TWELVE QUESTIONS BY A LADY FROM THE WEST.
Replies by U OHN GHINE
Vol. V, No.4, 1958
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TWELVE QUESTIONS BY A LADY FROM THE WEST. Replies by U OHN GHINE Vol. V, No.4, 1958 |
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The lady had read a good deal of Buddhism, mainly by Western writers, and had lived in neighbouring countries for some periods and came to Burma for a comparatively short stay. Here she enquired as to the method of Buddhist Insight-Meditation (Vipassanabhavana) and her questions followed.
Some of these questions are, unconsciously I presume, what are popularly known as 'loaded questions' but I have tried to answer them all as there are many in the West to whom such questions, or some of them, will occur.
THE QUESTIONS:
(1) Is it not possible to achieve Nibbana without practising this type of bhavana?
(2) How can this type of bhavana, where concentration is on bodily actions in slow motion, and involuntary processes like breathing, be very helpful in solving the day to day problems that life presents and in day to day living?
(3) What concrete results of social value, if any, can be obtained by the practice of this bhavana? or
(4) Is this practice merely done in the hope of escaping from the various Buddhist hells?
(5) Merely escaping from any hell is a very poor motivation for good living or any kind of practice, don't you think? In this life I merely want to lessen as much suffering as possible for self and fellow men. Is this also a Buddhist practice?
(6) If this kind of concentration leads to knowledge why is the life of the masses in 'Buddhist' lands often worse than the dogs in 'Christian' lands. Should not true knowledge produce better living and equality of economic status?
(7) Instead of concentrating on abstraction via concrete action-forms is it not possible for us to concentrate more profitably on the four-fold struggle annunciated by the Buddha, i.e. the struggle to preserve all the good that is, and help new good to arise; the struggle to rid life of known evil, and prevent new forms arising?
(8) What about concentrating on the simple and very definite practice for wholesome and happy living given by the Buddha in the Dhammapada? e.g. Be as the bee that in taking honey does not dispoil but serves a fundamental need of the flower, besides producing honey for self and others.
(9) Why are the very practical and desperately needed precepts of the Dhammapada so seldom even mentioned by modern Buddhists?
(10) If life is lived in accordance with the teachings of the Dhammapada will there be any need to fear the hell, however fearful it may be?
(11) I prefer to concentrate on the actual teachings of the Buddha as expressed in the practical Dhammapada, can I do this here?
(12) Is there any monk or layman or laywoman or nun willing and able to expound Dhammapada to me, more fully than is possible by myself?
ANSWERS TO THE QUESTIONS
The answers are not given "as one having authority" but merely by a devout layman who hopes that he can see the very sincere motivation behind the questions and, from a little knowledge of the Scriptures, and a little knowledge of the "way of thought" of the questioner, hopes also that the answers will be found not altogether unsatisfactory.
Question 1. asks: "Is it not possible to achieve Nibbana without practising this type of bhavana?" and it is Vipassanabhavana, cursorily investigated by the questioner, that is referred to. The answer is, on the authority of the Buddha Himself, very certainly in the negative. In the special Sutta on the practice, the Satipatthana Sutta of the Majjhima Nikaya and its longer form as the Mahasatipatthana of the Digha Nikaya, it is referred to as "ekayano", the only way.
In the great chapter of the Samyutta Nikaya,* the Buddha explains to a certain Brahmin that the neglect of this practice will, after the Passing Away of the Buddha, be a cause of the decay of the Teaching while its practice will be a cause for the long persistence of the Teaching.
In verse 293 of the Dhammapada, we read:
In many other, indeed in most other Texts we find the same insistence on this keystone of the Buddhadhamma.
In Questions 8, 9 and 10, the questioner seems to think that the Dhammapada, teaching is one thing and Meditation another. She asks inter alia: "Why are the very practical and desperately needed precepts of the Dhammapada so seldom even mentioned by modern Buddhists?" She evidently does not mean the majority of Buddhists living to-day in Burma and neighbouring countries where the Dhammapada is read, studied and, in many cases, practised.
The whole tone of the Dhammapada is given by the first two stanzas:
All mental states have mind as their forerunner, mind is their chief, and they are mind-made. If, with an impure mind, one speaks or acts, then suffering follows one even as the wheel, the hoof of the ox.
Mind is the forerunner of all mental states; mind is their chief, and they are mind-made. If, with a pure mind, one speaks or acts, happiness follows him close like his never departing shadow.
Meditation is strongly advised also in stanzas Nos. 23, 27, 35, 110, 111, 181, 282, 299, 301, 326, 362, 371, 372 and 386. and implied in most others.
In Question No. 11 the lady asks whether she can in Burma, concentrate on the "Actual Teachings of the Buddha as expressed in the practical Dhammapada". This is rather awkwardly phrased as it would tend to give the impression that she does not regard the other Teachings of the Buddha or even the Teaching of Meditation given in a very considerable number of the stanzas of the Dhammapada, as "the actual practical Teaching". Of course she would not have this idea and it is just mentioned as there may be some who would misread the question as phrased. From the above it will be quite clear that the Teaching of Meditation was given as an eminently practical teaching, which indeed it is, and that vipassanavhavana is an integral part of the Teachings of the Buddha and, of course, of the Dhammapada.
If the lady means could she, as a devout laywoman, follow the moral Teachings of the Buddha without necessarily practising vipassanabhavanathe answer is in the affirmative. The majority of the people in Burma follow these moral Teachings, to a greater or lesser degree, without attempting to practise Meditation.
Question 12 asks whether anyone in Burma is able and willing to expound the Dhammapada more fully than is possible for herself alone. Yes, the Union Buddha Sasana Council can find people able and willing to do this. There are many thousands.
Question 6 asks: "If this kind of concentration leads to true knowledge, why is the life of the masses in "Buddhist" lands often worse than the dogs in "Christian" lands ? Should not true knowledge produce better living and equality of economic status ?
Almost any answer, short of an exhaustive survey in several volumes, would be an over simplification. However, some thoughts on this might help to clarify the ideas. Firstly if the majority of people in "Christian" lands (It is the lady who puts the words above in the verbal quarantine of inverted commas) were really Christian,
("Go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor,
and thou shalt have treasure in heaven'**
"Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow;
They toil not, neither do they spin:
And yet I say unto you,
That even Solomon in all his glory
Was not arrayed like one of these"***)
then there might exist the possibility of certain non-Christians exploiting them and their lives would be much less "satisfactory" in material things than the lives of Asians.
Asia generally took "the long view" and saw the array, the awful array, of millions of lives whirling round in the vortex of infinite time, and sought a way Out, and in some Asian countries still seeks a way out.
The Buddha showed that way out but few are brave enough to take it. The West concentrated on one life and gained more material "know-how" which enabled it to make bigger and better weapons with which to subjugate Asia, temporarily, first militarily and then economically.
Before changing the orientation of mind, before even discussing "which is right", take time off to see whether the West is satisfied now that it has gone far enough along that path to produce a weapon capable of wiping out all its "civilisation".
Since the suicidal impulse exists in nations as well as in individuals, we cannot comfort ourselves with the thought "they won't dare to use it". Already they are working on far more appalling weapons than the frightening "H-bomb".
The questioner's orientation is that of "one life". The Buddha did not teach one life and then a hereafter, nor one life and then annihilation. He taught the background of millions of lives, any one of which, especially in the human world, is like a flash of summer lightning in duration compared with the whole horrible phantasmagoria (one, unfortunately, we must live through and that is real enough in pain-production) of life after life after life after life running through aeons and aeons of time.
This does not at all mean that we should not concentrate at all on the present life, which is real enough to us. We can and should, always remembering that unless we first "get wisdom" we are like drowning men clutching each other in order to "save" each other or to "help" each other and thereby perishing the more surely and dragging others down, since much of our effort "to help and to save" ends in hindering ourselves and those we would help and save. There is an old and hard saying that "The wise men of the world spend most of their time undoing the harm done by the good men "and in the Sallekhasutta of the Majjhima Nikaya****the Buddha exhorted Cunda. "this situation does not occur, Cunda, when one sunk into mud will by himself pull out another who is sunk into mud. But this situation occurs, Cunda, when one not sunk into mud will by himself pull out another who is sunk into mud. This situation does not occur, Cunda, when one who is not tamed, not trained, not utterly quenched, will by himself tame, train, make another utterly quenched . . These Cunda, are the roots of trees, these are empty places. Meditate. Cunda; do not be slothful; be not remorseful later. This is our instruction to you
We can now come to the other questions.
In Question 4 and 5 the lady asks whether the "Practice" is followed merely in order to escape from hells and if this is not a very poor motivation. No, the Practice is by no means motivated by this "merely", though that motivation can by no means be termed "a poor one". "Merely" to leave a burning house is surely a wise thing to do: in addition to warn others and, in so far as one can, to guide others out, is a good thing to do.
Those who have come to the human world through various hells have not always learned all of their lessons and often bring hellish thoughts with them, to the detriment of others. (There is, of course, no "person with thoughts" but rather a continuum). One who has "escaped from the hell worlds" has thereby gained in Compassion, gained in Insight, gained in the wish and the CAPACITY to help others, and lessened his Anger, Lust and Greed by this practice of vipassanabhavana even before he has reached the high stage of the Arahat. The lady has the very laudable wish "to lessen the suffering of others in this life" and asks whether it is a Buddhist practice. As is shown, it very certainly is.
This answers to some extent Questions 2, 3 and 7. To go a little more fully into these. Just as a burning glass, a magnifying glass, can concentrate the rays of the sun to a point where light and heat are both immensely magnified, so the Practice acts to concentrate the mind and its faculties, to give light on one point which, made, clear illumines all of life, and then to burn out lusts and hatreds and ignorant selfish motives. It is, quite truly, "the only way". The mind struggles and rationalises and goes its own way unless completely controlled. This complete control is the object of the Practice and if this is not achieved the Practice has not been properly grasped and persistence is called for.
"What concrete results of social value?" This for one thing, the greater penetration of intellect and the greater "handiness" with social problems. That is how and why the process is certainly "very helpful in solving the day to day problems that life presents in day to day living"; and that is the beginning only.
"The struggle to preserve all that is good and help new good arise" is possible only through the practice of vipassana, perhaps it would be truer to say, is possible only efficiently and with certainty of success through this Practice.
To sum up: stanza 75 of the Dhammapada tells us that the path that leads to worldly gain is one, and the path that leads to Nibbana is another; and read with the stanzas above quoted, it will be seen that this is so whether one's action is motivated by gain for oneself or for others. And stanza 282 tells us: "Indeed, from Meditation does wisdom spring; without Meditation, wisdom wanes.....
Concentration of mind, heightened perception, keener intellect and lessening of greed are results of the Practice, as well as greater tranquillity.
Only with these, can one really do good in the world.
* Samyutta Nikaya, Mahavagga samyutta, (3) satipatthana samyutta, (4) Silatthiti vagga, (5) Annatarabrahmana Sutta pg. 151. 6th Synod Edition.
** Matthew XIX; 21.
*** Matthew VI; 28 and 29.
**** Majjhima Nikaya, Mulapannasa, Mulapariyavagga. Sallekha Sutta. P5. 56. 6th Syn. Edition.
APPENDIX TO 'ANSWERS TO TWELVE QUESTIONS''
There are several thoughts and facts that should be mentioned but which are better placed in an appendix for those who have the time to consider the matter a little more deeply. First it should be mentioned that the assertion that "the life of the masses in 'Buddhist' lands is often worse than the dogs' in 'Christian' lands" is one made on an emotional base and is a generality and therefore not strictly factual. From a Buddhist point of view, it is particularly untrue. While in materially advanced Western countries, there are those with a great deal of money who pet and pamper certain dogs so that those dogs, with enough of food and medicine and shelter may well at times be envied by some of the men and women in those same countries, who have to work hard for their food and shelter, often with a sense of insecurity which the animals have not; nevertheless there is the possiblity of the hardships of those in the human world being turned to good account in the way those hardships are met. The poorest man in the poorest country in the world always has the possibility of using his human faculties to rise above the world. He has at least a modicum of intelligence and using this, to follow the Noble Eightfold Path, he can rise to the highest peak of intelligence and beyond it to Nibbana.
It should be pointed out that the Sasana, the Teaching, of the Buddha, falls naturally into three parts:—
I. Pariyatti -- Study of the Teaching.
2. Patipatti -- Practice of the Teaching.
3. Pativedha-- Realisation of the Truth.
While Pativedha is the peak and the 'jumping-off place' to reach beyond the mundane, Patipatti also consists of:--
1. Sila -- Morality.
2. Samaddhi -- Concentration.
3. Panna -- Wisdom
The whole Teaching is based on Emancipation. 'Just as' exhorted the Buddha 'the great ocean, wherever one contacts it, has but one taste, the taste of salt, so my Teaching has, wherever one contacts it, but one taste, the taste of Emancipation' (Anguttrara Nikaya Atthaka Nipata Paharada Sutta).*
The goal of all Buddhists is the attainment of Magga Phala, (the Paths and their Fruitions,) and Nibbana. These cannot be attained without the practice of Vipassana.
This is set out in many places in the texts and we may quote here some further stanzas from the Dhammapada.
276. Tumhehi kiccam atappam;
akkhataro Tathagatha.
Patipanna pamokkhanti
Jhayino Marabandhana.
You yourselves should make an effort; the Buddhas are only teachers. Those who are virtuous and practise Meditation escape from the bonds of Mara.
277. Sabbe sankhara anicca ti
yada pannaya passati,
atha nibbindati dukkhe;
esa maggo visuddhiya.
'All compounded things are transient', when one sees this with wisdom, then one becomes disgusted with the painful. This is the Path to Purity.
278 Sabbe sankhara dukkha ti yada pannaya passati, atha nibbindati dukkhe esa maggo visuddhiya.
'All compounded things are fraught with pain' when in wisdom one sees this, then he is disgusted with the painful. This is the Path to Purity.
279 Sabbe dhamma anatta ti, yada pannaya passati, atha nibbindati dakkhe, esa maggo visuddhiya.
'All things whatsoever are unsubstantial' when in wisdom one see this, then he is disgusted with the painful. This is the Path to Purity.'
We may also quote in full a short Sermon of the Buddha that is most relevant.
Khuddaka Nikaya Patisambhidamagga
(3) Pannavagga, (9) Vipassana Katha. Discourse on Vipassana**
Thus I have heard. On one occasion the Buddha was residing at Savatthi in the Jetavana monastery of Anathapindika. There the Buddha addressed the monks and the monks replied 'Revered Sir'. The Buddha said to them:
1. ANICCA
(a) (i) 'O monks, there is no possibility (cause or reason) indeed that a monk who regards any causally-conditioned phenomenon as permanent (nicca) will be replete with Vipassana Nana (Anulomika Khanti) (Insight wisdom).
(ii) There is no possibility (cause or reason) that he who is not replete with Vipassana Nana will enter the path of Assurance (Sammattaniyama).
(iii) There is no possibility (cause or reason) that he who has not entered the Path of Assurance will realise the fruition of Sotapatti, Sakadagami, Anagami and Arahatta.
(b) (i) O monks, there is indeed the possibility (cause or reason) that a monk who realises that all causally-conditioned phenomena are impermanent (anicca will be replete with Vipassana Nana.
(ii) O monks, there is indeed the possibility (cause or reason that he who is replete with such Nana will enter the Path of Assurance.
(iii) O monks, there is indeed the possibility (cause or reason) that he who enters the Path of Assurance will realise the fruition of Sotapatti, Sakadagami, Anagami and Arahatta.
2. DUKKHA.
(a) (i) O monks, there is no possibility (cause or reason) that a monk who considers any causally-conditioned phenomenon as 'Happiness' (Sukha) will be replete with Vipassana Nana.
(ii) There is no possibility (cause or reason) that he who is not replete with Vipassana Nana will enter the Path of Assurance.
(iii) There is no possibility that he who has not entered the Path of Assurance will realise the fruition of Sotapatti, Sakadagami, Anagami and Arahatta.
(b) (1). O monks, there is indeed the possibility (cause or reason) that a monk who realises all causally-conditioned phenomena as suffering (Dukkha) will he replete with Vipassana Nana.
(ii) O monks, there is indeed the possibility (cause or reason) that he who is replete with such Nana will enter the Path of Assurance.
(iii) O monks, there is indeed the possibility that he who enters the Path of Assurance will realise the fruition of Sotapatti, Sakadagami, Anagami and Arahatta.
3. ANATTA
(a) (i). O monks, there is no possibility (cause or reason) that a monk who considers any phenomenon to be 'self' (Atta) will be replete with Vipassana Nana.
(ii) O monks, there is no possibility (cause or reason) that he who is not replete with Vipassana Nana will enter the Path of Assurance.
(iii) O monks, there is no possibility (cause or reason) that he who has not entered the Path of Assurance will realise the fruition of Sotapatti, Sakadagami Anagami and Arahatta.
(b) (1) O monks, there is indeed the possibility (cause or reason) that a monk who realises all phenomena to be 'not self' (Anatta) will be replete with Vipassana Nana.
(ii). O monks, there is indeed the possibility (cause or reason) that he who is replete with such Nana will enter the Path of Assurance.
(iii) O monks, there is indeed the possibility (cause or reason) that he who enters the Path of Assurance will realise the fruition of Sotapatti, Sakadagami, Anagami and Arahatta.
4. NIBBNA
(a) (i). O monks, there is no possibility (cause or reason) that a monk who regards Nibbana as 'suffering' will be replete with Vipassana Nana.
(ii) There is no possibility (cause or reason) that he who is not replete with such Nana will enter the Path of Assurance.
(iii) There is no possibility (cause or reason) that he who has not entered the Path of Assurance will realise the fruition of Sotapatti, Sakadagami, Anagami and Arahatta.
(b) (i). O monks, there is indeed the possibility (cause or reason) that a monk who realises Nibbana as happiness (Sukha) will be replete with Vipassana Nana.
(ii) O monks, there is indeed the possibility (cause or reason) that he who is replete with such Nana will enter the Path of Assurance.
(iii) O monks, there is indeed the possibility (cause or reason) that he who enters the Path of Assurance will realise the fruition of Sotapatti, Sakadagami, Anagami and Arahatta.
* Vol III. 6th Syn. Edition. pg 40.
** 6th syn. Edition. p 409, 411.