Click on a
link below to jump to a specific topic*
*Most of the
following questions and answers are extracted from The ABC
of Buddhism and I Wonder Why, copyright Ven. Thubten Chodron,
found on Amitabha Buddhist Center’s website.
Who is the Buddha?
There are many ways to describe who the Buddha is, according
to different ways of understanding . These various
interpretations have their sources in the Buddha’s
teachings.
One way is to
see the historical Buddha who lived 2,500 years ago as a human
being who cleansed his mind of all defilements and developed
all his potential. Any being who does likewise is also
considered a Buddha, for there are many Buddhas, not just one.
Another way is
to understand a particular Buddha or Buddhist deity as
omniscient mind manifesting in a certain physical aspect in
order to communicate with us.
Yet another way
is to see the Buddha -- or any of the enlightened Buddhist
deities -- as the appearance of the future Buddha that we will
become once we properly and completely have engaged in the
path to cleanse our mind of defilements and develop all our
potentials.
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What
are the Three Jewels?
The Three Jewels are the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha. Buddha is
one who has purified all the defilements of the mind the
afflictive emotions, the imprints of the actions motivated by
them, and the stains of these afflictive emotions and who has
developed all good qualities, such as impartial love and
compassion, wisdom knowing all existence, and skillful means
of guiding others.
The Dharma
embodies the preventive measures which keep us from problems
and suffering. This includes the teachings of the Buddha, as
well as the realizations of those teachings the cessations of
problems and their causes, and the realizations or paths which
lead to those cessations.
The Sangha are
those beings who have direct non-conceptual perception of
emptiness or ultimate truth. On a relative level, Sangha also
refers to the ordained people who put the Buddha’s teachings
into practice.
The Dharma is
our real refuge, the medicine we take which cures our problems
and their causes. The Buddha is like the doctor, who correctly
diagnoses the cause of our problems and prescribes the
appropriate medicine. By assisting us in the practice, the
Sangha is similar to the nurse who helps us take the medicine.
Taking refuge
means that we rely wholeheartedly on the Three Jewels to
inspire and guide us towards a constructive and beneficial
direction to take in our life. Taking refuge does not mean
passively hiding under the protection of Buddha, Dharma and
Sangha. Rather, it is an active process of taking the
direction they show and improving the quality f our life.
What is the essence of the Buddha’s
teachings?
Simply speaking,
this is to avoid harming others and to help them as much as
possible. Another way of expressing this is, Abandon negative
action; create perfect virtue; subdue your own mind. This is
the teaching of the Buddha. By abandoning negative actions
(killing, etc.) and destructive motivations (anger,
attachment, close-mindedness, etc.), we stop harming ourselves
and others. By creating perfect virtue, we develop beneficial
attitudes, like impartial love and compassion, and do actions
motivated by these thoughts. By subduing our mind, we cut away
all false projections, thus making ourselves calm and peaceful
by understanding reality.
The essence of
Buddha’s teachings is also contained in the three principles
of the path: definite emergence, the dedicated heart and
wisdom realizing emptiness. Initially, we seek definitely to
emerge from the confusion of our problems and their causes.
Then, we see that other people also have problems, and with
love and compassion, we dedicate our heart to becoming a
Buddha so that we are capable of helping others extensively.
In order to do this, we develop the wisdom understanding the
real nature of ourselves and other phenomena.
Why are there many Buddhist
traditions?
The Buddha gave a wide variety of teachings because sentient
beings (any being with mind who is not a Buddha, including
those in other realms of existence) have different
dispositions, inclinations and interests. The Buddha never
expected us all to fit into the same mould. Thus, he gave many
teachings and described various ways of practicing so each of
us could find something that suits our level of mind and our
personality.
With skill and
compassion in guiding others, the Buddha turned the wheel of
Dharma three times, each time setting forth a slightly
different philosophical system in order to suit the various
dispositions of sentient beings. The essence of all the
teachings is the same: the wish definitely to emerge from the
cycle of constantly recurring problems (samsara), compassion
for others and the wisdom realizing selflessness.
Not everyone
likes the same kind of food. When a huge buffet is spread
before us, we choose the dishes that we like. There is no
obligation to like everything. Although we may have a taste
for sweets, that does not mean that the salty dishes are not
good and should be thrown away!
Similarly, we
may prefer a certain approach to the teachings: Theravada,
Pure Land, Zen, Vajrayana, and so on. We are free to choose
the approach that suits us best and with which we feel the
most comfortable. Yet we still maintain an open mind and
respect for other traditions. As our mind develops, we may
come to understand elements in other traditions that we failed
to comprehend previously.
In short,
whatever is useful and helps us live a better life, we
practice, and whatever we do not yet understand, we leave
aside without rejecting it.
While we may
find one particular tradition best suited for our personality,
do not identify with it in a concrete way: "I am a
Mahayanist, you are a Theravadin," or "I am a
Buddhist, you are a Christian." It is important to
remember that we are all human beings seeking happiness and
wanting to realize the truth, and we each must find a method
suitable for our disposition.
However, keeping
an open mind to different approaches does not mean to mix
everything together at random, making our practice like chop
suey.
Do not mix
meditation techniques from different traditions together in
one meditation session. In one session, it is better to do one
technique. If we take a little of this technique and a little
from that, and without understanding either one very well mix
them together, we may end up confused.
However, a
teaching emphasized in one tradition may enrich our
understanding and practice of another.
Also, it is
advisable to do the same meditations daily. If we do breathing
meditation one day, chanting the Buddha's name the next, and
analytical meditation the third, we will not make progress in
any of them for there is no continuity in the practice.
What are the various Buddhist
traditions?
Generally, there are two divisions: Theravada and Mahayana.
The Theravada
lineage (Tradition of the Elders), which relies on sutras
recorded in the Pali language, spread from India to Sri Lanka,
Thailand, Burma, etc. It emphasizes meditation on the breath
to develop concentration and meditation on mindfulness of the
body, feelings, mind and phenomena in order to develop wisdom.
The Mahayana
(Great Vehicle) tradition, based on the scriptures recorded in
Sanskrit, spread to China, Tibet, Japan, Korea, Vietnam, etc.
Although in the Theravadin practice love and compassion are
essential and important factors, in the Mahayana they are
emphasized to an even greater extent.
Within Mahayana,
there are several branches: Pure Land emphasizes chanting the
name of Amitabha Buddha in order to be reborn in His Pure
Land; Zen emphasizes meditation to eliminate the noisy,
conceptual mind; Vajrayana (Diamond Vehicle) employs
meditation on a deity in order to transform our contaminated
body and mind into the body and mind of a Buddha.
What does the imagery in tantric art
mean?
Vajrayana deals a lot with transformation, and therefore,
symbolism is widely used. There are representations of some
deities, which are manifestations of the Buddha, that are
expressing desire or wrath.
The sexual
imagery is not to be taken literally, according to worldly
appearances. In Vajrayana, deities in sexual union represent
the union of method and wisdom, the two aspects of the path
that need to be developed in order to attain enlightenment.
Wrathful deities
are not monsters threatening us. Their wrath is directed
toward ignorance and selfishness, which are our real enemies.
This imagery, when properly understood, shows how desire and
anger can be transformed and thereby subdued. It has deep
meaning, far beyond ordinary lust and anger. We should not
misinterpret it.
What is the purpose of reciting
mantras?
Mantras are prescribed syllables to protect the mind. What we
want to protect our mind from are attachment, anger,
ignorance, and so on. When combined with the four opponent
powers, mantra recitation is very powerful in purifying
negative karmic imprints on our mindstream. While we recite
mantras, we should also be thinking and visualizing in a
beneficial way so that we are building up constructive habits
in the mind.
In the Vajrayana
practice, mantras are recited in Sanskrit, rather than being
translated into other languages. The reason for this is that
there is a special beneficial energy or vibration that is
induced by the sound of the syllables. While doing recitation,
we can concentrate on the sound of the mantra, on its meaning,
or on the accompanying visualizations that the master has
taught.
About Shakyamuni Buddha
He could no
longer repress the resolve he felt to go out in search of a
solution to the four sufferings of birth, old age, sickness
and death.
Shakyamuni
Buddha, the historical founder of Buddhism, was born in India
approximately 2500 years ago. Shakyamuni Buddha was the son of
Shuddhodana, the king of the Shakyas, a small tribe whose
kingdom was located in the foothills of the Himalayas south of
what is now central Nepal fifteen miles from Kapilavastu.
Shakya of Shakyamuni is taken from the name of this tribe and
muni means sage or saint. His family name was Gautama (Best
Cow) and his given name was Siddhartha (Goal Achieved).
Seven days after
his birth, his mother, Maya, died and he was raised by his
mother's younger sister Mahaprajapati. His mother's death may
have been a great influence upon the delicate youth who later
became very perplexed by the question of mortality. His father
took good care of his introspective, quiet-mannered son, and
gave him special training in literature and the martial arts.
As a boy,
Shakyamuni was deliberately shielded from the many realities
of life, having been brought up amid the pleasures of the
royal palace. It was natural for his family to expect that he
would take over as the leader of his tribe and succeed his
father.
Although his
family had such expectations for him, Shakyamuni was extremely
introspective and quiet as a youth, possessing a sharp sense
of justice, seeking the answers to life's perplexing
questions. It is said that he ventured out of the palace
compounds on a number of occasions as a youth and each time
was confronted with the sufferings of life. On one such
occasion he came upon a very old man. On another venture he
met a sick man, frail and burning with fever. On yet another
journey, he was impressed when he met a wandering monk (bhikshu)
who had renounced the world to lead an austere life in search
of spiritual enlightenment. And again on another occasion he
saw a person dead in the street. These events are recounted in
the Buddhist scriptures as the four meetings. He was said to
have been deeply moved by these confrontations with human
suffering.
Knowing his
son's tendency toward deep introspection and his desire to
seek a spiritual path, his father sought to tie him down to
life within the confines of the palace and their land.
Marriage seemed a way to dissuade the young prince from
pursuing the life of an ascetic, so at the age of sixteen, the
young prince married the beautiful Yashodhara who bore him a
son, Rahula.
Following the
birth of his son, Shakyamuni could no longer repress the
resolve he felt to abandon the secular world and go out in
search of a solution to the four inescapable sufferings of
birth, old age, sickness, and death.
Siddhartha
renounced secular life and his princely status around the age
of nineteen and began living a religious life. Having left the
palace of the Shakyas at Kapilavastu he traveled to Rajagriha,
the capital of the kingdom of Magadha, where he studied with
various ascetics, however, after following their disciplines,
he still could not find the answers to his questions. He then
left Rajagriha and proceeded to the bank of the Nairanjana
River near the village of Uruvilva, where he began to practice
various austerities in the company of other ascetics. He
subjected himself to disciplines of extreme severity,
surpassing the efforts of his companions, trying to reach
emancipation through self-mortification, but after six years
he rejected these practices as well. To restore his strength
from having fasted for such a long time he accepted milk curd
offered to him by Sujata, a girl of the village. Then, near
the town of Gaya, he sat under a pipal tree and entered
meditation. There he attained enlightenment at the age of
thirty. The pipal tree was later called the bodhi tree because
Shakyamuni gained bodhi or enlightenment under this tree, and
the site itself came to be called Bodhgaya.
After his
awakening, Shakyamuni remained for a while beneath the Bodhi
tree rejoicing in his emancipation. Shakyamuni contemplated
how he should communicate his realization to others. It is
said he questioned whether or not he should attempt to teach
others what he had achieved. He finally resolved to strive to
do so, so that the way to liberation from the sufferings of
birth and death would be open to all people.
First he made
his way to the Deer Park in Varanasi, where he preached the
Four Noble Truths to five ascetics who had once been his
companions. Over the next fifty years from the time of his
awakening until his death, Shakyamuni continued to travel
through many parts of India disseminating his teachings.
During his lifetime his teachings spread not only to central
India but also to more remote areas and people of all social
classes converted to Buddhism.
At the age of
eighty, Shakyamuni passed away. The year before his death he
stayed at Gridhrakuta (Eagle Peak) in Rajagriha. He set out on
his last journey from Gridhrakuta proceeding northward across
the Ganges River to Vaishali. He spent the rainy season in
Beluva, a village near Vaishali. There he became seriously
ill, but recovered and continued to preach in many villages.
Eventually he came to a place called Pava in Malla. There he
again became ill after eating a meal. Despite his pain, he
continued his journey until reaching Kushinagara. There in a
grove of sal trees he calmly lay down and spoke his last
words. He admonished his disciples, saying, "You must not
think that your teacher's words are no more, or that you are
left without a teacher. The teachings and precepts I have
expounded to you shall be your teacher" It is said that
his final words were, "Decay is inherent in all composite
things. Work out your salvation with diligence.”
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