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Buddhist
Publication Society Newsletter Spring 1992 No. 21 |
Refuge in the Buddha
The first step in
entering the Buddhist path is going for refuge to the Triple Gem, and the first
of the three gems that we approach as refuge is the Buddha, the Enlightened
One. Because the act of going for refuge to the Buddha marks the beginning of a
new chapter in our life, it is worth our while to repeatedly pause and reflect
upon the significance of this momentous step. Too often we are prone to take
our first steps for granted. Yet it is only if we review these steps from time to time in a deepening
awareness of their implications that we can be sure the following steps we take
will bring us closer to our desired destination. The
going for refuge to the Buddha is not a single action which occurs only once
and is then completed with absolute finality. It is, or should be, a
continually evolving process which matures in tandem with our practice and
understanding of the Dhamma. To go for refuge does not imply that at the outset
we already possess a clear grasp of the dangers that make a refuge necessary or
of the goal towards which we aspire. Comprehension of these matters grows
gradually over time. But to the extent that we have actually gone for refuge
with sincere intent, we should make an earnest effort to sharpen and deepen our
understanding of the objects to which we have turned as the basis for our
deliverance. In going for refuge
to the Buddha it is most essential at the outset to clarify our conception of
what a Buddha is and how he functions as a refuge. If such clarification is
lacking, our sense of refuge can easily become tainted by erroneous views. We
may ascribe to the Buddha a status he never claimed for himself, as when we
regard him as the incarnation of a god, as the emanation of the Absolute, or as
a personal saviour. On the other hand, we may detract from the exalted status
to which the Buddha is properly entitled, as when we regard him simply as a
benevolent sage, as an unusually astute Asiatic philosopher, or as a genius of
meditative technology: A
correct view of the Buddha's nature would see him in terms of the title he
assigned to himself: as a Fully Self-Enlightened One (sammaa sambuddha). He is self-enlightened because he has awakened
to the essential truths of existence entirely on his own, without a teacher or
guide. He is fully enlightened because he has comprehended these truths
completely, in all their ramifications and implications. And as a Buddha he has
not only fathomed these truths himself, but has also taught them to the world
so that others may awaken from the long sleep of ignorance and attain the
fruits of liberation. Taking
refuge in the Buddha is an act anchored in a particular historical individual:
the recluse Gotama, the scion of the Sakyan clan, who lived and taught in the
Ganges valley in the fifth century B.C. When we take refuge in the Buddha, we
rely upon this historical individual and the body of instruction that stems
from him. It is important to stress this point in view of the fashionable
notion that taking refuge in the Buddha means that we take refuge in "the
Buddha-mind within ourselves" or in "the universal principle of
enlightenment." Such
ideas, allowed to go unchecked, can lead to the belief that anything we
contrive in the flights of our imagination can qualify as true Dhamma. To the
contrary, the Buddhist tradition insists that when we go for refuge to the
Buddha, we place ourselves under the guidance of one who is distinctly
different from ourselves, one who has scaled heights that we have barely begun
to glimpse. But
when we rely upon the recluse Gotama as our refuge, we do not apprehend him
merely as a particular individual, a wise and sensible sage. We apprehend him
rather as a Buddha. It is his Buddhahood—his possession of the full range of
excellent qualities that come with perfect enlightenment—that makes the recluse
Gotama a refuge. In any cosmic epoch, a Buddha is that being who first breaks
through the dark mass of ignorance encompassing the world and rediscovers the
lost path to Nibbaana, the cessation of suffering. He is the pioneer, the
trailblazer, who discovers the path and proclaims the path so that others, by
following his tracks, may extinguish their ignorance, arrive at true wisdom,
and break the fetters that tie them to the round of repeated birth and death. For
the refuge in the Buddha to be genuine, it must be accompanied by a commitment
to the Buddha as an incomparable teacher, as unexcelled and unsurpassed.
Strictly speaking, the historical Buddha is not unique since there have been
earlier Fully Enlightened Ones who have arisen in past epochs and there will be
others who will arise in future epochs as well. But in any one world system it
is impossible for a second Buddha to arise while the teaching of another Buddha
is still extant, and thus in terms of human history we are justified in
regarding the Buddha as a unique teacher, unequalled by any other spiritual
teacher known to humanity. It is this readiness to recognize the Buddha as
"the unsurpassed trainer of persons to be tamed, the teacher of gods and
humans" that is the hallmark of an authentic act of taking refuge in the
Buddha. The
Buddha serves as a refuge by teaching the Dhamma. The actual and final refuge,
embedded within the Dhamma as refuge, is Nibbaana, "the deathless element
free from clinging, the sorrowless state that is void of stain" (Itiv.
51). The Dhamma as refuge comprises the final goal, the path that leads to that
goat, and the body of teachings that explain the practice of the path. The
Buddha as refuge has no capacity to grant us liberation by an act of will. He
proclaims the path to be travelled and the principles to be understood. The
actual work of walking the path is then left to us, his disciples. The
proper response to the Buddha as refuge is trust and confidence. Trust is required
because the doctrine taught by the Buddha runs counter to our innate
understanding of ourselves and our natural orientation towards the world. To
accept this teaching thus tends to arouse an inner resistance, even to provoke
a rebellion against the changes it requires us to make in the way we lead our
lives. But when we place trust in the Buddha we open ourselves to his guidance.
By going to him for refuge we show that we are prepared to recognize that our
inherent tendencies to self-affirmation and grasping are in truth the cause of
our suffering. And we are ready to accept his counsel that to become free from
suffering, these tendencies must be controlled and eliminated. Confidence
in the Buddha as our refuge is initially awakened when we contemplate his
sublime virtues and his excellent teaching. It grows through our undertaking of
the training. At first our confidence in the Buddha may be hesitant, punctured
by doubts and perplexity. But as we apply ourselves to the practice of his
path, we find that our defilements gradually lessen, that wholesome qualities
increase, and with this comes a growing sense of freedom, peace and joy. This
experience confirms our initial trust, disposing us to advance a few steps
further. When at last we see the truth of the Dhamma for ourselves, the refuge
in the Buddha becomes inviolable. Confidence then becomes conviction, the
conviction that the Blessed One is "the speaker, the proclaimer, the
bringer of the good, the giver of the Deathless, the lord of the Dhamma, the
Tathaagata."
Publications
Recent
Releases
The Heart of Buddhist Meditation. Nyanaponika Thera. This
is the first BPS edition of our Patron's great classic, kept in print for 30
years by the original British publisher. Translated into seven languages, The Heart has been an important bridge
in the spiritual encounter of East and West. With the combined powers of deep
personal insight and clear exposition, the author conveys the essential
principles making up the Buddha's way of mindfulness. "A work of unique
importance ... written with great depth, extraordinary knowledge, deep
humanity.'." (Erich Fromm) Softback:
224 pages 140 mm x 214 mm U.S.
$9.50; U.K. £5.50; SL Rs.200 Order No. BP 5095 Middle Land, Middle
Way: A Pilgrim's Guide to the Buddha's In-dia. Ven. S. Dhammika.
This is the first comprehensive guidebook for the modern Buddhist
wishing to undertake a pilgrimage to the places in India made sacred by the
Buddha's presence. The author begins with an inspiring account of the
significance and history of pilgrimage in Buddhism. Then sixteen places are
covered, the Buddha's association with each place, their later history, and a
detailed description of the monuments found there. With maps and colour photos,
an essential companion for pilgrim and general travel' er. Softback: 208
pages 140mm x 214 mm Rs. 200 Order No. BP 6095 In This Very Life:
The Liberation Teaching of the Buddha. Sayadaw U Pandita. This book contains
teachings given during an intensive retreat. It starts with basic instructions
on sitting and walking meditation, and goes on to describe in detail the stages
of practice, including recognizing and dealing with problems that arise as
insight deepens. Drawing on 40 years of teaching experience, the author's
instructions are simple and concrete, ideal for the beginner and advanced
meditator alike. Sayadaw U Pandita is one of the outstanding teachers in the
tradition of Mahasi Sayadaw and the abbot of Panditarama monastery and
meditation centre in Rangoon. (For
sale in Asia only. Elsewhere order from Wisdom Publications, 361 Newbury
Street, Boston, MA 02115, U.S.A. or from bookshops stocking books on Asian
religions.) Softback:
298 pages 140 mm x 214 mm U.S.
$9.50; U.K. £5.50; SL Rs.300 Order No. BP 508S The Discourse on
Right View: The Sammaadi.t.thi Sutta and its Commentary. Translated from the
Pali by Bhikkhu Ñaa.namoli; edited and revised by Bhikkhu Bodhi. In this
sutta, issued in the Wheel Series, Ven. Saariputta Thera, the Buddha's chief
disciple, succinctly explains all the essential principles that must be
comprehended to arrive at the liberating insight into truth. The inclusion here
of the classical commentary allows for an in-depth study of the sutta. Softback: 88 pages
124 mm x 182 mm U.S. $3.95; U.K.
£2.50; SL Rs.75 Order No. WH 377/379 Back in Print
The Life of the
Buddha according to the Pali Canon. Bhikkhu Ñaa.namoli; Composed entirely from
texts of the Pali Canon, the oldest authentic record, this highly acclaimed
work portrays an image of the Buddha which is vivid, warm and moving. The
ancient texts are rendered in a language marked by lucidity and dignity as
befits the beauty of the original. Softback:
400 pages 140 mm x 214 mm U.S.
$16.00; U.K. £9.00; SL Rs.350 Order No. BP 101S The Buddhist Attitude
to Other Religions. K.N. Jayatilleke. Draw-ing upon his extensive
learning and philosophical training, the author shows how Buddhism has managed
to combine a firm commitment to a highly precise doctrine with an open-minded
tolerance towards other systems of belief. Softback:
40 pages 124 mm x 182 mm U.S.
$1.95; U.K. £1.30; SL Rs.30 Order No. WH 216 In Preparation
A
Comprehensive Manual of Abhidhamma. Edited by Bhikkhu Bodhi. A
Pali-English Glossary of Buddhist Technical Terms. Bhikkhu Ñaa.namoli; Tranquillity
and Insight: An Introduction to the Oldest Form of Buddhist Meditation. Amadeo
So16-Leris. The
All-Embracing Net of Views: The Brahmajala Sutta and its Commentaries.
Translated by Bhikkhu Bodhi (reprint) The
Discourse on the Root of Existence: The Muulapariyaaya Sutta and its
Commentaries. Translated by Bhikkhu Bodhi (reprint). The
Seven Stages of Puri, fication & the Insight Knowledges. Matara Sri Ñaa.naaraama
Mahathera (reprint).
Notes and
News
Khmer Dhammapada. During
the reign of the Khmer Rouge almost all Buddhist scriptures within Cambodia
were destroyed, and in the intervening years the lack of Buddhist books has
been one of the major obstacles to the revival of Buddhism in that country. As
a step to remedying this problem, late last year the Buddhist Relief Mission
undertook to print a Khmer translation of the Dhammapada for free distribution. The BPS made a generous donation
to this project; in this connection we wish to mention especially a very
liberal contribution we received from Mr. Lloyd W. Perera of Colombo. The BRM
succeeded in raising funds to print 4,000 copies of the Dhammapada, which are being distributed both within Cambodia and
among Cambodian refugees. For further information about this project, and about
future projects to support the Buddha Sasana in areas where urgent help is
needed, contact: Buddhist Relief Mission, 266-27 Ozuku-cho, Kashihara-shi,
Nara-ken 634, Japan. Translations. Two
of our more important titles have recently appeared in Spanish translations.
One is Ven. Nyanatiloka Mahathera's The
Word of the Buddha, which has been translated (from the original Pali texts
rather than from the English) by Amadeo SoldLeris and published under the
title La Palabra del Buda (Indigo:
Casanova 82, 08011 Barcelona). The other is Ven. Bhikkhu Bodhi's The Noble Eightfold Path, translated by
Almudena Haurie and published as La
Esencia del Budismo: El Noble Sendero Octuple (EDAF: Jorge Juan 30,
Madrid). Visiting Thailand? If
so, a useful handbook for those seeking Buddhist teachings and meditation
instruction is A Guide to Buddhist
Monasteries and Meditation Centers in Thailand, by Bill Weir. This new
third edition of the guide provides the address of each center, directions for
getting there, a description of the meditation system used, and information
about teachers, daily routine, food, lodgings, etc. Order from World Fellowship
of Buddhists, 33 Sukhumvit Road, Bangkok 10110, Thailand (price ?). In Memorium. With
regret we announce the passing away of two of our outstanding authors, both
exemplary members of the Sangha. One is Ven. Ajahn Chah, the well-known
meditation master of northeast Thailand, who expired peacefully on 16 January
after a long period of illness. The other is Ven. Matara Sri Ñaa.naaraama
Mahathera, the meditation master of Nissarana Vana Hermitage in Mitirigala, Sri
Lanka, who expired on 30 April at the age of 90. Both men, in their different
ways, represented the highest ideals of Buddhist monkhood and we are privileged
to include works by both among our publications. A Happy Note. In
the previous newsletter we included a "tragic note" on the apparent
loss of the computer files for our projected Pali English Glossary of Buddhist Technical Terms. We are happy to
announce now that we did manage to find an uncorrupted backup disk with the
files intact. Work on the glossary is now almost complete and the copy should
be going to the printer soon.
Book
Reviews
The Four Foundations of Mindfulness. Venerable U Silananda. Boston: Wisdom
Publications, 1990. 232 pp. PB $12.95. Transformation
& Healing: Sutra on the Four Establishments of Mindfulness. Thich Nhat
Hanh. Berkeley: Parallax Press, 1990. 180 pp. PB $10.00. The Satipa.t.thaana
Sutta is the Buddha's most complete discourse on the methodical development of
right mindfulness, and thus our main source of guidance in the practice of
insight meditation. The sutta announces "the only way" to the
extinction of suffering and the attainment of Nibbaana to consist in the four
foundations of mindfulness: contemplation of the body, feelings, mind and
mental objects. Given the importance of this sutta, it is gratifying that two
thorough studies of it have recently been published, each containing a translation
of the sutta, a detailed commentary by the author, and sets of exercises for
practice. What makes these two books especially interesting, and warrants
their being read together, is that they are both the works of monks who have
trained deeply in very different Buddhist traditions yet have found in the
Satipa.t.thaana Sutta the primary inspiration for their meditation practice. Ven. U Silananda,
author of The Four Foundations of
Mindfulness, is a Burmese bhikkhu who is regarded as one of the foremost
Dhamma authorities in his native Burma. His training in meditation took place
under the renowned meditation master, Ven. Mahasi Sayadaw, who commissioned him
to teach Dhamma in the West. Ven. Silananda bases
his exposition of the sutta on the longer version found in the Diigha Nikaaya,
which includes an elaborate explanation of the Four Noble Truths lacking in
the middle-length version of the Majjhima Nikaaya. His exposition adheres
closely to the exegetical tradition of Theravada Buddhism, grounded firmly upon
the Pali commentaries of Acariya Buddhaghosa. In fact, he explains the Satipa.t.thaana
Sutta somewhat in the manner of a classical commentary, taking up each
significant phrase in the text for explanation. At the same time, however, the
author's style of presentation is simple and clear, though I must take
exception with a few puzzling statements towards the end of the book which I
assume got through due to careless editing. For those who would like a thorough
"orthodox" explanation of the Satipa.t.thaana Sutta in lucid
language, The Four Foundations of
Mindfulness will fill their need. Ven. Thich Nhat Hanh
is a Vietnamese Buddhist monk who now heads a Buddhist community in France.
Although his background training lies in the Vietnamese Zen tradition, and
includes a wide knowledge of the Mahayana philosophies, he has grounded his
meditation practice on the Satipa.t.thaana Sutta, which may have entered
Vietnamese Buddhism through the Chinese translations of the Buddhist canon.
While he uses the Pali version as the main basis for his Transformation & Healing, the book includes an appendix with
English translations of two different Chinese versions of the sutta. Ven. Nhat
Hanh comes to the sutta from a very different philosophical background than a
Theravadin commentator like Ven. Silananda, and thus the insights he derives
from it also differ in important respects. His commentary bears testimony to
the influence of the Madhyamaka philosophy of emptiness, the Yogachara concept
of mind-only, and the Hwa-Yen concepts of interpenetration and interbeing.
While a Theravadin reader may find these different points of emphasis an
interesting complement to his own perspective, there is one theme stressed by
Ven. Nhat Hanh that he would have to object to strongly. This is the idea that
our experiences of natural beauty ("the blue sky, the white clouds, the
golden fields of wheat, the shining eyes of a child") somehow counter the
Buddhist perception of the universality of dukkha,
which the author seems to regard almost as morbid. Not only does this idea
presuppose as correct the literal equation of dukkha with actual suffering (rather than with the radical
unsatisfactoriness of everything conditioned), but it leads to a new slant on
the practice of Satipa.t.thaana The development of mindfulness is no longer
taken up as the path to liberation from conditioned existence, but as the means
of arriving at a pure and untainted enjoyment of life—questionable to the
Theravadin as the final aim of the practice. Nevertheless,
despite some serious reservations I hold about Ven. Nhat Hanh's approach, his
commentary on the sutta includes some extraordinarily fine passages which
reveal a highly sensitive mind and a gifted writer. I found particularly
noteworthy his sections on the contemplation of mind and mental factors, which
are enriched by a number of striking similes. His commentary closes with an
illuminating comparison of the three versions of the sutta, and the inclusion
of the two Chinese versions in English allows the reader to compare the three
texts and draw his or her own conclusions. The same publisher,
Parallax Press, also issues two other commentaries on Pali suttas by Thich
Nhat Hanh: Breathe! You Are Alive: Sutra
on the Full Awareness of Breathing and Our
Appointment with Life (on the Bhaddekaratta Sutta).
Guidelines
to Sutta Study
The third formal
discourse of the Buddha, as recorded in the Mahaavagga's account of his early
ministry, is the AAdittapariyaaya Sutta, commonly known as The Fire Sermon. This sutta, quoted obliquely by T.S. Eliot in his
famous poem The Waste Land, illustrates
one of the most characteristic teaching methods of the Buddha: the framing of
his exposition in terms and imagery drawn directly from the immediate
day-to-day experience of his audience. While the gripping message of the Fire
Sermon may resonate even with readers like ourselves, whose lifestyles are
culturally light years away from that of its original recipients, the Buddha's
words must have made an extremely powerful impact on the thousand monks to whom
they were first addressed: For these monks had only recently entered the fold
of the Sangha after having been, for many years, fire ascetics whose lives were
devoted to worship of the holy flame. In the period immediately following the
Discourse on Non-Self the Buddha passed the rainy season in the Deer Park at
Isipatana, where he had met his first five disciples. During the rains he
encountered several groups of young men, all from prominent families in the
region, to whom he taught the Dhamma. Impressed by this new and radically
different teaching, these young men requested admission to the Sangha, which
the Buddha readily granted. Soon after entering the Order, guided by the
Master's instructions, they all attained the supreme goal of the holy life, the
destruction of the defilements. At the end of the first rainy season, the
Buddha assembled his sixty monk disciples, now all Arahants, and enjoined them
to wander over the country "for the welfare and happiness of the many,"
teaching the Dhamma and proclaiming the pure and perfect holy life. The Master himself
went to Uruvela, near the site of the Bodhi Tree where the previous spring he
had attained the Supreme Enlightenment. At that time three matted-hair
ascetics, brothers, were dwelling in the vicinity of Uruvela, each in his own
hermitage on the banks of the Neranjara River. These three ascetics were highly
revered by the people, and by reason of their learning, spiritual power, and
reputation for sanctity had each acquired a large retinue of disciples. The
eldest, Uruvela Kassapa, was the leader of a community of 500 ascetics; the
second brother, Nadi Kassapa, was the head of 300 ascetics; and the third
brother, Gaya Kassapa, had a retinue of 200 ascetics. The main observance of
these ascetics, it seems, was maintaining the sacred fire and performing the
fire sacrifice, probably in accordance with the traditional rules and rites
laid down in the ancient Brahmanical scriptures, the Vedas. The Buddha
approached the hermitage of Uruvela Kassapa, whose spiritual stature was so
high that he considered himself an Arahant or perfect one. By means of a series
of miraculous feats, detailed in the Mahaavagga, the Buddha impressed on
Uruvela Kassapa his own spiritual superiority, until he could tell him frankly
that he was neither an Arahant nor one on the path to Arahantship. Far from becoming
chafed, Kassapa immediately declared his confidence in the Blessed One. He
relinquished his status as a spiritual teacher, discarded the paraphernalia of
the fire sacrifice, and along with his 500 followers took ordination under the
Buddha. In turn the other two brothers and their bands of followers did the
same. Having thus acquired
a new entourage of a thousand disciples, the Buddha proceeded towards Gaya's
Head. There he stopped and addressed the thousand bhikkhus with the words that
have come down to us as the Fire Sermon. This sutta appears twice in the Pali
Canon: in the Mahaavagga of the Vinaya Pitaka, in the narrative of the Buddha's
early ministry; and in the Samyutta Nikaaya, Saÿaayatana Samyutta, of the Sutta
Pitaka (S.35:28). It is included in Three
Cardinal Discourses of the Buddha (Wheel No. 17), in a translation by
Bhikkhu Ñaanamoli. The Fire Sermon is
structured upon another one of the schemes of classification that the Buddha
uses to sort out the constituent factors of experience. This scheme deals with
the same basic material as the five aggregates, but it classifies this material
in accordance with a different principle. The scheme of the five aggregates
emphasizes the differentiation among the mental factors involved on any occasion
of experience. Thus it collects all instances of material form (ruupa) under the aggregate of material
form, while it distinguishes the mental side of experience by way of four
aggregates: feeling, perception, mental formations and consciousness. The Fire
Sermon takes as its basis the scheme of categories known as the six sense bases
(saÿaayatana): the six sense
faculties and their respective sense objects, through the interaction of which
the six types of consciousness arise. Thus the sutta employs an analysis of
experience in terms of the sensory field in which it occurs. Though our
ordinary experience presents itself to us superficially as a monolithic whole,
a solid and substantial continuum, when it is attended to carefully it is found
to be a succession of distinct occasions of consciousness each of which arises
in dependence on a particular sense faculty and takes as its object a
particular sense datum. Thus any individual occasion of experience is either a
seeing of visible forms through the eyes, a hearing of sounds through the ears,
a smelling of odours through the nose, a tasting of flavours through the
tongue, a sensing of tangibles through the body, or a cognizing of mental
objects through the internal mind faculty. As obvious as this fact may be when
pointed out, when it is taken as the starting point for a deep critical
examination of the nature of experience, it yields consequences that are startling
and profound. These consequences the Buddha will show in the Fire Sermon.
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