The word “Enlightenment” is tossed around like a giant ball of cotton candy — delicious, fluffy but, ultimately, without much substance. This happens because “while second-hand wisdom is valuable as a signpost pointing the way, it is too easily taken for the path itself or even for the goal,” writes Alan Watts (6 January 1915–16 November 1973) in his very first book The Spirit of Zen: a Way of Life, Work, and Art in the Far East.

In the chapter titled “The Origins of Zen,” Watts goes on to grapple with the oldest of questions: can one become enlightened by way of scriptures alone? His Zen answer is part affirmation, part refutation, part something else entirely; but as a whole is an invaluable fragment of fragments that we use to reconstruct totality of truth beyond words.

Noting that “nothing is easier than to confuse the wisdom of a sage with his doctrine, for in the absence of any understanding of truth another man’s description of his understanding is easily mistaken for truth itself,” and with his particular gift for vivid similes and metaphors strung into a rosary of immense wisdom radiating immense knowledge of our favorite classics, Watts writes:

Just as it is impossible to explain the beauty of a sunset to a man blind from his birth, so is it impossible for sages to find any words which will express their wisdom to men of lesser understanding. For the wisdom of sages is not in their teachings; otherwise anybody might become a sage simply by reading the Bhagavad-Gita, the Dialogues of Plato or the Buddhist Scriptures. As it is, one may study these books for a life-time without being any the wiser, for to seek Enlightenment in words and ideas (to borrow a phrase from Dr Trigant Burrow) is like expecting ‘the sight of a menu-card to reach and satisfy the inner processes of a hungry man.’

Watts, of course, was not a proponent of epistemic skepticism — he was a champion of the human spirit and its capacity for transcendence. His lament, all the timelier today, was thus an expression of honest concern about over intellectualizing the wisdom contained in ancient texts, and a gentle reminder that “in a certain sense Zen [or Enlightenment] is feeling life instead of feeling something about life.” He writes:

Enlightenment, however, is living and cannot be fixed down into any form of words; therefore the object of the Zen School of Buddhism is to go beyond words and ideas in order that the original insight of the Buddha may be brought back to life. It regards this insight as the one important thing; scriptures are no more than devices, mere temporary expedients, for showing where it may be found. It never makes the mistake of confusing teachings with wisdom, for essentially, Zen is that ‘something’ which makes the difference between a Buddha and an ordinary man; it is Enlightenment as distinct from doctrine.

Watts concludes by writing that “Gautama the Buddha (Enlightened One) was careful to avoid any descriptions of the illumination which he found while sitting one night under a giant fig-tree at Gaya,” which is why “when he was questioned upon the ultimate mysteries of the universe he ‘maintained a noble silence,'” and so “he never tired of saying that his doctrine (Dharma) was concerned only with the Way to Enlightenment, and he never claimed it as a revelation of Enlightenment;” hence the Buddhist verse:

When they curiously question thee, seeking to know what It is,
Do not affirm anything, and do not deny anything.
For whatsoever is affirmed is not true,
And whatsoever is denied is not true.
How shall anyone say truly what That may be
While he has not himself fully won to What Is?
And, after he has won, what word is to be sent from a Region
Where the chariot of speech finds no track on which to go?
Therefore, to their questionings offer them silence only,
Silence — and a finger pointing the Way.

Published in 1936 two decades before his more popular The Way of Zen, The Spirit of Zen is a fascinating read in its totality that stays with us for life.

What does it mean to be Black and Buddhist? In an altogether inspiriting anthology titled Black and Buddhist: What Buddhism Can Teach Us About Race, Resilience, Transformation, and Freedom, African American teachers from different Buddhist traditions tell stories of how race and Buddhist practice have intersected in their lives. The voices that rise from the pages of this book are diverse, unapologetic, and show us not only the promise of the Buddha’s teachings to empower those facing racial discrimination but also the way that Black Buddhists are enriching the Dharma for all of us. One such voice is Sebene Selassie, an Insight Meditation teacher, who narrates her own liberating journey in the chapter “Turning Toward Myself.”

Remembering all the twists and turns of the sometimes bumpy road to freedom, Sebene Selassie writes, “My relationships with Blackness and Buddhism have been complex, even fraught, but often profound. Buddhism allows me to see the ever-changing being that I am. Blackness assures me that there is a glorious ancestry within me. They both espouse joy and freedom”

Selassie guides us through her contemplations by considering the knots and tangles of several entwining identities, “Blackness and Buddhism teach me to love my multiplicities, to love myself.” Then she recounts how her freedom was suppressed by intolerance and prejudice, “I understand how racism teaches you to turn away from yourself. I did it for years. Turning toward myself required study and practice.” This illuminates the emancipating potential of the Dharma that can break our mental prisons and show us the path to true liberation.

One of the pivotal parts of Selassie’s journey was learning from the wisdom of Toni Morrison, Audre Lorde, and Bell Hooks. For her, these writers ignited an internal revolution when she fused their work with the spiritual way of buddhadharma, the way of awakening. She writes, “I turned toward Buddhism and Blackness at the same time. I am forever grateful for that synchronicity. Buddhism taught me to embrace every part of myself. That’s what the Dharma invites — a turning toward the truth of this body.”

Selassie concludes with this thought, “One of the Primary teachings I have understood from the Dharma is not to be in contention with reality. This is a core teaching for liberation. Suffering (dukkha) comes from wanting things to be other than what they are…. But what if we don’t see things as they are but only as we’ve been taught to see them? We know that race is a construct, an invention of racism. Race was created to justify imperialism and the slave trade. Blackness is not intrinsic to anyone. Blackness is definitely not monolithic. Yet, Blackness — entwined with the enslavement of Africans, colonization of the continent, and the subjugation of a massive diaspora — has become an indelible concept.”

Complement Black and Buddhist with Ruth King’s insights on how to be mindful of race, unravel the deep web of our subconscious programming, and contribute to a culture of care with integrity and openness.

To take refuge in the Three Jewels of Buddhism means putting our trust in the Buddha, the Buddhist community (Sangha), and Buddhist teachings (Dharma). We develop this trust when our meditation and mindfulness practice reaches a certain point that gives rise to an increased appreciation and even a sense of devotion to the people and teachings supporting our spiritual journey. But even more than that, it’s also an important step in becoming a devout Buddhist practitioner. This is what Gil Fronsdal (b. 1954), an American meditation teacher and scholar, explores and elucidates in a portion of his book titled The Issue at Hand: Essays on Buddhist Mindfulness Practice.

To take refuge in the Buddha is to take refuge in wisdom and clarity. Not only does the Buddha exemplify a person who has traversed the path to freedom, he also personifies the full potential for awakening and compassion found in each of us.

To take refuge in the Dharma is, in part, to take refuge in the teachings and practices taught by the Buddha. However, more deeply, the Dharma is the marvelous and immediate awareness unobscured by our greed, hatred, and delusion.

To take refuge in the Sangha is to take refuge in the community of people who share in Buddhist practice. It can be inspiring to know that others are dedicated to living the Buddha’s teachings through their ethics, mindfulness and compassion. More specifically and traditionally, taking refuge in the Sangha refers to taking refuge with the community of people who have tasted liberation — the awakening of the Buddha. To have the example and guidance of such people can be phenomenally encouraging.

Taking refuge is one of the most common rituals a lay practitioner performs in Theravada Buddhism. While it is done as a matter of course at ceremonies, during retreats, and when visiting a temple, it can be a pivotal moment when, for the first time, one takes refuge with the conscious intent of orienting one’s life in accordance to one’s deepest values and aspirations. Relating our practice to the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha helps ensure that our practice is not limited to intellectual concerns or issues of personal therapy. It helps solidify a wide foundation of trust and respect from which the entire practice can grow.

Complement these passages from The Issue at Hand with the lectures by Venerable Bhikkhu Bodhi on the First Noble Truth, the Second Noble Truth, and the Noble Eightfold Path.

The more I learn about various schools of Buddhism — Theravada and Mahayana in particular — the more clearly I see their claim of superiority over each other. An ancient claim. An unavoidable claim. And also a very human claim that finds fertile soil in our Western culture that programs us to get ahead of the competition no matter what it takes. In our weakest moments, this tendency clouds our judgment and clear seeing.

In contemplating this tendency, I was reminded of new research by an eminent scholar Bhikkhu Analayo now published as Superiority Conceit in Buddhist Traditions: a Historical Perspective. (It’s worth noting the book also covers secular Buddhism, a phenomenon similar to secular Christianity, that aims to transform and adapt ancient teachings to fit the modern world; the world of both religious and scientific dogma — two unskilful extremes that keep us stuck in the dichotomy of science and religion, and which Albert Einstein described beautifully by writing that “mere thinking cannot give us a sense of the ultimate and fundamental ends,” and “to make clear these fundamental ends and valuations, and to set them fast in the emotional life of the individual, seems to me precisely the most important function which religion has to perform in the social life of man.”)

In the final chapter of the book, having examined the main types of superiority conceit in Theravada, Mahayana, and secular Buddhism, Bhikkhu Analayo writes:

Instead of appropriating the historical Buddha to authenticate one’s personal or group beliefs, the true seal of authentication for any Buddhist practitioner can be found by putting into practice the central discovery of the historical Buddha: emptiness, or not self. It is by diminishing ego, letting go of arrogance, and abandoning conceit that one becomes a better Buddhist, no matter what tradition one may follow.

We can find freedom from ego on the path laid out by the Buddha two and half millennia ago and expounded in his teaching on the Noble Eightfold Path.

This path becomes light in the darkness that bridges immense expanse between rivalries — light that leads us out of the cave of ignorance to see the very essence of the Sun, the ultimate truth of complete liberation.

In consonance with deep ecologist John Seed’s insistence on going beyond anthropocentrism and echoing poet Wendell Berry’s call for realization that what is good for the world will be good for us, Bhikkhu Analayo writes:

The need to give up superiority conceit in its various Buddhist manifestations is required not only from the viewpoint of Buddhist doctrine, but also in light of the current crisis faced by humanity on this planet. The superiority conceit of human beings in relation to the natural environment, in the form of the assumption that nature can be exploited without concern for possible consequences, has led to a crisis: the repercussions of climate change and ecological destruction are threatening to escalate to a point at which human life on this planet can no longer be sustained. It is already too late to prevent mass extinction of species and a serious deterioration of living conditions. But it is not yet too late to prevent a total catastrophe.

In this situation, members of all Buddhist traditions need to collaborate in a spirit of mutual respect, in order to apply the medicine of the Dharma for maximum effect in countering the mental disease responsible for the current crisis. The historical Buddha’s teachings on ethics of the mind can be relied on to counter the irresponsibility of materialism and its rampant greed, together with employing the practices of Buddhist mental culture to find a middle path between the extremes of denial and despair. In this way, as an expression of the conjunction of compassion and emptiness as well as an implementation of internal and external dimensions of mindfulness, stepping out of various forms of superiority conceit could pave the way for a collaboration of members of all Buddhist traditions in doing the needful to ensure that future generations can still benefit from the liberating message of the Buddha.

Complement these insightful passages from Superiority Conceit in Buddhist Traditions with a short two-minute excerpt from the interview with Bhikkhu Analayo, where he talks more about how respecting all Buddhist traditions helps us overcome differences and gain a deeper understanding of the Buddha’s teachings.