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Thoughts and impressions on applying Buddhist principles in daily life, and modern applications of Buddhist concepts.
Friday, July 11, 2003
Enlightenment Defined as Absolute Happiness
Buddhahood; Enlightenment; Nirvana. These are perhaps the most central pieces of Buddhist jargon that anyone would hear, generally defined as a profound awareness achieved through various Buddhist practices. For anyone unaccustomed to such practices, they may seem utterly bizarre, even frightening to some, because it is so far from the norm of Judeo-Christian practices that define Western civilization.
But regardless of the deepest meaning of these words, their significance is often lost in their own complexity. Monks, priests and nuns have spent thousands of years deriving the deep meaning of these words that came to describe the ultimate goal of the first historically recorded Buddha, Shakyamuni, aka Siddhartha Gautama. He was a prince who rejected his royal heritage to seek out a way to help people from the four basic sufferings of life: birth, aging, sickness, and death. Buddhist teachings and practicses, in short, are meant to be means of relieving oneself of these for basic sufferings that, in Buddhist tradition, serve to define human existence.
But before even talking about Buddhahood, or Enlightenment, or Nirvana, it's important to realize that while the basic concept of the four sufferings may make human life sound painful, unpleasant, and unappealing, the exact opposite is true. Suffering is not what defines Buddhism. Buddhahood, or Enlightenment, or Nirvana is what defines Buddhism, and is the ultimate purpose and goal of its teachings and practices. While suffering may be an important element in its philosophy, it is seen as a means to an end: absolute happiness.
In the most basic sense, Buddhahood, Enlightenment and Nirvana all describe the inherently possible goal of achieving an indestructible sense of freedom, fulfillment, success and happiness in one's life. This is basically described as 'absolute happiness'--a spiritually-based condition of one's life where all the sufferings in your life are not seen as detrimental and unpleasant, but as a means to an end. Buddhahood, described as absolute happiness, is a state where someone is not hindered by one's negative perceptions of one's life and environment, but awakened to the ultimate reality of life: that we are in complete control of how we perceive our life.
This may seem like an obvious, or completely incorrect statement, depending on your own personal beliefs, however, in Buddhism, this is a key purpose of Buddhist practice and philosophy. Buddhists live day-by-day to awaken themselves to this ultimate reality--to stop ones self to see things negatively and actively work to change our perception more positively in every and any circumstance or situation.
In Buddhism, this is described as changing our life condition from one of Hell, Hunger, Animality and Anger, to one of Humanity, Learning, Realization, Bodhisattva, and Buddhahood. These life conditions are defined as the Ten Worlds of Existence, which describe our state of life from moment to moment in our lives. When we are born, we have a basic life tendency that falls under one of these ten states, which tends to drive our character and personality. Some have short tempers indicating a basic condition of Anger, while others are needy and materialistic, indicating a basic state of hunger or Animality. Whatever one's basic tendency, Buddhism illustrates through its teachings how individuals can 'take their destiny in their own hands' and transform one's life condition to a state of Buddhahood, or a state of absolute happiness where our thoughts, words and actions create positive value for one's self and others.
The billion-dollar-question, of course, is how to achieve this state of absolute happiness, and this is the crux of the matter when it comes to the various Buddhist teachings and practices out there in the world. In Nichiren Buddhism, transforming one's life condition is based on an active form of meditation that involves recitation of portions of the Lotus Sutra--one of Shakyamuni's last, and most profound teachings before he passed away. Recitation is important because it actively involves one's entire body through the process of speaking. An important proverb in Nichiren Buddhism is the saying, "The voice does the Buddha's work." When we recite portions of the Lotus Sutra, we are essentially making the inherent meaning of those words our own, and the more we recite them, the more the teaching of respecting all life with compassion, wisdom and courage becomes a part of our own lives.
The purpose of recitation is to develop what is called one's Buddha Nature--the state of Buddhahood from within. When speaking of the debate over whether humans are inherently good or evil, Buddhism sees humanity as inherently good, with each person having within them their Buddha Nature--or state of absolute happiness that is both defined and nurtured through compassion, wisdom and courage. Buddhism is the least prejudicial or discriminatory in this sense, because everyone and anyone has a Buddha Nature within them--each person has the potential to live absolutely happy, if they apply themselves to develop the qualities of compassion, wisdom and courage.
The more one develops one's compassion, wisdom, and courage, the more they effectively become Buddhas--ordinary people who become extraordinary individuals capable of immeasurable happiness in life. While some forms of Buddhism state that Buddhahood can only be achieved after one's passed away, Nichiren Buddhism states that such a state is possible in one's present life. The key is making the decision to become absolutely happy, to steadily continue practising Buddhist teachings in one's daily life, and flexing one's compassion, wisdom and courage through following in Shakyamuni's footsteps and helping others from their suffering.
It may seem like an impossible task in one's hectic life in the 21st century, but it is possible. How it is possible, is a post for another day.
Buddhahood; Enlightenment; Nirvana. These are perhaps the most central pieces of Buddhist jargon that anyone would hear, generally defined as a profound awareness achieved through various Buddhist practices. For anyone unaccustomed to such practices, they may seem utterly bizarre, even frightening to some, because it is so far from the norm of Judeo-Christian practices that define Western civilization.
But regardless of the deepest meaning of these words, their significance is often lost in their own complexity. Monks, priests and nuns have spent thousands of years deriving the deep meaning of these words that came to describe the ultimate goal of the first historically recorded Buddha, Shakyamuni, aka Siddhartha Gautama. He was a prince who rejected his royal heritage to seek out a way to help people from the four basic sufferings of life: birth, aging, sickness, and death. Buddhist teachings and practicses, in short, are meant to be means of relieving oneself of these for basic sufferings that, in Buddhist tradition, serve to define human existence.
But before even talking about Buddhahood, or Enlightenment, or Nirvana, it's important to realize that while the basic concept of the four sufferings may make human life sound painful, unpleasant, and unappealing, the exact opposite is true. Suffering is not what defines Buddhism. Buddhahood, or Enlightenment, or Nirvana is what defines Buddhism, and is the ultimate purpose and goal of its teachings and practices. While suffering may be an important element in its philosophy, it is seen as a means to an end: absolute happiness.
In the most basic sense, Buddhahood, Enlightenment and Nirvana all describe the inherently possible goal of achieving an indestructible sense of freedom, fulfillment, success and happiness in one's life. This is basically described as 'absolute happiness'--a spiritually-based condition of one's life where all the sufferings in your life are not seen as detrimental and unpleasant, but as a means to an end. Buddhahood, described as absolute happiness, is a state where someone is not hindered by one's negative perceptions of one's life and environment, but awakened to the ultimate reality of life: that we are in complete control of how we perceive our life.
This may seem like an obvious, or completely incorrect statement, depending on your own personal beliefs, however, in Buddhism, this is a key purpose of Buddhist practice and philosophy. Buddhists live day-by-day to awaken themselves to this ultimate reality--to stop ones self to see things negatively and actively work to change our perception more positively in every and any circumstance or situation.
In Buddhism, this is described as changing our life condition from one of Hell, Hunger, Animality and Anger, to one of Humanity, Learning, Realization, Bodhisattva, and Buddhahood. These life conditions are defined as the Ten Worlds of Existence, which describe our state of life from moment to moment in our lives. When we are born, we have a basic life tendency that falls under one of these ten states, which tends to drive our character and personality. Some have short tempers indicating a basic condition of Anger, while others are needy and materialistic, indicating a basic state of hunger or Animality. Whatever one's basic tendency, Buddhism illustrates through its teachings how individuals can 'take their destiny in their own hands' and transform one's life condition to a state of Buddhahood, or a state of absolute happiness where our thoughts, words and actions create positive value for one's self and others.
The billion-dollar-question, of course, is how to achieve this state of absolute happiness, and this is the crux of the matter when it comes to the various Buddhist teachings and practices out there in the world. In Nichiren Buddhism, transforming one's life condition is based on an active form of meditation that involves recitation of portions of the Lotus Sutra--one of Shakyamuni's last, and most profound teachings before he passed away. Recitation is important because it actively involves one's entire body through the process of speaking. An important proverb in Nichiren Buddhism is the saying, "The voice does the Buddha's work." When we recite portions of the Lotus Sutra, we are essentially making the inherent meaning of those words our own, and the more we recite them, the more the teaching of respecting all life with compassion, wisdom and courage becomes a part of our own lives.
The purpose of recitation is to develop what is called one's Buddha Nature--the state of Buddhahood from within. When speaking of the debate over whether humans are inherently good or evil, Buddhism sees humanity as inherently good, with each person having within them their Buddha Nature--or state of absolute happiness that is both defined and nurtured through compassion, wisdom and courage. Buddhism is the least prejudicial or discriminatory in this sense, because everyone and anyone has a Buddha Nature within them--each person has the potential to live absolutely happy, if they apply themselves to develop the qualities of compassion, wisdom and courage.
The more one develops one's compassion, wisdom, and courage, the more they effectively become Buddhas--ordinary people who become extraordinary individuals capable of immeasurable happiness in life. While some forms of Buddhism state that Buddhahood can only be achieved after one's passed away, Nichiren Buddhism states that such a state is possible in one's present life. The key is making the decision to become absolutely happy, to steadily continue practising Buddhist teachings in one's daily life, and flexing one's compassion, wisdom and courage through following in Shakyamuni's footsteps and helping others from their suffering.
It may seem like an impossible task in one's hectic life in the 21st century, but it is possible. How it is possible, is a post for another day.
