Chapter 8 Buddhism and the West

Jean-François - all the issues that we've mentioned, about Buddhist metaphysics, epistemology, cosmology, the influence of these great philosophical and metaphysical structures on the guidance of human existence, everything you've laid out, in today's There have been some fierce and lively controversies among Buddhists.For them, what is currently experienced is not the history of philosophy, not the history of thought, but philosophy and metaphysics, exactly as the disciples of Socrates and Plato experienced in Athens in the fifth and fourth centuries BC of Jesus Christ. They are the same.Such a large public discussion on such topics disappeared long ago in the West.Philosophy is still there, but no longer manifested in this way.Although of late there have been "café philosophers" in Paris, who hold free-for-all public meetings; the level of debate they provoke hardly exceeds that of the counter.Is the astonishing curiosity about Buddhism that has recently been shown in the West, despite the West's undeniable successes in other fields, in other areas, due to this void, the absence of interesting debates?This brings me to a quote from the British historian Arnold Toynbee, who said: "Perhaps one of the most significant events of the twentieth century was the arrival of Buddhism in the West."

Mathieu – This interest in Buddhism stems from a number of factors.First, it offers those who want to devote themselves to a spiritual life and make that life an integral part of their own, not only a living metaphysics and wisdom, but also the means to incorporate this wisdom into their being. method.Second, and perhaps the greatest benefit of Buddhism to the West, is that Buddhism offers a vision of tolerance, openness of spirit, altruism, honesty and trust to all people, believers and non-believers alike , a spiritual science that helps us build our own inner peace and enable the inner peace of others to be fully realized.Furthermore, Buddhism presents its ideas without attempting to impose them, let alone convert anyone; it only intends to share an experience with those who wish to share it.

Jean-François - no fanaticism to persuade people to convert to Buddhism, let alone forced conversion? Mathieu - A lama said: "I came to the West not to develop one or two Buddhists, but only to distribute my experience of a kind of wisdom that Buddhism has developed over many centuries." And in his At the end of the conversation he always added: "If you find something useful in what I have said to you, use it, if not, let it go!" He even advised other Tibetan lamas who traveled : "Don't emphasize the teachings of Buddhism, present your experience to everyone." Besides, if people try to convert someone, not only may they fail, but they may unconsciously weaken that person's belief in their own religion. Belief.Such practices should be avoided.Believers should be encouraged to study deeply their own religion.In short, not to convert but to contribute to the well-being of others.

This does not prevent anyone who wishes to devote himself to Buddhism from doing so freely if they feel a special affinity for this spiritual path.At this time, he should study and practice seriously, and carry out his efforts to the end, just like a man who digs a well, persevering until the water is dug out.While maintaining an open and tolerant spirit towards other spiritualities, one should devote oneself wholeheartedly to the one one chooses.If there are ten wells, it is futile to dig only half of them and never get the water people want. Hundreds of Westerners have completed the three-year-three-month-and-three-day traditional hermitage. Practitioners of Mindfulness Buddhism in Tibet spend this time in seclusion.Three years of seclusion in small groups, during which time those who aspired to the teachings were secluded and absorbed nervously in their practice.During these three years, they studied philosophy, literature on contemplative life, and sometimes Tibetan for an hour or two every day.The rest of the time, from dawn to dusk, they try to incorporate what they have learned into their eire intime, their hearts.

Jean-François - in their presence.Which kind of existence? Mathieu—in the stream of their thoughts, so to speak.The point is to take care that philosophy does not remain a dead letter, a pure theory.We have already mentioned the techniques whose purpose is to "liberate" the mind as it arises, so that the various thoughts do not become intertwined, proliferate and invade the mind. Jean-François - Emancipation of the Mind?Rather, it is training the mind. Mathieu – We have seen how people can train the mind by applying certain anti-drugs to negativity; people can also “watch” a thought as it arises, by going back to its source, by corroborating It has no solidity, to liberate it, and this is a more basic approach.When one looks at it like this, it dissolves like a rainbow disappearing in the sky.This is what people say, to "liberate" or "loosen" the mind, in the sense of keeping it from setting off a chain reaction.Thoughts leave without leaving any trace, no longer expressed in words or actions—these are the usual outward expressions of an emotion such as anger, desire, and so on.No longer do people fall under the control of their thoughts, regardless of the circumstances.People become like an experienced rider who is not stable in the saddle at first, but later, like the Tibetan riders, he can pick up things on the ground while galloping without falling off the horse.

Jean-François - Well, I'll put in a little explanation here.I admit that Buddhism expresses this discipline of the self in a new way, in a new language for the West.However, this practice is by no means completely unknown in the West!In all Western philosophical doctrines, one draws a clear distinction between organized thought (Pensee organize) and disorganized thought (Pensee desorganisee).It is perfectly clear that, on the one hand, there is an incoherent thought which, in a purely accidental manner, allows itself to follow the flow of associations of ideas; , directed, disciplined thought, such as mathematical thought, or any reasoning guided by the logic of established thought.Westerners are some great logicians.The art of directing thought beyond the mercy of associations of ideas is a discipline of all ages, from Aristotle via Leibniz to Bertrand Russell.This is even one of the main purposes of philosophy education!

Mathieu - Do you believe that mathematicians and logicians are less subject to the emotions that disturb the mind?I hope they do.In any case, I have emphasized that Buddhism does not claim to have discovered anything new, but, unlike many other spiritual and philosophical traditions of our time, it applies theoretical, intellectual understanding to practice with great vigor .Perhaps it is this appearance of practical reality that attracts those who are interested in a metaphysical perspective but do not know how to apply it to their everyday lives to find inner peace. Jean-François - Can Buddhism speak to all, even to those who cannot or will not choose a hermitic or monastic life?

Mathieu - that's another interesting aspect.Due to familial and professional obligations, not all are able or even wish to isolate themselves from the world for a three-year hermitage or to enter a monastery!But the techniques of spiritual modification can be applied to every moment of existence, helping those who devote themselves to a completely normal life to derive the greatest benefit from it.Buddhism is above all a spiritual science, but because of its tolerance, its non-violent thinking about people and the environment, it can even answer many social questions through spiritual science.So, there is a path for everyone, whether monk or layman.In Asia, Buddhism continues to show great vitality.

Jean-François - so in the West? Mathieu – Buddhism provokes a growing interest based on a desire for communication and openness.One learns it not necessarily to become a Buddhist, but sometimes to better understand the practice of one's own religion, or to rediscover the truth, inner strength of one's own religion, perhaps with the help of some of the techniques that Buddhism has to offer. Jean-François—Is this what is called a syncretisme, that is to say a mixture of fragments borrowed from different doctrines?The mixing of theories is not the highest level of thought. Mathieu - of course not.It is useless to think "put the head of a yak on a sheep".The mixing of theories will only make the spiritual traditions it tries to mix dull and even degenerate.I have suggested that certain techniques of mind control, that of mindfulness, are of universal value.In 1994, a lama was invited to England to explain the Gospel for a week.He began by asking himself, "How would I proceed, since I have never studied the Gospel? How would I start with the hypothesis of a Creator God? And a Creator God is something we don't think about in Buddhism. I think It's a little difficult. But try it! Why not?" So he explained several passages of the Gospel to a group of religious and secular people.The most unusual thing is that when he read and explained the Gospel, Christian priests, monks, and nuns were moved to tears, feeling that it was the first time they heard some fragments of the Gospel that they had been listening to all their lives!Why?Because when this lama talks about love or compassion, everyone feels that those words are a direct expression of his experience, and he lives what he says.Westerners are sensitive to this vivid traditional appearance.Sogar Rinpochen's "Book of Life and Death" has been printed in nearly one million copies and translated into twenty-six languages.

Jean-François - Is this an ancient book, a classic? Mathieu - No, this is not a translation of the classic book on the transitional state after death, the Book of the Dead, Bardo Thodrol. The Book of Living and Dying is a straightforward interpretation of Tibetan wisdom, interspersed with many autobiographical anecdotes about Soghar Rinpochen's meetings with his teachers.But this is especially a life manual: how to live your life well?How to approach death?How to help the dying?How to give existence a meaning so that a good death becomes the pinnacle of a good life? ① Some Western books explain that the title of the book means "Traveler's Guide to the Other World", and some Chinese translations are called "The Bardo" or "Tibetan Book of the Dead".An important scripture of Tibetan Tantra, which tells the various experiences of the soul of the deceased before reincarnation.It is said that it was written by Lianhuasheng.The original text is Tibetan, and it was translated into English by the Tibetan lama Dawa Sangdu at the beginning of this century. It was published in 1927, and was later translated into various European languages ​​by the English translation.Or spelled Bardo Thodol.

Jean-François – It is also significant that in France a new generation of philosophers is referring more and more often to Buddhism.I have in my hand a book by Luc Ferry, Man Is God, or the Meaning of Life, a noteworthy essay published in early 1996 to great success.It was from the reference to the Book of Living and Dying that he developed some ideas belonging to Buddhism in which the author expressed a genuine interest.After a few pages of play, however, he raises a fundamental objection, saying: "Good! Very good. Isn't this retreat into oneself, this escape from the world, all very lovely?  … ...but even with great sympathy for all mankind, this is not the solution to the problems of Auschwitz and Bosnia!" How do you answer this objection? Mathieu - It is necessary to dispel a misunderstanding, which we also find in Pope Jean-Paul II.In his book Please Walk Into Hope, he affirms that, according to Buddhism, "we must be severed from external reality" and that "with this liberation we become more and more aware of what is happening in the world." The more it doesn't matter..."He also described Nirvana as "a complete indifference to the world".These are misconceptions that are perhaps forgivable, as they are attributed to a lack of understanding that many Christians and Buddhists regret.For the aim of Buddhism is the ultimate understanding of the phenomenal world, whether external or internal.Escapism solves nothing.Nirvana is the exact opposite of indifference to the world, it is infinite compassion and love for all human beings.A sympathy that is all the more powerful because it arises from wisdom—that is, from the understanding that every being is inherently “Buddha-nature”—and that sympathy is not limited to certain beings, Just like ordinary love.The only thing that is cut off from man is the childish and self-centered attachment to the infinite attraction of pleasure, possession, fame, etc. Jean-François-Jean-Paul II also believed that, for Buddhism, "disengagement from the world of sensations" was a goal in itself. Mathieu—Actually, the goal is to no longer be enslaved by the world of sensations, tormented by the world of sensations, like moths that are attracted by the flames and throw themselves into the fire to die.A man freed from all attachments is in fact free not only to enjoy the beauty of the world and of beings, but also to return to the embrace of the world, where he can manifest an infinite sympathy, free from his passivity. Emotional constraints. Jean-François-Pope also affirmed that, for Buddhism, "happiness is first of all emancipation from misery, which is attained through a complete detachment from the world in which suffering is inhabited." inside." Mathieu – It all depends on what one calls the world.If you mean the conditioned, miserable world of those plagued by ignorance, who wouldn't want a break from it?But the world itself is not bad, because to the awakened man, to a Buddha, it is "infinite purity," "permanent perfection."After all, it seems rash to assert that the mysticism of the Carmelites arose from a theory emphasized by Buddhist thinking, as Jean-Paul II did.How to judge the depth of the Buddha's awakening from the outside?Is it according to the Buddhist scriptures? "The truth I see is profound, serene, unconditional, luminous, free from all intellectual fictions," said the Buddha after his awakening.This does not seem to be of the same nature as simple "thinking". The pope re-adopted an outdated understanding dating back to the earliest translations of Buddhist scriptures in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, in his own sense.The authors of these earliest commentaries, based on one-sided understanding, determined that the fundamental proposition of Buddhism lies in the suffering of the conditioned world, and understood the end of suffering as a kind of extinguishment, which is actually the result of an understanding that is beneficial to oneself and others .Fortunately, many outstanding Christians have formed a high degree of opinion on Buddhism, such as the famous American ascetic priest Thomas Meldon, whose works have a huge influence in the United States, and he was once Let the twenty-third ① send to the east.Thomas Meldon tried his best to explore the essence of Buddhism.After living with some Buddhist teachers for a while, he wrote in his "Asian Journey": "Surely, I will be happy because I know something through experience. In my opinion, Tibetan Buddhists are The only group of such people who have until now assembled a large number of people who have reached extraordinary heights of meditation and retreat." ①The real name is Angelo Giuseppe Longari, born in 1881 and died in 1963. He became the 259th Pope in 1958. The encyclical Materet magistra (Mother and Priestess) and the encyclical Pacem in terns (Pacem in terns) for the whole world (including the non-Catholic world) had wide-ranging influence. The interesting scholarly lecture on the Gospel I spoke about earlier was, according to its organizer, the Benedictine priest Lawrence Freeman, "a model for a dialogue of mutual listening."During this lecture, the lama showed his usual spiritual openness, declaring: "I believe that there is a special confluence and a potential for mutual enrichment through dialogue between the Buddhist and Christian traditions, especially in the realm of ethical and spiritual practices—practices such as compassion, love, contemplation, and progress in tolerance. I also believe that this dialogue can be developed and reached a very deep level.” But he also made him His listeners are wary of a temptation to mix religions, which is always of no avail. Jean-François – let’s go back to the accusations that people have made about Buddhism (not just about it, to be honest) of its impracticality when it comes to problems like Bosnia. Mathieu - "How to explain the problem in Bosnia?" To this, the Buddhist answer is that negativity, hatred has increased to such an extent that it is out of control. Jean-François - this explanation is a bit too rhetorical!This is a description, not an explanation. Mathieu - But isn't it too rhetorical to say that Buddhism is impotent in the face of the horrors in Bosnia?Because it is not its inherent values ​​that have created those conditions of horror in Bosnia, but the values ​​of the West.We can assume that if Bosnia had adopted some values ​​similar to Buddhist values ​​many centuries ago, if these values ​​deeply influenced its culture, such conflicts would be less likely to break out.In fact, the root of the Bosnian disaster is intolerance.It uses religion not to promote harmony among peoples, but to incite some peoples against others by increasing hatred.It is true that certain wars have afflicted certain Buddhist countries such as Sri Lanka and Burma, but these wars were never fought in the name of Buddhism: they were attributed to those who departed from Buddhism, or even opposed it... Jean-François – you are not obliged to agree with what I have just said, but personally I am inclined to think that the three religions that coexist in Bosnia and in the countries of the former Yugoslavia, Islam, Catholicism and Orthodox, all three religions have abundant evidence of their intolerance towards other religions and towards free thinkers.These are conquering religions.Moreover, numerous documents by representatives of the three Bosnian religions show an almost official will to destroy other faiths.So, a Buddhist might reply that if all Bosnians were Buddhist, it is possible that the conflict in Bosnia would not have reached such brutal levels!With Luc Ferry, the only concession we can make is that Buddhism does not bring practical solutions to the problems of Bosnia and other such tragedies.Also, I don't see the West, which claims to be rational and inclined towards pragmatic action, successfully doing so in this prolonged conflict. Mathieu - This is so precisely because those who distort the spirit of their own religion use religion for oppressive purposes.Love of neighbor is a common denominator of all religions.That should be enough to relegate their differences to the back burner. Jean-François - Speaking of love, the great religions that rule the world have, from their origin, had two classes of objects of hatred: the disloyal and the heretic.They will not hesitate to slaughter them with the most elaborate means in the world. Mathieu – From a Buddhist point of view, even disapproving of certain metaphysical concepts of other religions, to despise them is a serious mistake. Jean-François - We sometimes hear people say: "In what way can Buddhism contribute to world peace? It is a detached philosophy in which people have no interest in society. Some monks alone Living in the mountains and praying for others when in reality they can do nothing for humanity. What's the point of them devoting themselves to their own personal perfection?" Mathieu - The hermit temporarily isolates himself from the world in order to gain some spiritual strength to better help others.The spiritual path begins with inner transformation. Only when the inner transformation is completed can an individual effectively contribute to the transformation of society. Jean-François - Excuse me for interrupting, but this is a proposition that everyone cheers and no one implements. Mathieu - it is only because our mentors lack a deep, unrelenting determination to spare no effort for peace.Why did it take so long to achieve disarmament?To achieve the disarmament of countries?To the extent that there is only one multinational power in the world, and it is not used to fight wars, but only to prevent countries from rebuilding their own war power? Jean-François - this is the goal of the United Nations!Why did the United Nations fail? Mathieu – External disarmament is impossible without internal disarmament.It is also in this sense that we can say that if Bosnia had been a Buddhist country, or more precisely if its culture had been based on principles consistent with Buddhist principles, there would have been no such Bosnian grandeur. massacre.If the individual does not become peaceful, a society which is the sum of such individuals can never become peaceful.It is unlikely that many individuals who embrace and maintain Buddhist ideals would intentionally harm others.A society composed of an overwhelming majority of true Buddhists cannot breed war. Jean-François - So the goal of lasting peace can only be achieved by means of individual transformation? Mathieu - the opposite is a utopian fantasy.This transformation of individuals should of course first include our leaders.Here is the unacceptable fact that Western countries are involved in the arms trade - even if they are then shot at from above with the weapons they sold!It is unacceptable that some Western countries, which call themselves "civilized" and claim to have established peace throughout the world, sell the instruments of death for commercial reasons.Last month, I met a man who cleared mines in Laos and he told me that Fiat's factories are among the world's leading producers of anti-personnel landmines.They now make plastic landmines - kudos to the advancement of science! — without the slightest metallic component, so that people cannot detect it.The managing director and stockholder of Fiat must have felt very happy knowing that many women and children were blown up by these mines in the years after the war ended.Maybe Fiat will now be able to make more money buying prosthetic legs from survivors.In the Kabul region, an average of 85 Afghans are maimed by landmines every month, of whom 65 are children.There are ten million mines waiting for them!The Royal Ordnance Office in the UK and IBM in the US also make parts for these mines.These groups could have been content to make their fortunes selling cars and computers. Jean-François - I totally agree!This is misshapen. Mathieu – This is still true in regard to the environment as well.In Bhutan, where fishing and hunting are banned across the country, this is a good example of the way Buddhist ideals can be realized on a social level.A Buddhist country would not hesitate to ban the use of trawls as long as 40 kilometers, which catch fish as well as turtles and dolphins and destroy the marine ecological environment.All of these heresies about the environment are inseparable from the lure of profit, from the fact that people arbitrarily steal the right to kill countless animals simply because they have the ability to do so. Jean-François - The European Union bans this kind of trawling in principle. Mathieu – but Japan and Taiwan in particular continue to wreak havoc on the ocean. Jean-François – In what you have just said, there are some ideas that are unique to Buddhism, while others have already been stated by all those who have good intentions.Creating a multinational military force to control national military power was the idea of ​​the interwar international alliance, the idea of ​​the United Nations today, and the idea of ​​the European Union, which wanted to create a system that included national militaries European armies.This ideal resurfaces periodically, as does the regular conference on disarmament.The more extreme ideal is what you think, as long as people haven't finished changing all individuals themselves, as long as people haven't made all individuals non-violent one by one, there's no way to stop what happened in Bosnia killing each other among human groups.That's great!There are many philosophies that base the hope of world peace on the transformation of human nature.I might even say that all wisdom, those great utopian fantasies, all those great religions, also hope in this possibility.Until now, it's always been a failure!The idea of ​​making people peaceful one by one, so that the totality adds up to a humanity as a whole opposed to violence, appears to be practically unrealizable.At least our century has seen little progress on this path. Mathieu—Of course, but in turn, more and more restrictive laws, even a totalitarian system, are imposed on some recalcitrant individuals. is unattainable and fundamentally evil.Harsh measures can be taken for a while, but the oppressed always eventually express their grievances and free themselves from the slavery of their oppressors, peacefully or violently.They will find a way to acquire weapons and use them. Jean-François - alas, not only the oppressed! Mathieu – Of course, humans are imperfect, and even in a Buddhist country, they don't always apply Buddhist principles. Jean-François - The great religions we know have more often than not betrayed their own ideals.Christianity, for example, is also based on non-violence.Did not Christ say, "To him that slaps you with one cheek, bring the other" and "Love one another"?The church, regardless of all this, spends its time exterminating those who refuse to convert to Christianity, or those heretics who dare to teach different theories from the Pope's theory-and even participate in some scientific issues that the church does not understand at all. For example, in the time of Galileo, the question of whether the earth rotates.Man's ability to manifest diametrically opposed ideals to what he wishes to assert has thus existed throughout history.I doubt that this will impose certain limits on the influence Buddhism can have in the West. Mathieu – perhaps on the contrary, some people inspired by Buddhism try to put these principles of tolerance into practice, and tolerance makes these practitioners in the west endearing.In any case, it is first necessary to establish peace with oneself, that is, internal disarmament, then peace in the family, then peace in the village, until peace in the nation and even beyond the nation... By expressing these ideas, Buddhism Hope to help people rediscover their own spiritual traditions.So we are not at all holding a missionary attitude (attitude missionnaire).The rise of religious extremism, nitegrisme, may have sprung from the feeling that our age is seriously lacking in traditional values.But this feeling should not provoke a violent rejection of those who, precisely, are disoriented by the loss of a spiritual reference point.Such a reaction is irrational, even irrational.Because people should be treated as they are, where they are, and help them appreciate the fundamental value of existence, not destroy them!