The Buddhist Hour Radio Broadcast Archives
Buddhist
Hour
Radio Broadcast on Hillside 88.0 FM
Broadcast 299 for
Sunday 19 October 2003
This script is entitled:
The
Removal of Sceptical Doubt for a Buddha Dhamma practitioner
Sceptical doubt can inhibit a great scholar's work, an
artist's painting or an opera singers sound, a foreigner's hopes of
settling into a new country.
Most persons minds are normally
not tranquil or calm. They are constantly agitated by five hindrances
(nivaranas); namely, sensous desire (kammacchanda), illwill (vyapada)
sloth and torpor (thina-middha) restlessness and remorse
(uddhacca-kukkucca) and sceptical doubt (vicikiccha).
These
hindrances can be overcome and temporarily dismissed by
tranquility-meditation (samatha-bhavana).
Sceptical doubt
about the Buddha, the Dhamma and the Sangha should be removed to
improve Buddha Dhamma practice.
Buddha Dhamma practitioners
aim to remove the hindrances because our their goal is nibbana
If
you can remove doubt then you can enter the path to nibbana.
The
teachings of Lord Buddha in the course of 45 years of His Buddhahood
have been divided into three collections called Tipitaka in Pali,
meaning ‘Three Baskets’ literally.
The first
collection is known as ‘Sutta pitaka’. It is the
conventional teaching (Vohara desana) in which Buddha used common
vocabulary to explain His teachings. Practical aspects of tranquility
and insight meditations are included in this collection.
The
second collection is called ‘Vinaya pitaka’. It is the
authoritative teaching (Ana desana) in which Buddha used His
authority over the monks to lay down rules and disciplines for them
to follow. These disciplines embody the highest code of ethics and
can surely purify one’s action, speech and thought, thus making
one noble and respectful.
The third collection is “Abhidhamma
pitaka’. It is the higher teaching of the Buddha. Here Buddha
employed abstract terms to describe the ultimate realities
(paramatthas) in the Universe and Nibbana which is the summum bonum
and the highest goal of Buddha Dhamma. So Abhidhamma may be regarded
as the ultimate teaching (Paramattha desana) of Lord Buddha.
Our
Temple teaches Adhidhamma every Tuesday evening from 7.30pm to
9.30pm. The teachings are free of charge.
The text used for
Abhidhamma study is The Essence of Buddha Abhidhamma by Dr. Mehm Tin
Mon.
Dr. Mon (1995) writes, "Vicikiccha is sceptical
doubt about the Buddha, Dhamma, the Sangha, the Training; about
things in past lives and future lives; about the Law of Causal
relations; and finally about the four Noble Truths."
Vicikiccha
is sceptical doubt about the Buddha, Dhamma, the Sangha, the
Training; about things in past lives and future lives; about the Law
of Causal relations; and finally about the four Noble
Truths.
Vicikiccha is also included in the ten fetters to
existence. It disappears completely at stream–entry.
The
remedy for vicikicca is training you know the reality about things in
past lives and future lives; about the Law of Causal relations; and
finally about the four Noble Truths.
William Shakespeare said
“There’s nothing good or bad, but thinking makes it
so”.
In the most recent edition of Suhrullekha a
quarterly Buddhist Publication July-September 2003 edition
compliments of the New York Times, Tenzin Gyatso states;
“It
may seem odd that a religious leader is so involved with science, but
Buddhist teaching stress the importance of understanding reality and
so we should pay attention to what scientists have learned about our
world through experimentation and measurement.
It is for this
reason that I visited the neuroscience labortory of Dr. Richard
Davidson at the University of Wisconsin. Using imaging devices that
show what occurs in the brain during meditation. Dr. Davidson tells
me that the emergence of the positive emotions may by due to this:
Mindfulness meditation strengthens the neurological circuits that
calm a part of the brain that acts as a trigger for fear and anger.
This raises the possibility that we have a way to create a kind of
buffer between the brain’s violent impulses and our actions.
An
abbot of one of the Tibetan monasteries in India, was tested by Dr.
Davidson using electroencephalographs to measure brain waves.
According to Dr. Davidson, the abbot had the highest amount of
activity in the brain centers associated with positive emotions that
had ever been measured by his laboratory”.
When a new
building is constructed in a town, what type of mind does the
building creator use while designing the building. If he doubted his
ability to create do you think that the building would be built
correctly and without any obstacles?
The creator would need
the positive energy of confidence because the negative energy of
sceptical doubt would inhibit his motivation to create.
So to,
sceptical doubt would inhibit the male or female who wanted to lose
weight. If they doubted their ability to lose their weight or if they
doubted the reasons why they needed or wanted to lose weight in the
first place why would they continue to lose weight. They wouldn’t
try, they would give up, because if they have doubt they are allowing
room for sloth and torpor to arise and sit with doubt in their mind.
Furthermore, Scientist today would not know what they know
today if they followed doubt.
Scientists believe in
investigating that is different to doubt.
In the Oxford
English Dictionary doubt is described as; “Uncertainty as to the
truth or reality of something or as to the wisdom of a course of
action; occasion or room for uncertainty."
Furthermore,
the Oxford English dictionary describes investigation as, "The
action or process of investigating, systematic examination; careful
research".
Doubt inhibits all types of learning.
Lord
Buddha compared doubt with turbid, muddy water. Just as in such water
one cannot perceive one’s own reflection, so in the presence of
these five hindrances, one cannot clearly see one’s own benefit,
nor that of others, nor that of both.
Sustained application
(vicara) sustains the mind on the object by examining the object
again and again; it temporarily inhibits sceptical doubt
(vicikiccha).
What is the mind?
Philosphers used to
refer to ‘mind and matter’ as the two basic principles of
the world. But they fail to come to a unanimous conclusion as to what
the mind is.
Psychologists began their task by probing the
nature of the mind. But, when they cannot specify and charaterize the
mind, they turn to the behaviour of animals and men. Thus psychology
becomes ‘the study of behaviourism’ rather than ‘the
science of the mind’.
The whole of your Buddha Dhamma
practice depends on the first cetasika (saddha) being intact and
known by you. If it fades even for a second you have lost the Buddha
path because you will lose refuge quickly. The Triple Gem Refuge
without saddha is a false consciousness called doubt. Once you are in
doubt you are in ignorance.
If you have uddhacca (unrest,
restlessness, distraction, flurry) or vicikiccha (sceptical doubt,
perplexity), you do not have saddha. You cannot have a little saddha
just like you cannot be a little pregnant. Saddha and uddhacca or
vicikiccha are mutually exclusive.
To further define
vicikiccha, the definitions of the English translations in the New
Shorter Oxford English Dictionary are: Scepticism: the doctrine of
the sceptics, Pyrrhonism; the opinion that real knowledge of any kind
is unattainable; a sceptical attitude in relation to a particular
branch of knowledge; doubt as to the truth of some assertion or
apparent fact; mistrustfulness, doubting disposition. Doubt:
uncertainty as to the truth or reality of something or as to the
wisdom of a course of action; occasion or room for uncertainty; an
inclination to disbelieve or hesitate; a reason to disbelieve or
hesitate, a reservation. Perplexity: inability to deal with or
understand a thing owing to its intricate nature; confusion,
bewilderment.
There is no secrecy in Buddha Dhamma. “In
one of his discourses, the Buddha says: three things are
characterised by secrecy: love affairs, priestly wisdom and all
aberrations from the path of truth. Women who are in love; priests
who claim to be in possession of special revelation; (and) all those
who stray from the path of truth, seek secrecy and shun publicity.”
(Dr. Dipak Kumer Barua, p. 259).
We do not shun publicity
about what we say. We do not hold secret any part of Abhidhamma
because we are most certain that there is no doubt about the
classifications listed in Abhidhamma texts. Something that is not
held secret can be clearly examined without further
references.
Likewise three things shine before the world and
cannot be hidden... the moon... ; the sun and the truth claimed by
the Tathagata illumined the world and cannot be hidden... there is no
secrecy about them.
The intention of approach to translation
is slightly different for practising Buddhists than for academics.
The position of the Monk who shows the way knows that Buddha
Dharma Blessings increases their effectiveness or performance to show
the way.
In ancient times, the earlier translators were
Monks. Shortly after Buddha passed away the first Council of the
Sangha assembled to record the Teachings while they were fresh in
their minds. The Council consisted of 500 Monks. They cross
referenced dialogue. Most scholars agree to the sources of the above
Blessing. A mark of sincerity is to repeat something three times.
The first resolution you must make is not to disparage the
intellect or motive of any persons or institution whose Members
handle Buddha Dharma texts.
Some views and opinions may be
cultural matters of great interest, but tend to dilute your motive to
learn and must be put down when you practice.
Any talk giving
undue attention to such sundry issues is not required. Clear motive
does not need extending for persons who intend to Practice the Way
towards freedom from enmity.
Having formed and established
right motive, each for himself or herself, (which is simple if you
keep the mind free from slander), the next obstructing block should
be examined.
This stage is where you have some doubt that
anyone less than a "good person" could follow the Way.
Consider the "mind with doubt" as a saboteur or a
dead thing which poses reasons against good things. For the time
being think of it as empty of talent you could use.
Leaving
this empty shell behind, replace the doubt with confidence or with
faith that there exists an empty you are looking for. The first mark
is it is empty of doubt so allowing confidence that makes it possible
to begin the events that culminate in the mind state free of all
cares.
This Way allows you to appear as a human being. There
have been, are now, and will be human persons who made empty their
doubt, and over time, developed their latent loving kindness mind or
good mind qualities to such an emptiness power that they attain
peaceful minds that are empty of ill-will towards all others.
The
action step that activates a person to begin this empty method
search, each for himself or herself, is to give up alibis or reasons
for delay.
It is a fact that gracious human pleasant feelings
appear when you decide to cultivate the first empty state, (empty of
doubt); shows you can have some sort of peaceful inner strength.
After experiencing repeated intervals of discernment you know
by direct evidence that your probe into staying empty of doubt is the
correct method.
Keeping empty gives a pleasant feeling which
with repeated practice becomes a peaceful strength. It is something
you can do for yourself, not something that can be done to you by
another being.
When you are being empty of doubt, you can now
picture some facts of foremost meaning.
To understand the
circumstances of your lived experience depends on maintaining
"trustworthy" concentration.
Here "trustworthy"
means keeping the five sense bases: hearing, seeing, tasting,
touching and smelling consciousness inside the volume of your present
body.
The "trustworthy" mind or heart deals with
your present body whether it is in health or is in illness. Being
empty both of fear of "wellness" and fear of "unwellness"
can feel sweet and clear like the blue sky. "Wellness " is
more than mere physical health.
Stay empty of adding errors
to the present living clear mind, such as guilt or false regret about
your wellness, which appear as a series of phoney "untrustworthy"
minds. Stay empty of the mind that suggests you give undue attention
to the unwellness in past times of long dead persons or the wellness
of past body happenings. The past happenings or dead persons "seen"
are not real.
There is a type of memory which misreads the
process (Pali: sanna) by which your present name and form developed
through the coarse and fine wellness or unwellness changes since this
very human birth. Keep empty of these by attending to the real - the
present changes in wellness or unwellness events.
The
foremost meanings of wellness and unwellness are simply stated as:
All human beings are subject to a common destiny defined by
the process of birth, ageing, sickness and death.
The empty
mind knows these facts, it only loses these facts when it becomes
closed up with doubt.
If we wish to be rid of hatred, wars,
killings, sinful acts... the best policy for all of us human beings
is to commit ourselves to the search for and practice of a state of
mind empty of all extreme views of wellness or unwellness.
We
are being kind to ourselves when we order our lives to be happy,
enjoyable and uninfluenced by our sufferings whatsoever, especially
in the unwellness portion of our ageing stages from "womb to
tomb" that lie ahead of ourselves, our friends and our enemies.
The acid test is when you examine what you have found by your
practice.
The first level of a well practiced empty mind
without doubt can answer questions of these type:
What does
"state of mind free of all cares" mean to me?
Under
what circumstances can I claim to be "free from all cares and
troubles?"
What sort of concentration on maintaining the
correct emptiness is suitable to give me desirable results?
This
concludes the first stage of practice of the empty you are looking
for. You must practice this empty until it is reliable for you.
May
you be free from sceptical doubt.
May you be secure with
confidence in the Buddha, Dhamma, Sangha.
May you be well and
happy.
The writers and editors of this script are: Lisa
Nelson, Pinayo Prommuang and Pennie White.
References:
Brown,
Leslie (1993) The New Shorter Oxford English Dictionary, Clarendon
Press, Oxford.
Mon, Dr. Mehm Tin (1995) The Essence of Buddha
Abhidhamma, Mya Mon Yadanar Publication, Yangon.
Dictionary of
Familiar Quotations, (1988) Tophi Books, Great Britain.
Suhrullekha,
Veeranarayana Reddy (editor), Ananda Buddha Vihara Trust, July -
September 2003
Counts
Words: 2378
Characters:
11968
Paragraphs: 77
Sentences: 125
Averages
Sentences
per paragraph: 1.6
Words per Sentence: 19.0
Characters per
word: 4.9
Readability Statistics
Passive Sentences:
18%
Flesch Reading Ease score: 59.1
Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level
score: 8.8
Readability Statistics
When Word finishes
checking spelling and grammar, it can display information about the
reading level of the document, including the following readability
scores. Each readability score bases its rating on the average number
of syllables per word and words per sentence.
Flesch Reading
Ease score
Rates text on a 100-point scale; the higher the
score, the easier it is to understand the document. For most standard
documents, aim for a score of approximately 60 to 70.
Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level score
Rates text on a U.S.
grade-school level. For example, a score of 8.0 means that an eighth
grader can understand the document. For most standard documents, aim
for a score of approximately 7.0 to 8.0.
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