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N E N E S SQuarterly Newsletter of the Rev. Gyomay M. Kubose Dharma Legacy Vol. 5 No. 2 Summer 2001Oteaching of Buddhism is the MiddleWay.“middle” suggests “between” andnotations. Everyone knows that noth-political world. As for problems in home life suchway or the other. People try to com-promise between the “either-or” ofis usually considered to be a series ofMIDDLE WAYBy Rev. Gyomay M. Kuboseof innumerable points. A series ofgone. The future is yet to come. Thereality of time is just this present, thiscaptured by the midpoint of the vastmiddle point is a flowing, continuousmoving process. As soon as we say,“This is the middle point,” it has gonetory. When we explain that Americadeclared its independence in 1776 orColumbus discovered the Americanall those hundreds of years of historyare not in serial points but in this verythe American independence, and theonly in the conceptualized world doesserial time exist. Reality is this verymoment. Buddha exists in this verymoment, not 2,500 years ago but nowin me.tant because we are living now. Wethe future. If you try to, you will havethe very reason Gautama Buddha didInside“Remembering Sensei”Book Page 3Dharma Glimpse Page 4Book ReviewSeeing Beyond SeeingPage 4Save Oct. 13 Date Page 4Dharma Talk Video Loan Program Page 5

Universal Teachings For Everyday Living Page 1

There are many teachings in Buddhism.

However, it could be said that the basic

To explain the Buddhist meaning of

Middle Way is difficult because the word

people misinterpret the Middle Way as

a point or path between two extremes;

in other words, as compromise. Com-

promise as appeasement has bad con-

ing ever comes of appeasement in the

as quarrels between husband and wife,

we all feel that neither the husband’s way

nor the wife’s way is the only way but

that family life is compromise, a give and

take. Similarly, in our democratic way

of life, the middle way is usually under-

stood as avoiding the extremes of one

Western culture.

In the world of relativity, people feel

that the middle point is the way of com-

promise. However, the Buddhist middle

point is a different realm, an entirely dif-

ferent dimension of life which Buddha

taught. In this dimension there is a dif-

ferent conception of time than the usual

notion of historical time. Historical time

events, just as a straight line is a series

events, say from the time of the Greeks

to today, is called history.

However, the Buddhist concept of

time is not historical time. It is not serial

points of moments. The past is already

very moment. Buddhism goes even fur-

ther and warns us not to cling to or be

past and vast future. This is because the

already and another new middle point

is already existing.

The Middle Way is life itself. We live

today, and we live this very moment. In

this very moment is the entirety of his-

continent in 1492, we see those series

of years through time. However to me,

instant. In me there are wonderful great

civilizations, wonderful Indian histories,

French revolution. All are present in this

one moment in me. Only in explanation,

This way of looking at life is impor-

cannot live in the past; we cannot live in

nothing but complaints. The important

thing is how you are living now. That is

not speculate into the unknowable past

or unknowable future. He emphasized

the present, the importance of each day

and the importance of each moment, the

now. This is the Middle Way.

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