the kongdan foundation

The crux of wisdom

In many philosophes and religions there are similar places deemed as sacred that lift our thoughts to a higher purpose. Several mountains in China are considered as sacred because Lao Tzu of Taoism is said to have been there. The most famous being from Huashan Mountain and his blast furnace where the elixir of immortality is found in the Story of the Monkey King. For myself, one of the attractions to Taoist concepts point to perception without prejudice, i.e. beyond dualistic distinctions such as right/wrong, good/bad, black/white, beautiful/ugly. It is a state of mental unity which places the Taoist practitioner into alignment with the Tao. ​​

The crux of wisdom is that we learn that the elixir of life and immortality is not something to be found outside of ourselves. But finding or returning to what has been within us from the beginning of time. That we are here to see beyond ourselves and to eliminate the suffering of those around us. That this seed of giving is eternal and is what connects us to nature and our environment. What are we to do with this sense of bliss once it has been found and how do we commit ourselves to ending suffering?  

There is a story in Chan Buddhism about a monk being overheard saying “it is better to be a Buddha than to be an imperial officer.” Since antiquity, many great teachers have vowed to take birth in this world repeatedly and try as much as possible to alleviate the suffering of fellow beings. Their vows are inexhaustible and eternal. This is commonly referred to as the bodhisattva vow and can refer to Maitreya in Buddhism, for many (me included), he is the ultimate universal mentor.  

According to the Lotus Sutra (strongly associated with Zen) in Nichiren Buddhism, all people possess the potential to reveal an innate Buddha nature during their own lifetimes, a concept which may appear to contradict the idea of Buddha as saviour or messiah.  

Although Maitreya is a significant figure in the Lotus Sutra, the explanation of Nichiren is that Maitreya is a metaphor of stewardship and aid for the Bodhisattvas of the Earth, as written in the Lotus Sutra. They are not afraid of suffering because they know how to grow lotuses of understanding and compassion using this very suffering that we otherwise wish to run away from. They vow to be reborn to bring understanding to their fellow beings. 

Buddha’s selection site is anywhere where there is understanding and compassion. It can be our home, our workplace, our car, or park. We do not have to visit a Buddhist temple to find Buddha. If our friends are suffering, we can be a Buddha for them. We can breathe for them and try to bring understanding. Our vows and aspirations shall fuel us. Next time you do an act of compassion, you bring understanding, know that Buddha has been selected. Buddha is born. Flowers of enlightenment are showered onto you, even as no one sees them. Sun and moon shall behold you tenderly, saying that wherever you are present… “this is Buddha’s selection site.”  

“In Buddhism, that thread of energy which moves from life to life is called the “mindstream” and represents the continuum of consciousness that arises moment to moment, dependent on causes and conditions, and thus persists in a state of perpetual flux.
The mindstream carries certain concretized fixations with it, called “karmic imprints” (Sanskrit “Vasanas”) from birth to birth, and these imprints are either compounded further by life and relations or dissolved, depending on how one takes responsibility for them.
For example, the selfishness born of grasping and avoiding causes us to engage in negative actions, which in turn place negative imprints on the mindstream. On the other hand, seeing through and discarding selfish motives has the opposite effect, and is comparable to dropping off extra baggage, rather than accumulating it.
As the baggage of the self-contraction is released, we become “lighter”, and the mindstream is freed up of those karmic imprints that have trapped it in a vicious cycle of craving and fear. As the afflictive states spawned by negative karmic imprints are recognized, seen through, and released, liberation becomes a possibility.
The karmic imprints or energetic impulses, when activated, create the illusion of a solid and enduring self, which exists just on edge of the storehouse consciousness where the karmic imprints reside. They bind us to the sense and belief that we are a substantial and independent human person, separate from Source, rather than the limitless, indivisible Spirit that is our true identity…
In the midst of all this, it is especially important to remember that the greatest solvents for karmic imprints are humility, forgiveness, gratitude, and love. The cultivation of selfless compassion (Bodhicitta) serves to transform the mindstream and benefit all, and it is just such an attitude which is the foundation of the Buddhist Bodhisattva ideal, in which one sets aside their own personal welfare for the welfare of others.
Thus, it can be said that a transformed mindstream self-liberates through the power of love, and ultimately, it couldn’t happen in any other way. Released of its accumulated burden, the unfettered mind falls into its Source, also called the Heart, and shines there, at home, at peace.”

 

 

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