My deep interest in Buddhism and the ultimate goal to become a Buddhist monk motivated me to start reading the history of Buddhism from across the world and prepare myself for my goal by understanding the key principles of Buddhism. It’s interesting to note how closely are Zen Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism, etc. interrelated in terms of philosophy. In the first go, a person might feel exasperated by going through so many philosophies that ultimately highlight and underline the same universal truth, i.e., understanding the inner consciousness through detachment, intuition, and meditation. Discarding the duality of the world, Buddhism propagates the oneness and encourage devotees to understand the truth by overcoming the inner prejudices and attachments. I am yet to gain enough confidence to state the principles and key takeaways of Buddhism without any confusion or doubt; I am fully aware that this entire process of learning and unlearning will turn out to be a long journey and have started preparing myself for any sacrifices and endurance involved in this arduous process of gaining enlightenment. When I started reading the books on Zen Buddhism, I was spell bounded by the stories on the early Zen masters like the swashbuckling Bodhidharma and his extremely humble and grounded Hui-Ko.
What is interesting to note about Bodhidharma is his entire look and physique, which is extremely different from the conventional images of monks embedded in our minds. Popularly know as a blue-eyed barbarian, he is apparently the first Buddhist with a fully grown flowing beard. Whatever little I have read about him, it made his personality and approach towards life as a Buddhist monk more and more fascinating. As rightly presented in the later records, he was well know for his toughness and straightforwardness. There’s an interesting anecdote about his conversation with the fanatic Buddhist Emperor Wu during a meeting.
The emperor under the impression that he has done the best as an ardent devotee of Buddhism by building temples, organizing assemblies, promulgating sutras, etc. invited Bodhidharma to his court and probed his take on his activities pertaining to Buddhism. The emperor, who till now was regaling confidently over his efforts, was surprised to hear Bodhidharma’s response. When the emperor asked earnestly if he has earned any merit by constructing temples, organizing assemblies, the blue-eyed barbarian simply responded “None whatsoever, my majesty.”
The shocked emperor further investigated about the main principle of Buddhism and Bodhidharma enlightened by stating “Vast Emptiness.” The concept of “Emptiness” as underlined by Bodhidharma made me rethink and reflect upon my current situation and work upon deep cleaning the grey areas of my mind by undertaking the path of simplicity and learning through consistent practice. As a lay person, I have been struggling hard for years like many until I realized as mentioned in Buddhist teachings that with the physical existence comes suffering. Like everyone else around me, I thought my sufferings will end once I get a job, maybe once I get hold of a plump job or win a lottery, etc. I also believed that people whom we love are always there for us through every thick and thin. I was too naive to imagine that the love between two people related through blood is unconditional until I stumbled upon the Buddhist philosophy.
Another Buddhist philosopher who has made a mark on my mind is Hui-ko or Dazu Huike. An ardent follower of Bodhidharma, Dazu Huike, as per the popular stories, apparently chopped off his arm to draw attention of his master Bodhidharma about his devotion to learn from him. Though the above incident has been contested by the early literature, I was deeply impressed by his take on learning. Once the baton of Zen Buddhism was passed on to Huiko or Huike, he started living an inconspicuous life among peasants by doing menial jobs like any laborer or a peasant. He justified his action as the best approach for his mind and learning. This also enabled him to emerge as a much stronger and learned leader.
Many philosophers have emphasized upon leading a simple and anonymous life for understanding the true meaning of life. Apparently, the great Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu rejected the offer of joining the King’s court as he believed that the short-lived luxurious life weakens our capacity to endure the tough times witnessed thereafter . I might sound weird but I somehow totally agree as I find the concept of “material richness” to be nothing but a negative turn in our lives. I just can’t imagine myself always worried about my safety due to my wealth and being surrounded by sycophants than true or real people. Money has the capacity to make a person blind by numbing his or her rationality and inflating his or her ego.