MURYOKO
'Infinite Light'
Journal of Shin Buddhism
John Paraskevopoulos
Engagement
There is an increasing tendency today to call to account all spiritual traditions with respect to their social efficacy. In other words, traditions are judged as 'useful' to the extent that they are capable of guiding people in their social and ethical conduct. Any religious path that seems too 'other-worldly' is summarily dismissed as impotent and of no value to the imperious demands of the modern world.
This same tendency is now gaining a foothold in Jodo Shinshu. The phenomenon of 'socially-engaged' Buddhism is currently seen as the new direction which must be taken if the Dharma is to maintain any relevance for people today. Traditional ideas regarding transcendent reality or the posthumous states of existence are being abandoned as regressive and out-moded as modern exponents of Buddhism seek a more 'horizontal' and this-worldy raison d'etre for the teachings of Shakyamuni. What are the implications of this quantum shift in apprehending the Buddhist path ?
The first thing to point out is that the teaching of Shakyamuni was, inavriably, addressed to those who sought liberation from suffering and delusion. The Buddha also went to pains to point out that these fetters of existence were part and parcel of the world in which we lived - a world known as Saha in which suffering must be endured. Our Saha world is but a small component of the great round of Samsara which comprises the entire universe of contingent, ephermeral and illusory phenomena. While awakening to the reality of such a world is a critical feature of the Buddha's teaching, even more important was the path he set out to overcome it. Realizing that Samsara is painful is not enough - one must seek to liberate oneself from its clutches if true salvation is going to be possible. How is this to be done ? By the attainment of Nirvana and the realization of Enlightenment. Only in this way can true happiness and joy be secured even if we are only capable of a dim foretaste of such bliss in this life. The bliss of Nirvana is permanent and unalloyed by any imperfection - accordingly, it has nothing to do with the vicissitudes of this 'vale of tears'. Of course, our karma has placed us in this world of suffering so that we may, precisely, become emancipated from it and seek refuge in our true home of Nirvana - whence we have strayed over countless lives and from which we currently find ourselves exiled in this realm of delusion.
To be sure, the Buddha prescribed many ethical and meditational precepts. These advocated kindness, compassion, tolerance, love, gentleness as well as wisdom, concentration and fortitude. In doing so, he hoped to have us dispel the three poisons of anger, greed and stupidity which only serve to compound the vices of our ego and our ability to see things as they are. However, the Buddha’s prescriptions were not merely ends in themselves. They served a higher purpose which was to liberate people from the self-inflicted maladies that leave them frustrated, disappointed, directionless and in despair. No amount of 'good-will' or compassionate activity will address these realities unless it can serve to lead people to an awareness of the ultimate reality, the Absolute - the Dharmakaya or Suchness as it is known in Mahayana Buddhism. All seemingly altruistic or generous activities are limited; either by our own shortcomings or by restrictions in our circumstances. Often they are even tainted by our own ego-centric desires and selfishness however subtle these may be. All attempts at improving our lot in this world, while highly laudable, are inadequate to address the root causes of existential disquiet. Needless to say, no one is suggesting that people ought not to be kind, compassionate and caring towards others - on the contrary, we see nowhere near enough of such virtues in our world. The point is that the ultimate aim of any spiritual path has little to do with any kind of social or political 'activism'. In as much as the world is afflicted by profound delusion, we need to be aware - as Shakyamuni pointed out - that sentient beings and their activities are similarly afflicted. Social paradigms are not immutable - they are fluid, changeable and often contradictory. There is nothing terribly stable or reliable in society's mores or ethical norms. While they serve to make life tolerable and serve a utilitarian purpose, they are no substitute for the profound spiritual relief we attain from a direct experience of the infinite and eternal reality which, in Jodo Shinshu, is represented by Amida Buddha.
It is true that people who have been awakened to this reality can sometimes spontaneously manifest extraordinarily compassionate or enlightened behaviour but this is never affected or contrived. It has no objective in mind but is simply a 'by-product' of the profound joy that is felt in this liberating awakening (also known as shinjin). Nevertheless, such behaviour should not always be taken as a sign or criterion of this state of mind and heart. The only compassion that is pure and unadulterated is that which flows from Amida Buddha himself which, in it greatness, is able to embrace all beings despite their manifold flaws and infirmities. The true end of the spiritual life is not to simply make our worldly life more just or harmonious - one can do as much without any reference to religion. To insist that religious ideas can only be useful if they serve social ends can only disfigure the goal that such ideas have - namely, to awaken people to a divine realm that transcends the suffering and anxiety of this world (which is just as often caused by the very moral and social attitudes that many seek to impose on others of a different persuasion !). There is nothing absolute and enduring about worldly values. This is not to say that they cannot assist in social cohesion when implemented wisely (all too rarely alas) but they are, nevertheless, too unstable to serve as a benchmark by which to judge the efficacy of the Buddha's teaching.
In contemporary society, one often hears the complaint that religion has to adapt to the 'ways of the world'. The modern world, and its chaotic confusion of prejudices and misguided aspirations, represents nothing of absolute value when considered sub specie aeternitatis. It is not for the Dharma to conform to the world but for the world to conform to the Dharma.