Non-attachment not Detachment

(Some entries bear repeating. . . )

Question: I was talking to a friend and she told me "she tried" Buddhism but the following was her reason for not pursuing it further: "I don't think that it is a good thing to detach from the body and all emotions.  I believe that passion and emotions are part of the best part of being human.  So... pure detachment leaves me feeling un-human."

Response: I imagine "pure detachment" would leave any reasonable person feeling un-human. But Buddhism does not teach pure detachment.

In Buddhism, the opposite of attachment is not detachment but rather non-attachment. Detachment is unresponsive and removed from emotions. Non-attachment allows us to feel the emotions but not become trapped by them.  When we are non-attached, we still care but we no longer discriminate, feeling love for this person and aversion for another. When we practice non-attachment, we are letting go of worries and expectations. We are fully engaged in what we do, but we realize the act of doing is all we control. As Master Kuang-ch'in said, "Non-attachment does not mean indifference or carelessness, but rather you should do your best and not worry about the results."

Neither do we "detach from the body." We wisely realize it is not permanent and that it is not our true self. It is a temporary dwelling for this lifetime. But we still need to take care of it and treat it with respect as we try to find the balance between hedonism and asceticism. 

Those I know who excel at non-attachment are some of the most engaged, hard-working, and cheerful people I know. Practicing as the Buddha taught, they are a joy to be around. Just thinking of them makes me smile.

I Resolve

I resolve not to kill.

Instead, I will respect all beings.

I resolve not to steal.

Instead, before taking or using anything that does not belong to me,

I will ask permission of the owner.

I resolve not to engage in sexual misconduct, or any sensory indulgence.

Instead, I will develop the mind of self-restraint and purity.

I resolve not to use false speech.

Instead, I will speak the truth in a wise way and at the right time.

I resolve not to use harsh speech.

Instead, I will speak words that benefit others and foster peace. 

I resolve not to use divisive speech.

Instead, I will speak words that foster harmony and understanding. 

I resolve not to use enticing speech.

Instead, I will speak sincerely and truthfully.

I resolve to refrain from greed.

Instead, I will open my heart and practice giving.

I resolve to refrain from anger.

Instead, I will develop patience

and the compassion to see the suffering of others.

I resolve to refrain from ignorance.

Instead, I will discipline myself and calm my mind

so that I can face everything with wisdom.



Tahdah!!!

 The

How Will I Behave Today and the Rest of My Life?

website is published

and working!

It's the "working" part that gets the TADAH!. The digital eBooks took some work, hence I kept toting my 17" laptop back and forth to our IT building for Mr. Tao to help me publish the new format and then attempt to figure out why it wasn't working. I was afraid that people would either think that he wasn't very good at fixing computers (he is) or I was really tough on computers (don't think I am).

We started with our Australia server, then tried our Hong Kong server, and ended up on our China server. So the site is a touch slow, but it WORKS!

I'm so happy...

Oh! Click on Jacques and he'll do the rest.

Genus: Lonicera. Species: Amituofo

Question: What do we do about all those bad seeds we have planted in our innumerable past lifetimes? We can't undo what we have done, so what do we do now?

Response: Plant Lonicera.

Lonicera is commonly know as honeysuckle. But don't plant this species in your backyard garden, plant it in the garden of your mind. 

On the hill that rises up behind the Amitabha Buddhist Retreat Centre, there is a mass of honeysuckle. Each time we circumambulate the Buddha in the cultivation hall, we walk towards the window that frames the honeysuckle. Around the honeysuckle, we see wild grasses, weeds, small bushes. But none of these grow where the honeysuckle is.

Why?

The honeysuckle is thick and strong. its roots deep and plentiful. We could say that it is "singleminded" and "has good roots." No grass or weed seeds can grow where it thrives.

So we can emulate the honeysuckle. We plant the species "Amituofo" in the garden of our mind. With time, "Amituofo" will be deep and strong, our roots plentiful. And the bad seeds of our past misdeeds will be unable to grow.

No Disrespect Intended, But . . .

Periodically, I am asked about what might be called the "credentials" of Pure Land Buddhism. This is understandable in light of the scant amount of translated material from the two-thousand year history of Buddhism in China.

I received such a query recently and found the following in my Library folder. It is from A Buddhist Goal That Can Be Achieved In One's Present Life by Mr. Li Bingnan. (An account of Mr. Li's life can be found in Charles Brewer Jones' excellent Buddhism in Taiwan.)

Because of his great kindness and compassion, Shakyamuni Buddha taught us the method of reciting Buddha's name so that we may be born into the World of Ultimate Bliss. This is the simplest, surest way of getting off the revolving wheel of Birth-and-Death and gaining eternal life. All other paths are far more difficult. Many great scholars have studied this path and found out that the more they study it, the more they appreciate it and they are convinced that this is the path suitable for everybody.

It takes a very high level of wisdom and mental capacity to understand and appreciate the principles of this path. However, anybody can practice it and benefit fully. . . .

In the Flower-Adornment Assembly [The Flower Ornament Scripture: A Translation of the Avatamsaka Sutra, translated by Thomas Cleary], both Wen Shu [Manjushi Bodhisattva] and P'u Hsien, [Samantabhadra Bodhisattva] the two sages who are the assistants to Shakyamuni Buddha, advised people to practice this path.

The two great Bodhisatvas of India, Ma Ming [Asvaghosa] and Lung Shu [Nagarjuna], advocated this path as the path for everybody.

In China, great Dharma masters of their times, from Hui Yuan to Yin Kuang, all started to practice other paths but finally switched to this path. Great master T'an Luan, whose mummified remains are still in preservation, and is known as the flesh-relic Bodhisattva, and great master Chih Che, who upheld the heritage of the Buddha, both advocated this path.

In modern times, the great master Ti Hsien of the Heavenly Platform (T'ien T'ai) school, great master T'ai Hsu of the Consciousness-Only School, great master Hung I of the Vinaya School, and great masters Hsu Yun and Yuan Ying of the Chan School all advised their followers to practice this path.

Lay Buddhists, such as Liu Lei of Lu Shan in Chin Dynasty, the Pai Le T'ien of the Tang dynasty, Su Tung P'o and Wen Yen Po of the Sung Dynasty, Yuan Hung Tao of the Ming Dynasty, and P'eng Ch'ih Mu and Yang Jen Shan of the Ch'ing Dynasty, were all top scholars and all practiced the path of Pure-Land, i.e., they all aspire to be born in the World of Ultimate Bliss through reciting Buddha's name.

There are countless numbers of persons practicing this path. Let us ask ourselves, is our wisdom superior to that of those great Bodhisattvas, great Dharma masters, and top scholars? If all these wise people practiced the path of Pure-Land, is it correct for us to despise this path?"