level. If the mind is level, the whole world will be level." Consider these words. Realize that all the distinctions of the world are caused by the discriminating views of the mind. There is a path to Enlightenment in those very words. Indeed, the ways to Enlightenment are unlimited.
1. For those who seek Enlightenment there are three ways of practice that must be understood and followed: First, disciplines for practical behavior; second, right concentration of mind; and third, wisdom.
What are disciplines? Everyone, whether he is a common man or a way-seeker, should follow the precepts for good behavior. He should control both his mind and body, and guard the gates of his five senses. He should be afraid of even a trifling evil and, from moment to moment, should endeavor to practice only good deeds.
What is meant by the concentration of mind? It means to get quickly away from greedy and evil desires as they arise and to hold the mind pure and tranquil.
What is wisdom? It is the ability to perfectly understand and to patiently accept the Fourfold Noble Truth, to know the fact of suffering and its nature; to know the source of suffering, to know what constitutes the end of suffering, and to know the Noble Path that leads to the end of suffering.
Those who earnestly follow these three ways of practice may rightly be called the disciples 'of Buddha.
Suppose a donkey, that has no nice shape, no voice and no horns like those of the cow, was following a herd of cows and proclaiming, "Look, I am also a cow." Would anyone believe him? It is just as foolish when a man does not follow the three ways of practice but boasts that he is a way-seeker or a disciple of Buddha.
Before a farmer gathers a harvest in the fall, he must first plow the ground, sow the seed, irrigate, and remove the weeds as they come up in the springtime. Likewise, the seeker of Enlightenment must follow the three ways of practice. A farmer cannot expect to see the buds today, to see the plants tomorrow, and to gather the harvest the day after. So a man who seeks Enlightenment cannot expect to remove worldly desires today, to remove attachments and evil desires tomorrow, and to get Enlightenment the day after.
Just as plants receive the patient care of the farmer after the seed has been sown and during the changes of climate and during the growth from plant to fruit, so the seeker of Enlightenment must patiently and perseveringly cultivate the soil of Enlightenment by following the three ways of practice.
2. It is difficult to advance along the path that leads to Enlightenment so long as one is covetous of comforts and luxuries and his mind disturbed by the desires of the senses. There is a wide difference between the enjoyment of life and the enjoyment of the True Path.
As already explained, the mind is the source of all clings. If the mind enjoys worldly affairs, illusions and suffering will inevitably follow, but if the mind enjoys the True Path, happiness, contentment and enlightenment will just as surely follow.
Therefore, those who are seeking Enlightenment should keep their minds pure, and patiently keep and practice the three ways. If they keep the precepts they will naturally obtain concentration of mind; and if they obtain concentration of the mind it will be just as natural for them to grasp wisdom, and wisdom will lead them to Enlightenment.
Indeed, these three ways (keeping the precepts, practicing concentration of mind and always acting wisely) are the true path to Enlightenment.
By not following them, people have for a long time accumulated mental delusions. They must not argue with worldly people, but must patiently meditate in their inner world of a pure mind in order to attain Enlightenment.
3. If the three ways of practice are analyzed, they will reveal the eightfold noble path, the four viewpoints to be considered, the four right procedures, the five faculties of power to be employed, and the perfection of six practices.
The Noble Eightfold Path refers to right view, right thought, right speech, right behavior, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right concentration.
• Right View means to thoroughly understand the Fourfold Truth, to believe in the law of cause and effect and not to be deceived by appearances and desires.
• Right Thought means the resolution not to cherish desires, not to be greedy, not to be angry, and not to do any harmful deed.
• Right Speech means the avoidance of lying words, idle words, abusive words, and double-tongues.
• Right Behavior means not to destroy any life, not to steal, or not to commit adultery.
• Right Livelihood means to avoid any life that would bring shame.
• Right Effort means to try to do one's best diligently toward the right direction.
• Right Mindfulness means to maintain a pure and thoughtful mind.
• Right Concentration means to keep the mind right and tranquil for its concentration, seeking to realize the mind's pure essence.
4. The four view-points to be considered are:
• First, to consider the body impure, seeking to remove all attachments to it.
• Second, to consider the senses as a source of suffering, whatever their feelings of pain or pleasure may be.
• Third, to consider the mind to be in a constant state of flux.
• Fourth, to consider everything in the world as being a consequence of causes and conditions and that nothing remains unchanged forever.
5. The four right procedures are:
• First, to prevent any evil from starting.
• Second, to remove any evil as soon as it starts.
• Third, to induce the doing of good deeds.
• Fourth, to encourage the growth and continuance of good deeds that have already started.
One must endeavor to keep these four procedures.
6. The five faculties of power are:
• First, the faith to believe.
• Second, the will to make the endeavor.
• Third, the faculty of alertness.
• Fourth, the ability to concentrate one's mind.
• Fifth, the ability to maintain clear wisdom.
These five faculties are necessary powers to attain Enlightenment.
7. The perfection of six practices for reaching the other shore of Enlightenment are:
• The path of offering,
• The path of keeping precepts,
• The path of endurance,
• The path of endeavor,
• The path of concentration of mind,
• The path of wisdom.
By following these paths, one can surely pass from the shore of delusion over to the shore of Enlightenment.
The practice of Offering gets rid of selfishness; the practice of Precepts keeps one thoughtful of the rights and comforts of others; the practice of Endurance helps one to control a fearful or angry mind; the practice of Endeavor helps one to be diligent and faithful; the practice of Concentration helps one to control a wandering and futile mind; and the practice of Wisdom changes a dark and confused mind into a clear and penetrating insight.
Offering and keeping Precepts make the foundation necessary to build a great castle on. Endurance and Endeavor are the walls of the castle that protect it against enemies from outside. Concentration and Wisdom are the personal armor that protects one against the assaults of life and death.
If one gives away a gift only when convenient, or ''because it is easier to give than not to give, it is an offering, of course, but it is not a True Offering. A True Offering comes from a sympathetic heart before any request is made, and a True Offering is the one that gives not occasionally but constantly.
Neither is it a True Offering if after the act there are feelings of regret or of self-praise; a True Offering is one that is given with pleasure, forgetting oneself as the giver, the one who receives it and the gift itself.
True Offering springs spontaneously from one's pure compassionate heart with no thought of any return, wishing to enter into a life of Enlightenment together.
There are seven kinds of offering which can be practiced by even those who are not wealthy.
• The first is the physical offering. This is to offer service by one's labor. The highest type of this offering is to offer one's own life as is shown in the following story.
• The second is the spiritual offering. This is to offer a compassionate heart to others.
• The third is the offering of eyes. This is to offer a warm glance to others which will give them tranquility.
• The fourth is the offering of countenance. This is to offer a soft countenance with smile to others.
• The fifth is the oral offering. This is to offer kind and warm words to others.
• The sixth is the seat offering. This is to offer one's seat to others.
• The seventh is the offering of shelter. This is to let others spend the night at one's home.
These kinds of offering can be practiced by anyone in everyday life.
8. Once there was a prince named Sattva. One day he and his two elder brothers went to a forest to play. There they saw a famished tigress which was evidently tempted to devour her own seven cubs to satisfy her hunger.
The elder brothers ran away in fear but Sattva climbed up a cliff and threw himself over it to the tigress in order to save the lives of the baby tigers.
Prince Sattva did this charitable act spontaneously but within his mind he was thinking: "This body is changing and impermanent; I have loved this body with no thought of throwing it away, but now I make it an offering to this tigress so that I may gain Enlightenment." This thought of Prince Sattva shows the true determination to gain Enlightenment.
9. There are Four Unlimited States of Mind that the seeker of Enlightenment should cherish. They are compassion, tenderness, gladness and equanimity. One can remove greed by cherishing compassion; one can remove anger by tenderness; one can remove suffering by gladness, and one can remove the habit of discrimination of enemies and friends by cherishing an equitable mind.
It is a great compassion that makes people happy and contented; it is a great tenderness that removes everything that does not make people happy and contented; it is a great gladness that makes everyone happy and contented with a mind of joy; there is a great peacefulness when everyone is happy and contented, and then one can have equal feelings toward everybody.
With care one may cherish these Four Unlimited States of Mind and may get rid of greed, anger, suffering, and the minds of love-hate, but it is not an easy thing to do. An evil mind is as hard to get rid of as a watchdog, and a right mind is as easy to lose as a deer in a forest; or an evil mind is as hard to remove as letters carved in stone, and a right mind is as easy to lose as words written in water. Indeed, it is the most difficult thing in life to train oneself for Enlightenment.
10. There was a young man named Srona who was born in a wealthy family but was of delicate health. He was very earnest to gain Enlightenment and became a disciple of the Blessed One. On the path to Enlightenment, he tried so hard that finally his feet bled.
The Blessed One pitied him and said, "Srona my boy, did you ever study the harp at your home? You know that a harp does not make music if the strings are stretched too tight or too loose. It makes music only when the strings are stretched just right.
"The training for Enlightenment is just like adjusting the harp strings. You can not attain Enlightenment if you stretch the strings of your mind too loosely or too tightly. You must be considerate and act wisely."
Srona found these words very profitable and finally gained what he sought.
11. Once there was a prince who was skillful in the use of the five weapons. One day he was returning home from his practice and met a monster whose skin was invulnerable.
The monster started for him but nothing daunted the prince. He shot an arrow at him which fell harmless. Then he threw his spear which failed to penetrate the thick skin. Then he threw a bar and a javelin but they failed to hurt the monster. Then he used his sword but the sword broke. The prince attacked the monster with his fists and feet but to no purpose, for the monster clutched him in his giant arms and held him fast. Then the prince tried to use his head as a weapon but in vain.
The monster said, "It is useless for you to resist; I am going to devour you." But the prince answered, "You may think that I have used all my weapons and am helpless, but I still have one weapon left. If you devour me, I will destroy you from the inside of your stomach."
The courage of the prince disturbed the monster and he asked, "How can you do that?" The prince replied, "By the power of the Truth."
Then the monster released him and begged for his instruction in the Truth.
The teaching of this fable is to encourage disciples to persevere in their efforts and to be undaunted in the face of many setbacks.
12. Both odious self-assertion and shamelessness offend mankind, but dishonor and shame protect human beings. People respect their parents, elders, brothers and sisters because they are sensitive to dishonor and shame. After self-reflection it is meritorious to withhold honor from one's self and to feel ashamed by observing other people.
If a man possesses a repentant spirit his sins will disappear, but if he has an unrepentant spirit his sins will continue and condemn him forever.
It is only the one who hears the true teaching rightly and realizes its meaning and relation to oneself who can receive and profit by it.
If a man merely hears the true teaching but does not acquire it, he will fail in his search for Enlightenment.
Faith, modesty, humbleness, endeavor and wisdom are the great sources of strength to him who is seeking Enlightenment. Among these, wisdom is the greatest of all and the rest are but the aspects of wisdom. If a man, while in his training, loves worldly affairs, enjoys idle talk or falls asleep, he will be retired from the path to Enlightenment.
13. In training for Enlightenment, some may succeed quicker than others. Therefore, one should not be discouraged to see others becoming enlightened first.
When a man is practicing archery, he does not expect quick success but knows that if he practices patiently, he will become more and more accurate. A river begins as a brook but grows ever larger until it flows into the great ocean.
Like these examples, if a man trains with patience and perseverance, he will surely gain Enlightenment.
As already explained, if one keeps his eyes open, he will see the teaching everywhere, and so his opportunities for Enlightenment are endless.
Once there was a man who was burning incense. He noticed that the fragrance was neither coming nor going; it neither appeared nor disappeared. This trifle incident led him to gain Enlightenment.
Once there was a man who got a thorn stuck in his foot. He felt the sharp pain and a thought came to hire, that pain was only a reaction of the mind. From this incident a deeper thought followed that the mind may get out of hand if one fails to control it, or it may become pure if one succeeds. From these thoughts, a little later, Enlightenment came to him.
There was another man who was very avaricious. One day he was thinking of his greedy mind when he realized that greedy thoughts were but shavings and kindling that wisdom could burn and consume. That was the beginning of his Enlightenment.
There is an old saying: "Keep your mind level. If the mind is level, the whole world will be level." Consider these words. Realize that all the distinctions of the world are caused by the discriminating views of the mind. There is a path to Enlightenment in those very words. Indeed, the ways to Enlightenment are unlimited.
The Way of Practical Attainment - 1. The Search for Truth
1. In the search for truth there are certain questions that are unimportant. Of what material is the universe constructed? Is the universe eternal? Are there limits or not to the universe? In what way is this human society put together? What is the ideal form of organization for human society? If a man were to postpone his searching and practicing for Enlightenment until such questions were solved, he would die before he found the path.
Suppose a man were pierced by a poisoned arrow, and his relatives and friends got together to call a surgeon to have the arrow pulled out and the wound treated.
If the wounded man objects, saying, "Wait a little. Before you pull it out, I want to know who shot this arrow. Was it a man or a woman? Was it someone of noble birth, or was it a peasant? What was the bow made of? Was it a big bow, or a small bow, that shot the arrow? Was it made of wood or bamboo? What was the bow-string made of? Was it made of fiber, or of gut? Was the arrow made of rattan, or of reed? What feathers were used? Before you extract the arrow, I want to know all about these things." Then what will happen?
Before all this information can be secured, no doubt, the poison will have time to circulate all through the system and the man may die. The first duty is to remove the arrow, and prevent its poison from spreading.
When a fire of passion is endangering the world, the composition of the universe matters little; what is the ideal form for the human community is not so important to deal with.
The question of whether the universe has limits or is eternal can wait until some way is found to extinguish the fires of birth, old age, sickness and death; in the presence of misery, sorrow, suffering and agony, one should first search for a way to solve these problems and devote oneself to the practice of that way.
The Buddha's teaching contains what is important to now and not what is unimportant. That is, it teaches people that they must learn what they should learn, remove what they should remove, train for what they should become enlightened about.
Therefore, people should first discern what is the most important, what problem should be solved first and what is the most pressing issue for them. To do all this, they must first undertake to train their minds; that is, they must first seek mind-control.
2. Suppose a man goes to the forest to get some of the pith that grows in the center of a tree and returns with a burden of branches and leaves, thinking that he has secured what he went after; would he not be foolish, if he is satisfied with the bark, wood for the pith which he was after? But that is what many people are doing.
A person seeks a path that will lead him away from birth, old age, sickness and death, or from misery, sorrow, suffering and agony; and yet, he follows the path a little way, notices some little advance, and immediately becomes proud and conceited and domineering. He is like the man who sought pith and went away satisfied with a burden of branches and leaves.
Another man becoming satisfied with the progress he has made by a little effort, relaxes his effort and becomes proud and conceited; he is carrying away only a load of branches instead of the pith he was seeking.
Still another man finding that his mind is becoming caliper and his thoughts clearer, he, too, relaxes his effort and becomes proud and conceited; he has a burden of the bark instead of the pith he was looking for.
Then again, another man becomes proud and conceited because he notices that he has gained a measure of intuitive insight; he has a load of the woody fiber of the tree instead of the pith. All of these seekers, who become easily satisfied by their insufficient effort and become proud and over-bearing, relax their efforts and easily fall into idleness. All these people will inevitably face suffering again.
Those who seek the true path to Enlightenment must not expect any offer of respect, honor or devotion. And further, they must not aim with a slight effort, at a trifling advance in calmness or knowledge or insight.
First of all, one should get clearly in mind the basic and essential nature of this world of life and death.
3. The world has no substance of its own. It is simply a vast concordance of causes and conditions that have had their origin, solely and exclusively, in the activities of the mind that has been stimulated by ignorance, false imagination, desires and infatuation. It is not something external about which the mind has false conceptions; it has no substance whatever. It has come into appearance by the processes of the mind itself, manifesting its own delusions. It is founded and built up out of the desires of the mind, out of its sufferings and struggles incidental to the pain caused by its own greed, anger and foolishness. Men who seek the way to Enlightenment should be ready to fight such a mind to attain their goal.
4. "Oh my mind! Why do you hover so restlessly over the changing circumstances of life? Why do you make me so confused and restless? Why do you urge me to collect so many things? You are like a plow that breaks in pieces before beginning to plow; you are like a rudder that is dismantled just as you are venturing out on the sea of life and death. Of what use are many rebirths if we do not make good use of this life?
"Oh my mind! Once you caused me to be born as a king, and then you caused me to be born as an outcast and to beg for my food. Sometimes you cause me to be born in heavenly mansions of the gods and to dwell in luxury and in ecstasy; then you plunge me into the flames of hell.
"Oh, my foolish, foolish mind! Thus you have led rile along different paths and I have been obedient to you and docile. But now that I have heard the Buddha's teaching, do not disturb me anymore or cause me further sufferings, but let us seek Enlightenment together, humbly and patiently.
"Oh, my mind! If you could only learn that everything is non-substantial and transitory; if you could only learn not to grasp after things, not to covet things, not to give way to greed, anger and foolishness; then we might journey in quietness. Then, by severing the bond of desires with the sword of wisdom, being undisturbed by changing circumstances - advantage or disadvantage, good or bad, loss or gain, praise or abuse - we might dwell in peace.
"Oh, my dear mind! It was you who first awakened faith in us; it was you who suggested our seeking Enlightenment. Why do you give way so easily to greed, love of comfort and pleasant excitement again?
"Oh, my mind! Why do you rush hither and thither with no definite purpose? Let us cross this wild sea of delusion. Hitherto I have acted as you wished, but now you must act as I wish and, together, we will follow the Buddha's teaching.
"Oh, my dear mind! These mountains, rivers and seas are changeable and pain-producing. Where in this world of delusion shall we seek quietness? Let us follow the Buddha's teaching and cross over to the other shore of Enlightenment."
5. Thus, those who really seek the path to Enlightenment dictate terms to their mind. Then they proceed with strong determination. Even though they are abused by some and scorned by others, they go forward undisturbed. They do not become angry if they are beaten by fists, or hit by stones, or gashed by swords.
Even if enemies cut their head from the body, the mind must not be disturbed. If they let their mind become darkened by the things they suffer, they are not following the teaching of Buddha. They must be determined, no matter what happens to them, to remain steadfast, unmovable, ever radiating thoughts of compassion and good-will. Let abuse come, let misfortune come, and yet one should resolve to remain unmoved and tranquil in mind, filled with Buddha's teaching.
For the sake of attaining Enlightenment, one should try to accomplish the impossible and one should endure the unendurable. One must give what he has to the last of it. If he is told that to gain Enlightenment he must limit his food to a single grain of rice a day, he will eat only chat. If the path to Enlightenment leads him through fire, he will go forward.
But one must not do these things for any ulterior purpose. One should do them because it is the wise thing, the right thing, to do. One should do them out of a spirit of compassion, as a mother does things for her little child, for her sick child, with no thought of her own strength or comfort.
6. Once there was a king who loved his people and his country and ruled them with wisdom and kindness and, because of it his country was prosperous and peaceful. He was always seeking for greater wisdom and enlightenment; he even offered rewards to anyone who could lead him to worthy teachings.
His devotion and wisdom finally came to the attention of the gods, but they determined to test him. A god in disguise as a demon appeared before the gates of the king's palace and asked to be brought before the king as he had a holy teaching for him.
The king who was pleased to hear the message courteously received him and asked for instruction. The demon took on a dreadful form and demanded food, saying that he could not teach until he had the food he liked. Choice food was offered the demon, but he insisted that he must have warm human flesh and blood. The crown-prince gave his body and the queen also gave her body, but still the demon was unsatisfied and so demanded the body of the king.
The king expressed his willingness to give his body, but asked that he might first hear the teaching before he would offer his body.
The god uttered the following wise teaching: "Misery rises from lust and fear rises from lust. Those who remove lust have no misery or fear." Suddenly the god resumed his true form and the prince and the queen also reappeared in their original bodies.
7. Once there was a person who sought the True Path in the Himalayas. He cared nothing for all the treasures of the earth or even for all the delights of heaven, but he sought the teaching that would remove all mental delusions.
The gods were impressed by the man's earnestness and sincerity and decided to test his mind. So one of the gods disguised himself as a demon and appeared in the Himalayas, singing: "Everything changes, everything appears and disappears."
The seeker heard this song which pleased him very much. He was as delighted as if he had found a spring of cool water for his thirst or as if a slave had been unexpectedly set free. He said to himself, "At last I have found the true teaching that I have sought for so long." He followed the voice and at last came upon the frightful demon. With an uneasy mind he approached the demon and said: "Was it you who sang the holy song that I have just heard? If it was you, please sing more of it."
The demon replied: "Yes, it was my song, but I cannot sing more of it until I have had something to eat; I am starving."
The man begged him very earnestly to sing more of it, saying: "It has a sacred meaning to me and I have sought its teaching for a long time. I have only heard a part of it; please let me hear more."
The demon said again: "I am starving, but if I can taste the warm flesh and blood of a man, I will finish the song."
The man, in his eagerness to hear the teaching, promised the demon that he could have his body after he had heard the teaching. Then the demon sang the complete song.
Everything changes,
Everything appears and disappears, There is perfect tranquility
When one transcends both life and extinction.
Hearing this, the man, after he wrote the poem on rocks and trees around, quietly climbed a tree and hurled himself to the feet of the demon, but the demon had disappeared and, instead, a radiant god received the body of the man unharmed.
8. Once upon a time there was an earnest seeker of the true path named Sadaprarudita. He cast aside every temptation for profit or honor and sought the path at the risk of his life. One day a voice from heaven came to him, saying, "Sadaprarudita! Go straight toward the east. Do not think of either heat or cold, pay no attention to worldly praise or scorn, do not be bothered by discriminations of good or evil, but just keep on going east. In the far east you will find a true teacher and will gain Enlightenment."
Sadaprarudita was very pleased to get this definite instruction and immediately started on his journey eastward. Sometimes he slept where night found him in a lonely field or in the wild mountains.
Being a stranger in foreign lands, he suffered many humiliations; once he sold himself into slavery, selling his own flesh out of hunger, but at last he found the true teacher and asked for his instruction.
There is a saying, "Good things are costly," and Sadaprarudita found it true in his case, for he had many difficulties on his journey in search of the path. He had no money to buy some flowers and incense to offer the teacher. He tried to sell his services but could find no one to hire him. There seemed to be an evil spirit hindering him every way he turned. The path to Enlightenment is a hard one and it may cost a man his life.
At last Sadaprarudita reached the presence of the teacher himself and then he had a new difficulty. He had no paper on which to take notes and no brush or ink to write with. Then he pricked his wrist with a dagger and took notes in his own blood. In this way he secured the precious Truth.
9. Once there was a boy named Sudhana who also wished for Enlightenment and earnestly sought the way. From a fisherman he learned the lore of the sea. From a doctor he learned compassion toward sick people in their suffering. From a wealthy man he learned that saving pennies was the secret of his fortune and thought how necessary it was to conserve every trifling gained on the path to Enlightenment.
From a meditating monk he learned that the pure and peaceful mind had a miraculous power to purify and tranquilize other minds. Once he met a woman of exceptional personality and was impressed by her benevolent spirit, and from her he learned a lesson that charity was the fruit of wisdom. Once he met an aged wanderer who told him that to reach a certain place he had to scale a mountain of swords and pass through a valley of fire. Thus Sudhana learned from his experiences that there was true teaching to be gained from everything he saw or heard.
He learned patience from a poor, crippled woman; he learned a lesson of simple happiness from watching children playing in the street; and from some gentle and humble people, who never thought of wanting anything that anybody else wanted, he learned the secret of living at peace with all the world.
He learned a lesson of harmony from watching the blending of the elements of incense, and a lesson of thanksgiving from the arrangement of flowers. One day, passing through a forest, he took a rest under a noble tree and noticed a tiny seedling growing nearby out of a fallen and decaying tree and it taught him a lesson of the uncertainty of life.
Sunlight by day and the twinkling stars by night constantly refreshed his spirit. Thus Sudhana profited by the experiences of his long journey.
Indeed, those who seek for Enlightenment must think of their minds as castles and decorate them. They must open wide the gates of their minds for Buddha, and respectfully and humbly invite Him to enter the inmost chamber, there to offer Him the fragrant incense of faith and the flowers of gratitude and gladness.
Suppose a man were pierced by a poisoned arrow, and his relatives and friends got together to call a surgeon to have the arrow pulled out and the wound treated.
If the wounded man objects, saying, "Wait a little. Before you pull it out, I want to know who shot this arrow. Was it a man or a woman? Was it someone of noble birth, or was it a peasant? What was the bow made of? Was it a big bow, or a small bow, that shot the arrow? Was it made of wood or bamboo? What was the bow-string made of? Was it made of fiber, or of gut? Was the arrow made of rattan, or of reed? What feathers were used? Before you extract the arrow, I want to know all about these things." Then what will happen?
Before all this information can be secured, no doubt, the poison will have time to circulate all through the system and the man may die. The first duty is to remove the arrow, and prevent its poison from spreading.
When a fire of passion is endangering the world, the composition of the universe matters little; what is the ideal form for the human community is not so important to deal with.
The question of whether the universe has limits or is eternal can wait until some way is found to extinguish the fires of birth, old age, sickness and death; in the presence of misery, sorrow, suffering and agony, one should first search for a way to solve these problems and devote oneself to the practice of that way.
The Buddha's teaching contains what is important to now and not what is unimportant. That is, it teaches people that they must learn what they should learn, remove what they should remove, train for what they should become enlightened about.
Therefore, people should first discern what is the most important, what problem should be solved first and what is the most pressing issue for them. To do all this, they must first undertake to train their minds; that is, they must first seek mind-control.
2. Suppose a man goes to the forest to get some of the pith that grows in the center of a tree and returns with a burden of branches and leaves, thinking that he has secured what he went after; would he not be foolish, if he is satisfied with the bark, wood for the pith which he was after? But that is what many people are doing.
A person seeks a path that will lead him away from birth, old age, sickness and death, or from misery, sorrow, suffering and agony; and yet, he follows the path a little way, notices some little advance, and immediately becomes proud and conceited and domineering. He is like the man who sought pith and went away satisfied with a burden of branches and leaves.
Another man becoming satisfied with the progress he has made by a little effort, relaxes his effort and becomes proud and conceited; he is carrying away only a load of branches instead of the pith he was seeking.
Still another man finding that his mind is becoming caliper and his thoughts clearer, he, too, relaxes his effort and becomes proud and conceited; he has a burden of the bark instead of the pith he was looking for.
Then again, another man becomes proud and conceited because he notices that he has gained a measure of intuitive insight; he has a load of the woody fiber of the tree instead of the pith. All of these seekers, who become easily satisfied by their insufficient effort and become proud and over-bearing, relax their efforts and easily fall into idleness. All these people will inevitably face suffering again.
Those who seek the true path to Enlightenment must not expect any offer of respect, honor or devotion. And further, they must not aim with a slight effort, at a trifling advance in calmness or knowledge or insight.
First of all, one should get clearly in mind the basic and essential nature of this world of life and death.
3. The world has no substance of its own. It is simply a vast concordance of causes and conditions that have had their origin, solely and exclusively, in the activities of the mind that has been stimulated by ignorance, false imagination, desires and infatuation. It is not something external about which the mind has false conceptions; it has no substance whatever. It has come into appearance by the processes of the mind itself, manifesting its own delusions. It is founded and built up out of the desires of the mind, out of its sufferings and struggles incidental to the pain caused by its own greed, anger and foolishness. Men who seek the way to Enlightenment should be ready to fight such a mind to attain their goal.
4. "Oh my mind! Why do you hover so restlessly over the changing circumstances of life? Why do you make me so confused and restless? Why do you urge me to collect so many things? You are like a plow that breaks in pieces before beginning to plow; you are like a rudder that is dismantled just as you are venturing out on the sea of life and death. Of what use are many rebirths if we do not make good use of this life?
"Oh my mind! Once you caused me to be born as a king, and then you caused me to be born as an outcast and to beg for my food. Sometimes you cause me to be born in heavenly mansions of the gods and to dwell in luxury and in ecstasy; then you plunge me into the flames of hell.
"Oh, my foolish, foolish mind! Thus you have led rile along different paths and I have been obedient to you and docile. But now that I have heard the Buddha's teaching, do not disturb me anymore or cause me further sufferings, but let us seek Enlightenment together, humbly and patiently.
"Oh, my mind! If you could only learn that everything is non-substantial and transitory; if you could only learn not to grasp after things, not to covet things, not to give way to greed, anger and foolishness; then we might journey in quietness. Then, by severing the bond of desires with the sword of wisdom, being undisturbed by changing circumstances - advantage or disadvantage, good or bad, loss or gain, praise or abuse - we might dwell in peace.
"Oh, my dear mind! It was you who first awakened faith in us; it was you who suggested our seeking Enlightenment. Why do you give way so easily to greed, love of comfort and pleasant excitement again?
"Oh, my mind! Why do you rush hither and thither with no definite purpose? Let us cross this wild sea of delusion. Hitherto I have acted as you wished, but now you must act as I wish and, together, we will follow the Buddha's teaching.
"Oh, my dear mind! These mountains, rivers and seas are changeable and pain-producing. Where in this world of delusion shall we seek quietness? Let us follow the Buddha's teaching and cross over to the other shore of Enlightenment."
5. Thus, those who really seek the path to Enlightenment dictate terms to their mind. Then they proceed with strong determination. Even though they are abused by some and scorned by others, they go forward undisturbed. They do not become angry if they are beaten by fists, or hit by stones, or gashed by swords.
Even if enemies cut their head from the body, the mind must not be disturbed. If they let their mind become darkened by the things they suffer, they are not following the teaching of Buddha. They must be determined, no matter what happens to them, to remain steadfast, unmovable, ever radiating thoughts of compassion and good-will. Let abuse come, let misfortune come, and yet one should resolve to remain unmoved and tranquil in mind, filled with Buddha's teaching.
For the sake of attaining Enlightenment, one should try to accomplish the impossible and one should endure the unendurable. One must give what he has to the last of it. If he is told that to gain Enlightenment he must limit his food to a single grain of rice a day, he will eat only chat. If the path to Enlightenment leads him through fire, he will go forward.
But one must not do these things for any ulterior purpose. One should do them because it is the wise thing, the right thing, to do. One should do them out of a spirit of compassion, as a mother does things for her little child, for her sick child, with no thought of her own strength or comfort.
6. Once there was a king who loved his people and his country and ruled them with wisdom and kindness and, because of it his country was prosperous and peaceful. He was always seeking for greater wisdom and enlightenment; he even offered rewards to anyone who could lead him to worthy teachings.
His devotion and wisdom finally came to the attention of the gods, but they determined to test him. A god in disguise as a demon appeared before the gates of the king's palace and asked to be brought before the king as he had a holy teaching for him.
The king who was pleased to hear the message courteously received him and asked for instruction. The demon took on a dreadful form and demanded food, saying that he could not teach until he had the food he liked. Choice food was offered the demon, but he insisted that he must have warm human flesh and blood. The crown-prince gave his body and the queen also gave her body, but still the demon was unsatisfied and so demanded the body of the king.
The king expressed his willingness to give his body, but asked that he might first hear the teaching before he would offer his body.
The god uttered the following wise teaching: "Misery rises from lust and fear rises from lust. Those who remove lust have no misery or fear." Suddenly the god resumed his true form and the prince and the queen also reappeared in their original bodies.
7. Once there was a person who sought the True Path in the Himalayas. He cared nothing for all the treasures of the earth or even for all the delights of heaven, but he sought the teaching that would remove all mental delusions.
The gods were impressed by the man's earnestness and sincerity and decided to test his mind. So one of the gods disguised himself as a demon and appeared in the Himalayas, singing: "Everything changes, everything appears and disappears."
The seeker heard this song which pleased him very much. He was as delighted as if he had found a spring of cool water for his thirst or as if a slave had been unexpectedly set free. He said to himself, "At last I have found the true teaching that I have sought for so long." He followed the voice and at last came upon the frightful demon. With an uneasy mind he approached the demon and said: "Was it you who sang the holy song that I have just heard? If it was you, please sing more of it."
The demon replied: "Yes, it was my song, but I cannot sing more of it until I have had something to eat; I am starving."
The man begged him very earnestly to sing more of it, saying: "It has a sacred meaning to me and I have sought its teaching for a long time. I have only heard a part of it; please let me hear more."
The demon said again: "I am starving, but if I can taste the warm flesh and blood of a man, I will finish the song."
The man, in his eagerness to hear the teaching, promised the demon that he could have his body after he had heard the teaching. Then the demon sang the complete song.
Everything changes,
Everything appears and disappears, There is perfect tranquility
When one transcends both life and extinction.
Hearing this, the man, after he wrote the poem on rocks and trees around, quietly climbed a tree and hurled himself to the feet of the demon, but the demon had disappeared and, instead, a radiant god received the body of the man unharmed.
8. Once upon a time there was an earnest seeker of the true path named Sadaprarudita. He cast aside every temptation for profit or honor and sought the path at the risk of his life. One day a voice from heaven came to him, saying, "Sadaprarudita! Go straight toward the east. Do not think of either heat or cold, pay no attention to worldly praise or scorn, do not be bothered by discriminations of good or evil, but just keep on going east. In the far east you will find a true teacher and will gain Enlightenment."
Sadaprarudita was very pleased to get this definite instruction and immediately started on his journey eastward. Sometimes he slept where night found him in a lonely field or in the wild mountains.
Being a stranger in foreign lands, he suffered many humiliations; once he sold himself into slavery, selling his own flesh out of hunger, but at last he found the true teacher and asked for his instruction.
There is a saying, "Good things are costly," and Sadaprarudita found it true in his case, for he had many difficulties on his journey in search of the path. He had no money to buy some flowers and incense to offer the teacher. He tried to sell his services but could find no one to hire him. There seemed to be an evil spirit hindering him every way he turned. The path to Enlightenment is a hard one and it may cost a man his life.
At last Sadaprarudita reached the presence of the teacher himself and then he had a new difficulty. He had no paper on which to take notes and no brush or ink to write with. Then he pricked his wrist with a dagger and took notes in his own blood. In this way he secured the precious Truth.
9. Once there was a boy named Sudhana who also wished for Enlightenment and earnestly sought the way. From a fisherman he learned the lore of the sea. From a doctor he learned compassion toward sick people in their suffering. From a wealthy man he learned that saving pennies was the secret of his fortune and thought how necessary it was to conserve every trifling gained on the path to Enlightenment.
From a meditating monk he learned that the pure and peaceful mind had a miraculous power to purify and tranquilize other minds. Once he met a woman of exceptional personality and was impressed by her benevolent spirit, and from her he learned a lesson that charity was the fruit of wisdom. Once he met an aged wanderer who told him that to reach a certain place he had to scale a mountain of swords and pass through a valley of fire. Thus Sudhana learned from his experiences that there was true teaching to be gained from everything he saw or heard.
He learned patience from a poor, crippled woman; he learned a lesson of simple happiness from watching children playing in the street; and from some gentle and humble people, who never thought of wanting anything that anybody else wanted, he learned the secret of living at peace with all the world.
He learned a lesson of harmony from watching the blending of the elements of incense, and a lesson of thanksgiving from the arrangement of flowers. One day, passing through a forest, he took a rest under a noble tree and noticed a tiny seedling growing nearby out of a fallen and decaying tree and it taught him a lesson of the uncertainty of life.
Sunlight by day and the twinkling stars by night constantly refreshed his spirit. Thus Sudhana profited by the experiences of his long journey.
Indeed, those who seek for Enlightenment must think of their minds as castles and decorate them. They must open wide the gates of their minds for Buddha, and respectfully and humbly invite Him to enter the inmost chamber, there to offer Him the fragrant incense of faith and the flowers of gratitude and gladness.
Sunday, August 7, 2011
Better Than Life
When I left Seattle, I had an idea. Hell, I was on a crusade. It was simple (1. Get to the farm. 2. Farm.) and looked like it would work out well. I had people interested in the idea, who had their own ideas, and I saw how it could all come together.
Now I've been sitting on this piece of land in Tennessee for four months, alone and unaccomplished. How did this happen?
"A picture held us captive. And we could not get outside of it, for it lay in our language and language seemed to repeat it to us inexorably." - Ludwig Wittgenstein
You know when Wile E Coyote paints a road onto the side of a building, and then the roadrunner dashes off into the painted scene? That's what happened. In my imagination, I developed the idea of what was ahead for me, and then I moved forward in my imagination.
Throughout the course of realizing, over the past week, what I've done, I have had some pretty wild thoughts. Initially, I overreacted by discounting imagination entirely. I felt like I had been a fool (I had) and that I should have never fantasized or speculated about the future. And on top of that, I lumped some things that I honestly believe into the "just my imagination" category.
Now, imagination is a powerful thing, and I believe it is a necessary thing. And like any other function of our minds, it is a tool. To build something with wood, you start with an axe, but once the tree is down, you move on to the other tools that you need to get the job done.
I'm glad I recognized that, because I was on my way to cutting out a huge part of my life. That would have been a huge step backwards for me, since anything that I have started since autumn has been a result of rediscovering things I had cut out previously. The road I've been on since December has reunited me with my spirituality and my emotions, and no matter what I thought I might have had ahead when I got here, it would have been just as unsatisfying as any other life I've led, if I did not have those very significant parts of myself integrated.
I see what I've done, I see how I did it, and I see how I could very, very easily do it again (and again and again and again). Frankly, it is hard to not want to do it.
At the end of the Red Dwarf book, Infinity Welcomes Careful Drivers, Lister is living in the Bedford Falls of It's A Wonderful Life. He has been sucked into the novel's game/drug hybrid, called Better Than Life,* and has been living happily in this virtual world. [Yes, I am absolutely spoiling the end of this book. If you think you'll read it one day, you should just skip ahead a bit.] Once he realizes what I realized about myself, he decides to leave. But.
There, in the middle of the street, a pink neon sign hung over a shimmering archway. There was his exit, just as he'd imagined it. On the other side was reality.
It started to snow. Christmas Eve.
How could he leave them on Christmas Eve?
What harm was one more day? He turned away from the dissolving exit and crunched up the drive to 220.
One more night of that pinball smile.
Just one.
He couldn't leave them on Christmas Eve.
But, ofcourse, in Bedford Falls it was always Christmas Eve...
So now this is the good part. Now, I get to grow as a person. Now, I get to learn to act in spite of myself.
..... .... ... .. . .. ... .... .....
Whatever actions we make, they are based in our minds, on our intentions. So rather than just going out and doing something,** I want to examine my intentions. One thing that I realize every time I end up in this position (and it was only as I typed those words that I realized that this is the position I always end up at) is that I haven't been reading. At these times, I start over, re-reading the books that have most inspired me to consider my intentions.
Illusions:
Siddhartha:
Ishmael:
Round the Bend:
Beyond Civilization:
The Element:
Wild At Heart:
Leadership and Self-Deception:
Keep reading
Keep talking
Keep active
Meditate
..... .... ... .. . .. ... .... ..... .... ... .. . .. ... .... .....
*Imagine the Nexus from Star Trek: Generations***
**In the moments before writing, I texted to Age: "I feel like doing something in the face for this realization, and throwing bricks and bottles doesn't sound as horrible as it should..."
***I can't believe I just brought up Star Trek.
Now I've been sitting on this piece of land in Tennessee for four months, alone and unaccomplished. How did this happen?
"A picture held us captive. And we could not get outside of it, for it lay in our language and language seemed to repeat it to us inexorably." - Ludwig Wittgenstein
You know when Wile E Coyote paints a road onto the side of a building, and then the roadrunner dashes off into the painted scene? That's what happened. In my imagination, I developed the idea of what was ahead for me, and then I moved forward in my imagination.
Throughout the course of realizing, over the past week, what I've done, I have had some pretty wild thoughts. Initially, I overreacted by discounting imagination entirely. I felt like I had been a fool (I had) and that I should have never fantasized or speculated about the future. And on top of that, I lumped some things that I honestly believe into the "just my imagination" category.
Now, imagination is a powerful thing, and I believe it is a necessary thing. And like any other function of our minds, it is a tool. To build something with wood, you start with an axe, but once the tree is down, you move on to the other tools that you need to get the job done.
I'm glad I recognized that, because I was on my way to cutting out a huge part of my life. That would have been a huge step backwards for me, since anything that I have started since autumn has been a result of rediscovering things I had cut out previously. The road I've been on since December has reunited me with my spirituality and my emotions, and no matter what I thought I might have had ahead when I got here, it would have been just as unsatisfying as any other life I've led, if I did not have those very significant parts of myself integrated.
I see what I've done, I see how I did it, and I see how I could very, very easily do it again (and again and again and again). Frankly, it is hard to not want to do it.
At the end of the Red Dwarf book, Infinity Welcomes Careful Drivers, Lister is living in the Bedford Falls of It's A Wonderful Life. He has been sucked into the novel's game/drug hybrid, called Better Than Life,* and has been living happily in this virtual world. [Yes, I am absolutely spoiling the end of this book. If you think you'll read it one day, you should just skip ahead a bit.] Once he realizes what I realized about myself, he decides to leave. But.
There, in the middle of the street, a pink neon sign hung over a shimmering archway. There was his exit, just as he'd imagined it. On the other side was reality.
It started to snow. Christmas Eve.
How could he leave them on Christmas Eve?
What harm was one more day? He turned away from the dissolving exit and crunched up the drive to 220.
One more night of that pinball smile.
Just one.
He couldn't leave them on Christmas Eve.
But, ofcourse, in Bedford Falls it was always Christmas Eve...
So now this is the good part. Now, I get to grow as a person. Now, I get to learn to act in spite of myself.
..... .... ... .. . .. ... .... .....
Whatever actions we make, they are based in our minds, on our intentions. So rather than just going out and doing something,** I want to examine my intentions. One thing that I realize every time I end up in this position (and it was only as I typed those words that I realized that this is the position I always end up at) is that I haven't been reading. At these times, I start over, re-reading the books that have most inspired me to consider my intentions.
Illusions:
Siddhartha:
Ishmael:
Round the Bend:
Beyond Civilization:
The Element:
Wild At Heart:
Leadership and Self-Deception:
Keep reading
Keep talking
Keep active
Meditate
..... .... ... .. . .. ... .... ..... .... ... .. . .. ... .... .....
*Imagine the Nexus from Star Trek: Generations***
**In the moments before writing, I texted to Age: "I feel like doing something in the face for this realization, and throwing bricks and bottles doesn't sound as horrible as it should..."
***I can't believe I just brought up Star Trek.
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
mon petit monde
I'm playing with the idea of starting a new blog. I'm pretty sure that would take my blog total up close to a billion unmaintained blogs. But hell, my world is small, and getting smaller every day.
For example: in September 2007 I signed into okcupid and saw a profile that captured my attention. Even though the girl lived over a thousand miles north of Tucson, we struck up an intense correspondence. It wasn't long before we discovered that we used to live across the parking lot from each other in Murfreesboro, TN. Eventually she came to stay with me in Tucson, and the day she departed I got an email from someone else in Tucson who, it turned out, had also come from Murfreesboro, and in fact also lived across the same parking lot from me & Leslie.
And at a show last night, back in Tucson after so many years, I met someone else from Murfreesboro. She even knew people I know.
But sometimes other connections can be even more interesting. Like in dreams.
Yesterday morning I got an IM from my friend Linnaea, saying she'd been thinking of me. In october, she had a dream about me that led her to contact me. The resulting conversation played a huge role on me rejoining the Long Road.
And while I was at the Murder by Death show last night, my friend Marc was asleep and dreaming:
He later described the dream in greater detail:
Meanwhile, here I am in Tucson, staying with Leslie and her husband Charles, who share some of my interests in home and community. And while Charles and I are making supper, I get an email from Stephani, a friend from high-school, telling me she's going to be living in a yurt on an organic farm in Tennessee come the spring. And another Stefani, who lives in Tucson, and whom I met on a train two months ago, posted something on my facebook wall about Tennessee farmers who get paid for generating energy on their property.
I'm not sure if stories like this happen all the time, and I'm just superstitious enough to obsess over them, or if I just have a knack for attracting weird stuff, but either way it's frequent enough to have hundreds of stories.
For example: in September 2007 I signed into okcupid and saw a profile that captured my attention. Even though the girl lived over a thousand miles north of Tucson, we struck up an intense correspondence. It wasn't long before we discovered that we used to live across the parking lot from each other in Murfreesboro, TN. Eventually she came to stay with me in Tucson, and the day she departed I got an email from someone else in Tucson who, it turned out, had also come from Murfreesboro, and in fact also lived across the same parking lot from me & Leslie.
And at a show last night, back in Tucson after so many years, I met someone else from Murfreesboro. She even knew people I know.
But sometimes other connections can be even more interesting. Like in dreams.
Yesterday morning I got an IM from my friend Linnaea, saying she'd been thinking of me. In october, she had a dream about me that led her to contact me. The resulting conversation played a huge role on me rejoining the Long Road.
And while I was at the Murder by Death show last night, my friend Marc was asleep and dreaming:
By and by, I'm not sure exactly why, but I just woke up from accidentally falling asleep and had an amazingly lucid dream of us traveling together. You handed me a homemade friendship bracelet someone else had given you from someone we had apparently met before, and said they had sent it to us to show their life had improved from knowing us. Crazy.
He later described the dream in greater detail:
We were sitting on benches, almost like bleachers but not in any kind of stadium, with you two rows up, but not really that far away, just so that you were behind and slightly higher up than I, and we were on a ship, sailing away.
The size of a yacht, but something older, more character than a modern ship
And after the exchange I mentioned on FB where you gave me the bracelet, I turned back and was looking at what in the dream seemed to be the city of Seattle, wondering if I had left anything in my apt…like I really just sort of took off on impulse. I came to the conclusion that I should trust myself and believe that anything I really needed, I already had on me.
that's sort of where it ended.
What's weird is that the bracelet was something from someone you and I had helped together, a thank you gift.
Oddly enough, the thought in my head is that this person was a prostitute and we had somehow helped her with her life to the point where she didn't need to be anymore.
Thanks man…like i said, it was pretty fucking powerful.
Meanwhile, here I am in Tucson, staying with Leslie and her husband Charles, who share some of my interests in home and community. And while Charles and I are making supper, I get an email from Stephani, a friend from high-school, telling me she's going to be living in a yurt on an organic farm in Tennessee come the spring. And another Stefani, who lives in Tucson, and whom I met on a train two months ago, posted something on my facebook wall about Tennessee farmers who get paid for generating energy on their property.
I'm not sure if stories like this happen all the time, and I'm just superstitious enough to obsess over them, or if I just have a knack for attracting weird stuff, but either way it's frequent enough to have hundreds of stories.
adventure, excitement, really wild things
FRIDAY
I met Pam in the Safeway parking lot at Sunrise & Swan, at 9AM.
Actually, I met Pam at Barnes & Noble at Broadway & Swan, three years ago. She was one of the co-workers who regularly attended MetalHead at the Cactus Moon. And then she was one of the previous co-workers who visited Seattle, back in the day. But this day, she was a traveling friend.
Pam had a desire to be Navigator, so I had the somewhat rare pleasure of driving.
We had remarkable conversations on our way to Scottsdale, to Taliesin West, the winter home of Frank Lloyd Wright.
SATURDAY
[farmer's market, library, drinking with Charles]
SUNDAY
[Superbowl Sunday, hungover, meditation, cleaning, driving, hiking, picnicking, hot tub]
MONDAY
[OMG henna]
TUESDAY
[WTF henna, words from Linnaea, Miss Joan, Ethiopian food, cosmology lecture, MBD show]
[Court Anonymous's Small World: "Do you know Jena?" Yes. "Do you know Tommie?" Yes.]
"I know there's better brothers, but you're the only one that's mine."
I met Pam in the Safeway parking lot at Sunrise & Swan, at 9AM.
Actually, I met Pam at Barnes & Noble at Broadway & Swan, three years ago. She was one of the co-workers who regularly attended MetalHead at the Cactus Moon. And then she was one of the previous co-workers who visited Seattle, back in the day. But this day, she was a traveling friend.
Pam had a desire to be Navigator, so I had the somewhat rare pleasure of driving.
We had remarkable conversations on our way to Scottsdale, to Taliesin West, the winter home of Frank Lloyd Wright.
SATURDAY
[farmer's market, library, drinking with Charles]
SUNDAY
[Superbowl Sunday, hungover, meditation, cleaning, driving, hiking, picnicking, hot tub]
MONDAY
[OMG henna]
TUESDAY
[WTF henna, words from Linnaea, Miss Joan, Ethiopian food, cosmology lecture, MBD show]
[Court Anonymous's Small World: "Do you know Jena?" Yes. "Do you know Tommie?" Yes.]
"I know there's better brothers, but you're the only one that's mine."
Saturday, January 8, 2011
validation
"Gay bar." I'm at lunch with one of the most influential people in my life, and once we're seated and starting conversation, these are the first words I hear him say? His wife explains that we are at "the local neighborhood--" and he interrupts her. So here I am, at the local neighborhood gay bar, with Daniel Quinn. The Quinns are known here: Rennie's paintings are on the wall, and whenever they are seated, the servers set the table with black napkins instead of white.
I don't know how to start a conversation, and for whatever reason Mr Quinn was not starting it either. Rennie, his wife, was more chatty, though, so we both took the back seat and let her lead the conversation. Over an hour and a half we talked about a wide range of things, so I don't remember everything we talked about. She asked me where the Barnes & Noble was in Seattle, and said they had only been to Elliott Bay Book Company & Third Place Books, for book signings. They love the Icon Grill, and that seemed to redeem their entire opinion of the city.
This is the kind of conversation we had. I was sure that my mind would go blank when I got there, so I asked people to help me think of things to talk about. Leslie gave a a dozen good ideas, and Scott provided plenty as well. I was prepared to talk about so many very different things. And we talked about Barnes & Noble.
(I was delighted that, when the subject of nook came up, Daniel Quinn had no idea what we were talking about.)
After the ebook wall had been breached, I asked if they had a large library or if they just put books back into circulation (they live within sight of a Half Price Books). They only keep books that they expect to revisit, but even so these are enough to require library stacks. Their neighbor has a nook, and loves it. THIS IS WHAT KIND OF CONVERSATION WE HAD.
Including, among other things, a lunch with Daniel Quinn, couch surfing, a personality test, my entire life, and the future of the world.
http://www.ishmael.org/Interaction/QandA/Detail.CFM?Record=667
Personally, I feel we're doing "better than expected." I've been very impressed with the ever-increasing awareness of our situation that reveals itself in books, graduate-school theses, publications of all kinds, and in every medium. To my way of thinking, a "Quinn-changed" mind is ultimately always a "self-changed" mind. It's very different in a cult; a "cult-changed" mind is NEVER "self-changed."
I don't know how to start a conversation, and for whatever reason Mr Quinn was not starting it either. Rennie, his wife, was more chatty, though, so we both took the back seat and let her lead the conversation. Over an hour and a half we talked about a wide range of things, so I don't remember everything we talked about. She asked me where the Barnes & Noble was in Seattle, and said they had only been to Elliott Bay Book Company & Third Place Books, for book signings. They love the Icon Grill, and that seemed to redeem their entire opinion of the city.
This is the kind of conversation we had. I was sure that my mind would go blank when I got there, so I asked people to help me think of things to talk about. Leslie gave a a dozen good ideas, and Scott provided plenty as well. I was prepared to talk about so many very different things. And we talked about Barnes & Noble.
(I was delighted that, when the subject of nook came up, Daniel Quinn had no idea what we were talking about.)
After the ebook wall had been breached, I asked if they had a large library or if they just put books back into circulation (they live within sight of a Half Price Books). They only keep books that they expect to revisit, but even so these are enough to require library stacks. Their neighbor has a nook, and loves it. THIS IS WHAT KIND OF CONVERSATION WE HAD.
Including, among other things, a lunch with Daniel Quinn, couch surfing, a personality test, my entire life, and the future of the world.
http://www.ishmael.org/Interaction/QandA/Detail.CFM?Record=667
Personally, I feel we're doing "better than expected." I've been very impressed with the ever-increasing awareness of our situation that reveals itself in books, graduate-school theses, publications of all kinds, and in every medium. To my way of thinking, a "Quinn-changed" mind is ultimately always a "self-changed" mind. It's very different in a cult; a "cult-changed" mind is NEVER "self-changed."
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