It should go without saying that it is important to have a

It should go without saying that it is important to have a general idea of where Buddhism is going before one gets too involved with it. But this is not often possible given the wide variety of interpretations about Buddhism that fill the shelves of libraries, including the Internet.

The beginner is certainly, at times, overwhelmed by the sheer mass of literature available on the subject of Buddhism. Faced with this, the tendency is to go to some temple and become a member. If youre a touchy-feely kind of person joining a meditation group or a Dharma center seems the way to go.

Being frank, most people who take up the study and practice of Buddhism have little or no idea what Buddhism is actually about. Is Buddhism about the reality of life? Is Buddhism, strictly speaking, a religion? Is Buddhism a philosophy? Is Buddhism a therapy for dealing with the vicissitudes of everyday life? These and many more questions are not easy to answer. This is not to say, however, that Buddhism is like modeling clay which can be made into an infinite variety of shapes. It is not.

That Buddhism recognizes that all phenomena (sabbe sankhara) that make up our world are perishable, suffering and not the self (anatt), is quite significant. This includes also the fact that nirvana is immortal and can be attained. Whatever we believe Buddhism to be about, sometime during our lifespan, if we elect to follow the teachings of the Buddha, we have to accept our predicament that we are not going to leave this world alive the way we would like to.

From such an acknowledgement we can then lauch our vessel of discovery and by doing so come to learn more about Buddhismnot being fully aware at the time, that Buddhism is asking us to depart to nirvana which is not perishable, is not suffering, and can be realized by our very self (paccattam).

It is true that I am not giving a clear answer to the question what is Buddhism or where exactly is it going but what I am saying that! should be clear is that Buddhism is asking us to become voyagers sailing to a distant isle where the temporal world vanishes and a deathless world comes into view. I hasten to add, this is only possible when we look upon our temporal world as a place of bondage.

Few are those among mankind
Who go beyond to the far shore.
The rest of the people merely run
Up and down along the bank.

When the Dhamma is rightly expounded
Those who practice in accord with the Dhamma
Are the people who will go beyond
The realm of Death so hard to cross.