Gratitude to Parents

Question: Why do I have to care so much about my parents, especially if they were bad to me?


         Our parents brought us into this world, and we have them to thank for being alive. If our mothers hadn’t cared for us during pregnancy and endured child birth, we couldn't be here. We must be grateful for all the food and nourishment they provided us with. So many times they labored to keep us dry while getting wet themselves, and so often they cleaned away our filth when they didn’t want to put up with it anymore.

Original Photo by Micah Sittig available on Flickr.com

           Parents often endure a lot of hardship and save the best for the benefit of their sons and daughters. They can commit bad deeds they would never dream of, just to protect their kids and provide them with what they need. All these precious gifts can often go unnoticed as children go up. No matter how far away parents are, all parents still worry about their children, and that worry never ceases no matter how old they get.

       Yet when we are told to make sacrifices for our parents as they age, we often can't do so from the bottom of our hearts.

          The reason for this lack of true giving comes from the fact that we are suffering in our own lives at present. If we do not yet know the joy of being alive for ourselves, we can't thank our parents for giving birth to us.

           Some people in great emotional anguish may even think, "Actually, if my parents never brought me to this world, I would never have had to suffer this much." This is a very sad way to look at life, and it downplays everything your parents have done to raise you.

          People who commit suicide in essence are rebelliously defying their parents. They are holding a grudge against their very birth into this world. They show heavy resentment to their parents by thinking, "Why did you have to give birth to me? I didn't ask to be born."

           Parents may try to object and direct more attention to the hardships they have gone through for their children. "Look at all we've done for you. You should be grateful to us!" But a thankless child could fire back, "You both brought me into this world out of your own free will. I didn't ask you though. Did I?" This can progress even worse, "I wish I had never been born!!" With that being said, it becomes very difficult to debate any further. How could a parent respond back to that?

         Whether one can truly feel gratitude to one's parents or not depends on knowing the reason we were born. To find that reason is the purpose of life.

           If we do not know the reason we were born, then we will never fully understand why we have to be appreciative to our parents. Mom and Dad may have raised us with a lot of effort and sacrifice, but without knowing why we’re here, there is no concrete reason as to why we must be dutiful to our parents at all.

Original Photo by TimothyJ available on Flickr.com

          A Zen priest by the name of Ikkyu said that we live our lives day in and day out sleeping, waking up, eating, and using the bathroom. Likewise our lives go through many stages from child to adult. About this Ikkyu wrote, "A girl blossoms as a young woman, blooms as a bride, fades as a mother, and scatters as an old woman." Nowadays, women can of course choose to not marry or focus on career instead of raising children. But the point he was making is that we go through all these  phases of life only to fade away in old age. We have no idea of what’s next. Is death our destruction, and that’s all? According to Buddhism, it isn’t.

           If that were the case, it would render the value of human life to just a tiny bubble floating on a river. It would mean that those who are blessed in life with wealth and material things are just trying to make their bubble stronger or larger. But in time, their bubble will still burst for sure. Today, there are more than seven billion people on Earth. They are all like bubbles of various sizes destined to burst. A bubble can't expect to float forever. Then what is the point of living? Is it to only struggle for a better life as long as we can? Do we live to ignore the inevitable and just die? That can’t be it. There must be an answer.

            People are always worried about their retirements, 401k plans, and pensions. "Will I have enough to retire at 65?" These are only problems we deal with while we are still alive, but “what will happen after death?” No one makes an issue of this, yet it's in reality the most crucial matter there is. Science and medicine are trying so hard to keep the bubble from bursting, prolonging the inevitable for as long as possible. But why must a bubble that is bound to pop, have to float on or move forward at all? We must be born here for a reason.

            Our world is full of delusion and suffering. From time to time, we think to ourselves, "Why is it just me that has to suffer so much?" We see others as more happy than us, and think we are the only ones who must endure the worst suffering. As the expression goes, "the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence." We believe that weeds simply don't grow in our neighbor's perfectly manicured garden, and only we must toil at pulling out endless roots. We don't realize that all people are suffering in this same way.

            People with extreme feelings of desperation feel that life is unbearable when they compare themselves to others. Though science and medicine have made great progress, the issue of suicide remains a serious and troubling issue. In these cases, we may wonder, "Why did I have to be born? I didn't ask to be here." We find no gratitude to our parents for giving birth to us or raising us when we find life's pressures to be too impossible to bare. Yet Sakyamuni Buddha explained that we were not born to suffer. He said that in heaven above, earth below, we as human beings are born with a single and precious mission.

             So then what is that one and only purpose of life that we were born to fulfill? People tend to mistake the many way stations of life for the ultimate purpose of life. They include going to school, getting a job, marrying, forming a family, building a house. All these are means of living, and although they do help us carry on day-to-day, they are not the ultimate purpose of life.

              The purpose of life is to obtain absolute happiness. This kind of joy lasts for eternity and is clearly taught in the Larger Sutra of Infinite Life. There are many buddhas other than Sakyamuni in the universe, and this sutra teaches that through the promise of the master buddha, Amida Buddha, we can enter into a wondrous world of no hindrance while alive. Upon reaching this level of enlightenment, obstacles no longer stand in the way toward our birth as a buddha in the Pure Land, a place of utmost bliss where there is no suffering. To attain this never-ending form of happiness is why we were born human. (This will be explored at length in future posts.)

             If we would not have been born into the human world, we would have never had the opportunity to seek for this truth. By listening to the teachings of Buddhism, we can realize the great joy of being alive and for likewise grasp the debt of gratitude we owe to our parents.

Original Photo by stevendepolo available on Flickr.com

              You can tell young people today to look after their parents all you want, but it will fall on deaf ears if the kids don't know why they're alive. Whether we feel truly grateful to our parents or not depends on whether we have realized the joy of being alive as a human being for ourselves in the here and now.

              Our bubbles will burst some day unexpectedly. And yet we live with all our might looking away from it... to what end? Then what should we really do with this short, temporal life? Morals and ethics do not even begin to answer this fundamental question of why we were born. Whether we can make full use of morals and ethics depends on whether we find true, lasting happiness -- right now in this very moment. In Buddhism, there is a concrete reason to why we're here. It's to attain absolute happiness!!!

               Once we accomplish this joyous purpose of life, we marvel at how wonderful it is that we were born human! Naturally, we feel grateful to our parents who brought us to this world. We will realize why our lives, like tiny bubbles that are bound to burst, are so infinitely precious. Simultaneously, we can't help but to make efforts in fulfilling the debt of gratitude that we owe our parents.

                After all, without being born into this world and listening to the teachings of Buddhism, how else could we experience the everlasting joy that makes us shout, "This is why I was born human! How glad I am with the way I've lived my life. I'm the most blessed being alive on Earth!" Please continue to listen seriously to the teachings of Buddhism until you arrive at this exuberant state.

On Alaya Mind & the Wind of Impermanence

            People are travelers. We travel from yesterday to today. Today to tomorrow. We do this year after year. Japanese poet Ikkyu said that New Year's Day even though on the surface is a cause for celebration is actually just a milestone toward the afterlife. The idea of man as a traveler has been used in songs, poems, and stories for centuries. 

Original Photo by Dru! available on Flickr.com

              Our trip can be sunny, rainy or windy. It can be mountainous or deep into a valley. Or it can be as simple as a walk on a flatland, because so many things can happen on the journey. We have many encounters with various characters throughout our voyage. Misfortune comes our way. Some days are just normal. We say goodbye here and there to many good people we've met. The weather is fine on some days and bad on others.

               The nature of our soul's journey is limitless. It flows in a continual stream from the beginningless past, forward into the eternal future. The journey of this body may be short, 100 years at best. And during this time, not a single person can understand us to the core.

               Sakyamuni Buddha said, "Alone we are born, and alone we die. Alone we come, and alone we depart." Our physical bodies may have company, but our souls are all alone. We have lived our eternal life in complete solitude, and not even family can understand us at the deepest level.

           For example, husbands and wives are separate individuals, even though they are married and may act together as a family. This world may seem like a universal place where we are all sharing a common reality. However, each person is experiencing something different from their own point of view.

           We all have an Alaya Mind (Storehouse Consciousness), and this is also known as our True Self. It represents our eternal life. The Alaya Mind forms its own world from the various deeds of our distant past that are contained within it. The deeds we perform now in the present are stored into our Alaya Mind which then shapes our future.

             So in short, we're all living right now in the world of our Alaya Mind. Putting this into perspective, that means hundreds and thousands, even millions or billions of worlds are existing together in separate Alaya Minds around us. Each one lives in its own unique reality.

             A wife just can't see what life looks like through her husband's eyes, no matter how hard she tries. To understand him completely is simply out of the question. The husband can't even get a real glimpse despite his strongest efforts. A husband and wife can only know their own Alaya Mind. It's not possible to understand another person's world as they see it. It is an exclusive experience to the individual, and that is why it is said that we are born alone and die alone.

             It's also why whether we know it or not, there is a deep, restless loneliness within us. Our soul is yearning for true company. We devise numerous diversions -- joking, singing or dancing -- yet it doesn't wipe away our loneliness. Not for long at least. There still remains a recurring empty solitude, because no one gets us or understands our world completely.

               Children hold secrets from their parents, and parents don't tell everything to their kids. Husbands and wives keep quiet on a lot of issues. That is the nature of our true mind. It is one of complete solitude and hidden darkness. There is no soul that can bare it all, all the time.

              In bustling metropolises like Los Angeles, Tokyo, New Delhi, Berlin, London, or Moscow, we are constantly surrounded by people. How is it that though we are surrounded by millions, we can still feel so alone and desperately lost in the crowd? We just have no true companionship for our soul.

Original Photo by R. Mitra available on Flickr.com

               This doesn't mean we don't need to understand others or shouldn't bother to get very close to people. We must of course try to get to know people and care about them. But it is an oversized ego that believes it can truly get another person completely. It denotes someone who is 100% in the dark about their own self.

                Our Alaya Mind is hurting. There is no way we can figure out how to solve this situation. We long to bare all of our soul and need to be able to understand it. Only by knowing who we really are can we obtain absolute happiness. Listening to Pure Land Buddhism, we come closer to arriving at this life-changing moment. We come to learn our True Self fully, realize the roles of the countless buddhas, as well as fully grasp the role of Amida Buddha and the Pure Land. By listening steadily and knowing these concepts -- not just believing in them blindly -- we can finally celebrate in not being alone for the first time in our eternal life.

                 Until we find the truth, life seems to have a mysterious sadness to it. People will dwell on all sorts of thoughts to distract themselves from it -- yet it returns, again and again. We rely on systems of politics, ethics, morals, laws in an attempt to restore balance to this desperate world. 

                 Every month we have holidays with fireworks and festivals filled with people who want to escape for a while. They want to forget their solitude in the fun, but they can't seem to leave that emptiness behind when it's time to pick up trash after the party. Fireworks don't last, but it's also what makes them wonderful to look at. At best, could they go on for an hour straight, a whole day, or a full month like that? Would it even remain as exciting at that point? The thrill comes from the rareness of the experience.

Original Photo by bayasaa available on Flickr.com

               The various fireworks of our lives flicker quickly, in and out, here and there throughout the years, and a lifetime of even 100 years can disappear quietly into the smoky dark without notice. In the end, the greater the fireworks display, the greater the sorrow.

               Life is the same way. Once it's over, we're left to the hell of our own bitter solitude at death, and the fact that our soul has no accompaniment. Right now, we're billions of lonesome travelers waiting for death while fighting for survival. We hang in this critical balance day to day. 

               Our fate can change drastically just by the choices and actions we make in a single moment. Life-or-death events happen to us and our loved ones all the time, but soon even they just fade away becoming the farthest thing from our mind. We move on to the next challenge. "That's life," we say. But how long can we keep that up for?

"When at last I came to the peak that I had thought would surely be the last,

I turned my eyes to the way beyond -- mountain piled on mountain."

--Anonymous

                The Wind of Impermanence is always blowing along our journey whether we feel it beating down on our backs or not. Nothing lasts; everything changes. The Wind of Impermanence can be compared to a ghastly tiger stalking its unsuspecting prey.

               There is a tiger behind you right now, even as you read this blog. If there is a room with 100 people, there are 100 tigers lurking behind those people. This tiger waits and waits and waits. It creeps up on all of us with the utmost stealth and suddenly attacks when we least expect it. One day -- BAM! -- it has you in its jaws, clenched in its teeth. It's a huge, hungry, and vicious tiger, and it doesn't wait for you, anyone, or anything. You could be washing your face or right in the middle of a sentence.

               A professor of religion at the University of Tokyo, Hideo Kishimoto, battled with a very serious case of cancer. Kishimoto likened the idea of death to "sudden, unprovoked violence" and left a detailed account of his personal struggle with the disease:

"Death always comes suddenly. 

No matter when it appears, the one visited by Death 

looks on its arrival as a sudden intrusion. 

For the mind filled with a sense of security 

is totally unprepared for death. ...

Death comes when by rights it has no business coming.

It goes coolly where by rights it has no business going, 

like a desperado striding with dirty boots into a freshly-cleaned parlor. 

Death's behavior is outrageous. You may ask it to wait a while, but in vain. 

Death is a monster beyond human power to budge or to hold in check."

              The fearsome tiger has no compassion hunts all of us down without a shred of mercy. Its terrifying size and insatiable hunger calmly waits for the perfect opportunity to strike us. When the tiger comes closer, we may try to escape by going to the doctor and taking various medicines in order to prolong our life. But the moment will come when the tiger appears for his final lethal bite. Once we're bitten, our time here as a traveler will be over.  

Original Photo by fpat available on Flickr.com

               All of us must face the Wind of Impermanence.

               This is why we must seek the truth for who we really are and obtain absolute happiness in the here and now. Without sensing that our life is fleeting, we do not feel inclined to move into action. We must seek to know what the afterlife holds in store for us as soon as possible, before it is too late. Listening to Buddhism brings us toward the real solution to these problems. Let us listen to the teachings with sincerity and reflect deeply on the crucial matter of our afterlife.

The Eight Minds

               One of the most interesting teachings within the Dharma when I was first learning was on the topic of the Eight Minds. The Eight Minds are also known as the Eight Consciousnesses. It's about the psychology of our brain from the perspective of Buddhism.

Original Art by Identity Photogr@phy availble on Flickr.com

              To begin our look on the Eight Minds, I'd like to share with you an excerpt from the book, The Purpose of Life by Tamotsu Asakura.

***

              The science of psychology deals with the structure of our minds.
 

              Modern psychology teaches that there is subconsciousness beneath our consciousness and that further below that, lies "depth psychology."
 

              You may have heard about the subconscious but you may not have heard of the term "depth psychology." Would anyone believe if he was told that Sakyamuni Buddha had already revealed this level of psychology 2,600 years ago, although 20th Century psychology, at long last, has just begun to elucidate it?

               In the 80s, Japan and the United States were seriously competing with each other on the development of a fifth generation computer, also called artificial intelligence or A.I. for short.

              Professor Marvin Minsky, of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a worldwide authority on A.I., is engaged in researching Buddhist scriptures -- stating that the study of Buddhism is essential for experimenting on the development of A.I. Why Buddhism in the computer?

              He explained that for the development of A.I., it became naturally necessary to do the research on the nature of man's mind. However, modern psychology did not give thorough instructions on it. He therefore researched the religions of the world -- since they specialized in the mind -- to see if there was any religion that gave instructions regarding the structure of the mind. As a consequence, he found that most religions hardly gave any information on it. However, in the Buddhist scriptures, it was taught in detail. Sakyamuni Buddha was truly an exceptional psychologist. [Minsky] found that Buddhist scriptures were unsurpassed texts for the development of computers.
            

***

Original Photo by isforinsects available on Flickr.com

               What Professor Minsky, pictured above, used for his thesis on A.I. was the teaching on the Eight Minds. Let's look at what he discovered.

The Eight Minds

1.) Sight Consciousness - Mind of the eyes. This is the mind that perceives what we see and enjoys from all the sights

2.) Hearing Consciousness -  Mind of our ears. The mind that detects the sounds we hear. We listen through this mind and with it can enjoy music.

3.) Smell Consciousness - Mind of the nose. The mind that detects odors and pleasing fragrances. 

4.) Taste Consciousness - Mind of the tongue. The mind that perceives and tastes between sweet and savory. The joy experienced from fine cuisine.

5.) Touch Consciousness - Mind of the body. The mind that discriminates between textures and temperatures. It perceives between hot and cold also between tough and soft. The Mind of the Body also includes the exhilaration from sports and dancing. It also includes the soothing sensation of silk or a cool breeze.

6.) Thought Consciousness - This is the mind that thinks, memorizes, and dreams. It is also the mind that integrates the first five consciousness and judges collectively between them. It is the mind that enjoys reading.

7.) Manas Consciouness - It is the mind that makes us feel attachment to various people and things. It is the mind of "I." It goes hand-in-hand with the Alaya Consciousness.

8.) Alaya Consciousness - If you read over my posts on the Law and Cause and Effect, you learned about this as Alaya Mind. It's also known as Storehouse Consciousness as it is the storehouse of our karma.

               You may have heard of the Himalaya Mountains. Well, the meaning there is Snow Storehouse. I thought that was really amazing. Just imagine how vast our karma storehouse is! Alaya Consciousness is our True Mind.

                The first six minds are widely-known and easy to understand because we can recognize them. Here's another excerpt from Mr. Asakura's book so we can get a better grasp on the last two minds. (Note: words in brackets are English translations of the Japanese terms used in the original work. )

***

              [Manas Consciousness] and [Alaya Consciousness] do not appear on the surface, and therefore we are not aware that we have such minds. They are, so to speak, the minds that are concealed at the bottom of [Thought Consciousness].

              Buddhism is the study of the mind, but Buddhist universities put strong emphasis on the subjects of [Manas Consciousness] and [Alaya Consciousness]. These two complicated minds, it is said, take eight years to comprehend, even if one should study with serious determination. It is that difficult.

              Then what sort of mind is [Alaya Consciousness]? ... What things are stored in the [Alaya Consciousness]? Our karma is stored in it. What is karma? In plain language, it is the energy of the deeds produced by the body, mouth, and mind.

              In Buddhism what we think in our mind is considered as one kind of deed. We perform all sorts of deeds, both good and evil, and they are all stored as seeds which, in the future, produce effects in accordance with the Law of Cause and Effect. A good act produces a good effect; an evil act produces an evil effect, accordingly. One's acts bring the effects back to oneself.

              In Buddhism, these effects are called karma-seeds, and the storage of these seeds is the [Alaya Consciousness]. A karma-seed is energy which is colorless and formless from the beginning ... the [Alaya Consciousness] is also a colorless and formless existence. Within the [Alaya Consciousness] are stored all the karma-seeds one has practiced from his beginningless past as well as the karma-seeds of his acts since his birth into the human world of his present.

              The eight kinds of consciousness may be divided into two categories -- [Thought Consciousness] and [Alaya Consciousness]. The first five kinds of consciousness are subordinate to [Thought Consciousness] and the seventh, [Manas Consciousness], could be incorporated into [Alaya Consciousness].

                People today are only aware of [Thought Consciousness].

   ***

              Mr. Asakura goes on to explain that the Alaya Mind is our fundamental consciousness. It is at the very bottom of our Thought Consciousness and even controls it.

             We are taught right and wrong through our education and our upbringing by our parents. This knowledge is stored in our Thought Consciousness. However, the Alaya Consciousness ignores all ethics and morals because it is a deeper mind. Although one may be aware through Thought Consciousness that it's wrong to do something, the Alaya Mind still has the command to say, "Do it anyway."

             As we age, the pleasures of the six senses begins to decline. However, people will always keep looking for something stimulating as there is no end to our desire while we're alive. These six minds will finally perish with the body at the time of death. But the Alaya Consciousness, "filled with one's lifetime karmic-evils, continues to journey into the world of the afterlife."

               That is why in Buddhism, the goal is to awaken this Alaya Consciousness before we die. Once we deeply realize the existence of this mind, we can feel pure joy and fulfill our true life's purpose. It is how we come to know our True Self and receive absolute happiness.

The Seven Good Deeds that Don't Cost Anything

              When you really think about it, how much time do you actually spend caring and thinking about others and how much time do you spend on yourself? A real, honest look might reveal that we're probably spending about 90% of our time getting our own needs met.

              Take the example of a large bath tub. You want more warmth, so you begin to bring in with your hands all the warm water toward you. But what happens? It escapes pushing the warm water around and away from you. However, when you push the warm water away with your hands, the warmth circulates bringing more to you. (Try it the next time you have a bath. It actually works!) This example embodies the concept of Benefiting Others, Benefits the Self within Buddhism.

Original Art by Tim Green aka atoach, available on Flickr.com

               According to the Law of Cause and Effect, doing good deeds only brings more good effects for us. So we should give generously to others more than we did yesterday. This all sounds really logical and seems quite simple, but there's definitely more to the story!

***  

            Long ago, there was once a famous meeting between Bird's Nest Monk, a Zen priest, and Bai Juyi, a scholar of Confucianism.

               Bai Juyi was taking a walk on a mountainside, deep in the forest. He was lost in thought when he saw something curious. Up in a large tree there was someone with their eyes closed doing meditation.

               "Excuse me!" Bai Juyi said, "Don't you think it's a little dangerous to be up there with your eyes closed?"

               Bird's Nest Monk replied, "The one who is in danger is you!"

               Bai Juyi got the sense that this priest was no ordinary man, so he decided to introduce himself. "You know, I'm just a nobody. It's nice to meet you. They call me Bai Juyi."

                "I'm Bird's Nest Monk. I'm also nameless. A pleasure."

                "You know, this is a rather rare opportunity. I always wanted to know what Buddhism is all about," Bai Juyi said."In a few words, could you sum it up for me please?"

                 "Refrain from doing bad deeds and practice various good deeds. In short, 'stop evil; do good.'"

                  Bai Juyi became bemused. "But even a little kid knows this. Is this all the Buddha teaches?"

                  Bird's Nest Monk replied, "Even though a three-year-old boy knows it, it's difficult to practice even for an 80-year-old man."

                   At this Bai Juyi began to think more seriously about Buddhism, and the two carried on a discussion.

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Update: Previously, this post originally ran with the names Hakurakuten (Bai Juyi) and Torinosu (Bird's Nest Monk). These are the Japanese names, but I decided to switch them to the original Chinese and English translations for ease of reference. 

Giving Another Look at Giving

                Even though the core concepts of Buddhism seem easy for us to understand, we have to try hard to put them into practice. In a previous post, we went over the Six Good Deeds that Make You Happy (Six Paramitas).

                Sakyamuni Buddha narrowed down all the virtuous acts we could possibly perform into just six categories. He did this to make it easy for us to choose one and perform it to the very best of our ability and with all our hearts. By doing one with the strongest of intentions, you end up doing them all.

                  But for today let's focus on the first paramita of Generosity.

1.) Generosity -- Making Offerings to Others

 

        a.) Dharma -- Sharing Buddhism will bring happiness in this life and beyond into eternity.

                         

           b.) Materials -- Giving money or things of value that make people happy in this life

               However, for those who have nothing to give as far as materials or compensation, there are still generosities that we can still offer even without a penny, yen, ruble, pound, or rupee!

Seven Good Deeds that Don't Cost Anything 

1.) Kind Eyes -- Send others good thoughts and intentions with your eyes

   

2.) Peaceful, Friendly Smile -- A friendly facial expression promotes harmony, smooths tensions, makes people feel comfortable in their environment

Original Photo by mknobil available on Flickr.com

3.) Kind Words -- A simple, warm "Hello!" can brighten someone's day and also make sure to say positive comments to people who have gone through difficult situations

4.) Physical Labor -- Doing chores, helping someone out for free and volunteering are great examples

 

5.) Heartfelt Gratitude -- Being grateful to others, apologizing for mistakes, and excusing ourselves when we inconvenience others makes us become more thankful in life

6.) Offer Your Seat (position/role/title) -- Giving up an advantage to someone in need like the coveted front seat in a car

7.) Share Food / Shelter -- Offer visitors to your home and those in need of help a place to spend the night and share a meal with them

     
                All seven of the above examples of generosity can be performed everyday, and they are all aimed to awaken the mind of a bodhisattva within us. 

                A bodhisattva is one who is seeking for true happiness. If you sincerely practice these good deeds with keeping these paramitas in mind, you will be happier and even come closer to knowing the meaning of life. Just give it a try and choose one today -- Generosity, Keeping Your Word, Patience, Making Effort, Self-Reflection, or Wisdom!

                 But we just can't perform good acts to anyone. Sakyamuni Buddha taught that we should plant seeds in the Three Fields of Fortune.

Original Photo by irokurcazbah available on Flickr.com

Field of Respect -- Someone with virtue that deserves respect

Field of Gratitude -- Someone who we owe a debt of gratitude

Field of Compassion -- Someone who is suffering and/or less fortunate 

               We are encouraged to practice as many of these good deeds as possible in these fields and to listen to the Law of Cause and Effect frequently. We think because we've heard about karma before that we already know it.

                But by not putting it into practice -- we don't really know it at all. 

Two Reasons Why People Are Not Practicing Good Deeds

1.) They don't understand the teachings.

2.) They think it doesn't matter if they do them or not.

                 Buddhism teaches us not just to know, but to practice as well. At a red traffic light, everyone stops. Knowing isn't good enough; you have to stop at the light to avoid disaster.

                 What goes around really does come around. Everything little thing we do influences our future karma. So we should reflect deeply and choose wisely to plant seeds of happiness with all our decisions in life.

The Inability to See Our Own Evils

                 Doing good brings us closer to seeing hidden evils concealed within our nature. To help us refrain from these wrongdoings, we are taught to learn and avoid the Ten Bad Deeds.

 Ten Evils

 Karma of the Mind
          1.) Greed
          2.) Anger
          3.) Foolishness -- Not Knowing the Law of Cause and Effect

Karma of the Mouth
          4.) Lying
          5.) Double-Tongue -- Telling one person one thing, and another something else
          6.) Flattery
          7.) Bad Mouth -- Using foul language and speaking ill of others

Karma of the Body
          8.) Killing
          9.) Stealing
          10.) Adultery -- Being unfaithful to one's partner


               The more of the Ten Bad Deeds we allow ourselves to perform, especially killing, stealing, or adultery, the more we also lose ourselves. And we're committing evils like these all the time with our words and thoughts... and most of that time we're not even noticing!

                 On the surface level as human beings we seem to be good-natured, but the Buddha's perspective reveals otherwise to us.

The mind is constantly thinking evil.

The mouth is constantly speaking evil.

The body is constantly doing evil.

Never has there been a single good deed.

--Great Sutra

               As we realize this definition of evil through listening to the teachings of Buddhism, the intention to refrain from doing evil then naturally arises within us. It is this mindset that drives us forward on the path.

              However, we can't see anything evil or wrong in our nature at all unless we first perform good deeds like the Six Paramitas with the utmost sincerity and dedication.

    Mirror       |                                        <---- Move Closer

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    Dharma    |                                        <---- Perform Good Deeds    You are Here

               Seeking for good is the barometer for how much one understands Buddhism. It is also the fear of committing evil.

               Along the way, conceit is the hardest obstruction and distraction while seeking for the truth.  It's our own inability to see clearly who we are and what we do.

                We must go forward by performing good deeds and listening closely to the teachings of Buddhism. By doing so, we get closer to realizing our true image in the Mirror of Dharma.

Schools of Buddhism

               Buddhism is the study of happiness. It was founded by Siddhartha Gautama, a prince in India who was born in 560 B.C. At age 35, he became enlightened.

Original Photo by soham_pablo available on Flickr.com

               In Japan, he is more widely known by the honorific title, Sakyamuni Buddha. Sakyamuni means "Sage of the Sakyas," and Sakya was the name of his family's clan. Buddha means "Enlightened One" or "Awakened One." Sakyamuni's teachings were later compiled into 84,000 written works known as sutras. These lessons lead us toward becoming enlightened.

               We are all moving forward on this path to enlightenment. You may have heard the word nirvana to describe this state of absolute happiness.

                The teachings of the Buddha are known as the Mirror of Dharma because they reflect our true nature to us. They do this in order for us to achieve a state of everlasting, supreme joy.

               Just as there are many branches or sects within other major religions, there are many different schools of Buddhism. Some schools have more emphasis on certain sutras or lessons while others schools have a more graduated approach to the teachings of Buddha.

               All branches of Buddhism freely welcome anyone to attend services regardless of affiliations to other religions. In this way, it is a religion that promotes harmony with everyone.

               All Buddhist philosophy revolves around an understanding of the Law of Cause and Effect. In short, this principle is condensed in the following three lines:

Good deeds bring good results.

Bad deeds bring bad results.

Your own deeds bring your own results.

               By understanding this law deeply, you can accept responsibility of your actions and transform your future destiny by performing as many good deeds as you can now.

               Beyond these introductory concepts, many differences arise in each school's method of instruction of how to ultimately arrive at absolute happiness.

               There are two major categories within Buddhist schools, Theravada and Mahayana.

Buddha

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Mahayana                                                  Theravada

          "Great Vehicle"                                      "Teaching of the Elders"

               Theravada Buddhism arose in Southeast Asia and is the oldest school of Buddhism. It is also known as the small vehicle because only a few can follow the difficult practices. This teaching is centered around benefiting yourself and being happy yourself above others.

Original Photo by fyunkie available on Flickr.com

                Mahayana Buddhism became popular in India, China, and Japan. It is known as the great vehicle because it aims to include as many as possible in achieving enlightenment. Its principle philosophy could be stated as "my happiness makes you happy." It follows the core concept: benefit self, benefit others.

Original Photo by rahuldlucca available on Flickr.com

               Sakyamuni Buddha passed away at the age of 80. Nine hundred years later, a figure known as Ryuju-Bosatsu was born. His arrival was foretold by Sakyamuni. Ryuju-Bosatsu helped clarify the essence of the Dharma. He was also known as Nagarjuna and is respected in India and many places around the world as "Little Buddha."

                Ryuju-bosatsu taught that the purpose of Buddhism was not to benefit only yourself but to benefit all people and make everyone happy. This concept of benefit self, benefit others helped to increase the popularity of the Mahayana school throughout Asia.

               Within Mahayana Buddhism, there are two kinds of schools, the difficult path and the easy path.

Easy Path                                                            Difficult Path

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Enlightenment

               There are 52 levels of enlightenment, and according to Pure Land Buddhism, only Sakyamuni Buddha has reached the highest level of supreme enlightenment. Each path has a different approach on how to reach this level. The difficult path teaches us to reach the 52nd level one by one, whereas the easy path teaches us to jump a multitude at once.

               Nagarjuna had a very strong will and painstakingly made it to the 41st level one by one. Only two other figures have been able to do such extreme ascetic practices. Once at this level, he realized he couldn't go any further. Nagarjuna learned at this state that it was too difficult to obtain Buddhahood in the way Sakyamuni had. Because so few could achieve this type of enlightenment, he discovered it was not true Mahayana.

               The easy path is Pure Land Buddhism. In this method, one can jump all the way up to the 51st level from the very bottom. It is the shortest, most direct path toward enlightenment. Nagarjuna said that this was true Mahayana. He then abandoned his 41 levels of self-power Buddhism, and jumped to the 51st level through other-power Buddhism. This other-power is made possible through the wonder of Amida's Vow. This easy path is True Buddhism.

               The difficult path includes schools like Zen and Tibetan Buddhism which both practice meditation. Many people around the world often practice their meditations in order to just take a rest, reflect on themselves, or obtain calm for a few minutes here and there between work and study. But true Zen is not this simple type of relaxation exercise that one can start and stop so quickly. It involves very hard work. You can't hold full-time work, marry, or eat meat in order to practice it fully. 

                Another historical person within Buddhism is Bodhi-Daruma. Often he is depicted in round-shaped figurines known as Daruma dolls. The reason for this shape is that Daruma practiced ascetic training for nine years staring at a wall without moving.

Original Photo by Macskafaraok available on Flickr.com

               As a result of this activity, he lost both his arms and legs due to poor blood circulation. This extreme type of meditation has no room for Disneyland, music, going out, eating meat, or marriage. It is a concentration with all of one's will power to eliminate all desire. One must observe the mind and all the thoughts it harbors.

               Thus the true teaching of Zen is to climb the ladder of enlightenment by eliminating all desire. Such a person must seriously dedicate their whole life to such a practice and have very little to no free time. 

               After all his efforts, Daruma established the Zen school at attaining only the 30th level of enlightenment. This practice is so rigorous that one has to cut off all ties to the normal world, foregoing career, loved ones, family, and all the things we enjoy in life.

               It may be a way to calm the mind, but for Pure Land Buddhists, it is not suited well for attaining Buddha's enlightenment. In such a difficult path, only a few can be saved.

               The easy path is Amida's Vow, the Pure Land Way. Once we are 100% sure of Amida Buddha's salvation, only then can we be truly happy in this life. This type of other-power faith allows us to jump to the 51st level of enlightenment, just one under Buddhahood, and while still alive. Then after death, we are born in the Pure Land and attain enlightenment there.

               No type of rigorous training or ascetic practice is required for this absolute form of happiness. We only have to listen to Amida's Vow from a true Buddhist master. The current living master of Pure Land Buddhism is Kentetsu Takamori from Japan. A few of his works published in English are displayed below.

                To know True Buddhism clearly and concisely, make all efforts to listen to his teachings directly in order for you to obtain the purpose of life as quickly as possible. 

                In this Mirror of Dharma blog, I am sharing what I have learned from his lectures in order to bring awareness and exposure to the Pure Land way and so that one and all may obtain absolute happiness in this lifetime.