Keiji Nishitani on Our Dharma-Nature

Keiji Nishitani (西谷 啓治, 1900 – 1990)

Since Buddhism opens up an altogether revolutionary view of the essential nature of man, it is not surprising that it should offer a more fundamental and permanent principle of social transformation than could ever be offered by a mere ideology. From its very beginning, Buddhism was a religion that showed a way to transcend the “world.” According to Buddhism, all that is needed is to become emancipated from the innumerable attachments that arise spontaneously from within ourselves and tie us to things of this world. Hence it speaks of nirvana as the extinguishing of the fire. The Buddhist way of transcending the “world” as well as the “self-in-the-world,” is not a mere “otherworldliness,” but an awakening in which we become aware of our original and authentic nature (our Dharma-nature) and may thus live in accord with it. The possibility of attaining this enlightenment depends upon ourselves alone. That is to say, the ability to attain it lies deeply hidden in the Dharma-nature of each one of us. All that is required from us is that we cut the threads of attachment and so become “homeless” in the world. It was for this reason that the community of Buddhists, the Sangha, was from the beginning based on an absolute negation of all “worldly” differentiations, social as well as psychological, of the differentiation between the rich and the poor, the learned and the unlearned, and so forth, and in particular of distinction between castes…

The above is an extract from the excellent book ‘The Buddha Eye’ edited by Frederick Franck, published by World Wisdom. Keiji Nishitani was an author & professor of philosophy, having studied with both Kitaro Nishida and Martin Heidegger.

Lucky Buddha?

Budai: Feeling lucky, punk?

Many Buddhists like to do stuff for luck. They wear amulets, consult oracles, or ask monks for lottery numbers. Some have statues like the one above and rub his big belly to bring good fortune. All this may be comforting or fun, but is it Buddhism? In other words, is it part of Buddhist practice as extolled by Buddha in the various texts attributed to him? Or, is it something added to these teachings, something that even contradicts or conflicts with Buddha’s instructions on how to live a Buddhist life? This author feels the latter is nearer the truth, and that believing in luck & seeking to be lucky is a distraction from real Buddhist practice.

The photo above is that of Budai, a popular Chinese character originating in Zen Buddhism, a common sight across the Far East, and now the West. He’s also been dubbed ‘the Laughing Buddha’ for his jovial countenance, and is called Hotei in japan. He is a kind of St. Francis of Assisi figure in that he was a poor monk associated with the welfare of children. He is said to have wandered around ancient China giving gifts to children and dispensing Zen wisdom, mainly through the example of his behaviour. More popularly, though, he is considered a source of luck, in that if you rub his large stomach it will bring you fortune, especially in the form of money.

Are you ready for the belly?

Budai can be appreciated for other qualities than bringing luck, however. He also symbolizes the pithy wisdom of Zen, and personifies a life of simplicity and compassion. Having an image of him can be used to remind us of these qualities in our lives, so that each of us becomes something of a laughing buddha ourselves. Such symbols, whether it’s Budai, Buddha, Guan Yin, et cetera, can assist & inspire our practice of the Buddhadharma. However, if we attach supernatural characteristics to these images that require us to treat them more than inanimate symbols, we risk replacing Buddhist practice with superstition.

This tendency to treat objects as having miraculous abilities isn’t limited to statues & paintings. As mentioned above, amulets are also widely believed to bring fortunes to those that wear them. In Thailand, where this author resides, superstitious beliefs regarding amulets is commonplace, and the trading of such items can be a lucrative business. Every so often, certain amulets will become the focus of a nationwide craze, people believing that these objects can bring wealth, virility, fertility, success, and even protect the wearer from injury or death. There news accounts to counter this latter belief where wearers of prized amulets have died in accidents in the belief that this couldn’t happen! This doesn’t deter people from putting their faith into protective amulets, however. It seems that people will believe anything given the right conditions for such irrational beliefs to arise.

Laughing with mindfulness.

Often, it appears that belief in luck replaces application of Buddha’s teachings in people’s lives. Linked to superstition and an overblown emphasis on merit-making, seeking luck concerns more people than studying Buddha’s teachings, behaving ethically, or meditating. Is it that rubbing Laughing Buddha’s paunch is easier than studying the Buddhadharma, that making merit is more convenient than keeping precepts, and that wearing an amulet is much less demanding than sustaining mindfulness? Surely, the answer is Yes. Walking Buddha’s path takes much effort & focus, whereas images, amulets and merit-making take up less of our time & effort. But which is of more benefit to ourselves and others? Which will help us to awaken to reality and alleviate suffering if not eradicate it altogether? Buddhists need to be clear what Buddha’s teachings are, and which he promoted – seeking luck or seeking awakening? When we find out the answer to this question, we will be ripe to practice Buddhism as Buddha intended, with or without a rub of Budai’s corpulent tummy.

Ajahn Nyandhammo on Faith & Ajahn Chah

Ajahn Nyanadhammo (1955-present): A kick reminder

When the Buddha described faith he talked about faith in four aspects; faith in the Buddha, the person who has become fully enlightened in this world and teaches the path out of dukkha, and in the Dhamma, those teachings of the Buddha; and in the Sangha, those monks, nuns and lay-people who have realized that truth in their own lives; and in the training. This last one means having faith that this practice we’re doing will yield results. Faith in the training also intrinsically implies faith in our own abilities to realize truth: faith that we can do it.

The lack of conviction in our own ability to do the practice is a common obstacle, so one of the responsibilities of a teacher is to encourage and uplift people. This was one of the things that Ajahn Chah often did. I remember one time having a few difficulties and  going to him. He was chatting, and he turned to me and said, “Tan Nyanadhammo, you’ve got very few defilements.” That was at a time when it seemed like my mind was full of defilements! But just those few words gave encouragement.

There was another occasion when I was newly ordained. The food in Ajahn Chah’s monastery was extremely basic: sticky rice, leaves, curries – which were all put in one pot together – and a few bananas, and that was it. As there was very little, some of the monks would get up to serve out the food. You sat with your bowl in front of you and they put the food in your bowl: you didn’t have a choice, you could only say what you didn’t want. One of the Western monks was asked to get up and hand out the food, but he refused, because if he got up then he couldn’t watch his bowl and thereby prevent the Thai monks from putting things in it that would upset his stomach. And because of that they asked me to get up in his place.

A couple days later we went on the same alms round together into the village, and, as we were coming back to the dining-hall, this monk started complaining about the monks who hand out the food. Self-righteous anger came up in me, and I said to him, “Instead of complaining about the other monks, why dont you get up and help us?” And then I stormed off in a huff.

As I was walking, I heard Ajahn Chah’s voice saying Good morning in English. (The only words he knew in English were “Good morning” and “Cup of tea.”) I turned to see him standing only three feet away with a big radiant smile on his face. And I said, “Oh, good morning, Luang Por.” And he radiated loving kindness to me, and the aversion completely disappeared and I was really happy.

That evening I decided, “As Ajahn Chah was very friendly to me, I’ll go over and offer him a foot massage”; that was a way to do some service for him, and often he would teach Dhamma at that time. So he was sitting on a cane seat with me sitting on the floor and massaging his foot when the bell rang for evening chanting. He told the other monks to go to the chanting and I was left together with Ajahn Chah. It was a beautiful cool evening, with the moon coming out full, and the sound of some seventy monks chanting – it was just wonderful. Ajahn Chah sat in meditation as I was massaging his foot – and my mind was on cloud nine, uplifted with joy.

At that point Ajahn Chah kicked me in the chest and knocked me flat on my back! I looked up in shock, and Ajahn Chah pointed at me saying, “See? In the morning someone says something you don’t like and you’re upset. Then someone else just says “Good morning” and you’re uplifted all day. Don’t get caught up in moods and emotions of like and dislike at what other people say.”

Then he gave me a Dhamma talk, and I raised my hands in añjali, and listened to this Dhamma. I remember it to this day, and it always brings a sense of how much compassion he had: he saw a person was walking past with his head steaming; he said “Good morning”, and then he waited until the opportunity arose. Out of the seventy monks in the monastery, and all the nuns, he thought, “Today I’ll teach this person. This one’s really stubborn, I’m going to have to give him a kick! He won’t remember if I dont do it tough.” What has stayed with me is a sense of faith that the teacher is concerned, is motivated by compassion, and motivated to release you from suffering.

The above is extracted from the book ‘The Spiritual Faculties’ which is freely downloadable here. Ajahn Nyanadhammo has been a Buddhist monk since 1979. He was a student of Ajahn Chah, a famous meditation master. He has been abbot of the Buddhist forest monasteries Wat Pa Nanachat & Wat Ratanawan in Northeast Thailand.

Masao Abe on Realizing Emptiness & Suchness

Masao Abe (阿部 正雄, 1915 – 2006): Horizontal eyes, vertical nose.

Trying to grasp one’s self from the outside may be likened metaphorically to a snake trying to swallow its own tail. When the snake bites its tail, it makes a circle. And the more it tries to swallow its tail, the smaller that circle becomes. When the snake carries this effort to swallow its own tail to its final conclusion, the circle turns into a small dot, until finally it must disappear into emptiness. In more concrete terms, the snake must die through its effort. As long as the human self tries to take hold of itself through self-consciousness (out of which feelings of inferiority, superiority, etc. develop), the human ego-self falls into an ever-deepening dilemma. At the extreme end of this dilemma, the ego can no longer support itself and must collapse into emptiness. When the attempt of self-consciousness to grasp itself is pressed to its ultimate conclusion, the human ego must die. The realization of no-self is a necessity for the human ego. Some individuals only come to realize the necessity of confronting this dilemma on their deathbed. Others may existentially intuit the need for resolving this dilemma while still quite young, and thus embark on a religious quest. In any event, the realization of no-self is a “must” for the human ego. We must realize that there is no unchanging, eternal self.

In order to realize emptiness or suchness it is essential to face this dilemma and break through it. This realization of emptiness is a liberation from that dilemma which is existentially rooted in human consciousness. Awakening to emptiness, which is disclosed through the death of the ego, one realizes one’s “suchness.” This is because the realization of suchness is the positive aspect of the realization of emptiness.

In this realization you are no longer separated from yourself, but are just yourself. No more, no less. There is no gap between you and yourself; you become you. When you realize your own suchness, you realize the suchness of everything at once. A pine tree appears in its suchness. Bamboo manifests itself in its suchness. Dogs and cats appear in their suchness as well. A dog is really a dog. No more, no less. A cat is really a cat. No more, no less. Everything is realized in its distinctiveness.

Then for the first time you understand the familiar Zen phrases: “Willows are green, flowers are red,” or “The eyes are horizontal, the nose is vertical.” Trees, birds, fish, dogs or cats – from the beginning they always enjoy their suchness. Only man has lost that suchness. He is in ignorance. Therefore he does not know the reality of human life and becomes attached to this life and fears death. But when ignorance is realized for what it is through the realization of no-self, one may waken to “suchness,” in which everything is realized in its uniqueness and particularity.

The above is an extract from the excellent book ‘The Buddha Eye’ edited by Frederick Franck, published by World Wisdom. Abe Masao was an author & professor of religious studies in both Japan & America, and was a close associate of D.T. Suzuki.

Dhammapada Reflection #8

Dhammapada, Verses 17 & 18:

The evil-doer suffers here and hereafter;

He suffers in both worlds.

The thought, “I have done evil,” tortures him,

And he suffers even more when gone to realms of woe.

The doer of good delights here and hereafter;

He delights in both worlds.

The thought, “I have done good,” delights him,

And he delights even more when gone to realms of bliss.

The first two lines of verses 17 & 18 of the Dhammapada both emphasize the Buddhist teaching of karma (action) and its results. Rather than repeat what’s been written in the previous reflections of verses 15 & 16, suffice to say that wholesome actions will have wholesome results and unwholesome actions will have unwholesome ones. This is the basic Buddhist teaching on karma & its results (vipaka) accredited to Buddha. Again, the previous article (Dhammapada Reflections #7) focused on the psychological implications of the results of karma, represented here with the thoughts, “I have done evil” and “I have done good” in the current verses. That our actions can inspire regret & grief, pride & joy won’t surprise many, so this aspect of the above verses won’t be elaborated on here.

The key term that relates to the results of our actions that this article will attend to is the term ‘suffering.’ Suffering is the common English translation of the Buddhist term dukkha, which actually has many connotations that the word ‘suffering’ doesn’t really cover. Dukkha also means angst, pain, unsatisfactory, imperfect, stressful, anxious & discontent amongst others. It’s worth noting that Buddha is said to have stated that, “I have taught one thing and one thing only, dukkha and the ending of dukkha.”

Buddha saw dukkha as the primary problem in existence, and he sought a way out, which he is said to have found. This is called nirvana, ‘snuffing out (of the causes of suffering),’ or bodhi, ‘awakening.’ Related to bodhi is the title buddha – ‘awakened one.’ Buddhist teachings & practices exist to reduce & eventually eliminate dukkha. Knowing this, the claim in verse 17 that the evil-doer suffers due to his or her actions becomes even more worthy of our investigation. There’s a sense in which we all accept the idea of karma & its results in that we can see the consequences of our actions. If I speak nicely to you, I will surely receive a different response than if I were to kick you! This is what John Lennon called ‘instant karma.’

The phrase “gone to realms of woe” can be understood in this immediate way, too. If I were to kick you and you beat me to a pulp in retaliation, then I’d certainly be in a realm of woe. And, this sorrowful situation would be of my own making. It would be karma-vipaka – the results of my actions. Silly me!

The Dhammapada ('Verses of Dharma' or 'Path of Dharma') is an ancient Buddhist text that is said to contain some of the Buddha's teachings in poetic form. The first chapter is called Yamakavagga, 'Chapter of Pairs,' and the above two verses are from this part of the book.

Ajahn Liem on Buddha Essence

Ajahn Liem (1941-present): An awakened smile

Usually, in our behaviour we start off with our emotions, letting them lead us, just like the people out in the world who think their moods are what count. But emotions and moods are illusions that swindle. They are tricky. Sometimes they take us on a good path, sometimes on an evil one. Following our moods easily turns to our disadvantage.

We should take superior states of mind rather than moods and emotions as our guide. Why not let being the One who is called “Awakened” and “Blessed” lead us? Let “Buddha” walk in front of us. Let “Buddha” be the essence to take us along. Let “Buddha” be our guideline. Whatever we come to do, there will always be moods, but our practice is to let “the One who knows”, the qualities of awakening and knowing lead us. In this way eventually there is no danger. There are no drawbacks with these mind states. We are on the watch.

Let the various moods and emotions that come up simply be as they are. In this way we train really to be with ourselves. We train this very self to sit and really be there, to stand and be really there, to walk and really be there, until always, in whatever changing posture, we can be called fully aware. We are fully there through our peace. It’s different from being on top of our experience through getting carried away with pleasures and having fun. Instead, being fully up to life comes from peace of heart. If there is peace, we are in a state where we can adjust to anything that comes up, so we can always be in the appropriate mode. We see things correctly and have right understanding because the mental impulses (sankharas) are quiet. There are no proliferations. We feel the sankharas at peace. With all the kinds of opinions that could come up, we won’t start arguing.

When relating to the world and society, those who are intelligent, understanding and have a feeling of peacefulness will praise us. But should they praise us, we don’t get happy because of it. We don’t get infatuated with it. Ultimately, the praise of someone is just a product of the delusion of the one who expresses it. Just that much. We don’t have feelings of like and dislike. Praise is just what it is. We don’t feel that we need to foolishly run after it. We don’t want to get on the track of being a slave. If we maintain peace, there is nothing that can do harm to us. Even if others should blame, criticize or condemn us, making us subject to suspicions out of enmity, we nevertheless have peace. We have peace towards the anittharamana, the mental states we don’t wish to have, which don’t go according to our likes. Even they can’t cause us harm and be disadvantageous. Should someone criticize us, it’s just that much. Eventually it all dissolves by itself. It flows away in it’s own specific way. This is where the lokadhamma can’t dominate us, since we have nothing but peace in our hearts.

When standing, when walking, when sitting, when sleeping and when getting up, this is it. If we deal with society, and with things in the world around us, we can relate in a way that is of benefit for all. We don’t go astray and drift away. We behave like one who can let things be. We behave like samanas, like anagarikas (homeless ones), who are not bound up. This is the way we train. Training ourselves like this is really peaceful. We make peace arise all the time. Whenever we are in society, we will always have smoothness and tranquillity.

The above is extracted from the book ‘From the Darkness to the Light,’ which is freely downloadable here. Ajahn Liem has been a Buddhist monk since 1961, and is abbot of Wat Nong Pa Pong, a renowned Buddhist forest monastery in Northeast Thailand. He studied under the famous meditation master Ajahn Chah, and has taught Buddhism to monks & laity across the world.

Koun Yamada on Joshu's Dog

Yamada Koun (山田 耕雲, 1907—1989): Mu!

The story is as you read it: Once a monk asked Joshu, “Does a dog have buddha nature?” Joshu answered, “Mu!” The Chinese character means “nothing,” or “”nonbeing,” or “to have nothing.” Therefore, if we take this answer literally, it means, “No, a dog does not have buddha nature.”

But that is not right. Why not? Because Shakyamuni Buddha declared that all living beings have buddha nature. According to the sutras, when Shakyamuni Buddha attained his great enlightenment, he was astonished by the magnificence of the essential universe and, quite beside himself, exclaimed, “All living beings have buddha nature! But owing to their delusions, they cannot recognise this.”

The monk in the story could not believe these words. To him, buddha nature was the most venerable, most highly developed personality, and a buddha was one who had achieved this perfect personality. How then could a dog have buddha nature? How could a dog be as perfect as Buddha? He could not believe such a thing was possible, so he asked Joshu sincerely, “Does a dog have buddha nature? And Joshu answered, “No!”

Joshu, great as he was, Could not deny Shakyamuni’s affirmation. Therefore his answer does not mean that a dog lacks buddha nature. Then what does Mu mean?

This is the point of the koan. If you try to find any special meaning in Mu, you miss Joshu and you’ll never meet him. You’ll never be able to pass through the barrier of Mu. So what should be done? That is the question! Zen practitioners must try to find the answer by themselves and present it to the roshi. In almost all Japanese zendo, the explanation of Mu will stop at this point. However, I’ll tell you this: Mu has no meaning whatsoever. If you want to solve the problem of Mu, you must become one with it! You must forget yourself in working on it. Your consciousness must be completely absorbed in your practice of Mu.

The above extract is from the wonderful ‘The Book of Mu’ edited by James Ishmael Ford & Melissa Myozen Blacker, and is published by Wisdom Publications. Koun Yamada was a Japanese Zen master and former leader of the Sanbo Kyodan lineage of Zen Buddhism.