Mr_Mindblank Offline

113 Male from New Haven       272
         

Two Vehicles

“The Buddhism of the ancients, it's also know as the Hinayana Buddhism, the little ferry boat Buddhism, because in order to follow this Buddhism, you must give up the world and step into the little monk ferry boat that will carry you to the yonder shore.
“During the 1st century AD that's 500 years after the Buddha's time a new order of Buddhism comes into form, in northwest India. It is the Buddhism of the Mahayana, the big or great ferry boat Buddhism.
“Now to explain the difference between the two, I am going to use a little anecdote that my friend of long ago Heinrich Zimmer once proposed.
“The Bay area, with San Francisco on this side and over there across the bay, Berkley, with all the wise men there. So you are fed up with San Francisco, you are absolutely in disgust of life, and you've heard about Berkley, you've heard about Nirvana and you've heard what a peaceful, wonderful place it is and what spiritual life there is over there. So you go down to the shore and you look day after day over at Berkley, this is the desire for the experience, you know, of Nirvana?
“One fine day a ferry boat sets out from the yonder shore, comes right to your feet and in the ferry boat is a man who says, 'anyone for Berkley?', and you say, 'I'.
“And he says, 'Get aboard, but there is a consideration, namely, this is a one way trip.'
“Now the texts say, unless you are as eager for Nirvanic bliss as a man whose hair is on fire, would be for a pond in which to dive, don't start. It's too tough. So you get into the boat, and the boat starts out, and you have a pang, you think mother or something like that, but, it's too late now, you are out in the water. And now its ship ahoy, the splash of the waves on the hull of the boat, you thought it was going to be a short trip, may take six incarnations your now a monk. And its such a real relief and pleasure, counting the beads in this hand, then over here putting flowers on alters and so forth, life has been reduced to such simplicities, there's really no problems at all.
“The last thing you want now is to get ashore, on the other shore, where something else might happen.
“One fine incarnation or another, the boat scrapes ashore, this is that moment of rapture, you know. But you can't live in that. We're there, so you get ashore, it's a new life a new breeze and all that sort of thing.
“And then you think, I wonder how San Francisco looks from here...?
“Now we're going to move into the other type of Buddhism, this has been Hinayana Buddhism, only those willing to give up everything, monks, nuns, and so forth and to play the little game of rosaries and flowers, can get onto this trip.
“I wonder what San Francisco looks like from here...?
“Forgetting you are in the realm beyond pairs of opposites, hmmm?
“You turn around there is no San Francisco, there is no bay between, there is no ferry boat, there is no Buddha, this is it!
“This is know as the Mahayana, we're all there.
“And who’s there?
“Well, the first doctrine of Buddhism is Anatman, all things are without a self, so who is on the boat anyhow?
“Didn't you realize that?
“We are all simply illusions! Of a consciousness that is the real ground, this is the illusion that comes with the rippling water of pond, broken images, that come and go, we've identified ourselves with one of those that comes and goes. That is when we were in San Francisco.
“Now we've identified ourselves with the Buddha consciousness which informs all things and we are at peace. We can open our eyes and return to the world, we are in San Francisco. You see what we get?
“So, this is know as the Buddhism of the great delight, Mahasukha.
“All is sorrowful and in perfect rapture.
“And that night the Buddha comes to illumination, facing the east, and the new rising sun beholds him as a Buddha”