SŪKKHIST BUDDHISM

This page is still being developed. So it's a bit rough and repetitive in some places, but the ideas are well worth reading.

But, in the Mahāsatipaṭṭhāna Sutra's Third Truth: The Cessation of Dukkha tells us only that Dukkha will cease when craving ceases, and craving may be eradicated wherever in the world there is delight and pleasure.

It doesn't specify how we should eradicate delight and pleasure, it just says it may be done there.

It doesn't say anything about renunciation.

To eradicate, correct, accommodate, or reverse the process of wanting, craving, worldly delight, and pleasure, we could use most forms of renunciation, letting go, devotion, or worship; meditation, prayer, selflessness, or love.

Review: The Origination of Dukkha
The Second Truth showed us the process which binds us to karma and consequently dukkha. Buddhist texts are often confusing. The text misses out a few steps.

Delight and pleasure don't inevitably cause craving, they cause attraction. When attraction repeats (as is its nature), then it can lead to craving.

Repetitions always repeat, that is their nature. The repetitions are the karmic wheels which once set turning continue to turn by themselves. Repetitive attraction or wanting leads to attachment and craving. Repetition is the key.

A fundamental principle of nature is being described. And a principle energy of the wheel is that under the condition of attraction, acceleration is inevitable. This principle underlies many aspects of learnt behaviour.

With continuous repetition the wheels turn automatically, without sense or awareness, even without purpose or want. Ultimately we're left wanting the self preserving feeling of the wheels turning, more than anything we were originally attracted to. This is pure karma.

Freedom from karma, freedom from the repetitious turning of the wheels, is the goal of Buddhism.

THE ORIGINATION OF SUKKHA

The idea that the Third Truth is "The Cessation of Dūkkha" is an impractical view point. It would be better to consider The Third Truth as "The Origination of Sūkkha".

User-Friendly Buddhism
The First Truth is that our sensory apparatus is Dukkha. The Aggregates are not functioning smoothly.
The Second Truth is that objects and events which cause pleasure lead to wanting – wanting means: wanting to repeat that pleasure. After a series of repetitions, this can develop into desire, attachment, clinging, or craving.

The Third Truth is the release from Dukkha, the development of Sukkha, freedom from Karma.

It's karma, the repetitions, which are the problem.

And we don't want to wait till it's out of control, when the wheels are already racing downhill. It's not just craving we need to stop; it's the first repetition, it's the first seed of attraction which we need to watch out for. Before the wheels even start turning.

Panoramic sensing is a way of relating to the world directly and selflessly, without wanting anything from it. It more than fulfils the Third Truth.

With pure panoramic sensing as vulnerable animals use it, it is not possible to start thinking or wanting.

The simplest and most direct way to stop any new desire even starting to occur, is with panoramic sensing.

The Good Wheelwright
A good wheelwright would not only cure Dūkkha, he would make a wheel Sūkkha.

A good wheelright would use all and any available means to overcome dukkha and create sukkha.

The Middle Way, and The Third and Fourth Truths, show ways to get the wheel running Sūkkha.

Panoramic sensing belongs in the list of methods which can eradicate wordly delight  – it deserves to be at the top of the list:

To eradicate, correct, accommodate, or reverse the process of wanting, craving, worldly delight, and pleasure, sensing panoramically is the optimal method.

It can also be used as a sort of enzyme, together with most forms of renunciation, letting go, devotion, worship, or love; meditation, prayer, or selflessness.

Everything we can use to help is good.

With panoramic sensing, we can stop the first seed of attraction; and we can at least temporarily interrupt any compulsive cravings.

But we will need extreme methods to eliminate the extreme repetitions of compulsive craving.

Meditation, prayer, renunciation, and other focused methods are often extreme, hour-long, devoted, dedicated, and strenuous.

All these methods involve powerful focal points. And intense focal points need intense panoramic sessions to balance them.

Other animals survive by combining and alternating panoramic sensing with focused action.

Panoramic sensing is a general background necessity.

Impermanence and Change
The idea behind detachment and renunciation, is that due to impermanence and change, any hope of fulfilment or security through attachments is illusory. Therefore we must renounce or become detached from, all desire and all attachments.

But with panoramic sensing, we witness impermanence and change as normal, and there is fulfilment and security in just being open to sensing it.

Panoramic sensing evolved to recognise the changes, the insecure impermanences. It was built for that purpose. It was built to feel safe and remain open in those conditions, in exactly that environment.

Panoramic sensing involves non-attachment, selflessness and letting go of everything we want, but that's not the aim or purpose. The aim is watchfulness.

To sense panoramically you just have to do it, be watchful. And then, for maybe only a second to start with, we will be completely free of wanting and thinking.

We shouldn't wait till it's out of control, when the wheels are already racing downhill. It is not just craving we need to 'renounce'; it's the first repetition, it's the first little want, the first attraction, which we need to watch out for, before the wheels even start turning.

With this practice of Sukkha Buddhism we overcome the first repetition.

Modern Western Buddhism
Modern Western Buddhism draws from a vast range of ancient Buddhist texts. One of these is the Pali Cannon.

The Pali Cannon contains the oldest texts, the first written. It is known as Old School Buddhism – narrow-minded and pure. The Mahāsatipaṭṭhāna's Noble Truths are by far the most detailed version of the Four Truths in the Pali scriptures.

New schools evolved where Buddhism combined with Hindu, Tibetan, and among many other local folk beliefs, Chinese and Japanese (to give Zen).

I don't intend to analyse the differences throughout the entire Buddhist world. Most believe that desire, attachment, clinging, or craving are something to do with the problem – and that this leads to suffering. There are great variations in practice some are deeply philosophical, others are more devotional.

Confusions and Solutions
If we believe suffering is caused by desire, we think we must renounce desire.

If we believe that desire, pleasure, and wanting, lead to attachment; and attachment is or causes karma (repetitions), we practice detachment, non-attachment, or letting go to overcome this.

But renunciation or letting-go of any focal point is still focusing. Trying to do anything by focusing automatically supports the focusing systems. Stop focusing. Go panoramic.

The primary problem is not the repetitious mind wandering, here and there, reconstructing memories and hopes, and wondering how to stop it. The primary problem is that we've forgotten how to sense pamoramically.

Modern Buddhists are missing the point, they are blind to the symptoms of dukkha these days in the material civilised world, where the repetitions have taken on new dimensions e.g. the incredibly speed of new developments, inflation, pollution, each individuals' abstract self-image, and fascism (see Chapter 3). Buddha's Truths explain all this and tell us how to stop it.

Right Effort
Once we realise that pleasure and wanting lead primarily to repetition, we will also discover how to practice Right Effort, the sixth step of The Fourth Truth.

The aims of renunciation, detachment, or non-attachment fail to use the energy of thinking and wanting in a positive way.

The energy of thinking and wanting are a vital part of getting the repetitions of the mind running smoothly to generate wholesome karma.

Please continue with The Fourth Truth
Or with Right Effort, the sixth step of The Fourth Truth

The subject matter in the full text of the Third Truth (and the Second) of the Mahāsatipaṭṭhāna, is incredibly long-winded. But, it is clearly all about the senses and the sensory process. It draws a connection between the Five Aggregates (expanded to a list of Ten Aggregates), and each of the six senses; it lists sixty steps in the sensory process. It describes something which happens not only with the mind, but also with the eye, the ear, the nose, the mouth and the tactile sense.

Back to Chapter Four : Buddhism and Wheels
Back to THE PANORAMA SENSES Priority Pages