The C.M. said that during the two year long period of the
government, the law and order had registered a marked improvement, but
much still required to be done in this connection. She said that all the units
had been asked to submit their progress report. She said that the
performance of STF and ATS was up to the mark. She said that all other
units should also improve and give better results.

Ms. Mayawati said that if these units showed no improvement in their
functioning in the monthly review meetings, then the officers would not be
given another chance and stringent action would be taken against them
after fixing their responsibility. She warned that the officers of the units
which were lagging behind should improve their performance immediately.
She said that officers would have to perform their duties with full honesty
and dedication.

During the four and a half hour long meeting, effective pursuance of
the criminal cases was seriously discussed. Different organisations were
directed to submit their action plan for taking action against those
officers/employees who indulged in corruption within a week. The
maximum limit for the sanctioning of prosecution by the Anti Corruption,
Economic Offence Wing and Vigilance has been set up at two months, so
that such officers/employees could be brought to book. The expansion of
the works of various investigative agencies was also discussed and
directives were given to improve the quality of investigation. Orders were
given to ensure the conviction of the criminals and responsibility was also
fixed for the success of prosecution. It was also decided at the meeting
that the Principal Secretary Home would discuss the problems of various
units with their heads in the next week and ensure their solution.

The Cabinet Secretary Mr. Shashank Shekhar Singh, Chief Secretary
Mr. Atul Kumar Gupta, Additional Cabinet Secretary Mr. Vijay Shankar
Pandey, Principal Secretary Home Kunwar Fateh Bahadur, DGP Mr. Vikram
Singh, Principal Secretaries to CM, Mr. Shailesh Krishna and Mr. Ravindra
Singh and senior officers of various police units were present at the
meeting.

******
BSP to go it alone in Maharashtra

 Staff Reporter

Mumbai: Seeking to identify itself as the third alternative, the
Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) has decided to go it alone in Maharashtra and
contest all the 288 Assembly seats.

At a recent meeting of top BSP leaders and party chief Mayawati in
Lucknow, the party decided to focus on the polls in Maharashtra and
Haryana, a press release said.

The BSP has decided to “go before the people with self-respect and not to form an alliance with anyone,” the note reads.

Maharashtra is therefore likely to see a number of rallies of the
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister. In addition, to attract the north-Indian
vote, a team comprising Naseemuddin Siddiqui, Babu Singh Kushwaha and
Indrajit Saroj will be in Mumbai during the elections, slated for
October.

The Lucknow meeting has set an aim to bag at least 25 seats.

According to the party, this will help it grab the reins of power in the likelihood of a hung Assembly.

Conscious of the Dalit vote and the coming together of the
Republican Party of India (United) and the Left Front under the banner
of Third Front, the BSP contended that the alliance was only a grouping
of parties having a narrow reach. The BSP was therefore the sole third
alternative.

In the 2009 Lok Sabha elections, the BSP polled up to 5 per cent votes in the State.

ALMOST EVERY FRAUD
involves VICTIM
sending “CASH” money to a
Fraudster/Scammer.
ABSOLUTELY DO NOT send any money
using Western
Union / Moneygram. 
Always deal ONLY locally by meeting
the seller/buyer in person.
READ and UNDERSTAND the methods used
by Fraudsters in the link above.

A Facebook user edits his privacy settings in Ottawa, Canada.

BANGALORE: Sharing has never been this easy. Today your Internet
surfing patterns are linked to your social networking profiles, and
your social media applications are very much part of your online
avatar. So when did blogs and social networking sites make that
transition from being platforms to publish or interact to supporting a
flurry of web activities?

The growth of the Web 2.0 is inextricably linked to a trend: an
increase in the open web APIs (application programming interface).
Using the API, developers could build applications surrounding existing
services. This, in turn, enabled services such as Facebook, Google, or
Twitter to go places far beyond their imagination.

Twitter, for example, started with a simple service asking a simpler
question, “What are you doing?” to be answered in just 140 characters.
Its open API took it from being a micro-blog to a marketing tool, to a
news service, to now being a popular vehicle of information
dissemination. Because API was available, Twitter clients such as
Tweetdeck or Twhirl also sprang up around it.

Similarly Facebook (FB), which released its open stream API in
April, saw tremendous application development with 3,50,000
applications created and 15,000 websites using FB Connect.

For instance, each story/link published to FB generates 0.5 to 2
clicks back to the publishing site, points out Vishu Gupta, an engineer
at Facebook. “Connect improves user experience, and the site benefits
greatly, as it reaches out to more people and can be used to understand
user demographics,” Mr. Gupta explains.

However, services that provide APIs today walk a one-way street —
that is, while a user can publish his blog on FB, the converse is not
possible.

“This has to change to take this success story forward,” says
Kishore Bhargava, president of the Indian Linux Users Group, Delhi.
“Though API is very much part of the Open Source philosophy, today APIs
only enhance the product as envisioned by the developer. Why, for
example, can I not use the same service and share data seamlessly
across my phone, laptop and PDAs,” he asks.

The next big step is to look at open standards, so that portability
of data between hardware and websites or services is possible.

Even as more APIs are opened up — to the benefit of users,
developers, and portal owners — seamless data portability continues to
be an issue.

In the larger context of the web, these applications fragment user
data and the value they derive from it. For instance, if your social
networking site were to wind up or migrate to a different privacy
model, would you have the option of extracting your contacts, data, or
media and moving on?

Currently your postings, pictures or wall musings are all on a
one-way trip to the site that locks in your data, and denies you any
control, except for deleting it.

As more services move online, open data and interoperability across applications are the larger issues.

The debate on the openness of social networks and the need to define
or protect users’ rights to web data has been hotting up. The Data
Portability movement, and formats such as OpenID, OAuth and OpenSocial
attempt to create non-proprietary, open and interoperable blocks to
liberate the social web space, so you don’t have to reinvent yourself
every time you discover a new network.

 Earlier this week, the first rehabilitation centre for
‘Internet addicts’ was opened in the United States. De-addiction camps
in China were in the news recently for the death of a teenager because
of the brutal methods used there to cure ‘Internet addiction.’

‘Internet addiction’ for now is a catch-all term that not only
stands for addiction to specific activities such as gambling or gaming
but also refers to longer hours devoted to the computer network at the
expense of other activities.

Though the Internet is only a medium of communication and
information transmission like the printed book or television,
‘addiction’ is being used in this case with concern because of a
fundamental dialectic: ‘quantity becomes quality.’

“A whole new world is just a click away with the Internet. It is a
medium just like books and TV, but the amount of interaction it makes
possible with others, sometimes replacing the need for real world
interaction, makes it vastly different,” says E.S. Krishnamoorthy,
consultant neuropsychiatrist, Voluntary Health Services, Chennai.

Though chemical changes may not be induced by the broadly repetitive
action involved in gaming and general ‘Internet addiction,’ social
behavioural modifications do take place, including sleep deprivation
and aggression towards the depriver of access to the Internet, he says.

“It is somewhat between Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and
addiction due to substance abuse. Substance abuse-led addiction
focusses on gratification which this form of attachment provides,
though there is no chemical ingestion. At the same time, the
behavioural modifications are similar to those with OCD. It is almost
like the ‘rush’ gamblers get out of a purely gratification-oriented
repetitive action,” Dr. Krishnamoorthy adds.

Generational gap

Sunil Abraham, director-policy, Centre for Internet and Society,
Bangalore, says what constitutes ‘Internet addiction’ is sometimes
misunderstood because of a generational gap between those who grew up
immersed in technology and those who adopted technology later in their
lives.

Can a teenager’s extensive use of social networking be categorised
as ‘addiction’? Not necessarily. Social networking could lead to
forging new relationships which could be beneficial.

For now, such activities may not be the norm, but it could be the way our society is configured in the future, says Mr. Abraham.

The Internet itself offers solutions to balance your real and
virtual activities. For instance, ‘Freedom’ is an application that
disables networking on an Apple computer for up to eight hours at a
time. In the settings of Google mail, you can enable ‘Email addict’ (a
Google Labs feature) that disables your screen and makes you invisible
on chat for 15 minutes. There are many such timer software that let you
set a period for which a certain activity would be banned.

Dr. Krishnamoorthy advocates counselling and concerted effort to
increase real world social interactions for “treating” Internet
addiction. He warns that the problem is larger in that we are creating
an “inward-looking society.”

“There is a big problem on hand if many people replace the real
world with the Internet instead of using it as a device to enhance
interactions,” he says.

Mr. Abraham says controls should come from a more open and informed
discussion, of which even children are a part. Dubbing an activity not
fully understood an “addiction” and imposing old-fashioned controls are
not the right approach, he adds.

Wealth
is lost nothing is lost

Common Name : Tulsi
Plant Parts Used : Leaves, Seeds
and Root

Description of OCIMUM
SANCTUM :
Tulsi plant, is a shrub reaching a height of 0.5 to 1.5 m. The leaves are 2-4
cms in length. There are several varieties of the plant. However, commonly used
one is with dark leaves.The inflorescence is a long spike with tiny purple
flowers.

Characteristics and Constituents :
The leaves contain an essential oil which has been studied with gas
chromatography. The oil contains eugenol, eugenal, carvacrol, methyl-chavicol,
limatrol and caryophylline. The seeds contain an oil composed of fatty acids
and sitosterol. The mucilage is compared of sugars - xylose and polysaccharides.

Actions and Uses of OCIMUM
SANCTUM :
Antimicrobial activity of the essential oil has been shown against M.
tuberculosis and Staph aureus in vitro and other bacteria and fungi. Eugenol
and methyleugenol showed a positive activity. Adaptogenic (antistress) activity
has been found in mice and rats. The plant increased the physical endurance and
prevented stress-induced ulcers. In general pharmacology the aqueous extract
showed hypotensive activity and inhibited the smooth muscle contraction induced
by acetylcholine, carbachol and histamine. It also potentiated the
hexobarbitone sleeping time. Protective action against histamine-induced
bronchospasm has been shown in animals.

A tea prepared with the leaves of Tulsi is commonly used in cough,cold,mild
indigestion, diminished appetite and malaise.The solid extract of Tulsi, in a
dose of 500 mg x 3 for one week, significantly relieved the breathlessness in
20 patients with tropical eosinophilia. There was however no reduction in the
eosinophil count in peripheral blood. It is commonly used with black pepper in
bronchial asthma. An oil exlacted from Tulsi is used as drops in ear
infections. Fungal and bacterial infections of skin are treated with Tulsi juice.
The seeds are used as a general tonic.

The fresh leaves are taken as prasad by millions of Indians for many years. The
powdered leaves, 5-27 g per day were taken by 120 patients for 3 months. The
only side effect was constipation. In animals, with large dose of an extract,
antispermatogenic activity has been shown.

A tea
prepared with the leaves of Tulsi is commonly used in cough,cold,mild
indigestion, diminished appetite and malaise

A BLUE PRINT FOR LIFE

ON MAINTAINING GOOD HEALTH

THE WAY OF MEDICINE

To cure
illness, medicinal scince emphasizes cures

Involving food and drink, physics, chemistry, psychology,

environment, climate, and medicine. Buddhism does not only

incorporates normal medical science but also emphasizes the

elimination of   the three poisons of greed, anger, and

ignorance. Diseases of the mind require medicines for the

mind. Harmonizing the health of body and mind is the only

way to true health. This includes the above mentioned:
eating

and drinking moderately, paying homage and repenting,

chanting mantras and Buddha’s name, practicing

meditation, being mindful of breathing to achieve the state

of stoping delusion and seeing truth, making progress

optimistically, freeing the mind from cares and being at
ease

and calming oneself.

Health is lost something is lost

ZEN AWAKENMENT IN A NUTSHELL

“Late one night a female Zen adept was carrying water
in an old wooden bucket when she happened to glance across the surface of the
water and saw the reflection of the moon. As she walked the bucket began to
come apart and the bottom of the pail broke through, with the water suddenly
disappearing into the soil beneath her feet and the moon’s reflection
disappearing along with it. In that instant the young woman realized that the
moon she had been looking at was just a reflection of the real thing…just as
her whole life had been. She turned to look at the moon in all it’s silent
glory, her mind was ripe, and that was it…Awakenment.”

CHIYONO– NO MOON, NO WATER

FREE
ONLINE
TRAINING ON BUDDHISM FOR CHILDREN -26

The Fawn Who Played Dead
[Attendance]

Once upon a time, there was a herd of forest
deer. In this herd was a wise and respected teacher, cunning in the ways of
deer. He taught the tricks and strategies of survival to the young fawns.

One day, his younger sister brought her son to
him, to be taught what is so important for deer. She said, “Oh brother
teacher, this is my son. Please teach him the tricks and strategies of
deer.” The teacher said to the fawn, “Very well, you can come at this
time tomorrow for your first lesson.”

The young deer came to the lessons as he was
supposed to. When others cut classes to spend all day playing, he remained and
paid attention to the good teacher. He was well-liked by the other young bucks
and does, but he only played when his class work was complete. Being curious to
learn, he was always on time for the lessons. He was also patient with the
other students, knowing that some learn more quickly than others. He respected
the teacher deer for his knowledge, and was grateful for his willingness to
share it.

One day, the fawn stepped in a trap in the
forest and was captured. He cried out in great pain. This frightened the other
fawns, who ran back to the herd and told his mother. She was terrified, and ran
to her brother the teacher. Trembling with fear, crying big tears, she said to him,
“Oh my dear brother, have you heard the news that my son has been trapped
by a hunter’s snare? How can I save my little child’s life? Did he study well
in your presence?”

Her brother said, “My sister, don’t be
afraid. I have no doubt he will be safe. He studied hard and always did his
very best. He never missed a class and always paid attention. Therefore, there
is no need to have doubt or pain in your heart. He will not be hurt by any
human being. Don’t worry. I am confident he will return to you and make you
happy again. He has learned all the tricks and strategies used by deer to cheat
the hunters. So be patient. He will return!”

Meanwhile, the trapped fawn was thinking,
“All my friends were afraid and ran away. There is no one to help me get
out of this deadly trap. Now I must use the tricks and strategies I learned
from the wise teacher who taught so well.”

The deer strategy he decided to use was the
one called, “playing dead.” First, he used his hoofs to dig up the
dirt and grass, to make it look like he had tried very
hard to escape. Then he relieved his bowels and released his urine, because
this is what happens when a deer is caught in a trap and dies in very great
fear. Next, he covered his body with his own saliva.

Lying stretched out on his side, he held his
body rigidly and stiffened his legs out straight. He turned up his eyes, and
let his tongue hang out of the side of his mouth. He filled his lungs with air
and puffed out his belly. Finally, with his head leaning on one side, he
breathed through the nostril next to the ground, not through the upper one.

Lying motionless, he looked so much like a
stiff corpse that flies flew around him, attracted by the awful smells. Crows
stood nearby waiting to eat his flesh.

Before long it was early morning and the
hunter came to inspect his traps. Finding the fawn who was playing dead, he
slapped the puffed up belly and found it stiff. Seeing the flies and the mess
he thought, “Ah, it has already started to stiffen. He must have been
trapped much earlier this morning. No doubt the tender meat is already starting
to spoil. I will skin and butcher the carcass right here, and carry the meat
home.”

Since he completely believed the deer was dead, he removed and cleaned the
trap, and began spreading leaves to make a place to do the butchering.
Realizing he was free, the fawn suddenly sprang to his feet. He ran like a
little cloud blown by a swift wind, back to the comfort and safety of his
mother. The whole herd celebrated his survival, thanks to learning so well from
the wise teacher.

The moral is: Well-learned lessons bring great rewards.

VR1

(WE
ARE ONE)

+ve
NEWS

Wealth is lost nothing is lost

Health is lost something is lost

BSP MAYAWATI’s  policy of “Sarvjan hitaya sarvjan sukhaya”
will be a total success like OBAMA’s. Its just a matter of time.

Maya re-elected BSP president

The national executive of the BSP on Wednesday unanimously

`elected’ chief minister Mayawati as its president.

The meeting was called to discuss party’s strategy for forthcoming

assembly elections in Harayana and Maharashtra. The meeting will

continue on Thursday and will also discuss the strategy for the

by-elections for 11 assembly seats and a parliamentary seat in UP. All

the party office-bearers, legislators and members of parliament have

been invited to take part in the meeting which is also likely to

finalise the names of the candidates for by-elections.

Maya was first elected party president in 2006. She had then succeeded

party’s founder president Kanshiram. However, when Kanshiram started

keeping unwell, he decided to hand over the charge to second in

command, Mayawati. After Kanshiram’s death, Maya is undisputed leader

of the BSP.

Maharashtra on Mayawati’s radar

Today, Mayawati is banking on the 11% SC/ST population, which was traditionally with

the Congress until Sharad Pawar’s Nationalist Congress Party (NCP)

managed to woo the Republican Party of India (RPI). Now the BSP is out

to dent this vote bank.

In Haryana, the BSP made huge inroads in the last Lok Sabha election,

getting 16% of the vote, second only to the Congress. It also stood

second in two Lok Sabha constituencies.

Now, the BSP has joined hands with Haryana Janhit Congress (HJC) chief

and three-time chief minister Bhajan Lal. Under this arrangement, the

BSP will contest 40 of the 90 seats in the state.

 ALMOST EVERY FRAUD involves
VICTIM
sending “CASH” money to a
Fraudster/Scammer.
ABSOLUTELY DO NOT send any money
using Western
Union / Moneygram. 
Always deal ONLY locally by meeting
the seller/buyer in person.
READ and UNDERSTAND the methods used
by Fraudsters in the link above.

Creating Online Success
Learn To Build and Market Your Business Effectively

SEO
Training The Beginners Guide To Link Building

• Posted by mentors4u in Direct Sales Business,
  Earn Money Online, How To Market
  An Online Business, Internet Business, Internet Marketing UK,
  Mentoring, Online Marketing, SEO Training, Seo Consultants, Seo Training Classes, Start An Internet
  Business, What is
  Search Engine Optimization, YourNetBiz, business mentoring, free online marketing,
  free online
  marketing strategies, marketing My
  Internet Business, marketing strategies, online coaching, online marketing
  strategies
• 0
  Comments

Over the last 8
ears our SEO training classes have changed.  That has a large part in the
fact that search engine optimization techniques change.  Google, Yahoo,
MSN and other search engines are changing the way they rank sites.  The
fact is what worked yesterday, may not work today.    It is
critical to insure consistent tracking is being completed to stay on top of the
current trends.

One of major aspect
that has changed is link building, and back linking.  Years ago the
research in this area took a long time, and then gathering the information to
link to took even longer.  But with modern tools and resource you can have Your Net
Biz  website receiving quality back
links.   

In our business
mentoring for YourNetBiz and My
Internet Business we are consistently testing
new software’s, and material in the link-building niche.  This is one of
the most effective ways to get your site seen in your niche.  Do this
right and you page will follow inclusion, do this wrong and you site will never
be seen on the first 5 pages.

Top Direct Sales Companies Focus on the below linking and back linking strategies. 
As you advance there are additional steps to master, however for those that are
seeking to get started, this is a great resource.

1.)  Social Book Marketing Sites – Sign up for social book marking
Sites.  Some good ones are Del.i.cous, Digg, Google Book Marks are good
sites to start with

2.) 
Yahoo Answers – Ask a Question on Yahoo
answers.  Make sure not to spam or abuse the network.   Read the
regulations

3.) 
Forums – Use forums to comment.  In
addition it’s a great place to network, but while you can’t actively promote
you signature line can contain your URL

4.) 
Press Releases – Press Releases have multiple
purposes.  One to get targeted traffic to your
Internet Business site, and it is a great
resource for back links

5.) 
Articles – Write articles, and become an expert
in your niche.  While you can’t promote links in body, you can use the
resource box to promote you and or your product or niche

6.) 
Videos – Video marketing is a great way to get
more exposure.  In the description section also include your link

7.) 
Directories – Find high page rank
directories.  DMOX, Yahoo Directories, etc

8.) 
Comments On Blogs – Find Blogs in your niche and
leave a comment.  Be respectful if they allow follow back then at least
read their blogs, and offer real information accordingly

There are definite
steps necessary to getting YourNetBiz exposed on the search engines.  Link Building
remains a critical component to getting that ranking.  

Take time out every
day to work on YourNetBiz website rankings. 
This should be done on a consistent basis every day.  The more links you
build the more credibility that Google views your page.

While some
find these link building strategies daunting, others love the challenge of
building your site up.  Love it or hate it bottom line they work!

ON WEALTH

THE WAY OF FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT

As long as it is clean wealth and in accordance with

right occupation  and
livelihood, then the more better.

As long as it is beneficial to the people, society, and the

economy , and as long as the occupation – such as farming,

manufacturing, business, or banking – adds to the happiness

and prosperity of life, Buddhists should participate. Having

money is not shameful, but poverty can lead to evil.

Wealth
is lost nothing is lost

Jivaka

Prince
Abhaya, the son of King Bimbisara, was riding through the city when he saw a
flock of crows circling and cawing loudly around a small bundle. Stopping his
carriage, he investigated the sound and found a newborn baby boy who had been
left to die amongst the garbage on the roadside. Upon inquiry he learned that a
courtesan had discarded her illegitimate son whom she felt was a burden, and
had left him to die.

Prince
Abhaya was transfused with compassion for the newborn babe that still clung to
life despite its ugly surroundings. He decided to adopt the baby as his own.
The baby was named Jivaka Komara Bhacca – Jivaka, meaning ‘life’, because of
his will to live, and Komara Bhacca, which meant ‘adopted by a prince’.

Jivaka led
a privileged life in the palace. His friends, however, often teased him as he
had no mother. Jivaka, who was embarrassed by the teasing, questioned his
father about his origin. When he heard about his origins and his will to live
he decided that he would one day grow up to be a preserver of life. He felt
that he had no real heritage or family as he was only the adopted son of the
prince. Physicians, however, were treated with great respect. Determined to
earn the respect he felt he lacked due to his birth, Jivaka decided to go to
the University of
Taxila to become a
physician.

Jivaka
approached Disapamok, a well-known scholar, for his training. At this time
Sakka, the King of the Heavens, was observing the world. He realized that it
was time for Jivaka, who had in past births aspired to be the physician of the
Buddha, to begin his training. Sakka, however, wanted to ensure that Jivaka had
more than just the best training available in India. This was the young man who
would have the privilege to be the physician of the Buddha. Sakka decided to
take a hand in the training of young Jivaka so that he would have celestial
knowledge in the art of medicine. With this in view, He entered the body of
Disapamok. Jivaka excelled in his studies. Disapamok, however, soon realized
that the training that he was providing was being influenced by celestial
beings. The knowledge that was being imparted through him far excelled his
knowledge of medicine. Jivaka quickly learned medicines and cures of which
Disapamok himself had no knowledge. Jivaka completed in seven years the physicians
training which usually took eleven years.

Realizing
that Jivaka’s education was complete, Disapamok asked him to go forth and bring
back a plant, herb or root that could not be used for medicinal purposes for
the preservation of life. After travelling far and wide Jivaka returned to his
teacher to inform him that no such plant, herb, or root existed. All of
nature’s treasures were beneficial for the preservation of life. The joyous
teacher then praised his pupil by informing him that his education was
complete. Jivaka had surpassed his teacher in knowledge.

Jivaka
decided to go back to Rajagaha to his adoptive father. On the way he stopped to
rest in a city named Saletha. He soon heard that the young daughter of the
city’s wealthiest nobleman was sick. Despite the ministering of many well-known
physicians, she had suffered from severe headaches for seven years. Jivaka
approached the nobleman, as he was confident that he could cure the maiden. The
maiden, however, was not impressed by the very young man who claimed he could
cure her when older, well-known physicians had failed. Offering his services
for free, Jivaka continued to declare boldly that he could cure her.

Gathering
herbs and roots, Jivaka prepared the medicine which he then administered to her
through her nostrils. Before long the maiden’s headaches disappeared. The
grateful nobleman showered Jivaka with gifts and gold and provided him with a
golden chariot. Jivaka approached Prince Abhaya’s palace in great style.

Handing
over his newly earned wealth to his adoptive father, Jivaka thanked him for his
love, compassion, and caring. Prince Abhaya, however, returned all the wealth
to Jivaka and informed him that he owed him naught as he was his true son and
heir. He then told him that during his absence he had found out the full story
of his origin. His mother, Salawathi, was the sought-after courtesan of the
kings and nobility. Wanting to retain her freedom, she had discarded the baby
whom she felt would be a burden to her. Prince Abhaya had unknowingly adopted
his own child as he had loved his son dearly even prior to knowing that he was
in fact his own child. Prince Abhaya built a palace to serve as Jivaka’s
residence and provided him with many servants.

Jivaka’s
second patient was none other than his own grandfather, King Bimbisara. The
king had a huge growth in his stomach that bled from time to time on his royal
robe. So prominent was the growth that his consorts had started to tease the
king by saying that he was with child. The king had been treated by all the
great physicians of the country to no avail. Prince Abhaya informed Jivaka of
his grandfather’s plight.

Diagnosing
the disease sight unseen, Jivaka immediately prepared the suitable medicine.
Then hiding it on his person, he visited the king. After examining the king he
administered the medicine that he had brought with him. Before long the king’s
growth shrank and his wound healed. The grateful king called his entourage of
five hundred consorts who had teased him unmercifully by asking if his
first-born was to be a boy or a girl, and commanded them to give all their
jewellery as a gift to Jivaka. Before long a mound of precious jewellery higher
than Jivaka himself was placed at his feet. However, Jivaka refused this
payment and requested permission from the king to return the ornaments back to
his consorts. Even more impressed by Jivaka’s deportment, the king showered him
with wealth, gifted him with the royal mango grove and made him the royal
physician.

Jivaka’s
reputation as a great physician grew quickly. He was the physician of kings,
noblemen and the Buddha. The text mentions that he operated and successfully
removed two tumours from the brain of a rich merchant who was a good friend of
King Bimbisara. He also operated successfully to remove a blockage in the
intestines of a nobleman. In one instance when the Buddha was afflicted with
stomach problems, Jivaka prepared the medicine, and applying it on a blue lotus
flower, offered it to the Buddha. Jivaka then asked the Buddha to inhale the
essence emanating from the flower. The medicine which Jivaka had prepared with
devotion and presented so beautifully, cured the Buddha’s stomach ailment.

Jivaka had
in one instance risked his life to attend a very cruel and vicious king named
Chanda Pradyotha. One of the King Pradyotha’s subjects had offered him a shawl
that had been dropped by a Deva in the forest. Admiring the very beautiful
shawl, the king had reflected that he should gift it to Jivaka who had risked
his life to save him. Jivaka, however, felt that there was only one person
worthy of such a shawl. He in turn offered it to the Buddha. The Buddha
accepted the celestial shawl and, as requested by Jivaka, dispensed a sermon on
the giving of robes. After listening to the discourse, Jivaka attained the
first stage of awakenment, Sotapanna. The Buddha felt that keeping such a
valuable shawl in the monastery would attract thieves, which would endanger His
monks. Addressing ananda, he requested that the shawl be cut into strips and
resewn so that it would be of little value to thieves. This custom of wearing
patched garments still remains among the Sangha. Even their new robes are made
of strips of material that are sewn together so that even the robe they wear
would help them in the practice of non-attachment.

Jivaka
built a monastery in his mango grove so that he could be close to the Buddha
when attending to His needs. It was Jivaka who attended to the Buddha’s foot
when it was cut by the sliver of rock that Devadatta rolled down the hill at
Gijjhakuta. It was also Jivaka who treated the Buddha in His last days, when He
was overcome by stomach pains.

The Buddha
said:

“Taking
life, beating, cutting, binding, stealing, lying, fraud, deceit, pretence at
knowledge, adultery; this is uncleanliness.

When
men are rough and harsh, backbiting, treacherous, without compassion, haughty,
ungenerous and do not give anything to anybody; this is uncleanliness.

Anger,
pride, obstinacy, antagonism, hypocrisy, envy, ostentation, pride of opinion,
interacting with the unrighteous; this is uncleanliness.

When
men are of bad morals, refuse to pay their debts, are slanderers, deceitful in
their dealings, pretenders, when the vilest of men commit foul deeds; this is
uncleanliness

When
men attack living beings either because of greed or hostility and are always
bent upon evil, they go to darkness after death and fall headlong into hell;
this is uncleanliness.

The
Buddha’s teaching is known as the middle path. He did not go to extremes or
command anyone to do anything. While he gave permission for His monks to be
vegetarians if they so wished.

Buddhists
should also refrain from killing, instigating others to kill or from a
livelihood that involves the breeding of animals for killing Neither should one
discourage those who have chosen to refrain from eating meat. A balanced diet
can be achieved without meat. Many Buddhists have opted to become vegetarians
as it assists them in the practice of loving-kindness.

It was also
at Jivaka’s request that the Buddha established that monks should sweep the
compound of the monastery and attend to other duties that would exercise their
bodies. Jivaka, seeing the benefit of exercise for a healthy life, requested
this and other mild duties to be performed by the monks to ensure their health.
With foresight, love and compassion the devoted Jivaka took care of the
physical health of the Buddha and His Sangha.

Health is lost something is lost

The Precepts

The precepts
are a condensed form of Buddhist ethical practice. They are often compared with
the ten commandments of Christianity, however, the precepts are different in
two respects: First, they are to be taken as recommendations, not commandments.
This means the individual is encouraged to use his/her own intelligence to
apply these rules in the best possible way. Second, it is the spirit of the precepts
-not the text- that counts, hence, the guidelines for ethical conduct must be
seen in the larger context of the Eightfold Path.

The first
five precepts are mandatory for every Buddhist, although the fifth precept is
often not observed, because it bans the consumption of alcohol. Precepts no.
six to ten are laid out for those in preparation for monastic life and for
devoted lay people unattached to families. The eight precepts put together
number eight and nine and omit the tenth. Lay people may observe the eight
precepts on Buddhist festival days. Ordained Theravada monks undertake no less
than 227 precepts, which are not listed here.

I undertake
to observe the precept to abstain from …

1. …harming living beings.
2. …taking things not freely given.
3. …sexual misconduct.
4. …false speech.
5. …intoxicating drinks and drugs causing heedlessness.
6. …taking untimely meals.
7. …dancing, singing, music and watching grotesque mime.
8. …use of garlands, perfumes and personal adornment.
9. …use of high seats.
10. …accepting gold or silver.

(adapted from The Word of the Buddha, Niyamatolika, The
Buddhist Publication Society, 1971, p xii)

The above
phrasing of the precepts is very concise and leaves much open to
interpretation. One might ask, for example, what exactly constitutes false
speech, what are untimely meals, what constitutes sexual misconduct, or whether
a glass of wine causes heedlessness. And, the grotesque mime watching of the
seventh precept sounds perhaps a bit outdated. The Buddhist master Thich Nath
Hanh has formulated The Five Mindfulness Trainings, which are an adaptation of
the first five Buddhist precepts. These are practised by Buddhists of the Lam
Te Dhyana school. By virtue of their sensible phrasing and their relevance to
modern lifestyle, these “trainings” provide a valuable foundation of
ethics for all of humanity.

The Five Mindfulness Trainings
(according to Thich Nath Hanh, www.plumvillage.org)

-First
Training-

Aware of the
suffering caused by the destruction of life, I am committed to cultivating
compassion and learning ways to protect the lives of people, animals, plants,
and minerals. I am determined not to kill, not to let others kill, and not to
condone any act of killing in the world, in my thinking, and in my way of life.

-Second Training-

Aware of the
suffering caused by exploitation, social injustice, stealing, and oppression, I
am committed to cultivate loving kindness and learn ways to work for the
well-being of people, animals, plants, and minerals. I am committed to practice
generosity by sharing my time, energy, and material resources with those who
are in real need. I am determined not to steal and not to possess anything that
should belong to others. I will respect the property of others, but I will
prevent others from profiting from human suffering or the suffering of other
species on Earth.

-Third
Training-

Aware of the
suffering caused by sexual misconduct, I am committed to cultivate
responsibility and learn ways to protect the safety and integrity of
individuals, couples, families, and society. I am determined not to engage in
sexual relations without love and a long-term commitment. To preserve the
happiness of myself and others, I am determined to respect my commitments and
the commitments of others. I will do everything in my power to protect children
from sexual abuse and to prevent couples and families from being broken by
sexual misconduct.

-Fourth
Training-

Aware of the
suffering caused by unmindful speech and the inability to listen to others, I
am committed to cultivate loving speech and deep listening in order to bring
joy and happiness to others and relieve others of their suffering. Knowing that
words can create happiness or suffering, I am committed to learn to speak
truthfully, with words that inspire self-confidence, joy, and hope. I am
determined not to spread news that I do not know to be certain and not to
criticise or condemn things of which I am not sure. I will refrain from
uttering words that can cause division or discord, or that can cause the family
or the community to break. I will make all efforts to reconcile and resolve all
conflicts, however small.

-Fifth
Training-

Aware of the
suffering caused by unmindful consumption, I am committed to cultivate good
health, both physical and mental, for myself, my family, and my society by
practising mindful eating, drinking, and consuming. I am committed to ingest
only items that preserve peace, well-being, and joy in my body, in my
consciousness, and in the collective body and consciousness of my family and society.
I am determined not to use alcohol or any other intoxicant or to ingest foods
or other items that contain toxins, such as certain TV programs, magazines,
books, films, and conversations. I am aware that to damage my body or my
consciousness with these poisons is to betray my ancestors, my parents, my
society, and future generations. I will work to transform violence, fear,
anger, and confusion in myself and in society by practising a diet for myself
and for society. I understand that a proper diet is crucial for
self-transformation and for the transformation of society.

A BLUE PRINT FOR LIFE

ON LIFE & HAPPINESS

THE WAY OF OWNERSHIP

In addition to managing time,
fighting for time.

and  using  time for things beneficial to society and to
extending

one’s own life span, we should be diligent in creating
lasting

beautiful language, good morals, incorruptible culture,

illustrious enterprises, firm faith, pure wisdom, eternal
virtue,

and collective life. Only in this way can we truly “have”

happiness and long life.

FIVE  MINUTES  ON  BUDDHA’S  TEACHING

The Eightfold Path can be compared to a road map. Just
as a traveler will need a map to lead him to his destination, we all
need the Eightfold Path which shows us how to attain self purification.
To attain self- purification, there are three aspects of the Eightfold
path to be developed by the devotee. He has to develop Sila (Morality),
Samadhi (Mental Culture) and Panna (Wisdom). While the three must be
developed simultaneously, the intensity with which any one area is to
be practised varies according to a person’s own spiritual development.
A devotee must first develop his morality, that is, his actions should
bring good to other living beings. He does this by faithfully adhering
to the precepts of abstaining from killing, slandering, stealing,
becoming intoxicated or being lustful. As he develops his morality, his
mind will become more easily controlled, enabling him to develop his
powers of concentration. Finally, with the development of
concentration, wisdom will arise.

 The Eightfold Path consists of the following eight factors:

Right Speech

Right Action

Right Livelihood

Right Effort

Right Mindfulness

Right Concentration

Right Understanding

Right Thoughts

                                                                            Dr Sri K. Dhammananda

P.P. Lakshman
August 28, ‘09 

Email: pplakshmann08@ gmail.com
Tel: 917-664-6566

FREE ONLINE TRAINING
ON BUDDHISM FOR CHILDREN-25

The
Fawn Who Played Hooky
[Truancy]

Once upon a time, there was a herd of forest deer. In this herd
was a wise and respected teacher, cunning in the ways of deer. He taught the
tricks and strategies of survival to the young fawns.

One day, his younger sister brought her son to him, to be taught
what is so important for deer. She said, “Oh brother teacher, this is my
son. Please teach him the tricks and strategies of deer.” The teacher said
to the fawn, “Very well, you can come at this time tomorrow for your first
lesson.”

At first, the young deer came to the lessons as he was supposed
to. But soon, he became more interested in playing with the other young bucks
and does. He didn’t realize how dangerous it could be for a deer who learned
nothing but deer games. So he started cutting classes. Soon he was playing
hooky all the time.

Unfortunately, one day the fawn who played hooky stepped in a
snare and was trapped. Since he was missing, his mother worried. She went to
her brother the teacher, and asked him, “My dear brother, how is my son?
Have you taught your nephew the tricks and strategies of deer?”

The teacher replied, “My dear sister, your son was
disobedient and unteachable. Out of respect for you, I tried my best to teach
him. But he did not want to learn the tricks and strategies of deer. He played
hooky! How could I possibly teach him? You are obedient and faithful, but he is
not. It is useless to try to teach him.”

Later they heard the sad news. The stubborn fawn who played
hooky had been trapped and killed by a hunter. He skinned him and took the meat
home to his family.

The moral is: Nothing can be learned from a
teacher, by one who misses the class.

Precepts (Character, morality
self-discipline) is lost everything is lost

A Permanent Online International Seminar on Buddhism and
Buddhist Heritage of Jambudvipa that is the Great Prabuddha Bharath

COMPREHENSIVE PALI
COURSE 

LESSON 10

Exercise 1

Translate into English

1. Buddho Dhammacārīnaṁ saccaññīnaṁ

devānañaṁ manussānañca Anuttaro Sārathi.

The Awakened One is the Peere Less Guide for

righteous and truth-perceiving gods and men.

2. Sabbe sattā sukhino bhavantu khemino hontu,

Dhammānurakkhino hontu iti Budhassa
Bhagavato

Anuyāyino mettā-bhāvanaṁ bhāventi.

“May all
beings become happy ones! May

They become
secures! May they be preservers of Truth!

Thus the
followers of the Lord, the Awakened One,

practice
the meditation and Universal Love.

3. Sāriputto-Moggallāno
   samaṇānaṁ
   balino gaṇino

ahesuṁ. Te Dhammasāmino Bhagavantassa

Buddhassa Dhammānuyāyīno ahesuṁ.

Sariputta and Moggallana were powerful leaders of

The monks; they were devout followers of the Lord

Of Truth, The Awakened One, the Blessed One.

4. kālakṇṇīnaṁ manussānaṁ puññakārī kātuṁ

Buddhasāvakā
yeva sakkaccakārino mantino honti.

To make righteous of unfortunate men only the

Disciples of the Awakened one become zealous

councilors.

5. Idha socati, pecca socati, pāpakāri ibhayattha socati;

idha modati, puññakārī sabbattha

modati.

He repents here, he repents hereafter, the evil-doer

Repents in both worlds; he rejoices here, he rejoices

Hereafter, the doer of good rejoices everywhere.

—-

VR1

(WE
ARE ONE)

+ve
NEWS

Wealth is lost nothing is lost

Health is lost something is lost

Precepts (Character, morality self-discipline) is lost
everything is lost

Statues installation: UP Govt files answer

Gold Buddha statue recovered in Uttar Pradesh

“During interrogation, they confessed they had stolen the statue
from an ancient temple in Kushinagar and the international value of the
statue is Rs.3.5 crore (Rs.35 million),” Deputy Inspector General of
Police (Allahabad range) Chandra Prakash told IANS over phone.

The information has been sent to the Kushinagar police and the
information is expected soon about from where the statue was stolen, he
added.

Continuity
and Change in the Economic Ethics of Buddhism ­ Evidence From the History of
Buddhism in India, China and Japan

Introduction

Buddhist economic ethics–that is Buddhist
values with regard to wealth and economic activity, either within society or
within the sangha–are often slighted in Western scholarly studies of Buddhism
even though they play a significant role as a part of overall Buddhist
philosophy regarding social life and even enlightenment itself. This is due
perhaps partly to an implicit interpretation of Buddhism among some scholars as
being a religion focused primarily upon an individualistic pursuit of
enlightenment rather than also a set of practiced social, political, and
economic ethics. To an extent of course this characterization holds true, for
at least a part of both the Theravāda and Mahāyāna
traditions. Yet it also ignores clearly developed Buddhist attitudes and values
toward economic activities, some explicitly expressed in the various Vinaya
codes for monks, others less explicitly, but still clearly enough, in various
stories and sūtras which
lay out general principles of behavior for lay believers.

This paper offers an outline of the
development of Buddhist economic ethics using examples from early Theravāda Buddhism in India and
the Mahāyāna tradition as it evolved
in India, medieval China, and medieval and early modern Japan, in order to
illustrate the pattern of continuities and transformations these ethics have
undergone. By “economic ethics” the paper refers to four broad areas:
(1) attitudes toward wealth, i.e., its accumulation, use, and
distribution, including the issues of economic justice and equality/
inequality; (2) attitudes toward charity, i.e., how and to whom wealth
should be given; (3) attitudes toward human labor and secular
occupations in society; and (4) actual economic activities of temples and
monasteries which reflect the lived-practice of Buddhist communities’ economic
ethics. By “Buddhist,” the paper refers to mainline Buddhist thinking
in history, as represented by the various Vinaya codes, sūtras and stories, and
economic activities of major sects, monasteries, and temples.

Since I will be dealing with a range of
“Buddhisms” as they developed in various times and places, I have
relied upon previous scholarly work to help define what the general trends of
the economic ethics of these various “Buddhisms” were. This approach
assumes that there was no one Buddhist economic ethic for all of these
different times and places, just as there is no one “Buddhism.” Yet
through an examination of the economic ethics of these different
“Buddhisms,” certain continuities and differences
between them become clear. Moreover, the presence of these continuities would
seem to allow us to make a number of tentative conclusions about what the
development and nature of these various Buddhist economic ethics as a whole
might share. These can be summarized as follows:

JIVAKA PRESUMPTIVE HEALTH
PROTECTION CENTRE

Medicinal and Aromatic Plants—Future Opportunities

During the past 30 years, medicinal
and aromatic plants in the United States
have moved from essentially unknown, minor agricultural plants into crops that
many farmers consider producing as an alternative to usual plantings of food
and feed crops. The attraction of medicinal and aromatic plants as worthy farm
crops has grown due to the demand created by consumer interest in these plants
for culinary, medicinal, and other anthro­pogenic applications. As racial
diversity in the US has
expanded, immigrants from countries in which herbs and herbal medicines are
commonly used to flavor foods and treat illnesses have introduced other
Americans to a diverse range of plant materials. Indeed, market trend surveys
indicate that mainstream American consumers will purchase 75% of the ethnic
foods during the next decade (Packaged Facts 2004a).

Farmers growing medicinal and aromatic
plants, similar to farmers in other agricultural systems, begin each growing
season with hopes for success in producing a crop that brought to market will
more than repay the expense of production. Yet, in addition to traditional
cropping uncertainties of weather, pests, and other limitations, the medicinal
and aromatic plant farmer also faces changes in consumer interest,
international trade policies, and other issues that control demand. For these
reasons, an understanding of future opportunities in the medicinal and aromatic
plant industry (WHO 2003) is necessary to enable US growers to envision and
invest in medicinal and aromatic crops that will meet market demands.

HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVES

The initiation of medicinal plant and
aromatic production, as a gathering or cultivation of plant materials, is lost
to history, but most likely began at or near the time of the first afflictions
and the recognition that smell­ing, chewing, and/or eating some plant materials
could provide relief from nausea, pain, and/or other infirmities. Those plants
containing the unique chemical profiles that offered pain relief, pleasant
aromas, and enhanced food flavors would soon be renowned and much valued by
early humans, leading to associations among certain aliments, plants, and
“feeling better” (Friedman and Adler 2001). Thus, these plants, now known as
medicinal and aromatic plants, and their extracts became the main source for
medicines, seasonings, colorings, preser­vatives, and other similar items used
in societies, sustained by myths and traditions developed to explain the almost
“magical” powers of selected species and to transmit the accumulation of
acquired knowledge about these species before the era of written records.

As continued experimentation with
various plant materials demonstrated the benefits of having specific plants
immediately available for use in medical treatment and food flavoring,
husbandry of these plant species undoubtedly started. Although the collection
of plants probably remained the primary source of medicinal and aromatic plant
material for a considerable period of time, cultivation and growth of plants
could be expected to have begun in small garden plots and botanical
collections. As human migration led to settlements within vari­ous ecosystems,
species having medicinal and aromatic properties specific to those regions
would be discovered, leading to a collection of plant materials with a variety
of uses and the initiation of trade among neighboring groups for unavailable
plant materials. This initial exchange of plant material could be expected to
spread and with the passage of time lead to overland and sea trade routes,
including those that brought plant materials from Asia to Europe to meet the demand for spices as seasonings
and medicines. New insights into the causal agents of poor health were acquired
during the 18th and 19th centuries (such as the germ theory developed by Pasteur and Koch,
use of disinfectants by Lister, plus the work of many others), but medicinal
and aromatic plants remained the primary pharmaceutical agents into the early
1900s (Craker et al. 2003; Craker and Gardner 2006).

Technological innovations and
political and social forces at the beginning of the 20th century caused
a rapid decline in the use of plants as medicine. The development of sulfa
drugs in the 1930s and the synthesis of organic chemicals in the 1940s produced
additional sources of medicines and, indeed, became the preferred method for
treatment in some countries, especially in America where the 1910 Flexner
Report (Flexner 1910) and the American Medical Association (AMA 2006) indicated
only trained physicians using allopathic medi­cines should be allowed to
practice medicine. At the same time, Western societies, modernized by the
industrial revolution, became infatuated with the social and economic changes
following World War I and identified with the new, synthesized chemical
medicines, requesting these in place of herbal medicines and resulting in a
decline in the use of plants and plant extracts until the mid-1970s (Craker et
al. 2003). By the middle of the 20th century, medical practitioners and
consumers were demanding scientific proof of efficacy through double-blind
clinical trials in contrast to the traditional use and mythological
associations linked with medicinal plant materials.

The decline in the use of herbal
preparations as medicines can be inferred from the decline in listing of
medicinal species in the U.S. Pharmacopeia and National Formulary (USP_NF
1916-2006) beginning in the early 1900s (Fig. 1). At the start of the 20th century, over
40 percent of the listed drugs (mostly crude extracts) originated from plants,
but by the mid-1970s, the listing of plant materials had decreased to less than
5% of the drugs in the Pharmacopeia and Formulary. In the
intervening years, the American concept of medicine had evolved from a
collection of plant materials with a mixture of constituents to a medication
containing only one chemical formula (Craker and Gardner 2005). The collection
of laws and regulations, originally developed to protect the public from
worthless health products, unsanitary manufacturing practices, and unscrupulous
sales people, limited access to phytomedicines and medical practitioners that
used phytomedicines (Masiello 1999).

With decreased demand, interest in the
cultivation of medicinal and aromatic plants in the United States
decreased. The US Department of Agriculture, which published cultivation guides
for farmers growing me­dicinal aromatic plants in the first half of the 1900s,
failed to provide such guides in the latter half of the 20th century
(Craker et al. 2003). A sampling of horticultural and garden books published in
the early 1900s fre­quently contains cultivation information on aromatic and
medicinal herbs, but similar books published as late as the 1980s mention these
crops only briefly and focus on culinary herbs. Few research articles on
medicinal and aromatic plants were published in the scientific literature from
the 1940s to the 1990s (Fig. 2). Most current research on medicinal and aromatic
plants is focused on the medicinal uses and botany (Fig. 3).

 Plants in the US
Pharmacopeia and Formulary. Data collected by a count of plants and
plant extracts listed in the Pharmacopeia and Formulary for
publica­tion years listed.

Scientific publications on medicinal
plants and traditional medicine in Africa.
Data from other global regions and for individual plants demonstrate the same
trend. Publication count from those listed PubMed (a service of the US National
Library of Medicine), each point represents the sum of the previous five years.

 Research
interests in medicinal plants for 2006. Data collected by a count of abstracts
published during 2006 in the Medicinal and Aromatic Plants Abstracts, National
Institute of Science Communication and Information Resources, The Council of
Scientific & Industrial Research, New Delhi, India (Doreswamy 2006).

Issues in New Crops and New Uses

The revival of US
interest in culinary herbs appears to have been initiated by a revival of
interest in natural products in the 1960s and driven by demographic changes in
the population. For example, the current popula­tion growth rate among those of
Asian and Hispanic origin, cultural groups acknowledged to enjoy more highly
spiced foods than cultures of European origin, leads all ethnic groups at 61%
(US Census 2000). In addition, an aging American population (US Census 2000)
began to use medicinal and aromatic plants to stimulate aging taste buds and,
for health reasons, as substitutes for salt. Changes to the family structure in
which both parents worked led to increased use of prepared foods that contained
more spices. As consumers became more worldly oriented and more knowledgeable
about health during the 1980s and 1990s, interest in organic and natural foods
placed new emphasis on the benefits of using medicinal and aromatic plants. The
expansion of this American interest in medicinal and aromatic plants was
promoted by observations on the use of alternative medicines in China
during President Nixon’s visit to that country in 1972.

While conventional medicine
establishments generally disapproved of the revival of herbal medicines in the
US (Fontanarosa and Lundberg 1998; Browne 2005; Winnick 2005), consumers began
to explore and use these products as evidenced by the enhanced market for
dietary supplements during the 1990s, increasing in sales from less than $1
billion annually in the early 1990s to over $4 billion annually by the end of
the 1990s (Huff 2006). With passage of the Dietary Supplement Health and
Education Act (DSHEA) in 1994 (FDA 1994), sales of supplements, many of which
are herbal products, continued to increase despite warnings about lack of
efficacy and health hazards from the conventional medicine system in the US
(Cupp 1999; Klepser and Klepser 1999) (Fig. 4). The aging population of the US, which
needed increased health care, discovered herbal medi­cines were an attractive
alternative to the comparatively high costs of conventional medicines (Powers
2006). The use of herbal medicines in the US by
regular and occasional users increased from 2% of the population in 1990 to 37%
in 2000 (WWF 2000). Yet, this development in the US is in
contrast to most other countries that had remained committed to the use of
herbal medicines as part of their health care system throughout the 20th century. In
most areas of Africa and Asia,
the traditional healer continues to be the main source of medical care into the
21st
century,
primarily due to the relatively high cost of conventional medicines and the lack
of trained physicians (Craker and Gardner 2006).

Globalization of trade in the late
1990s and early 2000s and concerns about the conservation of genetic diversity
affected the cultivation of medicinal plants. As demand for medicinal species
in the US grew,
domes­tic and foreign growers increased production. Quality standards for plant
material increased with processors and consumers demanding clean (no physical
nor chemical contaminating adulterants), consistent (dependable production and
bioactive levels), and certifiable (identifiable for origin and history)
products (Khan et al. 2005). Research on medicinal and aromatic plants
initiated in the 1980s and 1990s led to improvements in production of plants,
extraction of bioactive constituents, and confirmation of medicinal
applications (Khan et al. 2005).

Yet, some aspects of globalization
have been challenging for medicinal and aromatic plant growers. For example,
the production of cultivated American ginseng (Panax quinquefolium L.,
Araliaceae) shifted from the traditional center in Wisconsin to Canada (Table 1) during the 1990s and then
more recently to China.

Table 1.Production of
American ginseng.

Growers in each production center have
been affected by changing market places. Where possible, American growers of
ginseng have increased planting of wild-simulated versus field grown ginseng in
efforts to maintain market share. Similar production shifts, yet unidentified,
may also be occurring or occur for other medicinal and aromatic species (Harry
2001).

In the late 1990s and early 2000s, a
number of new medicinal and aromatic plant products were brought to market.
Cosmeceuticals, products formulated to improve the health and appearance of the
skin, contain a number of plant extracts, such as Aloe barbadensis, Celastrus
paniculatus, Cyperus scariosus, Ginkgo biloba, Myrtus
caryophyllus, and Withania somnifera, to protect and rejuvenate the
upper layers of the skin (L’amar 2006). In 2004, US
consumers, primarily aging “baby boomers” wanting to avoid visual signs of aging,
spent $12.4 bil­lion on cosmeceuticals (Barret 2005). The development,
marketing, and sales of health and wellness drinks (herbal and flavored teas
and energy, health, functional, and sports drinks that often contain herbal
extracts) exploded after 2000, with total sales of several billion dollars in
current markets (Table 2) (Lipson 2005; Mintel 2004a,b; Packaged Facts 2006).
Consumer choice spending has lead to interest in natural products for animal
care (feed and non-feed items labeled natural or organic), significantly
increasing demand during the past few years (doubling from 2002 to 2003 and
expected to reach $1 billion in the US by 2009) (Packaged Facts 2004b) for
medicinal and aromatic plants with a history of traditional veterinary use (Pieroni et al.
2006).

THE FUTURE

Demand for medicinal and aromatic
plants in the United States
can be expected to continue for the near future, although the rate of sale
increases for many medicinal and aromatic plant materials will probably not
match those exhibited during the 1990s. While the global market for medicinal
and aromatic plants can be estimated to be at least US$60 billion (WHO 2003),
exact market figures and market trends are difficult to ascertain due to herbal
materials in a vast array of products being sold through a large number
outlets, ranging from entrepreneurial sales over the internet to mass market
sales in supermarkets and natural product stores. In addition, favorable or
unfavorable press reports (Brody 1990, 1999; Browne 2005) about a particular
herbal product can cause an especially strong growth or a rapid decline in
interest and sales (Blumenthal et al. 2006; Craker and Gardner 2006; Google
Trends 2006). Most market surveys (Blumenthal et al. 2006; Dainells 2006;
Hartman Group 2006) suggest only a slow increase in overall demand within the US for
medicinal and aromatic plants, as compared with the 1990s. If the US
medical establishment fully accepts medicinal plants as part of the mainstream,
conventional medicine system (following the example of Asian and European
countries), sales could be expected to significantly increase.

Over the near future, continued
globalization of trade and markets along with ethnobotanical exploration can be
projected to continue to bring awareness of new plant materials for home,
medicinal, and industrial use. In addition to the demand created by population
diversi­fication and aging in the past 10 years (US Census 2000), the
relatively high cost of medical treatment in the US (Craker and Gardner 2006; Schippman
et al. 2005, 2006) and the failure of conventional medicine to have satisfac­tory
treatments for aliments, such as those associated with obesity and diabetes
(Table 3), and currently incur­able afflictions, such as HIV, cardiovascular
and degen­erative diseases, and cancer (JTF 1999), have stimulated many
healthcare consumers to test alternative medicines (AARP 2007). The search for
disease cures have led to global cooperation and extended research efforts on
the cultivation and improvement of such medicinal plants as Artemisia annua for
treatment of malaria, a disease estimated to be responsible for almost three
million deaths annually over the past 30 years, as synthesized drugs became
ineffective (IPBO 2004; WAC 2004).

Table 2. Health and
wellness market drinks.

Issues in New Crops and New Uses Rising incomes
in Asia are
likely to raise the standard of living of residents, increasing demand for
additional medicinal and aromatic plants as the population suffers from the
detrimental affects of ageing, weight gain, and other medical problems that
frequently occur in relatively prosperous societies (Gross 2001).

The increase in demand for medicinal
and aromatic plants will likely continue to threaten native species in some
localities. Price differentials between wild and cultivated plants due to a
desire for the wild material or the unavailability of cultivated plant material
currently encourages unsustainable collection practices in some localities (WWF
2000), especially in economically depressed regions that lack resources for
protecting plants (ITC 2001; Schippman et al. 2002). The financial gains for
collecting and selling local plant material frequently represent a substantial
share of total income for many medicinal plant collectors in several regions
(Schippmann et al. 2005, 2006). As an example, collection of wild ginseng
(valued at $2 million in 2002) (DOF 2006) in West Virginia can be a
considerable addition to budgets of poor families (average income <$10,000)
(CBPP 1997). In many instances, a switch to cultivated species to protect
endangered species is problematic due to the difficulty of duplicating the
demanding environmental requirements of wild species in cultivated fields and
due to the socio-economic impact on native cultures and local economies when
cultivation is shifted to large scale production outside the local area (Leaky
and Izac 1997; Schippman et al. 2002, 2005; Shanley and Luz 2003). In addition,
consumer concern about protection of endangered species and prosperity of
native cultures (FAO 2003), factors that may decrease or increase medicinal plant
purchases, respectively, will most likely require labeling to demonstrate
ethical wild-crafting practices and fair-trade (a guarantee of a just financial
return to the grower/collector for work).

Continued loss of habitat in the
future due to deforestation and development can be expected to remain a threat
to many medicinal and aromatic species in both developing and industrialized
countries (Shanley and Luz 2003; Schippmann et al. 2006). In tropical areas
such as Amazonia and West Africa, changing land use from logging, ranching,
mining, and agriculture have been identified as responsible for changes in
forest com­position and structure (Uhl et al. 1991; Ekpe 2002), frequently
creating environments unfavorable to growing native medicinal and aromatic species
and posing detrimental affects on traditional healthcare (Ekpe 2002). Such
destruction in natural ecosystems and the resultant losses in medicinal and
aromatic species will surely increase pressure for preservation and cultivation
of endangered flora. Shortages of available plant material for collection in
the natural environment of medicinal and aromatic plants can be expected to
lead to increased costs for plant material until cultivation systems are in
place. Estimates suggest the number of plant species used for medicinal
purposes, most of which are collected in the wild, is more than 52,000
(Schippman et al. 2002).

In current medicinal and aromatic
plant markets, the demand is for organic products, matching the de­mand for
organic foods (Adam 2005; Hartman Group 2006) and suggesting that the current
base of customers for medicinal and aromatic plant products are the same as
those that purchase organic foods (Hartman 2007). As consumers become more
involved with health and wellness, future medicinal and aromatic plant markets
will need to respond to this demand by consumers for quality plant material,
most likely produced sustainably and uncontaminated by either synthetic
pesticides or by genetically modified organisms. As processors ex­pand to meet
the demand, global trade in medicinal and aromatic plants can be expected to
increase to make available certified organic plant material needed for the
development of new formulations and marketing concepts (Hartman Group 2006).
Sales of medicinal and aromatic plant combinations and herbal drinks have
posted market gains during the past few years (Ferrier et al. 2006) by offering
the liveliness and vigor of youth, the promise of vitality, simplicity, and
sustainability that can be expected to remain key market concepts in selling
medicinal and aromatic products in the near future (Hartman Group 2006).

Sales of organic non-food items (most
of which could be expected to contain medicinal and aromatic plants or plant
extracts) increased by one-third in 2005 (OTA 2006). The Nutrition Business
Journal (NBJ 2007)

Table 3. Obesity and
diabetes in the US.

reports that sales of dietary
supplements, many of which contain medicinal plant materials, increased by 4.5%
to $21.3 billion in 2005, with sales forecast to grow 1.5 to 2 times faster
than that of the US economy. Aromatic plants and plant extracts have become
extensively used in flower arrangements and the fragrance industry. The market
for candles and home fragrances, many of which contain aromatic plants and/or
plant extracts, reached an estimated $8.4 billion in 2004, a growth of 14.1%
from 2003 (Unity Marketing Inc. 2005) that has primar­ily been attributed to
the popularity of aromatherapy and scented candles (Elson 1999). Incense, made
from a combination of fragrant gums, resins, woods, and spices has an estimated
market value in the US
of $17 million ($12.4 million imports and $4.6 million exports) (Knight et al.
2001).

In addition to a role in traditional
and in alternative and complimentary medicinal markets, medicinal and aromatic
plants maintain a role in both over-the-counter and prescription drugs in
conventional medicine. An estimated 25% of conventional pharmaceuticals are
derived from medicinal plants (Farnsworth 1988). The estimated global market
for plant derived drugs was $18 billion in 2005, and is expected to grow to $26
billion by 2011, with the US and Canada
accounting for over 50% of the market demand (Pharmalicensing.com 2006). Of new
interest is the development of plant-made pharmaceuticals where plants are
being used to produce thera­peutic proteins that could be used for treating
diseases. Currently, common food and feed crops, such as alfalfa, barley, corn,
rice, and safflower, are being used to produce the proteins that are
subsequently isolated from the plant material. Although these products are not
yet on the market, they may offer medicinal plant growers and processors new
business opportunities in the future.

In the past few years, the
conventional American medical system seems to have done a “U-turn” and ac­cepted
the use of medicinal and aromatic by patients (Fig. 5). Yet, inconsistent
product quality, due to genotypic variation within plant species and
environmental effects that alter constituent levels and distribution, remains
an issue for use of medicinal and aromatic plants that growers and processors
can expect to continue to face in the immediate future. Quality is frequently
judged by color, aroma, taste, and effect of the plant material, although the
levels of various chemical constituents may also be analyzed in facilities
equipped or associated with testing laboratories. Additional terminology
associated with medicinal and aromatic plants and used in an effort to judge
quality aspects include organic (produced according to certification rules,
including without the use of synthetic fertilizers or pesticides) (USDA 2006),
wild-crafted (collected in the natural environment with no human contact before
harvest), woods-grown (planted in natural environment with protection and care
during growth), and commercial (produced with the possible use of synthetic
pesticides or fertilizers).

Good agricultural practices, good
collection practices, and good manufacturing practices have been de­veloped to
help growers, collectors, and processors to produce and maintain quality
medicinal and aromatic plant material (WHO 2003; FDA 2004). In the future,
these guidelines are likely to be revised and become one

The American
“U-turn” in acceptance of alternative medicines. Modified from Winnick (2005).

Issues in New Crops and New Uses of the standards
for quality determination. Such practices should help reduce adulterants and
contaminants in medicinal and aromatic plant materials brought to market. Such
adulterants (extraneous and fake plant material, counterfeit goods, synthetic
drugs, and other non-specific materials) are frequently a health hazard and
deprive the consumer of expected benefits.

CONCLUSIONS

In the US
and world markets, demand for medicinal and aromatic plant materials should
continue into the foreseeable future. Current and future changes in
demographics (age, culture, incomes, diseases, and other hu­man conditions),
public concern about healthcare (availability and expense), and familiarity
with plant products (press reports, advertising, education, and scientific
reports) can be expected to bring more people to sample and commit to using
medicinal and/or aromatic plant products. Acceptance of alternative and
complimentary medicines by conventional medical systems should reassure those
questioning the use of plant materials, enhance demand for medicinal plants,
and help establish a partnership between conventional and alternative medicines
for the benefit of the consumer. Rising consumer interest in use of natural and
organic products (Kroner 2006), in protection of endangered species (FAO 2003),
in intellectual property rights of native populations (Persley 1997), and in
the value of fair trade (Brinckmann 2004) will most likely continue, bringing a
need to validate plant sources and, in some instances, a preference for cultivation.

Consumer interest in medicinal and
aromatic plants is continuing to change in the US
marketplace as seg­ments of society become more aware of the possible
relationships between good health and healthy living. The concept of Western
medicine in which health is defined as absence of disease and all body systems
functioning is moderating and becoming more adjusted to the idea of balance
within the mind and body. As consumers become better informed about issues of
food, health, and nutrition, they also become better informed about the
controversies and concerns surrounding conventional medicine, genetically
engineered products, pesticide contaminated food, and similar issues. Such
consumers frequently choose or move towards a life-style likely to bring them
into organic and natural food stores and to try alternative medical care (SPINS
2004). Increased use of medicinal and aromatic plants will most likely be part
of this evolution.

A BLUE PRINT FOR LIFE

ON
EMOTIONS

THE WAY
OF LOVE AND AFFECTION

With love there is strength; there is hope; this is because love is
an instinct, common to human beings and all living things. Buddhism will not
deny or object to love as long as it is in accord with the law, morality, and
the laws of human ethics. Buddhism neither approves nor rejects love.But
advocates Middle Way
for life. Love must be purified with compassion and guided by wisdom. Love must
be accomplished with good and beauty; love must be supported by moral
behaviour. Life stems from love; we must add dignity and beauty to life with
pure, true, and compassionate love.

FREE
ONLINE
TRAINING ON BUDDHISM FOR CHILDREN -23

King
Banyan Deer
[ Teaching]

Out of compassion and gratitude, King Banyan Deer the
Enlightenment Being, taught the King of Benares.
He advised him to climb the five steps of training, in order to purify his
mind. He described them by saying, “It will benefit you, if you give up
the five unwholesome actions. These are:

• destroying life, for this is not compassion;
• taking what is not given, for this is not generosity;
• doing wrong in sexual ways, for this is not loving-kindness;
• speaking falsely, for this is not Truth;
• losing your mind from alcohol, for this leads to falling down the
  first four steps.”

He further advised him to do wholesome actions, that would
bring happiness in this life and beyond. Then King Banyan Deer, and both herds,
returned to the forest.

In the fullness of time, the pregnant doe, who had stayed
with Banyan’s herd, gave birth to a fawn. He was as beautiful as a lotus
blossom given as an offering to the gods.

When the fawn had grown into a young buck deer, he began
playing with Branch Deer’s herd. Seeing this, his mother said to him,
“Better to die after a short life with the great compassionate one, than
to live a long life with an ordinary one.” Afterwards, her son lived happily
in the herd of King Banyan Deer.

The only ones left unhappy were the farmers and villagers
of the kingdom. For, given total immunity by the king, the deer began to
fearlessly eat the people’s crops. They even grazed in the vegetable gardens
inside the villages and the city of Benares
itself!

So the people complained to the king, and asked permission
to kill at least some of the deer as a warning. But the king said, “I
myself promised complete immunity to King Banyan Deer. I would give up the
kingship before I would break my word to him. No one may harm a deer!”

When King Banyan Deer heard of this, he said to all the
deer, “You should not eat the crops that belong to others.” And he
sent a message to the people. Instead of making fences, he asked them to tie up
bunches of leaves as boundaries around their fields. This began the Indian
custom of marking fields with tied up leaves, which have protected them from
deer to this very day.

Both King Banyan Deer and the King of Benares
lived out their lives in peace, died, and were reborn as they deserved.

The moral is: Wherever it is found,
compassion is a sign of greatness.

A Permanent Online
International Seminar on Buddhism and Buddhist Heritage of Jambudvipa that is
the Great Prabuddha Bharath

Let Your Aim be Nibbana

by Ajahn Chah

A
talk Ajahn Chah gave while visiting the U.S. in 1979

August 7, 2005

At this time please determine your minds to listen to the dhamma. Today is the
traditional day of dhammasavana. It is the appropriate time for us, the
host of Buddhists, to study the dhamma in order to increase our mindfulness and
wisdom. Giving and receiving the teachings is something we have been doing for
a long time. The activities we usually perform on this day, chanting homage to
the Buddha, taking moral precepts, meditating and listening to teachings,
should be understood as methods and principles for spiritual development. They
are not anything more than this.

When it comes to taking precepts, for example, a monk will proclaim the
precepts and the laypeople will vow to undertake them. Don’t misunderstand what
is going on. The truth is that morality is not something that can be given. It
can’t really be requested or received from someone. We can’t give it to someone
else. In our vernacular, we hear people say ‘The venerable monk gave the
precepts” and “We received the precepts.” We talk like this here
in the countryside, and it has become our habitual way of understanding. If we
think like that, that we come to receive precepts from the monks on the lunar
observance days, and that if the monks won’t give precepts then we don’t have
morality, that is only a tradition of delusion that we have inherited from our
ancestors. Thinking in this way means that we give up our own responsibility,
not having firm trust and conviction in ourselves. Then it gets passed down to
the next generation, and they too come to ‘receive’ precepts from the monks.
And the monks come to believe that they are the ones who ‘give’ the precepts to
the laity. In fact, morality and precepts are not like that. They are not
something to be ‘given’ or ‘received’; but on ceremonial occasions of making
merit and the like, we use this as a ritual form according to tradition and
employ the terminology.

In truth, morality resides with the intentions of people. If you have the
conscious determination to refrain from harmful activities and wrongdoing by
way of body and speech, then morality is coming about within you. You should
know it within yourself. It is OK to take the vows with another person. You can
recollect the precepts by yourself. If you don’t know what they are, then you
can request them from someone else. It is not something very complicated or
distant. So really, whenever we wish to ‘receive’ morality and dhamma, we have
them right then. It is just like the air that surrounds us everywhere. Whenever
we breathe, we take it in. All manner of good and evil are like that. If we
wish to do good, we can do it anywhere, at any time. We can do it alone, or together
with others. Evil is the same. We can do it with a large or small group, in a
hidden or open place. It is like that.

These are things that are already in existence. But as to morality, it is
something that we should consider normal for all humans to practice. A person
who has no morality is no different from an animal. If you decide to live like
an animal, then of course there is no good or evil for you, because an animal
doesn’t have any knowledge of such things. A cat catches mice, but we don’t say
it is doing evil, because it has no concepts or knowledge of good or bad, right
or wrong. These beings are outside the circle of human beings. It is the animal
realm. The Buddha pointed out that this group is just living according to the
animal kind of kamma. Those who understand right and wrong, good and evil, are
humans. The Buddha taught his Dhamma for humans. If we people don’t have
morality and knowledge of these things, then we are not much different from
animals, so it is appropriate that we study and learn about them and make
ourselves able. This is taking advantage of the precious accomplishment of
human existence and bringing it to fulfillment.

The profound dhamma is the teaching that morality is necessary. Then when there
is morality, one should pursue dhamma. Morality means the precepts as to what
is forbidden and what is permissible. Dhamma refers to nature and to humans
knowing about nature, how things exist according to nature. Nature is something
we do not compose. It exists as it is, according to its conditions. A simple
example is animals. A certain species, such as peacocks, is born with its
various patterns and colors. They were not created like that by humans or
modified by humans; they are just born that way, according to nature. This is a
little example of how it is in nature.

All things of nature are existing in the world - this is still talking about
understanding from a worldly viewpoint. The Buddha taught Dhamma for us to know
nature, to let go of it and let it exist according to its conditions. This is
talking about the external material world. As to namadhamma, meaning the
mind, it can not be left to follow its own conditions. It has to be trained. In
the end, we can say that mind is the teacher of body and speech, so it needs to
be well trained. Letting it go according to its natural urges just makes one an
animal. It has to be instructed and trained. It should come to know nature, but
should not merely be left to follow nature.

We are born into this world, and all of us will naturally have the afflictions
of desire, anger and delusion. Desire makes us crave after various things and
causes the mind to be in a state of imbalance and turmoil. Nature is like that.
It will just not do to let the mind go after these impulses of craving. It only
leads to heat and distress. It is better to train in dhamma, in truth.

When aversion occurs in us, we want to express anger towards people, and it may
get to the point of physically attacking or even killing people. But we don’t
just ‘let it go’ according to its nature. We know the nature of what is
occurring there. We see it for what it is, and teach the mind about it. This is
studying dhamma.

Delusion is the same. When it happens, we are confused about things. If we just
leave it as it is, then we remain in ignorance. So the Buddha told us to know
nature, to teach nature, to train and adjust nature, to know exactly what
nature is.

For example, people are born with physical form and mind. In the beginning
these things are born, in the middle they change, and in the end they are
extinguished. This is ordinary; this is their nature. We cannot do much to
alter these facts. We train our minds as we can, and when the time comes we
have to let go of it all. It is beyond the ability of humans to change this or
get beyond it. The dhamma that the Buddha taught is something to be applied
while we are here, for making actions, words and thoughts correct and proper.
It means he was teaching the minds of people so that they would not be deluded
in regard to nature, to conventional reality and supposition. The Teacher
instructed us to see the world. His dhamma was a teaching that is above and
beyond the world. We are in the world. We were born into this world; he taught
us to transcend the world, not being prisoner to worldy ways and habits.

It is like a diamond that falls into a muddy pit. No matter how much dirt and
filth covers it, that does not destroy the radiance, the hues, and the worth of
it. Even though the mud is stuck to it, the diamond does not lose anything, but
is just as it originally was. There are two separate things.

So the Buddha taught to be above the world, which means knowing the world
clearly. By ‘the world’ he did not mean so much the earth and sky and elements,
but rather to the mind, the wheel of samsara within the hearts of people. He
meant this wheel, this world. This is the world that the Buddha knew clearly;
when we talk about knowing the world clearly, we are talking about these
things. If it were otherwise, then the Buddha would have had to be flying
everywhere to ‘know the world clearly.’ It is not like that. It is a single
point. All dhammas come down to one single point. Like people, which means men
and women. If we observe one man and one woman, we know the nature of all people
in the universe. They are not that different.

Or learning about heat. If we just know this one point, the quality of being
hot, then it does not matter what the source or cause of the heat is, the
condition of ‘hot’ is such. Knowing this one point, then wherever there may be
hotness in the universe, it is like this. So the Buddha knew a single point,
and his knowledge encompassed the world. Knowing coldness to be a certain way,
when he encountered coldness anywhere in the world, he already knew it. He taught
a single point, for beings living in the world to know the world, to know the
nature of the world…. Just like knowing people…. Knowing men and women, knowing
the manner of existence of beings in the world. His knowledge was such. Knowing
one point, he knew all things.

The dhamma which the Teacher expounded was for going beyond suffering. What is
this ‘going beyond suffering’ all about? What should we do to ‘escape from
suffering’? It is necessary for us to do some study; we need to come and study
the thinking and feeling in our hearts. Just that. It is something we are
presently unable to change. If we can change it, we can be free of all
suffering and unsatisfactoriness in life, just by changing this one point, our
habitual world view, our way of thinking and feeling. If we come to have a new
sense of things, a new understanding, then we transcend the old perceptions and
understanding.

The authentic dhamma of the Buddha is not something pointing far away. It
teaches self. It teaches about atta, self, and that things are not
really self. That is all. All the teachings that the Buddha gave were pointing
out that ‘this is not a self, this does not belong to a self, there is no such
thing as ourselves or others.’ Here, when we contact this, we can’t really read
it, we don’t ‘translate’ the Dhamma correctly. We still think ‘this is me, this
is mine.’ We attach to things and invest them with meaning. When we do this, we
can’t yet disentangle from them; the involvement deepens and the mess gets
worse and worse. If we know that there is no self, that body and mind are
really anatta, as the Buddha taught, then when we keep on investigating,
eventually we will come to realization of the actual condition of selflessness.
We will genuinely realize that there is no self or other. Pleasure is merely
pleasure. Feeling is merely feeling. Memory is merely memory. Thinking is
merely thinking. They are all things which are ‘merely’ that. Happiness is
merely happiness; suffering is merely suffering. Good is merely good, evil is
merely evil. Everything exists ‘merely’ thus. There is no real happiness or
real suffering. There are just the merely existing conditions. Merely happy,
merely suffering, merely hot, merely cold, merely a being or a person. You
should keep looking to see that things are only so much. Only earth, only
water, only fire, only air. We should keep on ‘reading’ these things and
investigating this point. Eventually our perception will change; we will have a
different feeling about things. The tight conviction that there is self and
things belonging to self will gradually come undone. When this sense of things
is removed, then the opposite perception will keep increasing steadily.

When the realization of anatta comes to full measure, then we will be able to relate
to the things of this world, to our most cherished possessions and
involvements, to friends and relations, to wealth, accomplishments and status,
just the same as we do to our clothes. When shirts and pants are new, we wear
them; they get dirty and we wash them; after some time they are worn out and we
discard them. There is nothing out of the ordinary there; we are constantly
getting rid of the old things and starting to use new garments.

So we will have the exact same feeling about our existence in this world. We
will not cry or moan over things. We will not be tormented or burdened by them.
They remain the same things as they were before, but our feeling and
understanding of them has changed. Now our knowledge will be exalted and we
will see truth. We will have attained supreme vision and authentic knowledge of
that Dhamma which we ought to know. The Buddha taught the Dhamma that we ought
to know and to see. Where is the dhamma that we ought to know and see? It is
right here within us, this body and mind. We have it already; we should come to
know and see it.

For example, all of us have been born into this human realm. Whatever we gained
by that we are going to lose. We have seen people born and seen them die. We
just see this happening, but don’t really see clearly. When there is a birth,
we rejoice over it; when someone dies, we cry for them. There is no end. It
goes on in this way, and there is no end to our foolishness. Seeing birth, we
are foolhardy; seeing death, we are foolhardy. There is only this unending
foolishness. Let’s take a look at all this. These things are natural
occurrences. Contemplate the dhamma here, the dhamma we should know and see.
This dhamma is existing right now. Make up your minds about this. Exert
restraint and self-control. Now we are amidst the things of this life. We
shouldn’t have fears of death. We should fear the lower realms. Don’t fear
dying; rather, be afraid of falling into hell. You should be afraid of doing
wrong while you still have life. These are old things we are dealing with, not
new things. Some people are alive but don’t know themselves at all. They think,
what’s the big deal about what I do now, I can’t know what is going to happen
when I die. They don’t think about the new seeds they are creating for the
future. They only see the old fruit. They fixate on present experience, not
realizing that if there is fruit, it must have come from a seed, and that
within the fruit we have now are the seeds of future fruit. These seeds are
just waiting to be planted. Actions born of ignorance continue the chain in
this way, but when you are eating the fruit, you don’t think about all the
implications.

Wherever the mind has a lot of attachment, just there will we experience
intense suffering, intense grief, intense difficulty. The place we experience
the most problems is the place we have the most attraction, longing and
concern. Please try to resolve this. Now, while you still have life and breath,
keep on looking at it and reading it, until you are able to ‘translate’ it and
solve the problem.

Whatever we are experiencing as part of our lives now, one day we will be
parted from it. So don’t just pass the time. Practice spiritual cultivation.
Take this parting, this separation and loss, as your object of contemplation
right now, in the present, until you are clever and skilled in it, until you
can see that it is ordinary and natural. When there is anxiety and regret over
it, have the wisdom to recognize the limits of this anxiety and regret, knowing
what they are according to the truth. If you can consider things in this way,
then wisdom will arise. But people generally do not want to investigate.
Whenever suffering occurs, wisdom can arise there, if we investigate.

Wherever pleasant or unpleasant experience happens, wisdom can arise there. If
we know happiness and suffering for what they really are, then we know the
Dhamma. If we know the Dhamma, we know the world clearly; if we know the world
clearly, we know the Dhamma.

Actually, for most of us, if something is displeasing, we don’t really want to
know about it. We get caught up in the aversion to it. If we dislike someone,
we don’t want to look at their face or get anywhere near them. This is the mark
of a foolish, unskillful person; this is not the way of a good person. If we
like someone, then of course we want to be close to them, we make every effort
to be with them, taking delight in their company. This is foolishness, also.
They are actually the same, like the palm and back of the hand. When we turn
the hand up and see the palm, the back of the hand is hidden from sight. When
we turn it over, then the palm is not seen. Pleasure hides pain, and pain hides
pleasure from our sight. Wrong covers up right, right covers wrong. Just
looking at one side, our knowledge is not complete.

Let’s do things completely, while we still have life. Keep on looking at
things, separating truth from falsehood, noting how things really are, getting
to the end of it, reaching peace. When the time comes, we will be able to cut
through and let go completely. Now we have to firmly attempt to separate
things, keep trying to cut through.

The Buddha taught about hair, nails, skin and teeth. He taught us to separate
here. A person who does not know about separating only knows about holding them
to himself. Now while we have not yet parted from these things, we should be
skillful in meditating on them. We have not yet left this world, so we should
be careful. We should contemplate a lot, make copious charitable offerings,
recite the scriptures a lot, cultivate a lot: cultivate impermanence, cultivate
unsatisfactoriness, cultivate selflessness. Even if the mind does not want to
listen, we should keep on breaking things up like this and come to know in the
present. This can most definitely be done, people. One can realize knowledge
that transcends the world. We are stuck in the world. This is a way to
‘destroy’ the world, through contemplating and seeing beyond the world so that
we can transcend the world in our being. Even while we are living in this
world, our view can be above the world.

In a worldly existence, one creates both good and evil. Now we try to practice
virtue and give up evil. When good results come, then you should not be ‘under’
that good, but be able to transcend it. If you do not transcend it, then you
become a slave to virtue and to your concepts of what is good. It puts you in
difficulty, and there will not be an end to your tears. It does not matter how
much good you have practiced, if you are attached to it, then you are still not
free, and there will be no end to tears. But one who transcends good as well as
evil has no more tears to shed. They have dried up. There can be an end. We
should learn to use virtue, not to be used by virtue.

To put the teaching of the Buddha in a nutshell, the point is to transform
one’s view. It is possible to change it. It only requires looking at things,
and then it happens. Having been born, we will experience aging, illness, death
and separation. These things are right here. We don’t need to look up at the
sky or down at the earth. The dhamma that we need to see and to know can be
seen right here within us, every moment of every day. When there is a birth, we
are filled with joy. When there is a death, we grieve. That’s how we spend our
lives. These are the things we need to know about, but we still have not really
looked into them and seen the truth. We are stuck deep in this ignorance. We
ask, when will we get the chance to see the Dhamma; but it is right here to be
seen in the present..

This is the Dhamma we should learn about and see. This is what the Buddha
taught about. He did not teach about gods and demons and nagas, protective
deities, jealous demigods, nature spirits and the like. He taught the things
that one should know and see. These are truths that we really should be able to
realize. External phenomena are like this, exhibiting the three
characteristics. Internal phenomena, i.e., this body, are like this, too. The
truth can be seen in the hair, nails, skin and teeth. Previously they
flourished. Now they are diminished. The hair thins and becomes gray. It is
like this. Do you see? Or will you say it is something you can’t see? You
certainly should be able to see with a little investigation.

If we really take an interest in all of this and contemplate seriously, we can
gain genuine knowledge. If this were something that could not be done, the
Buddha would not have bothered to talk about it. How many tens and hundreds of
thousands of his followers have come to realization? If one is really keen on
looking at things, one can come to know. The Dhamma is like that.

We are living in this world. The Buddha wanted us to know the world. Living in
the world, we gain our knowledge from the world. The Buddha is said to be Lokavidu,
one who knows the world clearly. It means living in the world but not being
stuck in the ways of the world; living among attraction and aversion, but not
stuck in attraction and aversion. This can be spoken about and explained in
ordinary language. This is how the Buddha taught.

Normally we speak in terms of atta, self, talking about me and mine, you
and yours, but the mind can remain uninterruptedly in the realization of anatta,
selflessness. Think about it. When we talk to children, we speak in one way; when
dealing with adults, we speak in another way. If we use words appropriate to
children to speak with adults, or use adults’ words to speak with children, it
won’t work out. In the proper use of conventions, we have to know when we are
talking to children. It can be appropriate to talk about me and mine, you and
yours, and so forth, but inwardly the mind is Dhamma, dwelling in realization
of anatta. You should have this kind of foundation.

So the Buddha said that you should take the Dhamma as your foundation, your
basis. Living and practicing in the world, will you take yourself, your ideas,
desires and opinions, as a basis? That is not right. The Dhamma should be your
standard. If you take yourself as the standard, you become self-absorbed. If
you take someone else as your standard, you are merely infatuated with that
person. Being enthralled with ourselves or with another person is not the way
of Dhamma. The Dhamma does not incline to any person or follow personalities.
It follows the truth. It does not simply accord with the likes and dislikes of
people; such habitual reactions have nothing to do with the truth of things.

If we really consider all of this and investigate thoroughly to know the truth,
then we will enter the correct path. Our way of living will become correct.
Thinking will be correct. Our actions and speech will be correct. So we really
should look into all of this. Why is it that we have suffering? Because of lack
of knowledge, not knowing where things begin and end, not understanding the
causes; this is ignorance. When there is this ignorance, then various desires
arise, and, driven by them, we create the causes of suffering. Then the result
must be suffering. When you gather firewood and light a match to it, and then
you expect not to have any heat, what are your chances? You are creating a
fire, aren’t you? This is origination itself.

If you understand these things, then morality will be born here. Dhamma will be
born here. So prepare yourselves. The Buddha advised us to prepare ourselves.
You needn’t have too many concerns or anxieties about things. Just look here.
Look at the place without desires, the place without danger. Nibbana paccayo
hotu - the Buddha taught, let it be a cause for Nibbana. If it will be a
cause for realization of Nibbana, then it means looking at the place where
things are empty, where things are done with, where they reach their end, where
they are exhausted. Look at the place where there are no more causes, where
there is no more self or other, me or mine. This looking becomes a cause or
condition, a condition for attaining Nibbana. Then practicing generosity
becomes a cause for realizing Nibbana. Practicing morality becomes a cause for
realizing Nibbana. Listening to the teachings becomes a cause for realizing Nibbana.
Thus we can dedicate all our Dhamma activities to become causes for Nibbana.
But we are not looking towards Nibbana. We are looking at self and other and
attachment and grasping without end. This does not become a cause for Nibbana.

When we deal with others and they talk about self, about me and mine, about
what is ours, then we immediately agree with this viewpoint. We immediately
think, “Yeah, that’s right!” But it’s not right. Even if the mind is
saying, right, right, we have to exert control over it. It’s the same as a
child who is afraid of ghosts. Maybe the parents are afraid, too. But it won’t
do for the parents to talk about it; if they do, then the child will feel he
has no protection or security. “No, of course Daddy is not afraid. Don’t worry,
Daddy is here. There are no ghosts. There’s nothing to worry about.” Well,
the father might really be afraid, too. If he starts talking about it, then
they will all get so worked up about ghosts that they’ll jump up and run away,
father, mother and child, and end up homeless.

This is not being clever. You have to look at things clearly and learn how to
deal with them. Even when you feel that deluded appearances are real, you have
to tell yourself that they are not. Go against it like this. Teach yourself
inwardly. When the mind is experiencing the world in terms of self, saying,
‘it’s true’, you have to be able to tell it, ‘it’s not true’. You should be
floating above the water, not be submerged by the floodwaters of worldy habit….
The water is flooding our hearts… if we run after things, do we ever look at
what is going on? Will there be anyone ‘watching the house’?

Nibbana paccayam hotu - one need not aim at anything or wish for
anything at all. Just aim for Nibbana. All manner of becoming and birth, merit
and virtue in the worldly way do not reach there. Making merits and skillful
kamma, hoping it will cause us to attain to some better state, we don’t need to
be wishing for a lot of things; just aim directly for Nibbana. Wanting sila,
wanting tranquility - we just end up in the same old place- it’s not necessary
to desire these things - we should just wish for the place of cessation.

It is like this. Throughout all our becoming and birth, all of us are so
terribly anxious about so many things. When there is separation, when there is
death, we cry and lament. To me, oyyy, I can only think, how utterly foolish
this is. What are we crying about? Where do you think people are going anyhow?
If they are still bound up in becoming and birth, they are not really going
away. When children grow up and move to the big city of Bangkok, they still
think of their parents. They won’t be missing someone else’s parents, just
their own. When they return, they will go to their parents’ home, not someone
else’s. And when they go away again, they will still think about their home
here in Ubon. Will they be homesick for some other place? What do you think? So
when the breath ends and we die, no matter through how many lifetimes, if the
causes for becoming and birth still exist, the consciousness is likely to try
and take birth in a place it is familiar with. I think we are just too fearful
about all of this. So please don’t go crying about it too much. Think about
this. Satte kammam vipassati - kamma drives beings into their various births -
they don’t go very far. Cycling back and forth through the round of births,
that is all, just changing appearances, appearing with a different face next
time, but we don’t know it. Just coming and going, going and returning in the
round of samsara, not really going anywhere. Just staying there. Like a mango
that is shaken off the tree/ like the snare that does not get the wasps’ nest
and falls to the ground: it is not going anywhere. It is just staying there. So
the Buddha said, Nibbana paccayam hotu; let your only aim be Nibbana. Strive
hard to accomplish this; don’t end up like the mango falling to the ground and
going nowhere.

Transform your sense of things like this. If you can change it, you will know
great peace. Change, please; come to see and know. These are things one should
indeed see and know. If you do see and know, then where else do you need to go?
Morality will come to be. Dhamma will come to be. It is nothing far away;
please investigate this.

When you transform your view, then you will realize that it is like watching
leaves fall from the trees. When they get old and dry, they fall from the tree.
And when the season comes, they begin to appear again. Would anyone cry when
leaves fall or laugh when they grow? If you did, you would be insane, wouldn’t
you? It is just this much. If we can see things in this way, we will be OK. We
will know that is just the natural order of things. It doesn’t matter how many
births we undergo, it will always be like this. When one studies dhamma, gains
clear knowledge, and undergoes a change of world-view like this, one will
realize peace and be free of bewilderment about the phenomena of this life.

But the important point, really, is that we have life now, in the present. We
are experiencing the results of past deeds right now. When beings are born into
the world, that is the results of past actions appearing. Whatever happiness or
suffering beings have in the present are the fruits of what they have done
previously. It is born of the past and experienced in the present. Then this
present experience becomes the basis for the future, as we create further
causes under its influence, and the future experience becomes the result. The
movement from one birth to the next also happens in this way. You should
understand this.

Listening to the dhamma should resolve your doubts. It should clarify your view
of things and alter your way of living. When doubts are resolved, suffering can
end. You stop creating desires and mental afflictions. Then, whatever you
experience, if something is displeasing to you, you will not suffer over it,
because you understand its changeability. If something is pleasing to you, you
will not get carried away and become intoxicated by it, because you know the
way to let go of things appropriately. You maintain a balanced perspective,
because you understand impermanence and know how to resolve things according to
Dhamma. You know that good and bad conditions are always changing. Knowing
internal phenomena, you understand external phenomena. Not attached to the
external, you are not attached to the internal. Observing things within
yourself or outside of yourself, it is all completely the same.

In this way, we can dwell in a natural state, which is peace and tranquility.
If we are criticized, we remain undisturbed. If we are praised, we are
undisturbed. Let things be in this way, not being influenced by others. This is
freedom. Knowing the two extremes for what they are, one can experience
well-being. One does not stop at either side. This is genuine happiness and
peace, transcending all things of the world. One transcends all good and evil.
Above cause and effect, beyond birth and death. Born into this world, one can
transcend the world. Beyond the world, knowing the world - this is the aim of
the Buddha’s teaching. He did not aim for people to suffer. He desired people
to attain to peace, to know the truth of things and realize wisdom. This is
dhamma, knowing the nature of things. Whatever exists in the world is nature.
There is no need to be in confusion about it. Wherever you are, the same laws
apply.

The most important point is that while we have life, we should train the mind
to be even in regard to things. We should be able to share wealth and
possessions. When the time comes, we should give a portion to those in need,
just as if we were giving things to our own children. Sharing things like this,
we will feel happy; and if we can give away all our wealth, then whenever our
breath may stop, there will be no attachment or anxiety because everything is
gone. The Buddha taught to ‘die before you die’, to be finished with things
before they are finished. Then you can be at ease. Let things break before they
are broken, let them finish before they are finished. This is the Buddha’s
intention in teaching the Dhamma. Even if you listen to teachings for a hundred
or a thousand eons, if you do not understand these points, you won’t be able to
undo your suffering and you will not find peace. You will not see the Dhamma.
But understanding these things according to the Buddha’s intention and being
able to resolve things is called seeing the Dhamma. This view of things can
make an end of suffering. It can relieve all heat and distress. Whoever strives
sincerely and is diligent in practice, who can endure, who trains and develops
themselves to the full measure, those persons will attain to peace and
cessation. Wherever they stay, they will have no suffering. Whether they are
young or old, they will be free of suffering. Whatever their situation,
whatever work they have to perform, they will have no suffering, because their
minds have reached the place where suffering is exhausted, where there is
peace. It is like this. It is a matter of nature.

The Buddha thus said to change one’s perceptions, and there will be the Dhamma.
When the mind is in harmony with Dhamma, then Dhamma enters the heart. The mind
and the Dhamma become the indistinguishable. This is something to be realized
by those who practice, the changing of one’s view and experience of things. The
entire Dhamma is paccatam. It can not be given by anyone; that is an
impossibility. If we hold it to be difficult, then it will be something
difficult. If we take it to be easy, then it is easy. Whoever contemplates it
and sees the one point does not have to know a lot of things. Seeing the one
point, seeing birth and death, the arising and passing away of phenomena
according to nature, one will know all things. This is a matter of the truth.

This is the way of the Buddha. The Buddha gave his teachings out of the wish to
benefit all beings. He wished for us to go beyond suffering and to attain
peace. It is not that we have to die first in order to transcend suffering… We
shouldn’t think that we will attain this after death… we can go beyond suffering
here and now, in the present. We transcend within our perception of things, in
this very life, through the view that arises in our minds. Then, sitting, we
are happy; lying down, we are happy; wherever we are, we are have happiness. We
become without fault, experiencing no ill results, living in a state of
freedom. The mind is clear, bright, and tranquil. There is no more darkness or
defilement. That is someone who has reached the supreme happiness of the
Buddha’s way. Please investigate this for yourselves. All of you lay followers,
please contemplate this to gain understanding and ability. If you have
suffering, then practice to alleviate your suffering. If it is great, make it
little, and if it is little, make an end of it. Everyone has to do this for
themselves, so please make an effort to consider these words. May you prosper
and develop.

Evam.

COMPREHENSIVE PALI
COURSE

LESSON 9

Exercise 2

Translate into Pāli

1.                  
Strive to conquer the evil and to gain happiness.

Akusalaṁ jayituṁ
ceva sukhaṁ ca labhituṁ

Yuñjatha.

2.                  
The meditator seels to conquer the mind.

Yogi cittaṁ jayituṁ pariyesati.

3.                  
He will tame the mind, not the body.

So cittaṁ
damessati, na kāyaṁ.

4.                  
I will go to the monastery to worship the noblest of seers.

Ahaṁ isīnaṁ seṭṭhaṁ paṇāmetuṁ vihāraṁ

gamissāmi

5.                  
I went to Rajagaha to worship the Blessed One, and

to associate with
monks.

Ahaṁ Bhagavantaṁ vandituṁ Rājagahaṁ gacchiṁ

samaṇehi ca bhajituṁ.

6.                  
In the three realms of existence The Awakened One,

Is the Pre-eminent. He
is the Saviour of all beings.

Tibhuvanamhi Buddho jeṭṭho hoti, so ca sabbessaṁ

sattānaṁ Nātho.

7.                  
Afterwards the boys went to the monastery to train

themselves on the
Teachings of the Awakened One.

Pacchā dārakā
Buddhassa Dhammesu sikkhituṁ

vihāraṁ gacchiṁsu.

8.                  
The king saluted at the feet of te Lord of

Compassion.

Bhūpati karuṇāya adhipatissa pāde vandi.

9.                  
I wish to ask about meditation to gain the Truth.

Ahaṁ saccaṁ labhituṁ
bhācanaṁ ārabbha

pucchituṁ icchāmi.

10.              
Men and women go to the monastery to seek the

Three Refuges.

Purisā ca itthiyo ca Tisaraṇaṁ pariyesituṁ vihāraṁ

Gacchanti.

VR1

(WE
ARE ONE)

+ve
NEWS

If Indira statues OK,
why not Mayawati’s?

Deccan Chronicle
August 13th, 2009

By Kancha Ilaiah

The other day I was invited for a debate on a
major national TV channel on the issue of the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister, Ms
Mayawati, installing her statues all over the state, apart from those of
Jyotiba Phule, Periyar Ramaswamy, B.R. Ambedkar and Kanshi Ram.

The
accusation of the majority of the panelists was that installing one’s own
statues at the expense of the state was not only wrong but also unethical,
immoral and illegal.

Majority of the panelists and almost all the middle class-upper caste students
and others in the audience were clapping down any balanced argument. Anybody
who attacked Ms Mayawati was being applauded.

Much of the audience came from Noida-Uttar Pradesh and termed the installation
of the statues as politically immoral. Sadly, that there were no SC/STs or slum
dwellers who vote for Ms Mayawati to give their opinion on the issue.

We
have to debate whether the installation of statues should be seen as a legal
issue or is it more a moral and political question.

Some enthusiastic lawyers have taken the issue of Ms Mayawati installing her
own statues to the Supreme Court through a public interest litigation (PIL). But
can the courts intervene and curb the expenditure incurred by the Centre and
states in advertising their achievements and schemes with huge photographs of
the Prime Minister, Chief Ministers and Cabinet ministers?

(Many
students who get just pass marks in SSC become lawyers in this country, since
they cannot become Doctors, Engineers or scientists. One can imagine how wise
they could be and how much knowledge they would have gained with their stuper
state of mind. They are just fit for making affidavits for their livelihood and
when they take up PIL they fail miserably. Only those who get high ranks in SSC
must be allowed to become lawers so that they can be thorough with the
Constitution and also they must be thorough with Buddha Dhamma)

Publicising one’s own image while in power, through photographs or statues, has
a common objective of influencing the masses for the sake of votes in the
future, or to perpetuate one’s own image among the masses. Both forms of
publicity have a common objective and involve spending public money.

We should, here, take note of the portraits of the Prime Minister and the Chief
Ministers put up in government offices as soon as they assume office.

Undoubtedly
this is also meant to perpetuate the image of the person in power.
The question is not what the Western democracies practice and how we imitate
them. Someone might point out that the portrait of the American President is
put up in all federal offices and the portrait of the British Prime Minister is
put in major government offices. And, therefore, what we are doing is also
right. This is mere imitation and we should discard such approaches and evolve
our own democratic practices.

So let us look back and see who started the installation of statues across the
country. In my remote village of rural Telangana, Papaiah Pet of Warangal district, there
was a statue of Mahtama Gandhi. This was said to have been installed by one of
the tehsildars with state money.

Gandhi was not a person in power, hence he can be compared only with other
stalwarts, like Ambedkar. Did any government agency install an Ambedkar statue
till SC/STs started putting up his statues in the 70s and 80s in their own
mohallahs?

During the Congress regime, governmental agencies started installing statues of
Jawaharlal Nehru and Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. After the death of Indira Gandhi
and Rajiv Gandhi, their statues were also installed across the country. They
were not leaders who emerged from social service. During the regime of the
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), statues and portraits of Vinayak Damodar
Savarkar, Madhav Sadashiv Golwalkar and Swami Vivekananda and Vajpayee were
installed in various places.

Ms Mayawati has showed courage and confidence in installing her own statue
along with those of Lord Buddha, Phule, Ambedkar, Periyar and Kanshi Ram.
If Indira Gandhi was the first upper caste woman leader who got power, Ms
Mayawati is the first Aboriginal Inhabitant of Jambudvipa, that is, the Great
Prabuddha Bharath (Scheduled Caste) leader who got power. She has her own
iconic image. Of course, she is an “un-Hindu” woman icon in the tradition of
Kanshi Ram. The fact is that even if she does not install her own statues, the
Bahujan people will install her statues.

(
like how a disciple of the Buddha bought Jetavana for Him by spreading gold
coins to by the Park. SC/STs are such kind of people who will give their every
thing for the leaders whom they like. They had made film stars as Chief
Ministers, just because they acted as their protectors. They would not mind
spending their entire coolie they earned to buy a ticket in black market to
worship their heroes and heroines)

She
knows that and that’s why she is undeterred. There is a counter cultural
dimension in her scheme of things. Uttar Pradesh has the most conservative
Hindu cultural base, with Ayodhya, Benares and Mathura built by the Hindu kings way back in
history. Kanshi Ram wanted to create counter Buddhist-Ambedkarit e rationalist
cultural centres that would have equal visibility.

After Bodh Gaya, Nagpur Deekshabhoomi, the Bahujan
Parks that Kanshi Ram established near
Lucknow, what Ms Mayawati is building in Noida
and other places are going to carry forward what I prefer to call the
“post-Hindu nationalist image of India”. Once these centres are
built, nobody will be able to touch them.

As a politically shrewd person, Ms Mayawati knows that once she puts herself in
that iconic lineage, nobody would be able to change it. Even after her
political career is over, she will have her own following.

Since the Hindu base is weakening in the country, the counter cultural base
will increase. This is third-generation SC/ST-Bahujan counter culturalist
campaign. It was started by Ambedkar, taken forward by Kanshi Ram and now Ms
Mayawati is expanding it further.

Ms Mayawati’s cultural parks are going to be the “un-Hindu” historical centres.
They should worry the Hindu forces and the Sangh Parivar more than the
Congress. But the Congress is talking more about them than the BJP or other
Hindutva forces. Ms Mayawati’s image will keep growing as long as the Congress,
the BJP and the Samajwadi Party keep on attacking these cultural centres.

The BJP knows that once they begin a discourse around these Buddhist-Ambedkar
cultural centres, their own Hindu cultural nationalism will get undermined and
the Bahujan-Buddhist cultural nationalism will occupy centrestage.

All the Hindu temples and Buddhist viharas in India, as well as many churches and
mosques, were built with state money and they provide the cultural base of
those religions. Then why should certain hegemonic caste-communal intellectual
forces make an issue out of the SC/ST -Bahujan cultural centres that keep
coming up with images of their own heroes in the country? The educated and
politically- aware SC/ST -Bahujan forces know what makes them raise this bogey
beyond its need. A party like the Congress would serve itself better if it
stops politicising these cultural parks and takes up other issues.

Kind Regards,

Jayant Ramteke

 ALMOST EVERY
FRAUD involves VICTIM
sending “CASH” money to a Fraudster/Scammer.
ABSOLUTELY DO NOT send any money
using Western
Union / Moneygram. 
Always deal ONLY locally by
meeting the seller/buyer in person.
READ and UNDERSTAND the methods
used by Fraudsters in the link above.

ONLINE TRAINING ON
PRECEPTS AND TRADE-62

EFFECTS OF ROOTING PRODUCTS ON MEDICINAL AND AROMATIC PLANT CUTTINGS

For A COMPARISON OF CULTIVATION AND WILD

COLLECTION OF MEDICINAL AND AROMATIC

PLANTS UNDER SUSTAINABILITY ASPECTS

Kindly visit:

http://library.wur.nl/ojs/index.php/frontis/article/viewFile/1225/797

From J.Chandrasekharan

#668 5^th A Main Road,

8^th Cross

HAL 3^rd Stage

Bangalore -560075

Email:tradesandprecepts@gmail.com

Mob: 9449260443

Phone: 080-25203792

To,

Respected Dr.K.Ramakrishnappa

Executive Director, KSHDA

Project Proponent Director

Department of Horticulture

Government of Karnataka

Respected Sir,

Sub: Suggestions for 25-08-09
program

Under your revolutionary step
for Horticulture Development in Karnataka, I got Certificates for participating
in the training programme on ESTABLISHING JAIVIK (ORGANIC) KITCHEN GARDEN from
21-08-09 to 22-08-09 and in the year 2005 in Medicinal and Aromatic (Terrace
Gardening ) course. Since then, I am attempting to convert my terrace into a garden
and I am planning to post all your revolutionary work in my website.

I am thankful for your kind
oral invitation for me to participate in the program to be held on 25-08-09 at
Lalbagh. I will be grateful to your goodself if you can send the details of the
program.

I would like to Express my
interest as follows:

1)       Cultivation of Healthy Seeds may be given
top priority to make every farm to function as profit centre and to convert all
farms into organic farms.

2)       Micro Loans to the farmers may be given
by the Government and Banks.

3)       All the farms produce including Healthy
Seeds may be sold at all the outlets of HOPCOMS.

4)       Cooked food items of Organic vegetables
may be arranged to sell them directly to the public through HOPCOMS or any
other agencies for their effectiveness. And also the Medicinal and Aromatic
products.

With kind regards

J.Chandrasekharan

Dr. K. Ramakrishnappa. Executive Director,
KSHDA … Office of the Society
from Bio centre, Hulimavu to Lalbagh, Bangalore.

A BLUE PRINT FOR LIFE

ON
LIVELIHOOD

THE WAY
OF USING RESOURSES

          Life must be brought in line with the
Dhamma. This means

That in addition to
love and money, life must include ideals

Of compassion,
creating sffinites, happiness, and kindness,

As well as the Dhamma
of reason and patience. Life will be

Richer with the
Dhamma than if one only possesses money

And love.

COMPREHENSIVE PALI
COURSE

LESSON 9

Exercise 1

Translate into English:

1.                  
Munayo araññesu sukhena bhāvanāyo bhāvituṁ

Viharanti.

The sages live in the forests to happily practice

meditations.

2.                  
Siddhattho Bodhisatto Māraṁ parājayituṁ

Bodhirukkhassa mūle nisīdi; pacchā lokuttara-

ñāṇāni bhāvesi ceva Bodhiṁ alabhi, māraṁ ca

damesi.

Siddhatha, the Bodhisatta (Would –be-Buddha) sat

Down at the foot of the Tree of Wisdom to defeat
the

Evil One; later he cultivated the supermundane

Insights and attained Awakenment and tamed the

Evil One.

3.                  
Isīsu uttamo bhavituṁ yagīnaṁ cakkavatti ca hotuṁ

lokasmiṁ jeṭṭho seṭṭho
bhavituṁ Buddho Jino ahosi,

Bhagavā ahost, Lokanāyako ahosi, tibhuvanassa

Nātho ahosi.

To be supreme among seers, to become the Emperor

Of the Yogis and to be the pre-eminent and the

Noblest in the world, the Awakened One became

the Victor, He became the Blessed One, He was the

leader of the world and became the saviour of the

three realms of existence.

4.                  
Sabbesu nidhisu Dhamma-nidhi uttamo iti vadituṁ

samaṇā gāmesu caranti.

The monks move about in the villages to declare
tha

Of all treasures, the treasure of Truth is
supreme.

5.                  
Sāvakanāṁ Jino Buddha evaṁ āha: “Bhikkhave

jana-hitāya lokānukampāya
Dhammaṁ labbhituṁ.

The victor of the
disciples, the Awakened One, said

Thus: ‘Monks, out of
compassion for the world,

wander forth to preach the
Truth for the welfare of

the people’.

6.                  
Bodhiṁ labhituṁ, kusalāni kammāni kātuṁ yuñjatha.

Strive yet to attain Awakenment, and to perform

Meritorious deeds.

7.                  
Girimhi dīpayo vasanti jīvituṁ, arayo ca vasanti

coretuṁ, munayo ca vasanti ñānaṁ labhituṁ.

In the mountain, the
leopards live to survive, the

Enemies live to plunder
and the sages live to gain

Knowledge.

8.                  
Mayaṁ nāvāyo passituṁ udadhiṁ gacchāma.

We go to the ocean to see ships.

9.                  
Kusalaṁ karotha nibbānaṁ pariyesituṁ.

You do good to seek supreme bliss.

10.              
Buddhassa Dhammaṁ desituṁ samaṇā gāmato

gāmaṁ cariṁsu, caranti,
carissanti.

The monks had wandered to preach the Teaching of

the Awakened One, from village to village, they

wander now and will wander in future.

FREE
ONLINE
TRAINING ON BUDDHISM FOR CHILDREN -22

King Banyan Deer
[
Compassion]

Once
upon a time, an unusual and beautiful deer was born in the forests near Benares,
in northern India. Although he was as big as a young colt, it was easy for his
mother to give birth to him. When he opened his eyes, they were as bright as sparkling
jewels. His mouth was as red as the reddest forest berries. His hoofs were as
black as polished coal. His little horns glistened like silver. And his color
was golden, like a perfect summer’s dawn. As he grew up, a herd of 500 deer gathered
around him, and he became known as King Banyan Deer.

Meanwhile,
not far away, another beautiful buck deer was born, just as splendidly golden
in color. In time, a separate herd of 500 deer came to follow him, and he was
known as Branch Deer.

The
King of Benares, at that time, was very fond of eating venison. So he regularly
hunted and killed deer. Each time he hunted, he went to a different village and
ordered the people to serve him. They had to stop what they were doing, whether
plowing or harvesting or whatever, and work in the king’s hunting party.

The people’s lives were upset by these interruptions. They grew less crops, and
other businesses also had less income. So they came together and decided to build
a large deer park for the king, at Benares. There he could hunt by himself, with
no need to command the services of the villagers.

So
the people built a deer park. They made ponds where the deer could drink, and
added trees and grasses for them to eat from. When it was ready, they opened the
gate and went out into the nearby forests. They surrounded the entire herds of
Banyan and Branch deer. Then, with sticks and weapons and noise makers, they drove
them all into the deer park trap, and locked the gate behind them.

After
the deer had settled down, the people went to the king and said, “Our crops
and income have suffered because of your hunting requirements. Now we have made
you a pleasant safe deer park, where you can hunt by yourself as you like. With
no need of our aid, you can enjoy both the hunting and the eating of deer.”

The
king went to the new deer park. There he was pleased to see the vast herds. While
watching them, his eye was caught by the two magnificent golden deer, with large
fully grown antlers. Because he admired their unusual beauty, the king granted
immunity to these two alone. He ordered that they should be completely safe. No
one could harm or kill them.

Once
a day the king would come and kill a deer for his dinner table. Sometimes, when
he was too busy, the royal cook would do this. The body would then be brought
to the chopping block to be butchered for the oven.

Whenever
the deer saw the bow and arrows, they went into a panic, trembling for their lives.
They ran around wildly, some being injured and some wounded, many suffering great
pain.

One day,
King Banyan Deer’s herd gathered around him. He called Branch Deer, and the two
herds joined for a meeting. King Banyan Deer addressed them. “Although in
the end, there is no escape from death, this needless suffering due to injuries
and wounds can be prevented. Since the king only wishes the meat of one deer per
day, let one be chosen by us each day to submit himself to the chopping block.
One day from my herd, and the next day from Branch Deer’s herd, the victim’s lot
will fall to one deer at a time.”

Branch
Deer agreed. From then on, the one whose turn it was, meekly surrendered himself
and laid his neck on the block. The cook came each day, simply killed the waiting
victim, and prepared the king’s venison.

One
day, the turn fell by chance to a pregnant doe in Branch Deer’s herd. Caring for
the others as well as herself and the unborn one, she went to Branch Deer and
said, “My lord, I am pregnant. Grant that I may live until I have delivered
my fawn. Then we will fill two turns rather than just one. This will save a turn,
and thereby a single life for one long day.”

Branch
Deer replied, “No, no, I cannot change the rules in midstream and put your
turn upon another. The pregnancy is yours, the babe is your responsibility. Now
leave me.”

Having
failed with Branch Deer, the poor mother doe went to King Banyan Deer and explained
her plight. He replied gently, “Go in peace. I will change the rules in midstream
and put your turn upon another.”

And
the deer king went to the executioner’s block, and laid down his own golden neck
upon it.

A silence
fell in the deer park. And some who tell this story even say that silence also
fell in other worlds not seen from here.

Soon
the royal cook came to kill the willing victim on the block. But when he saw it
was one of the two golden deer the king had ordered spared, he was afraid to kill
him. So he went and told the King of Benares.

The
king was surprised, so he went to the park. He said to the golden deer, still
lying on the block, “Oh king of deer, did I not promise to spare your life?
What is the reason you come here like the others?”

King
Banyan Deer replied, “Oh king of men, this time a pregnant doe was unlucky
enough to be the one to die. She pleaded for me to spare her, for the sake of
others as well as her unborn baby and herself. I could not help but feel myself
in her place, and feel her suffering. I could not help but weep, to think the
little one would never see the dawn, would never taste the dew. And yet, I could
not force the pain of death on another, relieved to think it was not his turn
today. So, mighty king, I offer my life for the sake of the doe and her unborn
fawn. Be assured there is no other reason.”

The King of Benares
was overwhelmed. Powerful as he was, a tear rolled down his cheek.
Then he said, “Oh great lord, the golden king of deer, even among
human beings, I have not seen any such as you! Such great compassion,
to share in the suffering of others! Such great generosity, to give
your life for others! Such great kindness and tender love for all
your fellow deer! Arise.”

“I
decree that you will never be killed by me or anyone else in my kingdom. And,
so too, the doe and her babe.”

Without
yet raising his head, the golden one said, “Are only we to be saved? What
of the other deer in the park, our friends and kin?” The king said, “My
lord, I cannot refuse you, I grant safety and freedom to all the deer in the park.”
“And what of the deer outside the park, will they be killed?” asked
Banyan. “No my lord, I spare all the deer in my whole kingdom.”

Still
the golden deer did not raise up his head. He pleaded, “So the deer will
be safe, but what will the other four-footed animals do?” “My lord,
from now on they too are safe in my land.” “And what of the birds? They
too want to live.” “Yes, my lord, the birds too will be safe from death
at the hands of men.” “And what of the fish, who live in the water?”
“Even the fish will be free to live, my lord.” So saying, the King of
Benares granted immunity from hunting and killing to all the animals in his land.

Having
pleaded for the lives of all creatures, the Great Being arose.

A Permanent Online
International Seminar on Buddhism and Buddhist Heritage of Jambudvipa that is
the Great Prabuddha Bharath

by Ajahn Chah

At this time please determine your minds to listen to the dhamma. Today is
the traditional day of dhammasavana. It is the appropriate time for
us, the host of Buddhists, to study the dhamma in order to increase our
mindfulness and wisdom. Giving and receiving the teachings is something we
have been doing for a long time. The activities we usually perform on this
day, chanting homage to the Buddha, taking moral precepts, meditating and
listening to teachings, should be understood as methods and principles for
spiritual development. They are not anything more than this.

When it comes to taking precepts, for example, a monk will proclaim the
precepts and the laypeople will vow to undertake them. Don’t misunderstand
what is going on. The truth is that morality is not something that can be
given. It can’t really be requested or received from someone. We can’t give
it to someone else. In our vernacular, we hear people say ‘The venerable
monk gave the precepts” and “We received the precepts.” We talk like this
here in the countryside, and it has become our habitual way of
understanding. If we think like that, that we come to receive precepts from
the monks on the lunar observance days, and that if the monks won’t give
precepts then we don’t have morality, that is only a tradition of delusion
that we have inherited from our ancestors. Thinking in this way means that
we give up our own responsibility, not having firm trust and conviction in
ourselves. Then it gets passed down to the next generation, and they too
come to ‘receive’ precepts from the monks. And the monks come to believe
that they are the ones who ‘give’ the precepts to the laity. In fact,
morality and precepts are not like that. They are not something to be
‘given’ or ‘received’; but on ceremonial occasions of making merit and the
like, we use this as a ritual form according to tradition and employ the
terminology.

In truth, morality resides with the intentions of people. If you have the
conscious determination to refrain from harmful activities and wrongdoing by
way of body and speech, then morality is coming about within you. You should
know it within yourself. It is OK to take the vows with another person. You
can recollect the precepts by yourself. If you don’t know what they are,
then you can request them from someone else. It is not something very
complicated or distant. So really, whenever we wish to ‘receive’ morality
and dhamma, we have them right then. It is just like the air that surrounds
us everywhere. Whenever we breathe, we take it in. All manner of good and
evil are like that. If we wish to do good, we can do it anywhere, at any
time. We can do it alone, or together with others. Evil is the same. We can
do it with a large or small group, in a hidden or open place. It is like
that.

These are things that are already in existence. But as to morality, it is
something that we should consider normal for all humans to practice. A
person who has no morality is no different from an animal. If you decide to
live like an animal, then of course there is no good or evil for you,
because an animal doesn’t have any knowledge of such things. A cat catches
mice, but we don’t say it is doing evil, because it has no concepts or
knowledge of good or bad, right or wrong. These beings are outside the
circle of human beings. It is the animal realm. The Buddha pointed out that
this group is just living according to the animal kind of kamma. Those who
understand right and wrong, good and evil, are humans. The Buddha taught his
Dhamma for humans. If we people don’t have morality and knowledge of these
things, then we are not much different from animals, so it is appropriate
that we study and learn about them and make ourselves able. This is taking
advantage of the precious accomplishment of human existence and bringing it
to fulfillment.

The profound dhamma is the teaching that morality is necessary. Then when
there is morality, one should pursue dhamma. Morality means the precepts as
to what is forbidden and what is permissible. Dhamma refers to nature and to
humans knowing about nature, how things exist according to nature. Nature is
something we do not compose. It exists as it is, according to its
conditions. A simple example is animals. A certain species, such as
peacocks, is born with its various patterns and colors. They were not
created like that by humans or modified by humans; they are just born that
way, according to nature. This is a little example of how it is in nature.

All things of nature are existing in the world - this is still talking about
understanding from a worldly viewpoint. The Buddha taught Dhamma for us to
know nature, to let go of it and let it exist according to its conditions.
This is talking about the external material world. As to namadhamma,
meaning the mind, it can not be left to follow its own conditions. It has to
be trained. In the end, we can say that mind is the teacher of body and
speech, so it needs to be well trained. Letting it go according to its
natural urges just makes one an animal. It has to be instructed and trained.
It should come to know nature, but should not merely be left to follow
nature.

We are born into this world, and all of us will naturally have the
afflictions of desire, anger and delusion. Desire makes us crave after
various things and causes the mind to be in a state of imbalance and
turmoil. Nature is like that. It will just not do to let the mind go after
these impulses of craving. It only leads to heat and distress. It is better
to train in dhamma, in truth.

When aversion occurs in us, we want to express anger towards people, and it
may get to the point of physically attacking or even killing people. But we
don’t just ‘let it go’ according to its nature. We know the nature of what
is occurring there. We see it for what it is, and teach the mind about it.
This is studying dhamma.

Delusion is the same. When it happens, we are confused about things. If we
just leave it as it is, then we remain in ignorance. So the Buddha told us
to know nature, to teach nature, to train and adjust nature, to know exactly
what nature is.

For example, people are born with physical form and mind. In the beginning
these things are born, in the middle they change, and in the end they are
extinguished. This is ordinary; this is their nature. We cannot do much to
alter these facts. We train our minds as we can, and when the time comes we
have to let go of it all. It is beyond the ability of humans to change this
or get beyond it. The dhamma that the Buddha taught is something to be
applied while we are here, for making actions, words and thoughts correct
and proper. It means he was teaching the minds of people so that they would
not be deluded in regard to nature, to conventional reality and supposition.
The Teacher instructed us to see the world. His dhamma was a teaching that
is above and beyond the world. We are in the world. We were born into this
world; he taught us to transcend the world, not being prisoner to worldy
ways and habits.

It is like a diamond that falls into a muddy pit. No matter how much dirt
and filth covers it, that does not destroy the radiance, the hues, and the
worth of it. Even though the mud is stuck to it, the diamond does not lose
anything, but is just as it originally was. There are two separate things.

So the Buddha taught to be above the world, which means knowing the world
clearly. By ‘the world’ he did not mean so much the earth and sky and
elements, but rather to the mind, the wheel of samsara within the hearts of
people. He meant this wheel, this world. This is the world that the Buddha
knew clearly; when we talk about knowing the world clearly, we are talking
about these things. If it were otherwise, then the Buddha would have had to
be flying everywhere to ‘know the world clearly.’ It is not like that. It is
a single point. All dhammas come down to one single point. Like people,
which means men and women. If we observe one man and one woman, we know the
nature of all people in the universe. They are not that different.

Or learning about heat. If we just know this one point, the quality of being
hot, then it does not matter what the source or cause of the heat is, the
condition of ‘hot’ is such. Knowing this one point, then wherever there may
be hotness in the universe, it is like this. So the Buddha knew a single
point, and his knowledge encompassed the world. Knowing coldness to be a
certain way, when he encountered coldness anywhere in the world, he already
knew it. He taught a single point, for beings living in the world to know
the world, to know the nature of the world…. Just like knowing people….
Knowing men and women, knowing the manner of existence of beings in the
world. His knowledge was such. Knowing one point, he knew all things.

The dhamma which the Teacher expounded was for going beyond suffering. What
is this ‘going beyond suffering’ all about? What should we do to ‘escape
from suffering’? It is necessary for us to do some study; we need to come
and study the thinking and feeling in our hearts. Just that. It is something
we are presently unable to change. If we can change it, we can be free of
all suffering and unsatisfactoriness in life, just by changing this one
point, our habitual world view, our way of thinking and feeling. If we come
to have a new sense of things, a new understanding, then we transcend the
old perceptions and understanding.

The authentic dhamma of the Buddha is not something pointing far away. It
teaches self. It teaches about atta, self, and that things are not
really self. That is all. All the teachings that the Buddha gave were
pointing out that ‘this is not a self, this does not belong to a self, there
is no such thing as ourselves or others.’ Here, when we contact this, we
can’t really read it, we don’t ‘translate’ the Dhamma correctly. We still
think ‘this is me, this is mine.’ We attach to things and invest them with
meaning. When we do this, we can’t yet disentangle from them; the
involvement deepens and the mess gets worse and worse. If we
know that there is no self, that body and mind are really anatta, as the
Buddha taught, then when we keep on investigating, eventually we will come
to realization of the actual condition of selflessness. We will genuinely
realize that there is no self or other. Pleasure is merely pleasure. Feeling
is merely feeling. Memory is merely memory. Thinking is merely thinking.
They are all things which are ‘merely’ that. Happiness is merely happiness;
suffering is merely suffering. Good is merely good, evil is merely evil.
Everything exists ‘merely’ thus. There is no real happiness or real
suffering. There are just the merely existing conditions. Merely happy,
merely suffering, merely hot, merely cold, merely a being or a person. You
should keep looking to see that things are only so much. Only earth, only
water, only fire, only air. We should keep on ‘reading’ these things and
investigating this point. Eventually our perception will change; we will
have a different feeling about things. The tight conviction that there is
self and things belonging to self will gradually come undone. When this
sense of things is removed, then the opposite perception will keep
increasing steadily.

When the realization of anatta comes to full measure, then we will be able
to relate to the things of this world, to our most cherished possessions and
involvements, to friends and relations, to wealth, accomplishments and
status, just the same as we do to our clothes. When shirts and pants are
new, we wear them; they get dirty and we wash them; after some time they are
worn out and we discard them. There is nothing out of the ordinary there; we
are constantly getting rid of the old things and starting to use new
garments.

So we will have the exact same feeling about our existence in this world. We
will not cry or moan over things. We will not be tormented or burdened by
them. They remain the same things as they were before, but our feeling and
understanding of them has changed. Now our knowledge will be exalted and we
will see truth. We will have attained supreme vision and authentic knowledge
of that Dhamma which we ought to know. The Buddha taught the Dhamma that we
ought to know and to see. Where is the dhamma that we ought to know and see?
It is right here within us, this body and mind. We have it already; we
should come to know and see it.

For example, all of us have been born into this human realm. Whatever we
gained by that we are going to lose. We have seen people born and seen them
die. We just see this happening, but don’t really see clearly. When there is
a birth, we rejoice over it; when someone dies, we cry for them. There is no
end. It goes on in this way, and there is no end to our foolishness. Seeing
birth, we are foolhardy; seeing death, we are foolhardy. There is only this
unending foolishness. Let’s take a look at all this. These things are
natural occurrences. Contemplate the dhamma here, the dhamma we should know
and see. This dhamma is existing right now. Make up your minds about this.
Exert restraint and self-control. Now we are amidst the things of this life.
We shouldn’t have fears of death. We should fear the lower realms. Don’t
fear dying; rather, be afraid of falling into hell. You should be afraid of
doing wrong while you still have life. These are old things we are dealing
with, not new things. Some people are alive but don’t know themselves at
all. They think, what’s the big deal about what I do now, I can’t know what
is going to happen when I die. They don’t think about the new seeds they are
creating for the future. They only see the old fruit. They fixate on present
experience, not realizing that if there is fruit, it must have come from a
seed, and that within the fruit we have now are the seeds of future fruit.
These seeds are just waiting to be planted. Actions born of ignorance
continue the chain in this way, but when you are eating the fruit, you don’t
think about all the implications.

Wherever the mind has a lot of attachment, just there will we experience
intense suffering, intense grief, intense difficulty. The place we
experience the most problems is the place we have the most attraction,
longing and concern. Please try to resolve this. Now, while you still have
life and breath, keep on looking at it and reading it, until you are able to
‘translate’ it and solve the problem.

Whatever we are experiencing as part of our lives now, one day we will be
parted from it. So don’t just pass the time. Practice spiritual cultivation.
Take this parting, this separation and loss, as your object of contemplation
right now, in the present, until you are clever and skilled in it, until you
can see that it is ordinary and natural. When there is anxiety and regret
over it, have the wisdom to recognize the limits of this anxiety and regret,
knowing what they are according to the truth. If you can consider things in
this way, then wisdom will arise. But people generally do not want to
investigate. Whenever suffering occurs, wisdom can arise there, if we
investigate.

Wherever pleasant or unpleasant experience happens, wisdom can arise there.
If we know happiness and suffering for what they really are, then we know
the Dhamma. If we know the Dhamma, we know the world clearly; if we know the
world clearly, we know the Dhamma.

Actually, for most of us, if something is displeasing, we don’t really want
to know about it. We get caught up in the aversion to it. If we dislike
someone, we don’t want to look at their face or get anywhere near them.
This is the mark of a foolish, unskillful person; this is not the way of a
good person. If we like someone, then of course we want to be close to them,
we make every effort to be with them, taking delight in their company. This
is foolishness, also. They are actually the same, like the palm and back of
the hand. When we turn the hand up and see the palm, the back of the hand is
hidden from sight. When we turn it over, then the palm is not seen. Pleasure
hides pain, and pain hides pleasure from our sight. Wrong covers up right,
right covers wrong. Just looking at one side, our knowledge is not complete.

Let’s do things completely, while we still have life. Keep on looking at
things, separating truth from falsehood, noting how things really are,
getting to the end of it, reaching peace. When the time comes, we will be
able to cut through and let go completely. Now we have to firmly attempt to
separate things, keep trying to cut through.

The Buddha taught about hair, nails, skin and teeth. He taught us to
separate here. A person who does not know about separating only knows about
holding them to himself. Now while we have not yet parted from these things,
we should be skillful in meditating on them. We have not yet left this
world, so we should be careful. We should contemplate a lot, make copious
charitable offerings, recite the scriptures a lot, cultivate a lot:
cultivate impermanence, cultivate unsatisfactoriness, cultivate
selflessness. Even if the mind does not want to listen, we should keep on
breaking things up like this and come to know in the present. This can most
definitely be done, people. One can realize knowledge that transcends the
world. We are stuck in the world. This is a way to ‘destroy’ the world,
through contemplating and seeing beyond the world so that we can transcend
the world in our being. Even while we are living in this world, our view can
be above the world.

In a worldly existence, one creates both good and evil. Now we try to
practice virtue and give up evil. When good results come, then you should
not be ‘under’ that good, but be able to transcend it. If you do not
transcend it, then you become a slave to virtue and to your concepts of what
is good. It puts you in difficulty, and there will not be an end to your
tears. It does not matter how much good you have practiced, if you are
attached to it, then you are still not free, and there will be no end to
tears. But one who transcends good as well as evil has no more tears to
shed. They have dried up. There can be an end. We should learn to use
virtue, not to be used by virtue.

To put the teaching of the Buddha in a nutshell, the point is to transform
one’s view. It is possible to change it. It only requires looking at things,
and then it happens. Having been born, we will experience aging, illness,
death and separation. These things are right here. We don’t need to look up
at the sky or down at the earth. The dhamma that we need to see and to know
can be seen right here within us, every moment of every day. When there is a
birth, we are filled with joy. When there is a death, we grieve. That’s how
we spend our lives. These are the things we need to know about, but we still
have not really looked into them and seen the truth. We are stuck deep in
this ignorance. We ask, when will we get the chance to see the Dhamma; but
it is right here to be seen in the present..