Buddhism
A Religion with or without God
October 15, 2017
UU's of North Idaho, Coeur D'Alene, Idaho
I take refuge in the Buddha.
I take refuge in the Dharma.
I take refuge in the Sangha.
This is the three-fold refuge of Buddhist faith.
It has been very meaningful for my spiritual life.
The Buddha is the Enlightened One.
Here Buddha represents the enlightenment
in all of us.
Dharma is right thinking,
the understanding that the material world
is made up of illusions.
The Sangha is the community of people
on the path toward enlightenment.
Basic Buddhism is composed of
the Three-fold refuge
the Four Noble Truths,
and the Eightfold Path.
The Three-fold refuge is as above.
I take refuge in the Buddha.
I take refuge in the Dharma.
I take refuge in the Sangha.
I learned about the refuges, believe it or not,
as a teenager
in my Lutheran church Sunday School.
The Four noble truths are
(1) Life is filled with suffering
(2) Suffering is caused by people's wants.
(3) Suffering can be ended if people stop wanting things, like more pleasure or more power.
(4) To stop wanting things, people must follow 8 basic laws, called the Eightfold Path.
And...
The Eightfold path is
(1) To know the truth
(2) To intend to resist evil
(3) To not say anything to hurt others
(4) To respect life, property, and morality
(5) To work at a job that does not injure others
(6) To try to free one's mind from evil
(7) To be in control of one's feelings and thoughts
(8) To practice appropriate forms of concentration
The final step of the Eightfold path,
To practice appropriate forms of concentration,
is a way of describing Buddhist meditation.
A mantra is considered helpful,
but the concentration is first and foremost
in Buddhism.
As Buddhist meditation is most often practiced
in our culture,
it is usually known as
mindfulness meditation.
In meditation practice,
the focus is on concentration,
paying close attention to the present moment
and what is happening right now.
Living in the moment is a goal of Buddhism.
With a few caveats,
it can be a goal of UU spirituality.
The first of those caveats is basic to Buddhism, too.
One of the great Buddhist leaders of our time,
the Dalai Lama,
speaks of it often:
Compassion.
As with all of us, Buddhists do not always
live up to their goals fully
but the practice of compassion
has been part of their faith
since the beginning.
(Tiger story?)
In the immediate present,
Buddhist compassion is being profoundly tested
in the struggles of Myanmar,
the country formerly known as Burma.
Their esteemed leader, Aung San Suu Kyi,
is not treating one of their ethnic groups,
the Rohingya,
with pure Buddhist compassion.
The Rohingya are Muslim.
They are regarded by law as ethnic Bengali.
Since citizenship in Myanmar is based on ethnicity,
they cannot be citizens of their own country.
They are under severe persecution by the military,
and many of them are becoming refugees
to neighboring Bangladesh.
Aung San Su Kyi is in a position where
she cannot criticize the military too much,
so she is limited in what she can do.
She is being widely criticized for not doing
or at least appearing not to do
what she can for the Muslim minority
in her country,
but she regards them generally as terrorists.
On the other hand, very recently,
in a large stadium in the former capital city,
Yangon (formerly known as Rangoon),
there was a well attended prayer service
led by Buddhists, Hindus,
Christians AND Muslims.
A change in political climate is still possible,
and it will happen
if traditional Buddhist values
of mindfulness and compassion
can prevail.
Another caveat about mindfulness meditation
is sometimes pejoratively known
as navel gazing.
If one spends all of one's life
in the mindfulness of the moment,
it will not be possible
to do much good for others,
including those who are in the most need
of one's compassion.
Like most faiths,
Buddhism has its denominations.
Among Buddhists, those are not really divisions.
They are just different approaches,
and they are often seen
along national and ethnic lines.
Myanmar practices mainly Theravada (or Hinayana)
Buddhism, the branch of the faith
that does concern itself
with spirits
and Gods.
The Dalai Lama is the head of Tibetan Buddhism,
itself often considered a branch of its own.
Zen Buddhism, maybe the best known
and most often practiced form of Buddhism
in the West,
is a development of Mahayana Buddhism.
Zen and Mahayana Buddhism are a philosophy,
a way of life,
not so much concerned with Gods.
China and Japan are strongholds of Zen,
and both are great examples
of the way Buddhism can integrate itself
with other religions and philosophies.
In China, Confucianism is no impediment
to the practice of Zen Buddhism,
and in Japan, Shinto is likewise
no impediment.
One of my favorite aspects of Zen
is the koan, a brief statment or question,
often a contradiction in terms
that is to be used to open the mind
to new possibilities.
Since life seems to be made up
of contradictions in terms,
it is a useful tool for coping!
Probably the best known koan is,
"What is the sound of one hand clapping?"
Another is,
"If you meet the Buddha on the road, kill him."
(To tame it for our Western ears,
if you meet him on the road, he is not the Buddha;
you will only find him within yourself.)
My personal favorite koan is
"God does not exist. Therefore, God is."
It's my favorite because it's such a perfect summary
of my own agnostic faith.
Buddhism, and especially Zen for me,
is an aid to centering thought.
Sometimes, all I need to do is see or picture
an image of the Buddha
in his meditation pose,
and my thoughts are calmed and more centered
almost instantly.
Reading about Zen is helpful for anyone,
and some practice of Zen attitudes
can help us with spiritual growth.
Since mindfulness meditation is often focused
on breathing in and breathing out,
it is a helpful reminder
that our breathing
is at the heart of all our spirituality.
Buddhism provided a needed reform
of Hindu spiritual practice
when the Buddha was enlightened
as he sat under the Bodhi (fig) tree.
Buddhism is often called the middle way,
between the extremes of asceticism
and licentiousness.
The concept of karma
is a great example of reform
of Hindu practice (not faith)
by the Buddha and his disciples.
At the time of the Buddha, in Hinduism,
karma was mainly the consequence
of ritual performance
or the lack thereof.
Buddhist teaching came to be
that karma is the consequence
of what we think
what we say
and what we do.
Our idea of karma today is much closer
to the Buddhist idea than the ancient Hindu one.
I would guess that most Hindus today think of karma
more in terms of the Buddhist concept.
As I speak of reform in religion and spirituality,
I feel compelled to recognize a significant occasion
that is upon us this month.
On October 31, 1517, 500 years ago,
the professor of theology at Wittenburg University,
Martin Luther,
posted 95 points for debate.
Those were printed
on the newly invented printing press
and published all over Europe
in a matter of a few months' time.
The Protestant Reformation had begun,
and its 500th Anniversary is upon us.
It would be an exaggeration
to speak of Zen Buddhism
as a true parallel of Protestantism,
but at least in part
because of my Lutheran background and faith,
I have long felt an affinity
with Zen.
One way we can think
of Eastern and Western religions
is to see them as two sides of the same coin
with many parallels
and different emphases.
That view of different faiths fits well
with our Unitarian Universalist commitment
to a free and responsible search
for truth and meaning.
We seek to learn from all faiths
and all forms of questioning and reform
in finding our own way
to truth and meaning.
I think the Buddha would approve.
Namastë
A Religion with or without God
October 15, 2017
UU's of North Idaho, Coeur D'Alene, Idaho
I take refuge in the Buddha.
I take refuge in the Dharma.
I take refuge in the Sangha.
This is the three-fold refuge of Buddhist faith.
It has been very meaningful for my spiritual life.
The Buddha is the Enlightened One.
Here Buddha represents the enlightenment
in all of us.
Dharma is right thinking,
the understanding that the material world
is made up of illusions.
The Sangha is the community of people
on the path toward enlightenment.
Basic Buddhism is composed of
the Three-fold refuge
the Four Noble Truths,
and the Eightfold Path.
The Three-fold refuge is as above.
I take refuge in the Buddha.
I take refuge in the Dharma.
I take refuge in the Sangha.
I learned about the refuges, believe it or not,
as a teenager
in my Lutheran church Sunday School.
The Four noble truths are
(1) Life is filled with suffering
(2) Suffering is caused by people's wants.
(3) Suffering can be ended if people stop wanting things, like more pleasure or more power.
(4) To stop wanting things, people must follow 8 basic laws, called the Eightfold Path.
And...
The Eightfold path is
(1) To know the truth
(2) To intend to resist evil
(3) To not say anything to hurt others
(4) To respect life, property, and morality
(5) To work at a job that does not injure others
(6) To try to free one's mind from evil
(7) To be in control of one's feelings and thoughts
(8) To practice appropriate forms of concentration
The final step of the Eightfold path,
To practice appropriate forms of concentration,
is a way of describing Buddhist meditation.
A mantra is considered helpful,
but the concentration is first and foremost
in Buddhism.
As Buddhist meditation is most often practiced
in our culture,
it is usually known as
mindfulness meditation.
In meditation practice,
the focus is on concentration,
paying close attention to the present moment
and what is happening right now.
Living in the moment is a goal of Buddhism.
With a few caveats,
it can be a goal of UU spirituality.
The first of those caveats is basic to Buddhism, too.
One of the great Buddhist leaders of our time,
the Dalai Lama,
speaks of it often:
Compassion.
As with all of us, Buddhists do not always
live up to their goals fully
but the practice of compassion
has been part of their faith
since the beginning.
(Tiger story?)
In the immediate present,
Buddhist compassion is being profoundly tested
in the struggles of Myanmar,
the country formerly known as Burma.
Their esteemed leader, Aung San Suu Kyi,
is not treating one of their ethnic groups,
the Rohingya,
with pure Buddhist compassion.
The Rohingya are Muslim.
They are regarded by law as ethnic Bengali.
Since citizenship in Myanmar is based on ethnicity,
they cannot be citizens of their own country.
They are under severe persecution by the military,
and many of them are becoming refugees
to neighboring Bangladesh.
Aung San Su Kyi is in a position where
she cannot criticize the military too much,
so she is limited in what she can do.
She is being widely criticized for not doing
or at least appearing not to do
what she can for the Muslim minority
in her country,
but she regards them generally as terrorists.
On the other hand, very recently,
in a large stadium in the former capital city,
Yangon (formerly known as Rangoon),
there was a well attended prayer service
led by Buddhists, Hindus,
Christians AND Muslims.
A change in political climate is still possible,
and it will happen
if traditional Buddhist values
of mindfulness and compassion
can prevail.
Another caveat about mindfulness meditation
is sometimes pejoratively known
as navel gazing.
If one spends all of one's life
in the mindfulness of the moment,
it will not be possible
to do much good for others,
including those who are in the most need
of one's compassion.
Like most faiths,
Buddhism has its denominations.
Among Buddhists, those are not really divisions.
They are just different approaches,
and they are often seen
along national and ethnic lines.
Myanmar practices mainly Theravada (or Hinayana)
Buddhism, the branch of the faith
that does concern itself
with spirits
and Gods.
The Dalai Lama is the head of Tibetan Buddhism,
itself often considered a branch of its own.
Zen Buddhism, maybe the best known
and most often practiced form of Buddhism
in the West,
is a development of Mahayana Buddhism.
Zen and Mahayana Buddhism are a philosophy,
a way of life,
not so much concerned with Gods.
China and Japan are strongholds of Zen,
and both are great examples
of the way Buddhism can integrate itself
with other religions and philosophies.
In China, Confucianism is no impediment
to the practice of Zen Buddhism,
and in Japan, Shinto is likewise
no impediment.
One of my favorite aspects of Zen
is the koan, a brief statment or question,
often a contradiction in terms
that is to be used to open the mind
to new possibilities.
Since life seems to be made up
of contradictions in terms,
it is a useful tool for coping!
Probably the best known koan is,
"What is the sound of one hand clapping?"
Another is,
"If you meet the Buddha on the road, kill him."
(To tame it for our Western ears,
if you meet him on the road, he is not the Buddha;
you will only find him within yourself.)
My personal favorite koan is
"God does not exist. Therefore, God is."
It's my favorite because it's such a perfect summary
of my own agnostic faith.
Buddhism, and especially Zen for me,
is an aid to centering thought.
Sometimes, all I need to do is see or picture
an image of the Buddha
in his meditation pose,
and my thoughts are calmed and more centered
almost instantly.
Reading about Zen is helpful for anyone,
and some practice of Zen attitudes
can help us with spiritual growth.
Since mindfulness meditation is often focused
on breathing in and breathing out,
it is a helpful reminder
that our breathing
is at the heart of all our spirituality.
Buddhism provided a needed reform
of Hindu spiritual practice
when the Buddha was enlightened
as he sat under the Bodhi (fig) tree.
Buddhism is often called the middle way,
between the extremes of asceticism
and licentiousness.
The concept of karma
is a great example of reform
of Hindu practice (not faith)
by the Buddha and his disciples.
At the time of the Buddha, in Hinduism,
karma was mainly the consequence
of ritual performance
or the lack thereof.
Buddhist teaching came to be
that karma is the consequence
of what we think
what we say
and what we do.
Our idea of karma today is much closer
to the Buddhist idea than the ancient Hindu one.
I would guess that most Hindus today think of karma
more in terms of the Buddhist concept.
As I speak of reform in religion and spirituality,
I feel compelled to recognize a significant occasion
that is upon us this month.
On October 31, 1517, 500 years ago,
the professor of theology at Wittenburg University,
Martin Luther,
posted 95 points for debate.
Those were printed
on the newly invented printing press
and published all over Europe
in a matter of a few months' time.
The Protestant Reformation had begun,
and its 500th Anniversary is upon us.
It would be an exaggeration
to speak of Zen Buddhism
as a true parallel of Protestantism,
but at least in part
because of my Lutheran background and faith,
I have long felt an affinity
with Zen.
One way we can think
of Eastern and Western religions
is to see them as two sides of the same coin
with many parallels
and different emphases.
That view of different faiths fits well
with our Unitarian Universalist commitment
to a free and responsible search
for truth and meaning.
We seek to learn from all faiths
and all forms of questioning and reform
in finding our own way
to truth and meaning.
I think the Buddha would approve.
Namastë
posted by pastorfred at 11:38 AM
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