Application of Buddhist principles can help reduce stress and improve mental health

Home Healing & Spirituality

Colombo, Sri Lanka -- With the rapid spread of Buddhism in the western United States, boosted by increased immigration from Asia, Americans should consider applying Buddhist principles to solve their everyday problems. Although Buddhism has two major sects - Theravada and Mahayana - both agree on the crux of Buddhist philosophy based on the Four Noble Truths (FNT), the Noble Eightfold Path (NEP), and the associated 12-factor formula of conditioned genesis (paticca samuppada).

Buddhist population worldwide range from 350 million to 1 billion. The 2010 religious census estimated the Buddhist population in the U.S. at 1 million, mostly located in metropolitan areas with population greater than a million. The census found San Jose, California, to be the most Buddhist city in the country with approximately 1.25 percent identifying as a Buddhist adherent.

Buddhism, in contrast to the three major Abrahamic religions, is not interested in conversion. Buddha was an enlightened human being who discovered the path to nirvana the state of non-existence. Adherents of all religions can practice Buddhist principles without incurring the wrath of the omniscient God because they have universal universality.

Here is how the FNT are relevant to our problems. First truth: [Existence is] dukkha (“suffering” both mental and physical). Second truth: Samudaya [the cause] of dukkha is tanha/trsna (“thirst”/greed) conditioned by avijja (“ignorance” of the reality of self), upadana (clinging), and a cluster of other mental, biological, and physical factors.  Third truth: Nirodha (cessation) of dukkha is possible by following the path to nirvana. Fourth truth: Magga (the path) or the NEP provides the way to nirvana,

The original Pali terms is used in this essay because no single word in English can capture the connotative depth of the terms that Buddha used.

Buddha concluded that no sentient being could avoid ongoing dukkha in his/her bhavacakra (wheel of becoming), which rotates from fetus to birth, and then experience jaramarana (sickness, old age, and death) within the ambit of samsara (cyclic existence).

Buddha illustrated the operational dynamics of the first three noble truths in his paticca samuppada formula. The bhavacakra of every sentient being took a circular form because it had no beginning or end. He did not answer questions on the First Cause or expand on the nature of nirvana because they were beyond human comprehension. He gained his insights by purifying his mind and   using the techniques of bhavana (meditation) to comprehend the causes and effects of existence.

Buddha identified a cluster of 12 mental, biological, and physical nidanas (conditioned factors) that invariably engendered dukkha in the samsara. He surmised that living beings should follow the NEP, also called the Middle Path, to control their tanha (“thirst”/greed/desire/craving), which is interconnected, interdependent, and interactive with all other nidanas. In particular, tanha was reinforced by the impact of the five nidanas surrounding it - phassa (contact), vedana (feeling), upadana (clinging), and bhava (becoming).

Bhava identifies a sentient being as a namarupa (name and form)—a composite of panca skanda (five aggregates), where rupa stands for the physical form, and nama for the mental/nonphysical aggregates of feelings (18 types), perceptions (six types), mental formations (50 types), and consciousness (six types). These five interdependent aggregates are in continuous flux (anicca). Because every existing thing, both mental and physical, is anicca, the presumption of a permanent soul (atta) is inaccurate. The reality of existence is asoulity or no self (anatta). Thus, no person is the same except for the duration of the present moment, and the addiction to think in terms of the first person singular (I, me, my, mine) will merely prolong an organism’s dukkha in samsara. The three marks of existence, Buddha said, are anicca, anatta, and dukkha.

Descartes’ assertion Cogito ergo sum (“I think, therefore I am”) led to the belief that mind and body were two independent static nidanas. But Buddha had correctly seen more than 2100 years earlier that at one’s death the panca skanda discarded its rupa component while the four nama components remained intact in a state of flux until the cluster entered a new rupa in samsara (cyclic existence) depending on its karma (volitional actions). This is what is called punarbhava (rebirth or re-becoming). It is different from Hinduism’s re-incarnation.

The preceding sketch of the crux of Buddhism enables us to solve our everyday problems in ways that are alien to Western culture:

Before rushing into committing any physical or mental action (karma), meditate on its short-and long-term consequences on every sentient being in your environment, including your adversaries.  You can reduce your dukkha by realizing your asoulity (anatta) and impermanence (anicca).

Train yourself to control the three roots of evil: greed and desire; ignorance or delusion; hatred and destructive urges, which are embedded in your five aggregates (panca skanda). Use systems thinking, applying the principle that all elements in the system are interdependent, interconnected, and interactive.

Follow the middle path to tone down excessive emphasis on individualism, which breeds selfishness, self-righteousness, egotism, arrogance, etc. The second amendment to the U.S. Constitution cannot pass muster under Buddhist principles. Buddhism does not endorse weapons for individual protection or use of guns for pleasure hunting.

----
Gunaratne is professor of mass communication emeritus at MSUM. He is the author of an autobiographic trilogy. He conducts a Buddhist discussion group in Moorhead once a month on the second Saturday evening.

View the original article here

All for enlightenment: 4,000 British troops to meditate at Bodh Gaya, Sarnath to beat stress

Home Europe

Patna, India -- The British Army will send about 4,000 of its troops, who are followers of Buddhism, in a group of 100-150 people to spend a week at Bodh Gaya and Sarnath to seek peace after their prolonged involvement in the war zones in different countries such as Afghanistan and Iraq. They will all meditate under the famous tree at Bodh Gaya, where Lord Buddha had attained enlightenment in 6th century B.C.

Mahabodhi tree has been declared a world heritage site by the Unesco in 2002.

"The British soldiers will start arriving in Bodh Gaya from early next year," Bihar's minister for tourism Sunil Kumar Pintu told Mail Today on Monday. "They will arrive in separate groups of about 100-150 people and meditate under the holy tree. They will continue to arrive here throughout the next year."

Pintu said that the troops will spend six days in Bodh Gaya and one day at Sarnath in Uttar Pradesh.

The minister said that the tourism department of the Bihar government had entered into an agreement with an international travel agency, to facilitate the trips during the World Tourism Mart held in London last month.

"Bihar had taken part in the World Tourism Mart for the first time which was held in London between November 5-8 this year," he said. "It was during that tourism fair that the officials of the British army got in touch with us through the travel agency. We had three rounds of talks in this regard."

Pintu said that the exact dates of the British troops had not yet been finalised yet. He stated that the state government would take care of the security of the British soldiers and facilitate their smooth stay in holy south Bihar town. "We will provide our wholehearted support to the British soldiers troops who want to meditate under the Mahabodhi tree," he said.

The tourism minister said that the British Army had about 4,000 troops who were followers of Buddhism. "Since Bodh Gaya happens to be the holiest of the holy places for the Buddhists, the British army has decided to arrange the trips for its soldiers," he added.

Stating that he had discussed the details of the trip with the British army officials, Pintu said that most of the British troops coming to Bihar had been deployed in the different countries such as Afghanistan and Iraq in recent times. "The visit to Bodh Gaya and Sarnath is aimed at providing them peace and helping them distress them after their experiences in those countries."

He said that it was for the first time that such a visit has been organised.

Sushil Kumar Singh, managing director of the travel agency, said that his agency had signed an agreement in this regard with the British Army in London month. He said that Dr Sunil Karyakara, a Buddhist chaplain with the British army, had been made the coordinator for the trips. "We have entered into agreement with the British army to bring the stressed soldiers to various places on the Buddhist circuit," he said. "But they would spend most of the time at Bodh Gaya."

Singh said that the exact dates of the first round of the soldiers' visit had not been finalised but they would start arriving from early next year. "We will hold a meeting with the British army officials in January to chalk out the final itinerary in which Bihar tourism department officials will also be involved," he said. "The trips would continue in future as well."

Bihar has witnessed remarkable rise in the number of tourists from the foreign countries in recent years. Last year, the number of international tourists visiting Bihar was 8.70 lakh which was ten times more than what it used to be a decade ago. This year, 8.40 lakh had already visited the state till August and their number was expected to cross 10 lakh by the end of the year.

View the original article here

The Stress factor

Home Healing & Spirituality

New Delhi, India -- Stress makes us always busy for nothing. Stress is caused by conformity to standards and structures. However, if we don't conform, we are considered as bad.

So, we feel that we have to do this and we have to do that, or we may get into trouble. Many such types of social and traditional structures can give us a lot of headaches.

This doesn't mean that Buddhist teaching has no structure, tradition, or culture. There is a
form, but it is there to enable those people who have a strong attachment to have something that they lean on. Buddhist teachings deal with the Universal Truth, the authentic teaching.

As we don't want to be confined within a box, we should try to lessen any rigid structures or concepts we have about customs, traditions, rules and regulations.

Buddhism is not a religion

Buddhism is not a religion. Therefore, Buddhism can never be put inside a 'box' of culture or religion. Buddhist teachings are like space or spaciousness. Anything you may point to, as the structure, culture or tradition of Buddhism is not the authentic Buddhism. We have a lot of meditation, therapies, mental and physical exercises to keep ourselves in a state of peace and calm. However, these are just skillful means and methods to keep ourselves calm and peaceful.

Authentically speaking, at some point, we have to go of all these skilful means because they are just temporary.

To experience liberation, first we have to free our minds from misunderstanding. All faults, misconceptions, sufferings and stresses stem from a lack of understanding about relative truth. Everything is relative. No truth is ultimate or absolute.

This relativity also tells us that there is no need to be stressed or worried. Everything in the world is impermanent. In addition to the suffering of impermanence, there are many kinds of stresses that derive from nervousness. You may believe that things have to be this or that way, which makes you nervous.

Nowadays our education is always concerned with competition. You have to be the best....
Children are always looking for the best, but since nothing is the best, stress comes.

You have to run after the rainbow but you cannot catch it. Therefore, the stress seems to be endless. We feel we have to work very hard because we have to show our wealth. Our home, our car, our way of living should reach a certain standard. But we will never reach a standard when we say, "Okay, now I've reached where I want to be, so now I can relax. I am now the richest and the best in the world." We will never get there.

Best of both worlds

Know that the life we live is relative and then you can work for money, have a family and lead a normal, fun-filled life. Without contentment, satisfaction and happiness, what are you working for? You are working like hell for suffering. You would be looking for more and more suffering.

We don't have to abandon this busy life in order to get rid of stress. The best solution is,
acquire some knowledge. This little bit of change in your mind will make a big difference.
Even though the change may be small, the difference that you feel in your lifestyle will be
tremendous.

According to Buddhist theory, we have lives and lives to come. Therefore, there is no need
to be anxious or have a strong emotion to run after something. This is also true for spiritual practice. We need to practise compassion well, but this doesn't mean that we need to be nervous. We don't need to practise anxiously and nervously, saying, "Oh, I'm getting old now and I have to finish all these things". No, you can get old and you can die. You may even die tomorrow, so what? You will be coming back, as there are many lives to come. We should just improve the quality of every session in the continuity of life.

-----------------
Abridged from Walking an Uncommon path. Follow HH Gyalwang Drukpa on speakingtree.in

View the original article here