Pathway to Freedom: Applying the Teachings of the Buddha

Acknowledgements

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I wholeheartedly ascribe to, as did the Buddha, the practice of sharing gratitude. It is part of the path, and a joy to boot! First, I thank my parents for giving me birth. To my dad for his integrity, sense of humor, and rock solid love and support. To my mother for her love of life, love of language and knowing me so well.

I give thanks:

To the Buddha and all Dhamma teachers, Buddhist monks, nuns, and lay people the world over, who have kept the teachings alive and well.

To all the retreatants, students, sangha members and volunteers of Rocky Mountain Insight. Thank you for the opportunity to share the Dhamma. There is no greater blessing. RMI, you are a dream come true.

To Mary O’Donnell. You are a computer wizard and have made my life so much easier, in so many ways.

For guidance and assistance with writing I have many to thank, beginning with my high school English teachers Phyllis Jensen, Julia Davis, and Mina Miller. Ceil Malek, thank you for your spirit and heart, and your teachings on creative non-fiction. To Joyce Moulden, appreciation for persistently pointing out matters of style.

For noble colleagues, noble friends, and noble conversations, infinite gratitude to Arun Hejmadi, Teri Ulrich, Dr. Honey Lea Gaydos (especially for introducing me to the work of Parker Palmer), Rev. Ellen Johnson-Fay, Rabbi Anat Moskowitz, Judith Hill, Tisha Douthwaite, Shawna Carboni, Dr. Terry Nail-Williams (cheerleader extraordinaire), Anna Douglas, and Leigh Brasington.

To my brother Bill for taking such good care of my parents at the end of their lives, enabling me to continue my work in the world.

To the Benet Pines Retreat Center, and Benedictine sisters, for offering such a sacred and welcoming place to teach retreats.

And a gigantic gassho (bow) to the Board, Practice Leaders, and Volunteers of Rocky Mountain Insight for stepping up and stepping in when I chose to take a much needed sabbatical. RMI has flourished with your leadership, for which I am grateful.

To one of my best friends, the libraries of the world. You are a stellar refuge, providing nourishment and inspiration.

To Ken Guentert at Publishing Pro for being such a skilled midwife. I doubt you would enjoy being called such, but you are that. Sharing the teachings in this form has been decades in the making for me. Thank you for your expertise in bringing this aspiration to fruition with such an even hand.

Bows all around, for all who have helped me, including those unnamed. Boundless appreciation for the interdependent web of life supporting us all, and for the forces causing our paths to cross, enhancing our lives as a result.

Introduction

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How do we live in the face of pain and suffering? The teachings of the Buddha, given over 2,500 years ago, speak profoundly to this question and show us how to move beyond pain and suffering to live in harmony with all sentient beings. The Buddha taught us how to resolve conflict and turmoil, both within ourselves, and between our loved ones, family members, local and global neighbors.

The Buddha deeply comprehended the human condition. And while the circumstances in which we live have changed considerably, thanks especially to science and technology, the essence of human nature has not changed all that much. Because of this, the ancient message of the Buddha speaks directly to our contemporary hearts and minds and to the dilemmas we face today.

War, famine, hunger, strife between nations, religions, cultures, and families exist now, as they did during the time of the Buddha. As a human family, we continue to need food, shelter, clothing, and good health in order to survive. The Buddha realized that all people seek happiness. The same is true today.

How then, do we understand these ancient teachings, make them relevant to ourselves, and put them into practice in our daily lives? This collection of Dhamma talks addresses these questions. As human beings we tend to look for quick fixes. We have a tendency to pick and choose what suits our fancy. We want easy, comfortable solutions to our problems. Although the Buddha’s teachings identify the problems and offer solutions, this spiritual path is not necessarily quick, easy, or comfortable. We have to give in order to receive. Doing spiritual practice diligently and consistently provides the means for realization of absolute truth. The following talks, most of which were developed for classes, workshops, and retreats, give guidance in spiritual practice.

A little help along the way is useful. The Dhamma, or body of universal truths as taught by the Buddha, provides the medicine, gives the needed help to cure what ails us. Companionship with others who tread the spiritual path is also beneficial. My hope is that Pathway to Freedom will serve as a companion for you.

The Buddha’s basic message lets us know that there is misery in this world, it comes with the territory, and we need not suffer from it. The Buddha lays out the pathway to freedom, answering the question: How do we move with and through our suffering? How do we attain complete and lasting happiness? The Eightfold Path provides both the understanding and the practice that leads to this freedom. The Eightfold Path serves as both gateway and pathway. The Buddha offers down-to-earth solutions for reducing and even eliminating our stress. A popular truism is: The only way out is through. Each one of us has the potential to be absolutely free from suffering. Having been born, no one is exempt from suffering or the causes of suffering. Neither, however, are we exempt from the capacity to free ourselves.

The Buddha’s teachings show us the degree to which we heap coals upon our heads. As human beings, we are inclined to create additional suffering on top of the everyday average dukkha (suffering) to which we are all subject: illness, aging, loss, and death.

Not only can we free ourselves from suffering, we can be agents for the alleviation of suffering in others. We are either part of the problem or part of the solution. The Dhamma teaches us how to be part of the solution, to alleviate suffering for ourselves and for others.

In order to be free from suffering, we must apply ourselves. We must awaken to the moment, see things as they are, and free ourselves from our beloved conditioning gained from our families, our society, and the cultures in which we have been raised.

In short, we must let go. We must pry open the death grip we have on seeking lasting happiness outside of ourselves. In Western culture especially, we have mastered the art of hoping for lasting happiness based in material gain. If only I had … this job … that house … this relationship … thriving children … enough money (whatever that is!), then I would be happy! This is our hue and cry. If only it were that easy! Alas, this is not the case. Once we have every thing as we want it to be, something changes. Maybe we get a new supervisor at our dream job, or something wears out in our dream house, or the child we dote on graduates from high school and leaves home. Everything changes; nothing stays the same; nothing lasts. We all die. No amount of money, love, or success prevents that. As Leigh Brasington, a Theravada Buddhist teacher and colleague says, The best you can hope for in a wonderful love relationship is that you die first. A happy thought indeed!

What to do? The Dhamma asks us to lighten up, though not in ways we might imagine. What was that about letting go?

The teachings of the Buddha supply us with information about the nature of suffering, its cause, and the way through it. The Dhamma provides a map showing the way to freedom and lasting happiness.

In this book, I provide you with basic information and then ask you to investigate the relevance of these teachings to the circumstances you face in your own life. I ask you to examine the places where you are tight, constricted, and afraid. Then I offer practices that allow you to open, relax, trust, let go, and find your way.

Meditations, questions, and suggestions are interwoven with the teachings in order that you may interact with the information, thereby deepen your understanding, and directly apply the teachings within the framework of your daily life. By so doing, you will move through the vicissitudes of your life with increased ease, awareness, insight, and wisdom.

You need not be a Buddhist or identify as anything in particular (which is actually a very good idea!) in order to realize the truth of the Buddha’s teachings and apply them. However, this book is about the teachings of the Buddha.

The structure of the book is as follows: In Section I, we take a look at the Four Noble Truths, the topic of the first discourse given by Buddha after his enlightenment. In Section II, we are introduced to the Eightfold Path, which leads to Nibbana, the extinguishing of suffering and complete freedom. In Section III, we discuss the Four Divine Abidings of equanimity, loving-kindness, compassion, and sympathetic joy as well as the Five Faculties of faith, energy, mindfulness, concentration and wisdom. Finally, in Section IV, a series of reflections are offered addressing questions such as What is awareness versus insight? and What is the place of faith in Buddhist practice? Progress of Insight provides a map of practice, pitfalls, and peak experiences one might expect along the way, as well as guidance for navigating through the highs, lows, and lulls of long-term spiritual practice. Dissolving Duality explores the question, How can we experience unity amidst the cacophony of duality we experience daily: you/me, us/them, night/day, internal perception versus external reality?

Any poem not cited is an original by the author.

An outline of basic teachings is included as an appendix. Designed as a touchstone for use throughout, it provides an overview, a comprehensive picture of the teachings, as well as fingertip access to the specific components the teachings. You may want to look over the appendix prior to reading the book.

Pali was a spoken language at the time of the Buddha. The Buddha chose to teach in a language common to the people of his region, in an effort to make his teachings as accessible as possible. This in itself was a radical act, as religious teachings of the time were accessible only to the well educated. The first time a Pali term is introduced in the text, it is italicized. You will find a glossary of Pali terms at the back of the book.

Our walk through the teachings unfolds much the way life on the spiritual path proceeds. We have questions. We seek answers and are drawn to various sources. We want to know why the world is the way it is and why people are the way they are. How can we minimize our misery? Where can we find happiness?

Once we make a commitment to a source of wisdom that provides answers, and the means to live those answers, we take the steps one, two, or three at a time—or we take one step forward and two steps backward, depending on our nature.

In any case, we first must know what the teachings are, do our best to understand them, and then put them into practice. We build a foundation based on information and experience, which gives rise to understanding. Once we have gained sufficient understanding, this understanding permeates who we are, and our lives unfold, informed from a new source, a deeper well of wisdom. This process is conducted one moment at a time, one day at a time, through a period of time. It is a process rooted in commitment, practiced over time, which leads to the blossoming of our being.

May the teachings and their application assist you on your path and inspire your commitment to spiritual awakening.

May all our efforts lead to the cessation of suffering.

SECTION I

THE FOUR NOBLE TRUTHS

Begin at the Beginning

Siddhattha Gautama was born in Lumbini, Nepal, in the foothills of the Himalayas, near the northern border of India, and was raised in the small kingdom of Kapilavastu. His father was King Suddhodana, the chief of the Shakya nation; his mother was Queen Maya. The name Siddhattha means he who achieves his aim.

After Siddhattha, a human being and prince by birth, renounced his worldly life of wealth, he wandered as a mendicant ascetic. Siddhattha was on a quest. He wanted to know, Why is there birth, decay and death? He would not be satisfied until he had the answer.

After studying with two spiritual teachers and mastering what they taught him, he was invited to teach. He turned down the invitation. While he was able to meditate, concentrate, renounce the pleasures of the flesh, and was able, it is said, to eat only a single grain of rice daily, he did not have an answer to his quest.

Emaciated and weak from his ascetic practices, he ate some kiri bath (milk rice), especially prepared for him by a young woman, Sujata, who wrongly believed him to be a spirit who had granted her a wish.

Being nourished and having regained his strength, Siddhattha made a decision. With great resolve, he chose to sit, unmoving, beneath a tree until he saw the truth. The tree, which came to be known as the bodhi tree (ficus religioso), provided shelter for his quest. Many events occurred within his mind during the course of the night. He came to realize how birth, old age, and death come about. Finally, he had his answer.

It was after this night of Awakening that Siddhattha became the Buddha. A Buddha is one who comes to realization by his own efforts. He stayed near the tree, located in Bodh Gaya, India, for seven weeks and then set about to find his companions, the five ascetics, with whom he had pursued his previous practices. He thought they, if any, might be able to understand what he had seen.

When he found his cohorts, he shared his discovery with them, which historically came to be known as his first sermon (discourse). What was his first discourse? The Four Noble Truths launch the teachings of the Buddha.

Dukkha is the First Noble Truth and refers to the all-pervasive unsatisfactory quality inherent within life. Dukkha comes with the territory. By virtue of being born and having a body, we are subject to pain, illness, aging and death. These are forms of dukkha. The meaning of the word in Pali includes deeper ideas, such as impermanence, imperfection, insubstantiality, and emptiness.

Samudaya is the word for origin and is the Second Noble Truth. There is a cause of dukkha,