Tag Archives: Buddhism

Jesus

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Minneapolis, MN – Building from my previous post on World Spirituality, I want to take a closer look at the relationship between Buddhism and Christianity, focusing on an interpretation of the particularly sticky and potentially enlightening matter of Jesus. What could the story of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus mean in light of the Buddhist critique of substantialist notions of self, other, world, and God?

Typically the life of Jesus is understood within the context of a worldview or implicit metaphysic that assumes the autonomous, substantial existence of self, other, world, and God. Because of this assumption, the entire story of sin and salvation is interpreted in terms of power. The moment you posit the essential existence of self, other, world, or God, you set up a dynamic of relationships between those essentially existing things that is based on power and force of will. A struggle ensues as the claims of different selves and identity groups come into conflict with each other. Self-interest is born. The outcome is decided by means of strength. Human history becomes the story of the triumph of the self or group, whether through force or persuasion, over all obstacles and all others. The Christian salvation narrative usually assumes this substantialist metaphysic. The story of Jesus is usually told as an epic struggle in which the hero/savior, in perfect obedience to the will of a transcendent all-powerful God, vanquishes the enemies of sin, death, and the devil. Good overcomes evil, and the hero returns at last to gather the souls of the righteous together in paradise. The eternal fate of the individual soul is determined by God, who, on that great and terrible day, will judge all people. Depending upon your doctrine, you will be judged either according to the good or evil you have done, whether or not you have believed in the saving power of Jesus Christ, or according to God’s own predestined decree. The righteous, whether by works or faith or sovereign whim, go to heaven. The unrighteous, whether by sinful acts or unbelief or sheer bad luck, go to hell.

But Buddhists do not believe that such “things” as the self, other, world, and God exist, at least not in the way that we tend to think that they exist. These “things” have no self-existing or enduring substance or essence. There is no soul to be judged or saved. In fact, the belief that things have substantial existence is seen by Buddhists as the fundamental delusion at the root of all suffering. From that delusion springs the pursuit of self-interest, the “craving” and “aversion” which together with ignorance or delusion constitute the three “poisons” or root causes of all suffering. Once I believe that I exist in some substantial, lasting, or enduring way, I become very concerned about securing that self, establishing my own identity, getting the things I want, and avoiding the things I don’t want. I become willing to manipulate or harm others in order to secure for myself the things I need. Death is the greatest threat to self, and immortality becomes my ultimate concern. Traditionally, Christianity provides a solution to this dilemma that functions entirely within the assumed context of the eternal soul or substantial self. Jesus becomes a means toward the ultimate security of the essential self– the very thing that Buddhists identify as the fundamental delusion .

But what happens if we look at the story of Jesus without assuming this substantialist metaphysic? What does the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ tell us about the categories of self, other, world, and God if the Buddhists are right that such things don’t ultimately exist in the way we assume? Could it be that Jesus also was addressing this fundamental delusion? Could it be that Jesus’ own life and work was in fact a radical critique of the metaphysics of substance? If Jesus does share an intimate identity with his Father, as he seems to have claimed, then what does the life of Jesus reveal about the true nature of God? Does not the cross of Christ itself represent the crucifixion of our substantialist notions about God? Isn’t it the case that Jesus is so singularly redemptive for the very reason that he uncompromisingly reveals the true nature of self, other, world, and God– completely subverting the substantialist paradigm underlying the violent drama of human relationships? Isn’t the point of Jesus, finally, to show us in no uncertain terms that God is love? Continue reading →

Vipassana: Part III

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Igatpuri, India -Dhamma Giri, also known as the Vipassana International Academy, is the main hub for all the vipassana meditation centers throughout the world under the teaching of S.N. Goenka. Located in Igatpuri in the state of Maharashtra, India, the garden-strewn campus is set in a dry desert bluff climate reminiscent of the American southwest. There are several large pagodas surrounded by rows of individual meditation cells. There are a number of larger dhamma halls for group meditations and discourses, and men and women are completely segregated into different areas. It’s a slick and comfortable operation, accommodating hundreds of students per course. There is also a separate facility for old students engaged in long term courses, up to 90 days and even longer. The kinks of some of the less-established centers have all been worked out, and I found Dhamma Giri to be incredibly conducive to serious meditation. There are very few distractions, and even though there were hundreds of people at a time sitting in the main hall, they all seemed to be working very hard.

This was my fifth 10-day course and, in spite of (or maybe because of) the comfortable efficiency of the place, it was my roughest sit so far. I worked hard and without much internal or external distraction. The difficult part of meditation is also its greatest benefit: you get a real good look at yourself. The veils of delusion are systematically stripped away, and you stare unblinking into the truthful mirror, which can be alternatively deep and dark and sometimes far too bright. I went through it, boy, I can tell you. It ain’t easy. But in the end, there is no question; it is the single best thing I do for myself. Facing the reality of self and world. Looking at it. Seeing it. It is a process of purification, a refiner’s fire. It hurts like hell, but in the end, you emerge with a much greater degree of equanimity and awareness. So much happens in 10 days, it would take volumes to write it all down. But here are some notes and thoughts arising from this particular course. For a more detailed account of vipassana in general, some necessary background info, and a document of my initial experiences, see my original vipassana post.
Continue reading →

A Passage (back) to India

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Kolkata, India -After the trek around Annapurna, I moved into a quiet guesthouse near the massive Boudhanath Stupa in Kathmandu, read books about Tibetan Buddhism, and joined hundreds of locals in the daily rounds circumnavigating the Stupa in the morning and evening, spinning prayer wheels and chanting mantras. All told, I stayed in Nepal for over two months. Then came time to leave. I heard about a direct bus from Kathmandu to Bodhgaya, India. Bodhgaya is the holiest pilgrimage site in Buddhism. It is where Siddhartha Gautama sat down under the Bodhi tree and got enlightened over 2500 years ago. The tree is still there (a descendent of the original), and I wanted to go sit under it.

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I was hesitant about the bus at first. We would be traveling at night, which is not advised for many parts of Nepal and is downright risky in the state of Bihar, India. Many Indians won’t go to Bihar at all, let alone travel by night. It has a reputation as a desperately poor and lawless place, where the wild dacoits roam, robbing busloads at gunpoint. Plus we would be crossing the border at Raxual, notorious for its sleazy and corrupt border guards. (“Don’t even think about it” is pretty much the sentiment on the travel forums.) But hell, if you got scared every time someone told you it’s dangerous, you’d never go anywhere (especially if you listen to the US State Department travel advisories). And anyhow the nice Nepali girl at the ticket office assured me it would not be a problem. Sensing adventure, I paid the twenty bucks and got the ticket. Continue reading →

Notes from Nepal

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Kathmandu, Nepal -
Crossing Over – The Lama and the Monk – Vipassana, Nepal Style – Violent Generous Nepal.

Crossing Over
Nepal started working its easy charm the moment I crossed over. A man in a colorful topi (traditional Nepali cap) stood outside of the humble immigration shack holding a steaming cup of tea. “Namaste, sir,” he said with a smile. “Namaste,” I said, and then looked to move past him, thinking that he was just some local guy hanging out, he seemed so unhurried and wore no mark of authority. “You are coming from India?” “Yup. On my way to Kathmandu.” “Welcome to Nepal!” We chatted for a few minutes and then he casually asked me for my passport. Only then realizing that he was the immigration officer, I handed it over, along with $30 US. He went in the shack, stamped the book, and handed it back to me. “That’s it?” I asked. “That’s all! No problem. Enjoy your time in Nepal!” 60-day tourist visa, easy as pie. The most pleasant border crossing yet.

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Soon I was packed into a mini-van for the 8-10 hrs push to Kathmandu. I had no guidebook and knew almost nothing about Nepal. I only knew that I was going to try to get to Kopan Monastery for a 30-day course on the Lam Rim, or Graduated Path, introducing all the basic principles and practices of Tibetan Buddhism. Nepal felt different to India from the moment I arrived. It was spacious, easy-going. There was less garbage everywhere, less raw sewage. There were plenty of people, but nothing like India. They were mostly smiling, caught up in friendly conversations. No-one seemed stressed or in a hurry. Half the people were busy at work, the other half sitting around chatting. Little kids were everywhere, running around chasing each other. Older girls decked out in white blouses, blue skirts, and knee-high socks dragged younger brothers to school by the hand. We drove on across the valley and up into the hills. Throughout the towns and villages, painted wall murals advertising Carlsberg Beer, Playboy Whiskey, and 2PM Noodles competed with the (globally ubiquitous) red and white swoosh of Coca Cola. Buddhist prayer wheels and Hindu temples took turns. A dancing cartoon condom man on a billboard smiled from in front of the dark silhouette of an embracing couple and waved at passersby. “Be safe!” he said in the cascading flow of Nepali script. Further up the road, we drove past the brutal remains of two passenger buses that had collided head-on in the night, each torn open, crushed and shredded from the impact. The wounded and dead had been removed. Continue reading →