| My dissertation research question was: What is the Buddhist Enlightenment experience? I used Buddhist methods to obtain knowledge informed by aspects of phenomenology. I used Buddhist hermeneutics to explain the teachings and interpret the lived experience. I also engaged in deep forms of Buddhist practices, as Buddhist knowledge is not complete in texts, but in being.; Being born and raised in Cambodia, I was trained and taught the teaching of the Buddha according to the Theravada tradition. My study and practice of this school of Buddhism traces back to my birth in 1951 to the present. The Pure Land study and practice started in 1972 until the present. I studied and practiced Zen from 1986 to the present. My study and practice of Tibetan Buddhism started in 1992 until the present.; This study initially examined the historical teachings of the Buddha and his discoveries. Second, it examined the Theravada, Zen, Pure Land and Tibetan schools. In each case, the research examined the relevant literature, studied and practiced directly with key teachers of the traditions. All these four schools of Buddhism emphasize "to study is to understand and to understand is to be."; In the Theravada's practice, I learned to be patient, calm, focused, and mindful. In Zen practice, I learned rigor, discipline, and the importance of practice. In Pure Land practice, I learned the everyday entrusting mind and gratitude. In Tibetan practice, I learned about death and life and the wonder of living with compassion.; I discovered that seriously engaging in any one of the Buddhist ways of knowing will result in enlightenment as demonstrated in changes in my being and consciousness through the practices. |
