In Tibetan, the word for Buddhist means “insider”

by Rebecca McClen Novick

In Tibetan, the word for Buddhist means “insider”—someone who looks not to the world but to themselves for the source of peace and happiness. The purpose of Buddhism is to relieve suffering; it begins with the premise that all suffering, however real it may seem, is the product of our own minds. Buddhism

offers a remedy for every spiritual ailment. In fact, the language of medicine is often used in Buddhist scriptures as a metaphor for the spiritual journey: The spiritual mentor is the doctor, the practitioner is the patient, the negative mental and emotional states are the illnesses, and the antidotes to those conditions are the teachings.

Tibetan Buddhism is a way of experiencing the world, more than it is a religion or a philosophy. The Buddha did not teach a theory describing the universe; he taught a method—a prescription—for how to live in it. These teachings entice us to give up our defense against change. They inspire us to realize a completely courageous approach to life, without divine authorities, without even familiar psychological concepts of selfidentity, and from that point of fearlessness to reach out to those still caught in the web of suffering. The Tibetan form of Buddhism goes a step further than the more ascetic schools,

which emphasize a denial of worldly experience. It allows for a person to get completely involved in human affairs—in family, politics, art, and business—while fostering a fundamental awareness that it is all cosmic theater. Being free from the world illusion allows one to act freely in it. Tibetan Buddhism is, therefore, an attractive and sympathetic path for those who have chosen not to enter monastic life but to remain in the world to pursue their spiritual goals.

The historical Buddha, Shakyamuni, has taken on divine properties in Tibetan Buddhism, and serves as a template for the boundlessness of humanity’s spiritual potential. This potential for Buddhahood is said to he within every one of us. The Dalai Lama says that it is “something we have always had, from time without beginning.... We are not talking about something completely foreign to our nature, which might suddenly appear like a

mushroom, as though without seed or cause.” There are no limits; everything is possible once we fully recognize and comprehend at the deepest level who we truly are. A Buddha is nothing less than a living realization of this understanding.

Such thinking might seem like an impossible dream, because presently we are the product of deeply ingrained habits that have become reinforced, say the teachings, through lifetimes of imprinting and social conditioning. It is only when we attempt to escape this mechanical behavior that we realize how

trapped we have become. Buddhism offers a way out—a way that begins with our own awareness of our captivity and the desire to be free. Buddhism is like a hologram. Each part eventually leads one to the realization of the whole. Through whatever door you approach the teachings, whether it be impermanence,

compassion, emptiness, or the karmic law of cause and effect, you will ultimately arrive at the same place, for each aspect of the teachings is just one facet of an integrated and interdependent understanding of oneself and one’s place in the universe. Buddhism is highly evolutionary, offering the

possibility for everyone to completely transform themselves —the “evolutionary momentum” in this case being one’s own aspiration for Enlightenment. Buddhists believe in the principles of love and compassion, but they do not believe in a creator god. In fact, questions as to how the universe was created

and whether or not it is eternal are considered unimportant. Instead, the Buddhist attempts to answer the more immediate questions of how to overcome the problems and difficulties of life. Someone who spends time on such questions while ignoring spiritual practice is compared to a person who refuses to let a doctor pull an arrow out of his or her body until s/he knows everything about the person who shot it.

No one path suits everyone, and so there are practices for every kind of person. The Dharma (the teachings of Buddhism) adapts to the individual character and aptitude of the practitioner. The Dalai Lama has said that the Dharma can be practiced without conflict by Christians, Moslems, Jews, and Hindus. When

the Buddha’s disciples asked him how people would be able to differentiate between their master’s words and the words of another after he was gone, he replied, “Whatever is well

spoken is the word of the Buddha.” In other words, if a teaching leads in the direction of lasting peace and happiness, then it has value no matter what its origin. This, plus the Buddha’s refusal to appoint a successor, paved the way for a variety of interpretations of Buddhist doctrine, leading to a

tradition of lively debate and an integral ability to adapt to changing circumstances. It also reflects Buddhism’s highly pragmatic and nondogmatic approach, which generates not only a tolerance of but a respect for other spiritual traditions.

Buddhism has evolved through twenty-five hundred years of debate, inquiry, and analysis. The history of Buddhism can be seen as the history of a philosophical dialogue between teachers and students—a dialogue that is still going on today. The mind is seen as a vast laboratory, and Buddhist literature is full of experiments. Critical inquiry is considered indispensable, and personal experience the final test of truth. We should not accept the

teachings merely on faith. The Buddha said, “Just like examining gold in order to know its quality, you should put my words to the test. A wise person does not accept them merely out of respect.” The Sutras (the discourses of the historical Buddha) speak of the “four reliances”:

Do not rely on individuals, rely on the teachings.

Do not rely on the words, rely on the meaning.

Do not rely on the adapted meaning, rely on the ultimate meaning.

Do not rely on intellectual knowledge, rely on wisdom.

There is a Tibetan story about Gampopa, the founder of the Kagyu school. He was a monk and a doctor who became a disciple of the poetsaint Milarepa. Gampopa spent all his time meditating in a cave. One day, Milarepa asked him what he experienced during his meditations. Gampopa replied that he

experienced nothing—only a great void. Milarepa exclaimed that if this were the case then the monk had not understood the teachings and was not truly meditating at all! Gampopa was so disillusioned that he decided to forgo his monastic robes and dress like Milarepa. Once again, Milarepa chastised him,

declaring that copying others was not the answer. “Everyone must follow their own path. Heal yourself, good physician monk; then you will naturally heal

others. My teaching is mine; yours must be yours. Do whatever is necessary in order to evoke it from within.”