Awakening the Buddha Within _ Eight Steps to Enlightenment - Lama Surya Das [59]
Because I tend to be skeptical in general, one of the things that has always appealed to me about Buddha Dharma is that there is nothing to believe and everything to discover. Yes, faith and devotion are helpful qualities to bring to a spiritual practice, but that doesn’t mean blind faith. The Buddha encouraged seekers to investigate and inquire for themselves. Seekers become genuine finders through critical examination and personal experience. Honest investigation and inquiry are said to be the most powerful agents of transformation, or in the traditional Buddhist parlance, the main factors of enlightenment. Lifeless, inert dogma lacks the living intelligence of radiant Buddha-nature.
I remember that when I first arrived in Asia and I heard many miraculous stories about Buddha, they seemed to be just stories—mere legends and tales; I took them, like most things in this category, with a large grain of salt. For similar reasons, I also had trouble with the gospels of Jesus when I first read them. But the heart of the gospels definitely moved me. I believe that it doesn’t really matter whether or not you believe that Jesus walked on water or was resurrected, he still preached to the heart of the matter. The same thing is true with Buddhist teaching tales: The point is still the point; the moral of the story is what is true about them.
Tibetan lamas like to tell stories about supernatural, magical, mystical happenings that often seem incredible. They say it’s possible to reincarnate intentionally, and even emanate in more than one body at once; to experience different realms of existence; and to prolong life through longevity practices, remarkable diets, and long-life empowerments. They talk about ancient monasteries like Katok in eastern Tibet where there were so many enlightened monks that the sky itself turned yellow from their glowing robes; they speak of rainbow-light bodies and Himalayan yogis who can fly, hold their breath for days, and perform other incredible feats.
Those of you who have read Robert Heinlein’s Stranger in a Strange Land will remember Heinlein’s coined word “grok.” Grok means chewing on a concept and assimilating it until it becomes one with you and your understanding rather than swallowing it whole and half-digested. It’s sometimes difficult to grok concepts like rebirth and rainbow-light bodies. Although some Westerners are specifically drawn to esoteric and magical special effects, others are not. Initially I myself was not very much drawn to the supernatural. Incredible events severely tested my credulity and beliefs. I did not find extraordinary events, legends, and marvels very relevant to my personal search. It was more often the moral of the story or teaching tale that sparked my inner flame.
It’s been many years since I first went to Asia, and I still don’t “believe” anything, but now I do know a few things through my own experience. I know that there is much that is unseen. As I go along on the path and follow the Buddha’s Own Operator’s Manual, I continue to discover—much to my delight, but also much to my chagrin and surprise—that the Dharma teachings are all too true. I have come to deeply appreciate the value of traditional Buddhist teaching tales, myths, anecdotes, and parables. Like elders the world over, lamas love to regale us with colorful evocative illustrations for their spiritual teachings.
According to the Dharma, there are three different kinds of faith. The first can be described as a longing or a wish that what you hope and believe to be true really is true. The second is described as a lucid faith in which you conclude that what you believe to be true actually is true. The third kind of faith is unshakable faith, which is total conviction. When we consider the three kinds of faith outlined in Buddhist texts, we see how one moves from blind faith and semiconscious longing to higher aspiration and self-knowledge, and finally toward unshakable inner conviction.
Daily Meditation: Four Transforming
Thoughts That Redirect the Mind
The most fundamental daily