A Very Buddhist Christmas

In all the Christmas rush and in what some perceive to be a "war against Christmas," America's growing Buddhist community seem to be missing in action. There are two reasons that many Buddhists typically do not have a problem wishing "Merry Christmas" or participating in other aspects of the holiday season.

A Buddhist holiday in December

First, there is a Buddhist holiday on December 8th, known as Bodhi Day, which can be absorbed into the Christmas/Hanukkah season. Unlike most Buddhist holidays, based on a lunar calendar like the Jewish festival of Hanukkah (more) or the Christian festival of Easter (more), Bodhi Day does not move around the solar calendar from year to year.

Bodhi Day commemorates the attainment of Enlightenment (Bodhi in the original languages) by Siddhartha Gautama, who thereafter would be called the Buddha, the Enlightened. A good review of the events in the life of the Buddha is A Young People's Life of the Buddha, available here.

A Buddhist Santa Claus

Second, there is Hotei. Traditions about the identity of this fat man in a monk's robes carrying a sack get confused, but does that sound familiar? A fat man with a sack, a Buddhist Santa Claus? Hotei is based on a historical figure, a Chinese monk. Although he is known in Western countries especially as the "laughing Buddha" or the "fat Buddha," he is not technically a Buddha, an enlightened one, but a bodhisattva, a Buddha-to-be (more).

He is identified with Maitreya, who, it is taught, is the next Buddha yet to be. Some traditions say that Hotei gave children sweets from his sack, while other traditions say that he simply carried all his worldly goods in that sack.

Those are easy, fairly superficial Buddhist connections to Christmas, reasons why Buddhists do not have a war against Christmas. But, the one recurring Buddhist objection to Christmas in several blogs and websites is one that many Christians would share, that Christmas has become too commercialized and hectic, that its spiritual values have been diminished, by those who celebrate it.

Happy Bodhi Day! Happy Hanukkah! Merry Christmas!

Dependent Origination

The physical world as we know it, with all its imperfections and suffering, is the product of what the Buddha called dependent origination.

The Buddha taught that this was a 12-stage process - a circular chain, not a straight line. Each stage gives rise to the one directly after it.

1. Ignorance: inability to see the truth, depicted by a blind man.

2. Willed action: actions that shape our emerging consciousness, depicted by a potter moulding clay.

3. Conditioned consciousness: the development of habits, blindly responding to the impulses of karmic conditioning, represented by a monkey swinging about aimlessly.

4. Form and existence: a body comes into being to carry our karmic inheritance, represented by a boat carrying men.

5. The six sense-organs: eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body (touch) and mind, the way sensory information passes into us, represented by the doors and windows of a house.

6. Sense-impressions: the combination of sense-organ and sensory information, represented by two lovers .

7. Sensation: the feelings we get from sense-impressions, which are so vivid that they blind us, represented by a man shot in the eye with an arrow.

8. Craving (tanhā): negative desires that can never be sated, represented by a man drinking.

9. Attachment: grasping at things we think will satisfy our craving, represented by someone reaching out for fruit from a tree.

10. Becoming: worldly existence, being trapped in the cycle of life, represented by a pregnant woman.

11. Birth: represented by a woman giving birth.

12. Old age and death: grief, suffering and despair, the direct consequences of birth, represented by an old man.

The Realms of the Universe

The Buddhist Universe

The great tragedy of existence, from a Buddhist point of view, is that it is both endless and subject to impermanence, suffering and uncertainty. These three are called the tilakhana or three signs of existence.

Existence is endless because individuals are reincarnated over and over again, experiencing suffering throughout many lives.

It is impermanent because no state, good or bad, lasts forever. Our mistaken belief that things can last is a chief cause of suffering.

It is uncertain because when we examine our experience, no knower can be defined and no enduring essence of experience can be located.

Only achieving liberation, or nirvana, can free a being from the cycle of life, death and rebirth.

The Realms

Buddhism has six realms into which a soul can be reborn. From most to least pleasant, these are:

1. Heaven, the home of the gods (devas): this is a realm of enjoyment inhabited by blissful, long- lived beings. It is subdivided by later sources into 26 levels of increasing happiness.

2. The realm of humanity: although humans suffer, this is considered the most fortunate state because humans have the greatest chance of enlightenment.

3. The realm of the Titans or angry gods (asuras): these are warlike beings who are at the mercy of angry impulses.

4. The realm of the hungry ghosts (pretas): these unhappy beings are bound to the fringes of human existence, unable to leave because of particularly strong attachments. They are unable to satisfy their craving, symbolised by their depiction with huge bellies and tiny mouths.

5. The animal realm: this is undesirable because animals are exploited by human beings, and do not have the necessary self-awareness to achieve liberation.

6. Hell realms: people here are horribly tortured in many creative ways, but not for ever - only until their bad karma is worked off.

(Early sources listed five realms, excluding the Titans.)

The first two levels are good places to be born. The inhabitants of the next three levels all have a particular defect (hatred, greed, ignorance), and hell is obviously the worst of the lot.

Interlinked

These are not all separate realms, but are interlinked in keeping with the Buddhist philosophy that mind and reality are linked.

Thus, although humans and animals live together in the same world, the implications of being born as a human and as an animal are very different, and they are represented as two separate realms.

And a human being can experience touches of heaven when happy, or the lower states when hateful, greedy, ignorant or in pain. Someone adept at meditation will experience progressively higher heaven realms.

What Is a Bodhisattva?

A Bodhisatvva is an ordinary person who takes up a course in his or her life that moves in the direction of buddha. You're a bodhisattva, I'm a bodhisattva; actually, anyone who directs their attention, their life, to practicing the way of life of a buddha is a bodhisattva.

We read about Kannon Bosatsu (Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva) or Monju Bosatsu (Manjushri Bodhisattva), and these are great bodhisattvas, but we, too, have to have confidence or faith that we are also bodhisattvas.

Most people live by their desires or karma. That's what the expression gossho no bompu means. Gossho are the obstructions to practicing the Way caused by our evil actions in the past.

Bompu simply means ordinary human being--that is, one who lives by karma. Our actions are dictated by our karma: We are born into this world with our desires and may live our lives just by reacting or responding to them. In contrast is gansho no bosatsu, or a bodhisattva who lives by vow.

The life that flows through each of us and through everything around us is actually all connected. To say that, of course, means that who I really am cannot be separated from all the things that surround me. Or, to put it another way, all sentient beings have their existence and live within my life. So needless to say, that includes even the fate of all mankind--that, too, lies within me. Therefore, just how mankind might truly live out its life becomes what I aim at as my direction. This aiming or living while moving in a certain direction is what is meant by vow. In other words, it is the motivation for living that is different for a bodhisattva. Ordinary people live thinking only about their own personal, narrow circumstances connected with their desires. In contrast to that, a bodhisattva, though undeniably still an ordinary human being like everyone else, lives by vow. Because of that, the significance of his or her life is not the same. For us as bodhisattvas, all aspects of life, including the fate of humanity itself, live within us. It is with this in mind that we work to discover and manifest the most vital and alive posture that we can take in living out our life.

It's not enough for a bodhisattva of the Mahayana to just uphold the precepts. There are times when you have to break them, too. It's just that when you do, you have to do so with the resolve of also being willing to accept whatever consequences might follow. That's what issai shujo to tomo ni ("together with all sentient beings" --regardless of what hell one might fall into) really means.

It's not enough just to know the definition of bodhisattva. What's much more important is to study the actions of a bodhisattva and then to behave like one yourself.

Regarding the question "What is a bodhisattva?" you could also define a bodhisattva as one who acts as a true adult. That is, most people in the world act like children. The word dainin means "true adult" or "bodhisattva." Today most people who are called adults are only pseudoadults. Physically they grow up and become adult but spiritually too many people never mature to adulthood. They don't behave as adults In their daily lives. A bodhisattva is one who sees the world through adult eyes and whose actions are the actions of a true adult.

That is really what a bodhisattva is.

The Illusion of Soul

The Buddha taught that there is no soul, no essential and permanent core to a living being. Instead, that which we call a "living being", human or other, can be seen to be but a temporary coming together of many activities and parts.

When complete it is called a "living being", but after the parts separate and the activities cease it is not called a 'living being' anymore.

Like an advanced computer assembled of many parts and activities, only when it is complete and performs coherent tasks is it called a "computer", but after the parts are disconnected and the activities cease it is no longer called a "computer". No essential permanent core can be found which we can truly call "the computer", just so, no essential permanent core can be found which we can call "the soul".

Yet Rebirth still occurs without a soul. Consider this simile: on a Buddhist shrine one candle, burnt low, is about to expire. A monk takes a new candle and lights it from the old. The old candle dies, the new candle burns bright. What went across from the old candle to the new? There was a causal link but no thing went across! In the same way, there was a causal link between your previous life and your present life, but no soul has gone across.

Indeed, the illusion of a soul is said by the Buddha to be the root cause of all human suffering. The illusion of 'soul' manifests as the "Ego". The natural unstoppable function of the Ego is to control. Big Egos want to control the world, average Egos try to control their immediate surroundings of home, family and workplace, and almost all Egos strive to control what they take to be their own body and mind. Such control manifests as desire and aversion, it results in a lack of both inner peace and outer harmony.

It is this Ego that seeks to acquire possessions, manipulate others and exploit the environment. Its aim is its own happiness but it invariably produces suffering.

It craves for satisfaction but it experiences discontent.

Such deep-rooted suffering cannot come to an end until one sees, through deep and powerful meditation, that the idea "me and mine" is no more than a mirage.

What Makes You a Buddhist?

Over time I have come to realize that people often associate Buddhism and Buddhists with peace, meditation, and nonviolence. In fact many seem to think that saffron
or maroon robes and a peaceful smile are all it takes to be a Buddhist.

However, as a Buddhist, I feel a little

discontented when Buddhism is associated with nothing beyond vegetarianism, nonviolence, peace, and meditation. Prince Siddhartha, who sacrificed all the comforts and luxuries of palace life, must have been searching for more than passivity and shrubbery when he set out to discover enlightenment.

When a conversation arises, a non-Buddhist may casually ask, “What makes someone a Buddhist?” That is the hardest question to answer. If the person has a genuine interest, the complete answer does not make for light dinner conversation, and generalizations can lead to misunderstanding. Suppose that you give them the true answer, the answer that points to the very foundation of this 2,500-year-old tradition.

One is a Buddhist if he or she accepts the following four truths:

All compounded things are impermanent.

All emotions are pain.

All things have no inherent existence.

Nirvana is beyond concepts.

These four statements, spoken by the Buddha himself, are known as “the four seals.” Traditionally, seal means something like a hallmark that confirms authenticity. For the sake of simplicity and flow we will refer to these statements as both seals and “truths,” not to be confused with Buddhism’s four noble truths, which pertain solely to aspects of suffering. Even though the four seals are believed to encompass all of Buddhism, people don’t seem to want to hear about them. Without further explanation they serve only to dampen spirits and fail to inspire further interest in many cases. The topic of conversation changes and that’s the end of it.

The message of the four seals is meant to be understood literally, not metaphorically or mystically—and meant to be taken seriously. But the seals are not edicts or commandments. With a little contemplation one sees that there is nothing moralistic or ritualistic about them. There is no mention of good or bad behavior. They are secular truths based on wisdom, and wisdom is the primary concern of a Buddhist. Morals and ethics are secondary.

Broadly speaking, wisdom comes from a mind that has what the Buddhists call “right view.” But one doesn’t even have to consider oneself a Buddhist to have right view. Ultimately it is this view that determines our motivation and action. It is the view that guides us on the path of Buddhism. If we can adopt wholesome behaviors in addition to the four seals, it makes us even better Buddhists. But what makes you not a Buddhist?

If you cannot accept that all compounded or fabricated things are impermanent, if you believe that there is some essential substance or concept that is permanent, then you are not a Buddhist. If you cannot accept that all emotions are pain, if you believe that actually some emotions are purely pleasurable, then you are not a Buddhist.

If you cannot accept that all phenomena are illusory and empty, if you believe that certain things do exist inherently, then you are not a Buddhist.

And if you think that enlightenment exists within the spheres of time, space, and power, then you are not a Buddhist.

So, what makes you a Buddhist? You may not have been born in a Buddhist country or to a Buddhist family, you may not wear robes or shave your head, you may eat meat. That doesn’t mean you cannot be a Buddhist. In order to be a Buddhist, you must accept that all compounded phenomena are impermanent, all emotions are pain, all things have no inherent existence, and enlightenment is beyond concepts.

It’s not necessary to be constantly and endlessly mindful of these four truths. But they must reside in your mind. You don’t walk around persistently remembering your own name, but when someone asks your name, you remember it instantly. There is no doubt. Anyone who accepts these four seals, even independently of Buddha’s teachings, even never having heard the name Shakyamuni Buddha, can be considered to be on the same path as he.

It’s not the clothes you wear, the ceremonies you perform, or the meditation you do. It’s not what you eat, how much you drink, or who you know. It’s whether you agree with the four fundamental discoveries the Buddha made under the Bodhi tree, and if you do, you can call yourself a Buddhist.

A Meditation on Death

Like the flame blown out by the wind,
This life of ours is headed for destruction.
Seeing the cycle of birth and death in all things
Mindfulness of death is a skill we need to use.

Just as people who have achieved great wealth and fame
Must surely fall in death.
This thing called death will not leave me behind;
Death is always beckoning me to follow.

Death is the true companion of birth
And never far behind,
Searching for an opening
Like a samurai in battle.

It's course cannot be changed
This life we call our own,
Is rushing to its end
Like the sun moving form east to west.

Death takes those from us who are great in strength and wisdom,
No need to speak of one like me.
Because this life of mine lacks in so many ways
I die in every moment with little chance of a good rebirth.

Our life is filled with so much uncertainty
Its length cannot be known.
It is difficult just to stay alive, each day
Filled with the fear and anguish of the death about to come.

There is no chance that life shall not end in death.
Having reached old age what can be next,
Death is part of our true nature.
As the nature of fruit is to fall when ripe.

Just as a potters jar must break and turn to dust
So to these bones of ours will one day break and end the same way.
The young, the old, the foolish and the wise,
The hand of death is always open;
The end is known for sure.

Impermanent is all conditioned things,
All things rise and fall away,
Conditions give us birth,
Conditions give us death.

This body and mind of ours, will soon be lying on the ground
Like a useless piece of drift wood, washed upon the shore.
Our consciousness will vanish, the mind will not be there,
Just like a bubble bursting on the water, turning into air.

We came into this world without an invitation, and
We don't need to ask permission when its time for us to leave.
We rise to birth that always ends in death; we come just as we go.
Does the candle shed a tear when the flame goes out?
Don't be sad, be mindful.

Theravada and Mahayana

To preserve the monastic order, the Buddha set down 227 rules for a bhikkhu (monk) to observe and 311 for a bhikkhuni (nun). Before his death (known as parinirvana) he said that some minor rules could be changed.

Within a short time of his passing away there was disagreement over what could be changed and different sects emerged. The more reformist sects later called themselves Mahayana (greater vehicle) and referred to the conservative sects as Hinayana (lesser vehicle). The only conservative sect remaining today is Theravada, which is prevalent in Sri Lanka, Burma and Thailand. Theravada recognises the Pali Canon as its scriptures and a variety of ancient Theravadin commentaries.

Whereas Theravada spread to the south and east, Mahayana moved to the northwest through what is now Pakistan and Afghanistan and then across Central Asia to China, Tibet, Vietnam, Korea and Japan. For historical reasons, the language of Mahayana scriptures was Sanskrit and that of Theravada was Pali. Hence the difference in spelling of some common Buddhist terms: Nirvana/Nibbana, Sutra/Sutta, Karma/Kamma, Dharma/Damma, etc. Westerners are more familiar with Mahayana Sanskrit terms.

Mahayana also has its own scriptures in addition to the Pali Canon, the most important of which is the Lotus Sutra. These sutras are purported to be the Buddha's secret "higher" teachings, which were handed down only to those who were ready for them - an idea emphasised at the beginning of the Lotus Sutra.

Apart from a modified monastic code which made monasticism possible in harsh environments such as Tibet, Mahayana emphasises the Bodhisattva Ideal, where a man vows not to achieve final enlightenment until all sentient beings have been saved. So anyone helping others to achieve enlightenment can be considered a bodhisattva. In Theravada, the term bodhisattva usually refers only to the historical Buddha in his previous lives. Historically, some Mahayanists consider Theravadins to be selfish for seeking enlightenment only for themselves, while some Theravadins consider Mahayanists to have deviated from what the Buddha taught.

The various sutras and sects of Mahayana reflect different ways of reaching enlightenment appropriate for different people with different levels of ability. Because of this, a number of "mythical" buddhas and bodhisattvas are revered and used as objects of meditation. Theravadins revere only the historical Buddha and only his image is seen in temples.

Mahayana tends to emphasise the concept of sunyata (void-ness) in its teachings and tends to have a more specific idea of what passes from rebirth to rebirth (consciousness, comprising awareness and memory).

Personally, I found that the more I read about Mahayana and the Tibetan tradition known as Vajrayana, the more I accepted that all sects are going in the same direction and there is no point in considering any one of them better than another.

The Middle Way or Eightfold Path

The Way to end all suffering is called the Middle Way because it avoids the two extremes of sensual indulgence and self-mortification. Only when the body is in reasonable comfort but not over-indulged has the mind the clarity and strength to meditate deeply and discover the Truth. This Middle Way consists of the diligent cultivation of Virtue, Meditation and Wisdom, which is explained in more detail as the Noble Eightfold Path.

1. Right Understanding
2. Right Thought
3. Right Speech
4. Right Action
5. Right Livelihood
6. Right Effort
7. Right Mindfulness
8. Right Concentration

Right Speech, Action and Livelihood constitute the training in Virtue or Morality. For a practising Buddhist it consists of maintaining the five Buddhist Precepts, which are to refrain from:

1. Deliberately causing the death of any living being.
2. Intentionally taking for one's own the property of another.
3. Sexual misconduct, in particular adultery.
4. Lying and breaking promises.
5. Drinking alcohol or taking stupefying drugs which lead to lack of mindfulness.

Right Effort, Mindfulness and Concentration refer to the practice of Meditation, which purifies the mind through the experience of blissful states of inner stillness and empowers the mind to penetrate the meaning of life through profound moments of insight.

Right Understanding and Thought are the manifestation of Buddha-Wisdom which ends all suffering, transforms the personality and produces unshakeable serenity and tireless compassion.

According to the Buddha, without perfecting the practice of Virtue it is impossible to perfect Meditation, and without perfecting Meditation it is impossible to arrive at Enlightenment Wisdom. Thus the Buddhist Path is a Gradual Path, a Middle Way consisting of Virtue, Meditation and Wisdom as explained in the Noble Eightfold Path leading to happiness and liberation.

"What we appear to be is a fleeting shadow, a distorted and fragmentary reflection of what we all are when we no longer assume that we are that phenomenal appearance." - Wei Wu Wei

The Four Noble Truths

The Four Noble Truths were the first statement of Gautama Buddha following his enlightenment. These truths are among the most fundamental of the Buddhist teachings and are at the core of the enlightenment experience. The Four Noble Truths are regarded as deeply insightful and a well laid out cognitive methodology, not simply a theological perspective.

1. Life means suffering.
2. The origin of suffering is attachment.
3. The cessation of suffering is attainable.
4. The path to the cessation of suffering.

More simply put, suffering exists; it has a cause; it has an end; and it has a cause to bring about its end. The notion of suffering is not intended to convey a negative world view, but rather, a pragmatic perspective that deals with the world as it is, and attempts to rectify it.

The concept of pleasure is not denied, but acknowledged as fleeting. Pursuit of pleasure can only continue what is ultimately an unquenchable thirst. The same logic belies an understanding of happiness. In the end, only aging, sickness, and death are certain and unavoidable.

The Four Noble Truths comprise a way for dealing with the suffering humanity faces, suffering of a physical kind, or of a mental nature.

The First Truth: Life means suffering: "Dukkha"

To live means to suffer, because the human nature is not perfect and neither is the world we live in. During our lifetime, we inevitably have to endure physical suffering such as pain, sickness, injury, tiredness, old age, and eventually death; and we have to endure psychological suffering like sadness, fear, frustration, disappointment, and depression.

Although there are different degrees of suffering and there are also positive experiences in life that we perceive as the opposite of suffering, such as ease, comfort and happiness, life in its totality is imperfect and incomplete, because our world is subject to impermanence.

This means we are never able to keep permanently what we strive for, and just as happy moments pass by, we ourselves and our loved ones will pass away one day, too.

The Second Truth: The origin of suffering is attachment: "Samudaya"

The origin of suffering is attachment to transient things and the ignorance thereof. Transient things do not only include the physical objects that surround us, but also ideas, and -in a greater sense- all objects of our perception. Ignorance is the lack of understanding of how our mind is attached to impermanent things.

The reasons for suffering are desire, passion, ardour, pursuit of wealth and prestige, striving for fame and popularity, or in short: craving and clinging. Because the objects of our attachment are transient, their loss is inevitable, thus suffering will necessarily follow.

Objects of attachment also include the idea of a "self" which is a delusion, because there is no abiding self. What we call "self" is just an imagined entity, and we are merely a part of the ceaseless becoming of the universe.

The Third Noble Truth: The cessation of suffering is attainable: "Nirodha"

The cessation of suffering can be attained through nirodha. Nirodha means the unmaking of sensual craving and conceptual attachment. The third noble truth expresses the idea that suffering can be ended by attaining dispassion. Nirodha extinguishes all forms of clinging and attachment.

This means that suffering can be overcome through human activity, simply by removing the cause of suffering. Attaining and perfecting dispassion is a process of many levels that ultimately results in the state of Nirvana. Nirvana means freedom from all worries, troubles, complexes, fabrications and ideas. Nirvana is not comprehensible for those who have not attained it.

The Fourth Noble Truth: The path to the cessation of suffering: "Magga"

There is a path to the end of suffering - a gradual path of self-improvement, which is described more detailed in the Eightfold Path. It is the middle way between the two extremes of excessive self-indulgence (hedonism) and excessive self-mortification (asceticism); and it leads to the end of the cycle of rebirth.

The latter quality discerns it from other paths which are merely "wandering on the wheel of becoming", because these do not have a final object. The path to the end of suffering can extend over many lifetimes, throughout which every individual rebirth is subject to karmic conditioning.

Craving, ignorance, delusions, and its effects will disappear gradually, as progress is made on the path.


“You cannot travel the path until you have become the path itself.”
- Prince Gautama Siddharta

The Triple Gem

When we wish to become Buddhists formally, the first step is to go to the Triple Gem - the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha for refuge. It is an expression of one’s faith and determination in walking the Buddha’s path. Since the time of the Buddha, taking this Threefold Refuge has identified a person as a Buddhist.

Why Take Refuge?

If we observe the world carefully, we will notice much pain, suffering and frustration experienced by all. We will look for a way to end these distressing conditions just as a traveller caught in a storm seeks shelter. If he finds shelter in a strong and safe building, he will call out to the others struggling in the storm to join him in his refuge. Similarly, one chooses to become a Buddhist when he understands who the Buddha is and how the Triple Gem can provide him the way to end suffering. Out of Compassion, he also encourages others to take the same refuge.

The Buddha, Dharma and Sangha are called the Triple Gem because they represent qualities excellent and precious like a gem. Once we recognize these unique qualities after careful consideration and are confident that the Triple Gem can lead us towards happiness and Enlightenment, we take refuge in it. Therefore, it is not out of mere faith, but with an open-minded attitude and enquiring spirit that we begin practising the Buddha’s Teaching.

Buddha

The word "Buddha" means the "Fully Enlightened One", or the "Awakened One". It is the title given to those who have attained supreme and perfect Enlightenment. Buddhists acknowledge the Buddha as the embodiment of the highest Morality, deepest Concentration, and perfect Wisdom. The Buddha is also known to His followers as the "Perfected One" because He has eradicated all Craving, Ill Will and Ignorance, having overcome all unwholesome actions, putting an end to all suffering.

The Buddha is the Fully Enlightened One because He has realized the Truth and sees things as they really are. He knows through His perfect Wisdom, what is good and what is not good for everyone. Out of Compassion He shows us the path leading towards True Happiness.
The Buddha’s exemplary Conduct, perfect Wisdom and great Compassion make Him an excellent teacher. Using skillful means, He is able to reach out to all His followers so that they can understand His Teaching.

Dharma

The Buddha taught the Dharma solely out of Compassion for all who suffer in the cycle of birth and death. The Dharma is therefore taught without any selfish motives. It is well taught and completely good, by nature pure and bright like a light that destroys the darkness of ignorance. When the Dharma is studied and practiced, it brings many benefits now and in the future.

The Dharma is the Teaching about the nature of life. This Teaching of the Buddha is contained in the collection of scriptures called the Tripitaka. These consist of the sermons (Sutra Pitaka) taught by the Buddha, the disciplinary rules of the monastic community (Vinaya Pitaka) and the philosophy and psychology of Buddhism (Abhidharma Pitaka).

We get to know about the Dharma by reading the scriptures. We can also learn from the writings and explanations of qualified teachers. Once we have familiarized ourselves with the Dharma through reading and listening, we have to realize its truth for ourselves by putting it into practice. This means purifying our conduct and cultivating Mental Development until the Teaching becomes part of our own experience.

Sangha

The Sangha that a Buddhist takes refuge in is the community of Noble Ones who have led exemplary lives and attained extraordinary insight into the true nature of things. Their lives and achievements show others that it is possible to progress on the path to Enlightenment.

However, the Sangha also generally refers to the fourfold community of monks (bhikkhus), nuns (bhikkunis), men and women lay followers (though "Sangha" is usually used to address monks and nuns who have renounced the lay life to practice and teach the Dharma full time.)

Monks and nuns are respected for their good conduct and experience in meditation. They are also respected for their diligence, mindfulness and calmness. Wise and learned, they are able teachers of the Dharma, like trusted friends who inspire us along the path of Good Conduct.

The lay followers accept the Four Noble Truths and the other teachings of the Buddha and seek happiness and Enlightenment as their common goal in life. They also uphold common moral values. Thus a Buddhist can look to other members of the lay community for help and advice in times of need.

The Journey to Enlightenment

To better understand the idea of taking refuge, imagine a traveller who wants to visit a distant city where he has never been. He will need a guide, a path to follow and even travelling companions on the way. A Buddhist working towards attaining happiness and Enlightenment is like this traveller. The Buddha is his "guide", the Dharma his "path" and the Sangha his "travelling companions."

Benefits of Taking Refuge

Taking the Threefold Refuge is the first step on the path to Enlightenment. Thereafter, through Good Conduct and Mental Development, self-mastery, Wisdom and Compassion is achieved. Even if Enlightenment is not achieved in this life, one who takes refuge in the Triple Gem is more likely to have favourable conditions for attaining Enlightenment in a future life.

Taking Refuge

One expresses intention of taking the Triple Gem as as refuge by repeating the following lines three times:

"I go to the Buddha for refuge.

I go to the Dharma for refuge.

I go to the Sangha for refuge."

These lines can be repeated by one alone before an image of the Buddha or repeated line by line after a monk. A Buddhist may repeat the Threefold Refuge daily to remind himself that he has made a commitment to attain the goal of happiness and Enlightenment through the guidance and inspiration of the Triple Gem.

Samsara

According to Buddhism, all beings are born into
an endless cycle of birth and rebirth which is called Samsara.



The first of the Four Noble Truths states that life is suffering. If one is destined to be reborn into this life of suffering at the close of their current life, then that cycle of rebirth is one of endless suffering. It is the goal of Buddhists to leave this cycle by reaching Enlightenment and entering Nirvana.

Samsara is this world, filled as it is with so much pain and sorrow. All beings in this world are subject to the law of Karma. Something you do, say, or think that is in fact in your control has moral consequences, called Vipaka, which means fruit. In traditional Buddhism, these consequences can occur in this life, or in a future life.

Most Buddhists believe in rebirth. A little more precisely, rebirth is nothing more than the transmission of one's Karma. Buddha likened it to the flame that passes from one candle to another. So, the idea of an immortal soul and/or a continuing personality is definitely not part of the rebirth idea.

The image above is the Tibetan Wheel of Life, which represents Samsara. In the very center, there is a rooster chasing a pig chasing a snake chasing the rooster -- craving, hatred, and ignorance. Around that are people ascending the white semicircle of life, and others descending the black semicircle of death. The greatest portion of the Wheel is devoted to representations of the six realms -- the realm of the gods, the realm of the titans, the realm of humans, the realm of animals, the realm of the hungry ghosts, and the realm of demons -- each realm looked over by its own Boddhisattva. The outermost circle is the 12 steps of dependent origination. The entire Wheel is held by Yama, the Lord of Death.

All beings have lived and died and been reborn countless times. Over and over again we have experienced the indescribable Clear Light. But because we are obscured by the darkness of ignorance, each of us wander endlessly in a limitless Samsara.

Impermanence

Change is a central feature of life. It can be exhilarating, frightening, exhausting, or relieving. It can spark sadness or happiness, resistance or grasping.

Insight into impermanence is central to Buddhist practice. Buddhist practice points us toward becoming equanimous in the midst of change and wiser in how we respond to what comes and goes. In fact, Buddhism could be seen as one extended meditation on transience as a means to freedom. The Buddha’s last words were: “All conditioned things are impermanent. Strive on with diligence.” The solution to suffering is to transcend the world of impermanence.

The Buddha approached suffering differently. He said that suffering is not inherent in the world of impermanence; suffering arises when we cling. When clinging disappears, impermanence no longer gives rise to suffering. The solution to suffering, then, is to end clinging, not to try to escape from the transient world.

One means of reducing clinging is to see the transient nature of what we cling to. This insight can either show us the futility of trying to find lasting happiness in what is impermanent, or it can encourage us to examine deeply why we cling.

Impermanence can be understood in three ways. First, is the obvious, ordinary understanding of impermanence. Second, is understanding from insight, from the intuitive, direct seeing of the nature of things. Finally, there is the way in which seeing impermanence can lead to liberation.

The ordinary understanding of impermanence is accessible to all; we see old age, sickness and death. We notice that things change. The seasons change, society changes, our emotions change, and the weather changes. Sometimes, realizing that an experience is impermanent, we can relax with how it is, including its coming and going. Other times, seeing that change is inevitable helps us to let go of clinging to how things are or resistance to change. And sometimes recognizing that we are all equal in being subject to aging, sickness, and death is the basis for compassion.

Beyond the ordinary experience of impermanence, Buddhist practice helps us open to the less immediately perceptible realm of impermanence, i.e., insight into the moment-to-moment arising and passing of every perceivable experience. With deep concentrated mindfulness, we see everything as constantly in flux, even experiences that ordinarily seem persistent.

Perhaps you have had an opportunity to bring mindfulness to a strong physical experience such as pain. We tend to see pain through our ideas about it. With very strong mindfulness, however, we find that we can't pinpoint pain; as soon as we think we have located the pain, it flashes out of the existence and reappears a millimeter to the side. It becomes a dance of sparking sensations located in no particular place. Pain that seemed solid is actually in constant flux. In this deeper experience of impermanence, we realize that it doesn't make sense to hold onto anything, even temporarily. There's nothing that we can hold onto because everything simply flashes in and out of existence.

We also realize that our clinging and resistance have very little to do with the experience itself. We mostly cling to ideas and concepts, not things or experiences in and of themselves. For example, we don’t cling to money, but to the ideas of what money means for us. We may not resist aging as much as we resist letting go of cherished concepts of ourselves and our bodies. One of our most ingrained attachments is to self, self-image, and self-identity. In the deeper experience of mindfulness, we see that the idea of self is a form of clinging to concepts; nothing in our direct experience can qualify as a self to hold onto.

As we see impermanence clearly, we see that there is nothing real that we can actually cling to. Our deep-seated tendency to grasp is challenged, and so may begin to relax. We see that our experiences don't correspond to our fixed categories, ideas, or images. We realize that reality is more fluid than any of our ideas about it.

Confronting impermanence profoundly, in this meditative way, can open us to liberation. Ajahn Chah once said, “If you let go a little, you’ll have a little peace. If you let go a lot you’ll have a lot of peace. If you let go completely, you’ll have complete peace.” This release is sometimes called Mahasukha, the Great Happiness, which is said to be the only happiness that is ultimately reliable.

Karma and Rebirth

What Is Karma?

The Sanskrit word karma means "voli-tional act" or "deed." The law of karma is a law of cause and effect, or an understanding that every deed produces fruit.

Karma is created by the intentional acts of body, speech, and mind. Only acts pure of desire, hate and delusion do not produce karmic effects. Once set in motion, karma tends to continue in many directions, like ripples on a pond.

Karma is not mysterious or hidden. Once you understand what it is, you can observe it all around you. For example, let's say a man gets into an argument at work. He drives home in an angry mood, cutting off someone at an intersection. The driver cut off is now angry, and when she gets home she yells at her daughter. This is karma in action -- one angry act has touched off many more.

However, if the man who argued had the mental discipline to let go of his anger, the karma would have stopped with him.

What Is Rebirth? Very basically, when the effects of karma continue across lifetimes it causes rebirth. But in light of the doctrine of no-self, what exactly is reborn?

The classical Hindu understanding of reincarnation is that a soul, or atman, is reborn many times. But the Buddha taught the doctrine of anatman -- no soul, or no-self. The various schools of Buddhism approach this question in somewhat different ways.

One way to explain rebirth is to think of all existence as one big ocean. An individual is a phenomenon of existence in the same way a wave is a phenomenon of ocean. A wave begins, moves across the surface of the water, then dissipates. While it exists, a wave is distinct from ocean yet is never separate from ocean. In the same way, that which is reborn is not the same person, yet is not separate from the same person.

Article by Barbara O'Brien

On Being and Not Being a Buddhist

I am not a Buddhist. I am, as of this moment, a wanderer through the six realms of samsara. I avoid calling myself a Buddhist not due to the risk of being sized up as some kind of a post-flower child flake.

The primary reason is not making "I am a Buddhist" just another ego attachment. I have enough layers of self-identity to chip through without building another one. When I do say "I am a Buddhist" -- because to say otherwise would be a lie -- I do a little purification ritual in my heart.

I enjoy learning about Buddhism. I am becoming—carefully and with as much mindfulness as I can muster—more than what has been dismissively labeled a "bookstore Buddhist." To me, being a Buddhist means more than just saying you are one. It means placing yourself within the structure of a particular school, a particular lineage and a particular teacher. It means changing your life, not just changing your mind.

However, there's also a danger in wading too far into negation. The Madhyamika teachings of early Mahayana said that although phenomena -- including people -- are void of self-essence, it is incorrect to say that things and beings exist or don’t exist. As I understand it, form and appearance create the world of myriad things, but the myriad things have identity only in relation to each other. Thus, there is neither reality not not-reality; only relativity.

So, perhaps I shouldn't be so squeamish about saying "I am a Buddhist."

This or That?

In my experience, people who say Buddhism is a philosophy and not a religion usually mean it as a compliment. They are trying to say, I think, that Buddhism is something other than they believe religion to be.

Buddhism -- some Buddhism, anyway -- is a practice of contemplation and inquiry that doesn't depend on belief in God or a soul or anything supernatural. Therefore, the theory goes, it can't be a religion.

Head Boxes

In many ways, the "religion versus philosophy" argument is an artificial one. The neat separation between religion and philosophy we insist on today didn't exist in western civilization until the 18th century or so, and there never was such a separation in eastern civilization. To insist that Buddhism must be one thing and not the other amounts to forcing an ancient product into modern packaging.

In Buddhism, this sort of conceptual packaging is considered to be a barrier to enlightenment. Without realizing it we use prefabricated concepts about ourselves and the world around us to organize and interpret what we learn and experience. One of the functions of Buddhist practice is to sweep away all the artificial filing cabinets in our heads so that we see the world as-it-is.

In the same way, arguing about whether Buddhism is a philosophy or a religion isn't an argument about Buddhism. It's an argument about our biases regarding philosophy and religion. Buddhism is what it is.

Transcendence

It's said that the only way to understand Buddhism is to practice it. Through practice, one perceives its transformative power. A Buddhism that remains in the realm of concepts and ideas is not Buddhism. The robes, ritual and other trappings of religion are not a corruption of Buddhism, as some imagine, but expressions of it

There's a Zen story in which a professor visited a Japanese master to inquire about Zen. The master served tea. When the visitor's cup was full, the master kept pouring. Tea spilled out of the cup and over the table.

"The cup is full!" said the professor. "No more will go in!"

"Like this cup," said the master, "You are full of your own opinions and speculations. How can I show you Zen unless you first empty your cup?"

If you want to understand Buddhism, empty your cup.

You, Happier?

"You, Happier"

Two simple words being used as an advertising campaign by an electronics store.

The idea is, of course, that you will be much happier after you have picked up a new notebook computer or stereo or flat screen television set.

But, is happiness that easily attained or for that matter what is happiness?

From morning to night, we are concerned with our individual welfare, with questions such as what we should eat and wear. Many of us believe that our happiness depends on how successfully we satisfy those personal needs. But is it really the case that our happiness depends on that? No, I do not think so. Actually, the more self-centered we become, the less happy we become.

Generally speaking, who is an unhappy person? An unhappy person is a person who cannot forget himself, being always concerned with his individual happiness and welfare. Probably the Buddhist concept of “hell” symbolizes the condition in which one has only himself, only his self-concerns such as what he should eat and wear.

Then, who is a happy person? A happy person is the person who can forget himself, his individual happiness. He is so fascinated with something outside himself that he can forget himself.

What is Happiness in Buddhism?

Instead of chasing after our own happiness, Buddhism teaches us that we might cultivate a mind of compassion, loving kindness, joyfulness, and letting go of our ego-attachment — this can work for ourselves and for the sake of others.

But there’s a catch. If you really want to be truly joyful, you have to forget about what you did for yourself or others. In other words, the no attachment rule still applies. Hook your ego to the outcome of effort and you risk disappointment or loss, as your happiness inevitably subsides.

The material things we think we need to be happy don’t last very long. In a sense, as a Buddhist it’s easy to be happy because there are no conditions. In Buddhism, that means an awareness of a reality as vast and fluid and changing as an ocean.

If you give up the never-ending pursuit of unsustainable happiness, you will eventually become happy. To describe happiness, Buddhists use expressions like ‘no desires, no blind passions, or non-attachment." But non attachment does not mean aloofness — it can mean being very engaged, without being attached to outcomes.

For Buddhists, the highest form of happiness lies in this inner freedom rather than the freedom to acquire and consume. Happiness is determined by one's state of mind rather than by external events. It is not subject to time and decay, or dependent on the acquisition of things and people.

Today, it is what recommends Buddhism to so many people living in societies built around the endless stimulation and satisfaction of individual desires, but which seem to bewilder and oppress people as much as or more than the simpler world to which the Buddha offered his unique therapy.

Buddhism teaches that the mind, not the wallet, is the path to contentment.

On Your Journey

"As you walk and eat and travel,

be where you are. Otherwise you

will miss most of your life."

-Buddha

Buddhist Heaven 101

The following is an informative piece written by Kusala Bhikshu. Hope that you will find it as interesting as I have.

How many Heavens and Hells do Buddhists have? ... A lot!

There was a book published in 1997 called... Buddhist Cosmology, Philosophy and origins by Akira Sadakata, Kosei Publications. It goes into a very detailed explanation of the various heavens and hells. I've found as many as 33 heavens and 33 hells listed as possible destinations, but I'm going to simplify it, and talk about the six realms of existence.

Buddhism has a best heaven. Everything is just the way you want it to be. In this heaven, there is no reason to change anything. You are ultimately happy. The problem is that it's not permanent, as is everything in Buddhism. One day in the heaven realm is equal to 400 human years, and your stay is four thousand heaven years, so you will be there a really long time.

But, one day the karma that put you in this heaven will be used up. You are only in heaven as long as your Karma account has merit in it. You can only draw from your Karma account while in heaven, because there in no way to make a deposit. You can't practice generosity or compassion, and you're not striving to gain wisdom. When the karma that put you in heaven is used up... you're reborn... And that would probably make a lot of folks really unhappy. Who wants to leave a perfect place?

The second heaven realm, which is a lower one, is where things are almost perfect. I call this the Donald Trump heaven. It could be better, if only you owned one more building or house. You see, there is still some desire associated with this heaven realm, and so it can't ever be perfect.
The next realm is the human realm, where all of us find ourselves in this lifetime. This is the best place for us to be, because this is the only place we can become enlightened. We cannot become enlightened in heaven, things are too nice, and we have no reason to strive. We cannot become enlightened in hell, because things are so bad, all we do is suffer.

In this human rebirth, we have enough happiness and joy to keep us from taking our own lives, and we experience anxiety and fear to keep us striving. We cannot relax too long in any one mental state as a human, because all things are in a constant state of flux.

The next lower realm, is the animal realm. The animal realm is marked by wanting to have sex, wanting to have food, wanting to have sleep, and being totally confused. Those are the four characteristics found in the animal realm. So you can see, we are not likely to become enlightened as an animal.

A Zen question-- Does a dog have Buddha nature?-- comes to mind. Yes, a dog does have the potential to become enlightened, but only in the human realm.

Can animals be reborn as humans beings? Yes, if they come into contact with the Dharma, see a Buddhist temple, or smell incense burning. The contact can plant a Dharma seed which takes root when they're reborn as humans. They can achieve their full potential and become enlightened, but only as a human being. So, it's up to all of us to help our pets be reborn in the human realm.

The next realm is called the hungry ghost realm. The hungry ghost is often pictured as a giant creature, with a large stomach and a pinhole for a mouth. It can never end it's hunger no matter how much it eats, it never finds satisfaction.

In the hell realm, the worst place, you find the most suffering. You are given little hell bodies when you enter. Then, one day you might be walking through a forest, when all the leaves on a tree turn into razor blades and fall, cutting you into a million pieces. You cry out in pain, and your hell body resurrects, so you can be killed over and over again.

The only way to get out of the hell realm is to burn through the karma that put you there. Suffering is the only act of purification in hell, and much suffering is necessary before the next rebirth.

So, do Buddhists go to heaven? ...Yes they do!... Do Buddhists go to hell? ...Yes they do!... Do Buddhists go to Christian heaven or hell? ...No they don't!!!

In the Buddhist model of afterlife, there are specific practices necessary to achieve rebirth in heaven, and more important, there are specific practices necessary to attain Nirvana.

The Buddha did not leave afterlife up to chance. Just because a person says he's a Buddhist does not ensure rebirth in heaven or Nirvana. The Buddhist path to afterlife is a labor intensive practice that requires personal responsibility.

It's no surprise that we are going to die, but how many people think about their next lifetime? If you're a Buddhist it's important to look at life as a continuum, as a process of birth and death, a constant state of becoming, and a chance to practice.

To explain rebirth, I like the analogy of going to an airport with a suitcase. I put the suitcase on a conveyor belt so it can be loaded into the luggage compartment of the airplane. But, I am not getting on the plane, just the suitcase. The suitcase contains my karmic energy. When the karmic energy gets to its new destination, my next lifetime picks up the suitcase. But, I didn't get on the plane, because my ticket had expired... It's not really me that picks up the suitcase... It's because of me the suitcase is picked up.

The suitcase may be almost empty because of a past life of unskillful activity. It may have only one set of clothes and no shoes... But, I'm not predestined to be poor and homeless. Through acts of kindness and generosity, I can start filling the suitcase. I can turn rags into riches through good thoughts, good speech, and good actions. I'm in charge, and my life is what I make it.

When all is said and done? For a Buddhist heaven is not the real answer, just an option.

Nirvana is the answer to suffering and rebirth!

Practice everyday... There is very little time left. Think about death often, it will give your life urgency. Exercise and good health allow you to die in the slowest way possible. May you see nirvana in this very lifetime.

City of Ten Thousand

The City of Ten Thousand Buddhas is a unique place containing a Buddhist monastery, nunnery, small university, high school and elementary schools. CTTB is frequented by people from all over the world. Conferences, workshops and seminars are regularly attended by people of all backgrounds.

An international Buddhist community and monastery founded by the Venerable Master Hsuan Hua, an important figure in Western Buddhism. CTTB is one of the first Chinese Zen Buddhist temples in the United States, and one of the largest Buddhist communities in the Western Hemisphere.

The City is situated in Talmage, Mendocino County, California. Approximately two miles east of Ukiah, and 110 miles (180 km) north of San Francisco. It was one of the first Buddhist monasteries built in the United States.

There are seventy large buildings established here with over 2,000 rooms of various sizes that can accommodate up to 20,000 persons. Tall street lamps and trees over a hundred years old lined along the road. The grounds also contain the Jyun Kang Vegetarian Restaurant which is open to the public. The entrance to the City is named Mountain Gate and is marked with yellow roof tiles and red brick walls.

For a truly enriching experience you can volunteer at the CTTB. As a volunteer in the monastery, you will be expected to live like a semi-monastic following the daily schedule and guidelines. In ancient China, Chan Master Bai Zhang setup rules for a Chan meditation monastery with the spirit of, "one day without work; one day without food."

The Buddhist Garden

In most monastic settings the most important jobs are given to the least important people. Gardening is the personification of Buddhism in action:

1. The Soil represents the fertile ground of the Buddha Mind.

2. The Sangha is in the community of plants.

3. The Dhamma as the expression of wisdom is the collective environment we call The Open Temple of Buddha Nature -

The Garden. The various practices of Buddhism are exemplified in our garden practice. The Buddha Nature that permeates all things is both still, being ever present, and also totally empty; void.

If we see the garden as the mind then:

1. Paths are represent the clear ways to enlightenment.
2. The condition of the soil represents the state of our Karma.
3. The plantings represent both fruitful and blossoming ideas, and perennial and dying concepts.
4. Seasons represent the fluctuations of the mind.

Peace and serenity are always associated with gardening and when we walk with intent (walking meditation) we should be aware of those on our journey who need our attention, whether self or other as personified in the garden.

Mindful weeding is attention with purpose and this will help us clear our own overgrown patches.
All monastic gardens are an expression of the innate wisdom of the community and visitors. What you see is a reflection of yourself.

We care for the garden through the practice of Mettaa - not just for others but for each plant and rock. If something is out of place we move it. If a plant cries out for attention, we give it - without fuss, without demand for reward. It is our sacred duty to give help before it is asked for and to demand no recompense.

For the gardens will grow, will develop in accordance with those who aid and care. What do we care for but our many Buddha selves in the environment of the garden?

The 4 Noble Truths of Gardening

1. All gardens need perfecting Change, transition and evolution always exist in the garden. The imperfection moves towards a further impermanence that again needs attention.

2. The reason why The cause of this continual dissatisfaction is the craving for a better environment. The desire for an unattainable goal, the creation of paradise or nirvana.

3. The way to improve By understanding the nature of this constant turmoil and need for further evolvement we see a means of satisfaction and acceptance open up.

4. The means to improve Understanding that perfection is unattainable but realisable, we implement the 8 fold path to come to terms with our own dissatisfaction, transforming our lives and being through the practice of gardening . . .

The 8 Fold Path of Gardening

1. Right Understanding

Practice is always through choice. Gardening is the intention to improve. Anyone who does not understand the necessity of gardening as a service to the community and ultimately to themselves needs to meditate (preferably whilst engaged in a task) on the nature of walls, obstacles, hedging etc. which are barriers to be overcome.

2. Right Mindedness

In gardening the internal mind dialogue is replaced by the external Buddha in Nature. By focusing on being attentive to gardening we are turning inside out the nature of mind. When we can garden without thought we are approaching our practice with Right Mindedness.

3. Right Communication

Speech is one form of communication. All expression and all manifestation talks to us and we respond. What we say in our mind to this, is our speech - if we do not like this we must change it. Right speech is then the attention to our thoughts expression. In gardening it is our communication with nature, our commitment to growth and improvement that shows that actions speak louder than words.

4. Right Action

Gardening is activity. The more active we are in gardening - the quieter our minds become. This is quite often the opposite of meditation where our body is still but there many be much mental activity. Action is not only what is done but more importantly how. Anything done with an aim of perfection becomes an expression of the best we are capable of.

5. Right Living

Gardening is an expression of both Samsara and nirvana. In its interplay exists the whole realms of experience. When we for a time work as gardeners, we are engaged in the Boddisattva Vow to relinquish our own good for all sentient beings down to each blade of grass.

6. Right Effort

Through choice we ask ourselves to do more than we want or think we are able or capable of. This is very important as time goes on we find ourselves doing more and more. Sitting meditation becomes easier through practice Similarly gardening tasks that seem less enjoyable become easier until all aspects of gardening are seen in a non differential way.

7. Right Attentiveness

A distracted mind is destructive to the individual. An attentive and open mind, gives attention to being and action. This practice of bringing into the present, underlies much Buddhist Mystic training.

8. Right Concentration

Focusing on a gardening job is one of the best mind practices We sweep away extraneous thoughts - allowing them to gently dissipate. Focusing on our task and breath, we become better able to be efficient in all areas of our life. We do what we are doing - we give focus and attentive awareness to this.

Be Still

We all need a space. Somewhere we can step out of our daily routine and be still. The world we have built is a noisy, crowded place. We need a healthy escape where we can renew.

A meditation garden, whether nestled in a small city place, suburb or open country can be a great place to unwind, relax, contemplate and rejuvenate in all seasons. The garden allows you to step aside and have some time when your mind is not filled with the what if, what's next and the whys that demand your attention.

Gardening itself can be a meditative activity but there are times when something more is required. If you have a garden or a space where you can create a garden you are indeed fortunate. The size of this space does not need to be great. A meditation garden may be only a few square feet.

Advance courses of study are not required to create your own mediation garden. All you need is the desire to do so. Less is more when designing a meditation garden, where the minimalist approach can be functional as well as aesthetically pleasing. These gardens are meant for dreaming, not for tending. These should be healing and relaxing gardens. Low maintenance. Not large. Not places where you have to work.

Choose low-maintenance plants -- for the most part perennials -- with features that appeal to the senses. If greenery is not an option, you can use rocks and sand to create a Zen inspired garden.

Water features. Few sounds are more lulling than those made by moving water. Ponds, streams, waterfalls or fountains are design standards for meditation gardens, often serving as the focal point. They also attract many species of wildlife.

But beware the temptation to continue adding on.

It's human nature to add more and more. If you have a pond, then you add an aerator. Then you add some fish. Then you have to add filters. People can lose what they're seeking in a meditation garden by making it too complicated, too much work.