DAILY READINGS 5th May 2008

There are these two gifts, the worldly and the spiritual, and of these two, the spiritual gift is highest. There are these two sharings, the worldly and the spiritual, and of these two, the spiritual sharing is the highest. There are these two acts of kindliness, the worldly and the spiritual, and of these two, the spiritual act of kindness is the highest.


DAILY ENLIGHTENMENT - EHIPASSIKO

Ehipassiko is a Pali (a dialect in the Buddha's time) word that means "Don't just Believe; Come and See." It sums up the Buddhist spirit of free enquiry. This spirit is the belief that all things should not be taken upon face value. They should be thoroughly investigated before accepting them as Truth.

Many Buddhists are proud that Buddhism has this spirit. But some might get carried away such that they use it as a weapon against other religious beliefs, proclaiming all religions without the Ehipassiko spirit as useless. While to a certain extent they are sometimes right, they might forget to apply that teaching in their own personal practice of the Dharma. They might end up the very ones who accept the Buddhist teachings on face value! Remember that the Buddha Himself beseeched us to test His teachings for Truth as one would test whether a metal is pure gold! His encouragement of us to test His teachings is not meant to leave us impressed with His open liberal attitude such that we end up not testing His teachings! A healthy skeptic is a healthy Buddhist.

As Zen Master Dogen taught,

Great Doubt-Great Realisation
Little Doubt-Little Realisation
No Doubt-No Realisation