Interconnectedness P4/1, by
Suvannavira
Recap: Principles, or universal
laws
Precepts, negative or positive, which we can practice
Practices, specific to our personal situation
Q has
what we have already learned affected our life? If not why not? If
yes, how?
Now fourth theme
Looked at from three
angles
1/ Principle of interconnectedness
2/ precept of
generosity
3/ precept of not taking what is not freely given
1/
interconnectedness:
Buddhism teaches the principle of
interconnectedness
All things are interconnected
In
other words this is the teaching of anatha or no self
Danger of
misunderstanding no self
We conclude ethics is not important
Or
develop what sangharakshita called alienated awareness
Anatha
or no self means
A/ no fixed permanent self
Buddha’s
challenge: find something in your experience that you can point
to
And say this is my self
B/ no separate self
We
experience ourselves in here
And others as objects out
there
This is a delusion teaches Buddhism
Insight can be
described as overcoming the distinction between self and other
Indra, the King of the Gods in Hindu Mythology, possesses a number of treasures, one of which is a net made entirely of jewels. According to the Buddha in the Gandavyuha Sutra, “All the Jewels shine in each, and each of them shine in all.”
The universe is just like this. As such, one cannot fully understand any one part of the Dharma unless one understands the whole.
Additional material: Refuted idea of the self found
in the Pali canon, Reincarnation and rebirth
Q what is
our experience of being interconnected or lack of connection
2/
now the positive precept of generosity
A common misapprehension is to think of insight and egolessness in abstract, even metaphysical terms rather than as comprising concretely-lived attitudes and behaviour. But realizing the truth of egolessness simply means being truly and deeply unselfish. To contemplate the principle of egolessness as some special principle that is somehow separate from our actual behaviour will leave it as far away as ever. If we find it difficult to realize the ultimate emptiness of the self, the solution is to try to be a little less selfish. The understanding comes after the experience, not before. from Sangharakshita Complete Works - volume 15: 'Pali Canon Teachings and Translations' p. 339
With open handed generosity I purify my body
I don’t
know which word is better, generosity or Dana?
If we are
interconnected, when we give to others we also give to ourselves
We
aren’t an isolated individual
Even an isolated family or
country
Broadest expression of this spirit is given by the
bodhisattva vow
To gain enlightenment for the sake of all living
beings
For the bodhisattva
Practising the perfection of
wisdom
Gives without any perception of:
Giver, gift or
recipient
What do we mean by generosity
Not just
Dana
Dana to the teachers of the dharma
Six dimensions of
generosity
Each higher than the previous one
I/
material things, what we usually think of as Dana
Ii/ time and
energy, this is a gift
Iii/ knowledge and culture
Iv/
fearlessness, we sometimes feel secure just being in someone’s
company or thinking of them
V/ life and limb, we might have to
risk our lives for someone else’s sake
Vi/ the gift of the
dharma itself as highest form of Dana.
Giving others the means
to find liberation.
Q what is our relation to
generosity?
Which form of generosity do we find easiest to
practice, which hardest?
3/ finally the negative precept
I undertake the training principle of not taking what is not
freely given
This precept doesn’t just refer to theft
It
also refers Taking up someone’s time when the don’t want to give
it
Indeed any form of manipulation of one ego getting what it
wants,
Against the wishes of another,
Goes against this
precept
then we are encouraging someone else to not follow this precept.
How can we know if we are manipulating someone?
It is a fault people rarely own up to.
Sangharakshita said you can’t emotionally manipulate a spiritually mature person.
We can ask ourselves, are we giving the other person an entirely free choice?
If not then we are not following this precept.
It can be very subtle.
We can see practicing this precept as staying in the gap or intermediate point, the gap.
The fundamental principle of Buddhism, at least from the philosophical point of view,
is that everything arises in dependence on conditions.
For us what is most important is that craving arises in dependence on feelings.
Or greed, hatred and delusion arise in dependence on
pleasant feelings, painful feelings and neutral feelings respectively.
But there is an intermediate point, a gap, between feeling and craving.
We can stay in this gap,
we can stay with feeling,
and have a conscious choice about what to do.
Meditating and developing a meditative state of consciousness helps us stay in the intermediate point.
When we stay in the intermediate point, then we are not taking Anything that is not freely given.
Q When do we feel most strongly manipulated?
In the family, at work or somewhere else?
How can we free ourselves?
Q How can we manipulate others less, how can we be aware of manipulating others?
Q What is our experience of being given an entirely free choice?
What is our experience of giving someone else an entirely free choice?
During the week: How can we give more Dana, how can we manipulate less?
How can we recognise our interconnectedness more deeply?
Posts
