right attitude is that of a gardener—daily watering, thorough weeding, seasonal fertilization and patience for the plants to grow at their own rate and the flowers to bloom in their own season. The flowers and fruits of spiritual growth also takes time to mature into fullness.
As long as we keep walking on the Buddhist path, we are not only improving our inner state of mind but also affecting all people who come into contact with us. Thus the process is quite worthwhile in its own right.
Q4: You mentioned the transitive nature of mind and breathing goes both ways, i.e., mind can calm the breathing and breathing can calm the mind; this is fascinating. Could you please say some more on this?
Many religions that practice meditation are aware of this fact. Nevertheless, in Tantric Buddhism there is a special teaching that is based on the experiences of accomplished practitioners. It reveals that a person’s consciousness—the subtle element that enters one’s body at the union of the egg and the sperm, and leaves at the very end of the death process—is mind and wind inseparable. Here mind is the mental element of consciousness itself, and wind is a very subtle material element of air. Since they are fundamentally inseparable, it is no wonder that they affect each other in a sensitive and intimate way.
Q5: Dr. Lin, you say we should be tolerant and transcend antagonism so that there is no separation and distinction; but then how do we deal with conflicts in different traditions, in view of the fact that each tradition considers theirs as correct while other traditions’ as less correct?
If you believe in oneness, you will try to put it into practice. As soon as you try to practice oneness, the general question arises: Does it render us unable to act at all because our activities are usually within the context of you and me as different individuals. Each group from different religious traditions thinks that theirs is the right one, then what do we do? First of all, as to what is right, what is truth, each group needs to enlarge their views in order to find the answer. No one can reach truth by insisting on one’s view or by forcing views on others. Stubborn insistence or forced persuasion leads only to war and suffering. The cold war between the United States and the Soviet Union is based on each side’s insistence that their own system is superior. From a global point of view, we all live on the same planet and we need to live in peace and cooperation. Instead of fighting, we should work together to solve the global problems of hunger, population explosion, ecology, environmental protection, energy conservation, recycling, etc. Thus we see that if we enlarge our views in the light of oneness, we will not be rendered inactive; just the contrary, we will be actively working for more fundamental and important issues and live in peace and harmony. Hence, it is very important to spread the message of the need and benefit of enlarging our views and our degree of tolerance because that is how we will live in peace and reach truth.
Q6: How do we know that our thinking is right or wrong, good or bad?
Whenever there is a conflict in views, first of all, do not resort to violence or force to settle the dispute. If certain views are forced on people, and the views are wrong, then the results are terrible. Violence will only increase or intensify suffering in the world, hence it is not the right approach to truth. The way to settle our differences is to avoid direct confrontation on a particular point, and try to allow each side to go on its own way. Allow diversity, allow people to do things in their own way, and let time decide which is the right way. The way that is closer to the truth will prevail in a free environment. After so many years the communist system is breaking down without any armed conflict being waged. Had we resorted to war in the first place, the world might have been destroyed by nuclear bombs.
II. The Position of Meditation in Buddhism
We need to talk about this topic because without proper understanding
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