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Air guitar
Dear All
There is something that needs to be said about basic Buddhism and Zen, which may of help to those starting out.
Buddhism - as you are likely to encounter it in the west - is almost completely misleading, and has become something of a travesty of what it ought to be. I say 'almost' because the message is there if you know exactly what to look for, but it has become curiously twisted in such a way as will surely throw you miles off the trail. And I say this as someone who had to have Buddhism explained to me - in terms a child could grasp - by a self-taught Buddhist who left school with no qualifications and never went near a university. Humiliating, but instructive.
What exactly is the problem ? The problem is that Buddhism is everywhere understood to be a kind of doctrine, a kind of mental furniture, rather than a clear-sighted, independent approach to the truth. People who are Buddhists immerse themselves in Buddhist ideas, rather than confronting the metaphysical situation they find themselves in. Instead of asking 'What's going on ?', they ask 'What does Buddhism tell me about what's going on ?', and then they answer themselves using second-hand concepts, instead of looking at the facts in front of them. Their mental approach is mediated, and diluted, instead of being direct. It's playing with ideas, instead of learning to investigate for oneself. The Buddha himself expressly instructed against mediated thinking - not as a point of principle, but because it takes you away from where you need to be - yet no one seems to be much bothered by this fact, despite it being repeated again and again in the Sutras.
Think of air guitar. Imagine someone posturing in front of their bedroom mirror, and pretending that they are playing in front of a stadium. They're not even holding a guitar; it's all a silly game of mental make-believe. Unfortunately this is exactly what Buddhists do, and this goes right to the top of the tree. Take away the doctrine - the hand-me-down ideas - and many of the world's most famous Buddhists would have nothing to say, nothing to teach. Their expertise only extends as far as various concepts the tradition has given them. This is not what the Buddha intended in his teaching.
So what can be done ? Learn to centre your Buddhist practice in yourself, and where you are. It takes time - years perhaps - but it can be done. Dispense with other people's ideas, and learn to see, and to think, for yourself. Ask yourself how you know what you know. Ask yourself how your mind works. Is your mind hiding something from you ? Why is that ? How could you resolve such an extraordinary problem ? But is there really a problem in the first place ? Don't look to other people's answers, but answer the question for yourself. These are genuine Buddhist questions, confronting the human condition as it is, in all it's unsettling mystery - probing it, exploring it - and there is no need to refer to various doctrines, and complicated schools of thought. If you ask these questions in all seriousness, then you are already meditating, and meditating more profoundly than any artificial system can devise. In a way, it's absurdly simple. And the answers you get are real answers, not bits of doctrine, validated by people who have been taught an artificial system made up by yet other people.
Some might say this direct approach is too vague, too abstract, and too empty. Besides being cold and lonely into the bargain. Well, confront that too. Why is it that, when you look into yourself, you can't seem to find anything ? Why is it that when you ask yourself, 'what am I ?', your mind seems to collapse in on itself, and leave you with nothing at all ? Or worse still, a vague feeling that something has gone terribly wrong somewhere ? Take another look. And then another Keep looking. Where is the real you ? Can't find yourself ? Why not ? Are you asking the right questions ? Are you looking in the right place ? And who's to say ? This type of basic questioning brings to life your own genuine koans, with nothing fake and hand-me-down about them.
But where does all this lead ? It goes where it takes you. You have to learn, in your own special way, how best to confront the facts of your own reality. The temptation is to clutch at straws, and half-ideas, and various feelings that come on to you, in varying strengths. Feelings are not answers, and if you cling on to them, they will always let you down. You can enjoy them for the moment, if you really want to, and then just let them pass. Keep asking yourself, what is this all about ? Don't ask 'who can validate my latest Buddhist experience, or Buddhist feeling ?', but keep asking yourself, what is all this about ? How can I be sure what's going on ? This type of questioning takes you right to the front door. And if there is another way to get to the front door - not making reference to faith and feeling and doctrine - then let's hear about it.
I've presented this post as a type of provocation, but I can't think of any other way to do it. Hope this will be of use to someone. Real Buddhism is pretty interesting, if you give it a chance. It dispenses with all kinds of fluff, and gets on with it.
Best regards
Peter Eastman
There is something that needs to be said about basic Buddhism and Zen, which may of help to those starting out.
Buddhism - as you are likely to encounter it in the west - is almost completely misleading, and has become something of a travesty of what it ought to be. I say 'almost' because the message is there if you know exactly what to look for, but it has become curiously twisted in such a way as will surely throw you miles off the trail. And I say this as someone who had to have Buddhism explained to me - in terms a child could grasp - by a self-taught Buddhist who left school with no qualifications and never went near a university. Humiliating, but instructive.
What exactly is the problem ? The problem is that Buddhism is everywhere understood to be a kind of doctrine, a kind of mental furniture, rather than a clear-sighted, independent approach to the truth. People who are Buddhists immerse themselves in Buddhist ideas, rather than confronting the metaphysical situation they find themselves in. Instead of asking 'What's going on ?', they ask 'What does Buddhism tell me about what's going on ?', and then they answer themselves using second-hand concepts, instead of looking at the facts in front of them. Their mental approach is mediated, and diluted, instead of being direct. It's playing with ideas, instead of learning to investigate for oneself. The Buddha himself expressly instructed against mediated thinking - not as a point of principle, but because it takes you away from where you need to be - yet no one seems to be much bothered by this fact, despite it being repeated again and again in the Sutras.
Think of air guitar. Imagine someone posturing in front of their bedroom mirror, and pretending that they are playing in front of a stadium. They're not even holding a guitar; it's all a silly game of mental make-believe. Unfortunately this is exactly what Buddhists do, and this goes right to the top of the tree. Take away the doctrine - the hand-me-down ideas - and many of the world's most famous Buddhists would have nothing to say, nothing to teach. Their expertise only extends as far as various concepts the tradition has given them. This is not what the Buddha intended in his teaching.
So what can be done ? Learn to centre your Buddhist practice in yourself, and where you are. It takes time - years perhaps - but it can be done. Dispense with other people's ideas, and learn to see, and to think, for yourself. Ask yourself how you know what you know. Ask yourself how your mind works. Is your mind hiding something from you ? Why is that ? How could you resolve such an extraordinary problem ? But is there really a problem in the first place ? Don't look to other people's answers, but answer the question for yourself. These are genuine Buddhist questions, confronting the human condition as it is, in all it's unsettling mystery - probing it, exploring it - and there is no need to refer to various doctrines, and complicated schools of thought. If you ask these questions in all seriousness, then you are already meditating, and meditating more profoundly than any artificial system can devise. In a way, it's absurdly simple. And the answers you get are real answers, not bits of doctrine, validated by people who have been taught an artificial system made up by yet other people.
Some might say this direct approach is too vague, too abstract, and too empty. Besides being cold and lonely into the bargain. Well, confront that too. Why is it that, when you look into yourself, you can't seem to find anything ? Why is it that when you ask yourself, 'what am I ?', your mind seems to collapse in on itself, and leave you with nothing at all ? Or worse still, a vague feeling that something has gone terribly wrong somewhere ? Take another look. And then another Keep looking. Where is the real you ? Can't find yourself ? Why not ? Are you asking the right questions ? Are you looking in the right place ? And who's to say ? This type of basic questioning brings to life your own genuine koans, with nothing fake and hand-me-down about them.
But where does all this lead ? It goes where it takes you. You have to learn, in your own special way, how best to confront the facts of your own reality. The temptation is to clutch at straws, and half-ideas, and various feelings that come on to you, in varying strengths. Feelings are not answers, and if you cling on to them, they will always let you down. You can enjoy them for the moment, if you really want to, and then just let them pass. Keep asking yourself, what is this all about ? Don't ask 'who can validate my latest Buddhist experience, or Buddhist feeling ?', but keep asking yourself, what is all this about ? How can I be sure what's going on ? This type of questioning takes you right to the front door. And if there is another way to get to the front door - not making reference to faith and feeling and doctrine - then let's hear about it.
I've presented this post as a type of provocation, but I can't think of any other way to do it. Hope this will be of use to someone. Real Buddhism is pretty interesting, if you give it a chance. It dispenses with all kinds of fluff, and gets on with it.
Best regards
Peter Eastman
0
Comments
A quick question regarding this bit...
What's that premise based on?
I agree with the rest of the post, I don't see the 'provocation' bit.
Buddhist forums are almost entirely composed of people struggling to fit 'Buddhist ideas' to their own experience. The provocation is to try to get people to see for themselves, not worry about what various schools of thought have to say.
Great to find another person of this understanding! Keep in touch chap. One thing I realised a few months back is that you cannot teach a person with words, the experience is the teacher, the words guide a person to achieve the experience. The more people get this, the more achieved meditators there will be.
Keep up the good work Meng-Jia
Matt : )
This allowed me to choose the teachings that most resonated with me. This then led me to my teacher, and the ultimate disclosure that Meng-Jia has outlined above. For me, this is surely the clearest path to awakening. Others have criticized this approach, and to them I say "OK"... because at the end of the day we all walk this path alone, you on your road, and me on mine.
I feel that I now truly have all the tools to assist my spirit to awaken to its true nature, and all that I need to do is to apply them, to ask the question "What am I?". Thank you Meng-Jia for your post, I for one appreciate your participation.
for zpweston, that's basically what we're saying. Don't submit to buddhism as if it's a powerful system. Ultimately our awakening is our own. We have the buddha and fellow buddhists to help us get there, but you only know/believe what you know/believe, and while it's good to hear other people's opinions, ultimately it's up to you.
You really don't think a happy medium exists? I, personally, find it so lonely/confusing/disparaging at times that I absolutely need to reach out to something, someone, to give me the courage and strength to go on. Ever since I was little, I've always questioned things to the point of being annoying/controversial. That's never going to change, haha. Even when I accept something from Buddhism or my therapist or a teacher, I always run it through that filter. And I am doing exactly what you said--questioning, questioning. "Why am I acting this way? Why are things this way?" It's pretty freaking exhausting, but I can't help it. Yet, at the same time, I listen to a lot of teachings and read books and things. I think if we tried to go it alone, completely...well, maybe some of us would find the way, but...actually maybe you're right, maybe that's the way to go. I'll have to think about it some more.
Anyway, perhaps the same point was made by Stephen Batchelor in his book "Buddhism Without Beliefs" when he spoke about authentic Buddhist "awakening", which for many has been transposed into some sort of "mystical experience" and the crucial distinction (lost) that each (of the Noble Truths) requires being acted upon in its own particular way (understanding anguish, letting go of its origins, realising its cessation, and cultivating the path)
Batchelor continues......in failing to make this distinction, four ennobling truths to be acted upon are neatly turned into four propositions of fact to be believed.......at precisely this juncture, Buddhism becomes a religion.....and distinguised from Christians, Muslims and Hindus, who believe a different set of propositions.
Surely this is the same with everything. The fundamental difference between "the Law written on tablets of stone" with the "law written on human hearts"? And how do we succeed in making the difference, given that our only means of doing so seems to be by manipulating the very "self" that is in fact "anatta". So we can only attempt to pull ourselves up by our bootlaces?
The reality of our self cannot be reached or coaxed forth from hiding by any process under the sun, including meditation. Well, so says a famous Trappist monk from another Tradition.
Anyway, it all reminds me of the story of Lin Chi.........When the king visited the monasteries of the great Zen master Lin Chi, he was astonished to learn that there were more than ten thousand monks living there with him. Wanting to know the exact number of monks, the King asked, "How many disciples do you have?"
Lin Chi replied, "Four or five at the very most."
I suppose, rightly or wrongly, we can all identify with the four or five.
Here's a very brief snippet of his style... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ChPAO9AYzI
Awakening, when it comes, be it abiding or temporary, will be spontaneous. It will not be as a result of any meditation. It may well come because of the examination you did while meditating, but not of the meditation itself.
Awakening will be spontaneous. All at once you will realize your true nature. Gone will be the seeker. Gone will be the quest for enlightenment. You will just be. One with everything (like the jokes goes).
All of the traditions and practices are meant to get you to that place, but far too often, they are a means unto themselves, and therefore an obstacle to awakening.
This "self" that we are always referring to, we would all agree is a product of the mind. We use the mind to think and reason, to discover what we are... but the question is... who is it, that is doing this thinking?
What am I?
I would say dharmakaya, the unborn truth making up the sum of all existence.
The people that you mention that take the conceptual propositions as the goal are not serious seekers of liberation if they hold to these for long. Anyone who is actively engaged in meditation, contemplation and analysis will see the pointlessness of mere belief. However, not everyone wants liberation immediately! Some people like their duhkha very much, thank you. A gradual path through many lifetimes is what suits them. Who am I to deny them that out of a sense of machismo?
The Madhyamaka tradition does a wonderful job of undercutting all beliefs, buddhist and otherwise. I don't see a reason to fear concepts that a tradition has developed as a bag of tricks to help others awaken. It's like saying: "I don't see the moon, but don't you dare point at it. I have to find it myself!". Too much drama for me. I would rather get on with chopping wood and carrying water.
Buddhism for me is a way to remove suffering-- my own and others. It is not a quest for metaphysical truth. It is first and foremost a pragmatic exploration into what is knowable and how one may heal the suffering of existence in the world by practical meditative and contemplative techniques and rigorous analysis.
A mapmaker need not be infallible as they show the way, not walk it for you. I have never been asked to check my reasoned analysis at the door. To follow your logic, to be an "ordinary human" and not avail yourself of the efforts of others in the same pursuit is at best hubris. Are you sure it is the situation you are facing head-on and not an oncoming lorry?
When I read the following I have a strong sense that Buddha intended us to weigh his words carefully, not discard them or update them:
"Deign to teach the knowledge, O Master, deign to teach the knowledge, O Blessed One. There are men of great purity in the world, men whom no filth has ever defiled, but, if they are not instructed in the knowledge, how will they find salvation? They must be saved, these men; oh, save them! They will listen to you; they will be your disciples."
Thus spoke Brahma. The Blessed One remained silent.
Brahma continued:
"Till now an evil law has prevailed in the world. It has led men into sin. It behooves you to destroy it. O Man of Wisdom, open for us the gates of eternity; tell us what you have found, O Savior! You are he who has climbed the mountain, you stand on the rocky summit, and you survey mankind from afar. Have pity, O Savior; think of the unhappy peoples who suffer the anguish of birth and of old age. Go, conquering hero, go! Travel through the world, be the light and the guide. Speak, teach; there will be many to understand your word."
And the Blessed One answered:
"Profound is the law that I have established; it is subtile and hard to understand; it lies beyond ordinary reasoning. The world will scoff at it; only a few wise men perhaps will grasp the meaning and decide to accept it. If I set out, if I speak and am not understood, I risk an ignominious defeat. I shall stay here, Brahma; men are the sport of ignorance."
But Brahma spoke again:
"You have attained sublime wisdom; the rays of your light reach even into space, yet you are indifferent, O Sun! No, such conduct is unworthy of you; your silence is reprehensible; you must speak. Rise up! Beat the drums, sound the gong! Let the law blaze like a burning torch, or like refreshing rain, let it fall upon the parched earth. Deliver those who are tormented by evil; bring peace to those consumed by a vicious fire! You, who are like a star among men, you alone can destroy birth and death. See, I fall at your feet and implore you, in the name of all the Gods!"
Then the Blessed One thought:
"Among the blue and white lotuses that flower in a pool, there are some that stay under water, others that rise to the surface, and still others that grow so tall that their petals are not even wet. And in the world I see good men and evil men; some have sharp minds and others are dull; some are noble, others ignoble; some will understand me, others will not; but I shall take pity on them all. I shall consider the lotus that opens under water as well as the lotus that flaunts its great beauty."
And he said to Brahma:
"May the gates of eternity be open to all! May all who have ears hear the word and believe! I was thinking of the weariness in store for me and fearing the effort would come to nothing, but my pity outweighs these considerations. I rise, O Brahma, and I shall preach the law to all creatures."
To clarify, the quote of my own (The reality of our self cannot be reached or coaxed forth from hiding by any process under the sun, including meditation) should be seen in the light of the words "coaxed forth", and, further, in the context of my entire post, which spoke of the paradox of the "self" being the only means of seeing/realising its own reality.
The monk (Thomas Merton) - who wrote those words - according to his daily journals, and according to his numerous letters, spent many hours of many days in contemplation, formal meditation, and even forms of Zen meditation. He was making the point that no "technique" as such - and on its own - resolved the paradox.
Buddhism is not a sausage factory! A Theravada Bhikku once said that at the moment of enlightenment effort falls away having reached the end of its scope. The exact "scope" of effort perhaps needs a thread of its own, but the "easy" Pure Land path examines those words with some relevant insights.
Anyway, this remains all relevant to the air guitar! "Playing" air guitar is all technique without producing music. "Technique" in and of itself is a sausage factory.....:)
Yeah, I was expecting to see something like this...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9r10UbGC6RI
That really opened my eyes. Thank you for your genuine insight.