{"collection":"Buddhism","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/browse/bud/tib/drshen4.htm","path":"bud/tib/drshen4.htm","source_url":"https://sacred-texts.com/bud/tib/drshen4.htm","text":"BUDDHISM IN OUR DAILY LIFE\nChina Academic Lectures\nSponsored by\nChina Institute in America, N.Y. USA\nBy Dr. C. T. Shen\nLECTURE 4:\nTHE SOURCE OF JOY\nLet me make it clear, first of all, that the joy I refer to here\nis not the kind of temporary joy that can be the cause or source of\nlater suffering. For example, one does have a sensation of joy and\nbeing carefree when one i drunk, but the actions one might commit\nwhile intoxicated could be so foolish that one might feel deep regret\nafterward, or they could cause such irreparable consequences that the\nsuffering created thereby would be much greater and longer lasting\nthan the temporary joy that accompanied the drinking. That kind of\njoy, if you still wish to call it joy, is classified in Buddhism as\nsuffering--it is not joy, because it is the beginning of suffering.\nThe joy I refer to here can be better defined as the opposite of\nsuffering, or the cessation of suffering: for example, the kind of\nfeeling one enjoys when one can fall asleep quickly and soundly,\nwithout drugs, after suffering insomnia for many years, or when one is\nable to rest after a number of hectic days in a political campaign or\na demanding day in the business world. One might find oneself enjoying\nthat relaxation in a mountain-lake region. As one gazes at the high,\nsnowcapped mountains and the huge pine trees, the world and its\nworries seem a thousand miles away; one feels so very small yet at the\nsame time so great that one feels alone in the universe.\nIn Buddhism, there are several ways to classify human suffering.\nThe most common is a listing of eight categories of suffering as\nfollows:\n1. Suffering because of birth\nAlthough no one remembers the Pain experienced upon leaving the\nmother's womb, the very fact that a newborn baby cries rather than\nsmiles indicates that there is no bliss at birth.\n2. Suffering because of age\nAlthough aging is a slow process that takes place over a number of\nyears, the sometimes sudden realization of the reduction of youthful\nstrengths and ability is a painful experience for most people past\nthe age of sixty. Evidence of this feeling could be found on a visit\nto a home for the aged, or simply in speaking to any older person on\nthe subject.\n3. Suffering because of sickness\nVery few people can claim immunity to sickness or injury. I do not\nhave to elaborate on the painful experience of being sick. This kind\nof suffering is particularly prevalent among people who live in places\nwhere nutrition and medical care are inadequate.\n4. Suffering because of death\nThe majority of human beings suffer painfully because of their\nawareness of the inevitability of death. Such suffering is\nparticularly severe for those who have a strong ego, great power, or\ngreat wealth, as it is very difficult for them to contemplate giving\nup these things.\n5. Suffering because of separation from loved ones\nDeath is considered by most to constitute permanent separation. One\nwho has had the experience of losing a loved one knows how painful\nthat experience can be, and the suffering it brings can hardly be\nremedied. Heartbreak, worry, the expectation of bad news--all these\nkinds of suffering are expressed through grief and tears by those\nwhose loved-one have been kidnapped, or imprisoned in concentration\ncamps; who have faced the danger of death, been sent to war, or been\nforced into an indefinite period of separation because of political\ncircumstances.\n6. Suffering because of an undesirable confrontation with another\nperson or thing\nSome examples of this kind of suffering might be an unexpected\nmeeting between two people who hate each other; a beautiful girl being\nchased by a man she does not like; suddenly coming face to face with a\nrobber or maniac; turning a corner and finding a rabid dog or other\nanimal on the attack--all these encounters can be sources of great\nsuffering.\n7. Suffering caused by denial of one's desires\nA child will cry when-he or she wants a piece of candy and the\nmother says \"no.\" Other examples are failure to win the heart of the\none you love or failure in business. One can also suffer a great deal\nif one needs money desperately and is unable to get it.\n8. Suffering because of the burning characteristics of the human body\nand mind\nIn Buddhism, this refers to the five aggregates which form the\nhuman body. These five aggregates are form, sensation, perception,\nconditioned function, and consciousness. Examples of the burning\ncharacteristics of these five aggregates, or, as I put it in simple\nterms, body and mind are anger, anxiety, excessive sexual desire,\nhatred, jealousy--all these can be sources of suffering.\nSince the joy I refer to is defined as the cessation of\nsuffering, it becomes clear, after the description of the eight\ncategories of suffering, that the root of suffering is, again, our\nconcept of body and mind. If we do not have body and mind, there is no\nbirth and therefore no suffering because of birth. Without body and\nmind, aging, sickness, death, and the other four kinds of suffering\nhave no base from which to operate. Therefore, the root of all human\nsuffering is the human's concept of and attachment to a body and mind.\nAs in the case of the concept of birth and death and the concept of\nkarma, the complete cessation of suffering can only be achieved by the\nrealization of Original Nature, which means the realization that the\nbody and mind, which appear to our sensory organs to exist, are\nchanging from moment to moment, are impermanent and unreal, as if one\nsaw oneself in a dream, or were an actor playing a part - all is\ntherefore defined as emptiness, or sunyata.\nTherefore, the realization of Original Nature means complete\ncessation of suffering, means ultimate joy. The conclusion of this\ntheoretical analysis, which I have earlier referred to as Path 3, is\nthat our own Original Nature is the source of true joy. May I repeat\nthat: Our own Original Nature is the source of joy.\nNow, this sounds great, but it is just like saying the clear\nautumn sky is the source of cheer at a time when the sky is heavier\novercast and it is raining, if not storming. Buddhism is not just\nphilosophical study. One who knows everything in theory about swimming\nbut has never practiced in water will still face the possibility of\ndrowning if he or she falls into deep water. So, Buddhism places\nemphasis on practice. To realize Original Nature one must practice\naccording to those methods that I have called Path 1 and Path 2.\nPath 1 is designed for the person who is able to divorce himself\nor herself entirely from worldly affairs and to practice vigorously\nthe concentration of the mind on one point. This method is analogous\nto launching a rocket from crowded Times Square in New York City on a\nstormy day with thick clouds. Now just imagine how difficult it would\nbe to fire a rocket under such conditions. Many rockets, even when\nlaunched successfully, probably fall back to earth without ever having\nreached the upper level of clouds. Only the ones that have enough\nstrength to ascend non-stop can penetrate the heavy cloud cover. The\ninstruments in those rockets that do make it will suddenly detect\nbright sunshine and the endless deep blue sky in all directions. At\nthat time, what the instruments detect is vast space, quietness,\nclearness, and emptiness. Crowded and noisy Times Square in New York\nCity, and even the whole earth, become so small by comparison that\nthey lose their significance entirely.\nA similar breakthrough in the human mind, according to Buddhism,\nis called enlightenment. At the moment of enlightenment, Original\nNature reveals vastness, limitlessness, and incomprehensible nature\nbeyond description. All the habits, desires, discriminations, and\nattachments of human beings become insignificant. The concepts of\nbirth and death, karma, and suffering are therefore inapplicable. One\nwho achieves this status is called an \"enlightened one.\" Buddha\nSakyamuni - was a human being born about 2,500 years ago in the land\nknown today as Nepal who achieved enlightenment at the age of 35. He\nset an excellent example for all human beings.\nAs I said before, Path 1 is designed for one who is able to\ndivorce himself or herself entirely from worldly affairs and to\npractice vigorously just like Buddha, who gave up the king's throne\nthat awaited him and went to the mountains to take up many kinds of\ndifficult ascetic practices. This is like attempting to dig out the\nroot of a big tree without first cutting down the branches. It should\nbe considered as the highest standard set by Buddha that a human being\ncan possibly achieve. Path 1, however, is not for everyone. Buddha\ntherefore taught many other methods to enable human beings to realize\nOriginal Nature. I consider that these methods belong to Path 2.\nAll the methods in Path 2 can be described as aiming at one\nprinciple, that is, \"harmony with Original Nature.\" Here we should\nnote that the concept of self is still in existence. It is \"I\" who am\nin harmony with Original Nature. In other words, at the stage of\ncultivation which I have called Path 2, \"I\" and Original Nature are,\nmentally, still two separate entities. All the methods therefore lead\nto a goal of identifying \"I\" with Original Nature and, finally, \"I am\nOriginal Nature and Original Nature is I.\" There is only Original\nNature. And Original Nature is a term chosen for the convenience of\npeople at the mundane level.\nWith this Principle, \"harmony with Original Nature,\" clear in our\nminds, every action and every thought in our daily life could offer us\nabundant opportunities to practice harmony with Original Nature. At\nthe mundane level, Original Nature can be more clearly specified as\nnonduality, nondiscrimination, and no self; or even more condensed, as\nno attachment. Therefore, in our daily life, those actions and\nthoughts which can be qualified as nonduality, nondiscrimination, and\nno self--or non attachment--are those in harmony with Original Nature.\nOn the other hand, actions and thoughts that possess duality,\ndiscrimination, and concept of self, and are attached in one way or\nanother, are not in harmony with Original Nature.\nNow I wish to give you a few examples of how to practice in\nharmony with Original Nature; They have been useful in my personal\npractice. But, since each person has different karma, you may find\nanother method more effective.\n1. Fifteen minutes of meditation on vast space every day\nYou may look at the open sky on a clear day. Concentrate your\neffort to see as far out as you can. If a bird, an airplane, a wisp\nof cloud, or any kind of object comes into view, ignore it and don't\nlet it distract you. If your eyes become tired, close them, but your\nmind should continuously \"look\" at the vast sky without wavering. The\nkey to this practice can be found in the following verse taken from\nThe One Hundred Thousand Songs of Milarepa, by Professor Garma C.C.\nChang:\n\"Like the sky devote of edge or center,\nMeditate on vastness and infinity.\"\nThat is the teaching Milarepa gave to his woman disciple, Sahle-\nAiu. It clearly emphasizes nonduality, nondiscrimination, and no self.\n2. Fifteen minutes of meditation on energy every day\nFirst, think of the outer skin of your entire body. The skin is\nmatter and is therefore a form of energy. Then, think of your flesh.\nFlesh is also matter and therefore also a form of energy. The bones\nare also a form of energy The lungs, heart, stomach -- every part,\nfrom the outside to the inside and then from the inside to the\noutside, is a form of energy.\nWhen you first begin this practice, repeat this process several\ntimes. You will reach the conclusion that everything in your body, and\nyour body as a whole, is energy and nothing else.\nThen, whatever you are sitting on is matter and thus energy. The\nair is energy. The warmth of the air is energy. Light is energy.\nPeople and animals are energy. The room, the house, the village, the\ncity, the earth, then, the moon, the sun -- everything in the\nboundless space you can think of they are all energy. All are\ncharacterized by non duality and nondiscrimination.\nWhenever your mind wavers and cannot keep expanding your vision of\nenergy, then retreat to the point where your vision of energy is\nclear.\nSince energy is a good analogy for Original Nature, this practice\ncan be very effective. It is simple yet in harmony with Original\nNature.\nI presume that you all know how to sit for meditation, so I shall\nnot describe it here. My booklet, \"What We Can Learn From Buddhism,\"\ngives a brief yet complete description of how to sit. You might like\nto use it as a reference.\n3. Practicing the perfection of giving (dana paramita)\nGiving means to help or benefit others. Twenty-five years ago, when\nI first came to this country, I had the distinct impression that the\npeople of this great nation have, in general, a warm generosity and\nwillingness to help other people. I must admit, however, that that\ngood impression has been gradually fading in recent years. I sincerely\nhope that this trend will be reversed. It is entirely up to each of\nyou. Don't forget that the social environment is the effect of our\ncommon karma. According to Buddhism, there are three kinds\nof giving:\nA) To help or benefit others by giving them the things they\nneed. Food, clothing, shelter, vehicles, money, and many other\nitems of a material nature are included in this category.\nB) To help or benefit others by giving them right knowledge and\ncorrect view. In Buddhism the reference is especially to\nDharma, i.e., the Buddha's teachings because according to\nBuddhism, Dharma is the most important knowledge that can help\npeople to rid themselves of suffering. Broadly speaking, the\nteaching of proper knowledge and skill to people to enable\nthem to be productive members of society is also giving under\nthis category.\nC) To help or benefit others by protecting them from various\nkinds of danger or alleviating their fears. This is called the\ngiving of fearlessness. People who contribute to keeping a\nplace, say, Central Park in New York City, secure and peaceful\nday and night for the citizens are, indeed, giving in this\ncategory. To save people from a ship in distress or from\nplaces hit by earthquakes, hurricanes, tidal waves, or other\ndisasters, are good examples of this kind of giving. A good\ndoctor or nurse who comforts a patient who has great fear is\ndoing meritorious giving.\nAll of the above is giving, but it may not be the perfection of\ngiving. You may remember that when we talked about karma, I said at\none point that one who does good deeds with selfish motive receives\nlimited merit, while one who does the same good deeds with no specific\npurpose or desire receive infinitely greater merit. Let me now\ndescribe the perfection of giving, which is one of the six Paramitas\nor perfections, taught by Buddha.\nPerfection of giving means giving without duality, without\ndiscrimination, and without concept of self. Or, to put it another\nway, perfection of giving is giving without any idea as to who is the\nrecipient, what is being given, or who the donor is. Therefore,\ngiving conditionally, or with string attached, is a kind of giving but\nit is not the perfection of giving.\nGiving with an expectation of reward is giving, but not the\nperfection of giving.\nGiving with discrimination regarding the recipients, such as, 'I\nonly donate to the church but not to the school,' is giving, but not\nthe perfection of giving.\nGiving for selfish reasons is giving; but it is not the\nperfection of giving.\nThe perfection of giving demands a mind of equality, non duality,\nnondiscrimination, and no self. Such giving is therefore in harmony\nwith Original Nature.\nFor those who have not achieved the ability to be in harmony with\nOriginal Nature, intensive prayer to a more tangible supramundane\nauthority, such as the gods of different religions, the Holy Mother\nMary, Jesus Christ, and in Buddhism, Buddha Amitabha and Bodhisattva\nKhan Yin the two most popular names, all serve effective purposes when\none is seriously ill, in danger, desperate, approaching death, and so\nforth. Such prayer, particularly for those who have had faith in one\nor more of the foregoing in their lives, could quickly bring back\ntheir concentration. The unwavering tranquility of one's mind is\nitself a process in harmony with Original Nature--the source of joy.\nI thank you for your patience in listening so intently during\nthese four sessions. You have probably noted that the key expression\nin these lectures has been Original Nature. It may be helpful to offer\nyou, as my conclusion, the following quotation from Chapter 9 of The\nHoly teaching of Vimalakirti, by Dr. Robert A.F. Thurman, entitled,\n\"The Dharma-Door of Nonduality\":\nThen, the Licchavi Vimalakirti asked those bodhisattvas, \"Good\nSirs, please explain how the bodhisattvas enter the Dharma-door of\nnonduality!\"\nThereupon, thirty-one bodhisattvas expressed their views of\nnonduality. I quote three expressions as examples:\nThe bodhisattva Srigandha declared, \"I' and 'mine' are two. If\nthere is no presumption of a self, there will be no possessiveness.\nThus the absence of presumption is the entrance into nonduality.\"\nThe bodhisattva Tisya declared, \"'Good' and 'evil' are two.\nSeeking neither good nor evil, the understanding of the nonduality of\nthe significant and the meaningless is the entrance into non duality.\"\nThe bodhisattva Suddhadhimukti declared, \"To say, 'This is\nhappiness,' and 'That is misery' is dualism. One who is free of all\ncalculations, through the extreme purity of gnosis--his mind is aloof,\nlike empty space; and thus he enters into nonduality.\"\nNear the end we read:\nWhen the bodhisattvas had given their explanations, they all\naddressed the crown prince Manjushri: \"Manjushri, what is the\nbodhisattva's entrance into nonduality?\"\nManjushri replied, \"Good sirs, you have all spoken well.\nNevertheless, all your explanations are themselves dualistic. To know\nno one teaching, to express nothing, to say nothing, to explain\nnothing, to announce nothing, to indicate nothing, and to designate\nnothing--that is the entrance into nonduality.\"\nThen the crown prince Manjushri said to the Licchavi Vimalakirti,\n\"We have all given our own teachings, noble sir. Now, may you\nelucidate the teaching of the entrance into the principle of\nnonduality! \"\nThereupon, the Licchavi Vimalakirti kept his silence, saying\nnothing at all.\nThe crown prince Manjushri applauded the Licchavi Vimalakirti:\n\"Excellent! Excellent, noble sir! This is indeed the entrance into the\nnonduality of the bodhisattvas. Here there is no use for syllables,\nsounds, and ideas.\"\nDear friends, why have I used so many words?\n(the following lines were added after the lecture was delivered on\nNovember 22, 1976)\n(At this point, Dr. Shen suddenly raised his voice.)\nNOW, ANSWER MY QUESTION, QUICK! QUICK !\n(The audience kept silent.)\nExcellent! Excellent! We have so many vimalakirtis here.\n(The audience then burst into laughter.)\nNow you have experienced it. The very moment that you burst into\nlaughter was the moment that you were in harmony with Original Nature.\nPerhaps you would all like to go home now and practice your harmony\nwith Original Nature.\nI thank you very much.\n-------------------------------------------------------------------\nThis lecture converted from printed to digital format and included in\nthe MOUNT KAILAS BBS TEACHING Library with permission from\nDr. C. T. Shen\nCopyright and all rights reserved by Dr. C. T. Shen","title":"Buddhism In Our Daily Life Lecture 4","type":"page"}