Regarding this Note:

Please begin by reading the “Preface to Erik’s Notes on Buddhism:” found on the main page of Buddhism ~ Thanks

Sure it is possible to end all suffering completely and forever. But first we need to know what suffering is and then we need to know what causes suffering.

So first, what is suffering? My suffering is an experience that results from my Negative Thinking. In fact, 100% of all my suffering is the result of my Negative Thinking: my Anger, Jealousy, Greed, Pride and Ignorance. Anger = I want to destroy your happiness and the causes of your happiness. Jealousy = 1) Your suffering is my happiness; 2) Your happiness is my suffering. Greed = More will make me happy. Pride = 1) I am already good enough, I do not need to improve myself; 2) I am so bad, there is nothing you can do to help me (my problem is more powerful then any solution you have); 3) Laziness, I know it would help, but I am not going to do it now. Ignorance = 1) Not knowing the truth about who you are (if you would like, see my Note on “What is Present Moment Thinking?”); and 2) Not knowing the truth about how things work (again, if you want, see my Note “the Four Facts”).

Once we know what suffering is, it is easy to see that Less Negative Thinking = Less Suffering (regardless of the conditions that we find ourselves in). Based on this, I can be in pain and not ‘suffer’ – as long as the pain is not driving me to get caught up in my Negative Thinking. If the pain exceeds my capacity to renounce my Negative Thinking then I am in trouble, hence the need to continually practice renouncing my Negative Thinking. (Renunciation = I want to get rid of my Negative Thinking because it is the cause of all my suffering and because it is a condition for others’ suffering. Literally, I want to decrease my attachment to my Negative Thinking.)

But then there is an important follow-up question. What is happiness and can we have true happiness? By understanding suffering and the cause of suffering, it is easy to understand that that my happiness is the cessation of my Negative Thinking; and, Zero Negative Thinking and zero negative Karma (the power of Negative Thinking) is True Happiness. True Happiness is the same as Vast Awakening – Buddha.

I think a lot of people get caught up here believing that they need to give up attachment in general. But there are at least two major problems with this idea. One, it is impossible for a sentient being (Present Moment Thinking with Ego-Clinging) to not have attachment. Thinking always has hope and fear, always has attachment and aversion. But it is only the attachment to anger, jealousy, greed, pride and ignorance that is the cause of our suffering. Therefore, we need to give up our attachment to our Negative Thinking only. Secondly, Renunciation is Positive Thinking; therefore, we need to have some attachment to our Positive Thinking – otherwise we won’t decrease our suffering and the cause of our suffering. Without attachment to Positive Thinking there is no practicing Dharma.

Of course this is a very short and simple answer but these are some of the most basic fundamental principles of Buddha’s teachings that I have been fortunate to receive from my teachers; and as these have not yet succinctly made it into the mainstream western understanding of Buddhism, I offer them here. I Hope it is of some value.

May all beings be free from suffering and Negative Thinking – may all beings have happiness and Positive Thinking.

Namo Buddha ya

Regarding this Note:

Please begin by reading the “Preface to Erik’s Notes on Buddhism:” found on the main page of Buddhism ~ Thanks

Dharma = my five Positive Thinking

And what is Positive Thinking?

Positive Thinking = Renunciation, Compassion, Faith, Love and Wisdom

• Renunciation = I want to get rid of my Negative Thinking because it is the cause of all my suffering and because it is a condition for others suffering.
• Compassion = I want you to be free from suffer and the causes of your suffering (your Negative Thinking).
• Faith = I want to increase my Positive Thinking because it is the only cause of all of my happiness, and because it is a condition for others happiness.
• Love = I want you to be happy and have the causes of happiness (your Positive Thinking).
• Wisdom = Knowing, Experiencing and Realizing the Four Facts about Happiness and Suffering.

Regarding this Note:

Please begin by reading the “Preface to Erik’s Notes on Buddhism:” found on the main page of Buddhism ~ Thanks

Happiness = Peace

Peace = the cessation of Negative Thinking
Negative Thinking = anger, jealousy, greed, pride and ignorance
Decreasing Negative Thinking = Increasing Peace
More peace = more happiness
Zero Negative Thinking = True Happiness

So is there True Happiness, lasting happiness? – YES.
The more you decrease your anger, jealousy, greed, pride and ignorance the more you experience happiness – no matter what circumstances you find yourself in.

What is NOT happiness?

Happiness is NOT: a new car / house / job / partner / lover / toy / etc.
If it were, most folks would be getting happier more of the time
and not just getting more debt, stress and grief.
New and better stuff is only a condition for how you feel – not a cause.

Happiness is NOT: having more fun / excitement / distractions / etc.
If it were, more beer would lead to True Happiness
and not to a hangover.
More and more fun is only a condition for how you feel – not a cause.

Regarding this Note:

Please begin by reading the “Preface to Erik’s Notes on Buddhism:” found on the main page of Buddhism ~ Thanks

From what I can tell, there are at least three major forms of Buddhism: Religious Buddhism, Philosophical Buddhism and the third form of Buddhism, what I have received from my teachers, the Buddhism that deals with the science of happiness. So what does it mean for Buddhism to be ‘the science of happiness’? Here, Buddhism simply describes the facts regarding our experiences of suffering and our experiences of happiness according to the science of observation and reason.

So what does it mean to use observation and reason to discover the facts about something?

Usually, we begin with a bunch of assumptions and then based on those assumptions you make a hypothesis (a guess) about what you think is true, then you test that hypothesis and see if we can disprove it. If after a reasonable number of tests (and reasonable is usually determined by the one doing the tests) we fail to disprove our guess, then ‘maybe it’s true!’

But there is another way to use observation and reason to discover the truth about something. In fact, Buddhism rests on this alternative method. Here we begin with a willingness to investigate fearlessly and unconditionally. Rather than beginning with a set of assumptions that we are leaving untouched and uninvestigated, we allow everything to be part of the field of investigation. No assumption or belief is so sacred or precious that it won’t be fearlessly and unconditionally examined, and if it is invalidated through observation and reason, then it is let go of.

What do we find when we diligently and insatiably investigate, both fearlessly and unconditionally, that which can be known about our experience of suffering and happiness? We find that there are some basic facts that govern those experiences. We find the experience of happiness and we find the experience of suffering. And we find that these felt experiences are not random nor are they caused by anything that is experienced as being outside of ourselves. We find that the cessation of our suffering follows from very specific and completely infallible causes; and we find that our increased happiness also follows from very specific and completely infallible causes. And best of all, we find that these causes are always within us.

In the rest of these Notes you will find some of these facts that govern our experiences of both suffering and happiness. At least that is my goal. Please keep in mind that this is Buddhism according to the Mahayana tradition of the Dzogchen Longchen Nyingthig lineage as it has been transmitted to me by my teacher Dzogchen Khenpo Choga Rinpoche and from his teachers all the way back to Shakyamuni Buddha – at least to the best of my fairly limited abilities. I beg that you forgive me and grant me your patience whenever I fall short of my goal.

For me, this is the most valuable and precious information in the universe – I hope that it will be of benefit to you as well. If you find value here and are interested in learning more about the facts that govern your happiness and the cessation of your suffering, I would strongly encourage you to find a competent teacher with whom you can study and from whom you can learn. After that it will be up to you to contemplate and ultimately meditate these facts. This is the path that leads to True Happiness – zero suffering. This is the Buddha Path.

If you are curious about what I meant above when I mentioned philosophical and religious Buddhism, what follows is a very brief explanation.

When Buddhism is treated as a form of philosophy – a set of ideas – a practitioner thinks about Buddhism. Everyone is entitled to their own opinions and ideas and if we all sit down together, perhaps we can share our favorite ideas and maybe we can even synthesize some new and better ideas. For the philosophers, Buddhism is a pool of ideas that can be dipped into and played with, analyzed, and engaged and accepted or rejected as is seen fit. This is fine, if all you want is to think about suffering and happiness. But it will not necessarily move you any further in the direction of decreasing your suffering and increasing your happiness.

And for those for whom Buddhism is really a religion, Buddhism is used to ‘give meaning’ to their lives. Buddhism is used by the practitioner to fulfill the practitioner’s personal agenda for better or worse.

According to Wikipedia: “A religion is an organized approach to human spirituality which usually encompasses a set of narratives, symbols, beliefs and practices, often with a supernatural or transcendent quality, that give meaning to the practitioner’s experiences of life through reference to a higher power or truth.” And, well, if Wikipedia says it then it must be true. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religion.

However, using Buddhism to “give meaning” to our “experience of life through reference to a higher power [Buddha] or truth [Buddha’s teachings],” with the end result being that ‘my life now has meaning’ is not in keeping with what the Buddha taught about our experience of suffering and happiness; and this is not the Buddhism that I have been introduced to. In fact, there are many textural references from Shakyamuni Buddha that refer to this dynamic and strongly warn against it. Very quickly, it just gets in the way of decreasing suffering and increasing happiness.