It's been about 50 years since the bulk of the Asian meditation masters arrived here -- Japanese, Korean, Tibetan, Vietnamese and so on. Many of us have spent our whole adult lives trying to practice and absorb what they taught us. I've been thinking recently about the "50 year lessons" that we have gleaned during this time.
Some of the lessons have been transformative, others disappointing. Many of the lessons we learned the hard way -- by making mistake after mistake (which is what my teacher Suzuki Roshi characterized as the basic quality of Buddhist practice, even for teachers). In this and the next post I want to present my 50 year lessons, at least those I have thought of so far.
Enlightenment Is Not What We Thought
In the early days, the '60s and '70s, peoples' notions of enlightenment came from three sources: books, psychedelics and living teachers -- probably in about that order. I have written before about the way that D.T. Suzuki's "Essays on Zen Buddhism" books promulgated the word "enlightenment" to describe an experience rather particular to his brand of Buddhist practice -- the Rinzai Zen of Japan. His description probably wouldn't have been nearly as compelling if it hadn't dovetailed nicely with peoples' psychedelic drug experiences. Asian teachers tried to disavail people of the notion that an acid trip was enlightenment, and we nodded sagely. But those early formative experiences persist as powerful imprints. I talk to many 40 year Buddhist practitioners who still reference their early acid trips -- or even their recent ones -- as an essential aspect of their spiritual understanding.
For the next generation of Buddhists, and even now, the '60s counterculture and its fascination with altered states is ancient history. The younger Buddhists bring their own very different frames of reference to their spiritual quest. Maybe the lesson is simply that "enlightenment" is not something to be understood or experienced as much as to be lived. What I often say to people is that Buddhism is not about what you believe, but about how you live and what you do. Your spiritual experiences, deep though they might be, don't really mean much until you've lived them out. Once, long ago, I wrote an essay called "Enlightenment is Behavior." It was controversial then, and probably still would be today.
Meditation Isn't Good For Everything
I don't know why we ever thought this. Maybe it was because meditation seemed so new and special that felt like a panacea for all our problems and questions. What we have now discovered is that meditation does not cure everything. As my teacher used to say, "Sometimes zazen doesn't help. Sometimes nothing helps." Meditation isn't necessarily good at fixing relationships, at dealing with deep-seated traumas and psychological disorders, it may or may not help with depression (there is some evidence that it does sometimes), it doesn't help us get a job or keep a job. Meditation is unique unto itself, but meditation isn't life. Buddhism is about life; meditation is one of its tools (and only one).
When I was working in the corporate world the warehouse manager came to me and said, "Lew, you know about this meditation stuff. I have a Buddhist on my staff and he just works too slowly. If he doesn't speed up I'll have to let him go." I spoke to the employee and he explained, "I'm just trying to be mindful." I told him to go to a Japanese restaurant and watch the sushi chefs at work. They are mindful too, I said; they work with sharp knives and are very quick. I'm not sure he took my advice. Soon after he was let go.
Of course there are a whole range of benefits that meditation brings; they have now have been validated by scientific testing. Meditation can be hugely beneficial. We just have to remember that it does what it does, and doesn't do what it doesn't do. Meditation is not life, nor is life meditation. They are interrelated but different.
Religious Corruption Is Universal
This is a big, uncomfortable lesson that many in the Dharma world are still learning. The books on Buddhism, and even many of its teachers, often present an idealized Dharma package that leaves out the messy and unsavory reality of how human beings, including Buddhist human beings, really behave. We bring our own idealized dreams and wishes to the Dharma, thinking that it is the cure-all for the messiness of being human -- at least much better than the religions of our childhood! The fact is that Buddhist leaders, both in Asia and in the West, come in all shapes, sizes, degrees of understanding and tendencies to go off the rails.
Even after 50 years, Buddhism in the West is very much the Wild West. The trail of scandals, bad behaviors, betrayal and disappointment, has been long and is still unfolding. Those who stick with their practice regardless can understand that this is just the way it is and learn from what happens. That fact doesn't demean the deep truths that Dharma brings; it is just another one of those deep truths. There are so many pitfalls in practice, and those who study the teachings of the ancients can see that they knew all about these matters, and tried to warn us. Dharma is reality. We have to continually face that, rejecting what is false, and embracing what is true, however painful.
Fifty-year Lessons for future posts: Prejudice Against Women Runs Deep, Conflict is Part of the Path, The Next Generation Will Be Different -- Really Different.
Follow Lewis Richmond on Twitter: www.twitter.com/lewrichmond
Larry Yang: Buddhist Intention: Being Kind in Unkind Times
Buddhism in the West - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
We do not, will not know what "western Buddhism" is or will become for decades or centuries. Ultimately Buddhism should be a community of practitioners of the basics of the Dharma prescribed by the Buddha. Early Buddhism was probably this for about five minutes before it fractured into political and egotistical hierarchies. Buddhism is finding roots in the west because there are many teachers and approaches and no one has to give fealty to a particular sect. Ultimately there are as many paths to enlightenment as there are souls searching for that. Buddha just gave a really good outline to point the Way.
That both are "outside" normative awareness does not mean they are commensurate.
Enlightenment is not what you thought. Religious corruption is Universal. Mediation isn't good for everything. These are all related. Most teachers have no realizations with regards to the two most critical aspect of Buddhist training: ontology and concentration. And yet, they claim or allow others to make claims that they are realized beings. Corruption. As a result, what they teach is not the Dharma, but their own opinions and methods. This is why their meditation is not good for everything.
Also, as the Buddha said, "When all the causes are present, of the result there is no doubt. When a single cause is missing, no result will occur." The reason why you have gained no realization in 30+ years, the reason why you have no Nirvannic qualities to your experience, the reason why enlightenment is not what you thought, is highly conditioned by incorrect information, wrong expectations, and bad teachers. This is a process which thousands of American Buddhists meekly buy into when they subscribe to popular Buddhism.
The Dharma Jewel is sometimes visualised as a Metaphysical Crystal with 84,000 different facets, representing all the teachings of the Buddha. Depending on our viewpoint, one or a few of these facets will reflect brightly in our direction.
When we first meet the Dharma, we are attracted to the most brilliantly reflecting facets - those aspects of the teachings that are particularly relevant to us and our problems. Most of the other facets will appear dull or oblique, or not appear to us at all, being completely hidden round the other side of the Crystal.
But other people may be attracted to those facets of the Jewel that appear bright to them but dull or hidden to us. We must be very careful before making any comparisons, because the appearance of the Jewel to our mind is entirely a result of our karma... http://seanrobsville.blogspot.com/2009/11/doctor-buddha.html
What you are referring to is the Buddha's skillful means. Yes, of course, he taught many things for different types of beings. However, these were all taught for the purpose of you realizing his highest position on ontology. The big shiny Dharma object you are speaking about is a teardrop that comes to one point. The shiny sides are supposed to direct your attention to ontology (emptiness of inherent existence). Every view and teaching of the Buddha was for the single purpose of helping you aim your attention at his teachings on ontology, correctly understand them, realize them, and be released from incorrect understanding of reality.
Western Dharma students want the magic key, the next big spiritual experience, and so on. Some want to simply live a nice quiet life, drink tea, eat organic, and not run into trouble with anyone. Some want want to develop magical intuitive powers, ability to see auras, etc. The truth is that most teachers who have arrived here either have no realizations or don't think Americans can realize the Dharma, so we get different varieties of: "Just be a nice person, make offerings to statues, smile, don't hurt anyone, try to meditate a little if you can, and do good deeds."
The power of the Dharma is in the raw, straightforward ontological statements and its methodology for removing incorrect mental behavior from the mind of human beings. This message and methodology has been repeatedly watered down and watered down, until nothing of substance remains.. You want to know why YOUR meditation doesn't fix everything? Because you were never meditating. Want to know why your Dharma doesn't fix everything? Because it was never Dharma.
Also, this is a blog, rather than something more suitable for a deep discussion, and the content is softened so as to not seem too challenging to the entrenched positions mentioned above... a soft invitation being preferred instead. I think things will change, but over decades or more.
BTW, I have found several of your comments, over the last weeks/months to be among the best I have read anywhere. I am very pleased that persons such as yourself are now emerging to carry the process forward... from your avatar, you seem relatively young and that to me is an especially encouraging sign. I hope to hear more from you about the Dharma.
This is the essence of the problem of Western Buddhism: softened down teachings have softened down results. Western Dharma teachers have softened-down realizations! In other words, no realizations. We are going up against a Mt. Everest. Most Western teachers are busy staring at trees at the bottom of the mountain or climbing 1/100th the way up and thinking they are at the top.
The Dharma is difficult to understand, difficult to practice, and even more difficult to realize. As my teacher says, we don't have time to f-around with this. After this lifetime there is a flowchart downwards, and it takes an unimaginably long period of time to re-gain these circumstances.
In "making it easier" we try to manipulate the teachings and the students.. this attempted manipulation in order to experience certain future results is a failure of our understanding of emptiness (ontology). All we can do is say what's true to those people we see/feel/think are ready to hear it and are willing to meet us 60% of the way in terms of training.
Honestly we are closer to True Natre when we have reached ouy wits end, than sitting with the Buddha himself!
If he hasn't "gotten it" after 30 years, he is probably not going to get it.. sadly. Very sadly. But he also has the audacity to teach others methods which haven't worked for him. Why kind of logic is that: "I'm going to teach you how to build tables, but if you try to use them for anything slightly heavy, they will collapse." Sweet. Sign me up. He is a reflection of how the Dharma has yet to take root in the minds of Westerners. Real Dharma fixes everything. Real meditation works for everything.
the ordinary mindfulness found in san francisco zen can indeed help a sushi chef slice sushi swiftly and successfully, and said zen can likewise help an imperial soldier manifest himself as a "bodhisattva of compassion" while he decapitates an unarmed civilian prisoner with only one stroke of his samurai sword. that zen is proven practical for all stuff like that.
buddhism can't "help" anybody do those things, and wouldn't.
there's no monopoly on mindfulness, only a subtle distinction between ordinary mindfulness (pop psychology, sf zen, etc) and the noble mindfulness cultivated in buddhism. ordinary mindfulness can honestly and sincerely help in limitless practical ways, including helping a sniper hit his target. and so the ordinary mindfulness (sf zen) lends itself professional meat processing and martial arts.
in buddhism, there are no martial arts. but if you want to be a good karate chopper or such like, then lewis' lineage in the place to be.
if, on the other hand, you have an inkling, a visceral insight into the wisdom of ahimsa, then just about any other buddhism is a better bet.
I don't practice in the Zen tradition, but I feel your characterization is unfair. At the heart of mindfulness (whether 'ordinary" or "noble") in any true Buddhist school are the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path, along with the Five Precepts. All of these basic Buddhist principles would rule out harming, killing, chopping and the like.
A person who uses mindfulness or has insight into Ahimsa would not harm or kill. While ahimsa is typically thought of as a Brahmic term, the idea of nonharming is very much a part of Zen.
That's my two baht.
http://books.google.com/books/about/Zen_at_war.html?id=qhMLAAAAYAAJ
http://www.tricycle.com/feature/fog-world-war-ii
You might have to start furtherback, maybe in the archives, but it is provaocative.
For thoese interested, the Dhamma/Dharma is easily found, and it has not been corrupted. The good news is that the teachings of the Buddha are fairly easily found, and can be read and studied and integrated into one's life. There are a number of good teachers available in many communities to help with the study of these teachings.
What makes the integration of Dhamma into America such an interesting subject is the way that the Dhamma has been taken in its pure form, and adulterated to fit the culture. Nothing could be more American than the idea that you could take a tab of LSD and reach enlightenment the fast and easy way. Nothing could be more American than taking the Dhamma and packaging it into quick and easy self help programs such as those offered by false gurus (Genpo, for example), and telling people that for $5000 sessions, you can reach enlightenment, fast and easy.
The good news is that the Dhamma/Dharma is free, It takes a bit of work to understand it, and meditation is not immediately easy. But, all good things in this life do not come in a pill or an expensive course.
those who have faith in drugs, consume their experiences like drugs.
that's why in this article one could substitute the word marijuana for meditation.
for lewis and his kin, the nature. function, and consumption of either object are essentially the same.
Agnostic
But we can get a lot of mileage from the first two aspects before we have to invoke religious 'faith'.
The basic foundations of all forms of Buddhism are the Four Seals of Dharma, which are philosophical, as explained here: http://rational-buddhism.blogspot.com/2011/05/rational-buddhism.html