Reaching for the moon.
Harvard / EDX certificate of achievement | Buddhism Through Its Scriptures
Yesterday, I completed my first class on Buddhism online, that is Buddhism Through Its Scriptures via Harvard University / EDX. I took some time this weekend to hunker down and write my final short essay of my interpretation of a Zen visual parable, a kōan of sorts, of a monkey reaching out for the full moon. It is finished.
Dharma – the essence of the teachings of the Buddha, that is to understand things as they are, the cosmic law, “Reality” or “Truth” – is threefold, as taught in the class. There is Dharma to be studied. There is Dharma to be practiced. And finally, there is Dharma to be realized. I am still in the study phase. I have been tip-toing along for a while, still reluctant to embrace the fullness of it. Getting burned by one organized religion had made me pointedly cynical about joining another. I have been to friends' temples and churches and joined their sanghas to celebrate, but I have always felt a sense of not-belonging. Not understanding. It's frustrating. But the great thing about Buddhism is that it is okay to walk alone, to look inward to find the strength to propel you forward. There's no nanny-god as an excuse or crutch to do or not-do things, or make you feel bad or better. You can be a buddha, if you work hard on being "good" to yourself and for others, which is the most difficult thing to do in this life or the next next next. Attain full potential. Even in Buddhist cultures that believe in hell, those relegated to the pits have a chance to work on themselves and move up the spiritual ladder. Some consider Buddhism "pessimistic" with all this talk of sunyata or emptiness but if you really dig deep and contemplate, I found it to be the most hopeful thing in the world. There is suffering, and there's a way out of it. Ultimately, though, wisdom is gained by engaging others. There is a limitation to what you can learn on your own. Hence, I thought I need to learn my alphabet and numbers. Baby steps.
The class gave enough introduction to Buddhism for us to surf the surface for what was organized as an 8-day course of readings, writing and discussion. It’s up to you how slow or fast to go through the class, how light or heavy to interact with other students. I took the slow route, light to middle engagement with others. Introvert, by nature.
What I have learned in this class really is the uniqueness and tremendous diversity of Buddhist scripture and how lay and ordained Buddhists have practiced, debated and celebrated the Dharma across geographies and cultures for two and half thousand years, and how it is being applied to modern life today. While Theravada (followed in Thailand, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Cambodia, and Laos) has a closed canon, the Tipitaka, and focuses on individual attainment, generally speaking, those that follow Mahayana in East Asia is open, with an emphasis on bringing others along. Buddhism co-existed with native belief systems, from Shinto in Japan, Bön in Tibet, Taoism and Confucianism in China, to the Brahman faiths of India. It has made an indelible impact on the culture, philosophies, and the creative arts of those regions. Even in Central Asia, in modern-day Iran, Pakistan and Afghanistan, where Buddhism once flourished, its gateway to East Asia before it was annihilated by Islamic forces, some of the most beautiful pieces of art, architecture and artifacts had been unearthed. And today, it has planted its seeds in the West. All those therapists, yoga instructors, and celebrity influencers babbling about “mindfulness” meditations these days? That’s Buddhist practice extracted and acculturated for our secular, scientific world.
"If science proves some belief of Buddhism wrong, then Buddhism will have to change. In my view, science and Buddhism share a search for the truth and for understanding reality. By learning from science about aspects of reality where its understanding may be more advanced, I believe that Buddhism enriches its own worldview."
- Tenzin Gyatso, 14th Dalai Lama (Our Faith in Science, The New York Times, 12 November 2005)
This class exposed me to new ideas. I read the Heart Sutra for the first time, and now I can’t start my day without listening to someone chanting it, whether its in Sanskrit, Japanese, Tibetan, Vietnamese, Mandarin, Korean, etc. It gives me energy in the morning. I don’t know why, or if that makes sense. I loved listening to Herbie Hancock, the legendary jazz artist talking about his path and how it impacted his life, creativity and music. I loved reading about the different schools, the sutras, the parables, the discourses. I loved reading about the role and impact of women in Buddhism, how they have navigated deep, cultural misogyny, how the universal feminine energy of someone like Guanyin or Tara, mother goddesses of compassion, loving-kindness and healing, infused themselves in the Mahayana traditions. Or how an illiterate Zen monk was read Jesus' Sermon on the Mount and immediately heard the Dharma and without knowing who he was regarded him as a bodhisattva (an enlightened being).
Buddhism has been likened to water. It is fluid, changing shape and direction, filling in the empty spaces and embracing form, never really resisting or imposing. It filled and embraced mine. Hopefully, this is a first step to not just studying, but to a more engaged practice. Knowledge is great, but knowledge for knowledge’s sake, as tradition for tradition’s sake, is empty. Wisdom comes with practice, and practice leads to awakening. Seriously, that might take a whole lot of lifetimes for me. Will keep reaching out.