Quarterly Newsletter of the

Washington

Buddhist Vihara
Winter 2006

New Year  Message- 2006

While we are witnessing the New Year 2006, the conventional beginning of  another twelve months, it  is wise  to reflect upon  the nature of our own attitudes and behavior against the background of what the Buddha taught.

When our body gets exhausted by overwhelming work, we badly need a bodily rest. Resting helps to recharge  energy in preparation for the next physical activity. Equally,   and perhaps even more, the mind   requires  a rest, after which it can perform its  functions properly and also effectively.  Otherwise, we  become accustomed to  a disturbed and restless mind, which remains agitated – like a live fish taken out of the water.  A restful state of  mind is  to be achieved by  slowing down, looking within, observing, and investigating the activities of the mind.

To begin with, the mind should be as free as possible  from thoughts and feelings such as  anger, aversion, fear, and envy.  These result from  self-centered lust,  inflicted by our own ignorance. It is this kind of mind  that keeps us restless all the time. Therefore, it is time that we begin the process of creating a restful and peaceful mind - by starting anew and afresh. For this,  a change of attitude  and behavior is essential. One of the best  ways we can begin this change is to make use of  the four exertions taught by the Buddha and thereby bring about the  desired  result – the change.

They are namely:

Ending past unwholesome tendencies,

Not starting new unwholesome tendencies,

Starting wholesome tendencies,

Keeping up with the  wholesome tendencies that are already underway.

Above is the path. It is up to each and every one of us to carefully trod along that path individually.

-Ven. Wetara Mahinda

Vol. 38. Issue 1.

Winter 2006

Weekly

These tsunami affected children in Srl Lanka  dance at the opening day of the Janavijaya School in Kahawa to the tune of “Thank You Friends Abroad.” Your generosity has brought these big smiles to these innocent children’s faces.    

The Buddha:  Who He Was, And What He Taught

Ven. Wetara Mahinda

Senior Lecturer, Department of Archeology

University of Peradiniya, Sri Lanka

Buddha is not a name given by parents, members of the family, friends, companions, relatives, hermits or even super human beings. The   term  ‘Buddha’ in Pali language denotes the supreme human being who discovered a truth formerly unknown to humankind. It is the name for the ultimate liberation, enlightenment and perfect wisdom acquired by a supreme human being who represented an entire institution devoted to the liberation of mankind. The Buddha is the Enlightened One whose mental cankers are destroyed, and an enlightener who has made a magnificently powerful impact on human civilization by discovering the path to perfect spiritual freedom.

 In this context, it is relevant to mention what Buddhists are.  There could be three kinds of people who practice Buddhism:  those who are born Buddhists and who remain culturally Buddhists; those who are born Buddhists but later transform into enlightened Buddhists by understanding the message of the Buddha, and those who are not born into Buddhism but come to the practice later in life.  Thus, there is a difference between those born into Buddhism and those who become Buddhists later in life.  Those born into Buddhism may become real Buddhists after thoroughly understanding the message of the Buddha, but not all can be considered Buddhists in the strict sense of the word.  Many of them are generally accustomed to confining themselves to ceremonial or cultural aspects associated with different Buddhist traditions.  He or she who becomes a real and

understanding Buddhist treads along the path of the Buddha, which is called Buddhism. To become a real Buddhist, one has to realize what one is, how one’s mind functions, how one has to cultivate the mind, and how one can live a contended life here in this life itself. The Enlightened One, not having been born to a Buddhist family himself, became a Buddha after realization of himself and of the sufferings of and remedies to the mostly mind-made agonies of humankind. However, even those who try to become Buddhists later in life may go astray and be mistakenly satisfied with some of the mystic elements associated with the Buddhist tradition from which they were inspired.  Also, those not born Buddhists and traditional Buddhists alike often turn to books in order to learn Buddhist teachings, but become stuck on the dogma in the books and fail to understand the true qualities of Buddhism such as loving kindness, compassion and equanimity.  Thus, they find fault with others who, in their judgment, do not practice the “correct” Buddhism without realizing that Buddhism is not in the dogma, but in one’s spiritual practice.   Misunderstandings about the real message of the Buddha among both those born Buddhists and those who come to Buddhism later in life are quite natural and, therefore, may be numerous.

 To practice Buddhism is to know oneself; to know oneself is to forget oneself – that is, to mindfully identify and observe feelings and emotions associated with undesirable thoughts and actions, without acting on preconceived judgments and prejudices, and in the light of awakening.   This path is open to everyone who is prepared to realize and follow it – there is no social discrimination among real Buddhists.  By being a Buddhist one transforms one’s lifestyle with a whole set of ideals established in Buddhism over a very long period of time. This process needs proper guidance given by a highly suitable

teacher or set of teachers. Among the teachers who are qualified to guide us, Buddha is supreme, but he is no longer with us today. Instead his Dhamma prevails, which itself is always  to be  conceptualized with maximum care.  Teachers who can guide us are present if we very carefully choose them.

 Buddha enumerates clearly the main formula into which the program of deliverance is compressed as follows in the Four Noble Truths:

• The noble truth that involves suffering

• The noble truth that suffering arises from craving

• The noble truth that humans can do away with suffering with the removal of craving

• The noble truth that paves the way for ending of suffering.

  Here the original term dukkha,  generally translated into English as suffering,   has a far deeper and wider meaning than the English term implies. It not only means pain and misery, but also the unsatisfactory nature at   the very root   of human existence, and the inadequacy lying behind all worldly achievements with their  unstable, impermanent,  and insecure tendencies. The fourth of the above formula encapsulates the central themes of the entire path prescribed by the Buddha.

 In our mundane path, normally what we do is represent objects and events as we want them to be. Buddhism is the most natural way of life in which each of our actions – however insignificant they seem - can be integrated into The Path in an extraordinarily modern way. According to Buddhism, one must find The Path by observing one’s inner self mindfully. By getting rid of one’s ego, one awakens to one’s real identity- an identity that is impartial, unbiased, and unprejudiced. A real Buddhist lives his or her own life without pre-established patterns of partiality, egocentrism and preconceived notions. Therefore, the unique life patterns of real Buddhists form the same way as the Buddha’s path, the Buddhist path. Life expresses in real Buddhists in an original and unique way. It becomes a tremendously different yet, at the same time, an inexplicably simple and unassumingly noble life. A life on The Path is a life which amalgamates one’s existing individual mentality with an originally constructed vision and outlook. There is creativity in the life, where imitation has no value. There is also freshness, which the outer world can never give. There is complete transformation, which ordinary words cannot express. There is supreme bliss, which an inexperienced individual is unable to perceive.

 In other words, the path explained above can be described as a character formation. A character based on principles, which the Buddha himself discovered through personal experience and which gives “vision and knowledge and leads to calm, insight and Enlightenment.” This path, therefore, brings about a growth of one’s character by means of an inner transformation. In doctrinal terms, this path is described as The Middle Path, which is referred to as the Noble or the Sublime Eight-fold Path because it is composed of eight categories or divisions, namely:

1. Appropriate Perspective                              5. Appropriate Lifestyle

2. Appropriate Aspiration                                6. Appropriate Effort

3. Appropriate Speech                                     7. Appropriate Mindfulness

4. Appropriate Action                                     8. Appropriate Concentration

Most of us assume that knowing how we feel is confined to knowing whether we are hot or cold, knowing what we do and do not do, knowing what we plan and what we achieve, etc. But do we really know how we feel? Most of us are lost when it comes to attentively recognizing our own feelings and emotions. Recognizing feelings patiently and, indeed, mindfully, is challenging. Feelings can appear in many ways- as egoistic selfishness, as greed or as deceit.  Feelings can change our lives, our institutions and our social spectra for the worse. For example, if a woman sees her friend’s boyfriend or husband buying nice things for his girlfriend or wife, she then feels jealous and envious and makes similar requests of her boyfriend or husband, making him feel helpless. Or if a fellow at work has just received a promotion, we may become upset because we felt we deserved it more.  When we   keep these angry feelings to ourselves, they fester and burn within, causing stress, resentment, anger, jealousy and even depression. In short, these feelings can make us more complicated and even ruin our lives, as well as the lives of others that come in contact with us. Generally, the feelings we are not comfortable with can disguise themselves as emotions we are easily able to cope with. Finally these feelings can transform themselves into judgments, conceit, accusations, attributions about others, as well as guilt, aversion and suicidal trends in ourselves. When we are overcome by these emotions, we become out of control, which only aggravates the situation, and can make life unbearable and miserable.

Emotions resulting from delusion, greed and hatred have nothing to do with our own identity because they cannot be labeled as African, American, Asian, Australian or European etc.   We are, however, accustomed to thinking in terms of certain perspectives and are hardly prepared to change our pattern of thinking.  As humans, we cannot rid ourselves of all negative feelings but we can learn to transcend them to the best possible degree.  To do this, the first step is to sincerely and introspectively examine our own mind, life style, and behavior. Then we can come to understand the sources of unsatisfactory nature of our own life, most of which we ourselves produce.  The mind that understands the root causes of unsatisfactory mental processes also teaches us how to disentangle ourselves from the above-mentioned sources. Only when mindful awareness is there can we clearly pave the way for shedding a negative mentality. Freedom from ego can be found there, genuine selflessness is there, equanimity is there, the active process of purifying the mind is there, the Path of Enlightenment is there.

 Among the founders of religions, the Buddha was the only teacher who did not claim to be born other than an ordinary human being, who  later, with enlightenment, became supra ordinary. On top of that, he did not claim any inspiration from a higher power. He attributed all his realization, attainments, and achievements solely   to human endeavor, human intelligence, and human experience. The position of humans on earth is unique and supreme in the teachings of the Buddha.  Humans are their own masters and there is no external higher being or power that sits in judgment over human destiny, according to the Buddha.

 The Buddha taught human-kind about self reliance associated with gaining salvation, without leaning on any external authority.  He also stressed the necessity of inquiry and investigation even into his teaching itself. He addressed most of the universal problems humankind is eternally facing.  He created an order of monk-followers completely disregarding their distinctions of social class, status, caste, region, and gender to be able to bring forth his message for the benefit and welfare of the many. He set guidelines for true moral principles, separating them from existing communal customs and social norms, and above all else, he established a clear path to spiritual perfection and has implanted a firm, magnificent, illuminating image in the minds of the Buddhists   all over the world.

 Buddha’s own example highlights for us, the Buddhist followers, that we should be ashamed if we are not able to give priority to the quest for our own liberation and Enlightenment above a wider range of values to which we attach importance in our lives. Aspirant Buddha left all his belongings, and his beloved ones.  He left the most venerated teachers, left the companions who sought deliverance together with him at different points of his life. Above all, he gave up, unhesitatingly, the practices, norms, and views adopted by himself on many occasions in his quest for a truth acceptable to him as an investigator, truth-seeker, free thinker, man of vision, and a man of wisdom. As his followers, why not make even the smallest attempt to give up some of our so-called valuable time, which we set apart for the thousand and one activities in our day to day life, and develop a view to understanding the Middle Path –a path that is so easily accessible, so clearly described, so reasonably comprehensible, so acceptable to inquiry, and so definitely achievable.

 (This article has been adapted from a talk originally delivered by the author on the occasion of Vesak, May 2005, to the congregation of the Great Lakes Buddhist Vihara, 21491 Beech Road, Southfield, MI, 48034.)

HUMAN AND NATURAL RESOURCES  MANAGEMENT: A BUDDHIST OUTLOOK

Ven. Tapovanaye Sutadhara

Senior Lecturer, Department of Linguistics

University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka

Human Society can be  categorised into different cultures based on the religious ideology dominant in a  group of human beings.   Buddhism,  which has been practiced in Sri Lanka for many centuries, has played a key role in this  respect.  Later, the other religions such as Hinduism, Islam, and Christianity were introduced to Sri Lanka  as a result of foreign invasions and international trade. During the colonial regimes local  systems were considered 'backward,' 'heathen,' and 'primitive.  The current trend is to study  traditional society to learn the systems in it. One of the motives behind this current management theory is to foster adoption of   the most productive  cultural rules and processes in a particular society with the hope of  enhancing  productivity and good governance  in organisations which have to keep up with the constant competition present  in an open market economy.  In this context Buddhism can make a positive contribution to the growth of a sound management system which would assure the satisfaction   of all parties, such as  managers, work force, and customers. 

 Buddhism,  which is an echo-friendly system,  explains that this world is made up of  basic elements and that humans, animals, and plants have to co-exist for each others' survival.  Human beings have come to think that all the resources in the world are meant for their use, because they know how to accumulate resources.  But humans have forgotten that the resources in the world are limited.  They  have to use them carefully because the resources never reproduce resources.  That means we have to find an efficient way to manage the consumption of resources.  This is the largest challenge to humanity. If we cannot reproduce resources we have to preserve them to the maximum to be able to feed the beings for the longest time possible. 

 At this point if we draw our attention to  the Buddha we find his   recommendation  to enjoy the resources to the fullest and at the same time reduce the waste   to the minimum.  Historical evidence indicates that this way of living was taught to the community by Sri Lankan Buddhist preachers who delivered their sermons on the Ariyavamsa (tradition of the nobles) throughout the country.  The Ariyavamsa  is a Buddhist discourse  found in the text Anguttara Nikaya  which says that  clothes, food, and lodging are mere necessities and one should be satisfied with the minimum proportions of  these requisites which are sufficient for  survival. One should not crave for excessive amounts of these requisites mentioned above and  one should take delight in the  meditation (and abandonment of all defilements).  With all these high qualities this person who develops himself or  herself never looks down on others and exalts himself or herself (Rahula Thero 1993:271).  Our attention should be drawn to the advice in the discourse on the Tradition of the nobles  that one should take the delight  in meditation.   Many of us would agree that our goal in life is to be happy.   If we don’t be content it is not going to make us happy.

 How are we going to put the two main points presented in this essay so far together: 1. Resources in the world are limited and there should be a good management in the use of resources to extend the time that we can use them to the maximum. 2. The Buddha’s recommendation for human beings is to  consume resources to the satisfaction of the needs and to develop meditation?  It is essential to change our attitudes with regard to the happiness that you aspire to achieve.  Consuming resources itself do not guarantee the happiness.  By consuming resources to satisfy the needs (not the greed) we can extend our life on this earth because resources are going to be there for a long time.  

 Probably this  is not going to be an attractive management theory to develop an economy today.  Once you are happy and content with the minimum you are not  looking to produce more.  What was the incentive provided by the system to use the maximum capacity of individuals to produce more? Since meditation is the one recommended to take delight on probably the motive for producing more was  induced by  the practice of  meditation.  Buddhist meditation is called mental culture.  There are different objects  of meditation but  the development of four sublime virtues becomes very prominent for the human who lives in a society.  These sublime virtues are: Loving-kindness (Metta), Compassion (Karuna), Joyousness of others’ happiness (Mudita), and Equanimity (Upekkha) (Anguttara Nikaya, Catukka Nipata, Pathama Metta Sutta).  In this short article what is expected is to discuss how these four sublime virtues can be used in human resources management.  In  the discourse Ariyavamsa it was  recommended to practice meditation regardless of  the variety. Here we try to see the practice of  this particular  meditation on the mentioned four sublime virtues be a help to our inner growth.  This inner growth will induce people to contribute maximum to the growth of the organization that they work with.

 Though you have a  lot of material resources to develop your organisation  the key role is played by the members of any institution including family.   For employees to work freely  there should be a friendly environment which allows them to work freely and creatively. We can call this job security.  The welfare of employees should be taken care of.  The employees should be given incentives for their achievements.  At the same time the employer should know that these employees are separate individuals with separate identities and capabilities. In other words that the employer should know the strengths and weaknesses of each employee and assign duties based on that knowledge.

Buddha taught us how to be better human beings who are friendly to all the beings in society regardless of their ethnicity, caste, creed, or colour. There are four sublime virtues that should be practised by anybody who wishes to be a better human being: 'metta (loving-kindness), karuna (compassion), mudita (being joyous of other's happiness), and upekkha (equanimity)'. In a number of Buddhist discourses these virtues have been mentioned as the foremost principles to train human mind.  These four virtues  should be spread to all the beings in all the directions.  When we practise the meditation of four sublime virtues mentioned  our words as well as actions become  friendlier. 

When we spread friendliness/loving kindness we should do that in the same way as a mother who protects her only child.  That means we befriended others with no reservation at all.  In an unfriendly environment nobody feels secure. Metta is there to ensure security to everyone around, which creates a profitable environment for work.  There, no one is going to be controlled by the other that comes from the presumption that the controller's position is far above the controlled.  The concept of metta teaches that there are  four constituencies in one’s world: Individual, his/her friends, neutral  ones, and enemies.  Even though we recognize enemies as one constituency  we deal with all groups in the same manner.   By practice of  loving-kindness we reduce our anger and animosity towards the other person.  Insecure feeling at work environment  create animosity.   By loving-kindness this insecurity can be dispelled.   An employer who practices loving-kindness towards his/her employees creates an environment  that everybody is safe. He/She sends the message: ‘Your job security is guaranteed. Be creative.   You can make reasonable mistakes. You are not going to be fired.  We are a team whether one supervises or not each person works for the progress of our establishment. We take care of each other.

 Karuna (compassion) is to help the other person when the need arises. Without welfare no society can exist. Regardless of our ethnic or religious backgrounds we fall ill. Even the materially richest person among us may lose whatever he/she has. Emotional support is necessary when we are mentally not happy in a situation such as a death of a beloved one.  When we face these mishaps in life we need the help of the others. 

 Mudita which is to be pleased by seeing other's happiness is the easiest and cheapest to practice because we need nothing materially to practise this virtue though it may be difficult for some people to be joyous of the others' happiness. By being a practitioner of mudita one appreciates the achievements of the other which is another key concept that provides us an opportunity to have a positive opinion about the other person who lives with us. At a work place this can be translated into commends too. When we talk about incentives our mind directly connects with pay-raises or vacations etc. But just a mere word of appreciation from the team leader or a co-worker can boost the moral of a person which cannot be done otherwise.

 While we practise these three virtues how can we develop equanimity or upekkha which is to maintain a neutral position without going into extremes.   How can we do that?  Why can't I control the person that I give my friendship, compassion, and not be jealous of the happiness of him/her?   Each of us is a different individual and our identities are different.   There should be mutual respect towards differences in individuals which cannot be there if we don’t see separate individuals.  Even though an employer provides a job, salary your employee is not a slave.  He/She also have same feelings and needs. They are also human beings with different skills and strengths.  Without equanimity we would easily misuse the friendship, compassion and other virtues.

 Earlier a question was raised that in a society which is happy and content how do you encourage those who  are smart and capable to work more and earn more.  Once a person develops the virtues mentioned above he/she will definitely volunteer to work because his/her happiness is to befriend with others, to help others when it is needed, and be happy when the others are happy.  Those who think that profit is not only material benefits but also the safe and happy environment that one lives in can see the value of  these virtues are earned as part of their profit.

 By the practice of these four virtues an employer can create  a work place where its employees look forward to come and work.   It is not any more a hierarchical institution where one looks over the shoulder of the other.   It is a place where friends work by giving maximum to make the place better and take care of each other while keeping their identities separate.

 By loving kindness (metta) the environment conducive for work  can be created.  Without compassion (karuna) welfare of the employees cannot be taken care of.  Being joyous of others' happiness (mudita) can be practised by giving incentives when necessary. A happy  employee will also work hard to make his/her employer happy.  So, the benefits are reciprocal to both employer and the employee.  If there is respect for the identity of an  individual (upekkha) it is going to be easy to manage a group of people.

 The practise of four sublime virtues cannot be limited to work place.  Once a person is cultured as a result of the practise of four sublime virtues the application of them becomes natural.  It is similar to the practise of martial arts in the zendo where a student gets a chance to learn  all the techniques  and to do all the exercises.  Once the student of martial arts is cornered, with no option left but to fight, the techniques learned come into action automatically which would not happen if there was no training.   The techniques of martial arts cannot be imitated but mastered. In the same way these four  meditation methods  should be practised daily.

 So far, what we discussed was that the existing religious ideologies which dominate the cultural environment of a group of human beings should be taken into consideration seriously by the employer  when the people are hired for work.   There are certain religious teachings which have been tested and can be used effectively in developing policies in institutional  management at large.

 References:

Rahula Thero, W. 1993. History of Buddhism in Ceylon. 3^rd  Edition. Dehiwala: Buddhist Cultural Centre.

Funds donated to the Washington Buddhist Vihara after the tsunami of one year ago by friends of the Vihara have been sent to the Janavijaya Foundation at the Bikkhu Training Center at Maharagama, Sri Lanka.  These funds have been utilized for various projects launched by the Janavijaya Foundation for tsunami relief work.  While other foundations have been engaged in building new homes for those displaced by the tsunami, the Janavijaya Foundation has dedicated most of funds collected to assist the child victims of the tsunami.  The Foundation built kindergartens and new homes, repaired damaged shrine rooms, and sent teams of doctors to remote areas to conduct workshops on public health.  In addition, the Foundation provided various self-employment opportunities, such as purchasing sewing machines and brick-making machines for displaced families to help them generate income and rebuild the community.  Hundreds of bicycles were also distributed among the victims, along with other goods.  In addition to this, in tsunami affected areas schoolchildren received school uniforms and other educational supplies to enable them to return to school.  One of the most important initiatives of the Janavijaya Foundation is the endowment of scholarships for tsunami affected children, from kindergarten through university level.  Still, much is to be done, so please keep helping!  To view additional photos of the tsunami relief work, please visit the Vihara’s website at www.buddhistvihara.com.   

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