Buddha

Abstract

To the Editor: Universal religious teachings such as Buddhism are treasured for their great wisdom. Such systems of thought appeal to a vast populace, with each individual understanding the points of the doctrine in his own unique way. It is hard to define a religious truth of any tradition that will find complete consensus. This is all the more true for Buddhism, which was orally transmitted for over 500 years before the teachings were written down, and by that late date, no unanimity could be found. Consequently, there never was a codified “bible,” rather a compilation of sacred Buddhist scriptures that number in the tens of thousands. (Columbia University has a copy of the thousands of sacred volumes of the Taisho edition of the Tripitika.)1de Bary WT The Buddhist tradition. Vintage Books, New York1972: 15Google Scholar Certainly no one could argue against the great compassion of the Buddha. This was the central tenet of his teaching. The fact that he did not address the question of an afterlife or of a god is a natural corollary to his doctrines. Indians believe in karma–infinite rebirth. The Buddhist understanding was that life is inherently painful, and that infinite rebirth propels pain infinitely. Since the ancient Vedic gods of India (it was not a monotheistic society) were also subject to karma, deities were useless in the pursuit of enlightenment. This is why in the scriptural tradition when Mara, god of death and desire, offers the meditating Buddha-To-Be a high place in the ranks of the god, he is rejected.2Karetzky P Life of the Buddha. University Press of America, Latham, Md1992: 199Google Scholar If one teaching can be firmly associated with the Buddhist doctrine, it is the one encapsulated in the Four Truths–attachment leads to pain.3Conze E Buddhist scriptures. Penguin Books, London1987: 112Google Scholar This truth can be expressed more concretely as the attachment to life, for it alone leads to rebirth. Extinguishing the desire to live is the means to nirvana. Dr. Stimler takes exception to “using the example of the Buddha as a model for how we should behave,” but it is important to take enlightened people, such as the Buddha, as models, though we ourselves may fall short of that blessed state. It is only by studying the wisdom of those who understand the human condition and what is frankly possible that reasonable goals be set and hopefully achieved. Further, one cannot apply the Buddha's death bed sermon urging healthy people to be aware of their mortality7 and to try and detach themselves from the karmic conditions of the wheel of suffering as an excuse to prolong the pain-filled life of terminally ill people. As Dr. Stimler himself quotes the Buddha as saying, “A sick body is a hindrance to enlightenment.” Prolonging life at any cost is not a Buddhist value. In fact, the practice of suicide was sometimes considered a symbolic act of enlightenment. One may only think back to the self-immolation of the Buddhist monks in Vietnam, the zen samurai warriors adhering to their creed of busido, or the less well-known Mahayanist sacrifices (ritual suicide is described in the Lotus Sutra chapter XXII. Charles Eliot in Japanese Buddhism, argues against the practice and the Buddha's condoning of it)4Eliot C Japanese Buddhism. Routledge & Kegan Paul, London1935: 134Google Scholar to see how the doctrine was later interpreted thousands of miles from the site and over 2,000 years after the founder's sermons. BuddhaCHESTVol. 111Issue 2PreviewTo the Editor: Full-Text PDF