| Its long and complex history has made the Buddhist | | | | Land Buddhists in Japan. Pure Land Buddhism has |
| tradition extraordinarily diverse. | | | | come to North America like many other varieties of |
| Buddhism is commonly known for its very austere | | | | Buddhism and in some of its manifestations in this |
| tradition of self-reliance, found in the early Buddhist | | | | country in particular it looks often a lot like Christian |
| monastic community. Relying simply on yourself in | | | | devotion. |
| order to achieve the experience of nirvana that the | | | | I was visiting not so long ago one of the Pure Land |
| Buddha himself achieved. One example of this is the | | | | temples in Hawaii and being the curious scholar that I |
| monastic practice in Theravada Buddhist countries of | | | | am, I opened a little hymnal in the back of the temple |
| South East Asia, particularly Sri Lanka, where the | | | | and looked at it. It had words that seemed |
| center of Buddhist activity lies largely in the monastery | | | | mysteriously familiar to me. It began: "Buddha loves me, |
| among a group of yellow-robed monks. They go out in | | | | this I know for the Sutras tell me so". |
| the morning in a very austere and simple way with | | | | Another example of Buddhist devotion with which we'll |
| their begging balls walking from house to house, holding | | | | occupy some of our attention is Chinese Buddhist |
| out their balls, taking off the lead, and inviting members | | | | devotion to the bodhisattva or Future Buddha, not a |
| of the community providing them with the aids that will | | | | Buddha per say, but a deity that will become a Buddha |
| sustain them for that day. | | | | in a future life. The bodhisattva Guan Yin. |
| One of the classical rules in traditional Buddhism is that | | | | Guan Yin is often pictured as a beautiful standing |
| monks can't carry food from one day to the next. | | | | female figure holding a baby. In Chinese civilization, |
| Every morning those monks have to go out in their | | | | Guan Yin is viewed as being the emodiment of |
| robes with their balls to beg their food. That austere | | | | compassion, but of compassion particularly associated |
| simple tradition is a tradition that really grows right out | | | | with the development of a healthy and happy family |
| of the experience of the Buddha, from the earliest | | | | and the gift of children. |
| stages in the growth of the Buddhist tradition. | | | | When I was visiting a Chinese Buddhist pilgrimage site |
| You find the same kind of self-reliance in the Zen | | | | in Shangai, I ran into a group of Chinese Buddhists, |
| tradition in Japan. I was just visiting in Japan a couple of | | | | ethnic Chinese Buddhists who came from the Philipines |
| weeks ago as part of a conference when I went | | | | and Indonesia. I asked why they had made the long |
| down to Kyoto, the great imperial capital of Japan, and | | | | and rather arduous, and rather expensive trip to pay |
| visited with a Zen master, who was the head of one | | | | homage to the deity Guan Yin, and they said that it |
| of the monasteries in one of the monastic compounds, | | | | was for the wealth of their family, and particularly for |
| a monastery called Daitoku-ji. I was talking to him and | | | | the hope to have children. |
| taking photographs. As I focused my camera on him, I | | | | This is an aspect of Buddhism that for many people |
| told him how important it was going to be for my | | | | might seem unfamiliar but it too is deeply rooted in the |
| students to be able to show them a picture of a Zen | | | | practice of the Indian tradition and we'll need to occupy |
| master, who was clearly so accomplished, and who | | | | some of our attention in Tibet. One of the most |
| clearly embodied in a powerful way that tradition. He | | | | important aspects of religious devotion is focused not |
| looked me straight in the eye and said: "I want you to | | | | necessarily on these great celestial figures but on the |
| tell them when you speak to them about this tradition: | | | | human beings who embody their power. The Dalai |
| to be courageous, to stand up straight and to rely on | | | | Lama in particular is one of these. People think of the |
| themselves". Like many people in my business have a | | | | Dalai Lama sometimes as being a living Buddha, |
| little bit of a scholars stoop, I found myself just standing | | | | technically that's not correct, he is a living manifestation |
| a little straighter. | | | | of the compassion of the same bodhisattva who is |
| There is also another important aspect of the tradition | | | | manifested as Guan Yin in China. But he too has an |
| that insists that is not possible, and perhaps not even | | | | extraordinary ability to make the power of compassion |
| desirable, to achieve salvation purely on your own | | | | present for people. I'll occupy some articles on the |
| merit, purely relying on your own power. But instead to | | | | important figure of the Dalai Lama. |
| rely on the power of some deity, some figure that is | | | | Devotion is an important aspect of the Buddhist |
| infinitely greater than you. | | | | tradition, not just relying on yourself but in a sense |
| One example of this we'll study in more detail in other | | | | opening yourself to the power that comes from a |
| articles is the worship of the Amida Buddha by Pure | | | | figure much greater than you. |