BUDDHISM
I can still recall . . .
. . . one of my first discoveries through Buddhist teachings - a revelation so striking, so powerful, that it changed my life forever. It took my breath away, it enraptured me. Here is what I learned:
Buddhism teaches (as do all great religions) that the true nature of each human being is nothing less than perfection. They call this inner virtue our clear light nature . . . our buddha nature. One image to describe this inner purity is a flawless diamond which, although it can be dropped in the garbage and covered over with mud and dirt, it can never be sullied or defiled. Just lift this marvelous diamond out of the sewage, clean it off, and there you are good as new.
As it happens . . .
. . . not only has Buddhism produced some of the greatest saints the world has ever known, but it also shines in launching newcomers onto the inner journey. Buddhism asks you to accept nothing on faith. Instead, it helps you build a firm foundation of reason and good sense to support your own steps.
Here is an example . . .
. . . in a wonderful little fourteen-page booklet called Compassion and the Individual, the Dalai Lama discusses the purpose of life. He makes his case to us;
“From the moment of birth, every human being wants happiness and does not want suffering . .. . From the very core of our being, we simply desire contentment.... I believe that the purpose of life is to be happy.”
From there, he builds his case for compassion, like this:
A basic truth of life, according to Buddhist thought, is that the yearning for happiness motivates everything we do - good and bad. And we all share that yearning in common, the longing for happiness. We all just want to be happy. Some people, however, are less skillful than others in the search for happiness. In their confusion, they do things that hurt others and actually take themselves further from their goal of happiness. We have all seen these hurtful things in others, and in ourselves. Thus, the Dalai Lama maintains, we can now feel compassion for these others, and for ourselves as well.
What is more . . .
. . . Buddhism says that since our true nature is always pure, it follows that perfect contentment is the birthright for each of us. And then, if you have not found the complete peace that is your birthright, Buddhism can help you examine the universal causes of unhappiness - and point you toward a pursuit of happiness that is magnificently realistic and skillful.
Send a message, if you like . . .
A link . . .
Many superb websites devoted to Buddhism are found now on the Internet.
The one I chose here belongs to Alan Wallace, from whom I learned the grand essentials of Buddhist thought, splendorous foundations of life which also turn out to be shared by all the great religions. A little before I met Alan in 1990, he graduated from Amherst College, phi beta kappa and summa cum laude, with studies in physics, the philosophical foundations of modern physics and Sanskrit. Shortly after I studied with him at a meditation retreat near Castle Rock in Washington State, he received his Ph.D. in religious studies from Stanford University.
When just out of his teens he lived as a contemplative in India for fourteen years, where he was ordained as a monk by His Holiness the Dalai Lama. He still returns periodically to India for renewal.
For me, his work seems to bring a towering intellect to bear upon his total commitment to leave the mind behind, transcending all thought in favor of intuitive wisdom and compassion, all born out of his single-pointed, powerful yearning for That Which Is beyond all concept.
At present Alan applies his magnificently clear, stellar understanding of Buddhist philosophy to exploring the nature and potential of consciousness through Western science, at the Santa Barbara Institute which he also founded.
He continues to teach, lecturing and leading meditation retreats.
With the Dalai Lama at Amherst College, 1984.
Alan occasionally serves as a translator for His Holiness; in addition, he does all of his own translations from the original Buddhist texts he uses in teaching and research.