These are questions that Dragon's Gate Temple and I have recieved by e-mail. The answers have been edited to improve myspelinspeeligrammar.Please consider my answers to be my opinions only. Don't swallow them whole. But if you think them worth considering, to see if they match your experience, I would be honored.
If you have a different answer to any of the questions posted here, please send it to me. You may see it printed here next time you visit.
QUESTION: Hi! I've only read a few books on Pure Land Buddhism, and what I've read doesn't mention the Celestial Bodhisattvas (i.e. Kwan Yin, Manjushri...). Does Pure Land "acknowledge" these beings? Or is it strictly concentrated on Amida?
ANSWER: Most Pure-Land groups recognize the figures, and all of them recognize the things they represent. Long-winded explanation follows:
Enlightenment is seeing reality without the filter of habits and preconceptions that is unenlightenment, or "self". So naturally, an unenlightened person's view of what enlightenment is like isn't absolutely accurate.
Just as human understanding of the photon is conditioned by our only being familiar with physical systems, and we have to think of the photon in terms of waves and particles (neither of which is accurate), so with Enlightenment (symbolized as Amida), we think in terms of wisdom (Manjushri) and compassion (Kwan Yin). They bear the same relation to Amida as heads and tails do to a penny.
If you look at the statues or pictures used in Jodo Shinshu temples or home shrines, you see Amida's right hand held up, thumb and forefinger together as though holding a particle. Facing inward, this would be the mudra of meditation- of contemplating the detail. Facing outward as it is shown, though, it is the mudra of teaching- showing the detail to others. Either way, it's wisdom. The left hand is shown downward, palm out, as though offering something or describing a wave. This is the mudra of compassion.
Through these symbols, Jodo Shinshu includes and integrates the symbols for wisdom and compassion into the symbol for the Buddha-nature. It's just a more advanced technique, like describing the photon as a "wavicle".
Other Pure-land schools, the Chinese or Vietnamese, for example, use the separate statues of Manjushri and Kwan Yin a lot more than Jodo Shinshu does.
QUESTION: What is the meaning of Om Mani Padme Hum?
ANSWER:
Mani means jewel, usually pictured as a pearl, often either shining or flaming, as on the left. It is a symbol of the value of the teachings. Padme means lotus, a symbol of awakening. The lotus grows in muddy water, but comes out clean and dry. The jewel in the lotus is a visual statement that the teachings that lead to enlightenment are worthy and precious.
The phrase "Om Mani Padme Hum" is not a mantra, technically. It is often referred to as one in ordinary conversation, but there are differences.
Mantras are said to get their power from the sound vibrations, so they must be pronounced correctly."Om Mani Padme Hum" is pronounced in Tibet as "Aum Mani Paid-ma Hung"(or something like that) and there are stories of people mispronouncing it badly and still getting results. The effect is created by what you do with your mind while reciting it.
the practice of reciting mantras was part of Hinduism and the shamanistic Bon religion, and goes back to before Buddhism."Om Mani Padme Hum" is the "mantra" of Avalokitesvara, a personification of compassion, who is an aspect of Amitabha (
, Amida or Omitafo), the personification of the Buddha-nature. Very mainstream Buddhist.
Mantras usually have to be given to you by a teacher who can "empower" you to do the practices associated with them.Anyone can use the "Om Mani Padme Hum".
One of the main practices where O.M.P.H. is used involves the 6 realms of birth: hells, the realm of hungry ghosts, the animal realm, the human realm, the fighting spirits, and the heavens.
Whether we actually can be reincarnated as a ghost or animal etc is beside the point. This is a set of symbols used here for certain states of mind.
You can do the same practice using the English translation, "Hail, Jewel in the Lo-tus".
QUESTION: Could you please explain the term Samsara?
ANSWER: Samsara is not a place or thing. It is a way of looking at things.
Samsara is the partial, inaccurate, prejudiced picture of the world that our unenlightened minds are constantly building up. It is an interpretation of the events that constitute the "real world" (including ourselves), rather than a perception of them. It is warped and colored by our hopes, fears, and habits.
You can see hopes warping the perceptions of those who spend big bucks on lottery tickets, or those who spend their time in singles bars. And how about the parents who say "My kid would never do a thing like that!"
Fear, when we let it warp our view, leads to pessimism or paranoia. It's the path by which normal household sounds become monsters under the bed.
Interpreting things by habit allows us to get out of touch, as in "I didn't realize how far this had gone." or "Hey, I like your hair that way, honey! When did you get it done?" "April of '98!"
Maybe the best symbolic depiction of samsara is the "Wheel of Life", which can be found here.
Sukhavati, the "Pure Land", is the opposite of Samsara- it's a state of mind that is not subject to those problems.
QUESTION: ...Also ( and don't laugh ) what is that symbol on the Buddha's chest , I know what it looks like to me but it surely can't be.
ANSWER: The symbol is a Chinese symplified image of a turning wheel. The two center strokes each divide the other, making 4 parts, and the strokes trailing from the ends, giving a sense of turning motion, bring it up to 8 for the 8-spoked Wheel of Dharma.
The Hindus used this symbol and one turning the opposite direction, to indicate inhalation and exhalation. The Chinese may have gotten the idea from them. The Nazis used the one turning the opposite way, and stood it on its corner. So they may be related.
The Chinese one on a statue means it is Shakyamuni. He is also sometime pictured with them on his palms.
QUESTION: Does not being attached really mean giving away everything?
ANSWER:You aren't attached to things. You are attached to your ideas about things. By giving up attachment you stop demanding that things be the way you've decided they should be. You can still work on making them more like what you want, but you aren't indignant or resentful about them, and you don't ignore the parts that don't fit your ideas and read into them the parts that are missing.
So giving up attachment is finally gaining the things themselves. (for more on this subject, follow this link)
QUESTION: If I have taken the five precepts and have broken one accidentally ( example lying..white lies) What retribution will befall me? How can I repent, to remove this bad karma?.
ANSWER: If you break a precept accidentally, your mistake is lack of mindfulness. You weren't careful. To correct this fault, practice mindfulness. Pay more attention. Repentance is understanding that something is a problem. It sounds like you are already well aware of this, but you could meditate on the harm it can do to yourself and others. This will deepen your resolve to improve.
QUESTION: If the mind committed imaginary killing, then is there any precept broken? Or only unwholesome action that you vow not to do, can break the precept.
ANSWER: I don't know what tradition you're in, or how your precepts were worded, but usually the PRECEPT is just not to DO something, so thinking would not break it. If you calmly consider what it would be like to harm someone, that can bring more understanding of impermanence and karma. That is good. If you enjoy the thought, thinking it for pleasure and not just for learning, that is bad. The Dhammapada starts "all that we are comes from what we have thought...."
If that is a problem, you can;
QUESTION:..... mind, seriously afflicted with false thoughts, or harmful thoughts? ( like insanity) Is there a way to end these obstacles.
ANSWER: The 4 noble truths are a good pattern. First you find a problem. You suggest "insanity." Second, you understand what causes it. Unfortunately, with insanity, there are a lot of causes. It can be inherited, which is very difficult to cure. It may be that someone learned a poor way to use their brain, and can be taught a better way. (Neuro Linguistic Programming does this). It could be poor nutrition, like the schizophrenics who improve when given niacin in their diet. It could be brain damage, which would require surgery. It can sometimes be allergies!
So if the problem is reacting to irritations, try to avoid them long enough to develop calmness.
QUESTION: If a nun eats meat, and as a layperson try to talk the nun into not eating meat...will the layperson have any bad karma, if the nun was offended or got angry.
ANSWER: If the layperson spoke harshly, or too forcefully, or disrespectfully, yes. But I think the nun will also have some bad effects from getting mad.
also check out this site for more on the Buddha's guidelines to the monks about meat.
QUESTION: Why must we abstain from eating garlic, or pungent plants?
ANSWER: The Chinese doctors say garlic is an aphrodisiac. So are onions. The Irish thought potatoes were aphrodisiac. That's because the Irish were suffering from hunger, so they lost their sex drive. When potatoes were brought to Ireland, they were finally able to get enough to eat. Then they regained interest in sex. It wasn't the potato's fault, nor is it the garlic's fault. They just improve health.
Dharma Master Chin Kung teaches that using garlic for medical reasons is okay. I use garlic for my arthritis. Without it, I can hardly walk. But a healthy body does not have to be out of control. If you weaken your body so you can control it easier, that is like crippling a horse because you can't ride well. Better to learn to ride.
QUESTION: The practice of giving: What is its nature?
ANSWER: Giving is just practicing letting go of things. It's the cure for grasping. You should not "give 'till it hurts," because that will cause more anxiety and more grasping. Giving a lot of small things is better practice than rare but large gifts. Also, it's better to not try to control how your gift is used. That leaves you attached, just no longer in control. If gifts are too small, they aren't much exercise.
You can give things, help (giving your time and attention) or, best of all, give the teachings.
The perfection of giving, "Dana paramita," is when you give without even thinking of it as giving. It's an automatic reaction to a need, like when your left elbow itches and your right hand scratches it.
Giving is the first of the paramitas ("perfections") because you can give something and it's given. The second perfection, Sila (morality) involves NOT doing things that are harmful. You can't finish not doing something. So it's easier to start with giving. It's a good practice to begin on.
The other perfections, incidentally, are ksanti (patience), virya (energetic action), dhyana (meditation) and prajna (wisdom).
QUESTION:What sutras can best remove impurities? Surangama Sutra? What benefit do we get, by reciting this sutra (and is there a specific time to recite this sutra?)
ANSWER: There are Sutras that were used in monasteries as part of complex systems of practice. Without the training in these traditions and the other teachings that go with them, I don't know if they do much good. Maybe they do.
Any Sutra that describes the unsatisfactory nature of unenlightened life can motivate you to lose intrest in impurity and develop purity in its place. One that I like is the Enlightenment Sutra. In Chinese the title is "Fo Shuo Ba Da Ren Jue Ching" (Buddha Teaches the Eight Big Man Awakenings Sutra").
QUESTION: I find it hard to breathe very well. When meditating, do we have to sit on a cushion? and do a brief exercise before we meditate?
ANSWER: Good posture and a little exercise beforehand can help with the breathing problems. You can sit on a bench or stool to meditate. It should be comfortable enough to not distract you from the object of meditation, but not so comfortable you would go to sleep. It's better, for instance, not to lean back against anything.
In Zen temples, the master looks at your posture as a way of telling if you're paying attention. In this method, the posture IS the object of meditation, one of the only ones that someone outside yourself can check to see if you're practicing correctly.
QUESTION: Are you a venerable one? And is this a real temple?
ANSWER: I am NOT a monk. I had my head shaved once when I was ordained in Japan, but don't keep it shaved now. I do not wear the orange robes.
In Jodo Shinshu Buddhism, the minister, like the Lamas in some schools of Tibetan Buddhism, are teachers whose job is to encourage others to practice. Nor are we certified meditation masters like the Zen school has.
The Dragon's Gate Temple is a real, but small, Temple. In the USA, Temples and Churches are places where members of a religion meet, various rituals are performed, weddings are held, etc. We are a Temple in that sense. If the term "Temple" means something more in your country, I can't answer your question without knowing how your definition is different.
Most of Dragon's Gate Temple's activities are on the Internet.
QUESTION:Do you eat the pungent plants and meat? Why buddhist cannot eat pungent plants? Did the Buddha say in the Surangama Sutra, that whoever eats meat and claims to be his disciple is not his disciple.
ANSWER: The monks in the local Wat, most of whom are from Thailand, wear the orange robes and shave their heads. They practice nonattachment to food by eating whatever the laymen give them. That includes meat, fish, chicken, onions, garlic- anything.
When Buddhism first came to China, there were not enough Buddhist laymen to feed the monks, so the monks had to grow their own food. They could not kill animals, so they invented vegetarianism. Before that, the rules for monks were:
QUESTION:Buddhism is unique in that it places such a strong emphasis on experience as well as faith, a trait shared by all the schools of Buddhism(though, I must admit, Hugh, somewhat glossed over in many Pure Land contexts).
ANSWER: While traveling, I come to a deep chasm. The road goes up to the brink, and on the other side, continues. A wise old man sitting nearby informs me there is an invisible bridge across the chasm, and that I can go ahead without concern.
Faith is going ahead without concern. Skepticism is tossing a pebble out there first, or waiting until I see someone else cross, or checking with someone I know and trust who has been this route, &c.
Once the pebble is seen floating in midair, the other wagon train gets across safely, or my friend says it's OK (in modern parables, you always carry a cell phone), then you have confidence.
Faith and skepticism are mutually exclusive. Skepticism and confidence are mutually supportive.
Faith COULD save you a little time, if there really is a bridge there, but it could also lead to you being dashed on the rocks below with that helpful old man's cronies going through your backpack for valuables.
I've already mentioned that the term "faith" in Jodo Shinshu refers to a practice that I think should be translated "reliance." In fact, it's the equivalent of what Zen calls "awakening the great doubt"! Faith in western culture is attachment to a particular idea, something Buddhism tries to help us get over.
Christian "faith" refers to many things- Catholicism's assent or Protestantism's emotional acceptance, for instance.
I think it's VERY important in Buddhism to settle our doubts so we can practice wholeheartedly, either through understanding how it works, by seeing others for whom it has worked, or by trying it for ourselves a part at a time. That is confidence, though. I still maintain "faith" is a poor translation of what we're doing.
I have great faith in skepticism.
QUESTION:Can you tell me how can I know exactly that what I do is a good karma or a bad karma ? From time to time, I find it difficult to separate these two. Because for what I thought it was good to do, it might not be good for other beings.
ANSWER: No, I can't. I can tell you some of the things to watch for, so you can find out for yourself.
If your intentions are good, even if you make a mistake, that's still good karma, because you learn from the mistake.
You only learn if you're paying attention. So a clear awareness is a basic requirement for good karma.
Actually, the term "good karma" is an oxymoron, like "good morning" or "rap music" or "downtown Emeryville". Karma means causes that have effects. The effects, being subject to causes, are impermanent and so are a cause of suffering. Instead, in Buddhism, we talk about "skilful karma." And, like any skill, you develop it by practice, by making mistakes, and by being aware of them.
You will make mistakes. We all do. It's good that you are concerned about them, but if you feel guilty, it shows you are measuring yourself against a nonexistent perfect being that would never make a mistake. Once you realize how silly that is, you will let go of the guilt and get on with doing your best.
Keep trying!
QUESTION:Can someone tell me the difference between "giving up" and "letting go"?
ANSWER: Janet- One of my favorite metaphors concerns the ancient alchemists' search for a way to isolate the phlogiston, the basic particle of fire.
Once we learned that fire is a function rather than a thing, we let go of the search. Giving up would be "It's no use, I'm too stupid. Somebody else is going to isolate it first and get all the credit. If only I had a stronger alembic. Or maybe the correct vessel to store phlogistons in. When I asked my supplier for one, he gave me a rude retort. I'll just concentrate on the Philosopher's stone. This theoretical alchemy may expand our frontiers, but it's the applied stuff that brings in the cash anyway....."&c &c.
But then every time you pass a laboratory you keep pulling yourself back by the power of your own grasping to search again for that elusive particle.
Fortunately, these days we don't fall into that trap. This gives us more time to search for our true selves or the meaning of life, or other REAL things like that.
Now if only I had a stronger alembic......
QUESTION: I have been studying Jodo Shinshu for a little while. I understand the basic concepts of general Buddhism OK, but Amida confuses me. I realize part of the confusion is because of conceptualizations carried over from my Christian background. However, what is Amida ?
ANSWER: Amida is a complex tool that is not easy to explain. First, distinguish between doctrines and practices in Buddhism. One does not need to say "Pretend there is suffering. Imagine it actually exists." Suffering is a fact, not a mental exercise. It's doctrine. On another hand, there is a Tibetan Buddhist practice which involves picturing a lotus growing from the top of your head. This is clearly a practice, not a doctrine. They don't say "Hey, you know that lotus growing out of your head? Well, it..."
Amida may have been a historical person. It doesn't matter. Some people think it refers to a supernatural being, whatever that means. If it did, it would be useless for our purposes. It is a symbol, the manipulation of which can have powerful effects on our minds. A practice, not a doctrine.
The problem Buddhism was designed to overcome is not intellectual- "ignorance" in the Twelvefold Chain of Causation is not lack of data, it is taking our preconceptions seriously so that we lose contact with the real outside world. This attachment is an emotional imbalance, and re-establishing emotional balance is one of the ways the Buddha taught to solve the problem.
If people are emotionally unwilling to look at the outside world without filtering it through their prejudices and superstitions (which is known as "making sense of it" or "understanding" it), then an emotional practice of accepting that which is outside your limits can help.
Just as the Pure Land represents enlightenment, Amida represents reality as it exists outside of your ideas about it and your deeply held convictions about how it "should" be. By strengthening the feeling of reliance on this symbol, we predispose ourselves to accept unfiltered suchness.
Every ritual associated with Amida builds up this reliance:
This is known in other schools as seeing your original face, gaining wisdom, and overcoming suffering.
QUESTION: What does the Primal (Original) Vow mean/signify to you?
ANSWER: What keeps us in the world of delusion and suffering is our emotional attachments. We may see that this life is suffering, but we keep thinking "If only...." Much of Buddhism is just developing a desire to let go, to get off the "wheel of life". Hence the teachings that all things are impermanent &c.
When this desire arises, it can be formalized as a vow, and repeating the vow can only strengthen our resolve. So vows have always been a powerful technique in Buddhism.
Any personification in Buddhism can be pictured making vows, thus associating more strongly with the experiences we have, and also serving as a sort of role model.
Whether Amida was a historical person is beside the point. The vows are statements of various practices or attitudes that help lead to enlightenment. If it was all made up, well, no one argues about whether the parables in the Bible were actual occurrences. You can still learn from them.
QUESTION: When a person dies, what gets reincarnated? If it is the same person in a different body, how is this reconciled with the doctrine of no self in buddhism? If it is not the same person, who pays the karmic debt?
ANSWER: The question has been discussed ever since the time of the Buddha.
The Buddha never heard the word "soul", or any of the words in older languages it's a translation of. What he taught is that there is no "Atman", the Hindu bridge between the individual and god.
It is generally understood that the gods he spoke of, if he wasn't just using them as fictional characters in a parable, are not as absolute as they would like to think. There may be entities that are more advanced than humans, but they aren't eternal, all-powerful etc.
The same is true of the "soul". There IS subjectivity, awareness. I know, because right now I am aware of the keyboard on my computer. But to say that it is the only real part of me, that it will endure forever without enough significant change to be considered another person, is reading a lot into the situation.
Let me ask in return, what makes you the same person you were yesterday? Cases of multiple personality prove it's not just the body. There IS continuity of the subjective parts. The same continuity is seen to operate from one life to another. Not everyone has clear memories of their past lives, even under hypnosis, but enough people do to convince me. (Incidentally, even under hypnosis I've never heard of anyone actually remembering a past life as an animal. I think that is only metaphorical.)
The grasping that maintains (or is) the mind's interest in the body (and is recognized by the medical profession as "will to live") is what pulls us back to another life after this one is over. Life doesn't grab us, we grab it. And the particular graspings we have would obviously influence what circumstances we end up being born into. If all my interests were involved with my body, maybe I could be reborn as an animal - I don't know. Most of those "6 realms of birth" seem to be used as a metaphor in Buddhism, but I guess they might be literal. Mr. Spock might come back as a Pentium chip.
I guess even if there is no absolutely permanent, eternal portion of me, there still is enough connection between the past, present, and future to allow my ignorance to give rise to cravings, which cause me to make unrealistic demands on reality, and lead to suffering. So there's still an important function for Buddhism.
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