Wednesday, May 04, 2011
Bodhidharma and Awakening
Recently, I read an announcement of a new internet series in which several woman of fame and success will present their prescriptions for "awakening to truth of self" and attaining personal goals, most of which seemed to have to do with acquiring wealth and status. Again, I was puzzled at this seeming co-opting of spiritual aims for less than spiritual purposes, especially in series that purported to focus on major change in our society. Somehow, this project reminded me of the ancient story of the Bodhidharma, one of the early patriarchs of Buddhism.
The Emperor asked Bodhidharma, first, "How much karmic merit have I gained for ordaining Buddhist monks, building monasteries, having sutras copied, and commissioning Buddha images?" Bodhidharma answered, "None, good deeds done with selfish intent bring no merit." The emperor then asked,"So what is the highest meaning of noble truth?" Bodhidharma answered, "There is no noble truth, there is only the void." The emperor then asked,"Then, who is standing before me?" Bodhidharma answered, "I know not."
From then on, the emperor refused to hear more of what Bodhidharma might say, and the latter went into his cave, there to meditate for nine years.
It is often unwelcome news that spiritual awakening does not refer to accumulation of material wealth, nor does it derive necessarily from ancient texts or greater realization of "selfhood" as the world may define it. In fact, enlightenment refers to the dissolution of the sense of separate self and the realization that one is merely a tiny particle in the great stream of creative energy that is the source and ongoing dynamism of this world. I do not think that programs such as those described in the beginning are going to bring us closer to what is often called the "Awakening" experience.
However, I do not believe that the point of Bodhidarma's experience is that we should shun the world and go live in caves. I think, rather, it is an example of how one dedicated soul was willing to sacrifice a great deal to defend his ideals, the truth he was meant to spread in the world.
(Image of Bodhidharma from Google--not authentic, of course, since he lived many hundreds of years ago.)
