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Finding Serenity And Joy

By Venerable Wu Ling Over the past two hundred years, the education that was taught by Buddha Shakyamuni has undergone many changes. It is regarded by some as a religion and by others as a philosophy. It is misunderstood as mere superstition. Some have even distorted it beyond recognition into cults. If we want to truly understand and benefit from the teachings, we need to go back to their original form that of an "Education". We will understand this better when we read the sutras, the recorded teachings of Buddha Shakyamuni. In these, he is addressed as our "Original Teacher". Those who learned from him were called students, which is what we call ourselves today. This teacherstudent relationship is only found in education. Another reason that this is an education is also found in the sutras. The students asked questions of the Buddha. He in turn replied with another question to help the students discover the answer themselves. If they did not thoroughly understand, or thought that we would not, they asked for further clarification. This was a classroom discussion. From this we again see that Buddha Shakyamuni simply taught. He conducted neither ceremonies nor rites. Today, however, we often see Buddhism regarded as mere superstition because for the past two hundred years so few people have explained that it is an education. This is because the meanings of what we see when we enter a learning center or a temple, have been largely forgotten. Everything that we see is a teaching aid. For example, in Pure Land Learning Centers, we will see the image of Buddha Amitabha, who symbolizes perfect infinite enlightenment. On either side of him will usually be two Bodhisattvas, who are enlightened beings. One is Great Compassion Bodhisattva who represents loving kindness and the other is Great Strength Bodhisattva who represents wisdom. We may see a container of clear water on the Buddha table, symbolizing that our minds need to be as pure as the water. It is calm without a single ripple indicating that we interact with others and circumstances with the serene and non-discriminatory mind of equality. The water teaches us to cultivate daily to eradicate our greed, anger, and ignorance. It is pure, reflecting clearly and completely just as we should see everything around us. We should use our minds like a mirror that does not give rise to any attachments.

2 Offerings of flowers symbolize the cause as the blossoms result in the bearing of fruit, reminding us that there are consequences to everything we do, that we reap what we sow. Lamps symbolize wisdom and brightness illuminating the darkness of our ignorance. The candle represents giving of ourselves so that others might see and awaken as we sacrifice ourselves for all other living beings. The images of lotus flowers symbolize transcending the ten realms of existence. First, it rises through the mud at the bottom of the pond that symbolizes the six realms of reincarnation. Then it rises through the water that symbolizes the four realms of awakening. Finally, it breaks through the surface of the water that symbolizes the one true realm of Perfect Enlightenment. It teaches us that although we live in the world, we need not become polluted by our surroundings. Buddhism teaches of the absolute equality that stems from the reality that all living beings possess the same original wisdom; therefore, there is no inherent difference among beings. We perceive everyone as different, because we have become mired in wandering discriminatory thoughts and attachments, and do not understand what is really happening. The reality is that we are subject to Karma - the Law of Cause and Effect. Everything we think, say, and do is a cause. We reap what we sow. Sowing good seeds, we reap good effects. Sowing bad seeds, we reap bad effects. Harming others, we will be harmed. Killing others, we will be killed. Loving others, we will be loved. The result may not mature in our next lifetime, but in a hundred or a hundred thousand lifetimes. If we wish to have serenity and happiness in our lives we need to be gentle and joyful in everything we do. In this way, we will assure ourselves a brighter future. To accomplish this, we practice moral selfdiscipline and deep concentration, for these will result in wisdom, which will enable us to solve all of our problems and turn our discriminatory thoughts into those of sincerity, equality, and harmony. We do this not for ourselves, but for all beings throughout the universe.