FBA Dharmabyte, and#8220;The Finger Pointing at the Moonand#8221; we are taken on another journey with Sangharakshita into the Essence of Buddhism. The finger pointing to the moon is compared with the third fetter: clinging to ethical rules and religious observances. From the talk and#8220;The Nature and Development of Buddhismand#8221; by Sangharakshita.
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The Finger Pointing at the Moon
[music] Dharma Bites is brought to you by Free Buddhist Audio, the Dharma for your life. Our work is funded entirely by donations from our generous listeners. If you would like to help us keep this free, make a contribution at freebuddhistaudio.com/donate. Thank you, and happy listening. If we go further along in the history of Buddhism, if we look at the Japanese tradition, Japanese Buddhist tradition, we'll find the interwoven with it. In so many places, there is this very beautiful analogue of the finger pointing to the moon. You use the finger to indicate the moon, but you pass from the finger to the moon. You don't mistake the finger for them. So in the same way, you pass from a religious teaching, from a religious practice, to enlightenment, to spiritual experience. You don't remain stuck as it were, with that teaching, with that doctrine, with that practice, with that method, hanging on to it, hugging it as it were, and think that you've got religion death. No, one sees the moon, and one uses the finger to find the position, the place of the moon, in the heavens. So in all these various ways, in the parable of the right, in the advice through Mahaprabhati go to me, in this analogue of the finger and the moon, Buddhism makes it so clear to all its great teaching, its doctrines, its philosophies, its practices have won aim and won end only, and that is enlightenment, all our means through that great end. We might say, perhaps, that Buddhism takes greater precautions against the possibility of its followers, mistaking the finger for the moon than any other teaching, than any other tradition. We don't reach the followers, I know, that Christ ever said to His disciples, "Be careful that you don't take my words too literally." We don't read that Muhammad, for instance, ever said to his followers, that he ever warned his followers, that when I speak about the delights of heaven and so on, I'm not to be taken too literally, this is just to help you on your way. We don't read that in the case of either Christianity or Islam, these warnings were ever given, but certainly in the Buddhist tradition, the Buddhist teaching, that in the Hindu tradition and Hindu teaching, also to some extent, this is insisted upon again and again and again. Because human nature is such that we always tend to cling on through that which is an end and treated as, and that which is the means and treated as life was the end itself, especially in matters of religion. In this respect, it's very instructive to notice, as I pointed out before to some of you, that the third of the ten fetters, by which we are feted, bounced down to conditioned existence, according to the Buddhist teaching, is what is called Sila Vrata-Prahmarsha. Now, this is a sounds-good expression which simply means "Sila" is ethics, moral rules, vrata is religious observances, prahmarsha is clinging on attachment. So, clinging on attachment to ethical rules and religious observances is according to Buddhism effect. Not that these observances, not that these practices are wrong in any way, but the clinging to them constitutes a fetter. In other words, this represents, we may say, conventional religiosity. Conventional religiosity is a hindrance to enlightenment. This is a very hard truth for many people to smaller. This is, perhaps, the main points of Krishnamurti's teaching. I don't personally agree with everything that Krishnamurti says. I think he goes far too far in some directions. But this, which he says, is certainly bad. That too many people have become forced down. Too many religious people have become forced down in religion itself. But treating it not as a means-trend in enlightenment or any other end, but as an endless self. There's no need to multiply examples, so far as the religious life of this country is concerned, well, we can find examples enough all around us. There's no need to mention anyone's specifically. We do even find this sometimes despite all the Buddha's warning within Buddhism itself. Sila Brata Prabhara Masha is sometimes translated by the early translators as no dependence on rights and ceremonies. But really, this has nothing to do with rights and ceremonies. As I've said, Sila is ethical rules, as in the case of the Pancha Sila, Brata is religious observant. Let us use all these things by all means. Let us have our pooges, let us have our meditations. Let us have our organizational activities, our study of the texts. Let us have all these things, but let us always remember that they're only of use, only of value to the extent that they lead us in the direction of enlightenment. And that's why we have to ask ourselves periodically, as I ask all of you periodically, is what I am doing, is what I am studying, is what I am practicing, what I am observing, really helping me in the direction of enlightenment. But am I going mechanically on week after week, month after month, just like a squirrel in a revolving cage? Have I just got into a sort of religious conditioning? Am I just settling down comfortably in some sort of religious doctrine or practice or group, or am I using those facilities in such a way that I do get a little nearer to enlightenment? This is the question which we have to ask ourselves constantly, is not enough to declare what I am the Buddhist. Is not enough even to keep up one's daily meditation. The point is, is one getting nearer to enlightenment? Is one making some progress? Are these things in which one is engaged, which one is studying, which one is practicing, functioning as a means, and helping one towards the end in the direction of which they point? We hope you enjoyed today's Dharma Bite. Please help us keep this free. Make a contribution at freebuddhistaudio.com/donny and thank you. [music] [ sub by sk cn2 ]