The Many Faces of God (satire)

"God is like three-in-one oil." — Eldridge Cleaver

Unlike trinitarianism, modalism is a complex way of saying that the Godhead has three faces (guises?): God, the Christ and the Holy Spirit.

Consider God to be an actor.

As a deity, He is. As the Christ, he is Messiah and all that implies. Yet as the Holy Spirit, we get into the supernatural since he is also known as the Holy Ghost.

After much thought on this topic, I asked myself: "What is God when he's not acting as a deity or as the Christ or as the Holy Spirit, remote from humanity?" To me the answer is obviously: God is the Absolute.

It serves no purpose for God to exist as a physical being in the physical world when the supernatural world is his domain.

Yet God is on the minds of his believers since it is through belief of his existence that he exists. Outside of that context, and for most people who don't believe in him, he does not exist.

As for his pre-existence, that is a wholly monotheistic supposition and may lead to endless debate on his existence.

If God exists as a belief, then the Buddha exists as fact. For the Buddha's existence is verifiable while God's existence is based on faith in the Bible alone. In contrast, the Buddha's existence is not only based on the sutras but also on historical records.

Though, no one can compare a man known as the Buddha, formerly the prince Siddhartha Gotama, to God, a monotheistic deity, since the Buddha is not a deity.

Yet Amida Buddha is almost a deity, though he exists as a metaphor for the boundless life of compassion and the boundless light of wisdom. In this context "boundless" means "transcending human limitations" and especially, "beyond mere sentience."

Because of the limitations that monotheism places on such philosophy, the discussion of God becomes moot in light of Buddhism. In some ways it is like comparing apples to oranges. For the Buddha is not another face of God. Rather, Buddhism is outside the realm of monotheism.

Even so, there are elements of modalism in the many Buddhas and bodhisattvas in Buddhism. In the example of Amida Buddha, it is said there was a prince named Dharmakara who meditated for a long time and envisioned the Pure Land. After making a series of 48 vows, he fulfilled them all and was reborn in the Pure Land of Bliss as Amida Buddha.

In the case of Amida, the Absolute is the refined essence of Buddha Nature. Indeed, the Pure Land is a reflection of the Absolute. As well, Dharmakara might be considered the incarnate form of the Absolute as a human of high standing (a bodhisattva) who was reborn as Amida Buddha.

Such an interpretation regarding Amida Buddha stretches the truth that Buddhism cannot be seen through the filter of Christian philosophy because the divine is viewed differently within Buddhist philosophy. For the deities of the God Realm are limited beings who live long lives but eventually die.

Indeed, the God Realm is one of the Six Realms of Desire. Thus the gods of Buddhism suffer.

Hence the birth of Siddhartha was the birth of the future Buddha who even the Hindu gods and goddesses would adore because he transcended the cycle of rebirth and became the Buddha.

My interpretation of the Christ story is that the Absolute relieves the sufferings of a Hellenized Jewish people subject to the laws of Judaism by having the deity known as God reborn as a mortal named Jesus, son of Mary and Joseph. This is revealed to her in a vision in which an angel named Gabriel tells her she shall conceive the Messiah through action of the Holy Spirit. After Jesus is born, he exposes Jewish ritualism as a fraud, makes enemies among the Jewish leaders, and is betrayed by one of the twelve of his beloved disciples. Then he is crucified, only to "die" and awaken as the Christ. Later he show himself to his disciples, and ascends to Heaven.

Thus, the story of the Christ is of God begetting the Christ in human form who is born to an unmarried woman named Mary as Jesus with his mortal father Joseph marrying her to legitimize his birth as "Son of Man". After his Crucifixion he arises as the Christ and eventually rises to Heaven. Thus he fulfills prophecy about himself.

In contrast, the Buddha's story begins with the dream by his mother of an elephant entering her womb. She dies shortly after childbirth, and Siddhartha is raised by his aunt. He is born into royalty. His father the King consults soothsayers, one of whom predicts that Siddhartha will either be a great king or a great wise man. Although his father tries to raise him as a prince, he learns all about suffering, abandons his royal status, and becomes the Buddha.

After his Enlightenment, he teaches not only his fellow seekers about the Four Noble Truths of Suffering, but also forms a religious order that challenges the ritualism of early Hinduism. He helps change Indian life in the process, and lives a long life, only to die due to an unspecified illness. After his death, the blooming of flowers on a tree out of season in the midst of the winter monsoons leads to other stories of miracles. However, the evolution of the Buddhist society that follows helps transform Indian society in a positive way.

Thus the story of the Buddha only vaguely echoes the Christ story. The ritual of law in Hebrew society of Jesus' time contrasts with the ritualism in Hindu society where the priestly caste has become intercessor between the people and the Indian gods.

Additionally the Hindu gods and goddesses may be seen as a complex form of modalism. In the case of Hinduism, each and every god and goddess represents the different faces of God but are aspects of the Godhead so complex making a single deity the only god to worship seem restrictive and thus oppressive to freedom of worship. Thus, the gods and goddesses of Hinduism might be considered as a gem with many facets, each one representing the bright and shining qualities of their worshipers in their perfect form.

In this way are the many faces of God revealed as aspects of human qualities of good called virtues. When I compare this to the qualities often ascribed to God, it becomes apparent to me that it is the good of humanity that is reflected in God. Though, it could also be said that it is the good qualities of a patriarchal society is emphasized by God. This is also true of the Hinduism but Buddhism critiques this truth while acknowledging that for that period of time, speculation about God was moot.

Indeed, the legacy of monotheism is a history of warfare by his chosen ones. Great suffering came at the cost of plagues and other miseries, as depicted in the Bible. in contrast, the story of Hinduism is not all peace and love for one's fellow man either.

It is not until the Indian king Ashoka that we see Hinduism being given sway to Buddhism. Ashoka wins a great battle but sees the truth about suffering revealed to him after being advised by a Buddhist monk about his responsibility regarding the war in which he lost friends. In response, he becomes a Buddhist king who spreads the message of Buddhism far and wide.  As a Buddhist, he spread peace throughout India.

It isn't until the modern era that organized religion caused Buddhism to affect Sri Lanka and Burma, although in different ways. This is due to organized religion not Buddhism and it is not restricted to Buddhism either. It is because of organized religion that warfare has been the legacy of monotheism, be it Christian, Judaism or Islam.

Perhaps few people are patient enough to reflect on the deep spiritual meaning of their faith due to their belief in a higher power than themselves. Such humility has lost the respect of many people in the face of the distractions of every day life in the postmodern world. So many people have no time to consider the many faces of God for many reasons, be it a matter of convenience or an overall disbelief in God.

I as a Buddhist know that the belief in God and the associated faith in his existence should be tempered by knowledge. However, the limited knowledge of Christians is focused on the Bible. Thus the faces of God are limited to God, the Son and the Holy Ghost.  In a way, each part of the Trinity are merely the many faces of God, limited and simplified by Christian dogma.

It's simpler to consider three aspects of God than a handful of gods and goddesses of Hinduism, even though the Godhead of both Christianity and Hinduism are roughly the same.

Though the Christian will dispute this, the Hindu might agree.

As a Buddhist, I lean towards a nondual concept of God as the Absolute, the closest of which is the Pure Land of Bliss. In my eyes, Heaven and the Pure Land are similar in that they are ideals of their respective faiths. However, I prefer Buddhism over Christianity mainly because I prefer not to stay ignorant about other faiths.

For knowledge is only dangerous when the little that you know leads you to ignore the consequences of your ignorance.

YMMV

---

Originally posted on February 28, 2014 at 02:02 AM

References:

Modalism - Wikipedia:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modalism

The Absolute - Wikipedia:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Absolute_(philosophy)

Buddha Remembrance As Easy As Meditation

Buddha remembrance consists of Buddha recitation which is when the Buddhist laypeople gather together to chant the name of the Buddha.

If they are devoted to the Lotus Sutra as in the lay Buddhist sect of Soka Gakai then they chant "Namu myoho rengé kyo."

If they are of the Jodo Shinshu sect then they chant the Nembutsu ("Namu Amida Butsu").

By chanting the Buddha's name the devotees become mindful of the Buddha.

Thus is Buddha recitation Buddha remembrance.

It is said that Buddhist chanting is the easy path to enlightenment for all sentient beings.

For all sentient beings are destined to become bodhisattvas since such sincere devotion shown by chanting the Buddha's name is a fee definite sign that the Buddha is calling through his devotees.

Small wonder that the Nembutsu is known to the devout Shin Buddhist as the Name-that-calls.

As well,  Buddha recitation is called the easy path in contrast to the hard path of Zen mediation.

Thus are there two paths to Enlightenment in Mahayana Buddhism.

The World Alight With Passion (poem)

A vision of beauty is like the sun.
Before seeing it, my world was dark.
Now it is alight with passion.

With the world alight with passion,
the dark of night no longer blinds me
to the true beauty of love.

Pure Heart, Pure Mind, Pure Land

In the Diamond Sutra - Commentary Part IV refers to Commentary on Chapter 10 "The Adornment of Pure Lands".

In Chapter 10 of the Diamond Sutra, it is written:

The Buddha said to Subhuti, "What do you think? Was there any dharma which the Tathagata obtained while with Burning Lamp Buddha?"

"No, World Honored One, there was actually no dharma which the Tathagata obtained while with Burning Lamp Buddha."

"Subhuti, what do you think, does a Bodhisattva adorn Buddhalands?"

"No, World Honored One. And why? The adornment of Buddhalands is no adornment, therefore it is called adornment."

"Therefore, Subhuti, the Bodhisattva, Mahasattva, should thus produce a pure heart. He should produce that heart without dwelling in forms. He should produce that heart without dwelling in sounds, smells, tastes, tangible objects, or dharmas. He should produce that heart without dwelling anywhere."

"Subhuti, suppose a person had a body like Sumeru, King of Mountains. What do you think, would that body be big?"

Subhuti said, "Very big, World Honored One. And why? It is said by the Buddha to be no body. Therefore it is called a big body."

Bdhisattvas and Buddhas have conquered attachment to Dharma or phenomena such as "sounds, smells, tastes, tangible objects or dharmas". Thus, they are not unlike the sages of arhatship

For arhats, bodhiattvas. and Buddhas have attained nirvana.

Likewise, a Mahasattva, being a bodhisattva who has reached the eighth stage out of the ten stages of the bodhisattva, produces the pure heart by not being attached to forms.

Nor should he have attachment to the formless, which is depicted as the big body of Sumeru. Being very big, the Buddha calls it "no body".

"Being the King of Dharma, the Bodhisattva can perfect the beings in a chosen part of the world, and gradually transform into a Pure Land by the adornment of his merit and virtues. Pure Land is developed by pure mind; pure mind is developed when it does not abide in anything."

"King of Dharma" refers to the bodhisattva, an awakened being who has conquered attachment to forms, and thus is "not abiding in anything". Thus, he is free to perfect the sentient beings who dwell in his Pure Land, which is gradually transformed "by the adornment of his merit and virtues."

By conquering attachment to forms, the bodhisattva develops the pure mind that is able to develop the Pure Land into which she shall be reborn as Buddha.

In Buddhism, this world of birth-life-death is due to Karma. Since the spiritual maturity of sentient beings determines their living conditions, the Buddhaland, i.e. the Pure Land is forged through willpower and the result of the Bodhisattva's Karma. It offers the perfect conditions for quick spiritual progress.

When a Bodhisattva neither thinks nor says "I adorn Buddhalands", he truly realizes the emptiness of self and Dharma.

Unattached to any thought of self, and unattached to the Dharma of Buddhalands, the bodhisattva who adorns Buddhalands has no thought of adorning Buddhalands. Since the adornment of Buddhalands is but a name and lacks substance, a Bodhisattva such as a Mahasattva should produce pure heart.

Free from attachment with no mark, he produces that pure heart without dwelling in the Six Dusts, which are the Worldly Dusts — form, sound, scent, taste, touch, dharmas (external opinions and views). These dusts correspond to the five senses and the discriminating, everyday mind (the sixth sense, in Buddhism).

"He should produce that heart without dwelling in forms" summarizes the entire meaning of Diamond Sutra. When he heard of this sentence, the famous Sixth Patriarch Hui Neng experienced sudden enlightenment, resulting in his teaching of "no-thought", the "pure and unattached mind" which "comes and goes freely and functions fluently without any hindrance".

Consider the following doubt: "If there is no adornment of Buddha Lands, where would the Buddha's Retribution Body abide or dwell?" In Zen, the Retribution Body is the Sambhogakaya, which along with Nirmanakaya (transformation body) and Dharmakaya (Truth body) are metaphors for future good thoughts, discriminative thinking and the true Buddha. On this point, Master Hui Neng writes, "The successive thoughts that forever involve good are thus the Sambhogakāya."

In the Commentary, it is written:

"Shakyamuni Buddha cut off this doubt by declaring that the Dharma Body was not a body. His idea was that the land of no-land was permanently pure and illuminating and that the body of no-body was the Dharma Body. Both of them has no form. As the body could not be perceived by means of form, how then could the land be adorned?"

Likewise, Truth itself has no form, yet its marks are clearly seen in the Diamond Sutra.

"It is said by the Buddha to be no body, a body without comparison, a body without measurement, thus it is truly big body. No matter how big the physical body is, it is finite and measurable. The No body of Buddha is his Dharma Body as the result of his teachings, his wisdom and his merits, which is, of course, infinite immeasurable and incomparable. The Dharma Body is the true Buddha, while the Reward Body and the Transformation Body are not."

Thus the truth of the Buddha's teachings, his wisdom and his merits are immeasurable and incomparable.

When thinking discriminatively of the true Buddha, successive thoughts that forever involve good are truly future thoughts which are always good.

---

Original post: October 16, 2003 0153H
Update posted: March 6, 2013 2249H

References:

Arhat: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arhat_%28Buddhism%29

Diamond Sutra: Commentary Part IV: http://web.archive.org/web/20030905132041/http://www.buddhistdoor.com/bdoor/archive/sutra_comm/diamond/diamond_07.htm#d2

Dipankara Buddha: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D%C4%ABpankara_Buddha

Hui Neng: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huineng

Mahasattva: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahasattva

Sambhogakaya: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sambhogak%C4%81ya#Ch.C3.A1n_Buddhism
In the Platform Sutra of the Sixth Patriarch, Chan Master Huineng describes the Samboghakaya as a state in which the practitioner continually and naturally produces good thoughts:

Think not of the past but of the future. Constantly maintain the future thoughts to be good. This is what we call the Sambhogakāya.

Just one single evil thought could destroy the good karma that has continued for one thousand years; and just one single good thought in turn could destroy the evil karma that has lived for one thousand years.
If the future thoughts are always good, you may call this the Sambhogakāya. The discriminative thinking arising from the Dharmakāya (法身↔fashen "Truth body") is called the Nirmanakāya (化身↔huashen "transformation body"). The successive thoughts that forever involve good are thus the Sambhogakāya

Worldly Dusts: Thich Thien Tâm, Buddhism of Wisdom and Faith, p. 335

Sentient Beings

Zen master Dogen once said:
"Those who greatly enlighten illusion are Buddhas; those who are greatly deluded about enlightenment are sentient beings."

All sentient beings possess the six sense bases (ayatana) of eye and visible objects, ear and sound, nose and odor, tongue and taste, body and touch, mind and mental objects.

They include all beings, whether physical beings, spiritual entities, or metaphysical beings, even plant life and insects. These beings include divinities, humans, animals, ghosts, and hell beings.

However, humans and animals are especially respected in the material realm known as the physical world of material existence.

Since divinities, ghost and hell beings have no material existence, their influence on the physical world is limited.

Yet my mind is open to their metaphysical existence when illustrating a Buddhist teaching.

Enlightenment is Always With Us

From birth until death, the potential of Enlightenment is present within all sentient beings as Buddha Nature.

During life, mental and physical negativities arise as afflictions to distract us from it, due to the ego's grasping onto the illusion of permanence.

These negativities leads to suffering due to the Five Poisons of desirous attachment, aversive anger, and delusive ignorance, and their daughters, pride born out of ignorance and desire, and jealousy arising attachment and aggression.

The Five Poisons are the destructive emotions.

Through meditation and mindful practice of wisdom, the charitable acts of kindness to help, and the loving sacrifice in service to other sentient beings aid in satisfying the ego, pacifying it.

Once the ego is pacified, the mental and physical negativities are replaced with the antidotes of love, compassion and insight,which are strengthened through practice and training.

Buddha Nature represents the essential nature of the mind, which is pure and undefiled by the destructive emotions.

When joy comes easily, and the mind is easily calmed through meditation, the antidotes have succeeded in curing it of the Five Poisons.

For that joy arises due to Buddha Nature, the seed of Enlightenment itself.

Thus Enlightenment is always with us, like the pure white light of freedom.

---

References:

The Gandavyuha Sutra: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avatamsaka_Sutra#The_Gandavyuha_Sutra
Five poisons:

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kleshas_%28Buddhism%29#Five_poisons
  
• http://www.rigpawiki.org/index.php?title=Five_poisons
  wli>http://www.rigpawiki.org/index.php?title=Disturbing_emotions
  

Bodhi Mind Defined (poem)

Bodhi Mind is the wish to become enlightened
to help free all other sentient beings
from the sufferings of existence and lead them
to the unsurpassable bliss of Enlightenment.

We Can Become Buddhas

Orgyen Tobgyal Rinpoche says:

It is because this ground or sugatagarbha or potential is common to all beings that they are capable of attaining enlightenment. If they did not have such a ground then they could never become buddhas.

For example: a stone doesn’t have the ‘ground’ or potential to produce oil, and so no matter how much you might press it and grind it — even if you use modern tools and machinery — you will never extract any oil. A sesame seed, on the other hand, does have the potential to produce oil, and by pressing it in the right way, sesame oil can and will be produced. So it is because the potential exists as part of our basic nature that we can become buddhas.

In my previous blog post, I wrote about the Eight Consciousnesses of Yogacara School. In it, the eight consciousnesses revealed, and of them, it is the eighth consciousness that will help with the understanding of the Buddhist term of "ground". For the eighth consciousness is also called "all-ground consciousness" in Tibetan Buddhism.

Sugatagarbha is the Tibetan Buddhist term for Tathagatagarbha, or Buddha Nature.

Buddha Nature is common to all sentient beings, for every being is capable of attaining enlightenment.

Since the potential to become Buddha exists as part of our primordial nature, we all can become buddhas.

Indeed, Buddha Nature is awaken by hearing the Teaching of the Buddha. Inspired by his message, one may choose to become a Buddha, and develop Bodhi Mind, which is both the determination to become a Buddha and the aspiration to help other sentient beings become enlightened.

One of the ways to become enlightened is to become a Zen master, which might involve a backache and perhaps the risk of hemorrhoids. Seriously though, traditional Zen involves the preliminary chanting of the Heart Sutra followed by hours of the sitting in meditation of zazen.

However, the whole point of meditation is to firstly develop the calm mind and secondly, achieve samadhi (one-pointedness of mind or single-minded concentration). To aid in this task, the disciple is given a koan, which is like a Chinese finger puzzle for the mind. For the intent of a koan and zazen is to make the mind flexible enough to achieve satori (seeing into one's true nature).

This happens when the disciple lets go of clinging to what Zen is supposed to be, and has that moment of sudden enlightenment when he lets go of what he thinks Zen is.

When the Zen practitioner carries the burden of Zen as a bunch of rules requiring discipline to practice just sitting in excellence, it's like the Zen master who carried a beautiful girl across a flooded stream and his disciple.

For the purpose of meditation is not just to achieve a calm mind, but to also develop the flexibility of mind to let go of clinging to thoughts. With every breathe he takes, the disciple learns discipline.

Even though sometimes I may mock the Zen practitioner, it is to discover if his meditation has resulted in the joy of satori. This is why when I meditate, it is done with a smile.

Master Hui-Neng inspired his disciples by teaching them about "no-thought."

No-thought is the state of mind where one cannot find the word for objects he sees and his mind clings to nothing.

In contrast, Hui-Neng's description of the "pure and unattached mind" which "comes and goes freely and functions fluently without any hindrance" reminds me more of the coming and going of the flow of thoughts without doing more than returning to just breathing when their distraction leads one away from meditating.

Even if we meditate and do not achieve Nirvana in this life, it still is possible to become a Buddha in the afterlife.

Yet the Buddhist remembers that she does her mindful practice for all sentient beings. If she chanted daily even ten Buddha Recitations, then that will help her become reborn in the Pure Land of Bliss.

As long as she did this with utmost sincerity to help all sentient beings become Enlightened, and is determined to be reborn in the Pure Land, her rebirth there is assured.

If she would rather chant the Heart Sutra before meditation, and she chanted it with single-mindedness, it's said she'd discover its true meaning.

In Sanskrit, the beauty of the mantra is found in chanting "gate gate pāragate pārasaṃgate bodhi svāhā."

This mantra is pronounced as: "Guh-teh guh-teh PAH-ruh-sum-guh-teh bohd-hee swa-ha."

The Dalai Lama translated the Heart Sutra mantra as "go, go, go beyond, go thoroughly beyond, and establish yourself in enlightenment."

It's been said that all sentient beings have the potential to become buddha, for Self nature is Buddha Nature. Indeed, the Self is filled with selflessness, that sense of psychic prowess performing acts of random kindness in a friendly, loving manner.

Yet it is also empty of the self, which is depicted in Buddhism as the egocentric Monkey mind swinging from thread to thread of thought without a clear focus on the truth of one's actions, or even better, the truth of the Dharmakaya.

For Dharmakaya is but the Truth of the Tathagata that all phenomena, Buddhas and Bodhisattvas are essentially empty of permanence, being a part of the temporary nature of all phenomena. Even Buddhas and Bodhisattvas are finite despite living uncountable ages.

It is wonderful to contemplate the myriad Buddhas, bodhisattvas and the Buddhist pantheon of gods and goddesses pacified by the Buddha to protect him, the Dharma and the Sangha through skillful means.

Although my words about Buddhism may seem hypocritical for exposing the less interesting aspects of Buddhism for Westerners, it is not so.

All my words on Buddhism are inspired by what the Buddha said. For the truth is, we can become Buddhas, by going beyond an intellectual understanding of the Dharma to actually practising meditation.

Though I prefer silent Nembutsu practice of Buddha Remembrance in combination with some kind of breath meditation to prevent my chanting from annoying the neighbours! >:)

---

References:

Buddha nature: http://www.rigpawiki.org/index.php?title=Sugatagarbha
Eight Consciousnesses Revisited: http://gandhara.blogspot.com/2013/02/the-eight-consciousnesses-revisited-poem.html
Yogacara: the Eight Consciousnesses: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yogacara#The_eight_consciousnesses

Ignorant Craving (poem)

Ignorant craving is like being blinded
By staring too long at the sun,
Except you're addicted to worldliness.
Enlightenment is like being able
To run naked in a field with everyone.
Now that you know the difference,
Why would you still want to stay blind?

The wise man strives to no goals

If you wish to move in the One Way
do not dislike even the world of senses and ideas.
Indeed, to accept them fully
is identical with true Enlightenment.
The wise man strives to no goals
but the foolish man fetters himself.
There is one Dharma, not many;
distinctions arise
from the clinging needs of the ignorant.
To seek Mind with the [discriminating] mind
is the greatest of all mistakes.

-Seng-tsan, "Verses on the Faith Mind"

To seek Mind with the Faith Mind, one accepts fully the world of senses and ideas.

Yet the diligent Buddhist detaches herself from the five senses and does not cling mindlessly to ideas due to mindful practice.

Regarding goals, only a fool would be fettered to many goals, lest the goal that leads to the One Way be lost. For the wise man who strives to no goals knows that samsara is Nirvana. Because his life is not determined by goals, he follows the One Way.

Although it seems that there are many paths to Enlightenment as there are grains of sand on the beach, there is only the One Way, the Dharma Path to Enlightenment.

---

Originally published: November 18, 2005 at 1158H
Edited February 6, 2013 at 2117H

Keep Walking Forward!

The Dharma Path is to keep walking forward. But the true Dharma has no going forward, no going backward, and no standing still.

-Ajahn Chah, "Still Forest Pool"

Commentary:

That's because the true Dharma is fully in the present guiding us along the Dharma Path to Enlightenment.

Every Buddhist who makes the whole-hearted commitment to the Buddha walks on that path.

To which I add with gusto: Walk on!

---

Originally published: December 21, 2005 at 2135H
Updated: February 6, 2013 at 2043H

Who Knows the Way to the Pure Land?

"Buddhist thought may be considered to have followed this order of human thinking; from the scientific form to the religious through the philosophic. The ultimate end of Buddhism is perfect self-realization, enlightenment. For the attainment of this purpose two basic principles are to be recognized. Firstly, the individual self must be negated. Secondly, the universal self and the oneness of all life must be affirmed." — Ryuchi Fujii, The True Meaning of Buddhism - Muryoko, Journal of Shin Buddhism

Buddhist psychology affirms that the individual self is a social fiction which arises out of the interconnection of all sentient life.

"Self exists in mutual relationship to all things, to the totality of all things and to the oneness of all life. Self-realization is achieved through the mutual understanding of the nothingness of all selves." — ibid.

Thus, self is reflected in all things.

Just as I have a mind, so too do other people. Furthermore, so do all sentient beings have a mind. Since a mind is conscious of the six senses (ear, eye, smell, taste, touch, and cognition), thus is it the same as consciousness. For only in the mind does consciouness arise for each of the senses.

Buddhist philosophy holds that conflict, fights and war between sentient beings are due to the illusion of ignorance.

Yet Buddha Nature is reflected in all things nd is known as the oneness of all things.

"Self-realization is attained through the wisdom of self-effort." — ibid.

In Buddhist practice, each sentient being is limited and ignorant by nature when it remains an individual.

This is why people have a community and when why the most inquisitive of them seek the truth both through their interaction with other sentient beings and through solitude.

"Self is ever perfectible, but it cannot be perfectly realized in this world. Self is perfectly realized only in the Pure Land through the aid of Amida Buddha." —

On hearing the Buddha's Teaching, the practitioner comes to realize that, like a bodhisattva, one gains the truths about Amida Buddha through practice to realize the purpose in life is to be of service to others.

In this way is the path to rebirth in the afterlife is the Pure Land of Bliss.

For only Amida Buddha knows the way to the Pure Land.

Freedom for Girls Essential for Social Enlightenment

In order for human beings to become socio-culturally enlightened, human society must continue to give the option to women earlier in their life cycle to break from traditional patriarchal mores, so as to free them from their current social conditioning.

This is not an advocacy of matriachalism, as both patriarchalism and this latter ideology rely on dominant-submissive dichotomy which conditions their respective society.

All are Buddha

"Buddha does not always appear as a Buddha. Sometimes He appears as an incarnation of evil, sometimes as a woman, a god, a king, or a statesman; sometimes He appears in a brothel or in a gambling house. In an epidemic He appears as a healing physician and in war He preaches forbearance and mercy for the suffering people; for those who believe that things are everlasting, He preaches transiency and uncertainty; for those who are proud and egoistic, He preaches humility and self-sacrifice; for those who are entangled in the web of worldly pleasures, He reveals the misery of the world. The work of Buddha is to manifest in all affairs and on all occasions the pure essence of Dharma-kaya (the absolute nature of Buddha); so Buddha's mercy and compassion flow out from this Dharma-kaya in endless life and boundless light, bringing salvation..." — Chapter 3 - The Form of the Buddha and His Virtues III Buddha's Virtue, Verse 4: http://www.hinduwebsite.com/sacredscripts/buddhist_bible.asp#ch3bv

Thus the Buddha represents compassion and mercy through human agents. In one sense then, the Buddha is loving-kindness and its positive action on society. With respect to Dharma-kaya:

"As Essence it (Dharma-kaya) is the substance of the Dharma; that is, it is the substance of Truth as it is in itself. ... As the aspect of Essence, Buddha has no figure nor color, and since he has no form nor color, Buddha comes from nowhere and there is nowhere for him to go. Like the blue sky he overarches everything, and since he is all things he lacks nothing.

"He exists not because people think that he does or as they think, neither does he disappear because people forget him. He is under no particular compulsion to appear when people are happy and comfortable, neither is it necessary for him to disappear when people are inattentive and idle. Buddha transcends every conceivable trend of human thought; Buddha's body fills every corner of the universe; it reaches everywhere, it exists forever, regardless of whether people believe in him or doubt his existence." — Suvarṇaprabhāsottamasūtrendrarājaḥ ( Golden Light Sutra ) 3
— Dharma-kaya and its relation to the Buddha's three bodies: http://www.hinduwebsite.com/sacredscripts/buddhist_bible.asp#ch3

Hence, the Buddha may not be noticed by the world since the world expects a Buddha to be what they ascribe to their primitive understanding of Buddhism.

Yet the Buddha clearly states what he is not:

A brahmin once asked The Blessed One:

"Are you a God?" "No, brahmin." said The Blessed One.

"Are you a saint?" "No, brahmin." said The Blessed One.

"Are you a magician?" No, brahmin." said The Blessed One.

"What are you then?" "I am AWAKE."

By "awake" the Buddha meant the karmic seeds planted in his psyche by his experiences awakened the spiritual qualities resulting in his enlightenment. His teaching of the Four Noble Truth thus have the potential to sow the karmic seed of enlightenment in Buddhists.

Thus, the Buddhist path is neither godly nor saintly not magical. Thus bodhisattvas are not saints but heroic-minded ones for Enlightenment who have returned from the Pure Land (Buddha-field) to help guide followers to the Pure Land.

However, a Buddha does not always take the guise of a monk or other holy person. he could be a classical Asian daemon, which is more benign than the Christian daemon, the Jewish golem or the Muslim djinn.

He might even appear as the devil if need be.

Yet this is only if one sees solely through the monotheist lens. This is probably why a few Christians misunderstand Buddhism to be pagan.

It's mainly why when the Moghul hordes arose to conquer Central Asia, they forced all the Buddhists in what is now the Afghanistan province of Kandahar (which used to be the Gandharan Buddhist kingdom prior to Islam's spread into the region) to become Muslim.

However, the Kandahar people who are not Pashtun are severely oppressed by by the Pashtun precisely because their Muslim ways aren't good enough for the Taleban since they are less blood-thirsty than their Pashtun overlords, perhaps due to their Buddhist past. It may also explain why Kandahar people tend to be ambivalent whether their overlord is Taleban or NATO.

Sadly though, the Bamiyan Buddhas are blown up, thanks to the Taleban, possibly to give a middle finger to Dalia Lama, who commented on the Afghanistan theatre of the mass media circus called War on Terror.

But I digress.

Anyone is Buddha, even your god, be he human, divine or an idol.

Reference:
Dharmakaya: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dharmakaya
Golden Light Sutra: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_Light_Sutra
A Brahmin once asked The Blessed One: http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Buddhism
Buddha-field: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lokottaravada#Buddha-fields
Pure Land: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pure_Land
Enlightenment: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bodhi
Bodhisattva: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bodhisattva

Illumination of the Mind, Light of the Soul

"God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light." — Genesis 1:3

"This little light of mine, I'm going to let it shine" — gospel children's song written Harry Dixon Loes in 1920


If you believe only physical things outside the mind only have light, then that is a shallow view of what illumination actually means.

Yet, who can fathom the illumination of the heart upon reading the word, then hearing it, and realizing that the faith of a mustard seed has been planted by the Illuminator, God?

In this way does the soul grow, not by mere words but by reflection on what the Bible says, and practising prayer and meditation with the fellowship of like-minded individuals.

Only the wise know what I mean.

---

References:
Illumination: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Illumination_%28concept%29
"This Little Light of Mine": http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/This_Little_Light_of_Mine

Enlightenment (Poem)

Cultivated by study of the sutras
and mindful practice, arises
gradual enlightenment.
Sudden enlightenment just happens!

Buddha Nature and Enlightenment

In Mahayana Buddhism, the true nature in each person is Buddha Nature, which represents the potential in each and every one of us to reach full enlightenment. This is an intrinsic and immortal potential which exists in the mind of every sentient being. Such a potential is actualized through meditation.

First, through breath meditation, one clears the mind of defilements so that it becomes the pure mind that is essential to experience and show compassion for other sentient beings. Second, insightful meditation requires the clear mind to validate the Four Noble Truths and dependent arising in one's life through mindful practice.

"Sentient" is derived from the word "sentience" which means "the ability to feel and/or perceive". Thus "every sentient being" means "all living beings which are able to feel and/or perceive". Furthermore, Eastern thought views sentience as "the metaphysical quality of all things that require care and respect." Even nonhuman lifeforms are sentient.

In Buddhism, sentient beings made of pure consciousness are possible. Hence, the Buddhas, Bodhisattvas and other gods exist in their respective Buddha-fields.

Each one of these Buddhas, Bodhisattvas and Buddhist deities represent various states of minds i.e. Amida represents wisdom and compassion, Sakyamuni Buddha represents enlightenment and/or spiritual awakening, Kuan Yin represents compassion, the devas represent aspects of enlightenment, and so on.

Indeed, the Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, and Buddhist deities also also have a spiritual existence where they exist within the heart-mind of each and every sentient being.

Buddhists who practice meditation will then realize these internalized sentient beings as various aspects of their mind.

For each Buddha, Bodhisattva and Buddhist deity represents the pure form of each mental and emotional quality of the mind, the qualities of enlightenment such as overt and latent power ( the deities Agyo and Ugyo), latent might (Naraen / Ugyo), day and night (the Bodhisattvas known as White Tara and Blue Tara), the pure mind and body (Kuan Yin), and the power aspect of complete enlightenment (Vajrapani / Mahasthamaprapta).

Thus, the sentient beings made of pure consciousness are reflections of that intrinsic potential to reach enlightenment known as Buddha Nature .

Buddha Nature itself also is empty of defining characteristics related to sunyata and nondualism. Insightful meditation helps in understanding sunyata and nondualism.

Sunyata is known as suchness, nothingness, emptiness, and voidness, and refers to the impermanent nature of reality within context of egolessness, the concept of non-self that all things perceived by the senses including the mind are not really "I" or "mine".

Buddhist nondualism is reflected in that concept of non-self, which is the nonduality of subject and object. Thus is self and other an illusion. Nondualism is also reflected in the concept of two truths, the ultimate reality that there is no self in contrast to the conventional reality where each person speaks of himself. As well, the view of nonduality is known as wisdom while the experience of duality is known as compassion.

In this way is our ordinary dualistic experience, full of all living beings, nurtured with care always experienced as "now". Thus the Mahayana path tempers wisdom with compassion to cut through the confusions of duality.

Therefore, wisdom helps one to transform one's growing understanding of nonduality into compassion for all sentient beings in the present moment.

My own personal understanding of nonduality is that egolessness is the ultimate reality of the pure mind, which is a reflection of Buddha Nature. With the pure mind attained through meditation, I experience compassion for other people by listening to them. This is known as mindful practice.

Thus, breath meditation helps clear the mind and realize the pure mind. With the pure mind, one is able to use insightful meditation to validate the Four Noble Truths and dependent arising by experiencing one's life fully. Through insights derived from meditation, one is inspired to experience compassion for other living beings. By experiencing compassion for others, one develops mindful practice.

---

Reference:
Buddha Nature: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddha_Nature
Japanese Buddhist Photo Dictionary: http://www.onmarkproductions.com
Sunyata: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunyata
Nondualism: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nondualism

Letting go of Ego (poem)

Letting go of ego
being embraced by
Thusness, the wise ones cut through
delusion and view
Buddha Nature as Self Nature.

Holding onto ego,
letting go of Thusness,
the fool tightly clings
to delusion with all his might --
Phantasies are at his command!

Seeing ego as delusion,
calm mind is the mindful one's reward
for just sitting still --
with such purity of mind
one uncovers Buddha Nature.

With five senses arise
five consciousnesses with
the sixth reflecting upon these five,
to realize ego is impermanent,
the seventh consciousness is free
to view Alaya consciousness as Thusness,
leaving all eight empty of substance.
Not clinging to them at all,
one is liberated from samsara,
only to return to this world
to help others find the Way.

So let go of ego as self,
and cut through the delusion
of Alaya consciousness as soul
to uncover Buddha Nature
which is Self Nature for
both are empty of substance.

Thus does this foolish one
stop clinging to ego,
and all thought of soul transmigrating
is washed away by all waters
flowing into the Ocean of Mind,
that refreshes us all
with liberation from samsara.

Study Oneself

To study the Buddha is to study oneself. To study oneself is to forget oneself. To forget oneself is to be enlightened by the myriad dharmas. To be enlightened by the myriad dharmas is to bring about the dropping away of body and mind of both oneself and others. The traces of enlightenment come to an end, and this traceless enlightenment is continued endlessly.

-Dôgen, "Flowers Fall"

What a Buddha Is

It is said that the true Buddha is Enlightenment.

Also all beings, even you and I, may be Buddhas.

Thus we are all the means to Enlightenment itself.

And the spiritual journey we all share is to awaken to Enlightenment, both through our own efforts and that of others.

Yet we do not worship each other like religious icons.

For a Buddha is not some religious icon to worship mindlessly, but is the means to discover the true Buddha: Enlightenment itself.

In the eyes of monotheistic religion this is sometimes difficult to understand.

For religious worship is but part of the journey.

Thus may all people be the Buddhas to aid in each other's enlightenment.