Hi Everybody,
Eight down, two to go! We're in the middle of an importany chapter, describing and analysing the Nichiren Buddhist concept of the ten worlds, or the ten states of life. What are they and how ' real' are they? Those are the questions we need answered aren't they? Up till now, if you happen to have been reading the last eight episodes, these life states have been given ordinary names like hunger and anger and learning and realisation. But the next two are defined by names that we would never use in any other context apart from a discussion of Buddhism. Bodhisattva and Buddhahood are not just relatively unfamilar, they are essentially technical terms comin gfrom Buddhist literature. The important thing I would suggest, is not to be put off by the unfamiliarity, but to get behind the names themselves and see how they relate to the real substance of our lives. The names might be unfamiliar, the life states are universal. So here we go with Bodhisattva.
The hallmark of the life state of Bodhisattva is caring for others, being concerned about their welfare or their safety or their general well-being. Spending time with an older person living on their own perhaps, supporting an anxious neighbour in a crisis, giving time to a charity, offering a colleague a sympathetic ear instead of rushing off to catch the train home. Giving oneself in all sorts of ways, big and small to support other people when they need it. It's not about being a do-gooder. Not at all. It's just about being immensely practical and alert to the fact that absolutely everybody has need for support at some time in their lives, and being ready to be there for them.
It is also mutually beneficial, although that is not the primary motivation. It is you may remember one of the primary qualities modern psychological research has marked out as being fundamental to our own sense of well-being, altruism, being prepared to put ourselves out to help others. Certainly Buddhism argues that one of the most immediate pathways out of those tough life states of hell and hunger and animality, is indeed to find some way, however small, to contribute to the lives of others. At its heart is the desire not simply to help others but to alleviate the cause of their pain or suffering, and replace it with a more stable sens eof well-being.
The prime example of this degree of compassion for others is perhpas the mother, or the parent, whose concern for the child is totally unconditional. Nothing is too much to give. other examples would be the nurse and the doctor and the social worker. Or the aid workers who are prepared to place themselves in difficult and often dangerous circumstances, in developing countries for example, constantly putting themselves at risk, and challenging their environment to ease the plight and improve the quality of life of people with whom they may have no connection except their shared humanity. It's noteworthy that those people in whom the bodhisattva life state is dominant, often receive very little public reward or recognition for their work. Clearly recognition and reward is not their motivation. They are driven by a powerful compassion to ease the suffering and raise the life state of others. That is the source of their greatest joy and fulfilment. In a sense in giving more of themselves, they become most themselves. That, in the end, might be the best description of the bodhisattva way.
That's it for today. Hope it helps to clarify things.
See you next time when we move onto Budhahood.
See you then,
William
PS Had a wonderful note the other day from a lady who lives in Montana, miles and miles she says from her nearest fellow practitioner, who thanked me profusely for writing The case for Buddhism ( no writer can have greater pleasure than being thanked for writing his book!!) because she says, it is a wonderful tool for giving others an awareness of the fundamentals of Buddhism. That is precisely why it was written. I was filled with gratitude that she took the trouble to write. And let me say thank you to her here again. Thank you so much.
Tuesday 29 September 2015
Monday 21 September 2015
MY BUDDHIST BLOG NUMBER 104
Hi Everybody,
We're in the middle of the chapter that sets out to explain the Buddhist concept of the ten worlds, or the ten states of life. It's one of the fundamental teachings of Nichiren Buddhism and its aim of course is to take us towards a greater self awareness, a deeper understanding of our behaviour so that we can respond more sensitively and more creatively to situations in our life, rather than simply reacting to them. That's its whole purpose, to enable us to create greater value out of every circumstance we find ourselves in, good, bad and indifferent. So we've looked at six of these life states, which Buddhism argues, describes the reality of life for most of us. This is where we spend most of our time, and the key insight is that we experience them very much in response to what is going on in our external environment; now up now down, now left now right depending to a large extent on what is happening to us. The clear implication is that our life state, and in a sense therefore our identity, from moment to moment, how we think and feel and behave and look even, is to a considerable extent dependent on what comes at us from without.
The remaining four lives could be described as representing the great potential in human lives, not simply responding to events and changes in our environment in a somewaht reactionary or oportunistic way, but seeking to take greater control of our lives to make the very most of them, making and shaping our lives you might say. So they are all marked, these four lives, by the effort that is required to achieve them. Which takes us to Learning and Realisation.
These two life states are often taken together because they are so closely related. They represent in a sense the two sides of the same coin. Both are concerned with the strong desire for self-improvement, although via slightly different routes. So learning essentially describes the process of study, putting ourselves ina position where we can take on board the knowledge and understanding accumulated in particular fields. In the modern world of course we are likely to spend a considerable portion of our early lives in this arena. Acquiring new knowledge and skills, constantly deepening and widening our understanding of how the world worksm, has become more or less a life-time activity for many of us.
Realisation is slightly different in that it involves the inner process of reflection and consideration that enables us to relate this knowledge and understanding to our own lives and our own circumstances and so make the most creative and productive use of it, to enhance our own lives and the lives of those around us.
Buddhism does alert us to the potentially negative aspects of learning and realisation that can be manifested in a sense of superiority for example, over those who don't aspire to these life states. And we've all encountered unhappy examples of that; doctors for patients for example, professors for students, scientists for the relative ignorance of the general public. But in general these two life states, Learning and Realisation are seen very practically in Buddhism, as indeed they are presented by modern educationalists, as the veritable springboard to realising our individual potential, hence the use of the word, realisation.
That's it for today. Two more life states to go, Bodhisattva and Buddhahood. Deal with them later in the week.
See you then.
Best wishes,
William
PS The Case for Buddhism is available on Amazon or as a download on Kindle.
We're in the middle of the chapter that sets out to explain the Buddhist concept of the ten worlds, or the ten states of life. It's one of the fundamental teachings of Nichiren Buddhism and its aim of course is to take us towards a greater self awareness, a deeper understanding of our behaviour so that we can respond more sensitively and more creatively to situations in our life, rather than simply reacting to them. That's its whole purpose, to enable us to create greater value out of every circumstance we find ourselves in, good, bad and indifferent. So we've looked at six of these life states, which Buddhism argues, describes the reality of life for most of us. This is where we spend most of our time, and the key insight is that we experience them very much in response to what is going on in our external environment; now up now down, now left now right depending to a large extent on what is happening to us. The clear implication is that our life state, and in a sense therefore our identity, from moment to moment, how we think and feel and behave and look even, is to a considerable extent dependent on what comes at us from without.
The remaining four lives could be described as representing the great potential in human lives, not simply responding to events and changes in our environment in a somewaht reactionary or oportunistic way, but seeking to take greater control of our lives to make the very most of them, making and shaping our lives you might say. So they are all marked, these four lives, by the effort that is required to achieve them. Which takes us to Learning and Realisation.
These two life states are often taken together because they are so closely related. They represent in a sense the two sides of the same coin. Both are concerned with the strong desire for self-improvement, although via slightly different routes. So learning essentially describes the process of study, putting ourselves ina position where we can take on board the knowledge and understanding accumulated in particular fields. In the modern world of course we are likely to spend a considerable portion of our early lives in this arena. Acquiring new knowledge and skills, constantly deepening and widening our understanding of how the world worksm, has become more or less a life-time activity for many of us.
Realisation is slightly different in that it involves the inner process of reflection and consideration that enables us to relate this knowledge and understanding to our own lives and our own circumstances and so make the most creative and productive use of it, to enhance our own lives and the lives of those around us.
Buddhism does alert us to the potentially negative aspects of learning and realisation that can be manifested in a sense of superiority for example, over those who don't aspire to these life states. And we've all encountered unhappy examples of that; doctors for patients for example, professors for students, scientists for the relative ignorance of the general public. But in general these two life states, Learning and Realisation are seen very practically in Buddhism, as indeed they are presented by modern educationalists, as the veritable springboard to realising our individual potential, hence the use of the word, realisation.
That's it for today. Two more life states to go, Bodhisattva and Buddhahood. Deal with them later in the week.
See you then.
Best wishes,
William
PS The Case for Buddhism is available on Amazon or as a download on Kindle.
Thursday 17 September 2015
MY BUDDHIST BLOG NUMBER 103
Hi Everybody,
Hope all is well with you wherever you are. Beautiful late summer day here in Kew with warm sunshine and long shadows from the lower sun, and a sense of summer edging away. Always a slightly nostalgic time I feel. Anyway since I had such a long gap while I was away soaking up the sun in antibes I thought I would have an enthusiastic week with 3 episodes. And here's number two. We're in the middle of the chapter on the ten worlds. We've looked at the lower four worlds, the unpleasant ones that can wreck people's lives, hell, hunger, animality and anger. We've looked at the life state of tranquility or humanity as its often called and now we're onto rapture.
Rapture represents what is described in Buddhism as relative happiness, that is to say it is very much a transient rather than a deep-seated or long-lived sense of well-being. As its name suggests it is the wonderful up-welling of joy and exhilaration that we all experience when we achieve something that we've really set our heart on. So it brings with it the sense of personal fulfilment and the outburst of energy that comes with passing the difficult set of exams for example, getting that difficult promotion, winning a big prize or just setting off on a long-awaited holiday perhaps. Or falling in love. Indeed the modern ideal of romantic love is perhaps the most accurate metaphor for what we mean by rapture. But however wonderful and exhilarating it may be however much it enriches our life, the reality is that by its very nature rapture is short-lived, a sudden spike of joy in the normal curve of our lives.
Although many people today are inclined to equate this essentially transient state with the highest possible state of life, our maximum happiness as it were, and yearn for some way of making it permanent in their lives, Buddhism, and indeed our own common sense, tell us that the idea of permanent rapture is simply unreal. It only takes the passage of time, or a slight change in circumstances, for that peak of exhilaration and joy to pass, to be replaced by anothe rlife state. it is, by definition, a passing moment. The yearning for it to stay and be there forever, a permanent part of, our lives, is a delusion that can only lead to suffering.
Buddhism tells us that the six life states that we've been outlining briefly describe the reality of life for most of us. These are the worlds we spend a lot of time in, and one of the key insights that Buddhism offers is that we experience them very much as our response to what is going on in our external environment. They are very closely interlinked, and we can slip very easily from one to another as the day passes. And the argument is that as we fluctuate between these states we are pretty much at the mercy of our environment, now up now down, now left now right, depending on what is happening to us. The clear implication is that our life state, and in a sense therefore our identity, from moment to moment, how we think and feel and behave and look even, is, to a considerable extent, dependent on what comes to us from without. Happy when things seem to be going well. Unhappy when they don't. It leaves us pretty much like a rudderless boat, blown this way and that by whatever winds that blow. Bounced up and down by whatever waves that strike us. That is obviously a great simplification of the situation. I'm sure we all see our lives as being very much more complicated than that, but then overall message is clear enough, we can all too easily spend a lot of our lives simply responding to what happens to us, good and bad, rather than making and shaping our lives.
And that's where the next four worlds take us.
That's it for today.
thanks for reading this far.
See you next time,
William
PS The Case for Buddhism is available from Amazon as a paperback or it can be downloaded from Kindle. Lots of people have said very encouraging things about it, for which I'm immensely grateful
Hope all is well with you wherever you are. Beautiful late summer day here in Kew with warm sunshine and long shadows from the lower sun, and a sense of summer edging away. Always a slightly nostalgic time I feel. Anyway since I had such a long gap while I was away soaking up the sun in antibes I thought I would have an enthusiastic week with 3 episodes. And here's number two. We're in the middle of the chapter on the ten worlds. We've looked at the lower four worlds, the unpleasant ones that can wreck people's lives, hell, hunger, animality and anger. We've looked at the life state of tranquility or humanity as its often called and now we're onto rapture.
Rapture represents what is described in Buddhism as relative happiness, that is to say it is very much a transient rather than a deep-seated or long-lived sense of well-being. As its name suggests it is the wonderful up-welling of joy and exhilaration that we all experience when we achieve something that we've really set our heart on. So it brings with it the sense of personal fulfilment and the outburst of energy that comes with passing the difficult set of exams for example, getting that difficult promotion, winning a big prize or just setting off on a long-awaited holiday perhaps. Or falling in love. Indeed the modern ideal of romantic love is perhaps the most accurate metaphor for what we mean by rapture. But however wonderful and exhilarating it may be however much it enriches our life, the reality is that by its very nature rapture is short-lived, a sudden spike of joy in the normal curve of our lives.
Although many people today are inclined to equate this essentially transient state with the highest possible state of life, our maximum happiness as it were, and yearn for some way of making it permanent in their lives, Buddhism, and indeed our own common sense, tell us that the idea of permanent rapture is simply unreal. It only takes the passage of time, or a slight change in circumstances, for that peak of exhilaration and joy to pass, to be replaced by anothe rlife state. it is, by definition, a passing moment. The yearning for it to stay and be there forever, a permanent part of, our lives, is a delusion that can only lead to suffering.
Buddhism tells us that the six life states that we've been outlining briefly describe the reality of life for most of us. These are the worlds we spend a lot of time in, and one of the key insights that Buddhism offers is that we experience them very much as our response to what is going on in our external environment. They are very closely interlinked, and we can slip very easily from one to another as the day passes. And the argument is that as we fluctuate between these states we are pretty much at the mercy of our environment, now up now down, now left now right, depending on what is happening to us. The clear implication is that our life state, and in a sense therefore our identity, from moment to moment, how we think and feel and behave and look even, is, to a considerable extent, dependent on what comes to us from without. Happy when things seem to be going well. Unhappy when they don't. It leaves us pretty much like a rudderless boat, blown this way and that by whatever winds that blow. Bounced up and down by whatever waves that strike us. That is obviously a great simplification of the situation. I'm sure we all see our lives as being very much more complicated than that, but then overall message is clear enough, we can all too easily spend a lot of our lives simply responding to what happens to us, good and bad, rather than making and shaping our lives.
And that's where the next four worlds take us.
That's it for today.
thanks for reading this far.
See you next time,
William
PS The Case for Buddhism is available from Amazon as a paperback or it can be downloaded from Kindle. Lots of people have said very encouraging things about it, for which I'm immensely grateful
Tuesday 15 September 2015
my buddhist blog number 102
Hi Everybody,
Just back from holiday in Antibes in the South of France, a beautiful little old town between Nice and Cannes, not posh or smart, just very ordinary. Ordinary except that was originally founded by the Greeks, and then taken over by the Romans and the old centre of the town dates back to the 18th century with narrow winding streets only a couple of metres wide, and old fortifications overlooking the sea, and there's a huge blue bay with the Cap D'Antibes at one end and the blue shadows of the Alpes Maritimes marching down to the sea at the other. So very ordinary, but kind of breathtaking. And I've been going there for about 30 odd years and my children learned to fish off the rocks there and grew up spending their long summer holidays at the house I owned there. When we go there now we practice with some local members and this time we went off with them to the European Centre at Trets, further down the coast close to Marseille. It turned out that we had the place to ourselves, so there we were chanting to our hearts content in the grand hall, and in came two ladies visiting from Italy. So we did gongyo together, and it was just a beautiful moment, and as we were talking afterwards it turned out that they had read Il Budista Rilutante ( the Italian version of The Reluctant Buddhist) and when they recognised me as the author they both threw their arms around me enthusiastically and kissed me. So thats how I went to Trets and got kissed by two strange Italian ladies!!
So we pick up today where we left off on episode 101, in the midle of the Chapter on the ten worlds. A concept that is central to Nichiren Buddhism, and we's looking at the mini portraits of the ten states of mind that Buddhism paints for us. Weve looked at Hell, Hunger, animality and Anger, so we're now onto the state that is labelled Humanity. And once again it describes a life state that we all immediately recognise, in the sense that it describes those periods, those moments, long or short, when we are quiet and calm and completely at peace with our lot. We like the life we have. So it is fundamentally a neutral state. Nothing has excited us, or upset us, or aroused a passionate or anxious response. It is sometimes called a state of rest because it is at least in part about recharging our batteries. So it is marked by all sorts of positive qualities such as reasonablenes and sound judgement and consideration for others. When you are in this life state it means that you might be actively seeking to achieve compromise rather than conflict, or you are putting the best positive gloss on circumstances rather than being critical, or you are prepared to be very supportive of other people's proposals. It's a very relaxed and positive place to be.
Is there a negative side to this life state? Well it is sometimes suggested that it might lead to a certain amount of apathy, revealed perhaps in the long-term acceptance of a basically unsatisfactory situation, or an unwillingness to make the effort to change it. The ten worlds of course are all about self awareness, knowing where are, recognising how we are behaving or responding in a particular situation, and once again Buddhism argues that it is the awareness of the nature of this life state that enables us to benefit from its positive qualities of compromise and sound judgment, and to avoid its dangers of accepting an unacceptable status quo.
That's it. Brief and to the point. Next time we move onto the life state that Buddhism calls rapture.
Hope to see you then.
Best wishes,
William
PS The Case for Buddhism is available from Amazon or a download on Kindle.
Just back from holiday in Antibes in the South of France, a beautiful little old town between Nice and Cannes, not posh or smart, just very ordinary. Ordinary except that was originally founded by the Greeks, and then taken over by the Romans and the old centre of the town dates back to the 18th century with narrow winding streets only a couple of metres wide, and old fortifications overlooking the sea, and there's a huge blue bay with the Cap D'Antibes at one end and the blue shadows of the Alpes Maritimes marching down to the sea at the other. So very ordinary, but kind of breathtaking. And I've been going there for about 30 odd years and my children learned to fish off the rocks there and grew up spending their long summer holidays at the house I owned there. When we go there now we practice with some local members and this time we went off with them to the European Centre at Trets, further down the coast close to Marseille. It turned out that we had the place to ourselves, so there we were chanting to our hearts content in the grand hall, and in came two ladies visiting from Italy. So we did gongyo together, and it was just a beautiful moment, and as we were talking afterwards it turned out that they had read Il Budista Rilutante ( the Italian version of The Reluctant Buddhist) and when they recognised me as the author they both threw their arms around me enthusiastically and kissed me. So thats how I went to Trets and got kissed by two strange Italian ladies!!
So we pick up today where we left off on episode 101, in the midle of the Chapter on the ten worlds. A concept that is central to Nichiren Buddhism, and we's looking at the mini portraits of the ten states of mind that Buddhism paints for us. Weve looked at Hell, Hunger, animality and Anger, so we're now onto the state that is labelled Humanity. And once again it describes a life state that we all immediately recognise, in the sense that it describes those periods, those moments, long or short, when we are quiet and calm and completely at peace with our lot. We like the life we have. So it is fundamentally a neutral state. Nothing has excited us, or upset us, or aroused a passionate or anxious response. It is sometimes called a state of rest because it is at least in part about recharging our batteries. So it is marked by all sorts of positive qualities such as reasonablenes and sound judgement and consideration for others. When you are in this life state it means that you might be actively seeking to achieve compromise rather than conflict, or you are putting the best positive gloss on circumstances rather than being critical, or you are prepared to be very supportive of other people's proposals. It's a very relaxed and positive place to be.
Is there a negative side to this life state? Well it is sometimes suggested that it might lead to a certain amount of apathy, revealed perhaps in the long-term acceptance of a basically unsatisfactory situation, or an unwillingness to make the effort to change it. The ten worlds of course are all about self awareness, knowing where are, recognising how we are behaving or responding in a particular situation, and once again Buddhism argues that it is the awareness of the nature of this life state that enables us to benefit from its positive qualities of compromise and sound judgment, and to avoid its dangers of accepting an unacceptable status quo.
That's it. Brief and to the point. Next time we move onto the life state that Buddhism calls rapture.
Hope to see you then.
Best wishes,
William
PS The Case for Buddhism is available from Amazon or a download on Kindle.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)