The Foundations of Buddhism

7

The Buddhist Path

The Way of Calm and Insight

Introductory remarks

The previous two chapters have focused on the Buddhist under-

standing of the nature of the world and of the individual; we have

seen how Buddhist thought sees the world of our. experience

as constructed in dependence upon a variety of conditions, the

most crucial of which are greed, hatred, and delusion. The dis-

cussion of cosmology, the self, and dependent arising in effect

represents an elaboration of the first and second of the four noble

truths, namely suffering and its arising. This discussion has at times

touched on quite technical areas of Buddhist intellectual theory.

We come now to the fourth truth, the path leading to the cessa-

tion of suffering, the practice of Buddhism. In this connection

also, Buddhist tradition provides us with rather elaborate theor-

etical accounts, this time focusing on the stages of the path. There

is sometimes the idea in the West that Buddhism is an overly

philosophical and intellectual religion, but we should be careful

not to mistake Buddhism's intellectual theories for Buddhism

itself-just as we should not confuse learning to swim with gain-

ing an understanding of the theory of buoyancy and propulsion,

or being able to play a musical instrument with an exact the-

oretical knowledge of where one has to put one's fingers on a

fretboard or keyboard to produce a certain melody. Such theor-

etical knowledge may be useful in the process of learning, but the

experience of practice is never quite what one's understanding

of theory leads one to expect.

Buddhist theory is, then, the soil in which understanding may

grow.l It should, moreover, be considered as intended more for

the benefit of monks or committed lay followers, who already