Footprint of the Buddha. 1st century, Gandhara, with depictions of the triratna and the Dharmacakra; The Triple Gems of Buddha, Dhamma, & Sangha, and the “Setting forth of the Turning of the Wheel of the Dhamma: The Buddha’s First Teaching of The path to Awakening… (Photo: Wikipedia)
PART 1: This “Dharma Transmission” or Buddha-Dharma, Buddhadhamma,
One of the issues mentioned is Buddhist Leadership, progress that is very recent ,and not actually in effect, which will take…no idea, but the more momentum, and mass a dynamic entity has, the more time it takes to change course. Inertia is considerable. Just as making progress in ethical practice, meditation practice, wisdom development… As with leadership, as with cultures, governments, societies, etc. The older the culture, the deeply ingrained these attribute lay, the longer changes takes to occur.
Change, and not just the constant variety, but the specific application, it’s afoot in the World, in the East, in the West. Jack Kornfield talks about moderating a meeting of “Buddhist Leaders” from all over the world, in his book “Transmission: Receiving the Living Wisdom of Spiritual Teachers”
Utterly profound! Unprecedented insight (with lowercase “i”) from the “Buddhist Leaders” of the modern World, and there’s nothing life it, perspective that, regardless of the previous “inner-faith” and Inter-Faith” world assemblies, this last one…I don’t have the words. (Either did the Dalai Lama, he was blown away, as was everyone, addressing cultural, sexual, and gender issues. Leaders of Theravadin, Mahayana, & Vjajrayana Ethnic Buddhist Countries are looking to Western Buddhist for guidance. That’s not something often heard (although certainly not a new idea from the Western perspective.)
May ALL Be Well! 🙏💚🌏 If that doesn’t interest you, then recall the Udāna in the Pāli Canon:
“Pay no attention to the faults of others, things done or left undone by others. Consider only what by oneself is done or left undone.” ~ The Buddha
____________________________________________Part 2 started as a reply to another blogger…the relevance transcends the specific context. Furthermore, although not within the context, the essence of True Dharma, Dhamma, of the context is quite evident {See footnote …why are the “technical” terms in Pāli?) (the message was catered to the recipient.)
Reply Summary: ‘Sometimes change is immediate, a quantum leap…‘
I hear and understand your point, well stated and received, as to the capacity of “change,” specifically as it relates to, or on the level of “sammā-diṭṭhi,” ≈ “Right” or “Perfect-Vision” (perhaps the translation preferred by some, myself included of “sammā” as used in “sammā-sambodhi” ≈ “Perfect Enlightenment,” more accurate, applicable and befitting of the “Noble, Transcendental 8-Fold Path, a process, more cyclical than linear, starting and ‘ending’ with “sammā-diṭṭhi” “Perfect-View” and “Perfect-Vision”), or “Transcendental Insight”… I have used, and still use, the precisely same terminology; specifically the phenomenon of a “quantum leap” in attempts to relate the affect of “Transcendental Insight” upon which is truly analogous to the phenomena observed within the mechanics of ‘Physics;’ the most commonly familiar example in ‘Chemistry’ the spacial-temporal actions of electrons, from which the term “Quantum Leap” was/is first applied.
That just may be one, long, and grammatically correct, sentence in attempt to accurately convey the complex nuances of precise language. “Accuracy in narration” is ‘merely’ a step beyond “not lying” in the Broad spectrum of “Perfect Speech.” It gets easier, more natural with practice and application. (I have only two years of experience communicating from/with the experience of “Transcendental Insight” (the first six months of which, no true attempt was made to even attempt communicating) and directly pertains to why blogging is not the preferred method of communicating, as far as my experience has evolved.
Basically, yeah, I am intimately familiar with “quantum leaps” in change of understanding, view and/or paradigm. That said, the Noble 8-Fold Path is broken in various applications, the one that I am referring to is known as the “Path of Vision and Transformation.” The eight limbs are seen are aspects relating to the often experienced and somewhat confusing phenomenon of “Vision”, which relates to the first Limb of the Path, and only the first. This aspect of “Perfect-Vision” and “Insight” is very much applicable to a “quantum leap” in change.
However, the remaining seven Limbs of the Path are the “Transformation” aspects, which besides being a common occurrence in ‘Buddhist Practitioners’ as a rather prolonged, argues process, is elaborated upon repeatedly by the Buddha in Pāli Canon, the definitive explanation rests in Insight into the law of “Paticcasamuppāda,” and can be “understood” to lesser, yet more accessible degree from Saṁskhāras, or the Pāli : “Sankhārās” a term often misunderstood because of various different meanings, literal translation means: “Preparations” or “Set-up” (Samyutta Nikāya XXII, 56, 79)
These “Karma-Formations” are Volitional, or Acts of Will, Connected with Different Mental States, either Skillful or Unskillful (Traditional Buddhist Texts do not have the sense of Good & Bad, Skillful Acts of Will are the act committed from the mental states of Love, Generosity and Mindfulness, where as Unskillful Acts of Will are dominated by mental states of Greed, Ill-Will, and Delusion, (Actions of Will consist of Acts of Body, Mind & Speech) So, just because one “only” thought it, or said it, is still a Karmic Action (Although the impact, or Vipāka, is not necessarily the same; saying, or thinking it, is an action!) “Habit Energy” or “Karmic Momentum” may not be the best “technical” translation, but might be a useful way of understanding, from the Western paradigm.
Simply put, one can experience the “quantum leap” of change (the Vision element) and still have a lot of karmic fruition and tendencies to Transform, which does take time. That is the nature of this world, a “conditioned existence”…”this occurs because of those conditions”, and though the Insight into the “True Nature of Reality” arises, change is spontaneous and regressing from that Level of Insight is not going to occur,(Insight referring to Stream-Enterer and beyond) once the shift in moment occurs, the Insight “leaps” and stays there, but it can take a long time for the Insight to translate into the cessation of Karma-Vipāka, Karmic-Fruition (no more than seven lifetimes, according to Buddha-Dharma, Buddhadhamma Cosmology.
It may sound very ‘out-there’ to many people. I can’t speak on the full depth of Buddhist Cosmology, but I do know the “Direct Experience of Insight, and the influence of the “forward-pulling” momentum. As stated before, the Skillful Means just naturally flows, unlike before Stream-Entry, and the Going for Refuge, Tisarana, was considered “Tentative,” then “Effective” but now it “Real” and becoming Absolute, and the effects are evident in every moment. The volition, the will to act is not a forced effort. I call it “Effortless-Effort.”
🙏
END OF REPLY… FOOT-NOTES
(Why all the “fancy lingo”? This is framed in Pāli, Theravadin, and is thus addressed in the language of recipient. Which is what/how the Buddha advised on Sharing, “teaching” bearing the Truth, the Dhamma (DharmaDhammacaria) in the local dialect, in terminology that is understood, received. A skilled teacher, more so, a skilled teacher with Transcendental Insight is a ‘beautiful thing!’ Real Insight, that can’t be ‘learned”…more effective teaching & communication skills, can be learned, practiced, improved. It is a Huge learning curve, much progress has been made, MUCH progress to go…Science background, as wells Medico-legal, is pretty noticeable ,and to some that’ll be useful. The point being: “Don’t miss the forest for the trees!”
Some certainly will use “fancy words” and “try sounding intelligent” due to lack of real Insight, real wisdom to shed light…so will try to distract from that with the fancy lingo and big words. THEN there is the opposite phenomenon (Much Less Common, certainly, but that is a fairly accurate depiction of this situation. The intention to transmit as much Insight perspective, in a few ,simple, concise words, that are readily accessible. It is a lot harder than it sounds! The irony is NOT lost on me. The “me” that is (like all other “me’s and you’s“) an illusion.
(That’s the reason it’s explained and related directly to the context of the Pāli Canon, & Theravada (Which are Not synonymous, although commonly believed, the Theravadin Tradition is the only remaining School of Buddhism from the “orthodox” period of Buddhist History, but they do not “embrace” all the Pāli Canon, and other Schools “embrace,” utilize, integrate quite a lot of the Pāli Canon. It is, after all, the closest we have to the actual words of the Buddha, his life, his Teachings. Although many later text are framed as though being spoken by the Buddha, are certainly not actually spoken by the Buddha.
***That Does NOT imply that their value is less significant, just not historically accurate. It is well accepted by scholars, linguistic, semantic, syntax, etc analysis that the Pāli was altered in certain parts, manipulated, “Perspective altered” which is understandable given the time it was passed-down orally.
**That does not mean that it is “tainted” per se. Linguists have been able to determine what is, what is inconsistent, and that it is likely that much is the actual, or very close to the Buddha’s words. The efficacy of later Dharma Sutras and Tantras, as well as the variations in the Pāli Canon (as well as the Chinese, Korean, etc Canons) is, as always has been, Proven With Practice. The Dharma, Dhamma, Tantra is of a Scientific Method. The results are consistent when repeated by others, in different times and places, (under the Controlled Conditions), Repeat the Same Result. That is the nature and “basic definition” of “The Scientific Method” as well as the Buddha-Dharma. No Scientific of Linguistic Semantics need be feared or contribute to doubt, of any Buddhist. The Essence of the Truth is all contained in the Noble 8-Fold Path, and the Proof is in the results. If something is shown false, the spirit of the Dharma is to KNOW THE TRUTH, not to covet some “sacred” text.”The Message is not the message.” The Message is Path, & the Path is the Message.” That is nature of True Dharma, and the nature is LOVEL…BEAUTIFUL!!
Buddhist Insight: Entering the Stream of Enlightenment—The Proof Is In The Pudding! 