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Samantabhadra's Seventh Vow: To request Buddhas not to enter nirvana.
Buddha's most basic teaching was about impermanence. It is the cause of every kind of suffering. As one small example. last Monday I decided to give myself a whole day to just sit on the couch and read. Sounds perfect, right? Within minutes, I was thirsty. Got up for tea. A short time later, bathroom break. Then I was hungry. A little irritated that the book started with a bang but sputtered quickly. I won't go on. The point is that because impermanence literally pervades our lives, suffering happens.
When Buddha first started teaching, reluctantly, Hinayana Buddhism was the practice he shared. Insight meditation was the tool that would allow his followers to see the reality of their lives. They could see that the self is simply a collection of thoughts, feelings, perceptions, impulses and consciousness. And over time, as they matured spiritually, they could literally forget themselves. And with that, end their suffering. Viola! Nirvana!
Here's the thing though. What about the world and its suffering? If you and I manage to stumble into Nirvana through our practice of insight meditation, what happens to everyone we "leave behind"? Buddha's own shift in his teaching answers this. After about six years he started to talk more about Mahayana Buddhism, about deciding not to enter Nirvana unless everyone else gets to come with us.
Quite a sea change. Buddha requesting Buddhas not to enter Nirvana. Zen Master Seung Sahn, a wonderful Korean teacher, quite recently talked about the importance of staying in the world: "If Buddha got enlightenment today, what kind of enlightenment would he get? Crying for the suffering of the world."
In a world filled with fear and mistrust, not to mention ill-will, anger and greed, our job is not to enter Nirvana for our own sakes, but to do what we can for our earth family here and now. Maybe we can only pick up trash. Maybe we can only share a meal. But maybe we can create jobs that match the needs of single parents. Or be the one in a nursing home who hugs everyone who needs one. Every day. This is the work of Kwan Seum Bosal, the Bodhisattva of Compassion. We are her 1,000 hands and eyes. If there is a better job description for an aspiring Buddha I can't think of it.
