Just as the ocean has a gradual shelf, a gradual slope, a gradual inclination, with a sudden drop-off only after a long stretch; in the same way this Dhamma and Vinaya has a gradual training, a gradual performance, a gradual practice, with a penetration to gnosis only after a long stretch. —From the Uposatha Sutta translated by Thanissaro Bhikkhu
The quotation above will serve as the entry point for our second From the Pure Land Back to Basics post. The first one also came after a period when I had wandered into political and social issues. You can read the first Back to Basics post here:
Returning to the quote, the translator uses the Pali words dhamma and vinaya. In Sanskrit, dhamma becomes dharma, which we English speakers often use. Let’s focus first on those words.
Dharma has many meanings, but as used here, it refers to the body of teachings from the Buddha. Vinaya, in Pali and Sanskrit, is the set of rules and precepts used by fully ordained monks and nuns, but it can also mean “discipline.” In this sutta, the Buddha is addressing his monks, using the ocean as a teaching aid to explain eight “amazing and astounding qualities” common to both the ocean and the journey to gnosis, or enlightenment.
The quotation above is from the first of the eight, emphasizing that the route is gradual. Learning the dharma and diligently practicing as taught is, the Buddha said, an “amazing and astounding” process that leads gradually to gnosis. The Buddha is telling his students not to expect quick and sudden enlightenment but rather to enjoy the journey, “with a sudden drop-off only after a long stretch.”
I spent several years in the 1980s as an avid recreational scuba diver. I had Advanced Open Water and Night Diving certifications and made over 200 dives. I glided over reefs that were 30 or 40 feet deep, sometimes following them to, say, 60-foot depth and eventually to a drop-off of hundreds or thousands of feet. That drop-off is called a wall. Occasionally, I’d make a single dive alongside a wall to my limit of 120 feet.
Every inch of those dives was “amazing and astounding.” Now, here’s the thing: The Buddha roamed and lived nowhere near an ocean and probably had never in his earthly life seen one. Scuba gear would not be invented for more than another 2,000 years. Yet he used that perfect analogy.
What I hear the Buddha saying is that the journey itself is beautiful. Many Western students get hung up on the idea of enlightenment as a goal.
Did my meditation this morning get me closer to enlightenment?
My answer to that would be:
Not if that’s how you think of it.
Meditation and other practices taught in Buddhism are ways of living—skillful means of lessening the world’s suffering. They do lead to enlightenment—gnosis—but thinking about that as the goal distorts the process.
So, what is meant by the doctrine and discipline?
Here’s my informal summation of the doctrine—what the Buddha taught:
We all have painful episodes in our lives, but we can eliminate the second arrow of suffering by working with our minds to restrain our ego, craving, aversion, fear of the future, and ignorance that blinds us to the interconnectedness of all beings. The Eightfold Path was the Buddha’s first guide to retraining our minds.
All beings have an innate Buddha Nature that can be manifested by practicing the dharma. That’s the eventual gnosis that can be reached “after a long stretch” of practice.
Again, informally, here’s my take on the discipline:
The basic five precepts for laypersons are not to take life, not to take what is not offered, not to indulge in sex or other sensual pleasures in a way that causes harm to oneself or others, not to lie or gossip, and not to indulge in intoxicants that cloud the mind. These precepts are guides, not absolutes.
Beyond these, I like to refer to the Pāramitās or Perfections. These vary in number and terminology, but in essence, they are generosity, ethical conduct, patient forbearance, joyful effort, renunciation of worldly distractions, nondual wisdom, loving kindness (goodwill), and equanimity.
The role of meditation or contemplation is woven throughout the doctrine and discipline. That’s because the path is an experiential one that depends on more than words and concepts. It must be lived. I’m reminded again of scuba diving. Gliding underwater in scuba gear, one can hear nothing but the sound of the air coming from the tanks and going out the regulator. There are no words, just the bliss of being in a joyful pure land.
From the Pure Land has hundreds of subscribers in 32 U.S. states and 14 countries. The podcast has listeners in 35 countries. Consider:
If you are not already a subscriber, please become one. Free and paid subscribers receive the same content, but subscribing for $5 a month or $50 a year helps support my mission.
Make a one-time gift of any amount.
Share this post with a friend.
Listen and subscribe to the From the Pure Land podcasts via your favorite app or by clicking here.
Share this post