Religion 101 (23 page)

Well awake they arise, at all times,

The disciples of Gautama,

In whom both day and night,

Constantly there is mindfulness on the Buddha.

— Dhammapada

The Mahayana placed more emphasis on the
bodhisattva
and de-emphasized the historical Buddha and also the Four Noble Truths. What is a
bodhisattva
? A
bodhisattva
vows to attain enlightenment for the benefit of all sentient beings. It’s an explicit commitment toward awakening with an added dimension, predicated on the idea of rebirth, to keep taking a human life to be of benefit to others.

To accomplish this formidable goal the
bodhisattva
must undertake six (or ten)
paramitas
(perfections): generosity, morality, patience, vigor, meditation, and wisdom. The expanded list of ten
paramitas
includes in addition to the six: skillful means, conviction, strength, and knowledge. The
bodhisattva
also pursues the five
margas
(paths) and the ten
bhumis
(grounds or stages of spiritual attainment).

Theravada

Theravada Buddhism can be traced all the way back to the First Council, shortly after Buddha’s death. Theravada Buddhists claim that they have adhered to the Buddha’s original teachings and are, therefore, the purest form of Buddhism. They established the Pali Canon, the teachings that were passed down orally for 400 years.

The Theravada (Doctrine of Elders) is the sole surviving school of Buddhism from the early days of Buddhism. It traces it roots back to the Buddha himself and his closest disciples. It is also known as Southern Buddhism because this is where it has flourished over the centuries: Sri Lanka, Thailand, Burma, Cambodia, and Laos. Theravada keeps its ties close to the life of the Buddha and the Pali Canon (unlike Mahayana that has introduced new texts and concepts).

Mahayana

Mahayana has been around since the Second Council, but Mahayana also can argue a direct descent from the Buddha’s teachings. Mahayana Buddhists believe they split off from the Theravada tradition in order to reform the teachings and take them back to a purer form the Buddha had originally taught, although the Mahayana
sutras
such as the Perfection of Wisdom and Heart Sutra are not directly attributed to the Buddha.

Emptiness

The cardinal emphasis of Mahayana is on
shunyata
, often translated as “emptiness” or “the void.” The Buddha’s early teachings discuss the emptiness of self (
anatman
,
anatta
) and in the Mahayana this concept is expanded to everything.

Shunyata
is, perhaps, the most confusing and mystical of the Buddhist concepts and the most difficult for the Western mind to grasp. Truth goes beyond dualistic distinctions and thus “emptiness is form” and “form is emptiness.”

These distinctions can get you bogged down in subtle philosophical arguments. Is the world real? And what does it mean to be real? To further clarify things (or is it to complicate things?), things can be seen as conventionally real but there is an ultimate reality that underlies what is perceived.

In Mahayana tradition, when one wakes up one realizes that the
whole world
is emptiness, that emptiness is not just the self but all things, and form and emptiness are the same thing, indistinguishable from one another. It is hard to grasp this conceptually. The best way is to practice meditation and experience it for yourself.

Much as the Theravada student strives to become an
arhat
— a spiritually enlightened individual — so the Mahayana student strives to become a
bodhisattva
. Every
bodhisattva
resolves to realize the Four Great Vows:

1. Sentient beings are numberless: I vow to save them.
   
2. Desires are inexhaustible: I vow to put an end to them.
   
3. The dharmas are boundless: I vow to master them.
   
4. The Buddha Way is unattainable: I vow to attain it.
   

Three Bodies (Trikayas)

Mahayanas believe that buddhanature appears in three different forms. These bodies are the forms that the Buddha or buddhanature take. This is known as the Three Body Doctrine of compassion. As elsewhere, these bodies can be interpreted symbolically as well as literally. The three forms are:

• Nirmanakaya
  (emanation body) refers to the historical Buddha as he embodied the truth of the Dharma in a perfected form. The Buddha and the Dharma are one and the same (and you will often see this conjunction —
  Buddhadharma
  ).
  
• Sambhogakaya
  (bliss body) is the idealized form of the Buddha. This “body” of the Buddha is not limited to its physical form and, in traditional thought, would occupy different realms or represent different states of consciousness. This body is experienced through intensive meditation.
  
• Dharmakaya
  (truth body). According to Buddhist scholar John Peacock, the “Dharmakaya is synonymous with ultimate truth and is seen as being totally transcendent and unchanging.” The Dharmakaya refers to the approximation the human mind can sometimes make with reality. This body is enlightenment.
  

Vajrayana

Vajrayana Buddhism developed out of the Mahayana school of teachings sometime between the third and seventh centuries
B.C.
It is said that the Buddha practiced this esoteric tradition, but because of its advanced and special nature it didn’t evolve into common practice. Vajrayana Buddhists believe the Buddha taught these practices through special texts, called
tantras
, but the tantras themselves didn’t come to light until the seventh century.

Vajrayana Buddhists believe their teachings can be directly linked to the Buddha and that
they
practice the purest form of Buddhism. Vajrayana is found predominately in Tibet, a remote country, surrounded by the Himalayan Mountains, and isolated from the rest of the world. Tibetan Buddhism emerged when Mahayana Buddhism reached Tibet and it became intertwined with the native Bön folk religion.

Tantric Buddhism

Vajrayana Buddhism is also called Tantric Buddhism, “Diamond Vehicle,” the “Completion Vehicle,” the “Thunderbolt Vehicle,” and the “Indestructible Path.”

Padmasambhava, a Buddhist monk who arrived in Tibet from India, is considered one of the founders of Vajrayana Buddhism and is credited with developing many of the practices present today.

Vajrayana relies heavily on symbol and ritual, more so than other forms of Buddhism. It invokes magical deities belonging to a cosmic monastery. The practices in Vajrayana Buddhism are special and complex. The teachings are designed to bring the student to enlightenment in this lifetime; therefore the practices are intense, subtle, and difficult, and enlightenment presumably occurs more quickly than with other forms of practice. The student of the tantric practices has a teacher, called a
guru
(an enlightened teacher is a
lama
). The practices are often kept secret between the student and teacher, which adds to the mystery around the tradition.

ZEN BUDDHISM

The Core of Meditation

The origins of Zen are found in China when Bodhidharma went there in the sixth century
A.D.
In China it was called Chan, in Korea it was called Son, in Japan it was called Zen, all meaning “meditation.” Zen offers a fresh interpretation of the Buddha’s teachings and forms of practice that are straightforward and profound.

Meditation is the core practice of Zen and teachers are notorious for irreverent, unpredictable, and unorthodox methods of teaching. Zen has had a large influence on Taiwan, Korea, Vietnam, Japan, and now the West, especially America, which is now the most vital center of Zen practice in the world. Zen emphasizes enlightened masters over scriptures and is the least academic of all the Buddhist schools.

Zen is comprised of four principles:

1. Transmission outside the orthodox Buddhist teachers through its lineages
   
2. A belief that truth is not dependent upon established doctrine and a belief in the value of experience over the value of scripture
   
3. A direct point to the mind
   
4. An emphasis on examining one’s original nature and the attainment of enlightenment
   

The Buddha’s disciple Kashyapa (or Mahakashyapa) was the forebear of Zen. It was he alone who understood the Buddha’s teaching when he held up a flower and smiled. Seeing that flower occasioned Kashyapa’s enlightenment and reflects the emphasis in Zen that transmission does not require language.

Rinzai School of Zen

Rinzai emphasizes sudden enlightenment that is predicated on the fact that everyone already has
buddhanature
. The right context will bring this sudden realization of what is already there. This sudden burst of insight is called
kensho.
The Rinzai school bristles against slow and silent illumination found in
shikintaza
(just sitting). In Rinzai you meditate not to attain wisdom but as an expression of wisdom.

Body and mind of themselves will drop away and your original face will be manifested. If you want to attain suchness, you should practice suchness without delay.

— Dōgen, on
zazen
practice

Koans

Koans are designed to short circuit the rational mind and provide the basis for a sudden spiritual awakening. The most famous of these inscrutable puzzles is, “What is the sound of one hand clapping.” As one Zen master said of koans, “It is the place where truth is.” Koans are an important part of Rinzai practice. Students are normally assigned a koan in
dokusan
(a private meeting between the Zen master and the student).

The life of a Zen monk in Japan is arduous with rigorous periods of meditation, work practice, and exposure to the elements. It’s not for the faint of heart or for those not serious about the practice or not prepared for the rigors that await them. If you show up at the gates of a Zen temple in Japan you may have to wait two days to get into the temple. This is the first test. If you pass this test, you may then sit alone in a small room for three to five days. Having passed this test you will then be admitted into the Zendo with the rest of the monks and after a few days more of practice you will then meet the Zen master.

The Eight Gates of Zen

If you study at Zen Mountain Monastery and the Zen Center of New York City (part of the Mountains and Rivers Order of Zen) you will be exposed to the Eight Gates of Zen.

1. Zazen
   :
   Zazen
   is the formal seated practice of meditation and the “cornerstone of Zen training.”
   
2. Zen Study: Zen is an ancestral lineage and the Zen teacher is “indispensable in helping to navigate the difficulties along the way, directly pointing to your inherent perfection.”
   
3. Liturgy: Is an outward manifestation of what is known intuitively and involves bowing and chanting as expressions of the truths that are cultivated in practice.
   
4. Art Practice: “Creativity and spirituality share a common source.” Art, both traditional and contemporary, can help the practitioner, as with liturgy, to express the truths experienced in Zen practice.
   
5. Body Practice: Exploring the physical body as a “vehicle for self-realization.” These practices range from Tai Chi to eating meals.
   
6. Buddhist Studies: “Academic study of Buddhist texts and commentaries is an essential part of establishing sound religious practice.”
   
7. Work Practice: Every dimension of life can be “transformed into a sacred activity.” Work practice becomes an opportunity to broaden spiritual practice.
   
8. Right Action: Is the study and practice of the Buddhist Precepts, “the moral and ethical teachings of the Buddha. Engaging the precepts teaches you to embody compassion as the selfless activity of the awakened mind.”
   

Sitting

Dōgen Zenji (1200–1253) was the founder of the Soto lineage of Buddhism in Japan. Dōgen taught a way of sitting called shikantaza, which means “just sitting,” nothing else — no breath counting, no koan practice at all. Shikantaza means that sitting is enlightened mind. You don’t sit to become enlightened, you sit to enjoy your enlightened mind.

Group Practice

The
sangha
is key to Zen practice. The
sangha
usually meets in the
zendo
, a large hall or room where
zazen
is practiced. When a group gets together to practice, certain rules must apply to ensure that order and the quality of practice is maintained. Each practice group might have its own rules of practice and there might be some variation. Some of the practices used by a
sangha
might include: walking meditation
,
a dharma talk given by the teacher, tea service,
sutra
recitation, and bowing. Lighting of candles and incense might be part of the
sesshin
.

When the Student Is Ready

It is said that when the student is ready, the teacher appears. Although at the heart of Zen is the realization that you are already enlightened, the student/teacher relationship in Zen is a very important element of practice. A teacher will guide the student through the various stages of practice, helping the student toward enlightenment.

SIDDHARTHA

The Buddha Incarnate

The man who would become the Buddha can be seen as a godlike mystic, rational philosopher, psychologist, physician, or social reformer. Buddhist texts contain few references to biographical events from his life. However, historians do agree that he did actually exist and lived a long and prosperous life — he died at eighty years old after teaching for forty-five years, traveling all over India to do so. Although the Buddha’s teachings were preserved through oral recitation and first written down hundreds of years after his death, they are considered credible and accurate.