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Unitarian Society of Fairhaven "The Eight-Fold Path of Buddhism" Rev. Ann C. Fox |
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Our expansive religious tradition: What is your religious path? Can you describe it to a friend? I hope you can include in your description that the world's religions, or wisdom traditions, are part of the sources from which we, Unitarian Universalists, draw our inspiration, even though we are grounded in the Judeo-Christian tradition. We believe that each religion offers a way of looking at the world and each offers solutions to life's basic problems. The Unitarian Transcendentalists of the nineteenth century set us on a path of tiptoeing towards eastern spirituality. In the twentieth century, we embraced the ideal of dialog with other world religions. Nowadays, the Unitarian Universalists are part of the WCRP, the World Council for Religion and Peace. This group, with the Pope and the Dalai Lama in attendance, meets every three years. A world teacher: The voice of the Dalai Lama, spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhists, is heard more and more in our modern world. If it had not been so dangerous for him to stay in Tibet in the 1970's, I wonder whether he would have become such an influential voice in the world, which he certainly is today. Buddhism has an appeal to Unitarian Universalism like no other eastern religion. Hinduism, the root of Buddhism: Buddhism grew out of Hinduism as a much needed reform movement. We might remember that Hinduism believes that life is basically a cosmic dance of multiple lifetimes through which we evolve by way of the law of karma, that is, rewards and payback, as a foundation. The caste we are born into indicates how far along the evolutionary path we have come. If we are Brahmins, we are at the top of the evolutionary heap. If we are untouchables, we are at the bottom. In Hinduism, we improve our place on the evolutionary scale by living the best we can in the life in which we find ourselves. Eventually, all evolve and join Brahman, the divine Ground of All Being that underlies the Universe. This was the society into which the Buddha was born. The nineteenth century Hindu philosopher, Ramakrishnan, said that all religions are different paths to the same goal and that God sends emissaries in times of need: Hindus believe that Lord Krishna, the Buddha, and Jesus were such emissaries, or divine incarnations. I am building here on previous sermons. If you missed some want to fill in some information, please come and talk to me. I would like that very much. The Buddha's early life: We know more of the Buddha's life than that of Jesus. The Buddha was called Siddartha Gautama, the son of a wealthy minor king, born around 563 B.C. in what is now Nepal, near the Indian border. He was rich, extremely handsome and loved by his parents and young wife and son. The Indians believed then and now in astrology to predict the possibilities of our life path. An astrologer told Siddartha's father that if Siddartha did not come into touch with all the terrible things of life, Siddartha would become a great, universal king. But if he saw all the suffering of life, he would become a World Savior. Legend has it that Siddartha wandered beyond the palace walls and was horrified at the sight of old age, illness, and poverty. He walked away from his rich life and family at the age of 29 years, gave away all his clothes and worldly goods and went into the forest with a begging bowl to become a sanyasin, a person who devoted his life entirely to seeking enlightenment. In our world religion class, one of our members was horrified that Siddartha was so selfish as to leave his wife and son. However, in those days, it was not unusual for a young or old man to take this route, which was greatly admired. People then and now give money or food to the sanyasin to help them on their journey and the giver also feels it helps his own karma. Siddartha joined a famous group of ascetic sannyasin who mortified their bodies in an attempt to achieve enlightenment. It is said that "He ate so little---six grains of rice a day during one of his fasts---that he is reputed to have said, 'when I thought I would touch the skin of my stomach I actually took hold of my spine.'" (Smith p. 85) Siddharta noticed that all the ascetic practices brought him were a weak body and hallucinations. He decided to be more moderate in his treatment of his body. He developed a philosophy and practices that he called the Middle Way: He gave his body only the amount of food it needed to be healthy. He embarked upon a path study and concentration. (We might remember from our study of Hinduism that this is called raja yoga, or the "royal road.") Gautama's quest was one of rigorous thought and mystic concentration. "One evening he sat down under a peepul tree, that has become known as the Bo Tree, short for bodhi or enlightenment. [Sensing that a breakthrough was near Gautama] seated himself that evening vowing not to arise until enlightenment was his." (Smith p.86) The records show that that night, Gautama was tempted by the Evil One, Mara, in the form of Kama, the God of Desire who paraded three voluptuous women before Gautama. When that didn't work, he changed into other forms. Gautama's meditation deepened throughout the night until "[when] the morning star glittered in the transparent sky of the east, his mind pierced at last the bubble of the universe and shattered it. . .to find it miraculously restored with the effulgence of true being. The Great Awakening had arrived. Gautama's being was transformed, and he emerged the Buddha." (Smith p.86) He fell into a state of bliss for 49 days. During this time, Mara, the Evil One, tested him once again with reason, arguing that there is no use coming back into the world because no one would understand what he now understands about the nature of reality and the universe. The Buddha answered, "There will be some who will understand." The Buddha's choice to return to the world following enlightenment was the model for other enlightened ones, called bodhisattvas to return to the world to teach others instead of entering Nirvana, the state (and perhaps place), of bliss. Basic Teachings: The Buddha traveled and preached and taught for 45 years! He taught a vast philosophy by way of discussion, rather like we see with Socrates. He never wrote down a word. But others did. The foundation of his teachings were The Four Noble Truths and the Eight-Fold Path. The First Noble Truth is that life is dukkha, which is usually translated as suffering. The meaning is actually much broader. What the Buddha meant was that life as it is commonly lived is filled with insecurity, fear, and constant desire. (Western world existentionalist writers, philosophers, and theologians hold this to be true.) Our own Henry David Thoreau wrote in Walden "most men live lives of quiet desperation." The Buddha taught that even if we have some happiness, it is superficial and fleeting and leaves "deep regions of the human psyche empty and wanting." (Smith p. 106) The Second Noble Truth identifies what causes the suffering. It is tanha, or the desire for personal fulfillment. We can be free only when we are selfless and then we see the oneness of all things, and we will desire that all beings should not be in want for one person is simply an extension of another. This is what we saw in the reading when Siddartha listened deeply to the river. He witnessed the oneness and heard the one word, which is Om. The Third Noble Truth follows from the second. If suffering is caused by selfish craving, its cure lies in overcoming the craving. The Fourth Noble Truth prescribes how the cure can be accomplished, which is by following the Eight-Fold Path. In a nutshell, The Four Noble Truths say, "If you focus on yourself, you cannot be happy. Instead, focus on what will benefit others and this will bring you greater happiness. (I believe that if you do not think that life is suffering and you are actually quite happy, it is likely that you are already benefiting others.) More than any other religion Buddhism uses humor to tease the mind. One day a young Buddhist on his journey home, came to the banks of a wide river. Staring hopelessly at the great obstacle in front of him, he pondered for hours on just how to cross such a wide barrier. Just as he was about to give up his pursuit to continue his journey he saw a great teacher on the other side of the river. The young Buddhist yelled over to the teacher, "Oh wise one, can you tell me how to get to the other side of this river"? The teacher pondered for a moment, looked up and down the river and yelled back, "My son, you are on the other side." Historian of religion, Huston Smith, tells us that the Buddha's approach "was essentially that of a physician." He diagnoses the disease, identifies the root cause, and prescribes the cure. The cure for suffering and to move towards wisdom is the Eight-Fold Path. Following are the essentials of the Eight-Fold Path. Right views. That is, we must acknowledge the truth of life---that life is suffering due to self-indulgence. Right intent. We must have a clear view of the goal, which is to bring benefit to others. Right speech. We must speak only the truth by noticing how many times we do not do this and notice any unkindness or deceit in our language. Right conduct. This is a call to be intentional and moderate about behavior not to kill, steal, lie, or be unchaste (sexual abstention for monks, faithfulness for married people). Right Livelihood. The way we earn a living should not harm others. The Buddha named some harmful professions such as slave trader, prostitute, poison peddler, butcher, brewer, arms dealer, tax collector, and no one knows why he added caravan trader. Right Effort. He laid great stress on the will to be persistent and steadily work towards the goal so that compassion and detachment can have a chance to grow within us. The last two steps have been very popular in the western world. Right Mindfulness. "No teacher has credited the mind with more influence over life than did the Buddha. The best loved of all Buddhist texts, the Dhammapada, opens with the words, "All we are is the result of what we have thought." And respecting the future, it assures us that "all things can be mastered by mindfulness." (Smith p.109) In mindfulness, the Buddha counsels us to have a steady attention to our thoughts and feelings. Any thoughts and feelings we do not like should be meditated upon until we understand them and only loving-kindness is left. Right Concentration. We must use the mind to focus our attention and penetrate delusion and craving. The reforms from Hinduism: We have said that the Buddha's teachings were very much a reaction to the excesses of the Hindu religion of his day. Most religions have the elements of authority, ritual, speculation about life after death, tradition, grace (looking to another source to improve the self), and mystery. He insisted that authority was centered in the individual. He ridiculed ritual, which outraged the Brahmins. He spent little time on speculation. He counseled not to look to tradition but to question everything. He taught in the language of the day and turned away from Sanskrit, which was not a living language, even then. He preached a religion of intense self effort, devoid of the supernatural. I think our humanists must be nodding approval! His teachings were empirical, scientific, pragmatic, therapeutic, psychological, directed towards individuals, and most of all, they were egalitarian---he completely put aside the caste system, which must have caused quite a stir in the society of the day. These are the original teachings and they were well suited to the monastic life or for individuals living in sangha, or religious community. This is the Theraveda Buddhism, the Way of the Elders. You might have heard the story of the four monks who were meditating in a monastery. All of a sudden the prayer flag on the roof started flapping. The younger monk came out of his meditation and said, "Flag is flapping." A more experienced monk said, "Wind is flapping." A third monk who had been there for more than 20 years said, "Mind is flapping." The fourth monk who was the eldest said, visibly annoyed, "Mouths are flapping." A charismatic and down-to-earth modern teacher: In all religions, ordinary people have wanted something with a more devotional quality. As Buddhism spread through Asia, it was adapted to everyday lives and so people added ritual and Buddha's image as a focus of the divine. Modern Buddhism as brought to us by charismatic monks like Thich Nhat Hanh, a famous and beloved Vietnamese monk whose interpretation of Buddhism appeals to many of us. Thich Nhat Hanh has spoken recently in this area and will offer a one week retreat in August this year. You do not need a background in Buddhism to understand his teachings. His website is www.plumvillage.org The Buddha's death: To complete the Buddha's life story: At the age of 80 years, around the year 483 B.C., he died of dysentery. So that his host would not feel responsible for his death, he told his host that his last meal was one of the best he had ever eaten. Even at the end, he thought of others. A Buddhist Fellowship in UUism: I believe that our history, tradition, and Unitarian Universalist Principles have some strong commonality with the teachings of the Buddha. Six of the seven Principles are contained in the Eight-Fold Path. Our tradition of salvation by character is also very much in tune with the Buddha's emphasis on self-effort. Unitarian Universalist minister James Ishmael Ford, who is also an ordained Soto Zen priest, thinks that Unitarian Universalism has "set a welcome table" for Western Buddhists. We have a Buddhist Fellowship in Unitarian Universalism that puts out a newsletter and holds retreats around the country. I end with a teaching of the Buddha that inspires one of our hymns, number 184, Be Ye Lamps unto Yourselves. The Buddha said: "Therefore, O Ananda, be lamps unto yourselves. Betake yourselves to no external refuge. Hold fast as a refuge to the Truth. Work out your own salvation with diligence." (Smith p.99) I think the Buddha would approve of our religious orientation that is grounded in everyday life and friendship. These words are inspired by the vows taken by some bodhisattvas: May all the world's people be well and enjoy the root of happiness: Free from suffering. . .May our own sangha that is this community nurture our religious path. Amen
References
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