What can I say, Agony & Ecstacy!

The purpose of the visit was to see Diksha Bhumi, where on October 14th in 1956 Dr. Ambedkar and his followers (often referred to as Dalits) converted to Buddhism on Vijayadashmi day, and to attend the two day retreat (10th and 11th) by ven. Thich Nhat Hanh (Thai). Many of us are aware of his history – a Vietnamese monk asked to leave his country when he refused to take sides, either with south or north Viet Nam; has been living in Plum Village, France. He was accompanied by monks and nuns from different parts of the world.

Having nothing much to say about the retreat, I shall give my impressions on Nagaloka – a learning institute started by TBMSG under the guidance of Dhammachari Lokamitra.

We will never know how, or by following which school of Buddhism – Theravada, Mahayana or Vajrayana, Dr. Ambedkar would have taken his movement forward. His untimely death stopped him in his stride. However, a visit to Nagaloka and seeing the devotion of so many of his followers to Dhammachari Lokamitra, will inspire us with his single minded purpose in taking forward the movement to its present destination. A lot can be learned of his fruitful efforts by visiting FWBO and TBMSG websites.

We, along with monks and nuns, visited the Samatha Mahila Society (SMS) Girls Hostel where young girls enthralled us with a Bharat Natyam performance. The interaction between some monks and nuns, learning Bharat Natyam steps and teaching the girls their music and dance steps, was an example of the west joining the east under one umbrella called Buddhism. Ordinarily, these girls would never have got an opportunity to see the face of a school, let alone be able to perform before western/eastern monks and nuns. The management of the school by dedicated women has given them this chance in a life that would otherwise have been spent who knows where.

Sangharakshita in “A Survey of Buddhism” says: “………..it is not surprising that between the different schools of Buddhism there was a relationship of mutual respect and tolerance. This is not to say that doctrinal differences were not keenly felt and vigorously debated ……………., but such differences were always settled peacefully, by means of discussion, no attempt ever being made to enforce conformity. Persecution, or ‘arguing by torture’, was unknown. ………………………………….Such, indeed, was the harmony that prevailed, that monks of different schools sometimes occupied the same monastery, observing a common rule and sharing in the same corporate monastic life, but devoting themselves, in addition, each one to his own special studies and meditations.”

I am back in Mumbai overwhelmed by my interaction with budding Buddhists. I am so caught up in this mundane samsarik world that the one question that keeps popping up is: What the hell am I doing?

The Patience of Non-Production is simply the Buddha-Mind. It is the mind where that which is said to arise isn’t said at all. There is no chasing of thoughts, desires and emotions, and no not chasing of thoughts, desires and emotions. That which was said to arise due to causes and conditions, does not arise due to causes and conditions, and does not not arise due to causes and conditions.

It is a state where there is the ending of patience, and there is no not ending of patience. Though patience is the means in which one endures, there is no enduring and no not enduring in the state of the Patience of Non-Production.

It is said to be a state due to the obstructions of living being’s minds, yet once the obstructions are put down, this state is no longer a state, but only the true mind. In such, there is no distinction of true and false, and there is no ending of the state of the distinction of true and false.

Patience is non-discrimination. Non-Production is the non-Dual Thus-Nature. It’s the realization that all things are only said to arise, yet though living beings find a function for them, it is still not the true function of that which is said to arise.

Since living beings are so deluded as to not understand what arises, they conclude that all which is experienced is just the way of the world. They fail to realize that the way of the world is simply their views.

What is said to arise? That which one attaches to; desires, thoughts, images, things like computers, t.v., radio, clothing, and all that which is of attachment to them. This is what arises, and it is simply the mind. When there is the greed for something distinguished as good or bad, the mind has arisen, and thus there is an attaching to.

It is said that mind arises, yet because of the attaching to ideas, thoughts, desires, etc, there is a mind which regards them.

Then what would be the Buddha-Mind? It is the mind which the production of thoughts has no support; which the view of mind never arises, nor the arising of the things said to be experienced. For to experience, and claim it as one’s own, is to harbor the myriad views of self.

The Buddha-Mind can be attained simply through non-distinction; through patience and nothing more. Yet, as living beings trying to conceptualize the Buddha-Mind, we fall into views and attach to what we feel, thus resulting in deepening the states experienced. This way simply redirects one to fall deeper into views, and delude themselves even more.
One cannot conceptualize the Buddha-Mind, nor can they intellectualize it. It cannot be experienced, for experiences only pass. Patience is the method. Since living beings hold to their views so strongly, patience in the world is hardly sought after. Beings function greedily through out their lives. They seek for fame, money, housing, food, clothing and popularity, vanity.

With these conditions in mind, meditation would be a good foundation to begin with. If one holds impatient towards their own behavior, then they will be impatient towards every one else.

Meditation equals the cultivation of patience and once patience is actually realized, slowly one will be able to apply it in their daily lives, but it must begin from within first. Understanding the function of a goal of meditation, which is to sit through the pain of sitting in full lotus, half lotus and even ordinary cross-legged position will assist greatly.

People conclude that it is too painful, and will hurt the body later on in the years, if they were to sit in full lotus while the legs are in pain. This is surely the evidence of clinging to the body, and results in the beginner feeling discouraged. The overall goal for someone just beginning to sit in full lotus, or even half lotus, is to realize that any discomfort felt in the body is a result of past causes maturing and manifesting.

The pain should thus be in the right view of being “good”. That doesn’t mean the practitioner should hurt themselves purposely, but it means that they should be patient with the pain in their body during sitting in meditation, and gradually apply more effort to calming the mind.

The pain passes, but the thoughts which arise from the views held about pain influence even greater, and last a longer time than the actual pain. One should realize that their views of their own idea of self cause more problems than that which actually manifests.

Patience in sitting results in the realization of true wisdom. Wisdom of the world is simply how to not be lied to by the next person. Many people fail to see that being lied to is also past causes maturing. If they were patient enough with the conditions which arose, there would be no wars, hatred, prejudice, and the myriad worldly afflictions.

The non-production of thoughts is simply the non-attaching and the not non-attaching of views one holds, or the views of any one else. In contemplation of non-production, meaning when sitting in the mind of the non-arising of thoughts, there is no distinguishing of the Heavens above, and the Earth below. It is not the ignoring of things around one, for in this mind there is nothing which is actually around, and there is nothing which is not around; simply, the non-dual mind in which the distinguishing of mind itself does not arise.