Questions And Answers (1-6)

Q1: If the practice of breathing and the practice of chanting can both calm our mind, is there any special method that makes the one practice better over the other?

The best way is to combine them into one practice. I have written a short article on this; it is called "The Unification of Mind and Wind." It is included as an appendix in my book "The Buddhist Practice of Chanting "Amitabha"" as well as in the new edition of my booklet "On Chanting "Amitabha."" (It is also included in this book as Appendix A)

The practice I introduce combines chanting, deep breathing and a very simple visualization. Traditionally in the Pure Land School there is a teaching of combining regular breathing with chanting—one watches the in and out of breathing while chanting. I add to this a simplified tantric visualization so that the air inhaled is visualized, as white light of Wisdom and Compassion from Buddha and the air exhaled is black gas of bad Karmas. I suggest deep breathing rather than regular breathing so as to help the practitioners" health. Also, I add to the tantric visualization the visualization that the black gas of bad Karmas is purified by Buddha so that it will not pollute the world.

Some people who have practiced this method have told me that it is very helpful. Therefore, I hope that you will try it.

Q2: Two of the fundamental principles of Buddhism—one views life as impermanent, while the other as suffering; are they contradictory to each other?

No, they are not. They would seem contradictory when one reasons as follows: If life is impermanent, then suffering is also impermanent, transient, and hence life cannot be characterized as suffering. Furthermore, if life is suffering, then suffering prevails and it is not impermanent.

The reason that impermanence and suffering are not contradictory is as follows:

Life is impermanent, but we have attachment, desires and preferences, therefore, whenever things are not going our way, we suffer. Furthermore, the lack of security in life owing to its impermanence is a fundamental source of our suffering.

Life is suffering, even though each case of suffering is transient and impermanent, its impermanence does not affect the pain it incurs as long as it lasts.

When we compare the above reasoning, it should become clear that the reasoning that leads to the impression of contradiction is unrealistic and proceeding purely in the abstract. Therefore it should be rejected.

How do we, based on the fact of impermanence, transcend suffering? Since life is impermanent, attempts to hold on to one"s attachments are futile, hence we let go of attachments and learn to accept things as they are. In this way we will gradually open up to the world and see that all beings are in the same boat. As a result we will gradually give up a self centered way of life and choose to live a life of compassionate service. When we devote our lives to helping all beings awaken to the truth of Limitless Oneness, we will experience mental peace and joy, which will enable us to rise above all worldly sufferings. When we live a self centered life, we are living in a prison built by ourselves, and the few things and people we care for are constantly in situations beyond our control, hence our lives are filled with unhappiness. When we adopt Buddhist practices, we will gradually become free from self centeredness, the conceptual bondage of particular cultures and emotional confusions of personal idiosyncrasies. Through regular practice our minds will become clear, tranquil, concentrated and compassionate.

When we work for our self interest, our potentials cannot be fully developed because we are very limited by such a narrow view of life. When we open up to see and care for the well being of all beings, our ability will gradually grow and our potentials will develop to full maturity.

Our physical growth is limited. In contrast, our spiritual growth is limitless because originally it is in Limitless Oneness. Whoever follows the guidance of Buddhism, adopts the practices and lives a life accordingly will gradually experience the truth of Limitless Oneness.

If we look back at our lives, we will see clearly that many things turned out not as we expected which means most of our worries, plans, calculations, anticipations and expectations are unnecessary burdens that we bring upon ourselves. Would not you prefer to live a life that is not so overridden with worries? Buddhist practices can help us become free from such worries.

If we remember that the universe is in Limitless Oneness, then it becomes obvious that what we do know is too little compared with what we do not know. Then we will stop criticizing others because we are fully aware that we do not know enough of the whole situation to judge. Thus we become free from criticism. When our minds stop judging and criticizing, it is easier to regain our innocence. It is important to save precious time for practice, rather than wasting it on inconsequential criticisms. Who are we to judge others? People in certain situations act in certain ways as a result of their cultural background and upbringing; sometimes their actions are due to their not knowing a better way. When we see that we are all more or less in the same situation—desiring happiness but not knowing how to attain it, and trying to become free from suffering but unable to avoid it, a deep sense of compassion naturally arises in our hearts, and a feeling of oneness will inspire us to be kind and helpful to other sentient beings.

If we were born and grew up in others" situations, we would probably act in the same way. Thus, what is useful and important is not criticism, not antagonism, but to broaden ourselves to be tolerant, to be receptive to others, and to make life easier for everyone. Only when you make it easy for others, will life become easy for you. When you are demanding and unforgiving, you are carrying a burden yourself. Nevertheless, this does not mean that we should compromise with those people who hurt others, or to go along with injustice. It means that when we handle evil, the fundamental attitude is to try to enlighten through wisdom and compassion rather than by force and fighting, the exception being an emergency when it is necessary to take forceful action to protect the innocent.

The fundamental principles are very important because they unify the Buddhist practices and rules of conduct into a coherent whole so that we will not be overwhelmed by the multiplicity of rules and tied down to inactivity by superficial adherence to rules. Nevertheless, how best to apply the principles to our lives is something we learn by living a Buddhist life. Just as a Chinese saying goes: As you grow old, you keep on learning; so we can always try to improve our application of the fundamental principles to our lives. Since one"s particular situation can hardly be understood completely by others, one needs to learn how to live a Buddhist life mainly through learning from one"s experiences. In this connection, reading the biographies of Buddhist practitioners can be very helpful.

We say that spiritual growth is limitless. How do we measure our spiritual growth? It is simply returning to our original innocence. As our minds become more and more like a child"s innocent mind, they become less and less bound by self centered worldly considerations. Only then can we enjoy natural happiness. Life is short, what is more worthy than happiness? When we see this, we will have to make a choice as to what is more essential to our lives. How much can we eat? How much clothing can we wear? Why spend so much time and energy on moneymaking? True happiness comes from spiritual cultivation; it is not the fancy car you drive; those outward things may increase your desire and greed but cannot bring lasting happiness.

When you have happiness in your heart, you can still drive a fancy car. When you do not have happiness, driving a fancy car cannot help you to become happy. In the United States, one of the richest countries in the world, millions of teenagers think about or commit suicide annually. Hence it is fundamental to our well being that we know how to maintain our inner peace and develop our inner happiness. Only when more and more members of a society understand this, and work for inner peace and happiness, can the society become a happy environment. The practical aspect of how best to apply the principles in our lives is something that we, in most cases, learn gradually from our experiences.

Q3. I have been a Buddhist for many years. I know the principles and try to abide by them. However, there are certain things and aspects that seem to be obstacles that I will never ever overcome. What is your advice on this?

The traditional advice would be that you have to work harder, that you are not devoted enough. Yet there are other aspects to this kind of problem, which is, in a sense, comforting to know.

First of all, Buddhism is trying to teach us to be free from conceptual bondage. Since most of the teachings we receive are in words, sometimes a Buddhist, especially those who have been practicing for years, becomes bound by the wording of the teachings. This is a pitfall that we should be aware of. Buddhism as presented in writings is a system of thought that depicts an ideal. Life is impermanent; there is no guarantee that we will have the time to complete the course of practice in our remaining years. This fact should not discourage us from practicing Buddha"s teachings because the practices are beneficial to us individually as well as society as a whole. Consequently, our practice of Buddhism is a process of approaching the ideal, and in the process, trial and errors are normal and inevitable. Therefore, no need to be too hard on yourself for the errors. Just keep up your efforts with sincerity and perseverance, and you will gradually taste the sweet flavor of spiritual growth. If you constantly compare yourself with the ideal, you will not have a second of rest and you will soon wear out. The right attitude is that of a gardener—daily watering, thorough weeding, seasonal fertilization and patience for the plants to grow at their own rate and the flowers to bloom in their own season. The flowers and fruits of spiritual growth also takes time to mature into fullness.

As long as we keep walking on the Buddhist path, we are not only improving our inner state of mind but also affecting all people who come into contact with us. Thus the process is quite worthwhile in its own right.

Q4: You mentioned the transitive nature of mind and breathing goes both ways, i.e., mind can calm the breathing and breathing can calm the mind; this is fascinating. Could you please say some more on this?

Many religions that practice meditation are aware of this fact. Nevertheless, in Tantric Buddhism there is a special teaching that is based on the experiences of accomplished practitioners. It reveals that a person"s consciousness—the subtle element that enters one"s body at the union of the egg and the sperm, and leaves at the very end of the death process—is mind and wind inseparable. Here mind is the mental element of consciousness itself, and wind is a very subtle material element of air. Since they are fundamentally inseparable, it is no wonder that they affect each other in a sensitive and intimate way.

Q5: Dr. Lin, you say we should be tolerant and transcend antagonism so that there is no separation and distinction; but then how do we deal with conflicts in different traditions, in view of the fact that each tradition considers theirs as correct while other traditions" as less correct?

If you believe in oneness, you will try to put it into practice. As soon as you try to practice oneness, the general question arises: Does it render us unable to act at all because our activities are usually within the context of you and me as different individuals. Each group from different religious traditions thinks that theirs is the right one, then what do we do? First of all, as to what is right, what is truth, each group needs to enlarge their views in order to find the answer. No one can reach truth by insisting on one"s view or by forcing views on others. Stubborn insistence or forced persuasion leads only to war and suffering. The cold war between the United States and the Soviet Union is based on each side"s insistence that their own system is superior. From a global point of view, we all live on the same planet and we need to live in peace and cooperation. Instead of fighting, we should work together to solve the global problems of hunger, population explosion, ecology, environmental protection, energy conservation, recycling, etc. Thus we see that if we enlarge our views in the light of oneness, we will not be rendered inactive; just the contrary, we will be actively working for more fundamental and important issues and live in peace and harmony. Hence, it is very important to spread the message of the need and benefit of enlarging our views and our degree of tolerance because that is how we will live in peace and reach truth.

Q6: How do we know that our thinking is right or wrong, good or bad?

Whenever there is a conflict in views, first of all, do not resort to violence or force to settle the dispute. If certain views are forced on people, and the views are wrong, then the results are terrible. Violence will only increase or intensify suffering in the world, hence it is not the right approach to truth. The way to settle our differences is to avoid direct confrontation on a particular point, and try to allow each side to go on its own way. Allow diversity, allow people to do things in their own way, and let time decide which is the right way. The way that is closer to the truth will prevail in a free environment. After so many years the communist system is breaking down without any armed conflict being waged. Had we resorted to war in the first place, the world might have been destroyed by nuclear bombs.