Against The Stream ~ WHAT HAVE WE
GOT?
IT IS EASY TO DESTROY
OR distort things, while to create, or clarify things,
is hard. This is why religions, over the ages, lose
their clarity and vitality. Buddhism is no exception;
it has absorbed many things that were not originally
there, and is often misrepresented. Take the kung-fu
movies churned out in Hong Kong, for example: as light-entertainment,
these films may have some value, but often erroneously
portray Buddhism and Chinese philosophy. Thus, when
a genuine attempt to propagate Buddhism is made, we
are confronted with nonsense that impressionable people
have absorbed from such movies, under the idea that
it has something to do with Buddhism. It becomes like
having to clear the weeds, rocks, and garbage from
a piece of ground in order to plant crops there.
Years ago, I saw a Japanese movie about
the Buddha, but it was so inaccurate, long and boring,
that I almost went to sleep during it, and couldn’t
wait for it to end. Then there was the Shaolin Temple
movie from China, showing monks eating dogs, drinking
wine, fighting and killing—things quite contrary
to the life-style of monks. And a cheaply-produced
Hong Kong trash-film about the Buddha showed Him being
dragged from His seat beneath the Bodhi-tree by demons,
and then rescued by a white ‘monkey-god’
which defeated the demon-king by its magic and kung-fu!
It was extremely boring and silly, though it was obviously
appreciated by the monk in whose temple I saw it in
San Jose, USA! Why do movie-makers have to distort
things so much?
Are these movies a result of popular demand?
Do they really reflect people’s tastes? If so,
why are people so undiscerning? We are better-educated
now than ever before (though not necessarily more
intelligent), and yet we turn to rubbish for entertainment.
Is everyday life so boring that we must escape into
silly and unrealistic fantasy? Apart from the costumes
and architecture, these movies are dull and unconvincing;
the plots vary very little; the kung-fu scenes go
on far too long, with the combatants rarely sustaining
injury or getting tired or dirty; the magical-element
is too fantastic, and the sound-effects amateurish.
When the Buddha or Kwan Yin are shown, they look foolish,
seated on flashing, revolving, jet-propelled lotus-flowers
in the midst of multi-colored clouds, the Buddha with
some outlandish coiffure, etc. Are these deliberate
attempts to misrepresent and belittle Buddhism? If
so, they succeed quite well. What kind of impression
do people who know nothing about Buddhism get from
such movies?
If you intend to buy a house, it is advisable
to have it evaluated first, otherwise you might later
find that you paid far too much for it. Should we
not also evaluate our religion and philosophy of life?
Dare we do so? Would our religion stand up to honest
scrutiny today? Why do so many Buddhists discard Buddhism
and embrace other religions? Is it merely for material
gain, or, as refugees, to acquire sponsorship? Have
they found something better than they had? Did they
understand what they had before changing? And do they
understand the religion they are changing to? We should
really be prepared to ask such questions and not to
go blindly on, thinking that "Our religion is
better than others", as we often do. If we were
asked to explain why we think our religion is better
than others, would we be able to?
We can see that, as far as social-service
is concerned, Buddhism is so far behind that it is
nowhere in sight! And as for ceremonies and rituals,
well, other religions have such, too. What constitutes
Buddhism’s difference, and why should it continue
to exist in this world, more than 2,500 years after
it began? Why should it not have followed into oblivion
the ancient Greek and Roman religions, remains of
which we can find now only in museums and books on
mythology? Does Buddhism offer to people anything
at all that they cannot get elsewhere? If we are afraid
to ask such questions, it means we have not really
understood, and have no real faith in what the Buddha
taught. We should not think it disrespectful to doubt
and inquire, for this is what the Buddha encouraged,
not belief. When He was about to pass away, He asked
His monks if they had any doubts or questions about
anything. When they all remained silent, He said that,
if they didn’t like to ask, out of respect for
Him, they should get a friend to ask for them. There
was still no response, and the Buddha knew this was
because they had understood, and had no doubts, and
not because they were afraid or shy to ask.
Unlike some other religions, Buddhism did
not develop as a branch or out-growth of a previously-existing
religion, but as a result of the Buddha’s Enlightenment.
Buddhists therefore claim it is based upon verifiable
facts, and does not require its followers to accept
and believe things unquestioningly.
There is, in Buddhism—as in most other
religions [indeed, some religions are based upon it]—a
‘miracle-aspect’. However, it is not emphasized
or regarded as important, as it is unverifiable, and
that part of it is from the past, while the important
aspects are of the present, the Eternal NOW. Even
today, there are people with ‘super-natural
powers’ who can perform ‘miracles’.
The Philippines is famous for its psychic or spiritual
healers, who are reputed to be able to perform complicated
surgical operations with just their bare hands and
effect miraculous cures. India has countless yogis
and holy-men, many of whom are supposed to possess
magical powers; perhaps the most famous of these today
is SAI BABA, whom many people have witnessed producing
various objects from thin air. It cannot be disputed;
there are certain things that most people, including
skeptical scientists, know nothing about. Scientists
cannot explain, for example, how people can walk on
fire, without getting even minor burns, yet this feat
is not rare in some Asian countries.
The importance—or lack of it—that
Buddhism places on ‘magic and miracles’
is illustrated by a little anecdote told about the
Buddha. One time, while walking beside the Ganges
River, He came to a hermitage. After exchanging greetings
with the long-haired ascetic there, He inquired about
his discipline. The ascetic replied that he had been
there for many years, practicing austerities in order
to be able to walk on the water, and now, at last,
his efforts were about to bear fruit. The Buddha smiled—perhaps
a little mischievously—and said: "But don’t
you know that just upstream is a ferryman who can
take you across for two pence?"
Psychic-power is said to be available to
anyone who practices certain kinds of meditational
disciplines, but the Buddha stipulated that, if His
monks did develop such powers, they were not to display
them but keep them hidden. The Scriptures say that
He had psychic-powers Himself, and there are accounts
of Him performing miracles such as creating the illusion
of multiplying Himself for others to see, making fire
and water issue from His body, disappearing from one
place and reappearing in another, and so on. But these
things are not regarded as important. The real miracle
of Buddhism is the attainment of Enlightenment, of
Waking-up to Reality, and this possibility is open
to everyone. The Buddha did not claim the monopoly
on Truth; He said that anyone could find what He had
found. His own cousin, Devadatta, though he was a
monk and had psychic-powers—whereby he could
fly through the air, pass through walls, walk on water,
etc.—was not enlightened; indeed, having such
powers caused him to become vain and corrupt, and
he died in a state of anguish.
Yes, Buddhism was, and still is, a Way that
leads to Awakening, while living in this world. This
is what constitutes Buddhism’s raison d’etre;
Buddhism does have something to offer to our world—a
world that, in spite of the wonderful advances of
science and technology, is still filled with ignorance,
superstition, hatred, fear, intolerance, darkness,
and suffering. We must rediscover our heritage as
Buddhists, dust off our treasures and bring them out
for all to see. Many people are waiting for what we
have to offer; shall we withhold it from them? Before
we can give it to others, however, we must first understand
and appreciate it ourselves, and know it is worth
offering to others.
To approach Buddhism, requires both Faith
and Wisdom, and they must balance each other. When
there is too much Faith and not enough Wisdom, things
go wrong, and we can see the results in some other
religions: they become naïve and unrealistic,
superstitious remains of Man’s primitive past.
Moreover, these imbalanced religions have often been
productive of intolerance, fanaticism, persecution,
conflict, and war. Why do people not look deeper into
things, instead of seeing only surface-appearances,
and believing?
What is Faith? Many of us equate Faith with
Belief, but actually, it is quite different. We tend
to believe people we respect or like, even if we have
no proof or knowledge that what they say is true;
we are often misled this way. Belief exists in the
absence of knowledge. For example, most people would
probably answer "Yes" if asked whether they
believe in ghosts or not, even though they have never
seen a ghost. And if you ask those who say "No"
to accompany you to a cemetery at night, they would
probably refuse, which would seem to indicate that
they do believe. Belief and Disbelief go together,
and we often find that one is the mirror-image of
the other. But Faith has little to do with Belief,
for it arises out of, or because of knowledge, not
in the absence of it. For example, you have seen Kodak-film
advertized; the manufacturers spend huge sums to promote
sales; maybe you have been influenced into buying
Kodak-film by such promotions yourself. Until you
buy and use it, and get good results from it, however,
you can only believe it is good, but when and if you
get good results from it, then Faith in it arises,
and you would probably buy Kodak-film again. If you
had poor results from it, you would not have faith
in it, and would not buy any more. So, Faith (Trust,
or Confidence) arises from direct, personal experience,
and displaces Belief. When we have faith in something,
we don’t believe anymore, because we know.
Two people go to the market to sell their
wares. One conceals his goods and calls out to people,
very loudly, to come and buy them, saying that if
they miss this opportunity they will regret it for
the rest of their lives. He requires people to believe
what he says without giving them any evidence to support
his claims. The other man spreads his goods out for
all to see and examine, but neither threatens nor
promises; if people want to buy, they buy, otherwise
not. This person is like the Buddha, who never called
anyone to believe or follow Him, saying that if they
did, they would be saved and go to heaven when they
died, but if not, they would go to hell.
What is Wisdom? Wisdom is the ability to
distinguish between the True and the False, the Right
and the Wrong, the ability to see things as they are,
and not as we would like them to be. And it is the
capacity to live according to that seeing and understanding.
It leads us to Enlightenment, which is something that
might make even a blind person say: "Oh yes,
I see! I understand!" Stevie Wonder, the blind
singer, once said: "I want to help people to
see the beauty that is all around us!" See? Without
eyesight? Yes, that’s right! Wisdom is seeing.
Many people have good eyesight but not much wisdom,
so they see and understand very little.
This world, and everything in it, changes
and passes away; all our works, good or not, crumble,
eventually, to dust. Buddhism offers Enlightenment,
nothing less.
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