Know all dharmas but don't be attached to them. Buddha really does say `all' here, a subtlety I missed when i read this at first. Here is a relevant quote by Thich Nhat Hanh
All concepts co-arise and are empty of a separate self. If the highest, most fulfilled, awakened mind is empty, then the perception of self and so on are also empty. Ao why should we discriminate or be afraid of them? All concepts are dharmas, objects of mind, signs. Look deeply into one dharma, and you will see all dharmas. Once we understand that a concept is just a concept, we can go beyond that concept and be free of the dharma that concept represents.
Just like all objects in the universe are interdependent, the objects of our minds are all interdependent, and cannot exist in isolation. Our minds arise from interconnections. Looking deeply at one teaching, even if it is a terrible one, one will be bringing in other ideas and moving out among the web of interconnections, exploring the dharma landscape. Of course, one needs to actually look deeply and practice awareness for this to be true. Some teachings encourage us to look shallowly, and this might obstruct people who do not already have the right spirit of awareness and inquiry. Once we have that spirit, though, such teachings cannot harm us.
Clinging to a specific dharma, by the way, shuts down that spirit I just talked about. Dharma teachings are like rafts. A raft is a dependable and trustworthy way to cross a river, but it needs to be discarded when the other side is reached.
1 comment:
When I use the word spirit, I am not suggesting anything supernatural. Often I mean it as a way of looking at the world, and also as a motivating architecture within the mind. I often use the term spirituality, and I have picked up its popular usage which often connotes a religious feeling not tied to any particular faith or denomination. It is hard for me to define but I definitely believe that it is possible to be spiritual without believing in the supernatural. A particular example of what gives me a spiritual feeling is hiking and experiencing nature. It is worth emphasizing that it is nature and not super-nature which does this. This is not an uncommon feeling and may be related to the evolutionary heritage of the human race that we feel calmer and more at home immersed in the natural world. Another way that I feel spiritual is when I meditate. This is a tried-and-true 2500 year old practice which helps my mind focus more clearly on what is true. It helps me to calmly observe my own mind, and sensitizes me to when trouble is brewing there. In other words I become a more accurate observer.
In any event, I'm trying to say that spirituality is a state of mind, just like joy, sorrow, agitation, compulsiveness, serenity, eagerness, etc. All of these are present to one degree or another in people, sometimes with no obvious `justification.' Similarly, the state of spirituality need not be justified by the existence of a supernatural spirit.
-Vacuous
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