Buddhist Hour
Script No. 447
Broadcast live on 3MDR
97.1FM
9 PM to 10 PM
On Friday 29 September 2006 CE 2550 Buddhist Era
This script is entitled:
"Lifetimes of Learning "
Class 14 - Review
Tonight we are doing a review, or overview, of this course titled "Lifetimes of Learning, A Do-It-Yourself Approach to Happiness." We'll cover the essential aspects that have been presented so far.
The Dalai Lama writes in his book titled ‘The Dalai Lama's Book of Transformation’:
From the Buddhist point of view, even when you are unenlightened your life is so intertwined with those of others that you cannot really carve yourself out as a single isolated individual. Also, when you follow a spiritual path, many spiritual realisations depend on your interaction with others, so here again others are indispensable. Even when you have attained the highest state of enlightenment, you're enlightened activities are for the benefit of others. Indeed enlightened activity comes about spontaneously by virtue of the fact that other beings exist, so others are indispensable even at that stage. Your life and the lives of others are so interconnected that the idea of a self that is totally distinct and independent of others really does not make any sense.
Although this is the reality, it is not reflected in our behaviour. Until now, regardless of reality, we have nurtured within ourselves a whole complex of self-cherishing thoughts. We believe in something that we hold very dear and we regard as precious, something that is like the core of our being; and this is accompanied by a powerful belief in our existence as an individual being with an independent reality. The belief that there is a substantially real self, and the cherishing of one's own interest at the expense of others, are the two main thoughts and emotions we have nurtured within us throughout our many lives. But what is the result of this? What benefit does it bring?
His Holiness continues:
We are continually suffering, we are continually experiencing negative thoughts and emotions, so our self cherishing hasn't really got us very far.
And:
In fact, these beliefs are the source of suffering and misery, even for the individual.
Furthermore:
Now in contrast, if you shift your focus from yourself to others, extend your concern to others, and cultivate the thought of caring for the wellbeing of others, then this will have the immediate effect of opening up your life and helping you to reach out. In other words, the practice of cultivating altruism has a beneficial effect not only from the religious point of view but also from the mundane point of view, not only for long-term spiritual development but even in terms of immediate rewards.
The same applies when you cultivate the understanding that the self is not really an independently existing entity and begin to view self instead in terms of its dependent relation to others.
And finally:
Therefore, even in the immediate term there is definitely a positive and beneficial effect in reversing these two attitudes and moving from self-centredness to other-centredness. From belief in self-existence to belief in dependent origination. (1, Dalai Lama).
You may notice that as you read Buddha Dhamma Teachings or hear quotes such as the one we just read, that the self-cherishing attitudes of which we are so familiar are built from building blocks of various unwholesome minds. The roots of self-cherishing we have seen during this course are the unwholesome minds of greed, hate and ignorance and the branches are all the manifestations of these three such as anger, jealously, stinginess, lack of moral shame, envy, restlessness, resentment, laziness and so on.
When it appears we do get what we want in the world by following self-cherishing actions, the teachings about the ultimate reality of emptiness contradict this appearance by saying what we get in the present times is only coming to us from good actions we made in the past times.
If we look at what the Buddha said about these unwholesome minds we read;
Everything is mind wrought. If with an impure mind one thinks
or acts, suffering follows him like the wheel of a cart follows the hoof of the
ox. If with a pure mind one thinks or acts, happiness stays with him like one's
never departing shadow.
- The Dhammapada.
So the self-cherishing minds, which on the surface seem the shortest most direct root to getting what we really want, which is to be happy, turn out to be sowing the seeds of our future unhappiness.
The fact we live in such wonderful times with so many good conditions gives the appearance that we have nothing to worry about. We must be doing fine because our life is so good at the moment. Heavenly beings of course have even more data to back up this view of their existence.
But the Buddha had these types of wonderful worldly conditions in his life, and more. He saw through it all. He saw that we, including the heavenly beings, are all in a process which brings us to sickness, old age, dying and death and that the momentary enjoyment of our good kammic conditions cannot protect us from all that. Nor can it ensure our well being for our future births.
Really, this is the good news! It didn't sound good maybe, but it's the good news because it is the truth. If you are going to fix a problem, first you have to recognise it exists before it's too late, then you have to see the problem clearly to understand what's needed to fix it. It is only by understanding clearly the shortcomings of our present situation that we can recognise the need to move ourselves to a better position.
In this case the position which the Buddha advised us to follow is the Noble Eightfold Path which is based on wisdom. It is because the Buddha taught from the position of having already attained the Perfection of Wisdom that we can look at the path he taught with hope. It is because the Buddha saw and described the sentient beings fundamental problems using his Perfect Wisdom that we should take the time to clearly comprehend the solution he proposes.
As we walk the Noble Eightfold Path ourselves and begin to recognise the truth it contains, each for himself or herself, in our own heart, our hope becomes confidence. When we start to realise the Buddha Dhamma directly through insight wisdom we develop strong refuge in the Buddha Dhamma Sangha as the path to look after our own well being and happiness. Our refuge in Buddha Dhamma Sangha is the antidote to refuge in self.
To do this the Buddhist Teachings set forth instruction of how to train ourselves in virtue, concentration and wisdom. Virtue works against the habitual "complex of self cherishing thoughts" and can be developed through such things as (1) practicing generosity, practicing kindness, practicing morality, and through not using unwholesome minds, instead using wholesome minds.
Let's look at these one at a time. We establish the right motive by insisting on being kind to and helping others with friendliness. A useful guide to this attitude is to use the modern business ethos where employees recognise clearly the importance of service to others.
Whether it is from the point of view of making a large accumulation of good kamma needed to improve our minds and our life circumstances or from the viewpoint of overcoming the tentacles of self-centredness, the important thing is to serve others' needs wholeheartedly with energy and determination.
If we want to progress faster we must identify how to make more and more powerful good kamma. Helping Buddhist Monks creates wonderful good causes for our own wellbeing because of the purity and attainment of the monks. Helping Buddhist Temples also creates the good kamma needed to learn and realise the Dhamma directly in our own mind because Buddhist temples exist in the world to help beings realise the Dhamma, to become free of suffering.
Whilst we are doing good actions we must also develop mindfulness, keep five precepts and then dedicate the merit to whatever it is that we know will help us to be well and happy.
Our minds can improve steadily from week to week if we are making enough good causes.
(2) Morality. The Buddha taught the most fundamental level of morality we need to keep as a platform upon which we can be well and happy is the five precepts for a layperson. Our Teacher John Hughes usually taught new students the five precepts in detail as the preliminary teaching and foundation to start the Buddhist path.
As we progress along the path the value and importance of each precept can be understood more and more clearly.
Keeping five precepts builds five types of good causes which are an integral part of coming out of suffering. These good kammas are at once the great protections for us against our previous negative kammas and unwholesome dispositions; then, they are powerful acts of restraint against our worst types of defilements and tendencies, and, they are the pillars of purity needed for us to progress in safety.
Failing to keep any one of these precepts covers over a set of delusions about the workings of the mind, kamma and the true causes of happiness and unhappiness.
(3) Using and cultivating wholesome minds and not using and quitting unwholesome minds.
Right effort is to (1) reduce the unwholesome minds which have arisen, (2) reduce the unwholesome minds yet to arise, (3) increase the wholesome minds which have arisen and (4) to increase the wholesome minds yet to arise.
Master Hsing Yun writes in his book Being Good:
Desire is the most basic bond that binds us to the delusions of this world. Due to our desires we are born over and over again in one of the six realms of existence.
The Mahaprajnaparamita Shastra says that desires kindle feelings of dissatisfaction from start to finish. When we begin to desire something, we feel dissatisfied because we do not yet have it. If we get it, we feel dissatisfied because it has not lived up to our expectation or because we now fear we may lose it. After we have lost it or it has grown old, we feel dissatisfied again.
Since desire is incapable of producing satisfaction, it follows that we cannot cure a sense of dissatisfaction through desire. Dissatisfaction must be overcome by wisdom and helping others. (2, Hsing Yun)
Of anger the Mahaprajnaparamita Shastra says:
Anger should be thought of as the worst of all transgressions. It is the worst of the three poisons. Of the ninety-eight defilements, it is the most stubborn. It is the most difficult metal disease of all to cure. A person in the midst of anger cannot see what is right; he (or she) understands neither the difference between good and evil nor the difference between helping and hurting. He (or she) has lost control of himself…
Anger is one of the greatest obstructions to the successful study of Buddhism. Anger is a form of passionate ignorance. It is hard enough to learn when we are simply ignorant, but how can we ever learn if we are passionate in our ignorance. Only a quiet and receptive mind can learn. (2, Hsing Yun)
Whilst every defilement of the mind has specific antidotes which are particularly effective the general method for escaping from the grip of strong unwholesome minds is the five methods for removing unwholesome thoughts described in the Majjhima Nikaya.
These are:
1. Change the object which your mind is focusing on. Particularly change to a subject which is wholesome or calming.
2. If when giving attention to a wholesome subject, unwholesome thoughts still arise, reflect upon the danger of these thoughts, that they are reprehensible and result in suffering.
3. If when reflecting on the danger of these thoughts there still arise unwholesome thoughts try not to be mindful of them, nor give them attention.
4. If when not giving attention to them, unwholesome thoughts still arise he (or she) should give attention to the removal of the source of these thoughts.
5. If while giving attention to the removal of the source of these thoughts unwholesome thoughts still arise he (or she) should, with teeth clenched and tongue pressed against the palate, restrain, subdue and suppress mind by using mind. (Majjhima Nikaya)
From these five methods:
When the mind becomes settled, unified and concentrated, - then that monk is called a master of the pathways of the thoughts; he will think the thoughts he wants to think and will not think the thoughts he does not want to think. (Majjhima Nikaya)
The Buddha's words from the Dhammapada:
Careful in speech, controlled in body,
Aware of the workings
of the mind;
Patient under insult, never angry;
This is the path of great
progress.
Last week we saw from the Teachings on emptiness that by clearly knowing the state of our minds, we can understand when our mind is disturbed, or even slightly uncomfortable, it is because of the presence of some type of mental affliction or defilement.
The practices and attitudes of working for the welfare of others is such a powerful method to overcome our self-centredness that it will gradually grind away even these slight defilements.
Next week we will conclude our review of this course so far by a summary of the trainings of renunciation and wisdom. We will also begin to examine the fifth Perfection which is the Perfection of Energy.
Finally, Master Hsing Yun writes:
The Sutra of Bequeathed Teachings says, "There is nothing better than patience in the cultivation of virtue, morality and the practice of Buddhism." It also says, "One who knows how to be patient gains great power. If you can learn to endure insult and humiliation you will become very strong. (Hsing Yun)
May you be well and happy.
May all beings be well and happy.
This script was prepared and edited by Anita Carter, Frank Carter, and Alec Sloman.
References
1. His Holiness Tenzin Gyatso, the XIVth Dalai Lama. 2000. The Dalai Lama's Book of Transformation. Published by Thorsons Publishing, an Imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers, 77-85 Fullham Palace Road, Hammersmith, London W6 8JB.
2. Venerable Master Hsing Yun. 1998. Being Good, Buddhist Ethics for Everyday Life. Published by Weatherhill Inc, 568 Broadway, Suite 705, New York, NY 10012.
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