To Cross the River

Wu Weiming吳維明December 20, 2024

In Buddha dharma, to gain enlightenment is to leave the shore of samsara, cross the river, and reach the shore of nirvana. The raft that can carry us across the river is the Four Noble Truths. To be enlightened is to be awakened, open our eyes and see ¹ the truths about how to live and experience life without discontent.

The Four Noble Truths

After Siddhartha Gautama awakened under a bodhi tree, he gained a profound insight into the human condition we struggle to cope with in our daily lives. He also found a way to transcend such a condition. The core of his teachings is the Four Noble Truths:

1. Life is marked with dukkha (restlessness and discontent).
2. Dukkha co-arises with tanha (desires or longings).
3. The cessation of dukkha co-arises with the extinction of tanha.
4. To extinguish tanha, follow the Noble Eightfold Path.

Dukkha

In the first Noble Truth, the Buddha points out that the human condition we struggle with is dukkha. Whether we realize it or not, we experience dukkha and are affected by it in everyday life. The term “dukkha” refers to a sense of uneasiness that one’s life is incomplete or out of balance, that something is missing in life and its absence is holding one back from being as content and happy as one could be. In modern culture, many people subscribe to the ethos of pursuing happiness in life. But if one pursues happiness, does that mean one is not as happy as one can be at the present moment? If so, then the very pursuit of happiness would betray the presence of dukkha.

It is not uncommon that dukkha is translated as suffering, and the first Noble Truth is read as life is marked with suffering. This reading gives rise to the misperception that Buddha dharma has a very gloomy and negative view about life. But when dukkha is more properly understood as discontent and unfulfillment, the first Noble Truth is indeed an accurate depiction of our experiences with longings and struggles in life. Moreover, as we will see in the third and fourth Noble Truths, Buddha dharma teaches us that it is possible to live life without dukkha, and offers a way to achieve this. So far from being negative, it offers a positive way to live and experience life.

Tanha

The second Noble Truth states that dukkha co-arises with tanha. The word “tanha” literally means burning thirst. Desires, cravings, yearnings, fixations and attachments are all tanha. Dukkha and tanha are two sides of the same coin. To desire something is to be in a state of discontent, and out of the restlessness of discontent desires would grow as a means to mend it.

When one feels dukkha and thinks it is because something is missing in one’s life, it is only natural to want to get what is missing in order to gain happiness. The comedy movie Bedazzled (2000) portrays such a mindset in a comic yet thought-provoking way. The main character Elliot sells his soul to the Devil for seven wishes. He misguidedly thinks if he were handsome, talented, wealthy or powerful, et cetera, he would be able to sweep Allison, the woman he is secretly in love with, off her feet. However, each time his wish is granted, the mischievous Devil would foil his plan, and Elliot’s efforts in making Allison love him back would end up an exercise in futility. Elliot finally realizes that the key to happiness does not lie in getting what he wants. It is only after he selflessly uses his final wish to wish Allison a happy life does he get to keep his soul and find happiness in loving someone.

The teaching of the seven deadly sins in Christianity parallels the teaching of tanha in Buddha dharma. The fire in hell is a vivid metaphor for desires. To be consumed by desires is to be burned by hellfire. Resisting the Devil’s temptations is a key step in the journey of spiritual growth.

The Cessation of Dukkha

The third Noble Truth announces the uplifting prospect of a life without dukkha. The key to the cessation of dukkha lies in the extinction of tanha. To extinguish tanha is to put out the fire of burning desires so that we would no longer be tormented by it.

Since childhood we have been taught to control and even suppress our desires. Morality plays a major role in this. Labeling certain desires as immoral serves as a direct and effective way to denounce and inhibit them. The teaching of the seven deadly sins is a representative example. People are told to resist impure thoughts and suppress sinful urges. Failing to do so would bring about moral and spiritual condemnation and punishment.

The approach of Buddha dharma to tanha does not center on whether a desire is good or bad, moral or immoral, for even a good desire can cause discontent and suffering. For example, it is natural for us to want to be with our loved ones. There is nothing wrong with that. But such a desire can still cause dukkha when we are separated from them. So instead, Buddha dharma focuses on how to free us from the vexation of tanha.

The way Buddha dharma frees us from the torment of bad desires is also different from the common way of fighting temptations through willpower. An attempt to suppress a craving can backfire and end up amplifying it. This often results in the loss of self-control, which in turn can bring about shame for being weak-willed. As an example of how this can happen, imagine all of a sudden you feel like having a beer. Sensing it is too early to drink and you have work to do, you resist such an impulse. Yet somehow the hankering lingers. You try to put it out of your mind, but the harder you try, the more you think about how nice it would be to have a beer now. After a while, all you can think of is cracking open a cold one. You cave in and start drinking. Afterwards, you have regrets and feel bad about losing control.

Instead of emphasizing the role of willpower, Buddha dharma teaches skills that free us from tanha. Having the required skills is essential, in addition to a strong motivation to succeed, to reach a goal. For example, to win a tennis match, it is not enough to have a strong motivation and mental strength, you also need a fit physical condition and the skills for various shots.

The Extinction of Tanha

Rather than control and suppress desires through willpower, the fourth Noble Truth points out that the way to extinguish desires is to follow the Noble Eightfold Path. To follow the path is to learn and practice a set of skills that can lead to the fading away of tanha and free us from its grip. These skills are acquired through training, and their daily practice that forms a way of life is the key to the extinction of tanha.

The Noble Eightfold Path

To follow the Noble Eightfold Path is to practice right view, right thought, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness and right concentration. The term “right” here does not mean “correct” or “morally good”. It is the translation of the Pali word “sammā,” which means “suitable, appropriate.”

Right View

Is there a way to see reality that is the only correct way? Take a look at the graphic in Figure 1.

Are there four colored circles partially covered by a rectangle? Or are there four shapes in the form of Pac-Man? Many would say that they see four circles and a rectangle while others would insist that they see four shapes of Pac-Man and the rectangle is just an optical illusion. Which view is correct? Can they simply be two different perspectives? As an exercise, try to see the pattern without any concepts such as shape and color, that is, try to see it as such.

The Noble Eightfold Path is pragmatic. Its focus is not so much on whether something is correct as on whether it is suitable and useful in helping us develop skills to relieve tanha. The practice of right view aims to free us from a common perception of reality that leads to dukkha. We are accustomed to seeing reality as consisting of individual entities that subsist in spacetime. Such a view gives rise to self-centered grasping in life and also brings on the fear of death and the desire for immorality. Through the teachings of anicca (impermanence), anatta (no self) and shunyata (emptiness), Buddha dharma teaches us to see reality as interbeing in the ocean of karma. This perspective is appropriate and helpful because it would lead to the cessation of dukkha, and promote loving kindness toward all. We will take a deep look at interbeing in the section of Anicca, Anatta and Shunyata.

Right thought

Right thought stems from right view. Once learning to see reality as interbeing, and upon seeing the interfering of all the waves in the ocean of karma, we would cultivate the thought of renunciation and the thought of ahimsa. In modern context, the thought of renunciation can be understood as the resolve to, instead of playing the game of getting ahead in life, promote the wellbeing of all. The thought of ahimsa is the commitment to do no harm, realizing that to harm one is to harm all in the web of interbeing. It is worth contemplating whether by getting ahead in life one would have harmed those who are left behind.

Right Speech

The heart of loving kindness and the thought of ahimsa would inspire us to refrain from lying, slandering, gossiping, speaking harshly or frivolously. Instead, we would be mindful and speak truthfully what is appropriate and useful. In the age of texting and social media, this skill and its practice are especially needed now more than ever.

Right Action

Mindful of doing no harm, we refrain from taking life, stealing, taking more than what we need when others are in need, and committing sexual misconduct. The use of the phrase “refrain from” is important. It indicates that Buddha dharma does not strictly prohibit taking life. There are circumstances in which not taking life would do a greater harm. The primary guideline for determining sexual misconduct is the principle of do-no-harm. For example, having an affair shatters the trust in relationships and harm the people involved. To think that there is no harm done as long as the affair is kept secret is a failure to see how it already damaged all the relationships being impacted and made the perpetrators untruthful. It is sad and unfortunate when people are blind to who they have become. It is also tragic, for such kind of thinking would prolong the suffering of all affected. The ripples of karma propagate whether one sees it or not.

Right Livelihood

In making a living through a profession, we should choose our careers carefully so that we can avoid unwholesome places and situations. In our daily work, we should strive to serve and help people, and do our best not to harm ourselves and others. For people whose work makes it hard to avoid unwholesomeness, special training and support systems are needed to help them cope with the difficulties.

Right Effort

In daily life, our focus should be on nourishing loving kindness in our hearts. Through mindfulness, we bring about and sustain wholesome mental states, and prevent or halt unwholesome mental states. Over time, the daily effort will internalize to form a calm temperament that is less susceptible to the agitation of tanha.

Right Mindfulness

To be mindful is to be aware of what is going on at the present moment and see things as they are so that there is no misunderstanding, distortion or self-deception. Mindfulness is especially an apt skill to ward off the amplification of tanha. Thich Nhat Hanh told a story that succinctly illuminates what mindfulness is and how to practice it in everyday life.

When the Buddda was asked, “Sir, what do you and your monks practice?” he replied, “We sit, we walk and we eat.” The questioner continued, “But sir, everyone sits, walks, and eats,” and the Buddha told him, “When we sit, we know we are sitting. When we walk, we know we are walking. When we eat, we know we are eating.” ²

Right Concentration

Right concentration helps us quiet our minds. The daily practice of jhāna (concentration, meditation) can lead to the subsidence of thinking and pondering. It also helps us achieve calmness and evenness so that we would not get overexcited by sensory stimuli. When we are not distracted by all that is buzzing around us, we can then hone our skill of mindfulness and see all that inter-is as such.

To be enlightened is to be reborn, to embark on a new way of living. Living is a matter of daily practices. To walk the Noble Eightfold Path is to live an enlightened life and no longer wander in the dark valley of tanha.

Anicca, Anatta, and Shunyata

The three marks of existence in Buddha dharma are dukkha, anicca (impermanence), and anatta (no self). To be able to see these three marks is to gain the right view that can help us let go of tanha ³ and cross the river. To see anicca and anatta is to be awakened and see shunyata (emptiness) clearly and deeply. It is sudden enlightenment (頓悟, dunwu in Chinese; satori in Japanese) in the Chan (禪, Zen in Japanese) tradition.

Anicca (Impermanence)

If you practice mindfulness while eating a piece of fine Belgium chocolate, you would notice that its flavor dissipates after a short moment. Missing the taste, you quickly have another bite. But soon the flavor would disappear again. If you try to keep the taste by eating the chocolate again and again, soon you would find the flavor changes. It would no longer taste as good, and could even turn sour. You may even feel sick after overeating it.

It is not just our sense perception. Everything we observe and experience, the content of our consciousness, and every phenomenon in the world are always in a state of flux and thus impermanent. Everything comes and goes, appears and disappears. All is passing. Trying to hold on to things that are fleeing would lead to dukkha.

Anatta (No Self)

The Vedanta school of Hindu dharma teaches that the true self of each one of us is Brahman. Our individuality is merely a facade in the world of maya. In the West, many followers of Judaism, Christianity and Islam believe that an eternal individual soul is the true self of each human being. But regardless whether individuality is only an appearance or is fundamentally real, viewing each one of us as an individual being tends to bring attachment to one’s self and lead to dukkha.

Instead of seeing each one of us as a separate being, Buddha dharma shows us a different perspective of seeing a human being as consisting of five khandhas (bundles, aggregates). The five khandhas are the physical form, feelings, perceptions, mental formations and consciousness. Looking deeper, we can see each bundle as a collection of physical and mental states. Each state in the collection is constantly affecting and being affected by all the other past and present physical and mental states in the world.⁴ Without the ground beneath you, the sky and clouds above you, the tree, grass and people around you, you would not be you enjoying a pleasant walk in the park. This way of seeing reality is put poetically with the term “interbeing” by Thich Nhat Hanh.

A well-known and beloved poem written by the sixth Chinese Chan grandmaster Huineng (六祖慧能) has served to illuminate anatta through the ages:

The Bodhi tree is not a tree.
The spotless mirror is not a mirror.
There is not a thing to begin with.
Where is the place to gather dust? ⁵

We are used to seeing and thinking of reality as made up of objects. This new way of seeing such as bundles of ever-changing states requires a paradigm shift of perspective and frame of reference. The shift is so radical and profound that it opens our eyes to see interbeing and dependent arising.

Shunyata (Emptiness)

Shunyata (空, kong in Chinese) means emptiness. Emptiness is the absence of own-being. “Emptiness simply means no self-nature.” ⁶ To see shunyata is to see there being no individual object, no separate entity, no permanent substance and no unchanging essence. Again, using the diagram or pattern in Figure 1 to illustrate, when you see shunyata, you would see no circle, no rectangle, no shape of Pac-Man, no color, and so on. You see such. And if we continue and expand the scope of this exercise, there would be no diagram in front of you as the object of your perception, and there would be no you as the subject looking at the diagram.

Reality is the collection of all phenomena; it is the ocean of karma. Each phenomenon is an ongoing, ever-changing bundle of physical and mental states, a wave in the ocean of karma. Once we see anatta and interbeing, we would see all the waves in the ocean of karma. When we see all the coming and going of waves, we would be awakened and see shunyata.

The teaching of shunyata is not meant to be taken as the ultimate truth in metaphysical speculation. Its importance lies in its pragmatic usefulness in freeing us from tanha. If the self is not there, where can tanha be?

From the Near Shore to the Other Shore

The near shore is samsara. The other shore is nirvana. The original meaning of “nirvana” is “blowing out,” “extinguishing” or “quenching”. To be in nirvana is to be in the state in which all the burning desires are extinguished. Eating a hamburger with attachment is eating in samsara. Eating it without attachment is eating in nirvana. The hamburger is the same hamburger, but eating with attachment and eating without attachment are two very different states of experience.

To cross the river is to go from the shore of samsara to the shore of nirvana. The river stands for the stream of life; the two shores are two ways of experiencing life. When one stands on the opposite shores, the river is still the river, but the sceneries of the river are quite different. Living with dukkha and tanha is living in samsara; living without dukkha and tanha is living in nirvana.

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