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Legacies I Would Leave With You

PART I: LEGACIES MATERIAL AND CEREMONIAL (continued)

Legacy 21:

The Demonstration Alms Offering practiced in Suan Mokkh is a practical study in how to feed one-hundred monks, in how to do it smoothly while keeping the defilements under control. Please maintain this kind of ceremony in order to support and preserve Buddhism in an economical way, free of difficulties, and maintaining the ancient form of the Buddha's time.

Legacy 22:

The "Nalike" coconut pond is a lesson modeled after a children's lullaby of the southern people that shows how much they had realized the highest Dhamma in times past, to the extent that they could take nibbäna as the theme of a children's lullaby. Please protect the honor of our ancestors on this point and make ourselves fit to be their descendants, every one of us.

Legacy 23:

Preaching Dhamma in lecture form, which sometimes must be done while standing, does not go against the Dhamma-Vinaya in any way. Convenient and appropriate for the times, it causes the propagation of Buddhism to proceed smoothly and successfully. It is not necessary to stick to the strict literal interpretation of Vinaya when they are customs and manners of a different era and time.

Legacy 24:

The standard followed at Suan Mokkh of not welcoming people who can't wash their own plates, who must have someone else clean up after they eat, is a standard which doesn't conflict with Buddhist principles. We use it to select which people are fit to stay in the monastery for the sake of practicing Dhamma because their hearts are in harmony with the principles of unselfishness and not taking advantage of others. Please help to maintain this as a continuing legacy.

Legacy 25:

Sleeping with a wooden pillow is something the Buddha himself recommended as a way to train ourselves in not oversleeping. Mära has no chance to take over the person who doesn't indulge in sleep, who is strong and active both physically and mentally. In those days, both wanderers2 and warriors slept with wooden pillows, especially, the Licchavi noblemen.

Please allow me to object to the words "work is money, money is work." They are out of line with Buddhism, which teaches us to work as a duty that is proper for all forms of life, rather than to work seeking money to fatten up life so that it delights in the roads to ruin (apayamukha) or in the pleasures that are nothing but "flashes of insanity." I leave this legacy of protest with you, also.

Legacy 27:

The secret trick of Zen is merely the original way of Buddhism that adds tranquility to insight (vipassana) so that they work together in the instant that there is both concentration (samadhi) and a penetrating investigation that seeks the mind's original state — freedom from defilement. Zen doesn't separate them in order to practice just the particular one we are attached to. The relevant Sutta teaching is: Contemplation (jhana) doesn't occur for one lacking wisdom; wisdom doesn't occur for one lacking contemplation (jhana).

The principle of vaccination  using bacteria to cure disease  can be applied in Buddhist Dhamma practice by applying greed's power to coveting goodness and merits, by applying anger's power to hating defilements and dukkha as enemies in order to destroy them, and by applying delusion's power to infatuation with doing basic kinds of good rather than falling into evil. This is possible because these three "powers" are already fully present in our minds as our opening stakes in the "gamble" of life.

Having Dhamma all night and all day is not so hard to do. When about to do any of the duties of daily life, become aware of the fact that "Duty itself is Dhamma." Because duty is able to eliminate every type of problem and brings only good, desirable results, its meaning is exactly that of the word "Dhamma," that which helps the practitioner avoid falling into dukkha. So when duties are done all day long, there is Dhamma all day long. Even resting is a duty that must be performed as much as any other, that is, in order to have the necessary strength for doing one's Duty.

The Great Standards of the Discipline (Vinaya Mahapadesa) in the style of the Vinaya (Discipline) must be passed on and taken as necessary in these modern times that are materially developed to the point of filling the world with problems of morality and discipline, both for wanderers and householders. Please study this Mahapadesa thoroughly in order to prevent foolish innocence.

The Mahapadesa (Great Standards) concerning Dhamma from the Mahaparinibbana-Sutta must be used together with the principles for judging Dhamma-Vinaya from the Gotami Sutta in order to discern what is right with the most accuracy and completeness. Such clarification is badly needed by modern Buddhists, whose lives are full of troubles that increase day by day. This approach has already been used with excellent results, so we ask to leave it as a legacy to be applied further.

The "Humming version of Dependent Co-origination" is taught in a way much easier to understand and practice than the usual formula. You ought to understand this form first, before investigating the standard formula. In either case, the practice is the same: be mindful at phassa (contact). (You can find the details in Dependent Co-origination From His Own Lips.)

Using the principles of idappaccayata, paticca-samuppada, tathata, & suññata as ambrosia that put us beyond death, or above the cycles of death and birth, because they finish off "I" and "mine," is the genuine daily activity of Buddhists, is the most direct path, and has the best results, so I leave it with you as something I've used to good result already.

The Vimuttayatana Sutta is a Dhamma principle worthy of special interest. It tells us that we are able to realize Dhamma on five occasions: when listening to Dhamma, when explaining the Dhamma for others to hear, when reciting Dhamma, when contemplating Dhamma, and when investigating and analyzing Dhamma. Obviously, there are many opportunities to realize Dhamma, but we have been so careless as to not take advantage of even a single one.

Using the 10 points of the Kalama Sutta thoroughly and correctly is a sure principle and method for maintaining and protecting Buddhism in ways that it is truly a refuge and carries on the teaching as the Buddha wished. I've used this method continuously and successfully in line with its fullest meaning, and leave this "tradition" with you as part of our legacy.

It is better to study the four foundations of mindfulness from the Anapanasati Sutta than from the Mahasatipatthana Sutta, which is overly long, has a vague and muddled appearance, and lacks a clear sequence or progression. Just to read it takes hours. On the other hand, the Anapanasati Sutta is a continuous progression of 16 steps that encompass everything from the beginning of practice up to and including the final realization of the fruits of practice. The Buddha himself declared that he relied upon this practice in his own Awakening. Please consider this well. May we leave this fact as a legacy, also.

Voidness (suññata) for householders, including women and children, is to be mindful and clearly aware in not feeling attachment towards anything such that love, anger, hatred, fear, worry, longing, envy, and jealousy occur through the power of feeling "I" and "mine." We insist that everyone has the awareness and strength needed to practice this and ought to practice it, so I leave it as a special legacy for householders.

The principle of following the footsteps of the Arahants can be used both by householders and homeless monastics. This is the principle of living life in a way that constantly scrapes away the kilesa (defilements) and lessens the familiarity with and tendency (anusaya) that causes more kilesa, by having sati-sampajañña in the moment that sense objects impact, and so not letting anything concoct greed, hatred, and delusion, or if they are concocted, have sati stop that mess.

"Beauty is in the corpse, goodness is in giving up, the monk is in truth, nibbana is in dying before death." We have knocked the dust off of and recycled this antique saying in order to preserve the intelligence of our ancestors, to show how sharp, direct, and profound their understanding was. Further, so that their children and grandchildren will have no less intelligence than our ancestors, and will fully live up to the meaning of being "Buddhist," by not locking away nibbana so that they must die over and over for thousands and millions of lives before getting any results. Please help to preserve this legacy of our ancestors.

May we all cherish one special aim, that whether sooner or later, there will be an era in which the world is perfect in Dhamma through everyone performing their duties, through everyone being clearly mindful in their hearts that the correct duty is itself the Dhamma that will help keep us above all problems. This is possible because the world is always changing. You ought to support the conditions for such change in this world.

If all people in the world object to bringing Dhamma into the world, because they think it's impossible, that's up to them. We alone, if need be, ought to make ourselves quench all dukkha with Dhamma that's up to the mark. Never be disappointed that so few people are interested in Dhamma.

All of the above concerned material and ceremonial legacies. They comprised the first part of the "Legacy" I wish to leave behind.

Following, are more abstract or spiritual legacies that I have studied, researched, observed, and tested in practice. As they have given satisfying results, I summarize them here point by point and leave them with you as more of my "Legacy." 

Footnotes

2 Pabbajita, literally, "one gone forth or out from" the householder's life.

More Legacies: 1 - 20 | 21 - 41 | 42 - 62 | 63 - 83 | 84 - 104 
105 - 125 | 126 - 146 | 147 - 167 | 168 - 189