The Essense Of Buddhism

John Snelling has written that scientists with their scientific information have succeeded in sending space craft to distant planets or even probe to remote quarters of the planet with radio telescopes, (Snelling 7). They may investigate the mysteries of the sub atomic world with electron microscopes. But the thing that infact know least about is this great mystery that is right here with us all the time- the heart of the matter behind Buddhism.

For like every one they subscribe to consensus view and don’t give the matter a second thought. Thus, according to John Snelling of the London Buddhist Society, these scientists fail to see what is right under their nose, (291). Buddhist is concerned, Snelling has found, with the unravelling of this mystery. In the first sense it is necessary to see through the great delusion of ‘I’, of the so called person. Then it is a matter of finding what really is there.

And how plot thickens to penetrate this mystery is to penetrate the ultimate mystery, the mystery of the heart of all things, and confront what the Christians called God, the Hindus Brahman or Atman-and it goes by other names in other religions. Buddhists, however hesitate to put a name to it or say anything or say anything at all about it. It is they maintain something that cannot be grasped by intellect or described in words.

It cannot be seen directly; but that seeing brings about something truly miraculous: a total transformation, no less. The veils of delution fall away and last the world is perceived as it truly is. At the same time a deep compassion also crystallizes: a pure, self less kindliness and caring born of an understanding of the unity of all beings. Therefore, as has been established by John Snelling in his ‘The Buddhist handbook: a complete Guide to Buddhist Teaching and Practice’, (7) Buddhism is quite simple.

But as, Snelling has found out simple things are always hard to fully realize, so people need all kinds of aids and support. A vast superstructure according to Snelling has therefore grown up around the basic heart core of the Buddha’s teaching: mountains of philosophical speculation, a voluminous literature, monastic codes and ethical systems, histories, cosmologies, different types of ritual and meditation practice, institutions and hierarchies. John Snelling writes of one Shuan Chin ken who wrote a preface to a text book (mumonkan)

From the London Buddhist society, John Snelling (1987) established that many of those who have undertaken the study and practice of Buddhism have also taken an interest in the western psychotherapies that developed from the pioneering work of Sigmund Freud, the, the most famous western psychologist. As well as the Freudian psychoanalysis and its derivatives, Snelling has found that, this includes the analytical psychology of Freud great but errant student, Carl Gustav Jung, as well as subsequent developments right down to the present time, where Buddhism and western society have come together in a wonderful bond, (Snelling, 292).

These theories, now regarded as Western psychotherapies arose towards the end of the 19th century and in the early part of the 20th century. This great discovery made by the pioneers of this movement was of the existence of the unconscious: an area or range of aspects of human psyche falling outside the normal range of conscious awareness. Snelling records the therapeutic aspects that interested Dr. Freud to study a lot on the nerve system of animals.

Sigmund Freud, as recorded by, Snelling was to the view the unconscious as a kind of cellar containing mainly what he called ‘vises’, all those aspects of himself that a person does not wish to confront- the unacceptable desires, aggressive impulses, painful memories and many other areas of ego. Snelling has established cure of all these consisted reclaiming this exiled material from the abyss of knowing and restoring it to the province of consciousness- or in Freudian terminology: restoring it to the ego from the Idd, a process that Freud compared to reclaiming land from the sea, (Snelling, 295).

If Freud’s tendency had been essentially secular, according to John Snelling then Jung’s ideas brought the new psychology into the area once regarded as the preserve of religion (293). Indeed he began to see the role of analysis not merely as directed towards curing neurotic symptoms but of assisting harmonious development, the flowering of individual potential, and ultimately towards securing a transformation that would take the individual beyond himself. John Snelling writes:

“The fact that the approach to the numinous is the real therapy and inasmuch as you attain to the numinous experiences you are released from the curse of pathology”. (Snelling 253). To accord due credit to Jung, however, it must be said that many western Buddhists have found that this ideas represent useful bridge into exotic world of Eastern spirituality. Some have gone so far as to undertake Jungian analysis and have found helpful, particularly in dealing with psychological problems.

According to John Snelling, Alan Watts was able to explain on this in his writing of the seven symbols of life (1936); Watt propounded the idea that Buddhism has more in common with psychotherapy than with religion as the term was then understood in the west. Psychotherapy and Buddhism are intermarried and each has its part to play in assisting in its full realization, psychotherapy in helping to develop a sound ego, Buddhism in taking the process on from there, (Snelling, 298). Religion of faith Buddha emphasized that his teachings had a practical purpose and should not be blindly clung to.

He the Dharma to a raft made by a man seeking to cross a dangerous hither shore of a river, representing the conditioned world, to the peaceful further shore, representing Nibanna (M. 1. 34-5). He then rhetorically asked whether such a man on reaching the other side should lift the raft and carry it around with him there. He therefore said, Dharma is for crossing over not for retaining, that is a follower should not grasp at Buddhist ideas and practices, but use them for their intended purpose, and then let go of them when they had fully accomplished their goal.

Many ordinary Buddhists, though do not have a strong attachment to Buddhism. While the Buddha was critical to blind faith, he did not deny a role for soundly based faith or trustful confidence (saddha) for to test out his teachings, person had to have at least some initial trust in them. He emphasizes a process of listening, which arouses saddha, leading to deeper saddha and deeper practice until the heart of the teachings is directly experienced. A person then becomes an Arahat, one who has replaced faith with knowledge.

Even Theravada Buddhism, which often has a rather rational unemotional image, a very deep faith in the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha is common. Ideally this is based on the fact that some part of Buddha’s path has been found to be uplifting, thus inspiring confidence in the rest. Many people though have a calm and joyful faith (pasada) inspired by the example of those who are well established on the path. In essence therefore, Buddhism is a religion that is based on aspects of faith. In actual sense Buddhism is a religion where faith is exercised for the purposes of perfection.

We therefore accept the fact the statement of acclaim that Buddhism is a religion of faith holds. Buddhism does not demand that anyone accepts their teaching on trust. The practitioner is instead invited to try them out, to expriment with them. John Snelling writes and says there is no compulsion and it happens to find truth elsewhere or otherwise all well and good, (Snelling, 4). The essential freedom from dogma is enshrined in the Buddha’s words to the Kalama, a people who lived in the vicinity of the town of Kesaputta:

” Come, Kalamas, do not be satisfied with heasay or with tradition or with legendary lore or with what has come down in your scriptures or with logical inference or with weighing liking for a view after pondering it over or with the thought ‘the monk is our teacher’ When you know in yourselves ‘these ideas are unprofitable, liable to censure, condemned by the wise, being adopted and put into effect they lead to harm and suffering ‘, then you should abandon them… ( and conversely:)when you know in yourselves these things are profitable…

‘ then you should practice them and abide in them. ” (Snelling, 3). Philosophical foundations According to John Snelling, in his The Buddhist Handbook: A complete Guide to Buddhist Teaching and Practice Buddhism as a religion is based o philosophical foundations. He writes: “At the core of Mahayana philosophy lays the notion of emptiness: Shunyata. Buddha very much in the spirit of anata as first teaches this. It is not used to imply, not mere or sheer nothingness, but ‘emptiness of inherent existence’; that is, the absence of any kind of enduring or self –sustaining essence.

There is also a sense in which it has connotations of conceptual emptiness: absence of thoughts. It could be regarded too as a non-term signifying the ineffable understanding arising within the practice of meditation…” Therefore, Shunyata as used by Buddha has formed this philosophical foundation in Buddhism, although in addition to this Snelling introduces another key term tathata which according to Buddhism philosophical foundations means ‘thusness’ or ‘suchness’ which signifies Emptiness in its immanent aspect: as it appears in the world of form.

The Buddha, as Snelling writes, is sometimes called the Tathagata: ‘He who is thus gone’. The Tathagata-garbha (garbha means ‘germ’) doctrine, on the other hand, proposes the notion of an imminent Absolute: the manifestation in form of a transcendental principle, (Snelling,5). Therefore it is true Buddhism has some philosophical foundations as it written by John Snelling, (Snelling, 4). In conclusion we have seen that Buddhism involves that Buddhism has evolved on the basis of some philosophical foundations and that it involves psychological, religious, some mystical experience and meditations.

Unlike other religions, Buddhism holds the religious perfection in which one should not clung of practical faith but should eventually make it to knowledge. Therefore, this makes it more a practical experience. It is such aspects, according to John Snelling that drive us to believe that there is no Buddhism but only Buddhists. REFERENCES Snelling, John. The Buddhist Handbook: A complete Guide to Buddhist Teaching and Practice. London: Rider, 1987.