14th Issue (Dec, 2009) Editor's Preface Spiritually put, development and self-cultivation are a combined gradual process of nurturing oneself through the acquisition of knowledge to self-educate oneself with wisdom to improve one’s moral character. Human character grows, expands and arrives at its maturity through development and self-cultivation on the basis of the Word of the Lord or Truth of the Absolute Reality. The Absolute Reality is dissimilarly designated in dissimilar religions. It is metaphorically compared to the sprouting of a seed - germination, growth, maturity and fruiting. Buddhistly put, self-cultivation is the process of annihilating self or ego and bringing forth the universal Self of Anattᾱ. Self is the negation of self (attᾱ) or the manifest of selflessness. Selflesssness is the our True Self. The True Self is the Absolute. Selflessness is Oneness of Being or Unity of Existence. The goal of spiritual development and self-cultivation is to reach and actualize the full consciousness of Oneness of Being or Unity of Existence through the annihilation of self-centric ego. Succinctly put, full consciousness of Oneness of Being or Unity of Existence is knowing the Lord. Knowing the Lord is emancipation (vimutti). In Buddhism, self-cultivation entails five-fold process of spiritual development, namely morality (sῑla), concentration (Samᾱdhi), Wisdom (paññᾱ), Liberation (vimutti) and Knowledge of Liberation (Ñᾱnavimutti). The Noble Path to be trodden upon with perserverance and toiled painfully upon is the Noble Eight Fold Path (Ariyo Aṭṭhaṅgiko Maggo. Maggasamuyutta 45). Moral restraint to adhere to precepts and the exercise of the corresponding virtues is the aggregate of Morality. Tranquility meditation is the aggregate of Concentration and Insight meditation is the aggregate of Wisdom (Jhᾱnasamyutta 34). The Wisdom of Insight (Vipassanᾱ) into the Absolute Reality of the relationship between human personality and the absolute Truth is the aggregate of Wisdom. Liberation (vimutti) consummated by the insightful heedfulness on the basis of the Four Establishments of Mindfulness (Cattᾱro Satipaṭṭhᾱna. Satipaṭṭhᾱnasamyutta 47) is the freedom from the taints of greed (lobha), hatred (dosa) and delusion (moha) (Asaṅkhatasamyutta 43). Right Mindfulness is full awareness of the Lord or the Absolute of Anattᾱ. Anattᾱ is the Absolute Reality of dependent co-arisen Unity or Non-duality. Freedom is the highest fruit of complete annihilation of the illusively superimposed self- centric ego of grasping or clinging (upᾱdᾱna). Knowledge of liberation is the knowledge of the mastery of the perfect knowledge (ñᾱnadassana) of the relationship between relative truth (sammuti sacca) of conventional reality and ultimate Truth (paramattha Sacca) of the Absolute Reality. The intuitive discernment their interrelationship effaces the self-centric ego of grasping from the defiled mind. Annihilation of self-centric ego is the perfection of human development and self-cultivation. Conventionally put, the relative truth and ultimate Truth relationship is the phenomena-Principle relationship. Buddhistly defined, it is the Right View (Sammᾱ Diṭṭhi ) of bipolar Truth of the Middle Path (Majjhima Magga) of Dependent Arising (Pal.:Paṭiccasamuppᾱda; Sans.: Pratῑtyasamutpᾱda). Dependent Arising connects the conventional reality with the ultimate Reality bipolarly. Succinctly put, the peak of any religious self-cultivation is salvation or emancipation (vimutti). Emancipation is self-redemption and an esoteric return to the inner Heart of Man. The inner Heart is the pure infinite human consciousness purified by the complete obliteration of self-centric ego . The cleansed inner Heart or the purified mind is the island, protection and refuge for all peoples, believers and non-believers. Every world’s great religion is a universal liberator which is the perfect knowledge of the Absolute Reality. Absolute Reality is the Unity of Existence of Anattᾱ (Salᾱyatanasamyutta 35). The systemic parts are the contigent conditions of Unity of Existence of Anattᾱ. The crucial contigent conditions to protect and sustain the Unity of Existence of Anattᾱ are deontological ethics and virtue ethics. Human ethics introduce wholesome some contigent conditions to arrive at virtuous accomplishment, and satisfaction of personal life and concrescence in human society, nation and the world. The deontological ethics pertain to duties and responsibilities in the reciprocal relationship between parents-child, teacher-pupil, husband-wife, friend-companion, employer-employee and guru-disciple (Sigᾱlaka Sutta.DN31). The virtue ethics pertain to the non-discriminative and sublime virtues of lovingkindness, compassion, appreciative joy and equanimity (Anuruddha Sutta.MN127). The ethics are critical wholesome contigent conditions of systemic parts to fulfill systemic Unity of Existence – harmony of association. The harmonious association or unity of causes and conditions Buddhist concept of Emptiness (‘Sῡnyatᾱ). The fruits of systemic Unity are human accomplishment, satisfaction and concrescence. The corresponding paraphrasing uttered by Gotama Buddha are increase, growth and expansion. The systemic Unity of Existence of Anattᾱ is, in essence, dependently co-arisen phenomena of human achievements and prosperity rooted in peace and harmony. It does not suffice to understand the spiritual or exoteric aspect of Anattᾱ. It is most significant to comprehend that the premordial potentialities of Anattᾱ or Buddha-natures transform the potential possibilities into actualities. The transformation is effected by the unitive principle of creative dependent co-arising. The unceasing transformation of potential possibilities into actualities have produced the creative advance of human civilizations since time immemorial hitherto. Conversely, toxic contigent conditions create crises or catastrophes. Dependently co-arisen Unity of Existence, is the creative force that is unceasingly constructing the icons of human civilizations. The self-cultivated individuals relatively contribute more to the world than those unself-cultivated ones through human impositions and determinations. Impositions and determinations are introduction of contigent conditions. In actual facts, the unself-cultivated ones, the evil doers, are destructive forces of the world. The evil doers introduce toxic contigent conditions that ruin the systemic Unity of Existence. The evil doers are systemic risks manacing the systemic Unity of Anattᾱ or ‘Sῡnyatᾱ (Emptiness). Until one is awakened to the bipolar Reality that secularity and spirituality are reciprocal and non-dual, one does not actually know his or her Lord. The Lord is Absolute that sustains the human personality as well as the cosmos. It directs and empowers all human activities or behaviours with the True Self of Man. If self-cultivation is not consummated by wisdom of insight, the self-centric ego of grasping or clinging directs and empowers all the six sense activities. The resulting negative products are greed, hatred and delusion. Anattᾱ or the Absolute is the universally governing Truth or Principle that is ineffable and designationless. It is the communal Truth of Wisdom for all mankind. It is our common Lord. Lord means the Truth of Oneness. It is the cosmic governor and the sustainer. That communal Truth of Wisdom is to be discovered in Man by Man. Man, the microcosm, the image of that universal Truth. A Gnostic (Ñᾱnῑ) is the perfect image of the Absolute when he or she has been comprehensively self-cultivated to actualize deliverance or freedom (vimutti). Human being is the microcosm of human personality by which the macrocosm of the universe is comprehended. Human being is the most excellent medium by which the Lord is known. Gnosis (Ñᾱna) occurs perfectly in Man who is self-awakened to the Absolute Reality. Gnosis is the summit of human development and self-cultivation. Gotama Buddha formulates the entire Buddhist development and self-cultivation in terms of the Noble Eight Fold Path. The Exalted One generalizes the Noble Eight Fold Path to define human development and self-cultivation process in Buddhism thus : “Avoid evils, do good and purity the mind.” (Dhp.183). Spiritual development accompanied by self-cultivation is a life long process as long as one has not actualized the peak of spirituality - liberation. The summit of Buddhist spirituality is the emergence of a Buddhist Gnostic, an Arahant or a Paccekabuddha or Bodhisattva or Buddha. Bodhidharma, the first Chan or Zen Patriarch in imperial China unravels the source of Truth or Lord thus, “ Seek your inner Heart and discern your True Nature.” Such teaching of Monotheism does not differ from that of Monotheism. The True Nature of Man is the cosmic Self (Dharmadhᾱtu). The cosmic Self is the Buddha-nature (Buddhatᾱ). Gnosis (Ñᾱna) or self-enlightenment (Bodhi) is the immediate tasting or direct experience of Nibbᾱna/Nirvᾱna, the complete elimination of self-centric ego. Gonosis or Self-enlightenment (Bodhi) is the highest fruit (paramatha-phala) in which human dispositions (saṅkhᾱrᾱ) are fully appeased. The appeasement of dispositions is the peak of human development and self-cultivation. Mental appeasement occurs when the empirical self of falsehood is transformed into the Universal Self of Anattᾱ. Conventionally depicted, the Gnostic is completely tamed and civilized. The chatter of his noisy mind is completely silenced. The mind is completely stilled like an undisturbed Ocean. The highest fruit of human development and self-cultivation is a Nibbᾱnic mind. The Nibbanic mind is the mind of complete peace and happiness. When we are peaceful and happy, we make others feel peaceful and happy. Protecting oneself, one protects others. The principal key to unlock the door of Nibbᾱna to abide in Anattᾱ, the systemic Unity, in all daily activities is the adept execution of the four establishments or foundations of mindfulness (cattᾱro satipaṭṭhᾱna). Establishment is the arousing or penetrating mindfulness of the Truth of Anattᾱ . When one abides in Nibbᾱna and lives in full consciousness of the systemic Unity of Existence of Anattᾱ, the Gnostic is able to exercise absolute vigilance to guard his six sense gates well. He or she totally obliterates the mental defilements called cankers (ᾱsavas) of the mind. The obliteration of cankers consummate human development and self-cultivation. Socially, the discernment of Anattᾱ is not the denial of the physical existence of individuality. What emerges significantly is that the self-awareness of Anattᾱ. Self-awareness is the perfect consciousness of Oneness of Being. Great compassion is arisen full consciousness of the Oneness of Being. Realizing the Oneness of Being invigorates and harmonizes human relationship. Wisdom of knowing the Oneness of Being results in great compassion supported by lovingkindness, appreciative joy and equanimity. Human development and self-cultivation are perfected when the seven factors of enlightenment are developed comprehensively. The seven factors of enlightenment are mindfulness, investigation of mental objects, energy, joy, tranquility, concentration, and equanimity (Bojjhaṅgasamyutta 46). I pay homage to the nameless Lord Bodhi Journal Editor   
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