Having discussed Shakyamuni Buddha, his enlightenment, and his role as a teacher in the previous post, we explore three fundamental concepts in Buddhism: Buddha, enlightenment, and what Buddhism is.
A) Buddha (Chinese: 佛), according to The Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism, is “in Sanskrit and Pali;” awakened one” or “enlightened one; “… meaning to “awaken” or to “open up” (as does a flower,) and thus traditionally etymologized as one who has awakened from the deep sleep of (unenlightenment) and opened his consciousness to encompass all objects of knowledge.”
The key point to understand now is that the Buddha’s knowledge does not come from studying books or earning a few advanced degrees. Instead, it comes from “opening his consciousness to encompass all objects of knowledge.” We will delve into their meaning when we discuss epistemology.
B) Bodhi (Chinese: 菩提/覺) is “in Sanskrit and Pali; ‘awakening,’ ‘enlightenment,'” which are often used synonymously.
According to the Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism, in the Astasahasrika-Prajnaparamita-Sutra (Chinese: 道行般若波羅蜜經), the Buddha defines enlightenment as “thought of enlightenment is no thought since in its essential original nature thought is transparently luminous.”
In other words, enlightenment is a state of mind that Buddha explicitly defines as “no thought.” Therefore, those who claim that “What exactly constituted the Buddha’s awakening is unknown” simply lack a good understanding of Buddhism. Without a doubt, it is impossible to understand Buddhism if one does not know the meaning of enlightenment.
Of course, “no thought” does not mean that enlightenment is achieved upon a person’s death when their encephalogram shows a straight line. Instead, “no thought” refers to a quiescent, inactive state of mind that does not allow thinking. The significance of a “no thought” mind is that it allows Buddha to perceive reality directly.
Perceiving reality directly is done through “opening one’s consciousness,” and “opening one’s consciousness,” is how one can “encompass all objects of knowledge.” While we will discuss these topics when we explore epistemology, I would like to quote the following from Dr. Max Planck, a 1918 Nobel Prize Laureate in Physics and the originator of quantum theory.
After a lifetime of studying quantum mechanics, he understood the limits of science, as he said:
- “I regard consciousness as fundamental. I regard matter as derivatives from consciousness. We cannot get behind consciousness. Everything that we talk about, everything that we regard as existing, postulates consciousness.”
- Science cannot solve the ultimate mystery of nature. And that is because, in the last analysis, we ourselves are a part of the mystery that we are trying to solve.”
The significance of these quotes for our current discussion is the phrase, “in the final analysis, we ourselves are part of the mystery that we are trying to solve.”
As discussed in Post 1, the mystery humanity has struggled to understand since pre-Socratic Greece is the mystery of “What Exists?” The Buddha answers that there is Nothing but Mentality in the cosmos. In such a cosmos, the mystery is the mystery of the mental world.
So, Dr. Planck was right. In such a world, humans are indeed part of the mystery. Since humans are part of the mystery, they must become part of it to solve it. Direct perception is the means by which the Buddha becomes part of the mental world. Again, since this is an introduction to the concept, we will discuss it in greater detail when we explore epistemology.
Since there are different levels of “encompassing all objects of knowledge,” enlightenment comes in different levels as well. When one encompasses “all objects of knowledge,” one reaches the highest level of Buddhahood, known as a Tathāgata. The Buddha of our Kalpa, Shakyamuni Buddha, is a Tathāgata.
Tathāgata (Chinese: 如來), according to The Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism, is “in Sanskrit and Pali, lit., one who has thus come/gone.” “A secondary denotation of the term is to understand ‘things as they are.'” The translation of Tathāgata in Chinese is a “thus come one (Chinese:如來).”
In other words, encompassing “all objects of knowledge” means understanding “things as they are.”
C) Buddhism.
According to The Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism, Buddhadharma (Chinese: 佛法), meaning “the teachings of Buddha,” is “one of the closest Indian equivalents to what in English is called Buddhism.”
Without a doubt, Buddhism should be recognized as the teachings of the Buddha. However, Buddhism is unique because no other form of education in the world offers a method for perceiving nature directly, thereby enabling one to become part of it and understand it. It is the fundamental reason Buddhism should not be categorized as a religion, a philosophy, or a science, even though science and Buddhism are complementary.
Indeed, Shakyamuni Buddha is a teacher. Furthermore, as discussed in the last post, Buddha is a teacher whose soteriological goal is to liberate all living beings from their existential suffering.
In the Lotus Sūtra, “one of the most influential and venerated Buddhist Mahāyāna sūtras,” and which “contains the final teaching of Shakyamuni Buddha,” Buddha makes it clear how living beings can fulfill his soteriological goal as he said:
“I vowed from the beginning. (Chinese: 我本立誓愿）
To make all living beings (Romanized Sanskrit: sattva; Chinese: 有情/眾生) my equal without a difference. （欲令一切眾, 如我等無異)
What I have vowed in the past, I have now fulfilled.” (如我昔所愿，今者已滿足)
Transformed them so they all enter the path of Buddhahood.” (化一切眾生，皆令入佛道).”
To be like Buddha without any difference means becoming a Tathagata, because our historical Buddha, Shakyamuni, is a Tathāgata. As mentioned earlier, becoming a Tathagata allows one to understand “things as they are.” As discussed in the previous post, understanding “things as they are” enables living beings to overcome their delusional misunderstanding of reality, be liberated from their existential suffering, and fulfill Buddha’s soteriological goal.
In the Diamond Sūtra, “one of the most influential Mahāyāna sūtras in East Asia, and it is particularly prominent within the Chan (or Zen) tradition, along with the Heart Sūtra,” Buddha vowed that he would be an honest teacher, as said that, like all Tathāgatas of the past, he is “a speaker of the truth, a speaker of veracity, a speaker of thusness, a non-deceptive speaker, and an un-contradictory speaker (Chinese: 如來是真語者，實語者，如語者, 不誑語者, 不異語者”). In other words, besides being a teacher, Buddha is also like a reporter, reporting back “things as they are” truthfully, just as he realized them.
Indeed, our historical Buddha was not the first Tathagata to visit our earth. There were many before him, and more would come after him. They are all honest and convey a consistent message because their goal is for living beings to understand “things as they are.”
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