Fellow Travelers

Rev. Gregory Gibbs

Unless we are Buddhas, it is always beyond our ability to completely understand. No matter how dull-witted or self-centered we are, Buddhism is always accessible to us; - ultimately a mystery and yet something that can be made part of our lives through the various teachings and activities presented by Buddhist tradition.

There are many different ways of living the Buddhist way, various teachings, not one geometric system. Whatever teaching or practice leads us to appreciate the deep oneness of all things is Buddhism. Whatever viewpoint we take is Buddhistic, if it loosens our sense of being separate and isolated and sensitizes us to the profound interconnectedness of all life.

It is sometimes said that all Buddhism is a combination of proper conduct (sila), calm and focused activity of body and mind (samadhi), and wisdom in the sense of insight (prajna). But, Honen said that his teaching was based only on the compassion of Amida Buddha, and not upon proper conduct as a qualification. Also, this would apply to Shinran's teachings. Further, Dogen denied that the triple learning of conduct, concentration and insight applied to Buddhism was properly understood because it reduced the project of living as a Buddhist to a mere means to an end (thorough-going enlightenment after rigorous practice). This means that these categories - proper behavior/meditation/insight - don't apply to 3/4 of Japanese Buddhism as it has existed for 800 years. These categories are too abstract and involve a mechanical way of thinking.

Another set of three concepts often used to describe all schools of Buddhism is the triad of teaching, practice and realization. If we understand these in a broad and liberal sense they can be used to elaborate any school of Buddhism. With this set of categories as well, it would be a mistake to treat them as some underlying universal structure which must be present in any school of Buddhism. Buddhism is a way of living which involves many pathways. Each path resembles the others in a variety of ways. The flow of Buddhist tradition moves through many distinctive streams, the intent of liberating all beings from their suffering and self-centeredness is the only absolutely universal characteristic of those many streams. There remain about 200 distinct schools of Buddhism in the world today.

To apply the teaching/practice/realization schema in a fluid way, we may understand Teaching as the teaching of the historical Buddha, Sakyamuni, his disciples and the teachers, both priests and laypersons, who have continued the Buddhist tradition. We say that there are 84,000 teachings. There are several hundred sutras and scriptures attributed to Sakyamuni Buddha. There are thousands of distinguished commentaries by contemplative scholar-monks and nuns. Traditionally a commentary is given a status comparable to or even equal to a sutra spoken by the Buddha. Again, any teaching that helps to free us from a sense of isolated separateness and which sensitizes us to the deep oneness of all things is the Buddhist teaching.

"Practice" is the usual translation for "Gyo", the second of this set of three concepts which we may use to organize our understanding of what Buddhism is. However, in translating Shinran Shonin's masterwork, the Kyogyoshinsho, D.T. Suzuki translated "Gyo" as living. This is a lucid return to the original intent of the Buddha. We must live according to the teaching and put it into practice. If we understand practice as endeavoring toward achieving some end (e.g. clear and insightful mind), it does not pertain to Jodo Shu, Jodo Shinshu or Soto Zen Buddhism. But, to live in a way illumined by Buddhist teaching is crucial to all forms of Buddhism.

"Realization" is to be struck forcefully by the truth of the Buddhist teaching in a moment of experience. To realize in a thorough-going way that all life is one, luminous, magically free and interpenetrating reality is to become a Buddha. To realize that Amida's compassionate activity to liberate all beings is embodied in Namo Amida Butsu is to realize Shinjin. To realize that you trust the Nembutsu to liberate you is to be a person of faith who will realize Shinjin.

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