A Global Ethic January 19, 2009
Posted by Alan in sangha.Tags: bodhisattva, Buddha, Buddhist ethic, consumption, Earth Holder, five mindfulness trainings, five precepts, global ethic, Holy Spirit
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This week’s dharma reading was Chapter Two, “A Global Ethic,” from Thich Nhat Hanh’s The World We Have. A summary follows.
The Buddha in us must evolve to remain relevant, since the sufferings of our times are different from those of Siddhartha’s time. The Buddha of our time wants to offer a global ethic so that we can protect all species and restore harmony. We are a continuation of the Buddha; we can help continue what he began 26oo years ago.
Dharanimdhara, or Earth Holder, is the bodhisattva who preserves and protects the Earth. Like an architect or engineer who creates space or builds bridges and roads, her job is to help us communicate and protect the planet. We should recognize and collaborate with her.
Although the skin of an orange remains the skin and the sections remain the sections, it is all “orange.” Similarly, though we may be French or Japanese, or Buddhists or Christians, we don’t have to be transformed to live and work in harmony. But harmony is not possible without a global ethic, and the global ethic of the Buddha is the Five Mindfulness Trainings. They are concrete and nonsectarian, and are found at the roots of any tradition; they can be adopted by anyone. They are: to refrain from killing; to refrain from stealing and social injustice; to refrain from sexual misconduct; to refrain from unmindful speech and refusal to listen; and to refrain from unmindful consumption. (For the complete Five Mindfulness Trainings, see our Mindfulness Trainings page.)
The Fifth Training, on mindful consumption and mindful eating, contains the solution to our world’s dilemma. By learning what to consume and what not to consume, we keep our bodies, our minds, and the Earth healthy, and do not cause suffering for ourselves and others. We become the hands and arms of the Earth Holder, able to act quickly.
The Buddha resides inside us as energy, just as in the Christian tradition the Holy Spirit is the energy of God. Wherever the Holy Spirit is, there is healing and love. We can speak in the same way of concentration, mindfulness, and insight, which give rise to understanding, compassion, forgiveness, joy, transformation and healing. “If you are inhabited by that energy, you are a Buddha, at least for the moment.”
Frequently Asked Questions October 15, 2008
Posted by Alan in sangha.Tags: five mindfulness trainings, five precepts, Sister Chan Khong, Three Jewels
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This week we read and discussed “Frequently Asked Questions” by Sister Chan Khong, Appendix 1 of For a Future to be Possible, by Thich Nhat Hanh. Below are some of the questions from this reading, with extremely abbreviated versions of the answers.
Q:I was born a Christian. Do I have to abandon my faith to receive the Five Mindfulness Trainings formally? A: No.
Q: When I took the Five Mindfulness Trainings with another Buddhist teacher, the wording was not stated as clearly as it is in the mindfulness trainings of Thich Nhat Hanh. Can I take them again? A: Yes
Q: I want to practice the Five Mindfulness Trainings, but why is it necessary to take refuge in the Three Jewels? A: Without strong belief in the Three Jewels (the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha), you really cannot practice the Five Mindfulness Trainings.
Q: Can I take only one, two, three, or four of the Five Mindfulness Trainings? A: Yes. If you practice one deeply, you will find that you are also keeping the other four.
Q: If I take the First Mindfulness Training, does it mean I have to become a vegetarian? A: The important thing is to become aware of what we consume.
Q: Many of my friends, including myself, have two or three sexual partners. How do you suggest that I keep the Third Mindfulness Training? A: None of your relations will be profound. Are you certain that you are not causing suffering to yourself or your partners?
Q from a teenager: In my school, everyone my age is sexually active. Why shouldn’t I be? If I don’t act like them, my friends will think I’m odd. A: When our mind is not ready for such a deep act, our feelings, perceptions, and understanding towards that friend will not be profound enough, and a sexual act will increase the risk of destroying the friendship.
Q: Can I take the Fifth Mindfulness Training, and still drink an occasional glass of wine or beer with dinner? A: Thay advises those who take the Fifth Mindfulness Training not to drink at all. If you are not ready to stop entirely, please take the first four mindfulness trainings and try to drink mindfully until you are ready to stop.
Q: If I break a training, to whom should I confess? A: Confess to your own Buddha.
Q: In tending a garden, I often find it necessary to kill certain “pests.” Also, I don’t know how to deal with infestations of ants, cockroaches, and other household “pests.” How does a practicing Buddhist deal with these problems? A: We try various methods to do the least harm to all living creatures. Nonviolence can never be absolute, but we can continue to do our best to minimize the harm we cause and to maximize our appreciation and reverence for all life.
Dharma Nectar June 8, 2008
Posted by Alan in sangha.Tags: Buddha, five mindfulness trainings, five precepts, suffering, Thich Nhat Hanh
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Today’s dharma reading was Chapter 23: “Dharma Nectar,” from Thich Nhat Hanh’s Old Path White Clouds: Walking in the Footsteps of the Buddha (Berkeley: Parallax Press, 1991), 151-156. Here’s a summary:
One morning while meditating alone in the forest, the Buddha encountered a handsome young man, Yasa, son of a wealthy Varanasi merchant. Yasa’s parents had always provided him with all manner of pleasures and everything he could want, but the sensitive and thoughtful Yasa no longer found contentment in this life and wished for a new life of fresh air and simplicity. He left his home and after a night of aimless wandering now found himself facing the Buddha.
After hearing Yasa’s story, the Buddha explained to him that although life is indeed filled with suffering, by living simply without being ruled by our desires, the trees, the morning mists, the moon, stars, rivers, mountains, sunlight and sounds of birds and bubbling springs indicate a universe that can provide us with endless happiness. Forgetting these wonders, people come to despise their minds and bodies and see only the suffering. “But suffering is not the true nature of the universe. Suffering is the result of the way we live and of our erroneous understanding of life.” (152)
Deeply touched, Yasa asked the Buddha to accept him as his disciple. The Buddha described to Yasa the difficulties of a monk’s life, and the monk’s commitment to “devote his mind and body to realize liberation in order to help himself and all others,” concentrating “his efforts to help relieve suffering.” Yasa agreed to these vows, and the Buddha accepted him as a disciple.
Shortly afterward, Yasa’s father came looking for him. The Buddha explained to him what had happened, and that it was possible to reduce pain and anxiety and create peace and joy for oneself and all others. Yasa’s father took great relief in the Buddha’s words, and took the vow to become a lay disciple. Then he invited the Buddha and all the disciples to come home with him to ease Yasa’s mother’s worries, and to provide instruction in the Path of Awakening.
The next day the Buddha and the six bhikkhus (disciples) ate at the home of Yasa’s parents, served by Yasa’s mother herself. The Buddha then taught them the five precepts, the foundation for the practice of lay disciples:
- First precept: do not kill…
- Second precept: do not steal…
- Third precept: do not engage in sexual misconduct…
- Fourth precept: do not say untruthful things…
- Fifth precept: do not use alcohol or other stimulants…
As Yasa’s mother listened, “she felt as though a gate of happiness had just opened in her heart.” (156) She knelt before the Buddha, and was also accepted as a lay disciple.
Following the reading of “Dharma Nectar,” the Sangha read the Five Mindfulness Trainings (the five precepts) as written in For A Future to be Possible (Thich Nhat Hanh, Berkeley: Parallax Press, 1991), and discussed some of their experiences of the Trainings in their daily practices.
