Need a Journal Reflection base on the attached reading.Course: World Religions East and West
Animation of a dove flying
Do you want freedom?
It seems everyone wants freedom, maybe even absolute freedom.
But what is “freedom”?
Image of a person following a path
The Buddha preached a Path to freedom accessible to all who embark upon it.
Animation of an ocean
“Just as in the great ocean there is but one taste—the taste of salt—so in this Doctrine (dharma) and Discipline (dhammavinaya) there is but one taste—the taste of freedom.” (Buddha, “The Solemn Utterances of the Buddha” [Udāna], 5
When most of us hear the word “freedom,” the Buddha’s meaning of freedom is not the first thing that pops into our minds.
Buddha’s Meaning of Freedom
“Suffering, the cause of suffering, the end of suffering, and the Path that leads to the end of suffering….Why are they declared by me?... They lead to disenchantment, dispassion, cessation, calming, direct knowledge, self-awakening, freedom. That's why they are declared by me” (Buddha, Majjhima Nikaya 63).
Buddhism arose in India during the “Axial Age” (600s–500s BC), when the major world religions were taking shape. Born and raised Hindu, Siddhartha Gautama (the Buddha) became disillusioned with Hinduism. He critiqued the authority of the Vedas, Brahmins, rituals, Atman, Brahman, and the guru-disciple relationship:
“Only a man himself can be the master of himself. Who else from outside could be his master? When the Master and servant are one, there is true help and self-possession” (Dhammapada 160) and “Make yourself an island” (236, 238).
Practical Experience, Not Authority and Tradition
This seems a bit individualistic, doesn’t it? Yet our modern world values questioning authorities and coming to the truth on our own. Then again, when everyone figures it out on their own, they come to different conclusions. Could something as important as religious truth vary from person to person? Which is it? Should we find the truth ourselves; or do we need the wisdom and experience of those who have gone before us? Consider this question as you complete the readings and do your journaling.
Noble Truths #1 and #2
Take a few minutes and write down five things that cause you or others pain. They can be anything, and any form of pain: physical, emotional, or mental. The First Noble Truth the Buddha discovered is that “All of life is suffering” (dukkha).
Now write down why each thing you wrote is a source of pain. The Second Truth the Buddha discovered is that “All suffering comes from desire” (tanha, literally “thirst or craving”).
We suffer from physical pain because we desire that it stop. We desire pleasure that is not there. A pleasure we do experience eventually goes away, but we desire for it to continue. Even exalted spiritual states of yogis lead to suffering because they are impermanent.
Hinduism also says attachment to impermanent things causes suffering. Is what the Buddha says any different? Do you agree with the first two Noble Truths? Why or why not? Consider these questions as you read and for your journal.
No Self (Anatman
A cardinal tenet of Buddhism against Hinduism is its denial of Atman and Brahman. These doctrines are poison. They lead to the desire for realization and liberation, and hence great suffering. Siddhartha Gautama underwent six years of extreme self-denial as a Hindu ascetic, with great suffering but to no avail.
The Buddha agreed with Hindu psychology that we each consist of multiple ever-changing and impermanent aspects: body, sensations, mental perceptions, conditioned mental states, and consciousness (“five aggregates” or skandhas). He denied, however, that there is an infinite, unchanging “true self” (Atman). These parts give the illusion of a self but there really is nothing except the changing parts. When the parts are removed, the self is “empty,” having no existence. There is “no self” (anatman).
Identifying one’s self with the five aggregates is an attachment born of ignorance. This false belief in a self or ego is the greatest cause of desire, and hence suffering. Selfish thinking and acting are thus the norm for most people. Selfish action results in a karmic chain of cause and effect, producing suffering and rebirth into the cycle of suffering (samsara).
Impermanence
What makes you the same person today as the day you were born? Biology tells you that all of the cells, all of the matter in your body, are fully replaced every seven years. You look different and you are in different personal relationships; your emotional life and your mind are certainly different. You are different now from when you began this module. You are in a state of constant flux. What we identify as “you” did not exist at some point in the past and will not exist at some point in the future. You may seem permanent, but you are actually impermanent.
If you are in a constant state of flux, then where is the “real you”? There is no “real you,” claims Buddhism. Buddhism applies this analysis not only to you, but to everything in our experience. All things are thus characterized by impermanence (anicca). To mistakenly think that you or anything else is permanent is ignorance (avidyā) leading to desire (tanha), which in turn leads to suffering (dukkha).
Emptiness
Further, food and water constantly enter your body. Energy from the sun, ultimately, fuels your existence and activity. External impressions impact your feelings and emotions. New ideas constantly enter and shape your mind. Your relationships with friends, family, significant others, and co-workers also contribute to your identity. Thus what we call “you” is really dependent on
many other things. “You” are a composite of many different relationships and therefore do notexist independently.
If you are reducible to the many things you are in relationships with and thus “empty” of real existence, then where is the “real you”? There is no “real you” claims Buddhism. Buddhism applies this analysis not only to you, but to everything in our experience. Nothing really exists. “Emptiness” (śūnyatā) characterizes all things. Contra Hinduism, there is no Infinite, Unchanging Being (Atman-Brahman). To mistakenly think that you or anything else exists when it really does not is ignorance (avidyā) leading to desire (tanha), which leads to suffering (dukkha).
Dependent Co-Arising
The facts that all things, ourselves included, depend on other things, and that those other things depend on yet other things, and those other things depend on still other things, ad infinitum, means that all things are constituted by relationships. All things depend on all other things. Nothing exists independently. This is the Buddhist doctrine of “Dependent Co-Arising” (pratītyasamutpāda). All things arise in dependence on all other things, and nothing exists independently. In fact, emptiness means that nothing exists.
The Three Marks of Existence
“ ‘All is transient.’ When one sees this, he is above sorrow. This is the clear path.”
“ ‘All is sorrow.’ When one sees this, he is above sorrow. This is the clear path.”
“ ‘All is unreal.’ When one sees this, he is above sorrow. This is the clear path.”
(Dhammapada 277–79)
Buddhism teaches that being “selfish” is due to attachment to what is really impermanent and empty. This leads to desire, which leads to suffering.
Take a few minutes and reflect for your journal: Do you see how attachment to changing, impermanent, empty realities leads to suffering? Think about American society and its culture. Or you might think of the entertainment industry and
celebrity culture. Can you imagine this process operating in the world? Select
several events or other items that illustrate these truths. Or if you disagree
with Buddhism’s analysis here, explain why.
The Solution
An old joke has a patient say to his doctor: "It hurts when I do this." The doctor replies: "Well, don't do that!" This encapsulates the Buddha's teaching. Suffering arises from what we are doing (karma) so "Don't do that!"
The Third Noble Truth is cessation of suffering. The Second Noble Truth is desire or tanha. The First Noble Truth is suffering or dukkha. Buddhism opposes Hinduism’s “true self” (Atman), but affirms transmigration. Desire sets in motion causes and effects (karma) resulting in rebirth. Cessation of rebirth, called nirvana, is the goal. This is not God or Brahman. It is the extinction of desire and attachment. Hinduism spoke of a drop of water (Atman) reuniting with the ocean (Brahman). Early Buddhists spoke of the “blowing out of a candle” so that no further candles could be lit from it.
The Eightfold Path
The Fourth Noble Truth is that the “Eightfold Path” leads to the cessation of desire. This is middle way, self-consciously defined against the more extreme self-denial of Hinduism. Each part falls under knowledge, ethics, and practice. We need: (1) right views and intentions (knowledge); (2) right speech, conduct, and livelihood (ethics); and (3) right effort , mindfulness (practice).
Take a few moments and read the “Parable of the Arrow” (Smith 95–96). What do you think of the Buddha's approach to religious life? Are religious authorities and doctrines (creed) good and necessary, or dangerous? Why? How do we “know” religious truth? Is it a firm conviction in our hearts or minds or something that practically “works”? Write down your answers to these questions, keep them in mind as you do the assigned readings and journaling assignments
Mindfulness and Awareness
We examined meditation in our Hinduism module. Buddhism stresses meditation over the physical disciplines of Hinduism and Jainism. The catchword is “mindfulness.” Like Hindu meditation, Buddhist meditation includes watching inner states: thoughts, feelings, even the “mind” itself. We see the transitory, empty nature of what we mistake as ourselves. Grasping and attachment fade away, with only awareness remaining. The “Four Sublime States” are the result: friendliness, compassion, sympathetic joy, and equanimity—a state that goes unaffected by gain, loss, pleasure, or pain.
One method is simply a one-pointed concentration on breathing. Take five to ten minutes in a quiet place, and in a comfortable position. Focus on your breathing. When you lose concentration, simply bring your awareness back to your breath. Let all other thoughts and feelings slip away.
When done, reflect: Did you become aware of a flow of ideas and impulses? What did you learn about how your mind and feelings work? Did you feel any differently while doing this? How about when you were done? Jot down some notes on this
Theravada and Mahayana Buddhism
Buddhism was the world’s first missionary religion. Monks from India braved the Himalayan mountains to convert much of China, which then led to the conversion of Korea and Japan. It was the Mahayana Buddhist ideal of “compassion” that led them to do so.
As you read, pay close attention to the differences between Theravada and Mahayana Buddhism. Look for these differences: (1) Arhat vs. Boddhisattva; (2) Detachment vs. Compassion; (2) Emptiness of Self vs. Emptiness of all things. Consider these for potential journaling topics.F
Chan is a school of Buddhism that emerged in China in the sixth century CE. What really set Chan apart from other sects of Buddhism, however, was its use of language and thoughts surrounding the mind. In one particular school of Chan, the Hung-Chou school, there was a common belief and saying, “The Mind is Buddha.” The founder of Hung-Chou, a man named Tao-I, told all his disciples.
Another big thing in Chan is the defiled mind and the pure mind and what they mean. The defiled mind aligns itself with what the West typically thinks of as a mind.
Chan Buddhism focus on mind observation and discover the universal wisdom, meditation is the important method or lifestyle; while the prior Buddhism focused on reach to the pure land after they passed away, they keep sing/pray on Mita-buddha in their practice.
