Buddhism, Layman vs. Monk

                    Layman vs. Monk

In the West we are experiencing a new renaissance in Buddhism. There are now more Buddhist centers and Zen centers than ever before. Each center seems to have its own special spin on the practice and the teachings. There is nothing wrong with this and in fact you can see as you trace the history of Buddhism that this is been true for centuries. As Buddhism is a living organic thing that adapts itself to the people and the needs of the people wherever it goes.

     God knows that wherever humans gather there are always differences of opinion and conflict over just about any activity that they attempt. One of the issues that has followed Buddhism from the very beginning was the issue of laymen versus monk. The traditional view of Buddhism is that of the monk, the ascetic who has renounced the world, owns no property and depends upon the offerings of others. In Japan there was a divergence that led to the creation of Buddhist priests. In Zen we have both monks/nuns and priests and laymen.

     This issue of whether or not a layman can in fact truly practice Buddhism led to perhaps one of the biggest schisms in Buddhism. Most scholars believe that Mahayana Buddhism came into being as Buddhism reached out to society and the layman practitioner.  The concept of the bodhisattva itself is linked with the schism. This question of whether or not a layman can truly practice still haunts Buddhism today.  The Vimalakīrti Sūtra is perhaps one of the first sutras that focused on a layman’s power to awaken despite his continuing functioning in the world.
      We see this in Zen quite a lot as more and more focus is placed upon robes and the shaving of heads and the monastic approach to Buddhism. I have practiced Buddhism for many many years but it was just the other night that something occurred to me that should’ve occurred to me 20 years ago. The question is who did Buddha teach for, who was his target audience. Many versions of his first sermon give the impression that it was aimed simply at a group of ascetics that he had formally associated with in order to convince them of his awakening.
     All the histories of Buddha show him gathering a Sangha of monks about himself and then traveling the countryside and teaching wherever he stopped to rest. This is certainly accepted as a fact by every school of Buddhism. It’s also accepted by virtually every school of Buddhism what his first sermon was. Some call this the first turning of the wheel, others simply referred to it as the four noble truths and the eightfold path. In any case I have yet to run across school of Buddhism that does not accept the four noble truths and the eightfold Noble path as the core teaching of the Buddha. This is accepted by Mahayana it’s accepted by Theravada it’s accepted by the Tibetans and the Zen masters it is the core teaching of the Buddha.

   Having said this I would call your attention to number five in the eightfold path.

5. Samma-Ajiva — Proper Livelihood. Also called right livelihood. This is a livelihood based on correct action the ethical principal of non-exploitation.

      This was from his first teaching this was one of the eight most important things that he taught on that first day to those that were there at vulture Peak.  And I think it’s about time that we recognized that fact.

      Not because it’s the basis of an ethical society, which it is, but because it clearly shows his target audience. In this one branch of the path to awakening the Buddha revealed that his teaching from the very beginning was not just meant for monks or ascetics. It is clear that he was talking to people who work for a living that people who get up in the morning and support their families and live in the real world were one of his major concerns.

     If this that were not true number five would expressly state that in order to awaken one must become a nun or a monk or a priest to reach awakening. If this were truly a call to become an ascetic that’s what he would’ve said. But what he did say was to find an ethical meanings of living within society. In modern English we can simply translate that into finding a job you can live with. We could list 1 million jobs that you should consider  1 million more you shouldn’t if you’re going to try to follow the Buddhist path. I think that would be useless.
     But what I think everyone should see is that the Buddha’s first teaching the core of Buddhism was not aimed at asceticism it was aimed at people who work for a living and that his call was not a call to renounce the world but to find a way to live in the world that was copacetic and harmonious with his other teachings. So what did he teach, he taught the great compassion and the great love and the great forgiveness. And at no time did he think that you had to drop all your possessions into the middle of a lake and live in a cave to find this love and compassion and this forgiveness.

      My conclusion here is simple you don’t have to be a monk you don’t have to be a nun or even a priest to follow the path of the Buddha from its beginning to it’s end. You don’t need to leave your family behind or shave your head to awaken.

     I watched as Westerners have tried to emulate the Buddhism of the East. They wear robes shave their heads give up the pleasures of the world and even condemn each other for having a sense of humor or enjoying the path. It seems like a sad thing as we project on each other what we think a true Buddhist should be. Zen centers turn in to  monasteries, husbands and wives are told that they can’t enjoy each other anymore. This is absurdity and was never what the Buddha intended even from the beginning. So I would suggest that even if you love your robes and you think you look cool in them you should consider the teachings of the Buddha the core of Buddhism not the wardrobe or the self-inflicted pain of the ascetic. Buddha said follow the middle way, that too was in his first sermon. I’ve included an English translation of his first sermon for those of you that would like to review it again. I myself learned just the other day that you can get so far away from that first sermon you don’t even remember what it said in total.

 

The Buddha's First Sermon

These two extremes, friends, are not to be practiced
by one who has gone forth from the world.
What are the two?

That joined with the passions and luxury---
low, vulgar, common, ignoble, and useless,
and that joined with self-torture---
painful, ignoble, and useless.

Avoiding these two extremes the one who has thus come
has gained the enlightenment of the middle path,
which produces insight and knowledge,
and leads to peace, wisdom, enlightenment, and nirvana.

And what, friends, is the middle path, by which
the one who has thus come has gained enlightenment,
which produces knowledge and insight,
and leads to peace, wisdom, enlightenment, and nirvana?

This is the noble eightfold way, namely,
correct understanding, correct intention,
correct speech, correct action, correct livelihood,
correct attention, correct concentration,
and correct meditation.

This, friends, is the middle path, by which
the one who has thus come has gained enlightenment,
which produces insight and knowledge,
and leads to peace, wisdom, enlightenment, and nirvana.

Now this, friends, is the noble truth of pain:
birth is painful; old age is painful;
sickness is painful; death is painful;
sorrow, lamentation, dejection, and despair are painful.
Contact with unpleasant things is painful;
not getting what one wishes is painful.
In short the five groups of grasping are painful.

Now this, friends, is the noble truth of the cause of pain:
the craving, which leads to rebirth,
combined with pleasure and lust,
finding pleasure here and there,
namely the craving for passion,
the craving for existence,
and the craving for non-existence.

Now this, friends, is the noble truth
of the cessation of pain:
the cessation without a remainder of craving,
the abandonment, forsaking, release, and non-attachment.

Now this, friends , is the noble truth
of the way that leads to the cessation of pain:
this is the noble eightfold way, namely,
correct understanding, correct intention,
correct speech, correct action, correct livelihood,
correct attention, correct concentration,
and correct meditation.

"This is the noble truth of pain":
Thus, friends, among doctrines unheard before,
in me insight, wisdom, knowledge, and light arose.

"This noble truth of pain must be comprehended."
Thus, friends, among doctrines unheard before,
in me insight, wisdom, knowledge, and light arose.

"It has been comprehended."
Thus, friends, among doctrines unheard before,
in me insight, wisdom, knowledge, and light arose.

"This is the noble truth of the cause of pain":
Thus, friends, among doctrines unheard before,
in me insight, wisdom, knowledge, and light arose.

"The cause of pain must be abandoned."
Thus, friends, among doctrines unheard before,
in me insight, wisdom, knowledge, and light arose.

"It has been abandoned."
Thus, friends, among doctrines unheard before,
in me insight, wisdom, knowledge, and light arose.

"This is the noble truth of the cessation of pain":
Thus, friends, among doctrines unheard before,
in me insight, wisdom, knowledge, and light arose.

"The cessation of pain must be realized."
Thus, friends, among doctrines unheard before,
in me insight, wisdom, knowledge, and light arose.

"It has been realized."
Thus, friends, among doctrines unheard before,
in me insight, wisdom, knowledge, and light arose.

"This is the noble truth
of the way that leads to the cessation of pain":
Thus, friends, among doctrines unheard before,
in me insight, wisdom, knowledge, and light arose.

"The way must be practiced."
Thus, friends, among doctrines unheard before,
in me insight, wisdom, knowledge, and light arose.

"It has been practiced."
Thus, friends, among doctrines unheard before,
in me insight, wisdom, knowledge, and light arose.

As long as in these four noble truths
my due knowledge and insight
with the three sections and twelve divisions
was not well purified, even so long, friends,
in the world with its gods, Mara, Brahma,
its beings with ascetics, priests, gods, and men,
I had not attained the highest complete enlightenment.
This I recognized.

And when, friends, in these four noble truths
my due knowledge and insight
with its three sections and twelve divisions
was well purified, then friends,
in the world with its gods, Mara, Brahma,
its beings with ascetics, priests, gods, and men,
I had attained the highest complete enlightenment.
This I recognized.

Knowledge arose in me;
insight arose that the release of my mind is unshakable:
this is my last existence;
now there is no rebirth.