More often we as western practitioners of Buddhism look to the effects of Dharma and not the origin of Dharma. People have commonly used the definition of Dharma as the body of teachings from the Buddha. Dharma is teaching. It is the teachings from texts and classrooms and Dharma teachers. Moreover, Dharma is the events of life [phenomena]. These are the opportunities we can use for learning. Learning and understanding the action of Dharma in our lives helps us to unite the experience and the effects of Dharma. As westerners we are trying to understand a wide angle concept. It it like trying to throw a net into the night sky and gather in every star. Some stars would be left, causing a division in the universe. There can never be divisions in Dharma. Every interpretation is valid and welcome. No authority is too great to be questioned, too sacred to be touched. Unlimited interpretative freedom through free will is the quintessence of Dharma, for Dharma is as limitless as truth itself. No one can ever be its sole mouthpiece.

Sometimes confusion begins from basic concepts such as the differences between religion and Dharma. So, what is Dharma, in a nutshell? First and foremost Dharma is nature and the natural laws of nature. It means to live by moral and ethical principles of the society without surrendering the freedom to question them. Dharma, by its nature is continually evolving and not rigid or inflexible. The continuous evolution of Dharma has come about through debate, and the triumph of logic, consensus and harmony. Most importantly, Dharma is not linked to any religion or set of beliefs.

Today we need a new Dharmic Consciouness in the world, a recognition of the universal Dharmas of being, consciousness and bliss that unite all creatures. We as sentient beings have the honor of knowledge. We need to place ourselves and other beings in the light of natural laws of nature. We must develop a sense of joy that comes in every step as we follow the path of our Buddhist nature. We must allow the energy of undertanding and the compassion that comes from living the Dharma keep us joyful. All beings have the right to exist without interference, to develop their own awareness, and find their own happiness. Much of the global crisis today has come about because we human beings have abandoned Dharma and sought to impose our beliefs and desires, not only upon other human beings, but on all of life and nature, subordinating the entire planet to our selfish ends. Unless we return to Dharma, it is unlikely that we can flourish, or perhaps even survive as a species. Restoring and reviving Dharma, therefore, is probably the most important issue today.

Dharma is learned. It is more than the effect of education. It is the living in harmony with the self.

The Buddha discovered that the mind always carries some object or the other, be it anger, hatred, ill will or loving-kindness, compassion, goodwill, and so on. He referred to these mental objects as Dharma. Then he realized that mental objects such as anger, hatred and ill will (akusala) have the characteristic of defiling the mind, making one miserable. He also realized that mental objects such as loving-kindness, compassion and goodwill (kusala) have the characteristic of purifying the mind, making one cheerful. He called these mental objects akusala (unskillful) or kusala (skillful), as the case may be, on the basis of such realizations. It was not because of some blind belief or just to establish some sort of authority.

Dharma may be defined as the laws of nature or nature of laws which, when realized through insight, lead one gradually towards the goal of full liberation.

Three Essential Components

At this point a definition for the term Darma is needed. The definition takes care of the following three essential components of Dharma:

• The focal point is laws of nature or nature of laws, cutting across all sectarianism.

• These laws, or their nature, have to be realized through insight at the experiential level, thereby saving Dharma from being degraded into a mere intellectual game.

• One should have the feeling of being led on to the final goal of full liberation, which will make one persevere on the path of Dharma.

The Universal Character of Vipassana or Dharma

The universal characteristics of Vipassana mediatation allow the understanding of Dharma. Dharma lies in “self-introspection”, for which the Enlightened One proclaimed:

All those who, in the past, purified their deeds of body, speech and mind did so only through self-introspection;

All those who, in the future, will purify their deeds of body, speech and mind, will do so only through self-introspection; and

All those who, in the present, are purifying their deeds of body, speech and mind are doing so only through self-introspection.

For us a practical definition of Dharma is anything that will bring us to harmony with the self. Each of us in our own way must strive to accomplish those things that calm us and the space we occupy.

We can learn from anything and from anyone. There is no universal law that states Dharma must either be painful of pleasant. It simply is.

What we do with the knowledge is often the cause for suffering or consternation. How many times have you heard someone say; “stop I don’t want to hear any more I may have to change the way I feel.”

The understanding of what constitutes Dharma is of paramount importance to westerners. Dharma is not only the knowledge but the tool. Notice the small things that arise in meditation. Study the way we “fit” into society. Allow the transformation and purification of self to happen. Be happy with self knowledge. Remember that if there is something that arises in your introspection that you found unpleasant: Change it! Your karma changes everyday. We know that today is the child of yesterday, just as tomorrow will be the child of today. Start to make the changes today that you wish for yourself in the future.

I Wish You Peace,

Bhante Kassapa

Bhante n. Kassapa Bhikkhu
bhante_kassapa@yahoo.com
Buu Mon Temple
Port Arthur, Texas, 77640
409.982.9319

“Body impermanent like incense rising;
mind enlightened in the empty sky;
thoughts un-attached like the falling breath.”
- Bhante Kassapa

Our thoughts are never ceasing. Some of them are connected to other thoughts or ideas, some are connected to feelings and all are a barrier to a good meditational practice. For us the goal of non-thought is not realistic. Thoughts continue without prompting. Our goal is non-attachment to the thought. What do we mean by that? Allowing the thought the freedom to exist and enter our thinking is very natural. What we must do is begin to train our minds not to associate an additional thought or idea to the original thought. What do we mean by this? As an idea enters our mind during meditation we simply observe the rising and falling of the breath. The thought will rise and will also fall away leaving a quiet emptiness, if we do not seek to cultivate the thought into an extended conversation with ourselves.

Meditation is not thinking. We are using the quiet time of meditation as a tool to observe. Observation is the natural state of letting thoughts rise and then fall away, as a parallel to our breathing. Rising and falling of the breath is a natural rhythm, which we do not need to maintain. We do not try to change, strengthen, shorten, force or deepen our breath. We only observe the natural rising and falling. You work to develop awareness of the universe inside you.

Doing this you deepen the awareness of the universe outside the self. Be mindful of the energy of the mind. Be patient with yourself. It is natural for the mind to grasp. Our entire lives have been categorized by the experiences we have lived through. The identification process and putting feelings into words is how our memories are formed. In the context of meditation, when something enters the mind that is pleasing, we wish to pursue it. When something displeasing enters, we wish to escape from the thought. This activity is chasing phenomena, and not the mind. It is an action of the mind.

Meditation seeks to develop an understanding of what is mind and what are phenomena. Once we have separated them and learned to recognize what grasping at phenomenon is and what the mind is we can be more at ease. Mindfulness is like a mirror. It reflects only what is presently happening. True mindfulness is not judging, conceptualizing, or attaching any bias. It is purely a nonjudgmental observational activity. It is an activity to just sit and look. Take the time observe your inner world without attaching a single concept to the moment of observation.

Think about this for a moment. You are able to look at any object or situation and declare it neither positive nor negative. Neither is it right or wrong. You can look and not be surprised by anything. You are simply observing. No changes, no protracted reflections, just observing things in their natural state. This is the state of the person practicing Vipassana Meditation. The meditator is able to sit and observe. Very much like a scientist in the lab watching, with no preconceived ideas or suggested outcomes, the cultures growing in a Petri dish, or observing the happenings on a slide under a microscope, we are to sit and simply observe. Observation, pure observation, is a skill which must be developed.

The first step of this developmental process is acceptance of our natural states. This is especially true when dealing with the mind’s more unpleasant states. What do we mean by this? If we are hungry but on a diet do we lie to ourselves and say, “No. No I am not hungry.” Of course not, we must accept the idea that we are hungry. What about fearfulness? If we are afraid of something and that is the state of our mind, then accept that we are afraid. There is no way to observe our fear if we do not accept that we are fearful. It is the same for most conditions of the mind. Before we can observe and work on irritation, agitation and frustrations we must first accept them.

We can never examine our own depression without fully accepting it. Acceptance is an important step to mindfulness and self awareness. Whatever experience we are having, it is just another of life’s experiences, nothing more, nothing less. We have had countless experiences and will have countless more. Each observation is another chance to be aware. Each mind condition is an opportunity to gain more self knowledge and grow closer to the authentic self. What we are attempting to do is to reach the original mind. The unconditioned mind is the mind that exists before understanding sense experience. The pure mind is able to observe the incidents of life without attaching a value to them. This action is what we call pure observation.

The original mind is able to observe the feelings that arise. When a baby cries out of hunger, he does not know or attach a reason for the hunger. He does not have the symbols or letters stamped on his mind. He only feels hunger. That is the original mind. We already have this mind within us. Our meditation and mindfulness are tools that help us to cultivate a pure mind, one that is able to observe without attachment. A mind unattached to excitement by sense objects, liberates us to observe our ever changing mental states without the need to react to them. The pure mind is by its own nature perfectly peaceful. The pure observational mind is tranquil; and it is already within us.

“Body impermanent like incense rising;
mind enlightened in the empty sky;
thoughts un-attached like the falling breath.”
- Bhante Kassapa

I Wish You Peace,

Bhante Kassapa

Bhante n. Kassapa Bhikkhu
bhante_kassapa@yahoo.com
Buu Mon Temple
Port Arthur, Texas, 77640
409.982.9319