Issue

15th Issue (Mar, 2010)

Editor's Preface

Like any other world’s great religions, the quintessence of Buddhism is the right knowledge of human psychology. Psychology is the science of the relationship between human mind and Man’s external behaviour. The human  mind is the most ideal medium by which the Absolute Reality is intuitively discerned. Causally, the Mind of wisdom begets virtues. Conversely, the mind of ignorance begets vices. Therefore, whoever understands the state of one’s mind understands the cause of one’s external behaviour – psychology-Ethics relationhsip. One’s external behaviour mirrors the inner state of one’s mental consciousness. Buddhism helps us understand human psychology so that one  is able to distinguish the distinction between the intellectual Head (Mind) and the intuitive Heart (Spirit/Wisdom).

The intellect of the Head perceives the conventional realities (Pal. :sammuti sacca; San.: Samvrti satya). The intuition of the Heart or Wisdom (Prajñᾱ) perceives the ultimate Truth (Pal.: Paramattha Sacca; San.: Paramᾱrtha Satya) of Absolute Reality. The perfect balance between the Head and the Heart constitutes the perfect human psychology of  Middle Path. The right vision  (sammᾱ diṭṭhi) of Middle Path acknowledges both the phenomena of the conventional truth and the Principle of  the ultimate Truth simultaneously.  The highest human psychology unravelled by Gotama Buddha is the rediscovery of the intrinsic Buddha-mind. The Buddha-mind is the Mind of Insubstantiality or Selflessness (Anattᾱ) or Emptiness (‘Sῡnyatᾱ) of self-identity or inherent existence (nihsvabhᾱva) . The Theravᾱdins discern Buddha-nature as the Insubstantiality of the five aggregates (pañcakkhandhᾱ : form, feelings, perceptions, volitions and consciousness). The Mahᾱyᾱnists apprehends the Buddha-nature in terms of Emptiness of five aggregates. Anattᾱ or ‘Sῡnyatᾱ is the ultimate Attribute of the Absolute Reality – the Lord.

The rediscovery of the Buddha-nature or Insubstantiality  of the Absolute Reality brings forth or  manifests the innate supreme Virtuous Wisdom of Man. Most significantly, Virtue nurtures and sustains the world with creative accomplishment, satisfaction and concrescence of human civilization hitherto. The creative advance of the world is contigent upon the Virtue of Man who furnish the contigent conditions for the creation of novelties. The Absolute Reality provides the Law of Dependent Genesis (Pal.: Paṭiccasamuppᾱda; San.: Pratῑtyasamutpᾱda).  Devoid of the Virtue of great compassion (mahᾱkarunᾱ), the Wisdom developed is not genuine and the Gnosis is doubtful. Wisdom and virtue, which are always  arisen simultaneously,  save the world and bless the human beings. Wisdom illuminates us and brings forth the innate supreme virtue in Man to benefit oneself and others. In fact, this is chief function of all world’s great religions. Buddhism is no exception.

Modern education prioritizes the transfer of secular knowledge and skills. Knowledge and skills involve the development of intellectual thinking and  judgmental reasoning to actualize academic or professional excellence in the secular life. Modernists are nurtured and instructed on the values of individual independence, diversity, investigation of parts, separatism, duality, discrimination, national sovereignty, differences and identities, sectarianism, fanaticism, analysis and the like. Consequently, they develop the minds of discriminative judgmental reasoning. Unfortunately, discriminative wisdom produces attachment and aversion, the two main roots of suffering (dukkha).

 The acquisition of secular knowledge is like the production of silk filaments which cover the cocoon layer by layer and imprisons the silkworm. Secular development unaccompanied with spirituality imprisons human non-discriminative  Wisdom of Emptiness (‘Sῡnyatᾱ)  or Non-duality (Advaya). Paradoxically, the constant accumulation of secular knowledge conceals the inner Heart of Man and impedes  the development of non-discriminative Wisdom. Religious non-discriminative Wisdom is required to unwind the filaments of secular knowledge to unveil the inner Heart of Man – the treasure of the Absolute Reality. This innate treasure is the intrinsic supreme Buddha-nature.

 Modernists are trained to perceive the multiplicity of the multiculturalism and capitalize on it for the expansion of the economic cake. Neuro-spiritually put,  the secular state stresses on the utility of left-brain function. The left-brain function permits Man to discern half of the Truth pertaining to the psycho-ethical engineering of  Man and cosmos. According to the wisdom of Confucian Classic of I-Ching, this first half truth of Absolute Reality comprises only the  knowledge of Yang (manifest aspect of knowledge) of the multiplicity of the empirical world. The exoteric  knowledge of outward manifestation is Yang element of Absolute Reality. Generally put, this is the rational-thinking and conceptual Head of Man. Buddhistly put, this is the manifestative consciousness of the defiled mind of Man of substantial intellectual reasoning . Intellectual reasoning is conceptual. What is conceptual is unreal and illusory. In other words, concepts  do not mirrors the real Truth. They are mere designations only.

Half-knowledge of secularity is trouble for the world. It arouses the emergence of self-centric ego. Knowledge of Yang (manifest conventional truth) uncomplemented with knowledge of Yin (hidden ultimate Tuth) is imbalanced worldview. It creates moral flaws that disorder  the process becoming of Man and thus that of the world.  Knowledge of Yang executed  by the  left-brain is directed and empowered by self-centric ego. The left-brained mind is morally fallible and vulnerable. The world is currently troubled with family, community, society, national and global conflicts or crises because of the imbalanced utility of the left and right brains.   Human sufferings  are causally conditioned  by excessive left-brain functioning amid the neglect of the right-brain functioning. The balanced  utility  of Buddha-mind has been marginized. The Buddha-mind is the perfection of wisdom executing the  interpenetrative unobstruction between the phenomena and the Principle . It is the equilibrium of the interplay between the multiplicity (phenomena) and the Unity (Principle).

Spiritually put, the left-brain of Head is noisy whilst the right brain of Heart  is complete silence. The left brain is  manifestative Yang element and the right brain is  unmanifestative Yin element. The Absolute Reality of Buddhanood is the equilibrium between Yin and Yang elements. The Yin element is the ultimate  Truth (paramᾱrtha Satya) whilst the Yang element is the conventional truth (samvrti satya). Buddhistly put, this is the non-manifestative consciousness of the pure and infinite Mind of Man. Succinctly put, this is the Buddha-Mind of Middle Path worldview.

Nevertheless, do not act in extreme to acknowledge the ultimate Truth and deny the conventional truth. The secular knowledge of aforementioned multiplicity  is useful and pragmatic in the mundane world for human interactions, intercommunication and intercourses. The creative advance is measured through secular knowledge. For instance, we need the advancement of science and technology to support our spiritual endeavours and lives. The electronic cyber world has made a giant leap in epistemology. It actualizes the full democracy of education for all without discrimination.   Paradoxically, the knowledge of Religion unveils that the secular knowledge is a contrary paradox to the religious Truth of Absolute Reality.

Gotama Buddha perceives the paradoxes as perversions. The knowledge of Religion functions to eliminate these perversions of the minds of the spiritually unshepherded. On the contrary, Religion teaches interdependence instead of independence, Unity instead of diversity, the whole instead of parts, integration instead of separatism, neither differences nor identities, non-duality instead of duality, non-discrimination instead of discrimination, unity instead of sectarianism, moderation instead of fanaticism and synthesis instead of analysis and the like . Therefore, Religion is necessitated to rectify human mental perversions.

Neuro-spiritually put, the right-brain function has been marginized as a consequence of the traditional emphasis of left-brain functioning. The right brained mind is the inner Heart of Man. It is the gate to  human Gnosis – Self-awakening to the True Self of human personality. It is the human pure consciousness by which Insubstantiality (Anattᾱ), cessation of Suffering (dukkhanirodha) and Impermanence (Anicca) can be intuitively comprehended or discerned.

The mind of an ordinary person is intellectual, conceptual and consequentially obsessive. Such a mind is spiritually  unappeased or untilled. It is directed and empowered by self-centric ego of grasping or clinging. It invites the indwelling of non-virtuous greed, hatred and delusion. It is menace to the harmony of society because of the moral defects created by self-centric ego

Conversely, the mind of the Gnostic or the Self-awakened One is intuitive, unobsessed and free from kammic bondage. Such a mind is spiritually Nibbᾱnic and supremely virtuous. Being Nibᾱnnic, it is completely appeased and emancipated from the three poisons of life, namely greed (lobha), hatred (dosa) and delusion (moha). Such a Mind produces supreme virtues of non-discriminative lovingkindness (mettᾱ) , compassion (karunᾱ) and appreciative joy (muditᾱ) rooted in perfect equanimity (upekkhᾱ) of neither attachment nor aversion.

Such an altruistic mind of Anattᾱ or ‘Sῡnyatᾱ  is an  asset or gift to the human society in promoting and fostering of harmony in human deontological interrelationhsips. This Mind of Enlightenment (bodhi) propels  the creative advance  of the world spiritually and secularly. When secularity and spirituality  are syncretized, there is only accomplishment, satisfaction and concrescence in the creative advance of the world. Gnosis of right worldview produces perfect wisdom and virtue. Perfect wisdom and virtue are the Attributes of  the Absolute Reality that stabilizes, harmonizes and prospers the world. How we view and think affect our external actions through body, speech and mind . How we behave affect the society and the world. Buddhism like any other world’s great religions rectifies our minds so that we are  conscientiously sincere  and altruistically compassionate towards others. There is only one world and one dream – Love the Truth and the  neighbour.  Love of Truth is Wisdom and Love of neighbour is compassion.

I pay homage to the nameless Lord.

Editor
Bodhi Journal
March 2010