A Life of Learning
It is early September as I write this – back-to-school time. When I was a child, this felt like the real start of a new year, more so than January 1. The transition of returning to school after summer break, and starting a new grade with new classmates, truly seemed like an exciting new beginning, not just a continuation of what came before.
It’s been quite a while since I’ve had a first day of school. Once we graduate from high school or college, we tend to think that’s the end of studying and learning. We see school as one phase of our life, and that once it’s finished, we move on to the next stages – adulthood, career, marriage, family, and so on. The excitement of a new year of learning fades into the distant past.
We need to go beyond this narrow idea of studying and learning as something we do only when we’re young, before we move on to our “real” lives. As Shin Buddhists, we should be perpetual students. We should always be studying and seeking, because the Buddhist path is one of lifelong learning.
There are three major ways that we study and learn as Shin Buddhists.
The first kind of study is LISTENING. When asked how we practice in Jodo Shinshu, the traditional answer is “Monpo,” a Japanese term that literally means “listen to the Dharma.” Monpo is more than just taking in sounds. It means deeply listening to the Buddhist teachings. Think about what happens when you do something deeply. If you take a “deep dive,” for example, you don’t stay on the surface. You go far below it, which takes effort; you aren’t just lazily floating on top of the water. You are also exploring unknown territory, since you don’t know exactly what you will find down below. So you have to concentrate and pay close attention, using all your senses.
We can listen to the Dharma in many places. It can be at the temple attending a service, or during an online or in-person class on Buddhism. Or when we chant a Buddhist sutra, or read a book about Buddhism – because listening isn’t limited to things we perceive with our ears. Wherever we may practice Monpo, we are deeply and actively listening to the Dharma, with attention and intention. We are bringing our full awareness to the task. We set aside any preconceived ideas, judgments, and personal agendas and listen with total receptivity.
A second kind of study we do in Buddhism is studying ourselves: SELF-EXAMINATION. To study myself means looking closely and honestly at myself and my behavior and then reflecting on what I see. This kind of self-reflection is at the very heart of Buddhism. As one of our Shin teachers, Dr. Nobuo Haneda, says, “Buddhism is nothing but self-examination.” That is, self-examination is everything.
It is not easy to see ourselves clearly. Much of the time we sleepwalk through our lives, acting out of habit or impulse without really observing our behavior. So, the challenge is to be mindful of our actions – to notice, pause, and reflect. Doing so is both eye-opening and humbling. There was that time I caught myself gossiping to undermine someone I didn’t like. The occasions I did some “retail therapy,” buying things I didn’t need to make myself feel better. Or my envy when another person got an award and I didn’t. If we really look at ourselves honestly, we can’t help but see our faults. Recognizing my mean or greedy or egotistical behavior is unpleasant, but it is through this self-reflection that I understand that I am a foolish person, filled with greed, anger, and ignorance.
Why is this kind of self-examination important? To lead an awakened life – a life of shinjin – means to constantly look at ourselves and reflect on ourselves. It is a process that never ends. But that is the only way we can see our failures and shortcomings and, through that, realize that we are incapable of achieving enlightenment through our own efforts. Only when we reach that realization can we give up our reliance on self-power and entrust ourselves to the boundless wisdom and compassion that is Amida Buddha.
A third way in which we study Buddhism is by DOING – that is, simply through the process of living our lives every day. Listening to the Dharma and self-examination don’t work in isolation. We need other people to bring us face-to-face with our true selves. It is through our ordinary, daily interactions – with family, co-workers, friends, fellow temple members – that we truly see ourselves.
The concept of the ego-self can seem abstract. But dealing with your friends, enemies, loved ones, and strangers makes it very real. Sometimes, it is through facing the most difficult people in our lives that we learn the most about ourselves. We have the chance to practice compassion or generosity – or not. Every day, we have countless opportunities to take the Buddhist teachings and apply them to our lives. Buddhism is not a theory. It’s practice; something we do.
We need all three kinds of study. Studying lays the foundation for shinjin, our spiritual awakening. Awakening is something we receive, not something we attain solely through our own efforts. But in order to receive it, we must create the right conditions for our spiritual aspiration to take root and grow. We need to cultivate what Dr. Haneda calls the spirit of “perpetual studentship.” It is through deeply listening to the Dharma, engaging in self-reflection, and using our daily lives as the classroom for our self-examination, that we create the favorable conditions for receiving enlightenment.
In Gassho,
Janis Hirohama
Minister’s Assistant
