Orange County Buddhist Church
Orange County Buddhist Church
A Way Of Seeing (Dr. Buddha)
There is a saying in the Buddha Dharma that goes, “According to the illness, give medicine.” There are also many references to the Buddha as being like a medical doctor, which is why this column is subtitled “Dr. Buddha.” The above saying also probably led to the saying, “There are 84,000 gates to the Dharma,” which simply means that for each person, or, possibly, each type of person, there is a Dharma-teaching that will lead to that person’s enlightenment.
The references to illness and medicine are pointed and deliberate, because that is the way in which the Buddha saw the problem of suffering, which is what he wanted to eliminate. Like the Four-fold Noble Truth, we can see how he looked first at the effects, and then at the causes, albeit the latter are assumed in the antidote/medicine.
The Buddha saw suffering as analogous to an illness and even called three basic causes of suffering “three poisons,” namely, greed/lust, anger/hatred, and ignorance/stupidity. That might look like six rather than three, but the original words can be interpreted either/or/both.
If we contemplate the word “poison,” we find that a poison can also be an antidote, and vice versa. It often depends on dosage. While we do not usually think of vaccines as poisons, the fact is that they can act as poisons if given in the wrong amounts or for the wrong illness or in the wrong way. Think also of antivenin. This is an antidote to snake or insect venom made using venom!
In somewhat the same manner, even the three poisons can become antidotes, if we first become aware that they are, in fact, poisons. If we do not awaken to the reality that it is our self-made poisons that cause our suffering, then we cannot even begin to seek out an antidote. Awakening to that reality is not enough, however; trying to rid ourselves of the poisons is the next step, assuming we do not want to suffer badly enough. Most of us probably do not suffer badly enough that we will do almost anything to get free of suffering. For those who are fortunate in this way, or unfortunate, depending on our point of view, listening to, and storing in our minds, the Buddha Dharma can give us a medicine chest of possible antidotes.
On the other hand, we might find ourselves unable to help ourselves because we hurt so much. For those of us who find ourselves in this position, there is only (from the Jodo Shinshu Buddhist perspective) the Nembutsu, Namo Amida Butsu, which is meant for such as us. It is our connection, as it were, to Amida. It is our way of expressing our humble gratitude for the true, real antidote.
On another note, I should like to express my thanks for all that you’ve done for me and my family during this past year. If you heard my Dharma-talk on ways of saying thanks, Ōkini arigatō-gozaimasu.
Gasshō,
Donkon Jaan
Rev. John Doami
