I’m honored that a student sent me a list of questions.  It brings me no small amount of joy that I had a hand in such an insightful curiosity.  So here goes…

Buddhism Questions

You’ve mentioned you’re a teacher. Is it valuable, maybe even important, to find a teacher?

Yes! Though I’d say as a first step, it’s more important to find a Sangha (a group to practice with, either in-person or via videoconference).  It’s certainly easier to find a Sangha.  Just show up to any Buddhist service (again, either in-person or online) and if you get a good feel about things, keep showing up.  Stick with it.  Make sure it’s a group in which people interact and get to know one another.  Originally, Shakyamuni’s Sangha lived together. Now, it’s all too common for a Sangha to be more like a spectator sport–people show up, sit, chant maybe, and listen to a dharma talk, and then go home. That kind of reminds me of going to church as a kid.  Find a Sangha where the rug is rolled out for newcomers.   Find a Sangha where there is lots of laughter and sometimes tears.  Find a Sangha that’s a safe space to pour your guts out.  A place where everyone shares their wisdom, and this collective wisdom is the tide that raises all ships.  And if you find a Sangha like this, you’re likely to find a teacher that will be a good fit for you.  And then, don’t be shy, just contact them and tell them you’re looking for a teacher.

What is dharma?

Dharma means different things depending on the context.  Dharma can mean the teachings of Shakyamuni Buddha.  Dharma can mean simply the truth, things just as they are without our judgements and preconceptions.  You’ve heard me say that everything is impermanent.  The Dharma is an exception.  The truth isn’t impermanent. And I mean the truth in a more abstract sense. Not so much as it applies to something like, “It’s true that brownies are delicious.” Byron Katie* redefines God as, “The Truth.” That kind of Truth–with a capital T.  A dharma can mean any manifestation. What the heck does that mean?  So in the Heart Sutra, it says, “Shariputra, all dharmas are marked by emptiness. They neither arise nor cease.”  To get an understanding of what this means, think of an ocean.  There are waves that “manifest.”  But are they born or die?  They just arise from the ocean and fold back into the ocean.  All things are like this.  Yup, you and me too.  So dharma means a thing.  Anything.

What is a sutra?

A Sutra is a writing that is attributed to Shakyamuni Buddha’s teachings.  Keep in mind that in the Buddha’s time, it was an oral tradition.  Nothing was written down for several hundred years.  So as my teacher told me early on, “Don’t pay too much attention to the words.”  Listen more for the heart of the message.  And anything that’s fantastical is not necessarily meant to be taken literally.

Starting in the ‘70s the celebrity “guru” Maharishi Yoga popularized transcendental meditation (TM) and part of the appeal was health benefits, relaxation, lower stress, etc. The Maharishi was a Hindu, of course, and far as I know he only taught meditation. How does a Buddhist make sure they go beyond just meditating to actually follow the Noble Eight-fold Path? Practically speaking, what does this involve on a daily basis?

After Siddhartha Gautama (he wasn’t The Buddha yet) left home, he studied from all the best teachers in India.  Mostly meditation.  He found that none taught him the cessation of suffering.  “An ancient maxim found in the Dhammapada sums up the practice of the Buddha’s teaching in three simple guidelines to training: to abstain from all evil, to cultivate good, and to purify one’s mind.” source  Going beyond meditation means being kind to others, being kind to yourself, shedding judgements and preconceptions that obscure seeing things just as they are.  (Think Vegemite is disgusting or it’s delicious.) Letting go of opinions.  Letting go of thoughts of being right and someone else being wrong.  Letting go of thoughts of right and wrong, good and bad. Or as Sister Minh Bao says, “Play nice in the sandbox.”  The Dalai Lama says, “My religion is kindness.”  And of course, there’s the whole middle path thing.

The ordinary person has typically heard of Nirvana (not Kurt Cobain** et al). Is Nirvana an important part of Buddhist belief? Is it anything like a Christian conception of heaven? Is one supposed to be progressing towards Nirvana?

To be honest, I don’t hear the word Nirvana used much in the circles I run in. Nirvana (to me) sounds like something you attain, or a place, or some new state of being.  I find this very confusing.  But I do hear the word enlighten and awaken.  Given the right conditions, one can have an awakening experience.  And it’s been said that there’s no such thing as enlightenment, just enlightened activity.  So the words I hear are more used as verbs rather than nouns.  The whole awakening process can be slow or fast, but it’s ongoing.  As we learn in The Heart Sutra, “There is nothing to attain.”  We have Buddha nature within us.  We just cover it up with decades of opinions, thoughts, beliefs, and judgements.  A bit part of the Buddhis practice is shoveling off all this stuff.

I’ve heard of koans, the most famous perhaps being “What is the sound of one hand clapping”. Are koans important to pursuing the Noble Eight-fold Path?

Some teachers use koans a lot.  Some not at all.  So are koans important?  To some, they are.  To others, they’re not.

Two Bonus Questions (if you have time!)

Westerners de-mythologize, de-religion Buddhism as practiced in the East? E.g., remove mention of gods and goddesses, supernatural stories, observance of festivals and rituals, etc. If so, could this be criticized as cultural appropriation? Or should one think of it as was one way in Buddhism has extended itself, evolving and adapting to put down roots in a place where religious skeptics would otherwise not welcome it?

Regarding, “Buddhism has extended itself, evolving and adapting to put down roots in a place where religious skeptics would otherwise not welcome it” I think you’ve hit the nail right on the head.  Modifying the teachings to suit the audience is a very common theme in Buddhist sutras.  As for cultural appropriation?  Buddhism is famous for breaking through cultural barriers; there is only one culture… humanity.  For example, the untouchable caste were welcome into Shakyamuni Buddha’s Sangha.  This was unheard of back then.  He was quite a rebel.  And is Buddhism a religion?  The whole religion/philosophy argument is all about labeling.  Not useful at all.  I’ve also heard of Buddhism as just a way of life.  It works… that’s all I know.

Somewhere I’ve heard that the Buddha said, “Desire desire-lessness”. Is this so? Or is it a condensation and/or paraphrase of his teachings? Related to this: If one “desires desire-lessness,” isn’t that a case of desiring something? Which means we ought NOT to desire desire-lessness? Maybe we need something else that doesn’t involve desire at all?

I’ve never heard “Desire desire-lessness.”  But it sounds like something somewhat Buddhist related.  There’s nothing wrong with desire.  In fact, you’d die without it.  When you’re thirsty, you desire water.  That keeps you alive.  It’s when we become attached to our desires that problems may arise.  So I hear more talk of just letting go of our attachments.  The word attachment implies–to me–a rigid fixation on something.  Reifying something too much.  For example, “If only I get this job/car/house/partner/food/vacation/etc. life will be good.”  Desiring all these things is okay.  Being attached to the desires gives them the power to cause suffering.  And is desiring not to desire a thing?  Yes, definitely.  Again, as it says in The Heart Sutra, there is nothing to attain.  So if we dive into this practice in order to attain something, we’re heading in the wrong direction.  Let me back peddle here.  If one is attached to the idea of attaining something, then that’s just another attachment.  For example, when we sit, we’re practicing sitting just for the sake of sitting.  The word just takes on a very powerful meaning.

 

I bow to you. Keep the questions coming!

Scott

 

 

* By the way, I’m not a big fan of Byron Katie.  I don’t think she balances acceptance and taking action very well from what little of hers I’ve read.  Remember, Buddhism does not promote complacency.  For example, Monday is President’s Day and I’m going to a demonstration at Esther Short Park.

** “Smells Like Teen Spirit” by Nirvana is widely interpreted as a song about teenage angst and rebellion, with the title itself referencing a phrase written on Kurt Cobain’s wall by his friend Kathleen Hanna (from the band Bikini Kill) which read “Kurt smells like Teen Spirit,” referring to a brand of deodorant, which Cobain took as a sarcastic comment on his rebellious spirit; he interpreted “Teen Spirit” as a symbol of youthful rebellion rather than the actual deodorant product.