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Spirit of Ma'at: "The Great Religions" — Vol 3, No 7 The Way of Non-Attachment with the Rev. Kinrei Bassis by Susan Barber
(See also Wynn Free's A Tibetan Buddhist in America, an interview with Tibetan Buddhist Llama Lanai.)
Susan: Reverend Bassis, could you tell us a little bit about how you chose to become a Buddhist monk? Rev. Bassis: It began with just reading books and thinking that Buddhism made sense. And I didn't see a purpose in putting in the energy to have a normal career and family and all the rest. I realized that this was what I really longed to do. I've been a monk for 23 years. Susan: I understand that Buddhism is unique in its concept of God. Rev. Bassis: Buddhism does not see God as the creator. That's why we don't often use the word "god," because it's not as though there's a Being that's creating everything we see around us. To the Buddhist way of looking, creation is just karma. When something good happens to you, it's not God, and when something bad happens to you, it's not God. It's cause and effect, but there's no way you can find a beginning, a "first cause." Imagine that science came up with proof of the Big Bang. You still would want to know what caused the Big Bang. You can never come to a beginning. What Buddhism would call God is this: When you find out what the real nature of things is, you find something sacred, something Divine that's the common ground of everything — that's the real source of everything. But Buddhism never gives you an answer to the question of what created the world, because it's not considered a question there's an answer to. If you knew what created it, you'd still have to ask, What created that? Susan: So what is man's task in this karmic creation? Rev. Bassis: Basically, it's actually to let go of things and find what's real, so you can stop living in a dream of what's important and what's not. And what is important? What we do, everything we do, is important, because everything we do has a consequence. That's the Buddhist principle of karma. Every thought, speech, and action has a consequence. And some actions help, causing peace and happiness, and some cause more suffering. So from the Buddhist point of view, good is whatever stops suffering, and bad is what causes suffering. Of course, some suffering is needed and has a purpose. If you exercise, your body hurts, but that can be positive. But to increase the amount of suffering is bad. Susan: What is the essence of Buddhist practice? Rev. Bassis: Buddhist practice is designed to teach us to let go of asking for something, or anything. Susan: "To be without desire." Rev. Bassis: Yes. Susan: And how can you achieve that unless you desire to be without desire. Isn't that kind of a Catch-22? Rev. Bassis: Not really. You just let go, and all will find it's place. You can't stop the mind. You can't stop desire. All you can do is just keep coming back to stillness. The whole point of Buddhist practice is to be still and let go of things. Since the desire to be at peace can make you unpeaceful, all you can do is just accept wherever you are, whatever is there, and not get caught up in it. All you can do is let go. You can't make yourself not angry, but you can let go of harboring the angry thoughts. You can't stop wanting ice cream, but you can stop thinking about it by thinking about something else. You can't stop yourself from wanting to feel peaceful, but that's just another thought, like everything else, that you let go of. You can have all kinds of thoughts that come up. If you don't give them energy, they fade away on their own. Susan: I understand that Buddhism looks at Four Noble Truths. Could you explain those to us, please. Rev. Bassis: Buddha came to the conclusion that all human suffering was caused by attachment. So the First Noble Truth is: "Suffering exists." And the Second Noble Truth is: "We only suffer when we ask for something to be different than it is." The Third Noble Truth tells us that "Nirvana exists." Susan: The opposite of suffering. Rev. Bassis: Yes. To say Nirvana exists means there can be a cessation of suffering. And since suffering is caused by desiring things to be different, if you let go of desire, you find Nirvana. You find out that what you want is already there, and that it's what all Beings long for. The Fourth Noble Truth is that there is an Eight-Fold Path, and that path is basically Buddhist training. Through the Eight-Fold Path, you can find Nirvana.
Rev. Bassis: No, not today. There are many different pathways. It's different in Tibet, different in Japan... Not every practice works for everybody. That's natural. Here, we're in a meditation tradition. What we emphasize is a meditation technique in which you just try to be still and present and aware. We simply focus on stillness. Other traditions, like Nichiren, use chanting or repetition of a mantra. The central practice of Pure Land Buddhism, for example, involves repetition of Namo Amitabha Buddha (Homage to the Buddha of Boundless Compassion and Wisdom). So Buddhism is not so much a religion as it is a path. That's what the Buddha said. It's a way to help Beings find the truth. Susan: And the truth is? Rev. Bassis: The truth is that everything that really matters is always there and doesn't ever change. If you let go, there's always joy there. And that's something that nothing can really stop. No condition can really stop it. When we stop clinging, there's joy. Reality is a story we are always telling ourselves. When we feel lousy, it's because we are telling ourselves a lousy story, a story about how bad it's going to be, how depressing it is. Asking ourselves, "Why is this happening to me?" But Buddhism doesn't attempt to answer that question, because it's not a question we can know the answer to. It simply asks us to cease from evil — from acts that cause increase of suffering — and to do good and purify our hearts. Susan: So where does "belief" or "faith" enter in? Rev. Bassis: From a Buddhist point of view, you can believe that green goblins control the universe if you want. It doesn't matter. As long as you live in ways that promote good and provide service, you'll do okay. It's not what you believe. It's what you do.
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