The middle path in Buddhism suggests. The Middle Way of Shakyamuni Buddha

The Kasyapaparivartasutra cites the following words of the Buddha: “O Kasyapa! What is called eternal is one of the opposites. What is called transitory is the second opposite. What lies between these two opposites is unexplored, inexpressible, unmanifested, incomprehensible and has no duration. Oh Kasyapa! This is the Middle Way, called true knowledge phenomena of being."

Following the Middle Way, we avoid any extremes, but this does not mean that we are paralyzed, we are in between them, not moving in either direction. The usual yes-no logic does not apply to the concept of the Middle Way. Following the Middle Way, we get rid of dualism, we are not between opposites, but, as it were, above them. We see the problem comprehensively, from all sides, not for a moment forgetting the relativity of each position. Thus, we get a single, inseparable impression that does not have qualities and signs, inseparable from ourselves - "... we touch the space, as if with our palms on our cheeks."

Having reached the goal of the Middle Way, we can say with the Buddha:

“Now, if someone asks if I accept any point of view at all, then in response he will hear the following:

The Perfect One is free from any theory, for the Perfect One has comprehended what the body is, how it arises and how it disappears. He realized that there is a feeling, how it arises and how it disappears. He realized that there are mental structures (samkhara), how they arise and how they disappear. He realized what consciousness is, how it arises and how it disappears. Therefore, I say, the Perfect One has attained complete liberation through fading, smoothing, disappearing and getting rid of all opinions and assumptions, from all tendencies to the conceited idea of ​​"I", "Mine".

In relation to the "I" or "self", Buddhists usually interpret the concept of the Middle Way in the following way. From the point of view of empirical reality, "I" exists, otherwise who is being improved? When a swell appears on the surface of the ocean of being, when a complex of dharmas (elementary psychophysical states - the basic elements of being) is formed, which has its own attribute that distinguishes this complex from another, we say that the "I" is manifested. But from the point of view of true reality, "I" does not exist, since it is not eternal, changeable and empty in nature. This duality of conscious being, this uncertainty is extremely painful, it is characterized by the antitheses "is - is not", "eternal - non-eternal", etc., which is a kind of formulation of the first noble truth. The reason for this painful duality is the susceptibility of being to filth, the beginningless excitement of dharmas, supported by the constant activity of defiling elements, klesh. To stop this painful uncertainty, there is a Middle Path called the true knowledge of the elements of being, a path that leads to Nirvana, which is not subject to research, not involved in any speculative constructions (the third noble truth).

Thus, the question of the “I” is not removed, but is transferred to the plane of practice, to the area of ​​the “path” - it is only affirmed that the “I” or “not-I” is something indefinite, in any case indefinable by rational knowledge, and they believe that that this uncertainty is fully resolved at the final stage of the journey.

O. O. Rosenberg expressed the Buddhist concept of the non-existence of the “I” in this way:

“We have no right to isolate parts of a common pattern and say: here is the sun, here is the “I”. There is no sun, no "I", in the sense of something independently existing. There is only a pattern: "a person who sees the sun", one inseparable picture.

So ignorance in Buddhism is the cause of selfishness or the feeling of "I". It makes the individual feel separate from everything else in existence, unconnected to the world order. We cling to our little self, we fight hard to prolong it, to continue it through all eternity. Individual existence is evil, desire is the outward expression of this evil. People are unhappy simply because they are alive. The source of all sorrow is the affirmation of life. The power of ignorance is so great that people, despite the most severe suffering, stubbornly cling to life. Lust for life is considered by the Buddha as an ignoble, stupid desire, as moral slavery, one of the four spiritual poisons. As Nietzsche wrote: “With regard to life, one must admit some daring and risk, especially since at worst, as well as at best, we will lose it anyway. Confidence in the inevitability of death should have mixed with life a precious, fragrant drop of frivolity, and you, pharmaceutical souls, have made it a bitter drop of poison, as a result of which all life becomes disgusting.

According to Buddhism, in reality there are neither subjects nor objects, there are only instantaneous combinations of constantly emerging and disappearing elementary psychophysical states - dharmas. But a false sense of "I" leads to the separation of objects in this uninterrupted stream of being and their opposition to the conscious subject. This, in turn, leads to the emergence of sensations - the subject perceives the object. From sensation arises craving, an aspiration that leads from birth to birth. It is a powerful cause of life and suffering. We are because we want to be. We suffer because we crave pleasure. “Everyone who thirsts is held in subjection by this thirst, this despicable thing that pours its poison on the whole world, the suffering of this person grows like grass grows. And from one who subdues thirst, suffering subsides from him, like water dripping from lotus flowers. “Just as, if the root is not damaged, a felled tree grows again with mighty strength, so if the excitement associated with thirst has not completely died, suffering arises again and again.”

From craving comes attachment. The flame of thirst is associated with the fuel of attachment. The extinction of thirst is liberation, and attachment to things is bondage.

From attachment to existence comes becoming, which is interpreted as karma, causing a new birth. From becoming comes birth, from birth come old age and death, torment and groaning, sadness, anguish and despair.

To break this cycle of birth and death, to get rid of suffering, you need to destroy all desire. Desire can be destroyed only by destroying ignorance (avidya) - the illusion of the existence of an individual "I", as a kind of self-conditioned, permanent substance, separated from the world. The noble eightfold path serves to destroy this imperfection.

The important part is moving in the right direction, no matter how slow. Suffering comes when we move in the wrong direction, no matter how far you have progressed spiritually. The saint will suffer if he moves in the wrong direction, but the sinner will feel good if he moves in the right direction. That's what it's all about, about the right direction.

In fact, it is a middle way between seeking pleasure and intentionally or unintentionally causing self-suffering. In this it is similar to the path of the Buddha.

For a long time, the Buddha tried to achieve enlightenment through austerity. He fasted until the place where he sat left an imprint similar to the mark of a camel's hoof. Finally, he realized that he was on the wrong path, that he needed his body as a partner and therefore must satisfy his natural biological needs, he must be steadfast (firm), but kind to him (body). He called it middle way and many seekers after him found that this was the right way for them.

In the same way, ours should help us feel as good in the body as in the mind and spirit. Suffering is only for the ego. If instead, we identify more and more with spirit or our higher self, then life will be correspondingly easier and more joyful.

Our basic premise is that what we attract and become what we believe. Assuming that the universe contains all possibilities, all shades of good and bad, right and wrong, desirable and undesirable, it is much more tempting to believe in a benevolent universe than a punitive one, in a God of love rather than a God to be feared. This spiritual philosophy of the middle way says that we can choose and have what we want, we just have to firmly believe in what we want and act accordingly.

However, there is a catch here. We must be careful in our choice and be careful from what level of consciousness this choice comes from. If we allow our ego to choose, then we are most likely making the wrong choice. This means that we are making selfish choices that will have to be paid for later. If the ego chooses pleasure now, then later we will suffer to pay for it.

If, on the other hand, we allow ourselves to be guided by our highest ideals and the inner voice of our highest leadership, then we will choose a path that leads us to gradually growing and lasting happiness, without having to pay for it with later suffering.

The simplest and safest choice is the desire to fulfill the purpose for which we incarnated and simply the desire to fulfill the will of the Creator. Of course, we do not fully know our purpose and the will of the Creator; at least not in our minds. The good news is that we don't have to know this, we can just let ourselves be led step by step by listening to our spiritual guidance or by following our highest ideals. This is called "living by faith" or "going with the flow."

Interior Christ

Gradually, ‘living by faith’ will allow the inner divine seed to awaken and grow within us. Like a hologram, this seed is a miniature reflection of God and the universe. When fully developed, this seed will become the resurrected Christ. Then we will live in Christ and Christ is within us. This is the promise of those who know.

To put it a little differently, we can say that as a living soul, we have now become the ideal instrument for our Higher Self or Christ Self. The Christ Self can then begin to manifest the will of the God Self, the "Father." Like Jesus became the Christ, we can say, "I and the Father are one."

We can view the life of Jesus as symbolic acceptance of the inner journey that we are all called to undertake sooner or later. The crucifixion symbolizes the death of our ego, and the resurrection symbolizes the birth and reign of the inner Christ. By becoming Christ, we have finally atoned for our original sin—our separation from God.

I also have a different interpretation of religious doctrines that consider human aspect Jesus as the Son of God. Instead, I consider Christ manifested in Jesus to be the "Only Begotten Son of God." I understand that Jesus used to refer to himself as "Son of Man" rather than "Son of God."

We awaken and nourish the Christ in us by creating spiritual and higher mental bodies. Similarly, we do in building a biological body from the food we eat, by building an emotional body from our feelings and emotions, or mental body by building a belief system with thoughts and ideas.

The nutrients that our spiritual body needs are spiritual feelings and spiritual thinking. With spiritual feelings such as devotion, selfless love, compassion, inner peace and divine bliss, we build a higher emotional body. This combines the higher mental body that we build through spiritual thinking with high ideals, pure motives, insight and spiritual knowledge. This spiritual or light body allows our Higher Self or Christ Self to merge more and more with the soul, so that the soul eventually becomes an expression of Christ. This is the same principle that previously conditioned the personality to become the expression of the soul.

In other words, we can also consider the Christ Self as the Inner Master (Teacher). In this merging of the soul and the Christ Self, the personality of the soul can now be expressed as a spiritual teacher. However, this expression is still limited when channeled through the biological brain. After the removal of the biological body, the Christ consciousness is then able to express itself more freely as an Ascended Master.

If we look even further into the future, we can assume that the Christ Self will eventually merge into one with the God Self. In doing so, the "I AM" that originally began to build a personality for itself to become a living soul and eventually an Ascended Master has now returned to its source and become God.

In this process, we see two opposing forces that make the Wheel of Life turn. One is the individualized tendency of the I am, the ego, which compels it to build a body and acquire separate personalities, while the other is the unifying tendency or Christ principle, which compels it to return to its source.

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Original this publication is located at: http://cyberdengi.com/articles/view/omikron/13/224

I decided to put a fragment of the film by Bernardo Bertolucci - "Little Buddha" as the title video for today's post.
Note that this is one of my most beloved movies! I watched it twenty times, probably, and every time I watched it as if for the first time, holding my breath and plunging into a semi-trance reverence... :-)
This fragment tells the legend of how and when the Buddha comprehended the most important truth, which later became the basis of his teaching...

This truth is the principle of the "Middle Way"...

Middle Way - the concept of Buddhist teachings Theravada and Mahayana. It is also called the Eightfold Path.
To follow the "middle path" means to keep the golden mean between the physical and spiritual world, between asceticism and pleasures, which means - don't go to extremes.

In the West, the counterpart of the Buddhist "Middle Way" is principle of moderation.
Already in Ancient Greece moderation (along with wisdom, justice and courage) was considered one of the four greatest virtues!

In ancient China, one of the meanings of "Tao" was moderation. So, according to Taoist terminology, "Yin" represents things that are feminine in their archetype: cold, dampness, winter, receptivity, emotionality, intuition, passivity, etc. "Yang" represents things that are masculine in their archetype: heat, dryness, summer, aggressiveness, logic, will, activity ...
Whereas "Tao" turns out to be a balance of both. "Tao" is harmony and perfection. In order for a person to become balanced, he needs to follow the "Tao", that is, harmoniously combine both "Yin" and "Yang".

In Buddhism, as I said above, the principle of moderation turns out to be almost the pivot on which the entire teaching of Gautama is strung.
The essence of this story is as follows (I voice it for those who do not watch the video clips placed in the "header" of the post, but prefer to read the text of the post itself):
After leaving his father's palace, Prince Siddhartha Gautama joined a sect of ascetics. For six years he lived in the forest, subsisting on rainwater, a stew made from mud, or the droppings of birds flying by. Trying to get rid of suffering in this way, Siddhartha made his mind so strong that he forgot about the body. But then one day, he heard an old musician passing by on a boat and talking to his students: "If you pull the string too hard, it will break. If the tension is weak, the string will not sound ...". Suddenly Siddhartha realized that in these simple words there is a great Truth and that all six years he was on the wrong path. "The path to knowledge lies in the middle," he realized. "It is a line between opposite extremes"...

In Kabbalism (from "Kabbala" - "tradition"), a Hebrew esoteric teaching based on the interpretation of the "Pentateuch", this idea is expressed through a system called "Three Pillars". The first pillar, the "Pillar of Mercy", symbolizes the active masculine principle. The second, "Pillar of Rigidity", expresses the passive feminine principle. Between them is the "Pillar of Temperance".
The first pillar says: "In order to be merciful, we need to have the wisdom to see the results of our deeds and understand that victory can come through Wisdom and the ability to be bold, and not just through strength."
The meaning of the "Pillar of Rigidity" - "In order to be strict, we need to gain an understanding of the laws of the Universe and the strength to correctly execute them, but not to yield to mercy, but only to justice."
The Pillar of Temperance, placed in the middle, makes us understand: "Whatever you fight for, in everything you should look for the Basis of Beauty, trying to avoid both excessive harshness and excessive mercy." This is the only way to succeed!
If the cabalist fails to achieve any goal, he looks at exactly where the balance has been lost. If the advantage fell in the direction of the "Pillar of Mercy", to establish a balance, he can add some characteristics from the opposite side, that is, from the "Pillar of Stiffness". And vice versa. Thus, he invariably comes to the "Pillar of Temperance".

As you can see, the principle of Moderation (the Middle Way) is given great importance in most philosophical, religious and esoteric teachings, both East and West. Moderation ("Golden Mean") is what allows us to move forward, exactly to the intended goal.

Therefore, whatever you do, whatever you do, always avoid extremes!
To be moderate in thoughts, deeds and feelings means 90% success!

May the great Buddha be with you! :-)

It so happened that recently, either in close or in virtual communication with friends, the question of finding the golden mean in everything has become increasingly common. We do not have the task of diving deep into the primary sources to study this beautiful question - everyone who is interested in this topic can do it on their own.

We will only briefly outline the four noble truths of Buddhism, the fourth of which is the very desired path of balance, which is so vital to understand and find for everyone walking along the path of knowledge, no matter how close or far Buddhism is to him. Because the Middle Way is universal wisdom – in other words, for everyone.

Exit the labyrinth of suffering

The first noble truth about suffering: life is suffering, which does not let a person go from birth to death; these are the sufferings of birth, the sufferings of old age, the sufferings of sickness, and the sufferings of death.

The second noble truth about the cause of suffering is that to avoid suffering, avoid the cause of suffering. The main cause of suffering is the insatiability of desires, in an effort to satisfy which a person involves himself in constantly emerging new desires, thereby creating karma, which, in turn, involves the mind in distinguishing between “good” and “bad”, which is a prerequisite for the emergence of new karma; this is how a person is drawn into the cycle of Samsara.

The third noble truth about the cessation of suffering: in order to end the suffering that is kept in the wheel of Samsara, a person must conquer or elevate himself above desires, above the eternal search for their satisfaction, above passions and lusts, whatever they may concern.

Fourth Noble Truth: The Middle Way (or Perfect/Noble/Eightfold Path). That is, to stop suffering and neutralize the cause of their occurrence, follow the Middle Way.

Perhaps the words ancient source speak about the Eightfold Path most clearly and fully: “There is a middle path ... far from those two extremes, proclaimed by the Perfect - a path that opens the eyes, enlightens the mind and leads that path to peace of mind, to sublime Wisdom, to the perfection of awakening, to Nirvana.

And here is ... the noble truth about the path leading to the quenching of all sorrow. True! - that is the noble Eightfold Path - true view, true intention, true speech, true deeds, true way of life, true diligence, true reflection, true concentration. This is... the noble truth about the path leading to the quenching of all sorrow.

Which, first of all, implies complete awareness, since the definition for each point of the Middle (Eightfold) path is the word “true”. And everything true can grow only on the soil of awareness. Awareness is only where there is knowledge of oneself as the Real Self.

Following the path of severe austerity, Siddhartha ensured that his mind separated itself from the needs of the body. But the words of the master musician accidentally heard by him turned his mind upside down: "If you pull the string too hard, it will break. If the tension is too low, the string will not sound..." And he comprehended the truth that the path of knowledge is the Noble path of the golden mean, which runs narrowly, as if on a razor's edge, along the border between extremes. And you need to have a completely honed flair in order to feel and choose it.

The point of the golden ratio is the golden mean

It is possible, perhaps, to unpack the essence of the Middle Way in an applied sense, at least all your life, because as you expand your consciousness, your understanding will be revealed every time with new facets - as you comprehend the depth of the Buddha's wisdom.

Because this concept has more than one bottom level. And the first is the plastic ability to avoid the extremes of the poles of opposites, not to flow from one to another, when “one step from love to hate”, when today “good” tomorrow becomes “bad”, today “beloved” becomes tomorrow “hateful”, etc. That is, in practice, you avoid swinging on the pendulum, and your position shifts to the center, or rather, to the point of the Golden Ratio, which is always the position of wisdom, harmony and beauty. Most likely, the Golden Ratio (Golden Ratio) is the golden mean to which the wise of all times refer us.

Spiritualization of reality

If we consider a person as a bridge between the physical and spiritual worlds, even though the border between them is only in our mind, then already from this perspective of vision there is an understanding of the need for a harmonious combination in a person of the principles of the dense and subtle worlds. In other words, conscious person in the material body, in fact, there is a laboratory for conducting the experience of following the Middle Way. Only in every day of our everyday life we ​​do not call it such esoteric definitions. We just live our lives, but every day in different situations choice, subject to the included awareness, we combine and harmonize in ourselves these principles of dense material and high worlds, thus spiritualizing the reality in which we abide. For the conscious goal of the embodied soul on Earth is to bring down and anchor the frequencies of the high planes in the densest and most difficult to change layers of matter.

Relations with the World in the Context of the Middle Way

The middle path in our relations with the world is when, in a situation of choice, we find a variant of good for ourselves and everyone. That is, for example, we build our desire to resolve a difficult situation in such a way that as a result, all parties have the benefit - without dividing into “right and “guilty”, into “good” and “bad”. In the end, at some stage of our understanding, we come to the conclusion that there is neither one nor the other, there is only our degree of awareness of ourselves and the world. And there comes a moment when the boundary between yourself and the world disappears, and then your own good organically becomes the good of all - and vice versa, the good of all is your own good.

Finding your center

We need to find our center. In fact, when we act from our Real Self, we act from this center. When we act from the interests of the individual, we are not in the center, but on the periphery of consciousness. And an experienced observer can already recognize these states by his inner sensation: in the first case, this is a feeling of natural harmony, when all things are in their places and everything in the inner and outer world is felt to be true; in the second case, one's situational practical interest is simply satisfied, this feeling is of a completely different kind. And again, we're not talking in terms of "good/bad" now, because in human body we act now from the personality, now from the essence - depending on many factors. But when we are conscious, we can control our actions, leaving the higher part of our consciousness, the Real Self, to make the choice in this or that situation.

When we are in the center, we are transcendent. We are nowhere and everywhere. In fact, there, in the center, we are not. And even the concept of "there" is also not. Only the inexpressible infinity of I AM. Where “I” is not you and not your personality, which has a first and last name, but the boundless globality that has accepted and dissolved it. And thanks to this merger and dissolution, your "I", knowing the Unity, clothed in I AM. A drop from the ocean has known the ocean.

Artania (Shulgina Rada-Natalia)

Prince Shravan lived in a luxurious palace. He adored luxury. He constantly rebuilt his capital and gradually turned it into one of the most beautiful cities. But one day he realized that he was bored with everything. Hearing that the Buddha had come to the city, he went to him and was so fascinated that he asked permission to stay. The entire kingdom was puzzled by the turn of events. People could not believe it, because Shravan was an extremely worldly person, indulging his every desire, even the most extreme. His usual occupations were wine and women.

The Buddha's disciples were also perplexed, and they asked:

What happened? It's a miracle! Shravan is not that type of person at all, besides, he lived so luxuriously. How strange that he wanted to become a sannyasin! How did it happen? Did you do something?

I didn't do anything, the Buddha told them. - The mind can easily move from one extreme to another. This is the ordinary way of the mind. So Shravan is not doing anything new. This was to be expected. You are so amazed because you don't know the laws that govern the activities of the mind. The man who went crazy drowning in wealth now goes crazy giving up wealth, but the madness remains - and that is the whole mind.

So Shravan became a monk, and soon the disciples began to observe that he was moving from one extreme to the other. The Buddha never asked his disciples to go naked, and Shravan stopped dressing. In addition, he began to self-torture: they all took food once a day, but Shravan began to eat every other day. He soon became completely emaciated. While others meditated under the trees in the shade, he sat under the scorching sun. He used to be a handsome man, he had a beautiful body, but six months had passed and he was unrecognisable...

One evening the Buddha came up to him and said:

Shravan, I heard that even before the initiation, you were a prince and loved to play the sitar. You were a good musician. That's why I came to ask you a question. What happens if the strings are loosened?

If the strings are loosened, then no music will come out.

What if the strings are pulled too hard?

Then it is also impossible to extract the music. The tension of the strings should be medium - not loose, but not too tight, but exactly in the middle. The sitar is easy to play, but only a master can tune the strings correctly. There needs to be a middle ground here.

And the Buddha said:

That is what I wanted to tell you as I watched you during these six months. The music that you want to extract from yourself will sound only when the strings are not loosened or overtightened, but right in the middle. Shravan, be a Master and know that excessive exertion of strength turns into excess, and excessive relaxation into weakness. Bring yourself into balance - the only way you can achieve the goal.