CONTAGIOUS INVOCATIONS WITHIN KARMIC FRAMES Pt. 5

KARMIC FRAME ONE: SOME CLASSICALLY EXPRESSED ROOT PATTERNS, USEFUL IN MYSTICAL & CONCEPTUAL THINKING

7. FULL INTERDEPENDANCIES: THE PRATICCHYAT SAMUTPADA OF THERAVADIN BUDDHISM.
Buddha, his followers, the dates of the writings contained within The Pali Canon of Theravadin Texts, The Mahayana Sutras and various other texts, the dates and longeveity of Buddhist teachers and saints prior to 1000 AD.

To begin with, the birth date of the Buddha is in serious question. It seems odd, that Alexander the Great (356-323 BC) did not discover any practicioners of Buddhism or Buddhist ideas during the period of conquest initiated by his father, Philip of Macedon (382-336 BC) and completed by himself (336-323 DC). Even earlier dates, including the period 622 BC, or 563-483 BC, have been given for the birthdates and death date of Siddhartha Gautama, the Sage of the Shakya clan which lived in one part of what is now Nepal. But there is no substantial proof for this.

There is some evidence of Buddhist monks being in Rome during the period of the lifetime of Gaius Julius Caesar (100-44 BC). Therefore, it is possible to make a case (albeit controversial) that the Buddha was born ca. 100 BC. If it is true that he lived to be approximately 82 years old, he would have died ca. 18 BC. If he lived to be 130 years old, as states another tradition, he would have died at Vulture Peak in Northern India, approximately 13 years before the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. Undoubtedly, this question will remain unresolved, but it is probable that the historical Buddha was born less than 200 years or 100 years before Jesus Christ. If Jesus Christ travelled to the Indian border or Rome, most likely, he would have met some Buddhist practicioners. All these issues will remain controversial.

As already mentioned, Siddhartha Gautama was born a prince in in Lumbini Park near Kapilavatthu. His parents were King Suddhodana and Quenn Siri Maha Maya, who reigned in the North of India at the border of the province of Himapanata, near the Himilaya Mountains and the border of Nepal within an Indo-Aryan tribe named the Sakiya. Siddhartha Gautama's mother died just seven days after giving birth to him and the Queen's sister, Princess Mahapajapati then became his foster mother. At the age of sixteen, Siddhartha Gautama was married to his cousin Yasodhara, who was the daughter of King Koli. At the age of 29 years, Siddhartha Gautama and his wife Yasodhara had a son. They named him Rahula.

During this same year, Siddhartha Gautama renounced his entire family, his position, titles, and wealth and became a homeless wanderer, searching for inner truth. For the next six years he lived an austere land very harsh life. At the age of 35 years, on the night of a full moon, he was sitiing at the base of a Bodhitree at Bodh Gaya (India) and experienced direct enlightenment. During the ramainder of his life, he gave his teachings of enlightenment to many people.

What Did the Buddha Teach? Hinayana and the First Reflex of Buddhism:

"Suffering exists
Suffering is not eternal.
Suffering can be ended by right effort of human beings.
This way of right effort is known, can be taught, and can be learned by any human."

The nature of conditioned existence is suffering."

The nature of enlightenment is the cessation of suffering"


There is an Unborn, Unbecome, Unmade, Uncompounded; for if there were not this Unborn; Unmade; Uncompounded, then there would be no transcendence from the born, become, made, and compounded.
Udana 80 f: ; Itvutakka 37

In this last quotation, the Buddha makes it quite clear that Nirvana is not any form of annihilation but a different dimension of being. It is NOT a statement discussing the transformation of personality, although, this, too, might take place.

The Buddha continues:

There is a sphere wherein is neither earth, nor water, nor fire, nor air; wherein is neither the sphere of infinite space, nor of infinite consciousness, nor of nothingness, nor of neither ideation nor non-ideation, where there is neither this world nor a world beyond, nor both together, nor sun, nor moon: I say there is neither coming from it nor going to it; it has neither duration nor decay; their is neither beginning nor establishment; there is no result and no cause; this is verily the endof suffering.
Udana 80

These passages speak of a sphere , realm, or world where the four material elements, the four Formlesss Realms, this world, all worlds beyond, and the sun and moon are not found. Further, there is no coming, no going, nor staying, neither dying, nor being born.

What is really being said is that all these notions of our physical world and phenomenal world, and all relative concepts are simply not established in any way as any form of absolute reality. One tries to pacify the mind from automatically, obsessively, and continually compounding and concocting images of reality. The negative terminology, so often used when discussing Nibbana (or Nirvana) are to signify the struggle for and the power of detachment from the being controlled by one's own thoughts and concepts which are only awareness which has been lessened and conditioned by a multiplex network of causes, other causes, conditions, and other conditions - aggregated, single, and mixed.

One should practice detachment to one's own set of aggregates, consciously reflect upon their impermanence, their interdependence, and their arising and dispersing, and upon all of their Not-Self characteristics and Not-Self intrinsics, and seek in one's self "The Deathless Element" often with the aid of a convenient yoga, aphorism, phrase, idea, or mantra which (in its own existence) defies the person's present situation. But, while respecting these methods, one must never fall in love with these methods, nor grasp them to the detriment of their very usage-ability.

In so far only, Ananda, can one be born, or grow old, or die, or pass away or reappear, in so far only as there is any pathway for verbal expression, in so far is there any pathway for terminology, in so far only is there any pathway for designations, in so far only is there any sphere of knowledge, in so far only is the round (of Samsaric Life) kept going, for there to be any designation of the conditions of this existence.
Dialogues of the Buddha, Pali Text Society

Friend, Visakha, when one has emerged from the attainment of the stopping of relative perception and relative feeling, three impingements asail him/her: impingement which is void; impingement which is signless; impingement which is undirected.
Middle Length Sayings of the Buddha, Pali
Text Society

By knowing the destruction of formations, O Brahmin, be thou one who knows the Unmade.
Dhammapada; v. 383


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Dr. D. T Suzuki in hisOutlines of Mahayana Buddhism (pp 50-51) says: "Nirvana according to Buddhists, does not signify an annihilation of consciousness nor a temporary or permanent suppression of mentation, as imagined by some, but it is the annihilation of the ego-substance and of all the desires that arise from this erroneous conception."

How Did the Buddha Teach?

1.) Revolution: To create a specific radical change in the thinking of the student or
listener, he would take a generally used attitude or widely believed idea and create a
total change within the structure of the attitude or idea. For example: self-
mortification (especially of the body) was a very popular religious practice during
Shakyamuni Budhha's lifetime. The Buddha repudiated self-mortification with the
concept of the Middle Way. The Middle Way concept can be found in The First
Sermon at Sarnath and The Dhammacakkappavattiana Sutta and in other texts.

2.) Reformation / Re-Interpretation: To create a partial change within a generally used
attitude or widely believed idea through a new form of reasoning based upon a
breaking down and then a reforming of the smallest still important modules of logic
contained within a specific logical structure, thus creating a new meaning or new form
of meaning At one point the Buddha took the popular idea of a person bathing away
their sins in the Holy Ganges Riverand made known that from his perspective, any
person who bathed in the "river of morality" (morality itself being seen as water)
would be purified of their kleshas-wrong actions-sins, whatever word a person wishes
to use.

3.) Reconstruction: To take destroyed, discarded, and disregarded pure logical structures
and/or illogical structures used as a form of mental surgery and create a whole, living,
dynamic, and uncontestable thought or series of thoughs, now seen as a seamless
concept, which has the characteristics of being unforgetable, unassailable, and
acceptable. The Four Noble Truths are an example of Reconstruction and can be
found in his First Sermon at Sarnath and The Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta.

After the Buddha reached En;ightenment, he spent the rest of his life walking all over what is now India. The Buddha's average work day was twenty hour for mostly teaching and some traveling (and the normal bodily needs) and four hour for sleeping. It is said that he delivered, composed, and created 84,000 teachings on a wide variety of general and specifiv topics.


These topics which are well known as The Tipitaka or The Three Baskets can be grouped into three general categories:

1.) Vinaya: The rules of behaviour of one's speech and actions.

2.) Sutta (or Sutra): The discourses of the Buddha, to be used for controlling the
mind from the basic to the advanced; from the simple to the complicated.

3.) Adhidamma: Discourse dealing with metaphysics but without ever mentioning persons; animals; plants; inanimate objects, and all other actual things.


To create an environment for remedying both actual and imaginary failure in a person's life, the Buddha taught four principles:

1.) Chanda:Preference. The willingness with happiness to do whatever is to be done.

2.) Viriya: Patience. The generation, the use, and the will-power itself caring out
everything which has been determined to do by the person themselves.

3.) Citta: Perserverance. The courage to keep on keeping on with what one has
determined to do, no matter what are the diffivulties.

4.) Vimansa: Pondering. The willingness, natural ability, and further created ability to
approach questions from a variety of viewpoints in order to determine the truth.


The Buddha created the following principles for a person to be able to be influential, unified, and even charasmatic within any legitimate society.

1.) Dana: Charity: Giving to others in need and to those who are deserving. This creates
the fundamental aspect of happiness as well as the beginning aspect of selflessness.

2,) Piyavaca: Kind Speech: Givind beneficial conversation to others. Ultimately, the
practioneer will be considered a valuable person.

3.) Attacariya: Good Actual Work Help: Giving all the other forms of help not included
within Dana: Charity or Piyavaca: kind Speech. Many times, the meaning is that of
physical work or manual labor whenever it is needed. Ultimately, the practioneer will
be treateed as a respected teacher.

4.) Samanattata: Evenness-Behaviour: Being modestand not expressing contempt for
others' ways of living. This includes that a person not be enslaved by impulse.
Ultimately, this person will be welcomed by all.


The Duties of a Leader, Ruler, Master, or Teacher: The Avoidance of the Four Kinds of Partiality: These are found in The Catukkanipata of The Anguttaranikaya.

1.) Acting in the state of preference of one person over the other.

2.) Holding feelings of hatred or ill-will.

3.) Having and maintaining attitudes of ignorance and maintaining wrong views, which are
views which do not maintain themselves from within a compassionate matrix.

4.) Fear. Cowardice. Acting singly or in sequences against one's own moral or ethical
judgement or conscience.


From The Dighanikaya or The Duty of Servants or Subordinates Towards Their Masters.
are found The Five Additional Duties of A leader, Ruler, Master, or Teacher:

1.) To give out work only which is suitable to the strength and skill of the person to whom
this work is given.

2.) To give food, shelter, and all other necessities.

3.) To give aid and succour during any time any of these persons are suffering from any
illness.

4.) To give extra payment and rewards.

5.) To grant periodic or occasional leaves of absencde.


From The Mangalasutta:

1.) To be respectful.

2.) To not be Arrogant.

3.) To be moderate in all things.

The Tenfold Practice of A Ruler, Executive, or Leader:

1.) Dana: Giving verbal, material, or manual help where and when it is needed.

2.) Sila: maintaining the basic precepts of being reliable and friendly.

3.) Pariccaga: Doing selfless sacrifice of private interest for the sake of the public weal.

4.) Ajjaya: maintaining faithfulness to one's own ideals, other people, and daily work.

5.) Maddava: Being modest. Not being aggressive.

6.) Tapa: Maintaining one's ability for and actual self-control and moderation.

7.) Akkodha: Not being enslaved by on'es own impulses and not being given to anger.

8.) Avihimsa: Not inclining oneself towards aggression or violence.

9.) Khanti: Maintaining equinimity and compassion in the face of physical and mental suffering

10.) Avirodha: Adhering to the laws of true justice and real righteousness.


The Ways of Rendering Assistance for Leaders, and Rulers (The Rajasangahavatthu):

1.) Sassamedha: The development of a country through consistent agricultural and
reasonable economic planning.

2.) Purisamedha: The development of human resources, increasing workers' skills, and
creating situations where the people can reasonably expand their experience and
expand their knowledge.

3.) Samampasa: The active use of philanthropy and other forms of help-rendering
activities, which then act as a connecting link and a connecting ethic for other social,
economuc, agricultural, and commercial activities.

4.) Vajapeyya: maintaining one's own capacity for adaption and tolerance, through words
and actions.


The Ten Negative Aspects: Do not let yourself be controlled by:

1.)Hearsay.

2.)Intergenerational Traditions.

3.) Rumors.

4.) References to texts.

5.) Guessing.

6.) Speculation.

7.) Logical Inferences.

8.) Opinions Consistant With One's Own Opinions.

9.) Automatic Trust For Those Who Speak Well.

10.) Unusual and Exaggerated Respect For One's Own Teacher.

The Observance of the Four Divine States of Mind1.) These are found in The Vibhanga of The Adhidhamma.

1.) Loving-Kindness.

2.) Compassion.

3.) Sympathy.

4.) Equinimity.


The first phase of Buddhism is called the Abhidarmic phase. This phase lasted from the Buddha's death until sometime during the 1st century AD. This phase centered upon a philosophical awareness which consisted mainly of analysis of psycho-physical phenomena into dharmas (elements); samskrta (compounded and/or conditioned) ; and asamkrta (uncompounded and/or unconditioned). The language used was Pali. The main practice was rigorous meditation. This phase of Buddhism is known as Hinayana (The Little Vehicle) or Theravada (Southern School).


The Praticcya Samutpada Sutta:

Obsessed by two views , do some gods and humans lag behind (Oliyanti), while yet others over-reach themselves (Atidhavanti). Only they do see who have eyes to see.
Itivuttaka; 43.

(The two views are: One: the complete emphasis on the Soul and Other-worldliness; and Two: the complete emphasis on the worldly human physical body)

Praticcya Samutpada means the interdependent origination of all phenomena. TheHinayana Buddhists see Praticcya Samutpada as the temporal sequence of real entities between which there has to exist a causal relation. According to the Hinayana, it means, "the evanescent moment things appear." The Mahayana Buddhists see Praticcya Samutpada as the principle of the manifestation of entities within an essential dependence upon one another. Nagarjuna says: "Since there is no element of existence (dharma) which comes into manifestation without conditions, there is no dharma which is not devoid of real independent existence (sunya). This concept from the Theravadin (Hinayana) Buddhist system is equally important to both Theravadin and Mahayanist philosophy and psychology.

Interdependent arising is never able to be reduced to any single one of its applications. Interdependent Arising remains the major aspect and expression, itself, of the structural relatedness of all phenomena. All phenomena conform to this principle. Things arise, not from thier intrinsic nature, their own will, necessity, chance, or accident, but from a network of casual connections based upon the extrinsic and intrinsic nature of phenomena itself and Name (Nama) and Form (Rupa). Each transient entity, emerges into the Present from the stream of events brought forward from the past and absorbs into itself the casual influx of the past, to then rebirth it in connected variation to all else. And to all this, It itself must be responsive. In the Present, it demonstrates and exercises its own specific functions, but with the support of all conditions - all of which is its own immediate expression of being. With the new growing interdependence of it own reality with all else, it develoops new actuality as it completes its earlier actuality. At all times, Past, Present, and Future, It remains, is becoming, and has become another condition for all other conditions, which are functioning in the same interdependency and changing continuity.

Personal liberation, Here and Now, is dependent upon one's own success in breaking down the ego-interface between mutually interdependent consciousness and Name (Nama)-And Form (Rupa).

Those modes, features, characters, exponents, by which the aggregate called Name (Nama) is designated, if all these were absent, would there be any manifestation of a corresponding verbal impression in the aggregate called(bodily) Form (Rupa)? There would not!..

Those modes, features, characteristics, exponents by which the aggregate called (bodily) Form (Nama) is designated, if these were absent would there be any manifestation of an impression of sense-reaction in the aggregate called Name (Nama)? There would not!...

And if all those modes...of both kinds were absent would there be any manifestation of either verbal or sensory impression? There would not!...
Digha Nikaya; `II; 62; Maha-nidana Sutta.




8. TURNING THE COGNITIONS INTO A MIRROR OF COGNITIONS: TIBETAN BUDDHISM.