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Essence of Buddhadharma: You Have a Problem


In The Road Less Traveled by Scott Peck, he is seeing his therapist. He lays out his feelings in detail and ask what he needs to do. The therapist response was..." you have a problem." At which point Peck speaks louder and in more detail about his situation that obviously the therapist just didn't understand. To whit, the therapist relies..." you have a problem."


In Buddhism Plain and Simple by Steve Hagen, he references a similar story of the Buddha. In the story, The World Honored One is asked by a follower about misfortune, and suffering. After the plea is finished, Shakyamuni Buddha said everyone has the same 83 problems but not to worry about them so much as it is the 84 problem that you should be most concerned. When eagerly asked what the 84 problem was, The Buddha replied..."that you think there should be no problems."


Imagine we are in search of the essence of Buddha-Dharma (teachings) that can be reached through four doors that are side, by side, by side, by side in a circle. The doors are not labeled so we must open and experience. While inside we see the four doors inside out, still without labels. This experience impacts our view of the condition we are/were in. Further, imagine we entered what might be called the inpermance gate of beginningless, arising, ending, and arising. So too are the experiences with doors of 2 cause and effect interconnecting, all arising, ending and arising. Then, door number 3 is experiencing non-solidity, the unstableness of form. Alas, the door 4 upon entry is all of our problem-suffering existing in fields of energy- impermanent, interconnected, formed, and unformed.


Buddha-Dharma is teaching the way of experiencing these "always" (of the human condition), simultaneously.


In the two stories before my evoking your imagination. the word "You" was used by the therapist and Buddha. In English the word means one or more and in Buddha Dharma it means less than two.


Context depends on awareness. The therapist says to Peck "you," as it is within you. The Buddhas says "you" as it is when all of us, and it is different and the same.


The Four Nobles Truths are based on the Three Laws/Gates. Being ignorant of the three Laws is Dukha, The Noble EightFold Path enables insight summing awakening, and awaking is seeing moment as full and boundless.


The unsurpassed, profound, and wondrous Dharma is seldom met with even in a hundred thousand million Kalpas, now we can see and hear it, accept and maintain it ; may we unfold the meaning of the Tathagata Truth.


108 Bows

Sangaku



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