Meditation lessons. Where to start meditating? Osho's practical meditation lessons for beginners. - e - posture and the beginning of meditation

Monograph of professor Kozlov V.V. presents an original multifaceted description of not only the biography of the Buddha from the Shakya clan, but also the psychological interpretation of consciousness and human development in Buddhism. Buddhist practices are also of considerable interest from the point of view of modern applied psychology.
The book is addressed to psychologists, philosophers, culturologists, buddhologists. The book may be interesting and useful not only for graduate students, scientists and teachers studying the above subjects, but also for Buddhists.

METHODS OF SELF-KNOWLEDGE AND TRANSFORMATION
In blessed memory of Alexander Pyatigorsky
This is the psychology (Buddhist) that everyone will study in 25 years.
W. James, 1903
Introduction
Judging by the epithet that belongs to the outstanding American psychologist and one of the founding fathers of the transpersonal paradigm, for 80 years the psychology of Buddhism should have been woven into the fabric of European culture.
Alas, the great and mighty William James, like many scientists in life, took his desires for reality, although he brilliantly anticipated the trend itself - interest in Buddhist psychology has grown noticeably over the past century.
Buddhism is the oldest of the three world religions and at the same time it is the most complex theoretical philosophical, psychological, mythological construction. Christianity is younger than Buddhism by five, and Islam by as much as twelve centuries, Taoism and Confucianism by several centuries. Buddhism is older than Hellenic philosophy, and when the Buddhist arhats were solving the problems of the ontology of being, barbarian Europe was still walking in skins...
Most of the followers of Buddhism live in the countries of the South, southeast and East Asia: Sri Lanka, India, Nepal, Bhutan, China, Singapore, Malaysia, Mongolia, Korea, Vietnam, Japan, Cambodia,
Burma, Thailand, Laos. In our country, Buddhism is traditionally practiced by residents of Buryatia, Kalmykia, Tuva, and in last years Buddhist communities arose in Moscow, Novosibirsk, Krasnoyarsk, Irkutsk, Nizhny Novgorod, St. Petersburg, Yaroslavl, and the Baltic cities (especially in Riga and Talin).
From the end of the 19th - beginning of the 20th century. followers of Buddhism appeared in Europe, the USA, Australia and Africa. Today, almost all significant trends and schools that exist in the East are represented in the world. According to the Lumbini Center for Buddhism, today there are about 600 million lay Buddhists in the world, and about 1.5 million monks and nuns.
Having emerged more than two and a half thousand years ago in India as an existential-philosophical doctrine, Buddhism created canonical literature, unique in scale and diversity, and numerous philosophical, psychological, religious institutions and schools.
The flexibility and depth of philosophical positions, the subtlety of psychological interpretations and the universalism of the ethics of Buddhism contributed to its expansion and integration into various cultures, religions and ideologies.
The language and the semantic field of Buddhism are multidimensional, and depending on the angle of view, Buddhism can be considered both as a philosophy, and as a psychological system, and as a model of the world, and as a moral teaching, and as a cultural complex, and as a way of life, and, in the end, as religion. The study of Buddhism is a cornerstone in an adequate understanding of the socio-psychological, ethical, political, economic and cultural systems of countries in which Buddhist communities have existed and still exist.
An attempt to understand the role of Buddhism in history, culture in modern life led to the creation of Buddhology - a science that studies Buddhism and all the problems that arise in connection with it. Within the framework of this science, there is a huge amount of literature written in different languages.

in different countries of the world: in the last hundred years alone, more than 150 thousand studies, monographs, articles, textbooks and comments have been devoted to Buddhism.
The psychology of Buddhism is precisely a section of Buddhology that objects for research a complex of psychological properties, mechanisms, states, which, although they were revealed in Buddhism, were not singled out as a special discipline.
The author of this book has been fascinated by Buddhism for the past thirty years. A deeper study of the problematic field of this Indian philosophical, psychological and religious system began in 1981, when Professor Mikhail Semenovich Rogovin subjected the lecture " Psychological aspects Buddhism, which I read in a course on the history of psychology while still a student.
29 years have passed since then, and although I have repeatedly tried to present my understanding of Buddhism (wrote articles, included excursions into Buddhist psychology and methodology in textbooks and monographs), the determination to write a book has only matured now, on May 3rd, 2009.
Perhaps the decisive factor for this was the Buddhist retreat, which I am now conducting in Lumbini, in Nepal, in the place where Prince Sidhartha, the founder of Buddhism, was born 25 centuries ago.
Although I have been conducting retreats in many countries where Buddhism is significant as a religious system (Thailand, Laos, Burma, Malaysia, Mongolia, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Buryatia) since 1997, only lecture work in Lumbini with a group inspired me to present this material in the form of a book. I especially want to thank Doctor of Psychology Kristina Martinsone from Riga, who advised me to turn my lecture course at the seminar in Lumbini into the text of a book, and Konstantin Stolpovskikh from Novosibirsk for friendly support.
This book is the fruit of research not only of a theoretical nature, but also of a rather deep immersion in vipassana, tantric practices, and an included study of the psychotechnics of different schools of Buddhism. This happened in different countries of the world. But the practices were especially powerful in intensity in places of Power - on Baikal, Lake Teletskoye (Altai), Buryatia, the Southern Urals (Iremel, Zyuratkul, Dolgobrodskoye), Tien Shan, Kar-Karalinsk in Kazakhstan, Issyk-Kul, Baltic, Black Sea, etc.
There were very different groups: by education, from students to academicians of the Russian Academy of Sciences, by the level of material wealth from the unemployed to millionaires, by age - from 18 to 65 years of different races and nationalities. Each time they demanded a special language of presentation and conditions from which the content of the material on Buddhism was available to them.
It cannot be said that I can perfectly reproduce all these texts, but objectifying various aspects of Buddhist psychology, I feel the opportunity to reproduce the fabric of thinking, the stream of consciousness that was once born during the presentation of theoretical material.
It is this feeling that gives me confidence that the book will take place and will be useful not only to the thousands of students who attended my seminars, but also to many other people who are interested in the refined culture of philosophizing and psychological thinking in Buddhism.
At the same time, to my sadness and sadness, I know for sure that it is impossible to study Buddhism. There will not be enough life and intellectual efforts, even the most powerful and diligent, to master even private school Buddhism. Despite this, in the text of the book we will adhere to the principle of clarity and simplicity of presentation. This does not mean that Buddhism is simple. This philosophic-psychological trend really developed over the course of two and a half thousand years, and in the most difficult years this development took place even stronger and deeper.

One thing pleases the heart - Buddhism has always been an attempt to understand the Buddha. The thinking of even the most advanced Buddhist is arranged completely differently than mine or my friends' professors, students, graduate students or doctoral students. European and Buddhist thinking are extremely different in their aspiration and content of goals and values.
The greatest value of thinking is truth.
As for the Buddhist model of thinking - the truth has already been said by the Buddha in all details. It is not only stated, but also shown how to reach this truth, what is the way to it. In a temporal sense, the truth has already existed, it has actually existed for many hundreds and thousands of years. The only thing that a person can do is to understand and come into contact with the treasure, and with great luck - to master the treasure that has long been discovered and shown to the world. The epistemological model of Buddhism consists in the systematic reproduction of the complete, inflexible, reliable truth already understood and revealed by the Buddha from the Shakya clan.
In European thinking, everything is diametrically different. In European thinking, everything that is stated does not have the quality of truth. Here is the truth told lies. The European is captivated by the idea of ​​evolution, that the truth can be discovered at some wonderful stage in the development of mankind. It's not open yet. Someone must come and make a qualitative epistemological breakthrough, reveal the truth, get it.
Truth is always ahead and in the future, but beyond the distance and distance, "new horizons" of the possibility of revealing it are opening all the time. Always in the thinking of a European there is an optimistic "tomorrow" with pessimism and boredom in relation to "today". For a European there are no authorities, the attitude towards them is always critical and veneration is conditional with a slight dose of irony and skepticism. Any theory in European thinking has insufficiency, unreliability, incompleteness.
In a sense, there is no intellectual and emotional support for European thinking. On the one hand, it is precisely for this reason that a European does not completely trust anyone and anything, on the other hand, he is eternally worried about the reliability of his life and his understanding, on the third, he is an eternal child, asking “Why” and not finding a final, correct answer in strength of the suspicion that adults are lying.
I present Buddhism for a European, well representing its attitude to any text and to any authority. The Buddhist, no doubt, does not need these texts, because he already has an authoritative exposition of Buddhism in accordance with the tradition he has entered and the guru he reveres.
With age, everyone understands that in many ways books are not read in order to experience the truth. Joy, sadness, sadness, enthusiasm, delight, desire for empathy, excitement, compassion - these are just a few of the feelings that a book can give us.
The most that the book gives is understanding and clarity of awareness of the important problem of life, the disclosure of the expanse of knowledge, which is accompanied by a wonderful feeling: "This is how it really is."
It is possible to fulfill the limiting task - so that the reader thinks and begins to think about the problem on his own. The awakening of the independent comprehension of being in the world, in my opinion, is no less important than spiritual enlightenment. Perhaps more importantly, only the independence of comprehension and understanding of reality makes a person a person and ensures the evolution of civilization.
This book was originally intended for those who wish to have a clear understanding of the mythology, philosophy, and psychology of Buddhism. We will try to achieve this goal with minimal loss of meanings that exist in Buddhism.

Chapter 1
Biography of the Buddha
I don't have a name, I don't want joy, I am the voice that speaks.
What I proclaim - the truth, What I seek - only freedom, Liberation from the torture of All and everything that lives.
Ashvagosh. "Buddha Life"
If I could write a biography of the Buddha "as it was" and vividly tell about the personality of Shakyamuni, then my genius was boundless.
It is not enough to be a Buddhist or a Buddhist scholar to write an authentic biography of the founding father of this radically new Aryan worldview.
It is not enough to be a historian or writer, even a poet or a high-class psychologist, to make a description of this large-scale personality that corresponds to the truth of life.
At the same time, I dare to describe the personality of the Buddha for two simple reasons.
Firstly, I don’t know anyone else’s biography in such detail from all those who lived and still live on earth. Neither the biography of his father, nor the biography of his mother, nor other relatives - brothers and sisters.
I do not know the biography of Vladimir Lenin in such detail, although his biography was the subject of research on his pioneer childhood, Komsomol youth and communist adulthood.
I do not know so deeply the biography of Friedrich Nietzsche, adored from his youth.
I don’t even know the biography of my supervisor, Professor Viktor Vasilievich Novikov, although I described him in sufficient detail.
Secondly, the Buddha personality is ideal for me. In my opinion, this is the most complete human realization, the peak manifestation of human capabilities and abilities. It's not about my idealization or the idealization of thousands of people who have thought about the personality of the Buddha. The personality was like that.
Despite this, we will try to describe the personality of the Buddha in the most balanced and reliable way.
The majority of modern scientists dealing with the history of this philosophical and psychological doctrine and religion, on the basis of written sources that have survived to this day, consider the founder of Buddhism to be a real historical person.
In the texts of canonical Buddhism, folklore (hymns and legends), works of art and scientific research, the founder of Buddhism is called different names. He is a prince by birth, named Siddhartha (Sidarta), from the Gautama clan, the Shakya clan (Shakyamuni - "a person from the Shakya clan"). At the same time he is Buddha, Tathagata, Jina, Bhagavan, etc.
All of them reflect the personality traits and properties of the founder of Buddhism. Some define him as a real, worldly person. Others rely on

Attention! This is a draft version of the translation, the poetic stanzas were translated only to convey the meaning of the text. Many names and names of historical persons and places may differ from those generally accepted. However, the translation is as close as possible to the original. In difficult places, please refer to the original booklet in English, which can be found at: http://www.blia.org/english/publications/booklet/pages/39.htm

Psychology is a science that studies mental activity in human life. In the West, it originated from medical science, philosophy, natural sciences, religion, education and sociology, and has also spread to many other disciplines and practices. AT modern society, psychology is applied in education, industry, business, healthcare, civil defense, law, politics, sociology, science, art and even sports. Its importance grows over time.

Psychology studies the mental functions of the mind and the ways of human behavior. Psychologists in the West use it to study personality development and the factors that determine behavior. Due to the limitations inherent in Western Psychology, it has been only partially successful in transforming and perfecting the personality. Buddhism, on the other hand, deeply understands the psychological nature of man and has developed a number of effective treatments. As shown in the Avatamsaka Sutra, "Our conception of the Three Realms arises from the mind, as do the twelve links of dependent origination; birth and death arise from the mind, they fade away when the mind becomes still."

The analysis of the mind in Buddhism is multifaceted and complex. As a spiritual practice, Buddhism contains numerous descriptions of the nature and functions of the mind and instructions on how to seek it, how to stay in it, and how to perfect it. In this regard, Buddhist Psychology, together with Western Psychology, has much to offer.

First, "psychology" means "the science that explains the mind." It was later expanded to "the science of human behavior for the study of human problems". This development corresponds to how Buddhism views life and the universe: "all phenomena arise from the mind." Buddhism treats everything in the world as a manifestation of our mind. He studies and analyzes the problems of human behavior at the most fundamental level. From this point of view, Buddhism can be seen as a fully developed system of psychology.

All of the Buddha's teachings deal with the mind, as shown in numerous sutras and sastras. Among these, the psychological understanding spoken of by the Mind-Only School (Yogachara) is closest to its equivalent in modern psychology. Yogacara texts are used to explain Buddhist Psychology.

Yogacara considers the mind to be composed of eight consciousnesses, which clearly indicates that it is not composed of a single element, but of an interacting complex of factors. These factors are functions of the six sense organs of the human body (eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body and mental functions), as well as consciousness, which constantly embraces the "I" ("Manas") and Alaya consciousness (super-unconscious, in Buddhist texts called "master of the mind"), which collects and stores all the karmic seeds of the mind in a continuous cycle of birth and death of all living beings. For the Buddhist, the "I" at the moment reflects everything accumulated in the past. "I" in the future depends on actions in the present. That is, "what a man receives in this life is what one has developed in past lives, what he receives in a future life will be what he creates in this life."

"The Three Realms are but manifestations of the mind, as are the myriad dharmas." All phenomena in this life, and in the universe, are nothing but mirror images imprinted in our mind through the eight consciousnesses. Our eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body and mind distinguish and recognize sight, sound, smell, taste, touch and thoughts. According to each individual's potential for discernment, these images are further processed and recognized as real or unreal, and then used to construct what one considers "this life and this world." In reality, all things are constantly changing in a cycle of formation, continuation, destruction and emptiness. Our thoughts and ideas also arise, last, change and instantly disappear in the cycle of birth and death. Where can one find life and a world that truly exists without change? Everything in the universe can only be found in perception and interpretation!

Scarlet consciousness is like a large warehouse full of past memories of love, hate, goodwill and enmity that we can remember in this life. It constantly influences our actions and behavior in this life, and is referred to in Buddhism as ignorance. Due to the karmic influence of this ignorance, we go through a cycle of birth and death. When the unhealthy seeds of the past ripen, we become oppressed and prone to do unvirtuous deeds, which in turn become unhealthy seeds for the future. When the healthy seeds of the past ripen, our hearts are pure and noble, our mind is clear and intelligent, and we do virtuous deeds, which again become healthy seeds in Alaya consciousness. The teachings of the Only-Mind School say, "Seeds lead to actions, then actions turn into new seeds." The psychological motives of any human behavior are explained using this model.

Influenced by our ignorance of the past, we tend to draw conclusions that lead to negative feelings. Greed and anger increase, our minds become confused and form wrong views of things in the world. However, just as plants require sun and rain to bloom and bear fruit, similar conditions are necessary for the development of human behavior. Although at the bottom of the unconscious level of the human mind lie feelings of love, hate, and positive or negative intentions, when these feelings are provoked by people or things from the external environment, a person can rely on his true mind and wisdom to avoid the occurrence of negative actions and instead create virtuous behavior.

The development of our true mind and its wisdom relies on the diligent practice of keeping vows, developing concentration, and increasing awareness and understanding. This process, which transforms the deluded mind into our true mind, is described in Buddhism as "the transformation of consciousness into wisdom." Consciousness carries the psychological baggage of past experience. The wisdom that radiates from our true mind is therapy or cure for people in their attempts to resolve any inner conflicts in their consciousness, overcome suffering in this life, and avoid the cycle of birth and death in future lives.

1. Five main mental functions: mental and physical contact, attention, feeling, discrimination and analysis.
2. Five deliberately created mental conditions: aspiration, understanding, memory, concentration and wisdom.
3. Eleven healthy psychological states: trust, diligence, restraint, remorse, no greed, no hatred, no ignorance, calmness, mindfulness, equanimity, and harmlessness.
4. The six root afflictions are greed, hatred, ignorance, arrogance, doubt, and wrong view.
5. The twenty unhealthy mental states are: anger, hostility, irritability, vanity, deceit, flattery, arrogance, malice, envy, greed, refusal to repent, refusal to regret, distrust, laziness, indifference, apathy, restlessness, forgetfulness, misperception, and carelessness.
6. The four neutral states of mind are repentance, sleepiness, applied thought, and steady thought.

2. Allegories of Mind

In Buddhism, the root cause of human suffering and other problems is identified as the mind. Thus, he proposes to use this invaluable resource by transforming everything unhealthy into healthy. Buddhism instructs sentient beings to recognize the mind, calm the mind, and control the mind. The Buddha taught all his life for 49 years. All of his teachings, be it the Four Noble Truths, the Twelve Links of Dependent Origination, the Six Paramitas, or the Four Comprehensive Principles, invariably refer to the mind. The mind dictates human behavior. If a person's mind is pure, all his thoughts, words and actions are bound to be pure. If a person's mind is impure, everything he hears and sees becomes impure. Therefore, one sutra says: "When the mind is impure, the being is impure; when the mind is pure, the being is pure."

All pain and suffering in this world is created by the mind. Our minds wander among the Six Realms of Existence for countless lifetimes. It seems that we never control ourselves. The mind is always attached to a colorful external environment, relentlessly striving for fame, wealth, power and love, constantly calculating and discriminating. The truth is that our mind is inherently capable of embracing everything just as the mind of the Buddha could. He is like the sun and moon, able to break through the darkness. He is like fertile soil capable of enriching the roots of virtue and the growing trees of merit. He is like a pure mirror, capable of reflecting everything clearly and truly. It is like an ocean full of inexhaustible resources and wealth. In the Buddhist canons, the Buddha often used simple stories to describe the mind. Ten of them are listed below:

1. The mind is like a monkey, hard to control: As the old proverb says, "the mind is like a monkey and thoughts are like horses." The mind is compared to a monkey that is very hyperactive, jumping and running through the trees without a moment's rest.
2. Mind is as fast as lightning and thunder: Mind is compared to lightning and thunder, or to a spark created by the impact of stone on stone. He acts so fast that by the power of his mind, he is able to travel all over the universe without any obstruction. For example, when a person thinks of a trip to Europe or America, scenes of European and American landscapes immediately appear in his or her mind, as if he or she were already there.
3. The mind is like a wild deer always chasing sense gratification: a wild deer comes into the wilderness and feels thirsty. In search of water, he wanders in four directions. Our mind, like this wild deer, can hardly resist the lure of the five sense desires and the six sense objects. He is always chasing the visible, the audible and other sensual pleasures.
4. The mind is like a robber stealing virtues and virtues: Our body is like a village, five senses are like five entrances, and the mind is like a thief in the village, who steals useful deeds and merit that we hardly accumulate, leaves a negative impression of us in other minds and leads a bad lifestyle. The Confucian scholar Wang Yangming once said, "It's much easier to catch a bandit hiding in the desert than a thief in your mind." If we can tame the thief in our minds, make him obedient and accommodating, we will become masters of our own mind and will be able to cultivate the highest virtues and virtues.
5. The mind as an enemy that causes us suffering: the mind acts like our enemies, intending to create problems for us by causing us all kinds of pain and suffering. One of the sutras says: "The unhealthy in itself is empty, because it is a creation of the mind, if the mind is purified, the unhealthy disappears into as soon as possible". Our mind has the nature of the Buddha as a true quality, which is pure, free and contented. But many delusions cause suffering to our body and spirit. If we can eliminate our illusions and false opinions, we can make friends with this enemy.
6. The mind is like a servant of various stimuli: the mind acts as if it were a servant of external objects, serving and constantly being led by these objects, causing many ailments as a result. Another sutra says that our mind contains three poisons, five hindrances, ten defilements, 88 hindrances, and also 84,000 aggravating circumstances! These obstacles, embarrassments, defilements, and hindrances are all capable of hindering our wisdom, holding back our mind and spirit, and making us restless. The transformation of our mind from servant to master depends largely on how we train it.
7. The mind is like a master with the highest authority: the mind owns the body. It has the highest power. It guides, controls and commands the eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body and mental activities to produce sensory feelings and cognitive functions.
8. The mind is like an ever-flowing spring: Our mind is like a stream of water continuously escaping from the earth. It has unlimited potential and contains immeasurable riches. If we can effectively use our source of wisdom, we will be free from the fear of being inferior.
9. The Mind as a Painting Artist: The Avatamsaka Sutra says, "The mind as a master painter is skillful in depicting various things." Our mind is very much like a skillful artist who can paint various pictures. When a man's mind is inspired by the wise and holy, man appearance will appear wise and enlightened. When a person's mind is occupied with malice and enmity, the person will look cruel and disgusting in appearance, like a devil or a ghost. In other words, "As the mind of a person changes, so does his appearance."
10. The mind is like a boundless space: The nature of the mind is like a wide and boundless space. It is able to encompass everything in the universe. Another sutra says, "If one wants to realize the state of Buddha's enlightenment, one should purify one's mind so that it becomes empty like space." Space is vast and vast without borders or edges. Space supports everything but captures nothing. If we want to understand the Buddha's enlightened state, we must expand our consciousness so that it becomes boundless and boundless like the sky, free from discord and carefree like space. Then our mind will be able to embrace all things in the universe and benefit all living beings.

3. Ways to Purify the Mind

Modern medicine is very advanced. There are all kinds of pharmaceuticals. Diversity of Medicines Corresponds to Numerous Diseases modern people that didn't exist before. Our bodies get cancer, but isn't there cancer in our minds? Greed, anger, ignorance, arrogance and doubt are illnesses that we cannot ignore. When we have a physical disorder, we treat it with drugs, intravenous injections, and nutritional supplements. There is an old Chinese saying: "Medicine can cure the symptoms of a disease. It will not cure the real disease." The real disease is the disease of the mind. In fact, many physical illnesses are caused by psychological factors. The most obvious examples are diseases of the stomach and digestive system. Eighty percent of these disorders are associated with an emotional disorder. If we manage to keep a balanced and calm mind, many diseases will disappear.

If we have mental disorders, what medicines will benefit our spirit? It is said that the Buddha created 84,000 instructions for correcting our 84,000 tenacious diseases. For example, if we do not eradicate our greed by keeping the vows, our mind will follow our greed and run wild. If we do not overcome our anger by practicing meditation, our spirit will live forever in a "flame of fire" that makes it difficult to achieve perfect peace. Finally, the sorrow of ignorance can only be removed by wisdom, for wisdom can penetrate from the darkness of ignorance, revealing the magnificent and calm state of our true mind.

In addition to the basic illnesses caused by the three poisons and ignorance, there are all kinds of psychological illnesses that need to be treated, changed, or overcome. The following treatments are prescribed in the Buddha's teachings:

1. A calm mind is the antidote to a restless mind: the pace of modern life is fast and dense. Most people suffer from stress caused by anxiety and insecurity. Thus, in our Everyday life, it is useful to take a few minutes to practice the art of self-healing through calming and clearing the mind. When the "obscurations" in our mind are cleared, enlightenment and wisdom arise from calmness.
2. A benevolent mind is the antidote for a malevolent mind: Our mind is sometimes like the mind of a "wise man" and sometimes like that of a "loser," tumbling up and down randomly, between positive and negative. When a benevolent mind arises, everything goes well, but when a malevolent mind arises, millions of defilements arise with it. Thus, we must eradicate unhealthy thoughts and protect right thoughts in order to develop a mind of loving kindness and compassion.
3. A trusting mind is the antidote to a doubting mind: Many of the mistakes and tragedies in the world arise from doubt and suspicion, such as suspecting a betrayal by a friend, the betrayal of one of the spouses, or the enmity of one of the relatives. The doubt that arises is like ropes that bind the body and prevent the body from moving. The Treatise on the Perfection of Great Wisdom (Mahaprajnaparamita Shastra) says: "Buddha's teachings are as vast as the ocean. Trust is the only means to their realization." Building trust not only allows us to understand the truth in the Buddha's teachings, it also allows us to be more tolerant of others people, allows us to accept the world as it is and strengthen our faith in the Dharma.
4. The true mind is the antidote for the deluded mind: Due to attachment to the concept of "I", personal preferences and judgments, the ordinary minds of people constantly discriminate and calculate, creating countless illusions and unreasonable reactions. To lead such a life of truth, beauty, and virtue, we use our minds without discrimination or duality, accepting everything as it is, and healing all sentient beings who are one in essence.
5. An open mind is the antidote to a limited mind: We must make our mind like an ocean capable of receiving all the water from hundreds of rivers and tributaries without changing their characteristics. Only an all-encompassing mind of gratitude and patience can deliver us from a jealous and intolerant mind.
6. A balanced mind is the antidote to a fragmented mind: If material possessions are the only thing valued in life, we will suffer greatly when we lose our fortune. When life is built on ordinary love, we will suffer greatly when suddenly love relationship will collapse. Whenever there is grasping and clinging, there is differentiation and bondage. How can a person be free? It is best when one reacts to temporal, worldly possessions and attached illusions with an impartial mind. By doing so, a person one day becomes free and equanimous at all times and in all situations without any attachments or restrictions.
7. A steady mind is the antidote to a fickle mind: Although Buddhism maintains that all things and phenomena, including thoughts and feelings, are impermanent and constantly changing, it also believes that when we vow to serve others, and not just ourselves, the power of vow and devotion as immeasurable as the universe. The Avatamsaka Sutra says: "As soon as a person generates bodhichitta (makes a vow to achieve Buddhahood), he immediately becomes enlightened." A Bodhisattva who has just taken a vow has a pure mind, like that of a Buddha. However, he/she must keep this moment without retreating in order to achieve perfect enlightenment.
8. An unattached mind is the antidote for an impulsive mind: Modern men and women crave novelty and passing fads. They are curious about any new tricks, and therefore become easy prey for strange and eccentric scams. Chan Buddhism says that "an unattached mind is the path to enlightenment." Keeping an unattached mind in our daily life will allow us to appreciate that "Every day is a wonderful day, every moment is a pleasant moment."

4. Buddhism and Modern Psychology

Western psychologist Sigmund Freud (1856-1939) developed the practice of psychoanalysis. He was also the first to explore the role of the human unconscious in the history of Western physics. His contribution to psychology is similar to the contribution to science made by Newton or Copernicus. However, the human unconscious is the subject of detailed and thorough analysis and discussion by Buddhists in the East, which began 1400 years ago, as evidenced by the book "Poems on the Formation of the Eight Minds (Reverend Master Xuanzang)" .

Freud's work on the unconscious further development in the writings of his famous student Carl Jung (1875-1961). Jung was very knowledgeable about the philosophy of the East and its spiritual practices such as Buddhism, Ch'an and Yoga. Inspired by these teachings, Jung divided human psyche into three levels: conscious, individual consciousness and collective unconscious. Separate unconscious functions, such as memory storage, the accumulation of repressed psychological experiences and feelings. The collective unconscious, on the other hand, is the accumulation of deep archetypes inherited by a human being over many generations. This idea is very similar to Buddhism's formulation of the "Scarlet of Consciousness" and is an example of Buddhism's influence on Western Psychology.

After World War II, Humanistic Psychology developed. Extended by Abraham Maslow (1908 - 1970), it suggests that human needs can be divided into five stages. The high stage is "self-realization". He borrowed concepts such as "right feeling" and "enlightenment" from Buddhism to interpret the ideal state of self-realization. He defined this state as a living experience of spirituality and bliss, overcoming time and space, object and subject. Maslow often used the Buddhist term "Nirvana" to describe this special experience. He also stated that the concepts of "Selflessness" and "True Self (Buddha nature)" can help people achieve self-realization and contribute to other members of society.

Another psychoanalyst, Erich Fromm (1900 - 1980), had a great interest and deep understanding of Ch'an Buddhism. He highly praised Buddhism and its spiritual aspect characterized by "loving kindness and compassion" and "extreme altruism that raises all sentient beings to bliss". He believed that altruism, to the detriment of oneself for the sake of others, is the right "cure" to cure disease in Western society.

As a branch of Humanistic Psychology, Transpersonal Psychology developed in the 1960s and expanded the boundaries of traditional psychology by integrating Buddhist philosophy, as well as other spiritual practices, with Western Psychology. One often speaks of "the psychology of modern wisdom and creativity." This school of psychology explores transpersonal mental states, values ​​and ideals, the meaning of life, concern for death, man's relationship with all of humanity, and the relationship between man and nature. Meditation is included as a way to expand one's consciousness in order to establish an integration of mind, body and spirit. Modern Western techniques are used to explain many of today's specific psychological problems, where traditional Buddhist Psychology is often more generalized. The scope and purpose of Transpersonal Psychology is very close to the concept of "unity and peaceful coexistence" in Buddhism.

Dr. Viktor Frankl (1905-1997), another advocate of Humanistic Psychology, devoted himself to researching the meaning of life and what happens at the time of someone's death. He believed that human beings can create a meaningful and enjoyable life through their own efforts through a deep search and understanding of the essence of life. He also noted that when people face death or suffer, if they can adjust their states of mind from negative to positive in response to these circumstances, they will experience a deep meaning in life that leads to clarity and dignity. He developed these ideas into a system called Logotherapy.

Logotherapy can be said to be an extension of the Buddhist thought that "every perception and concept is created by the mind." The Vimalakirtinirdesha Sutra says, "If the mind is pure, the world is experienced as pure." Buddhism emphasizes daily practice and preparation in order to overcome life and death. Scholars of Humanistic Psychology have also drawn attention to the relationship between the understanding of life, death, and personal spiritual liberation. In the future, it is predicted that an integration process will take place between Western psychotherapy and Eastern Buddhist practice leading to liberation from suffering.

Although we live in a time of abundant resources brought about by rapid economic growth and technological advances, we are greatly lacking in spirituality. When the body and mind contract and suffer from various environmental pressures and we are unable to regulate or adapt to them, mental disorders such as anxiety and depression occur.

Buddhist Psychology identifies the source of all suffering. She shows us the meaning of life and guides all living beings in search of the deepest powers of the mind by eradicating greed, anger and ignorance within. This practice, if continued freely and diligently, prevents any occurrence or recurrence of mental illness. It helps people in creating physical and mental health, which leads to a joyful and fulfilling life.

Since the mid-twentieth century, much of Western Psychology has absorbed much of the wisdom of Eastern cultures, especially Buddhist philosophy and practice. Based on this, it can be argued that Buddhist Psychology is an important and comprehensive science in the field of mental health. By adapting to the needs of the people, Buddhist Psychology, among other conditions, will meet the requirements of our time by providing solutions human problems and improved social well-being.

5. Reverend Master Xing Yun

Reverend Master Hsing Yun was born in Jiangsu Province, China in 1927 and entered a monastery near Nanjing at the age of 12. He was fully ordained in 1941, and is the 48th Patriarch of the Linzi (Rinzai) Chan School. In 1949, amid upheavals civil war he went to Taiwan.

In Taiwan, he began to fulfill his long-standing vow to promote Humanistic Buddhism - a Buddhism that takes spiritual practice to heart in everyday life. With an emphasis on not having to "go anywhere else" to find enlightenment, we can realize our true nature "here and now, in this precious human rebirth, and in this world. When we practice altruism, joy, and universality, we are practicing the basic concepts of Humanistic Buddhism.When we give faith, hope, joy and help, we help all sentient beings as well as ourselves.For nearly half a century, Reverend Master Xing Yun has dedicated his efforts to transforming this world through the practice of Humanistic Buddhism.

He is the founder of the Fo Guang Shan International Buddhist Order, headquartered in Taiwan, and supports temples around the world. The order emphasizes education and service, and supports public universities, Buddhist colleges, libraries, publishing houses, Buddhist art galleries and tea rooms, free mobile medical institutions, orphanages, nursing homes, schools, and a television station. The order's lay organization, the Buddha Light International Association also has active offices around the world.

Reverend Master Xing Yun openly advocates the equality of all peoples and religious traditions. Today, the Order has the largest number of monastic women of all Buddhist orders. By organizing and maintaining educational and leadership opportunities, he worked to improve the status of women in Taiwan. He performed full initiation ceremonies for women of the Mahayana, Theravada, and Vajrayana traditions. In addition, it holds annual conferences to bring together various Buddhist schools, and promotes dialogue between Buddhists and other major religious groups.

He is a prolific writer and author of over 100 books in Chinese. His works have been translated into English and many other languages. His "Life of Shakyamuni Buddha" and Fo Guang's 16-volume Buddhist Dictionary both won Taiwan's top humanitarian awards. His biographical works Transmitting Light, Xing Yun's Ch'an Discourses, Lion's Roar, One Hundred Sayings Series, Humanistic Buddhism Series, and Being Good: A Guide to Buddhist Ethics are currently available in English. His numerous lectures still continue to be translated into English.

Living in Taiwan, Reverend Master Hsing Yun travels all over the world. His deep, engaging and witty lectures are sure to endear him to the audience. He reminds us that in order to change our world, we must take an active part in it. "The public transcends the individual," he says, "and thus fills the individual to the fullest extent possible." Wherever he goes, he calls on people to unite both locally and globally for a world of complete equality, joy, and a perfect world.

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With all the integrity and persuasiveness of the teachings of the Buddha from the Shakya clan, he did not escape the fate that haunts all universal models of the world and moral systems: reassessment, revision, rethinking, destructive criticism, intellectual fantasizing and interpretation up to the loss of essence.

As the story tells, no sooner had Buddha closed his eyes during the transition to paranirvana and made a long exhalation of farewell to life on earth, as a split had already arisen among his followers. The brahmin philosopher Subgadra openly rejoiced that at last the man who constantly said: "Don't do this, don't do that" is gone.

The closest disciples and associates of the Buddha Kasyapa (Mahakashyapa, Kasyapa) and Ananda decided to convene a council to eliminate the disagreements that had arisen. The first council met under the chairmanship of Mahakashyapa. According to legend, it was attended by five hundred monks, and it lasted seven months.
The second council was assembled a hundred years later.

The third council took place 250 years before our era, under King Asoka (Ashok), who first recognized Buddhism as the state ideology of India.

There is reason to believe that the Buddhist canon Tripitaka, preserved to this day in Ceylon, coincides in all essentials with the main provisions of the theory and practice of Buddhism, which were adopted at the third council.

Buddhists believe that the teaching established at the first council is completely identical with the teaching adopted at the third council.

At the same time, it is difficult to believe that the Buddhist canons could have been written immediately after the death of the Buddha, and the oral tradition rarely has the accuracy of transmitting knowledge and experience. Considering that the Pali canon includes about 8 thousand stories, legends, sermons, teachings, aphorisms, and taking into account the comments on each text, more than 15 thousand narrations in prose and verse. All this huge amount of information was transmitted orally for 500 years, or 20-30 generations, since it takes from 20 to 25 years for outstanding monks to memorize all the texts.

Although, in fairness, it should be noted that in Buddhism, unlike many other traditions, there were special, and, in my opinion, extremely effective methods for accurately reproducing knowledge.

From the oral methods, we can recall the sangiti (joint monotonous chanting). Buddhist monks organized special meetings at which canonical texts were restored and corrected from memory.

Sangiti is attended by the most knowledgeable and authoritative members of many Buddhist communities. There was whole system cross-checking the accuracy of the preservation of each word of the teaching. At the councils held in the 1st century BC. e. and 5th century A.D. e., monks of 6 categories took part in checking the texts: those who knew ancient texts - Poranathers; those who know one of the sections of the Tipitaka - bhanakathera; those who memorize the comments of their teachers are pabbacharyathers; connoisseurs of comments on canonical texts - atthakathachariyathera; connoisseurs of comments on non-canonical texts - acariyavadathera; those who know signalic commentaries are parasamuddavasithers.

The Mahayana tradition recognizes four sangiti on which the canons were established:

1. In Rajagriha, under the leadership of Mahakashyapa and Ananda (three months after the death of the awakened one), at which the Vinaya Pitaka, Sutra Pitaka and Abhidharma Pitaka were canonized;
2. In Vaishali (after 100 years), where the sangha split;
3. In Pataliputra (after 200 years), which was attended by 18 early schools of Buddhism and where King Ashoka recognized the teachings of Theravadins as true;
4. in Kashmir (1-2 centuries AD), where the Sanskrit edition of the three baskets of teaching - the Tripitaka of the Sarvastivadin school - was canonized.

Theravada tradition recognizes six sangitas.
The texts adopted by the first three Sangits mentioned above are accepted as canonical.
The fourth sangiti, according to Theravada, took place in 29 BC. e. in. Anuradhapura and Aluvihara near Matale (in present-day Sri Lanka), where the Tipitaka in Pali and commentary in Sinhalese were written on palm leaves.
The fifth sangiti took place in 1871 at Mandalay, where the monks inscribed the Tipitaka on 729 stone slabs and built a pagoda over each slab.
The sixth sangiti was dedicated to the 2500th anniversary of the Buddha's parinirvana and took place in several cities in Burma (1954-1956). On this sangiti, all 54 books of the Pali Tipitaka were checked and edited (each book contains 400-500 printed pages), as well as abridged texts of translations of the Tipitaka into Burmese, Hindi, and English were canonized.

three baskets

Tripitaka (tipitaka) (literally - "three baskets"), is the main primary source and complete set of sacred texts of Buddhism in Pali.

The Sanskrit version of the Tipitaka has survived in a much less complete form and is known mainly in translations into Chinese and Tibetan.

The Buddha's teachings were transmitted in Prakrit, the local dialects of simplified Sanskrit, which includes the Pali language.

For five centuries, the Buddha's teaching existed, as we have already indicated above, in the oral tradition.
The Tipitaka consists of 3 parts: Vinaya Pitaka, Sutta Pitaka, Abhidhamma Pitaka.

First basket. vinaya pitaka

Vinaya Pitaka (disciplinary rules for monks) includes 3 sections: Suttavibhanga, Khandhaka, Parivara.

Suttavibhanga contains 227 rules of conduct for monks (Patimokkha) and over 300 for nuns.
The Khandhaka section consists of two sub-sections - Mahavagga and Chullavagga.

The Mahavagga lists the rules for entering the Buddhist community, the sequence of the uposatha (confession) ritual and the reading of Patimokkha, the rules of monastic life during the rainy season, the distribution of clothes among the monks at the kathina ceremony, methods of punishment, including for heresy.

Chullavagga contains a list of offenses against the sangha leading to exclusion from it, as well as the conditions for restoration in the status of a monk: the rules for bathing, dressing, using household items; types of heresies, degrees of scholarship are listed. The history of the 1st council in Rajagriha and the 2nd in Vaishali is also described here.

The parivara section is a catechism for monks, it classifies disciplinary rules.

Second basket. Sutta Pitaka

Sutta Pitaka- Sayings and sermons of the Buddha as presented by his beloved disciple Ananda. Therefore, any sutta begins with the words: “So I heard, once ...”, then the place where the sutta was pronounced is named, and those present (arhats, kings, Gods, etc.) are often listed.

The Sutta Pitaka has five sections (Nikaya) - Digha (collection of lengthy teachings), Majdhima (collection of medium teachings), Samyutta (collection of related teachings), Anguttara (collection of teachings, more than one member). Khuddaka (collection of small works).

The Digha Nikaya consists of 34 suttas divided into three sections (vagga): Silakkhandha, Maha, Patika. The Silakkhandha section tells how false arguments about the nature of being and selfhood are brought to light; about the true paths to enlightenment; about the futility of knowledge of the Vedas and Brahmanical methods of salvation; about the dangers of demonstrating supernatural abilities; about the essence of morality, samadhi, wisdom.

Mach's section is devoted mainly to meditation as a way of knowing; it also contains the famous Mahaparinibbana Sutra, which tells about the death of the Buddha and his transition to the state of nirvana.

The Patika section condemns asceticism; the history of the chakravartin (world ruler) is outlined; the question of the origin of faith is discussed; a classification of types of people and norms of behavior for a layman are given; expounds the teachings of the Buddha as understood by his disciple Sariputta.

The Majdhima Nikaya consists of 152 suttas divided into 15 vaggas. In them, the Buddha teaches his disciples, monks, laymen, noble and ignoble, earthly and heavenly beings, how to distinguish good deeds from unworthy ones, how to control their thoughts, words and deeds; what leads to anger and hatred; what is dharma, ignorant and enlightened consciousness; explains the essence of the 5 skandhas, dukkha, tathagata, bodhisattva, nirvana. Several suttas are devoted to the disputes between the Buddha and the Jains, the exposition of the Buddha's teachings as interpreted by Shariputra, Punna, Moggallana and his other disciples.

Samyutta Nikaya consists of 2889 sutras, united in 56 groups (samyutta), which are divided into 5 vaggas: Sagatha, Nidana, Khandha, Salayatana, Maha.

The Sagatha section talks about the difficulties that have to be overcome by those who embark on the eightfold path.

The Nidana section explains the essence of the law of dependent origination.

The Khandha section is devoted to the presentation of the essence of the skandhas that make up the self of a person and the ways of liberation from these skandhas that bind the person to the "wheel of life".

The Salayatana section explains the nature of the functioning of the six organs (eyes, ears, tongue, nose, body, thought) that generate desires, and how to overcome such desires that cause dissatisfaction and suffering.

The Mach section describes last steps along the eightfold path leading to liberation, enlightenment, nirvana.

The Anguttara Nikaya includes 2308 suttas, divided into 11 groups (nipata), each nipata is divided into vaggas containing 10 or more suttas.

The first group is a description of individual phenomena: thought, love, goodness, Buddha, Sariputra, Mahakassapa, etc.

The second group contains arguments about paired phenomena: two types of karma, trained - untrained, correct - false.

The third is about the triple characteristics, etc. etc.

The 11th group outlines 11 types of happiness, paths leading to nirvana and goodness; 11 negative characteristics of a shepherd and a monk.

Khuddaka Nikaya consists of more than 2200 stories, teachings, aphorisms, divided into 15 collections.

The first collection - Khuddaka-patha ("Collection brief provisions”) includes the formula repeated three times “I seek refuge in the Buddha, I seek refuge in the dharma, I seek refuge in the Sangha”; the five everyday Buddhist commandments: "do not kill, do not steal, do not lie, do not commit adultery, do not drink alcohol"; 10 questions to the novice; famous sutta - blessing (mangala); a poem about three jewels - Buddha, dharma, sangha; formulas for the transfer of religious merit (punya) to the spirits of deceased relatives; a poem about true friendship, etc.

The next work is the Dhammapada, which collects 423 of the most important sayings from various texts of the Pali canon. According to tradition, the Dhammapada contains all the teachings and is understood primarily by the heart and not by the mind. Dhammapada is a Buddhist handbook.

Udana contains 80 important sayings of the Buddha in both verse and prose.

Iti-vuttaka includes 112 suttas devoted to explaining the essence of anger, passion, pride, lust and other negative states, which are opposed to friendliness, mercy, modesty, justice, etc. d.

Sutta-Nipata, containing 71 teachings, describes the episodes of the life of the Buddha, his sermons on overcoming egocentrism, greed, hatred, delusions, leading to the creation of unfavorable karma. The teachings are addressed to monks, laity, kings, deities. These suttas reflect the social and religious life of ancient India, disputes on moral issues between representatives of various religious teachings. There is information about the birth of Prince Gautama, about his departure from worldly life, about the king of Magadha, Bimbisar, who converted to Buddhism, etc.

Vimana-vatthu and Peta-vatthu are devoted to describing the 11 levels of existence of Kamaloka.
Vimana-vatthu, containing 85 poems, tells how the accumulation of religious merit, which improves karma, leads to rebirth in the upper heavenly levels. Then life on the heavenly levels of existence is described.

Peta-vatthu, which includes 51 poems, tells about life at the lower levels, where beings are devoid of intelligence and suffer until the negative effect of karma is exhausted.

This is followed by two collections of suttas: Thera-gatha and Theri-gatha, glorifying the feat of monks and nuns who abandoned worldly fuss in order to achieve enlightenment.

Thera-gatha contains 264 poems, Theri-gatha - 73 poems. The purpose of these poems is to inspire the laity to religious deeds.

"Jataka" - stories about 550 lives of Prince Gautama, preceding his last birth on earth. In essence, this is a collection of fairy tales and legends of various peoples of Asia, the positive hero of which is identified with the bodhisattva, that is, the Buddha in past incarnations.
Niddesa is a collection of commentaries on some sections of the Sutta Nipata attributed to the Buddha's disciple Sariputta.

The Patisambhidamagga Suttas analyze various concepts regarding knowledge, morality, meditation, etc.

Apadana - verse stories about the various rebirths of famous monks and nuns.
Buddhavansa is a poetic account of the lives of the 24 buddhas who preceded Shakyamuni Buddha. Tradition attributes them to the Buddha himself. They are connected by the common plot of the life of the Buddha: from his previous life under the Buddha Dipankara, life in the sky extinguishes to enlightenment under the bodhi tree.

The Chariya Pitaka (the last collection of the Khuddaka Nikaya) contains 35 stories from the Jataka. These stories in verse illustrate 7 of the 10 perfections of the Buddha.

Third basket. Abhidhamma Pitaka

Abhidhamma Pitaka(lit. "a basket containing Buddhist doctrine") consists of 7 treatises, which systematize all the provisions of the teachings set forth in the Sutta Pitaka.

The first Dhammasangani treatise contains a classification of the elements of being (dhammas), defined as ethical factors inherent in the physical body, psychological and mental state, which manifest themselves in the process of meditation.

Vibhanga - an explanation of the nature of khandhas and ways to overcome them.
Kathavattu is a polemical treatise containing criticism of 18 early schools of Buddhism and defending the Theravada point of view.

Puggala-pannyatti - analysis of personalities subject to lust, hatred and delusion, and their classification.

Dhatukatha explains the arrangement of dharmas dependent on the skandhas and the 6 senses (ayatana).
Yamaka establishes binary groups and analyzes the corresponding dhammas from the point of view of the possibility or impossibility of attributing one or another property to them.

Patthana contains a discussion of the law of dependent origination.

Thus, we have extremely concisely, without delving into the content, described that canon of Buddhism, which is not only a tablet of the law and morality of this undoubtedly great teaching, but also, at the same time, cosmology, philosophy and psychology.

Without a doubt, we can interpret any element of Buddhism in modern psychological language, analyzing the cultural and personal context of phenomena, ranging from the skandhas to the universal Buddha Mahavairochana.

But this logic would lead us, on the one hand, to the evil infinity of word-creation regarding Buddhist themes, on the other hand, to the reproduction of those semantic spaces that did not exist in Buddhism, and which do not concern Buddhism in any way, but rather the way we think, objectifying various aspects of the Buddhist canon.

On the third hand, basically the Tripitaka canon is a collection of texts about what the disciples thought about the sermons of the Buddha or how they represented the personality of the Buddha. Often - as a string of monks represented texts that expressed the understanding of many outstanding students of the teachings of the Buddha of different generations.

That is, we will be faced with texts that are the product of many reflections, understandings of understanding Buddhist teachings.

For this reason, we are obliged to narrow the subject of our reasoning as far as possible to direct sermons, which traditionally belong to the Buddha. Moreover, it is to him that true Buddhism belongs. At the same time, we will consider from the Buddhist teachings only those categories that directly relate to the subject of psychology, if not as a science, then as a way of theoretical and practical thinking.

In terms of content, we are closest to the "simple" Theravada Buddhism. The name itself is translated from Pali as "preaching from the words of the elders." If we translate this phrase into a similar one in the Christian tradition, then it will be "preaching from the words of the apostles." Recall that only they were credited with the knowledge of Buddhism by the awakened Buddha himself. Before his death, he delegated the direct transmission of the teaching to the 12 elders, the apostles of the new teaching.

This is the oldest of the 18 schools, preserving in its tradition the elements of the Buddha's teaching closest to the original source.

We are reasonably well aware that according to the Pali canon, Theravada emerged from the great schism of the sangha around 350 B.C.E. e. But in our opinion, Theravada originated during the lifetime of the Buddha. She accompanied him in comprehension of those sermons that the Buddha read to his

closest students. In a sense, Theravada is the first level and the first response of the understanding of Buddhism in the immediate social environment.

That is why in this tradition the Buddha is presented as a real person, endowed with both weak and strong, and at some point even superhuman qualities.

The Buddha called for refraining from all kinds of evil, accumulating only goodness in oneself and purifying one's thoughts from harmful desires. In Theravada there is an understanding proclaimed by the Buddha 4 noble truths, the eightfold noble path, and the law of dependent origination.

All life phenomena in Theravada are explained indirectly, through the relationship of past and future actions, karma and vipaka, and worldly phenomena are understood as subjects of three categories: anitya, dukkha and anatman (Trilakshana).

In classical Theravada Buddhism, vipaka sadhana is the opportunity to become a Buddha in this birth in this body. The possibility of a person achieving Buddhahood in this life was substantiated by the example of the tathagata himself and the position that in every being there is the “nature” of a Buddha.

In this case, it seems, why study the psychology of Buddhism, if it is much more effective to simply join the sanghya (Sanskrit - "society"), the Buddhist community.

Becoming a monk (bikkhu, bhikshu) or a nun (bikkhuni, bhigshuni), each of my readers can manifest their "Buddhism" without any psychology, simply by living according to the uniform rules of the Vinaya Pitaka.

But here several problems arise at once.

First, the Buddhist monastic path for women is either impossible or difficult. There are very few female Buddhist communities. Even in Sri Lanka, where there are about 7,000 monasteries, there are only 20 women's monasteries. And to be completely honest, in three weeks of living in Sri Lanka, the author of this book has not met a single Buddhist nun.

Secondly, it is difficult for a modern person to become a bikkhu, a mendicant monk in the original understanding of a monk in the Buddhist tradition and live on the alms of the laity. The associations that arise are not the most promising and rosy. Modern man sees and is familiar with beggars, but they belong to the social bottom. And, most importantly, even if a man wears yellow or orange robes, and a woman wears white clothes, the picture does not change its main content, but only becomes more theatrical and sham.

Thirdly, even if you become a bikhu monk in a monastery and do not get involved in alms, when you are ordained a monk, you must follow the 227 rules set forth in the Pratimoksha.

These prescriptions are divided into 7 groups.

1. The first group is the most serious offenses (there are 4 of them), for which the monk should be immediately expelled from the sanghya: any sexual activity, theft, the deliberate murder of a person, the monk's false statement that he is endowed with supernatural powers.
2. The second group is 13 serious offenses for which the offender must repent before the community, including contact with a woman for voluptuous purposes, insulting a woman with obscene words, talking with a woman on sexual topics, pandering.
3. The third group is serious offenses related to property (there are 32 of them).
4. The fourth group - offenses that require atonement (there are 92 of them).
5. The fifth group - offenses that require repentance.
6. The sixth group - misconduct during training, leading to false deeds: (there are 75 of them).
7. The seventh group - offenses associated with lies.

If you follow all 227 rules of Pratimoksha, then for a European person this means not to live, because basically he is only engaged in

that violates these rules, and for many people these violations are either the goal or the meaning of life.
Without a doubt, the genius of the Buddhist monastic path is within reach. Any person on earth can become a Buddhist.

But already becoming a novice presupposes the observance of 10 prohibitions: 1) do not kill, 2) do not steal, 3) do not commit adultery, 4) do not lie, 5) do not drink alcohol, 6) do not eat after noon, 7) do not dance, do not sing, do not go to spectacles, 8) do not wear jewelry, do not use perfumes and cosmetics, 9) do not use high and luxurious seats, 10) do not take gold and silver, study the dharma and Vinaya pitaka and prepare for the highest initiation (upasampada - initiations to monks). As you probably already remember, novitiate for non-Christians by order of the Buddha lasts at least 4 months.

Without a doubt, monastic ordination is very democratic and easy even for the average European.
At the initiation, several well-known formulas should be said three times, such as "I seek refuge in the Buddha, I seek refuge in the dharma, I seek refuge in the Sanghya."

Also, a person who is ordained a monk is always asked if he is sick with leprosy, scabies, has boils, asthma, suffers from epilepsy, is he a man, a man, is he free, has no debts, is he exempt from military service, whether he has the consent of his parents, whether he is 20 years old, whether he has an alms bowl and a set of monastic robes, as his name and, finally, as the name of his mentor.

As can be seen from the procedure, the bulk of Europeans and Russians could well become Buddhist monks.

But monastic life is a special way of life, which is weakly associated with the usual worldly feelings, attitudes, and behavior of a secular person.

The daily routine of the Buddhist community is determined by the rules of the Vinaya Pitaka: getting up at sunrise, going to bed at nightfall. You can take food only in the morning; monks usually eat twice: in the early morning from 11 am to 12 noon.

All their free time, the monks must study, read sacred texts, engage in Buddhist psychotechnics, which differ in different monasteries and schools. In addition, the monks take part in numerous ceremonies, talk with believers, and in some monasteries perform household chores.

I think that many will not like the logic of promotion in the spiritual hierarchy.
The monks study Sanskrit and Pali and memorize sacred texts verbatim. The monk tries to memorize as many texts as possible, since the degree of his knowledge and competence in the teachings of the Buddha is determined by the sum of the memorized texts and commentaries to them.

What is highly criticized in modern pedagogical systems, automatic memorization or "memorization", is a priority in the Buddhist tradition.

A diligent monk, after 10 years of being in the Sangkhya and acquiring a certain amount of knowledge, receives an appropriate degree, which has different names in different countries of the Buddhist world. After another 10 years of study, they are awarded the next degree.

According to tradition, monks do not have the right to participate in the social, economic and political life of society.

This installation has been leading for more than 2500 years. Unlike other religious systems, where power and religion, politicians and clergy are often integrated into a single whole, and sometimes spiritual power is more decisive and powerful (remember the Christian Middle Ages), in Buddhism the main duty of a monk is spiritual life and practice.

And, in my opinion, this is absolutely fair, because. paramita (Skt. "crossing", "means of salvation"), is completely impossible in real social life. Achieving the state of an arhat involves climbing many levels of perfection. These are the 10 elements of perfection: charity (dana), vows (sila), patience (ksanti), diligence (virya), meditation (dhyana), wisdom (prajna), helping others (upaya), a deep desire to give enlightenment to others (pranidhana), perfection of the ten powers (bala), application of transcendental knowledge (jnana).

So the study of Buddhism traditional methods immersion in the socio-cultural environment (sanghya), or impossible due to organizational difficulties (especially for women), or problems with the implementation of monastic prescriptions, including in the way of life. Cognitive and motivational difficulties are especially difficult.

The incomprehensibility of the meaning of studying Pali and Sanskrit, when everything has already been translated into world languages, the incomprehensibility of the goal of memorizing a huge number of texts, when there are many other ways of fixing and transmitting knowledge, make the monastic service largely absurd.

And, the most difficult thing in this sense, is the need to completely lay down the Ego, your unique personality and life with the usual ways of adaptation and self-realization, completely limit your personality to 227 rules, for the sake of a rather ephemeral state of samadhi or nirvana.

This whole situation offers us another choice.

Unfortunately, due to many specific and important circumstances modern man cannot use the "weak ego" strategy. The strategy of the “weak ego” is to “surrender” to tradition, to delegate one's will, way of thinking, freedom, choice, values, existential meanings to the provision of tradition.

In this strategy, in order to gain understanding, it is necessary to lie in the bosom of tradition and completely doom yourself, surrender to tradition:

• to have meanings introjected from tradition,
• to take advantage of the values ​​and worldview of tradition,
• in order to eventually gain strength through belonging to the community.

If we are not willing to give up our will, awareness and a unique way.

feeling, understanding reality and interacting with the life of Procrustean lodge tradition, then we must accept another choice.

The choice to understand the tradition in one's own way and live in it with one's own understanding, but from one's own strength, from one's decisions and ideas.

In this situation, without wearing white or yellow clothes, we allow ourselves to understand Buddhism, just as Nagarjuna, Ananda, Mahakashyapa, Padmasamphava, Asanga, Bodhidharma or the modern Dalai Lama understood with our minds - from the point of critical and independent reflection:
What was the Buddha thinking when he said...
Thus, we will continue to proceed from the fact that we have been given the freedom to think Buddhism and the text that will be presented below should reveal this thinking based on modern level development of psychology.

And, in the end, in my opinion, the whole history of Buddhism and all modern Buddhism is an attempt to understand what the Buddha was talking about. And we also want to understand what the Awakened One was silent about. Why was silent.