The Ten. . .

It can be quite perplexing for people new to Buddhism to realize that there are many traditions and teaching lineages in Buddhism — with quite different methods. Or, to use a cliché — all paths to one destination.

For each of the major schools, we ask a simple question “Why practice (school)?” — fill in the blank with the school. It may seem overly simplistic, but some people new to Buddhism may find this helpful. Whether you choose to simply sit, as in Zen, or you fully renounce and become a monk or nun, or you engage in the Pureland practice of chanting the name of the Amitabha Buddha, or you undertake the layered visualizations of Vajrayana — all of these are underpinned by the Buddha’s core teaching.

In Buddha’s own words, this is:“I teach only two things. Suffering and end of suffering.” — The Buddha

There are many ways to end suffering — all taught in the many Suttas, Sutras and Tantras taught by Buddha. Each path has more and more elaborate methods for cutting the so-called ten poisons. But the ten poisons are the same, regardless of path you choose. They are all designed, by Buddha, to help us cut:

Greed (sans lobha)
Hate (dosa)
Delusion (moha)
Conceit (māna)
Wrong views (micchāditthi)
Doubt (vicikicchā)
Torpor (thīnaṃ)
Restlessness (uddhaccaṃ)
Shamelessness (ahirikaṃ)
Recklessness (anottappaṃ)

Cutting these ten, is how we stop suffering. It’s really that simple in concept but may take a lifetime of practice to master. You’ll find your own path as you go along. And, no matter what tradition or lineage you eventually “settle into” the key is always going to be practice — study, contemplation and meditation.