Theravadan, Zen, and Tibetan
I practice in the Theravadan or Vipassana tradition (originally found in Southeast Asia), but I’ve always been inspired by teachings from the other two major Buddhist traditions: Zen and Tibetan Buddhism.
Zen teachings give my mind a good shake, freeing me to see life afresh – with new eyes. Reading Zen, I always think of Soen Roshi’s instructions to his students for cleaning up outside at his monastery in Japan: “When you sweep the leaves, you are sweeping your own mind.”
Zen sweeps my mind clean, opening it to whatever happens next. I devote a chapter in my book to how “Zen Helps” us cope with chronic illness. Here are some of my favorite quotations from the Zen tradition:
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If your mind is empty, it is always ready for anything; it is open to everything. In the beginner’s mind there are lots of possibilities; in the expert’s mind there are few. (Shunryu Suzuki, 1904-1971)
The Chinese Emperor invited Bodhidharma to his palace and asked him, “What is the first principle of Buddhism?” Bodhidharma replied, “Vast Emptiness.” The Emperor then asked, “Who then now stands before me?” Bodhidharma replied, “I have no idea.” (Bodhidharma, 5th-6th Century) |
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All beings are flowers
Blossoming
In a blossoming universe.
(Nakagawa Soen Roshi, 1907-1984)
Tibetan Buddhism inspires me with its teachings on the original state of mind as empty and transparent (before we clutter it with “wants” and “don’t wants”). Asked why he practiced Buddhism, Tibetan Buddhist scholar Robert Thurman (Professor of Religion at Columbia and father of Uma) replied, “for the sheer joy of swimming in the infinite.” Here’s more:
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Mind makes and experiences the universe but is empty – no “thing” in and of itself. Finding the empty nature of mind and letting it rest there gives us much relief and relaxation amidst the turmoil, confusion, and suffering that constitute the world. (Kalu Rinpoche, 1905-1989)
Once we recognize that thoughts are empty, the mind will no longer have the power to deceive us. But as long as we take our deluded thoughts as real, they will continue to torment us mercilessly. When you are completely barraged with thoughts, chasing after each one, it is an endless task. It is better to look for the source of these thoughts – void awareness – on whose surface thoughts move like ripples on the surface of a lake, but whose depth is the unchanging state of utter simplicity. (Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, 1910-1991)
If we learn to open our hearts, anyone, including the people who drive us crazy, can be our teacher. (Pema Chodron, b. 1936)
The Theravadan approach is simple and to the point (which doesn’t mean it’s easy to implement!). “Nothing whatsoever should be clung to,” said Buddhadhasa Bhikkhu. For me, that sums up how to reach the end of suffering. Here’s a teaching that I use in the book by giving examples of how it’s helped me weather the ups and downs of chronic illness. It’s from the Thai forest master, Ajahn Chah:
If you let go a little, you will have a little peace. If you let go a lot, you will have a lot of peace. If you let go completely, you will know complete peace and freedom. Your struggles with the world will have come to an end.
Finally, here’s a story that’s in the book. It was told by Kamala Masters at a retreat I attended in 2000. It’s a story about her teacher Munindra-ji whom she had just visited in India.
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| Munindra-ji had always wanted to see the Buddhist sacred sites. He was getting quite old, so Kamala traveled to India with some friends to take him to some of the sites. One day, they were waiting in a train station. The train was five hours late. It was blazing hot. They had no food. There were no restrooms. The track where they were to catch the train kept changing, so they had to keep getting up and moving. Munindra-ji would sit down in each new location and rest his head on his arm. He looked so frail that Kamala began to worry about how he was holding up, especially since she and her friends were barely coping with the conditions. She finally asked him if he was all right. He replied: “There is heat here, but I am not hot. There is hunger here, but I am not hungry. There is irritation here, but I am not irritated.” |
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To paraphrase Ajahn Chah,
Munindra-ji had let go completely and his troubles with the world had come to an end.
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