SOUND THE DHARMA CALL
Teachings here are dedicated to the essence of Buddha Dharma that transcends words. The intention is not to simply regurgitate a million and one pretty phrases, it is to strip stained and contaminated aspects of Modern Buddhism away from the teachings of the great masters in every Buddha Dharma path. It is to shed Shantideva light upon Bodhisattvayana, the path of compassion and benevolence, and upon Dharmayana, the path for the release from individual suffering and identity.
Stained Modern Buddhism
What is stained Modern Buddhism? It is a Buddhism which is generating a religious approach to compassion and benevolence (clearly without a supreme being or soul). This “popular Buddhism” teaches without any meaningful reference to the richness of the profound teachings that lead through Dharmayana to the dissolving of Suffering and Identity, and to Bodhi Dharma, which is the Dharma of Awakening leading to the direct experience of no-mind and the elimination of Duality within conscious thought.
What is stained Modern Buddhism? It is a Buddhism that permits the constant reinforcement of conscious thinking and generates in those with developed cognitive intelligence an analytical and cold Buddhism that is only at best academic. The danger is that those captured by the worship of their own academic mind believe that they are on the path when they are actually wandering, immersed in the bogs of Mara.
What is stained Modern Buddhism? It is a Buddhism which at the elementary level in all disciplines from Theravada to Tantra teachings and is applied at a superficial level, capturing adepts at one extreme by the academic and simple beauty of the teachings and at the other by ritual, rites and ceremony. These, contrary to their own Great Masters of the past, do not in any way teach the subtlety and profundity of even the first steps of refuge. They evolve parrot rendition of mantras and sadhanas and simplistic understanding of the Noble truths without the profound understanding which is necessary.
What is stained Modern Buddhism? It is a collection of closed systems which has lost the richness of mutual understanding at the higher levels and has developed into a competitive arena in which the number of followers is counted as the measure of success and the building of stupas and temples is more relevant than the pledge to truly eliminate Ignorance from all human creatures and free all creatures from the destruction of the human stained mind. It is a Buddhism built and dependent upon names and labels, not upon the essence of the Dharma truth.
What is stained Modern Buddhism? It is the modern impetus that believes that the teachings of the great realized Masters of the past (from Buddha to Atisha, Tilopa, Naropa, Marpa and Milarepa in the Tibetan teachings; Huineng, Yunmen, Fayen, Caoshan, Dongshan, Linji, Guishan, Yangshan and Zongmi and others of this Golden age, in the Chinese teachings, and all that truly followed in their footsteps maintaining true at all times to the natural Dharma) can be modified to suit our times and even melded with eternalist ideas and the consumer world.
What is stained Modern Buddhism? It is the application of patches to suffering in a thousand different forms which trap those treated in a round of Samsara. It is the proliferation of false compassion and false benevolence founded on the intellectual application of the Dharma melded with a natural and correct concern for social injustice. It is the great trap of Mara that permits pity, empathy and identity to masquerade as compassion.
The use of the word Buddhism itself is a reflection of the disease and, as all “-isms”, it is best forgotten. While there have been many forms to divide Buddha Dharma into coherent groups, here we do not use the traditional triple division of Buddha Dharma into three vehicles, (Theravada, Mahayana and Vajrayana). Instead we use the designation of three paths which more correctly represent the flowing relationship in which it can be seen that the apparently separate vehicles actually meld into one. These are the paths of the true Bodhisattva pledge (Bodhisattvayana),which leads and continues into the path of the Natural way (Dharmayana); and the Dharma of Awakening to the no-mind, the primordial state (Bodhi Dharmayana).
These may best be considered not as three vehicles leading to separate destinations, but a single train in which passengers can alight and enter and in which the conductor my change. Beyond that there is the long walk within Samsara with the constant presence of the No-mind that leads to final Enlightenment.
DHARMA WARRIORS
This teaching then is for Buddha Dharma Warriors who are prepared to roar on the Dharma Battlefield like lions against stained and shallow Dharma teaching and yet treat those injured with Bodhisattva kindness and compassion. Our task then is to promote Bodhisattvayana but prevent the Bodhisattva ideas from degenerating to a crass religious compassion and benevolence in which Buddha Dharma is (although without the presence of a Godhead or soul) no different than eternalist religions ruled by Identity.
The current problem with present teachings is that it is so easy to fall into a dreadful trap. The greedy hands of commerce are strangling the planet and while all speak of social justice there is none. It is natural then for those with an open heart to extend a hand to help, not just in the areas of suffering but everywhere where injustice prevails and confusion and hatred open the doors to violence and oppression.
That is the work of Bodhisattvayana, but we must remember that the Dharma must be spread so that the doors to higher understanding can remain open. That was Buddha’s main task. It is the main task of Buddha Dharma.
We must indeed help all individuals burdened in this world, but we must remember that there are, in the Buddha Dharma pure mind, no individuals. Suffering is like a giant octopus which has covered the world with its black ink so that few can see the truth through the obscurity of Ignorance. Its multifarious tentacles stretch out randomly, and wherever the tip of a tentacle touches all that is potentially human, duality bears fruit in the dual consciousness of individual existence and consequential suffering.
Let those who can, battle in this world with compassion and benevolence directed at helping individuals within Bodhisattvayana. It is a noble path fit for the Sons and Daughters of Buddha Dharma. Let those who lead and travel this path be likened to Great Healers.
Let those who will, battle to lead all individuals away from identity domination and suffering while upon the way of Dharmayana. That too is a noble path.
Let those who teach and travel upon that path be likened to Moses who led his people from Darkness.
And let those with the capacity to strike directly at that octopus that darkens the world, with only with the shield of a pure mind and the sword of expedient means, destroy all Duality in the minds of men and women.
As they enter into mortal combat against Mara, let them advance in the shoes of the Conqueror himself. These teachers of the Dharma Law of Awakening (with the lion's roar), though they may in the end lose their life, are, as Buddha declared, “worthy” true noble sons of the Dharma.
This is then a strong call for all to generate noble and correct Dharma Intentions This is a strong call for correct Dharma Actions. The question may be asked, “Are we really in a time when there is a fall in Dharma understanding and practice that needs such strong measures?” It may seem not, for kindness and benevolence is preached like never before within the assemblies and temples.
Buddha Dharma is in a mess.
QUO VADIS?
There is then for us a choice.
1. Do nothing and adopt a fatalist attitude and see the gradual destruction of Dharma once more, trusting that there will be some valid Masters who find a place to weather the storm.
2. Fight now to preserve the purest seeds of Dharma knowledge for those Masters trusting that there will come a moment when it can be reborn again, perhaps in a more fortunate time, when there is a better readiness to accept the Dharma truth.
But even if there is no other Completely Awakened one to come and all is in vain, the veridical Dharma Truth of No-Mind and the knowledge of the various untainted paths to that Dharma Truth must be kept alive as long as possible.
How?
CORRECT TEACHINGS (Changed position)
Our emphasis here in this web page then is upon correct Bodhisattvayana and Dharmayana teachings, because it would be mirroring folly if we simply declared what was incorrect without providing teachings that are correct, allowing each student to see by direct experience where the truth lies.
This is important, for only by direct experience can the the truth be made clear.
Many have heard the words of the Surangama Sutra, but listening and understanding is of no use if it is not put into practice. The message is clear.
It may indeed seem strange for many that the term Dharmayana, so often associated with the early teachings of Buddha, should be paired in this page with a gold line drawing of a Bodhisattva and his consort, but there is a reason why this has been presented in this form.
First, it is to draw attention to the fact that Dharmayana, the Dharma path, is fundamental to even the most apparently esoteric teaching of Buda Dharma
Second, it is to make evident that although the Bodhisattva concept is not emphasized in early Buddhism, the intentions of Buddha Dharma, which is the liberation of Suffering and the elimination of Identity, includes the necessity of pursuing a life of generosity and benevolence. After the council that split Buddha Dharma in two major divisions, Dharmayana was re-affirmed and re-established and the Bodhisattva idea introduced to stop the Identity from regenerating itself even in the lives of arahats who had not advanced beyond duality.
Third, it is to make the clear statement that there is just one Buddhism. Now this does not just mean that all Buddhism is based upon the same fundamental ideas, but also that even the higher teachings are identical and are masked only by the superficial external colorings of the various practices, which are seen to be identical if one looks beyond the external trappings. In fact, a realized Bodhisattva sees no difference in the essencials of the paths and being a Master of one is a Master of all.
There have been attempts to draw the threads of Buddha Dharma together at the roots searching out and uniting apparently different groups on the basis of common fundamental threads. These threads naturally enough are found within the Bodhisattva ideal. Noble though this endeavour is at a time when “love between human creatures regardless of belief” seems important, there is an inherent flaw. It builds and generates the new Modern Buddhism and tends to mask the higher ideals of Buddha. It becomes too comfortable, too secure and too attainable. As a result, a religious doctrine of compassion and love is built, as we have said, which is not different than any of the world’s religions except in the non acceptance of a supreme power and a lasting soul.
The concern of those who tread this path is not doubted, nor is their honesty, their integrity or intentions. Their work in social areas is correctly within the framework of Buddha Dharma but it falls short. It is incomplete Buddha Dharma and it simply camouflages the differences within meditation and practice that are alien to the true Dharma and that forge idealistic separation, causing dual thought and enmity at levels where there should be unanimity and comprehension.
THIS INCOMPLETE BUDDHA DHARMA MUST BE CHALLENGED.
The Bodhisattva shown with his consort is representative of the highest level of the path, which is the Unification of the Masculine Principle of true Compassion and understanding of the unity of all things with the Feminine Principle of the Wisdom and Understanding of the internal essence of life within every creature. He is the means, she is the path.
You will see too that the Bodhisattva wields a sword. That is because he is Manjushri and his sword represents the cutting away of Ignorance wherever it is found. No matter whether it is, within or outside of the Buddha Dharma realm, ignorance must be cut away. No matter whether it is within initiations or higher teachings, ignorance must be cut away. No matter whether ignorance is within the words of adepts or masters, it must be cut away.
That is also our task in this page.
If it is not, then Buddha Dharma will decay and be lost. Perhaps the eventual loss is inevitable. But perhaps there will spontaneously arise another human creature who will reach beyond the mundane, realizing the no-mind is prepared to fight against the great blanket of obscurity that darkens the world. Our task, however, is to let the Dharma truth last as long as possible, even as a small seed in the ashes of civilization. But who can be trusted to teach these Dharma Truths?
It is the Warriors of Higher Dharma, Masters of Bodhi Dharma who must actually present the correct teachings of Bodhisattvayana and Dharmayana. It cannot be left only in the hands of those who do not fully understand.
Where today are the Tilopas, Naropas, Marpas and Milarepas? Where today are Huineng, Yunmen, Fayen, Dongshan, Caoshan, Linji, Guishan, Yangshan and Zongmi?
WE MIGHT EXPECT TO FIND THEM IN THE HALLOWED HALLS OF BUDDHISM, BUT IN THIS WORLD IT IS CLEAR THAT FINE ROBES DO NOT MAKE A FINE MASTER OR JUDGE NOR DO FINE WORDS MAKE FINE HUMAN CREATURES.
The Master of Truth, Kunga Legpa (Drugpa Kunley), possessor of the bow and arrow that slays the Ten Enemies (impediments), Master of the hunting dog that kills duality, and Bearer of the Shield of Loving Kindness, Compassion, and Patience, when young, left his home, patrimony, family, and friends, as Buddha and so many other Masters did.
Through a synthesis of the meaning of all the teachings he had received, he awakened to the truth of no-mind. Upon this understanding, he offered his robes to the image of Buddha, and as a mendicant wandered through the World following his own nature. He summarized his understanding in these words and in subsequent clear verses he echoes the spirit and ideas of the true old masters.
If I were to return to being a resident Lama I would be a slave to my disciples and companions and lose freedom of action.
If I were to become an ordained monk I would be obliged to guard the discipline, and who can constantly guard his pledges without fail?
If I were to return to being a sage I would be compromised to the discovery of the nature of the mind. Is this not already clearly evident?
If I am or not a bad example for others depends totally on the intelligence of the observer.
Furthermore, if a man is destined to pass his time in inferno in imitation of a Buda he would not be saved. And, if a man is destined for Buddhahood, the type of robes he uses are not relevant and his activity is naturally spontaneous and pure.
Desiring a permanent home or branding (as his own) any material object, he strays from the path strengthening the idea of “me” and “mine”.
When one venerates monks the potential for emotional clinging is at this point greater than the common man.
Normally it is certain that the first motivation in founding a monastery is to establish a place where adepts can meditate. This is praiseworthy but (it must be remembered) when there is a necessity for common protection there arises dispute among members. That which may be originally a form of sacred fraternity evolves into a den of thieves, for all are then within the realm of Egoism.
Failing to catch the spirit of the Buddhas.
What use is it to follow the letter of the Law ?
"My good man, the defenders of the correct teaching don’t need to observe the five precepts nor practice the appropriate rules of conduct. On the contrary, they should wield knives and swords, bows and arrows.”... Buddha was in agreement.
Without an apprenticeship to a competent Master,
What use is great talent and intelligence?
Unable to love all beings as your sons,
What use is solemn prayer and ritual?
Ignorant of the sole point of the Three Vows (of refuge),
What is gained by ignoring each in turn?
Failing to realize that Buddha is within,
What reality can be found outside?
Incapable of a natural stream of meditation,
What can be gained by violating thought?
Unable to regulate life according to the seasons and the time of the day,
Who are you but a muddled, indiscriminate fool?
If an enlightened perspective is not intuitively grasped,
What can be gained by a systematic search?
Living on borrowed time and energy, wasting your life,
Who will repay your debts in the future?
Wearing coarse and scanty clothing in great discomfort,
What can the ascetic gain by suffering the cold hells in this life?
The aspirant striving without specific instruction,
Like an ant climbing a sand hill, accomplishes nothing.
Gathering instruction, but ignoring meditation on the nature of mind,
Is like starving oneself when the larder is full.
The Sage who refuses to teach or write,
Is as useless as the jewel in the King Snake's head.
The fool who knows nothing but prattles constantly,
Merely proclaims his ignorance to all.
Understanding the essence of the Teaching, practice it!
The richness of Chan and other teachings in China of the period called the Golden age reflected this same freedom in which Huineng sent out his disciples saying, “Go now and teach in your own manner, but without deviation from the Dharma.” It is power structures and control, rules without essence, pride and politics, shallow understanding and the academic mind which destroys Dharma. But freedom of expression in teaching Dharma is equally dangerous if that freedom does not rise from the Buddha Nature itself.
Find these masters who are unique Lions of the Dharma and listen with close attention to what they are saying behind the mere words.
Shan-jian