Behind The Mask ~ HOW TO READ A
BOOK
I
came across the following article in 1994, and found
it so open and refreshing that I requested the author,
Venerable Visuddhacara, for permission to reprint
it herein. He kindly gave it, and I am grateful to
him for both this and his words. Venerable Visuddhacara
was, at the time he wrote this, the resident monk
at the Malaysian Buddhist Meditation Centre in Penang,
which is where I stayed prior to and shortly after
my ordination there. He is a Theravada monk, while
I am not (I left Theravada a long time ago), but,
as he said or implied below, as human beings we all
have many things in common and can all learn things
from each other, without subscribing to each other’s
viewpoints in totality].
HOW TO READ A BOOK
"When you read a book, you must keep
an open mind. Do not allow prejudice to cloud your
judgment. Instead, try to read and understand what
the author is trying to say. Try to give him a sympathetic
ear. He is trying to convey something he seriously
thinks about and which he seriously believes in. At
least, give him a chance to say his piece. You need
not agree with everything he says, but you may find
some common areas of agreement, or you may find something
new, something you can actually learn from him. Then
you can pick out what you can relate to, learn something
from him, and as for what you cannot relate to, and
concepts you cannot agree with, you need not accept
them, you can reject them, or just let them be. Or
in areas you are not so sure about, you can say without
rejecting or accepting, Well, I’m not so sure
about this; it may or may not be; who knows? I’ll
just keep an open mind and see how it will all eventually
work out, and you can read on.
"But at least now you know about his
point-of-view, about another’s point-of-view.
In that sense you are not so ignorant; you have some
understanding of others’ concepts or viewpoints,
some of which you can agree with, and some of which
you just cannot; it doesn’t matter. What matters
is that you have learned something about others’
views, and when you give talks and have discussions,
you will be better able to discuss and relate with
others. You can speak with more knowledge and understanding.
You can point out both the differences and the similarities,
and you can also appreciate the goodness in others’
traditions, for they too are trying to practice compassion
and transcend the ego. And oftentimes, their compassion
and practice put us and our own practice to shame,
do they not? For we may claim to know, but how much
of what we know do we practice? How wise and compassionate
are we? Do we really know what we claim to know? Do
we not have doubts sometimes, and if we have, can
we admit them? Can we say we don’t really know
fully as yet, that our understanding is still incomplete,
and therefore we should not think or behave as if
we know everything, as if we are an authority, or
that we hold the monopoly of truth, wisdom and compassion?
"It is good to have knowledge of each
other’s religious views as this will foster
religious tolerance and understanding; it is also
good to have knowledge of other Buddhist schools and
traditions so that we can understand our differences
and still have respect for each other. Sometimes,
as I said, we can learn wonderful things from another.
For example, reading a non-Buddhist book about dying
entitled FINAL GIFTS, I learned a lot about death
from people who have witnessed it first-hand; yes,
from hospice-nurses who with great compassion tended
to the dying, and who related for our benefit their
experiences with dying people. I learned a lot about
compassion from that book, how, by just being present,
by giving a gentle squeeze to a hand, by tenderly
stroking a forehead, by saying a soothing and comforting
word, one can bring relief to a dying person. I learned
how a dying person can die peacefully—with understanding,
love and comfort from his loved ones and friends.
I marvel at the hospice nurses who, in their great
compassion, sacrificed so much of their energy and
time for the dying, something which I myself cannot
do. It makes me more humble, more appreciative and
respectful of others and the wonderful work they are
doing.
"Reading a book entitled HOW CAN I
HELP? by Ram Dass and Paul Gorman, I learned some
more about compassion, about how people from all walks
of life serve society, each in their own wondrous
ways. It was a very eye-opening and touching book.
It made me feel humble and wanting. I know we are
all here to serve. Why, even the Buddha asked the
Arahants not to just sit back and relax after attaining
their goal. No, He asked them to travel all over the
place to spread and share the beautiful Dharma.
"Today, many people are serving in
their own ways. Mother Theresa cares for the sick
and destitute in Calcutta; the Dalai Lama preaches
peace and non-violence throughout the world; Thich
Nhat Hanh asks us to be mindful in our everyday life
and shows us how in very simple and delightful ways.
For example, we can be mindful when answering a telephone
call or when we are stalled at the traffic lights.
He says: Don’t look at the red light as your
enemy, as something to beat before it turns green,
but look at it as a mindfulness-reminder, as if it
is blinking at you and telling you: "Hey there!
Be mindful!" And when we wake up every morning,
he asks us to wake up with a smile on our face and
a resolution to live every precious waking moment
fully and to look at all beings with eyes of compassion.
"Yes, I always say we can learn from
others, if only we don’t close our minds and
hearts altogether. When I read the Dalai Lama, I see
that here is a very compassionate and wise person,
and a very humble one, too. When he is questioned
and doesn’t know something, he says so openly,
even to an audience in an auditorium; he’s not
afraid to admit it. He’ll say: "This beats
me; I don’t know. You tell me". He can
speak to psychiatrists and psychologists on their
own level. He can ask incisive and profound questions
which reveal his depth of understanding, concern,
sincerity and compassion with regard to whatever is
being discussed.
"True, I may not agree with the Dalai
Lama or Thich Nhat Hanh with regard to certain Vajrayana
or Mahayana concepts, but I respect their rights to
their views, and I can appreciate how through their
concepts and school of thought, they too express wisdom
and compassion in their daily lives and practice in
ways which show that they live what they preach; they
are not just talkers but doers. And more, they have
won world recognition and acclaim for their work of
propagating peace, non-violence, mindfulness, understanding
and compassion. Their significant accomplishments
and contributions as Buddhists to the world at large
is something which we all, as brothers and sisters
in a big Dhamma family, should be proud of.
"I can appreciate their skills in relating
to and communicating with people, their genuine love
and compassion for all beings. Why, they too are teaching
people to be mindful, to uphold the five precepts,
to have love and compassion for all beings. And, more
importantly, it would appear that they live up to
what they teach. I learned a lot from their ways of
expression, especially Thich Nhat Hanh’s skills
in communicating the mindfulness practice in the context
of everyday life, in the mundane activities of everyday
routine.
"Yes, what I am trying to say here
is that we should not close our minds totally; there
are things we can learn from others. We too must realize
and concede our own limitations—that we are
not perfect and our understanding is still incomplete.
As Theravadins, we should not think that we have a
monopoly on wisdom and compassion, that we know best,
that we are superior to others in both theory and
practice. We should recognize, appreciate and respect
the goodness in other traditions too; otherwise we
might just be caught in another ego or conceit trip.
"If we nurture a humble attitude we
stand to gain a lot, we open up, we are not so narrow
or dogmatic, we can begin to learn from others, a
whole new wide world will open up. By opening up,
it doesn’t mean that we throw away what we already
have. No, on the contrary, we reinforce what we already
have. How? We’ll learn how to apply our own
beliefs and understand more skillfully. We take what
is helpful from others, their skillful ways of practicing
which do not conflict with ours, and with those views
or ideas which we cannot relate to or agree with,
we just leave them alone, just let them be. After
all, you cannot expect when you read a book to agree
with everything in it, can you? There will always
be some differences in opinions and interpretations.
We can acknowledge the differences and adhere to our
viewpoints, but we can now understand another’s
viewpoint. And we can see where we share similarities,
and we can learn how skillfully others apply the practice,
especially in the areas where we share similar viewpoints
and understanding. We can learn from them skillful
ways. And we can appreciate and be grateful to them
for teaching us those ways.
"If we will read only what we consider
as 100% Theravadin books, then we will have closed
our minds, and how can we then learn from others?
Have others nothing to teach us? Do they not practice
compassion and wisdom in their own ways, too? Can’t
we see the beauty and goodness in their practice and
work, even though we may not agree with certain of
the religious concepts they subscribe to? And do you
know that even Theravadin writers have their differences
in opinions and interpretations of Theravadin doctrine
and meditation? Yes, as students of Dhamma, it is
for us to read intelligently, to think for ourselves
as the Buddha wanted us to, not just to accept or
reject blindly. So, having understood somewhat our
Theravadin Dhamma, we should be able to read others’
viewpoints too, and decide for ourselves what we can
accept and what we cannot. We need not throw everything
out. We can see common principles that underlie different
techniques and approaches.
"In this way, we can study more intelligently
and maturely; we can have a more intelligent and mature
approach. This way we have nothing to lose but everything
to gain. I, for one, can tell you I have learned and
gained a lot by listening carefully to what others
have to say, by reading with an open mind, taking
what I can relate to and leaving alone what I cannot.
I trust and pray that I will continue to grow in humility,
compassion and wisdom as I try, according to my ability,
to apply as faithfully as I can, the spirit of the
Dhamma as taught by the All Compassionate and Wise
Buddha.
"May all beings be well and happy.
May they keep open minds. May they know how to take
what is good and leave what might not be so good.
May there be tolerance, loving-kindness, compassion,
appreciation and understanding. May all sincere and
compassionate seekers and practitioners, by whatever
path they may have chosen to travel, eventually reach
their goal of wisdom and happiness, of Nibbana and
the cessation of all suffering".
Visuddhacara. 27 September
1993. |