Applying Buddhism in difficult times
Bhikkhu Dhammavaro
Delivered at the Buddha Dhamma Mandala Society, Singapore 15/11/2009
Buddha’s teaching is known for its ability to help us to reduce or eliminate our sufferings, in this difficult times of financial troubles, industrial layoffs, staff retrenchments, job uncertainties, credit card woes, terrorist attacks, family problems, separation and divorces, physical illnesses, emotional problems, rampant epidemics, …… there seems no end to these ills.
How can we apply Buddha’s teaching and go through these turbulent times and live calmly in spite of these adversities?
1. Having faith and devotion
People all over the world stick to their own belief, some believe in God, some believe in Brahma, some believe that on the expiry of their life, everything is finished! The so-called faith in Buddhist perspective is the ‘Faith with understanding’, not just blind faith, not associated with mass euphoria, not a tool with which the faithful becomes the pawns of the religious struggle to gain social or political supremacy, not a set thinking pattern to stymie the individual’s freedom of inquiry.
The Buddha once said: “Driven by fear, men take refuge at many places like; the hills, woods, groves, trees and shrubs. These are not safe refuge, these are not the supreme refuge, taking such refuge, one is not free from sufferings. But, when one who have gone for refuge to Buddha, his Teaching and the Order of the Sangha, he penetrates with wisdom the Four Noble Truths; the Suffering, the Casue of Suffering, the Cessation of Suffering, and the Noble Eightfold Path leading to the cessation of Suffering. These indeed are the safe refuge, the supreme refuge, taking such refuge, one is free from suffering.” (Dhammapada 188-192)
At one time the Blessed One told Ven. Kaccanagotta : “For the most part, Kaccanagotta! sentient beings depend on two kinds of belief – belief that ‘there is’ (things exist) and belief that ‘there is not’ (things do not exist). For him who sees fundamentally and truly with right understanding the arising-nature of the conditioned world, there cannot arise the belief that ‘there is not’ (things do not exist). For him who sees fundamentally and truly with right understanding the perishing-nature of the conditioned world, there cannot arise the belief that ‘there is’(things exist). Kaccanagotta! These sentient beings are, for the most part, fettered by attachment (upaya), by clinging (upadana) and by dogmatic adherence to false view (abhinivesa).” (SN II,5,Kaccānagotta Sutta)
Many of the faithful can only be considered as blind faith followers, because they follow blindly the teachings given to them without independent enquiry.
We must ponder what the Blessed One told the enquiring Kalamas that:“
1. Do not go upon what has been acquired by repeated hearing;
2. Do not go upon tradition;
3. Do not go upon rumour;
4. Do not go upon what is in a Scripture;
5. Do not go upon assumption;
6. Do not go upon a motto;
7. Do not go upon inaccurate reasoning;
8. Do not go upon a bias towards a notion that has been pondered over;
9. Do not go upon another’s seeming ability;
10. Do not go upon the consideration, this monk is our teacher.
Kalamas! When you yourselves know: These things are bad; these things are blamable; these things are censured by the wise; undertaken and observed, these things lead to harm and ill’, abandon them.” (AN 65, Kalama Sutta)
Having faith in the Triple Gem is the supreme faith. The Blessed One said “Monks! There are three type of supreme faith. What are these three?
Whatever beings there are; whether footless or two-footed or four-footed, those with form and those without form, with feelings or without feelings or neither with feelings nor without feelings, of these beings the Tathagata is the supreme, an Arahant, a Fully Enlightened One. Those who have faith in the Buddha is having faith in a supreme being, and for those with faith in a supreme being the result will be supreme.
Whatever states there are; whether conditioned or unconditioned, of which detachment is the supreme, that is, the subduing of vanity, the elimination of greed, the removal of dependence, the termination of the round of rebirths, the destruction of craving, detachment, cessation, Nibbana. Those who have faith in the Dhamma is having faith in the supreme, and for those with faith in the supreme the result will be supreme.
Whatever associations or groups there are, monks! of these groups the Sangha of the Tathagata is the supreme, that is, the four pairs of persons, the eight individuals. This Sangha of the Buddha’s disciples is worthy of gifts, worthy of hospitality, worthy of offerings, worthy of reverential salutation, is an unsurpassable field of merit for the world. Those who have faith in the Sangha is having faith in the supreme, and for those with faith in the supreme the result will be supreme.”( Itivuttaka III.41.)
Having made the investigation and ponder over them, one should have the true faith in the Triple Gem.
2. Knowing your strength and weakness
In Vyagghapajja Sutta, the Blessed One advised the rich lay person Vyagghapajja how to achieve worldly progress:
“Four conditions, Vyagghapajja, conduce to a householder's weal and happiness in this very life. Which four?
1. The accomplishment of persistent effort (utthana-sampada),
2. the accomplishment of watchfulness (arakkha-sampada),
3. good friendship (kalyanamittata)
4. and balanced livelihood (sama-jivikata).”
“What is the accomplishment of persistent effort (utthana-sampada)?
Herein, Vyagghapajja, by whatsoever activity a householder earns his living, whether by farming, by trading, by rearing cattle, by archery, by service under the king, or by any other kind of craft -- at that he becomes skillful and is not lazy. He is endowed with the power of discernment as to the proper ways and means; he is able to carry out and allocate (duties). This is called the accomplishment of persistent effort.”
“What is the accomplishment of watchfulness (arakkha-sampada)?
Herein, Vyagghapajja, whatsoever wealth a householder is in possession of, obtained by dint of effort, collected by strength of arm, by the sweat of his brow, justly acquired by right means -- such he husbands well by guarding and watching so that kings would not seize it, thieves would not steal it, fire would not burn it, water would not carry it away, nor ill-disposed heirs remove it. This is the accomplishment of watchfulness.”
“What is good friendship (kalyanamittata)?
Herein, Vyagghapajja, in whatsoever village or market town a householder dwells, he associates, converses, engages in discussions with householders or householders' sons, whether young and highly cultured or old and highly cultured, full of faith (saddha), full of virtue (sila), full of charity (caga), full of wisdom (panna). He acts in accordance with the faith of the faithful, with the virtue of the virtuous, with the charity of the charitable, with the wisdom of the wise. This is called good friendship.”
“What is balanced livelihood (sama-jivikata)?
Herein, Vyagghapajja, a householder knowing his income and expenses leads a balanced life, neither extravagant nor miserly, knowing that thus his income will stand in excess of his expenses, but not his expenses in excess of his income.
Just as the goldsmith, or an apprentice of his, knows, on holding up a balance, that by so much it has dipped down, by so much it has tilted up; even so a householder, knowing his income and expenses leads a balanced life, neither extravagant nor miserly, knowing that thus his income will stand in excess of his expenses, but not his expenses in excess of his income.”
“If, Vyagghapajja, a householder with little income were to lead an extravagant life, there would be those who say -- 'This person enjoys his property like one who eats wood-apple'. If, Vyagghapajja, a householder with a large income were to lead a wretched life, there would be those who say -- 'This person will die like a starveling.' ”
“The wealth thus amassed, Vyagghapajja, has four sources of destruction: (i) Debauchery (kamesu micchacara), (ii) drunkenness (sura-meraya), (iii) gambling, (iv) friendship, companionship and intimacy with evil-doers... ”
“There are four sources for the increase of amassed wealth: (i) abstinence from debauchery, (ii) abstinence from drunkenness, (iii) non- indulgence in gambling, (iv) friendship, companionship and intimacy with the good.... These four conditions, Vyagghapajja, are conducive to a householder's weal and happiness in this very life.”
Then for those who have their faith aroused, and have some time to practise, the Blessed One advised:
“Four conditions, Vyagghapajja, conduce to a householder's weal and happiness in his future life. Which four?
1. The accomplishment of faith (saddha-sampada),
2. the accomplishment of virtue (sila-sampada),
3. the accomplishment of charity (caga-sampada)
4. and the accomplishment of wisdom (panna-sampada).”
“What is the accomplishment of faith (saddha-sampada)?
Herein a householder is possessed of faith, he believes in the Enlightenment of the Perfect One (Tathagata): Thus, indeed, is that Blessed One: he is the pure one, fully enlightened, endowed with knowledge and conduct, well-gone, the knower of worlds, the incomparable leader of men to be tamed, the teacher of gods and men, all knowing and blessed. This is called the accomplishment of faith.”
“What is the accomplishment of virtue (sila-sampada)?
Herein a householder abstains from killing, stealing, sexual misconduct, lying, and from intoxicants that cause infatuation and heedlessness. This is called the accomplishment of virtue.”
“What is the accomplishment of charity (caga-sampada)?
Herein a householder dwells at home with heart free from the stain of avarice, devoted to charity, open-handed, delighting in generosity, attending to the needy, delighting in the distribution of alms. This is called the accomplishment of charity.”
“What is the accomplishment of wisdom (panna-sampada)?
Herein a householder is wise: he is endowed with wisdom that understands the arising and cessation (of the five aggregates of existence); he is possessed of the noble penetrating insight that leads to the destruction of suffering. This is called the accomplishment of wisdom.
These four conditions, Vyagghapajja, conduce to a householder's weal and happiness in his future life.” (AN VI.155)
3. Identifying the problem
In human history, population has grown to from a small numbers to so many millions, economic activities have gone through changes after changes, countries have risen and disappeared, empires had been built and disintegrated, modern days share markets have gone from boom to bust and to boom, financial institutions have been created and gone through many changes, human cultures in different parts of the world have progressed from primitive stage and becoming sophisticated.
Rather than sitting back by resigning to the fact that we are unable in solving our own problems, then we will fall into gloom and doom. Buddha’s teaching emphasize that one should rely on self-help. Therefore we need to keep our cool, when we are faced with problems or difficult situation, don’t panic and resign, try to understand our problem, see the magnitude of the problem, just like Buddha has taught us to identify our own defilements, see their intensity and purify them one by one.
The teaching in Vyagghapajja Sutta taught us to be a good financial manager of our wealth, manage our expenditure, so that it would not exceed our income, this is an age-old recipe from our forefathers, don’t borrow unless absolutely sure, try to use our own savings instead of borrowing from credits; mixing with good companies; care for the family, keeping the family unit tightly united, this would avoid disappointment and bringing suffering to members of the family. All these are good advices, has anyone taking them seriously?
4. Finding solutions and applying Buddha’s Dhamma
Applying Buddha’s teaching involves the understanding of impermanence and the practice of loving kindness:
Firstly, identify the pain and suffering throughout our life is a fact of life, the physical and mental pains we endured throughout life are numerous. This has been mentioned in the previous paragraph. One needs to carry out this task before one can proceed to the next one.
Secondly, understand that the change due to age or wear and tear in the objects we liked are unavoidable, that the environment go through changes, or our physical and mental states go through changes are unavoidable. This is an inner understanding one goes through the mind case by case daily.
Thirdly, understand that all phenomena regardless of physical or mental (animate or inanimate objects) are composed of various elements, they arise through certain cause and conditions which are all impermanent, subject to change and devoid of a self. This is the advanced stage of inner understanding one goes through in the mind.
Fourthly, apply the above understanding in your life and live following the rise and fall of these conditions and learn to adapt yourself to them. This is the solution or medicine for the many problems we faced daily.
Learning to identify the problem is half the problem solved, why? Because the rest of the problem-solving-process would be much easier, and we can channel our energy to finding a good workable solution rather than worrying and lamenting over it, just like the Buddha advised us to apply the Dhamma repeatedly and to give-up our foolish attachment to impermanent phenomena, once we see the transiency of these phenomenon, we then would be willingly to give up our sense of ownership and fondness when we see it is not within our ability to keep it.
This is basically transforming our strictly-structured thought pattern and opens them up to more scrutiny and allow more choices to be made for us. We don’t have to be stuck with one choice and labeled ourselves as such as such, this psychological resilience allows more thoughts to be channel into problem solving, this is also known as cognitive restructuring or thought transformation. So that people don’t have to be stressed, depressed, having emotional dysfunction, and aberrant behaviors. Free yourself from your own pre-conceived limitation, investigate and look for more options, and equip yourself with the powerful tool of Loving-Kindness-Compassion, practice the Anapanasati (mindfulness of breadths) meditation so you can quickly actualize the Impermanence, then you would be surfing above the quag mires of trouble ground, roaming, flying freely amid the chaos of this trouble time.