No Merit

No Merit

It is only natural that when we do good deeds, we expect to be praised or at the very least acknowledged. Peacemakers are highly regarded if they have resolved a very bitter conflict between two opposing sides and they could be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.  John Hume, the Catholic leader of the SDLP and David Trimble, the Protestant leader of UUP, forged the Good Friday Agreement which brought the conflict to an end. They were co-awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1998.

Tony Blair stood on the steps of Stormont and delivered his famous eulogy:

A day like today is not a day for, sort of, sound bites, really - we can leave those at home - but I feel the hand of history upon our shoulders, I really do.

Can we conclude that through lengthy negotiations, back channels, setbacks and brinkmanship par excellence, that the two opponents understood each other? Probably not. 

But there was a sense of optimism and hopefulness for the future. Seamus Heaney wrote these iconic lines in The Cure at Troy:

History says/Don’t hope on this side of the grave/But then, once in a lifetime

The longed-for tidal wave/Of justice can rise up/And hope and history rhyme

Misunderstandings between two divided communities can arise because of a breakdown in communication. John Dunlop, former Presbyterian Moderator wrote that ‘For very many Presbyterians, their contemporary east-west orientations are much stronger than any running north and south’. The Protestants want to identify with the UK rather than the South of Ireland and this creates conflict as the Catholic population identify with the South of Ireland. Margaret Atwood wrote that war happens when language fails. In the famous duck-rabbit illusion it’s the perceiver that decides whether it’s a duck or a rabbit. So we see the world not as it is but as we are conditioned to see it.

A famous misunderstanding took place in China in the 5^thor 6^thcentury when Bodhidharma visited Emperor Wu of Liang. And who was Bodhidharma? Again there are many legends about Bodhidharma but the main thing we know is that he brought the teachings of Buddhism to China and he became the first Zen patriarch.  His encounter with Emperor Wu became a very important Zen teaching.

Emperor Wu could only see the world from his point of view. He believed that because of his good deeds, the great Zen master Bodhidharma should have commended him.He said, ‘I have built monasteries, ordained monks, commissioned Buddha statues. Surely no one could have done any more. Surely I have acquired great merit’.

A poet Thomas Kinsella advises us not to seek merit, but to return to the essence and the source:

Thomas Kinsella poem Dear God let the minds and hearts of the main body heal and fulfil and we will watch for the first sign of redemption, a turning away from regard beyond proper merit or reward beyond real need toward the essence and the source.

Bodhidharma looked at the Emperor and then he said, ‘Of course your deeds have been beneficial and no doubt you have created good karma for yourself.’The Emperor looked puzzled. ‘But’ he continued, ‘good karma is important but it’s the merit I am interested in’.

Bodhidharma, a fierce looking master who was sometimes referred to as the ‘red bearded barbarian’ stared at the Emperor. Then he said, ‘No merit’. 

Emperor Wu looked puzzled. He then said, ‘But you cannot be serious. Surely I have accumulated great merit. You have not been in China very long, and perhaps, you have not heard of how many temples and monasteries I have built.’ Bodhidharma did not speak for about a minute. Then he said, ‘There is no point in funding these projects and promoting Buddhism, if all you want is merit. You are too attached to being recognised for your efforts. Wanting merit is too worldly’. 

Emperor Wu decided to ask this great sage another question. He had built pagodas and ordained monks but obviously Bodhidharma wasn’t impressed. Maybe he should ask something about the teachings of Buddhism instead. So he said, ‘Can you tell mewhat is the most sacred teaching in Buddhism?’ Bodhidharma looked at the Emperor and realised this was not a meeting of minds. He could have answered, this or that teaching was the most sacred, but he decided not to placate the Emperor as he was not interested in gaining his favour. He said, ‘there is no such thing as the most sacred teaching. The most important thing to do is to let go of all concepts.’ Emperor Wu did not understand Bodhidharma’s replies to his queries.

Bodhidharma did not have exactly what they call a ‘bedside manner’. In counselling you are taught to manage expectations because you can’t control everything in life. It’s not about throwing in the towel, or falling at the first hurdle, but rather it’s accepting everything, being in the moment.  Not every cup of coffee you drink is going to be perfect, not every interaction you have is going to go the way you want it to and rather than spend your life complaining and being dissatisfied, it is better to accept things the way they are, to be open, to listen.  Maybe emperors don’t have great listening skills and nobody wants to tell the emperor they don’t have any clothes. 

He expected praise, affirmation, for promoting the holy teachings in China. Emptiness, emptiness, emptiness…what does emptiness mean to an emperor?  What does ‘nothing holy’ mean to an Emperor?  Emperors like to shoot the messenger, and no doubt he shot his guest a cruel glance. There could be nothing wrong with him so there must be something wrong with Bodhidharma.  This fool from India had got the wrong end of the stick, and he was going to sort him out. So a kind of drama unfolded between Emperor Wu and Bodhidharma? He asked Bodhidharma who is this standing before me and Bodhidharma replied ‘I do not know’… this is not about winning friends and influencing people.