Buddhism Without Beliefs – 5 – the four unique aspects of Buddhism

(For Podcast, click here.  For ITunes version, click here.)  

As part of our book series on Buddhism Without Beliefs by Stephen Batchelor, I would like to talk about what makes Buddhism different from other ways of living.  What the Buddha most likely taught and what got added later appears at times to be in conflict with each other, much like what happened in Christianity around Jesus’ original teachings.  Both men taught tasks to be done, not beliefs to be affirmed.  Batchelor has gone back to the original teachings to discover what was unique about The Buddha’s original teachings, in comparison to other major religious paths.  We can then assess if Buddhism is something that we might want to try out.  Is this something that we can take on as a way of life, can we imagine that this process will relieve suffering, our own and others?

Batchelor finds four distinct aspects that the Buddha taught.  He calls it the Four P’.  There is also a wonderful article in the most recent copy of Tricycle Magazine by him that includes this information:

1.       The principle of conditionality

2.       The process of the four noble Tasks

3.       The practice of mindful awareness

4.       The power of self-reliance

1.       The principle of conditionality:  Sometimes called dependent origination, it is this idea that everything arising is the result of something that came before.  There’s an underpinning of karma here, the idea of cause and effect, but karma is distinctly different in Buddhism than in Hinduism or in the way it is sometimes interpreted in western culture today.  In Hinduism, Karma is very linear—this thing happened which caused this other thing to happen.  The Hindu caste system is based on this specificity of Karma—if you did it, it happens to YOU.  But the Buddha described this process as much more complex—so many things happened in the past that cause so many other things to happen now—it is often impossible to understand the complexity of cause and effect.  Therefore, we can simply acknowledge two things:

o        That we are inseparably interconnected to each other

o        That we simply have this present moment to do something different, in order to impact the future in a positive way

There are no guarantees in Buddhism that if you act like a good person that you will have no suffering in your life.  In fact, the first Noble Truth points out that regardless, life will include some suffering.  Also, this idea of no beginning and no end can be seen as distinctly different from the Bible that proclaims a beginning in which God created the earth and the heavens.  Who knows who’s right?  It’s easy to see how we can stray into wondering about the origins of life as we know it.  Once again, The Buddha didn’t belabor where we came from, but rather simply noticed that cause and effect seemed to hold true in his experience.    We can continue to bring the teaching back to something very practical.  Ask the question so what?  If we are inseparably interconnected, and what we think and what we do makes an impact, then what shall we think and what shall we do?

2.       The process of the four noble Tasks:  Batchelor identifies The Buddha’s original teaching, the very first one that he gave at The Dear Park in Sarnath, India, as a unique way of living.  Not ignoring suffering, but facing it full on, and realizing that we are suffering because we are trying to be happy in inherently dissatisfying ways, and that there is a way out of this cycle of suffering, and that following the Eightfold Path relieves suffering.   You don’t have to believe it, but rather just try it out.  See if it works for you. 

3.       The practice of mindful awareness:  There are many similarities with the practice of meditation in Buddhism and other religious practices.  In Christianity, centering prayer is often described as a type of meditation.  However, this idea that there is value in practicing being present, being fully aware, moment-by-moment, in our daily lives is a specific practice that began when The Buddha sat under the Bodhi tree.  You get to decide:  do you want to live your life in the past or in the future or in the present?  This is a moment-by-moment decision that we are making.  It’s not that he decried the idea of reflection on our past experience or planning for the future.  He simply found that those activities are actually taking place in the present.  And it is the distraction, the lack of presence that is causing the suffering.  We distract ourselves by hanging on to, or pushing away, or ignoring things/people/thoughts/emotions/sensations in our lives.  We are making this decision either consciously or unconsciously, and The Buddha discovered that we can make a choice to be present, that being present is a tool to relieve suffering.

I find this to be one of the most powerful parts of the teaching.  When I choose to be more fully present, I am more likely to act in a way that relieves suffering—others’ suffering and my own!  When I practice being present, not allowing myself to drift off into thoughts and distractions, I make better decisions about what to do, I am more aware of the possible impact of my thoughts and actions.  I am more aware of the possibilities. 

Batchelor emphasizes that when we are no longer running away from anything, we can invite confusion, invite fear, invite anxiety.  See it, examine it, be curious about it.  What is this?  This is the open question that we talked about last week. 

Here, in this moment, we find heaven, not in the future or in some far off land.  Here, when we are present, and can cultivate qualities that create more happiness in our life:  qualities like loving-kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy and equanimity.  In Buddhism, the concept of nirvana arose—this goal of extinguishing the flame of craving, aversion and ignorance.  The question becomes is that a goal that we reach at the end of our life, or something we can strive for in each moment?   After The Buddha’s death, it turned into a goal that would require many lifetimes to achieve (but what is it that lasts from one lifetime to another if everything is impermant????)  Over time, there became this idea of nirvana as almost like heaven in Christianity, a far off ideal that we are all striving for but never quite reaching.  When, you read some of the Buddhist texts, nirvana starts to sounds a whole lot like heaven.  So, you decide.  Shall you spend your lifetime working towards a goal in the future, or shall you spend each moment finding the heaven hidden there beneath the craving, aversion and ignorance?  It truly is your choice.

4.       The power of self-reliance:  Lastly, there is no doubt about it.  The Buddha emphasized that YOU are responsible for your experience.  Later, the teachings became entangled in the importance of having a teacher, or getting an empowerment, or needing something outside of yourself to succeed.  And perhaps these accessories do help accelerate the process.  But, The Buddha, before his death, refused to appoint a successor.  He exclaimed that no leader was needed.  Each person can lead themselves.  His last words were allegedly ones of personal encouragement.  “Strive on, do not be deterred.”

So, there we have it:  Four simple points to understand the Buddhist teachings beyond the cultural overlays and later additions.  You decide.  This is not about having blind faith.  You can strive on.  You can test these practices for yourself.  See what works.  Do not take my word for it.  Do not take The Buddha’s word for it.  Strive on.  We can be inspired to explore the possibility of a different way of living.  We can imagine the possibility that our pre-conceived notions and conditioned responses are not necessarily the ones that will relieve suffering.  We can examine our thoughts, our emotions and our actions moment-by-moment to determine what is good and skillful, and what is not. 

Strive on, do not be deterred.