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Clarke Scott is a fully ordained Buddhist monk trained in the Tibetan tradition. A student of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, Clarke has received personal instructions—direct one-to-one instructions—on Madhyamaka philosophy and meditation from His Holiness. Recently Clarke moved to Tasmania to pursue a Ph.D in Buddhist philosophy from the University of Tasmania.
What is Buddhism anyway
By Loden Jinpa – November 13, 2007 · Meditation, Philosophy
Who was the Buddha?
The Buddha was a real person. He was born into a royal family in what would nowadays be southern Nepal. As it was the custom in those days, the Buddha’s father asked an astrologer to outline the baby boys future. After a quick observation of the baby, the astrologer announced that he would become either a universal monarch or a great spiritual leader.
Hearing this the Buddha’s father shielded his son from sick and dying people. If any of the palace staff got sick they were quickly removed from the young princes sight as the father did not want to arouse any spiritual aspirations in his young son.
As time went by, the young prince become more and more disillusioned with his circumstances, surely there is something more to life than just sport, food and sleep, he thought. So he began to sneak out of the palace at night to visit the townships surrounding the royal palace. This is when he first came across sick, dying and diseased people. Seeing their plight, the young prince was overcome with compassion. Finally he went to his father to tell him he was leaving the palace to find a freedom from the dissatisfactory events that condition our existence. So at the age of 29 he set off on a journey that would culminate in the development and finally the direct experience of infinite compassion and infinite wisdom – this we label as Enlightenment or Buddhahood – he was 35 by this time.
What the Buddha taught 
The Buddha taught that all living beings have a natural disposition that seeks greater happiness and wishes to avoid even the slightest suffering. Not only that, he said that we also have the right to be happy. It is not selfish to want happiness. Unfortunately we sometimes employee erroneous methods, thinking that happiness will be found in things and events. More often than not these things and events become a cause of our unhappiness. The new car breaks down, the new hair-do never looks the same after leaving the salon.
Does that mean the Buddha said we shouldn’t have nice cars or get new hair cuts? No it doesn’t. It is how we relate to things and events that is the real problem not the thing themselves.
The greatest potential
Not only do we have this natural wish for more and more happiness, because of the very nature of our mind, we have the capacity to develop infinite compassion and infinite wisdom just like the Buddha did. He called this potential Buddha Nature. Because the basic or fundamental nature of the mind is not permanently clouded by conception it is possible to remove these dysfunctional states of mind.
Therefore every living being regardless of age or gender, all have the potential to become a Buddha. One could say that in essence the teachings of the Buddha show us, either directly or indirectly, how to replace dysfunctional states of mind with functional states of mind.
The process of transformation
The primary source of happiness and unhappiness is in fact our own mind. Therefore consciousness itself is the principal object of investigation for Buddhists. The principal tool used in this investigation is meditation and the Buddha has developed many techniques for refining and stabilizing consciousness. So, just as scientists use telescopes or microscopes to investigate the physical universe. Buddhists use meditation to investigate the inner world of the mind and to develop healthier, balanced and constructive states of mind – the real causes of happiness.
What are these dysfunctional minds? There are said to be six main types of minds that at face value appear to be useful but, at closer inspection are in fact the cause of many of our problems. The six are anger, attachment, ignorance, pride, doubt and holding opinions that take us away from happiness. A Buddha doesn’t suffer from any of these as they have replaced them with compassion and wisdom.
Dispelling misconceptions
Ok, let me ask you a question.
Question: Is non-attachment and detachment the same? Do they mean the same thing? I ask this because out of the six main minds anger, attachment etc, attachment is the most misunderstood.
My answer: I would say they are not the same. Detachment implies a factor of not caring about others. Whereas non-attachment does not imply this, it is simply an experience free from a mind that is clingy. Thus giving your mind space for unconditional friendliness and love – the wish for another to be happy without any feeling of gain or loss.
Spirit of enquiry
One of the things I love about Buddhism is it encourages the spirit of enquiry, much as science does. The Buddha said not to believe what he taught out of mere respect or through faith alone but, to experience the path for ourselves. Does that mean we can just make stuff up? No but, as with science, we are encouraged to experiment and see for ourselves if what he has said was true is true.
Some people, not only in western cultures, think that religion is about giving up free thought. They believe that being religious is about accepting a given set of instructions and bending your own ideas and believes to match the ideas of a given religion. Buddhism is not like this, in fact, it is the very opposite of that. It is youthful enthusiasm and a thirst for knowledge and understanding that will yield the most of any field of study. Buddhism is no different. Conducting experiments using the Buddhist tool of meditation with a sense of discovery and openness is the key to progression along the path.
In a future post I would like to expand on the theme of enquiry as I feel it is something that is not discussed often.
Comments
11 Responses to “What is Buddhism anyway”
Got something to say?
Hi,
I have a confusion on attachment and duty.
e.g I need to take care of my old parents. I have to do this because it’s my duty to reduce their suffering in old age.
However I also feel I am doing this because I have attachment towards them.
Can I develop non-attachment towards them and still be able to take care of them? Is this better than doing it as a duty?
Warm Regards,
Anwesh
Hi Anwesh,
Good question!
The quick answer is a resounding yes it is absolutely possible, in fact I would suggest that you would take better care of them
with non-attachment. Remember attachment is a clingy mind that wants something out of the relationship.
By not having this mind you are free to really take proper care of them as you will not be expecting anything back from them.
The definition of attachment is: a mental factor that perceives an object as attractive, exaggerates that attractiveness and wishes to possess it.
It’s the last part of that definition that is the worst part (wishes to possess it) as it is this grasping onto and not being able to let go that is a big problem.
Imagine if you just had the wish for your parents to have happiness and you would do what you could to facilitate that by improving their living conditions.
It seems to me that this state of mind is more open and caring than one filled with attachment. Attachment to me seems slightly self-centered.
It is said that attachment is like oil on a cloth, it is very difficult to remove on the first wash. So you will find that as you practice the course levels of attachment will be removed first.
I think that people sometimes believe attachment means they care, that this makes them a good person and if you don’t have this clingyness they are a bad person.
This is simply not the case…but try it for yourself and see which one you think it better. :)
Hi Loden Jinpa,
Thanks for your valuable advice.
I now clearly understand that the problem I have is attachment. In fact the last paragraph sums up my situation.
My attachment is due to the fact that ‘I’ can feel good if I take care of my parents. This is a self-centered wish.
If I develop compassion and non-attachment then I can take better care of my parents since I won’t have any expectations out of this work.
I’ll definitely try practicing non-attachment.
Thanks for the timely good advice.
Warm Regards,
Anwesh
your welcome
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Hello Loden Jinpa…
Although “all emotions are suffering,” they seem to signal a need for more useful action. A feeling of pain or anger when a loved one suffers, stimulates the need to provide care, while allowing the emotion to dissipate.
The word “attachment” seems to mean getting stuck in the emotional state (and a need to change things), while following with a compassionate action without clinging to results, seem to be the meaning of “detachment.”
I
s this an accurate understanding?
With metta
Yolanda
Hi Yolanda,
Yes you are correct.
Attachment is a sticky, clingy mind, one that is difficult to remove once it is generated.
> “all emotions are suffering”
This is slightly incorrect. Because compassion and loving-kindness are emotions but they are functional emotions. So there are some emotions that we want to encourage and develop. While there are others that need to be gotten rid of, only because they bring us and the people around us more problem not less – these include anger, attachment etc.
You also mentioned
>A feeling of pain or anger when a loved one suffers, stimulates the need to provide care, while allowing the emotion to dissipate.
I think that the stimulation to action, to take care of people and to act, is born from compassion NOT anger. Although you could debate whether the mind of empathy does feel some pain as it voluntarily experiences a similar pain as that it is apprehending. That is why when we see someone get hurt on TV we sometime wince in pain. It is as if we also feel the same pain.
Compassion (as defined in Buddhism) on the other hand will never feel pain, as compassion is a mind that will do something about another’s suffering. When empathy morphs into compassion your compassion become solution based. That is your focus is on solely helping.
Hello Loden Jinpa,
In an attempt to further clarify the meaning, and the place of emotions in Buddhism, and specifically the meaning of “compassion,” I am quoting two sources that I was relying on:
In THE PSYCHOLOGY OF EMOTIONS IN BUDDHIST PERSPECTIVE
Dr. PADMASIRI de SILVA writes:
Under The Place of Emotions in Buddhism:
“Emotions are generally regarded in the mind of the Buddhist as aspects of our personality that interfere with the development of a spiritual life, as unwholesome states ethically undesirable, and road – blocks to be cleared in the battleground between reason and emotion. In keeping with this perspective emotions are described as states of “agitation” or “imbalance”.
Then, under The Four Sublime States
“Not only does compassion form the basis for a wholesome dimension of emotional warmth and positive concern for others, but it is specifically advocated as a corrective to the elimination of hatred, fear and allied states. But it has its own alluring disguises and as stated earlier it must be saved from the near enemies of worldly sorrow and pseudo-love and superficial attachments.
The four sublime states (the Brahma Viharas) are metta (loving kindness), karuna ( compassion), mudita (sympathetic joy) and upekkha (equanimity.) In the early part of the lecture it was mentioned that morality has a significant relation to the psychology of human emotions. In the context of the four sublime states, this observation has much relevance. Gunapala Dharmasiri has pointed out that one type of moral justification advocated by the Buddha was the appeal to sympathetic feelings. “The simple fact that others are living beings is the reason why I should not harm and this is based on an inference from one’s personal experience to that of others: As all people dislike punishment and are scared of death, one should not kill or harm others”. In the context of the four sublime states, a kind of disinterestedness or neutrality is a safeguard against the emergence of sentimental attachments.
These states are considered as boundless, as they are not limited, narrowed down to a special person or persons. These are not merely principles of conduct , but subjects of methodical meditation, and these could only get rooted in a strong affinity with this unbounded outlook by the integration of the meditational level and the practical level of conduct. It is by meditative practice that they sink deeply into the heart and thus later become spontaneous attitudes. In the four sublime states we see the finest base for a creative emotional response, and moreover a response related to the emotion of natural sympathy and concern for fellow beings.”
It seems that when we are talking about compassion-in-action, we are not talking about feeling related to a particular person, but a principle of conduct deeply rooted in one’s personality.
Also, in Buddhism In a Nutshell: The Four seals of Dharma, the second seal states: “All Emotions are painful.” Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche’s comments on the second seal include: “The Tibetan word for emotion in this context is zagche, which means “contaminated” or “stained,” in the sense of being permeated by confusion or duality.
Further, he writes: “(This is why) Buddhists conclude that all emotions are painful. It is because they are impermanent and dualistic that they are uncertainy and always accompanied by hopes and fears.”
Then: “Is compassion an emotion? People like us have dualistic compassion, whereas the Buddha’s compassion does not involve subject and object.”
This is what I also hear in your statement: “Compassion (as defined in Buddhism) on the other hand will never feel pain, as compassion is a mind that will do something about another’s suffering. When empathy morphs into compassion your compassion become solution based. That is your focus is on solely helping.”
I think I was confusing the two levels of reality: the conventional, where we confuse compassion as an emotion with emphaty, which is often intertwined with clinging and other emotions, and the ultimate reality where compassion is an non-dualistic state of being?
Thank you for helping me to clarify this
Yolanda
I’m glad you understand, as I think this point is not easily grokked.
Having said that, empathy is a cause of compassion and should not be suppressed in my opinion. However we should couple this practice with the practice of non-dual wisdom. Therefore any associated discomfort felt through seeing others suffering will diminish over time as our wisdom increases. Just like two side of a scale – as one goes up, the other goes down.
Also I don’t believe the compassion of a Bodhisattva on the path of accumulation/merit could be described as painful. Sure it is contaminated in the sense that there is an appearance of duality but, it is by no means painful.
Bodhisattvas on the path of accumulation have Calm Abiding a mediative state that is described as blissful, yet they have not realized non-dual wisdom directly. Is their compassion painful? I don’t think it is.
However from the prescriptive of a Buddhas it would be contaminated.
Pain is relative and for this reason I don’t think it is helpful to describe ALL emotion as painful. Not for ordinary people anyway, as there is the possibility that some people will think they should give up compassion altogether. Mistaking empathy for compassion. So I like the word contaminated better.
Namaste!
Thanx for your guidance.I have always been intrigeud by life’s philosophy.
I just fail to find any answers the way life takes its round-a-about turns,it makes me feel defeated..I lose the sense of purpose in life as I have seen many bad things happen to good people maybe b’coz of past karmas…but for how long can one take it…I am a confused person…
anyway..I beleive in Buddhism but never got the right channels to start or go thru…
now is the right time :)