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John Greer, Ph.D.
Email: jgreer@memphis.edu
Elementary Education Professor U of M
Meditation Instructor
Dharma Memphis contributor
Zen Photography website:
http://www.zenandphotography.com/john.htm
CONTRIBUTIONS BY JOHN GREER
INTRODUCTION TO ESSAYS SERIES
With the lamp of word and discrimination one must go beyond word and
discrimination and enter upon the path of realization.
Lankavatara Sutra
Can the eyes of the spiritual seeker be opened with words and writing? If so,
how? These are perennial questions that have surely perplexed all spiritual
teachers. Opinions vary with traditions, but most agree that they play an
important role in the journey to truth. While Buddhists are unanimous in their
conviction that meditation is the key, most, with the possible exception of Zen,
convey the central tenants of the tradition through writings. And one approach
that they, and other traditions, have almost universally employed has been the
metaphor. Discovered early on for their effectiveness, most scriptures and
sacred writings are filled with these verbal images. And this time honored
device makes up the heart of this series of essays.
Every two months, beginning in January, a new essay will explore a different
element or aspect of the Buddhist path, and a short collection of metaphors will
be offered in the hope of helping practitioners see things from different angles
or perspectives. Most were gleaned from the ancient sources and commentaries, or
the rapidly expanding number of modern works devoted to Buddha’s message. Others
are commonly found in the general literature, and were modified for use in this
context. Chosen for their clarity and relevance in today’s world, they employ
images familiar to modern readers.
It is hoped that the brief essays and metaphors presented will assist those
practicing Buddhism, or those interested in it, to better understand many of its
essential elements. Each essay will focus on a different theme, and will include
images selected for the insights and understanding they often generate. For the
reader, it should be similar to viewing a sculpture in a museum. Observed from
different positions, it is the same sculpture; but the viewer gains new
appreciation for its beauty and sees its many details in differing lights. While
visitors could say they had seen the work after just one look, others who were
able to study it from many angles would surely gain a deeper and more complete
understanding of the artist’s creation. In the same manner, an individual who
examines an aspect of Buddhism metaphorically, using several different
comparisons, may gain a deeper appreciation of the part it plays in the overall
practice.
Paradox confounds both logic and language. Words and concepts are circular,
spinning like a wheel, going endlessly from the known to the known. The
challenge is to use them to suggest the unknown. The difficulty of the process
is often likened to describing a melody with words. Words are clearly
inadequate. The only way to truly grasp the melody is to hear it, to experience
it.
We cannot always articulate what something is or even define it. But, more often
than not, it is possible to say what it is like. This is what metaphors enable
us to do. They provide concrete comparisons; parallels found in other life
experiences that shed light on the new and the strange. As an artist can use two
dimensions, painted on a flat canvas, and quite effectively suggest three,
dualistic language can be employed to suggest a non-dualistic reality. And as
the artist uses oils, metaphors are pictures rendered in words. In the mind’s
eye, the reader will hopefully be able to “see” the likeness presented, and
grasp the topic in a different light. Perhaps the images offered in the coming
essays will, to some degree, capitalize on the well-known capacity of the right
hemisphere of the brain to see in pictures, and make sense of it all. Within the
necessary limitations of discursive thought, the reader’s imagination might be
kindled in some small way, and an appreciation gained for the possibility of
seeing the world in a completely different way.
I offer these essays not to convince or persuade readers to my individual views
on these issues. What I have written here is based on my eleven years of
reading, practice and, and in the most recent seven years, study with Matt.
Clearly, they are influenced by my unique karma, conditioning, and life
experiences. The same is true of all of us, and it is this which creates the
wonderfully rich variety of expressions of individual discoveries in their
individual practice. These essays are offered only as a possible way to see old
themes in a new way, or avenues for exploring totally new areas for further
study. It is well known that there are many paths and byways up the spiritual
mountain. These are simply expressions of my own understanding.
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