PROPER BALANCE

Hindu philosophers had long taught that the way to salvation was as narrow as the edge of a razor.  The Buddha, however, developed a way that was more universal and readily achievable.  Yet, in his teaching he never strayed far from the Hindu tradition, his heritage, the reason Buddhism is seen as an offshoot of Hinduism.  There were people who suggested that the Buddha was out to start a new religion,  but that was never his intention.

The Buddha's way is based on his realization that the extremes of over-indulgence and of self-denial do not work.  A good analogy is a stringed instrument where if the strings are too loose, representing over-indulgence, the instrument does not play well.  Conversely, if the strings are too tight, as in self-denial, the instrument does not play well either.  It is the same with the wheel of a cart.  If it is too loose it will wobble and fall off, and if it is too tight it will not turn.  It is the lack of proper balance that the Buddha considered the source of human troubles.

The doctrine of the Four Noble Truths is the Buddha's remedy.  It is set up like a prescription that one would get from a physician.  First there is the initial diagnosis, which is, yes, there is a problem.  Next, the cause of the problem is stated.  Thirdly, the judgement is made that there is a cure.  And finally, the cure is set forth.  This structure and the Buddha’s subsequent Noble Eight-fold Path were so his followers could memorize them easily.  Today we have books and computers for ready reference, but not so in the past; information about most things was passed along by word of mouth.

Briefly then, the First Noble Truth says that there is suffering.  This suffering, the Buddha said, is caused by a grasping, a clinging to life, a wanting to do this, to have that, to be that.  The modern term for this, philosopher Alan Watts said, is hang-up, to be hung-up, obsessed with something.  This, however, can be overcome, the Buddha taught.  Yet simply saying that a person should just cease behaviors leading to his unhappiness the Buddha knew was not sufficient.  It would have left everyone without significant help.  Accordingly, he presented eight specific steps to aid the effort.

Right Viewpoint.  The first thing is to see one's problem for what it is, and then to take responsibility for it.  Typically the issue is ignorance, so called, that is identifying oneself with the ego, which is an illusion. The ego believes, through the social conditioning that created it, that certain things, such as possessions, will make one happy, when in fact they don't.

Right Aspiration.  Everyone aspires after something, but when they are centered around "I," "me," "mine," they result in unhappiness.  The Buddha believed that kindness and compassion toward others was more worthwhile, since it resulted in feelings of well-being in both the receiver and the giver.  These first two steps on the Path are for getting one's attitude changed for the better.  The next three steps deal with the types of conduct that stem from this right attitude.

Right Speech.  Gossip, slander, and abusive or idle talk is a waste of everyone's time, in the Buddha's view.  Controlled, considerate, and thoughtful speech has an outcome that is far more worth the effort, positive.

Right Behavior.  The Buddha did not describe fully the range of this step, even though his followers subsequently did so, singling out killing, stealing, and lying as behaviors to be avoided.  Rather than list all the things that one should not do, the Buddha instead encouraged people to do the right things.  For him, right behavior meant compassion.  He taught, for example, that "hatred does not cease by hatred at any time; hatred ceases by compassion."

Right Livelihood.  There are certain occupations that a person should not engage in, lest he damage himself spiritually.  Certain businesses involve injury to all forms of life, the Buddha explained. Slaughterhouse owners, drug dealers, and manufacturers of liquors, are good examples.  One should not be a soldier for the same reason.

Right Effort.  The sixth step moves beyond the level of conduct and refers to the staying speed, so called, the proper rate one should maintain while on the Eightfold Path, so as not to become discouraged.  Going at it too quickly or too slowly, depending upon the individual, is not good.  Trying to keep pace with someone else is not good.

Right Mindfulness.  The Buddha argued that it was the mind that led a person into most of his disharmonious troubles.  It is not a person's wanting something, a new pair of shoes, for instance, that is the problem.  Rather is it the person’s insistence on having the shoes, to the point that even when he obtains them, he is not satisfied.  He finds them too tight, too loose, or the wrong color.  Even when all these factors are just right, though, he is still miserable.  Now he wants more shoes, to see if he can get even better ones.

Right Contemplation.  Because people vary greatly in temperament, the Buddha suggested several dozen modes of training the mind for right concentration.  He had considerable appreciation for the prevailing Raja Yoga practices of his day, techniques that permitted a calming and focusing of the attention.  This attention might be simple meditation with no objective in mind, or it might be a serious delving into the depths of the mind, leading to Nirvana.

Finally, just as the Buddha did not speak of a soul or the Atman as in Hinduism, so he was reluctant to talk about Brahman or the Ground of Being.  Such matters, he said, could not be determined with any certainty, and, anyway, were beside the point.  Solving the problem of human suffering here and now was the point.