(continued from previous post)
We might conceive of this as compassion having gotten caught in
a loop, the loop of the illusion of duality. This is sort of like a
dogs tail chasing itself. Pain and pleasure, suffering and
satisfaction always seem to be over there. Thus, when pleasant
sensations arise, there is a constant, compassionate, deluded
attempt to get over there to the other side of the imagined split.
This is fundamental attraction. You would think that we would just
stop imagining there is a split, but somehow that is not what
happens. We keep perpetuating the sense of a split even as we try
to bridge it, and so we suffer. When unpleasant sensations arise,
there is an attempt to get away from over there, to widen the
imagined split. This will never work, because it doesnt actually
exist, but the way we hold our minds as we try to get away from
that side is painful. When boring or unpleasant sensations arise,
there is the attempt to tune out all together and forget the whole
thing, to try to pretend that the sensations on the other side of
the split are not there. This is fundamental ignorance and it
perpetuates the process, as it is by ignoring aspects of our
sensate reality that the illusion of a split is created in the
first place.
These strict definitions of fundamental attraction, aversion and
ignorance are very important, particularly for when I discuss the
various models of the stages of enlightenment. Given the illusion,
it seems that somehow these mental reactions will help in a way
that will be permanent. Remember that the only thing that will
fundamentally help is to understand the Three Characteristics to
the degree that makes the difference, and the Three Characteristics
are manifesting right here.
Remember how it was stated above that suffering motivates
everything we do? We could also say that everything we do is
motivated by compassion, which is part of the fundamentally empty
nature of reality. That doesnt mean that everything we do is
skillful; that is a whole different issue.
Compassion is a very good thing, especially when it involves one's
self and all beings. It is sort of the flip side of the Second
Noble Truth. The whole problem is that misdirected compassion,
compassion that is filtered through the process of ego and its
related habits, can produce enormous suffering and often does. It
is easy to think of many examples of people searching for happiness
in the strangest of places and by doing the strangest of things.
Just pick up any newspaper. The take-home message is to search for
happiness where you are actually likely to find it.
We might say that compassion is the ultimate aspect of desire, or
think of compassion and desire on a continuum. The more wisdom or
understanding of interconnectedness there is behind our intentions
and actions, the more they reflect compassion and the more the
results will turn out well. The more greed, hatred and delusion or
lack of understanding of interconnectedness there is behind our
intentions and actions, the more they reflect desire and the more
suffering there will likely be.
This is sometimes referred to as the Law of Karma, where karma is
a word that has to do with our intentions and actions. Some people
can get all caught up in specifics of this that cannot possibly be
known, like speculating that if we kill a bug we will come back as
a bug and be squished. Don't. Cause and effect, also called
interdependence, is just too imponderably complex. Just use this
general concept to look honestly at what you want, why, and
precisely how you know this. Examine what the consequences of what
you do and think might be for yourself and everyone, and then take
responsibility for those consequences. It's a tall order and an
important practice to engage in, but don't get too obsessive about
it. Remember the simplicity of the first training, training in
kindness, generosity, honesty and clarity, and gain balance and
wisdom from the other two trainings as you go.
Sometimes looking into suffering and desire can be overwhelming.
Life can sometimes be extremely hard. In these moments, try looking
into the heart side of the equation, compassion and kindness.
Connect with the part of your heart that just wishes the suffering
would end and feel that deeply, especially as it manifests in the
body. Just this can be profound practice. There are also lots of
other good techniques for cultivating a spaciousness of heart that
can bear anything, such as formal loving-kindness practices (see
Sharon Salzburgs excellent Loving-kindness, The Revolutionary
Art of Happiness). Finding them and practicing them can make
the spiritual path much more bearable and pleasant, and this can
make it more likely that we will be able to persevere, gain deep
insights, be able to integrate them into our lives, and use them to
benefit others.
The take-home message is to take the desire to be happy and free of
suffering and use its energy to do skillful things that can
actually make this happen, rather than getting caught in old
unexamined patterns of searching for happiness where you know you
will not find it. The Three Trainings are skillful and can inform
the whole of our life. By following them we may come to the end of
many forms of suffering and be in a much better position to help
others do the same.
TRUTH NUMBER THREE: THE END OF SUFFERING
This brings us nicely to the Third Noble Truth, the end of
suffering. Now, as noted before, there are three types of
suffering pertaining to the scope of each of the three trainings.
Traditionally, the Buddha talked about the end of suffering as
relating to mastering the third training and thus becoming highly
enlightened. The first point is that it can be done and is done
today by meditators like you from many spiritual traditions. Yes,
there are enlightened people walking around, and not just a rare
few that have spent 20 years in a cave in Tibet. This is really
important to understand and have faith in. The other point is that
with the end of fundamental desire, which we will render here as
the end of compassion and reality being filtered through the odd
logic of the process of ego, there is the end of fundamental
suffering. That's it. Done is what has to be done. Gone, gone, gone
beyond, and all of that. All beings can do it, and there is, to
make bit of a mystical joke, no time like the present.
Now, it must be said that the Buddha also praised those who had
mastered the other two trainings and thus eliminated what suffering
could be eliminated by those methods. Even very enlightened beings
can benefit from mastering the concentration states. However, there
are some complex and difficult issues related to eliminating all of
the ordinary suffering in the world and thus related to mastering
the first training, which is an endless undertaking. It is because
of this particular issue that such teachings as the Bodhisattva Vow
arose, and I will deal with these complexities towards the end of
this book.
TRUTH NUMBER FOUR: THE PATH
The Fourth Noble Truth is the Noble Eightfold Path that
leads to suffering's final end. Another list! Hopefully
you have come to like these little lists by now, and so one more
will hopefully be seen as another manageable little guide on how to
find the end of suffering. Luckily, we have already seen the whole
of the Noble Eightfold Path in other parts of some of the other
lists, and it is summarized in the Three Trainings of morality,
concentration and wisdom.
The morality section is just broken down into three specifics:
skillful action, skillful speech and skillful livelihood. Skillful
means conducive to the end of suffering for us and for all other
living beings. Be kind, honest, clear and compassionate in your
whole life, in your actions, speech and work. Notice that nothing
is excluded here. The more of our lives we integrate with the
spiritual path, the better. Simple to remember and also a powerful
guide.
The concentration section contains three things we saw in the Five
Spiritual Faculties and the Seven Factors of Enlightenment:
skillful energy, skillful concentration, and skillful
mindfulness.
The wisdom section has the two last parts of the path: skillful
thought or intention and skillful understanding or wisdom. These
two are often rendered in different ways, but the meaning is the
same: understand the truth of your experience and aspire to
kindness and wisdom in your thoughts and deeds. Again, simple but
powerful.
