Belief or Trust

I am trying to get my head around Secular Buddhism as it relates to other teachings I have read recently.  In the process I am comparing some of the words spoken by Sangharakshita and material being published on the Secular Buddhist sites in the UK and America.  At present, these seem to be at odds not because the teachings are different (which to me they are), but because of a hang up about words being used rather than an understanding of the meaning of the words, that is a desire for literary correctness or intellectualism which leads me to wonder whether I'd be better following my own path!  I don't "believe" in the Buddha, I don't " believe" in his teachings, and I don't "believe" in enlightenment...but I don't think the Buddha meant me to; I do trust the Buddha's teaching to lead me to a better state, personally, and as I follow a path, rather winding I'm happy to admit, with lots of wrong turns, but if that path based on the Buddha's teaching improves my understanding of how I am, then I will continue to trust.  But I still won't "believe".

Non-religious

I'm attracted to Buddhism because it's not a faith based religion (or philosophy), but a moralistic means of achieving a better way to live through practical means.  These means are demonstrably able to show success in one's own life; not a metaphysical promise of something better in another existence (heaven, rebirth or whatever).  Of course there are religious elements within Buddhism as those writing down Gotama's teachings would have put whatever slant on those teachings that fitted their purpose and have been embellished much further since by those again with an agenda that would have related to their "circle of influence" (Hindu or whatever influence was paramount).  I'm not religious, and have no delusions (as they are to me) that my life, soul, consciousness or anything else continues after my death; that doesn't mean that I want to live a life lacking in morality though and Buddhist teachings show me the right "plan" to achieve enlightenment, though what I mean as "enlightenment" may well be challenged!  I tend to use Kant's view along the lines that enlightenment comes from the freedom to use reason; the Buddha taught us to challenge everything, not simply accept what is said or to simply have faith;  question and challenge all matters and accept only those teachings that have a beneficial result.

The Community

I have just joined up to http://secularbuddhism.co.uk/, not sure yet how new this on-line community is, but my joining was to some extent initiated by a visit to a Buddhist centre in a large city here in the UK. I didn't feel that it was for me, at least not yet; the costs seemed quite high, but I suspect this is down to the location of the centre as it must be expensive to keep up. I am hopeful of the secular Buddhist community, let's see how it all goes!

A Challenge To Act

"The four ennobling truths are not propositions to believe, they are challenges to act." So says, Stephen Batchelor in his short essay titled Buddhism Without Beliefs, A Contemporary Guide To Awakening.  Sums it up nicely for me (and probably a relief after reading the Surangama Sutra!).

Delusion

Well after about two weeks I managed to complete my reading of the Surangama Sutra; I found it very difficult going and quite difficult to comprehend, but I think the Sutra explains how our minds in a non-enlightened state lead us to be deluded about everything about and within us and the craving for these delusions and the "laws" of causality result in us being "caught in the trap of samsara".  This is a Mahayana Buddhist and probably a Pure Mind sutra, and so has much that goes way beyond my reasoning and deals with much that I'd call metaphysical (or maybe religious style doctrine) especially in the descriptions of the realms of hell, hungry ghosts etc. But do I think the effort in reading over 300 pages of quite dense and repetitive text was worth it...well I'm reserving my judgement on that one, especially as this was first sutra...I'm sure there will be many short summaries of the sutra available on the internet that are more easily digested and maybe I should have started there first.

Jain

Been reading this lunchtime about Jainism and its closeness to Buddhism.  It's interesting to note the differences in the Middle Way (rejecting ascetism) and lack of any great differentiation between male and female within Buddhism.  What is even more striking to me is less about comparisons between Jainism and Buddhism (and other religions and philosophies) but more about how advanced society was that existed then (i.e. 2500-3000 years ago) in the East.

No Substitute

Although I am struggling with the Surangama Sutra, a sentence within the translation I find quite pertinent in my own path is where Ananda (young cousin of the Buddha) says…"After I left home to follow the Buddha, I merely relied on his transcendental powers and always thought that I could dispense with practice since he would bestow samahi upon me.  I did not know that he could not be my substitute…I only realize now that, in spite of much listening to the Dharma, if I do not practise it I shall come to nothing as if I had not heard it, like a man who cannot satisfy his hunger by merely speaking of food".   I'm not sure if the Surangama Sutra, being a Mahayana Buddhist Sutra, will resonate with me.  But I will persevere through reading it all (I'm about 1/4 of the way through a first read).  I am reading a translation of the Digha Nikaya from Theravada Buddhism at the same time, which may mean more to me at this stage on my journey; it'll be interesting to compare my response to each.

The Surangama Sutra

Just downloaded The Surangama Sutra to study; it's 352 pages though!

Say No To Escalation

I have seen several calls for further more direct action to support Tibet. These calls seem to be attempting to escalate protest in a way which would not be peaceful; I think this would be wrong, and against the precepts of Buddhism and would alienate many Buddhists from the Tibettan cause. Protest must remain centred on our Buddhist principles of compasssion, renunciation and skilfulness. "This anger that you entertain/Is gnawing at the very roots/Of all the virtues that you guard..." "Hatred does not cease by hatred, hatred ceases only by love. This is the eternal law"

Improved Meditation

My meditation seems to be improving! I seem to be able to establish a more peaceful and quiet state overall, though my mind still wanders around all sorts of thoughts.  At the end I feel a kind of floating feeling and need to sit quietly for a few minutes.  I still use guided meditations, using mp3 downloads from various sites - I'm not confident enough yet to do without a guide.

Social Action

In researching my concern expressed below - that my desire for relieving oppression in Tibet had more to do with self-righteousness - I came across this. Take a look, it's an interesting read.

Casting Stones

In previous posts I have mentioned the oppression being experienced in Tibet; this morning I have been wondering why I have been focussed on Tibet when there are so many people across the world who are having their human rights denied?  I suppose having an affiliation to part of the world so familiarly Buddhist when practicing Buddhism oneself isn't surprising, but is this for my benefit more that Tibet's?  Are my actions really right, do I understand my motivation?  There is much I can influence close to me, especially myself of course; can I actually influence anyone else about Tibet? Why am I casting stones at China when there is so much I can address within myself? I wonder what the Buddha teaches...?

Development

In the teach yourself book below, I have just read the following words that reassured me somewhat..."I must recognise what I am getting right and getting wrong, and acknowledge what is improving as well as investigate what is not quite right...something I once could not do at all is now possible". A skill has to be learned, you can't learn to juggle just by reading about it, you need to stand there and practice; at first you will drop the balls more than you will catch them, but practice enough and you will improve...reading may tell you how, but practice really teaches you the right way and enables your skill to grow.

Reading list

Im reading two books at present (though I'm dipping in and out of several others). These two are, "Buddhism", a Teach Yourself book by Clive Erricker and "You Have Been Here Before: Reincarnation" by Seiyu Kiriyama.   I suppose reading the first one mentioned shows that I am still really naive about Buddhism as I suspect a teach yourself book is likely to be one picked by us raw beginners; I still feel though I need some form of guide as to what to actually do...I can practice and follow the Dharma but is what I think is following the Dharma anywhere near right?

Pali

I have read that to really understand the suttas I should learn at least some elements of Pali; my language skills are pretty weak, so this would be a daunting challenge to me. If anyone reading this has a view on the advantages I may get through approaching the suttas with knowledge of Pali, please leave comments.

All Roads...

My commute to work in the morning takes me over one of two possible bridges (I live on an island connected to the mainland by these two bridges). Both can get me to where I want to go, but one takes a more casual route, along the coast for a while, into some pleasant lanes before joining up with the same road as the other bridge. So whichever route I take, I know both will get me where I want to be.

Many Branches

I have concluded that I don't need to worry about which branch of Buddhism I should follow; I'll just keep an eye on them all as I continue my journey...those I have looked at briefly are Theravada, Mahayana, Pure Land, Zen and Ch'an...I will go into each of them more as the weeks go by.

Not a Straight Path!

I have been suggesting to a number of organisations that they should take some form of lead in raising awareness in support of the people of Tibet (see post below).  Am I being rather naive in thinking anyone might listen to me, I'm not from Tibet and my Buddhism journey has been only about 4 weeks?  This has led me down another route to think about...politics and Buddhism; my journey to Buddhism has not been very straight so far, I am wandering around a bit I wonder, and should I concentrate on a more straightforward path?

Easy Option?

I think I may need to assess the different types of Buddhism and see which I think has most resonance within me, I suspect I'll end up with something which suits me and is a mix up of things.  I want to ensure that I don't simply take an easy option though and end up no different than I am now.

Day of Action

An update on Tibet TV (see link opposite and here) requests that a day of peaceful action by Buddhists across the world takes place on the 8th February to protest against the recent killings in Tibet and to help bring about a transition to the lives of all those living (or exiled from) Tibet.  I have yet to determine what actions I will take myself; but we shouldn’t stay silent about the situation (unless of course a deliberate act of silence is your chosen protest).  I still find it difficult to understand why we as a worldwide community closely linked together in so many ways still believe that oppression, killing, destruction of culture, violence and torture can be an effective means of bringing about any form of improved society.  It is every individual that chooses to take the action they do, it is every individual that chooses violence, it is every individual that can also choose peace.

Recommended Site

There are many web sites and blogs that I have been using since starting on my journey.  Those that I have found particularly useful are listed opposite, but I'd like to draw your attention to this one in particular which is extremely rich in providing translations of Theravada texts with over 1000 suttas from the Pali canon.  Not only can this site be accessed on-line but you can download a huge amount of information for studying off-line too.

Ethics

I've had a quick look at different philosophical approaches to morality, and the four more recognised approaches; deontology, consequentialism, pragmatic ethics and virtue ethics. Deontology focuses on adhering to ethical duties, consequentialism focuses on the outcomes of actions, pragmatism is based on societal norms and virtue ethics stems from the identity and character of the individual, rather than being a reflection of the actions of the individual. Others have stated that Buddhism most closely matches virtue ethics (see work by Damien Keown for example, and the following page may explore this in more depth http://www.cbs.columbia.edu/buddhist_ethics/); but a quick very superficial review shows me that Buddhism absorbs and supersedes the recognised ethical approaches (if a 2500 year old philosophy can be said to supersede them) and that rather than searching for answers it is the practice of Buddhism that leads us where we want to be, even if we don't yet know where that is.

Right Action

The definition of Right Action seems a little simplistic and obvious, so I have been thinking about this in different contexts; I have hardly come to any great conclusions and there are areas that I'm still battling with. For example, there are many rules within any society that may not sit well with one's moral choice; but the potential to take the non-societal option, even when that would fit closer to ones morals, is probably limited.  I suppose the compassionate view, expressed often as “Do to others as you would have them to do to you” is a reasonable starting point; as this invites us to consider that expressing compassion and respect for all other people is a way of doing what is right. Another web site suggests asking the following to determine whether and action is morally "right":  
What benefits and what harms will each course of action produce, and which alternative will lead to the best overall consequences? 
What moral rights do the affected parties have, and which course of action best respects those rights? 
Which course of action treats everyone the same, except where there is a morally justifiable reason not to, and does not show favouritism or discrimination? 
Which course of action advances the common good? 
Which course of action develops moral virtues?
These are similar to the Five Precepts within Buddhism, which are:
1. Refrain from destroying living beings.
2. Refrain from stealing.
3. Refrain from sexual misconduct (adultery, rape, etc.).
4. Refrain from false speech (lying).
5. Refrain from intoxicants.
So, how to tell what is right and what is wrong? Many would argue that it is the moral codes of the traditional religions that have made society orderly and peaceful, but is this still (was it ever) correct? Society's rules do not necessarily provide us with the answer to what is the right action. Buddhism insists very strongly that there is right action, but it says that we cannot decide what right action is simply by thinking about it. It says that right action is decided just at the moment of acting. Buddhism is learning how to live, a very difficult task taking most of our lives to learn. We will often make mistakes in what we do and in how we treat others and ourselves, but all the important decisions in our lives rest with us alone. In the end, there is no-one to tell us what to do but ourselves. The decision is not a decision in our mind alone, but an intuitive decision in our whole body and mind.   (with thanks for much inspirational thought from this site)

Just Finding Out: Number 1

As part of my journey, I thought it'd be interesting to look into other areas of the world where maybe I wouldn't have thought Buddhism would be all that prevalent (more to show up my lack of knowledge, and to help me learn and understand more about my journey). One such area of the world is Russia; now I know little of Russia other than that we see occasionally on the news reports (and not much of that is often a positive message!), so I was happily surprised to see the following areas mentioned on another web site that had sent representatives to meet the Dalai Lama...traditionally Buddhist Russian regions of Buryatia, Kalmykia, Tuva, as well as from Moscow, St. Petersburg and Yekaterinburg. Oh, I am so ignorant! This journey is teaching me so much, yet the more I learn the more I realise how little I know and how much more there is to understand. I have also noticed that there have been several visits to this blog from friends in Russia; to you and all visitors, thank you and may peace be with you.

A Quiet Meditation

I tried a longer meditation this morning - 30 minutes this time rather than my more usual 10 to 15 minutes - a few odd things happened; at one point a square flash of light occurred, later I could feel my daughter's hair against my cheek...it was as if she was leaning against me.  In other meditations, I'm a bit disturbed by all the sounds that I can hear; the ticking of the clock, our dogs or cat, birdsong outside; but this time I don't recall hearing anything at all.  All the time I was able to bring my thoughts under control and centred on my breathing, counting mainly on the out breath.

Remember Them

Over the last few weeks there has been good news coming out of Burma at last. Ongoing efforts to agree ceasefires between, what those in power would refer to as rebels, such as Karen, and the freeing of political prisoners such as Buddhist monks, are happening now. How much pain and suffering we can cause others when we do not show compassion, some of the political prisoners have been incarcerated for many years, deprived of the simplest of luxuries; at least some had been able to find solace in meditation.

We Are All As Nothing

What is a tree without the rain to quench its thirst, without the sun to unfurl its leaves, without the birds to sing upon its branches, without the wind to move its form, without your mind to tell you it is a tree.  Without your mind it is nothing at all.  We are all connected to all things, and yet we are all as nothing.

Craving More

I have read that you can't become Buddhist by reading about it or by simply wanting it; you have to practice it, to live it and to challenge oneself to "be" it. Another blog raises interesting points about craving and the difficulties they experienced on understanding what to live without craving meant and the difficult challenges this presents. Take a look, really interesting!

Craving

I was unable to put up a post on my blog yesterday as I was away with work and couldn't get to an Internet connection. This left me with a sense of craving after blogging, the more I blog the more I want to blog! Seems rather trivial I guess, but if even the simplest most trivial things leads to craving more, this journey is going to be much more challenging than I anticipated!

Not A Case Of Belief; MLK

I thought I'd share this quote with you. ‎"The toughminded person always examines the facts before he reaches conclusions; in short, he postjudges. … But we must not stop with the cultivation of a tough mind. … What is more tragic than to see a person who has risen to the disciplined heights of toughmindedness but has at the same time sunk to the passionless depths of hardheartedness?"—Martin Luther King Jr.

This was posted recently on the Skeptics Society's web page (see links section on this blog to take you to their pages). I'm sure many other pages will have posted this quote over the last day or two following MLK Day in the USA. Strikes me, that this is about compassion as well as the verification of facts; sounds rather like the Buddhist way!

Freedom Of Thought

Buddhist teaching says do not believe what your book says, do not believe what your teachers would say, do not believe what your tradition says, do not take anything merely because it comes to you with the authority of somebody else; make it a personal experience, think for yourself and be convinced. And once you are convinced act accordingly. Me being a skeptical individual, preferring the scientific way of thinking rather than any form of belief system as in religious thought processes, find the Buddhist approach a very modern idea.

Work Tomorrow

Today is Sunday, and for many a restful day before work again in the morning.  Most will have some regret about this and wished they had just won the lottery instead.

But tomorrow when we go to our work, we should do so with integrity, kindness and honesty; that is to show compassion, as through compassion true happiness is found.

Heraclitus

I came across the Greek philosopher Heraclitus earlier today (he lived around 500BC); look him up as many of his quotes I see as following the principles and spirit of Buddhism - from all things one, and one all things.

All Is As One

Accept everything as it is, the sun, the rain, the snow, the wind; know the world and accept it.  We all breathe the same air.  Know yourself and your feelings.  Appreciate everything around and within you.  Take opportunities when they arise to contemplate upon yourself and your environment, even when you are stuck in traffic, at a red stop sign maybe, take time to appreciate what is about you; use the opportunity to simply sit, look and listen and absorb what surrounds you.  All is as one, you are me and I am you, we are the same.

Philosophy?

The Dharma, or the compassionate and moralistic way of life, calls upon no religion, nor philosophy nor law; there is is no blind faith, no dogma, no ceremonies. And yet this is still challenging, still requires effort and still needs us to practice every day.

A Right Tweet!

Right Speech must now incorporate, right Tweets, right Facebook, right Blog, right Texting etc!   There are so many ways now to communicate that are removed from direct interaction that the Right Speech portion of the moral elements of the Eightfold Path is probably more important than ever before. 

With all our communication methods we have now where there is no-one we talk to directly and so are unable to assess a reaction to what is being said we must be even more mindful of how we express ourselves.

Our words, in whatever form we express them, should be truthful and honest, promote harmony and good will, should be used to reduce anger and to ease tension, to be compassionate.   But we must also listen mindfully, not absorbing harsh words and allowing them to influence us indiscriminately.  A challenge, no doubt!

Noble Truth

The Noble Truths have clear implications to the way we live our lives, and the concept of suffering as expressed within Buddhist teaching can easily relate to the current fiscal sitution the western nations (primarily) find themselves in.  Blinded by the desire for more we were unable to see the consequences of our actions and now were are all suffering the results of this desire; to overcome this suffering we need to simplify our lives, in Buddhism this will be by following the Eightfold Path through Wisdom, Morality and Mental Discipline.

Agnostics?

Have been reading a bit more about "agnostic Buddhism"' and as always there's much on the Internet about it. A useful thought provoking set of exchanges are shown here. I will be looking into this more over the coming months, but for now I'm happy to simply learn rather than express an uneducated view. My standpoint will be from a scientific rather than faith based perspective and I find the idea of rebirth quite challenging. But I have a lot to learn, and will do so with an open enquiring mind.

The Meditation

My meditation went quite well, my mind wondered quite often but I was able to bring it back quite quickly each time.  The meditation guide began by relaxing the body and ensuring I was in the right posture, then concentrated on the out-breath, counting at the end of breathing out.  Then concentrating on the in-breath, counting just before breathing in.  The difference was interesting, in that counting on the out-breath seemed much more calming and slowed down my breathing whereas counting just before the in-breath seemed to enliven the mind.  Later stages stopped the counting and focussed on the sensation of breathing on different parts of the body - this seemed to alternately relax and bring some tension. I found that when my mind wandered, I tended to listen to the gentle breathing of my wife who was sleeping, or to feel the presence of my daughter, I also kept hearing the ticking of our clock and different birds calling outside...it seemed that whenever I heard a new noise that I became distracted but only for a very short while. When my meditation was complete, I just sat for a while feeling very calm but it seemed I was straining to hear new noises...I wonder what that was for?

Meditation For The First Time

In a few moments I will undertake my first meditation. I will post later and let you know my experience, but I am going to use assistance from this site, http://www.wildmind.org/mindfulness/introduction, streaming an MP3 of a meditation on the Mindfulness of Breathing. Hopefully my mind won't be like the unruly monkey jumping from tree to tree.

Is My Mind Full Already?

On my way home last night (a long 3 hour drive) I listened to a talk about Mindfulness; unfortunately the talk didn't explain much about what this is rather it focussed on reminding oneself to be mindful and using triggers throughout the day. I suppose that being mindful is about actively thinking about how you are, about how you react and how you feel...being "purposely aware" of your actions. The person on the talk I was listening to, referred to being awake; awake to your thoughts and actions. So, when I was washing the dishes from our evening meal, I tried it out. I didn't manage very well and my thoughts probably wandered...I say probably as I can't recall at all what I was actually thinking. Is this a case of must try harder or is this a common experience I wonder. I will keep trying, especially during meditation but I suspect it's much easier then.

You Reap What You Sow

...or cause and effect...or Karma. Our intended actions will bear fruit, and we should judge our actions on the long term impact that such actions have. Our actions should not cause suffering to ourselves or others as the fruit that results from this is rebirth in a lower realm as in the worst case or unhappiness in less severe cases. I still struggle with the idea of rebirth and the different realms of "being", but it's much easier to agree that wholesome actions that benefit oneself and others result in a more fulfilled life now and if that just so happens to lead to a better rebirth then do I need to worry too much about such ideas?

The Preciousness of Life

I have been watching a TV programme recently about the Amish in the USA and although I was not taken by their religious beliefs, their way of living simply and to the benefit of family and community without accepting commercial exploitation was very appealing. We should experience the same simplicity in our lives and in seeking refuge in Buddha reject material development and accept the means of adopting Dharma in our lives is through renunciation and compassion. The real meaning of life is not found in material things, it is found through practicing Dharma, and yet the pull of wanting more, to buy to excess especially during the Christmas season just gone is so strong that makes it so much easier to fail in our quest.

So Much Information

I suppose you'll know this site already, but it looks good to me (good being an understatement!) http://www.freebuddhistaudio.com/ There's so much information on the Internet that I feel a bit overwhelmed, I hope the site just mentioned may help me and I think a trip to the Manchester Buddhist centre maybe useful too.

The Sutra

Still day 1! I have downloaded three books in the series "Modern Buddhism - The Path of Compassion and Wisdom"; Sutra, Tantra and Prayers for Daily Practice. All by Geshe Kelsang Gyatso. Just started on Sutra, a few hundred pages to go! I'm worried about the title of the third book, no Deity...so what are we praying to. Just looked at a website on secular Buddhism, seems to be some controversey about this, but as Buddhism doesn't have a deity I wonder why?

My Journey Begins

Hello all. I am taking a new journey in my life to discover Buddhism, please come along for the ride. In this blog I plan to let you know how well I get on, the difficulties I face and the challenges that Buddhism brings to me. I admit I'm struggling with the reincarnation aspects already, and it's only day 1!