Year of Faith

“Practice mindfulness.”

“Free Tibet” was something that hippies would say.

That is my first recollection of that slogan and of that part of our world. Tibet was something that was not free, for some reason, and for some other mysterious reason the people with the wild hair and tie dye shirts really, really cared about it. I was a kid, OK? I didn’t know much about the world. When you were flaky and couldn’t hold a job you would take drugs, have a lot of sex, and scream about wars and about Tibet. This is how my passing knowledge came to paint the issue in my small, formative years.

Later, as I came to know more, I began to understand what all the fuss was about, and I began to get angry. I understood why all those hippies had been yelling and stitching “Free Tibet” patches on their bags. It was an outrage, a global atrocity.

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I’ve never had a problem sitting in silence with other people. I have had my share of awkward silences, but for the most part, when I’m sitting next to a friend on the bus, or just hanging out at a coffee shop, I see no reason to always be holding a conversation. Sometimes I prefer to sit and let myself experience the moment, to reflect on it all whilst in the company of good friends. It sure beats doing it by yourself.

I think this explains the immediate attraction I felt in February when I had the opportunity to meditate during Jainism. It certainly wasn’t an easy requirement, and it didn’t get much easier this month either. But the payoff was there. That feeling of calm and peace, of being in the moment. That is the sort of thing I have glimpsed at while meditating, the sort of thing I have only experienced while silently enjoying the company of others.

Buddhism taught me this month that meditation is a deceptively simple thing to do. It seems that all it is, when you get right down to it, is sitting. That’s it. Just sit.

Sitting, being something we do everyday, doesn’t seem like a big idea, right? Sitting cross-legged with proper posture might present a bit of a challenge, but come on, it’s just sitting. But usually when we sit, we aren’t just sitting, but sitting and thinking, sitting and fidgeting, sitting and drinking or eating. We are not immersed in the moment, nor are we performing that one simple action with all of our concentration. In meditation, the goal is to be immersed in that moment, to be focused on that one simple action. In order to do this we must reign in the mind and make it concentrate on that one action, to the exclusion of all else. That kind of concentration is the part that isn’t easy, but it seems to come with practice.

When I meditate I noticed that the rest of my day would be improved. I felt calmer, more in control of things and usually more productive. I felt at home with myself. This was in stark contrast to the days when I felt I couldn’t be bothered, the same days when I would feel lethargic and uninterested in the things I needed to accomplish. I really felt like I was living in the moment.

As I have said before, I am sure that it is a practice which will follow me into the months and years to come.

The last sect of Buddhism that I will be writing about is Vajrayana Buddhism. This school of thought is predominantly found within Tibet and seems almost synonymous with Tibetan Buddhism, so I will be treating the two as pretty much the same. It is similar to Mahayana Buddhism in its rich rituals and symbolism, but differs because of its origins in Tibetan culture. Vajrayana bills itself as the fastest path to enlightenment, so for all those wishing to find themselves a diamond in the rough, better brush up on your Tibetan (and your Chinese, really).

Tibetan religion in pre-Buddhist days was centered around shamanic rituals and offerings to keep the powers of nature appeased. A great emphasis was placed on magic and incantations, which must have meshed well with Tantric Buddhism as it moved into the region in the 7th century BC. The Tantric school came out of Northeast India and was centered around key texts (tantras) which opposed the the usual Buddhist status-quo of avoiding bodily pleasures and sexual acts, and also gave magical words and phrases that helped the Tantric practitioner. Tantric Buddhism saw the body as an aide in one’s quest for enlightenment instead of a hindrance, and the sexual union of the opposites of male and female was seen as an example of unity instead of a taboo.

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Although many different vehicles of Buddhism have claimed to hold the original teachings of the Buddha, Theravada Buddhism is considered the oldest and most conservative branch of Buddhist philosophy. It sees itself as carrying on the traditions and teachings introduced by the Buddha, and as such it does not concern itself with rituals, deities, or anything beyond reliance of the self, though some Theravada Buddhists venerate relics of the Buddha, such as the hair at the Kyaiktiyo Pagoda.

This doesn’t mean that Theravada Buddhists are left to their own devices in order to attain enlightenment. Those who achieve sainthood (and once they die, Nirvana) by their own means are considered to have performed the same feat as the Buddha. This is not something that is impossible, as this branch of Buddhism believes, like the Mahayana tradition, that there are many Buddhas in the past, and that there will be more in the future. Though they do not consider the Buddha to be a deity or anything above a very wise, mortal man.

As achieving enlightenment for oneself is considered the ideal in Theravada Buddhism, the monk lifestyle is the ideal path for its practitioners. Laypersons do have the potential to achieve Nirvana, but for the most part they contend themselves with supporting the monks with alms and hoping to be born into a better position to attain sainthood and Nirvana in their next life.

Ordination as a monk is not always permanent. Many youth go through a brief period as a Buddhist monk as a rite of passage into adulthood. Once they join the monks, they are completely reliant on laypeople for food and new robes- living a life that would approximate that of Siddhartha’s.

Theravada Buddhism, in comparison to the other schools, is very conservative in that it has held on to most of its practices since its inception.  It maintains that the only way to enlightenment is the life of the arhat, of the person who will achieve Nirvana through meditation and asceticism.  It lacks the role of the Bodhisattva that was present in Mahayana Buddhism, and is less forgiving to those who do not choose the monastic life.

It is more of an ‘all or nothing’ school of thought, it seems.  With more focus on a life lacking material possession, wants, or passions.

Mahayana Buddhism is the largest school of Buddhist philosophy, making up one of the two major branches of Buddhsim (the other being Theravada). Mahayana Buddhists believe that there is an inherent Buddha nature in all beings, some great potential that we can all realize and cultivate, the ability to achieve enlightenment and Nirvana regardless of our level of monastic fervor.

But along with this inherent Buddhahood there is the duty and responsibility to waylay your transcendence into sweet nothingness until all other beings can do the same thing. Such is the commitment the Bodhisattvas made in the Mahayana philosophy. The Bodhisattvas are a large group of divine beings, revered for their virtues and duties toward helping all beings achieve their ultimate end.  I think it is fair to say that Mahayana Buddhism is characterized by this belief in universal liberation, an awakening for all beings either by monastic devotion, or simple faith and chanting for lay people.

On this path the Buddha is seen as a powerful, almost divine being, existing throughout different parts of time.  A being that came to the world as a mortal in order to help us all.  Not only that, but there are many other similar eternal beings, located in different parts of the universe, in different spots in space and time.
It is a less conservative branch of Buddhism, as it has added more rituals and doctrines to the religion, such as the Bodhisattvas and the many divine Buddhas.

Next, Theravada Buddhism!

I had every intention to return to the Richmond Buddhist temple yesterday morning for meditation instruction and more yummy vegetarian Chinese food. I would have done so had it not been for one very important obstacle.

I had to get up at 7 am.

Now, I understand that this isn’t a very impressive number, but I am not a morning person. If there is something to be done that early in the morning that will not carry serious repercussions if I missed it, then I would rather not face such an abysmal hour.

However, I am rather ashamed of not attending, and I have promised myself that I will attend the next one in June to make it up to myself. Not only that, but today I will be making a series of posts on the various paths of Buddhism, starting with:

Shambhala Buddhism

The ideal end of this form of Tibetan Buddhism is the enlightenment of all people to create a perfect, enlightened society.  In order to achieve this end, one spends time in meditation in order to awaken their true potential and use this potential to better interact with the external world.  Shambhala is the enlightened kingdom that can be created if we can train ourselves toward this end.

This path of Buddhism grew out of the teachings of Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche, a Tibetan Buddhist monk.  The beliefs and practices are very similar to the Mahayana philosophy of Buddhism, that the goal is to help all individuals achieve enlightenment and Buddhahood.  The practices and training which they offer in order to gain the insights necessary to bring about Shambhala are very secular- open to everyone of every religion and walk of life, regardless of your religious or spiritual beliefs.  It is a very practical school of Buddhism- helping you to gain greater insight to help deal with events in your daily life.

More to come!

This month I have a fairly diverse set of reading material. In addition to the Diamond and Heart Sutras that Sara mentioned earlier, I will be reading 4-5 other books to give me a better understanding of the many facets of Buddhism. Here is a summary of a few that I am slowly working my way through this month:

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My first thought was, “Why is there a gate?”

My second thought was, “Why is there a sign saying ‘Beware of Dog’?”

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On Wednesday I visited the Shambhala Meditation Center for their free weekly meditation instruction. Although I have done plenty of meditation, my instructions were rather informal, just random things I had learned online and once during a humanities course when we were visited by a zen monk. I was looking forward to the chance to learn something straight from the Buddhist’s mouth, so to speak.

A wee bit of history- the Shambhala movement was started by Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche, a Tibetan Buddhist monk who had to flee Tibet in 1959 after the Chinese invasion. After a few years acting as a spiritual adviser in Dalhousie, India, and studying religion and philosophy in Oxford, Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche came to the west and established centers of meditation specifically tailored to the needs of western culture. Each center is run by volunteers and maintained by donations, and there are now more than 170 of these centers around the world.

The volunteer acting as the host was kind and welcoming, as were all of the other volunteers and practitioners that I met there. The center itself was small, and though it was sparsely decorated it was very pleasant and beautiful; a very calming atmosphere obviously tailored to the hour long meditation sessions they have every Monday and Wednesday nights.

The instruction itself was short, friendly, and conversational. We sat on raised cushions (the special names escape me) which kept our hips above our knees (which is important for reasons I also forget). Proper posture is important, a straight back with the head tilted downward slightly, as if a string was pulling at the back of your head. Your arms should rest comfortably on your thighs and your eyes should be cast downward.

The instructor advised that we should keep our eyes open, which is an approach I had not heard before. I had been keeping my eyes closed before, but they made a very interesting point. Their form of meditation was focused on practicality, on silencing the mind and trying to find peace in your daily life. Why close your eyes during meditation when you spend most of your life with your eyes open?

Attention to the breathing was paramount. Just focus on the sensation of inhalation and exhalation, trying to deflect other thoughts as they intrude. One shouldn’t become frustrated if you can’t focus of if your mind wanders. Meditation isn’t easy. It is best to have a kind of curiosity about the thoughts that come to mind. Examine them and reflect on them and then let them go, do not angrily try to shove them all aside.

It was a great experience, and now that I am familiar with their form and practice of meditation, I will definitely be heading back in the future, and I encourage anyone else interested in meditation to do so as well. I still prefer to keep my eyes closed, and to keep my hands in front of me with the thumbs connected when I meditate. It just feels right.

Tomorrow morning I will be traveling to the Richmond Buddhist temple for another meditation course. It is a very large, very beautiful temple so I will probably spend most of the day there, meditating, exploring the grounds, and reflecting on Buddhism.