Being and Becoming: Consequences of a Pali word

Instructor(s): Mu Soeng

Program Description:

The Pali word “bhava” is arguably one of the most critical words in the teachings of the Buddha. It occupies a central place in the chain of twelve links of dependent-arising, and infuses the tetrad of craving-clinging-becoming within those links. However, when translated as “being” rather than becoming, it takes on a different hue and meaning, and it takes us into a different orientation for our training in meditation and wisdom. This program will focus on Buddha’s teachings on view and intention in order to sort out the consequences of using bhava as either being or becoming. Suggested reading for the program is Ajahn Thanissaro’s The Paradox of Becoming. 

About the Instructor(s):
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  Mu Soeng

  Mu Soeng is Scholar Emeritus at BCBS. He trained in the (Korean) Zen tradition and was a monk for eleven years. He is the author of Thousand Peaks: Korean Zen (Tradition and Teachers); The Diamond Sutra: Transforming the Way We Perceive the World; Trust in Mind: The Rebellion of Chinese Zen; The Heart of the Universe: Exploring the Heart Sutra, and co-author of Older and Wiser: Classical Buddhist Teachings on Aging, Sickness, and Death.