Berkeley Buddhist Priory Newsletter

June – August 2015

Right View

by Rev. Kinrei Bassis

“If we don’t see the harmful consequences of all our wrong views, then we can’t leave them, the practice is difficult. …… If we have right view wherever we go, we are content.” ~ Ajahn Chah

Right view is the first step of the Eightfold Path. When we take the Dharma to heart, the whole Buddhist path flows out of our application of right view. Without right view, we are seeking our happiness by looking in the wrong direction and this will lead to confusion, sorrow, and suffering. When we take the Dharma to heart, we can stop blaming our suffering on difficult conditions and begin to recognize that our suffering is due to our misguided ways of trying to find happiness.

The Four Noble Truths are the core of the Buddha’s teachings. That suffering exists is the 1st Noble Truth. All suffering is due to attachment, due to desire, and this is the 2nd Noble Truth. Nirvana exists, we can find freedom from suffering, we can find complete liberation; this is the 3rd Noble Truth. The way to realize nirvana, to find liberation from suffering, is to follow the Eightfold path: right view, right thought, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, right wisdom.

Right view is the very ground of the whole Buddhist path. With right view, we can begin to have the proper spiritual relationship to whatever is unfolding in our lives. For instance, wrong view has trying to finding happiness by pursuing goals that will not lead to happiness and will lead to suffering and sorrow. For instance, I have met many people who have spent most of their lives pursuing a goal which, when attained, proved not to be what they really wanted. The movie star, Patrick Swayze, said, “The way to screw up somebody’s life is to give them what they want.” Wrong view in Buddhism is thinking that getting what we want is how we can find real happiness. Right view points to the 2nd Noble Truth, that suffering flows out of all our ceaseless wanting. The more we are able to let things go, the more we are willing to let go of our demands and requirements, then we will have more contentment, more peace and this will point our life to the goal of Buddhist training, the unshakeable peace and happiness of the 3rd Noble Truth.

When we are suffering, wrong view has us blaming others, blaming ourselves, refusing to accept the karmic conditions that are flowing through our life right now. Applying right view to suffering means we need to be mindful of all our deluded thoughts and substitute right view. For instance, when we are suffering, it is not any external condition that is creating our suffering, rather, we are suffering due to inability to accept these karmic conditions.

An essential part of right view is seeing the world through the law of karma. When we pay deep attention to our lives we can see how right and good actions lead to a positive result and wrong and bad actions lead to an increase in suffering for ourselves and others. Whenever we cause suffering for someone else, it will eventually cause us to suffer. An essential part of right view is to take responsibility for our thoughts, words and action. What this means is that in this present moment we do have a choice as to how the future unfolds: whether our thoughts and actions will lead to a future in which we will feel more joy and peace, or a future with more anxiety, despair and fear. To see our mistakes with compassionate acceptance is to not to pretend that it did not happen or it is not so bad, but to see exactly what we did. Instead of trying to escape responsibility for our mistakes, with right view, we accept that to free ourselves we need to do what we can to heal the wounds from both our mistakes and others’ mistakes. We need to see and understand our potential for doing harm so that we may open our hearts and grieve and have compassion for both our mistakes and the mistakes of others.

Recently someone asked me “How could I possibly know if I am seeing things with right view?” Much of the time it is very easy to know if you are seeing life with right view. Whenever my defilements arise, this means I am seeing with deluded eyes. The defilements in Buddhism are called the Three Fires; we are suffering due to our desires, we are suffering due to our anger and ill will, and we are suffering due to our ignorance and delusion. All of Buddhist training can be seen as the process of converting our defilements of desire, ill will, and delusion into the enlightened states of compassion, love, and wisdom. If I get filled with desire, it means I am not seeing impermanence and I am thinking I can grasp the object of my desire rather than seeing it as ephemeral and dreamlike. Anger means that I am either not getting what I want or getting what I do not want. If we live demanding what we want, we live in our heads and opinions about life and reality rather than opening our minds to experiencing a deeper sense of reality.

If I apply right view, this means I try to see whatever is unfolding with an attitude of acceptance. Spiritual acceptance is the willingness to let go of my desires and be at peace with whatever conditions I encounter. Delusion and ignorance underlies all aspects of wrong view and this delusion means that we are trying to grasp what cannot be grasped rather than trusting that whatever is flowing through our life right now is the life of Buddha.

What stands against having right view in most of us is the fundamental doubt that it is not possible for us to let go of our desires. We cannot imagine that we can actually transform our karma and find real inner peace and deep acceptance for all our thoughts and feelings. We deludedly identify with our problems and our failures. We have a deep-seated disbelief that the simple practices of the Dharma can actually convert our very deep-rooted problems. The real problem is not our difficult feelings such as anxiety, desire, or fear. The real problem is the doubt that it is enough to follow the Dharma and that we can keep letting go of all these difficult thoughts and feelings. Right view is to trust that it is enough to try to be still and try to accept whatever difficult conditions we are experiencing. We need to convert the doubt that makes us question whether we can eventually transform all our difficult feelings and desires. This fundamental doubt makes us not willing to see all aspects of ourselves with compassion. Right view means we work at counteracting these habitual negative karmic patterns with the wholesome faith that we are a Buddha, there is nothing within us that is fundamentally unclean. Wrong view has us doubting our Buddhist training and looking outside ourselves for a solution to our suffering. Right view has us grasping our will to accept whatever conditions are troubling us and trusting that everything in our life is part of our path to Buddhahood

When we view our life and the world with greed, hatred and delusion, we are ignoring the essential part of ourselves that has an intuitive sense of a deep fundamental connection with all beings. Each time we think and act in a manner which ignores this deep intuitive truth, we help build a selfish and self-centered being which will inevitably experience considerable suffering. Right view means we need to follow the eightfold path and take responsibility for our thoughts, words and actions. The world is full of people who are confused about life. With right view, we can work on accepting our suffering. This allows us to see through the confusion which colors much of life and begin to see how we created all these patterns of suffering.

Wrong view has us make the wrong reaction to suffering. We blame ourselves and/or blame others. This, in turn, creates anger and depression. We can pretend that everything is alright and we are not suffering —but simply ignoring suffering is not a solution. Suffering is a lesson that keeps returning until we learn how we are creating our suffering.

Right view is seeing the world with the eyes of the Buddhist Precepts and recognizing that the Precepts are like the guiderails lining the side of the road. As long as we follow the Precepts we will be heading to the heart of Buddha. One aspect of the Precepts is not to criticize but see everything with a kind and compassionate heart. Right view means that we need to have compassionate acceptance of our present karmic conditions which includes all our own greed, hate and delusion and all the world’s greed, hate and delusion.

If we want to attain our heart’s deepest longing and find true liberation, we need to follow the Buddha’s teachings. Right view directs us to find that which is deeper than this karmic body and mind. It points us to finding the place where we can lay down our burden of ceaseless desires and fears and awaken to the boundless liberation of the Buddhas.

“The way to Buddhahood is easy. They who do not perpetrate evil, they who do not grasp at life and death but work for the good of all living things with utter compassion, giving respect to those older, and loving understanding to those younger than themselves, they who do not reject, search for, think on, or worry about anything have the name of Buddha: you must look for nothing more.” ~ Great Master Dogen in Shoji

Priory News

by Rev. Kinrei

Four members of the Priory Sangha, Kate Mehler, Nona Refi, Diana Holt and Colette O’Keeffe took the Buddhist Precepts and became lay Buddhists at this March’s Keeping of the Ten Precepts Retreat at Shasta Abbey. A deep commitment to follow the Dharma is the lifeblood of the Sangha and we rejoice and are grateful for all who have vowed to seek the Way and be members of the Buddhist Sangha.

Now the universe rejoices, the earth trembles and the flowers fall. The Bodhisattvas of other worlds ask their

Buddha what this means and the Buddha replies that a new disciple has been given the Pure Great Precepts of the Bodhisattvas and been converted to the Truth by the Master who was given the Precepts before in the teachings of Shakyamuni Buddha who is the Buddha of this world. The disciple will become a Buddha in the future through this merit, therefore the universe rejoices.

From the Ceremony of Receiving the Precepts

With Gratitude

Charity is one of the four wisdoms and demonstrates theBodhisattva’s aspiration. Deep appreciation and gratitude is offered to all those who contribute their spiritual practice, money, time, energy, and various gifts to the Priory. The generosity of the entire Priory Sangha is what makes it possible for the Priory toexist and for the Dharma to be freely offered to whomever is interested.

In recent months, we have been given many generous gifts, a large gong, books, laundry soap, kitty litter, tissues, toilet paper, paper towels and cleaning supplies.

Providing monks with food is the traditional offering given when coming to a Buddhist temple, and we appreciate all the generous food offerings we have been given, which provide most of the food for the Priory. During the past few months we have been given food donations of various vegetables and fruit, soy milk, eggs, tofu, vegetarian burgers, vegetarian meats, peanut butter, cheese, beans, soups, salads, vegetable oil, oats, muffins, bagels, bread, herbal and black teas, granola, salsa, fruit juice, crackers, pasta, nuts, chips, dried fruit, fruit preserves, chocolates, cookies, candy, pies, and cakes. You are always welcome to check with the Priory on what foods are currently needed.

Priory Meditation Retreats

June 13    July 11    August 15

Retreats are an excellent way to deepen our meditation and training. The retreat begins at 8am and the day is a mixture of meditation, Dharma talks and Buddhist services. The retreat is over at 5pm. Please register in advance for all the retreats.

Shasta Abbey Retreats

Attending a retreat at Shasta Abbey is an excellent way to deepen one’s Buddhist life by living and practicing together with a large community of monastic and lay members of the Sangha. The introductory retreats are the recommended first step in practicing at the Abbey. For more information, you can go to their website at http://www.shastaabbey.org or contact the Guestmaster at (530) 926-4208 or guestmaster@shastaabbey.org.

Introductory Retreat     June 26–28     July 31–Aug. 2     Sept.4–6

Offering of Lay Training Retreat     July 16–19

Denkoroku Retreat     August 16–23

Helping the Priory and Work Days

Buddhist training is based not just on receiving the spiritual benefits that Dharma practice provides, but also our own willingness to cultivate gratitude and find ways to make offerings. Giving our valuable time to help with the work of the Priory is very much needed if the Priory is to flourish. During the past few months, Sangha members came by the Priory and helped with many different tasks such as painting, yard work, gardening, cleaning, cooking, construction, computer work and bookkeeping. Please contact the Priory if you wish to help; we always have plenty of work that needs doing. In addition, the Priory has been having regular work dayswhich have been a great help with fixing up and maintaining the Priory and its grounds. You are welcome to come to the Priory whenever you can and offer your help. The next work day is scheduled for Saturday, July 25, from 9:30 to 3:00, but we welcome everyone to help for whatever part of the day they can come.

Meditation Instruction

Meditation instruction and an orientation to the practice at the Priory are offered each Thursday at 6:45 pm. Please arrive a few minutes early so that we can begin promptly at 6:45. The instruction is followed by a 7:30-8:05 pm meditation period. We ask all people new to our practice to attend this instruction. The meditation instruction is free, as are all the activities at the Priory. If your schedule will not allow you to come on Thursday evening, you are welcome to call the Priory to try to arrange a different time for the instruction.

Spiritual Counseling

Rev. Kinrei is available to discuss your spiritual practice and to help you to better apply the Dharma to your life. Taking refuge in a senior member of the Sangha is an important aid in gaining a better perspective and deeper insight into our spiritual life. It is also helpful in learning to cultivate openness and trust. You are welcome to contact the Priory and arrange a time to meet.

Priory Support and Membership

The word dana is an ancient Buddhist term meaning generosity—giving and receiving, from heart to heart. The Buddha highly recommended this as one of the most important Buddhist virtues, because it truly benefits the giver as well as the receiver. It is through simple acts of giving that we can begin to build a foundation for our religious training. Whether we live the life of monks or the life of a lay person, generosity makes the heart grow brighter. It helps us to overcome selfishness and attachment, and to open our hearts. It is a necessary element in the growth of kindness and compassion, which, in turn, are necessary for real peace of mind, as well as for deepening any religious practice.

The Buddha established a practice of mutual dependence between the monastic and lay Sangha. To oversimplify, the monks offer the Dharma, to all who ask, and the lay people offer material support to the monks. This helps all involved in Buddhist training, whether monastic or lay, to experience the benefits of dana for ourselves and thus grow our faith and trust in the Buddha-Dharma.

In an act of faith and in keeping with the monastic part of this commitment, the Priory is willingly dependent for its existence on the generosity of our friends and congregation. We receive no support from any other source, there are no fees of any kind for instruction or participation in Priory activities. Your gifts of support, whether financial, material, labor, or of any other kind, are deeply appreciated, and they assist the Priory in continuing to offer the Dharma. Your greatest support is simply your continued presence and practice.

One of the best ways to help the Priory is to make the commitment to be a Priory Member. What this involves is making a pledge to contribute a certain amount of money to the Priory each month. There is no set or recommended amount as we leave it up to each individual to offer what he or she feels is appropriate. This commitment is a tremendous help to the Priory because it gives us a stable financial base. More importantly, deciding to become a member has deep spiritual significance. It means you are choosing to help take responsibility for the continued existence of the Priory. Some of you may only be able to pledge a few dollars a month and think it is not worth making such an insignificant commitment. Yet it is important to offer whatever you can and be willing to make a formal commitment to be part of the Priory. The most important help members bring to the Priory and the Sangha is not their donations but their Buddhist training. By being willing to come to the Priory and train with others, we help make the Priory a true refuge of the Sangha.

However, we are not suggesting that everyone who occasionally attends the Priory or gives us donations should become a member. For many people, it is not appropriate to make such a commitment, and we welcome them to join us whenever they wish, to help us in the manner they feel appropriate, and to be valued friends of the Priory.