Buddha - the essential teachings
’The central message of Buddhism is not ’Every man for himself.’” — John Cleese, A Fish Called Wanda
Buddhism is a religion. It was begun in a small way by some of Buddha’s disciples as a means of preserving his words and ideas. Naturally there were disagreements and in time, as with all religions, various factions started their own sects. There are many sources of information about this religion, which are easily found. I am more concerned in this little article about Buddha himself, and the essential core of this teachings. Something which sadly most of the religious practices performed in his name seem to ignore.
Early life
Unlike Jesus, the hypothesized source of
Christianity, there is ample historical evidence that Siddhārtha Gautama (c. 563-483 BCE) and later called the Buddha, did indeed exist. He was a prince, a married man, and a father. As a young man, he began to see that while his own lot in life was one of ease and enjoyment, for most others life was filled with suffering. He could not reconcile his own way of life as a wealthy prince with the agony of so many others. Indeed, he could not understand why suffering existed at all. Not finding answers at home, he walked away from his life of luxury and became a wandering ascetic, seeking to find a way to end suffering.
He underwent many privations over many years. But nothing worked. Nothing he tried brought an end of either his own suffering or the suffering of others. So finally, spiritually and physically exhausted, at his wits end, he sat under a tree and resolved never to leave that spot until either he found what life truly was, or died.
Concept of self
He discovered that the concept that there is a ’self’ which suffers, a ’me’ in here somewhere that is separate from everything else, that idea itself - was the source of all suffering. With this discovery he became what history now knows as the Buddha.
Look past thoughts
There are two understandings which he said were essential to fully awaken, to become a Buddha. The first is recorded in the Dharmmapada - a collection of some of his sayings. To become a Buddha, one must fully understand that one must look past thoughts, that thoughts always get in the way:
Thought manifests as words:
Words manifest as deeds;
Deeds develop into habit;
Habit hardens into character;
So watch thought and its ways carefully
Let thoughts spring from a love
Born of concern for all beings...
As the shadow follows the body,
So what we think is what we become.
The support beam
The second understanding necessary to awaken he said, was to break the ridgepole. What he was referring to was long beam which held up all other support beams in housing structures common in India at that time. If this central beam broke, then all of the beams that where attached to it would fall and the house would collapse in an instant. So when he said “break the ridgepole”, he meant that one must destroy the central concept upon which all other concepts hang.
That central concept he said, was the idea that there exists a “self”, a “me” to which pain, pleasure, suffering, or joy occurs. This central concept, said the Buddha, was what kept one imprisoned. To permanently abandon this central concept he said, was to be rid of distractions forever. To permanently abandon this central concept was true awakening, or Nirvana.
Fullness, not emptiness
This was NOT emptiness, or a blank mind as so many Zen and other manifestations of the Buddhist religioun claimed. Quite the opposite in fact. For when the ridgepole shatters and the roof falls, then the view of the sky is unobstructed. The suchness of the eternal moment, everything, rushes in unencumbered by the central concept of a “me”. One feels everything, sees everything, is everything - not as an experiencer, but as the thing itself.
Or said another way, without a “me” to get in the way, the entire universe rushes in to fill the gap. Full to overflowing. The cup runneth over.
Such is Suchness
But the world does not go away. In most respects, nothing changes. Pain still hurts, joy still happens, sorrow is still felt, happiness still occurs... but there is no owner. The world, events, people, trees - the “such” of life still appears. But it is now inseparable from the “suchness”, the overflowing, of the moment.
Awakening has no past. Awakening has no future. It merely is. The Suchness before appearance, which is appearance.
This is what the Buddha saw.
The religion founded in his name is not the way. The only way is to do what the Buddha himself did - get rid of everyone else’s rituals and practices, and instead find out for yourself.
