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Some say Sokka Gakkai ("value creation") it is not "Buddhism." Some say it is a cult - a brain-washing (mind control through ritual mind-numbing chanting), family-rejecting, money-worshiping devotional movement that originated as a shortcut to buddhahood in Japan then became a very savvy organization with outreach. It might be.
It is also alleged to be the fastest growing form of Buddhism in America among Hispanics and African Americans and college students. That is reason enough to merit consideration. Buddhism is open to all, but not all national forms of Buddhism are as inviting as SGI.
[Chanting] The Secret of the Lotus Sutra
The Secret to Happiness
The secret is that there is no secret! Buddhism teaches that a universal Law (dharma) underlies everything in the universe. This is the very essence of life. One could also think of it as the fundamental rhythm of life and the universe. Nichiren [the Japanese founder of Nichiren Buddhism] identified this Law or essence as [the chant] Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. He taught that by correctly carrying out the practice of [this form of] Buddhism everyone is able to bring his/her individual life into harmony with the greater life of the universe. More
The infamous daimoku/Tina Turner chant
* Cult Awareness Network complaints about SGI
* RickRoss.com is an Internet archive of information about cults, destructive cults, controversial groups, and movements. The Rick A. Ross Institute of New Jersey (RI) is a nonprofit public resource.
* Need to be deprogrammed?
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Mara Schaeffer, Wisdom Quarterly
Here's hoping everyone's holidays are fun. For me this series of talks by the Dalai Lama is the best thing going. Enjoy the winter solstice, the Mayan New Age and, of course, "THE BIG DAY" in India, a celebration of all religions.
* WEBCASTS: SHANTIDEVA'S "GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA'S WAY OF LIFE"
Great seasonal/perennial teachings from the Dalai Lama with two sessions over four days to live stream or
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People immediately think about Buddha when they hear or see the word "enlightenment." Some people think that Buddha is a god and, therefore, worship him as such. Contrary to the belief of some of his followers, Buddhism is not a religion but a philosophy of mind, and Buddha had no intention to be worshiped. Instead, he just wanted people to study his teachings regardless of what they taught he was. All that Buddha hoped for was that people try to reach the same state of self-awareness that he achieved.
Mastery of the self and the quest for truth will lead you to the discovery of many ideas. At that point, some of those ideas would clash with each other making you accept new ones while abandoning the old or making you reject some while holding on to others. When this happens and you don't know which ideas you are to accept, a good suggestion is to look at the idea's fundamental meaning and practical relevance. The Buddha applied this by finding out what the true nature of suffering is and how he can rid himself of it. His study eventually led him to the realization of the "Four Noble Truths" which basically states the following: first, "birth, aging, and death are suffering"; second, "many other things in life cause suffering; t"hird, "suffering can be eliminated"; and fourth, "there is a way to end suffering". After realizing the Four Noble Truths, he was then able to construct the "NOBLE EIGHTFOLD PATH" or what he considered as the path to end suffering.
THE NOBLE EIGHTFOLD PATH
1. RIGHT VIEW
Some people are not aware of what life on Earth really means. Most of us are even dominated by thoughts of selfishness, materialism, and insecurity. According to the Buddha, it is because of this ignorance that we tend to suffer. We attach ourselves to ideas and beliefs that hold no relevance to the true nature of our being. Having an open mind and having the drive to seek knowledge are steps into having the right view. Learning, for that matter, is a vital part of the eightfold path because it is through learning that you get hold of ideas such as truth and righteousness.
2. RIGHT INTENTION
Once a person is able to determine the true nature of things and can also distinguish what is right from what is wrong, the right intention must follow. Everything that you do should have the right purpose. All the wrong reasons should be eliminated. People often feel guilt not because of ignorance but because of the wrong choices that they make. Once you start doing something because you know that it is the right thing to do, you will know that you are always on the right path.
3. RIGHT SPEECH
It is here that we are advised to refrain from lying, divisive speech, abusive speech, and idle chatter. Words are very powerful whether they are written or verbally spoken. Some people who know how to use the power of words take advantage of their knowledge to influence other people for their own benefit. We use speech to communicate and it is for this reason that we need to use it in the right way and for the right reasons. It is through right speech that we start to develop harmony with other people.
4. RIGHT ACTION
Right action involves having the right conduct. Right conduct means that you shouldn't kill anyone, you shouldn't steal, and you shouldn't commit sexual misconduct. The social norms during Buddha's time were perhaps different than what we observe today in our society. However, the principle of right action states that everything you do now will produce various consequences in the future. Hence, it is much better to observe the kind of behavior that will yield positive consequences instead of negative ones. Furthermore, since you will be practicing a lot of meditation if you are to follow the path of the Buddha, right action tends to be more productive because it creates lesser mental disturbance.
5. RIGHT LIVELIHOOD
People need to work for a living; that's a given. There are some people, however, who engage in the types of work that are not conducive for spiritual development because they lack the right view, intention, speech, and action. The Buddhist way teaches us to avoid the following types of trade: weapons, human beings, meat, intoxicants, and poison. In our time, some may find this unrealistic because we do know that there are many industries out there that exactly involve the production or distribution of the things mentioned. Hence, it is entirely up to the individual to find other means of livelihood if one is serious about following the spiritual path.
6. RIGHT EFFORT
Right effort, in the Buddhist texts, means: 1) the prevention and elimination of negative thoughts, words, and actions; and 2) stimulation and preservation of the right thoughts, words, and action. It is on this part that you should always try to be aware of your own thoughts and, at the best of your effort, keep them positive at all times. Thoughts become things. Everything starts to become true the moment you think of it.
7. RIGHT MINDFULNESS
Mindfulness in the context of Buddhism means that you should always be aware of what is happening within and around you at all times. We often think that time has three modes; the past, the present, and the future. The truth is that we only live now, in the present. The past only exists because of your memories while the future is made up of your imaginative thoughts. These things are all inside your mind.. All you have is the present and that is where your mind should be at all times. Once you realize what this means, you'll start to become more attentive to yourself and your surroundings.
8. RIGHT CONCENTRATION
This is where you literally do meditation. According to the Buddha, the mind is only a tool, but it can help set you free once you become successful in taming it. Without learning how to focus and without having stillness of the mind, your thoughts are like the waves of a violent sea. Once there is mental discipline, however, your mind will be like a steady pond and you will see the reflection of your true self.
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Little Jo (Alicewonderland2/Flickr.com) submission, edited for Wisdom Quarterly Bodhisattva (Drunz/Flickr.com)
(YMBA.ORG) MAHAYANA Buddhists, listen! Whoever can understand and accept a Dharma master's words of transmission can receive the Bodhisattva Precepts and be called foremost in purity. (A "bodhisattva" is a "being-bent-on-enlightenment" to save others).
This is true whether a person is a ruler, official, monk, nun, or a "deva" of the 18 Brahma planes, a "deva" of the six Sense Desire planes, or a human, eunuch, libertine, prostitute, slave, or member of the eight divisions of Divinities, a "Vajra" spirit, an animal, or even a shape-shifting being.
The Ten Major Precepts
[A] Buddha said to his disciples, "There are ten major bodhisattva precepts. If one receives the precepts but fails to recite them, one is not a bodhisattva, nor is one a seed of buddhahood. I, too, recite these precepts.
"All bodhisattvas have studied them in the past, will study them in the future, and are studying them now. I have explained the main characteristics of the bodhisattva precepts. You should study and observe them with all your heart." That Buddha continued:
1. First Major Precept: Killing
A disciple of the Buddha must not kill, encourage others to kill, kill by expedient means, praise killing, rejoice at witnessing killing, or kill through incantation or deviant mantras. One must not create the causes, conditions, methods, or karma of killing, and shall not intentionally kill any living creature.
As a Buddha's disciple, one ought to nurture a mind of compassion and filial piety, always devising expedient means to rescue and protect beings. If instead, one fails to restrain oneself and kills sentient beings without mercy, one commits a "major" offense ("parajika").
2. Second Major Precept: Stealing
A disciple of the Buddha must not steal or encourage others to steal, steal by expedient means, steal by means of incantation or deviant mantras. One should not create the causes, conditions, methods, or karma of stealing. No valuables or possessions may be stolen, even those belonging to ghosts and spirits or thieves and robbers, be they as small as a needle.
As a Buddha's disciple, one ought to have a mind of mercy, compassion, and filial piety - always helping people earn merit and achieve happiness. If instead, one steals the possessions of others, one commits a major offense.
3. Third Major Precept: Sexual Misconduct
A disciple of the Buddha must not engage in licentious acts or encourage others to do so. [As a monastic] one should not have sexual relations with any human, animal, "deva", or spirit - nor create the causes, conditions, methods, or karma of such misconduct. Indeed, one must not engage in improper sexual conduct with anyone.
A Buddha's disciple ought to have a mind of filial piety - rescuing all sentient beings and instructing them in the Dharma of purity and chastity. If instead, one lacks compassion and encourages others to engage in sexual relations promiscuously, including with animals and even their mothers, daughters, sisters, or other close relatives, one commits a major offense.
4. Fourth Major Precept: Lying and False Speech
A disciple of the Buddha must not use false words and speech, or encourage others to lie or deceive by expedient means. One should not involve oneself in the causes, conditions, methods, or karma of lying, saying [as a witness] that one has seen what one has not seen or vice versa, or lying implicitly through physical or mental means.
A Buddha's disciple ought to maintain Right Speech and Right Views and lead others to maintain them as well. If instead one causes or encourages wrong speech, wrong views, or unwholesome karma in others, one commits a major offense.
5. FIFTH MAJOR PRECEPT: SELLING INTOXICANTS
A disciple of the Buddha must not trade in alcoholic beverages or encourage others to do so. One should not create the causes, conditions, methods, or karma of selling any intoxicants whatsoever, for intoxicants are the causes and conditions of all kinds of offenses.
A Buddha's disciple ought to help all sentient beings achieve clear wisdom. If instead one causes them to have upside-down, topsy-turvy thinking, one commits a major offense.
6. Sixth Major Precept: Broadcasting the Faults of the Assembly
A disciple of the Buddha must not broadcast the misdeeds or infractions of bodhisattva-clerics or bodhisattva-laypersons, or of monks and nuns, nor encourage others to do so. One must not create the causes, conditions, methods, or karma of discussing the offenses of the assembly.
As a Buddha's disciple whenever hearing unwholesome persons, outsiders, or followers of the Two Vehicles [Mahayana and Theravada] speak of practices contrary to the Dharma or contrary to the precepts within the Buddhist community, one should instruct them with a compassionate mind and lead them to develop wholesome faith in Buddhism.
If instead one discusses the faults and misdeeds that occur within the assembly, one commits a major offense.
7. Seventh Major Precept: Praising Oneself, Disparaging Others
A disciple of the Buddha must not praise oneself or speak ill of others or encourage others to do so. One must not create the causes, conditions, methods, or karma of praising oneself and disparaging others.
As a disciple of the Buddha one should be willing to stand in for all sentient beings and endure humiliation and slander - accepting blame and letting sentient beings have the glory. If instead one displays one's own virtues and conceals the good points of others, thus causing them to suffer slander, one commits a major offense.
8. Eighth Major Precept: Stinginess and Abuse
A disciple of the Buddha must not be stingy or encourage others to be stingy. One should not create the causes, conditions, methods, or karma of stinginess. As a bodhisattva, whenever a destitute person comes for help, one should give that person what is needed. If instead, out of anger or resentment, one denies assistance - refusing to help with even a penny, a needle, a blade of grass, even a single sentence or verse or phrase of Dharma, but instead scolds and abuses that person - one commits a major offense.
9. Ninth Major Precept: Anger and Resentment
A disciple of the Buddha shall not harbor anger or encourage others to be angry. One should not create the causes, conditions, methods, or karma of anger.
As a disciple of the Buddha one ought to be compassionate and filial, helping sentient beings develop the good roots of non-contention. If instead one insults and abuses sentient beings, or even shape-shifting beings [such as "devas" and spirits], with harsh words, hitting them with fists or feet, or attacking them with knives or clubs - or harbors grudges even when the victim confesses mistakes and humbly seeks forgiveness in a soft, conciliatory voice - the disciple commits a major offense.
10. Tenth Major Precept: Slandering the Three Jewels
A Buddha's disciple must not speak ill of the Three Jewels or encourage others to do so. One must not create the causes, conditions, methods or karma of slander. If a disciple hears but a single word of slander against the Buddha from outsiders or unwholesome beings, one experiences a pain similar to that of three hundred spears piercing the heart. How then could one possibly slander the Three Jewels oneself?
If instead a disciple lacks faith and filial piety towards the Three Jewels, and even assists unwholesome persons or those of aberrant views to slander the Three Jewels, one commits a major offense.
Conclusion: The Ten Major Precepts
A disciple of the Buddha should study these Ten Major ("parajika") Precepts and not break any of them in even the slightest way - much less break all of them. Anyone guilty of doing so cannot develop the Enlightenment ("Bodhi") Mind in the current life and will lose whatever high position one may have attained, be it that of an emperor, a Wheel-Turning World Ruler, Buddhist monk, Buddhist nun - as well as whatever level of bodhisattvahood one may have reached, whether the Ten Dwellings, the Ten Practices, the Ten Dedications, the Ten Grounds - and the fruits of undying Buddha Nature. One will lose all of those levels of attainment and descend into the Three Woeful Realms, unable to hear the words "parents" or "Three Jewels" for aeons.
Therefore, Buddha's disciples should avoid breaking any of these major precepts. All bodhisattvas should study and observe the Ten Precepts, which have been observed, are being observed, and will be observed by all bodhisattvas.
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Zen is the Japanese word of the Chinese character "chan," which is in turn the Chinese pronunciation from the Indian Sanskrit term "dhyana," which means meditation. In Japan, Zen is interpreted as either a state of silent thoughtless mind, where an individual has already achieved "enlightenment", or a state of Satori, where a meditation practitioner had glimpses of enlightenment.
Like many things in life, Zen is grasped only by doing, not by hearing, talking or thinking about it. Zen is a religion of non religion, Zen can also be explained as " living in the present and experiencing reality fully", or as the old zen saying says" Zen is nothing and yet everything ".
As Bhodi a Zen master puts it, "Unfortunately no one can be told what Zen is, you have to experience it for yourself."
So is the case with Meditation. In Japan, the meditation sessions are facilitated by what they call "Jikijitsu", the directing monk or meditation facilitator in charge of every movement of the meditation practitioner coming to sit in Zazen.
Zazen is japanese word for Zen meditation or silent sitting meditation. The jikijitsu ensures that the monks get to sleep and wake up on time according to a strict protocol.
Jikijitsu often carries with them a Keisaku or Kyosaku. These Keisaku / Kyosaku is what we call in English a "Zen Stick", also known as 'blow of compasion' or 'warning stick'. The kyosaku or The Zen Stick is a light blow given to shoulders with the light wooden stick carried by a Zen monk during Zazen meditation.
Commonly made out of wood or bamboo, a Zen Stick is used by a Jikijitsu to alleviate drowsiness and sleepiness while meditating. It is also very stimulating that it allows one struck by it to overcome fatigue thus getting its nickname: "wake-up stick".
Getting a hit by Zen Stick while meditating is not a punishment, or an act of violence, it is simply an aid to meditation practitioner by a very light feather like touch of a stick on body. While in Zazen or Silent seated meditation, it is common for that practitioner to feel drowsy or get lost in thoughts. The meditation facilitator in charge will then strike them lightly with a Zen Stick to make them aware about their sleepiness nature and bring them back to a more alert state.
The Zen Stick is commonly used on the backs, shoulders, muscles and spine.The practice of zen stick also has a science to it. Zen Stick will allow you to have the sense of being more awake since your brain interprets a touch on body more accurately.
Origin: http://just-wicca.blogspot.com
The FOUR BASES OF SPIRITUAL POWER are the four leading mental qualities that serve as "bases" for success in Buddhist meditation practice. These qualities are "desire", "persistence", "intent", and "discrimination". They are sometimes also called the Four Roads to Success. They are referred to in the Pali Canon (Buddhist scriptures) as the IDDHIPaDa.
The term "iddhi" is derived from the verb "ijjhati", which means "to prosper" or "to succeed." In Buddhist traditions, "iddhi" often refers to supranormal or "spiritual" powers, which are various forms of knowledge and skill that you might acquire when you practice Right Concentration of the Buddha's Noble Eightfold Path. The term "pada" means "basis," which refers to the four mental qualities I mentioned earlier.
According to this teaching, developing Right Concentration based on these four mental qualities will help you accomplish your spiritual pursuits. However, even if you are not a Buddhist or you do not practice any form of meditation, the four bases can still serve you well in whatever goal you may have as long as your intention with that goal is a wholesome one.
SPIRITUAL POWERS
"When a monk has thus developed & pursued the four bases of power, he experiences manifold supranormal powers... He hears - by means of the divine ear-element, purified & surpassing the human - both kinds of sounds: divine & human, whether near or far... He knows the awareness of other beings, other individuals, having encompassed it with his own awareness... He recollects his manifold past lives... He sees - by means of the divine eye, purified & surpassing the human - beings passing away and re-appearing... Through the ending of the mental effluents, he remains in the effluent-free awareness-release & discernment-release, knowing & realizing it for himself in the here & now. This is how these four bases of power, when developed & pursued, are of great fruit ">1. INSIGHT KNOWLEDGE (vipassana-~nana) - the ability to gain clear insight into the nature of phenomena.2. MIND OVER MATTER (iddhividhi) - the power of manipulating physical objects at will. 3. ASTRAL TRAVELLING (manomayiddhi) - the power of creating mind-made images. 4. CLAIRVOYANCE (dibbacakkhu) - the ability to see subtle, hidden, or remote things. 5. CLAIRAUDIENCE (dibbasota) - the ability to know sounds/languages through the divine ear.6. TELEPATHY (cetopariya-~nana) - knowledge of the thoughts and mental states of other beings. 7. KNOWLEDGE OF PAST LIVES (pubbenivasanussati-~nana) - recollection of previous births by means of mental images or intuitive knowledge.8. KNOWLEDGE OF THE ENDING OF MENTAL FERMENTATIONS (asavakkhaya-~nana) - knowing the causes for mental defilements and the means for putting an end to them.
According to Buddhists, the last type of power ("asavakkhaya-~nana") is the most essential on the path to enlightenment. The reason is that it is the only one you need to completely eliminate the last five fetters to enlightenment ("craving for fine material existence", "craving for immaterial existence", "conceit", "restlessness", and "ignorance"). Once you remove these fetters (a.k.a. hindrances, defilements, or fermentations), you reach the fourth and final stage of enlightenment called Arahantship (see Four Stages Of Enlightenment).
Other forms of spiritual power are mainly indicators to let you know how much you have improved with your meditation practice. Therefore, you must not become attached to these powers and even exhibit their use in public. Doing so may turn these powers into hindrances instead of helping you progress in your practice. Those who are successful in acquiring any of these powers should ask their teachers for guidance in using it. Use them in the wrong way and the law of karma will tell you how much you'll have to pay for it.
THE FOUR BASES OF SPIRITUAL POWER
To fully understand how the four bases are used in the context of Right Concentration of the Noble Eightfold Path and to be able to make sense of the things you're going to read below, make sure that you are familiar with two other concepts: Jhanas and Samatha Meditation. The jhanas are the higher states of consciousness you need to reach in order to attain these powers while samatha meditation is the vehicle you're going to use to reach the jhanas.
* The quotes you see below were taken from the English translation of the Iddhipada-vibhanga Sutta by Thanissaro Bhikkhu. It outlines the Buddha's instruction in applying the four bases.
* The images are courtesy of phramick.wordpress.com (check out this site, it's really cool).
1. CONCENTRATION BY MEANS OF DESIRE (CHANDA-SAMaDHI)
"There is the case where a monk develops the base of power endowed with concentration founded on desire (chanda-samadhi) & the fabrications of exertion, thinking, 'This desire of mine will be neither overly sluggish nor overly active, neither inwardly restricted nor outwardly scattered.' He keeps perceiving what is in front & behind so that what is in front is the same as what is behind, what is behind is the same as what is in front. What is below is the same as what is above, what is above is the same as what is below. [He dwells] by night as by day, and by day as by night. By means of awareness thus open ">2. CONCENTRATION BY MEANS OF PERSISTENCE/ENERGY (VIRIYA-SAMaDHI)
"There is the case where a monk develops the base of power endowed with concentration founded on persistence (viriya-samadhi) ">3. CONCENTRATION BY MEANS OF INTENT (CITTA-SAMaDHI)
"There is the case where a monk develops the base of power endowed with concentration founded on intent (citta-samadhi) ">4. CONCENTRATION BY MEANS OF DISCRIMINATION (VIMASa-SAMaDHI)
"He develops the base of power endowed with concentration founded on discrimination (vimasa-samadhi) & the fabrications of exertion, thinking, 'This discrimination of mine will be neither overly sluggish nor overly active, neither inwardly restricted nor outwardly scattered.' He keeps perceiving what is..."
The fourth base of spiritual power is concentration by means of the mental quality of discrimination. The term "vimasa" means "investigation, inquiry," or "pondering." In the context of the four bases, discrimination refers to the investigation of the nature of physical and mental phenomena during heightened states of awareness wherein other mental qualities such as reflection, bliss, and sense of pure being are also present.
True knowledge and ordinary knowledge (based on sense perception or reasoning) are present within us in a mixed state. However, we can only access/obtain true knowledge by reaching the higher states of consciousness, which we refer to here as the jhanas. The fourth jhana (utter peacefulness) is said to be the stage where you begin to attain spiritual powers.
As you ascend through the various levels of jhana, you distinguish ordinary knowledge from true knowledge simply because the more you focus on the object you are investigating, the more you lose subjectivity and the more you see the true nature of that object. To give an analogy, just think of the process of peeling back the skin of an onion. Investigating the various conditions or causal factors that led to the existence of the object you are investigating and learning that they are impermanent, unsatisfactory, and non-self is just like removing the outer layers of the onion. The Buddha said, "By means of awareness thus open & unhampered, he develops a brightened mind"." Once you get to the core and become fully absorbed in the object (fourth jhana), the real knowledge of the object alone shines through your mind. Figuratively speaking, you become the onion. Peace out!
Read all the articles in the Buddha Mind series.
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What is Hell?
By Raziel...
In many religious traditions, Hell is a place of suffering and punishment in the afterlife. Religions with a linear divine history often depict Hell as endless. Religions with a cyclic history often depict Hell as an intermediary period between incarnations. Typically these traditions located Hell under the external core of the Earth's surface and often included entrances to Hell from the land of the living. Other afterlife destinations included Heaven, Purgatory, Paradise, Nirvana, Naraka, and Limbo. Other traditions, which did not conceive of the afterlife as a place of punishment or reward, merely described it as an abode of the dead - a neutral place located under the surface of Earth (for example, see sheol and Hades). Modern understandings of Hell often depict it abstractly, as a state of loss rather than as fiery torture literally underground, but this view of hell can, in fact, be traced back into the ancient and medieval periods as well.[citation needed] Hell is often portrayed as populated with daemons, who torment the damned. Many are ruled by a death god, such as Nergal, Hades, Yama or the Christian/Islamic Devil, called Satan or Lucifer.
Punishments
Punishment in Hell typically corresponds to sins committed during life. Sometimes these distinctions are specific, with damned souls suffering for each sin committed (see for example Plato's myth of Er or Dante's The Divine Comedy), and sometimes they are general, with sinners being relegated to one or more chamber of Hell or level of suffering. In many religious cultures, including Christianity and Islam, Hell is traditionally depicted as fiery and painful, inflicting guilt and suffering. Despite theses common depictions of Hell as a place of fire, some other traditions also portray Hell as cold. In Buddhist, and particularly in Tibetan Buddhist, descriptions of hell, there are an equal number of hot and cold hells. Among Christian descriptions Dante's Inferno portrays the innermost (9th) circle of Hell as a frozen lake of blood and guilt, But cold also played a part in earlier Christian depictions of hell beginning with the "Apocalypse of Paul," originally from the early third century; "The Vision of Drythelm" by the Venerable Bede from the seventh century; "St Patrick's Purgatory," The Vision of Tundale" or "Visio Tnugdali" and the "Vision of the Monk of Enysham" all from the twelfth century; and the "Vision of Thurkill" from the early thirteenth century. Escape In Protestantism, beginning with Martin Luther, the grace of God played the primary role in determining a soul's afterlife destiny, whereas Catholicism has always believed in the efficacy of good works. The conflict between these two positions was one of the moving forces behind the Protestant Reformation, which particularly rejected the selling of indulgences and as well as other forms of popular piety. Hinduism, Buddhism and Islam advocate the efficacy of good works in avoiding the punishment of hell.
Ancient Egypt
With the rise of the cult of Osiris during the Middle Kingdom the "democratization of religion" offered to even his humblest followers the prospect of eternal life, with moral fitness becoming the dominant factor in determining a persons suitability. At death a person faced judgment by a tribunal of forty-two divine judges. If they led a life in conformance with the precepts of the Goddess Maat, who represented truth and right living, the person was welcomed into the Two Fields. If found guilty the person was thrown to a "devourer" and didn't share in eternal life.[10] The person who is taken by the devourer is subject first to terrifying punishment and then annihilated. These depictions of punishment may have influenced medieval perceptions of the inferno in hell via early Christian and Coptic texts.[11] Purification for those who are considered justified may be found in the descriptions of "Flame Island", where they experience the triumph over evil and rebirth. For the dammed complete destruction into a state of non being awaits but there is no suggestion of eternal torture; the weighing of the heart in Egyptian Mythology can lead to annihilation.[12][13] Divine pardon at judgement was always a central concern for the Ancient Egyptians.[14] Our undertsanding of Egyptian notions of hell are based on six ancient texts: The Book of Two Ways (Book of the Ways of Rosetau), The Book of Amduat (Book of the Hidden Room, Book of That Which Is in the Underworld), The Book of Gates, The Book of the Dead (Book of Going Forth by Day), The Book of the Earth and The Book of Caverns.[15]
Ancient Near East
The cultures of Mesopotamia (including Sumeria, the Akkadian Empire, Babylonia and Assyria), the Hittites and the Canaanites/Ugarits reveal some of the earliest evidence for the notion of a Netherworld or Underworld. From among the few texts that survive from these civilizations, this evidence appears in the Epic of Gilgamesh, the "Descent of Inanna to the Netherworld, Baal and the Underworld," the "Descent of Ishtar" and the "Vision of Kumm^a."
Greek
In classic Greek mythology, below Heaven, Earth, and Pontus is Tartarus, or Tartaros (Greek, deep place). It is either a deep, gloomy place, a pit or abyss used as a dungeon of torment and suffering that resides within Hades (the entire underworld) with Tartarus being the hellish component. In the Gorgias, Plato (c. 400 BC) wrote that souls were judged after death and those who received punishment were sent to Tartarus. As a place of punishment, it can be considered a hell. The classic Hades, on the other hand, is more similar to Old Testament Sheol.
Europe
The hells of Europe include Breton Mythology's "Anaon", Celtic Mythology's "Uffern", Slavic mythology's "Peklo", the hell of Lapps Mythology and Ugarian Mythology's "Manala" that leads to annihilation.
Asia
The hells of Asia include Bagobo Mythology's "Gimokodan" and Ancient Indian Mythology's "Kalichi".
Africa
African hells include Haida Mythology's "Hetgwauge" and the hell of Swahili Mythology.
Oceania
The Oceanic hells include Samoan Mythology's "O le nu'u-o-nonoa" and the hells of Bangka Mythology and Caroline Islands Mythology.
Native American
The hells of the Americas include Aztec Mythology's "Mictlan", Inuit mythology's "Adlivun" and Yanomamo Mythology's "Shobari Waka". In Maya mythology, Xibalb'a is the dangerous underworld of nine levels ruled by the demons Vucub Caquix and Hun Came. The road into and out of it is said to be steep, thorny and very forbidding. Metnal is the lowest and most horrible of the nine Hells of the underworld, ruled by Ah Puch. Ritual healers would intone healing prayers banishing diseases to Metnal. Much of the Popol Vuh describes the adventures of the Maya Hero Twins in their cunning struggle with the evil lords of Xibalb'a. The Aztecs believed that the dead traveled to Mictlan, a neutral place found far to the north. There was also a legend of a place of white flowers, which was always dark, and was home to the gods of death, particularly Mictlantecutli and his spouse Mictlantecihuatl, which means literally "lords of Mictlan". The journey to Mictlan took four years, and the travelers had to overcome difficult tests, such as passing a mountain range where the mountains crashed into each other, a field where the wind carried flesh-scraping knives, and a river of blood with fearsome jaguars.
Islam
Muslims believe in jahannam (in Arabic: ) (which is
In addition, Heaven and Hell are split into many different levels depending on the actions perpetrated in life, where punishment is given depending on the level of evil done in life, and good is separated into other levels depending on how well one followed God while alive. The gate of Hell is guarded by Maalik who is the leader of the angels assigned as the guards of hell also known as Zabaaniyah. The Quran states that the fuel of Hellfire is rocks/stones (idols) and human beings. Although generally Hell is often portrayed as a hot steaming and tormenting place for sinners, there is one Hell pit which is characterized differently from the other Hell in Islamic tradition. Zamhareer is seen as the coldest and the most freezing Hell of all; yet its coldness is not seen as a pleasure or a relief to the sinners who committed crimes against God. The state of the Hell of Zamhareer is a suffering of extreme coldness, of blizzards, ice, and snow which no one on this earth can bear. The lowest pit of all existing Hells is the Hawiyah which is meant for the hypocrites and two-faced people who claimed to believe in Allah and His messenger by the tongue but denounced both in their hearts. Hypocrisy is considered to be one of the most dangerous sins, and so is Shirk.
Bah'a'i Faith
The Bah'a'i Faith regards the conventional description of Hell (and heaven) as a specific place as symbolic.[34] Instead the Bah'a'i writings describe Hell as a "spiritual condition" where remoteness from God is defined as Hell; conversely heaven is seen as a state of closeness to God.[34]
EASTERN
Buddhism
In "Devaduta Sutta" the 130 th discource of Majjhima Nikaya Buddha teaches about the hell in vivid detail. Buddhism teaches that there are five (sometimes six) realms of rebirth, which can then be further subdivided into degrees of agony or pleasure. Of these realms, the hell realms, or Naraka, is the lowest realm of rebirth. Of the hell realms, the worst is Avici or "endless suffering". The Buddha's disciple, Devadatta, who tried to kill the Buddha on three occasions, as well as create a schism in the monastic order, is said to have been reborn in the Avici Hell. However, like all realms of rebirth, rebirth in the Hell realms is not permanent, though suffering can persist for eons before being reborn again. In the Lotus Sutra, the Buddha teaches that eventually even Devadatta will become a Pratyekabuddha himself, emphasizing the temporary nature of the Hell realms. Thus, Buddhism teaches to escape the endless migration of rebirths (both positive and negative) through the attainment of Nirvana. The Bodhisattva Ksitigarbha, according to the Ksitigarbha Sutra, made a great vow as a young girl to not reach Enlightenment until all beings were liberated from the Hell Realms or other unwholesome rebirths. In popular literature, Ksitigarbha travels to the Hell realms to teach and relieve beings of their suffering.
Hinduism
Early Vedic religion doesn't have a concept of Hell. g-veda mentions three realms, bhur (the earth), svar (the sky) and bhuvas or antarika (the middle area, i.e. air or atmosphere)). In later Hindu literature, especially the law books and Puranas, more realms are mentioned, including a realm similar to Hell, called naraka (in Devanagari: ). Yama as first born human (together with his twin sister Yami) in virtue of precedence becomes ruler of men and a judge on their departure. Originally he resides in Heaven, but later, especially medieval traditions, mention his court in naraka. In the law-books (smtis and dharma-sutras, like the Manu-smti) naraka is a place of punishment for sins. It is a lower spiritual plane (called naraka-loka) where the spirit is judged, or partial fruits of karma affected in a next life. In Mahabharata there is a mention of the Pandavas going to Heaven and the Kauravas going to Hell. However for the small number of sins which they did commit in their lives, the Pandavas had to undergo hell for a short time. Hells are also described in various Puranas and other scriptures. Garuda Purana gives a detailed account of Hell, its features and enlists amount of punishment for most of the crimes like a modern day penal code. It is believed that people who commit sins go to Hell and have to go through punishments in accordance with the sins they committed. The god Yamaraja, who is also the god of death, presides over Hell. Detailed accounts of all the sins committed by an individual are kept by Chitragupta, who is the record keeper in Yama's court. Chitragupta reads out the sins committed and Yama orders appropriate punishments to be given to individuals. These punishments include dipping in boiling oil, burning in fire, torture using various weapons, etc. in various Hells. Individuals who finish their quota of the punishments are reborn in accordance with their balance of karma. All created beings are imperfect and thus have at least one sin to their record; but if one has generally led a pious life, one ascends to svarga, a temporary realm of enjoinment similar to Paradise, after a brief period of expiation in Hell and before the next reincarnation according to the law of karma.
Sources:Wikipedia And Books
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The CHONYID BARDO is the second intermediate state described in the Tibetan Book of the Dead where visual and auditory phenomena occur. After witnessing the Primordial Clear Light in the Chikhai Bardo, what follows is a progressive vision of the peaceful deities from the fivefold radiant light of the primordial Buddha on the fourth until the eleventh day. In Tibetan Buddhist doctrines, it is said that a concentration of five radiant lights emanate from the heart center of our spirit-body. It is from this center that the peaceful deities emerge.
Corresponding with the visions in this state is a feeling of intense tranquility and perfect knowledge. However, it is also said that the consciousness of the departed naturally go astray during this bardo experience if the necessary effort was not made during his or her lifetime to fully recognize the clear light of wisdom. This means they get lost during the process and may end up some place they don't like in their next rebirth.
WHAT ARE THE DEITIES OF THE CHONYID BARDO?
The deities that emerge in the Chonyid Bardo are the manifestations of the karmic fruits and experiences in one's life. They are the fusion of joy and emptiness which comes from the realm of pure self-awareness. These apparitions may either be mesmerizing or frightening in appearance. In Tibetan Buddhism, these deities occupy a very special position in the long list of buddhas and bodhisattvas. They constitute many philosophical and religious teachings and serve as guiding symbols for the spiritual life. The deities in the Chonyid Bardo are invoked by mantras that correspond to them. These mantras are considered to be the carriers of spiritual energy and channels for the wisdom of the Buddhas. Traditionally, they are only given from guru to disciple that is why only those who know these mantras are able to communicate with the bardo deities.
WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF THE CHONYID BARDO EXPERIENCE?
The purpose of the experience in the Chonyid Bardo is to help transform one's consciousness via the dramatic display of psychic projections to purge one's excessive karmic content. This is essentially the same thing that takes place when one reaches the deeper states during meditation. All the positive and negative emotional materials accumulated during one's lifetime take their individual turn in coming to the surface of one's consciousness. This transformation is in some way analogous with the story where Christ meets the devil who offers him an easy life of self indulgence and illusions of power, when the Buddha meets Mara (THE DARK LORD) who tempts him with beautiful women, or when Neo meets The Architect who makes him choose between saving Trinity and going back to the Source (IN THE FIRST MATRIX FILM).
THE VISION OF THE PEACEFUL DEITIES
(4th to 11th DAY)
The peaceful and wrathful deities of the Chonyid Bardo are always depicted in a sitting, standing, or moving position on a lotus. They are surrounded by a powerful aura made of intense colors of the five elements. The lotus represents spiritual unfoldment and attainment. It also signifies that the deities have prevailed over the cycle of birth, life, death, and rebirth.
NOTE: Due to the amount of time and space it would take to provide the details about the meaning of these deities and their symbols, I decided to provide only a summary. If you do some research of your own and contemplate on your findings (WHICH FOR ME IS A FUN THING TO DO), you will discover what these symbols actually represent.
1. THE FIVE WISDOM BUDDHAS AND THEIR CONSORTS
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ADIBUDDHA AND THE FIVE WISDOM TATHAGATAS"
The first and second day in the Chonyid Bardo involve the vision of the Five Wisdom Buddhas (OR FIVE TATHAGATAS) in order to purify the Five Aggregates or Skandhas; these aggregates are form, consciousness, perception, feeling, and mental formation. On the other hand, the five female buddhas purify the five elemental realms and they are usually depicted in inseparable tantric union, called Yab-Yum, with the Five Wisdom Buddhas.
Above the Five Wisdom Buddhas, in the highest rank, you'll see Adibuddha as the pure Dharmakaya (TRUTH BODY) and as the source of all further manifestations. Adibuddha is the mystical father and medium of all the buddhas and bodhisattvas in the bardo. The vision of the Adibuddha actually belongs to the Chikhai Bardo, but since he is the creator of the mandala where all the other deities manifest, it is essential for his name to be mentioned here.
2. THE EIGHT MAHABODHISATTVAS AND THEIR DAKINIS
THE EIGHT MAHABODHISATTVAS
The third and fourth day within the Chonyid Bardo involves the vision of the Eight Mahabodhisattvas and their Dakinis for the purification of the eight functions of consciousness and their realms of activity. They generally appear in mandalas, together with the Five Wisdom Buddhas, as male-female pairs. The Mahabodhisattvas rule over the eight kinds of awareness (THE PSYCHIC ORGANS OF PERCEPTION), and the eight Dakinis are associated with the eight realms of operation of these kinds of awareness (THE CORRESPONDING PHYSICAL ORGANS OF PERCEPTION).
3. THE BUDDHAS OF THE SIX REALMS OF EXISTENCE
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The six incarnations of Avalokitesvara in the Six Realms of Existence"
The fifth day is the vision of the six Buddhas as incarnations of the great Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara. This is the only experience carried out in the plane of the emanation body or Nirmanakaya (SEE FIRST ARTICLE). The six vices, which cause people to be reborn repeatedly due to karma, are said to be overcome with this experience. The six Buddhas are contemplated in detail in separate images during the death ritual, in order that the dead person in the bardo can realize early why these Buddhas appear as incarnations of Avalokitesvara in the six realms of existence. According to Buddhist belief, as long as human life is attached to the world of suffering due to ignorance, hatred, and desire, liberation from the chains of rebirth in the six realms of existence is impossible. In order to communicate this fundamental knowledge to all six kinds of beings, Avalokitesvara appears in the worlds of existence in the form of the six Buddhas.
4. THE FOUR MALE ">
5. THE FIVE KNOWLEDGE-HOLDING DEITIES
The seventh day is the vision of the Five Knowledge-Holding Deities or Vidhadharas. They are the last of the peaceful deities to appear and they occupy a special place in the mandala of deities. The Five Knowledge-Holding Deities form a mandala or circle in the throat chakra which represents the spiritually enlightened verbal sphere of human activity. Because of this, they neither belong to the spiritual plane of the peaceful deities which is the heart chakra nor to the mental plane of the wrathful deities which is the third eye chakra. Their position is special because no particular initiatory rite is associated with them. It could be that the knowledge of the mantras and the ritual process involved in this stage is a closely held secret among the Tibetans.
ILLUSORY IMAGES OF THE MIND
One thing that is always mentioned in the Tibetan Book of the Dead is that these deities are not to be taken in the literal sense. No matter how extreme these figures may be, they are only projections of one's unrecognized reality, i.e., the profound stuff that dwells in the subconscious. However, since they contain, as spiritual images, the most powerful forms of polarity and appear with such a convincing effect, you will find it impossible not to think that they are real.
"The underlying problem of the Second Bardo is that any and every shape - human, divine, diabolical, heroic, evil, animal, thing - which the human brain conjures up or the past life recalls, can present itself to consciousness: shapes and forms and sounds whirling by endlessly. The underlying solution - repeated again and again - is to recognize that your brain is producing the visions. They do not exist. Nothing exists except as your consciousness gives it life. You are standing on the threshold of recognizing the truth: there is no reality behind any of the phenomena of the ego-loss state, save the illusions stored up in your own mind either as accretions from game (SANGSARIC) experience or as gifts from organic physical nature and its billion-year old past history. Recognition of this truth gives liberation."(The Psychedelic Experience: A manual based on the Tibetan Book of the Dead, 1964)
The buddhas in the bardo are not "GODS" as we know them. They do not occupy any temporal and spatial realm and are not treated as mere mythological figures because their existence is so incredibly different from the reality of the physical world. Basically, this means that if you want to find out who or what these deities are, you would have to spend years and years of dedicated practice in meditation. If you want to take a shortcut, you can try taking psychedelics. Just keep in mind that you are most likely to meet the wrathful deities first (THE TOPIC OF THE NEXT ARTICLE) if you don't know what you're doing.
READ ALL THE ARTICLES IN THE BUDDHA MIND SERIES.
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Amber Dorrian, Seven, WISDOM QUARTERLY; Wat Dhammakaya (DIMC.NET, Azusa)
The greatest and most diverse Buddhist gathering in Southern California (Dhammakaya)
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Thai Buddha (Camera30f/flickr)
Vesak is one of the most important days in Buddhism. It is the day when Buddhists come together to commemorate the historical Buddha, the Teachings or Dhamma" and the growing community of Buddhists.
Commemorating the day demonstrates our admiration for the Buddha's immense wisdom and incredible compassion. Vesak marks the anniversary of three significant events in the Buddha's life: his birth, enlightenment, and passing into nirvana. According to the Thai lunar calendar, Vesak usually takes place in May. But in the case of a year with an extra eighth month ("adhikamasa") then "Visakha Puja" - the EIGHT PRECEPT Observance Day for the Month of "Vesakha "- is celebrated on the full moon day of the seventh lunar month. This year, Vesak falls on the full moon day of Friday, May 24, 2556 B.E. (2013). However, in some Buddhist countries "Visakha Puja" may be celebrated on a different day, depending on the time zone. " Visakha Puja" commemorates three events in the Buddha's life. Incredibly, these three separate events happened on the full moon day of the sixth month in their respective years, when Siddhartha "the Sage from the Shakya Clan on India's northwestern frontier" was age 1, 35, and 80.
* [NOTE: In Asia, a person is "born" at conception and, ten lunar months later, when s/he is birthed from the womb, s/he is considered a 1-year-old].
BIRTH
SALABHANJIKA-birth of Siddhartha
When Queen Sri Maha MAYA Devi, King Suddhodana's royal consort, was due to give birth, she traveled to her parent's city of Devadaha, as was the tradition in India and adjacent lands. While on her way home, she stopped to rest under a large sal tree in Lumbini Garden. As she was standing and holding on to a sal tree branch, she gave birth to the prince. The birth happened on the full moon day, 80 years before the Buddhist Era (B.E.). When the prince was five days old, he was given the name Siddhatha (Sanskrit, Siddhartha) meaning "fulfillment" or "wish fulfilled." The news of Prince Siddhartha's birth spread far and wide, eventually reaching the Hermit Asitha, an acquaintance of King Suddhodana residing in the Himalayas. Hermit Asitha requested a visit to see the newborn.
The Buddha (GANDHARA)
When he saw the prince, he predicted that he would find enlightenment in this benighted world, discover the Path to Nirvana, and thereby become the Buddha ("Awakened One"). The prince would teach people the way to end suffering and spread love and kindness among humans and DEVAS.
After making his prediction, Hermit Asitha bowed respectfully to the baby prince. When King Suddhodana - overwhelmed with joy - witnessed such an astonishing event as a holyman bowing to his son, he also bowed to the prince. Later, King Suddhodana invited eight Brahmin scholar-priests specializing in astrology, to look at the prince and predict his destiny. Seven of them predicted that if the prince were to assume the throne, he would become the SUPREME EMPEROR; however, if he decided to RENOUNCE the world, he would become the Buddha.
Konda~n~na (KAUNDINYA), the youngest Brahmin, prophesied that the prince would choose the latter path and become the Buddha. He made his prediction because the prince possessed all of the distinguishing MARKS OF A GREAT MAN. MORE
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The Life of Gautama Buddha is the story of Prince Siddhartha's journey transcending the illusions of the world towards achieving Enlightenment, having truly awakened to the spiritual essence of creation, hence the name 'Buddha' which means 'The Awakened One'. 'The Life Of The Buddha' is a BBC Documentary about Prince Siddhartha Gautama who lived in India two and a half thousands years ago, and the events of his life which make one of the greatest stories ever told.
Using CGI graphics, expert testimony and the latest archaeological findings, this film dramatizes his extraordinary life, from the luxuries of the palace to his dramatic escape from home when he set out to experience real life for the first time. The film also reconstructs the spiritual practices he tried and rejected.
THE NOBLE EIGHTFOLD PATH
When the Buddha gave his first sermon in the Deer Park, he began the 'Turning of the Dharma Wheel'. He chose the beautiful symbol of the wheel with its eight spokes to represent the Noble Eightfold Path. The Buddha's teaching goes round and round like a great wheel that never stops, leading to the central point of the wheel, the only point which is fixed, Nirvana. The eight spokes on the wheel represent the eight parts of the Noble Eightfold Path. Just as every spoke is needed for the wheel to keep turning, we need to follow each step of the path.
1. Right View. The right way to think about life is to see the world through the eyes of the Buddha... with wisdom and compassion.
2. Right Thought. We are what we think. Clear and kind thoughts build good, strong characters.
3. Right Speech. By speaking kind and helpful words, we are respected and trusted by everyone.
4. Right Conduct. No matter what we say, others know us from the way we behave. Before we criticize others, we should first see what we do ourselves.
5. Right Livelihood. This means choosing a job that does not hurt others. The Buddha said, "Do not earn your living by harming others. Do not seek happiness by making others unhappy."
6. Right Effort. A worthwhile life means doing our best at all times and having good will toward others. This also means not wasting effort on things that harm ourselves and others.
7. Right Mindfulness. This means being aware of our thoughts, words, and deeds.
8. Right Concentration. Focus on one thought or object at a time. By doing this, we can be quiet and attain true peace of mind.
Following the Noble Eightfold Path can be compared to cultivating a garden, but in Buddhism one cultivates one's wisdom. The mind is the ground and thoughts are seeds. Deeds are ways one cares for the garden. Our faults are weeds. Pulling them out is like weeding a garden. The harvest is real and lasting happiness.
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I want to apologize for this post taking so long to appear! To my defense I have been busy with my shop and I recently wrote a new article for Ye Olde Witches Brew. I now have my own blog there as well as starting a column where I take pagan themed questions from readers and post their letter and my answer on the column. If any of my readers here have anything they would like to see addressed on that column feel free to contact me through this blog or through the online publication!
With all that said, today's post is about Buddhism. I recently purchased a book on Zen and am greatly enjoying my read. I decided to share some of this with you.
The Enlightenment of the Buddha is central to Buddhism. The word "Buddha" means "enlightened" or "awakened". It refers to a fully enlightened being who has awakened from the sleep of ignorance or who is enlightened about both his or her own nature as well the nature of the world. Historically, the word Buddha is most often used to refer to Siddhartha Gautama, a prince of the Shakya clan in ancient India (sixth century BC) who, after a long spiritual struggle, had a great spiritual awakening and became the Buddha, the Enlightened One. As the enlightened sage (muni) of the Shakya clan, he also came to be known as Shakyamuni Buddha.
In his enlightened experience, the Buddha gained insight into the suffering or pain that pervades our existence. He discovered a new mode of awareness and way of living driven neither by the grasping of desire nor by the aversion of hatred. This enlightened awareness is free of the ignorance and delusion that is characteristic of our normal consciousness. It finds expression in a host of positive qualities, most importantly, great wisdom and great compassion. These are exemplified in the life of the Buddha.
The Buddha embarked on a long life as a teacher in Northern India in order to communicate this experience, with its liberating knowledge, to others. He founded a community of followers establishing the basic patterns of institutional life, meditative practice, and philosophical and religious thinking known as Buddhism.
The teachings of the Buddha are preserved in the Buddhist scriptures (sutras).
Buddhists take refuge in the Three Jewels:
The Buddha, who has realized enlightenment
The Dharma, the teaching of the Buddha
The Sangha, the community of Buddhist practitioners.
The young prince Siddhartha Gautama is depicted as having everything one could desire-wealth, bodily beauty, intelligence, a beautiful wife and child, abundant leisure time and so on-yet something was lacking in his life. Despite all that surrounded him, he was still troubled by the fact of death and by the fundamental questions of existence. Awareness of his own and others pain provided the starting point for Siddhartha's spiritual quest. A long search culminated in his becoming the Buddha, the Enlightened One.
It is said that when the Buddha had his awakening, his great enlightenment experience, he doubted whether he could communicate something so profound to others.
After some hesitation, he set out on his quest to teach the knowledge he had gained.
Rather then talk about his great experience, even though it is what made him the Enlightened One, Shakyamuni made the fact of suffering and pain the starting point of his teaching. Acknowledgement of pain is the entry point into a deeper investigation of reality, an opportunity to begin to know things as they are rather then as we might imagine them or wish them to be.
The truth of suffering is the first of the Four Noble Truths.
The Four Noble Truths:
The truth of suffering, "dunkha"The truth of the arising of suffering
The truth of the cessation of suffering
The truth of the path to the end of suffering
According to the Buddha, the cause of the angst in our lives is to be found in the patterns of clinging and aversion that dominate our minds and govern our actions. From moment to moment, we are driven by the desire to get rid of or avoid pain. So enmeshed have we become in patters of desire and avoidance that these patterns have assumed lives of their own and come to control our lives. We do not act in clear awareness, but under the control of often unconscious drives and emotions. Our actions, rather than satisfying our desires, often result in further frustration and antagonism.
That is a brief introduction to Buddhism. It is so much more then what I have provided here and I have found what I have read so far to be completely enlightening!
I hope you enjoyed the read and that it has inspired you to look further into this enlightening way of looking at life on your own. Thank you for taking the time to read my blog!
Don't forget to let me know if you would like to be the first reader featured on my new column at Ye Olde Witches Brew. Send in your questions or what nots!
Brightest Blessings,
Kathy
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[This is the first draft of the introduction to an essay I'm working on. (c) 2008]
INTRODUCTION TO EKAYANA
The thesis of this essay is that Zen is the heart of Ekayana Buddhism, that is, the Buddhism known as the One Vehicle or more accurately the Vehicle of Oneness. While many have heard of Zen Buddhism and of the major branch of Buddhism known as Mahayana (Great Vehicle) Buddhism, within which Zen is usually located, and heard also of the Mahayana charge of Hinayana (Small Vehicle) views against opposing branches of Buddhism, few in the West have heard, fewer still have appreciated, and even rarer have been those who realize the meaning of Ekayana Buddhism. By Zen I do not mean Zen as a religious institution but the Zen of awakening that is the unity of meditation ("dhyana-chan-zen") and wisdom ("prajna") within the context of one's straightforward daily activities ("sila"). The primary purpose of this paper is to inform English speaking Buddhists about the importance and centrality of Ekayana Buddhism as it relates to their own Buddhist practice in whichever tradition they find themselves. Secondarily I hope to speak to non-Buddhists who are wondering how Buddhism relates to their own spiritual practice.
Though the Ekayana is Shakyamuni's true and direct Dharma, the basic problem is that even most Buddhists have failed to see and acknowledge the central role of Ekayana. This is a problem of failing to see the forest for the trees. This problem is explained by the Ekayana as being the result of that essential aspect of consciousness that divides the world into the images of separate categories and things and turning this divisive mental process onto Buddhism as well. Thus, instead of having a clear appreciation of Ekayana Buddhism and how it functions as the complete unification of Buddhism, we have Buddhist sectarianism and arguments over the centrality of one sutra or another, the methods of one sect over another, or even sometimes the nature of the goal of Buddhism itself. The history of Buddhism is in large part a history of the resurgence of the Ekayana spirit and its subsequent re-fracturing when the spirit is overtaken by the religious politics of the day.
There are certain myths in Buddhism and Buddhist studies that Ekayana does not accept. Among them are the notions that Hinayana and Mahayana are irreconcilable, that Chinese Buddhism is not based on Indian Buddhism and that the Chinese development of the sects of Tiantai, Huayan. Zen, and Pure Land are inherently different from each other or have different goals. And there are beliefs about Buddhism in Buddhist studies circles that make no sense without an understanding of Ekayana. For example, it is often said and commonly believed that Zen and other forms of Buddhism "look to Hua-yen for their philosophical foundation." ("Hua-yen Buddhism: The Jewel Net of Indra", p. xii) However, this implies a sectarian reliance that doesn't make sense. It is not that Zen looks to Huayan as a separate school for its philosophy, but that both Huayan and Zen are parts of the Ekayana as a perennial spiritual movement within Buddhism. The teaching of the Huayan Sutra may be said to represent the grand philosophical aspect of Ekayana while Zen presents the direct practice aspect of Ekayana. In this way, all of the Ekayana Sutras and their schools of study (not just the Huayan) are the lobes of the brain-mind of Ekayana as Zen is the heart-mind.
A caveat: One of the most primary ways we learn is by assimilating strange ideas and images through metaphors relating to something we are already familiar with, e.g., body parts like brain and heart. The downside of that learning method is that we may take the metaphor too literally and come to falsely believe something about the strange new thing that is not true simply because the idea is contained in the transitional metaphor and not in the new thing. For example, someone who had never before seen or heard of a lion or tiger may learn something accurate about a lion or tiger by being told it is like a very large house cat. But then the person would be misled upon taking the metaphor to mean that the usual lion or tiger was as docile as the usual house cat. Metaphors are good for making strange things familiar, but they are not substitutes for the facts themselves.
To be introduced now to Ekayana may seem strange to many if not most Western Buddhists who have heard frequently of Mahayana and of the debate over the uses of the term Hinayana, and who even may have heard of Vajrayana (Diamond Vehicle), but have not heard the term Ekayana before or having heard it not really registered it as a term of significance. This sense of strangeness might be reduced by learning that Ekayana is a little like Gnosticism within Christianity; it is an essentially ecumenical movement within Buddhism that refuses to allow itself to become a separate sect and so, to deal with the sectarian mentality of human beings, it appears within all the sects to greater or lesser degrees. In other words, while there are the sectarian divisions known as Zen, Pure Land, Huayan, Theravada, Vajrayana, etc., just as the word Buddha means the Awakened One, the threads that weave the tapestry of the Ekayana movement will be found throughout Buddhism wherever an individual in a particular sect has had a real and genuine awakening which is the one goal shared throughout all Buddhism.
Another caveat: to see Ekayana Buddhism as the "One Vehicle" or "One Path" does not mean what it may seem to imply if taken narrowly: that Ekayana is an exclusive form of Buddhism. For example, those Buddhists who are already familiar with the term Ekayana, or the One Vehicle, through the Lotus Sutra may be surprised to learn that the Ekayana doesn't mean believing in the Lotus Sutra as the one and only best teaching of Buddha. This mistaken belief about Ekayana - taking it to mean only one framework of belief based on one sutra as the "One Vehicle" - is as mistaken in the Buddhist context as the mistaken notion that taking Jesus as personal savior is the only "one Way" in the Christian context while denying that every other view of Christianity has any legitimacy. Such narrow mindedness is best known under the label "fundamentalism" which, as a human dilemma, affects Buddhism just as much as it affects every other religion. Taking one sutra or another as "the One Vehicle" is the mistake of literalizing the Ekayana and seeking the Buddha's Dharma of Ekayana in the words of the Buddha and not in the practice, realization, and manifestation of Buddha's awakening.
Woven in the history of Ekayana are several common themes which may be outlined as: (1) Buddhism is the religious science of the One Mind, (2) the One Mind is known by many names such as "Dharmakaya" (the body or essence of Dharma), Buddha-nature, "Tathagata-garbha "(the womb of the One-Who-Comes-Thus), "Sunyata" (Emptiness), "Alaya-vjnana "(the Storehouse of Consciousness), etc., (3) since all the teachings of Buddhism, including both Mahayana and Hinayana, are essentially teachings about the One Mind they must be taken as an organic whole and this reconciliation of apparent oppositions or contradictions within Buddhist teachings is the synthesis of Ekayana, (4) as all beings share equally the One Mind there is an absolute basis for human equality, (5) realizing this absolute basis of the One Mind is not accomplished as an intellectual pursuit but must be accomplished by experiential practice, and (6) since all people share This One Mind there is no fundamental distinction between monk and lay practitioner in the potential for - or actual realization of - awakening in Buddhism.
The Ekayana has played a crucial role at every stage in the outward movement of maturing Buddhism from its birthplace in the borderlands between India and Nepal. Ekayana was central to the development of what became known as the Mahayana when Buddhism spread to Southern India and northwest into Kashmir and across the Hindu Kush where it met the Silk Road in what is now Afghanistan and Central Asia. The Ekayana also played pivotal roles in the transplantation of Buddhism to China, Korea, and Japan. Now that Buddhism has come to the West, and especially with an emphasis on lay practice, it is necessary for Western Buddhists to at least understand and appreciate - and hopefully realize - the meaning of Ekayana for Buddhism to become meaningfully alive within our Western cultural framework. It should not be a surprise that the religion of Buddha's enlightenment has met fertile soil in the West today where we can see the ecumenical spirit of Ekayana working unconsciously in the Western Buddhist communities as it touches those aspects of the Western psyche that are Ekayana in spirit and grounded in the psychological and philosophical traditions of gnosis, the Age of Reason, and the Western Enlightenment. When individuals awaken and express their awakening, which then comes to a shared awareness in a living community, then that is the presence of the living Ekayana of Buddha Dharma.
#end Introduction#
The outline of the essay continues with the following section headings:
Bodhidharma's Ekayana
Ekayana in Pali Scriptures
Ekayana in Mahayana Scriptures
Ekayana in Chinese Buddhism
Fazang's Ekayana
Huineng's Ekayana
Zongmi's Ekayana
Ekayana in Japanese Buddhism
Prince Shotoku's Ekayana
Hakuin's Ekayana
Ekayana Today
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Dharmachari Seven, Amber Dorrian, Wisdom Quarterly (UPDATED July 13, 2012)
In a rush to gain liberation - to know and see, to touch nirvana - we make spiritual exertions.
Sometimes odd, often useless, these practices or delusions are clung to in spite of the immediately effective path being laid out.
Whatever else one may do or abstain from doing, the Noble Eightfold Path stands as a reminder that we must take eight categorical factors into consideration:
* Right View (of the Four Noble Truths)
* Right Intention (motivated by non-harming, renunciation, and non-cruelty)
* Right Speech (truthful, non-divisive, pleasant, and useful)
* Right Action (abstaining from taking life, taking what is not given, and sexual misconduct)
* Right Livelihood (avoiding dealings in flesh, poisons, weapons, slaves, and intoxicants)
* Right Effort (to abandon and prevent the unwholesome, while developing and bringing the wholesome to perfection)
* Right Mindfulness (of body, sensations, mind, and mind objects)
* Right Concentration (cultivating calm, collectedness, and serenity up to the level of "absorption" in terms of the first four "jhanas")
Because the outline here is detailed by the Buddha, speculation about them in translation is best avoided: "I think right view means... It seems to me mindfulness is... What the Buddha probably meant by concentration was..."
If the core teachings are not enough, the "entire" path is thoroughly explained as the "Requisites of Enlightenment," also known as the "37 Things Pertaining to Enlightenment" ("bodhi-pakkaya-dhamma"). They were drawn from the sutras and attributed to a Buddhist missionary in ancient Greece, VEN. NAGASENA ("Questions of King Menander" or "Malinda-Panha").
A TEACHER
"Enlightenment Grove," Bodh Gaya, India
This is the sure path, the straight path, the certain path. Most seekers bypass ever having to grasp and make sense of this knowledge for themselves by finding a wise teacher. Such a guide trains one in:
* virtue (precepts, self-restraint, and letting go)
* meditation (calm, concentration, and absorption)
* wisdom (contemplation, clear comprehension, and mindful insight-practices).
The fastest, surest path to "sudden" enlightenment is stilling the mind then HEARING the Dharma. On a foundation of calm concentration/collectedness, insight is able to suddenly dawn. Historically, the hearer who attained enlightenment most quickly - that is, with the shortest instruction by the Buddha - was a non-Buddhist ascetic named Bahiya of the Bark Cloth.
To the wise and ready, a few words are enough.
Origin: http://wizard-notes.blogspot.com
