Compass of Zen (eBook)

FromChapter 1: The Purposes of Buddhism

Firstattain enlightenment,
theninstruct all beings.

Manycenturies ago, the Greek philosopher Socrates used to walk through the streetsand marketplaces of Athens, teaching his students. He would say to them, 'Youmust understand yourself! You must understand yourself! You must understandyourself.' Then one day a student said, 'Sir, you always say we must understandourselves. But do you understand yourself?'

'No, I don't know myself,' Socrates replied. 'But I understand this 'don'tknow.'' This is a very interesting teaching. Buddhist practice points at thesame experience, because most human beings pass through their lives without theslightest sense of what they are.

We understand many things about this world, but we don't understandourselves. So why do human beings come into this world? Why do we live in thisworld? For love? For money? For respect or fame? Do you live for your wife,husband, or children? Why do you live in this world? If someone asked you thesequestions, you might very well answer, 'I live for my children. I live toearn enough money for them, or maybe just to have a good life.' Mostpeople think like this. They live only for their family, for some fleetingsocial respectability, perhaps to enjoy art or to get some powerful position.

Everyone wants to have a good situation for themselves. If you look at thisworld very closely, it is easy to see that most people eat and sleep and livemerely for their own personal happiness. Yet these things are not the realpurpose of human beings' life. They are just temporary means for living in theworld. If human beings cannot find out who they are, how can they ever be trulyhappy?

The Buddha came from a royal family in India some twenty-five hundred yearsago. He was a prince, named Siddhartha Gautama. He had a very good situation.In the palace he had everything he wanted: good food, good clothes, manybeautiful women, a high seat, and a very good position. He was the son of theking, and someday he would inherit a powerful kingdom. That's very wonderful!But inside, Siddhartha was very unhappy, because he could not understand who hewas. He could not understand life or death. He was deeply saddened that allbeings must eventually get sick, grow old, and die. This gave him a bigquestion about his own nature and the nature of all beings. 'What am I? Idon't know. . . .' At that time in India, the Brahmin religion of Hinduismwas followed by nearly everyone. But Brahmanism could not give the young princethe correct answer to his burning question. So he was even more unhappy.'Why do human beings come into this world? Why do we eat every day? Whatam I?' He ate food, but there was no taste. Heard music, but it gave himno pleasure. The beautiful palace became like a prison.

One night, Siddhartha left the palace. He left his family, his beautifulwife, and his infant child, cut off all his hair, and became a monk. Then hewent to the mountains. For six years he practiced very, very hard. 'Whatam I? Don't know . . .' He courageously kept this question withone-pointed determination. Then one morning, while sitting in meditation underthe Bodhi tree, he saw the morning star in the eastern sky. At thatmoment—,BOOM—,Siddhartha and this star completely became one. He realized histrue substance. He realized that his mind was the universe—,infinite in timeand space—,and the whole universe was nothing other than his own mind. Herealized there is no life and no death. Nothing ever comes or goes. We say thathe woke up and attained his true nature. He...