The importance of "openness"

It is probably a part of being human: when we study and learn something, we get better understanding of it. We are transformed from being "clueless" to become "experts" who can teach others about our specialized fields.

Is it different in Buddhism? After years of learning, studying and practice, years become decades, and decades becoming multi-decades. Buddhist students and practitioners learn a lot of things, some from books, some from practice, and some from listening to others talking about their experiences. Some "meaningless words" and "states in meditation" that we were clueless become clear, or at least they seem to become clear, and we can talk and talk about this and that, all day all night.

Mystified words like jhanas and attainments and nibbana and unconditioned and deathless and unborn and the rest become words that we use everyday. Sometimes we use them because people want to know what they are, and as experts we tell them what they are, even though deep down we are still clueless. Sometimes we use these wonderful words and explanations because we have learned so much about them that they are imprinted in our minds.

But do we really know them? Be truthful, do we really know them at all? As we grow older, and we practice longer, and as we went through periods of intense practice and relaxed practice, or even went from one tradition to another and to another. Do we really know what Buddhism is all about?

We may think we know them all - we are the experts. But what if what we believe we know are still concepts, drilled down into our minds due to years of learning, readings, debating, and practicing, but not by any tiny nanoseconds of true realizations of the Truths that really lead to eradication of defilements.

It seems to me that the longer we spend studying and practicing Buddhism, we face the danger of becoming "narrow-minded". We don't except others' points of view. Ours are the only right one. Others are wrong. We have learned so much.

Is this what it should be? Buddhism is, in my opinion, an "open religion". We only know the Truths by keeping an open mind. Why? Because the Buddha's teachings are not barely concepts that we have to understand and one day say "oh, I get it"...

Buddhism is all about something deeper. Concepts are ways into the realization of non-concepts, and in my opinion, the heart of Buddhism is in the non-conceptual parts; the transcendent parts; the part that lead us to liberalization.

But that part, in my view, requires an "open mind", not a "shut mind", not the "I know best mind". Because the non-concept is so out-of-this world than we can imagine.

Openness is, in my opinion, a very important part of the way to practice - if we want to really know what Buddhism is all about, we have to keep our minds open.

After all, what happened after people become "brain-dead"? All concepts are gone. All memories of non-conceptual realizations are gone. What are left, however, are the "results" on the series of cittas due to those non-conceptual realizations. What exactly are these "results" on the series of cittas that I probably am cluelessly going on about? It's simply the lack of defilements as they have been eradicated by correct practice, that have been eradicated by the breaks in mundane cittas by supramundane cittas, that have severed the chain of samsara forever. Any lokutara realizations become memories, and memories are anicca -they end. What is important, however, is that these lokutara realizations have left the permanent marks on the streams of cittas. Even though an individual may not be able to recall their experiences as a result of correct practice, unwholesome intentions and wrong views can never take place in these mindstreams again.

As we have not come across any non-conceptual realizations, or we may mistake some mundane realizations as supramundane/lokutara realizations, we still need open mind. In my view, it is vital that we maintain open mind.

Perhaps, those who have experienced lokutara realizations may hold no view at all! Their minds may be completely open, completely free and open to realizations that us worldlings have unknowingly shut ourselves the chance by closing out minds because we know best.

Just a thought.