Many Useful Means One Worthy End By Wong Weng Hon Introduction Buddhist meditation methods in both the Theravāda and Mahāyāna traditions are various or diverge. The diversity or variety does not necessarily mirror discord or disunity. They are actually the efflorescence of various Buddhist thoughts reflecting the pedagogical wisdom of the different Buddhist masters in the past and present who founded and established different schools of Buddhist Thought or Buddhist sects. The situation may be poetically described as: Hundreds of flowers in simultaneous full blossom; Hundreds of birds competing in melodies. The means are various or many but the end is one – to appease or tame one’s mind so that one is able to harmonize oneself and the immediate environment in which one dwells. When one is nibbānic mentally ( I mean absolute mental appeasement ), one is supremely ethical, concentrated mentally, unperturbed or composed and most importantly, perfectly wise. One becomes generous, benevolent and supremely wise. Such a one becomes the Perfect Man. In Chinese Confucian philosophy, such a man of ethical excellence is known as Jun-zi. In the Theravāda tradition, he is venerated as an Arahant (Worthy One). In the Mahāyāna tradition, he is a moral exemplar venerated as a Bodhisattva (Wisdom Being). In the Christianity, he is extolled as a Holy Man or Perfect Master. In Islam, the Muslims designate him or her as Al-insane al-kamil (Perfect Man). In Upaniṣads, the perfect man becomes a Brahman. One characteristic feature of all these religious saints or sages is that they are all liberated from the dominance of the illusive selfish or egoistic self after having penetrated into the illusion (māyā) of multiplicity (anekatta) of the cosmos. In my Buddhist preaching career of almost 25 years, I never expect my audience or the learners to become saints or sages which are beyond the capacities of the majority. What I expect from Buddhist practitioners or cultivators are to learn first to tame themselves, to harmonize and exercise altruistic compassionate towards others. If this attitude is widely applied in human society, Gotama Buddha declared that progress and prosperity are expected not regression nor impoverishment. Aṭṭhakanāgara Sutta Let us now examine a Sutta of the Theravāda tradition expounded by Ven Ānanda. Ven. Ānanda instructed that there are eleven golden opportunities to emerge as a Perfect Man called Arahant in undertaking Samatha-Vipassanā meditation. I was personally, profusely captivated and mesmerized when I first read the Ațțhakanāgara Sutta (MN) which was expounded by Ven. Ānanda as a commentary on the brief utterance of his master Gotama Buddha which was too abstruse for a group of monks to comprehend. They consulted Ven. Ānanda and entreated for an exegesis on the Word of the Lord. This Sutta is of paramount importance in Buddhist meditation leading to eleven doors of emancipation - the soteriological goal of Nibbāna. At this juncture, I would like to thank Professor Oliver of the Post-graduate Institute of Pāli and Buddhist studies of Kelaniya University, Colombo, Sri Lanka for having introduced this particular Sutta to the MA students. Ven. Ānanda elucidated clearly the eleven pathways to become the Perfect Man. Aṭṭhakanāgara-sutta corresponds to the theme of Jhāna-sutta (A.N.9.36) and that of Paññāvimutti-sutta (AN.9.44) expounded by the Gotama The Perfect Man is realized through self-enlightenment by discerning the Impermanence (anicca) of the mental concentration factors or jhānic factors at any one of the eleven levels of mental concentration during the progressive process of Tranquil-Insight meditation. In other words, there are eleven opportunities to discern Impermanence and gain emancipation. The emancipated meditator becomes an Arahant (The Worthy One). The Yuganaddha Sutta (AN.4.170) expounded by Ven. Ānanda has also equally captivated my interest. In the Sutta, he expounded that there are four pathways to become an Arahant. The first three pathways or methods of meditation pertain to three meditation approaches which are gradual methods of enlightenment. The fourth pathway is related to instantaneous or sudden enlightenment without a formal meditation method which is typical of Chinese Sudden School of Chan tradition. The sudden method of Indian dhyāna Buddhism was exported to China in the 6th century C.E. by Indian Bodhidharma (470-543 C.E), the 28th Indian dhyāna Patriarch and the first China Chan Patriarch. He transmitted the profound message of Chan to the second Chinese Chan Patriarch, Hui-ko (487-593C.E) from heart-mind to heart-mind in the lineage of Chan transmission. Four Pathways The four pathways expounded in the Yuganaddha Sutta by Ānanda are
The first three pathways are formal meditation methods and the last one is not a formal meditation method. It would be relevant and beneficial at this juncture to support the exposition of Ānanda by utilizing two important historical eminent Buddhist masters of two different Chinese Chan traditions to illustrate the concepts of gradual and sudden enlightenment. These two prominent Chan personalities are Shen-hsiu (605-706 C.E) and Hui-neng (638-713 C.E). The former founded the Northern School of Chan or the Gradual School of Chan in imperial China. The latter established the Southern School of Chan or Sudden School of Chan also in imperial China. Chan Poems Shen-hsiu had composed a Chan poem and submitted to his master thus:
Hui-neng had composed a Chan poem and submitted to his master thus:
Having examined the work of Seng-hsiu by his master, Hong-jen (601-674C.E), the Fifth Chinese Chan Patriarch, the master commented that his work was good enough for gradual cultivation and ought be venerated daily by fellow monks in the monastery but it was not profound enough to penetrate utmost into the Emptiness of the Buddha-nature of sentient beings and the multiplicity of the cosmos. This gradual method of cultivation of Dharma still involves the dualistic view of phenomena in terms of arising and ceasing, impurity and purity or increasing and decreasing in terms of three-fold training of morality, concentration and wisdom. The gradual method corresponds to the first pathway of meditation in which tranquility precedes insight expounded in the Yuganaddha-sutta. This method of meditation is also called the path of wet insight (samathayānika) as the mind of the meditator is first wet with meditative absorptions (jhāna-s) before insight arises. Hui-neng’s Performance Having examined Hui-neng’s Chan poem, Hong-jen discovered that Hui-neng had indeed intuitively discerned to the utmost the Emptiness of all phenomena or the original Buddha-nature of Man. He perceives all phenomena as neither arising nor ceasing, neither impure nor pure and neither increasing nor decreasing. He had attained instantaneous total enlightenment. The Sixth Chinese Chan patriarchship was conferred to him secretly owing to fear that he might be harmed or abused by other disciples of Hong-jen. Hui-neng’s sudden method corresponds with the fourth pathway of cultivation expounded in the Yuganaddha Sutta (AN.4.170) by Ānanda. Hui-neng developed his insight without first developing tranquility or serenity. Such a path way of cultivation which characterizes sudden method is known as the path of dry insight (vipassanāyānika). In the path of dry insight, the prior development of jhāna-s is not a prerequisite for the subsequent development of insight. Hui-neng was therefore a dry-insight worker and not a wet insight worker as he did not meditate before his sudden self-awakening experience. Hui-neng was illiterate and had not meditated before he was instantaneously enlightened when he first overheard the Diamond Sūtra in a motel. His enlightenment was consummated when Hong-jen secretly instructed him on the scripture of Diamond Sūtra until his instruction reached the verse ‘Dwell on nothing and produce the (pure) mind.’ Hui-neng immediately intuitively discerned and uttered to the master thus: All things originate from the Origin of Man (一切萬法不離自性)’. Gotama Buddha promulgated that ordinary consciousness is the beginning of the world and pure consciousness is the ending of the world. In Mahāyāna perspective, everything in the universe commences from the eternal Essence of Buddha-nature; in other monotheistic religions, the eternal Essence is God from which every creation is manifested. Both Buddha-nature and God are ultimate truth of Reality. They are not to be idolized as substantial or concrete divine personalities ! Though IT is ineffable, IT can be realized by a human being who has purified himself or herself from the dominance of the illusive selfish or egoistic self (attā). Again may I repeat the mysterious secret of the world: There are many means but only one END! There are many masters but there is only one message. Gotama Buddha promulgated thus: There is only one Truth not two (ekaṃ saccaṃ na dutiyaṃ). In Taoism, this solitary or sole Truth is designated as Tao. Lao-tze expressed Tao thus: Tao, which can be expressed, is not Tao (道可道非常道). Likewise, Buddha, which can be expressed, is not Buddha. Similarly, God, which can be expressed, is not God. Lao-tze provided further clue about the origin of the myriad things of the cosmos thus: A name, which can be designated, is not permanent (名可名非常名). This is essentially why Gotama Buddha emphasized repeatedly the importance of discernment of impermanence of all designated phenomena. Whoever intuitively perceives impermanence eradicates the illusive notion of self or ego. It is generally accepted that the highly-witted is suddenly enlightened while the lowly-witted is gradually enlightened. Hui-neng was obviously highly-witted. Both Gotama Buddha and Hui-neng concurred that a highly-witted learner or practitioner had acquired a sharp karmic root from his previous lives before he is suddenly enlightened. Succinctly put, a gradual method in the past precedes sudden enlightenment in the present life. A monastery is constructed gradually and not suddenly; a plant grows gradually not suddenly. But a ripe mango can turn yellow suddenly. Conclusion The concept of liberation should not be conceived as the sole fruit experienced only after death. Liberation is experienced by the enlightened one while living. Liberation is the detachment from all both visible and invisible environmental stimuli through the non-grasping upon the five aggregates. Non-grasping terminates fabrications of conceptualization and mental obsessions leading to mental appeasement. Absolute appeasement is nibbānic experience. Nibbāna is not to be perceived as only a supramundane experience after death. The supramundane of wisdom of liberation can be realized by the wise while one is still living a mundane or secular life on Earth. The wisdom of liberation is pragmatic in the sense that it perfects one’s moral judgement in encountering all favourable or adverse conditions or situation of life. When one is appeased mentally and the appeasement is supported by wisdom, one tends to make rational judgement rather than emotional judgement about others. This harmonizes the situations as greed, hatred and delusion do not assail him or her. Dharma is learnt, practised, realized and lived moment from moment in present life while one is still living. The bliss of life is found in the wise management of the five aggregates, the 12 bases or the 18 elements which are not we, are not ours and do not belong to us. The tenet of the Tathāgata has been verified by the countless number of Buddhist saints or sages. A Tathāgata does not tell lies. One, who tell lies, cannot be a Tathāgata! Non-grasping (anupādāna) of the five aggregates (pañcakkhandha-s) ceases This original or true self is variably designated by different spiritual or religious masters. The Theravādins designate it as Non-self or Insubstantiality (anattā) or more precisely designated as non-manifestative consciousness (anidassana viññāṇa). Non-manifestative consciousness connotes released or unestablished consciounsness. The Mahāyāna designates it as Dharmabody (Dharmakāya), Emptiness (Śūnyatā), Mind of Enlightenment (Bodhicitta), All aspiring Mahāyāna practitioners are required to generate Bodhicitta before they course in the Six Perfection (pāramitā-s). Later Mahāyāna tradition designates it as the Buddha-nature or the Womb of Tathāgata (Tathāgatagarbha). The Hindus or Upaniṣads designate it as union of Ātman and Brahman. Sufism designates it as Baqa; Islam designates it as Najat. This original nature of Man or all sentient beings is an infinite, eternal and immutable Essence or Absolute. As it is infinite or unlimited , it cannot be expressed linguistically as it is ineffable. The designations, created by different spiritual or religious masters, are made to facilitate human inter-communication. They are merely expedient devices (upāya-s) to effect human interactions. They all refer to a common ineffable truth – the existence of divinity or supremacy in Man. Every human is innately or intrinsically supreme in virtue and wisdom. Therefore, the Theravādins’ Arahants instruct the Buddhists to redeem the non-grasping (anupādāna) of the five aggregates. Mahāyāna’s Bodhisattvas admonish the Buddhists to redeem the Buddha-nature and utilize the Buddha-mind through the Dharma body. The Perfect Masters of non-Buddhist monotheists, such as the Hindus, Christians and Muslims advise them thus:Go back to your God. Go back to your Allah to purify yourself. Hence, there are many means to actualize one common End – self-redemption by discerning one common Truth – the illusion of multiplicity. Religions unite and not divide people of the world.
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