Introduction

When beginning an exploration of this nature it is sometimes good to ask

simple and obvious questions. For instance: What is Buddhism? Since we
are examining the teachings of the Buddha, it is important to understand
where these teachings come from. Actually, there is no such thing as
Buddhism; instead it should be referred to as Buddha Dharma, roughly
translated as “the laws of unfoldment.” When we look at it in this way we
get a sense that we are exploring something that is natural and inherently
present in our lives. For example, this is more like studying the laws of
gravity or electromagnetism than studying a dogma or religion. In other
words, the laws of awakening, whether or not they are declared by a
Tathagata or a fully Awakened One, are present in the very fabric of
existence. Because of this, the laws that govern our progress on the path
are something that can be discovered for ourselves.

Was the Buddha a God or Prophet who proclaimed these laws? The
Buddha stated unequivocally that he was only a teacher showing the way.
We ourselves must make the effort to discover the truth of the Dharma -
the Buddha is only our guide and teacher. Some might ask: Is there no
 Virtue as the Path

refuge, someone who will save us? Our refuge from the sufferings of this
world is in discovering and understanding the laws proclaimed by the
Blessed Ones. There is no external refuge. No one is going to save us from
the sufferings we create through unwholesome and ignorant actions. “By
one’s self is evil done, by one’s self one suffers: by one’s self is evil left
undone, by one’s self is one purified. Purity and impurity are dependent
upon one’s self, no one can purify another.”

So where does faith fit into the teachings of the Buddha? In the Teaching
blind faith is certainly discouraged. Merely believing in something or
having faith in it is seen as being a poor substitute for the religious life.
Saddha, the Pali word that is often translated as ‘faith’, should be
understood as confidence. In other words, when we take refuge in the
Buddha, Dharma and Sangha we are expressing our confidence that the
Buddha has attained omniscience, that he is a knower of the worlds, a
great teacher, enlightened and blessed. This presents a problem, because
how can we have confidence in something that we haven’t realized
ourselves? The way through this dilemma is to develop confidence
studying the Dharma. Over time it will become clear that the Buddha’s
profundity of understanding is truly deep and gone beyond. We also
understand from his Teaching that before him, there were Buddhas who
discovered the truth and proclaimed it in an appropriate way for their time.
There will be Buddhas in the future who will discover the truth and
proclaim it. We understand there are Buddhas of the present age who are
proclaiming the truth that leads to freedom and emancipation. We have
confidence in this to the degree to which we have experienced it.

We take refuge or express our confidence in the Dharma, because it can be

realized for ourselves. When we study or practice it we are immediately

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uplifted. Our mind experiences relief, because we know deep in our being
that it has the potential to lead us to liberation. We have confidence in the
Dharma because it invites our investigation; it does not proclaim truths
that we have no way to investigate and know for ourselves. Certainly,
unless we are a fully enlightened Buddha, there will be aspects of the
Teaching that will be beyond our comprehension, but in the Suttas it is
never stated that these truths discovered by the Tathagata could not be
discovered by us. The Buddha, in declaring the Teaching, states that there
has been truth proclaimed in the past, that there will be truth proclaimed in
the future and that there is the truth of Dharma being proclaimed in the
present. When understood this way, the Dharma is known to be a living
unfolding phenomena in the universe, and the more that we discover this
the greater the power of our confidence.

And so, what does it mean when we first take refuge in the Sangha? It
means that we have directly observed that the disciples of the Buddha
have right conduct, are upright in their behavior, they have wisdom as to
the right way to live, and that they manifest the virtues of living the holy
life. It is important to have confidence in those that practice the Dharma
because without confidence it is hard to begin this process of examination
and discovery.

So when we take up this exploration, an examination of the laws that

govern awakening, we should think of it as a process of discovery; a
process by which we examine our own being and understand ourselves
and those around us with clarity and depth. It should be obvious that we
are not going to be skillful from the beginning. In some ways our
exploration is going to be a process in which we see with greater and
greater clarity our imperfections. Nevertheless, we must take heart and not

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become discouraged by this, for the Buddha said: “He who practices the
Dhamma to the best of his ability, honors me best. One is one’s refuge,
who else could be his refuge?”

We created the tangled web that has ensnared us in the thicket of

conflicting emotions, and it is only the clarity of insight that will free us
from this enslavement. To begin this process all that is required is a good
heart and sincere effort. The examining of ourselves is not something most
find easy - we don’t like to see ourselves in a light that shows our faults
and shortcomings. However, if we are not willing to look at ourselves
clearly we will forever remain entangled in a web of delusion.

If we could but see ourselves as a natural phenomenon, like a plant

growing in a garden, and examine as a good gardener would the
conditions under which the plant flourishes, we would make quick
progress and come to full flower. Our problem is we cling to this tangle of
conflicting emotions as our identity. The only way we can become free of
this is through patient practice and mindfulness. The Buddha has said,
“One who practices the Dhamma, will in turn be protected by the
Dhamma. He who imbibes the Dhamma, will live happily with a purified
mind, and the wise always take delight in the Dhamma as revealed by the
Noble Ones.” If we learn to cultivate the Bodhi mind, if we learn to pluck
the weeds and cut through the tangle of undergrowth we will see how our
lives can be transformed. It is this discovery of truth, the truth about
ourselves, the truth about the nature of life that we should strive for. This
truth excels all mundane knowledge and leads finally to victory over all
obstacles to awakening.

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 Introduction

So how do we begin this process? It is stated in the Kalama Sutta of the

Anguttara Nikaya: “Do not believe in anything on mere hearsay. Do not
believe in anything that is handed down by traditions, or what people say
or what is stated on the authority of your traditional teachings. Do not
believe in anything just by reasoning, by inferring, or by argument as to
method, or by directions from your teachers. But, O Kalamas! When you
know by yourself that certain actions done by you are not good, false and
considered worthless by the wise that, when perpetuated, they will lead to
loss or suffering, then give them up…and when you know by yourselves
that certain actions done by you are good, true and considered worthy by
the wise, then accept them and put them into practice.”

At first glance, this teaching given to the Kalama clan of old seems to
support modern day individualism that is so prevalent in Western society.
This assumption, however, would be a mistake. As we read further in the
Sutta the Buddha gives the Kalamas the meditations on the Divine
Abidings. The first of these is to be in a state of loving-kindness. The
second is to practice compassion towards all living beings. The third is to
be in a state of sympathetic joy, celebrating the victories of others. The
fourth is to reside in equanimity towards the sufferings of our own life.

In North America we seem to have made a tradition out of rebellion. Each

generation is distinguished by its defiance of the previous one, and the
peculiar quirks of expression used by the young become the institutions of
the future. Contrary to this, the Buddha’s teaching directs us to focus this
fierce mind of critical examination on ourselves rather than on our elders
or on our political and social institutions. Only a warrior of the inner plane
can effectively wield this power of analytic examination. Fierce,

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independent questioning can safely be undertaken only by one who resides

in the four sublime states.

When the analytical examination of mind is present in those who do not

reside in loving-kindness, they become obsessively picky, self-critical and
self-righteously judgmental of others. When it is present in those who do
not practice compassion for others it turns to creating systems of
revolutionary zeal that ‘they’ have determined will be good for ‘the
world.’ When it is present in those who are not in sympathetic joy,
invariably they fall prey to despair and see only the failures, obstructions,
and defilements of themselves and others. Lastly, when the analytical
examination of mind is present in those who are unable to reside in
equanimity they can never rest in the perfection of what is; they are
forever driven to achieve a better self. So when we pick up the sword of
discriminative intelligence we must do so upheld by these Divine
Abidings, otherwise we are in peril of becoming the ruthless critic and
religious fanatic who sees sin everywhere.

By contrast, one who resides in a state of loving-kindness would never

knowingly injure another. That is, on the physical plane they would care
for others and support their well being. In their speech they would express
their friendliness and be supportive to others in their struggle to unfold.
On the mental plane, they would first heal themselves of conflicting
emotions and negativities, and then they would emanate this state of
loving-kindness to all sentient life. It is only when we imbibe these
qualities that we can be protected from the feeling of futility when we
realize the enormous suffering in the world.

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 Introduction

When practicing compassion we are released from our focus on ourselves

and experience the happiness of helping others. When these actions are not
driven by a neurotic need to see ourselves as ‘good’, then there is a
spontaneous interaction with those around us which is based on a genuine
experience of their need.

In the development of sympathetic joy, by celebrating the victories of

others and by celebrating the miracle of the manifest universe, we know
ourselves to be an integral part of the enlightening mind. We do not
experience ourselves as separate individuals struggling to become free of
obstacles. By comparison to the vastness of the ongoing mind of
enlightenment our problems are truly miniscule. When we understand this
deep down in our being, it is easy to let go of ill will, resentment, or the
desire to possess something at the expense of someone else. The states of
greed and hatred fade away because we are no longer rooted in the sense
of a separate self.

Lastly, when we reside in equanimity- having fulfilled the other three

states - there can be a truly dispassionate seeing. It is this dispassionate
view which enables us to penetrate the veils of ignorance and see the laws
of coming into being and passing away, the laws that govern the
unfoldment of consciousness. It enables us to see the underlying principles
that determine the ebb and flow of history and of human society. Without
this dispassion we are invariably for or against something and because of
this, we always have the ignorance of bias. This ignorance prevents us
from being in union with what is. When we experience ourselves and the
universe as interdependent spontaneously arising phenomena, we become
the knowing embodiment of great bliss and emptiness. It is only the
wholesome mind established in loving-kindness, compassion and

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sympathetic joy that is able to enter this perfection without fear and
without regret. This reality has always been present and when our
obscuration of it is removed, we understand this life to be a bubble in the
foam of the great wave of awakening.

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Forward
How this book came to be
In 1988 while I was residing at a seminary in Kinmount, Ontario, I was
asked by the Venerable Namgyal Rinpoche to teach a course on basic
Buddhism. I had been practicing and teaching for some years, primarily
from the Mahayana traditions. I searched for a text that would be suitable
for this course and it was there that I ran into difficulty. I looked at the
many varied publications and translations that were accessible and
couldn’t find one that I felt truly comfortable with. The available
publications seemed to fall into two categories. The first was what I would
call ‘spiritual pablum’; I found the publications in this category abhorrent
because they insulted my intelligence as an inquiring person. The second
category contains the dried bones of academia, which seemed so irrelevant
to the way in which we live and was far too advanced for an introductory
course. Given this state of affairs I chose to work from technical manuals,
the chief among these being the Visuddhimagga, and explain the Teaching
in a way that I thought made the subject available to the non-expert.
 Virtue as the Path

In my studies I have found the Visuddhimagga to be one of the most

profound commentaries on the Buddha’s teaching, however, the average
Westerner finds difficulty in its extreme detail and erudition. Compound
this with the problems of translation from Pali into English, and it
becomes a veritable nightmare. With my limited capabilities, needless to
say, the five years I taught this course were not to my satisfaction.

After leaving the seminary I continued to teach and practice as I traveled.

During this time I could not put down this idea of finding a way to explain
the Buddha’s teachings in a clear and concise manner that was in keeping
with our historical context. This inquiry lasted approximately eight years
and gradually formed into what now is this book. I really don’t consider
this book finished, because it seems to me given the profundity of Buddha
Dharma, there will always be a need for greater clarification or a better
illustration.

As will be apparent from the text, I am not what you would call an
academic or scholar and I do not consider myself to have talent as a writer.
In fact this entire book was spoken rather than written. So, one might ask,
why is he writing this book? A short story may help clarify this question.
Many years ago when I was new to the Teaching, Namgyal Rinpoche gave
a course in the Andes Mountains of Peru. The course lasted 40 days,
during which time many of those present experienced profound meditative
absorption. On the last day he spoke about what we had accomplished and
said, “If you are successful in transmitting the Teaching you have been
given, in the future many people will be doing what you have done here.
However, if you fail, those in the future will view what you have done as
extraordinary.” I look at this book in the same way, I hope it becomes
common and inspires others to do much better than I have.

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 Forward

The study that is now this book began in Turkey in 1992, where I was
teaching Susan Bell, my principle student and supporter for the last 10
years. I gave informal classes using the Visuddhimagga as the structural
outline. During this time, she took many notes that later she compiled into
a manuscript. Due to her lack of experience with Buddha Dharma she
asked many questions which provoked me to re-examine the teaching and
express it in new ways. In this spirit of inquiry we went over the
manuscript again and again to clarify passages that were difficult to
understand. Over a period of time the idea of a book emerged. At first we
were very ambitious and thought we would attempt a complete exposition
based on the traditional classification of sila, samadhi and panna. Even
with a fairly concerted effort we found this to be beyond our capabilities,
and so instead we have published only the first of the three at this time. It
will become apparent as one reads the text that the whole of the teaching
can be expounded in the development of virtue. What I have tried to do is
present the main body of the work, which is a traditional view of ethics as
taught by the Buddha, in simple and clear language. In the last hour, just
before publishing we were fortunate to have the joyful and skillful aid of
Sylvie Spugies who helped edit the work and has, I think, made it a more
readable book.

The Exercises in Appendix A I have included at the suggestion of Derek

Rasmussen, who was kind enough to read the manuscript. They are
designed to help the Western reader focus in a contemplative way on some
of the many nuances implied in this brief exposition of the Teaching.

The last section of Appendix A is a description of the Brahma - Viharas

that would be a good daily practice. You will notice this section is the
shortest of the book. This is because the practice of meditation is

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 Virtue as the Path

dependent upon intuitive insight in which many words are often not
helpful. However, I have found that if the student does not have a frame of
reference established through study and intellectual rigor, they are not able
to pose a strong enough question that produces a correspondingly deep
insight. It is not enough to merely accumulate many meditational
experiences in the religious life, because if these experiences are not
understood within the context of the whole of the teaching they can merely
become a collection of oddities. Unique moments of experience they may
be, perhaps very heightened and acutely alive moments, but they do not
lead to full understanding unless we challenge them with the study of the
teaching as passed down through the ages. In my work, I have found it
most helpful to examine the meditative experience - however meager that
might be - in the light of the Buddha’s teaching and then use this
discipline as a way to provoke further question. In this way we go back
and forth until we have hammered out, so to speak, a way of life that is
completely genuine for ourselves.

The Questions presented in the Appendix B I hope will provoke debate

and challenge the reader. They have different levels of understanding
implicit in them. Some are offered to introduce the material while others
provoke investigation into the meaning of the Teachings; still others are
unanswerable except through direct insight or realization. The section on
analysis and synthesis are different approaches to the Teaching and are
given as examples to help the student ponder new expressions or
approaches.

How to use this book

To me this book is a study manual and it is often helpful, when beginning
a work of this nature, to do so with friends of like mind. For instance, you

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 Forward

could go through the book by first answering the questions in the

Appendix B, then reading the chapter and later getting together with
friends to discuss it. After discussion you might wish to revise or change
your answers to the questions. Or even more importantly, you may be
provoked into posing an entirely different set of questions. I have always
found that the open and free exchange of ideas elicits deeper and more
meaningful challenges to spiritual development.

After discussion, the Analysis in Appendix C is a good way to move

through the material quickly and consolidate the understandings gained.
The Analysis is also a method or way of comprehending the whole of the
Teaching. I have tried in this section to give the reader a sense of the
analytical approach. Some call it ‘number crunching’ and find it tedious,
repetitive and redundant, I obviously do not. What I have done is go
through the material quickly in capsule form, pointing out different strands
that connect the various points of reference. This method of study may
only be interesting after you have a lucid comprehension of the Teaching.

The Synthesis in Appendix C, by contrast, approaches the teaching from a

philosophical point of view. In other words, through meditation on the
four sublime abodes, you can develop an overview that allows you to
understand the universality of the Teaching. As you develop in this
approach you get a sense of the minds play in the omnipresent realms of
altruism. I believe the sincere aspirant will at least get a glimmer of how
these two complimentary approaches can be developed.

What I have done in the Exercises is present the development of the Path
in an experiential way for the Western student. I believe it will make more
readily available the profound implications of the Buddha’s teaching to

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 Virtue as the Path

members of our culture. It would be good to set aside an extended period

of time in which to do the meditative exercises in a sequential manner. It
will be beneficial to keep a journal during this time and at the end of the
retreat speak to a teacher, or a good friend, who has experience in the
meditative life. I recommend the Brahma-Viharas as a daily practice to
enable you to maintain religious direction and momentum.

And so to reiterate, the suggested method of study is:

1. Answer the questions in Appendix B for the first chapter.
2. Study the chapter pertaining to the questions.
3. Engage in group discussion.
4. Review and revise if necessary the answers to the questions.
5. Continue to work through the book in this way.
6. At the end of the study period do a retreat where you practice the exercises in
Appendix A.
7. Keep a journal during this time and consult a meditation teacher.

vi