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Share Guide: Could you tell our readers
something about your own search for enlightenment and how you came to
be on the Buddhist Path?
Sylvia Boorstein: I discovered mindfulness
meditation in 1977. It is the typical meditation that the Buddhist's
have. In the Pali Canon, which is the compilation of the
earliest teachings of the Buddha, there are two principle teaching
sermons where Buddha says, "This is what you should do." One of them is
the Mindfulness Sermon and the other one is the Lovingkindness Sermon.
What is interesting about the whole lesson of the Pali Canon is a
continuing narrative of the life of the Buddha: where he went, whom he
taught, and the different teachings that he gave. For the most part he
did not give instructions for practice, he just probed his vision of
the truth, of what a healthy, happy or a fulfilled life would be. It is
tremendously uplifting to read them because in many instances, he
teaches and then the narrative describes how many people became
completely free of all conditioning and became completely liberated.
The Mindfulness Sermon gives instructions for paying attention in your
life in a really awakened and consistently conscious way.
Lovingkindness, which is a facet of mindfulness, is paying attention
most specifically to the climate of your heart. Is it open and loving
or is it closed up and in self-serving mode? You need to determine if
it is frightened, overwhelmed, confused, and then do what you need to
do. It is a very simple teaching. I started it because it was the
1970's and people were doing all kinds of meditative practices for the
first time. It was a really wonderful time of spiritual surge in this
country. There were all kinds of things to do. I tried a lot of them
mostly because my husband was a tremendously spiritual seeker and
adventurer and he would come home with great ideas to try. I would go
and be initiated into this or that. Nothing was ever bad, but nothing
actually captivated me until this did. I went on a Mindfulness Retreat
in 1977 and I have never left.
Share Guide: From my study with local
Buddhist teachers, it seems to me that this teaching is more about
daily practical living rather than abstract principles and studies.
Sylvia Boorstein: That would be fair to say. It
is based more on daily living, but also on a daily sustained meditation
practice that is quite simple and doesn't require abstract thought. You
could explain it to anyone: Take some time quietly during the day by
yourself. You can choose to walk back and forth in some place that
clearly defines you, just paying attention to the sensations of your
body and discovering how that makes you present and more awake--not
only in that moment but in the rest of the day that follows.
Alternately, find a place to sit quietly for some period of time and
focus on your bodily sensations and the coming and going of the breath.
Notice that your attention and focus becomes settled and refined in
that very quiet and simple experience of just existing and sitting and
breathing and being alive. Then you are more aware and alert as you go
about the rest of the day.
Share Guide: What does enlightenment mean
to you?
Sylvia Boorstein: I like to think I have an
enlightened moment when I see clearly and respond wisely, when my
actions are not colored by greed, hatred or delusion. It's when wisdom
predominates and not ignorance. I think of those as enlightened
moments. I have more of them now than I did when I began studying the
Buddha's teachings. The mind freed from greed, hatred, or delusion is
not a complicated thing. We have plenty of times to recognize them, as
these are liberated moments. I'd certainly like to have more
enlightened moments in my life.
Share Guide: When I read the life story of
the Buddha, it seemed that the central feature of Gautama Buddha's life
was his enlightenment. Can you explain more about his enlightenment
experience?
Sylvia Boorstein: I think that the Buddha's
enlightenment was a moment in which he fully understood the causes of
suffering and the ends of suffering. He realized the possibility of the
end of suffering, and the path of practice to get to the end of
suffering. In that same enlightenment experience he also had complete
clarity about all his previous lives. And he had a full understanding
of karma and the way in which that works.
Share Guide: I've seen that depicted by
artists. Was that the moment when he was sitting under the Bodhi Tree
and touched the earth?
Sylvia Boorstein: Yes. It is a great story,
called Through the Watch of the Night. Buddha sat down, having
finished six years of practice with two different renowned teachers of
the time, each of whom had taught him everything that he knew and had
acclaimed him as being equal to the teacher himself in terms of
meditative skills. He could do the severest austerities. The legends
about him were that he was so skinny from fasting that he could feel
his backbone by touching his belly and that he could sit out in the
hottest sun for long periods of time. Yet he said at the end of that
period of practice: "I knew that even though I had mastered these great
stages of consciousness in which I had control over my physical body in
an amazing way, and also a complete ease of mind, that I had not
discovered what what I was searching for, which was the cause of
suffering and the end of suffering." The whole journey that brought
Buddha to this realization was motivated by the kinds of feelings we
all have about how difficult it is to be a human being and live in the
world. I am thrilled about the Buddhist complete enlightenment
experience. My life is wiser and freer and clearer much of the time.
Share Guide: So you have more moments of
light than darkness, even during traffic jams and other daily
challenges?
Sylvia Boorstein: Right. In daily challenges, I
can at least recognize that I am annoyed or challenged!
Share Guide: It makes sense that we will
have more moments of enlightenment as we practice. I don't think I have
reached a higher level, but I see it as a path. I have more light now
than when I did when I was younger, because I am working on it. But I
have a long way to go.
Sylvia Boorstein: One more thing I want to say
about this: Although Buddha's experience was far more dramatic, sublime
and complete than mine, I think his motivation was not that different
than all of ours. Sooner or later in our lives, we all ask, "What is
this all about?" We all get born, like it or not. We are all going to
do this whole trip, which is really about trying to accommodate the
changing circumstances all the time. We have to adjust to challenges,
and even like it, even enjoy it, and have leftover energy so we can
help other people! And in the end, we all die. We want to be able to
live life with energy, with determination, with fervor, and with spirit.
Share Guide: The first teaching, which the
Buddha gave after declaring his enlightenment, is called Setting in
Motion the Wheel of Truth. This was the first one in which he
elucidates The Four Noble Truths. I will list them for our readers. The
first one is "Suffering is a part of life." The second is "The cause of
suffering is the mind struggle in response to the challenges of life."
The third is "The end of suffering is a possiblity." And the fourth is
"The path to the end of suffering, which is the Eightfold Path." Would
you say that this first sermon is considered the essence of his
teaching?
Sylvia Boorstein: I think that it's fine to say
it is the essence of his teaching. It is elaborated on in other
teachings.
Share Guide: In your book, Pay
Attention for Goodness' Sake, you focus on the Ten Paramitas,
stated as generosity, morality, renunciation, wisdom, energy, patience,
truthfulness, determination, lovingkindness, and equanimity. How do the
paramettas relate to The Four Noble Truths? And why did you choose to
do a whole book on this?
Sylvia Boorstein: The Paramitas relate to the
life of the Buddha and the discovery of The Four Noble Truths. The
Buddha is said to have developed these particular capacities of heart
in lifetimes before his life as Siddhartha Gautama. There is a body of
literature called Jataka Tales, which are children's stories
that are part of the compendium of Buddhist folklore from early times.
They are stories about previous lifetimes of the Buddha in which he was
a water buffalo, a monkey, etc., and in the stories it is clear that
the water buffalo or monkey is the Buddha in a prior incarnation doing
some completely selfless or wise task on behalf of others. The stories
are meant to inspire the cultivation of that same capacity in one's
self. It's like the story we are taught in school about George
Washington. We're told that he never told a lie, and that when he
chopped down the cherry tree, he admitted that he did it. These stories
are meant to inspire children and adults to cultivate the same
qualities in one's self. It's interesting to think that these are the
things the Buddha did before he had his enlightenment. It is not
necessary to wait until we have that vision that releases us from the
prison of self preoccupation. We can practice being good people first.
If we practice enough--maybe we'll have the vision, maybe we won't--at
least we will have the pleasure of leading a life that is much more
fun, and much more a cause of happiness. It's a joy to notice that
there is a whole world out there, and we can help to take care of other
people. For me, the point of becoming enlightened is to be able to act
without greed, hatred and delusion in the world. It doesn't mean to
forget about taking care of yourself; it means to somehow be free of
the captivating habits of self preoccupation which are so limiting. The
Dalai Lama always says "It's a much better gamble to be interested in
the well-being of others than your own because the odds are six billion
to one."
Share Guide: There is a story in your book
about the Dalai Lama, where he is asked "what kind of religion is
Buddhism?" He responds by saying, "My religion is kindness." Do you see
kindness as the foremost quality here?
Sylvia Boorstein: I do. And I think there are
all forms of kindness. Kindness comes up in the word metta in the ninth
Paramita, which is lovingkindness. The word metta actually
means friendliness, and friendliness, patience, equanimity, and
truthfulness are all forms of kindness. When you think about the
kindnesses you can do for somebody, if you tell them the truth, you
level the playing field. You do not hold an extra card up your sleeve.
If you are patient, it is also a kindness to people. Here is a mundane
example. I go into a dry cleaner one evening to pick up a sweater I
plan to wear when I give a lecture that night. I come with a ticket and
I say, "Here I am," and they look and say, "The sweater is not back
yet." Then I say, "but it's Tuesday," and they look at the slip and
say, "Yes, it's Tuesday, but it's not back yet." There are other
customers around me listening to this. At that moment if I say, "That's
okay, I'll come back tomorrow; I'll find something else to wear," then
the whole tension level in the dry cleaners goes down. It's a relief
not only for the dry cleaner who doesn't have the sweater, but also for
the people there who are anticipating an escalation of tension. It's
also good for me, because I could have gone ahead and escalated the
tension to no avail, because the sweater is not there! And it's not
going to suddenly appear if I am impatient. I could create a fuss,
upset everybody else there, and upset my own heart. Really, the central
point in all the Paramitas is to behave in a way that is kind and that
keeps your own heart from getting upset. It looks like it is good for
other people but actually, it is good for you as well.
Share Guide: After college I lived with
Swami Muktananda, back in the mid-70's. Muktananda once said, "You say
I am so selfless all the time, but I'm really the most selfish amongst
you." Everybody gasped and then there was silence in the hall--it
sounded like sacrilege! He smiled and said, "The only difference is
that my self is all of us, it's one big self, so I am selfish for all
of us." I thought that was so cool that I never forgot it.
Sylvia Boorstein: Good story. I like to think
that cultivating the Paramitas happens both because you make a
conscious effort to try to do them, and because ultimately a loving and
kind heart makes you happy. In order to achieve this, there is a way of
practicing as if you already are, and watching as the impulse for lack
of generosity arises in the mind and then you over ride it. You can
practice in a way that comes from really understanding the joy of not
feeling needy--or realizing the ease in the mind in which no desire
arises. This is a meditative experience. I was at a meditation retreat,
an ordinary day, actually, and I was sitting on a bench outside the
building just before lunch. I was a little hungry, the cement bench was
hard, and it was cold and foggy. I had been sitting and my mind at that
point was so relaxed and so peaceful that I heard the bell ring for
lunch but I didn't move. Usually, when a bell rings for lunch and you
are hungry, you get right up. I realized that even though I had heard
the bell, nothing jumped up in me--not in my mind, and not my body. I
was just sitting there. I sat for a while more and then I got up and
had lunch. But that moment was a learning moment, showing that when the
mind is relaxed, it does not feel needy. It has feelings but it doesn't
want anything in particular. I realized that the overriding feeling in
that whole experience was a sublime peace, such that I had not felt
ever before. It was really my first moment of knowing the third Noble
Truth: peace is possible.
Share Guide: So you were having the
experience but you weren't attached to it?
Sylvia Boorstein: Right. I had the experience
without the need arising to change it in anyway. It's the non-neediness
which is so liberating, and the awareness that intense neediness is so
painful. The sense of non-neediness is so happy, it makes you really
want to practice generosity. Any cling that arises in the mind, you
want to get over it, because what the Buddha meant by that cling is
suffering! The second Noble Truth is that the cause of suffering is
craving. Suffering is the incessant craving in the mind for anything.
Share Guide: Wanting more?
Sylvia Boorstein: Wanting different, wanting
more, wanting other.
Share Guide: I think this is why people go
shopping when they aren't feeling good. There are different ways to get
peace of mind--one is to buy stuff, and we are taught to do that in
this society. We are not taught to sit down and enjoy the moment and
not buy anything.
Sylvia Boorstein: Yes, to enjoy a moment of
non-neediness!
Share Guide: I need to ask, why not just
lead a life of service? Why bother with meditation and mind training?
Sylvia Boorstein: That is a very good question.
For me, I think actually I can't do it without some mind training,
because of the amount of despair, dismay, and disillusionment that
comes up in me when I look at the amount of pain in the world. If I did
not have a practice that kept my heart buoyant enough, to keep it
going, I would be overwhelmed by it. I need something to keep me
reminded that this incarnation is beautiful, amazing, and thrilling and
has a lot of potential to it, and that people's hearts can change. Look
at the times we are living in! But I have a fundamental belief that
human beings are good-hearted. When it seems like someone gets pleasure
out of hurting, I think there must be something out of tune in that
person's heart and mind. I believe that the natural impulse of the
heart is compassion. What am I teaching these days are the things that
I think are really important to do in these difficult times. I don't
want to spend any time blaming anyone. The real culprits are greed,
hatred and delusion--and ignorance. I want to tell people that human
beings can wake up, that they have in the past, some of them
completely. Many of us have woken up enough to be dedicated to
kindness. We can do it!
Share Guide: In other words, the
meditation and mind training that keep you buoyant are like a source of
inspiration to counteract all the negative stuff in the world.
Sylvia Boorstein: That is exactly so. I like to
use the definition of hope that Vaslav Havel gave. He said, "Hope is
the ability to say no to what's exactly in front of you--which is not a
denial that it's happening, but it's a denial of the idea that it's all
that is happening."
Share Guide: You define mindfulness as
"paying attention." Can you expand on this?
Sylvia Boorstein: The definition of mindfulness
which I like most is the awake attention to what is happening inside
and outside so we can respond from a place of wisdom. When my own mind
has closed up because it got startled into some self-serving stance,
then I don't think clearly and I don't respond kindly. That is actually
my test for whether I am seeing clearly, which is to see if I am
feeling kind.
Share Guide: You mention in your books
that you come from a Jewish background, and still consider yourself a
Jew. I have come across a number of people raised in a Jewish family
that are deeply involved in Buddhism. Are there facets of Judaism that
somehow meld with Buddhism more than Christianity or Islam or any other
major religion? How do you account for so many Jewish Buddhist's being
around? There's Ram Dass and Lama Surya Das, for example.
Sylvia Boorstein: I don't know the answer to
that. I think it's partly serendipity. A lot of Jews were in the Peace
Corps and went to Asia in the 60's, and then came back and taught
Buddhism in the 70's. Back in the 50's and 60's, the earliest real
interest in Buddhist thought and meditation came from the Catholic
Contemplative community. Thomas Merton was writing about it, and people
like William Johnston, Aelred Graham, and many Catholic monastics were
interested in it. As a discipline of mind training, Buddhism has been
very interesting to all people dedicated to religious practice as a way
of connecting their heart practice with direct immediate experience. My
own experience is that I had a traditional upbringing in a Jewish
family, and was raised in in the Jewish tradition. I like it. I never
considered that my practice of mindfulness or study of Buddhist thought
would make me any less of a Jew.
Share Guide: The Dalai Lama has said that
enlightenment can be achieved through a number of paths and it's not
wise to be jumpy. In other words, if you are born in the West and you
are raised as a Christian or a Jew, you may need to go back to the
roots of your own tradition to find the truth for you.
Sylvia Boorstein: I think of myself as a Jew
whose life has been tremendously enhanced by my practice of
mindfulness, by my understanding of what the Buddha taught. I would
like to think that Buddhism and Judaism are both lineages dedicated to
kindness and compassion. And I'm sure that Christianity is too,
although I'm no expert.
Share Guide: You have a Ph.D in
Psychology. Buddhism, with it's emphasis on mindfulness, seems to
appeal quite a lot to the Western mind and Western psychology. What are
your thoughts on this?
Sylvia Boorstein: I agree. I think the Buddha
was a pre-eminent psychologist and that interested me enormously
because I was a practicing psychotherapist for many years. The Buddha
has a different understanding of how the mind works, but it did not
replace my understanding of psychodynamics, or child development, or
any part of Western psychology that I had learned. I came to learn how
the Buddha understood the mind and the afflictions of greed, hatred,
upsets of peace. This offered a different template for understanding
the human mind. This was knowledge I used in addition to and not
instead of what I knew as a Westerner. It was of tremendous help to me
as a therapist. From the outside my practice may have looked the same,
but I was much better informed after I learned what the Buddha taught.
I actually think the Buddha had a brilliant understanding of the nature
of the human mind and heart, and this was two millennia before Western
psychology began!
Share Guide: In your books, you talk about
how amazing it is that life exists, and with this viewpoint it seems
that kindness is the natural way to live. But we see so much of nature
that's "red in tooth and claw," like the old poem says--in other words,
based on survival of the fittest. Seeing the clashes of man against
man, it seems our species is just as violent as the rest of the
animals. How do you reconcile this with living kindly?
Sylvia Boorstein: I honestly don't know. I
really take the biggest hope from my faith that human beings in the end
are compassionate. At least when we are not confused, we are
compassionate. But we are often confused by the very strong impulses of
greed and the hatred that comes up when protecting that greed. I think
fundamentally it's greed more than anything else that is the problem.
Share Guide: The story of the Buddha is
very inspiring. It shows the possibility of freedom and happiness, but
in our daily lives the uplifting feeling comes and goes. Sometimes we
feel enlightened and sometimes worldly responsibilities wear you down
like a flickering candle. So what can we do to stabilize our awareness
and try to be more enlightened in our daily lives?
Sylvia Boorstein: The key word is stabilize.
I think about stabilizing and I think about reinspiring our spiritual
faculties. The Buddha had a list of five spiritual faculties. One of
them is concentration-- we could concentrate a little bit more because
the mind needs to calm down from whatever overwhelms us. Also, if we
pay a little more attention, we see a bit more and what accrues is
wisdom. Not perhaps enduring wisdom of the world, but a wisdom of what
is the wise and appropriate response in a given situation. Then we see
we are not trapped, because when we feel trapped, we are paralyzed.
When we see something left to do, even if it's an internal move and not
an external move, we can have the energy to do it. Then we see clearly
again, which re-inspires our faith. This is a doable concept. That is
what the Buddha taught: peace is possible in this very lifetime.
Sylvia Boorstein
is one of the cofounders of Spirit
Rock Meditation Center in
Woodacre. The Center is dedicated
to the teachings of the Buddha as presented in the Vipassana tradition.
The practice of mindful awareness, called Insight or Vipassana
Meditation, is at the heart of all the activities at Spirit Rock. The
Center hosts a full program of ongoing classes, daylong, and
residential retreats. For more information , please visit www.spiritrock.org.
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