What's Buddhism?

By Thích Giác Ðuc

The teachings of Buddha are both practical and ethereal, all-en-compassing and particular, otherworldly and of this world. They ask of the practitioner much perseverance, yet they also allow him to break from ingrained habits and attachments in order to help himself and others. For that reason, it is extremely difficult to provide a concise definition of Buddhism that would include all of its characteristics.

A definition of Buddhism can make clear only one aspect of its teachings at a time. Even the Buddha himself uses short and concise definitions to present this or that general characteristic of Buddhism.

It is precisely because of this vast applicability and flexibility of Buddhism that each one of us will have his own understanding of Buddhism, depending on his faculties, level of knowledge and disposition. Thus, some can think of Buddhism as a doctrine, others can think of it as a philosophy, an occult science, an experimental science, a sociopolitical science, or a religion. Let us briefly discuss each one of these views.

IS BUDDHISM A DOCTRINE?

A doctrine, and especially a political doctrine, is inseparable from an ideology. An ideology is a system of thought that purportedly has answers to every issue of life, be it social, political or economic. An ideology therefore claims to respond to the aspirations of mankind at a certain period of time, most specifically in our time. In that way, an ideology is only meant for a definite era at best (being a product of the social environment of that era and responding to its aspiration only), no ideology can claim or has ever claimed to have permanent answers.

On the other hand, although Buddhism does not lack fundamental answers to social and political issues of our time, its main thrust is still to provide a solution to the deepest and greatest aspiration of man, that is how to liberate oneself from suffering, how to awaken to the Truth and to reach at the absolute freedom. In other words, how to personify through one's life and one's action, the reality and "suchness" of life. Buddhism thus reaches well beyond any ideology, especially the presently conflicting ideologies that are tearing the world apart. It goes well beyond any limitation of time or space to be the eternal Truth.

IS BUDDHISM A PHILOSOPHY?

The Buddhist Tripitaka discusses many "doctrines" and several systems of thoughts dealing with reality, man, and the universe in the most rigorous of logic, but his does not mean that Buddhism is a philosophy as some people might mistakenly take it to be. The approach of philosophy and especially of metaphysics might be based on intuition, deduction and interpretation, it still is the result of a conditioned mind, that is, relative knowledge and a superficial understanding. The results can no more be valid than a kind of "vague guessing", they can never lead to an actual experience of the Truth as is the aim of Buddhist teachings, the fact of making oneself one with the Truth.

Philosophy has raised too many questions but it has never been able to five us any final answers. The deeper we go into philosophy the more we flounder into uncertainty and unsettled conclusions. On the other hand, with Buddhism as the method of cultivating oneself, the more we are familiar with the Dharma the more we develop a peaceful mind and the more tolerant we become towards life. Our wisdom grows and grows to shine ever more clearly and become complete, until the day we can fully identify our perfect wisdom with the enlightened nature of the universe. This is the Buddha!

IS BUDDHISM AN OCCULT SCIENCE?

A number of branches of Mahayana Buddhism, especially the branch known as Tantrism, include practices that can lead us to think of occult phenomena for instance, the bodies of long - deceased monks may still hold up, sometimes for several centuries, without getting disintegrated. I have myself seen with my own eyes a Vietnamese Zen Patriarch (in fact, it was the founder of the Tra Trung Monastery, Xuân Truong district, Province of Nam Ðinh) put his hand into a copper-melting pot. The boiling copper was meant for a temple bell-without getting his hand burnt. Of course, mention has not been made of much more miraculous happenings such as the passing of the "mind seal" as practiced in the Zen sect or the no less miraculous appearance and disappearance of the Buddha and Bodhisattvas (including their no less wondrous metamorphoses and miracle workings). All these so-called miracle have nothing abstruse about them. They are simply the result of some practices found in Buddhism, they can not be considered the main objective of the enlightenment process. Furthermore, they can in no way be considered a necessary appendage of those traveling on the path leading to liberation.

For the above reasons, Buddhism can not be considered an occult science. The Buddha himself used to forbid his disciples to concentrate on acquiring these miracle-working powers. These powers can not decisively influence the cosmic forces that shape our lives, neither can they help us escape the cycle of birth and death.

IS BUDDHISM AN EXPERIMENTAL SCIENCE?

More than 25 centuries ago, the discoveries of experimental science that we are familiar with today of course were not yet known. Deities were then still thought by men to be the prime movers behind every natural and social event. Yet the Buddha already told us of an immense universe that is contained in boundless space and infinite time. In that boundless space, the planets are innumerable, depending on one another for their existence and perpetuation, always forming and disintegrating, always being born and decaying in a ceaseless motion. In other words, "the Dharma worlds are repeatedly conditioned to coarise," as the Scriptures say.

The living beings brought about by the comic forces in specific worlds also innumerable. The birth, existence destruction and disappearance of the various worlds and the living beings that are contained therein do not come from an original cause or an original and independently existing prime mover. According to the Buddha, there is nothing that can stand independently. That is suigeneris. In other words, the universe does not have a prime cause.

Buddhism has been said to be even more of a science when it is learned that the Buddha, through his mere wisdom, can see in a cup of water uncounted numbers of bacteria. As the Scriptures say, "the Buddha looked into a cup of water with his wisdom eyes and saw innumerable germs..."

In conclusion, although there are points of similarity between experimental science and Buddhism such as an objective approach, for instance, the two differ entirely on their objective, aim and methods. The scientist concentrates on discovering secrets of nature in order to take advantage thereof, so as to create physical comforts for man. Man can, for instance, land on the moon and see all the way to Mars, but he can not escape suffering and ignorance as long as he is not free from craving, hatred, and lust. In that case, happiness will forever be out of reach.

Science is not by nature evil. But when it is put to use for the purposes of greed, hatred and lust, then it becomes a most terrible instrument of evil. The destruction of the atomic bomb, the pollution of the air and the water clearly do not come from Heaven. They are the result of comic forces created by man.

On the other hand, the progress of science in space, anthropology and medicine has nonetheless born out the validity of the Buddha's teachings. What the teachings of Buddha aim at is the liberation of life and the attainment of spiritual freedom. Buddhism, furthermore, is not a subject of study that one can analyze like any other academic subject. It is a method of cultivating oneself in order to find liberation from our suffering to experience the Truth and to reach complete Enlightenment.

IS BUDDHISM A SOCIOPOLITICAL SCIENCE?

There are those who believe that Buddhism is an other worldly set of beliefs and for that reason it does not deal with issues of this world. According to this view Buddhism is merely a set of religious practices aimed to the achievement of enlightenment and not concerning at all the secular world. Such a view can only come from very inadequate studies of the Buddha's teachings. On the other hand, there are those who believe that the Buddhism contains a vast and previous store of knowledge in regard to social and political issues for which reason, it has been called upon to guide both the authorities and the population of Buddhist countries for thousands of years as well as to provide appropriate and precise answers for the political and economic crises of our time. The Buddha himself has on many occasions elaborated on the origins of a nation and of a society, on the role and development of the economy in a society as well as on the principles of political and social morality. He has taught also the ten golden rules of governing a people so that a king can be come enlightened and humane, thus allowing the population to find peace in their homes and careers. He also taught the seven conditions needed to establish a prosperous and democratic society and the six principles of harmony and respectfulness that will insure economic equality while respecting private property. He introduced to us the "Gana" and "Sangha" communities ideal republican societies. At a deeper level, the teaching of conditioned co-arising can help us to redirect social changes in the direction of goodness. The teaching of Non-self points out to us our social responsibility through the idea of the collective and individual Karmas as it links us irrevocably with our own kind. It thus creates a situation of social interdependence.

The political teachings of the Buddha differ radically from the sociopolitical sciences of today in the sense that they do not teach us how to build up power and to create individual or collective interests (such as the interests of a ruling party). In particular they eschew all forms of war and violence. Instead, they try to find applications for the use of Compassion in order to contribute to the happiness of everyone in society.

IS BUDDHISM A RELIGION?

The world "religion" in fact is a western concept, in the East the corresponding idea is called "the way" or "Path". In their essence, a way very different from a religion. The idea of religion, for instance, carries with it a concept of holiness, of a dependence on God or gods, is why a religion has at times been defined as "The revelations of God to man". If we accept such a definition, then Buddhism is not a religion, since Buddhism makes no mention of God.

If we want to call Buddhism a religion, them we must find a different religion for this concept, which would be large enough for Buddhism. Perhaps: "A religion is a human form organization based upon the teachings of a founding Master, or in accordance with the wishes of one or more gods. These teachings at least have in common the idea that death does not end it all. A religion is often linked to prayers and faith. "Such a definition would not fully describe Buddhism but maybe one can rely on it enough to say that Buddhism, as it is commonly conceived is indeed a religion.

WHAT IS BUDDHISM?

Buddhism is a "religion" that does not rely on any divine power. The practice of Buddhism also does not simple rely on Faith. Prayers and worship in Buddhism are only ways of purifying one's speech, action and thought. Worship is merely a self-cultivation practice needed in the first stage on the path to salvation. Buddhism is the path to the non-conditioned mind experiencing liberation form all illusions and suffering. That liberation path is based on three elements: the moral precepts, meditation, and wisdom. The Eight fold Noble Path helps us cultivate ourselves to build a prosperous societies while at the same time proceeding towards the liberation and true happiness of Nirvana. As we proceed on the path to liberation, we shall awaken to "ourselves" and to the values of life as well as to reality. The more we are awakened to these truths, the more happiness we will know. Children, for instance, will be so wrapped up in the idea of getting candy-not having been awakened to the real value of their object attachment-that they will cry over it when they do not get their bag of candy, as we would cry over a full life time of work that is wasted. After the awakening, we would be liked adults who having realized the actual value of candy, shall not let it rule cause but with the attitude of non-attachment.

CONCLUSION