What's Buddhism?
By Thich Giac Duc
The teachings of Buddha are both practical and ethereal, all-en-compassing and particular, otherworldly and of this world. They ask of the practitioner much perseverance, yet they also allow him to break from ingrained habits and attachments in order to help himself and others. For that reason, it is extremely difficult to provide a concise definition of Buddhism that would include all of its characteristics.
A definition of Buddhism can make clear
only one aspect of its teachings at a time. Even the Buddha himself
uses short and concise definitions to present this or that general
characteristic of Buddhism.
It is precisely because of this vast applicability
and flexibility of Buddhism that each one of us will have his
own understanding of Buddhism, depending on his faculties, level
of knowledge and disposition. Thus, some can think of Buddhism
as a doctrine, others can think of it as a philosophy, an occult
science, an experimental science, a sociopolitical science, or
a religion. Let us briefly discuss each one of these views.
IS BUDDHISM A DOCTRINE?
A doctrine, and especially a political
doctrine, is inseparable from an ideology. An ideology is a system
of thought that purportedly has answers to every issue of life,
be it social, political or economic. An ideology therefore claims
to respond to the aspirations of mankind at a certain period of
time, most specifically in our time. In that way, an ideology
is only meant for a definite era at best (being a product of the
social environment of that era and responding to its aspiration
only), no ideology can claim or has ever claimed to have permanent
answers.
On the other hand, although Buddhism does
not lack fundamental answers to social and political issues of
our time, its main thrust is still to provide a solution to the
deepest and greatest aspiration of man, that is how to liberate
oneself from suffering, how to awaken to the Truth and to reach
at the absolute freedom. In other words, how to personify through
one's life and one's action, the reality and "suchness"
of life. Buddhism thus reaches well beyond any ideology, especially
the presently conflicting ideologies that are tearing the world
apart. It goes well beyond any limitation of time or space to
be the eternal Truth.
IS BUDDHISM A PHILOSOPHY?
The Buddhist Tripitaka discusses many "doctrines"
and several systems of thoughts dealing with reality, man, and
the universe in the most rigorous of logic, but his does not mean
that Buddhism is a philosophy as some people might mistakenly
take it to be. The approach of philosophy and especially of metaphysics
might be based on intuition, deduction and interpretation, it
still is the result of a conditioned mind, that is, relative knowledge
and a superficial understanding. The results can no more be valid
than a kind of "vague guessing", they can never lead
to an actual experience of the Truth as is the aim of Buddhist
teachings, the fact of making oneself one with the Truth.
Philosophy has raised too many questions
but it has never been able to five us any final answers. The deeper
we go into philosophy the more we flounder into uncertainty and
unsettled conclusions. On the other hand, with Buddhism as the
method of cultivating oneself, the more we are familiar with the
Dharma the more we develop a peaceful mind and the more tolerant
we become towards life. Our wisdom grows and grows to shine ever
more clearly and become complete, until the day we can fully identify
our perfect wisdom with the enlightened nature of the universe.
This is the Buddha!
IS BUDDHISM AN OCCULT SCIENCE?
A number of branches of Mahayana Buddhism,
especially the branch known as Tantrism, include practices that
can lead us to think of occult phenomena for instance, the bodies
of long - deceased monks may still hold up, sometimes for several
centuries, without getting disintegrated. I have myself seen with
my own eyes a Vietnamese Zen Patriarch (in fact, it was the founder
of the Tra Trung Monastery, Xuan Truong district, Province of
Nam Dinh) put his hand into a copper-melting pot. The boiling
copper was meant for a temple bell-without getting his hand burnt.
Of course, mention has not been made of much more miraculous happenings
such as the passing of the "mind seal" as practiced
in the Zen sect or the no less miraculous appearance and disappearance
of the Buddha and Bodhisattvas (including their no less wondrous
metamorphoses and miracle workings). All these so-called miracle
have nothing abstruse about them. They are simply the result of
some practices found in Buddhism, they can not be considered the
main objective of the enlightenment process. Furthermore, they
can in no way be considered a necessary appendage of those traveling
on the path leading to liberation.
For the above reasons, Buddhism can not
be considered an occult science. The Buddha himself used to forbid
his disciples to concentrate on acquiring these miracle-working
powers. These powers can not decisively influence the cosmic forces
that shape our lives, neither can they help us escape the cycle
of birth and death.
IS BUDDHISM AN EXPERIMENTAL SCIENCE?
More than 25 centuries ago, the discoveries
of experimental science that we are familiar with today of course
were not yet known. Deities were then still thought by men to
be the prime movers behind every natural and social event. Yet
the Buddha already told us of an immense universe that is contained
in boundless space and infinite time. In that boundless space,
the planets are innumerable, depending on one another for their
existence and perpetuation, always forming and disintegrating,
always being born and decaying in a ceaseless motion. In other
words, "the Dharma worlds are repeatedly conditioned to coarise,"
as the Scriptures say.
The living beings brought about by the comic forces in specific worlds also innumerable. The birth, existence destruction and disappearance of the various worlds and the living beings that are contained therein do not come from an original cause or an original and independently existing prime mover. According to the Buddha, there is nothing that can stand independently. That is suigeneris. In
other words, the universe does not have
a prime cause.
Buddhism has been said to be even more
of a science when it is learned that the Buddha, through his mere
wisdom, can see in a cup of water uncounted numbers of bacteria.
As the Scriptures say, "the Buddha looked into a cup of water
with his wisdom eyes and saw innumerable germs..."
In conclusion, although there are points
of similarity between experimental science and Buddhism such as
an objective approach, for instance, the two differ entirely on
their objective, aim and methods. The scientist concentrates on
discovering secrets of nature in order to take advantage thereof,
so as to create physical comforts for man. Man can, for instance,
land on the moon and see all the way to Mars, but he can not escape
suffering and ignorance as long as he is not free from craving,
hatred, and lust. In that case, happiness will forever be out
of reach.
Science is not by nature evil. But when
it is put to use for the purposes of greed, hatred and lust, then
it becomes a most terrible instrument of evil. The destruction
of the atomic bomb, the pollution of the air and the water clearly
do not come from Heaven. They are the result of comic forces created
by man.
On the other hand, the progress of science
in space, anthropology and medicine has nonetheless born out the
validity of the Buddha's teachings. What the teachings of Buddha
aim at is the liberation of life and the attainment of spiritual
freedom. Buddhism, furthermore, is not a subject of study that
one can analyze like any other academic subject. It is a method
of cultivating oneself in order to find liberation from our suffering
to experience the Truth and to reach complete Enlightenment.
IS BUDDHISM A SOCIOPOLITICAL SCIENCE?
There are those who believe that Buddhism
is an other worldly set of beliefs and for that reason it does
not deal with issues of this world. According to this view Buddhism
is merely a set of religious practices aimed to the achievement
of enlightenment and not concerning at all the secular world.
Such a view can only come from very inadequate studies of the
Buddha's teachings. On the other hand, there are those who believe
that the Buddhism contains a vast and previous store of knowledge
in regard to social and political issues for which reason, it
has been called upon to guide both the authorities and the population
of Buddhist countries for thousands of years as well as to provide
appropriate and precise answers for the political and economic
crises of our time. The Buddha himself has on many occasions elaborated
on the origins of a nation and of a society, on the role and development
of the economy in a society as well as on the principles of political
and social morality. He has taught also the ten golden rules of
governing a people so that a king can be come enlightened and
humane, thus allowing the population to find peace in their homes
and careers. He also taught the seven conditions needed to establish
a prosperous and democratic society and the six principles of
harmony and respectfulness that will insure economic equality
while respecting private property. He introduced to us the "Gana"
and "Sangha" communities ideal republican societies.
At a deeper level, the teaching of conditioned co-arising can
help us to redirect social changes in the direction of goodness.
The teaching of Non-self points out to us our social responsibility
through the idea of the collective and individual Karmas as it
links us irrevocably with our own kind. It thus creates a situation
of social interdependence.
The political teachings of the Buddha differ
radically from the sociopolitical sciences of today in the sense
that they do not teach us how to build up power and to create
individual or collective interests (such as the interests of a
ruling party). In particular they eschew all forms of war and
violence. Instead, they try to find applications for the use of
Compassion in order to contribute to the happiness of everyone
in society.
IS BUDDHISM A RELIGION?
The world "religion" in fact
is a western concept, in the East the corresponding idea is called
"the way" or "Path". In their essence, a way
very different from a religion. The idea of religion, for instance,
carries with it a concept of holiness, of a dependence on God
or gods, is why a religion has at times been defined as "The
revelations of God to man". If we accept such a definition,
then Buddhism is not a religion, since Buddhism makes no mention
of God.
If we want to call Buddhism a religion,
them we must find a different religion for this concept, which
would be large enough for Buddhism. Perhaps: "A religion
is a human form organization based upon the teachings of a founding
Master, or in accordance with the wishes of one or more gods.
These teachings at least have in common the idea that death does
not end it all. A religion is often linked to prayers and faith.
"Such a definition would not fully describe Buddhism but
maybe one can rely on it enough to say that Buddhism, as it is
commonly conceived is indeed a religion.
WHAT IS BUDDHISM?
Buddhism is a "religion" that
does not rely on any divine power. The practice of Buddhism also
does not simple rely on Faith. Prayers and worship in Buddhism
are only ways of purifying one's speech, action and thought. Worship
is merely a self-cultivation practice needed in the first stage
on the path to salvation. Buddhism is the path to the non-conditioned
mind experiencing liberation form all illusions and suffering.
That liberation path is based on three elements: the moral precepts,
meditation, and wisdom. The Eight fold Noble Path helps us cultivate
ourselves to build a prosperous societies while at the same time
proceeding towards the liberation and true happiness of Nirvana.
As we proceed on the path to liberation, we shall awaken to "ourselves"
and to the values of life as well as to reality. The more we are
awakened to these truths, the more happiness we will know. Children,
for instance, will be so wrapped up in the idea of getting candy-not
having been awakened to the real value of their object attachment-that
they will cry over it when they do not get their bag of candy,
as we would cry over a full life time of work that is wasted.
After the awakening, we would be liked adults who having realized
the actual value of candy, shall not let it rule cause but with
the attitude of non-attachment.
CONCLUSION
In conclusion, we can only say that BUDDHISM IS BUDDHISM. The Buddhist Tripikata for instance, defines depending on which aspect of Buddhism we are talking about:
After I enter Nirvana, said the Buddha,
all of you should rely on the precepts as your master, compassion
as your vow, and wisdom as your career.
Back
Home