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A Critical Analysis of Mahayana and Pureland Buddhism

to the Charismatic Message of the GWV

Bolinas, CA, November, 10, 2006, By Jhanananda (Jeffrey S. Brooks), (copyright 2006 all rights reserved)

This essay will address the central criticism against the GWV's charismatic dialog within a Mahayanist and Pureland Buddhist perspective. The central arguments provided by Mahayanists are as follows: the Buddha rejected the practice of meditation, as well as the attainment of meditative absorption; no westerner could ever understand the dhamma (dharma) the way an Asian can; the original literature of Buddhism is "shit cart" or "Hinayana;" they reject the charismatic terminology, such as bliss, joy and ecstasy; The Mahayanist conflates the ecstasies with the 5 khandas (skandhas); Jhananda does not have the qualifications to critique Asian Buddhism, nor to advance a 4^th Vehicle of Buddhism; and Sunyata or stillness is sufficient for enlightenment; They look to the Abhidhamma for interpreting the Discourses of the Buddha; however, it cannot be relied upon as an authoritative document; The Zen Concept of Makyo reveals the demonizing of meditative absorption and its associated phenomena.  To collapse these myths we will have to expose and collapse a number of other erroneous beliefs that have accreted to Buddhism in its 26 centuries.

You will see that Asian religions, such as Buddhism, can suffer from the same kinds of dogmatic adherence to fundamentalism that is stereotypical of the Christian Right Fundamentalists of the deep southern USA and the most fanatical religious clerics of Islam. Further we will find that these dogmatic fundamentalist Buddhists subscribe to provincial ideas about Buddhism that have no foundation in the earliest literature attributed to the teachings of the Buddha.  For the GWV to support its ecstatic and charismatic discourse we will have to conduct the same kind of literary inquiry into the origins of Buddhist thought that many Christians are conducting today to reveal the authentic teaching of the Original Jesus.

There is a principal in Anthropology that will be useful to us in unpacking Buddhism.  The theory is "diffusionism" and it was advanced by WHR Waters, a 19^th century British physician who worked in India. WHR Waters observed that the apparent differences between any two cultures or ethnic communities on earth are less than their similarities.  The mechanism that he proposed that drove these similarities he called "diffusionism," because he said the mechanism of diffusion distributes cultural traits between all human societies globally. Diffusionism is now a foundational principle within every branch of Anthropology because each branch has proven this principle time and again.

We could apply Diffusionism to the study of religion as much as any other form of cultural expression. Thus the apparent differences between any two religions must therefore also be less than their similarities.  This means there are likely to be as many forms of expression for Buddhism as there are for Christianity, and those forms must share more similarities than their differences.  And, for those forms to coexist there simply must be tolerance between those factions.

"No westerner could ever understand the dhamma (dharma) the way an Asian can."

The first premise of Asian Buddhism that must be collapsed to advance this argument is an overall dismissive attitude by Asians toward any western Buddhist who attempts to critique the schools of Buddhism, or endeavors to express the teachings of the Buddha without the sanction of an Asian priesthood.  The argument here is "no westerner could ever understand the dhamma (dharma) the way an Asian can."  First there are at least as many ethnic communities and languages in Asia as there are in Europe, and many Asian communities have embraced Buddhism in the 26 centuries since the Buddha taught, and many of those schools vehemently reject each others teaching often with a pejorative, such as "shit cart" which is what 'Hinayana' means. Also, Asia and Europe have been trading partners for thousands of years.  So, who is to say the philosophies of Asia even originated in Asia? Through the mechanism of Diffusionism the central concepts of gnosis must have traveled throughout Eurasia for thousands of years.  Thus, there is no reason why a person of European origins, or any other ethnic community for that matter, cannot understand Buddhism.

If we return to the premises of WHR Water's Diffusionism, we are not only likely to see as much variability within Buddhism as there is in Christianity, but through the mechanism of diffusionism, Buddhism and Christianity must have exchanged ideas in the last 2,000 years.  And, if we scrutinize the literature and history of both Buddhism and Christianity we should find evidence for that.  Indeed when we do a comparative analysis between Buddhism and Christianity we find there are a number of clear exchanges of ideas that go at least as far back as Saint Augustine, who was a Manichaean before he was a Christian. If the recalls his or her Persian history, Manichaeism was a blend of Zorastreanism, Christianity and Buddhism, thus, through Saint Augustine, the early Christian Church was influenced by Buddhism. Also, and Indian King, Asoka conquered Persia in the third century BCE, where he established the religion of Buddhism.  This would have even brought Buddhism into contact with Judaism and the various Mediterranean Gnostic movements, which may have been the fermentation bed that produced Christianity.

Further, there was another Persian religion that had a clear influence upon Chinese Buddhism from the first century to the 7^th CE.  It was the Church of the Sassanian. Sassanian Christian priests and Buddhist priests traveled the Silk Road to Tunhuang and there is found a blend of Christianity and Buddhism that eventually became Pureland Buddhism. Therefore, we should not assume that no westerner could comprehend the dhamma (dharma) sufficiently to negotiate it all of the way to enlightenment, because at the very least what we know of as Buddhism today is in part a blend of Christian ideas, and the same can be said about Christianity. Finally, the Buddha stated in the Maha-satipatthana Sutta if anyone engaged diligently in following the Noble Eightfold Path for seven years, then liberation was a distinct possibility.

Establishing Jhananda's credibility as a teacher of Buddhism

It is now necessary for this author to present his credentials as a student of Buddhism to reveal that it is indeed possible for a westerner to have embraced Buddhism sufficiently to at least understand it, if not successfully negotiated the Noble Eightfold Path to fruition. This author has been a contemplative within a Buddhist context for more than 3 decades, He has spent the last 6 years scrutinizing the Buddha's discourses (Sutta Pitaka) including teaching himself Sanskrit and Pali to penetrate below what he believes was a profound degree of translator bias obscuring what was the Buddha's original message. And, he has spent the last three years in retreat mostly in the wilderness engaged in rigorous meditation practice as defined by the Buddha in his discourses, as well as intensively studying his teachings. So, it might be reasonable for the reader to accept Jeffrey S. Brooks, aka. Jhananda, might just be onto something about the Buddha's original ecstatic message.

Establishing an authentic record of the Buddha's discourses

To go any further we have to establish the authenticity of at least one record of the Buddha's discourses.  Mahayanists tend to reject the Pali Canon, as "shit cart" (Hinayana); however, it is a matter of record that the Buddha was a Magadan, and he spoke the common language of the Magadan people, which was not the elevated liturgical language of Sanskrit.  The liturgical language of Pali is simply another name for the Magadan language. Therefore we can conclude that the Pali Canon is most probably the oldest and thus most authoritative source of the original teachings of the Buddha. We might note here that all other forms of Buddhism, with the exception of Theravadan Buddhism, acquired their translation of the Buddha's discourses from a Sanskrit translation, not from the original Pali.  Additionally it is this Sanskrit translation that appears to be the source of a number of erroneous beliefs in the Mahayanist schools of Buddhism.

The Abhidhamma cannot be relied upon as an authoritative document

We cannot accept the Abhidhamma as an authoritative document for a number of reasons:  First. the Abhidhamma was composed 250 years after the death of the Buddha, therefore it can not be attributed to the teaching of the Buddha or any of his direct disciples;  Secondly, the Abhidhamma presents a number of concepts that are in direct contradiction to the discourses of the Buddha (Sutta Pitaka).  Thus, we must conclude that it cannot carry the weight of authority that many want to subscribe to it. Certainly, the Abhidhamma can never carry the same weight of authority that the original suttas carry. 

Among those concepts that appear in the Abhidhamma that do not appear in the suttas, is the idea of supramundane consciousness (lokuttara).  The Buddha did not use this terminology, thus we must conclude that it was an attempt to mystify the Buddha's teachings making them seem mysterious, when they should be accessible.  Thus the belief that meditative absorption is not 'supramundane' cannot be attributed to the Buddha. 

Rejection of the altered states of consciousness and the use of charismatic terminology

Most central to the Mahayanist argument against the GWV's Ecstatic Buddhism, is a rejection of the altered states of consciousness that arise from the skilful practice of meditation.  If one reads the Buddha's discourse (Sutta Pitaka) one will find that he defined the 8^th fold of the Noble eightfold Path in terms of 9 stages of altered states of consciousness, the first four of which he called 'jhana.' He further defined 'jhana' in terms of bliss (piiti) and joy (sukha).  If we read the Christian mystic Teresa of Avila we will see she defined 7 stages of altered states of consciousness in her book the Interior Castle.  She called those 7 "chambers" in "God's Castle" 'ecstasy,' which she further defined in terms of bliss and joy. We can thus conclude that Teresa of Avila's use of the term 'ecstasy' is much like the Buddha's use of the term 'jhana.'  We can further conclude that if the Buddha defined the 8^th fold of the Noble Eightfold Path in terms of bliss (piiti), joy (sukha) and ecstasy (jhana), but the Buddhist priesthood predominantly rejects the attainment of bliss (piiti), joy (sukha) and ecstasy (jhana), then it would seem reasonable to conclude that the priesthood of Buddhism is terribly misinformed, because any Buddhist who rejects bliss (piiti), joy (sukha) and ecstasy (jhana), rejects the eighth fold of the Noble Eightfold Path, and doing so would of course make the individual not a Buddhist.

The Zen Concept of Makyo reveals the demonizing of meditative absorption and its associated phenomena:

Evidence of the rejection of the altered states of consciousness and the use of charismatic terminology can be found in the Zen Concept of Makyo. The Ch’an, Son, Zen concept of Makyo means “devil’s cave” and refers to the altered states of consciousness of meditative absorption and its associated charismatic phenomena. By referring to the altered states of consciousness of meditative absorption and its associated charismatic phenomena as a “devil’s cave” (Makyo) clearly reveals the demonizing of meditative absorption and its associated phenomena within Ch’an, Son, Zen. Certainly an institution that refers to the altered states of consciousness of meditative absorption and its associated charismatic phenomena as a “devil’s cave” (Makyo) can not either be regarded as supportive of these attainments, nor can these institutions be regarded as correct interpreters of Buddhism, because they demonize the 8th fold of the Noble Eightfold Path.

The 9 ecstasies and the 5 khandas (skandhas):

The Mahayanists bolster their argument based upon the 5 khandas (skandhas). They reason that all conditioned phenomena is a product of the 5 khandas (skandhas), which are roughly parallel to the cognitive processes, and are therefore subject to change (anicca), self identification (anatta) and consequently suffering (dukkha).  However, if the reader were to examine the Buddha's definition of the ecstasies (jhana & samadhi) one will find that the Buddha said they are not subject to the 5 khandas (skandhas), because as he said, they are unconditioned (asankatta) thus they are not subject to change (anicca), self identification (anatta) and consequently suffering (dukkha).

The term the 'unconditioned' or 'emptiness' (asankatta, shunyata, suññatá) can be attributed to the Buddha and directly related to the attainment of meditative absorption. The term 'unconditioned' is used to translate the Pali terms 'asankhata' and suññatá which were not often used by the Buddha.  They only appear in a few places in the suttas; however, the concept of the 'unconditioned' can be directly related to the attainment (phala) of meditative absorption (jhana, samadhi).

The "unconditioned" is an English translation for the Pali term 'asankhata.'  It is formed out of the prefix (a), which is the negative, and the suffix (sañkhara), which is the Pali term for the fifth of the five aggregates or "heaps" of cognition (khanda, S. skhanda).  The cognitive element of 'sañkhara' is typically translated as "mind object," or "mental formations," or possibly better rendered as "mental projections."  It has erroneously been associated with anything formed and conditioned, including all things whatever perceived in the phenomenal world.

The error in conflating mental formations with the material universe has resulted in the Mahayanist unfortunate conflation of the mental emptiness (shunyata, suññatá) with claiming the physical universe is nothing other than a projection of the mind, thus it was presumed empty and devoid of substance. If we do not include the word 'mental' with 'formation' in this translation then we can come to the erroneous belief that the Buddha was proposing a cosmology; however, he was not.  The Buddha was speaking purely of a subjective (nama) reality, not of a material (rupa) reality. This meaning applies, to the well-known passage that is attributed to the Buddha,

"Whether a fully Enlightened one has arisen in the world or not, it still remains a firm condition, an immutable fact and fixed law that all mental formations (sankara) are impermanent (anicca), subject to suffering (dukkha), and devoid of self-identification (anatta)."

In Pali: sabbe sankhaaraa aniccaa, sabbe sankhaaraa dukkhaa, sabbe dhammaa anattaa.

If we examine the five faculties of the Deathless (indriya); and the Five aggregates of one who is "beyond training" (asekha); and the Seven Factors of Enlightenment (bojjhanga, sambojjhanaga); and the Noble Eightfold Path (ariya atthangika magga); we find that the attainment of meditative absorption (jhana, samadhi) is central to the Buddha' discourses.  Thus we cannot conclude at any time that samadhi was dispensable in the Buddha's discourses. In fact we must conclude it was a central concept, and more central than the concept of supramundane consciousness (lokuttara) and emptiness of (shunyata), and insight (vipassana) because those terms do not appear in the above concepts which were central to the Buddha's discourses. However, one could certainly argue that the attainment of samadhi was the very source of supramundane consciousness (lokuttara) and emptiness (shunyata), and insight (vipassana).

(MN 118)

3 Kosalasamyutta, 24 (4) (Sagathavagga) Archery Book 1 with verses

(DN 22, n.689, 33.2.3(2); MN 118

(DN 22)

Sunyata or stillness is sufficient for enlightenment:

The Mahayanists further claim emptiness (Sunyata), is the correct goal or sufficient for enlightenment within Buddhism. The same argument is used in Theravadan Buddhism to claim insight (vipassana) is the correct goal or sufficient for enlightenment. Well, which one is it? Sadly, there is little support for either claim in the suttas and both Mahayanists and Theravadans reject meditative absorption (jhana, samadhi), which was the Buddha's definition of the 8^th Fold of the Noble Eightfold Path, thus if Mahayanists and Theravadans reject meditative absorption  (jhana, samadhi), then by definition they are not Buddhists because they are only following at best a 7 fold path, which is not Buddism.

There is some potential grace for Mahayanists, because the Sanskrit term Sunyata is often translated as the unconditioned, or emptiness, or stillness. In fact Sunyata, or stillness, is how the Buddha defined the second stage of meditative absorption (jhana, samadhi); however, he did not stop there.  He defined 7 more stages of ecstasy, which he called 'jhana' and 'samadhi.'  Thus we can conclude the Buddha at no time ever rejected the ecstasies, or meditative absorption states (jhana and samadhi). And, while all phenomena that is a product of the 5 skandhas is like a dream, an illusion; meditative absorption (jhana & samadhi) are not subject to the 5 khandas (skandhas), because they are unconditioned (asankatta), thus they are not a dream, or an illusion.

The stages of holiness link the unconditioned to the attainment of absorption:

The Buddha's concept of the stages of holiness "Stream Enterer (Sotapanna), Once Returner (Sakadágámi), Non Returner (Anágámi), and saint (Arahatta)" are a possible place where we can bolster our argument for the attainment of meditative absorption; however, we cannot directly relate the attainment of absorption (jhana) and the other fruits (phala) of the contemplative life to them. There is; however, strong evidence that we can use to link the Buddha's concept of the stages of holiness to the attainment of absorption (jhana) and the other fruits (phala) of the contemplative life. The connection can be made with the stages of holiness, because they are linked directly to the removal of the hindrances and fetters; and the removal of the hindrances and fetters can be tied directly in the suttas to the attainment of meditative absorption. Thus we cannot conclude that the 9 stages of absorption (jhana, samadhi) are "mundane" or "conditioned" phenomena, because they do indeed constitute holiness. We can also most certainly relate the unconditioned (asankhata, Sunyata) to the attainment of meditative absorption in the suttas. Thus we can indirectly connect the stages of holiness, with the attainment of absorption (samadhi). Please see below:

The Buddha's definition of the 8^th fold of the Noble Eightfold Path in terms of bliss (piiti), joy (sukha) and ecstasy (jhana, samadhi):

Additionally the Buddha defined the fulfillment of the Noble Eightfold path in terms of meditative absorption (Jhana), he did so in the Maha-satipatthana Sutta (DN 22).  Here is an updated translation of the description for the eighth fold of the Noble Eightfold Path as defined by the Buddha, which is in terms of ecstasy or meditative absorption (jhana).  The reader will also find the original Pali so that the translation can checked.

Further we read in the Mahaasaccaka sutta (MN 36) the Buddha did not consider himself enlightened until he had discovered the first ecstasy (jhana).  At that moment he determined that ecstasy was indeed "the path to enlightenment."  Please see below:

On the Buddha's last day in his body he further supported his premises regarding the importance of the attainments of jhana and samadhi by telling his monks to cultivate the seven factors of enlightenment (sambojjhanaga), which includes the attainments of the ecstasies (jhana and samadhi), which thus determined the very conditions of welfare for the order (aparihániya-dhamma).

At numerous points in his teaching the Buddha was asked how to define a hypocrite, or one who pretended to follow his teaching, but did not actually do so.  There the reader will see again the Buddha clearly defined the correct understanding of his teaching (dhamma/dharma) was in cultivating the seven factors of enlightenment (sambojjhanaga), which includes the attainments of the ecstasies (jhana and samadhi).

Orthodox Buddhists claim the Buddha warned his followers against the meditative absorption states (jhana, samadhi)

Orthodox Buddhist claim the Buddha warned his followers against the meditative absorption states (jhana, samadhi); however, there is no support for such a premise in the suttas. In fact, as we have seen above, the Buddha's very definition of the 8^th fold of the Noble Eightfold Path is in terms of the attainment of meditative absorption states (jhana, samadhi).

Thus we can most definitely conclude that the suttas state clearly that the absorption states (jhana, samadhi) are "unconditioned" and thus are not subject to change (anicca), suffering (dukkha), or self-identification (anatta)."  We can also conclude that the attainment of holiness was indirectly related to the attainment of meditative absorption.  We can reject the idea of supramundane consciousness, because the Buddha never used that terminology.  We can also reject any claim that the Buddha ever warned anyone against the attainment of absorption, after all it is the Buddha's very definition of the 8^th fold of the Noble Eightfold Path, and one of his factors of enlightenment; whereas, the concepts of the unconditioned (asankhata, Sunyata) and insight (vipassana) are not even mentioned on those lists.

We can conclude, just because a priest of Buddhism tells one something does not at all mean the Buddha actually taught it or that that particular priest understood the dhamma at all. Unless one can provide evidence in support of one's claims, one's claims are just empty words, or worse one cannot even understand the issues at hand. And, standing upon tradition is clearly not enough. If we do not critically review our sources we cannot hope to engage in meaningful research or even dialog.

Up until recently there were only three vehicles of Buddhism.  When it was determined that the priesthood of the three vehicles of Buddhism did not understand, value, respect or honor meditative absorption (jhana & samadhi), which is the very definition of the 8^th fold of the Noble Eightfold Path, it was determined that it was time for a new dharma wheel to emerge. And, since the western peoples do not have their own dharma wheel, then they of course should give birth to their own.  This author is a western person who has diligently studied the Buddha dharma, has engaged diligently in living the Noble Eightfold Path, which has produced the 7 factors of enlightenment and the 12 fruits of the contemplative life. Thus he has given birth to a 4th vehicle of Buddhism, which he calls the Great Western Vehicle.

Sources:

Maha-satipatthana Sutta (DN 22), "Larger Discourse on the Four Paths of Mindfulness" updated 10-27-04

the BJT & PTS Romanized Pali for this sutta is at this URL:

Mahaasaccaka sutta (MN 36), On the pleasure of meditation (jhana), the fruits (phala) of the contemplative life, the Dark Night of the Soul, the Buddha's night of enlightenment and attainment of jhana.

Maha-Parinibbana Sutta (DN 16)

the BJT & PTS Romanized Pali for this sutta is at this URL:

The Collected Sayings of the Buddha. Samyutta Nikaya. Book [V: 99-100] 46: Links. 44

Dhammapada Verse 372

The Fruit (phala) Of Right Effort (samma-vayam)

Devadaha Sutta, MN 101. 38-42

(Majjhima Nikaya trans. Bhikkhus Nanamoli & Bodhi, Wisdom, 1995)

Jhana Sutta (AN XI.36)

Translated by Geoffrey DeGraff (Thanissaro Bhikkhu), Access to insight

Tevijja Sutta (DN 13.75-79)

The Discourse of the Buddha

Translated by Maurice Walshe, "The Long Discourses of the Buddha" (Digha Nikaya), Wisdom Publishing, Boston, 1987, 1995

Nivapa Sutta MN 25.12

Exposing translator bias in the translation of the Pali Canon and other Asian literature (updated 11-10-04)

A Critique of the Abhidhamma and Visuddhimagga

The Cha'an, Son and Zen Concept of Makyo the "ghost" or "devil's cave"

Mahayana verses Hinayana

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