Let us start with this definition by Stephen Batchelor. Buddhism is “a generic term that points not to any single view but to a diversity of strategies and tactics that different followers of the Buddha throughout history have adopted, some of which are religious or devotional or inspirational in nature, and others of which are more pragmatic or, one could almost say, relativist—down to earth.”[i]
Buddha then was not concerned with psychological, spiritual, religious or philosophical questions. He was the ultimate pragmatist concerned with existential questions. In other words, he answered the First Great Question Where Am I? as well or better than anyone before or since.
Buddha did not want his teaching to be used to start a religion because he realized the nature of religions is to elevate the teacher to the status of a super-human being and thereby negate his fundamental teaching which was that all people have the ability to achieve transcendence, or in other words, to shift to P-A. “Buddhism holds that our original nature is that of the enlightened Buddha and that we have just forgotten it.”[ii] It is our natural state to live in the NOW. We can never be successful or comfortable in the fear-driven context of P-B.
Buddha was well aware of both Paradigm-B and Paradigm-A. “Samsara [P-B] refers to a state of existence that is characterized by a predominance of suffering, and nirvana [P-A] refers to the state of liberation from suffering as well as to the cessation of its causes. We see that the four noble truths are causes and effects: the first two truths are the cause and effect of samsara; the second two truths are the cause and effect of nirvana, or enlightenment. When we perceive the momentary nature of all experience [impermanence], we see that we are rendered helpless in matters of choice. Do we have a choice to remain in this moment for another moment? No. We have no choice but to let go.”[iii]
Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche continues: “We cannot hang on to any living experience for more than a brief moment, whether that experience is a blissful or agonizing one. The root of all our suffering is our ego-clinging to all our experience, whether pleasurable or painful, it has the same nature of suffering. Denial does not alleviate our suffering, nor does it help to free us from suffering and its causes. Obviously, if we do not recognize the presence of suffering, we will have no reason to seek liberation.”[iv]
Hence, the importance of the First Noble Truth, namely that life is suffering. That is where liberation must begin in the same way that liberation begins for an alcoholic in the twelve-step program: “I am an alcoholic.” Life in P-B is suffering no matter what the experience is.
Buddhists are taught that we live in a state of unconsciousness (P-B) in which we experience layers of illusion that seem real when we are within that particular illusion. “Our present experience of life can be viewed as a long dream arising from our lack of understanding about whom we truly are and the actual nature of our world. What we usually refer to as a “dream” is only a short-term fantasy that we wake up from every morning. The real dream we are having is our “waking life,” a delusion that continues on and on. When we are in this dream and do not recognize that we are dreaming, then everything we see appears as solid and real, and we do not see any possibilities for transforming our painful experiences. However, when we recognize that we are dreaming, then everything becomes spacious, transparent and free, and all of our confusions and suffering can be easily transformed.”[v]
Unlike many spiritual teachers there are a few Buddhist teachers, like Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche, who agree with those of us who contend that reactive behavior can be “easily transformed.”
Buddhism uses a different approach regarding “worldly pleasures” than do many other religions. Instead of teaching that these pleasures are sinful and are to be avoided with the penalty of punishment in this world or the next, the emphasis is on the ultimate illusion of these pleasures. They do not lead to happiness and indeed always lead to suffering.
The irony here is that those who understand the nature of craving (seeking pleasure) and aversion (trying to avoid pain) find a deeper peace, freedom and happiness by avoiding “worldly pleasures” precisely because they do not deliver what they promise—but indeed result in exactly the opposite. Marcus Aurelius was one of few Western philosophers who profoundly understood how futile and dangerous the pointless pursuit of pleasures of the senses was.
Those of us who get caught up in the cycles of pursuing that which is pleasant and avoiding that which is unpleasant simply do not understand the true causes of this behavior. Instead, we find ourselves in a constant state of reaction. We are continually in a disturbed state of mind. Once we have the insight into the nature of this reality, we can begin to shift to a higher state of awareness and move toward a balanced state of mind—a mind that is equanimous—non-reactive.
The foundational principles of Buddhism that we have learned so far include the universality of human suffering, that the cause of that suffering is craving and aversion, and that suffering can be transcended. The means of transcending suffering is called the Eightfold Path described below by Huston Smith,[vi] with Simple Reality cross-referenced below each.
- Right knowledge – What is the problem? “Life needs some blueprint, some map the mind can trust if it is to move ahead.”
Simple Reality – The Simple Reality Project is such a plan
- Right aspiration – What do we really want? “Consistency of intent is indispensable; our determination to transcend our separateness and identify ourselves with the welfare of all must be sure and intense.”
Simple Reality – Oneness
- Right speech – What do we really say? Much of our speech is designed to protect the ego rather than to express the truth. “False witness, idle chatter, abuse, and slander are to be avoided.”
Simple Reality – True Self and False Self
- Right behavior – What is our true motive? Our behavior should be motivated by charity and selflessness, by compassion and lovingkindness. “When man’s ‘awareness of experience is fully operating,’ writes Carl Rogers, ‘his behavior is to be trusted.’ For in these moments the human organism becomes ‘aware of its delicate and sensitive tenderness towards others.’”
Simple Reality – Compassion
- Right livelihood – What are the consequences of my work?
Simple Reality – Engage in occupations that cause no harm to others (any life on this planet).
- Right effort – What effort will best assure that I reach my goal? Here the story of the tortoise and the hare illustrates Buddha’s meaning or the will of the “long-distance runner.”
Simple Reality – The Point of Power Practice
- Right mindfulness – What is the role of my mind? Buddha said, “All we are is the result of what we have thought.”
Simple Reality – Intuition and Intellect
- Right absorption – What will be my experience of liberation? “A new mode of experience; a transmutation into a different kind of creature with another indescribably wonderful world to live in.”
Simple Reality – Present Moment
And needless to say, that “indescribably wonderful world” is Paradigm-A.
Buddhism
[i] Cohen, Andrew. “Absolutely Not!” What is Enlightenment? Lennox, Massachusetts, Fall/Winter 1998, p. 115.
[ii] Capra, Fritjof. The Tao of Physics. New York: Bantam, 1975, p. 24.
[iii] Rinpoche, Dzogchen Ponlop. “What the Buddha Taught.” Shambhala Sun. Boulder, Colorado, May 2006, p. 42.
[iv] Ibid.
[v] Ibid., p. 53.
[vi] Smith, Huston. The Religions of Man. New York: Harper, 1958, pp. 117-123.
