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The Gift Of A Smile - June 2006 |
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Written by Rev. Tatsuo Muneto
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Saturday, 03 June 2006 |
Editor's Note - This is an excerpt from the June 2006 issue of the Buddhist Wheel
Take a close look at a statue of the Buddha. You will find that the entire form is firm and yet peaceful, and that the facial expression is bright and gentle, enigmatic and sublime. A gentle smile is an impression that we get when we face the Buddha’s statue. What makes the Buddha face us with a smile on his face? Before we find out this secret, we have to examine the nature of man’s smile.
The smile is an expression of pleasure felt between two people. A smile comes out of the heart when experiencing a mental and physical comfort, A parent provides the infant child with comfort, not only material but also emotional. When the parent does this with a smile, the child smiles back.
A smile is an expression of friendship and love. When two people are united in friendship and love, this happiness is expressed with a smile. At times we use a smile as a tool to win love and affection from others. Although this smile is not really genuine and spontaneous, smiling to others is an important part of social practice. Still the human smile is partial and conditioned; whether we can smile to others or not depends on our ability and the environment. This is the nature of man’s smile.
In Buddhism, a smile is an act of selfless giving (Dana) as taught in the “Seven Forms of Giving without Material.” The Bodhisattva, an aspirant for the enlightenment of all beings, smiles to others as the practice of becoming free of the bondage of selfishness and of offering peace and happiness for all. The smile that derives from such an aspiration is not conditioned with one’s ability to smile or the environment. It is a spontaneous act to offer love and good will unconditionally. This smile is seen in various kinds of statues of Bodhisttvas and Buddhas in Buddhist art.
When I wonder how this kind of smile is illustrated in plain words, I turn to a French poem which is entitled ”The Gift of a Smile.” In translation it reads:
“It costs nothing and produces
much.
It enriches the one who receives it,
without making poor the one
who gives it.
It lasts only for a moment,
but its remembrance is
sometimes immortal.
A smile is rest for the tired being,
courage for the sorrowing soul,
consolation for the weeping
heart.
It is a real antidote that nature
keeps in reserve for the pains.
And if one refuses the smile that
you merit, be generous,
give him yours.
Indeed, nobody needs a smile as
much as the one who cannot
give to others.”
The author of this poem indicates the source of smiling beyond the relative world. The real nature of a smile is not conditioned to one‘s ability to smile or the environment. Hence, the gift of a smile.
The smile in the statue of Amida Buddha is spontaneous and lasting. It is so because the smile is the expression of the completion of Amida’s Primal Vow to liberate all beings from the bondage of selfishness. The Vow of Amida to have the name, “Namu-amida-butsu”, resound through the universe has been fulfilled. The Vow to enable us to say “Namu-amida-butsu” in true entrusting and faith has been completed. When we acknowledge that Amida’s smile is a gift given to us unconditionally, we can smile more spontaneously and gently, and share the gift of smile with family, relatives and friends.
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