Healing Our Vision
President Richard M. Nixon Library
Last month in the Jewish calendar was Tammuz, and the sense that it represents is vision or sight. The idea being that during the Jewish month of Tammuz a Jewish believer is encouraged to guard their eyes so that they see only that which is good.
When I heard about this I reflected on how in our Buddhist practice we are encouraged to see the Buddha in other people, and how we are taught to bow to, revere, and respect all living beings.
“When you see the keeper of this sutra in the distance, you should rise from your seat, go to him, receive him, and respect him just as you respect me.” (Lotus Sutra, Chapter XXVIII)
Of course this is easy to do when things are pleasant, or when we happen to agree with someone or some set of circumstances. It is quite another thing when it is someone we disagree with or when confronted with circumstances we do not like.
As Buddhist we are encouraged to try our best continually to follow the Eightfold Path. While there is no specific Right Way that addresses vision or sight, if we look to our interpretations of the stimuli we receive though sight, the we can see that such things as Right Thought, or Right Intention do come into play.
“Never-Despising Bodhisattva went to them, and said; “I do not despise you because you will practice the Way and become Buddhas.” (Lotus Sutra, Chapter XX)
The practice of seeing the good in all things and avoid seeing things as bad, or the practice of seeing the good in everybody becomes a bit more difficult when someone is treating us poorly, or when someone display things we do not agree with. However, in the Lotus Sutra we have the example of Bodhisattva Never-Despising who’s sole method of practicing the Lotus Sutra was to bow to the Buddha in everyone he encountered.
It wasn’t easy for him, and it isn’t easy for us. As you are considering this I think it is also important to look deeply within us. It is easy to sarcastically or with a begrudging heart say that everyone is a Buddha. It is much more difficult to do so with a genuine belief and a genuine expression of our honor and benefit to be able to interact with this other person.
It is easy to fall into a habit or ritual pattern of behavior by giving lip-service to the idea that everyone is a Buddha. I have heard people say such things as; “I forgive him or I ignored him because I know he is a Buddha”, or “I just shrugged it off because I know somewhere deep inside they are a Buddha.”
Those kinds of statements lead me to question the depth to which a person has embraced the idea of truly recognizing the Buddha in the other person. We do not do this as an excuse or as a cop-out or a calming technique. While it certainly can be calming I think it needs to be deeper than that.
The recognition of the Buddha in the other person or situation does not deny things like bad behavior, but it does remove judgment about the other person. Also I think that going deeper we can generate a true sense of gratitude, appreciation, and possibly even excitement about meeting that particular Buddha or being able to experience that particular Buddha Land.
