NO RELIGION
(Buddhadasa
Bhikkhu)
I
didn’t come here today to give any formal sermon or lecture, but to have an
informal chat among friends. I hope that you all agree to this, so that we can
speak and listen to each other without formality and rituals, even if our talk
here becomes somewhat different or unusual. Further, I intend to speak only
about the most essential matters, important topics which people consider to be
profound. Therefore, if you don’t misunderstand, especially
those of you who haven’t heard the previous talks in this series. (As a
matter of fact, it’s also difficult for me, for with each new talk I must
maintain a connection with the previous ones.)
The
last talk was called “What to Be Void.” This time I intend to talk about “No
Religion.” If you find the subject strange or incomprehensible, or if you don’t
agree, please take the time to think it over. But remember, it isn’t necessary
to believe or subscribe to what I say right away.
When
we meet together like this, I feel there is something which prevents us from
understanding each other and this thing is simply the problem of language
itself. You see, there are two kinds of language. One is the conventional
language that ordinary people speak - what I call “people language.”
People
language is used by the ordinary people who don’t understand Dhamma very well and by those worldly people who are dense
that they are blind to everything but material things. Then, there is the
language which is spoken by those who understand reality (Dhamma),
especially those who know and understand reality in the ultimate sense. This is
another kind of language. Sometimes, when only a few words or even just a few
syllables are uttered, the ordinary listeners find Dhamma
language paradoxical, completely opposite to the language he speaks. We can
call it “Dhamma language.” You always must take care
to recognize which language is being spoken.
People
who are blind to the true reality (Dhamma) can speak
only people language, the conventional language of ordinary people. On the
other hand, people who have genuinely realized the ultimate truth (Dhamma) can speak either language. They can handle people
language quite well and are also comfortable using Dhamma
language, especially when speaking among those who know reality, who have
already realized the truth (Dhamma). Amongst those
with profound understanding, Dhamma language is used
almost exclusively; unfortunately, ordinary people can’t understand a word. Dhamma language is only understood by those who are in the
know. What is more, in Dhamma language it isn’t even
necessary to make a sound. For example, a finger is pointed or an eyebrow
raised and the ultimate meaning of reality is understood. So, please take
interest in these two kinds of language – people language and Dhamma language.
To
illustrate the importance of language, let’s consider the following example.
Ordinary, ignorant worldly people are under the impression that there is this
religion and that religion, and that these religions are different, so different
that they’re opposed to each other. Such people speak of “Christianity,”
“Islam,” “Buddhism,” “Hinduism,” “Sikhism,” and so on, and consider these
religions to be different, separate, and incompatible. These people think and
speak according to their personal feelings and thus turn the religions into
enemies. Because of this mentality, there comes to exist
different religions which are hostilely opposed to each other.
Those
who have penetrated to the essential nature of religion will regard all religions
as being the same. Although they may say there is Buddhism, Judaism, Taoism,
Islam, or whatever, they will also say that all religions are inwardly the
same. However, those who have penetrated to the highest understanding of Dhamma will feel that the thing called “religion” doesn’t
exist after all. There is no Buddhism; there is no Christianity; there is no
Islam. How can they be the same or in conflict when they don’t even exist? It
just isn’t possible.
Thus
the phrase “No Religion!” is actually Dhamma language
of the highest level. Whether it will be understood or not is something else,
depending upon the listener, and has nothing to do with the truth or with
religion.
I’d
like to give a simple example of people language of materialism. “Water” will
suffice. People who don’t know much about even the simplest things think that
there are many different kind of water. They view these various kinds of water
as if they have nothing in common. They distinguish rain-water, well-water,
underground-water, canal-water, swamp-water, ditch-water, gutter-water,
sewer-water, toilet-water, urine, diarrhea, and many other kinds of water from
each other. Average people will insist that these waters are completely
different, because such people take external appearances as their criteria.
A
person with some knowledge, however, knows that pure water can be found in
every kind of water. If we take rain-water and distill it, we will get pure
water. If we take river-water and distill it, we will get pure water. If we take
canal-water, sewer-water, or toilet-water, and distill it, we will still get
pure water. A person with this understanding knows that all those different
kinds of water are the same as far as the water component is concerned. As for
those elements which make it impure and look different, they aren’t the water
itself. They may combine with water, and alter water but they are never water
itself. If we look through the polluting elements, we can see the water that is
always the same, for in every case the essential nature of water is the same.
However many kinds of water there may seem to be, they are all the same as far
as the essential nature of water is concerned. When we look at things from this
viewpoint, we can see that all religions are the same. If they appear different
it’s because we are making judgments on the basis of external forms.
On
an even more intelligent level, we can take that pure water and examine it
further. Then, we must conclude that there is no water, only two parts hydrogen
and one part oxygen. That substance which we have been calling “water” has
disappeared, its void. The same is true everywhere, no matter where we find two
parts of hydrogen and one part of oxygen. In the sky, in the ground, or
wherever these parts happen to be found, the state of water has disappeared and
the term “water” is no longer used. For one who has penetrated to this level of
truth, there is no such thing as “water”.
In
the same way, one who has attained to the ultimate truth sees that there’s no
such thing as “religion”. There is only a certain nature which can be called
whatever we like. We can call it “Dhamma”, we can
call it “Truth”, we can call “God”, “Tao”, or whatever, but we shouldn’t
particularize that Dhamma or that Truth as Buddhism,
Christianity, Taoism, Judaism, Sikhism, Zoroastrianism, or Islam, for we can
neither capture nor confine it with labels and concepts. Still, such divisions
occur because people haven’t yet realized this nameless truth for themselves.
They have only reached the external levels, just as with canal-water,
muddy-water, and the rest.
The
Buddha intended for us to understand and be able to see that there is no
“person”, that there is no separate individual, and that there are only dhammas or natural phenomena. Therefore, we shouldn’t cling
to the belief that there is this religion and that religion. We added the
labels “Buddhism”, “Islam”, and “Christianity” ourselves, long after the
founders lived. None of the great religious teachers ever gave a personal name
to their teachings, like we do today. They just went about teaching us how to
live unselfishly.
Please
try to understand that correctly. When the final level is reached, when the
ultimate is known, not even man exists. There is only nature, only Dhamma. This reality can’t be considered to be any
particular thing; it can’t be anything other than Dhamma.
It can’t be Thai, Chinese, Indian, Arab, or European. It can’t be black, brown,
yellow or red, or white. It can’t be eastern or western, southern or northern.
Nor can it be Buddhist, Christian, Islamic, or anything else. So please try to
reach this Dhamma, for then you will have reached the
heart of all religions and of all things, and finally come to the complete
cessation of suffering.
Although
we call ourselves “Buddhists” and profess Buddhism, we haven’t yet realized the
truth of Buddhism, for we are acquainted with only a tiny aspect of our own
Buddhism. Although we are monks, nuns, novices, lay devotees, or whatever, we
are aware of only the bark, the outer covering which makes us think our
religion is different from the other religions. Because we have failed to
understand and haven’t yet realized our own truth, we look down upon other
religions and praise only our own. We think of ourselves as a special group and
of others as outsiders or foreigners. We believe that they are wrong and only
we are right, that we are special and have a special calling, and that only we
have the truth and the way to salvation. We have many of these blind beliefs.
Such ideas and beliefs show that we are still ignorant, very foolish indeed,
just like little babies who know only their own bellies. Tell a small child to
take a bath and to wash with soap to get all the dirt off, the little child
will scrub only her belly. She doesn’t know how to wash all over. She will
never think of washing behind her ears or between her toes or anywhere like
that. She merely scrubs and polishes her tummy vigorously.
In
the same way as the child, most of the adherents of Buddhism know only a few
things, such as how to take and how to get. Even while doing good,
supporting the temples and monks, and observing the precepts, their only
objective is to get something, they even want to get more in return than they
gave. When they make offerings, some people expect back ten times what they
gave, some a hundred times, some a thousand, and some even more. In this case,
it would be more accurate to say that these people know nothing at all, for
they are acquainted only with how to get and how to take. That isn’t Buddhism
at all. It’s the religion of getting and taking. If ever they can’t get or take
something, they are frustrated and they suffer. Real Buddhism is to know how to
get without getting and take without taking so that there is no frustration and
no suffering at all.
This
must be spoken about very often in order to acquaint everyone with the heart of
Buddhism: Non-Attachment. Buddhism is about not trying to seize or grasp
anything, to not cling or attach to anything, not even to the religion itself,
until finally realizing that there is no Buddhism after all. That means, if we
speak directly, that there is no Buddha, no Dhamma,
and no Sangha! However, if we speak this way, nobody
will understand; they will be shocked and frightened.
Those
who understand, see that the Buddha, the Dhamma, and
the Sangha are the same thing, that is, just Dhamma or just Nature itself. The compulsion to seize and
hang onto things as persons and individuals, as this and that, doesn’t exist in
them. Everything is non-personal, that is, is Dhamma
or Nature in its pure state or whatever we wish to call it. But we dare not
think like this. We are afraid to think that there is no religion, that there
is no Buddha, Dhamma, or Sangha.
Even if people were taught or forced to think in this way, they still wouldn’t
be able to understand. In fact, they would have a totally distorted
understanding of what they thought and would react in the opposite way to what
was intended.
For
this reason, after the passing away of the Buddha, there appeared many new
systems of religious practice. The teachings were recognized into descending
levels, with lower, more accessible aspects, so that even if someone wished to
make offerings in order to gain heavy benefits in return, equal to dozens,
hundreds, or thousands of times their “merits”, it could be done. This was a
preliminary arrangement so that the rewards for good deeds would be a bait to
attract people and keep them from going astray. As a starting point, people
were encouraged to hang on to the good and its rewards as much as possible. If
they continued to do so, they would eventually discover that it was unnecessary
to cling or be attached to goodness. They would come to see that any such
attachment is unsatisfying and painful. Thus, they would gradually disentangle
themselves from the habit of attachment. This is how Dhamma
leads through successively higher levels and is why the practice of Dhamma in its earliest stage is based on “gaining merits”
to let people get something they really like at the start.
The
next step on the path of Dhamma is to voluntarily
choose to live a plain and simple life, a pure life, in which one isn’t led
astray or intoxicated by anything. On this level, there is still a sense of the
“I” who is enjoying this mode of happiness, but it’s a better, more developed
“I”.
The
next highest level of Dhamma is to not let any traces
of the “I” remain at all. It’s finished. The mind no longer has the feeling of
being “I”, of being a self, and there is no way the
suffering or dissatisfaction can happen, since there is no “I” to suffer.
Suffering can’t occur because this egolessness is the
highest happiness, if we speak in people language. If we speak in Dhamma language, however, there is nothing to say. There is
nothing to get, nothing to have, nothing to be – no happiness, no suffering,
nothing at all. We call this “voidness”. Everything
still exists, but it’s free and void of any feeling of being “I” or “mine”. For this reason we say “voidness”.
To
see that everything is void is to see things as being neither an aspect of
oneself nor in anyway possessed by oneself. The words “void” and “voidness” in the common language of ignorant people mean
that nothing exists, but in the language of the Buddha, the Awakened One, the
words “void” and “voidness” mean everything exists,
but without attachment to any of it in terms of “I” or “mine”. That there isn’t
clinging or attachment to things as being “I” or “mine” is voidness
of I and voidness of mine.
When the words “void” and “voidness” are used in this
way, it’s the voidness of Dhamma
language. To use “void” in the sense that nothing actually exists is the
language of worldly people who are trapped in their senses, is the language of
materialism, and is the language of householders who know nothing but their
homes. Here, “voidness” has given us another example
of the difference between people language and Dhamma
language.
We
should always keep in mind this truth about language and discriminate whether
the words we hear, read, and use are people language or Dhamma
language. For example, the Buddha said, “Kill your father and kill your mother,
then you shall attain Nibbana.” “Kill your father and
mother, be an ungrateful child, then you shall attain Nibbana”. The Buddha didn’t mean that we should take this
literally and kill our flesh and blood parents. Instead, he meant that
ignorance is a kind of father and craving is a kind of mother. The two give
birth to ego-consciousness and subsequently all forms of selfishness and sin. There’s
no reason to feel any gratitude toward them; destroy them immediately and Nibbana is realized.
To
speak in this fashion is to use the Dhamma language
which the ordinary person is unable to understand. He must study and inquire,
think and reflect, until finally he understands. But the Noble ones, those who
have realized Dhamma already, will understand
immediately, though only a few words are spoken and without any explanation or
advice. Just one word is enough for them to understand, without further
explanation, because they know Dhamma language
thoroughly.
The
words “birth” and “death” require the same discrimination regarding language.
In people language, the word “birth” means to be born from a mother’s womb. In Dhamma language, however, the word “birth” means some form
of attachment is born. This kind of birth happens every time we allow the
arising of a thought or feeling which involves grasping and clinging to
something as “I” or “mine”, such as, “I am,” “I have”, and “I do”. This is the
birth of the “I” or the ego.
For
example, think like a criminal and one is instantly born as a criminal. A few
moments later those thoughts disappear, one thinks like a normal human being
again and is born as a human being once more. If a few moments later one has
foolish thoughts, right then one is born as a fool. If one then thinks in an
increasingly foolish and dull manner, one will be born as an animal
immediately. Whenever an attachment is felt intensely – when it burns inside
one with the heat of fire – one is born a cowardly titan. Thus, in a single day
one can be born any number of times in many different forms, since a birth
takes place each and every time there arises any form of attachment to the idea
of being something. Each conception of “I am”, “I was”, or “I will” is simultaneously
a birth. This is the meaning of “birth” in Dhamma
language. Therefore, whenever one encounters the word “birth”, one must be very
careful to understand its meaning in each particular context.
“Birth
is suffering.” These words mean that the egoistic kind of birth described above
is always painful and ugly. That is to say, if we allow “I” to be born in any
manner, suffering occurs immediately. If we are simply and directly in the
awareness of “not-being-I”, it’s like remaining unborn and never experiencing
suffering. Although physical birth has happened long ago, there is no further
spiritual birth of the egoistic “I”.
On
the other hand, whenever an egoistic thought or feeling arises, there is
suffering at once and the suffering always fits the particular kind of “I” that
is being born. If “I” is human, it suffers like a human. If “I” is an angel, it
suffers angelically. If “I” is demonic, it suffers hellishly. The manner of the
grasping and clinging can change repeatedly, even being born as beasts, hungry
ghosts, and cowardly titans. In one day, there may be many births, many dozens
of births, and every one of them is unsatisfactory, frustrating, and painful.
To destroy this kind of birth is Nibbana.
Concerning
death, there’s no need to speak about what happens after the people language
version. Why talk about what happens once we’re in the coffin? Instead, please deals
with this most urgent issue of ego-birth, that is, don’t get born and there
will be no suffering. Without the feeling of being born, there is no person
anymore and all the problems disappear with it. That’s all. When there isn’t
this continual being born, there is no longer a “somebody” to have problems.
It’s as simple as that. The time remaining in life is no longer an issue once we
know how to experience the fact that this “I” will never be born again. This
can be called “non-birth”. You may call it “death” if you prefer.
So
you see, between people language and Dhamma language
the words “birth” and “death” have opposite meanings. The same situation exists
in the scriptures of other religions, especially Christianity. As a result, the
Christians don’t understand their own bible, just as we Buddhists don’t
understand the Tipitaka (Buddhist scriptures). Thus,
whenever members of the two meet, they end up arguing until they are blue in
the face. Therefore, let us develop some understanding concerning this matter
of people language and Dhamma language.
We
have discussed the word “birth” in a Buddhist context; now let us consider a
word from the Christian scriptures, such as “life”. Matthew says that Jesus
Christ “surrendered his life as a ransom for many” (Matt. 20:28). Elsewhere,
Jesus said, “If you would enter life, keep the commandments” (Matt. 19:17).
These two statements show that the word “life” has more than one meaning. In
the first statement, “life” is used in its people language sense. Jesus allowed
them to kill the life of his body, which is the ordinary meaning of “life”.
“Life” in the second passage is the same word “life”, but it now refers to a
life that can never be killed. It’s a life which will never know death. By this
we see that even the simple word “life” can have two very different meanings.
The
word “die” provides another example. In people language, “to die” means that
the bodily functions have stopped, which is the kind of death we can see with
our eyes. However, “die” in the language used by God has quite a different
meaning, such as when he spoke to Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden telling
them not to eat the fruit of a certain tree, “for in the day that you eat of it
you shall die” (Gen.2:17). Eventually, Adam and Eve ate that fruit, but we know
that they didn’t die in the ordinary sense, the kind that puts people into
coffins. That is, their bodies didn’t die.
Instead, they died in another way, in the Dhamma
language sense, which is a spiritual death much more cruel than being buried in
a coffin. This fate worse than death was the appearance of enormous sin in
their minds, that is, they began to think in dualistic terms – good and evil,
male and female, naked and clothed, husband and wife, and so on. The pairs of
opposites proliferated making pain very heavy, so much
so that their minds were flooded by a suffering so severe that it’s impossible
to describe. All this has been passed down through the years and inherited by
everyone living in the present era.
The
consequences have been so disastrous that the Christians give the name
“Original Sin” to the first appearance of dualistic thinking. Original Sin
first happened with that primordial couple and then was passed on to all their
descendants down to this very day. This is what God meant by the word “death”;
whenever we partake of this fruit of dualism (from the “tree of knowledge of
good and evil”) we must die right then and there. This is the meaning of
“death” in Christian language.
“Death”
has the same meaning in the language of the Buddha. Why is this so? Because both religions are pointing to the same truth concerning
attachment and dualism. Whenever dualistic thoughts arise there is bound
to be suffering, which is death. Death means the end of everything good, the
end of happiness, the end of peace, the end of everything worthwhile. This is
the meaning of “death” in Dhamma language. Most of us
die this way many times each day.
It’s
called “death” because it makes the heart heavy. It always creates a feeling of
frustration and depression to some degree, not to mention worry, restlessness,
and anxiety. The more intelligent and clever a person is, the more often one
dies and the more profound the deaths. The clever person’s deaths are much more
special and creative than those of an ignorant person.
We
must know how to avoid death in order to be in accord with the teachings of the
Buddha and Jesus (along with the other prophets). The objective of Buddhism is
the same as of Christianity: don’t let this original sin overpower you; don’t
let dualistic attachment dominate your heart or your mind. Refuse to let it
dominate the mind ever again.
We
must always be aware of the true nature of Dhamma,
that in reality there is no duality of any sort – no gain, no loss, no
happiness, no suffering, no good, no evil, no merit, no sin, no male, no
female. There is absolutely nothing at all that can be separated and polarized
into opposites. Rather than busy into them, we ought to transcend.
The
dualistic pairs are the basis of all attachment, so don’t fall for their
tricks. Don’t attach to any of them. Try to understand that these things can
never be seized and held onto because they are impermanent, lack any real
substance, and are not-self. Try to go about your business with a mind that is
unattached. Work with a mind that clings to nothing and is free from all forms
of attachment. This is called “working with a void mind”.
We
should perform every kind of task with a void mind, no matter whether it’s at
the office or at home. Even rest and recreation should be done with a void
mind, a mind that always remains unattached and free because it’s above all
dualities. If we work with a busy mind, a mind that always remains unattached
and free because it’s above all dualities. If we work with a busy mind, a mind
that is restless and always grasping and clinging to one thing or idea after
another, a mind that is over-burdened with attachments, then there is suffering
and we must inevitable be born in a lowly state. The lower realms spoken of by
Buddhists happen right then and there; birth as a demon in hell, as a beast, as
a hungry ghost, or as a cowardly titan takes place at that very moment. This is
the most serious problem facing humanity, it’s the
most original sin, and its death in Dhamma language.
Therefore, we should live, work, and play without attachments.
There is a sort verse of
mine which I’d like to discuss.
Do work of all kinds with
a mind that is void
And to the voidness surrender all of the fruits;
Eat the food of voidness as the holy ones do,
You’ll have died to
yourself from the very start.
Some
people are unable to understand this verse and they keep saying that the author
is crazy. Nonetheless, it isn’t so difficult to explain.
That
we should do every kind of work with a void mind is a warning that the busy and
agitated mind which jumps into things with attachment always becomes dark and
clouded with delusion, is full of worries and fears, and becomes gloomy and
insecure. If people insist on keeping this up, before long they are sure to
suffer a nervous breakdown or some other kind of illness. If they let these
mental diseases and related physical ailments accumulate, they end up confined
to a sick bed. Even though they may be intelligent, talented, and sophisticated
people who do important work and earn a great deal of money, they will still
end up being confined to bed with nervous breakdowns, ulcers, and other disorders
caused by insecurity and anxiety. All of the illnesses begin with attaching and
clinging to such things as fame and money, profit and loss, happiness and
unhappiness, praise and blame.
So
don’t get involved with these things. Get free of all such attachments and the
mind will be void. The mind will be brilliantly intelligent, as clear and sharp
as possible. Then, do your work with just such a void mind as this. All your
needs will be satisfied without the least bit of frustration or suffering. Sometimes,
it will even seem to be a Dhammic sort of fun. Best
of all, working like this is the kind of Dhamma
practice which frees us from the false distinction between practicing Dhamma at the temple and working at home. Such a dichotomy
is rather foolish; it’s what happens when people think only in people language.
According
to Dhamma language, we must practice Dhamma in this body and mind at the same time that we do
our work with this same body and mind. Both work and Dhamma
practice are done in the same place or the same thing. The practice of Dhamma is there in the work; the work in itself is Dhamma practice. In other words, to do work of any kind
without grasping or clinging is a way to practice Dhamma.
Wherever and whenever we practice non-attachment, there and then is Dhamma practice.
Accordingly,
whether we are entangled in training the mind to be unattached and calm, or
whether we are working to earn a living in some occupation or another, if we do
so with a void mind that forms no attachments, right there is the practice of Dhamma. It doesn’t matter if we are in an office, a
factory, a cave, or whatever. To work like this without getting involved in
attachments, obsessions, and ego is what is meant by “Do work of all kinds
with a mind that is void.”
The
results of working this way is that we enjoy ourselves while working and that
the work is done well because our minds are very clear and sharp then, and
there are no worries about things like money. The things we need are acquired
in the usual ways and all this without the attachment forged by grasping and
straining.
This brings us to the second line of the verse which
is “And to the voidness surrender all of the fruits.” When our work bears
fruit in the form of money, fame, influence, status, and so forth, we must give
it all to voidness. Don’t be so stupid as to cling to
these things as “belonging to me” – “my money”, “my success”, “my talent”, or
“my” anything. This is what is meant by not attaching to the results of our
work.
Most
of us blindly cling to our successes and so our experiences of success increase
our selfish desires and defilements (kilesa).
Let ourselves be careless for only a moment and we will fall into pain
immediately due to the weight of attachments and anxieties. In truth, this kind
of mental or spiritual pain is always happening. Before long, if we aren’t
careful, the pain manifests itself physically in the body as well. Some people
have nervous breakdowns or go insane, while others develop one of the numerous
varieties of neuroses so prevalent in the world today, even though they may be
famous, knowledgeable, and wealthy. All this pain results from the fact that
people the world over have misunderstood, abused, and ignored their own
religions.
We
shouldn’t think that the teaching of non-attachment is found only in Buddhism.
In fact, it can be found in every religion, although many people don’t notice
because it’s expressed in Dhamma language. Its
meaning is profound, difficult to see, and usually misunderstood.
Please
forgive me, I don’t mean to be insulting, but I feel that many religious people
don’t yet understand their own religion. For instance, in the Christian Bible,
St. Paul advises us to “Let those who have wives live as though they had none,
and those who mourn as though they were not mourning, and those who rejoice as
though they were not rejoicing, and those that buy as though they had no goods,
and those who deal with the world as though they had no dealings with it”
(cor.7:29-31). This passage is found in the New Testament of the Christian
Bible; anyone can look it up. It should be understood in the same way as our
basic Buddhist theme of non-attachment. That is, if you have a wife, don’t
attach to having her; if you have a husband, don’t cling to having him. If you
have painful or sorrowful experiences, don’t cling to them as “I” or “mine” and
it will be as if they never happened. That is, don’t be sad about them. Don’t
attach to joy, goods, and worldly dealings, either.
Unfortunately,
the fact is that most people – whatever their religion – are dominated by these
things. They let themselves suffer intolerably over such matters until finally
they go insane or commit suicide. But those of us who follow
This
is how to buy and live as though having no goods, but if you discuss this
passage with some Christians, you will find that they don’t understand it at
all. Even some of the clergy, the teachers of their religion, couldn’t explain
to me correctly how to practice in accordance with
The
third line of the verse is “Eat the food of voidness
as the holy ones do.” Here, some people might ask, “Then, what do we eat?”
If everything is void or given away to the voidness,
what will there be to eat? The answer is to eat food that belongs to voidness, the same way as the Noble Ones do. We work with a
void mind and turn all the rewards over to voidness. Voidness then stockpiles it all and preserves it safely.
When it’s time to eat, we can eat from the stock of voidness,
too.
If
you earn a million dollars from your work and store it in a safe or the bank,
offer it to voidness and don’t think “it’s mine it
belongs to me!” When you spend the money, do so with the same void mind. Simply
use the money to buy some food to eat, or whatever we need to consume. This is
what is meant by “Eat the food of voidness as the
holy ones do.”
In
this line, “holy ones” means those who understand deeply and have no
attachments. We ourselves ought to eat in the same way that these liberated
ones eat. The Buddha ate food and all the enlightened disciples ate food. So,
we aren’t saying that a Buddha doesn’t have to eat food anymore, but from
whomever he gets his food, it’s always the food of voidness,
for it’s received and eaten without any feelings of possession or attachment.
And yet, a Buddha always has more than enough to eat. This is the meaning of “Eat
the food of voidness as the holy ones do.”
We
can do the same. When we give all the rewards of our work to voidness, they don’t disappear. Nothing is lost.
Physically, in worldly terms, everything is still there. It’s stored and
protected in the usual ways and the law still recognizes that it belongs to us.
If someone tries to snatch it away, we can battle to protect our rights in
court, but always with the same void mind. That is, we needn’t get angry or
upset, we needn’t suffer, we needn’t feel personally involved, we needn’t
attach. In fact, with complete non-attachment we will be able to argue our case
even better. We needn’t create any problems for ourselves, things won’t become
complicated and difficult, and we will be able to protect our rights most
effectively.
To
pursue this point a little further: even when caught in an argument or involved
in a lawsuit we should be restrained and mindful at all times so that the mind
is free of attachment. Take care not to be attached or emotionally involved. In
other words, first make sure the mind is void, then argue and fight out the
case to the finish. In this way, we will have the advantage. Our side will
debate more cleverly, will argue more skillfully, and will experience a higher
level of victory.
Even
in cases when we are forced to be insulting, use the usual words but do so with
a void mind. This may sound funny and hopelessly impractical, but it really is
possible. The word “void” includes such strange aspects; they are all
implications of working with a void mind, willingly giving all that we get to voidness,
and always eating food from the pantry of voidness.
The
fourth, final and most important line of the verse is”You’ll have died to
yourself from the very start.” We already have died to ourselves – that
precious inner “me” is gone – from the very first moment. This means that when
we re-examine the past and reflect upon it with clarity, mindfulness, and
wisdom, we will know for a fact that there never was a “person” or
“individual”. We will see that there are only the basic processes of life (khandha), the sensory media (ayatana),
the elements (dhatu), and natural phenomena (dhammas). Even the things we had previously clung to
as existing no longer exist. They died in that moment.
Everything
has died at the moment of its birth. There never was an “I” and there never was
a “mine”. In the past, we were stupid enough to lug “I” and “mine” around all
the time. Now, however, we know the truth that even in retrospect they never
were what we took them to be. They’re not-me, they’re not-mine, the me-ing and my-ing died from the very beginning right up to this moment.
They’re finished, even in the future. Don’t ever again fall for any “I” and
“mine” in your experiences. Simply stop thinking in terms of “I” and “Mine”. So
you see, we needn’t interpret this verse to mean that
we must physically kill ourselves. One has to be trapped in one’s ego to
understand it in such a way; such an interpretation is too physical, too
superficial, and too childish.
This
“I”, this ego, is just a mental concept, a product of thought. There’s nothing
substantial or permanent upon which it’s based. There’s only an ever-changing
process flowing according to causes and conditions, but ignorance misconstrues
this process to be a permanent entity, a “self”, and an “ego”. So don’t let
attached thoughts and feelings based on “I” and “mine” arise. All pains and
problems will end right there and then, so that the body becomes insignificant,
no longer a cause of worry. It’s merely a collection of the five aggregates (khandha), functioning according to causes and
conditions, pure in its own nature. These five aggregates or component
processes of life are naturally free of attachment and selfishness, try to do
without them. Keep striving to prevent them from being born until the
defilements and selfishness have no more opportunities to pollute the heart. In
this way, we force ourselves to die, that is, we die through the elimination of
polluting selfishness and defilements (kilesa).
Just
don’t allow any egoistic consciousness, that’s the meaning of “death” in Dhamma language. Without anything masquerading as “I” and
“mine”, where can suffering take place? Suffering can only happen to an “I” and
it’s “mine”. So you see, possessing “I” and “mine” is
the heart of suffering. Should there be some happiness, as soon as clinging
comes in, the happiness becomes painful, yet one more way to suffer.
Ignorant
people are always attaching to something; they don’t know how to live without
clinging to “I” and “mine”. As a result, even beneficial things are converted
into causes of suffering. Happiness is turned into pain; goodness is turned
into pain; praise, fame, honor and the like are all turned into forms of
suffering. As soon as we try to seize and hang on to them, they all become
unsatisfactory, painful, and ugly. Among good and evil, virtue and sin,
happiness and unhappiness, gain and loss, and all other dualistic pairs,
suffering inevitably happens whenever we attach to either pole of one pair or
another. Clinging to one pole also traps us in its opposite partner.
When
we are intelligent enough not to cling or be attached to any form of dualism,
then we will no longer suffer because of these things. Good and evil, happiness
and suffering, virtue and sin, and the rest, will never be painful again. We
realize that they are merely natural phenomena, the ordinary stuff of nature.
They all are naturally void and so there is no suffering inherent in any of
them.
These
are the consequences of not having an ego, of not having any “I” and “mine” in
the mind. Outwardly, we may say “I” and “my” according to social conventions,
but don’t let them exist in the mind or heart. As
Externally,
we should behave the same as others do: eat like they eat, work like they work,
and speak like they speak. Speak in their people language: “this is my house,
this is mine.” There’s nothing wrong in using these words when necessary, but
don’t let the mind fall for them. Leave such words outside, don’t let them into
the mind, and don’t believe them. We ought always to train ourselves this way,
that is, “mouth is one and mind another”. The mouth says one thing but the mind
knows otherwise.
Actually,
this phrase is usually an insult used to condemn liars and conmen, not
something to be encouraged. In the end, however, it can be turned around and
applied to a person who really practices Dhamma, that
is, whose external behavior conforms with worldly
conventions but whose internal reality is another story. While the external
expressions actually take place, they don’t manifest in the mind. We call this,
“mouth is one and mind another” or “external and internal do not correspond.” A
behavior that we used to condemn and try to abandon because of its dishonesty
and crookedness becomes the most noble and excellent form of speech. Sometimes Dhamma language seems rather strange!
To
be honest in both mouth and mind, that is, speech and thought, is people
language, not Dhamma language. Ordinary people demand
that our words honestly reflect our thoughts, but when it comes to the Dhamma language of the Buddha, we practice in the manner
called “mouth is one and mind another”. In other words, the outside appears one
way, while the inside is the opposite. Outwardly, in our speech and actions, we
may possess all the things that others possess, but in the mind we possess
nothing. Inwardly, we are broke and bankrupt, without a penny to our names. So
please remember this saying – “mouth is one and mind another” – in its Dhamma language meaning of course, not in the people
language understanding. Please give it some thought.
Another
common teaching concerns humility. The Buddha taught us not to boast or show
off and Jesus Christ emphasized this point even more. There are many pages in
the Bible concerning this subject. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus teaches us
to do our religious practices – such as praying, giving charity, and fasting –
in secret so as to not let others see (Matt. 5-7, especially 6). If it’s
something we want others to see, that means we want to show off, which is
attachment. If we apply his teaching to our Buddhist practices, such as when we
keep the special precepts on the observance days (uposatha),
we shouldn’t dress up or powder and perfume ourselves. Don’t let anyone know we
are keeping the special precepts, just keep them strictly. Jesus stresses this
point in many ways, both in this sermon and elsewhere. When offering prayers to
God, fasting, or practicing austerities, don’t let others see. If we wish to
give alms or make a donation to charity, do so secretly; don’t let others know
who the giver is. Jesus teaches us to do everything without anyone knowing. In
other words, his aim is to teach non-attachment. This kind of practice destroys
selfishness and overcomes sin.
Buddhist
should be able to understand this principle of giving without letting anyone
know; giving in this way will destroy the giver’s self-centeredness much more
than public giving. As you know, we like to say, “Sticking gold on the image’s
back.” This saying can be interpreted in two ways. As understood by foolish people,
this should never be done, because sticking gold leaf on the back of an image
won’t gain one any honor, reputation, or other benefits. On the other hand,
wise people take the words “sticking gold on the image’s back” to mean
something good, because one doesn’t receive any recognition, praise, status, or
honor from the act. One hasn’t traded the goodness of the act for any worldly
benefits. Thus, one makes more merit than if one were to stick the gold on the
front of the image.
Here
we see that the teachings of Christianity and Buddhism are the same; they have
the same meaning, namely, to destroy attachment. We should do all religious
duties and practices without others knowing. In the end, it’s like they don’t
exist any more and we don’t exist either. There’s no good, no evil, no virtue,
no sin, no happiness, no suffering, and, finally, not even any religion. This
is the highest level of religion.
Now,
let us consider the fact that non-attachment, the highest Dhamma,
is something wonderful, priceless, and extraordinary. It’s the heart of every
religion. It’s the essence of Dhamma. If there is a
God, it can only be found right here in non-attachment.
Non-attachment,
the highest Dhamma, is wonderful precisely because
anyone seeking it need not invest anything. No money, gold, or jewels are
needed, not even a single penny. According to people language, nothing can be
obtained without an investment. If they listen to people language, those who
wish to gain merit, goodness, or whatever must pay in money, silver, and gold,
or invest their labor. If they listen to Dhamma
language, however, the reality is quite different. The Buddha said that Nibbana is given free of charge. Nibbana
– the coolness and peace experienced when there’s no attachment – doesn’t cost
a penny. This means that we can practice for the sake of Nibbana
without spending any money along the way. Jesus said what amounts to the same
thing. He invited us to drink the water of life for which there is no charge.
He said this at least three times. Further, he called us to enter eternal life,
which means to reach the state where we are one with God and therefore will
never die again.
“Let
him who is thirsty come, let him who desires take the water of life without
price” (Rev.22:17). This call of Jesus is identical to what is taught in
Buddhism. The Buddha said that the Noble Path of Liberation, the Liberating
Results, and Nibbana are free of charge, no monetary
investment is required. We live according to the Noble Eightfold Path, which
means we give up this, give up that, and keep giving up things until everything
is surrendered. Give up everything and take nothing back. Don’t receive any
payment and we won’t have to pay anything: we will realize what is called “the
Noble Path, the Liberating Results, and Nibbana.” We
can taste the flavor of Nibbana without paying a
penny.
We
spend a lot of money trying to buy Nibbana, but the
money just gets in the way. It’s like investing money in order to win a palace
in heaven; the two have nothing to do with each other. In fact, they are
incompatible. If we want to give charity, it should be solely for the sake of
others. Nibbana is our first concern and requires no
money.
Why
do we make donation then? Not for ourselves, of
course, but to help our fellow human beings so that they may also reach that
which requires no financial investment. So, we contribute money to build
temples and schools, we develop methods of teaching, and we publish books in
order to help toward that which is obtained without payment – Nibbana. Those of us who intend to earn merit with their
gold and silver should please think in this way.
If
those who intend to invest their money for so-called spiritual rewards don’t
reconsider, they will incur losses rather than make profits. Not only will they
fail to make a profit, they won’t even be able to recover their investment. And
when there is no profit and no breaking even, there is only loss. To act that
way goes contrary to the words of the Buddha who said, “It’s free.” Jesus also
said that it’s free.
Jesus
added further that what “you received without pay, give without pay” (Matt.
10:8). It seems that the Buddha never said quite the same thing, but we can
say, from the implications of his teaching, that he could easily have spoken
these words. If something is obtained for free, we ought to pass it on for
free, too. Don’t be unwilling or reluctant. Don’t go taking advantage of people
by claiming favors or hinting that they’ll benefit by helping one in
such-and-such a way or implying that students owe a debt of gratitude to their
teachers. All of that is inappropriate. When we get something for free, we must
give it away for free. Therefore, as the loftiest of all things, the Dhamma of each religion is something to be obtained for
free. Once we have got it, we are obligated to pass it on to our fellow human
beings for free, also. Don’t try to wheedle any benefits out of it in return.
When
we make contribution to religious causes, they are for a particular purpose,
which has no bearing on our realizing Nibbana. Such
contributions are meant to instrumental in helping people who don’t yet see the
way to be able to find it and eventually arrive at that which is given away for
free to everyone. In the end, they also will obtain that precious thing which
is obtained for free, without any obstacles.
If
we look carefully, we will see that the pinnacle, the most excellent of things,
which we get for free, is called “Nibbana” (as well
as by many other names). Jesus called it “Life”. This state in which we
currently exist is death. Because everyone is dying, they don’t reach God, they
don’t reach the Ultimate. Yet, if we follow the teachings of Jesus we are born
again at once. After dying for so long, we need to be reborn. When we are born
anew, we are born into eternal life which is true life. The Buddha spoke in the
same fashion. He said that we don’t realize that this existence is like being
dead, that is, that it’s suffering. We must make the required knowledge; we
must awaken into a new world, newly born. Then there will be no more suffering.
To understand this is a fundamental principle.
Up
until this realization, we were dead, that is full of “I” and “mine”. Always
living under the burden of ego and egoism is death. Because of “I” and “mine”,
we died over and over again. Now we are reborn into eternal life, the life of Nibbana, the deathless life, the immortality in which all
“I” and “mine” end. The word “reborn” here comes to mean a life without ego,
free of “I” and “mine”. This is the true life which can never die. The five aggregates
(khandha), the basic processes of life, are
now pure, the body and mind are free of attachment and selfishness. Prior to
this, the five aggregates, the body-mind process, were continually being
grasped at and clung to by means of “I” and “my” and were always stained by
these corrupt attachments. That continues “I” and “mine” was death.
When
the polluting desires and attachments are completely gone there is a new birth
in the world of the Noble Ones. “Rebirth in the world of the Noble Ones” is a
people language expression. In Dhamma language, we
speak of “quenching it”. Quench the “I” and the “mine”; quench ego and its
selfishness. Then there is nothing. There remains only supreme voidness, which is Nibbana. So
says Dhamma language.
If
we speak in people language, as Jesus Christ often did, we say that one is
reborn in the world of the Noble Ones and that one lives eternally in the
Therefore,
let us live a life of total quenching, a life that douses the flames of desire,
a life of coolness. When we are burning, we are dying. A person who is hot
inside is like a demon in hell, an animal, a hungry ghost, or a cowardly titan.
Such a person is always dying. His attachment to “I” is never quenched. His ego
hasn’t yet been doused; it boils and bubbles inside him with the heat of fire.
It has to be cooled down.
To
make things easier, we should remember that the word “nibbana”
means “to cool down.” In
We
can see that the word “nibbana” wasn’t originally an
exalted religious term, but had an ordinary everyday usage in people language –
the cooling down of something hot. For example, if a red-hot charcoal cools
down until it can be picked up, we can call that “nibbana”.
If we apply the term on a higher level, such as to animals, then it refers to
animals which are no longer hot. The heat of animals is the wildness and
fierceness which is dangerous for humans. If a wild elephant or wild bull is
tamed and well-trained so that finally its wildness, rebelliousness, and
viciousness disappear and it’s safe for humans, we can say that it’s “nibbana”, meaning it has cooled down.
When we speak of humans - “hot” means a person who is
burning and boiling as if in hell or the other netherworlds. That isn’t Nibbana. After we discover the way to apply Dhamma to cool ourselves off, we begin to nibbana,
continue to nibbana, nibbana
steadily, nibbana until everything is thoroughly
cool, which is the highest level of Nibbana –
absolute coolness.
Even
now, we must nibbana to some extent in order to be
able to sit here and discuss Dhamma like this.
Otherwise, if the flames were flaring up within us now, we wouldn’t be able to
remain sitting here. Therefore, we should understand that Nibbana
is related to us at all times, with every inhalation and exhalation. If this
weren’t so, if we had no connection to Nibbana
whatsoever, we would all go out of our minds and die before we knew it.
Fortunately, we have some relationship with Nibbana
nearly all the time. It may disappear temporarily when lust, hatred, or
delusion arise, when the mind is taken over by defilements and selfishness. But
when lust, hatred, and delusion aren’t present in our minds, we experience a
small degree of Nibbana, a brief taste or free sample
of Nibbana. Due to the benefits of these recurring
glimpses of Nibbana, we don’t go crazy and don’t die
from overheat. We survive by virtue of Nibbana
beneficial effects. Therefore, we should thank Nibbana
and acknowledge our gratitude to it by acting so as to have more and more Nibbana for longer and longer periods of time. Keep calming
and cooling things, that is, destroy “I” and “mine”. Don’t let ego prick up its
ears and point its tail. With self-discipline and good manners, keep the ego
small and out of trouble. Lessen it, reduce it, shrink it, until at last
nothing remains, then you will get the best thing that a human being can
possibly get.
Whenever
we quarrel due to opinions, pride, vanity, or stubbornness, it shows that we
have lost touch with Nibbana. At such moments, we are
crazy. If we argue, quarrel, or interfere with others at any time – no matter
whether over an ordinary affair or a religious one – we are insane. In such
moments, we aren’t really human anymore, because we’ve lowered ourselves to the
level of arguing and fighting. And so, as was said before, if people remain
foolish they will think that there are many different religions which are
incompatible and opposed to each other, which are enemies that must compete,
fight, and destroy each other. These are the most stupid and ignorant of
people. They cause and experience a great deal of trouble.
When
religions are regarded as in opposition and conflict, people become enemies as
a result. Everyone thinks “We are right, they are wrong, we are right,” and so
forth, and then there is quarreling and fighting. Such people are incredibly
foolish. What they are quarreling about is only the outer shell. Everyone should
recognize that these are only external forms, they aren’t the inner essence.
When
people of intelligence and wisdom get together concerning the essentials of
religion, they recognize that religions are all the same. Though outwardly they
may seem different, intelligent people know that the inner spirit must be the
same in all cases. The inner essence is the same no matter how different the
external forms are, just like we saw with the analogy of water. The essential
pure nature of water is always the same, no matter how putrid or filthy it
appears from the outside. It isn’t the water that is dirty, but the other
elements that are mixed in with the water that are dirty. We shouldn’t take
those other elements. When we take those elements, it means we drink dirty
water; it means we swallow the filth, urine, excrement, or whatever, and don’t
drink pure water.
Whenever
there is a quarrel, whether it’s among lay people, novices, nuns, or monks, it
means that the people involved are eating filth, namely, the defilements of “I”
and “mine”. This should never happen; it should be given up. Don’t prick your
ears and point your tails. Don’t puff yourself with ego and create these
conflicts of pride. That’s letting things go too far. Rather, our duty is try
to pacify these things and cool them down.
How
silly it is that the older a person gets the fuller of ego he or she becomes. I
beg your pardon for speaking so frankly, but some facts can’t be ignored. Why
do people become more egoistic with age? Because the older they get, the more
accustomed they are to attachment; “I” and “mine” accumulate and pile up inside
us as we age. Further, people have sons and daughters, so they puff themselves
up with ego and determine to lord it over their children. “My
son! How could he do that without my permission!”
When they have grandchildren, they become even more puffed up and superior.
Thus, elderly people are more obsessed with “I” and “mine” than children are.
If
we look back at childhood, we will find that children have very little ego.
Immediately after birth, it’s very hard to find much ego in them, while the
child in the womb has hardly any traces of “I” or “mine” at all. However, as we
grow into adulthood and become fathers and mothers, and later grandfathers and
grandmothers, “I” and “mine” develop in a multitude of forms and personalities.
These become deeply rooted in our minds and stick there with such tenacity that
they are very difficult to remove. Therefore, old folks should be very careful
and alert. They should try to return to being like children again. To be like
children is a kind of Dhamma practice which leads to
non-attachment and voidness. Otherwise, the older
they get the further away from the Buddha and from Nibbana
they will end up.
In
truth, as we grow older we should grow closer to the Buddha. In other words,
the more we age the younger we should be. The older we get, the more youthful
we should become. As we get older we should become more lighthearted, cheerful,
bright, and fresh. We shouldn’t end up dry and lifeless, so that we gradually
wither away. Everybody should become increasingly fresh, bright, and
light-hearted as they grow older. As we age, we should get closer to the
Buddha, Dhamma and the Sangha,
which means we understand Dhamma more and more. The
more successful we are in making the inner flames recede, the cooler we become.
As we get cooler, we feel increasingly more refreshed and hearty; we look
brighter and livelier. Then we have brightness and cheer. Therefore, the more
ancient we get, the more youthful we should become, and the more cheerful and
fresh we should look and feel.
The
lively physical activity and fresh complexions of young people is one kind of
youth, while the youthfulness of Dhamma language – of
the mind, heart, and spirit – refers to a spiritual brightness, vigor, and
serenity that comes with having more Dhamma. This is
youthfulness of heat subsiding so that coolness can enter and envelop us.
Consequently, we feel increasingly refreshed, vibrant, and cheerful. So let all
elderly people become fresh and full of life. May we all become more youthful
until our age disappears. Just let youthfulness grow
inside us and that problem of bickering and quarreling will no longer exist.
Worse than that quarreling is the habit of “extolling
oneself while putting down others.” Vicious back-biting and name-calling has
no place among Buddhists and anyone who does such things has ceased to be a
Buddhist, except, perhaps, in name. Being Buddhist in name alone doesn’t mean
anything and can’t be depended upon. Just declaring oneself
to be “Buddhist” because it’s written on one’s birth certificate or because one
signed up at certain temples doesn’t accomplish much good because they aren’t
sincere. We must be genuine Buddhists in the true sense of the word, which
means to weaken and reduce “I” and “mine” in order to be cool and thereby be
closer to Nibbana. So we needn’t discuss atrocities
like disparaging and oppressing others, or extolling oneself while putting down
others. These things should never happen.
What
to do about those who still engage in such behavior? I don’t know what class to
put them in: First grade? Kindergarten? Nursery school? These are still too high; there should be
some lower class or grade for people who behave in such gross ways. In
Buddhism, genuine lay followers never do such things. Even those who are at the
kindergarten level and have not yet reached into first grade of primary school
know better than to do such things. They know that such behavior is hot and has
nothing to do with Dhamma or Buddhism.
Progressing
through the upper grades, through the junior and senior classes, there is less
egoism until, finally, there is no more “I” and
“mine”. On the highest level, there’s no self, everything is void of self.
There’s no “I”, no “you”, no “we”, no “they”, which means there’s no Buddhism,
no Christianity, no Islam, and no religion. How can different religions exist
when there’s no “we”, no “they”, no “anybody,” when there’s nothing but Dhamma? There is only pure nature itself (suddhidhamma pavattanti),
nature is all that exists – with either active aspects or still aspects,
depending on whether something is conditioned and transient or unconditioned
and absolute. Those who are in the upper grades already understand this. Those
who are in kindergarten and primary school should also know about this so that
they can prepare themselves to reach its level.
So
don’t get caught up in envy and jealousy, in insults and praises, in harassing
and interfering with others, in arguing and fighting, in extolling oneself
while putting down others. Such behavior is worthless. It’s for those who don’t
know how to learn on even the lowest level. It’s too low to have a place in the
network of Buddhists.
All
of us begin at a point where we’re full of clinging, then steadily reduce the
clinging until we don’t cling to anything anymore, until we reach the point
where everything is voidness: void of “I” and void of
“mine”. Understand that in essence everything has been void from the start.
Whether physical or mental - look deeply into its essential nature and it will
turn to be void. There is no clinging there anymore.
Whatever
clinging there was has just now happened. Originally, there was no attachment,
just as all water originally is pure and clean. It’s pure as it forms in the
clouds, but picks up fine particles of dust as it falls through the sky. Once
it falls on roofs and collects in water jars, it becomes further contaminated.
Even more contaminate is the water in wells, streams, ponds, and swamps. Worse
is the putrid water found in ditches, sewers, and toilets.
As we examine the external changes, we should recognize that the dirty elements
aren’t the water and aren’t essential.
So
look deeply into this very body and mind when they’re in their natural state,
when they aren’t polluted by any defiled objects. The pure, natural,
uncontaminated body-mind is the object of knowledge and study. Examine the “I”,
the ego, knowing this, knowing that, this is good, that is good; see that
they’re just dirty stuff. They mix with the mind, contaminate it, and muck it
up. Naturally, in themselves, our bodies and minds aren’t dirty, but owing to
stupidity and carelessness the newly spawned defilements invade. It’s these
impure guests which enter the mind and contaminate it. Why then do we take
these late-coming impurities to be “I”, “me”, or “my
own true self”? They are just new arrivals, there’s nothing genuine about them.
They’re just dirt, isn’t it silly to take dirt as one’s self? One ends up with
a dirty self, a dirty ego – no doubt about it.
The
mind which is knowledgeable and wise, which is awakened (Buddha), doesn’t take
anything to be self. It doesn’t take dirty things as its “self”. It doesn’t
take defilements to be”self”. If it must have a self, the voidness
which is free of defilements must be the self. The voidness
of defilements doesn’t attach or cling to anything. Even though the mouth says
“I am” or “I have”, the mind inside doesn’t feel any attachment. “Mouth is one
and mind is another” at all times. I hope that you will all practice in this
way.
All
I have said today is merely a chat among friends. If this were a public lecture
or formal sermon, we couldn’t say these things in this way. It might create a
big disturbance. However, this has been just an informal talk within our small
circle of friends, among those who should be able to understand. I only
mentioned these things because I thought the people here are capable of
understanding. Indeed, I hope that everyone has listened carefully, has been
able to follow, and will think over the issues seriously. Those who see the
truth of and agree with these principles should try to live accordingly. Before
long we will progress to a higher level on the path to voidness
and freedom from suffering. Then, we can do work of all kinds with a void mind
and we can give all of the fruits to voidness. We
will be able to eat the food of voidness. And so, we
will be able to die completely from the very beginning. That’s the end. That’s
the end of being a Buddhist; it’s the end of all religions.
In
people language they say, “Don’t waste the opportunity of having been born
human and of having encountered Buddha-Dhamma.” If we
speak in Dhamma language, however, we would have to
say, “It’s the end of everything. There is nothing left to be a problem ever
again.” Such a life can be called “eternal life,” for there is no more birth,
aging, illness, or death.
Are
you ready to die before dying?