Year of Faith

In my post Beginning Buddhism, I made some fairly ignorant comments about Buddhist philosophy.  With some reading and further elucidation I have come to realize that the promise of Nirvana is not the goal of the Buddhist.  It should not be seen as some kind of reward for the proper amount of abstinence, asceticism, or contemplation.

The purpose of Buddhist philosophy seems to me, so far, to be three fold: extinguishing the illusion of self, to live in the moment, and to be as a reflection of the world around you.  It is interesting that having just finished with a rather cynical religion that I would start judging religions by their position on the afterlife, what LaVey called “spiritual pipe dreams”.  Really, this is not a fair judgment of this religion or perhaps any other religion.

Nirvana is something to be earned, and not through empty headed selflessness, but through reflection and contemplation on what is most important- how to treat others and the self.

It is easy to think that the end of Buddhism is escapism in order to achieve liberation from samsara.  But it is more practical than that, it is about self cultivation and right action.  As I meditate, I can see how one could become addicted to the feeling of fulfillment and happiness that I can occasionally glimpse.  But Buddhism is more practical than this.  Buddhism reaches out from these periods of contemplation and mediation into our everyday activities.   Every moment, every action, is a chance to reflect and concentrate.  By clearing the mind and letting go of the concept of self, you can achieve a better understanding of the problems and day-to-day experiences you face.

Remove yourself from the picture, and you not only avoid suffering, but see the world for what it truly is.  LaVey missed the practical part of Buddhism, probably because of his contempt for anything that pointed away from the flesh.  Shame he never thought that mediation could have helped instead of hindered these desires.

His name was Siddhartha. It means ‘he who has achieved his goal’. He was of the clan Gautama, predominantly rice farmers. And fairly well off rice farmers it would seem, as Siddhartha was a prince and lived his young life in luxury.

His father wanted only the best for Siddhartha, and shielded him from the death, disease, and decay to which we are all subject. He never saw anyone who was not young and healthy and in the prime of life. He spent his time in contemplation, reflecting on the world to the point where he could best anyone in mental prowess.

Eventually Siddhartha took a wife, his cousin Yasodhara, and with her he fathered a son, Rahula. But despite his loving family, his wit, his physical strength, and his abundant wealth and possessions, Siddhartha wanted more. He craved knowledge and wisdom, and eventually his father relented and let the prince tour the kingdom with his charioteer and friend, Channa.

The two of them came across an elderly man, moving slowly and supported by a cane. Siddhartha, having never seen the effects of old age, asked Channa if the same would happen to him. His friend told him that it would, that everyone will wither and slow with age.

Soon they came across another man who was overcome with disease. Siddhartha inquired again if this was common, if the same would happen to him as well. Channa affirmed his friend’s fears. Siddhartha realized that everyone can succumb to disease, to have their body waste away and suffer.

Seeing his friend growing more and more despondent, Channa turned the chariot around toward the safety of the palace. But while on the road they came across a dead man, a decaying corpse. Horrified, Siddhartha realized that this is what awaited him and every other living thing in this world. No matter how much wealth and power he accumulated, no matter how much knowledge he acquired, nor how deeply and fully he loved those close to him; he and everything he cherished would end.

Siddhartha must have been quite shaken by these illuminating events. But near the end of the journey they passed a samana- a traveling ascetic whose only possessions were his robes and a small bowl for collecting food and alms. As Siddhartha passed by this calm individual, he was taken aback by the happiness and contentment he seemed to display, despite all the suffering he must have surely witnessed in the world.

In that moment Siddhartha gained an even greater insight. That despite all the horrible suffering and mortality he had witnessed, there was still a way to be happy, a way to find peace in a changing world.

The great thing about Buddhism is that it can be described rather succinctly.

But that doesn’t necessarily make it easy to understand.

O Worldly men! How fatal is your delusion! Inevitably your body will crumble to dust, yet carelessly, unheedingly, ye live on.

Satanism has certainly instilled in me a preference and insight into the philosophy of living in the now to the greatest possible extent. I look at this statement purportedly made by the Buddha and I immediately think that the person that is able to make this observation should clearly see the wisdom of carpe diem. We do not live under a delusion, we know that the world is constantly changing, that those things that please us will inevitably turn out to be nothing but shadows and dust, atoms and void. But that is enough for us. There are those, and perhaps in some respects I am a member of this group, that would prefer to get the most out of the here and now. Some don’t see the value in abstaining from life in pursuit of something that doesn’t seem like more than an empty promise.

Perhaps Satanism reawakened some previous militant atheism and doubt in my life but I can’t help but think that the Buddha was the one being deluded here. Why shoot for something past the stars when we can sit and enjoy the view instead? What evidence is there for this enlightenment, this Nirvana? I used to think that the promise of Buddhism sounded so much more appealing than any of the other yarns which religion has so far spun.

But now I am realizing my misjudgment- they are all yarns, they are all just stories. What makes Nirvana and enlightenment any more plausible or possible than any other form of the afterlife? I have always thought that the idea of Heaven was fanciful, hopeful, and romantic. But I have never thought it to be true, I have never thought that there was some mythical place out there where we all vacate to once we have shuffled off. But with Buddhism, it was the first time I heard of an afterlife as a place where we no longer have desires, where we find what truly sustains us and makes us happy. Not just a bigger and better version of what we already experience.

As a guy that spends a lot of time fussing over what he needs to feel happy and adequate, this formulation of the goal of Buddhism has always piqued my interest. But since my recent brush with unforgiving rationalism in Satanism, I cannot shake the obvious parallels with other stories that I think are just that- improbable stories we use to consul ourselves. A reward for being obedient and obstinate.

It seems Christopher Hitchens just won’t get out of my mind. “We are afraid of the dark,” he says. “And we are afraid of dieing.” So we craft stories to help us cope with passing away from that which we truly live for- Material. Substance. Life.

To Mr. Hitchens’ list I would add one more- we are afraid of losing that which makes us happy. We leave all those things behind which we used to enjoy in favor of that which supersedes this world in peace, fulfillment, and happiness.

But inevitably I think it is something which, sadly, is not there. It is a “gentle lie”. This is why we who live in the here and now aren’t the ones being deluded. We know how little time we have, how fast it can pass us by, and how everything is doomed to change. We try to make the most of it, and if we were all just a bit more responsible with our personal and environmental ethics we would make this great trip last a bit longer.

Though this ceaseless quest to find fulfillment in impermanent things does seem to create lots, if not all of, our suffering. It still seems that it requires just as much faith as any of the other religions we practice, and I don’t think I have any left after last month. I hope I don’t sound too cynical, Buddhism does make a very intriguing and intuitive point.

I just don’t think I have the strength to leave behind what I love, and that seems to be essentially what the Buddha did, and what would be required to understand Buddhism.

Current weight: 270lbs.

I’m still a Satanist.

I’m over a week into the month of Buddhism and I can’t shake meat, nor material desire, nor an overwhelming need to do anything except read up on Buddhism or meditate. The Devil dug his claws in deep it seems. I found complacency in that religion, and it seems to have followed me.

Meditation isn’t easy, but I don’t find it to be a hassle either. When I do find the time to do it, it is usually very relaxing. I usually try to just empty my mind and focus on my breathing, I haven’t actually tried to focus on a topic yet. Compassion should probably be the first order of business, it’s what I started mediating on during Jainism and I got some promising results.

Buddhism promises to provide something lasting, I suppose like most religions. Something beyond our every day desires and needs, something that will last when all else that makes us happy falls away.

An end to suffering and desire.

Scheduling this right behind Satanism was probably not the best idea.

I acknowledge that it is much later than May 2, my promised delivery date. My humblest apologies; next time I shall be better prepared. For now I present a belated and brief introduction to Buddhism.

History

Buddhism has its roots in the same Indian tradition that gave rise to Jainism and Hinduism. The oldest texts of this tradition, the vedas, were combined with new ideas of reincarnation and karma to become Hinduism. In Buddha’s time, Hindu gurus coexisted with other wandering ascetics who rejected the Vedic teachings. One of these mendicants became known as the Buddha.

The Life of Buddha

The man eventually known as Buddha was born as Siddhartha Guatama. There is as much fable as fact in the traditional story of his life, but it is accepted as historical fact that he was a prince born between 500 and 480 BCE. He became disillusioned after witnessing suffering and death for the first time, and gave up his wealth for the life of a wandering ascetic.

Guatama studied in the wilderness for six years, turning to extreme ascetic practices in his search for enlightenment. He was near starvation when he realized that exhausting his body would not help him achieve his goal. Instead he adopted a new course, known as the Middle Path. He accepted an offering of food, causing his companions to abandon him in disgust. Subsequently he sat under a tree and vowed to meditate there until he had attained Buddhahood.

Buddha spent the rest of his life teaching, starting with the monks who had abandoned him. He died of food poisoning at the age of 80.

Divisions

In addition to his spiritual teachings, Buddha provided rules on how the monastic community should be governed. He specified that there should be no one ruling person or institution, and as a result all monasteries were fairly autonomous, and variations in Buddhism have evolved as it adapts to different peoples or places.

Buddhism is now, like Christianity, an umbrella term for a family of religions that share some core beliefs but can vary widely in additional texts, beliefs, and practices.

Beliefs and Practices

Despite the divisions, there are still some beliefs that are fundamental to all Buddhist traditions. The first is the notion of anitya or impermanence; the fact that everything is changing and evolving. Buddha taught that a wise person should accept change and acknowledge that nothing lasts forever.

Expanding on the idea that nothing is fixed is the lack of belief in a permanent soul or identity. In Sanskrit this is known as anatman. Buddha rejected the Hindu belief in unchanging reality and immortal unchanging souls. Instead he claimed a person’s identity was composed of five different elements, which were themselves constantly changing.

The third major teaching about reality was that all life is suffering, due to the inherent impermanence of everything around us. This is not as fatalistic as it sounds, but merely accepts that a normal life cannot be truly satisfying, because even when you are happy, you know that things will change.

Four Noble Truths

Buddha’s thoughts on suffering are taught in his Four Noble Truths:

1. All life is suffering
2. Suffering is caused by desire
3. Ending desire will end suffering
4. Desire can be eliminated, along with suffering, by following the Eightfold Path

Buddha still believed in the religious ideas of karma and samsara (never-ending cycle of rebirth) that were prevalent at the time. Thus the Eightfold Path includes ways to eliminate bad karma and gain good karma in addition to ending desire and achieving nirvana.

The Eightfold Path

• Right speech
• Right action
• Right effort
• Right mindfulness
• Right concentration (meditation)
• Right belief
• Right thought
• Right livelihood

Gautama Buddha was a pragmatic man. This path was designed to be not high philosophy, but a practical approach to achieving enlightenment. From this list was later distilled the Five Precepts that I posted at the start of the month. I will elaborate in another post on the meaning of each step of the Eightfold Path

Texts

Because there are many different Buddhist traditions, it is hard to pick a singular text to refer to. A good source recommended the Diamond Sutra and the Heart Sutra as containing fundamental Buddhist teachings that cut across most divisions in the Buddhist community.

How We Will Practice

In our lives as Buddhists this month, we will try to abide by the instructions of the Eightfold Path. At the very least this means following the Five Precepts as I laid out before. Additionally:

• We will meditate regularly
• I am going to be vegetarian, although both Michael and Andrew have decided against it. (Vegetarianism is admired, but not required in most Buddhist traditions)
• We will visit local Buddhist temples to learn more from the monks

Resources For This Article

• Molloy, Michael. Experiencing the World’s Religions, 4th Edition. New York: McGraw-Hill. 2008.
• Trainor, Kevin. Ed. Buddhism: The Illustrated Guide. London: Duncan Baird. 2004.
• UrbanDharma.org
• Paul Crowe, Simon Fraser University
• Diamond Sutra - A New Translation. Alex Johnson Productions.
• Buddhist Studies. Buddha Dharma Education Association & Buddhanet

I am working on the Introduction to Buddhism, but I am tired, and must rise early to meditate in the morning. Rest assured, there will be an overview of beliefs and practices posted by May 2 at the latest.

May 1 or May 2 (depending which calendar you reference) is a full moon, which in the Theraveda tradition would be a holy day. However, not only is it too early in the month for me to feel comfortable joining in temple ceremonies, I haven’t decided which variation of Buddhism I am following.

At the very least, I expect to follow the Five Precepts, summarized thusly:

1. No intentional destruction of life
2. No stealing
3. No sexual misconduct
4. No lying
5. No intoxication

For further reading while I am getting my act together, I suggest UrbanDharma.org.