An Illustrated Outline of Buddhism: The Essentials of Buddhist Spirituality by William Stoddart, Joseph A. Fitzgerald Read Free Book Online Page A

only the arhant
    (the saint who has overcome samsāra and achieved Nirvāna )is ful y
    “awakened”, ful y “ Dhamma -become”.
    Paraphrasing Molière, we can say that there is emptiness and emp-
    tiness, as well as fullness and fullness: there is the vain fullness of the
    world ( samsāra )and the sacred Emptiness of the Void ( Shūnyatā );
    at the same time there is the vain emptiness of the unregenerate soul
    ( anattā )and the sacred Fullness of the Self ( Ātmā ).

    Vajradhara Buddha, Mongolia, 17th century

    46
    An Illustrated Outline of Buddhism
    Just as Christianity has its roots, not in creation but in the Creator,
    so Buddhism has its roots, not in samsāra (the “il usory”, the decep-
    tive) but in Nirvāna (the Real, the True), variously referred to, in dif-
    ferent contexts, as Dharma (“Law”, “Norm”, “Truth”), Bodhi (“Enlight-
    enment”, “Knowledge”), and Ātmā (“Self”).Buddhism’s message for
    suffering man is that herein alone lies “release from suffering” or, as
    Christianity would say, salvation.
    Let it be said here that metaphysics is not absent from Buddhism;
    Buddhism is not merely a methodology, as is sometimes alleged. The
    efficacy of its method is based on the truth of its doctrine. Anything
    else would be inconceivable.
    *
    * *
    As mentioned on p. 23, Buddhism, like Hinduism and Christianity, is
    “incarnationist” and “iconodulic”. Buddha not only teaches doctrine—
    “turns the Wheel ( chakra )of the Law ( dharma )”—but actual y incar-
    nates Nirvāna .The image of the Buddha—of supernatural origin—is
    of profound sacramental importance in Buddhist spirituality. In this
    connection, it is said: “The Buddha also teaches by means of his super-
    human beauty.”
    *
    * *
    In Christianity, much importance is given to the doctrine of the Logos . In
    fact, the doctrine of the Logos (whatever name it be given) is central to ev-
    ery religion, for the Logos is the indispensable link between man and God.
    Within each religion, the Founder is the personification of the Lo-
    gos , and his role as such is always made explicit. Christ said: “No man
    cometh to the Father but by me.” Mohammed said: “No one will meet
    God who has not first met His Prophet”, and also: “He that hath seen
    me (the Prophet), hath seen the Truth (God).” In Buddhism, it is strik-
    ingly similar: the Buddha said: “He who sees the Dhamma sees me,
    and he who sees me sees the Dhamma ”( Samyutta-Nikāya , iii,120).
    It is precisely this identification with the Logos which enables and
    requires each Founder (Prophet or Avatāra )to speak in such absolute
    terms. Were it not so, there would be no question of a religion, nor
    would there be any possibility of salvation.
    Opposite page : Phra Buddha Jinnarat of Pitsanulok, Thailand, 15th century

    48
    An Illustrated Outline of Buddhism
    The most elementary religious viewpoint envisages two funda-
    mental realities, namely God and man or Creator and created. In Bud-
    dhism, the corresponding pair would be Nirvāna and samsāra .Within
    each of these two realities, however, a distinction can be made. As re-
    gards man, it is clear that man consists of body and soul (pertaining
    respectively to the corporeal realm and the subtle or psychic realm). As
    regards God (or the Nirvanic Reality), the distinction to be made, ac-
    cording to the metaphysicians and mystical theologians of all the great
    religions, is as follows:
    (1) The Divine Essence (the level of “Beyond-Being”)

    —the “Supra-Personal” God.
    (2) God as Creator, Sustainer, and Judge (the level of “Being”)

    —the “Personal” God.
    Thus we reach four levels of reality: two human and two divine.
    Most importantly, there is, between the two Divine and the two purely
    human levels, the level of what the Ancient and Medieval philosophers
    and theologians called the Spirit ( Spiritus or Pneuma )or Intellect ( Intel ectus or Nous ).The Spirit or Intellect (in