evil passions are themselves enlightenment
Jundo,
I was wondering if you have anything to offer on the principle of 煩惱即菩提 "evil passions are themselves enlightenment?"
I am interested to hear your take on reconciling this principle with the teaching of "not to do (or think) evil" and the teachings of right thought and right action.
evil passions and enlightenment
Hello Jun:
I saw this thread you started and really liked it. I didn't have time to post then, and now I have time to post, but not enough to read what others have said, so I hope I'm not being redundantly redundant in my remarks.
My take on this is: consider the context in which each set of words is stated, consider the author and the context in which these phrases/concepts are used.
There is a sign with the instruction 'in case of fire, break glass,' when that moment arises, maybe it makes perfect sense. Then there is the sign FIRE EXIT. Which do you do, break the glass, or exit? Perhaps it requires that moment for it to be perfectly clear.
Evil passions as enllightenment itself is a 'fire exit' and not doing/not thinking evil is 'in case of fire, break glass,' or so it seems to me.
keishin
Re: evil passions and enlightenment
Quote:
Originally Posted by Keishin
Hello Jun:
I saw this thread you started and really liked it. I didn't have time to post then, and now I have time to post, but not enough to read what others have said, so I hope I'm not being redundantly redundant in my remarks.
My take on this is: consider the context in which each set of words is stated, consider the author and the context in which these phrases/concepts are used.
There is a sign with the instruction 'in case of fire, break glass,' when that moment arises, maybe it makes perfect sense. Then there is the sign FIRE EXIT. Which do you do, break the glass, or exit? Perhaps it requires that moment for it to be perfectly clear.
Evil passions as enlightenment itself is a 'fire exit' and not doing/not thinking evil is 'in case of fire, break glass,' or so it seems to me.
keishin
Keishin, that was most eloquently put. Very nice.
I came across the statement bonnő soku bodai (煩惱即菩提), and was perplexed as to what it could ultimately mean. That according to the non-duality of Buddhism (Mahayana at least), the essence of one's passions are exactly the same as enlightenment? There are numerous and conflicting analogies to the term.
The statement, "bonnő honkũ" (煩惱本空) "evil passions are essentially empty" makes things clearer as a statement to the insight of Buddhist practice, in my mind anyhow.
Apparently bonnő soku bodai was the idea put forth by Hua-yen in the Perfect Enlightenment Sutra where it is mentioned together with the idea of "birth and death are themselves enlightenment" (生死即涅槃). It was Hua-yen who posited the idea that "Sentient beings are originally Buddha," (Buddha-nature) an idea that doesn't appear prior to the writing of this sutra which dates to around the 720s C.E.