Nothing So Charming as the Present

An old college buddy asked me a "Zen 101 question": "If the present is so charming, why does my mind wander away from the present?"

I guess the assumption here is that experiencing the present moment is more charming that reminiscing about that perfect day at the beach near Puerto Vallarta last year or day dreaming about scuba diving in Aruba next year.  This reminiscing and day dreaming can also be quite charming!  But, I think what my friend is getting at is very interesting and a great question.  It depends on the depth to which we experience the present.

The practice of Chan emphasizes living fully in the present moment as does mindfulness practice of the Theravada tradition.  If we are to become fully awakened to life just as it really is, it necessarily is in the present that this awakening will occur.  During meditation, as the mind becomes more focused or unified it becomes less bound by thoughts. As fewer and fewer thoughts arise, the mind naturally becomes clearer, brighter, lighter and more expansive.  This experience can be blissful or simply deeply contenting.  During activity, this cultivation or habituation of a more unified mind naturally is more content to experience what is at hand.  If the mind is clear, focused and content, there is less likelihood that it will be distracted by mundane thoughts that might arise.  The practice of mindfulness actively builds on the clarity gained through meditation and consciously cultivates moment-to-moment clarity of whatever is arising and passing away from conscious experience.  This can also lead to a mind that is clear, luminous, settled, and deeply satisfied to just be in the present, moment after moment.  It is from this settled state that perception can refine and things can be seen just as they actually are.  It is from this perception that insight into the fundamental truths of life occurs, which we know from Buddhist suttras and the writings of past masters can be a very liberating experience.  Chan practice can lead to experiencing such charm in the present moment that there is no arising of craving or aversion.  The need to reminisce or day dream evaporates when one can simply experiencing the present moment with sufficient clarity.

In that case, the answer to the question is until the mind is sufficiently cultivated and refined, the contentment experienced in the present is not charming enough to keep the mind focused, expanded, and aware in the present.

On the other hand, even advanced practitioners think of the past or future as the need arises. And even when the need doesn't arise, it's the nature of the mind to think thoughts.  What is qualitatively different is that thoughts that arise are simply thoughts and the mind doesn't attach to them.  They arise like a bubble as a child blows through the hoop.  The thought expands from nothing but some slight impulse, takes shape, and floats away.  A settled mind is aware of this arising and passing away of feelings, thoughts, and perceptions.  The more awake and settled the mind, the finer the awareness of not only mental phenomena but also all phenomena rising and passing away in the environment.  This awareness of the arising and passing away of mental and physical phenomena leads to the direct experience of a most fundamental nature, the insight into impermanence.  The entire universe is seen as a massive flux of interrelated or conditioned arising of phenomena, and the dissolution of the same when conditions no longer support continuity.  It may appear that the entire world is undergoing massive oxidization, as if everything is undergoing a catastrophic chemical reaction, burning, and be an awesome experience.  Or, it can be like a symphony of such perfectly interrelated harmonies that the mind is arrested by the absolute perfection of it.  However the realization of impermanence occurs, it is not an intellectual reasoning, but a direct and complete perception that leads to life changing insight.  This insight can lead to further insight into the nature of the self.

Until or mind is sufficiently cultivated, the mind is like a monkey that is always chasing desires and averting fears.  Once the mind is cultivated, it response to the environment, situations, and people with wisdom and compassion.  A satisfied mind naturally has compassion for others that are suffering and a clear mind has the wisdom to know how to help them.  The satisfied mind is a product of silence and a clear mind is the product of illumination. The Chan practice of Silent Illumination is extremely beneficial in cultivating a content, clear mind.  The mind still reacts to things in the environment. When a bus is coming one gets out of the way.  And one still makes plans for the future and reflects on what went wrong to do better next time.  But, the predominant mode is to be aware of things as they occur and react in a way that is appropriate to the need of the time.

An undisciplined mind will not stop with an initial thought. It won't be aware of the thought arising and passing away. The mind attaches to the thought and becomes lost in a succession of subsequent thoughts. We long for something in the past or fear its reoccurrence, or regret what was done or said. Or we hope for something in the future or worry that it may happen. We are conditioned from beginningless time to crave for more and dread what we don't want. But, when the mind is settled enough, there is greater and greater contentment and though a thought may arise, it is acknowledged and just passes away if nothing more is required. The mind returns to a state of contentment that is simply aware with a clear, bright awareness. But, it's our habitual outward oriented craving and aversion that obscures what would otherwise be quite a contented state.

It is interesting to note that a person can experience unified mind, pure, unobstructed awareness, impermanence, or self-nature and then regress back to being overshadowed by mundane thoughts and day-to-day situations. What we are up against is a very powerfully ingrained habit cultured from beginningless time. That's why we need a practice like Zen to lift the veil and open our eyes. Then we need to refine the practice and cultivate seeing things just as they are without the imaginary ego or self getting in the way to distort the picture. If we get the self out of the picture, the whole thing opens up and everything converses with every other thing, infinitely correlated and perfectly functioning. It's all perfect when we get out of the way.

The Magic of Loving Kindness

When I lived in Fort Wayne, Indiana, I used to go to a Burmese monastery most every Saturday morning to meditate with the abbot, Ashin Vikhanasa. After meditating for an hour or two, we chanted the Metta Chant together. What peaceful memories! I can't help but wonder what the world would be like if more and more people woke up every morning and meditated, then chanted this comforting chant of loving kindness?

May the world would be transformed into a paradise through the widespread practice of metta!

Metta Chant

The Pali Chant of Loving Kindness

Aham avero homi
May I be free from enmity and danger

abyapajjho homi
May I be free from mental suffering

anigha homi
May I be free from physical suffering

sukhi - attanam pariharami
May I take care of myself happily

Mama matapitu
May my parents

acariya ca natimitta ca
teacher relatives and friends

sabrahma - carino ca
fellow Dhamma farers

avera hontu
be free from enmity and danger

abyapajjha hontu
be free from mental suffering

anigha hontu
be free from physical suffering

sukhi - attanam pariharantu
may they take care of themselves happily

Imasmim arame sabbe yogino
May all meditators in this compound

avera hontu
be free from enmity and danger

abyapajjha hontu
be free from mental suffering

anigha hontu
be free from physical suffering

sukhi - attanam pariharantu
May they take care of themselves happily

Imasmim arame sabbe bhikkhu
May all monks in this compound

samanera ca
novice monks

upasaka - upasikaya ca
laymen and laywomen disciples

avera hontu
be free from enmity and danger

abyapajjha hontu
be free from mental suffering

anigha hontu
be free from physical suffering

sukhi - attanam pariharantu
May they take care of themselves happily

Amhakam catupaccaya - dayaka
May our donors of the four supports: clothing, food, medicine and lodging

avera hontu
be free from enmity and danger

abyapajjha hontu
be free from mental suffering

anigha hontu
be free from physical suffering

sukhi - attanam pariharantu
May they take care of themselves happily

Amhakam arakkha devata
May our guardian devas

Ismasmim vihare
in this monastery

Ismasmim avase
in this dwelling

Ismasmim arame
in this compound

arakkha devata
May the guardian devas

avera hontu
be free from enmity and danger

abyapajjha hontu
be free from mental suffering

anigha hontu
be free from physical suffering

sukhi - attanam pariharantu
may they take care of themselves happily

Sabbe satta
May all beings

sabbe pana
all breathing things

sabbe bhutta
all creatures

sabbe puggala
all individuals

sabbe attabhava - pariyapanna
all personalities (all beings with mind and body)

sabbe itthoyo
may all females

sabbe purisa
all males

sabbe ariya
all noble ones (saints)

sabbe anariya
all worldlings (those yet to attain sainthood)

sabbe deva
all devas (deities)

sabbe manussa
all humans

sabbe vinipatika
all those in the four woeful planes

avera hontu
be free from enmity and dangers

abyapajjha hontu
be free from mental suffering

anigha hontu
be free from physical suffering

sukhi - attanam pariharantu
may they take care of themselves happily

Dukkha muccantu
May all being be free from suffering

Yattha-laddha-sampattito mavigacchantu
May whatever they have gained not be lost

Kammassaka
All beings are owners of their own Kamma (Karma)

Purathimaya disaya
in the eastern direction

pacchimaya disaya
in the western direction

uttara disaya
in the northern direction

dakkhinaya disaya
in the southern direction

purathimaya anudisaya
in the southeast direction

pacchimaya anudisaya
in the northwest direction

uttara anudisaya
in the northeast direction

dakkhinaya anudisaya
in the southwest direction

hetthimaya disaya
in the direction below

uparimaya disaya
in the direction above

Sabbe satta
May all beings

sabbe pana
all breathing things

sabbe bhutta
all creatures

sabbe puggala
all individuals (all beings)

sabbe attabhava - pariyapanna
all personalities (all beings with mind and body)

sabbe itthoyo
may all females

sabbe purisa
all males

sabbe ariya
all noble ones (saints)

sabbe anariya
(those yet to attain sainthood)

sabbe deva
all devas (deities)

sabbe manussa
all humans

sabbe vinipatika
all those in the 4 woeful planes

avera hontu
be free from enmity and dangers

abyapajjha hontu
be free from mental suffering

anigha hontu
be free from physical suffering

sukhi - attanam pariharantu
may they take care of themselves happily

Dukkha muccantu
May all beings be free from suffering

Yattha-laddha-sampattito mavigacchantu
May whatever they have gained not be lost

Kammassaka
All beings are owners of their own kamma (Karma)

Uddham yava bhavagga ca
As far as the highest plane of existence

adho yava aviccito
to as far down as the lowest plane

samanta cakkavalesu
in the entire universe

ye satta pathavicara
whatever beings that move on earth

abyapajjha nivera ca
may they are free of mental suffering and enmity

nidukkha ca nupaddava
and from physical suffering and danger

Uddham yava bhavagga ca
As far as the highest plane of existence

adho yava aviccito
to as far down as the lowest plane

samanta cakkavalesu
in the entire universe

ye satta udakecara
whatever beings that move on water

abyapajjha nivera ca
may they are free of mental suffering and enmity

nidukkha ca nupaddava
and from physical suffering and danger

Uddham yava bhavagga ca
As far as the highest plane of existence

adho yava aviccito
to as far down as the lowest plane

samanta cakkavalesu
in the entire universe

ye satta akasecara
whatever beings that move in air

abyapajjha nivera ca
may they are free of mental suffering and enmity

nidukkha ca nupaddava
and from physical suffering and danger.

New Year Reflection by Gilbert Gutierrez

Gilbert Gutierrez, one of 5 Western Dharma heirs of Ven. Chan Master Shengyen, sent the following New Year letter to his friends and students.  Special thanks to Gilbert for allowing this to be posted on Chan Dao, The Way of Chan blog, but especially for his steadfast dedication to helping others. Gilbert's website is at dharmatalks.riversidechan.org.

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Hello To  All Bodhisatvas,

   In the closing of this year it is a proper time for reflection on the events that occurred and the hopes for the future.

  These mind reflections should not be filled with regrets, or thoughts of what we might have gained or lost. We utilize our training in Buddha Dharma to understand causes and conditions. In this way we illuminate the mind and set a proper environment for fulfilling Buddha Dharma in the coming year.

  In these troubled economic times a great strain is placed on us, our loved ones, coworkers and everyone around us. Life is not easy if we give in to the self.  Self love leads to self suffering. We are all peas in the same pod- the human realm. Let us strive to make this pod better through body, speech, and mind. Be mindful of our actions and produce only wholesome actions. Create a fertile environment for spreading Buddha Dharma and an infertile environment to spread vexations. Do not abandon your training in the face of adverse circumstances. Remember everything changes. When faced with adverse circumstances this is when you must practice all the more so.

  We must give great gratitude to our teachers and carry their training forward. If not you then who? Do not reflect on what you have done, but contemplate what you are capable of doing in this lifetime. Shifu said, “ To vow to deliver others before one’s self is the initial generation of the Bodhi heart of a Bodhisatva.”

  Learn to forgive those who we feel have caused us suffering and reflect upon the suffering we caused to others. Repent these actions. Do not get discouraged when you have strayed from the path. Shifu Said, “ Those with a vow to break are Bodhisatvas, Those without a vow to break are non practitioners”

   So for the coming year set the course with renewed vigor to practice and spread Buddha Dharma.  Forgive our so called enemies. The true enemy is the self. Conquer this enemy and one will have no enemies. Conquer self and the tranquility and peace of the true nature will radiate with wisdom and compassion naturally arising. Burn the self up in the present moment and mind functions perfectly. Have faith in this. Renew your vows. Preparing yourself for the coming year in this manner will set your mind compass to the proper path. Then one will realize freedom and ease of Body and Mind.

Lastly, as Shifu was so good at doing, give a smile to everyone.

Namo Amituofo,

Your humble servant,

Gilbert

A Christmas Reflection and Wish

At this time of year, I can't help but reflect and be fascinated by the parallels between the nativity stories of Buddha and Jesus!

Five hundred years before the Annunciation of the archangel Gabriel to Mary, Queen Maya dreamed that a lotus bearing white elephant entered her through her side. Queen Maya soon found she was with child, fulfilling the prophecy by holy men that she would give birth to a great prince destined to either conquer the world or become a fully awakened one, a Buddha. Traveling back to Devadaha, her birthplace, from the King's capital, Kapilavathhu in the foothills of the Himalayas, Queen Maya gave birth to Siddhartha, the future Buddha, in the flowering Lumbini Grove.  How strangely familiar and wonderful this story is to those of us that grew up as Christians!

There are so many other profound parallels between the lives and teachings of Buddha and Christ.  For example, the Buddha's first sermon was The Four Noble Truths, that of suffering, it's cause, it's cessation, and the Noble Eightfold Path that leads to liberation from suffering.  Buddha proclaimed that liberation from suffering could be attained in this very life by putting his teaching to practice through holding moral precepts and practicing methods to quiet the mind to gain insight into one's own nature and the true nature of the phenomenal world.  Jesus proclaimed that the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand and can be revealed by retreating to reflect and pray in solitude.  Buddha's first teaching of the Noble Eightfold path is the teaching of Right View, that our actions have repercussions, the law of karma.  Jesus strongly emphasized the law of cause and effect stating, "As you sow, so shall you reap".  

Buddha withdrew to the forest for six years practicing many austerities to find the way to liberation from suffering. Jesus retreated to the desert where he prayed and fasted for forty days and nights.  

Buddha was tempted by the king of demons, Mara, just before his enlightenment.  Jesus was tempted by Satan just before beginning his ministry.  Buddha was transformed under the Bodhi tree.  Jesus was transfigured on the mountain, as Moses was transfigured before the burning bush.  Buddha saw past lives upon his awakening and the cycle of birth and death of all living beings.  Jesus saw Elijah and Moses.

Buddha taught the importance of letting go of what is unwholesome and replacing it with what is wholesome, letting go of greed, hatred, delusion and ignorance and finding loving-kindness, compassion, altruistic joy for the success and well being of others, and complete equanimity.  How reminiscent this is of the Sermon on the Mount!  

The Buddha taught that one has to put down the very notion of one's self to be awakened to one's true nature.  Jesus taught dying to one's self to be reborn in spirit.  Christ himself died only to be resurrected, having conquered human suffering and death.  The notion of rebirth was not foreign to people in Palestine at that time.  There were those that believed Jesus was Elijah reborn.

With Mahayana Buddhism, the parallels are even stronger.  The ideal of the Bodhisattva is emphasized, teaching aspiring Bodhisattva's to awaken Bodhicitta, the Wisdom Consciousness that removes the separation of self and other, enabling the Bodhisattva to spontaneously act for the welfare and liberation of all sentient beings.  From the Mahayana Buddhist perspective, Jesus is a great Bodhisattva, living a totally selfless existence, healing the sick, feeding the poor, forgiving the most wretched in society for their sins, and giving hope for salvation.  He has truly been a light of the world as has Buddha.

Given the many parallels between the lives and teachings of Jesus and Buddha, it is small wonder that many Buddhists also celebrate Christmas as the coming of light that removes the darkness of ignorance and have special reverence for Jesus during this time.  Many prominent Buddhist leaders such as the Dalai Lama and Thich Nhat Hanh do not recommend that Christians convert from their faith to become Buddhists, but rather ask that they become the best Christians they can be, truly following the example of Christ and doing for others as self.  When Christians see the face of Jesus in even their enemies faces and when Buddhist see even terrorists as future Buddhas, the world can't help but be blessed.  No enemies can continue to be born under such conditions. As the Buddha said, "Hatred can never be conquered by hatred -- this is an ancient law."

At this time of year, whether you are Buddhist or Christian, Hindu, Jew, or Muslim, let us all rededicate ourselves to the highest ideals of our faiths, living with loving-kindness and compassion for others and being good stewards of this precious Earth.  Then, the Kingdom of Heaven, the Pure Land, or Paradise will truly be at hand for all of us and our children.

Merry Christmas and may the light of wisdom give rise to great compassion in us all!

On Vacation What Are We Seeking?

I find it ironic that we spend the entire year looking forward to traveling for a week or two to some other place that we hope will bring us enough pleasure to make all our work worthwhile. Or perhaps we need a rest after working so hard and just want to go somewhere and take it easy. Or maybe we have a genuine interest in something that really makes us feel alive and we travel to participate with others in something that adds meaning. But, what is this pleasure, this rest, this meaning that we seek if only for 1/52nd or 1/26th of our year? Wouldn't it be nice to just naturally experience this pleasure, ease, and meaning the other 51 or 52 weeks a year? What are we seeking and how can we live it?

I like to travel. I like spiritual journeys. Pilgrimages. I want to experience something that is irrevocably life changing in the most positive way. I want to be completely and forever transformed by my journey. But, no matter where I have ever been, after returning, slowly but surely life returns to the way it was before the journey. I've traveled to famous churches, to monasteries, to temples in several countries. But the effect was short lived. I've been to wonderful resorts. I've laid out all night on beaches and backpacked to high mountain lakes. Some of these trips made a deeper impression than others, but none transformed me the way I was wanting to be transformed. When I returned, the same problems I had left were still there. I still had the same cravings and aversions, though they may have been diminished for a time. I was no kinder, no more virtuous, no more wise a few weeks after I returned than I was before I left. What I was seeking was so incredibly short lived!

A few years ago, I decided to start going on retreats again after not being on one for many years. Chan retreats. Vipassana retreats. These are silent retreats. You aren't allowed to use a computer, use a cell phone, or talk to anyone for the entire time you are there. But, they are life transforming. Once the chatter and commentary in your head stops, you can see clearer than you might have known was possible! This is the ultimate vacation! There is nothing like journeying to a state of equanimity and experiencing life millisecond by millisecond. How rich the world is if we have eyes to see and ears to hear! At such times, there is no inner or outer. There is only perfection, suchness, in every passing second.

Where is there to go when right here right now is perfect in every respect? What could be more pleasurable, restful, or meaningful that being fully awake in this very moment? Once the chattering stops, the music begins. The grand symphony of life. Everything sings in response to everything else, infinitely correlated, infinitely inter-responding in a perfectly frictionless, fluid, natural harmony. Isn't this what we were always seeking, to be fully awake, at ease in body and mind, and perfectly content to just experience things just as they are without judgment, commentary, or any associations? Just bare, clear awareness of what really is? Having experienced this, we may wonder how it is that this was ever hidden from us.

We just have such a long ingrained habit of stirring things up! We stir up our thoughts. We stir up our emotions. By doing so, we miss what is already naturally there. There never was a time when it wasn't there, like the moon that is reflected perfectly once the waters become placid! We miss what we would experience if we would just let go, be still, and let everything flow naturally. Then, our environment is no longer separate from us and we are no longer pinched off in our own little neurotic worlds. It's only our grasping and pushing away that hides the real state of the world from us. Our cravings, lusts, aversions, hatreds dim our perception until we are truly in darkness, barely living, like automatons or zombies pulled onward by hunger and thirst. Or driven by fear.

What if we could go on vacation and come back more alive than we ever previously imagined possible? What if when we returned, we were more in touch with our thoughts and feelings than ever before? What if we, having learned to rest in every breath, in every moment, could easily regenerate energy and move through the day with grace and ease? What if we had the luxury of time to really feel and really think before we speak? How many hurtful things would go unsaid! How many kindnesses would be shared! How valuable such a vacation would be for us individually, but also for our families and for the world! Terrorism and war would be an absurdity in such a world.

The next time you think about going on a vacation, take time to consider what you are truly seeking. Consider whether going to Disneyland, Las Vegas or to the beach compares favorably to taking time out to be completely silent and let everything settle completely. When the mind is completely settled, awareness is sharpest, most expansive, most penetrating. When the mind is completely content, does not grasp or push away, perception is pure and insight naturally occurs. This kind of perception and insight can be life transforming. If enough people have this kind of vacation, we would all live in paradise.

Concept of Soul / Self in the Theistic Religions by Guest Blogger Ng Yeow Foo

Singapore Dharma-buddy, Ng Yeow Foo (a.k.a. Tiger), has contributed the following excellent article. Thank you so much Tiger!

Concept of Soul / Self in the Theistic Religions: Analysis of the Brahmajāla Sutta

Theism or theistic religion is simply defined as a system of belief in the existence of at least one god. As such, there are many flavours of theism, differentiated by the number of god(s) and the nature of god(s) in the respective belief systems: monotheism, the doctrine or belief in a single creator God (e.g., Judaism, Christianity and Islam); polytheism, the belief in more than one god (e.g., the ancient Greek belief system); pantheism, the belief that everything is God, or the whole universe is regarded as manifestation of God (e.g., Vedas of Brahmanism). The conception of God must somehow be treated as analogous or identical with the idea of soul or self. Without soul theory as the ground, be it material or immaterial, it is rather difficult to establish theistic spirituality and the existence of supreme God.

It must be noted that the Buddha was mainly criticizing the soul theories of the Upaniṣadic tradition which are extremely similar to the traditional or contemporary Christian soul theories (Gunapala, 1987; p. 1). This is evidenced in the second half of the Brahmajāla Sutta, where the Buddha lists out sixty-two types of wrong views (micchā diṭṭhi) held by some ascetics and Brahmins at that time, of whom are having fixated ideas about the past or future. As such, the Buddha has intelligently dealt with almost all philosophical or religious thoughts; some of those are still surviving up to the present time, in which most of them center around the idea of SOUL / SELF.

What draws our attention here are the Eternalists, Eternalists and partly Non-Eternalists (partial-eternalists), and Chance-Originationists views which are of speculators about the past, having fixed views about the past, and who put forward various speculative theories about the past. The holder of these views based solely on their memories of last existences obtained upon achieving a certain degree of mental concentration. The eternalists, for example, would proclaim the eternity of self and the world in four ways simply because they fall short of the ability to recall the more distant pasts, perceive this world and the “imaginary” self as permanent and eternal. As for the partial-eternalism, the Sutta rightly describes the origin of the God-as-the-Creator idea as in all theistic religions. The so-called the Creator-God concept is indeed a mistake made by both the “Maha-Brahmā who has lost his memories about his existence in the previous world” and by men’s misunderstanding of this cosmological story (as in the Biblical story), and the subsequent misconstruction via yogic experience (Bodhi, 1978; p. 19-23). Similarly, those who are of chance-originationists view, due to the inability of recalling beyond their last existence, think that the self and the world arise by chance since they speculate that they don’t exist before that. This is the doctrine of fortuitous origination of self and the world.

The Buddha points out that these speculative views are always rooted on the past or future. However, the majority of the metaphysical views (44 types) are nested on the post-mortem future, our destiny after death. The first three sets (of the 44 types) are still dealing with eternalism, but they tend to lean towards future and all are of various types of post-mortem consciousness or self’s survival after death. Eternalist is at one end, while annihilationist is at the other end embracing the belief that the destruction of “being” is the end of the individual experience. There are seven ways of proclaiming annihilationism described in the Sutta, only the first one which identifies self with physical body, is purely materialistic. The other six are the more subtle way of defining annihilationism, where the self now is identified with inner principles that reside in the divine world, the fine material realm and the four immaterial planes. Only with the destruction of this self it is said that the final annihilation takes place. Would it not sound like some sort of annihilation in the divinity sense, in other words the “annihilation of the soul in God” as the ultimate destiny of a spiritually perfected sainthood? Finally, the proclaimers of the doctrine of Nibbāna Here and Now seem to commit the fundamental error of identifying concept of permanent self to Nibbānic experience, which is also unrightfully misinterpreted (Bodhi, 1978; p. 27-31).

The Sutta concludes with the Buddha attributing the ground of all the sixty two views to contact of the six sense-bases. It seems that the problem appears upon repeated contact, by which it conditions feelings, and feelings condition craving, craving conditions clinging, and so on as in the paṭicca-samuppāda formula. The interesting point I would like to point out here is the antidote that the Buddha has prescribed: “…when monk understands as they really are the arising and passing away of the six bases of contact, their attraction and peril, and the deliverance from them, he knows that which goes beyond all these views.” Those views, which largely contribute to the emergence of some major religions in the present time are indeed “fused” by the failure to realise the impermanence of six sense-bases that condition contact. Once this is understood, the idea of a metaphysical soul/self will become meaningless.

Gunapala claims that the Buddha maintains that the belief-in-a-soul theory which is so prominent in some ideological systems can be traced to an emotional bias. The so-called ideas about “I” and “self” are considered as “thoughts haunted by craving concerning the inner self”. Additionally, the desire and attachment for the consciousness and its types give rise to dogmas and emotional biases (Gunapala, 1987; p. 9). And this is when one would end up grasping after systems, craving for “identity” which oftentimes creates a wall separating oneself from others who simply hold the different belief systems. Of course, the root of all these is the contact through six sense-bases that conditions the forming of all metaphysical views.

This Sutta is also known as “all-embracing net of views”. Indeed the Buddha has beautifully pointed out the full spectrum of “personal views” (and their problems) during his time which is still applicable until today, and it can be extended to non-religious belief systems as well. It must be noted however that this article is not meant to put down on other religions or belief systems. In my opinion, the Buddha is offering an alternative gateway to the highest attainment of morality and knowledge without utilising the theory of soul/self. It is the attachment to the self idea which blinds the people from seeing things as they truly are, and hence the emergence of violence and terrorism that keep haunting the world today.

Bibliography:
Bodhi, Bhikkhu, trans. The Discourse on the All-Embracing Net of Views: The Brahmajāla Sutta and Its Commentaries. Kandy, Sri Lanka: Buddhist Publication Society, 1978.

Walshe, Maurice, trans. The Long Discourses of the Buddha: A Translation of the Dīgha Nikāya. Boston: Wisdom Publications, 1995. (Originally published under the title, Thus Have I Heard, 1987.)

Gunalapala, Dharmasiri. A Buddhist Critique of the Christian Concept of God. Singapore: The Buddhist Research Society, 2^nd Ed, 1987.

When Herons Leave the Lake

Ven. Sheng-yen

Some inspire grace and awe. Even in the animal realm, there are those that move through life with such grace that it touches our hearts to behold them. Who is not in awe of giraffes running on open grassland, of blue whales breaching ocean waves, or of herons landing on wetlands? There have been those among us that inspire this same awe as we see them move through life with such a natural ease and grace. Like lotus and herons, they rise above the murky waters of life to witness each moment with ever renewing freshness. Such people give us a vision of how life could be for each of us, how the world could be if we could only be at ease ourselves and see with such clarity!

Last year on February 3rd, my Shifu (師父), Chan Master Sheng-yen, 聖嚴法師, passed from this world. It was like the heron we had long since taken for granted had suddenly taken flight and left the lake. Geese and mallards cannot compare with this graceful, mindful creature! How sorely he is missed!

John Daido Loori

On October 9th, 2009, John Daido Loori spread his wings and lifted off the lake leaving still waters.

Now, last Friday, Robert Aitken Roshi also has spread his wings in flight leaving me to wonder what we do when all the herons have left the lake? Each time a master passes, Buddha's final breath takes on new relevance: "Strive on!" We inherit their vows to live a life of compassion and rededicate ourselves to our daily practice. Masters like Sheng-yen arose out of need, like a high pressure cell naturally flowing into a low pressure cell. On their passing, a new void is created and others must rise to the challenge with renewed vitality.

Robert Aitken Roshi

When herons leave the lake, in due season they or others will return. In the meantime, we ourselves must rise above the murky waters and move with mindfulness and grace.