Read Buddha and Jesus: Could Solomon Be the Missing Link? Online
Authors: R. E. Sherman
Buddha and Jesus: Could Solomon Be the Missing Link? (18 page)
Is it not conceivable that Buddha had Solomon in mind when he wrote the last proverb? He may have been familiar with the story of how Solomon’s hundreds of wives turned the heart of this incredibly wise man away from the values that he had so vigorously advocated and pursued when he was younger. Buddha further stated:
Give up what is before, give up what is behind, give up what is in the middle, when thou goest to the other shore of existence; if thy mind is altogether free, thou wilt not again enter into birth and decay.
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Buddha’s teaching was that self-purification was utterly central to approaching enlightenment:
You yourself must make an effort. The Tathagatas (Buddhas) are only preachers. The thoughtful who enter the way are freed from the bondage of Mara.
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A Bhikshu (mendicant) who delights in earnestness, who looks with fear on thoughtlessness, moves about like fire, burning all his fetters, small or large.
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A Bhikshu (mendicant) who delights in reflection, who looks with fear on thoughtlessness, cannot fall away (from his perfect state)—he is close upon Nirvana.
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And yet Buddha recognized how difficult and unlikely it is for human beings to purify themselves:
The fault of others is easily perceived, but that of oneself is difficult to perceive; a man winnows his neighbour’s faults like chaff, but his own fault he hides, as a cheat hides the bad die from the gambler.
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Solomon also portrayed accurately the extreme difficulty and improbability of someone fully exercising effective self-evaluation and self-control:
This is such a critical issue that we will delve into it more extensively in the next chapter.
Precursors to Buddha’s Right Mindfulness
Ideally, mindful people are able to assess the quality and nature of their own thoughts and feelings with a high level of objectivity. They can stand outside themselves, freed of their own personal biases, and observe and evaluate what is going on inside themselves with a ruthless regard for truth and accuracy. They are also disciplined enough to intercept and tame inappropriate thoughts and feelings, as judged by a preselected set of moral and spiritual values that they believe should apply to all people. Part of this involves quick recognition of the natural tendency to rationalize their own thoughts and actions according to relatively lax standards. In theory, a few rare people are capable of all this.
Right Mindfulness
“Right mindfulness is anchored in clear perception and it penetrates impressions without getting carried away.
Right mindfulness enables us to be aware of the process of conceptualization in a way that we actively observe and control the way our thoughts go.”
1
Ecclesiastes includes a vivid example of attempted right mindfulness by Solomon:
I thought in my heart,
“Come now, I will
test you
with pleasure to find out what is good.” But that also proved to be meaningless. “Laughter,” I said, “is foolish. And what does pleasure accomplish?” I tried cheering myself with wine, and embracing folly—my
mind still guiding me with wisdom.
I wanted to see what was worthwhile for men to do under heaven during the few days of their lives.
I undertook great projects: I built houses for myself and planted vineyards. I made gardens and parks and planted all kinds of
fruit trees in them. I made reservoirs to water groves of flourishing trees. I bought male and female slaves and had other slaves who were born in my house. I also owned more herds and flocks than anyone in Jerusalem before me. I amassed silver and gold for myself, and the treasure of kings and provinces. I acquired men and women singers, and a harem as well—the delights of the heart of man. I became greater by far than anyone in Jerusalem before me.
In all this my wisdom stayed with me
.
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This excerpt illustrates how Solomon attempted to observe and control the way his thoughts were going. He was trying to be vigilant in being ruthlessly objective about his own thoughts and feelings. He sought to have wisdom guide him in his mind as he was tempted in various ways. And he believed that his wisdom stayed with him.
Solomon sought to
objectively
evaluate his own heart and mind as they were being pushed and pulled by feelings, temptations, and rationalizations. He sought to stand outside of himself and yet to be very nearby, carefully observing his own actions, feelings, and thoughts and impartially judging them on the basis of “wisdom.” Perhaps Solomon was the first “Buddhist.” He once wrote:
The simple believes every word, but the prudent considers well his steps.
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Being king, Solomon had no human authority to report to, so he reported directly to himself, just as Buddha advocated doing. And he exhorted his sons to do likewise:
Hear, my son, and be wise. And guide your heart in the way . . .
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His early life was an ancient example of a number of Buddha’s proverbs. Compare what Buddha later had to say with the quotations of Solomon above:
If a man make himself as he teaches others to be, then, being himself well subdued, he may subdue (others); one’s own self is indeed difficult to subdue.
5
If a man hold himself dear, let him watch himself carefully; during one at least out of the three watches a wise man should be watchful.
6
Self is the lord of self, who else could be the lord? With self well subdued, a man finds a lord such as few can find.
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By oneself the evil is done, by oneself one suffers; by oneself evil is left undone, by oneself one is purified. Purity and impurity belong to oneself, no one can purify another.
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Late in life Solomon’s exercise of mindfulness became quite cavalier. As king, he seemed to think that he was above succumbing to the sordid effects of various worldly temptations—as long as he was mindfully guided by “wisdom.” Solomon had so much confidence in his ability to do this that he exposed himself to a broad range of the delights of mankind and this world. As he did so, he seemed to view the overall process in a way that foreshadowed the Seventh Step of Buddha’s Noble Path:
He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty. And he who
rules his spirit
than he who takes a city.
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Buddha said the same thing, in so many words, in these proverbs, using very similar imagery:
If one man conquer in battle a thousand times thousand men, and if another conquer himself, he is the greatest of conquerors.
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One’s own self conquered is better than all other people.
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Not even a god, a Gandharva, not Mara with Brahman could change into defeat the victory of a man who has vanquished himself, and always lives under restraint.
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If a man for a hundred years sacrifice month after month with a thousand, and if he but for one moment pay homage to a man whose soul is grounded (in true knowledge), better is that homage than sacrifice for a hundred years.
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If a man for a hundred years worship Agni (fire) in the forest, and if he but for one moment pay homage to a man whose soul is grounded (in true knowledge), better is that homage than sacrifice for a hundred years.
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Is it really possible to rule your own spirit? Apparently Solomon thought so, as the proverb quoted earlier states. However, this proverb also implies that only an exceptional person could do it. To rule one’s spirit is naturally very difficult and challenging, but still attainable. Buddha believed it was not only possible, but an important part of the path to enlightenment, as expressed in the following proverbs:
Well-makers lead the water (wherever they like); fletchers bend the arrow; carpenters bend a log of wood; wise people fashion themselves.
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Let a wise man blow off the impurities of his self, as a smith blows off the impurities of silver one by one, little by little, and from time to time.
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Rouse thyself by thyself, examine thyself by thyself, thus self-protected and attentive wilt thou live happily, O Bhikshu!
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One major difficulty of relying on the self to observe and evaluate and discipline the self is the wayward, unreliable nature of the self, as Buddha admitted in these proverbs:
As a fletcher makes straight his arrow, a wise man makes straight his trembling and unsteady thought, which is difficult to guard, difficult to hold back.
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It is good to tame the mind, which is difficult to hold in and flighty, rushing wherever it listeth; a tamed mind brings happiness.
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Let the wise man guard his thoughts, for they are difficult to perceive, very artful, and they rush wherever they list: thoughts well guarded bring happiness.
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If a man make himself as he teaches others to be, then, being himself well subdued, he may subdue (others);
one’s own self is indeed difficult to subdue
.
21
The fault of others is easily perceived, but that of oneself is difficult to perceive; a man winnows his neighbour’s faults like chaff, but
his own fault he hides,
as a cheat hides the bad die from the gambler.
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Did Solomon ever make such admissions? Consider this verse, which appears twice, with identical wording, in his Proverbs:
There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.
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So, how, according to Solomon, can one avoid following such a destructive path? His answer is that when one is truly righteous, then one will see all things objectively and clearly:
The problem with all this is that one must be totally righteous for it to work, and human beings have always had a notoriously difficult time being totally righteous throughout their entire lifetimes. As soon as a bit of wickedness creeps in, it muddies one’s mindfulness. Since that bit of wickedness is typically pleasurable, or of immediate benefit to one’s self, at least temporarily, it is natural to want to continue doing just a bit of it. And as one continues doing just a bit of it, one’s mindfulness becomes less acute. Then it seems all right to do it again, but more extensively. A downward spiral has begun, and what is to stop it? It is questionable that either Solomon or Buddha adequately addressed this perilous difficulty. Each offered the same sources of help to deal with the problem, but these sources may not be sufficient. The later years of Solomon’s life are a prime illustration of temptations and failings ruining a life that had begun quite nobly.