The Five Buddhas

Introduction

It was through Zen Buddhism that I first found the Baha'i Faith. I was living on a small island between Vancouver and Vancouver Island. Galiano Island is part of a group called the Gulf Islands. Very close to the Canadian/American border and north of Seattle. The island is named for its volcano. Ancient it is, but part of a chain that includes Rainier and Mount St. Hellen.

Meditating and focusing on the elements of reality.

Investigating assurances and the distribution of beleivable points of reference.

I believe in logic and the use of reason. This is the starting point for use of other methods of investigation. We must also use the information that the messengers have brought us. The last five messengers I call the Five Buddhas.

I quote a statement below which accounts for the kind of thinking I do.

1. note what the five senses are showing you.
2. use reason to discover truths that are alluding you.
3. trust the messages of God from the manifestations
4. trust the rain of the spirit of joy and love to your heart.

THE FOUR METHODS OF ACQUIRING KNOWLEDGE by 'Abdu'l-Baha

"There are only four accepted methods of comprehension - that is to say, the realities of things are understood by these four methods.

"The first method is by the senses - that is to say, all that the eye, the ear, the taste, the smell, the touch perceive is understood by this method. Today this method is considered the most perfect by all the European philosophers: they say that the principal method of gaining knowledge is through the senses; they consider it supreme, ... The sight believes the earth to be motionless and sees the sun in motion, and in many similar cases it makes mistakes. Therefore, we cannot trust it.

"The second is the method of reason, which was that of the ancient philosophers, the pillars of wisdom; this is the method of the understanding. They proved things by reason and held firmly to logical proofs; all their arguments are arguments of reason. Notwithstanding this, they differed greatly, and their opinions were contradictory. They even changed their views - that is to say, during twenty years they would prove the existence of a thing by logical arguments, and afterward they would deny it by logical arguments - so much so that Plato at first logically proved the immobility of the earth and the movement of the sun; later by logical arguments he proved that the sun was the stationary center, and that the earth was moving. Afterward the Ptolemaic theory was spread abroad, ...

Therefore, it is evident that the method of reason is not perfect, for the differences of the ancient philosophers, the want of stability and the variations of their opinions, prove this. For if it were perfect, all ought to be united in their ideas and agreed in their opinions.

"The third method of understanding is by tradition - that is, through the text of the Holy Scriptures - for people say, "In the Old and New Testaments, God spoke thus." This method equally is not perfect, because the traditions are understood by the reason. As the reason itself is liable to err, how can it be said that in interpreting the meaning of the traditions it will not err, for it is possible for it to make mistakes, and certainty cannot be attained. This is the method of the religious leaders; whatever they understand and comprehend from the text of the books is that which their reason understands from the text, and not necessarily the real truth; for the reason is like a balance, and the meanings contained in the text of the Holy Books are like the thing which is weighed. If the balance is untrue, how can the weight be ascertained?

Know then: that which is in the hands of people, that which they believe, is liable to error. For, in proving or disproving a thing, if a proof is brought forward which is taken from the evidence of our senses, this method, as has become evident, is not perfect; if the proofs are intellectual, the same is true; or if they are traditional, such proofs also are not perfect.

Therefore, there is no standard in the hands of people upon which we can rely. "But the bounty of the Holy Spirit gives the true method of comprehension which is infallible and indubitable. This is through the help of the Holy Spirit which comes to man, and this is the condition in which certainty can alone be attained."

(a shortened version from Some Answered Questions)

* * *

I was a quiet child. For some reason I thought that people understood the world and the way it works. I did not understand much and so I listened a lot. Somewhere, somewhen, friends and relatives were going to reveal what was really going on! It did not happen. Soon I found myself finishing high school and leaving family, friends and Toronto. Twenty years old and I knew nothing that I could definitly call truth. I did not even know that Christ was a messenger and his purpose was to teach us about the One True God and and our part in God's mysteries.

But I did know one thing. Christ said he would return and reveal all truth. So I went about Canada to find out more about the truth. It took me three years to find Baha'u'llah. In the light of his many writings, I can now say that I do understand some things! Or I think I do.

The Buddha's writings are not pure. The original words have been lost in the mists of time. 2600 years or more.

Christ's words are more reliable but they are veiled by the words of millions of ministers and priests. These leaders were not willing to wait for the coming of the 'Comforter' to explain what He meant. A cloud of conflicting opinions hide what Christ wanted us to understand.

Muhammad's words are more clear as we have the original Arabic writings of his revelations. But again we have more than 1500 years of interpretation by people who were only guessing.

The Bab wrote in both Arabic and Persian some 160 years ago. Only a small number of his writings are translated in English. His mission was to promote Baha'u'llah. He gave his life so that Baha'u'llah would live to give the message that mankind needed for this time.

With this declaration of Baha'u'llah in 1863, in Baghdad, we now have those comforting words that Christ spoke of. We have explanations about the reality of God, Man and Religion.

***

In the light of the Comforter, I go back to the time of the first Buddha and try to see more clearly what He was trying to say. Arthur Wendover

A Poem About the Bab

He sat in a cold mountain fortress

He sat in a cold mountain fortress
Abandoned by the world
The Lamb that we all awaited
Still He instructed us
Not to treat Him whom God shall make manifest
The same nor cause Him any harm.

He saw by a single flickering light
And had but a single companion
Still He instructed as God wished.
Throughout Iran and Iraq went His tablets.
Letters to letters, Words to words.
He could not be entrapped by those
Who turned away, fearing what He could do.

A Gate in a Wall in a garden
The only way for all to enter paradise.
Where is paradise and where is hell?
Cold sat on His bones, but hot was His soul frame
He was ready for Questions.
But they had nothing to ask.

1270 years they had waited
but now they could only feel that
they had imprisoned the Qa'im in a mountain.
Not knowing why they felt so on fire with hate.

(about the Bab in Maku)

The Four Noble Truths of Buddhism

The Four Noble Truths appear many times, throughout the most ancient Buddhist texts, the Pali Canon. The early teaching and the traditional understanding in Theravada is that the Four Noble Truths are an advanced teaching for those who are ready for them.
1. There is suffering (dukkha). 2. There is a cause of suffering (craving). 3. There is the cessation of suffering (nirvana). 4. There is the eightfold path leading to the cessation of suffering.

The Noble Eightfold Path
(quoted from http://www.thebigview.com/buddhism/eightfoldpath.html)

1. Right View
2. Right Intention
3. Right Speech
4. Right Action
5. Right Livelihood
6. Right Effort
7. Right Mindfulness
8. Right Concentration

The Noble Eightfold Path describes the way to the end of suffering, as it was laid out by Siddhartha Gautama. It is a practical guideline to ethical and mental development with the goal of freeing the individual from attachments and delusions; and it finally leads to understanding the truth about all things.

Together with the Four Noble Truths it constitutes the gist of Buddhism. Great emphasis is put on the practical aspect, because it is only through practice that one can attain a higher level of existence and finally reach Nirvana.
...
1. Right View Right view is the beginning and the end of the path, it simply means to see and to understand things as they really are and to realise the Four Noble Truth. As such, right view is the cognitive aspect of wisdom. It means to see things through, to grasp the impermanent and imperfect nature of worldly objects and ideas, and to understand the law of karma and karmic conditioning. ...

2. Right Intention While right view refers to the cognitive aspect of wisdom, right intention refers to the volitional aspect, i.e. the kind of mental energy that controls our actions. Right intention can be described best as commitment to ethical and mental self-improvement. Buddha distinguishes three types of right intentions: 1. the intention of renunciation, which means resistance to the pull of desire, 2. the intention of good will, meaning resistance to feelings of anger and aversion, and 3. the intention of harmlessness, ...

3. Right Speech Right speech is the first principle of ethical conduct in the eightfold path. Ethical conduct is viewed as a guideline to moral discipline, which supports the other principles of the path. This aspect is not self-sufficient, however, essential, because mental purification can only be achieved through the cultivation of ethical conduct. ...

4. Right Action The second ethical principle, right action, involves the body as natural means of expression, as it refers to deeds that involve bodily actions. Unwholesome actions lead to unsound states of mind, while wholesome actions lead to sound states of mind. Again, the principle is explained in terms of abstinence: right action means 1. to abstain from harming sentient beings, especially to abstain from taking life (including suicide) and doing harm intentionally or delinquently, 2. to abstain from taking what is not given, which includes stealing, robbery, fraud, deceitfulness, and dishonesty, and 3. to abstain from sexual misconduct. Positively formulated, right action means to act kindly and compassionately, to be honest, ...

5. Right Livelihood Right livelihood means that one should earn one's living in a righteous way and that wealth should be gained legally and peacefully. The Buddha mentions four specific activities that harm other beings and that one should avoid for this reason: 1. dealing in weapons, 2. dealing in living beings (including raising animals for slaughter as well as slave trade and prostitution), 3. working in meat production and butchery, and 4. selling intoxicants and poisons, such as alcohol and drugs. ...

6. Right Effort Right effort can be seen as a prerequisite for the other principles of the path. Without effort, which is in itself an act of will, nothing can be achieved, whereas misguided effort distracts the mind from its task, and confusion will be the consequence. Mental energy is the force behind right effort; it can occur in either wholesome or unwholesome states. The same type of energy that fuels desire, envy, aggression, and violence can on the other side fuel self-discipline, honesty, benevolence, and kindness. Right effort is detailed in four types of endeavours that rank in ascending order of perfection: 1. to prevent the arising of unarisen unwholesome states, 2. to abandon unwholesome states that have already arisen, 3. to arouse wholesome states that have not yet arisen, and 4. to maintain and perfect wholesome states already arisen.

7. Right Mindfulness Right mindfulness is the controlled and perfected faculty of cognition. It is the mental ability to see things as they are, with clear consciousness. Usually, the cognitive process begins with an impression induced by perception, or by a thought, but then it does not stay with the mere impression. Instead, we almost always conceptualize sense impressions and thoughts immediately. We interpret them and set them in relation to other thoughts and experiences, which naturally go beyond the facticity of the original impression. ...

8. Right Concentration The eighth principle of the path, right concentration, refers to the development of a mental force that occurs in natural consciousness, although at a relatively low level of intensity, namely concentration. Concentration in this context is described as one-pointedness of mind, meaning a state where all mental faculties are unified and directed onto one particular object. Right concentration for the purpose of the eightfold path means wholesome concentration, ...

( from http://www.thebigview.com/buddhism/ )

The Four Noble Truths

"Now, this, O bhikkhus, is the noble truth concerning suffering: Birth is attended with pain, decay is painful, disease is painful, death is painful. Union with the unpleasant is painful, painful is separation from the pleasant; and any craving that is unsatisfied, that too is painful. In brief, bodily conditions which spring from attachment are painful. ...

"Now this, O bhikkhus, is the noble truth concerning the origin of suffering: Verily, it is that craving which causes the renewal of existence, accompanied by sensual delight, seeking satisfaction now here, now there, the craving for the gratification of the passions, the craving for a future life, and the craving for happiness in this life. ...

"Now this, O bhikkhus, is the noble truth concerning the destruction of suffering: Verily, it is the destruction, in which no passion remains, of this very thirst; it is the laying aside of, the being free from, the dwelling no longer upon this thirst. ...

"Now, this, O bhikkhus, is the noble truth concerning the way which leads to the destruction of sorrow. Verily, it is this noble eightfold path; that is to say: Right views; right aspirations; right speech; right behavior; right livelihood; right effort; right thoughts; and right contemplation. ...

( from "Buddha, The Gospel"
see http://arthursclassicnovels.com/religion/buddha10.xml)

It is commonly thought, even by Buddhists that the religion does not admit to the existance of God. For the best description of God and heaven, there is no better than the one here attributed to the Buddha.

"And the Blessed One, this connection, on that occasion, breathed forth this solemn utterance: "There is, O monks, a state where there is neither earth, nor water, nor heat, nor air; neither infinity of space nor infinity of consciousness, nor nothingness, nor perception nor non-perception; neither this world nor that world, neither sun nor moon. It is the uncreate. That O monks, I term neither coming nor going nor standing; neither death nor birth. It is without stability, without change; it is the eternal which never originates and never passes away. There is the end of sorrow.

"It is hard to realize the essential, the truth is not easily perceived; desire is mastered by him who knows, and to him who sees aright all things are naught. There is, O monks, an unborn, unoriginated, uncreated, unformed. Were there not, O monks, this unborn, unoriginated, uncreated, unformed, there would be no escape from the world of the born, originated, created, formed. Since, O monks, there is an unborn, unoriginated, uncreated and unformed, therefore is there an escape from the born, originated, created, formed."

( from "Buddha, The Gospel"
see http://arthursclassicnovels.com/religion/buddha10.xml)

If this is not a discussion about God than what is it? If God could be described then he would not be God. There is a daily prayer in the Baha'i faith which describes our role and condition in life. "I bear witness, O my God, that Thou hast created me to know Thee and to worship Thee. I testify, at this moment, to my powerlessness and to Thy might, to my poverty and to Thy wealth. There is none other God but Thee, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting."

(from Baha'u'llah in Baha'i Prayers)

So it is our duty, purpose, to understand God.
We cannot understand who God is, on our own,
but with His help we can get "sparks" of understanding.

A.G.W.