Discourse on the Noble Quest

by Madhyama

Introduction

In the Ariyapariyesana Sutta (M.N.), the Buddha expounds thus :

It occurred to me monks : This Dhamma won by me is deep, difficult to see, difficult to understand, tranquil, excellent, beyond a  prior reasoning, subtle, intelligible  to the learned. But these human beings  are delighting in obsessions, delighted in obsessions, rejoicing in obsessions. For the human  beings  who are rejoicing in obsessions, delighted  and delighting  in obsessions, this is  matter difficult to see, that is to say, Dependent Co-arising. This too is a   matter difficult to see, that is to say, the appeasement of  all dispositions, the renunciation of all attachment, the waning of craving, the absence of lust, cessation or  freedom. But if I were to teach the Dhamma  and others were not to understand me, that would be a tiresome  to me, that would be a troublesome  to me.

The Ariyapariyesana Sutta reveals to us that the Buddha was initially reluctant to preach the profound Dhamma which is too abstruse for the worldlings. The message is abstruse because the knowledge of ultimate truth is dialectically opposed to the mundane view of the worldlings. They are obsessed by the erroneous view of the multiplicity of the empirical world. Their erroneous view creates selfishess or egoism in their minds.  The true nature of multiplicity is Insubstantiality and Totality or Oneness. But the worldlings are perverse: Instead of perceiving Insubstantiality, they perceive Substantiality ; Instead of perceiving Totality or Oneness, they perceive independent self-contained entities or discreteness of all phenomena or things. They are obsessed by substantiality contradicting  the doctrine of Dependent Co-arising or Emptiness which unveils that substantiality and multiplicity of the world are illusions and therefore are unreal. The Buddha personally described the Dhamma as something going against the current or flow. Fortunately, Brahma Sahampati from the Brahma world appeared before the Exalted One. He entreated the Exalted One to preach the Dharma because there were beings who had little  dust in their eyes  but they were falling away or regressing. These beings would be those who could comprehend the profound, subtle, abstruse true Dhamma. Having said that, Sahampati disappeared and returned to the Brahma world. This entreaty of a higher deva, Sahampati was a true story compiled in the Ariyapariyesana-sutta (M.N.). This verifies that Gotama Buddha is a teacher, trainer or instructor of both devas and human beings. Only those human beings, who have perfected their virtue, are reborn as devas. The virtuous devas still entreated to learn from the Exalted One. So, the human beings, who are imperfect ethically, ought to be humble to learn from the Exalted One. The Buddha preached in heavens as well as on Earth.

Obsessions

The Buddha expounds that the mental obsessions are stressful to human beings. They are stressful because they evoke greed, hatred and delusion. But perversely, the worldlings are delighting, delighted and are rejoicing in obsessions. The Buddha promulgates that obsessions arise from false conceptualizations or imaginations.  The deluded worldlings are only aware of the knowledge of the conventional truth but they are ignorant of the ultimate Truth. They conceptualize and designate all phenomena according to the false view of ontological commitment or substantiality. But in actuality, all phenomena are insubstantial or signless. Ontological commitment to all phenomena is the product of human ignorance. The true nature of all phenomena is that all phenomena are signless as they are  empty of any permanent self-identity, such as self, soul or intrinsic nature . The worldlings are obsessed by the illusive and unreal signs of all phenomena. In the ultimate sense, all phenomena are empty of signs. The worldlings are perverse because their conventional view of all phenomena are contradictory to the right view of signlessness or insubstantiality. Since time immemorial, the ignorant worldlings are obsessed with signs due to ontological commitment to everything. The pleasant or agreeable objects, perceived substantially, arouse their attachment and greed. Likewise, the unpleasant or disagreeable objects kindle their aversion giving rise to the emotion of anger or hatred. Their ignorance of the true nature of multiplicity deludes them and obstructs their ethical development as human beings .

Ontological Commitment

Since the first day of birth, the worldlings are nurtured and raised with the conventional knowledge of ontological commitment or the substantial view of all phenomena, the worldlings are delighting, delighted by and rejoicing in obsessions which arouse either attachment or aversion giving rise to greed, hatred and delusion. The worldlings are obsessed with I-ness or Mine-ness  due to the superimposition of illusive self-identity in the five aggregates. The Buddha
opined that it would an uphill task to preach annihilation of egoistic or selfish self to the worldlings who are habitually  be obsessed with the notion of I  or Mine  since birth. Subsequent education and  training  invigorate the ego or self. Their ontological commitment is being thickened with the passage of time. The teaching of the Buddha is to eliminate ontological commitment and  advocates 
impersonalism or depersonalization of the five aggregates to annihilate
Illusory self or ego.

The unorthordox teaching of ‘No Self’ would bring enormous fear to worldlings especially the contemporary Hindus who were profusely conditioned with the notion of Self or Soul (ātman). The Buddha’s self-enlightenment revealed  that Self or Soul does not actually exist. It is superimposed by the ordinary worldlings. Self or Soul exists only illusively or apparently. Human cravings (selfish desire) are aroused due to the superimposition of this false egoistic or selfish self. Without elimination of ontological commitment, the illusive selfish or egoistic self can not be annihilated. Emancipation can only be realized after the selfish or egoistic self is eradicated through the wisdom of self- enlightenment or awakening. Self-enlightenment or awakening is the intuitive apprehension of the ultimate truth that all phenomena are in the ultimate sense are devoid or empty of the illusive Self or Ego. When this Self or Ego is annihilated, human character is perfected. The total annihilation of superimposed Self or Ego does not occur abruptly. The curtailment or reduction of Self or Ego occurs gradually with the exception of sudden enlightenment. With the gradual curtailment of Self and Ego parallel with the development of wisdom, one becomes less selfish, less angry and less deluded. When full self-awakening or gnosis occurs, the illusive Self or Ego will be totally annihilated. The common enterprise of all esoteric religions is to eliminate selfishness or egoism. Whoever is obsessed with selfishness or egoism cannot perceive the Buddha or God.  In Buddhist perspective, perceiving the Buddha is perceiving the ultimate Truth of Dependent Co-arising in terms of the Three Universal Characteristics of Existence, namely Impermanence, Suffering and Non-self. In the monotheistic religions, the perception of God is the perception of the macro illusion of  multiplicity leading to the union or unity with God.

Conclusion

It is interesting and worth contemplating on the last statement uttered by the Exalted One who said thus:

But if I were to teach the Dhamma and others were not to understand me, that would be a tiresome to me thatwould be troublesome  to me.

If one is Buddhist preacher or a Dharma teacher who has preached out of compassion for many years in the same locality, one would personally perceive that the exoteric message of conventional truth could be easily grasped by the learners but the esoteric message of ultimate truth still proves abstruse to them. When impermanence is taught, they still perceive permanence; when insubstantiality is taught, they still perceive substantiality; when non-attachment is taught, they still can not control their greed ; when non-aversion is taught, they are still agitated and angry ; when wisdom is taught, they are till ignorant. Thus, it is indeed very tiresome and troublesome for the preachers or teachers of Dhamma. But the admirable high spirit of a genuine Dharma preacher or teacher is that knowing that they are going against the current, they still persist in their Dhammaduta work. As long as they are invited to preach, they will preach! The preachers continue to educate with a hope that one day some of the learners or pupils will remove all their dust obscuring their eyes. They will persist until the spotless Dhamma eyes arise in them. The explanation for the paradoxes is there. As long as one has not discerned the true Dharmma intuitively, one will remain operating with the illusive selfish self or ego. With the dominance of the selfish self or ego, no amount of academic learning of the Dharma will transform him or her. All religious practitioners face the same challenge: How can one be awakened from the sleep of ignorance and functions with a mind devoid of selfishness or egoism?

To drive home my point, I would like to conclude with a quotation from the saying of Sufi Mansur-Hallaj: 

I saw my Lord with the  eye of the heart.
I said : Who are you ?
He replied : You

It is evident from the affirmation of Sufi Mansur-Hallaj that one ought to make an esoteric or inward journey into one’s Origin. Gotama Buddha, before  his demise, admonished his immediate disciples that one has to regard oneself as the island and take refuge in his own island. The emancipation is found within  not without. Rgveda, the earliest divine, revealed scripture states thus: ekamsat vipra bahudhā vadantī (Truth is one, many are its names.). This corresponds with what Gotama Buda affirmed : Truth is only one not two (Ekaṃ saccaṃ na dutiyaṃ).

Reflecting on the truth, one will  ascertain that Gotama Buddha’s and Sufi Mansur-hallaj’s Word  does not differ from those of other esoteric religious masters, such as Lao-tze, Rāmakrishna, Jesus Christ, Mohammed and others Being religious is to elevate oneself ethically  so that one will be much  better than what one was before. Better still, one becomes an exemplar to others to be emulated. To accomplish that, one needs to give up clinging to the outer husk of mere rituals and ceremonies. One should strive diligently, ardently and resolutely to get to the fundamental core of Truth underlying all esoteric religions and reach beyond religion. To go beyond religion is perceive that there is only one truth though the names may be many. The unity of mankind in this troubled world is a possible dream if the advice of the Ancient is heeded and realized. At the summit of Truth, there exists no distinction between Buddhism, Hinduism, Taoism, Christianity and Islam.