The Zen of Pain: Part I

It is important to realize that pain, crashing though it can be, comes in waves. Mindfulness training will help you find refuge betweens those breaks. Crashing Waves by Jose Guillermo

In our life as a human being, one thing we can not escape from is pain. Physical or mental, one-time-off or long-term, we are likely to be exposed to it sooner or later in life, if not already.

Yet, inevitable as it is, we do not seem to have a clue what it is. Has it ever occurred to you that while the pain we sustain is right here with us, either with our body or mind, we always run to others to learn what it is and ask others how to deal with it?

Not that the author is that much different from this conventional, spontaneous reaction. In fact, the motivation to write this week’s installment came from the very recent hospital stay due to severe migraine.

When one experiences such acute level of pain that renders one helpless, literally grasping for air, shaking, losing sight in one eye, on the verge of throwing up while one’s jaw bones dropping and locking themselves in an unmovable, contorted position, one naturally has two desire. The first is not wanting to experience it again oneself, the second is not wanting anyone to have to go through this kind of pain. Ever.

So that was the motivation behind this piece. Of course the ultimate answer that the author like to emphasize is to solve the problem at its root cause—by trying not be born again so that we would no longer have to go through this pain cycle. But that is our longer-term goal. Meanwhile, now that we have been born and still have to go through various pain in our life, let us learn how to navigate through it as best as we can.

Here’s the catch: this attempt to learn from pain would not only help us now, but the accumulation of the learning would contribute to the eventual Enlightenment itself. Yes, it is just like killing two birds with one stone, if you would forgive the cruelty of the expression.

This does not mean the author is telling you to avoid the doctor or any other professional help at all cost and just handle each and any pain yourself. Given our modern-day living, it is only “natural” for us to go see doctor about any pain or illness we may have. What the author is trying to tell you, though, is that there are many things you could do to be better informed about your pain before, during, and after you receive a medical treatment. Consider it your personal bonus, if you will.

The Nature of Pain

First of all, like anything else in life, pain is impermanent. For those with really sharp mindfulness or those practicing in a retreat, they would be able to see between the smallest temporal units of “pain interval” that happens, stays, and goes away. For some, pain may seem to come and go with every pulse, others would be able to see even between that.

In real life, when we are likely to live move around in our “auto-pilot” mode and as a result being unaware of this very nature, most pain, physical or mental, would seem to last “forever.” This by itself is an obvious incentive to learn mindfulness. At least your mind would find it easier to remain calm because you knew, by experience, that your pain would not last forever.

And why a calm mind is important in that crucial moment of intense physical pain? From the medical point of view, a calmer mind would help one deals with pain better. But one can not just achieve that calmness by just telling oneself to be calm. It is a very specialized skill that has to be practiced, under supervision, until one experienced it oneself how calmness can arise out of acute pain.

At the very least, the “ability” to find temporary refuge through the “mini-break” between each pain, tiny span of time though it may be, is a big plus. Think of it as an occasional grasp of air when you are on the verge of drowning.

When your mind is concentrated long enough on “catching” the “black hole” of time and space between each throbbing pain, a certain calmness would occur. It would likely be enough to carry you through the time you have to wait until a medical professional attend to your pain and/or the time when the first dose of steroid-laced painkiller take effect.

Zen and Pain

Naturally, Zen is a specialty of Zen masters. They should know best, given the grueling training of horrendously long hours of sitting meditation where any movement is not allowed.

And do not underestimate the sharp eyes of a Zen master who walks down the aisle, watching his disciples sitting, carrying a wooden stick. The purpose? To hit one who moves or falls asleep. If you think you could get away with wiggling your toes under the layperson’s robe, think again. In fact, most people the author talked to fear the master (and his stick) more than one’s pain. In other words, they sort of tough it out through out the session, pain and all that. And that is how people gain wisdom from their zazen, or sitting meditation.

And it takes years, if not a life time, of intense practice before one can truly become a Zen master, having one’s own stamp of approval from one’s teacher with a license to teach. Therefore, the masters must certainly know a think or two about pain and how one can gain wisdom from it. In two weeks’ time, we will be back discussing some interesting insights from selected Zen masters.

Until then, let us be mindful and take good care of our physical and mental health so that no severe pain can get us and knock us unconscious! Unconsciousness is the state that is furthest removed from wisdom, the ability to remain “awakened,” so to speak. It starts with a will power, you know. A fierce determination, if you will, to get out of this suffering business altogether. The Path is not that easy, but it is attainable.

Therefore, do not be despair if you get knocked around quite a fair bit by pain. Like a good boxer, you do get up after you have been knocked down. One day, it would be your turn. That would be the day when pain does not disturb your life anymore. It will still occur, but your mind won’t be perturbed. It will be your turn to knock the pain down. Yes, down and out.

Disasters Within

Today marks the 4th anniversary of the 2004 tsunami disaster, a catastrophe that was billed as the deadliest in history, claiming more than 200,00 lives across many countries in the Asian continent.

Photo courtesy of Bangkok Post

Most of us can likely remember the magnitude of the impact the disaster had on our lives or people close to us. In the wake of the tragedy, many people who were directly affected asked a well-known scholar-monk, the Rev W. Vajiramedhi, for advice.

His various dhamma talks on the topic given on different occasions were later compiled into a book, titled Kluen Nok, Kluen Nai (The Waves Without, The Waves Within). Many editions have been printed to give away as a dhamma dana (gift of dhamma) by various compassionate individuals and organisations.

Today, as the fateful date returns, many families and friends of the victims could not help but be reminded of the heartache when they learned that they just lost their loved ones.

In Buddhism, every crisis is a learning opportunity. Under proper guidance, one can develop the technique to turn every crisis into a lasting wisdom that eventually leads to enlightenment itself.

Since the book by the Rev W. Vajiramedhi was in Thai and is now out of print, the author would like to dedicate the space of today's column to summarise the gems of that wisdom as a befitting memorial to that tragic event.

The sound advice that the Rev W. Vajiramedhi gave to the friends and families of the victims of the 2004 tsunami is as follows:

Accept the truth. The faster, the better

Whenever crisis strikes, be it from natural disasters or man-made ones, find your inner strength through mindfulness so that you would be able to accept the truth as it is.

According to the Rev W. Vajiramedhi, by accepting the truth, the mind would be able to restore its balance. The faster one can accept the truth, the faster one can move on with life.

On the other hand, the longer one lingers in suffering over the event that has passed, the more difficult it would be to regain a proper frame of mind. The bottom line is, those who are courageous enough to accept the truth up front would be able to think properly and know what needs to be done.

In order to have the proper frame of mind to gain wisdom from a disaster, the Rev W. Vajiramedhi suggested that we should be open-minded. Merely observe without being judgmental. Do not criticise and try to find a scapegoat. The blame game, one must realise, does not get one out of suffering.

Familiarize Oneself with Life's Ultimate Truth

This second step to gain wisdom from a disaster has a two-fold benefit. Not only one would gain wisdom from the disaster that just occurred, but one would also be prepared for future, unavoidable disasters as well.

Life's ultimate truth is in fact very straightforward. And when one learns it when disaster has not struck yet, it would be easier for the mind to accept. Therefore, the Rev W. Vajiramedhi said it is important that we familiarise ourselves with them as soon as possible in life, so that the next time disaster strikes, we would be ready. Life's ultimate truth includes:

1) No one escapes ageing. In fact, the deteriorating process toward death starts at birth; 2) No one escapes illness and pain; 3) No one escapes death; 4) Losing loved ones and treasured possessions cannot be avoided; and 5) To each his/her own karma. No one escapes the Law of Karma.

By realising this final truth alone, one would be able to refrain from the blame game that is nothing more than creating a new negative karmic cycle for oneself.

Learn to Live Fully in the Present

Suffering only occurs when one's mind falls into the past or ventures in speculation into the future. Therefore, the ability to live fully in the present is a valuable life skill. The Rev W. Vajiramedhi suggested some practical methods as follows:

1) Keep oneself busy; 2) Build up one's concentration through prayer; 3) Learn meditation techniques; and 4) Learn how to face one's own death by practicing mindfulness of death, Maranassati.

Mindfulness of Death

In it simplest meaning, the practice of mindfulness of death is to be constantly aware that death can happen to us any second. In Lord Buddha's words, the mindful ones are those who realise that they might not survive even into the next breath. When practiced properly, mindfulness of death would: 1) sharpen one's mindfulness; 2) enable us to understand the true value of life; and 3) enable us to perform our duty without carelessness. Mindfulness of death can be practiced in every waking moment, the Rev W. Vajiramedhi said, even when stuck in traffic.

There is one word of caution, though. As with any other mindfulness practice, it is best to be done under supervision of a veteran teacher.

If mindfulness of death is practiced without proper understanding, it could yield: 1) fear of one's death; 2) depression, and/or 3) careless/mindless living (for mistakenly believing that death simply means one would no longer be able to do indulge).

At this point, the author would like to add that, beside monks, there was one social class in history that successfully practiced mindfulness of death. They were the Japanese feudal samurai. After turning to Zen during the Kamakura Period (1185-1333), the samurai actively practiced mindfulness of death to help enable them to see life in perspective and, in effect, help them deal with suffering. The list in Japanese history is long for the samurai who were able to face their death calmly, mindfully, either at the hand of the enemy or on their deathbed. This is doubtlessly due to their lifetime of practice of mindfulness of death.

Build One's Radar System for 'the Waves Within'

The Rev W. Vajiramedhi observed in his book that, while countries spend millions setting up centres to detect possible disasters from tsunamis - or "the waves without" - no one seems to put equal efforts to detect "the waves within."

By "the waves within," the Rev W. Vajiramedhi meant the waves of anger, fear, disappointment, greed/lust, and ignorance. The ultimate advice for Buddhists is, therefore, to start building one's personal radar to watch out for the disasters within ourselves.

At the end of the day, the ability to detect a disaster within from the minute it starts to ripple would be the key to ultimately shield us from any further suffering from the disasters without. Because such ability, arisen from continuous mindfulness practice, would eventually lead us to Enlightenment. Ultimately, we were affected by the tsunami because we were born. If there is no "us", there would be no suffering.

The enlightenment, quite frankly, is the final answer.

The Unaware Society

"Why don't you write about nibbana (the Buddhist Enlightenment)?," a friend who is an English literature professor in a local university asked.

Photo coutesy of the Bangkok Post

"It seems most Thais are not interested in the Enlightenment nowadays," she observed, before concluding: "They seem to think that it is not relevant to them."

The author's friend has a point. Come to think about it, even the English-speaking world has chosen to adopt the Sanskrit spelling of the word for Buddhist Enlightenment rather than the Pali one. That is, we would likely see the reference to nirvana rather than nibbana in English-language publications.

This by itself signals that our Mahayana friends, especially the Zen sect, whose scriptures were written in Sanskrit, have been quite successful in making it clear to the world that nirvana is their top priority.

What We Could Learn from our Zen Friends

The proof was clear in the teaching of Zen's earlier patriarchs, from Daruma, the Indian monk who made Zen popular in China, down to Huineng and Huairang. They talked repeatedly about the importance of training one's mind until one discovers the true "Buddha Nature" inside.

The Zen Patriachs also addressed the mass without discrimination, meaning it does not matter if one is a monk or a layperson. For, in a Zen teacher's mind, it is everyone's duty to strive hard to attain Enlightenment in this lifetime.

After Zen made its way to Japan, the ever-productive and disciplined Japanese made sure that they found an effective way to infuse mindfulness, the practice through which one achieves Enlightenment, into everything they think, say and do. Many of the ancient arts and culture that survive until today are the testament to that admirable effort.

In 1967, roughly eight centuries after Zen has been introduced to Japan, a world-famous Japanese writer, Yukio Mishima, came to Thailand to carry out research for one of his books, "The Temple of Dawn." Mishima did not find what he was looking for, a Theravada interpretation of consciousness and rebirth as taught to the general public. In fact, Mishima even remarked through the novel's fictional character, Mr Honda, that all he found in Thailand was the emphasis on dana (giving) and the stories of Lord Buddha's last 10 lives, Jataka.

A little embarrassing, one must admit. Today, 41 years after Mishima's casual but truthful remark in that novel, little has changed in Thailand. If there is change of any sort, it does not become for the better. For the society seems to be more preoccupied in examining, with a magnifying glass, the various editions of the Hindu-inspired Jatukham amulets rather than being absorbed in learning how Lord Buddha attained his Enlightenment.

Even if there are more books on mindfulness practice now than there were 41 years ago, it still does not mean that the Thais have been actively practising it. At least not to the level the Japanese have. Perhaps we have to thank the late Mr Mishima for pointing out our weakness for us.

Why Most Thais are Not Interested in Enlightenment

Let us try to answer Mr Mishima, and ourselves, why most Thais are not interested in the most important aspect, the raison d'etre, of Buddhism. One obvious argument is the fact that the Thai society has, for centuries, been blessed with agricultural abundance and relative peace. Compared to the centuries of civil wars and harsh natural disasters that Japan has had to endure, Thailand has not seen that much suffering. In addition, the Japanese's knack of keenly observing the changes in their four seasons also helps them to understand Buddhist Law of Impermanence better than us Thais who are surrounded by year-round evergreen trees.

The Chinese sages got it right when they say, "When one has not yet seen one's coffin, one does not shed tears." It is the complacency, a false sense of security, that made us Thai people feel that suffering is too far-flung a concept to think about in our everyday living. The ability to see suffering, or changes that lead to suffering, is the first trigger for one's quest for the Enlightenment.

Therefore, one could argue that the severe sufferings the ancient Japanese had to endure was a "blessing in disguise."

For those who have not practised mindfulness and experienced the "trailer" of what Enlightenment could be, the attempt to understand nibbana is literal at best. And it is this literal approach that further alienates Buddhist Enlightenment from a layperson's everyday life.

The Problem with our Literal Approach to Nibbana

First, it is a linguistic problem. We Thais, since our primary school years, were taught that Lord Buddha entered Maha Parinibbana (The Great Enlightenment) upon his death. Therefore, consciously or not, the word nibbana to the Thai ear usually rings in the image of death. Therefore, for those who did not have enough exposure to the essence of Buddhism, nibbana seems to be the stage that one can only enter after dying.

Needless to say, this misconception made nibbana something that no one wants to rush into. In fact, subconsciously, we may not even want to touch it with a ten-foot pole. Isn't it startling that the key message that Lord Buddha wanted to convey suddenly has become a taboo subject in Thailand? Perhaps regrettable is a more appropriate word.

The late Ven Buddhadasa had done his best to correct this by educating us Thais that in fact nibbana is something that is attainable while we are still alive, and should be every Buddhist's goal. Even if we could not reach the Ultimate Enlightenment yet, the late Ven Buddhadasa kindly suggested, at least we should try to frequently experience the "mini-Enlightenment" in our everyday life. The way to achieve it, he pointed out, is through Vipassana (mindfulness) meditation. Very Zen-like teaching, if one may add.

Professor Saeng Jan-ngam, a respectable Buddhist scholar from Chiang Mai, gave us another reason why we Thais tend not to be enthusiastic about nibbana. In his book, Buddhasasanavidhya, Prof Saeng pointed out that ordinary people only understand ordinary pleasure, not knowing that there could be a far more profound state of happiness than the worldly ones.

As a result, when they learn, through books, that nibbana does not have that kind of pleasure but offers a sustainable peace and happiness, they can not grasp the magnitude of its benefits and therefore do not see any appeal in trying to "reach somewhere" where none of the pleasure they know is available.

More important, Prof Saeng pointed out, is our false attachment to the concept of "self." For the untrained mind, the idea of total riddance of the "self" does not seem to be the ideal stage to aim for. "How can I feel happiness," they would argue, "when myself does not exist?"

Regrettably, it is this very misunderstanding of nibbana that gives a loophole for imposters to jump in and distort Lord Buddha's teaching by claiming that the "self" still exists in "the place called nibbana." This teaching is by far the most dangerous teaching around town these days, usually accompanying a request for a huge donation to "guarantee one's place in different levels of heavens."

Why we Thais should Attempt to Understand Nibbana

Therefore, at the very least, the attempt to properly understand Buddhist Enlightenment would give us immunity from falling into the danger of false teaching. It would not only help prevent us from becoming financially bankrupt as some unfortunate victims were led into, but also from being morally corrupted as a result of following the wrong path. The path is only downward for those with a wrong understanding, Lord Buddha himself gravely warned. This means that even if we are not Enlightened in this life yet, at least we should try to prevent ourselves from falling into the wrong path, because what it entails is endless suffering.

Simply put, the society that does not put Enlightenment as one of its top priorities is an "unaware" society. We are unaware that we are living mindlessly. There is the sad story of a chicken that continues to run around even after its head has been cut off. Did the body know where it was going? Did the body even realize that it is already dead? Regrettably, it would be only a matter of moments before the body finally drops to the ground, contracting in a final spasm, eventually becoming still, completely dead.

A painful analogue, we agree, but it could not be more apt to describe a Buddhist society that does not actively promote the practice of mindfulness so that its people can at least experience the "mini-Enlightenment", achieving the peace within, so that together they could generate the peace without. Blessed with the privilege of being in a Buddhist country, let us make the most out of it. Let each and every one of us shows the world that we know a thing or two about Buddhist Enlightenment.

The Noble Secret

Summer Garden by Pam from Tokyo

For eight days and seven nights last week, the author had the blissful opportunity to attend a mindfulness meditation retreat in the northern part of Thailand. May the readers have all the boon, merit, that the author did. May you all be happy, peaceful, and free from suffering.

Happiness, peace and freedom from suffering was indeed what was on our minds the minute we city dwellers stepped out of the calm, cool and serene retreat and back into the hustle and bustles of this world. Turning on our mobile phone for the first time in a week, we were greeted with news that made our hearts sink.

It is true that mindfulness training is supposed to give us extra immunity to live in this increasingly hostile world. But, being unenlightened as we are, our spontaneous reaction was to turn back to the forest to continue our simple, blissful living among the embrace of nature.

When Lord Buddha Chose Solitude

This reminds the author of the time when Lord Buddha himself became weary of undisciplined monks while he was in residence at Kositaram temple in the city of Kosambi. The time was the 10th vassa (year) since Lord Buddha started his teaching.

Wanting to give the monk a lesson, Lord Buddha simply went into the forest to spend the three-month Buddhist Lent in solitude. This event of Lord Buddha's life is usually depicted by a painting or sculpture of him sitting with an elephant and a monkey at his feet. It was said that those animals were taking care of him throughout the Lent, with the elephant bringing a bamboo pipe filled with water and the monkey bringing honeycomb.

The story has it that, when Lord Buddha saw the kind consideration that the animals had shown to him, he decided to stay there in the forest with them, graciously accepting their alms. Indeed, who would not want to be among friendly creatures?

Alternatively speaking, even Lord Buddha himself did not want to keep company with the unruly kind. On that day that we stepped out of our retreat and heard our national news, we thought we understood what Lord Buddha must have felt. The big difference, of course, is that we were not yet Enlightened and even if we chose to stay in the forest, it is unlikely that it would bring any awareness to the unruly people.

Lord Buddha's preference for solitude over undisciplined company is perhaps best summarised in the following Dhammapada the Path to Dhamma or versified Buddhist scripture:

"If, as he fares, he finds no companion

Who is better or equal,

Let him firmly pursue his solitary career;

There is no fellowship with the fool"

(Source: http://larndham.net/dmbot/)

This teaching also goes hand in hand with another teaching in the 38 Mangala or the 38 Blissful Things, the first two of which are 1) not to associate with fools, 2) to associate with the wise.

Therefore, if any of our dear readers in Thailand feel weary at this point, may be it helps to keep these teachings in mind. Come to think of it, who would you rather be with? Someone who can remain calm amidst chaos, who are mindful and can provide you with sensible advice, or someone who wears you down with flames after flames or their hatred, blind greed, and/or anger?

An 8th-Century Buddhist Poet on Hatred and Enemies

In the 8th century, there was an Indian Buddhist scholar with the name of Shantideva. He was credited with penning Bodhicaryavatara, or "A Guide to the Bodhisattva's Way of Life."

Basically, it is a long poem describing the process of Enlightenment from the first thought to full Buddhahood. As a result, sometimes it is referred to as "Entering the Path of Enlightenment." The book is still studied by Mahayana and Vajrayana Buddhists today.

Unfortunately, an average Theravada Buddhist in Thailand may not have heard of Shantideva's beautiful, wise prose before. Shantideva covered many topics that a classical period poet usually did. In light of the current situation in Thailand, the author finds it most suitable to both introduce Shantideva's insightful verses on anger and destruction of one's enemies.

"With the vast number of enemies, as boundless as the sky,

what chance is there that all should be subdued?

Yet when the thought of hatred is abolished,

all enemies are destroyed"

(Source: http://www.rinpoche.com )

Admittedly, the abolishment of the thought of hatred is not an easy task. But Shantideva also provided us with a starting point. When someone hurts you, instead of hitting back, how about doing the following:

"All those who slight me to my face,

Or do me any other evil,

Even if they blame or slander me,

May they attain the fortune of enlightenment!"

(Source: http://www.gaia.com)

Personally, the author finds it very classy. Indeed, there is nothing else that people who are burned by their own flames of hatred and anger need more than the fortune of getting Enlightened!

But how could we translate this wise advice into action without further hurting the hateful, angry people? Shantideva also had an answer:

"Whoever wishes to quickly afford protection

to both himself and others

Should practise that most noble secret:

the exchanging of oneself for others"

(Source: http://www.gaia.com)

There you go, the noble secret according to Shantideva is the practice of losing yourself totally so that you can become one with the other party! Only by walking in their shoes, sustaining their suffering, that one's genuine compassion would arise. It is only through compassion and mutual understanding of each other's suffering that confronting parties would realize that we are all but fellow human beings struggling in the same suffering together. With that understanding, we would start to help each other out of suffering.

Although the result of such immediate transformation in the heat of turmoil is guaranteed to be extraordinary, actual practice can be demanding, especially if one is nowhere near the Bodhisattva level yet. If the thought of "we-becoming-them" as the path towards solution still sounds too horrifying for you, there is always a less strenuous approach.

How about spending seven days in a peaceful retreat to cultivate our mindfulness first? After all, it is the starting point of such transformation plus a suffering-immunity vaccine blended into one. Who should go, then? Why, both parties in the conflict, of course! And, quite naturally, we the weary public.

One Voice: Obama's Change and Buddhist Self-Transformation

(As appeared in Bangkok Post, Friday, November 14, 2008, the first of a two-part series on Obama campaign from a Buddhist perspective)

Although he didn't say it, the real change that Obama was rallying for was the change of the people, by the people and for the people. Photo from www.barackobama.com

The world has just emerged fresh from eagerly following Barack Obama’s historic campaign. Apparently, conventional wisdom believes Obama’s success is derived from his campaign’s key message --- change.

This concept of change is no stranger to Buddhists. And because the Obama’s campaign has superbly provided us with a common reference point, this moment seems most ideal to explore “change” in light of something closer to home, that is, change in light of Buddhism while the Obama experience is still fresh in our mind.

Today’s installment is an inaugural article in a 2-part series on the Buddhist perspective on the Obama campaign. After this week’s discussion on this campaign’s fundamental theme, we would turn the table around and explore the Buddhist values we could see in Obama himself.

Yes, why not? After all, a transformational figure in the political circle is hard to come by anywhere in the world. So, please stay tuned for additional treat next week!

Not Just Any Changes, but Change with a Higher Purpose

Before we discuss Buddhist’s concept of change, let us explore what the Obama camiagn has been advocating. Simply put, Obama portrayed himself as the agent of change.

At first glance, this positioning alone should provide a good momentum for the Obama campaign already, given the economic, social and political mess America got itself in.

Why, then, does it have to be “change we can believe in?” The Buddhist concept of change can provide an explanation.

Buddhist’s Implication of Change

The concept of change in Buddhism is known as the Law of Impermanence. And it is best explained together with the truth about suffering. Let us first look around to see what kind of suffering the world is now facing and we will get the picture.

A quick way to get a grasp on the truth of suffering is to turn on a prime time’s news program. At any hour, there is always a breaking news on crisis: wars, terrors, riots, financial market collapsing or otherwise. Not all sufferings are man-made. Equally devastating are the natural disasters of all imaginable kinds: flood, hurricane, earthquake, wild fire, tsunami, etc..

What those natural disasters and man-made crisis have in common is that they are all about changes, most of them sudden, which in turn bring suffering.

Even if it may not seem to bring immediate, physical suffering, change still has in it the air of uncertainty. This in itself brings anxiety and fear. In other words, at the very least, change brings mental suffering.

Therefore, it would not be an overstatement to say that, sub-consciously at least, we humans are wired to be afraid of changes because it does to bring suffering.

Unless of course it is a change deliberately enacted by ourselves for a higher purpose.

But what is the change that Obama felt that people could believe in? We’ll come back to that later. Let us first look at the type of change that people do not want to be in because this change for the worse is actually the catalyst for the drive towards change for the better.

Change is inevitable, and is one with suffering

In Buddhism, change is more of a rule rather than exception. Even without someone announcing that he would bring change, change would still happen according to Buddhist view. This is because the Law of Impermanence says that all conditioned things will eventually ceased to exist.

To be specific, Lord Buddha once said,

“…Whatever is impermanent (anatta) is subject to change (anicca.)

Whatever is subject to change is subject to suffering (dukkha)…”

Rather than focusing on what changes and why, Buddhism focuses on how we can best deal with changes that are, by nature, inevitable. Dealing with aging, sickness, death, and parting with loved ones are clear examples of the inevitable.

In fact, the core essence of Buddhist Enlightenment is nothing more than the true understanding of the nature of change. Why is that?

It is because change goes hand in hand with suffering. The understanding of the cause of suffering means we could refrain from causing any more suffering to ourselves.

For novice mindfulness practitioner, this means the end of suffering in the now. For those who have fully Enlightened, this understanding of the nature of change would liberate them of suffering forever.

The Real Meaning behind Obama's Call for Change

Coming back to the “change” Obama talked about in his campaign, we will see that it parallels with the Buddhist idea of how one can liberate oneself out of suffering. If we pay close attention to Obama’s various speeches, we will see that the real change he is aiming for is not merely a change of policies.

Obama’s plan of policy changes is at best an instrument to get things done. Even the new policy itself is subject to change, too, as Obama made clear he wants to hear the feedback from the public so that he could always improvise his policy to make it serves the need of the people better.

This “hearing from the public” is the key to Obama’s message of change, the change that he said the American people could believe in. It is the change Obama asked the public to make of themselves.

Time and time again, Obama was asking for pubic co-operation and sacrifice. Basically he asked for an end to the blaming game, negative emotions and aggressive gestures that came with partisanship. Obama himself rose above that and he inspired the public to follow suits. “There is no liberal America nor conservative America, black America or white America, but only the United States of America.”

Moreover, Obama’s call for change is not just ideological. Obama presented a way to make it tangible by making an urgent call for social service and volunteerism in every sector.

In other words, the real change that Obama was rallying for was the change of the people, by the people and for the people.

It is the change that Obama knows people can believe in because it is a call for people to believe in themselves!

"..I'm asking you to believe. Not just in my ability to bring about real change in Washington....I am asking you to believe in yours..." (source: www.barackobama.com)

One Voice

This is why the key essence of Obama’s call for change is similar to that of Buddhism measure to achieve the end of suffering. Like Obama’s vision, Buddhist’s change has to first start from an individual's faith within that he/she could bring about the change him/herself.

Moreover, Buddhism calls for selflessness and life-long service to others, with the aim of helping others out of suffering. Mahayana Buddhism in particular believes that it is only by devoting ourselves to help others that we would be liberated ourselves. Theravada Buddhism believes that it is only by striving to change ourselves to a higher moral plane that we could go on to transform the lives of others for the better. But, if we read between the lines, we will realize that these two approaches are in fact the same.

The same goes with Obama’s concept of change and that of Buddhism’s. They are both about changes that are founded upon powerful faith in humanity.

And this, dear readers, is the change we should believe in. Because, you guessed it, Yes, We Can!