Ninth Consciousness

Knowledge versus Wisdom; Academic Intellect and Insight

2011-03-15T14:17:00.001-05:00

There is really nothing wrong with being ignorant and confused. That can be fixed. The problem is when ignorant fools try to act like all knowing sages. I have been there and done that. ~~ me

Most of us had the thought, 'If I only knew then what I know now.'

Of course the meaning of that thought changes over time. Lately, it occurred to me that is a probably a good thing I did not know back then what I know now. Sometimes, a certain amount of naive ignorance can be healthy. Too much knowledge, in the wrong hands, brains, or minds, can be dangerous.

Where is the Life we have lost in living? Where is the wisdom we have lost in knowledge? Where is the knowledge we have lost in information? ~~ T. S. Elliot

Words might mean things, but those meanings change over time and with context. In the above quote, I think Eliot was using the word 'knowledge' in the sense of technical information and the word 'wisdom' in the sense of having the practical skill to apply it. I think this is the most common contemporary take on the difference between knowledge and wisdom.

Knowledge is the awareness and understanding of facts, truths or information gained. Wisdom is the ability to apply knowledge. ~~ random quotation from the Internet

In this sense, wisdom implies something rather subjective, whereas knowledge is more objective,.While that seems to be the common contemporary understanding; it is not the original sense of those words. I am tempted to say that the meanings have been reversed, but that is not quite correct. It is far more nuanced than that. Let's look at some sanskrit cognates from Buddhism:

Vidya (pali vijja, chinese 明): This is a rough cognate of many English words; including wisdom, vision, wit, wiccan, and wizard. The root, vid, means both 'to see' and 'to know.' The suffix -ya or -aya can, among other things, make a verb into a noun. It is a cognate of -ia /-ion and -y/-ity. Vision is almost a direct cognate, but it does not work as a translation of vidya in any contemporary sense. A better translation of vidya would be wisdom in the following senses:

1 a: accumulated philosophic or scientific learning.
1b. generally accepted belief
3. the teachings of the ancient wise men
~~ www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wisdom

Note in those senses, wisdom refers to objective fact, or accurate information. As such, some have suggested 'science' as modern translation of vidya. Others have suggested 'lore.' Still others cop out and say that either wisdom or knowledge can be used. I am tempted to say 'recorded wisdom', but the ancients did not write it down, it was transmitted orally, usually via verses or stanzas memorized by rote.

Of course, these days, oral transmissions imply arcane teachings. However, originally, both public / exoteric and private / esoteric teachings were transmitted orally. Moreover, vidya includes both exoteric amd esoteric teachings. For now, I am going with 'Objective Wisdom' -- teachings that are accepted as axiomatic. By the way, the opposite of vidya, avidya, is probably best translated as nescience, with the caveat it means objectively false beliefs paraded as wisdom; false notions wrongly accepted as maxims.

Jnana (pali nnana, chinese 智): This is a rough cognate of the Greek gnosis and the English word knowledge. It is composed of the verbal root jna; to know, and the suffix -na; - ing. So it literally means knowing, but is used as gerund, an action noun, rather than a verb or adjective. Some say it is just a synonym of vidya; which is probably true in non-technical usage. However, as a technical term it means subjective comprehension or knowledge, having a direct and accurate grasp of vidya. I am going with "Subjective Knowledge" as the best translation for now.

The opposite of jnana is ajnana and means ignorance in the sense of simply 'not knowing.' On the other hand, Avidya would be thinking something is true when it is false.

Prajna (pali panna, chinese 慧 ): This consists of the prefix pra and the verbal root jna. The prefix pra- can mean 'for' or 'before' and is a cognate of pro- or pre-. Here it means for in the sense of the function word to indicate a purpose or use and prerequisite. For example, just as a stove is "for 'to cook,' prajna is "for 'to know.'

Prajna is commonly mistranslated as wisdom and commonly mistaken to mean practical wisdom. Discernment is a better translation. I am going with intelligence in the sense of the ability to acquire knowledge. The opposite of prajna is moha which means confusion; stupidity; foolishness; delusion ...

One thing, I am not saying that so-called practical wisdom is not prajna; it just that 'street smarts' is not the only kind of intelligence.

Some people are good at samatha; while others are good at vipassana, but very few are good at both. ~~ the Buddha {paraphrased}.

I think samatha and vipassana might be the most widely misunderstood technical terms in the Buddhist lexicon. I think most of us have a basic awareness that there are two kinds of prajna or intelligence. These are shamatha and vipashyana.

Shamatha (pali samatha, chinese 止 ): This does not mean stopping, calming, or tranquility, and certainly does not mean concentration. It is, however, developed by a kind of concentration that involves a sort od slowing down, controlling stilling, or quieting -- but not stopping -- the mind. For now, I submit 'academic intelligence' as an idiomatic translation of Shamatha.

Let's look at the etymology. Shama means to cool down or pacify. The suffix -tha means to remain or abide. As such, 'calm abiding' is a good, very literal translation. However, I think the word is used figuratively to indicate a kind of prajna or intelligence, now commonly called being 'book-smart' -- "having a lot of academic knowledge learned from books and studying, but not necessarily knowing much about people and living in the real world."

Buddhism teaches a method to develop samatha or academic intelligence. It is called appana samadhi (fixed or absorbed concentration) or dhyana {absorbed thinking}. There are two kinds of this. Rupa dhyana {object absorption} and arupa {object-less, abstract, or conceptual absorption}.

Vipashyana (pali vipassana 観 ): This word is generally translated as insight, observation, introspection, or clear seeing. All of those are accurate and literal translations. I think what it gets at is close to what we might call common sense, practical wisdom, intuitiveness, cleverness, or being street-smart. One caveat though, we are not talking about slyness or being slick. Vipassana is a wholesome state in which one has heightened powers of observation. Expansive awareness might be a decent translation.

Let's look at the etymology. Passa comes from the verbal root pas, yet another word that can mean "to see" or "to know." Right now, I take it to mean "to observe." Passana, or seeing, is another gerund, an action noun meaning sight or observation . The prefix vi- is the same as the English dis- used as an intensifier with a positive valence, as in the sense used in disgruntled. While this use of vi-/dis is rare in English, it is fairly common in Indic religious words, such as vishuddha. At any rate, adding vi- to passana is like adding in- to sight; hence insight; "the power or act of seeing into a situation."

Buddhism teaches methods to develop vipassana. They utilize a different kind of concentration called khanika samadhi, or moment-to-moment concentration. They are known as smrti -- mindfulness; attentiveness; presence of mind; open presence. Specific methods include The Four Frames of Mindfulness, Deity Yoga {a kind of mandala visualization), and the Fourth Cultivation of Samadhi.

Shakubuku and Jihad ; a Comparison and Contrast

2010-09-27T08:08:00.000-05:00

Previously, I compared and contrasted the Buddhist concept of padhana with the Islamic concept jihad. Both words can be translated as struggle, striving, or endeavor; but get there via different idioms. Padhana can be very literally rendered as ‘for stabilizing.’ It is specifically a practice for stabilizing the mind in wholesome states. This is similar to the concept of jihad as an inner spiritual struggle to submit oneself, to develop one’s faith, and to live righteously. With padhana, the struggle is to block and abandon unwholesome mental states; while cultivating and maintaining wholesome mental states.

Whereas the cattarro padhana or fourfold struggle of Buddhism is clearly an inner spiritual struggle; jihad is sometimes understood as an aggressive means of evangelism; a holy war to force others to submit, take faith, and live righteously. In Buddhism, there are two general ways of propagation or evangelism. One of these is called parigrahana 攝受 {shoju}; the other is called samgrahana 折伏 {shakubuku}.

Graha literally means ‘seize’ or ‘capture.’ The suffix -na is a congnate of -ing; is frequently used to form gerunds; and can often be expressed with -ion, -tion, or -ness. In this context, grahana is used figuratively to refer to opinions, views, or beliefs, and is a rough synonym of ditthi / drishti 見. The prefix -pari is a cognate of peri- and means ’round about’ or around. The sino-japanese term, shoju 攝受, is a compound of 攝 = assimilate and 受 = accept. Parigrahana 攝受 is a means of persuading people to practice without refuting their wrong views.

To accept, take in; to include. Especially the broadminded acceptance of the Buddha and his dharma to bring all kinds of suffering sentient beings into the fold of the saṃgha. There is also a connotation of the open-minded acceptance of the opinions of these people as contrasted to 折伏, the Buddha’s forcing of ideological opponents into submission (Skt. saṃgraha) ~~ DDB

Sam means ‘with,’ or ‘together with.’ Samgraha, as a means of propagation, could be translated as convince, refute, or remonstrate. Conviction – Merriam-Webster’s sense 2 a: “the act of convincing a person of error or of compelling the admission of a truth” — is a fairy direct translation of samgrahana. It could also be rendered as refutation or remonstration, and, in some situations; scolding, rebuking, or censure. The sino-japanese term, Shakubuku 折伏, is a compound word that consists of 折 = to break, subdue, [cause to] submit and 伏 = [cause to] bow down, prostrate.

In Buddhist use, samgrahana 折伏 is usually about refuting mistaken ideas, through clear reasoning, and intellectually forcing those who hold wrong views to honestly admit their errors. A good example is found in the Culs Saccaka Sutta.

This discourse, given at Vesali, gives an account of the debate between the Buddha and Saccaka the wandering ascetic on the subject of atta. Saccaka maintained that rupa, vedana, sanna, sankhara and vinnana were one’s atta. It was atta which enjoyed the fruits of good deeds and suffered the consequences of bad deeds. The Buddha refuted his theory, pointing out that none of the khandhas was atta each being subjected to the laws of anicca, dukkha, and anatta, and not amenable to anyone’s control. Saccaka had to admit his defeat in the presence of his followers.
MN 35: Culasaccaka Sutta (The Shorter Discourse to Saccaka)

However, at some point, Saccaka falls silent, and refuses to answer the Buddha’s questions, even after three reasonable requests; which is a violation of classical brahmodya rules of debate. At this point, Vajrapani the Yaksha, visible only to the Buddha and Saccaka, appears above Saccaka holding a vajra — a flaming hammer or thunderbolt, and threatens to split his head into seven pieces; if he does not answer after three requests. The same image is also seen in the Ambattha Sutta — Pride Humbled.

This visual imagery is also adapted in the Lotus Sutra, where Vajjrapati’s role is assumed by the Yakshini 夜叉 {yasha} Hariti 鬼子母神 {kishimojin} her and her ten Rakshasi daughters 十羅刹女 {jurasetsunyo}.

“If there are those who fail to heed our spells and trouble and disrupt the preachers of the Law, their heads will split into seven pieces like the branches of the arjaka.”
The Lotus Sutra as Translated by Burton Watson Chapter Twenty-six: Dharani

Moreover, the Buddha, on very rare occasions, spoke harshly to those who behaved poorly. One example was his rebuke of Devadatta.

“I would not even hand over the Sangha to Sariputta or Moggallana, let alone to you, you who should be coughed out like spittle.” ~~ Ajatasattu and Devadatta

In addition, it is well known that Nichiren Shonin was an advocate of shakubuku and sometimes used harsh language when remonstrating with the ruling Hojo Regency of Kamakura Era Japan. More recently, the Soka Gakkai developed a reputation for a deploying a combative, aggressive. and coercive style of propagation. Some use this an excuse to set aside the practice of khanti / kshanti 忍 or 忍辱; Buddhist forbearance or tolerance defined as patience with offensive people or actions that do not really deserve patience.

For these and other reasons, shakubuku or samgraha is sometimes wrongly associated with enmity and intolerance. As previously noted, the word jihad is, too often, associated with aggressive and even violent forms of propagation. Some have suggested that aggressive shakubuku might be comparable to violent applications of jihad, crusades, or so-called holy war. I suppose it could, but I think this would be corruption or perversion of the Buddha’s intention.

Even when it became necessary to scold an unrepentant individual, the Buddha almost always remained equanimous, polite, and cheerful. At any rate, samgrahana or shakubuku 折伏 can be best defined as a method of propagation in which wrong views are clearly exposed and refuted. There is no reason for this to turn into a ‘cold war’ or an incessant battle of words. After three failed attempts at rational persuasion, it might be time to move on cheerfully and remain good Dharma friends, despite differences of view.

Padhana and Jihad; a Comparison and Contrast

2010-09-20T09:18:00.004-05:00

I am told that jihad can have different meanings in different contexts. Evidently, the word jihad is a kind of action or verbal noun called an infinitive. It literally means ‘he struggles.’ In spoken Arabic it simply means struggle — any sort of strenuous effort, endeavor, or striving. Some take it, in a religious context, to mean an aggressive external holy war against infidels. Others take it as a threefold internal spiritual struggle with oneself; to submit oneself, to develop faith, and to live righteously. I found the latter interpretation kind of interesting. There are two somewhat similar Buddhist terms; padhana / pradhana, and pahana / prahana. These words are a kind of action noun called a gerund; a verb ending with the suffix -ing that is used as a noun.

Padhana or pradhana is translated as struggle, exertion, endeavor, striving, and so on. I should add that it has other meanings in other contexts. In the context of the Eightfold Path; padhana refers to the meditation practice or spiritual exercise called samma vayama / samyak vyayama, commonly translated as Right Effort. Right effort is explained in detail as catarro sammappadhana / samyak catur pradhana; the fourfold right struggle.

The word consists of two parts; pradha and -na. Pradha means ‘to strive.’ It can broken down into two; the prefix pra-, plus the verb dhi. Pra- is a cognate of pre-, pro-, per, and fore. It can have several meanings. In this case, it means for, in the sense of purpose or use. Dhi- means to hold, to fasten, to firm up, and so on. The suffix -na is a cognate of -ing, and is commonly used to form gerunds.

Pahana / prahana is the second of the four struggles. The word consists of the prefix pra, the verb ha, and the suffix -na. ‘ Ha’ means to abandon, to give up, to relinquish, to eliminate, to sever, and so on. In Buddhism, pahana padhana means the spiritual struggle to abandon unwholesome mental states; such as enmity, intolerance, greed, or delusion, that have already arisen.

At any rate, the Buddhist concept of the fourfold padhana is similar to jihad in the sense of the third spiritual struggle with oneself; the struggle to live righteously. Buddhism places primary importance on the cetana, the internal mental state that motivates deeds, over the the external action. For example, superficial acts of charity, with the egoistic aim of receiving social credit, or the prideful desire to feel superior to others; would not be wholesome. The mental state of authentic compassion has to be present.

Moreover, from a Buddhist perspective, there is no such thing as righteous indignation. The correct Buddhist response to injustice or insults is not to be offended and arouse enmity. Instead, one should block any dormant enmity, relinquish any ill feelings that have already arisen, cultivate khanti / kshanti {forgiving tolerance} as an antidote, and then strive to maintain a equanimous, discerning mind rooted in cheerful kindness. On the other hand, the calm and selective use of necessary force, provided it is rooted in compassion for all involved, and applied with discerning wisdom, with the objective of preventing immediate harm, could sometimes be wholesome.

cattarimani or cattaro sammappadhanani / catur samyak-pradhana
四正勤 {si zheng qin / shi shogon} : Fourfold Right Struggle; to overcome mental afflictions / unwholesome mental states.
catarro sammapahana 四正斷 {si zheng duan / shi shodan} : Fourfold Elimination [of mental afflictions]
pahana / prahana 斷: Abandonment or elimination of mental afflictions that have already arisen.

Karma and Causality

2010-05-28T19:44:00.006-05:00

“A sutra states that both the crow’s blackness and the heron’s whiteness are actually the deep stains of their past karma.” — Nichiren, Letter from Sado

Taken literally, this statement reflects a common misunderstanding of Karma, as taught by the Buddha.

Karma {from the verbal root kri, kha = to put, make, do} does refer to a process of causality. However, Karma is only one kind of cause and effect. The Buddha was rather clear that karma is rooted in cetana {ceta = mental state + na = the gerundive suffix -ing; motive, intention}. A cetana is the basic unit of volitional motivation. So, karma refers only to causality involving volition; willful or intentional actions.

While the quoted sentence might be construed figuratively, we know the coloration of birds really has nothing to do with volitional deeds they committed in their past lives. The Pali commentaries inferred five processes of causality from the Suttas. The Buddha did not explicitly use these terms. However, the concepts are implicit in the Suttas. Moreover, they are pretty much consistent with modern science.

The process are called niyamas. The prefix ni- is similar to ex- and generally means something like ‘out of.’ In some cases, it can mean ‘into; or can be an intensifier. Yama means something like control, regulate, or restraint. In Patanjali Yoga, yama and niyama refer to rules of conduct. In our present context, niyama indicates the processes that regulate causation. The Panca Niyama are five process of causality are:

1. Utu Niyama or Inorganic Processes: Utu simply means non-living or inorganic. In ancient India, this was about the interaction of four basic physical or elements; earth or solids, water or liquid, wind or gases, and fire or energy. Today, we know these are not really elements, but the analysis still has some merit. In modern terms, Utu Niyama refers to processes studied in the fields of geology, inorganic chemistry, climatology, and so on.

2. Bija Niyama or Genetic Heredity: Bija means seminal, germ, or seed. In modern terms, bija niyama refers to the fields of biology, organic chemistry, genetics, and so on. The crow’s blackness and the heron’s whiteness are actually the result of bija niyama; their genetic inheritance.

3. Karma Niyama or Volitional Moral Causality: I already mentioned that karma is rooted in cetana, or basic motive. Buddhism divides cetanas into the categories of kushala or wholesome, akushala or unwholesome, and neutral. That involves morality. My understanding is that cetanas become habitual or patterned. One’s habitual pattern of motives is called cetana samskara or volitional conditioning, and constitutes the fourth skandha. Karma is ‘created’ by three kinds of conduct, actions, or causes; volitional conceptual thought {manas}, volitional speech, and volitional bodily deeds. The Buddha taught the every such volitional is a cause {hetu} and invariably produces an effect or fruit {vipaka}.

Then Ven. Angulimala, early in the morning, having put on his robes and carrying his outer robe & bowl, went into Savatthi for alms. Now at that time a clod thrown by one person hit Ven. Angulimala on the body, a stone thrown by another person hit him on the body, and a potsherd thrown by still another person hit him on the body. So Ven. Angulimala — his head broken open and dripping with blood, his bowl broken, and his outer robe ripped to shreds — went to the Blessed One. The Blessed One saw him coming from afar and on seeing him said to him: “Bear with it, brahman! Bear with it! The fruit of the kamma that would have burned you in hell for many years, many hundreds of years, many thousands of years, you are now experiencing in the here-&-now!”– The Buddha, the Angulimala Sutta

According to the seed that’s sown,
So is the fruit you reap therefrom,
Doer of good will gather good,
Doer of evil, evil reaps,
Down is the seed and thou shalt taste the fruit thereof.
– The Buddha, the Nibbedhika Sutta

4. Dhamma / Dharma Niyama or Laws of Phenomena: Dharma can mean phenomena in general; usually transliterated as dharmas with a little ‘d,’ or the Buddha Dharma; which is usually capitalized. I have seen dharma niyama taken both ways. A few take it to mean the power of Dharma. Most, including myself, take this to mean the former, corresponding to the Laws of Physics; such as Gravity, Conservation of Mass-Energy, Conservation of Momentum, Laws of Thermodynamics, and so on.

5. Citta Niyama or Power of Mind: Note that Citta is an inclusive term for the mind and spirituality and is not limited ti the brain functions {manas}. Some construe this to this to mean the processes covered by Psychology; the Behavioral Sciences. I agree, if that includes parapsychology. Citta Niyama would include conditioning {sankharas / samskaras}, but also various powers of the mind that are beyond the limits of modern science. This covers the a-causal; such as synchronicity, as well the supra-causal and what appear to be miracles.

The concept of Panca Niyama, or Five Processes of Causality, provides a much more complete and rational view of cause and effect than blaming everything on Karma. Not everything that happens is due to Volitional Moral Causality. However, the Buddha did teach that every volitional action has a consequence.

Wholesome and unwholesome cetanas or motives will arise. It is up to us to either block & abandon them; or cultivate and maintain them. If we wish to change our karma for the better; then we can do the former. Meanwhile, we can endeavor to cultivate and maintain wholesome cetanas. That does not mean we get a free pass for bad deeds done in the past. Note that Angulimala, the gruesome serial killer that repented and reformed, still experienced his karmic retribution, albeit in a greatly lightened manner.

Also, dukkha or pain is inherent in Natural Law. Everyone experiences bad things that are just part of life and have nothing to do with karma. Moreover, changing our karma, via ethical conduct, is only entry level Dharma. The better part of Buddhism transcends karma, and is about Citta Bhavana; cultivation of one’s mind and spirituality.

Dwelling on the back roads by the rivers of our memories.

New Message Board

2010-02-26T18:07:00.002-06:00

iirc, this was started for those who missed their e-sangha fix. We formerly had a Nichiren Sangha at E-Sangha. Others are welcome to join.

Click Here & The Nichiren Sangha will open in a new window

Click this & The Nichiren Sangha will open in the same window

Three levels of Faith

2009-04-22T09:34:00.008-05:00

While looking at various texts, I noticed that there were a number of words being translated as faith. After a lot of back-translating, I came up with three main Sanskrit words; Shraddha, Prasada, and Adhimukti. This gets a bit convoluted, because different teachers and schools use these terms differently. Also, translation from Sanskrit to Chinese was a chaotic mess. So, keep in mind that I am oversimplifying for clarity.

Shraddha 信 {shin} means to believe in, to trust. Yogarchara breaks this down into Cognitive Faith 信忍 {Shinin}, Emotive or Joyful Faith 信樂 {shingyo}, and Volitional Faith 善法欲 {zenbo yoku}. Prasada 信心 {shinjin} is a deep or profound faith, a heart felt conviction or trust. Note that Prasada has a lot of other translations, the most common appears to be 清浄 {shojo}; which is also a translation of vishuddha, a term that means spiritual purification. For present purposes, 信心 shinjin works. Adhimukti 信解 {shinge} translates as a faith based on understanding. Adhi means something like primordial or source. Mukti means liberation or emancipation and the translation, ge 解, means to unravel. Shin {trust}, shinjin {heart felt faith}, and shinge {faith with understanding] all have a shared meaning; while each has a distinct nuance.

Most of us have heard the "poisoned arrow" parable from the Culamalunkya Sutta:

Suppose Malunkyaputta, a man is wounded by a
poisoned arrow, and his friends and relatives bring him a
physician. Suppose the man then says to the physician, "I will not
allow you to remove this arrow until I have learned who shot me: the age,
the occupation, the birthplace, and the motivation of the person who wounded
me. I will not allow you to remove this arrow until I have learned the kind of bow
with which I was shot, the type of bowstring used, the type of arrow, what sort of
feather was used on the arrow, and with what kind of material the point of the
arrow was made." That man would die before having learned all this. In
exactly the same way, anyone who should say, 'I will not follow
the teaching of the Buddha until the Buddha has explained all the
multiform truths of the world' - that person would die
before the Buddha had explained all this."

In the beginning, we require some degree of trust to get past mistrust, suspicion, and cynicism. So we suspend skepticism; and give it an honest shot. We need to remove the arrow. Nichiren called this 以信代慧 {ishin daie} or substituting faith for wisdom. I think Nichiren stressed trust because distrust, suspicious doubt, and cynicism tend to disable us before we even start, or cause us to quit at the first bump in the road. Who has time to sort out all the competing claims? So people tend to put their trust is something, to anchor themselves. However,, Nichiren Shonin said people were trusting the wrong things; like an all knowing Sensei, government authorities, or secret transmissions. He concluded that the Lotus Sutra was the best place to anchor one's practice; the best source to trust. Moreover, he evidently thought Chapters two and sixteen provided the keys. I think one can do worse.

Whereas suspicion, mistrust, and cynicism are far enemies of trust; there is also the near enemy of gullibility. I do not know the Buddhist words for gullible, sucker, or con-man. However, the Buddha clearly warned about blind faith in the Kalama Sutta. Prasada or shinjin is a deeper level of faith. Pramoda or Fortune 歡喜 {kanki}, Purity, 清浄 {shojo}, and Joyful Faith 信樂 {shingyo} pretty much connote the same thing. It is a level of faith and conviction where we pour our heart and soul into it. This can be a good thing, but is Fraught with Peril, like a double edged sword. Whenever I hear about 'pure faith' it triggers my BS meter. Too often, this can and does lead to intolerance and bigotry. There is some thinking that expecting any kind of evidence or proof somehow equals doubt, suspicion, mistrust, or disloyalty. The SGI says members should not ask for financial disclosure; because this implies mistrust of the leaders. "Who is right" has trumped "what is right."

Some say we do not need to know what the Lotus Sutra means. To want to know is seen as mistrust; a lack of faith. Others say we should not chant any other mantras; that would be disloyal. Critical thinking or discernment is seen as an enemy of faith. Anti-intellectualism is conflated with faith. It also becomes thinkable to launch smear campaigns against competing 'faiths;' in order to discredit them; to inspire distrust of them. So heart felt faith can spiral downward into its own 'enemies' of fear, superstition, intolerance, and bigotry. That is where the third level, Faith with Understanding, enters. The sanskrit words literally mean primordial {adhi} and liberation or emancipation {mukti}. The sino-japanese translation means trust 信 {shin} with objective understanding or intellectual clarity 解 {ge}. By definition, discernment {prajna} is required to reach this mature level of faith.

While cynical doubt is never healthy; I think healthy skepticism is really a prerequisite for 'Faith with Clarity.' Self deception, immature understanding, and attachment to fixed views are enemies of clarity. So it then perhaps becomes necessary to honestly reexamine and challenge our beliefs, assumptions, and conceptions. I suspect this is the real meaning of "honestly discarding the provisional." Faith, in the sense of a tentative trust and and open mind, is a prerequisite to over come suspicion, biased skepticism, and cynicism. Emotive Faith is a double edged sword that can and does lead to excessive attachment to views and bigotry. Faith with Understanding overcomes bigotry and leads to a mature confidence that can tolerate ambiguity and allow one to honestly deal with doubts. Faith, Practice, and Study. 信行学 {shin-gyo-gaku} ties in with this. Faith, in the beginning is trust, in the sense that an infant trusts its parents. Practice leads to the deeper; but sort of immature, level of heart felt confidence. However, for a fully matured faith and real emancipation, objective study is needed.

Ruminations on the Death Penalty

2009-02-06T10:23:00.000-06:00

The situation in the US is that there are 50 plus jurisdictions; so it is not even, primarily, a Federal issue. It is mainly a state issue. In Illinois, at one point, 70% of death row inmates were eventually cleared of the charges that sent them there. I mean cleared, not overturned on a technicality. In most cases, the police and prosecutors had either suborned perjury, planted incriminating evidence, or withheld exculpatory evidence. What ensued was that some conservative Republicans were outraged about this. Pressure was put on our Republican Governor. It helped that George Ryan got caught with his hand in cookie jar. [pay to play kickbacks in Illinois, are a bi-partisan tradition.] While basically on the way to jail, George declared a moratorium on executions.

update: "Illinois has executed a total of 12 people since 1976. In January 2003, Governor Ryan commuted every death sentence in the state, clearing death row as he left office. Later that year, the legislature passed some significant reforms, but many of the committee's recommendations have not yet been implemented. Under the current governor, the moratorium has remained in place. Meanwhile, an abolition bill passed out of committee with a vote of 8-4 in 2003." ~~ Link

As far as I know, not a great deal has been done about "Police and Prosecutorial Misconduct." The attitude, at the time, on the right, was they were 'acting under the color of the law.' There is a pendulum issue. We do not want to place procedural handcuffs on law enforcement. We do not want to "disincentivize" solving cases. Good is always at a competitive disadvantage; because evil gets to cheat. In an effort to level the playing field; we can become what we despise. Procedural handcuffs on cops create situations in which good incriminating evidence is thrown out, as illegally obtained, or even as fruit from a poisoned tree. Of course, exculpatory evidence is not held to the same standards. This goes to one of the main reasons cops and prosecutors suborn perjury, plant incriminating evidence, or withhold exculpatory evidence. They generally {not always} believe they are framing the guilty.

There are, of course, other reasons why law enforcement officials cheat. There is public pressure to solve cases quickly. In this connection; there is talk about victim's rights and closure. That smells of revenge seeking to me. Does a victim have a right to see the perpetrator punished? There might be a conceptual flaw in the adversarial system; winning and losing can trump truth seeking. Investigative techniques might tend toward formulating a hypothesis, identifying suspects, and then seeking evidence that supports preconceptions; while dismissing facts that do not fit. There are also plain old dirty cops, who are basically acting as undercover agents of criminal enterprises. Some are possibly driven by special social, cultural, political and financial interests.

Another issue is rehabilitation. Buddhism informs us that retaliation / revenge, is an unwholesome motivation / intentionality {cetana-samskara}. The only wholesome rationale for the death penalty is prevention; that it prevents greater harm. It is argued that it is an ineffective deterrent; but I am not sold on that. It does deter the executed convict from killing again. The rate of recidivism among the executed is very low. In addition, the threat of the death penalty is a very useful tool for law enforcement in obtaining evidence and confessions. If we take that off the table in advance; then there is less incentive for suspects to talk. Moreover, I think that locks on doors keep the honest people out. The threat of punishment; including the death penalty, does deter most of us. For criminals, probably no deterrent works. The threat of getting caught might even motivate them to commit other crimes; such as killing witnesses.

That said, AFAIK, none of the states allow rehabilitation as an affirmative defense to overturn a death sentence? It can be a mitigating circumstance for prosecutorial discretion, clemency, paroles, and lighter sentences? I am not sure on that. There was a case in Texas, involving then Governor George W. Bush, in which a clearly rehabilitated killer was put to death. Politics were apparently a factor there. As a Republican, Bush most likely did not want to be in a position of an appearance of favoritism; by granting clemency to a born again follower of Pat Robertson. "Equal Justice Under the Law" can complicate things. The thing is, the rule of law can sometimes be oppressive. We can became a slave of the law. Where do compassion and forbearance fit in? BTW, former President Clinton, while Governor of Arkansas, did not act to stop the execution of a man who was severely mentally impaired. The convict was unable to finish his last meal, and asked a guard to save his pie for later. Again, that was likely politics. As a Democrat, Bill Clinton likely did not want to appear soft on crime.

The bottom line, my take, is that the entire system of criminal justice, in regards to sentencing, is flawed at the roots. The rationale is primarily punishment / retaliation / revenge. The objective ought to be rehabilitation. We, as Buddhists, actually have very powerful tools for rehabilitation.

The Stilling / Concentration / Absorption {samatha or shamatha / samadhi / jhana or dhyana} have been shown to improve cognitive skills. [Link: Meditate To Concentrate.] The metta-karuna bhavana do cultivate kindness and compassion. [link: Study shows compassion meditation changes the brain.] The Mindfulness / Insight meditations appear to cause people to self reflect and "see themselves;" which arouses the desire to self reform. [see: Vipassana has been very successful in reducing the rate of recidivism within prison populations.] Nichiren related practices such as shodai 唱題 [daimoku mantra chantind], kanjin 観心 [passana-citta] and zange 懺悔 [kshama-deshana], are forms of concentration [shamatha, samadhi, dhyana], mindfulness [sati or smrti] and insight [vipassana or vipashyana] practices.

Dharma Book List

2009-02-03T10:03:00.017-06:00

This is a partial list, in random order. I have a couple of them, the rest are on a wish list. All of these have either been recommended by highly trusted sources, or I have had some direct experience; such as reading quotations on line.

The Path of Purification: Visuddhimagga

Meditation: The Buddhist Way of Tranquility and Insight

Buddhism: Introducing the Buddhist Experience

The Lotus Sutra: A Contemporary Translation of a Buddhist Classic

Threefold Lotus Sutra

Original Enlightenment and the Transformation of Medieval Japanese Buddhism (Studies in East Asian Buddhism, 12)

In the Buddha's Words: An Anthology of Discourses from the Pali Canon (Teachings of the Buddha)

The Life of the Buddha : According to the Pali Canon

The Middle Length Discourses of the Buddha: A Translation of the Majjhima Nikaya (Teachings of the Buddha)

What the Buddha Taught: Revised and Expanded Edition with Texts from Suttas and Dhammapada

The Heart of the Buddha's Teaching

The Dhammapada: Verses on the Way (Modern Library Classics)

The Bodhicaryavatara (Oxford World's Classics)

The Awakening of Faith (Translations from the Asian Classics)

Bodhisattva of Compassion: The Mystical Tradition of Kuan Yin (Shambhala Dragon Editions)

Visions of Awakening Space and Time: Dogen and the Lotus Sutra

Primer of Soto Zen: A Translation of Dogen's Shobogenzo Zuimonki (East West Center Book)

Master Dogen's Shobogenzo

The Holy Teaching of Vimalakirti

Buddhist Wisdom: The Diamond Sutra and The Heart Sutra

The Flower Ornament Scripture: A Translation of the Avatamsaka Sutra

Modern Buddhist Healing: A Spiritual Strategy for Transforming Pain, Dis-Ease, and Death

Riding The Wheel To Wellness: A Buddhist Perspective On Life's Healing Gifts, Meditation, Prayer & Visualization

Start Where You Are: A Guide to Compassionate Living (Shambhala Classics)

Faces of Compassion: Classic Bodhisattva Archetypes and Their Modern Expression

It's Easier Than You Think: The Buddhist Way to Happiness

Buddhism without Beliefs

Power of Threes; Benefits of Nichiren Buddhism

2008-12-31T10:52:00.025-06:00

From time time to time, Nichiren Buddhists quarrel over the correct way to display the Gohonzon. That is a topic I intend to address in the near future at Gongyo on Line. A more important matter is the qualities that the Gohonzon, whatever the format, is intended to represent. These qualities of the Gohonzon are what we are trying to elicit and / or cultivate in ourselves. Without the benefits of practice, the Gohonzon is just a piece of paper or collection of art objects. From what I can gather, based on my study of Buddhism, the benefits of Buddhism fall into three general categories. These are expressed by a sino-japanese term that is often translated as benefits; 功徳利 {kudokuri}. Here is a look at these:

功 {ku}: Note that this is a homophone of another Buddhist term that means Emptiness. This is a completely different word. The original Sanskrit word for this 功 {ku} is punya, which means merit. Punya or merits refer primarily to positive mental qualities that create good karma. Another word for merit is 福 {fuku}; which also translates as good fortune. Merits are good qualities that must be cultivated; good fortune is earned. There are many merits; qualities such as kindness, compassion, tolerance, renunciation, generosity, wisdom, and so on. The opposites of punya are bad qualities called klesha 煩悩 {bonno}. These are mental qualities like hatred, intolerance, indulgence, envy, and so on.

The merits of Buddhism are represented on the Mandala Gohonzon by the Bodhisattvas, such as Manjushri (who represents discerning wisdom), located in the second row. There is also a Buddhist Principle called Kleshas = Bodhi 煩悩即菩提 {bonno soku bodai}; represented on the Mandala Gohonzon by Ragaraja 愛染明王 {Aizen Myo'o}; the Vidyaraja or Wisdom King of craving desires. This indicates that, through practice, our kleshas are gradually transformed into merits. Another thing to add is that merits create good karma in the three standard ways; through thoughts or intentions, through speech or words, and by bodily actions or deeds. Buddhism stresses that the qualities of mind or intentions are paramount. However. we should keep in mind that ignorance; as well as unconsciously conditioned negative motives, are still deemed intentions; even though we might not see them as consciously intentional. As such, we must practice spiritual introspection or vipassana 観心 {kanjin} to understand our real intention.

徳 {toku; doku}: The Sanskrit term for this is Guna; which means Virtues; the qualities of a Saint or Sage. Virtues are innate attributes that we all possess. However, they become obscured by our conditioning. There are four primary virtues associated with Nichiren Buddhism. These are represented on the Nichiren Mandala by the Four Leaders of the Bodhisattvas from Underground. By the way, my take is that a controversial term, Original Enlightenment or Innate Awakening 本覚 {hongaku}, refers to the presence of these attributes as functions of our Ninth Consciousness. One of the reasons we chant in front of the Mandala or other Gohonzon is to elicit these virtues; so that they emerge from the underground of our lives.

One more principle to mention here is that of Samsara = Nirvana 生死即涅槃 {shoji soku nehan}. Shoji soku nehan} is represented on Nichiren's Great Mandala by the Vidya King Achalanatha 不動明王 {fudo myo'o}. The concept means that the innate virtues do not emerge in a vacuum, or in some transcendental pure land; the process takes place amidst the struggles of mundane daily living. Samsara refers to the karmic cycle of birth and death; while Nirvana means an unbinding from that cycle. Some might conceive of Nirvana as totally empty or without attributes. However, in Nichiren Buddhism there is a positive affirmation of virtuous attributes.

利 {ri}: The Sanskrit for this are paṭu, tīkṣṇa; which can profitable, beneficial; gain, advantag e, among other things. Other words for this would include 義 {gi}. and 益 {yaku}. Possibly; artha 事 {ji} (practical affair or matter) and shak 能 {no} (skill or ability). It should also be mentioned that there is 冥益 {myoyaku} or inconspicuous gain and conspicuous gain 顕益 {kenyaku}. The former appears to mean the fruit of efforts that has not yet been actualized. For example, s student is acquiring skills or inconspicuous gain; which can later be used to acquire wealth or conspicuous gain. Similarly, by chanting now, we are making causes that will result in attaining a more obvious Buddhahood in the future.

Gain can also be compared to jewels or treasures. According to Nichiren Shonin, there are three kinds of valuables or treasure. These are treasures of the storehouse; like money and other property; treasures of the body; like physical strength, manual skills, and good health; and Treasures of the Heart-Mind or Citta 心 {shin}. All of these are important, but the last one is most important. Kito 祈祷 chanting or offering prayers for material wealth and good health are good and better; while kanjin 観心 chanting or spiritual introspection is the best.

Dukkha and Satisfaction

2008-12-19T20:04:00.008-06:00

Dukkha is a Buddhist term that can be translated as suffering, stressful, unsatisfying, or frustrating. The Buddha said, "Sabbe sankhara dukkha." That translates as, "All compounded or conditioned [phenomena] is suffering, stressful, unsatisfying, frustrating."

It is sort of like the old Rolling Stones song, 'I can't get no satisfaction.' The Buddha explained why we can not get any lasting satisfaction. It is because we are "looking for love [satisfaction] in all the wrong places." The Buddha taught four reasons why we wind up frustrated. These are are know as cattaro vipallasa {viparyasa} or 四顚倒 {shi tendo}; the four inverted views or hallucinations.

Mistaking or seeking subha 浄 wholesomeness, fortune. purity, attractiveness, desirability}; for or in that which is asubha 不淨 or 惡露 {impure, spiritually ugly, unwholesome, unfortunate}.
Seeking sukha 樂 {bliss}; in that which is dukkha 苦 or 苦惱 {unsatisfying}.
Searching for or expecting nicca / niyta 常 {constancy, continuity, eternity}; in that which is anicca / anitya 無常 {inconstant, temporal}.
Identifying atta / atman 我 {an abiding self}; in that which is anatta / anatman 無我{conditional ego}.

You might recognize that the last three are the three marks of existence. "Sabbe sankhara anicca. Sabbe sankhara dukkha. Sabbe dhamma anatta." All conditioned existence is inconstant. All conditioned existence is suffering. All phenomena have no abiding self. To these is added asubha {unwholesome, inner ugliness, unfortunate, inauspecious}; which is related to ashuddha {impurity}.

The Buddha also said,"Sabbe sankhara dukkha ti yada pannaya passati atha nibbindati dukkhe esa maggo vishuddhiya." That translates as something like, "All conditioned existence is unsatisfying. When one acquires the skills of discernment and insight, then one grows weary of frustration, and seeks the path of purification." Buddhism teaches that there is a cessation of dukkha. "You can't always get what you want; but if you try sometime, you just might find, you get what you need." You might also notice that the reverse of the cattaro vipallasa are the four innate innate virtues; known as 四徳 Shitoku:

Subha 浄 (jo) {pure} or 清浄 (shojo) {purified} or 遍淨 (henjo) {pervasive purity}: Wholesome purity, inner beauty, innocence; actual desirability, appeal, attractiveness, good fortune. [note that shuddha 浄 pure, 遍淨 pervasive purity, and vishuddha 清浄 purification are conflated with subha or inner beauty].
Sukha 樂 (raku) {comfort}: Sublime Bliss, spontaneous or stable joy, independent of circumstances. Note that sukha, as one of three kinds of vedana {sensation or feeling}, is the opposite of dukkha. The third kind is neutral.
Nitya 常 (jo) or 常住 (joju) {constant} or 無辺 (muhen) {boundless, no end} or 無量 (muryo) {immeasurable}: Actual perception of constancy, continuity, permanence, timelessness, eternity, infinitude.
Atman 我 (?) {mine; self}: Authentic identity; which is a selfless, higher self.

Perhaps you also noticed that these relate to the Four Bodhisattvas 四菩蓮 (shi bosatsu) who attend the Eternal Shakyamuni; and also satipatthana or the four frameworks of sati. smrti, 憶念, or mindfulness.

The Concept of Channeling Monjushiri Bosatsu

2008-12-03T15:46:00.003-06:00

The Heart Mantra of Manjusri, Om Ah Ra Pa Tsa Na Dhih, is the most recent mantra / dharani / chant I have added to my repertoire; and other than Namu Myoho Renge Kyo, the one I use most often. By the time I got to this one, I had pretty much gotten over my phobias and superstitions about mixing practices. For a brief discussion, please see my earlier entry at Fraught with Peril, Manjushiri Mantra. As I noted there, Manjushri 文殊師利 {wenshushili, monjushiri} is considered the Mahasattva Bodhisattva of Wisdom.

Note that there are three primary Buddhist terms translated as Wisdom. Of these, Monju is most commonly associated with Panna / Prajna 慧 {hui / e} or 般若 {hannya}. The others are Viija / Vidya 明 {ming, myo}; which refers to objective wisdom / knowledge, science, or the object of study; and Jnana / Gnosis 智; which means subjective wisdom / knowledge, or understanding. Pra means leading to and is similar to the prefix pro, while jna means to know or comprehend, like the Greek gno / gni / gna in words like gnosis, cognition, prognosis, diagnosis, cognate, and so on.

So prajna means the the skill of discernment; that which leads to knowing. I take this as 'critical thinking;' the acquired ability to reason and think clearly; to discriminate or distinguish one object from another, to generalize or see commonalities, to employ deductive or inductive logic, to avoid the traps of logical fallacies, to remain objective or impartial, to accurately comprehend what one is reading, and so on. On a deeper level, prajna can also mean intuition or insight; the ability to perceive Emptiness (sunatta / shunyata 空 {kong, ku}) and Immediacy or Timelessness {akaliko / akalika 無時 {wushih, muji}}.

In Mahayana Buddhism, the Mahasattva Bodhisattvas are sort of like Patron Saints in Chistianity; each has their specialty. In East Asian Buddhism, Manjushri, representing prajna, is one of four primary Mahasattva Bodhisattvas. The other three are Samantabhadra 普賢 {puxian, fugen}; who represents Ethics or Morality {Sila} and Merits {punya}; Kshitigharba 地藏 {Jizo}; who represents Vows and Forbearing Patience {Kshanti}, and Avalalokiteshvara 観世音 {kuanshiyin, kanzeon}; who represents heart felt compassion. In the Nichiren context, Monju and Samantabhadra Fugen are among four Trace Gate 迹門 {shakumon} Bodhisattvas from the Lotus Sutra. The others are Bhaishajyaraja 薬王 {yakuo}; who represents healing, and Maitreya 弥勒 {miroku}; the Coming Samyaksambuddha who represents kindness {Metta / Maitri}.

I take the Trace Gate Bodhisattvas as personifications of merits (Punya {功德 {kungte, kudoku} or 功祚 {kuso}) and skills {attha/artha} that must be cultivated, earned, and acquired. Each of the four can be connected one of the first four skandhas, one the four inverted views (vipallasa / viparyasa 顚倒}, and one of the four frameworks of mindfulness. In terms of the Five Skandas, Monju relates to the third, or samjna skandha 想蘊 {so un}. Samjna is variously translated as conception, ideation, cognate, cognition, recognition, or perceptions. Sam means something like bring together or integrate, roughly the same as the prefixes co/com/con. Jna is the same as in prajna and jnana, so cognate or cognition would be literal.

Distortions of recognition lead to the third vipallasa or derangement / inverted view 蓮倒 {tendo} of perceiving nicca / niyta 常住 {joju} 常 {jo}(constancy, continuity, eternity); in that which is anicca / anitya 無常 {mujo} {inconstant, temporal}. This is corrected by practicing the third framework of mindfulness; cittanupassana or cittasati satipatthana / citta-smrtiupasthana 心念住 {shin nenju} or 心念處 {shin nencho}: mindfulness and contemplation of mental qualities and spirituality.

In this connection, "channeling" Manjushri can be seen as means of practicing mindfulness of citta 心 {shin} to correct distortions of cognition. Just as there are three nuances of wisdom; there are three meanings of ignorance. There is Avidya 無明 {mumyo (not light)} or 冥 {myo (dark)}; which is ignorance is the sense of nescience, misinformation, or an absence of information. Then there is ajnana or moha 迷 {myo (perplexion)} or 過 {ka (going over one's head)}; which is mental confusion, bewilderment, or lack of comprehension, and mudhi 癡 {chi (foolishness)} or 愚癡 {guchi (stupid)}; which is stupidity or lack of discerning skills. Cultivating prajna leads to jnana; which helps one discern vidya from misinformation. The Manjusri 'channeling' practice consists of meditative postures / gestures {ashana & mudra}, the Manjushiri mantra, and a meditative visualization. Due to length, I shall discuss methods in another entry. That shall appear soon at Gongyo on Line.

One more thing, I also see Manjushiri as a / the Trace Gate parallel of the Source Gate Mahasattva Bodhisattva Anantacaritra 無辺行 {muhengyo} who represents the innate virtue {guna} of Constancy Nitya 常住 {joju}. So Monju would be like a sketch, imprint, trace, conception, or perception; and gradual achievement of Emptiness / Timelessness; Muhengyo is its perpetual reality..

Power of Threes: Trikarma Part One; Is it the Thought that Counts?

2008-09-24T13:10:00.006-05:00

Power of Threes: Trikarma 三業; How Karma is Created. I: Intentions 意業

Even those who have been Buddhist for many years might harbor some misconceptions about Karma. Most Buddhists realize that Karma does not mean fate or preordained destiny; there is causality involved, and we are in charge of that. However, karma is not at all the whole of causality. Karma only refers to volitional causation. There are other, non-volitional causal processes going on; both in our bodies and out there, in the environment. Moreover, karma does not mean "cause and effect." It refers only to the cause. There is another Buddhist term for the fruits or effects of volitional causation.

Buddhism teaches that there are three ways we create new karma; tri-karman 三業 {sangyo}. These are intention or thought, speech or words, and action or deeds. Buddhism appears to rank them, in degree of importance, as Intention > Speech > Deeds. Of these, the Prime Mover, intention, is called mental karma or manokarma 意業 {igo}; causes generated by the mind; by our thoughts, emotions, and desires. It looks like other terms for this include cetanakarma 思業 {shigo} and samskara-karma 行業 {gyogo}.

Here are some concepts related to intention:

Manas 意 {i} = thought, voluntary or purposeful mental activity in general; including complex emotions and desires.
Sankhara / Samskara 行 {gyo} = habituation, determinants, motivators, conditioning, formations, impulses. In this context, these are mental.
Cetana 思 {shi} = intention, volition, reason, purpose.
Vitakka / Vitarka 尋伺 {じんし jinshi} = directed attention or controlled inquiry; focusing the mind on an object. A factor of dhyana / jhana absorption.
Samkappa / Samkalpa 思惟 {shitada} = Reflection, aspiration. {8-fold Path}
Vikappa / Vikappa 分別 {funbetsu} = Sort out, differentiate.
Adhitthana / Adhisthāna 加持 {kaji} = Definiteness of purpose, resolution, one of the Ten Paramis. As a psychic power: 住持力 {ju ji riki} 住在{juzai},

There is an old saying or proverb, the origins of which are known to date back at least 430 years, 'The road to heck is paved with good intentions.' I suspect that this reflects the modern meme or zeitgeist of western pragmatism. It is not just that we are doers, not thinkers, we place a premium on results. This takes on what is both an anti-intellectual and amoral bent; thinking and good moral intentions are often disparaged.

The idea that motive is primary in moral responsibility is becoming counter intuitive, even in law. More and more, we want someone to blame; to be held accountable, for anything that goes wrong. For example, traditionally, motive was considered the primary element in determining the severity of the crime of homicide. Killing in self defense, or in defense of another, was not even a crime. Now, we argue over the immediacy of the threat and necessary degree of force. In the past, accidentally causing a death incurred civil liability, but general not criminal charges. This is shifting toward more emphasis on the outcome, the effect on the victim. Some acts of negligence, that involve no intent to harm, are now considered murder.

There is another old saying, "It is the thought the counts." Buddhism appears to take this view, that intention is the most important element of morality, and strongest determiner of karmic merit. This principle is illustrated by the Ashokan myth concerning a mud pie. A poor child sees the Buddha. The child had nothing to give the Buddha, so he fashioned a mud pie as an offering, Even though the gift had no material value, the child's pure wholesome intention created sufficient merit to become a great king in a future life.

Power of Fours; Qualities of Bondage and Unbinding

2008-08-31T20:16:00.024-05:00

Four Qualities of Bondage:

jatam 生 {sho}: born
bhutam 起 {ki}: Arisen, Originated, become, come into being.
katam 作 {sa} 造 {zo}: created, fabricated, made
sankhatam 爲 {i} or 行 {gyo}: Compounded, conditioned

Four Qualities of Unbinding.

ajatam 不生 {fusho} 無生 {musho}: unborn.
abhutam 無起 {muki}: non-arisen,
akatam 無作 {musa} 無造 {muzo}: uncreated, un-fabricated,
asankhatam 無爲 {mui}, or 不作行{fusagyo}, or 無行 {mugyo}: Uncompounded, unconditioned.

These concepts are found in the third Nibbana Sutta {Tatiyanibbanasuttam} of the Udana or "Book of Exclamations;" the third book of the Khuddaka Nikaya {Minor Collection}. Chapter 8 of the Udana; the Patali Village Chapter, includes 4 short Nibbana Suttas; which describe the nature of unbinding.

rough transliteration: Atthi bhikkhave ajatam abhatam akataü asamkhatam. No ce tam bhikkhave abhavissa ajatam bhatam akatam asamkhatam, na-y-idha jatassa bhatassa katassa samkhatassa nissaranam passayetha. Yasma ca kho bhikkhave atthi ajatam bhatam akatam asamkhatam, tasmà jatassa bhatassa katassa samkhatassa nissaranam passayata.

rough interpretive translation: There is, oh monks [and nuns], an unborn, a non-arisen, an un-fabricated, an un-compounded or unconditioned. If there were not an unborn, a non-arisen, an un-fabricated, an unconditioned, then there would be no basis to discern or intuit emancipation from that which is born, arisen, fabricated, and conditioned. However, since there is a an unborn, a non-arisen, an un-fabricated, an un-compounded or unconditioned; there is a basis whereby emancipation from that which is born, arisen, fabricated, and conditioned is intuited.

One intepretation is that this refutes nihilistic or annihilationist understandings of nirvana, or unbinding. Dharmajim has explained this in terms of awakening to something; in contrast with awakening from delusion. We are waking up to something or other; which is described by the Buddha as unborn, non-arisen, un-fabricated, and unconditioned. While the Buddha is using negative terms, he might be pointing to an experience that has some kind of numinous attributes or qualities. When I first read this, I could not help but think of the four inherent virtues of the Mahayana Mahaparinirvana Sutra.

I also drew a parallel between these four qualities and the first four skandhas; those of form, sensation / feelings, recognition / perception, and volition / habituation. Moreover, in the the Anguttara Nikaya, Book of Ones, the Luminosity {Pabhassara} Sutta we find a possible reference to Amala, a purification of Consciousness, the Fifth Skandha. That Sutta seems to tell us that our consciousness is originally pure, it became defiled through contact, and that through practice, that original luminosity can be restored.

Normally, one might think of the unbinding of nibbana / nirvana as being a dissolution of the five skandhas. Perhaps we could, instead, think in terms of purifying these five skandhas. Then, perhaps, when we are fully awakened, we shall have a luminous or illuminated consciousness; supporting an unborn form, a feeling that is non-arisen and not a reaction to sensation, a mental perception or conception that is not an abstract fabrication, and mental conditioning or formations that are not conditioned? In the next entry, we shall look at another, related, set of fours.

More from BuddhaJones "Diary"

2008-07-19T19:01:00.000-05:00

I get overwhelmed all the time. So, I just say "not yet." It is not necessary to dismiss that which we are unable to understand -- that is sour grapes. With time, study, chanting, concentration, and reflection; insight arises; it actually becomes possible to understand what presently seems impossible to grasp.

It is not so much the jargon, but what it means, that can be highly useful, for one who wishes to truly benefit from Buddhism. As for putting off new people, as someone suggested too much jargon might do, marketing Buddhism to the messes is not really my gig. I suspect that almost anything that has too much popular appeal is probably not worth pursuing.

I know that might seem sardonic, or worse, elitist. I just wonder at what point does changing Nichiren's teaching, so that it is not much different from other popular self help schemes, turn it in to something other than Buddhism? A friend once told me that he liked Soka Gakkai because it taught what he already believed. My reaction was, why bother then? Why do we practice Buddhism? Is it so we can stay as are, and receive some self affirmation, to build up our self esteem?

Are 'Lingo' and Technical Knowledge Essential to Practice?

At Buddhajones

2008-07-18T17:54:00.002-05:00

Is understanding Buddhist jargon; or technical knowledge in general, essential? How about understanding the differences between the various sects; the Nichiren schools, the Nichiren derived schools, and other forms of Buddhism; is that necessary? On all accounts, probably not for a stream enterer. However, wrong knowledge can do harm; while correct knowledge can certainly be helpful. The main thing is, one should not get bogged down, or overwhelmed. Otherwise, we might be like a leaky boat, overladen with cargo, sent out into stormy seas, with a confused captain at the helm. Chances are, we would sink.

link to Buddhajones

Are 'Lingo' and Technical Knowledge Essential to Practice?

Changing Skies Photos

2008-07-01T14:32:00.011-05:00

A bit more self indulgence here. This is basically a late 60's Dead Head summer of love refugeee meets post-disco hip hop jazz r&B soul dance funk. The genre was probably at its best between 1978 and 1984. It combined a lot of lot influences.; including contemporary or near contemporary 70s forms like disco, urban country, heavy metal, punk /new wave, early hip hop, and technopop; while retaining roots in traditional jazz, urban blues and soul. The music was both sensual and spiritual, decadent and creative, indulgent and restrained; it had a message without out having a message, it was materialistic, but not crass. The message was to get dressed up, look hot, gather at a club, eat some soul food, get down and get funky, and be jammin'/dhyambin.

Sunsets in Early Summer / Pave Paradise Music Playlist

2008-06-27T23:40:00.012-05:00

Music & Visual Arts have always been a part of my spiritual journey; in many ways a secret part. As a young man growing, up when and where I did, I always wanted to keep up a fairly macho image. There is more to it than that, my illness gave me a less than smooth voice, clumsy fingers, an awkward gait, poor balance, and horrific stage fright. To compound matters, I was told that, as a Libran man, balance was important. Toss in a moody cancer moon, and a fickle Gemini Ascendant.

Back on the train of thought, I never could sing, draw, or dance; and, as a youth, pretended to be happy with that -- quite a bit of sour grapes were involved there. A kind of curious thing, before a serious health event in 2003, I teated highly in reading comprehension and analytical skills. Aptitude / IQ tests showed the same thing. After the near death event, a subsequent test showed more of an artistic aptitude; with a string sense of harmony, balances, tone, color, and so on. It was like there was a shift from being a logical left brain person to more of an intuitive right brain dude.

The songs I choose on these you-tube play lists mean or meant something to me; not necessarily the literal meaning of the song, or even what the author / composer intended. Just as an example, White Rabbit is obviously about something. But the Gohonzon is also a looking glass, a mirror, or even a window pane that enables to see things that might otherwise escape our attention. On another note, or chord, or cord, Caribbean Queen was the first dance song I liked {I hated disco until it was fairly out of style} and the first one I successfully danced to in public, while sober enough to remember the next day.

Well, sort of danced. It was a Haller Haller moment pour moi [that is french lingo]. I wonder if Goethe would approve? As an aside, 1974 was a great year for R&B dance tunes. Another thing related to the theme, was that I became seriously ill when I was 38. I guess that is more like a midsummer sunset? The last decade of the 20th Century were lost years for me. "Every now and then I get a little bit nervous that the best of all the years have gone by ... Every now and then I fall apart ..."

Every now and then, a creepy, sort of deja vu, gloom overtakes me. I have learned to be patient with that and let it pass. On the other side, bliss awaits. It is a wonderful world. However, we figuratively pave over paradise. We often live our lives as though we will always be here, when really, in the sense of conventional truth, we are just parked and the meter is running. We also calculate, compute, measure and count, when maybe, every now and then, we ought to just observe sans judgement [more french lingo]. One thing, the songs are just stuff people uploaded, and often vanish like dew drops in due time. The photos are mine, and non-commercial use is fine avec moi.

Song of the Cardinal

2008-06-17T05:44:00.001-05:00

Going Cuckoo about Ku; Part One; Emptiness and Form

2008-05-29T21:42:00.007-05:00

This is going to be a tad tedious. Over the years I have been taught several different meanings of the Buddhist term translated into Chinese as 空. Note that the Japanese Buddhist go-on reading of that kanji is Ku. I am, at present, convinced that all of the various translations are correct in certain contexts. This is because, it appears to me, that at least three somewhat similar, but different, Buddhist concepts are expressed by ku 空. Possible confusion arises when these different usages are conflated. I think the various uses can be distinguished by looking at their antonyms.

To begin, it appears that most uses of Ku 空 in Buddhist Concepts are figurative. The word literally means sky. It can mean, by inference, empty, void, vacuum, vacant, and so on. The current trendy translation for all uses appears to be emptiness. So, let us first look at where this comes from. When it appears alone, Ku 空 usually seems to be a direct translation of the Sanskrit word Sunyata. This consists of the adjective sunya plus the suffix ta. Sunya literally means zero or nil; but is taken to mean empty in this context. The ta has the same function as the suffix -ness, it makes the adjective into a noun. So sunyata means Emptiness.

As a Mahayana Buddhist concept; sunyata was, I think, developed by Nagarjuna. In its fullness, the concept of emptiness in Mahayana probably covers three areas. First, all phenomena are fleeting, transient, or temporary; therefore they are empty of a fixed identity or self nature. Next, all objects are products of mutually inter-dependent co-arising, therefore they are empty of a separate or independent identity. Finally, it is our mental conception which defines separate objects, and concepts are empty in that they are abstract or noumena, or lacking in any real attributes; except as imputed by the conceptual mind.

The Mahayana concept is derived from a nearly identical concept found in the Nikayas; that of the pali word sunnatta. However, there is maybe a slight difference in literal meaning. We start with sunna; which is the adjective as sunya, it means empty. This is thought to be combined with atta, meaning self. So, this becomes empty of identity, a descriptor of phenomena; derived from anatta {no self, or selfless}. Whereas anatta describes the Five Skandhas {form, sensory perception, mental conception, mental conditioning, and discriminative consciousness}; suna-atta refers to dharmas or conditioned phenomena. I think. I also suspect both were intended as adjectives, not nouns. Anatta = selfless; while sunnatta = unidentifiable?

It is also noteworthy that the Buddha appears to have used formless, arupa or mushiki 無色 as a figurative synonym of sunnatta. At any rate, in all of these cases, rupa or shiki 色, meaning form, is an antonym of Emptiness / shiki 空 / sunnatta / sunyata. Moreover, in the Hridaya or Heart Sutra, the opposite of emptiness appears to be form. The Sanskrit word for form is rupa. If I am correct, it refers to the perception of measurable sensory qualities, chiefly shape, size, & color, that define an object. It is translated into Chinese as 色. go on reading shiki; which literally means color. It also means the other characteristics of sensory perception {vedana} that define an object or phenomenon {'little d' dharma}. However, rupa is not a literal opposite or antomym of sunyata, emptiness is form, and form is emptiness.

In this sense, Emptiness is sort of similar to the concept of non-duality, advata or 不二 funi. However, we are not talking about the same sort of non-duality as in Monism; such as Idealism & Materialism. It is nini 二二 funi 不二. dual, but non-dual; all is sort of one in spirit or noumena, but distinct in 'little d' dharmas or phenomena. I think. Alas, we are not done here, because, in some cases, the opposite of Ku 空 is no longer form, rupa, or shiki 色. Instead, it is ke 假; which means temporary, interim, assumed, borrowed, provisional, makeshift, tentative, conventional. In this usage, ku sometimes shows up as kutai 空諦; in contrast with ketai 假諦. I puzzled over this for years. even decades. Recently, I came up with a tentative answer. That shall be Part Two.

Benefits of Buddhist Practice: Innate & Acquired Awakening

2008-04-29T12:30:00.010-05:00

My understanding is that Innate or Original Enlightenment [Hongaku 本覚] refers to the Buddha Nature and its inherent merits, which are transferred directly from the Eternal Buddha. It is contrasted with Acquired Enlightenment [Shikaku 始覚], which is earned through accumulating merit [punya / kudoku 功徳]. Some in the Tendai School of Japan took the concept of Hongaku to the extreme of asserting that humans are already Buddhas as we are, so practice is unnecessary. From what I gather, this view was promoted in Kamakura Era Japan by Dainichi Nonin, a founder of the Nippon Daruma Zen School. Others, such as Dogen, a founder of the Soto Zen School, who equated practice with Innate Awakening, and Nichiren Shonin, rejected Dainichi Nonin's teaching.

If I understand correctly, there are two Transmissions of the Dharma in the Lotus Sutra. One of these is the internal, specific transmission from the Eternal Buddha to his original disciples, the Four Leaders of the Bodhisattvas from Underground. These Four leaders are named Pure Practices [Vishuddhacharitra / Jogyo 浄行], Firmly Established Practices [Supratishthitacharitra / Anryugyo 安立], Boundless Practices [Anantacharitra / Muhengyo 無辺], and Superior Practices [Vishishtacharitra Jogyo 上行]. The other is the external, general transmission to the various provisional Bodshisattvas such as Samantabhadra [Fugen 普賢], Medicine King [Bhaishajyaraja / Yakuo 薬王] or Wondrous Sound [Gadgadasvara Myo'on 妙音], Manjushiri [文殊師利], and Avalokitesvara [Kan'non 観世音] or Maitreya [Miroku 弥勒].

The Four Leaders of the Bodhisattvas from Underground are said to personify the four innate or unconditioned virtues that are mentioned in the Mahayana Nirvana Sutra. These are purity, bliss, constancy, and the higher or authentic self, which is selfless. These innate virtues might be compared with natural talents or aptitudes, Even though these are innate, they do not emerge from underground on their own. Without Buddhist practice we either tend toward affected merits; which can become difficult or painful austerities. Or else we might descend back into amorality or even immorality, stress or suffering, delusion or clinging to temporary phenomena, and selfishness. Chanting meditation as taught by Nichiren, which includes kito 祈祷 and kanjin 観心, arouses our innate purity, bliss, boundless insight into eternity, and authentic selflessness.

My subjective understanding is that the provisional Bodhisattvas can be taken as archetypal personifications of various virtues, merits, or desirable qualities. Moreover, they can be understood as responses to deal with the discomforts caused by the four marks of conditioned existence; which are impurity or defilement, dukkha [stress, suffering, dissatisfaction], impermanence, and the ego or false sense of self [anatta]. For example, I take Samantabhadra to represent moral & ethical discipline, a response to moral impurity. Medicine King is healing, a response to stress; Monju personifies discernment, subjective understanding, and knowledge -- responses to being deluded by the transience of phenomena; and Maitreya symbolizes loving kindness, while Kan'non embodies compassion -- responses to selfishness or a self centered existence.

The provisional virtues might compared with learned or acquired skills. While certainly good and desirable, one of the problems with them is that they tend to be affected and limited. Conforming to moral codes; or suppressing greed, lust, sloth and similar desires; only makes them worse. The healing and fine arts only provide temporary relief from suffering and stress. Acquiring knowledge is ultimately useless for relieving suffering and stress, if our conception is still limited to transient phenomena. Affected loving kindness and compassion are in reality 'do gooding' and pity; which are tinged or tainted with feelings of superiority and contempt, and tend to create co-dependent relationships. Moreover, it is possible to become attached to acquired merits and mistake them for the source Dharma and higher awakening.

This is why the Source Gate [honmon 本門] is primary, and the Trace Gate [迹門]] is secondary. By the way, I suspect that the East Asian concept of hon 本 is similar to in meaning to the Sanskrit terms adhi [origin, primary] and abhi [higher]. At any rate, once we begin to awaken to the source, or our inherent virtues, then, unless the process is interrupted, we should naturally wish to cultivate acquired merits. Moreover, once linked with inherent virtue, the acquired virtues are spontaneous, joyful, and sincere; they are no longer forced, oppressive, or affected.

Asuddha [impurity, defilement] = Pure Practices = Innate Purity [parishuddhi] = Subha [beauty] = Ethics and Morality [Sila]
Dukkha [suffering, stress, unsatisfactoriness] = Firmly Established Practices = Bliss [sukha] = Patience, Healing, Art & Culture
Anicca [temporary phenomena] = Boundless Practices = Constancy[nicca/nitya] = Discernment [prajna / e], Subjective Wisdom [jnana / chi ], and Hard Knowledge [vidya / myo ] = Tattva [reality]
Anatta [not self] = Superior Practices = Higher Self [atman] = Satya [truth]

What is Consciousness? Part One: Vijnana

2008-04-22T18:09:00.005-05:00

'What is consciousness (vijnana)? It consists of the
six groups of consciousness (sad vijnanakayah), viz.
visual consciousness(caksurvijnana), auditory (srotra),
olfactory (ghrana), gustatory (jihva), tactile (kaya),
and mental consciousness (manovijnana) -- Asanga,
as quoted by Ven. Dr. Walpola Rahula in his essay
Alayavijnana - Store Consciousness

In the Suttas of the Nikayas, the Buddha talks about 6 organs of sensation, 6 vinnana {consciousness of sensation}, and 6 objects of sensation; so we have the 18 sensory realms. My understanding is that the 6 organs are the doors of perception; the eyes, ears, nose, mouth, body, and brain. The vinnana are the sensations; sight, hearing, smell, taste, touch, & perception. The objects are quantifiable attributes; form, sound, aroma, flavor, texture, and phenomena.

So, it appears that if there is no sensory contact; then there can be no vijnana. If we consider the kama-dhatu, or the realm of desire; where most of us dwell most of the time, there is both contact and lusty desire {kamachanda}. Therefore, in the realm of desire, there is vijnana consciusness,

Next, consider the rupa-dhatu, a meditative realm attained via a stage of Samatha Meditation called rupa-dhyana or jhana, meaning form meditation or form absorption. In this realm of form, there is no kamachanda / lust, but there is still contact with the 6 objects of sensation. So, in the realm of form, it appears that there is still vijnana consciousness.

Finally, let us consider the arupa-dhatu or formless realm. This is also a meditative state, amd is attained via a stage of samatha meditation. In this case the stage is attainment, or samapatti; sometimes called arupa- dhyana, or formless meditation. In this realm, there is neither lust nor contact with the objects of sensation, so there can be no vijnana? Yet there appears to be cognizance of noumena.

So from this, I think we can infer that there is some sort of consciousness other than vijnana? Indeed, in the suttas, the Buddha uses several different terms that appear to mean consciousness. These include vijnana; which is inclusive of some level of mental or brain consciousness, the mano-vijnana; manas; and citta. Note that manas and mano are the same word. Mono is simply a form used in compound words, as with psyche and psycho.

So many have concluded that mano-vijnana and manas are simply the same thing. Moreover, citta is also taken as a synonym for vijnana and manas. According to Ven. Dr. Walpola Rahula; the Theravada Tipitaka, Pali Commentaries, the Sarvistivada, the Lankavatara Sutra, and Vasubandhu's Vimsatikavijnapti-matratasiddhi all take them as denoting the same thing. However, according Dr, Rahula, the Fourth Century CE Buddhist Sage Asanga had a different take, "He divides the vijnanaskandha (Aggregate of Conciousness) the fifth of the five skandhas, into three different aspects or layers, namely, citta, manas and vijnana." -- ibid

From Asanga's work, we can, perhaps, infer that mano-vinnana is indeed dependent on contact, that is limited to the preceptive consciousnesses that is generated by contact of the 6 doors of perceptions with the 6 objects of sensation. However, as the example of the formless realm; there must be consciousness independent of sensation.

This is not the only contradiction inherent in the traditional or conventional interpretations of the Suttas. The Buddha also talked about luminous citta. According to him, citta is originally pure, but becomes adulterated through contact with "adventitious minor defilements' (agantukehi upakkilesehi upakkilittham." (ibid). He also explained that mindfulness meditation purifies citta, so that it is once again luminous, freed of defilements.

"Luminous, monks, is the mind. And it is
freed from incoming defilements. The well
instructed disciple of the noble ones
discerns that as it actually is present,
which is why I tell you that — for the
well-instructed disciple of the noble
ones — there is development of the mind."
{I,vi,2} -- AN 1.49-52 Pabhassara Sutta

There is also the matter of The Udana {the third book of the Khuddaka Nikaya}, "... since there is an unborn [deathless, constant], an un-become [steadfast, firmly established], an unmade [true, original, authentic, not fabricated], an unconditioned [pure, unsullied], therefore is there release from what is born [anicca], become [dukkha], made [anatta], and conditioned [impure]."

I suspect that it was these problems which Asanga and the Yogacharans sought to resolve by expanding the concept of vijnana; which also refers to the 5th component, vijnana-skandha, to include manas, or a second mano-vijana, the Seventh Consciousness; as well Alaya-vijnana, an Eighth Consciousness. Apparently, others added a 9th, the Amala-Vijnana.

In the next entry, I shall take a look at that, For now, I will mention that I think alaya-vijnana is a misnomer, that manas {as distinct from mano-vijnana], alaya, and amala are not actually vijnana, that vijnana, except as a sort of metaphor, is not really an all inclusive term for Consciousness. Instead, I would define vijnana {vi = dis + jnana = knowledge, science, information] as meaning discriminative consciousness.

The Power of Threes: Three Words for Wisdom

2008-03-24T12:32:00.014-05:00

You would never know from looking at my desk, but I am a very organized person. My wife does not know that; she moves things around to make it tidy, and then I can not find anything. In this connection, I take a very syncretic approach to Buddhist concepts. I am convinced that various sets of threes are all part of a common thread. Moreover, I am determined to sort it out, While this often works, I occasionally encounter a snag. When this happens, I follow a threefold approach:

Kick it, dismiss it as irrelevant, and belittle those who care about it. {I deal with my messy desk this way}.
Tie my mind in knots wrestling with it and wind up with a headache. {I deal with disagreements with my wife this way}.
Confess ignorance, let go, sleep on it, and come back to it later. {I have learned to apply this one to difficult Buddhist concepts}

Sometimes, as with Conflation/Syncresis of the Three Great Hidden Dharmas, Triple Body & the Threefold Training, there are inconsistencies that seem to defy reconciliation. Not that this a problem; I can deal with ambiguity -- well, sometimes and sort of. On other occasions, the the third step of the threefold system, if greased with a lot of patience, seems to work out. Along this line, one thing that has long bothered me is the inconsistent use of the word wisdom in Buddhist texts and commentaries. It seemed like it meant three different things in different contexts. I also noticed that sometimes knowledge is used instead of wisdom, with the same ambiguities.

It finally dawned on me that that three different words are being translated as either wisdom or knowledge; and sometimes as discernment. Each one has a distinct Pali & Sanskrit form, as well as a Chinese translation. Sorting these out was a headache, because modern Dharma teachers almost invariably slough them off as synonyms. After comparing translations with originals, and weighing context, I came up with a tentative take.

Knowledge, Science, Hard Fact, Objective Wisdom, Lore, Learning: Pali: Vijja; Sanskrit: Vidya; Chinese: 明 -- Go-on or shindoku reading myo; Mandarin ming2, literally meaning "light." This appears to mean knowledge or wisdom in the sense of fact, information, or science. An example of use would be the Vidya -Raja or Myo'on [明王], the Esoteric Wisdom or Knowledge Kings. The opposite is avidya, which might mean nesceince, misinformation, error, or incorrect knowledge.

In keeping with our PIT theme (see The Power of Threes; Universal Truths, General Concepts, and Methods), I see a parallel between Vidya and Principles.

Comprehension, Understanding, Knowing, Subjective Wisdom: Pali & Sanskrit: Jnana ; Greek: Gnosis; Chinese [智] -- Go-on or shindoku reading Chi, Mandarin zhi4. I take this to mean an accurate or correct take on things. The opposite would be ignorance, not knowing, agnostc or ajnana.

There is a related term vinnana or Vijnana. The original meaning appears to have been discrimination. Indeed, the Chinese is 識; shindoku shiki, Mandarin shi4 or zhi4; meaning discriminating. The Buddha applied this to the six sensory organs; eyes, ears, nose, mouth, body, and brain; the function of which is discriminating between various phenomena. As such, it became conflated with citta in the sense of consciousness.

In keeping with our PIT theme, I see a parallel between Jnana and Ideas.

Discernment: Pali: Panna; Sanskrit: Prajna, Chinese: 慧 -- shindoku E, Mandarin hui4. This appears to be accurate thinking, practical skill in both perception and cognition, to be smart or intelligent. For more on this see Manjushiri Mantra . The opposite of prajna might be the Sanskrit mudhi; meaning stupidity, or foolishness. By the way, prajna is also transliterated or phonetically rendered as 般若 -- the shindoku reading is hannya. In this case, the Chinese writing has no meaning, it is a borrowed word. Prajna is closely related to, and often conflated with insight, Pali: vipassana; Sanskrit: Vipashyana, Chinese 観; shindoku kan, Mandarin gwan or kuan. As an aside, 観 is also used to translate the Sanskrit lokita, meaning to look, in the physical sense of sight.

In keeping with our PIT theme, I see a parallel between Prajna and Techniques.

This is still tentative. There is a lack of hard data, book learning, or lore to confirm my take. I could also be misunderstanding the available sources. It could also be that I lack the requisite skill of discernment. However, I think am less misinformed and ignorant than I was, before I looked into the use of the word Wisdom in Buddhist texts. The jury is out on whether I am any less foolish.

Oh, there is no parallel between the PIT formula and the threefold approach to dealing with snags; all three of those are techniques.

The Three Proofs; Actual Proof of Experience 現証

2008-02-24T10:42:00.009-06:00

Actual Proof [現証]

"So, as I said, Kalamas: 'Don't go by reports, by legends, by
traditions, by scriptureby logical conjecture, by inference, by
analogies, by agreement through pondering views, by probability,
or by the thought, "This contemplative is our teacher." When you
know for yourselves that, "These qualities are unskillful; these
qualities are blameworthy; these qualities are criticized by the
wise; these qualities, when adopted & carried out, lead to harm
& to suffering" — then you should abandon them.' "
-- Kalama Sutta Translated from the Pali by Thanissaro Bhikkhu

"Nothing is more certain than actual proof." -- Nichiren

The final test of a Sutra is a practical one, does it actually work? In other words, does the teaching actually produce Enlightened human beings? Also, since the Buddha's intent is that everyone attain enlightenment, is the teaching universally accessible? From what I can gather, prior to Nichiren, the general attitude was that the Lotus Sutra was superior in theory, because it proposed Universal Enlightenment. However, the esoteric methods of Shingon or Mikkyo, based on the Dainichi Sutras, were viewed as superior in practice.

Nichiren's contribution was to tease out the practice of the Three Great Hidden Dharmas or 三大秘法 (sandai hiho) from the text of the Lotus Sutra. This practice is simple and accessible to all; whereas Mikkyo, by definition, is only available to initiates who take the vows of the Samaya. Therefore, thanks to Nichiren Shonin, we can say that the Lotus Sutra is superior to Mikkyo both in theory and practice.

This is not to say other practices in Buddhism have no value at all. Practices such as observation of the ethical code known as the Vinaya, as well as the loving kindness & compassion cultivation (metta-karuna bhavana), and the concentration meditations (samatha), among others, are quite useful. Mindfulness meditation (satipatthana) is particularly a valuable supplement. This is not to say that the primary practice is in any way lacking, or needs supplementation. If I recall correctly (iirc), Nichiren compared the primary practice of the Three Great Hidden Dharmas (sandaihiho) to rice, and the supplementary practices to seasoning.

However, if they do not lead all people directly to awakening; they are provisional or supplementary practices, and, as such, are not prerequisites or requirements for practice. On the one hand, those practices do provide skills that enhance one's practice of the Lotus Sutra. On the other hand, becoming attached to them, becoming confused by them, or feeling they are necessary, can be an impediment to the primary practice, which is cultivating reverent faith in the Wondrous Dharma of the Lotus Sutra.

In the next segment, I plan to discuss another set of threes -- the Three Kinds of Wisdom. This is a concept I sort of came up with on my own. While it is implicit in the way terminology of the Dharma is employed, in at least some texts; I have never seen the concept elaborated. In fact, commentators tend to either ignore or gloss over the distinction between three main terms translated as wisdom. They are commonly given as synonyms, with no further explanation..

The Three Proofs; The Evidence of Reason and Logic 理証

2008-02-24T10:39:00.017-06:00

Note: Due to length. I broke the original entry down into four (4)

The Evidence of Logic and Reason [理証]

"Rely on the Dharma and not the person.
Rely on Sutras of Ultimate Truth
and not in Sutras of Incomplete Truth.
Rely on the meaning and not the word.
Rely on Jnana and not on Discrimination."
-- Source Unknown

In addition to passing literal or documentary proof, a teaching must be consistent with the principles of logic & reason. In fact, Buddhism teaches us to look beyond words into the meaning, and even behind the literal meaning into possible figurative or metaphorical meanings. Even the more literal Pali Suttas, and especially the Mahayana Sutras, describe fantastic or impossible events, and these can not reasonably deemed to be literal accounts.

By the way, I am not sure of the source of the above quote on the Four Reliances. I think it is the Nirvana Sutra, but not sure which one, as there are several by that name. Also, depending on which terms are translated as wisdom and consciousness, the last sentence could have completely different meanings. One of those possible meanings strikes me a counter intuitive, another would be contradictory. I am guessing wisdom there is prajna; inferring using ones skilled judgment or discernment, and consciousness is vijnana; indicating, in this context, sense perception rather consciousness. At any rate, there is always some amount of ambiguity in Buddhist terminology; which might be a challenge for those seeking dogmatic certainty.

"It is the way of scholars these days to
assert that only those who possess superior
wisdom and strenuously exert themselves in the
practice of meditation have the capacity to benefit
from the Lotus Sutra, and to discourage persons who
lack wisdom from even trying. But this is in fact an
utterly ignorant and erroneous view. The Lotus
Sutra is the teaching that enables all living beings
to attain the Buddha way. Therefore, the persons
of superior faculties and superior capacity should
naturally devote themselves to contemplation and to
meditating on the Law. But, for persons of inferior
faculties and inferior capacity, the important
thing is simply to have a heart of faith."
-- Nichiren Shonin

One other thing, being a scholar is not at all required to practice Buddhism. I do think improved cognitive skills or discernment {prajna} can be a desirable side effect of practice. However, if we think the mere academic acquisition {jnana} of accurate knowledge {vidya} will enlighten us, we are likely mistaken. I see those more as effects, rather than causes. Knowing helps overcome ignorance; but if we become too attached to book learning, this can create another obstacle. Just as an example, artistic and musical skills are not required either. However, those skills are good and useful, I wish I had some. Instead I have clumsy hands and the voice of a frog. That said, when my practice is better, my fingers become more nimble and my voice more melodious. On the other hand, if I had to be a skilled calligrapher, or have the voice of an opera singer, to attain enlightenment, I would have abandoned the pursuit long ago.

The Three Proofs; Documentary or Literary Evidence 文証

2008-02-24T10:37:00.006-06:00

Documentary or Literary Proof [文証]

"ask them if there is documentary proof in the
teachings of any of the Buddhas"

-- Nichiren Shonin

Nichiren Shonin placed a lot of importance on recorded teachings or bunsho 文証; he was highly critical of the concept of 'transmissions outside the Sutras.' Of course, we now know that the Pali Suttas were composed well before thay were recorded; they were codified and subsequently passed down orally, for several centuries, before they were finally committed to writing. Moreover, the Mahayana Sutras, such as the Lotus Sutra, were composed in Sanskrit, centuries after the Buddha's passing. Some of the Mahayana Sutras were even likely composed in Chinese, and back translated into Sanskrit.

It is unclear if Nichiren was aware that the Buddha did not literally preach the Lotus Sutra per se. There are indications Nichiren did know that the Historical Buddha did not literally preach the 28 chapter Lotus Sutra as it was known to Nichiren and is still known to us. He mentioned that the original Lotus Sutra known in India was different than the Kumarijiva version he used. Nichiren also talked about different versions of the Lotus Sutra spoken by Buddhas and Bodhisattvas before Shakyamuni Buddha.

Moreover, the important point is not if the Lotus Sutra is a literal record of an actual event, but whether it teaches core Buddhist principles; does it concur with the Buddha's intent; does it speak with the Buddha's voice? Even in the Pali Canon, some Suttas were preached by the Buddha's disciples on his behalf. In these cases, the people who had heard the Sutta would sometimes later meet the Buddha, and relate what they had heard. The Buddha would then give his stamp of approval. For example, Dhammadinna the Nun taught the Culavedalla Sutta to a male lay follower named Visakha. That Sutta concludes with:

"Then Visakha the lay follower, delighting & rejoicing in what
"Dhammadinna the nun had said, bowed down to her and,
keeping her to his right, went to the Blessed One. On arrival,
having bowed down to the Blessed One, he sat to one side.
As he was sitting there he told the Blessed One the full extent
of the conversation he had had with Dhammadinna the nun.
When this was said, the Blessed One said to him, "Dhammadinna
the nun is wise, Visakha, a woman of great discernment. If you
had asked me those things, I would have answered you in the
same way she did. That is the meaning of those things. That is
how you should remember it." -- translated from the Pali by
Thanissaro Bhikkhu [link]

Of course, these days we can not just go ask the Buddha if a Sutra speaks with his voice. Instead, Nagarjuna [iirc] established a protocol called the Four Seals of the Dharma. These are; does a Sutra teach the Principles of anicca {impermanence}, anatta {no self}, dukkha {stress}, and Nirvana or cessation of stress? We can also check to see if it avoids the extreme views rejected by the Buddha; such as eternalism or annihilationism, Idealism or Materialism, hedonism or self mortification, and so on. If so, a Sutra passes the test of documentary or literal proof; and it can be said to speak with the Buddha's Voice.

The Three Proofs or Sansho [三証 ] ; I. The Power of Threes

2008-01-17T12:38:00.006-06:00

"In judging the relative merit of Buddhist doctrines,
I, Nichiren, believe that the best standards are those
of reason and documentary proof. And even more
valuable than reason and documentary proof is the
proof of actual fact." -- Nichiren Shonin

The Three Proofs, or 三証 {san sho) is a system that was used by Nichiren Shonin, to evaluate the wide diversity of conflicting Buddhist teachings, which were available in Japan, during the Kamakura Era. This was a burning issue, as various schools were competing for government patronage and secular power. As such, it was important to get the Dharma right, as the future of the nation was at stake. One thing, while the idea of the Three Proofs seems to be implicit in the Buddha's teachings, for example the Kalama Sutta, as far as I know, the concept was devised by Nichiren Shonin himself. I can not find any precise Pali or Sanskrit equivalent concepts. At any rate, the Three Proofs are Documentary Proof, Theoretical Proof, and Actual Proof.

Note: Due to length. I broke the original entry down into four (4).

The Power of Threes; Universal Truths, General Concepts, and Methods

2008-01-10T06:55:00.000-06:00

During the 1980's, I was trained in the Positive Mental Attitude (PMA) success system that was developed by the Napoleon Hill (1883 - 1970) and W. Clement Stone (1902 - 2002). As part of that training, I learned about one of Mr. Stone's learning systems, which was called the PIT formula; Principles, Ideas, and Techniques. We were strongly encouraged to always take notes; while listening to a lecture, reading, or attending a sales meeting. As an aid to that, we were trained to look for the principles, the ideas, and the techniques. PIT was a handy way to remember this:

P is for Principles: These are universal truths. They are both eternal and infinite. In other words they transcend temporal or spatial limitations, they are true everywhere and always. In regards to this, We were taught to ask, "What is it?"

However, principles are only abstract, and very general, or formless concepts. Unless we have some way to apply them, they are useless in daily life. Perhaps this was one of reasons Mr. Stone would talk about the importance of thinking and planning time. The thinking time relates to the second step.

I is for Ideas: It is on this level that abstract principles began to take form or shape as concrete concepts. Ideas are various possible ways to ways to apply universal principles; at a given time and place. The question to ask here is, "How can I use it?"

T is for Techniques: These are actual, empirical methods that are 'tried and true," They have been used, and have obtained desirable results that are repeatable. The question to ask was, "When will I use it?"

The answer we were given was "Do it Now!"

However, while PMA was a beautiful philosophy, I could not help but notice that the teachers did not have to the hit the streets and prove it. Moreover those who were doing it were failing at a large rate. The success stories were rather few and far between. It occurred to me the reason was that, in some cases, concepts that were really ideas were mistaken with universal principles. In addition, many of the techniques that had worked in the past, no longer cut it, as times had changed. Instead of being tried and true, the methods were bound and tethered to the past. We were trying to repeat the magic, but it was not working.

This may be a flaw of human beings. We get attached to certain forms and methods, and keep repeating them, out of habit, long after they have ceased to create any value in our lives. Still, I think the PIT formula is excellent. We simply were not using it fully. We would take a PIT stop, and do some thinking and planning, but the results were still "the pits." It was in our minds that failure occurred only because because we failed to work the system. No one had the courage to say the system, on the level of T, had stopped working years before. It was time to review P, come up with new I, and try some different T.

The PIT formula always reminded me of some other "sets of three" which I had already encountered, in Nichiren Buddhism, as taught by Soka Gakkai {SGI}, a decade earlier. In some respects, SGI had the same issues as my company. They had, in the past, enjoyed incredible growth. However, I/we/they got stuck in a cycle of trying to repeat the phenomena, and by 1979, had already begun to stagnate.

While I have since distanced my self from SGI, I still practice Nichiren Buddhism, albeit alone, or with the "cyber sangha," After more than a decade of misfortune and crippling illness, I have reviewed the P, come up with some new I, and found some T that seem to be working quite well. In the next entry, I shall began discussing some Buddhist rough equivalents of PIT, beginning with the Three Proofs or 三証 [san sho].

Welcome to the Ninth Consciousness

2008-01-03T02:32:00.001-06:00

Hola! Some of you may already sort of know me from Fraught with Peril. I am still over there, but decided I wanted a spot of my own as well. This weblog, the Ninth Consciousness, will mostly be about Buddhism; but also other things that interest you, the reader, and I, the would be writer.

I have officially been a Buddhist for more 35 years now.As with many, my official entry level Dharma Gate was Nichiren Buddhism, brought to me by Soka Gakkai and Nichiren Shoshu. While I remain in the Nichiren camp, so to speak, I have moved in a more independent direction, and am probably headed toward Nichiren Shu. In between, a lot of things have happened.

As of right now, I expect the topics here shall cover some of the things I write about at Mettawaves from Robin's Nest. These would include what I do as Buddhist Practice, the method I employ, and why I do those practices. Basically, I follow the Eightfold Path, or more accurately, the Threefold Training; from which, the Eightfold Path is a derivative. That is Ethics / Precepts, Meditation, and Wisdom / Insight. The center of that is Meditation. I do the basics -- samatha / samadhi / dhyana and satipatthana / vipassana. Those are a mix of sanskrit and pali terms, which are helpful, but not necessary to know. I use them because translations are not always consistent. Those words might be rendered into English as: Stillness / Concentration / Absorption, and Mindfulness / Insight. As an aside, I do not think Insight is really a meditation in itself, it is more the result, and equivalent to the Third Training of Wisdom.

As for methodology, I pretty much stick to a form of Chanting Meditation called Shodai [唱題?]. This consists of three primary components; the mudra or hand gesture, the honzon or object of concentration, and the mantra or chant. The mudra corresponds to the training of ethics / precept; and the primary one I use is the Gesture of Reverence called Anjali Namaskara or Gassho. The primary honzon I use is a calligraphy mandala designed by Nichiren, based on the core chapters of the Lotus Sutra. The Mantra I primarily use is Namu Myoho Renge Kyo [南無妙法�華経], which is called the Daimoku [題目] . As you might suspect, I shall be going into this in minute detail.

As to why I do this, when I chant; the sun shines everywhere I go, people are kind to me, I always get green lights, lines are short, I get ideal parking spaces, and money falls from the sky! Seriously though, the practice, when i do it, puts me in a good mood, it is quite healing, it helps me improve my cognitive skills, and it promotes self reformation. We shall be going into that a bit more here, perhaps even discussing why it works.

Another thing I shall be doing here is studying the life and legends of Nichiren, the 13th Century Japanese Buddhist monk who founded the type of Buddhism I practice. Since the use of a honzon or religious icon is part of the practice, I will be getting into iconography; to include the a study of the extant Mandala Gohonzons inscribed by Nichiren himself and his successors. We shall also be discussing other honzons, as well as other mantras I find useful. We can also go off into Buddhist altars, ritual implements, the rosary, special confessional rites, and so on. My goodness, that is enough to keep me busy here for several years!