“The
master said there is one thing in this world which must never be
forgotten. If you were to forget
everything else, but were not to forget this, there would be no cause to worry,
while if you remembered, performed and attended to everything else, but forgot
that one thing, you would in fact have done nothing whatsoever. It is as if a king had sent you to a
country to carry out one special, specific task. You go to the country and you perform a hundred other tasks,
but if you have not performed the task you were sent for, it is as if you have
performed nothing at all. So man
has come into this world for a particular task, and that is his purpose. If he doesn’t perform it, he will have
done nothing.”
Regardless of what spiritual journey you are currently
undertaking, the main message that Rumi sought to convey is that we are here on
this earth for one purpose, and one purpose only- and that is to achieve union
with our fundamental, enlightened nature. Rumi’s passage can be interpreted in a number of ways, but
what came to my mind today was the Mahayana goal of spiritual development: to
achieve the enlightenment of Buddhahood in order to help all other sentient
beings attain this state. This is
known as the bodhisattva path.
True
spirituality also is to be aware that if we are interdependent with everything
and everyone else, even our smallest, least significant thought, word, and
action have real consequences throughout the universe. The whole universe, in regards to
subatomic interaction, is nothing but change, activity, and process- a totality
of flux that is the ground of all things.
All of our thoughts, our intentions, actions, dreams, desires-
energetically- have a force; a continual dance of creation and annihilation, of
mass changing into energy and energy changing into mass. This is emptiness; this is
impermanence. Whatever we do or
say or think has an effect on ourselves directly- biologically, physiologically-
and on everyone else.
Although
there is no definitive Mahayana canon, some have traditionally considered the
earliest Mahayana sutras to include the very first versions of the
Prajnaparamita series (Sanskrit: “The Perfection of (Transcendent) Wisdom”)- a
central concept in Mahayana Buddhism, and essential to understanding the
principles of the Bodhisattva Path.
Mahayana scriptures are largely preserved in the Chinese Buddhist canon,
the Tibetan Buddhist canon, and in Sanskrit manuscripts. The prajnaparamita sutras, the Heart
Sutra and the Diamond Sutra are considered most fundamental to the Mahayana
traditions. Without getting into
any of the Mahayana sutras, I’ll make a wide-sweeping oversimplification about
the Dharma (universal or natural law): The Dharma is the Teaching of
Deliverance in it’s entirety, as discovered, realized and proclaimed by the
Buddha. It is a no-nonsense, all
encompassing practical guide for transforming your life; a teaching of Enlightenment
based on the clear comprehension of actuality. The Dharma offers a realistic system of ethics, a shrewd
analysis of life, philosophy, and practical methods of mind training. This will set you on your way to
changing your thoughts and changing your life. I will get more in depth in later posts.
Great importance is placed on
lineage in Tibetan Buddhism, on the unbroken chain of transmission from master
to master (comprises the teachings of the three vehicles of Buddhism: the
Foundational Vehicle, Mahayana, and Vajrayana). That is not to say that just because you don’t have a
master, you can’t be a practicing Buddhist. It should not be understated, of course, the importance of
having a master, or even how destructive it can be jumping around from lineage
to lineage without any sustained continuity or dedication. My point is, at least, that these
teachings are there for everyone, Buddhist or non-Buddhist. Lineage serves as a crucial safeguard:
It maintains the authenticity and purity of the teaching. Nearly all the great spiritual masters
of all traditions agree that the essential thing is to master one way, one path
to the truth, by following one tradition with all you heart and mind to the end
of the spiritual journey, while remaining open and respectful to the insights
of all others. All I hope to
provide is some insight into another world, into another spectrum of
consciousness that people of all religious backgrounds can relate to. Buddhas, masters, and prophets which
emanate the truth can exist anywhere- in any experience, a smile, an angry
person you encounter on the street- the key is to remember your spiritual
practice, to let it guide you unwaveringly, so that eventually the inner
teacher, who has always been with us, manifests in the form of the “outer
teacher”- and we solidify the bodhicitta mind of enlightenment- the altruistic
intention to become enlightened for the sake of all sentient beings.
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