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FAQ's about Buddhism
excerpted from Taming the Tiger
by
Dr Akong
Tulku Rinpoche |
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What is Buddhism? I think when I look at it and try to
simplify it I would say that in my view Buddhism is about
self-development; how to develop loving-kindness, how to
develop compassion; how to develop tolerance. It Is about how
to develop ourselves in this direction so that we are not just
thinking of ourselves but thinking of how we can help all
other people. It is about self-development but not in the
sense of development of ego or self-importance, but about
developing loving-kindness and compassion so by achieving that
we can also help others. I think this is a simple description
of what Buddhism Is.
This is
a path which most decent human-beings would try to follow
regardless of religion - or no religion - so in what way does
Buddhism offer anything different?
I
think the main difference between the Buddhist path and others
is that Buddhism always says that you have to deal with all
obstacles and that you should not try to escape from anything
- including yourself. It teaches that you have to come to
terms with all your own emotions and all situations - positive
as well as negative. You have to face yourself, and deal with
your own fears and reactions and not run away. Buddhism also
says very clearly say that in order to develop tolerance,
loving-kindness and compassion you have to train, or tame,
your mind. Just trying to have positive thoughts Is not quite
enough; you have to achieve them; therefore an essential part
of the path of Buddhism is the practice and study of
meditation. In the beginning It may look as though the
learning and practice of meditation is running away from the
problem but it is not. It is the opposite. You practise and
study meditation in order to be able to face problems and be
better able to help others. I think that overall there is much
similarity in the teachings of all religions but I think that
Buddhism emphasises that you have to deal with all your own
rubbish before you can be much help to others.
Some people feel attracted to "Tibetan" Buddhism
but are not clear about how much is Buddhism and how much is
the Tibetan culture. Some of the imagery can seem quite alien.
Can you give some guide lines?
I don't think it
matters very much. Those who wish to understand will
understand whatever you do. Many stranger things happen! For
example, an astronaut went to the moon and soon tourists will
be going there. It seems very strange to me, but those who
want to understand the significance of this, will find an
understanding. From the Buddhist view, the Buddha taught many
different techniques - 84,000 different teachings - in order
to help different sorts of people. Tibetan Buddhism passes on
to us these teachings on how to help and how to benefit. There
is nothing in any of the teachings that can do harm to anyone
or can encourage wrong views. That would be against the
principle of Buddhism. Every teaching - all 84,000 - contains
something positive and the Tibetan approach, the Vajrayana
approach, is included In these. But the presentation doesn't
really matter. Different people like different presentations;
some people like one style, some people prefer another. Though
Buddhism originally came from India many Indian people prefer
the Tibetan style and the Tibetan art. It is not necessarily
the case that Indians always prefer the Indian style, and
Tibetans the Tibetan style; some Tibetans may prefer the
Indian style. So I think it is very much up to each
individual. The art, the pictures, the decorations - these
just represent things. They give your busy mind something to
do which is more positive than thinking about what your
neighbours are saying. They are there to help you. But if you
find that they not helpful - then there is no need to look at
them - you can just think of what they represent. It doesn't
matter what you believe, what matters is what you
do!
In the traditional Buddhist
countries women have a low status in society, is this due to
the religion - Buddhism - or is it the culture of the
country?
I think Lord Buddha's teaching
is valuable for whoever comes. The teachings are for whoever
has a brain. He taught more for some and less for others but
it is not important whether they are "man" or "woman". He
ordained his own step-mother as the first nun and this was the
first time ever that there was the possibility for women to
follow a religious life. But society is a different matter.
Wherever you go in the far East a women's job is to stay at
home and look after the children or her parents. Therefore,
although a few nunneries exist they are normally smaller and
poorer than the monasteries. In these nunneries I am sure
there will be some nuns who teach the other nuns and perhaps
sometimes a very famous nun to whom lay people go to receive
the teachings. Generally though, men - and therefore monks
-are more respected than women but I think It has more to do
with society, with the culture, than with Lord Buddha's
teaching.
Although Buddhism places
a great emphasis on compassion there is not a good record of
active compassion in eastern countries' can you comment on
this?
One of the main teachings of
Tibetan (or Vajrayana) Buddhism is called the 'Six Paramitas'
All Vajrayana and Mahayana teachings are based on the six
paramitas and the first paramita is "generosity" or "charity".
I think that when someone who is a true Buddhist gives to
charity they give very sincerely and very honestly. In western
society you may notice that perhaps people are giving more
than in the East, but the giving is more likely to be based on
ego and more likely to have strings attached. Too often it is
charity with a capital "C". "I am the one who gives and 'they"
receiver and "I want to become very famous because I am so
generous. I want to have a label saying how good I am to poor
people". Buddha once said that if you want to give with a pure
heart, first you have to meditate and develop wisdom so that
you can give without attachment. We discussed "non-attachment"
earlier. "Non-attached" charity is when you give something
totally, both mentally and physically. It means having the
right state of mind when you make the gift as well as the
actual gift itself. In a previous life the Buddha gave his own
body; in another life he gave his eye. We should all try to
achieve that level of non-attachment, non-possessiveness. I
think that those who give charity in the East are more likely
to have that development. If you don't have that development,
that right state of mind, if you cannot truly give
wholeheartedly with no strings attached, then the person who
receives your gift may benefit but you may end up with a
poisoned mind. I think that perhaps people in the West may not
understand that some wisdom is needed. I think in the East
they may take more time and try to develop themselves first.
This may take some time and may mean that for certain periods
in their life they do not give much but I think the idea of
giving has always existed.
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