** 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.
**
** 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.”
**
** What do the various titles of the Mahayana Traditions mean?
(ie- Geshe, Rinpoche, Lama, Venerable)
"Geshe" refers to a certain level of monastic and philosophical
training. It is traditionally received after approximately 25 years
of full-time intensive study at one of the great monasteries. It is
similar to someone getting a "ph.d." level of study and
accomplishment, although it is much more than that.
There are also different levels of Geshe. For example, a "Lharampa
Geshe" graduated with great honors and was among the top of his
class. It is primarily a title referring to academic excellence and
degree of training in the Buddhist philosophical texts.
"Rinpoche" means "precious" and refers to someone who in their last
life attained such a high degree of mastery that they did not have
to take any more rebirths. However, out of their compassion for
others, they took another birth at will - or rather took a human
form - in order to teach others. Hence, they are "precious" because
they returned to show us how to do it ourselves.
"Venerable" is a term for those who are ordained. Any monk or nun is
traditionally referred to as "venerable". It is simply a term of
respect for those who have chosen the monastic life and have taken
it upon themselves to preserve the teachings in this way.
"Lama" means literally "heavy with qualities". It is a title which
implies that the person who is the referent of this term has
demonstrated spiritual qualities and the ability to lead others in
their spiritual life and path. There are some Tibetan Buddhist
traditions where you can "earn" the title "lama" after doing a
certain amount of retreat and study. In other traditions, one must
earn the title "lama" by way of demonstrating their qualities over
the years - or because they have been recognized clearly as a "Rinpoche"
- and then are a "lama" by definition!
**
** Tab15 **
** Tab16 **