Unitarian Universalism and Buddhism - Exploring the Connection


by Yin De

Text of a talk given on Sunday, May 7th, 2006 at West Valley Unitarian Universalist Church, Glendale, Arizona

When the Sunday Service Committee asked me if I would like to give another talk here I thought to myself, let's see… I am a Zen Buddhist, and Zen is defined by Bodhidharma, its founder, as the sect of Buddhism which is "A special transmission outside the scriptures; not depending on words and letters; pointing directly to the human mind and seeing into one's true nature, thus becoming a Buddha" then why do I always have so much to talk about? I quickly gave up that line of reasoning and said yes. There is at least one more topic that I want to talk with you about. How can so many people like me feel comfortable calling themselves both Buddhist and Unitarian Universalist? I thought it would be fun to try and explain this, so I wanted to try and compare some of what the Buddha taught in those "words and letters" that the Zen sect doesn't need with our Seven Principals of Unitarian Universalism.

There is a trend that is becoming more and more commonplace - a trend where we find Buddhist groups meeting in and practicing with Unitarian Universalist Churches, and this year there are at least five cities in which the Buddhist "Change Your Mind Day" event is being held in a UU Church, as it was here last year. In addition to these recent developments, you can see that there has been a longstanding connection between Buddhism and Unitarian Universalism based on the number of listing on the UUA website under the Unitarian Universalist Buddhist Fellowship page (www.uua.org/uubf).

So, let's look at some of the specifics of why these two traditions of dramatically different origin fit so well together today. The Pali Canon, also known as The Tripitaka (which means "three baskets"), is the collection of Pali language texts that form the doctrinal foundation of Early Buddhism.

The Pali canon is an enormous body of literature: in English translation the texts add up to tens of thousands of printed pages. Most (but not all) of the Canon has been translated into English over the years.

The three divisions of the Tripitaka are:

Vinaya Pitaka (the basket of rules set down by Buddha in order to maintain harmony in the Sangha), the Sutra Pitaka (the transcripts of actual teachings given by Buddha), and Abhidharma Pitaka (the philosophy explaining all phenomena). Those are the three baskets. Today we are primarily concerned with the Vinaya Pitaka and the Sutra Pitaka - the rules and the actual teachings of the Buddha. The Sutra Pitaka is divided into five sections:

Digha Nikaya - the "long collection"
Majjhima Nikaya - the "middle-length collection"
Samyutta Nikaya - the "grouped collection"
Anguttara Nikaya - the "further-factored collection"
Khuddaka Nikaya - the "collection of little texts"

The Buddha's teachings had been passed along in the oral tradition for the first few hundred years after his death, up until around 100 BCE when they were finally written down in what we call the Tripitaka or Pali Canon. These texts are known as the Theravada Scriptures. Theravada means "Teachings of the Elders" - it's one of the two main divisions in Buddhism.

In general, when looking at a Buddhist scripture translation we assume that the shorter the text, the closer it is to the original - because every translator has added either some commentary, or some clarification, or some opinion - so much that some of the translations of Buddhist scriptures are now ridiculously long and make absolutely no sense at all.

So, anyway, here we go. In the first UU principle, we affirm the inherent worth and dignity of every person. A good text for how the Buddha felt about "the inherent worth and dignity of every person" can be found in the teaching known commonly as "The Monk With Dysentery" from the Mahvagga section of the Vinaya Code. Let me just read some of it to you:

Now at that time a certain monk was sick with dysentery. He lay fouled in his own urine and excrement. Then the Blessed One, on an inspection tour of the lodgings with Venerable Ananda as his attendant, went to that monk's dwelling and, on arrival, saw the monk lying fouled in his own urine and excrement. On seeing him, he went to the monk and said, "What is your sickness, monk?"
"I have dysentery, O Blessed One."
"But do you have an attendant?"
"No, O Blessed One, I have no attendant."
"Then why don't the monks attend to you?"
"I don't do anything for the monks, lord, which is why they don't attend to me."
Then the Blessed One addressed Venerable Ananda: "Go fetch some water, Ananda. We will wash this monk."
"As you say, lord," Venerable Ananda replied, and he fetched some water. The Blessed One sprinkled water on the monk, and then the Buddha and the Venerable Ananda washed him off. Then - with the Blessed One taking the monk by the head and Venerable Ananda taking him by the feet- they lifted him up and placed him on a bed. Then the Blessed One, from this cause, because of this event, had the monks assembled for a lecture and asked them: "Is there a sick monk in that dwelling over there?"
"Yes, O Blessed One, there is."
"And what is his sickness?"
"He has dysentery, O Blessed One."
"But does he have an attendant?"
"No, O Blessed One."
"Then why don't the monks attend to him?"
"He doesn't do anything for the monks, lord, which is why they don't attend to him."
"Monks, you have no mother, you have no father, who might tend to you. If you don't tend to one another, who then will tend to you? Whoever would tend to me should tend to the sick.

The Buddha goes on like this for quite some time, admonishing the other monks for their failure to care for the monk with dysentery. I love this story; it might sound familiar to any Christians among us - in John 13:11, after washing the feet of his disciples Jesus says "Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet. I tell you the truth; no servant is greater than his master."

In the second UU principle, we affirm Justice, equity, and compassion in human relations. This makes me think of the Buddhist teaching of the "Four Sublime States", also known variously as the "Four Immeasurable Minds" or the "Four Perfect Emotions", which are:

Love or Loving-kindness (metta)

Compassion (karuna)

Sympathetic Joy (mudita)

Equanimity (upekkha)

The Sutra reference is the Digha Nikaya 13, which states:

I. Here, monks, a disciple dwells pervading one direction with his heart filled with loving-kindness, likewise the second, the third, and the fourth direction; so above, below and around; he dwells pervading the entire world everywhere and equally with his heart filled with loving-kindness, abundant, grown great, measureless, free from enmity and free from distress.

II. Here, monks, a disciple dwells pervading one direction with his heart filled with compassion, likewise the second, the third and the fourth direction; so above, below and around; he dwells pervading the entire world everywhere and equally with his heart filled with compassion, abundant, grown great, measureless, free from enmity and free from distress.

III. Here, monks, a disciple dwells pervading one direction with his heart filled with sympathetic joy, likewise the second, the third and the fourth direction; so above, below and around; he dwells pervading the entire world everywhere and equally with his heart filled with sympathetic joy, abundant, grown great, measureless, free from enmity and free from distress.

IV. Here, monks, a disciple dwells pervading one direction with his heart filled with equanimity, likewise the second, the third and the fourth direction; so above, below and around; he dwells pervading the entire world everywhere and equally with his heart filled with equanimity, abundant, grown great, measureless, free from enmity and free from distress.

In the third UU principle, we affirm acceptance of one another and encouragement to spiritual growth in our congregations. The most fitting reference from Buddhist scripture here are two of the steps of the 8-fold path: Right View and Right Intention.

The 8-fold path consists of eight practices that, if followed, lead to the elimination of suffering. They are: Right View, Right Intention, Right Speech, Right Action, Right Livelihood, Right Effort, Right Mindfulness, and Right Concentration. These eight steps can be broken into three categories; Prajna (Wisdom), Sila (Precepts), and Samadhi (mental absorption, or meditation). The Wisdom section contains Right View and Right Intention and basically these mean that we see things as they really are, we accept people for what they are, we don't judge other peoples motives or try to fit their actions into our own mental framework, and we cultivate the intention to develop our own spiritual life and to encourage others to develop their own spiritual lives. This teaching is from the Majjhima Nikaya section of the Pali Canon.

In the fourth UU principle, we affirm a free and responsible search for truth and meaning. This fits perfectly with the Buddha's teaching to the Kalamas people, known fittingly enough as the Kalamas Sutra. I'll read some of it for you:

I have heard that on one occasion the Blessed One, on a wandering tour among the Kosalans with a large community of monks, arrived at Kesaputra, a town of the Kalamas people. The Kalamas of Kesaputra heard it said that "Gotama the contemplative - the son of the Shakyans, having gone forth from the Shakya clan - has arrived at Kesaputra. And of that Master Gotama this fine reputation has spread: 'He is indeed a Blessed One, worthy, and rightly self-awakened, consummate in knowledge and conduct, well-gone, a knower of the cosmos, an unexcelled trainer of those persons ready to be tamed, teacher of gods and men, awakened, blessed - [on and on it goes with praise for the Buddha and then it rambles for three more paragraphs about the specifics of how the Kalamas sat down, how they held their hands at their chests, how they bowed their heads, etc. etc. etc. and finally, someone speaks up:] "Lord, there are some priests and contemplatives who come to Kesaputra. They expound and glorify their own doctrines, but as for the doctrines of others, they deprecate them, revile them, show contempt for them, and disparage them. And then other priests and contemplatives come to Kesaputra. They expound and glorify their own doctrines, but as for the doctrines of others, they deprecate them, revile them, show contempt for them, and disparage them. They leave us absolutely uncertain and in doubt: Which of these venerable priests and contemplatives are speaking the truth, and which ones are lying?"

The Buddha answers: "Of course you are uncertain, Kalamas. Of course you are in doubt. When there are reasons for doubt, uncertainty is born. So in this case, Kalamas, don't go by reports, by legends, by traditions, by scripture, by logical conjecture, by inference, by analogies, by agreement through pondering views, by probability, or by the thought, 'This contemplative is our teacher.' Rather, when you know for yourselves that, certain qualities are unskillful; certain qualities are blameworthy; certain qualities are criticized by the wise; and that these qualities, when adopted and carried out, lead to harm and to suffering' - then you should abandon them.

Basically what the Buddha was telling the Kalamas was "You are free to responsibly search for your own truth and to infer your own meaning in your spiritual pursuits", he was telling the Kalamas that they should question everything until they could prove it to be true for themselves - a radical concept from a religious leader of that time, but uniquely fitting for Buddhists and Unitarian Universalists today.

In the fifth UU principle, we affirm the right of conscience and the use of the democratic process within our congregations and in society at large. For this, we can turn again to the first basket of the Tripitaka; the Vinaya Code - the rules. There is a section within the Vinaya code called Adhikarana-Samatha (Rules for settling disputes). I think this is probably the most Unitarian Universalist piece of the Buddhist Canon that I've ever read.

The Buddha said that there are seven rules for the settling of disputes:

Rule #1. The formal act settling the issue must be carried out in the presence of the Community, in the presence of the individuals, and in the presence of the Dharma and Vinaya. (Special Congregational Meeting)

Rule #2. A verdict of mindfulness may be given. This is the verdict of innocence given in an accusation, based on the fact that the accused remembers fully that he did not commit the offense in question. (Okay, if you say you didn't do it, then I guess you didn't do it).

Rule #3. A verdict of past insanity may be given. This is another verdict of innocence given in an accusation, based on the fact that the accused was out of his mind when he committed the offense in question and so is absolved of any responsibility for it. (Enough said on that one)

Rule #4. Acting in accordance with what is admitted. This refers to the ordinary confession of offenses, where no formal interrogation is involved. Basically, this is where a monk admits to doing something wrong and says "I'm sorry".

Then comes the real UU part:

Rule #5. Acting in accordance with the majority. This refers to cases in which monks are unable to settle a dispute unanimously, even after all the proper procedures are followed, and - in the words of the Canon - are "wounding one another with weapons of the tongue." In cases such as these, decisions can be made by majority vote.

Rule #6. Acting in accordance with the accused's further misconduct. This refers to cases where a monk admits to having committed the offense in question only after being formally interrogated about it. He is then to be reproved for his actions, made to remember the offense and to confess it, after which the Community carries out a formal act of "further misconduct" against him as an added punishment for being so uncooperative as to require the formal interrogation in the first place.

And finally, number 7. Called "covering over as with grass". This refers to situations in which both sides of a dispute realize that, in the course of their dispute, they have done much that is unworthy of a contemplative. If they were to continue to deal with one another for their offenses, the only result would be greater divisiveness. Thus if both sides agree, all the monks gather in one place. (According to the Commentary, this means that all monks in the Sangha must attend. No one should send his consent, and even sick monks must go.) (No proxy voting) A motion is made to the entire group that this procedure will be followed. One member of each side then makes a formal motion to the members of his faction that he will make a confession for them. When both sides are ready, the representative of each side addresses the entire group and makes the blanket confession, using the form of a motion and one announcement.

The Sixth UU principal is the one in which we affirm the goal of world community with peace, liberty, and justice for all. I don't think we really need to listen to another Sutra to know that Buddhism has always been about peace, liberty, and justice. How many Buddhist Jihad's have you heard of? How about Buddhist Crusades?

This brings us to the Seventh and last UU principle, in which we affirm respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part.

For the Buddha's take on this principle we need look no further than his teaching on the 12-link chain of dependent origination, which states that things or phenomena cannot exist independently of all other things and phenomena. In other words, all things - including human beings - do not have inherent nature of their own. Everything is dependent on all other things in order to be what it is. This is another way of saying that things are empty, yet full of the potential to become. It goes back to sunyata, which I talked about here a couple of years ago, and I'm pretty sure the tape is over there in the library if anyone wants to review Sunyata. I would like to finish with a reading of the Heart Sutra to clarify some of the subtle points of emptiness and interdependence.

Thus have I heard. At one time the Blessed One together with many of the highest Bodhisattvas and a great company of Monks was staying at Rajagaha on Mt. Gridhrakuta. The Blessed One was sitting apart absorbed in Samadhi Prajna-paramita. The Venerable Sariputra, influenced by the Blessed One absorbed in Samadhi, spoke thus to the Noble Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara: --If a son or daughter wishes to study the profound Prajna-paramita, how is he to do so?

The Noble Avalokitesvara replied to the Venerable Sariputra, saying:--If a son or daughter wishes to study the profound Prajna-paramita, he must first get rid of all ideas of ego-selfness. Let him think thus: Personality? What is personality? Is it an enduring entity? Or is it made up of elements that pass away? Personality is made up of the five grasping aggregates: form, sensation, perception, discrimination, consciousness, all of which are by nature empty of any self-substance. Form is emptiness, emptiness is not different from form, neither is form different from emptiness, indeed, emptiness is form. Also, sensation is emptiness, emptiness is not different from sensation, neither is sensation different from emptiness, indeed, emptiness is sensation. The same is true of perception, discrimination, and consciousness.

Thus, O Sariputra, all things having the nature of emptiness have no beginning and no ending. They are neither faultless nor not faultless; they are neither perfect nor imperfect. In emptiness there is no form, no sensation, no perception, no discrimination, and no consciousness. There is no eye, no ear, no nose, no tongue, no sensitiveness to contact, no mind. There is no sight, no sound, no smell, no taste, no touch, no mental process, no object, no knowledge, and no ignorance. There is no destruction of objects; there is no cessation of knowledge, and there is no cessation of ignorance. There is Four Noble Truths: no pain, no cause of pain, no cessation of pain, no Noble Path leading to the cessation of pain. There is no decay and no death, and no destruction of the notion of decay and death. There is no knowledge of Nirvana, there is no obtaining of Nirvana, and there is no not obtaining of Nirvana.

Why is there no obtaining of Nirvana? Because Nirvana is the realm of no "thingness." If the ego-soul of personality was an enduring entity it could not obtain Nirvana. It is only because personality is made up of elements that pass away, that personality may attain Nirvana. So long as man is seeking highest perfect Wisdom, he is still abiding in the realm of consciousness. If he is to realize Nirvana, he must pass beyond consciousness. In highest Samadhi having transcended consciousness, he has passed beyond discrimination and knowledge, beyond the reach of change or fear; he is already enjoying Nirvana. The perfect understanding of this and the patient acceptance of it is the highest perfect Wisdom that is Prajna-paramita. All the Buddhas of the past present and future, having attained highest Samadhi, awake to find themselves realizing Prajna-paramita.

Therefore, O Sariputra, everyone should seek self-realization of Prajna-paramita, the Transcendent Truth, the unsurpassable Truth, the Truth that ends all pain, the Truth that is forever True. Oh Prajna-paramita! O Transcendent Truth that spans the troubled ocean of life and death: safely carry all seekers to the other shore of enlightenment. Listen to the Mantra, the Great, and Mysterious Mantra:--Gate, gate, paragate, parasamgate, bodhi, svaha! Gone, gone, gone to that other shore; safely passed to that other shore, of perfect wisdom! So may it be.

NOTE: All Sutra translations and Vinaya Quotes are from Access to Insight, with the exception of the Heart Sutra translation which is from the Zen Buddhist Order of Hsu Yun.