To be a Buddhist and be one with your divine essence are not incompatible states. Some time ago, I wrote a post, "Buddhism and the Divine," that posits that the true Buddha nature we are born with is in fact the divine essence. That the two are one. To understand where I am coming from, please read the post.
This concept has received no traction. I sent the post to several Buddhist publications but none were interested. And I understand why – it is a radical concept. While it is often said that it is possible for one to practice Buddhism and be a Believer at the same time, that the two faiths are not incompatible, there appears to be no room in Buddhism for the divine..
I think this is not only a conceptual error, but it is harmful to the goal of Buddhism, which is to enable people to end their suffering and be free.
It is certainly true that there is no place in Buddhist thought for the God of the Old or New Testament or the Quran. Both because the creation story is antithetical to Buddhism and, more importantly, because the concept that salvation, freedom from suffering, lies in something outside of you rather than within you is antithetical to Buddhism.
However, I am not talking about that God or that Divine power. I am referring to the god or divinity that is within us, that we were born with and which remains in us our whole lives, even if it is unknown to us.
This god is not involved in any creation story. And because the divinity is within us, when we pray to the god within us, we are not looking to an outside source to answer our prayers or solve our problems, but we are looking to ourselves, our heart, to free us from the mess that our mind has created.
Thinking of our heart as being the expression of the divine within us, the individualization of the abundance and light of the universe, is helpful to our practice because when we negate the mind as being our self – when we reach the point where, as the Buddha said, we are free of the conceit, "I am" – and instead posit that our true self is our heart, our true Buddha nature, we are often left with a quandary: just what is that?
By understanding that the qualities that we ascribe to our heart and our true Buddha nature, are none other than the qualities of god, of the divine essence, of the cosmos/universe, we come to understand more easily the power of our heart. That it is not just a light unto us and others, but that it has the quality of knowing and wanting what is in our best interest; it is the source of our supply, it is our substance. It, not your mind, holds the answer to your best interest. Which is why I say, "Your will, not my mind's."
If you accept the premise of my post, "Buddhism and The Divine," then there is no incompatibility between your Buddhist practice and believing that your heart is the expression of the divine essence, of the universe. What it provides your practice is an added source of strength to not succumb to your mind's manipulation and the courage to look beyond ending your suffering to making yourself a stronger human being and fulfilling your heart's desires, which by definition are Right desires.
Turn your will and your life over to the care of your true Buddha nature, your divine essence, the universe; surrender your ego to their care; empty yourself of your ego-self; say your will not my mind's. Then you will be one with your divine essence, filled with abundance and light, peace and equanimity, happiness and contentment, faith and strength. Only then will you be free.
This concept has received no traction. I sent the post to several Buddhist publications but none were interested. And I understand why – it is a radical concept. While it is often said that it is possible for one to practice Buddhism and be a Believer at the same time, that the two faiths are not incompatible, there appears to be no room in Buddhism for the divine..
I think this is not only a conceptual error, but it is harmful to the goal of Buddhism, which is to enable people to end their suffering and be free.
It is certainly true that there is no place in Buddhist thought for the God of the Old or New Testament or the Quran. Both because the creation story is antithetical to Buddhism and, more importantly, because the concept that salvation, freedom from suffering, lies in something outside of you rather than within you is antithetical to Buddhism.
However, I am not talking about that God or that Divine power. I am referring to the god or divinity that is within us, that we were born with and which remains in us our whole lives, even if it is unknown to us.
This god is not involved in any creation story. And because the divinity is within us, when we pray to the god within us, we are not looking to an outside source to answer our prayers or solve our problems, but we are looking to ourselves, our heart, to free us from the mess that our mind has created.
Thinking of our heart as being the expression of the divine within us, the individualization of the abundance and light of the universe, is helpful to our practice because when we negate the mind as being our self – when we reach the point where, as the Buddha said, we are free of the conceit, "I am" – and instead posit that our true self is our heart, our true Buddha nature, we are often left with a quandary: just what is that?
By understanding that the qualities that we ascribe to our heart and our true Buddha nature, are none other than the qualities of god, of the divine essence, of the cosmos/universe, we come to understand more easily the power of our heart. That it is not just a light unto us and others, but that it has the quality of knowing and wanting what is in our best interest; it is the source of our supply, it is our substance. It, not your mind, holds the answer to your best interest. Which is why I say, "Your will, not my mind's."
If you accept the premise of my post, "Buddhism and The Divine," then there is no incompatibility between your Buddhist practice and believing that your heart is the expression of the divine essence, of the universe. What it provides your practice is an added source of strength to not succumb to your mind's manipulation and the courage to look beyond ending your suffering to making yourself a stronger human being and fulfilling your heart's desires, which by definition are Right desires.
Turn your will and your life over to the care of your true Buddha nature, your divine essence, the universe; surrender your ego to their care; empty yourself of your ego-self; say your will not my mind's. Then you will be one with your divine essence, filled with abundance and light, peace and equanimity, happiness and contentment, faith and strength. Only then will you be free.
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