Just as reflections in water
Are not inside or outside,
Bodhisattvas seeking enlightenment
Know the world is not the world:
They do not dwell in or leave the world,
Because the world is inexplicable;
And they are not inside or outside,
Appearing in the world like reflections.
(Avatamsaka Sutra – 884,885)
{photo – credit}
I get a very visceral reaction when I see people charging fixed fees or saying ‘suggested dana’ for dharma teachings or retreats and warping their wording. Encountering it a bunch recently I go to this essay by Thanissaro Bhikkhu >>>>> No Strings Attached plus my blabbing about it below.
Teaching the Dharma is the highest gift. If we’ve affixed a price tag or suggested that compensation is appropriate …then what are we giving?
This would be like someone inviting you out for a meal and saying “please come to my home, let me cook for you, be my guest and enjoy.”
After the meal they explain to you how much they’ve worked, trained, what they estimate the ingredients to cost, what they estimate their time to be, what they estimate it was to prepare the space before you came over. They may even tell you about the other expenses in their life, travel plans and projects. How all these things they do require money.
“Here is a bill- I am not saying you have to pay BUT it would be great if you paid me $20 because I worked really hard, have other expenses and you enjoyed this meal I invited you over for. I mean this freely given without expectation and your paying me would be appropriate.”
This seems really dishonest and manipulative. Instead of using the dharma to make a livelihood…use a livelihood to support the dharma? When spiritual practice is dependent on money it is like clouds blocking out the sun. Still daytime but the world gets grey and difficult to see.
I am reminded again and again of what I know of and experienced in the the AA model. If someone has more experience with how they handle world needs vs. purpose/vision please correct me! I am sure the AA model comes with it’s own set of problems. I don’t ever associate AA with trying to make a buck off of people’s suffering or seeking. My understanding so far of how it works :
The immediate participants (they do not have memberships and visitors do not contribute) make contributions each meeting and give or not give according to how they choose. The participation level and rotated positions in the group determines the size of the space used and allocation of funds towards things like rent, printing, snacks etc. No one is paid or compensated financially for their time. This means any given group can fluctuate in size and participation over time. They remain organic and responsive to the needs of the community- not the agenda of an individual teacher or institution. Group stability is determined by participant stability, hierarchy is mostly equal with some respect given to those more seasoned in the process.
I think dharma-center type businesses could use this model of ‘stability and transformation of participants = success’, rather than a ‘growth in membership/donors/income = success in spreading.
What are some other ways we could try structurally to meet day to day needs while not mixing dharma with profit?
Cultivating Virtue
Cultivating virtue evokes, to me, images of planting seeds and nurturing. That eventually fruit, results, will be harvested. These plants, herbs, and fruits can be shared with all people. Not only will they fill our stomach they can heal and nourish our communities.
In my own case and in quite a few people I’ve meet there is a thirst for meaning and purpose. We often feel isolated while flooded by shallow interactions, information and distractions. In the effort to combat that we go seeking for community, holistic healing, yoga, meditation, etc. We embark on a spiritual journey in the hopes to find someone or something to remedy what feels like a giant black hole in our lives. We have an existential crises and no tools to deal with it. If we want to get our thoughts back together there is therapy. If we’d like to get our heart and spirit back together as well we can seek out teachers who embody a spiritual path and guide others.
To refrain from all evil,
To perform all good,
To purify one’s own mind-
This is the teaching of all Enlightened Ones.
This message can be found in most spiritual traditions. There is a saying that is is easy for a child to understand but difficult for 100 year old to do. It is a lifelong practice to be engaged in. For us to engage in it we have to see the value in improving our lives and that we don’t live an encapsulated existence. We affect and are affected constantly.
On a foundation of understanding that all things have a mutual interdependence we then can fathom the far reaching effects/results our own actions, speech and thoughts. If the internal world and external world are mutually affecting one another then we have the capability of directing this effect with our intentions.
What is it that our heart is oriented towards? What is the hearts wish and aspiration?
Within the streams of Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism there is an idea of a ‘path’ or ‘way’ that an individual follows and treads along as they go through life. To enter the ‘Way’ we have to recognize, aspire to and turn towards an infinite and purified state of being.
In Buddhism this begins with ‘turning towards refuge’. When our heart recognizes the suffering state we are in, the endless up and down of life, we turn it towards the Three Jewels. The Buddha is a state of being fully liberated and perfect in both wisdom and compassion. The Dharma is the teachings and practice to this awakening. The Sangha is the community of people who have liberated themselves to some degree, guide and support us in practice or who we practice with on a regular basis.
The Three Jewels are then three requisites for transformation- a state of awakening, engaging in those methods, and relying on others who embody those methods. When our dedication and faith in them grows our lives are gradually reorganized, our priorities become more broad than day to day pleasures, our worldview is larger and we have a clear meaning in our life.
The Lotus Sutra states-
“If anyone, even while distracted,
With even a single flower,
Makes and offering to a painted image,
They will progressively see countless Buddhas.
If anyone, even while distracted,
Enters a stupa or mausoleum,
And even once exclaims, “Homage to the Buddha,”
They have fulfilled the Buddha way.”
This indicates that even the smallest acknowledgement or recognition of Enlightened state will eventually lead to attaining that state. If such a minute action such as appreciating representative image creates a seed for future Enlightenment; then it follows that concentrated understanding and deliberate efforts will manifest that state more quickly. Essentially we must be able to conceive, to some degree, of a state of infinite perfection. Without this we cannot take further steps.
When an activity is undertaken in relation to the Three Jewels, with a proper motivation, there is a positive manifestation of that action in the future. This is because the Three Jewels are understood to have an infinite relationship in their end result (how often do we act out of motivation for ‘all sentient beings’, throughout ‘all time’?) and because they are in relation to liberated states, free from cyclic existence. The state that our activity is dedicated to is one free of causes of suffering.
Below is a chart offering the synthesis of three major philosophical and religious influences on East Asian culture and Buddhism. I’ve included a secular interpretation as well that I use as a way of expressing these ideas in healthcare practice without placing them in a religious or spiritual framework.
| Element – Taoist | Application – Secular | Virtue – Confucian | Perfections – Buddhism | Abstinences-Buddhism |
| Earth | Nourishment | Trust | Generosity | Lying, thoughtless behavior |
| Metal | Values | Selflessness | Patience | Stealing, taking without consent |
| Water | Stillness | Intelligence | Medication,Wisdom | Intoxicants, deceptive mind |
| Wood | Movement | Integrity | Energy | Killing, harming |
| Fire | Relations | Refinement | Ethics,Wisdom | Sexual misconduct |
Taoism leads practitioners to cultivate the 5 Elements and Three Flowers of essence, energy and spirit leading them to an ‘immortal’ or transcendental state that is beyond life and death. They aim to return to an ‘original state’ of being and to express this in their life.
Confucian thought focuses on self-cultivation through social and individual means. That humans are teachable and can pursue perfection through mutual concern and efforts. It could be seen as a ‘secular’ form of spirituality and has at times been used within East Asian cultures as a complementary ethical teaching in addition to religion.
Buddhism leads cultivators through developing the Six Perfections, infinite states of virtue done for the benefit of all beings. Also developed are various enumerations of ‘Sila’ or ethical conduct that subdues harmful ways of living. When combined with wisdom practices the heart is purified as the practitioner take steps to realizing the true nature of reality and ultimately achieve Buddhahood.
How can I use this information?
Personally I really enjoy these sorts of organized presentations on virtue and self-cultivation. I realize each of them speaks to only some people, so I’ve shown four of many more possibilities. My point in this is not to convince anyone that a particular one is the ‘right’ way. Rather, I aim to just give information on ideas that have influenced various cultures and brought people great freedom in the past.
I’d like to increase these kinds of conversation so that people think about, reflect on, explore and digest ideas to construct a “worldview” within the framework of Life and Death- two ultimate events for every being to undergo. I believe there is only spiritual development when there is questioning. If we constantly investigate the nature of our lives both personally and in relation to others we will come to deeper understanding of our existence. When we find a path that suits our disposition then we should, without hesitation, exert ourselves in it. We contain the potential for perfect wisdom and clarity, we have the capacity to know the infinite.
Furthemore I want to encourage a culture of ‘virtue cultivation’ and really interested in dialogue with others around the topic. To quiet our hearts and listen deeply. What does it aspire to? The heart is representative of our desires and unification, not only emotionally but also spiritually. Is there a state, an ideal, a quality, an expression that we long for? To become? No matter how far from it we are we should make even small steps and efforts to move towards it and express it in our daily lives. Whether that is the Tao, Enlightenment, Christ-Heart, Krishna-Consciousness, etc. Whether it is personified or abstract, if we keep it in our deepest thoughts constantly we can shine it into the world.
This image is called the ‘Americosmos’ by Darin Drda. Below is his own explanation of the image and here is there link to his blog and the full article it appeared with. I’ve always understood Samsara and the Wheel of Life to be a structure of sorts rather than some cosmic law thrust upon us unwillingly by unknowable powers. Sometimes people interpret samsara (and even karma) to be some law that is governed by a higher intelligence.
Rather it is a situation we create and uncreate ourselves and we can find the process reflected in from the micro to the macro. Darin’s American-political version of it is an interesting take and I think hits on that co-dependent creation implied in the older versions. I wonder what new visions of the ‘Wheel of Life’ (and the rest of the Buddhist visual world of deities, mandalas and symbols) will come out of American Buddhist culture as American Buddhist artists take on translating the images into the culture and time. We’ve seen many texts translated (and often multiple times with different emphasis that can change meaning…) and I enjoy seeing the visual dharma methods being done as well.
“A Key to the Matrix
What follows is a description of my mandala, again from the inside out. At the hub of the wheel appear a dollar bill, a tank, and a television, representing the three poisons of greed, hatred, and delusion (these exist institutionally as materialism, militarism, and the media). Just outside the central circle is the ring of financial karma, in which people slowly climb the ladder to prosperity, only to slide back down into a hole of debt.
The main part of the mandala depicts the Six Realms of Socioeconomic Existence. At the top is theImperial Realm, in which ultra-wealthy beings live in mansions, ride in limousines, and suffer from arrogance, isolation, and the occasional bad hair day. Below and to the left of this realm is that of the Imperial Wannabes, who abide in sprawling suburban homes, drive expensive cars, and suffer from envy and existential angst. To the right of this realm is the Public Domain, populated by working class humans who live in modest homes, apartments, and trailers, and drive used cars. They speak highly of freedom while being severely constrained by desire, fixation, and fear. Many of them suffer from high blood pressure, low self-esteem, and bad credit. Lower on the ladder lies theAnimal Turf, wherein many creatures are subject to displacement, confinement, and cruelty on the part of humans. Some of them are kept as pets and often treated much better than beings in the adjacent Homeless Dimension. This realm is populated by nearly invisible “hungry ghosts” who wander endlessly in search of food and shelter. The lowest of all realms is the Hellish ‘Hood, the residents of which suffer from intense anger and psychological illness. Beings in this realm possess very little freedom, whether held captive in prisons, mental institutions, or army barracks.
The outer wheel depicts the Twelve Steps of Codependent Consumerism. The sequence begins and ends with shopping, an activity which leads directly to the accumulation of material objects. Possessing lots of stuff leads to the need for a “stuff storage facility,” commonly called a house and usually located outside of town. This necessitates having a motorized vehicle with which to transport one’s person, groceries, and additional stuff. Driving a car necessitates buying gas, which contributes to debt and the need to maintain employment. Working generates stress, which leads to an urgent desire for relaxation. This often involves consuming alcohol and/or watching television. Depressants, TV and advertising all contribute to a sense of lack or emptiness, symbolized here by a black hole. This feeling of worthlessness leads to an impulse to shop, which begins the cycle anew.
The Wheel of Suffering is held in the clutches of the aforementioned Uncle Samsara, the Lord of Illusion. This fearsome figure presides over a vast empire of desire, despair, death and taxes. Outside of this wheel lies liberty in the form of planetary consciousness, lunar consciousness, and compassion (symbolized by a green Tara). Ultimate freedom is found in the form of cosmic consciousness, wisdom and peace (symbolized by a meditating Buddha).
May all Americans, and all beings everywhere, be happy and truly free.”
Here is a Tibetan version of the wheel, using a mix of culturally relevant and traditional symbols:
They call it the ‘overview effect’.
One of them thinks this is a ‘new worldview’ for humanity.
I’d say it is essentially the realization of interdependent-arising SEEN and not just known. Folks have been realizing-knowing what astronauts are now seeing since long ago.
I often equate ‘spiritual’ simply with ‘world-view’ and not as something that exists beyond the human experience or that is somehow distinct and separate from our daily life. Rather the vision and framing of the experiences we have between birth and death within a boundless context. Sometimes that vision is accurate and clear. Other times we are near sighted, far sighted and maybe have glaucoma on top of it. Either way, for me, spiritual practice is the clarification of world view and acting through that clarity.
