Honsho-Myoshu
“What I don’t understand is when one achieves enlightenment, the reward is already had. So what happens after that? What inspiration is there to do good and help others?” My pastor asked as we were driving north along Highway 55 to visit a shelter in Chicago. Pastor Carol and I were having another of our theological conversations, which can only be expected from a Methodist pastor and one of her ‘Religiously Undecided’ parishioners while traveling in a confined space for several hours. At that point in my life I was reading books about everything from Transpersonal Psychology and Moral Philosophy to Zen Buddhism and the Kabbalah. You see, I wanted to understand what makes a person ‘good’. I wanted to find the Truth that underlay all the religions and spiritual traditions of the world. I wanted to find what connects us.
“Well, Buddhism isn’t just about sitting on a mountaintop meditating for the rest of your life. Some people may choose to do that, whether as the result of their opening nirvana or in search of it. However, any person from any tradition can choose to do any thing at any place or time. Buddhism is also about social action and right living.” I said, fiddling with the radio knob, desperately seeking a distraction to avoid any unpleasantness that may ensue due to our unfolding line of questioning.
She knocked my fingers off the dial, saying, “Hey, this is a good conversation we’re having.” I sunk back into my seat with a quiet huff. She pretended not to notice. “You still didn’t answer my question, though. What happens after that? What is the point of enlightenment?”
I knew she was trying to challenge me. I rolled this question over in my mind, seeking the answer that would cause the least amount of fuss. “You can do things from the outside in or you can do them from the inside out. Well, I suppose you can do them any way you like, but this example suits my point. I feel like most traditions try to convince us to do things from the outside in – that if we live a good life and love our neighbor and feed the poor and have fear of God, we are then made good in the eyes of God, and salvation will be our reward. And what I most often see in these God-fearing people is a struggle in their heart and a belief that they are never quite good enough.” I paused here, to see how my words had landed. Carol was staring at the road ahead, watching the endless stream of cars speed off to their destinations. Her ever-present smile — the mark of a good-hearted woman — had not faded, which gave me courage.
I continued, “There is a saying in Zen Buddhism, Honsho-Myoshu, meaning roughly, ‘original enlightenment is wondrous practice’. That is to say, you are the Buddha, you are the Perfect One. It is through practice that this realization is had. And in the awareness of your grand perfection, even if it lasts only for a flash of a moment, you become conscious of what you are capable of creating in this world.”
“My personal experience of Buddhism as a practice is that it works from the inside out. Certainly, there are guides to behavior and challenges to the mind, but the practice of meditation itself inspires a natural movement toward compassion and loving kindness. So, I believe that the point of enlightenment is not enlightenment itself. Rather, the realization of enlightenment is the realization that we are not separate. And when you are sitting in complete silence and absence of thought and you feel this connectedness to all of life, you cannot help but feel grateful. You cannot help but feel love. Meditation inspires right action through love.”
Carol sat in silence for some time, hands set firmly at ten and two. “So you are a Buddhist, now?” She asked, jokingly.
“No,” I said, “I am not a Buddhist, now. I am simply someone who values the cleansing of my own heart in silence and the good that it inspires me to do in this world.”
“Sounds good to me,” she said, “it’s all about where the heart is in my book.” She passed me a sly wink. “Now, how about we get some lunch?”
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I wanted to tell this story not to advertise or disrepute any religion. I simply wanted to tell a story that everyone could relate to – a story that lets us know that we are grand creations and that our loving hearts can accomplish far greater things in this world than our fear-filled ones.