It is said that the Buddha did not inform or instruct others about the dharma, the truth, but rather he proclaimed the truth, or more exactly, he revealed it. We can't give the truth to someone as an object, we can only point to it, inviting inspection. It is in that spirit that we can hear or read a teaching and then look at our own lives, at our own experiences to see whether anything might have been revealed about them.
In the Buddhist texts there are phrases depicting the response of people hearing a teaching: "That which was overturned has been righted, the hidden revealed, the way has been shown to one who was lost, a lamp has been held up in the darkness." In the end, we can't hold on to the teachings as an identity or an object, we cannot become attached to them because in some strange sense there is nothing to claim. There's no commodity we can take with us. There is only our lives, whether we live them wisely or whether we live them in ignorance. And this is everything.
The Buddha said once, "I do not argue with the world. It is the world which argues with me." Many times the Buddha was asked what he thought about a certain teacher, or a certain presentation or doctrine. He would often say things like, "Look to see if the path, if the practice, leads to the complete ending of greed, hatred, and delusion in your lives. And if it does, you can trust it." "Look to see whether it leads to the end of suffering. Look for yourselves." That is our invitation, and our responsibility.
The teachings of the Buddha are talked about as the middle way or the middle path because they avoid two extremes. They avoid the first common extreme of overindulgence or reliance upon intense pleasure for perfect happiness. We live in this world of great promise, where everything seems to offer an unchanging final happiness, if we can only get enough of it. It is very intoxicating. If we get lost in the delusion that somehow some sensual pleasure, seeing, hearing, tasting, touching, thinking, whatever it is, is going to provide a lasting happiness, then we're lost, because as things continually change, we continually suffer.
The other extreme of this reliance, this overindulgence of the senses, is the extreme of self-mortification or self-torment or over-asceticism. In the philosophical systems of India in the time of the Buddha, it was often believed that if the body could be tortured or tormented enough, then somehow the spirit would soar free and the person would be liberated. Nowadays, perhaps we experience some of this in eating disorders, or self-mutilation. But primarily this now manifests in a kind of mental or emotional self-mortification or self-torment, where people seem to believe that if somehow they can condemn themselves enough, or torture themselves enough with-self hatred, that their spirit will soar free and there will be liberation, there will be final and perfect happiness.
It is imperative for us to see beyond this tendency in order to both understand and achieve true spiritual transformation. The Buddha said: "Hatred will never cease by hatred. It will only cease by love. This is an eternal law." This includes the tendency towards self-hatred -- it will never cease by more hatred. Bringing hatred to a hate-filled situation will add hatred. Bringing love will bring love.
The Buddha also said: "You can search the entire universe for someone who is more deserving of your love and affection than yourself. This person is not to be found anywhere." What an incredible statement that is!
So for us the question becomes, can we find that place in the middle of these extremes, neither fruitlessly clinging to transient experiences, nor working from a place of self-hatred? Can we discover a place within of interest, awareness, and love that can motivate our practice? Can we find that very delicate place in the middle of these extremes, and empowered by that, really take a look at our lives? Taking a look at our lives in this way, we can see deeper truths for ourselves. Seeing these deeper truths, we can be liberated from old habits of clinging and condemning and delusion. We can be ready to proclaim, "That which was overturned has been righted, the hidden revealed, the way has been shown to one who was lost, a lamp has been held up in the darkness."
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Lama Surya Das: Who and What Is Buddha, Really?
Many things are in each side of each of those broad opposites, but walking the joining point of them is a narrow and straight place. The edge of a coin is so narrow one must go in only one direction or risk loosing their balance, but either side is broad and, unless at the edge, has plenty room to regain balance. Thus, if we call killing killing and not evil, molestation molesting rather than evil, a rose rose rather than beautiful and the like, we are living in the middle path. So long as we say god or devil, positive or negative concerning any matter we are in the broad way, living in anabstract duality.
Living in abstract duality one seeks to satisfy the physical senses, living the middle path one accepts things and seek their purposes. That is the kingdom of heaven path within or dharma, being aware enough to learn from everything.
Suffering exists.
Suffering is caused.
The way to eliminate suffering is to eliminate the causes.
The way to eliminate the causes of suffering is to follow the eight-fold path, which is:
Wisdom (Right Views, Right Resolution)
Conduct (Right Speech, right Action, Right Livelihood)
Mental Discipline (Right Effort, Right Mindfulness, (Right Concentration)
Notice that there is no mention of supernatural beings or miracles.
Buddhism began as a self-help philosophy that provides a way of life here on earth, not a false hope of everlasting life in a mythical heaven somewhere in the sky.
Then, as with most religions, the followers of Buddhism began expanding the basic teachings and created the various forms of Buddhism that exist today. Thus a relatively simple and easily understood guideline for leading a good, happy life became a religion full of myth and superstition.
metta,
pema
Being good, being compassionate, taking responsibility are choices of Human intent.
Just as being greedy, selfish, and intolerant are Human choices of intent.
These concepts and actions are not religiously owned, they are not from any Corporate cult idealism, or any Human made philosophy.
Our actions come from our survival, our evolution, as Human animals.
Do unto others is not a religious or Spiritual phrase, it is about survival!
We do not need castles to worship in when nature has already provided the greatest platform needed - Nature, that gives life to everything, not some floating cloud man.
Humanity needs to do away with all the props, and theater of religion and Cult worship, and just do the right thing, because it is right!
http://www.richmonk31.blogspot.com
note... i think its important to consider the cultural circumstances at the time. the buddha thought women didnt have the ability to find enlightenment.
so perhaps he wouldnt speak the same way about religion today.
"The other extreme of this reliance, this overindulgence of the senses, is the extreme of self-mortification or self-torment or over-asceticism."
Tiger Woods has a SEX problem, and so do too many others who are adicted to SEX without caring about consequences of indiscriminent sexual behavior; it is a character flaw, a sign of a weak, disfunctional character, not very differrent from an adiction to cigarettes.
If Tiger Wood's has a SEX problem, how is it any of your business? The only reason you know about it is because so many people idolize him because he is a sports hero. A sport by the way the bores the wings off of a butterfly if forced to watch a tournament either live or on television.
This was an interesting way to explain suffering from grasping. I was anticipating that you were going to say something like "we're lost when we are chasing sensual pleasure because...happiness must come from within". Which of course is true, too.
But that the *things themselves* change as the source of our discontent, is yet another way of looking at it.
All is flux–deal with it!
All one has to do is observe how democrats treat Sarah Palin, Rush Limbaugh, or Glenn Beck. By democrats own standard, it is with unmitigated hatred.
They are so virtuous. lol
Hate can be good (this is where it gets tricky). Democrats hated Bush's bad policies (even if they might not have hated him). Most normal people hate to see children sexually abused. Or hate to see people starving.
I hate that. I really do.
God of the bible hates divorce and a lying tongue.
We can understand the hatred of someone who had tortured as a POW. Actually, many can have compassion for a person who harbors this kind of hatred.
Hate is not what democrats make it out to be. It has positive and negative qualities. And democrats twist its meaning to apply only to others and not themselves. Then they clobber people over the head with it.
In truth, hate isn't what democrats say it is unless they are more guilty of hatred than those they accuse.
I find that it's a better method than hitting the alarm clock, sighing, groaning, rolling out of bed, head filled with horrid thoughts of what awaits you today.