The Forest Tradition
This is a follow up post to Mountain wisdom which you may need to refer to for the definitions of 'dharma' and the Sanskrit suffix '-yana', which was about Mahayana Buddhism. Therevada is the original form of Buddhism, hinayana Buddhism, the oldest surviving school which dates back to the death of Prince Shakyamuni Siddhartha Gautama, the original Buddha, in 5th century BC. It is often known as 'The School of Elders' or even the 'wisdom of the elders' but strictly speaking it's not a 'school' quite in the same way as other 'schools' or forms of Buddhism, such as Mahayana or Zen. The reason being is the very clear premise that enlightenment has to come from somewhere deep inside you or the individual. Enlightenment which has come from someone else is not considered to be authentic enlightenment.
This explains the conflict which went on for centuries between hinayana Buddhism and Mahayana Buddhism only finally becoming resolved in the middle of the 20th century. For a long time some in the Mahayana communities saw Therevada or hinayana as harsh, austere, and yet still inefficient. The charge was laid that Therevada was too Ego-driven to be an effective method. Conversely some in the Therevada communities saw Mahayana as being inauthentic and authoritarian. There's also a definite esoteric quality to Therevada because if you seek to learn about Buddhism chances are you will come across more sources for Mahayana or Zen before you ever find anything to do with Therevada. Despite the efforts to restore the Therevada in recent years and reestablish it as a major form of Buddhism it's still quite difficult to find reliable sources and it was largely overlooked in Western interest in Buddhism which arose out of 1960's counter-culture in the US.
What the Forest Tradition is about
Fundamentally the Forest Tradition is the traditional Buddhist method for training shamen and, from what I understand, comes after study of the Rhinoceros Sutra and the fundamentals of Therevada Buddhism. We're born into a life where we are raised and educated to have a predominantly conceptual perspective on life, through which we develop an Ego and a sense of identity. While socialization and the process of social and mental conditioning has its pitfalls, and most people are traumatized to some degree by the process, there is no other way of organizing or developing what we understand to be a settled or civilized society. Everyone needs an upbringing, an education, in order to develop a 'sadana' (Sanskrit for tool), a way of life through which one contributes to society.
Therevada (Southern) Buddhism and hinayana Buddhism for that matter is far more mystical in its approach to other forms of Buddhism. It's considered the strict, conservative flavour of Buddhism because it is all about finding one's own unique path to enlightenment. You have the same Four Noble Truths, the Eightfold Path and five precepts the same as any other flavour of Buddhism, but just as the Buddha did himself, you are expected to walk your own unique path and create your own unique version of Buddhism from your actions and your practice. Therevada is stripped down to the bare bones of Buddhism, which is described as the Three Baskets (Tipitaka):
- Abidhamma - 'the way' or the method.
- Vinayana - discipline, practice.
- Sutra - content, which can be understood to be direct experiences.
The point of the Forest Tradition is to walk a shamanistic path and liberate yourself from your Ego by abandoning your lifestyle in society and going off into the forest. You give up everything, your home, your comforts, your name, your position in society, and go off into the forest to learn about nature, reality and discover the truth of who you really are. Alone in the forest you let go of everything, you avoid contact with people, stop talking, and even try to stop thinking, and instead live by your wits alone with nature.
Having actually gone through this process and observed the tradition for myself it's a truly transformative experience. Letting go of everything creates a certain amount of trauma and fear which you have to somehow find your way through. Living in society is comfortable and tends to 'soften' us up, so the initial stages of living alone with nature forces you to have to examine everything you do and think, learn the ways of nature, and find ways of offloading a lot of emotional baggage and attitude. You get used to being alone and also you get used to silences. Eventually you reach a point where it becomes easier and you start noticing things which you never paid attention to or even thought about. You find your senses are enhanced, colours seem more vivid, sunrises much brighter, noises much clearer and you also learn about the ambivalence of nature.
Once you've figured out how everything works in reality, and got a sense of who you really are, then you're ready to leave the forest and go back into society with a completely different state of consciousness than when you first entered. This is the second stage of the transformation, because you notice things in society and you have a much better idea of what really matters, what doesn't, and also, what is real and what is conceptual.
That saying, my own 'forest tradition' is probably unlike the actual tradition because I did it in a secluded corner of a London park, which is a radically different environment to that of a typical forest in Asia. I had a lot less contact with wildlife, for one thing, and didn't have to worry about potentially dangerous insects, snakes, or any of the other wild animals you find wandering about in a typical Asian forest. While their calls are sometimes eerie, London foxes simply aren't that bothered by you.
The benefits of the Forest Tradition
What the Forest Tradition does is to force you out of yourself and separate you from your Ego simply through nothing more than being in a completely natural environment. Alone with nature, in the forest your Ego simply doesn't matter at all. You've got nobody to talk to, nothing to think about, because your existence is based totally on your perception of your immediate environment in the here and now.
In a way it's like dying, but without going through the process of death. The only thing that dies is your Ego. The thing about exposing yourself to the elements or nature is that, if you offer any resistance or create conflict it comes right back at you immediately. This is the same principle as being in water. If you're in deep water and you fight and thrash about you drown. But if you merge with the water and try to blend into it you will eventually float and survive. The exact same principle applies when it comes to being alone with nature in a forest.
After coming out of the forest you have an awareness of what is real, and what is merely conceptual. You have a model or framework to explore, experiement, and play about with things in your life and eventually get right down to your truth and your Core Being. This is what Therevada is all about, finding the sense of why you live, why you were born, and becoming consciously aware of the karma you need to resolve in this life cycle. Once you have figured out your fundamental truth and found ways of living it, then everything in your life develops in relatively fluid harmony.
Life becomes much, much easier because you have a real sense of your life flowing. You would be surprised at how much this level of conscious awareness mitigates much of the conflicts in life and brings a sense of harmony and flow to your relationships and social interaction.
In my community support project I'm thinking of doing a guided meditation session in the spot in Battersea Park where I went through my individual forest tradition roughly 15 years ago. Probably during the summer months when it's hot and humid and we can meet under the cool shade of the trees. Maybe they'll remember me (the trees).