Shakyamuni Buddha and Buddhism

Page 20

The King With One Grey Hair [Ordination] A very very long time ago, there were people who lived much longer than they do today. They lived many thousand years. At that time, the Enlightenment Being was born as a baby named Makhadeva. He lived 84,000 years as a child and crown prince. At the time of our story, he had been a young king for 80,000 years. One day, Makhadeva told the royal barber, "If you see any grey hair on my head, you must tell me immediately!" Of course, the barber promised to do so. Another 4,000 years passed, until Makhadeva had been a young king for 84,000 years. Then one day, while he was cutting the king's hair, the royal barber saw just one little grey hair on all the king's head. So he said, "Oh my lord, I see one grey hair on your head." The king said, "If this be so, pull it out and put it in my hand." The barber got his golden tweezers, plucked out the single little grey hair, and put it in the king's hand. At that time, the king still had at least another 84,000 years left to live as an old king! Looking at the one grey hair in his hand, he became very afraid of dying. He felt like death was closing in on him, as if he were trapped in a burning house. He was so afraid, that the sweat rolled down his back, and he shuddered. King Makhadeva thought, "Oh foolish king, you have wasted all this long life and now you are near death. You have made no attempt to destroy your greed and envy, to live without hating, and to get rid of your ignorance by learning the truth and becoming wise." As he thought this, his body burned and the sweat kept rolling down. Then he decided once and for all, "It is time to give up the kingship, be ordained as a monk, and practice meditation!" Thinking so, he granted the income of a whole town to the barber. It amounted to one-hundred-thousand per year. Then the king called his oldest son to him and said, "My son, I have seen a grey hair. I have become old. I have enjoyed the worldly pleasures of great wealth and power. When I die, I want to be reborn in a heaven world, to enjoy the pleasures of the gods. So I will be ordained as a monk. You must now take the responsibility of ruling the country. I will live the life of a monk in the forest." Hearing of this, the royal ministers and the rest of the court rushed to the king and said, "Our lord, why do you suddenly want to be ordained?" The king held up the grey hair in his hand and said, "My ministers and subjects, I have realized that this grey hair shows that the three stages of life - youth, middle age and old age - are coming to an end. This first grey hair was the messenger of death sitting on my head. Grey hairs are like angels sent by the god of death. Therefore, this very day is the time for me to be ordained." The people wept at the news of his departure. King Makhadeva gave up his royal life, went into the forest, and was ordained as a monk. There he practiced what holy men call the 'Four Heavenly States of Mind'. First is loving-kindness, tender affection for all. Second is feeling sympathy and pity for all those who suffer. Third is feeling happiness for all those who are joyful. And the fourth state is balance and calm, even in the face of difficulties or troubles. After 84,000 years of great effort meditating and practicing these states as a humble forest monk, the Bodhisatta died. He was reborn in a high heaven world, to live a life a million years long! The moral is: Even a long life is too short to waste.

"Master your senses, what you taste and smell, what you see, what you hear. In all things be a master of what you do and say and think. Be free. Are you queit? Quieten your body. Quieten your mind. By your own efforts waken yourself , watch yourself, and live joyfully. Follow the truth of the Way. Reflect upon it. Make it your own. Life it. It will always sustain you.
"I consider the positions of kings and rulers as that of dust motes in a sunbeam. I see the treasures of gold and gems as broken tiles. I look upon the finest silken robes as tattered rags. I see the myriad worlds of the universe as small seeds and the great Indian ocean as

drops of mud that soil one's feet. I perceive the teachings of the world to be the illusions of magicians. I look upon the judgement of right and wrong as the serpentine dance of dragons, and the rise and fall of beliefs as the traces left by the four seasons.
"Love yourself and be awake - today, tomorrow, always. First establish yourself in the Way, then teach others, and so defeat sorrow. To straighten the crooked you must first do a harder thing -straighten yourself. You are your only master. Who else? Subdue yourself, and discover your master." Buddha

THE NATURE OF BUDDHIST MEDITATION... In Buddhism it is said that for people to live healthy and effective lives it is both useful and important for them to cultivate a daily practice of meditation. By benefiting their own minds in this way, making themselves more calm, controlled and self-aware, they become both happier individuals and better members of society. In Tibetan we have the terms rangdon and shendon (1) which translates respectively as 'the purpose of oneself' and 'the purpose of others.' To be of benefit to the world, we have to first put ourselves in order. In the Mahayana, the motivation is to benefit ourselves in order to be of greater benefit to the world. Meditation is cultivated on this basis. The Tibetan term for meditation is gom (2). Gom literally means to familiarize the mind with a concept, aspect ofbeing, or theme. In this context it means to familiarize our mind with a spiritually significant
subject, or to integrate the essence of that theme into our stream of consciousness. It is important to understand something about the types of meditation practiced in Buddhism. The most general categorization of these is into a
twofold scheme: analytical meditation; and concentrated meditation. Analytical meditation is that part of the process of seeking a spiritual path wherein one investigates the relevant aspects of the object (of meditation) by means of reasoning. This helps one to gain strong conviction and a deeper understanding. For example, in order to gain realization of the ultimate nature of the mind, it is necessary for us first to understand the mode of its existence.
This is not possible without applying some kind of technique, and the success in the appication of a technique must be preceded by our having examined well the dynamics of that method. In general, any kind of mental investigation with an intention of seeking a spiritual goal can be called analytical meditation. Concentrated meditation is the phase of mental application wherein our mind is able to remain focused on a chosen object for a prolonged period of time. That is to say, concentrated meditation occurs when we understand a technique to the extent that we are able to place the mind on a given subject with some degree of stability. Normally, analytical meditation proceeds the concentrated application. Within concentrated meditation there is a special method for achieving one-pointedness of mind. This method is called zhiney (3) in Tibetan, and shamatha in Sanskrit. The form and method as well as the goal of zhiney is
more or less the same in both the Hindu and Buddhist traditions. That is to say, it is considered to be a common practice of meditation for both. Zhiney is said to be the foundation of all the meditational qualities required for
traversing the spiritual paths. Apart from zhiney, most other Buddhist meditaions differ from their Hindu counterparts. These differences are often explained in terms of the perspective if the meditator, and also the objects meditated upon. In general it is said that Buddhist meditation must be motivated by disinterest with samsaric existence, and by compassionate thoughts towards all sentient beings. Another characteristic of Buddhist meditation is that all the various techniques must be pervaded by the concept of selflessness, or anatma. As mentioned earlier, meditaiton can be of different types. In particular I would like to discuss the type called zhiney, or single-pointed
meditation. The practice of zhiney is very important to and useful for us, because it is the principal method for calming and stabliizing the mind. Without it our meditations will not lead to higher realization. When we have achieved a single-pointed mind our thoughts become clear, calm and stable. In that state we can reason effectively, penetrating deeply into any object of meditation and thus attaining pure realization of its true nature. This penetrative mind is called lhagtong (4) in Tibetan, from the Sanskrit visashyana, which means 'special insight.' The difference between single-pointed meditation and special insight is that the former principally has the function of pacifying our mind, and thus enabling us to concentrate mor deeply on a given subject. Special insight, on the other hand has the ability to analyze and penetrate into the subtle nature of an object. Thus, if we sincerely seek the realization of truth we should first develop clarity and strength of mind by means of the zhiney training, and then turn this force toward the cultivation of special insight. Kamalashila, (5) a ninth-cnetury Indian saint-scholar, uses the analogy of a lamp to explain how wisdom arises from a single-pointed mind. When a candle is put in a place where there is no wind, it can clearly illuminate everything around it. Similarly, when our mind becomes clear and still, and is free from agitation and dullness, we are able to develop clear and deep insight into the higher nature of the objects upon which we are meditating. Among the many objects taken as the focus of meditation for developing single-pointedness, concentrating on our breath as an antidote to discursive thought is very popular and common. Another popular object of concentration in this method is the mind itself. By developing concentration one passes through nine stages. These nine stages are mentioned according to the gradual development of stability of the mind. I will just list the names of the nine, as this conveys something of a sense of their nature: (1) inwardly placing the mind on the object; (2) extending the duration of the concentration; (3) replacing the mind on the object when it is distracted; (4) continuously restoring the focus of the mind (5) achieving a state of inner control; (6) achieving a state of inner pacification;
(7) achieving a state of complete inner pacification; (8) achieving single-pointed mind; and (9) achieving mental equlibrium.
As said earlier meditation has the effect of pacifying the mind. For ascetics and ordinary people alike, peace of mind is essential. If you have a peaceful and clear mind, this will enable you to be more effective in any activity that you undertake, be it temporal or spiritual. Certain meditations of the tantric path involve visualizing oneself as a
particular deity. These generally are to be performed only by initiates; but sometimes they can be performed by non-initiates as a method of cultivating concentration. The pracice of meditation has many beneficial effects, from relieving us of stress, to improving our physical and mental health, and making us into more happy and effective human beings. In the end, though its ultimate goal is to lead us to the states of higher being, nirvana and enlightenment. When
we practice it well, all of these beneficial effects become ours.
FOOTNOTES... 1.Tib., Rangdon and gZhan-don. 2.Tib., sGom. The term is linked to the word 'to familiarize,' in the sense of to integrate. 3.Tib., Zhi-gnas, which literally means 'abiding in peace,' or 'peacful repose.' The sense of the term is that the mind rests on the subject of meditation without the disturbances of being distracted by the two obstacles of torpor and agitation, or mental wandering. 4. Tib., Lhag-mthong, which literally means 'special seeing.' The term is related to the cultivation of wisdom, or sherab (Tib., Shesrab; Sanskrit, prajna). 5. Kamalashila played a very important role in the development of Tibetan religious history. It was he who was invited to Tibet toward the end of the eighth century, and who met and defeated the Chinese monk Huashang Mahayana in debate, an encounter that would set the tone of Tibet's future spiritual direction. The former represented the classical Indian tradition, and the latter represented a form of Chinese ch'an (or zen in Japanese). Kamalashila, one of India's foremost logicians, easily won the contest. From that time onward Tibet looked almost exclusively to India for its spiritual and cultural direction.

What is the importance of being vegetarian? Out of sincere repect for all life and the First Precept to refrain from killing, many Buddhists are vegetarian. Vegetarianism is consistent with the Buddhist concepts of universal interrelationship and rebirth. With the concept of rebirth humans may be other forms of life in their past and/or future lives, thus it follows that an animal could be a past and/or future next-of-kin. Thus, killing an animal could be seen as synonymous with destroying one's own relatives. While the traditional Buddhist scriptures do not mandate vegetarianism, many monastics must take a vow to not eat meat. Lay followers, however, are not required to do so. If not daily vegetarians, however, many Buddhists observe a vegetarian diet during retreats, Dharma functions, and holidays. A vegetarian luncheon buffet is usually available for all visitors to most Buddhist temples around the world.

Knowledge, Wisdom and Enlightenment... The Buddha traced the root cause of suffering to ignorance; so the search for Enlightenment is the supreme activity for the Buddhist. The activity proceeds at both the intellectual and the intuitive levels. Pure intellectual understanding is not sufficient, although it is often a very good starting point. When Enlightenment is attained, pure intellectual understanding is transcended by an intuitive grasp of the truths of the Universe. If knowledge is the outcome of "intellectual" activity, a person's fund of knowledge at any moment of time is made up of a number of beliefs that he considers valid. The Buddha was quite clear on what he considered legitimate to believe in. In his discourse to the K�l�mas (a people who were confused by the diversity of viewpoints they were confronted with) the Buddha said: "Come, O K�l�mas, do not accept anything from mere hearsay, or from what you have been told, or because it is mentioned in sacred teachings, or because of logic merely, or because of its methods, or in consideration of plausible reasoning, or by tolerating views based on speculation, or because of its appearance of its possibility and because `your teacher is venerable'. But when you, K�l�mas, realize by yourself that views are unwholesome, faulty, condemned by the wise, and that they lead to harm and misery when practised and observed, then K�l�mas, you should reject them" This is the criterion of acceptability which the Buddha wanted to apply to all claims, including his own. In Buddhism there cannot be room for blind faith, and all propositions, religious or otherwise should be subjected to analysis and practice. The reference to "mere logic" and "plausible reasoning" in the quotation given serves as a caution concerning some extreme forms of "rationalism" which argue that "pure reason" is sufficient to establish the truth of metaphysical propositions (like that of the existence of God). Deductive methods are useful, but as they can only bring out what is already contained in the premises of the argument, they cannot be used as a vehicle for the discovery of new truths. Rightly has the K�l�masutta been termed the Buddhist charter of free enquiry. As a result of the Buddha's rational and tolerant attitude early Buddhism never had concepts like heresy, apostasy and blasphemy (and this is true of all subsequent Buddhist schools). In many theistic systems imprisonment, torture and death have been inflicted on people who have refused to bow before dogma. In Buddhist epistemology, three levels of understanding are recognised. These are (using the Pali terminology): dii ("views"), ��na ("science"), and bodhi ("wisdom"). Dii refers to views accepted more or less dogmatically. Not all such beliefs are necessarily harmful, because some people could be motivated to act wholesomely even though motivated by incorrect views. But more usually such "views" can be extremely harmful. The Buddha did not consider knowledge consisting of dii to be useful in the longer term. Dii is often contrasted with scientifically based knowledge, which results from thinking, from learning and from mental development. This is usually terms ��na or pa��. The acquisition of this kind of knowledge is useful, and is not discouraged; but it alone will not lead to Enlightenment. This is clearly seen in the case of many eminent scientists, who have progressed far in the acquisition of particular kinds of knowledge, but have not been able to outgrow the dogmatic views inculcated in early childhood. True Enlightenment can arise out of the third kind of knowledge, consisting of wisdom (bodhi) and insight (vipassan�). This results from the intuitive realisation of the Buddhist laws and truths after the successful traverse of the Middle Path. The Enlightenment process involves the breaking of the ten fetters (sayojan�) that bind people to the phenomenal world. These are the five lower fetters of personality belief, sceptical doubt, clinging to rite and ritual, sensuous craving and ill-will, and the five higher fetters of craving for "fine material" existence, craving for "immaterial existence", conceit, restlessness, and ignorance.

The Dharma and Theistic Religion... Theism essentially means the service of an unseen God. Since this God never addresses individuals directly, but through "prophets," there has never been a shortage of the latter. And when the rival prophets make irreconcilable and conflicting claims, and impose mutually inconsistent rites, rituals, and codes of behaviour on their followers, it is not difficult to see in these a potent cause of conflict. Indeed a large part of the violence and crimes we see in history has been caused by the attempt of the followers of one "prophet of God" to impose dominion over those of another. In the modern world the bulk of the people owe formal allegiance to Christianity and Islam, religions which arose long after the death of the Buddha. They are offshoots of another religion - Judaism - which has remained confined to a small ethnic group. All three religions affirm the existence of an all-powerful creator God . The Buddha had long ago repudiated the notion of

a supreme creator God. The Buddhist views of the subject of God has already been dealt with elsewhere. Both Christianity and Islam have been fundamentally intolerant religions dedicated to the goal of converting others, and persecuting those of different faiths. In the last century or so, Christianity has been forced to give up some of its traditional methods of persecution, but it has not abandoned its evangelical zeal. Islam continues very much in the way it has even though conquest by the sword is becoming less easy. As a result of these attitudes, Buddhism has not been able to penetrate into those countries where Christianity and Islam have established themselves historically. Buddhists should seek to spread its message of religious tolerance and the peaceful dialogue between religions. Whether it will succeed in this has still to be seen.
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November 20, 2003