Being enlightened

Erleichda is a community of Sh’am Buddhists, whose beliefs came to Erleichda from India via China. Here’s how it came about:

As Buddhism spread eastwards from India, it was influenced by the religions of the regions in which it was practiced. In China, under the influence of Taoism and the like, a sect arose known as Ch’an. They asked themselves the question: If the way to Nirvana is by renouncing desire, what then is the last desire to renounce? If desire leads to suffering, and I have overcome my desire for wealth, status, sex, food, drink, air and life itself, what is left to renounce? Why, they realized, it’s the desire to enter Nirvana! So the Ch’ans decided that this would be the first desire they would renounce, which seems to have taken a load off their minds, because Ch’an Buddhas always appear to be very contented.

The opposite of Nirvana is Samsara – the endless cycle of life and death. If I give up the desire to reach Nirvana, then I’m choosing to believe that there is no real distinction between Nirvana and Samsara, and therefore I’m already in Nirvana. There is nothing to be realized, I’m already enlightened, I can just get on with life.

 The Ch’an Buddhist, having renounced the desire to enter Nirvana, chooses instead to re-enter Samsara. This is the Boddhisattva, who realizes that all there is, is the sum of our illusions, and that the enlightenment of one does not equal enlightenment, which belief maintains the illusion of the individual. True enlightenment is the enlightenment of the universal Buddha-mind, the cosmic sum of all consciousness.

The Boddhisattva returns as a teacher, there is no enlightenment until everything is enlightenment, and everything is everybody, so it’s all or nothing.

The character pronounced “Ch’an” in Chinese is pronounced “Zen” in Japanese. It comes from a Sanskrit term meaning meditation. Ch’an Buddhists don’t believe in meditation, but spend a lot of time meditating, pondering the thought that meditation does not lead to enlightenment. That comes from the Taoist belief that meditation, or total absorption, can be part of any activity. Life is a meditation. Maybe.

In effect, in renouncing the very concept of Nirvana, Ch’an is to Buddhism what atheism is to Christianity. Or is it? More about that later.

When Ch’an reached Erleichda, it came under the influence of Christianity, the Australian disapproval of leaders, and a few good ideas I picked up from George, an Aboriginal resident, and evolved into my version of Buddhism, Sh’am. This acknowledges that I’m not really a Buddhist, but agree with a lot of what the Buddha has to say.

Ch’an masters believed that they should never tell anything too plainly – each person should reach their own conclusion. Which Sh’am Buddhists also believe. Perhaps Sh’am isn’t sham Buddhism at all! 

There is no need to have a deep understanding of Zen. You should not say 'I know what Zen is'. Or 'I have attained enlightenment'. This is the real secret: Always be a beginner.