From: kish@charon.rutgers.edu (Kish)
Newsgroups: soc.religion.eastern
Subject: Re: Wild attack on Nagarjuna (Defense)
Date: 30 Jul 92 17:58:31 GMT
Organization: ----


> 
> Jochen:
> 
> [most material concerning what other people say omitted]
> 
> According to Tsongkhapa, the three pillars of Buddhist practice are: 1. 
> renunciation (of all involvement with samsara), 2. arousing of bodhicitta 
> (the intense desire to reach enlightenment solely for the sake of the 
> welfare of all beings), and 3. correct understanding of emptiness....  
> 
> 
> (Tagi's) Response:
> 
> This is what Buddhism has devolved to?  I hope not.  Didn't Kapleau
> describe the three pillars as something a bit more fundamental, a bit
> more transcendental?  1 and 2 seem contradictory.  3 seems irrelevant,
> unless understood in its broadest sense.
> 

To characterize these "3 pillars" as a corruption of Buddhist teaching is
completely wrong (BTW, a 1 to 1 correspondence with Kapleau roshi's
"3 pillars" was not intended here).  The renunciation of samsara (1) and
the development of bodhicitta (relative (2) and absolute (3)) is the heart
of all Mahayana teaching.  A Buddhist of a strictly Hinayana persuasion
would perhaps view (2) and (3) as a perversion, and indeed Mahayana Buddhism 
met with its share of resistance when it began to develop.  But there is no
school of Mahayana Buddhism which does not have some form of (1), (2), and (3) 
as its core teaching.  And, at least with respect to Tibetan tantra, there
is no Vajrayana school which does not consider itself to also be a superset
of Mahayana teachings.  In other words, a deep abiding commitment to the
welfare of others (as expressed in the Bodhisattva vows) and a deep 
experiential understanding of emptiness are both strict prerequisites for
engaging in advanced tantric practices.  All major schools of Tibetan
Vajrayana Buddhism are living traditions with lineage holders in the U.S. -
find out for yourself whether I am speaking correctly or not !
	As for the compatibility of (1) and (2), if you understand the
mechanics of samsara, you know that the root of suffering is dualistic fixation
which results in wandering endlessly through the 6 realms.  The Mahayana
teaches that after catching an initial glimpse into the insubstantiality of
"I", the most effective method of deepening that experience is by working
with others to eliminate their suffering by showing them that they don't 
have to be wandering through the realms, perpetuating their own suffering and
making life difficult for everyone else.  This commitment to others is fully
expressed in the bodhisattva giving up his own enlightenment so that he might
work solely for the enlightenment of others.  In short, any and all self
cherishing and self indulgence must be uprooted, and the merits of this
dedicated to the welfare of others. And, by doing so, any dualistic fixation
is gradually dissolved.
	Let me rephrase my previous comment about involvement in the Vajrayana
practices - only someone traveling along the bodhisattva path with a pure
aspiration is qualified to begin studying and practicing tantra; there is no
school of Tibetan Buddhism which would not say this.  In order to engage in 
"lust (and other klesas) as path", you should be overflowing with bodhicitta - 
working for the benefit of others should be instinctual. Otherwise, descent 
into the lower realms is practically guaranteed. I encourage you to experience 
first hand the traditional Buddhist understanding of tantra, especially if you 
are studying western variations on what might appear to be similar themes.

-Bill
-- 

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