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It is a good thing that no drop of blood has to be shed in the name of Buddha, on his word.
Buddhism is not a mere philosophy; it is not merely “love of wisdom”;
it is very much more comprehensive. Philosophy deals mainly with
knowledge and is not concerned with practice for attaining elevated
states of mind; whereas Buddhism emphasises practice and realisation.
Buddhism is not “a system of standardised faith and worship” either. It
does not demand blind faith. A Buddhist is not invited to sacrifice his
freedom of thought by becoming a follower of Buddha. The starting point
of Buddhism is self-help meditation, followed by some reasoning or
understanding, or, in other words, Samma-ditthi. A discerning Buddhist
seeks to live up to Buddha’s basic teachings, and what are they? They
foster self-development in certain ways. The core is meditation, then
other self-help practices and skills for your own good. Great teachings
to steer by in life, come in addition. But you don’t have to believe a
thing to begin with, and do not have to call you a Buddhist, even. What
matters to grasp is this: Fair Buddism is for you; not the other way
round; and that attitude is rooted in old teachings of Buddha.
Buddhism is a system devised to get rid of ills of life and foster
intense and even jubilant gladness of heart. It is neither sceptical nor
dogmatic.
Buddha’s teachings, also called the Dharma, show the way to such ends.
This Dharma is not something apart from oneself, for Buddha exhorts in
the Parinibbana Sutta: “Abide with oneself as an island, with oneself as
a Refuge. Abide with the Dharma as an island, with the Dharma as a
Refuge. Seek no external refuge.”
Buddhist Canon
Buddhist canon depends on old Buddhist records, which were formed for
oral transmission. Within five hundred years or so the oldest ones that
have come down to us had been put down in writing, and those that have
survived, are found mainly on Ceylon (today: Sri Lanka).
The Pali language is a Middle Indo-Aryan language of north Indian
origin, related to Old Indo-Aryan Vedic and Sanskrit dialects. Buddha
appears to have taught by conversation, by use of matrikas
(schemes of presentation formulated by him), and his teachings were
handed down through oral instruction for generations. His sayings spread
through India to Ceylon in the 200s BC, where they were written down in
Pali in the 1st century BC. Hence, it took some five centuries before
the first extant texts were written down after the time of Buddha, and
the huge canon that grew up around him for centuries after his demise,
is accounted for as a result of joint efforts of many. Many things in
this canon - legends and anecdotes, similes and metaphors, phrases and
idioms - have been taken almost verbatim from a common Indian stock.
The earliest records of Buddhism are inscriptional, as seen in the
famous edicts of emperor Asoka (c. 269-232 BC), after he converted to
Buddhism. The inscriptions were written in a variety of Indo-Aryan
languages close to early Sanskrit, but later than it.
Pali, the vehicle of the earliest Buddhist texts that have survived, is
said to be a western Indian dialect on a substratum of several central
and eastern ones. Pali is not a living language any more, but its texts
form the doctrinal foundation of Thereveda Buddhism. This dialect came
to be used by the Theravada school of Buddhism, one of many schools in
early Buddhism. Consequently, the Pali dialect is incorrectly identified
with Buddha’s own speech. Buddha came from northern India in what is
now Nepal.
“In the Tipitaka one finds milk for the babe and meat for the strong,”
says Narada Thera. Here is how these canonical text collections came
about: Buddha left no written records of His Teachings; disciples
preserved them by committing to memory and transmitting them orally from
generation to generation. During the reign of the Sinhala King
Vattagamani Abhaya, about 83 B.C., the Tipitaka was committed to writing
on palm leaves (ola) in Ceylon.
This voluminous Tipitaka, which contains the essence of Buddha’s
Teaching, is estimated to be about eleven times the size of the Bible.
The Tipitaka consists of the Basket of Discipline (Vinaya Pitaka), the
Basket of Discourses (Sutta Pitaka), and the Basket of Ultimate Doctrine
(Abhidhamma Pitaka).
The texts of the Pali canon of Theraveda Buddhism form a vast body of literature that is called Tipitaka (”The Three Baskets”; Sanskrit: Tripitaka).
Tipitaka contains what is considered the most authentic texts of what
Buddha stood for, despite many additions and modifications.
Vinayapitaka deals with rules of conduct for the congregations (sangha); some of which may help spiritual communities of today also.
Suttapitaka brings Buddha’s sermons and dialogues; they are the dominant teachings of Theraveda Buddhism.
Abhidhammapitaka deals with expositions of theories.
The texts of the three baskets (Tipitaka) are distinguished from the commentaries on many of them.
1. Regulations for monks and nuns, Vinayapitaka
The Vinayapitaka, where large sections have fallen into disuse,
is divided into five major parts grouped into three divisions. The five
parts (books, Vibhanga) are:
Parajika Pali - Major Offenses
Pacittiya Pali - Minor Offenses (Khandaka):
Mahavagga Pali - Greater Section
Cullavagga Pali - Shorter Section
Parivara Pali - Epitome of the Vinaya
The three divisions are: Sutta-vibhanga (”Division of Rules”); Khandhakas (”Sections”); and Parivara (”Accessory”):
1.1. The Sutta-vibhanga is a commentary on the Patimokkha-sutta
(”Obligatory Rules”), which forms the nucleus of the Vinayapitaka. It
is one of the oldest parts of the Pali canon and utilizes an archaic
language. It consists of two parts, (1.1.1) the Bhikkhu-patimokkha (”Rules for Monks”) and the (1.1.2) Bhikkhuni-patimokkha (”Rules for Nuns”).
The commentary on the Patimokkha is divided into the Maha-vibhanga of 227 rules for monks and the Bhikkhuni-vibhanga of additional rules and regulations for nuns.
1.2. The Khandhaka section of the Vinaya consists of two parts, the (1.2.1) Mahavagga (”Great Grouping”) and the (1.2.2) Cullavagga
(”Small Grouping”). These two sections lack logical sequence. They
contain rules for ordination; descriptions of rainy-season retreats,
instructiond of nuns; and so forth. The Cullavagga supplements the details of the Mahavagga to make an authoritative compilation of Buddha’s sayings of discipline.
1.3. The Parivara contains summaries and classifications of the disciplinary rules. It is a later supplement.
2. Buddha Discourses and Sermons, Sutta
2.1. The Sutta Pitaka (”Basket of Discourse, Sutra”) is the largest of the “three baskets” (Tipitaka). It consists of five collections (nikayas)
that contain prose discourses attributed to Buddha, as spoken on
various occasions. There are also a few discourses delivered by some of
his better known disciples such as Sariputta, Ananda, and Moggallana in
it. There may be seemingly contradictory statements. Most of the sermons
were intended mainly for the benefit of Bhikkhus [ascetic monks]. There
are several other discourses which deal with both the material and
moral progress of His lay followers.
Interspersed are stanzas to illustrate or sum up particular points.
Many of the discourses seem drawn out and repetitive, but they were
actually made to serve oral transmission and - yes - propaganda. Also,
they are hints on how to meditate, with illustrations by excellent
similies.
All the sayings of these discourses hardly represent the exact words of
Buddha, although some phrases may have been accurately remembered. They
can reveal glimpses of the personality and soaring spirit of Buddha.
The grouping of the discourses into collections (nikayas) has no topical basis. The third and fourth nikayas (Samyutta and Anguttara) seem to reflect a later development, they serve to rearrange the topics dealt with in the Digha and Majjhima Nikayas
The five nikayas or collections are:
Digha Nikaya (Collection of Long Discourses).
Majjhima Nikaya (Collection of Middle-Length Discourses).
Samyutta Nikaya (Collection of Kindred Sayings).
Anguttara Nikaya (Collection of Discourses arranged in accordance with numbers).
Khuddaka Nikaya (Smaller Collection).
2.1.1 The Digha Nikaya (”Collection of Long Discourses”) contains 34 suttas,
some of considerable length, presenting a vivid picture of the
different aspects of life and thought at Buddha’s time. Divided into
three books, it contrasts superstitious beliefs, various doctrinal and
philosophical speculations, and ascetic practices with Buddhist ethical
ideas, which are elucidated with the help of similes and examples taken
from the everyday life of the people. One of the most interesting suttantas (”discourses”) is the Mahaparinibbana Sutta, which gives an account of the last days of Buddha and stresses the importance of striving for emancipation.
2.1.2 The Majjhima Nikaya (”Collection of the Middle Length Sayings”) contains 152 suttas
in its present version, while the Chinese one, preserving the lost
Sarvastivada collection, has 222, some of which are also found in other nikayas (collections) of the Pali canon. Like the Digha, the suttas in the Majjhima present Buddhist ideas and ideals, illustrating them by profound similes of beauty.
2.1.3 The Samyutta Nikaya (”Collection of Kindred Discourses”) has altogether 2,941 suttas, classed in 59 divisions (called samyutta) grouped in five parts (vaggas).
2.1.3.1 The first vagga (part) has suttas that contain stanzas. The suttas
begin with a description of the particular occasion when the stanzas
were spoken; the stanzas themselves represent a kind of questioning and
answering.
2.1.3.2 The second vagga deals with the important principle of dependent origination - the chain of cause and effect affecting all things.
2.1.3.3 The third vagga presents the anatman (no-self) doctrine,
which is the rejection of an abiding principle that could be termed a
self or a pure ego.
2.1.3.4 The fourth vagga is very similar to the previous one,
but here it is not the philosophical principle underlying the analysis
that is stressed but the transitoriness of the elements constituting
reality.
2.1.3.5 The fifth vagga is devoted to a discussion of the basic principles of Buddhist philosophy, religion, and culture.
2.1.4 The Anguttara Nikaya (”Collection of the Gradual Sayings”) contains as many as 2,308 small suttas
arranged according to the number of topics discussed, ranging from one
to eleven. There are three areas in which training is needed: in
conduct, concentration, and insight - and [at least] eight worldly
concerns: gain, loss, fame, blame, rebuke, praise, pleasure, and pain.
Here, too, similes enliven the presentation.
2.1.5 The Khuddaka Nikaya (”Collection of Small Texts”) is subdivided into fifteen books:
Khuddaka-patha (”Small Reading”, or Shorter Texts). This
is the smallest book in the entire Tipitaka. Compiled for use by primary
trainees, its contents are used on various occasions. Two suttas have been borrowed from the Suttanipata (see below), and their recitation is regarded as very auspicious.
Dhammapada (Way of Truth), also called “Verses on the
Dhamma” - This work contains 423 verses in 26 chapters. Presenting
maxims of Buddhist ethics, it not only occupies an eminent place in the
religious life of the peoples in Buddhist countries but is also of
universal appeal, as it recommends a life of peace and nonviolence and
declares that enmity can never be overcome by enmity, only by kindness.
Udana (Paeans of Joy), or “Utterances”. This
contains 80 utterances attributed to Buddha or his chief disciples, when
they had achieved the bliss of their emancipation or spoke in
appreciation of a sublime state.
Iti Vuttaka (”Thus said” Discourses), or “Thus Said” -
This contains 112 short pieces dealing with ethical principles, such as
generosity, good and evil, greed, passion, and malice.
Sutta Nipata (Collected Discourses), or “Collection of suttas”
- This is one of the oldest Buddhist texts in existence today. It is
partly in verse, partly in a mixed style of prose and verse. The verse
part is of high poetic quality.
Vimana Vatthu (Stories of Celestial Mansions), or
“Tales of Heavenly Mansions” - This book describes the different abodes
of deities, male and female, who are born in the heavens as a result of
their former meritorious deeds.
Peta Vatthu (Stories of Petas), or “Tales of Ghosts” -
This work gives an account of the various purgatories and the woes of
the beings reborn there as a result of their wicked deeds.
Theragatha (Psalms of the Brethren), or “Hymns of the
Elders” - This collection contains songs attributed to 264 personal
disciples of Buddha. The songs are said to have been composed when their
authors experienced the bliss of emancipation.
Therigatha (Psalms of the Sisters), or “Hymns of the
Senior Nuns” - These are the songs attributed to about 100 female
disciples of Buddha. They provide rich material for the study of the
position of women at the time of Buddha. Their merit consists in their
revealing the deep impression Buddha’s teaching made upon their life. A
personal tone is unmistakable.
Jataka (Birth Stories), or “Lives [of Buddha]” - Only
the verses are considered to be canonical, while the 547 tales of
Buddha’s previous lives are considered a later addition. The prose
stories contain legends, fables, humorous anecdotes, and short sayings,
as well as lengthy romances.
Niddesa (Expositions), or “Exposition” - This work, consisting of two parts, Mahaniddesa and Cullaniddesa, actually belongs to the group of commentaries. The last two chapters comment on the Suttanipata.
Patisambhida Magga (Analytical Knowledge), or “The Way of Analysis” - This is a kind of encyclopaedia of the philosophical ideas in the Sutta Pitaka. It is primarily meant for reference and intensive study.
Apadana (Lives of Arahats), or “Stories” - This is a collection of stories of the previous lives of Buddha, the pratyeka
buddhas (who attain enlightenment by themselves and are unconcerned
about the enlightenment of others), and the arhats of the early Buddhist
sangha, whose Theragatha and Therigatha songs are
incorporated and embellished with rich biographical detail. The
concluding sentence of each apadana in the collection is intended to
show that even the smallest meritorious act has the potentiality of
giving vast positive results even after a long time. All the stories are
in verse.
Buddhavamsa (The History of Buddha), or “Lineage of
Buddha” - This work relates the lives of 24 previous buddhas, of Gotama
(the historical Buddha), and of Metteyya (Sanskrit: Maitreya; the future
buddha). According to the text, the stories are told by the historical
Buddha himself.
Cariya Pitaka (Modes of Conduct), or “Basket of
Conduct” - This collection retells 35 Jatakas (stories of Buddha’s
previous lives) in verse form, illustrating the bodhisattva’s practice
of the 10 perfections (paramitas) necessary for the attainment of
Buddhahood.
In addition to the above come: Nettippakarana (Burmese Tipitaka only); Petakopadesa (Burmese Tipitaka only): and Milindapanha (Questions of Milinda) (Burmese Tipitaka only)
3. Abhidhamma Pitaka of Scholasticism
The Abhidhamma Pitaka (”Basket of Scholasticism”) is the third
of the three “baskets”. It comprises seven works that are based on the
contents of Buddha’s discourses and deal with selected and specific
topics that form the basis for the later philosophical interpretations.
The Pali version is a strictly Theravada collection and has little in
common with the Abhidhamma works recognized by other schools.
The Abhidhamma Pitaka contains the profound philosophy of Buddha’s
teaching in contrast to the illuminating and simpler discourses in the
Sutta Pitaka. Narada Thera says, “In the Sutta Pitaka is found the
conventional teaching (vohara desana) while in the Abhidhamma Pitaka is
found the ultimate teaching (paramattha-desana).”
In Abhidhamma, consciousness is defined. Thoughts are analyzed and
classified from an ethical standpoint mainly. Mental states are
enumerated. Mind and matter are discussed, an ethical system is evolved,
with the aim of realizing Nibbana.
The seven books of the Abhidhamma Pitaka in the Pali canon are:
3.1.Dhammasangani (”Summary of Dhamma” or “Classification of Dhammas), an enumeration of the entities constituting reality.
3.2.Vibhanga (”Division”, or “The book of Divisions), a definition of these entities from various points of view.
3.3.Kathavatthu (”Points of
Controversy”, or “Points of Controversy), a later work discussing the
controversial doctrinal points among the various ancient schools.
3.4.Puggalapannatti (”Designation of
Person”, or “Descriptions of Individuals), an interesting psychological
typology in which people are classified according to their intellectual
acumen and spiritual attainments.
3.5.Dhatukatha (”Discussion of
Elements”, or “Discussion with reference to elements), a classification
of the elements of reality according to various levels of organization.
3.6.Yamaka (”Pairs”, or “The Book of Pairs), dealing with basic sets of categories arranged in pairs of questions.
3.7.Patthana (”Activations”, or “The Book of Relations), a voluminous work discussing 24 kinds of causal relations.
Early Noncanonical Texts in Pali
The noncanonical literature of Theravada Buddhism consists to a large extent of commentaries on the Tipitaka texts but also includes independent works.
Nagasena, Buddhadatta, Buddhaghosa, and Dhammapala attempted to harmonize apparently conflicting teachings and to grasp the inner meanings:
Nagasena was the learned monk who debated with the well-informed Greco-Bactrian ruler Menander, as described in the literary prose work Milinda-panha
(”Questions of King Menander”), which Nagasena is supposed to have
compiled about 150 BC, and certainly before 400 AD, since Buddhaghosa
from the 400s quotes the work as an authority. In it, the king has
conversations with the monk. The work is one of the few postcanonical
works of the Theravada school that was not produced in Ceylon (modern
Sri Lanka).
Buddhaghosa, who flourished in the early 400s, was a prolific writer who settled on Ceylon. The first work that he wrote was the Visuddhimagga (”Way to Purity”), a revered compendium of Theravada teaching. He also wrote commentaries on the Vinaya, the first four nikayas, and the seven books of the Abhidhamma Pitaka.
Other works are traditionally attributed to Buddhaghosa too, although
modern scholarship indicates that he was not the author. These works
include commentaries on the Suttanipata and the Khuddaka-patha, as well as the extremely important commentaries on the Dhammapada and the Jatakas. The commentary on the Jatakas
has as its introduction what is perhaps the most famous “biography” of
Buddha, and concludes with 547 stories. Some of them are great for kids
in the West too, through the values they show. They serve enculturation
well. In all Theravada countries these narratives and romances have
exerted a tremendous influence on fine arts and law too.
Buddhadatta, a contemporary of Buddhaghosa, was
from Tamil Nadu in southern India. Like Buddhaghosa he went to Sri Lanka
to study at the Mahavihara in Anuradhapura. He wrote his works in a
monastery. His Abhidhammavatara (”The Coming of the Abhidhamma”), is a summary of the older commentaries on the Abhidhamma Pitaka.
He reduced Buddhaghosa’s five metaphysical ultimates - ie, form,
feeling, sensations, motivations, and perception - to four, namely,
mind, mental events, forms, and nirvana.
Dhammapala was slightly later than Buddhadatta and Buddhaghosa, and in the same tradition. In his commentary on Buddhaghosa’s Visuddhimagga, he quotes a verse from the Hindu scripture Bhagavadgita. His work reveals something of the intellectual activity at the time.
The Dipavamsa (”History of the Island”), seems to be a poor
redaction in Pali of an older Old Sinhalese version of how Sri Lanka was
occupied and built.
During and after the “revival” and spread of the Theravada in the
centuries after AD 1000, more Theravada literature was made:
commentaries and independent works written in Pali in Sri Lanka and the
Theravada countries of Southeast Asia (for example, the highly respected
commentary on the Mangala Sutta written in northern Thailand in the 16th century). The 14th-century cosmology called the Traiphumikatha (Three Worlds According to King Ruang), is the oldest known full-length text written in Thai.
“How blissful it is, for one who has nothing. Attainers-of-wisdom are
people with nothing. See him suffering, one who has something, a person
bound in mind with people.”
― Gautama Buddha
youtube.com
Gautama Buddha: How blissful it is, for one who has nothing. Attain…
How
blissful it is, for one who has nothing. Attainers-of-wisdom are people
with nothing. See him suffering, one who has something, a person bound
in mind wi…
There are ten ‘Fetters’-samyojana-by which beings are bound to the wheel of existence. They are:
Self-Illusion (sakkaaya-di.t.thi)
Scepticism (vicikicchaa)
Attachment to mere Rule and Ritual (siilabbata-paraamaasa)
Sensual Lust (kaamaraaga)
Ill-Will (vyaapaada)
Craving for Fine-Material Existence (ruupa-raaga)
Craving for Immaterial Existence (aruupa-raaga)
Conceit (maana)
Restlessness (uddhacca)
Ignorance (avijjaa).
The Noble Ones
(Ariya-puggala)
One
who is freed from the first three Fetters is called a ‘Stream -
Enterer’ (in Pali: Sotaapanna) i.e. one who has entered the stream
leading to Nibbaana. He has unshakable faith in the Buddha, Dhamma, and
Sangha, and is incapable of breaking the five Moral Precepts. He will be
reborn seven times, at the utmost, and not in a state lower than the
human world.
One
who has overcome the fourth and the fifth Fetters in their grosser
form, is called a Sakadaagaami, lit. ‘Once-Returner’ i.e. he will be
reborn only once more in the Sensuous Sphere (kaama-loka), and
thereafter reach Holiness.
An
Anaagaami, lit. ‘Non-Returner’, is wholly freed from the first five
Fetters which bind one to rebirth in the Sensuous Sphere; after death,
while living in the Fine-Material Sphere (ruupa-loka), he will reach the
goal.
An Arahat, i.e. the perfectly ‘Holy One’, is freed from all the ten Fetters.
Each
of the aforementioned four stages of Holiness consists of the ‘Path’
(magga) and the ‘Fruition’, e.g. ‘Path of Stream Entry’
(sotaapatti-magga) and ‘Fruition of Stream Entry’ (sotaapatti-phala).
Accordingly there are eight types, or four pairs, of ‘Noble Individuals’
(ariya-puggala).
The
‘Path’ consists of the single moment of entering the respective
attainment. By ‘Fruition’ are meant those moments of consciousness which
follow immediately thereafter as the result of the ‘Path’, and which
under certain circumstances, may repeat innumerable times during
life-time.
For further details, see B. Dict.: ariya-puggala, sotaapanna,etc.
Mundane And Super Mundane Understanding
M.117
Therefore, I say, Right Understanding is of two kinds:
1.
The view that alms and offerings are not useless; that there is fruit
and result, both of good and bad actions; that there are such things as
this life, and the next life; that father and mother, as also
spontaneously born beings (in the heavenly worlds), are no mere words;
that there are in the world monks and priests, who are spotless and
perfect, who can explain this life and the next life, which they
themselves have understood: this is called the ‘Mundane Right
Understanding’ (lokiya-sammaa-di.t.thi), which yields worldly fruits and
brings good results.
2.
But whatsoever there is of wisdom, of penetration, of right
understanding conjoined with the ‘Path’ (of the Sotaapanna,
Sakadaagaami, Anaagaami, or Arahat)-the mind being turned away from the
world and conjoined with the path, the holy path being pursued: this is
called the ‘Super mundane Right Understanding’
(lokuttara-sammaa-di.t.thi), which is not of the world, but is super
mundane and conjoined with the path.
Thus, there are two kinds of the Eightfold Path:
1.
The ‘mundane’ (lokiya), practiced by the ‘Worldling’ (puthujjana), i.e.
by all those who have not yet reached the first stage of Holiness; 2.
The ’super mundane’ (lokuttara) practiced by the ‘Noble Ones’
(ariya-puggala).
Conjoined With Other Steps
Now,
in understanding wrong understanding as wrong and right understanding
as right, one practices ‘Right Understanding’ (1st factor); and in
making efforts to overcome wrong understanding, and to arouse right
understanding, one practices ‘Right Effort’ (6th factor); and in
overcoming wrong understanding with attentive mind, and dwelling with
attentive mind in the possession of right understanding one practices
‘Right Mindfulness’ (7th factor). Hence, there are three things that
accompany and follow upon right understanding, namely: Right
Understanding, Right Effort, and Right Mindfulness.
Free from All Theories
M. 72
Now,
if any one should put the question, whether I admit any theory at all,
he should be answered thus: The Perfect One is free from any theory, for
the Perfect One has understood what corporeality is, and how it arises
and passes away. He has understood what feeling is, and how it arises
and passes away. He has understood what perception is, and how it arises
and passes away. He has understood what the mental formations are, and
how they arise and pass away. He has understood what consciousness is,
and how it arises and passes away. Therefore I say, the Perfect One has
won complete deliverance through the extinction, fading-away,
disappearance, rejection, and getting rid of all opinions and
conjectures, of all inclination to the vain-glory of ‘I‘ and ‘mine‘.
The Three Characteristics
A. III. 134
Whether
Perfect Ones (Buddhas) appear in the world, or whether Perfect Ones do
not appear in the world, it still remains a firm condition, an immutable
fact and fixed law: that all formations are impermanent (Anicca), that
all formations are subject to suffering (dukkha); that everything is
without a Self (an-attaa).
The
word ’sankhaaraa’ (formations) comprises here all things that are
conditioned or ‘formed’ (sankhata-dhamma), i.e. all possible physical
and mental constituents of existence. The word ‘dhamma’, however, has a
still wider application and is all-embracing, as it comprises also the
so-called Unconditioned (’unformed’, asankhata), i.e. Nibbana.
For
this reason, it would be wrong to say that all dhammas are impermanent
and subject to change, for the Nibbaana-dhamma is permanent and free
from change. And for the same reason, it is correct to say that not only
all the sankhaaras (=sankhata-dhamma), but that all the dhammas
(including the asankhata-dhamma) lack an Ego (an-attaa).
S. XXII. 94
A
corporeal phenomenon, a feeling, a perception, a mental formation, a
consciousness, which is permanent and persistent, eternal and not
subject to change, such a thing the wise men in this world do not
recognize; and I also say that there is no such thing.
A. I. 15
And it is impossible that a being possessed of right understanding should regard anything as the Self.
Views and Discussions About the Ego
D. 15
Now,
if someone should say that feeling is his Self, he should be answered
thus: ‘There are three kinds of feeling: pleasurable, painful, and
indifferent feeling. Which of these three feelings do you consider as
your Self?’ Because, at the moment of experiencing one of these
feelings, one does not experience the other two. These three kinds of
feeling are impermanent, of dependent origin, are subject to decay and
dissolution, to fading-away and extinction. Whosoever, in experiencing
one of these feelings, thinks that this is his Self, must after the
extinction of that feeling, admit that his Self has become dissolved.
And thus he will consider his Self already in this present life as
impermanent, mixed up with pleasure and pain, subject to arising and
passing away.
If
any one should say that feeling is not his Ego, and that his Self is
inaccessible to feeling, he should be asked thus: ‘Now, where there is
no feeling, is it then possible to say: “This am I?”
Or,
another might say: ‘Feeling, indeed, is not my Self, but it also is
untrue that my Self is inaccessible to feeling, for it is my Self that
feels, my Self that has the faculty of feeling’. Such a one should be
answered thus: ‘Suppose that feeling should become altogether totally
extinguished; now, if after the extinction of feeling, no feeling
whatever exists there, is it then possible to say: “This am I’?”
M. 148
To
say that the mind, or the mind-objects, or the mind-consciousness,
constitute the Self, such an assertion is unfounded. For an arising and a
passing away is seen there; and seeing the arising and passing away of
these things, one would come to the conclusion that one’s Self arises
and passes away.
S. XII. 62
1t
would be better for the unlearned worldling to regard his body, built
up of the four elements, as his Self, rather than his mind. For it is
evident that the body may last for a year, for two years, for three,
four, five, or ten years, or even for a hundred years and more; but that
which is called thought, or mind, or consciousness, arises
continuously, during day and night, as one thing, and passes away as
another thing.
S. XXII. 59
Therefore,
whatsoever there is of corporeality, of feeling, of perception, of
mental formations, of consciousness whether past, present or future,
one’s own or external, gross or subtle, lofty or low, far or near: of
this one should understand according to reality and true wisdom: ‘This
does not belong to me; this am I not; this is not my Self.’
To show the impersonality and utter emptiness of existence, Visuddhi-Magga XVI quotes the following verse:
Mere suffering exists, no sufferer is found,
The deed is, but no doer of the deed is there.
Nirvana is, but not the man that enters it.
The path is, but no traveler on it is seen’.
Past, Present and Future
D. 9
If
now, any one should ask: ‘Have you been in the past, and is it untrue
that you have not been? Will you be in the future, and is it untrue that
you will not be? Are you, and is it untrue that you are not?’ - you may
reply that you have been in the past, and that it is untrue that you
have not been; that you will be in the future, and that it is untrue
that you will not be; that you are, and that it is untrue that you are
not.
In
the past only that past existence was real, but unreal the future and
present existence. In the future only the future existence will be real,
but unreal the past and the present existence. Now only the present
existence is real, but unreal, the past and future existence.
M. 28
Verily,
he who perceives the ‘Dependent Origination’ (pa.ticca-samuppaada),
perceives the truth; and he who perceives the truth, perceives the
Dependent Origination.
D. 8
For
just as from the cow comes milk, from milk curd, from curd butter, from
butter ghee, from ghee the skim of ghee; and when it is milk, it is not
counted as curd, or butter, or ghee, or skim of ghee, but only as milk;
and when it is curd, it is only counted as curd: just so was my past
existence at that time real, but unreal the future and present
existence; and my future existence will be at that time real, but unreal
the past and present existence; and my present existence is now real,
but unreal the past and future existence. All these are merely popular
designations and expressions, mere conventional terms of speaking, mere
popular notions. The Perfect One indeed makes use of these, without
however clinging to them.
S. XLIV 4
Thus,
he who does not understand corporeality, feeling, perception, mental
formations and consciousness according to reality (i.e. as void of a
personality, or Ego) nor understands their arising, their extinction,
and the way to their extinction, he is liable to believe, either that
the Perfect One continues after death, or that he does not continue
after death, and so forth.
The Two Extremes (Annihilation and Eternity Belief) and the Middle Doctrine
S. XII. 25
Truly,
if one holds the view that the vital principle (jiva; ‘Soul’) is
identical with this body, in that case a holy life is not possible; and
if one holds the view that the vital principle is something quite
different from the body, in that case also a holy life is not possible.
Both these two extremes the Perfect One has avoided, and he has shown
the Middle Doctrine, which says:
Dependent Origination
(Pa.ticca-samuppaada)
S. XII. 1
On Ignorance (avijjaa) depend the ‘Karma-formations’ (sankhaaraa).
On the Karma-formations depends ‘Consciousness’ (vi~n~naa.na; starting with rebirth-consciousness in the womb of the mother).
On Consciousness depends the ‘Mental and Physical Existence’ (naama-ruupa).
On the mental and physical existence depend the ‘Six Sense-Organs’ (sa.l-aayatana).
On the six sense-organs depends ‘Sensorial Impression’ (phassa).
On sensorial impression depends ‘Feeling’ (vedanaa).
On feeling depends ‘Craving’ (ta.nhaa).
On craving depends ‘Clinging’ (upaadaana).
On clinging depends the ‘Process of Becoming’ (bhava).
On the process of becoming (here: kamma-bhava, or karma-process) depends ‘Rebirth’ (jaati).
On rebirth depend ‘Decay and Death’ (jaraa-marana), sorrow, lamentation, pain, grief and despair.
Thus arises this whole mass of suffering. This is called the noble truth of the origin of suffering.
“No god, no Brahma can be called
The maker of this wheel of life:
Empty phenomena roll on,
Dependent on conditions all.”
(Quoted in Visuddhi-Magga XIX).
S. XII. 51
A
disciple, however, in whom Ignorance (avijjaa) has disappeared and
wisdom arisen, such a disciple heaps up neither meritorious, nor
de-meritorious, nor imperturbable Karma-formations.
The
term sankhaaraa has been rendered here by ‘Karma Formations’ because,
in the context of the Dependent Origination, it refers to karmically
wholesome and unwholesome volition (cetanaa), or volitional activity, in
short, Karma.
The
threefold division of it, given in the preceding passage, comprises
karmic activity in all spheres of existence, or planes of consciousness.
The ‘meritorious karma-formations’ extend also to the Fine-Material
Sphere (ruupaavacara), while the ‘imperturbable karma-formations’
(ane~njaabhisankhaaraa) refer only to the Immaterial Sphere
(aruupaavacara).
S. XII. 1
Thus,
through the entire fading away and extinction of this ‘Ignorance’, the
‘Karma-formations’ are extinguished. Through the extinction of
Karma-formations, ‘Consciousness’ (rebirth) is extinguished. Through the
extinction of consciousness, the ‘Mental and Physical Existence’ is
extinguished. Through the extinction of the mental and physical
existence, the ‘Six Sense-Organs’ are extinguished. Through the
extinction of the six sense organs, ‘Sensorial Impression’ is
extinguished. Through the extinction of sensorial impression, ‘Feeling’
is extinguished. Through the extinction of feeling, ‘Craving’ is
extinguished. Through the extinction of craving, ‘Clinging’ is
extinguished. Through the extinction of clinging, the ‘Process of
Becoming’ is extinguished. Through the extinction of the process of
becoming, ‘Rebirth’ is extinguished. Through the extinction of rebirth,
‘Decay and Death’, sorrow, lamentation, pain, grief, and despair are
extinguished. Thus takes place the extinction of this whole mass of
suffering. This is called the noble truth of the extinction of
suffering.
Rebirth-Producing Kamma
M. 43
Truly,
because beings, obstructed by ignorance (avijjaa) and ensnared by
craving (tanhaa) seek ever fresh delight, now here, now there, therefore
fresh rebirth continually comes to be.
A. III. 33
And
the action (kamma) that is done out of greed, hatred and delusion
(lobha, dosa, moha), that springs from them, has its source and origin
in them: this action ripens wherever one is reborn, and wherever this
action ripens there one experiences the fruits of this action, be it in
this life, or the next life, or in some future life.
Cessation of Kamma
M. 43
However,
through the fading away of ignorance, through the arising of wisdom,
through the extinction of craving, no future rebirth takes place again.
A. III. 33
For
the actions which are not done out of greed, hatred and delusion, which
have not sprung from them, which have not their source and origin in
them: such actions, through the absence of greed, hatred and delusion,
are abandoned, rooted out, like a palm-tree torn out of the soil,
destroyed, and not able to spring up again.
A. VIII. 12
In
this respect one may rightly say of me: that I teach annihilation, that
I propound my doctrine for the purpose of annihilation, and that I
herein train my disciples; for certainly I do teach annihilation-the
annihilation, namely, of greed, hatred and delusion, as well as of the
manifold evil and unwholesome things.
The
Pa.ticca Samuppaada, lit, the Dependent Origination, is the doctrine of
the conditionality of all physical and mental phenomena, a doctrine
which, together with that of Impersonality (anattaa), forms the
indispensable condition for the real understanding and realization of
the Buddha’s teaching. It shows that the various physical and mental
life-processes, conventionally called personality, man, animal, etc.,
are not a mere play of blind chance, but the outcome of causes and
conditions. Above all, the Pa.ticca-Samuppaada explains how the arising
of rebirth and suffering is dependent upon conditions; and, in its
second part, it shows how, through the removal of these conditions, all
suffering must disappear. Hence, the Pa.ticca-Samuppaada serves to
elucidate the second and the third Noble Truths, by explaining them from
their very foundations upwards, and giving them a fixed philosophical
form.
The
following diagram shows at a glance how the twelve links of the formula
extend over three consecutive existences, past, present, and future:
Past Existence
1. Ignorance (avijjaa)
Karma Process (kamma-bhava) 5 causes: 1, 2, 8, 9, 10
2. Karma-Formations (sankhaaraa)
Present Existence
3. Consciousness (vi~n~naa.na)
Rebirth-Process (upapatti-bhava) 5 results: 3-7
4. Mental and Physical Existence (naamaruupa)
5. 6 Sense Organs (sa.l-aayatana)
6. Sense-Impression (phassa)
7. Feeling (vedanaa)
8. Craving (ta.nha)
Karma Process (kamma-bhava) 5 causes: 1, 2, 8, 9, 10
9. Clinging (upaadaana)
10. Process of Existence (bhava)
Future Existence
11. Rebirth (jaati)
Rebirth-Process (upapatti-bhava) 5 results: 3-7
12. Decay and Death (jaraa-marana)
The links 1-2, together with 8-10, represent the Karma-Process, containing the five karmic causes of rebirth.
The links 3-7, together with 11-12, represent the Rebirth-Process, containing the five Karma-Results.
Accordingly it is said in the Patisambhidaa-Magga:
Five causes were there in past,
Five fruits we find in present life.
Five causes do we now produce,
Five fruits we reap in future life.
(Quoted in Vis. Magga XVII)
For a full explanation see Fund. III and B. Dict.
Right Intention
Right Thought
(Sammaa-sankappa)
D. 22
What, now, is Right Thought?
Thought free from lust (nekkhamma-sankappa).
Thought free from ill-will (avyaapaada-sankappa).
Thought free from cruelty (avihimsaa-sankappa).
This is called Right Thought.
Mundane And Super Mundane Thought
M. 117
Now, Right Thought, I tell you, is of two kinds:
1. Thought
free from lust, from ill-will, and from cruelty-this is called ‘Mundane
Right Thought’ (lokiya sammaa-sankappa), which yields worldly fruits and
brings good rcsu1ts.
2. But,
whatsoever there is of thinking, considering, reasoning, thought,
ratiocination, application-the mind being holy, being turned away from
the world, and conjoined with the path, the holy path being
pursued-these ‘verbal operations’ of the mind (vacii-sankhaaraa) are
called the ‘Super mundane Right Thought’ (lokuttara-sammaa-sankappa),
which is not of the world, but is super mundane, and conjoined with the
path.
Conjoined with Other Factors
Now, in understanding wrong thought as wrong, and right thought as right, one practices Right Understanding (1st factor); and in making efforts to overcome evil thought and to arouse right thought, one practices Right Effort
(6th factor); and in overcoming evil thought with attentive mind, and
dwelling with attentive mind in possession of right thought, one
practices Right Mindfulness (7th factor). Hence there are three
things that accompany and follow upon Right Thought, namely: Right
Understanding, Right Effort, and Right Mindfulness.
Ethical Conduct
3) Right Speech
Right Speech
(Sammaa-vaacaa)
What now, is Right Speech?
Abstaining from Lying
A. X. 176
1. Herein
someone avoids lying and abstains from it. He speaks the truth, is
devoted to the truth, reliable, worthy of confidence, not a deceiver of
men. Being at a meeting, or amongst people, or in the midst of his
relatives, or in a society, or in the king’s court, and called upon and
asked as witness to tell what he knows, he answers, if he knows nothing:
‘I know nothing’, and if he knows, he answers: ‘I know’; if he has seen
nothing, he answers: ‘I have seen nothing’, and if he has seen, he
answers: ‘I have seen’. Thus he never knowingly speaks a lie, either for
the sake of his own advantage, or for the sake of another person’s
advantage, or for the sake of any advantage whatsoever.
Abstaining from Tale Bearing
2. He avoids
tale bearing, and abstains from it. What he has heard here, he does not
repeat there, so as to cause dissension there; and what he has heard
there, he does not repeat here, so as to cause dissension here. Thus he
unites those that are divided; and those that are united, he encourages.
Concord gladdens him, he delights and rejoices in concord; and it is
concord that he spreads by his words.
Abstaining from Harsh Language
3. He avoids
harsh language, and abstains from it. He speaks such words as are
gentle, soothing to the ear, loving, such words as go to the heart, and
are courteous, friendly, and agreeable to many.
In
Majjhima-Nicaaya No. 21, the Buddha says: ‘Even, O monks, should
robbers and murderers saw through your limbs and joints, whosoever
should give way to anger thereat would not be following my advice. For
thus ought you to train yourselves:
‘Undisturbed
shall our mind remain, no evil words shall escape our lips; friendly
and full of sympathy shall we remain, with heart full of love, and free
from any hidden malice; and that person shall we penetrate with loving
thoughts, wide, deep, boundless, freed from anger and hatred’.
Abstaining from Vain Talk
A. X. 176
4. He avoids
vain talk, and abstains from it. He speaks at the right time, in
accordance with facts, speaks what is useful, speaks of the law and the
discipline: his speech is like a treasure, uttered at the right moment,
accompanied by arguments, moderate and full of sense.
This is called Right Speech.
Mundane and Super Mundane Speech
M. 117
Now, Right Speech. I tell you, is of two kinds:
1. Abstaining
from lying, from tale-bearing, from harsh language, and from vain talk;
this is called ‘Mundane Right Speech’ (lokiya-sammaa-vaacaa), which
yields worldly fruits and brings good results.
2. But the
avoidance of the practice of this fourfold wrong speech, the abstaining,
desisting. refraining there from-the mind being holy, being turned away
from the world, and conjoined with the path, the holy path being
pursued-this is called the ‘Super mundane Right Speech’
(lokuttara-sammaa-vaacaa), which is not of the world, but is super
mundane, and conjoined with the path.
Conjoined with Other Factors
Now, in understanding wrong speech as wrong, and right speech as right, one practices Right Understanding (1st factor); and in making efforts to overcome evil speech and to arouse right speech, one practices Right Effort
(6th factor); and in overcoming wrong speech with attentive mind, and
dwelling with attentive mind in possession of right speech, one
practices Right Mindfulness (7th factor). Hence, there are
three things that accompany and follow upon Right Speech, namely: Right
Understanding, Right Effort, and Right Mindfulness.
4) Right Action
(Sammaa-kammanta)
A. X. 176
What, now, is Right Action?
Abstaining from Killing
1. Herein someone
avoids the killing of living beings, and abstains from it. Without stick
or sword, conscientious, full of sympathy, he is desirous of the
welfare of all living beings.
Abstaining from Stealing
2. He avoids stealing,
and abstains from it; what another person possesses of goods and
chattels in the village or in the wood, that he does not take away with
thievish intent.
Abstaining from Unlawful Sexual Intercourse
3. He avoids unlawful
sexual intercourse, and abstains from it. He has no intercourse with
such persons as are still under the protection of father, mother,
brother, sister or relatives, nor with married women, nor female
convicts, nor lastly, with betrothed girls.
This is called Right Action.
Mundane And Super Mundane Action
M. 117
Now, Right Action, I tell you, is of two kinds:
1. Abstaining from
killing, from stealing, and from unlawful sexual intercourse: this is
called the ‘Mundane Right Action’ (lokiya-sammaa-kammanta) which yields
worldly fruits and brings good results.
2. But the avoidance
of the practice of this threefold wrong action, the abstaining,
desisting, refraining there from-the mind being holy.Being
turned away from the world, and conjoined with the path, the holy path
being pursued-this is called the ‘Super mundane Right Action’
(lokuttara-sammaa-kammanta), which is not of the world, but is super
mundane, and conjoined with the path.
Conjoined With Other Factors
Now in understanding wrong action as wrong, and right action as right, one practices Right Understanding (1st factor): and in making efforts to overcome wrong action, and to arouse right action, one practices Right Effort
(6th factor); and in overcoming wrong action with attentive mind, and
dwelling with attentive mind in possession of right action, one
practices Right Mindfulness (7th factor).Hence,
there are three things that accompany and follow upon Right Action,
namely: Right Understanding, Right Effort, and Right Mindfulness.
5) Right Livelihood
(Sammaa-aajiva)
What, now, is Right Livelihood?
D. 22
1. When the
noble disciple, avoiding a wrong way of living, gets his livelihood by a
right way of living, this is called Right Livelihood.
In
the Majjhima-Nikaaya, No. 117, it is said: ‘To practice deceit,
treachery, soothsaying, trickery, usury: this is wrong livelihood.’
And
in the Anguttara-Nikaaya, V. 1 77, it is said: ‘Five trades should be
avoided by a disciple: trading in arms, in living beings, in flesh, in
intoxicating drinks, and in poison’.
Included are the professions of a soldier, a fisherman, a hunter, etc.
Now, Right Livelihood, I tell you, is of two kinds:
Mundane and Super mundane Right Livelihood
M. 117
1. When the
noble disciple, avoiding wrong living, gets his livelihood by a right
way of living: this is called ‘Mundane Right Livelihood’
(lokiya-sammaa-aajiva), which yields worldly fruits and brings good
results.
2. But the
avoidance of wrong livelihood, the abstaining, desisting, refraining
there from-the mind being holy, being turned away from the world, and
conjoined with the path, the holy path being pursued-this is called the
‘Super mundane Right Livelihood’ (lokuttara-sammaa-aajiva), which is not
of the world,but is super mundane, and conjoined with the path.
Conjoined with Other Factors
Now. in understanding wrong livelihood as wrong, and right livelihood as right, one practices Right Understanding (1st factor); and in making efforts to overcome wrong livelihood, to establish right livelihood, one practices Right Effort
(6th factor); and in overcoming wrong livelihood with attentive mind,
and dwelling with attentive mind in possession of right livelihood, one
practices Right Mindfulness (7th factor). Hence, there are
three things that accompany and follow upon Right Livelihood, namely:
Right Understanding, Right Effort, and Right Mindfulness.
Mental Development
6) Right Effort
(Sammaa-vaayaama)
A. IV. 13, 14
What, now. is Right Effort?
There are Four Great Efforts; the effort to avoid, the effort to overcome, the effort to develop, and the effort to maintain.
I. The Effort to Avoid
(Sa.mvara-ppadhaana)
What, now is the effort to Avoid?
Herein the disciple rouses his will to avoid the arising of evil,
unwholesome things that have not yet arisen; and he makes efforts, stirs
up his energy; exerts his mind and strives.
Thus, when lie
perceives a form with the eye, a sound with the ear, and an odor with
the nose, a taste with the tongue, an impression with the body, or an
object with the mind, he neither adheres to the whole, nor to its parts.
And he strives to ward off that through which evil and unwholesome
things, greed and sorrow, would arise, if he remained with unguarded
senses; and he watches over his senses, restrains his senses.
Possessed of this noble ‘Control over the Senses’ he experiences inwardly a feeling of joy, into which no evil thing can enter.
This is called the effort to avoid
2. The Effort to Overcome
(Pahaana-ppadhaana)
What, now, is the effort to Overcome?
There the disciple rouses his will to overcome the evil, unwholesome
things that have already arisen; and he makes effort, stirs up his
energy, exerts his mind and strives.
He does not
retain any thought of sensual lust, ill-will or grief, or any other evil
and unwholesome states that may have arisen; he abandons them, dispels
them, destroys them. causes them to disappear.
Five Methods of Expelling Evil Thoughts
M. 20
If, whilst
regarding a certain object, there arise in the disciple, on account of
it, evil and unwholesome thoughts connected with greed, hatred and
delusion, then the disciple (1) should, by means of this object, gain
another and wholesome object. (2) Or, he should reflect on the misery of
these thoughts; ‘Unwholesome, truly, are these thoughts! Blamable are
these thoughts! Of painful result are these thoughts!’ (3) Or he should
pay no attention to these thoughts. (4) Or, he should consider the
compound nature of these thoughts. (5) Or, with teeth clenched and
tongue pressed against the gums, he should with his mind restrain,
suppress and root out these thoughts; and in doing so these evil and
unwholesome thoughts of greed, hatred and delusion will dissolve and
disappear; and the mind will inwardly become settled and calm, composed
and concentrated.
This is called the effort to overcome.
3. The Effort to Develop
(Bhaavanaa-ppadhaana)
A. IV. 13, 14
What, now, is the effort to Develop?
Herein the disciple rouses his will to arouse wholesome things that
have not yet arisen; and he makes effort, stirs up his energy, exerts
his mind and strives.
Thus he
develops the ‘Elements of Enlightenment’ (bojjhanga), based on solitude,
on detachment, on extinction, and ending in deliverance, namely:
‘Mindfulness’ (sati), ‘Investigation of the Law’ (dhamma-vicaya),
‘Energy’ (viriya), ‘Rapture’ (piiti), ‘Tranquility’ (passaddhi),
‘Concentration’ (samadhi). and ‘Equanimity’ (upekkhaa).
This is called the effort to develop.
4. The Effort to Maintain
(Anurakkha.na-ppadhaana)
What, now, is
the effort to Maintain? Herein the disciple rouses his will to maintain
the wholesome things that have already arisen, and not to allow them to
disappear, but to bring them to growth, to maturity and to the full
perfection of development (bhaavanaa); and he makes effort, stirs up his
energy, exerts his mind and strives.
Thus, for
example, he keeps firmly in his mind a favorable object of concentration
that has arisen, such as the mental image of a skeleton, of a corpse
infested by worms, of a corpse blue-black in color, of a festering
corpse, of a corpse riddled with holes, of a corpse swollen up.
This is called the effort to maintain.
M. 70
Truly, for a
disciple who is possessed of faith and has penetrated the Teaching of
the master, it is fit to think: ‘Though skin sinews and bones wither
away, though flesh and blood of my body dry up, I shall not give up my
efforts till I have attained whatever is attainable by manly
perseverance, energy and endeavor.’
This is called Right Effort.
A. IV. 14
The effort of Avoiding, Overcoming,
Of Developing and Maintaining:
These four great efforts have been shown
By him, the scion of the sun.
And he who firmly clings to them,
May put an end to suffering.
7) Right Mindfulness
(Sammaa-sati)
What, now, is Right Mindfulness?
The Four Foundations of Mindfulness
(Satipa.t.thaana)
D. 22
The only way
that leads to the attainment of purity, to the overcoming of sorrow and
lamentation, to the end of pain and grief, to the entering upon the
right path and the realization of Nibbana, is by the ‘Four Foundations
of Mindfulness’. And which are these four?
Herein the
disciple dwells in contemplation of the Body, in contemplation of
Feeling, in contemplation of the Mind, in contemplation of the
Mind-Objects; ardent, clearly comprehending them and mindful, after
putting away worldly greed and grief.
1. Contemplation of the Body
(kaayaanupassanaa)
But how does the disciple dwell in contemplation of the body?
Watching Over In- and Out-Breathing
(aanaapaana-sati)
Herein the
disciple retires to the forest, to the foot of a tree, or to a solitary
place, seats himself with legs crossed, body erect, and with mindfulness
fixed before him, mindfully he breathes in, mindfully he breathes out.
When making a long inhalation, he knows: ‘I make a long inhalation’;
when making a long exhalation, he knows: ‘I make a long exhalation’.
When making a short inhalation, he knows: ‘I make a short inhalation’:
when making a short exhalation, he knows: ‘I make a short exhalation’.
‘Clearly perceiving the entire (breath-) body, I shall breathe in’: thus
he trains himself; ‘Clearly perceiving the entire (breath-) body, I
shall breathe out’: thus he trains himself. ‘Calming this bodily
function (kaaya-sankhaara), I shall breathe in’: thus he trains himself;
‘Calming this bodily function. I shall breathe out’: thus he trains
himself.
Thus he dwells
in contemplation of the body, either with regard to his own person, or
to other persons, or to both, he beholds how the body arises; beholds
how it passes away; beholds the arising and passing away of the body. A
body is there-
‘A
body is there, but no living being, no individual, no woman, no man, no
self, and nothing that belongs to a self; neither a person. nor
anything belonging to a person. (Comm.)
this clear
awareness is present in him, to the extent necessary for knowledge and
mindfulness, and he lives independent, unattached to anything in the
world. Thus does the disciple dwell in contemplation of the body.
‘Mindfulness
of Breathing’ (aanaapaana-sati) is one of the most important meditative
exercises. It may be used for the development of Tranquility
(samatha-bhaavanaa), i.e. for attaining the four Absorptions (jhana; see
“The Four Absorptions” on page 67), for the development of Insight
(vipassanaa-bhaavanaa) or for a combination of both practices. Here, in
the context of satipa.t.thaana, it is principally intended for
tranquillization and concentration preparatory to the practice of
Insight, which may be undertaken in the following way.
After
a certain degree of calm and concentration, or one of the Absorptions,
has been attained through regular practice of mindful breathing, the
disciple proceeds to examine the origin of breath. He sees that the
inhalations and exhalations are conditioned by the body consisting of
the four material elements and the various corporeal phenomena derived
from them, e.g. the five sense organs, etc. Conditioned by fivefold
sense-impression arises consciousness, and together with it the three
other ‘Groups of Existence’, i.e. Feeling, Perception, and mental
Formations. Thus the meditator sees clearly: ‘There is no ego-entity or
self in this so called personality, but it is only a corporeal and
mental process conditioned by various factors’. Thereupon he applies the
Three Characteristics to these phenomena, understanding them thoroughly
as impermanent subject to suffering, and impersonal.
For further details about Ânaapaana-sati, see M. 118.62: Visuddhi-Magga VIII, 3.
The Four Postures
And further,
whilst going, standing, sitting, or lying down, the disciple understands
(according to reality) the expressions; ‘I go’; ‘I stand’; ‘I sit’; ‘I
lie down’; he understands any position of the body.
‘The
disciple understands that there is no living being, no real Ego, that
goes, stands, etc., but that it is by a mere figure of speech that one
says: “I go”, “I stand” and so forth’. (Comm.)
Mindfulness and Clear Comprehension
(sati-sampaja~n~na)
And further,
the disciple acts with clear comprehension in going and coming; he acts
with clear comprehension in looking forward and backward; acts with
clear comprehension in bending and stretching (any part of his body);
acts with clear comprehension in carrying alms bowl and robes; acts with
clear comprehension in eating, drinking, chewing and tasting; acts with
clear comprehension in discharging excrement and urine; acts with clear
comprehension in walking, standing, sitting, falling asleep, awakening;
acts with clear comprehension in speaking and keeping silent.
In
all that the disciple is doing, he has a clear comprehension: 1. of his
intention, 2. of his advantage, 3. of his duty, 4. of the reality.
(Comm.)
Contemplation of Loathsomeness
(pa.tikuula-sa~n~naa)
And further,
the disciple contemplates this body from the sole of the foot upward,
and from the top of the hair downward, with a skin stretched over it,
and filled with manifold impurities: ‘This body has hairs of the head
and of the body, nails, teeth, skin, flesh, sinews, bones, marrow,
kidneys, heart, liver, diaphragm, spleen, lungs, stomach, bowels,
mesentery, and excrement; bile, phlegm, pus, blood, sweat, lymph, tears,
skin-grease, saliva, nasal mucus, oil of the joints, and urine.’
Just as if
there were a sack, with openings at both ends, filled with various kinds
of grain-with paddy, beans, sesamum and husked rice-and a man not blind
opened it and examined its contents, thus: ‘That is paddy, these are
beans, this is sesamum, this is husked rice’: just so does the disciple
investigate this body.
Analysts of Four Elements
(dhaatu)
And further,
the disciple contemplates this body, however it may stand or move, with
regard to the elements; ‘This body consists of the solid element, the
liquid element, the heating element and the vibrating element’. Just as
if a skilled butcher or butcher’s apprentice, who had slaughtered a cow
and divided it into separate portions, were to sit down at the junction
of four highroads: just so does the disciple contemplate this body with
regard to the elements.
In Visuddhi Magga XIII, 2 this simile is explained as follows:
When
a butcher rears a cow, brings it to the place of slaughter, binds it to
a post, makes it stand up, slaughters it and looks at the slaughtered
cow, during all that time he has still the notion ‘cow’. But when he has
cut up the slaughtered cow, divided it into pieces, and sits down near
it to sell the meat, the notion, ‘cow’ ceases in his mind, and the
notion ‘meat’ arises. He does not think that he is selling a cow or that
people buy a cow, but that it is meat that is sold and bought.
Similarly, in an ignorant worldling, whether monk or layman, the
concepts ‘being’, ‘man’, ‘personality’, etc., will not cease until he
has mentally dissected this body of his, as it stands and moves, and has
contemplated it according to its component elements. But when he has
done so, the notion ‘personality’, etc., will disappear, and his mind
will become firmly established in the Contemplation of the Elements.
Cemetery Meditations
1. And
further, just as if the disciple were looking at a corpse thrown on a
charnel-ground, one, two, or three days dead, swollen up, blue-black in
color, full of corruption-so he regards his own body: ‘This body of mine
also has this nature, has this destiny, and cannot escape it.’
2. And
further, just as if the disciple were looking at a corpse thrown on a
charnel-ground, eaten by crows, hawks or vultures, by dogs or jackals,
or devoured by all kinds of worms-so he regards his own body; ‘This body
of mine also has this nature, has this destiny, and cannot escape it.’
3. And
further, just as if the disciple were looking at a corpse thrown on a
charnel-ground, a framework of bones, flesh hanging from it, bespattered
with blood, held together by the sinews;
4. A framework of bone, stripped of flesh, bespattered with blood, held together by the sinews;
5. A framework of bone, without flesh and blood, but still held together by the sinews;
6. Bones,
disconnected and scattered in all directions, here a bone of the hand,
there a bone of the foot, there a shin bone, there a thigh bone, there a
pelvis, there the spine, there the skull-so he regards his own body:
‘This body of mine also has this nature, has this destiny, and cannot
escape it.’
7. And further, just as if the disciple were looking at bones lying in the charnel-ground, bleached and resembling shells;
8. Bones heaped together, after the lapse of years;
9. Bones
weathered and crumbled to dust-so he regards his own body: ‘This body of
mine also has this nature, has this destiny, and cannot escape it.’
Thus he dwells in contemplation of the body, either with regard to his own person, or to other persons, or to both.He
beholds how the body arises; beholds how it passes away; beholds the
arising and passing away of the body. ‘A body is there’: this clear
awareness is present in him, to the extent necessary for knowledge and
mindfulness; and he lives independent, unattached to anything in the
world.Thus does the disciple dwell in contemplation of the body.
Assured Of Ten Blessings
M. 119
Once the
contemplation of the body is practiced, developed, often repeated, has
become one’s habit, one’s foundation, is firmly established,
strengthened and perfected; the disciple may expect ten blessings:
1. Over
delight and discontent he has mastery; he does not allow himself to be
overcome by discontent; he subdues it, as soon as it arises.
2. He conquers
fear and anxiety; he does not allow himself to be overcome by fear and
anxiety; he subdues them, as soon as they arise.
3. He endures
cold and heat, hunger and thirst; wind and sun, attacks by gadflies,
mosquitoes and reptiles; patiently he endures wicked and malicious
speech, as well as bodily pains that befall him, though they be
piercing, sharp, bitter, unpleasant, disagreeable, and dangerous to
life.
4. The four
Absorptions’ (jhana), which purify the mind, and bestow happiness even
here, these he may enjoy at will, without difficulty, without effort.
Six ‘Psychical Powers’
(Abhi~n~naa)
5. He may enjoy the different ‘Magical Powers (id.dhi-vidhaa).
6. With the
‘Heavenly Ear’ (dibba-sota), the purified, the super-human, he may hear
both kinds of sounds, the heavenly and the earthly, the distant and the
near.
7. With the mind he may obtain ‘Insight into the Hearts of Other Beings’ (parassa-cetopariya-~naa.na), of other persons.
8. He may obtain ‘Remembrances of many Previous Births’ (pubbe-nivaasaanussati-~naa.na).
9. With the
‘Heavenly Eye’ (dibba-cakkhu), purified and super-human, he may see
beings vanish and reappear, the base and the noble, the beautiful and
the ugly, the happy and the unfortunate; he may perceive how beings are
reborn according to their deeds.
10. He may,
through the ‘Cessation of Passions’ (aasavakkhaya), come to know for
himself, even in this life, the stainless deliverance of mind, the
deliverance through wisdom.
The
last six blessings (5-10) are the ‘Psychical Powers’ (abhi~n~naa). The
first five of them are mundane (lokiya) conditions, and may therefore be
attained even by a ‘worldling’ (puthujjana), whilst the last Abhi~n~naa
is super-mundane (lokuttara) and exclusively the characteristic of the
Arhat, or Holy One. It is only after the attainment of all the four
Absorptions (jhana) that one may fully succeed in acquiring the five
worldly ‘Psychical Powers’. There are four iddhipaada, or ‘Bases for
obtaining Magical Powers’, namely: concentration of Will, concentration
of Energy, concentration of Mind, and concentration of Investigation.
2. Contemplation of the Feelings
(vedanaanupassanaa)
D. 22
But how does the disciple dwell in contemplation of the feelings?
In
experiencing feelings, the disciple knows: ‘I have an agreeable
feeling’; or: ‘I have a disagreeable feeling’, or: ‘I have an
indifferent feeling’; or: ‘I have a worldly agreeable feeling’, or: ‘I
have an unworldly agreeable feeling’, or: ‘I have a worldly disagreeable
feeling’, or: ‘I have an unworldly disagreeable feeling’, or: ‘I have a
worldly indifferent feeling’, or: ‘I have an unworldly indifferent
feeling’.
Thus he dwells
in contemplation of the feelings, either with regard to his own person,
or to other persons, or to both. He beholds how the feelings arise;
beholds how they pass away; beholds the arising and passing away of the
feelings. ‘Feelings are there’: this clear awareness is present in him,
to the extent necessary for knowledge and mindfulness; and he lives
independent, unattached to anything in the world. Thus does the disciple
dwell in contemplation of the feelings.
The
disciple understands that the expression ‘I feel’ has no validity
except as a conventional expression (vohaaravacana); he understands
that, in the absolute sense (paramattha), there are only feelings, and
that there is no Ego, no experiencer of the feelings.
3. Contemplation of the Mind
(cittaanupassanaa)
But how does the disciple dwell in contemplation of the mind?
Herein the
disciple knows the greedy mind as greedy, and the not greedy mind as not
greedy; knows the hating mind as hating, and the not hating mind as not
hating: knows the deluded mind as deluded and the undeluded mind as
undeluded. He knows the cramped mind as cramped, and the scattered mind
as scattered; knows the developed mind as developed, and the undeveloped
mind as undeveloped; knows the surpass able mind as surpass able and
the unsurpassable mind as unsurpassable; knows the concentrated mind as
concentrated, and the unconcentrated mind as unconcentrated; knows the
freed mind as freed, and the un-freed mind as un-freed.
Citta
(mind) is here used as a collective term for the Cittas, or moments of
consciousness. Citta being identical with vi~n~naa.na, or consciousness,
should not be translated by ‘thought’. ‘Thought’ and ‘thinking’
correspond rather to the ‘verbal operations of the mind’: vitakka
(thought-conception) and vicaara (discursive thinking), which belong to
the Sankhaara-kkhandha.
Thus he dwells
in contemplation of the mind, either with regard to his own person, or
to other persons, or to both. He beholds how consciousness arises;
beholds how it passes away; beholds the arising and passing away of
consciousness. ‘Mind is there’; this clear awareness is present in him,
to the extent necessary for knowledge and mindfulness; and he lives
independent, unattached to anything in the world. Thus does the disciple
dwell in contemplation of the mind.
4. Contemplation of the Mind-Objects
(dhammaanupassanaa)
But how does the disciple dwell in contemplation of mind-objects?
Herein the disciple dwells in contemplation of the mind-objects, namely of the ‘Five Hindrances.’
The Five Hindrances
(niivara.na)
1. He knows
when there is ‘Lust’ (kaamacchanda) in him: ‘In me is lust’; knows when
there is ‘Anger’ (vyaapaada) in him: ‘In me is anger’; knows when there
is ‘Torpor and Sloth’ (thiina-middha) in him: ‘In me is torpor and
sloth’; knows when there is ‘Restlessness and Mental Worry’
(uddhacca-kukkucca) in him: ‘In me is restlessness and mental worry’;
knows when there are ‘Doubts’ (vicikicchaa) in him: ‘In me are doubts’.
He knows when these hindrances are not in him: ‘In me these hindrances
are not’. He knows how they come to arise; knows how, once arisen, they
are overcome; and he knows how they do not rise again in the future.
For
example, ‘Lust’ arises through unwise thinking on the agreeable and
delightful. It may be suppressed by the following six methods: fixing
the mind upon an idea that arouses disgust; contemplation of the
loathsomeness of the body; controlling one’s six senses; moderation in
eating; friendship with wise and good men; right instruction. Lust and
anger are for ever extinguished upon attainment of Anaagaamiiship;
‘Restlessness’ is extinguished by reaching Arhatship; ‘Mental Worry’, by
reaching Sotapanship.
The Five Groups of Existence
(khandha)
And further: the disciple dwells in contemplation of the mind-objects, namely of the five ‘Groups of Existence’.He
knows what ‘Corporeality’ (ruupa) is, how it arises, how it passes
away; knows what ‘Feeling’ (vedanaa) is, how it arises, how it passes
away; knows what ‘Perception’ (sa~n~naa) is, how it arises, how it
passes away; knows what the ‘Mental Formations’ (Sankhara) are, how they
arise, how they pass away; knows what ‘Consciousness’ (vi~n~naa.na) is,
how it arises, how it passes away.
The Sense-Bases
(aayatana)
And further:
the disciple dwells in contemplation of the mind-objects, namely of the
six ‘Subjective-Objective Sense-Bases’. He knows the eye and visual
objects, ear and sounds, nose and odors, tongue and tastes, body and
bodily impressions, mind and mind-objects; and the fetter that arises in
dependence on them, he also knows. He knows how the fetter comes to
arise, knows how the fetter is overcome, and how the abandoned fetter
does not rise again in future.
The Seven Elements of Enlightenment
(bojjhanga)
And further:
the disciple dwells in contemplation of the mind-objects, namely of the
seven ‘Elements of Enlightenment’, He knows when there is in him
‘Mindfulness’ (sati), ‘Investigation of the Law’ (dhammavicaya),
‘Energy’ (viriya), ‘Enthusiasm’ (piiti), ‘Tranquility’ (passaddhi),
‘Concentration’ (samadhi), and ‘Equanimity’ (upekkhaa). He knows when it
is not in him, knows how it comes to arise, and how it is fully
developed.
The Four Noble Truths
(ariya-sacca)
And further:
the disciple dwells in contemplation of the mind-objects, namely of the
‘Four Noble Truths’. He knows according to reality, what Suffering is;
knows according to reality, what the Origin of suffering is; knows
according to reality what the Extinction of suffering is; knows
according to reality, what the Path is that leads to the extinction of
suffering.
Thus he dwells
in contemplation of the mind-objects either with regard to his own
person, or to other persons or to both. He beholds how the mind-objects
arise, beholds how they pass away, beholds the arising and passing away
of the mind-objects. ‘Mind-objects are there’: this clear awareness is
present in him, to the extent necessary for knowledge and mindfulness;
and he lives independent, unattached to anything in the world. Thus does
the disciple dwell in contemplation of the mind-objects.
The only way
that leads to the attainment of purity, to the overcoming of sorrow and
lamentation, to the end of pain and grief, to the entering upon the
right path, and the realization of Nibbana, is by these four foundations
of mindfulness.
These
four contemplations of Satipa.t.thaana relate to all the five Groups of
Existence, namely: 1. The contemplation of corporeality relates to
ruupakkhandha; 2. the contemplation of feeling, to vedanaakkhandha; 3.
the contemplation of mind, to vi~n~naanakkhandha; 4. the contemplation
of mind-objects, to sa~n~naa- and sankhaara-kkhandha.
For further details about Satipa.t.thaana see the Commentary to the discourse of that name, translated in The Way of Mindfulness, by Bhikkhu Soma (Kandy 1967, Buddhist Publication Society).
Nibbaana Through Aanaapaana-Sati
M. 118
Watching over
In - and Out-breathing (aanaapaana-sati), practiced and developed,
brings the Four ‘Foundations of Mindfulness’ to perfection; the four
foundations of mindfulness, practiced and developed, bring the seven
‘Elements of Enlightenment’ to perfection; the seven elements of
enlightenment, practiced and developed, bring ‘Wisdom and Deliverance’
to perfection.
But how does
watching over In- and Out-breathing, practiced and developed, bring the
four ‘Foundations of Mindfulness’ (satipa.t.thaana) to perfection?
I. Whenever
the disciple (1) mindfully makes a long inhalation or exhalation, or (2)
makes a short inhalation or exhalation, or (3) trains himself to inhale
or exhale whilst experiencing the whole (breath-) body, or (4) whilst
calming down this bodily function (i.e. the breath)-at such a time the
disciple dwells in ‘contemplation of the body’, full of energy,
comprehending it, mindful, after subduing worldly greed and grief. For,
inhalation and exhalation I call one amongst the corporeal phenomena.
II. Whenever
the disciple trains himself to inhale or exhale (1) whilst feeling
rapture (piiti), or (2) joy (sukha), or (3) the mental functions
(cittasankhaara), or (4) whilst calming down the mental functions-at
such a time he dwells in ‘contemplation of the feelings’, full of
energy, clearly comprehending them, mindful, after subduing worldly
greed and grief. For, the full awareness of In- and Out-breathing I call
one amongst the feelings.
III. Whenever
the disciple trains himself to inhale or exhale (1) whilst experiencing
the mind, or (2) whilst gladdening the mind, or (3) whilst concentrating
the mind, or (4) whilst setting the mind free–at such a time he dwells
in ‘contemplation of the mind’, full of energy, clearly comprehending
it, mindful, after subduing worldly greed and grief. For, without
mindfulness and clear comprehension, I say, there is no Watching over
In- and Out-breathing.
IV. Whenever
the disciple trains himself to inhale or exhale whilst contemplating (1)
impermanence, or (2) the fading away of passion, or (3) extinction, or
(4) detachment-at such a time he dwells in ‘contemplation of the
mind-objects’, full of energy, clearly comprehending them, mindful,
after subduing worldly greed and grief. Having seen, through
understanding, what is the abandoning of greed and grief, he looks on
with complete equanimity.
Watching over In- and Out-breathing, thus practiced, and developed, brings the four Foundations of Mindfulness to perfection.
But how do the
four Foundations of Mindfulness, practiced and developed, bring the
seven ‘Elements of Enlightenment’ (bojjhanga) to full perfection?
1. Whenever
the disciple dwells in contemplation of body, feelings, mind and
mind-objects, strenuous, clearly comprehending them, mindful, after
subduing worldly greed and grief-at such a time his mindfulness is
undisturbed; and whenever his mindfulness is present and undisturbed, at
such a time he has gained and develops the Element of Enlightenment
‘Mindfulness’ (sati-sambojjhanga); and thus this element of
enlightenment reaches fullest perfection.
2. And
whenever, whilst dwelling with mindfulness, he wisely investigates,
examines and thinks over the ‘Law’ (dhamma)-at such a time he has gained
and develops the Element of Enlightenment ‘Investigation of the Law’
(dhammavicaya-sambojjhanga); and thus this element of enlightenment
reaches fullest perfection.
3. And
whenever, whilst wisely investigating, examining and thinking over the
law, his energy is firm and unshaken-at such a time he has gained and
develops the Element of Enlightenment ‘Energy’ (viriya-sambojjhanga);
and thus this element of enlightenment reaches fullest perfection.
4. And
whenever in him, whilst firm in energy, arises super-sensuous rapture-at
such a time he has gained and develops the Element of Enlightenment
‘Rapture’ (piiti-sambojjhanga); and thus this element of enlightenment
reaches fullest perfection.
5. And
whenever, whilst enraptured in mind, his spiritual frame and his mind
become tranquil-at such a time he has gained and develops the Element of
Enlightenment ‘Tranquility’ (passaddhi-sambojjhanga); and thus this
element of enlightenment reaches fullest perfection.
6. And
whenever, whilst being tranquillized in his spiritual frame and happy,
his mind becomes concentrated-at such a time he has gained and develops
the Element of Enlightenment ‘Concentration’ (samaadhi-sambojjhanga);
and thus this element of enlightenment reaches fullest perfection.
7. And
whenever he looks with complete indifference on his mind thus
concentrated-at such a time he has gained and develops the Element of
Enlightenment ‘Equanimity’ (upekkhaa-sambojjhanga); and thus this
element of enlightenment reaches fullest perfection.
The four
Foundations of Mindfulness, thus practiced and developed, bring the
seven elements of enlightenment to full perfection.
And how do the
seven elements of enlightenment, practiced and developed, bring Wisdom
and Deliverance (vijjaa-vimutti) to full perfection?
Herein the
disciple develops the elements of enlightenment: Mindfulness,
Investigation of the Law, Energy, Rapture, Tranquility, Concentration
and Equanimity, based on detachment, on absence of desire, on extinction
and renunciation.
The seven elements of enlightenment thus practiced and developed, bring wisdom and deliverance, to full perfection.
M. 125
Just
as the elephant hunter drives a huge stake into the ground and chains
the wild elephant to it by the neck, in order to drive out of him his
wonted forest ways and wishes, his forest unruliness, obstinacy and
violence, and to accustom him to the environment of the village, and to
teach him such good behavior as is required amongst men: in like manner
also should the noble disciple fix his mind firmly to these four
Foundations of Mindfulness, so that he may drive out of himself his
wonted worldly ways and wishes, his wonted worldly unruliness, obstinacy
and violence, and win to the True, and realize Nibbana.
8) Right Concentration
(Sammaa-samaadhi)
M. 44
What, now, is Right Concentration?
Its Definition
Having the mind fixed to a single object (cittekeggataa, lit. ‘One-pointed ness of mind’): this is concentration.
‘Right
Concentration’ (sammaa-samaadhi), in its widest sense, is the kind of
mental concentration, which is present in every wholesome state of
consciousness (kusala-citta), and hence is accompanied by at least Right
Thought (2nd factor), Right Effort (6th factor) and Right Mindfulness
(7th factor). ‘Wrong Concentration’ is present in unwholesome states of
consciousness, and hence is only possible in the sensuous, not in a
higher sphere.Samadhi, used alone, always stands in the Sutta, for sammaa-samaadhi, or Right Concentration.
Its Objects
The four ‘Foundations of Mindfulness’ (7th factor): these are the objects of concentration.
Its Requisites
The four ‘Great Efforts’ (6th factor): these are the requisites for concentration.
Its Development
The practicing, developing, and cultivating of these things: this is the development (bhaavanaa) of concentration.
Right
Concentration (sammaa-samaadhi) has two degrees of development; 1.
‘Neighborhood Concentration’ (upacaarasamaadhi). which approaches the
first absorption without, however, attaining it; 2. ‘Attainment
Concentration’ (appanaasamaadhi), which is the concentration present in
the four Absorptions (jhana). These Absorptions are mental states beyond
the reach of the fivefold sense-activity, attainable only in solitude
and by unremitting perseverance in the practice of concentration. In
these states all activity of the five senses is suspended. No visual or
audible impressions arise at such a time, no bodily feeling is felt.
But, although all outer sense-impressions have ceased, yet the mind
remains active, perfectly alert, fully awake.
The
attainment of these Absorptions, however, is not a requisite for the
realization of the four Super mundane Paths of Holiness; and neither
Neighborhood-Concentration nor Attainment-Concentration, as such,
possesses the power of conferring entry to the four Super mundane Paths:
hence they really have no power to free one permanently from evil
things. The realization of the Four Supermundane Paths is possible only
at the moment of deep ‘Insight’ (vipassanaa) into the Impermanency
(aniccataa), Miserable Nature (dukkhataa) and Impersonality (anattataa)
of this whole phenomenal process of existence. This Insight, again, is
attainable only during Neighborhood-Concentration, not during Attainment
Concentration.
He
who has realized one or other of the Four Super mundane Paths without
ever having attained the Absorptions, is called Sukkha-vipassaka, or
Suddhavipassanaa-yaanika, i.e. ‘one who has taken merely Insight
(vipassana) as his vehicle’. He, however, who, after cultivating the
Absorptions, has reached one of the Super mundane Paths is called
Saniathayaanika, or ‘one who has taken Tranquility (samatha) as his
vehicle (yaana)’.
For samatha and vipassana see Fund IV. and B. Diet.
The Four Absorptions
(jhaana)
D.22
Detached from
sensual objects, detached from evil things, the disciple enters into the
first Absorption, which is accompanied by Thought Conception and
Discursive Thinking, is born of detachment, and filled with Rapture and
Happiness.
This
is the first of the Absorptions belonging to the Fine-Material Sphere
(rupaavacarajjhaana). It is attained when, through the strength of
concentration, the fivefold sense activity is temporarily suspended, and
the five Hindrances are likewise eliminated.
See B. Dict.: kasina, nimitta, samadhi.
M. 43
This first
Absorption is free from five things, and five things are present. When
the disciple enters the first Absorption, there have vanished (the five
Hindrances): Lust, Ill-Will, Torpor and Sloth, Restlessness and Mental
Worry, Doubts; and there are present: Thought Conception (vitakka),
Discursive Thinking (vicaara), Rapture (piiti), Happiness (sukha),
Concentration (citt’ekaggataa = samadhi).
These
five mental factors present in the first Absorption, are called Factors
(or Constituents) of Absorption (jhaananga). Vitakka (initial formation
of an abstract thought) and vicaara (discursive thinking, rumination)
are called ‘verbal functions’ (vaci-sankhaara) of the mind; hence they
are something secondary compared with consciousness.
In
Visuddhi-Magga, vitakka is compared with the taking hold of a pot, and
vicaara with the wiping of it. In the first Absorption both are present,
but are exclusively focused on the subject of meditation, vicaara being
here not discursive, but of an ‘exploring’ nature. Both are entirely
absent in the following Absorptions.
And further:
after the subsiding of Thought-Conception and Discursive Thinking, and
by the gaining of inner tranquility and oneness of mind, he enters into a
state free from Thought-Conception and Discursive Thinking, the second
Absorption, which is born of concentration (samadhi), and filled with
Rapture (piti) and Happiness (sukha).
In the second Absorption, there are three Factors of Absorption: Rapture, Happiness, and Concentration.
And further:
after the fading away of Rapture, he dwells in equanimity, mindful, with
clear awareness: and he experiences in his own person that feeling of
which the Noble Ones say: ‘Happy lives he who is equanimous and
mindful’-thus he enters the third Absorption.
In
the third Absorption there are two Factors of Absorption: equanimous
Happiness (upekkhaa-sukha) and Concentration (citt’ekaggataa).
And further:
after the giving up of pleasure and pain, and through the disappearance
of previous joy and grief, he enters into a state beyond pleasure and
pain, into the fourth Absorption, which is purified by equanimity and
mindfulness.
In the fourth Absorption there are two Factors of Absorption: Concentration and Equanimity (upekkhaa).
In
Visuddhi-magga forty subjects of meditation (kamma.t.thaana) are
enumerated and treated in detail. By their successful practice the
following Absorptions may be attained:
All
four Absorptions. through Mindfulness of Breathing (see Vis. M. VIII.
3), the ten Kasina-exercises (Vis. M. IV, V. and B. Dict.); the
contemplation of Equanimity (upekkhaa), being the practice of the fourth
Brahma-vihaara (Vis. M. IX. 4).
The
first three Absorptions: through the development of Loving-Kindness
(mettaa), Compassion (karunaa) and Sympathetic Joy (muditaa), being the
practice of the first three Brahma-vihaaras (Vis. M. IX. 1-3,).
The
first Absorption: through the ten Contemplations of Impurity
(asubha-bhaavanaa; i.e. the Cemetery Contemplations, which are ten
according to the enumeration in Vis. M. VI); the contemplation of the
Body (i.e. the 32 parts of the body; Vis. M. VIII, 2);
‘Neighborhood-Concentration’ (upacaara-samaadhi): through the
Recollections on Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha, on Morality, Liberality,
Heavenly Beings, Peace (=Nibbana) and death (Vis. M. VI. VII); the
Contemplation on the Loathsomeness of Food (Vis. M. XI. I); the Analysis
of the Four Elements (Vis. M. IX. 2).
The
four Immaterial Absorptions (aruupa-jjhaana or aaruppa), which are
based on the fourth Absorption, are produced by meditating on their
respective objects from which they derive their names; Sphere of
Unbounded Space, of Unbounded Consciousness, of Nothingness, and of
Neither-Perception-Nor-Non-Perception.
The entire object of concentration and meditation is treated in Vis M. III-XIII; see also Fund. IV.
8. XXII. 5
Develop your
concentration: for he who has concentration, understands things
according to their reality. And what are these things? The arising and
passing away of corporeality, of feeling, perception, mental formations
and consciousness.
M. 149
Thus, these
five Groups of Existence must be wisely penetrated; Ignorance and
Craving must be wisely abandoned; Tranquility (samatha) and Insight
(vipassana) must be wisely developed.
S. LVI. II
This is the
Middle Path which the Perfect One has discovered, which makes one both
to see and to know, and which leads to peace, to discernment, to
enlightenment, to Nibbana.
Dhp. 275
“And following upon this path, you will put an end to suffering.
Jhanas
Stream-enterer
The Sotapanna or ‘Stream-Enterer’
And by thus considering, three fetters vanish, namely; Self-illusion, Scepticism, and Attachment to mere Rule and Ritual.
M. 22
But those disciples, in whom these three fetters have vanished, they all have ‘entered the Stream‘ (sotaapanna).
Dhp. 178
More than any earthly power,
More than all the joys of heaven,
More than rule o’er all the world,
Is the Entrance to the Stream.
Once-returner
Once-returner: After you become a stream-enterer, your
practice includes reminding yourself of your new realization of
“no-self,” as well as paying attention to the ways that you’re still
attached and your resistance to life as it unfolds. After a period of
time (generally years of devoted practice) in which your concentration
gets even stronger and your mind becomes even more tranquil, you have
another direct insight into no-self. (Remember, knowing this truth as a
concept or memory is one thing, but experiencing it directly, beyond the
conceptual mind, is something else entirely.)
This insight (essentially the same as the first
but even stronger and clearer) brings a significant reduction in
attachment and aversion and the suffering that accompanies these states
of mind. For example, occasional irritation and preference replace
hatred and greed, which no longer have any hold over the once-returner.
Someone who reaches this stage has only one more rebirth before becoming
completely enlightened — hence the name once-returner.
Non-returner
Bhikkhu Pesala
Where Have You Come From?
The
Buddha’s daily routine was extraordinary, he slept for only a few hours
in the early hours of the morning. We divide the night into three
watches: from 6pm to 10pm, from 10pm to 2am, and from 2am to 6am. In the
first watch, after bathing, the Buddha taught the community of monks.
At the end of the first watch, the monks would return to their quarters.
Then celestial beings approached the Buddha to ask questions. The
Buddha spent the middle watch answering their questions.
During
the first part of the last watch the Buddha practised walking
meditation to relieve the stiffness caused by sitting since the morning.
In the second part, the Buddha lay down mindfully and slept. In the
third part, he enjoyed the bliss of nibbāna. After abiding in the
absorption of great compassion in the fourth part, at dawn he considered
who was ready to be taught the Dhamma.
The Weaver’s Daughter
One
morning he perceived in his divine eye the daughter of a poor weaver
whose wife had just died. Realising that the young girl needed to hear
his teaching, the Buddha went on foot to the village where she was
staying. Seeing the Buddha arrive, the villagers invited him for the
meal, and the Buddha gave a discourse after the meal to all the
villagers, including the young girl. The essence of his teaching was as
follows: “Death is certain, life is uncertain. Contemplate death
constantly to overcome the fear of death. As one who enters the jungle
armed with a stick is not afraid on seeing a snake, one who contemplates
death constantly is not afraid if death comes suddenly.” The villagers
all appreciated the Buddha’s discourse, and for several days meditated
seriously on death. However, after a week or so every one of them had
forgotten the Buddha’s advice, and was carrying on just as heedlessly as
before — except, that is, for the young girl. Because her mother had
recently died, she could not forget the Buddha’s words. She meditated
constantly on death, for months and years afterwards.
Three
years later the Buddha reconsidered the situation of the weaver’s
daughter and, seeing that she now had mature insight, he went to her
village to teach her again. She was now sixteen, and had to work hard to
help her father, who had no other children. On the day that the Buddha
arrived, the weaver had been working all night to finish an urgent job,
and his daughter was busy spinning more thread for her father. Hearing
that the Buddha had arrived she considered what she should do. She
decided to go to see the Buddha as soon as she had finished her
spinning, then she would take the newly spun thread to her father.
The
villagers offered the meal to the Buddha, but as the girl was not
present, the Buddha sat in silence after the meal waiting for her to
arrive. The villagers were obliged to wait in silence too, out of
respect for the Buddha. Finally, the young girl arrived, and the Buddha
asked her the following four questions:
“Young girl, where have you come from?” “I do not know, Lord” she replied.
“Young girl, where are you going to?” “I do not know, Lord” she replied.
“Do you not know?” “I know, Lord” she replied.
“Do you know?” “I do not know, Lord” she replied.
The
villagers were baffled by her answers. Some thought she was being
cheeky, and started scolding her, “Why don’t you tell the Buddha that
you came from the spinning-shed, and are going to your father’s house?”
The Buddha silenced them and asked the girl to explain her answers. The girl replied:
“When
you asked, ‘Where have you come from?’ you didn’t want to know that I
came from the spinning-shed; you meant to ask from which existence I
came to this one. So I replied that I do not know.”
“When
you asked, ‘Where are you going to?’ you meant to ask to which
existence I am going after this one, so I again replied that I do not
know.”
“When you asked, ‘Do you not know?’ you meant to ask, ‘Do you not know that you will die?’ so I replied that I know I will die.”
“When
you asked, ‘Do you know?’ you meant to ask, ‘Do you know when you will
die?’ so I replied that I do not know when I will die.”
The
Buddha praised the girl for her intelligent answers, and the villagers
were amazed. The Buddha then spoke the following verse:
“Blind is this world, only a few can see clearly. Like birds that escape from a net, only a few go to a blissful state.”
The girl realised nibbāna and became a Stream-winner on hearing this verse.
The
young girl then went to her father’s house and put the newly spun skein
of thread down by the loom. After working the whole night, her father
had fallen asleep at the loom. When his daughter came in, he woke up
with a start, and accidentally swung a heavy beam on the loom. The beam
struck the girl hard, and she died on the spot. The father was totally
distraught, and hurried to the Buddha to seek consolation. The Buddha
explained the truth of suffering to him, and the weaver asked for
ordination, later attaining Arahantship.
The
Buddha’s love and compassion was unlimited. For the benefit of one poor
girl and her father, he twice went on a long journey to teach the
Dhamma, and he did not forget about the girl after the first visit, but
returned as soon as he knew that she needed his help. Though he had many
thousands of disciples including kings and ministers, and also taught
celestial beings, the Buddha always had time for anyone who would
benefit from his teaching, even including beggars and slaves.
This
story is very interesting for the Buddhist because it shows that
although we do believe in rebirth we do not need to remember our
previous lives to gain nibbāna, the goal of Buddhism. The weaver’s
daughter could not tell the Buddha from which existence she had come to
be reborn as a weaver’s daughter, but the Buddha was pleased with her
answers. She had understood about the uncertainty of life and the
certainty of death after three years of meditation. That understanding
enabled her to attain nibbāna while listening to the verse.
One
who has attained nibbāna no longer has any doubts such as “Am I?” “Am I
not?” “What am I?” “How am I?” since the egocentric way of thinking has
been removed by insight. It is not unlike the case of someone who has
grown up and lost interest in football. He is no longer disappointed
when his football team loses, or elated when they win. Even if he hears
that his former football team has been relegated to the second division,
it no longer matters since he doesn’t follow the team avidly any more.
Self-view
is hard to remove entirely. We identify with our family, our school,
our neighbourhood, our local football team, our country, or our racial
group. If we hear any good or bad news about anything that we regard as
ours then we feel elated or depressed. If we hear someone say something
critical about us personally, then we may feel terrible. However, we
should not take it too much to heart. There is a saying in the
Dhammapada:
“They blame those who speak too much, They blame those who speak too little, They blame those who remain silent. No one escapes blame in this world.”
Similarly,
if someone praises us we should not become conceited because of that.
If we work hard we will get a good result, that is only natural, but
there is always someone who can do better than us, at least in other
ways. It is hard to remove pride and conceit, but we must do it if we
want to gain the highest happiness. The Buddha described how his pride
and intoxication vanished, when he was still an unenlightened
bodhisatta. “On seeing an old man, all pride and intoxication in youth
vanished. On seeing a sick man, all pride and intoxication in health
vanished. On seeing a dead man, all pride and intoxication in life
vanished.”
How
can we remove self-view, pride, and conceit? We must develop
mindfulness or awareness. Whatever thoughts or feelings arise within us
should be observed as they occur from moment to moment. We should not
allow ourselves to be heedless even for an instant. Heedlessness allows
defilements like self-view, pride, and conceit to enter the mind and
dominate it. Perhaps you have enjoyed watching a cartoon like Tom and
Jerry. How did the ideas “Tom” and “Jerry” arise? When one watches a
cartoon, one become absorbed in the story and soon begins to believe and
feel what one imagines Tom and Jerry are feeling. Actually, Tom and
Jerry exist only in our imaginations. A cartoon is only drawings that
are displayed on the screen in rapid succession. However, the mind
arises and passes away much more rapidly than the cartoon pictures, so
it can put together the dialogue, sound effects, and pictures to create
the illusion that Tom really is bashing Jerry over the head with a
frying-pan, so we are emotionally affected by what we see.
Real
life is like this too. We see and hear things so rapidly that our mind
constructs a mental picture, which we regard as real. If someone abuses
us, we may feel like they are bashing us over the head, they are making
bad kamma, but we suffer. Why is this? It is due to the mental
formations that we create. We cannot easily stop this natural process
because it is the result of previous kamma. Having abused others in the
past, we have to suffer abuse in the present. However, we can sharpen
our awareness of the process to the point where we can separate the
mental impressions from the experience of hearing. Eventually, we will
realise that all these impressions do not happen to anyone, they just
happen. Then we will realise that the idea of a self, a person, a ‘me’,
or a ‘you’, is just an illusion.
Self-view
is deeply rooted and cannot be removed by the unmindful person. The
average, unmindful person dwells with self-view dominating his or her
mind for the entire life. The mindful meditator can disrupt it
temporarily while engaged in meditation, but after stopping meditation
it will gradually reassert itself unless the meditator has gained deep
insight. If a meditator gains deep insight and attains the first path of
a Stream-winner, self-view is completely destroyed, and will never
arise again. Such a person may be heedless to some extent, but can never
be careless enough to break any of the five precepts. He or she is
absolutely free from rebirth in the four lower realms of hell, hungry
ghosts, demons, and animals, and will attain final nibbāna (Arahantship)
within seven lives at the most. Having seen nibbāna personally, he or
she has unshakeable confidence in the Buddha, Dhamma, and Sangha, and is
truly worthy of offerings and homage. The weaver’s daughter was a
Stream-winner.
After
attaining nibbāna, the Dhamma becomes central to the life of a
Stream-winner. They are not yet free from sensual desire and anger, so
they can lead a fairly normal family life. Whenever they wish to enjoy
the peace of nibbāna they can meditate again, developing concentration,
and attaining the fruition of the first path. If their concentration is
strong, they may remain in the attainment of fruition for quite long
periods, say, an hour or two. If they wish to attain the higher path,
they should go into retreat for meditation and resolve not to attain the
fruition of the first path during that period, and strive to attain the
higher path. If they are successful and attain the second path of a
Once-returner, they will be reborn on this earth only once more at the
most before attaining the final liberation of Arahantship.
The
second path destroys strong forms of lust and anger, but some of these
deep-rooted defilements remain, so they still have some sensual
attachment and ill-will. If the Once-returner strives again in
meditation and attains the third path of a Non-returner, all traces of
lust and anger are uprooted. Since they have no sensual attachment at
all they will not be born in the womb again, and will take rebirth only
in the Suddhāvāsa Brahmā realms. These realms are the Theravāda ‘Pure
Land’ because only Non-returners are reborn there. The bodhisattas are
not reborn there either, because they are still worldlings who have not
yet gained even the first path of a Stream-winner.
Non-returners
seem to be extremely rare these days. Saya Thetgyi, a Burmese lay
meditation teacher, who taught U Ba Khin (Goenkaji’s teacher), was
reputed to be a Non-returner. The Venerable Ledi Sayādaw praised him and
asked him to teach meditation to his own monk disciples. A Non-returner
will be naturally inclined to lead a monastic life, having no sexual
desire at all, but may be obliged to remain as a lay person to support
relatives. The potter honoured by Buddha Kassapa in the Ghatīkāra Sutta
(Majjhimanikāya, Sutta 81) was a Non-returner. Though he was a humble
potter, he was the chief supporter of Buddha Kassapa, and looked after
his own blind and aged parents. He did not use money, but let people
take his pots, leaving whatever goods they wished to in exchange.
Knowing that he was a good supporter of the Buddha, they donated
generously so he didn’t need any other source of income. Refusing to dig
the earth himself, he gathered clay from river banks or that had been
dug up by animals. Thus, though a layman, he lived on ten precepts like
one gone forth.
The
Non-returner has to strive again in meditation to attain the final goal
of Arahantship. Only then is all rebirth and suffering finally
destroyed. Not even the subtlest defilements remain, so the Arahant is
worthy of the highest honour. The word ‘Araham’ means ‘worthy’. There
have been a few monks in Burma and Thailand in recent years who are
reputed to have attained the final path. Venerable Ledi Sayādaw was
thought to be one, but it is hard to be sure, since Arahants are
extremely modest about their attainments.
A
certain monk was living in dependence on an elder who was an Arahant.
Living in dependence meant in those days that the pupil shared a cell
with his teacher, looked after his robes, studied at his feet, and
accompanied him on the daily almsround. Teacher and pupil lived liked a
good father and devoted son. One day, while walking for alms, the pupil
asked his teacher, “Venerable Sir, how can one know an Arahant?” The
elder, who was an Arahant, replied, “It is not easy friend, to know an
Arahant. Even if one were to live in dependence on an Arahant, doing all
the duties for him, and accompany him on his daily almsround, one might
not know that he was an Arahant.” Yet even when given such a broad hint
by his teacher, the pupil did not realise that the elder was an
Arahant.
Due
to excessive devotion, pious people are inclined to elevate their
revered teacher to the status of an Arahant, though he may still be a
worldling or Stream-winner at best. To eradicate all lust, anger,
conceit, and attachment to life is no easy task. First one should aim to
attain the stage of Stream-winning in this very life. If one succeeds
in doing that, one may perhaps then be able to distinguish between a
worldly person and a saint, since one will be free from doubt and
superstition.
It
is my belief that most intelligent people could attain Stream-winning
in this very life if they really tried hard. However, very few really
strive hard in meditation. Since confidence and effort are lacking, the
goal cannot be attained. Though she was only thirteen years old, the
weaver’s daughter practised meditation relentlessly for three years to
attain the path. These days, people think that a ten-day intensive
vipassanā course is really a bit over the top, but striving in
meditation throughout the whole day and late into the night is not
self-mortification. It is the minimum amount of effort required to
attain deep insight or nibbāna. If we want to sleep at least six or
seven hours, the goal is still far away.
To
motivate oneself, one should meditate seriously on death. There is no
guarantee that one will not die today. Perhaps one can avoid paying
taxes if one lives like a monk, but no one can avoid death. Each breath
brings death nearer. Please think seriously about this — do not imagine
for one minute that it will never happen to you. If you postpone
meditation until you are old — assuming that you live to old age — your
attachment will have grown stronger, and your health and vitality will
have grown weaker. It is best to meditate in the prime of youth, before
the clutter of household life traps you in its vice-like grip. In
Burmese, the expression for getting married means, literally, “to fall
into house prison.” The Burmese have the right attitude. Married life is
a comfortable prison from which it is hard to escape. Even if one
partner freely permits the other to go to meditate for a few weeks, or
to ordain permanently, most will not want to go.
When
the bodhisatta heard that his son had been born he murmured “A fetter
has arisen” so his father Suddhodana named his new grandson ‘Rāhula’
meaning fetter, hoping that the baby would prove an impediment to the
bodhisatta’s renunciation of household life. Fortunately for us, the
bodhisatta’s mind was already made up, and the news of Rahula’s birth
was the final spur to make him decide, “It must be done at once, before I
get attached.” So he left the palace on the same night without even
setting eyes on his newborn son.
Attachment
is very sticky stuff. Many monks who fall back to household life do so
because of sexual desire. To get free from sensual attachment, one must
meditate either on death or on the repulsive aspects of the body. One
should consider what all human bodies contain. If we opened one up and
took a look inside, it would be hard to become lustful. It is just a
foul smelling carcase of meat, blood, and bones that we have to carry
around the whole day and night. If there was no skin or clothes to cover
it up, what a horrible sight it would be. One would need to carry a
stick to drive off the dogs and crows that would come sniffing around
looking for something to eat. Yet people think very highly of their own
bodies, and those of others. What folly it is to lust after another
person’s body, but delusion fools us completely when we are heedless.
At
one time a certain nun fell in love with the Venerable Ānanda and,
pretending to be ill, she arranged for him to visit her in her quarters.
Venerable Ānanda was then still only a Stream-winner, so he was not yet
free from lust, but he was wise enough not to allow desire to arise. He
did not get angry with her either, but admonished her, “Sister, sexual
intercourse is the cause of birth. From birth, old age, disease, and
death arise.” Realising that Venerable Ānanda knew about her ulterior
motives, she confessed her offence to him, and regained her sense of
shame.
To
gain liberation from suffering, there has to be renunciation at some
point. Desire and attachment will not just disappear of their own
accord. We have to pluck them out as we remove a splinter or thorn stuck
under the skin. It is painful, but when it is done we can dwell at ease
again. The most effective way to remove desire is to practise
mindfulness meditation relentlessly throughout the whole day without a
break until insight knowledge arises. On seeing things as they really
are, desire and attachment will vanish.
Arhat: At this stage, the path bears ultimate fruit
in nibbana — any residual trace of a separate self falls away for good.
The experience, frequently accompanied by unimaginable bliss, has been
compared to falling into the depths of a cloud and disappearing. At this
point, the circumstances of life no longer have the slightest hold over
you; positive or negative experiences no longer stir even the slightest
craving or dissatisfaction. As Buddha said, all that needed to be done
has been done. There’s nothing further to realize. The path is complete,
and no further rebirths are necessary.
Translated from the Pali by Thanissaro Bhikkhu. For free distribution only.
Introduction:Does
an arahant reborn or does he reappear some where after his death. Why
are we paying reverence to him, since he has passed away? Buddha refused
to answer to this question stating that it is beyond our layman
knowledge to perceive what happened to Arahat after his death. The
simile given here is a fire and after you extinguished the fire, no body
knows where that fire has gone. It is for the wise to comprehend what
happened after the arahant passed away.
Aggi-Vacchagotta Sutta
I have heard that on one occasion the Blessed One was staying in Savatthi, at Jeta’s Grove, Anathapindika’s monastery. Then the wanderer Vacchagotta
went to the Blessed One and, on arrival, exchanged courteous greetings
with him. After an exchange of friendly greetings and courtesies, he sat
to one side. As he was sitting there he asked the Blessed One: “How is
it, Master Gotama, does Master Gotama hold the view:
‘The cosmos is eternal: only this is true, anything otherwise is worthless’?”
“…no…”
“Then does Master Gotama hold the view: ‘The cosmos is not eternal: only this is true, anything otherwise is worthless’?”
“…no…”
“Then does Master Gotama hold the view: ‘The cosmos is finite: only this is true, anything otherwise is worthless’?”
“…no…”
“Then does Master Gotama hold the view: ‘The cosmos is infinite: only this is true, anything otherwise is worthless’?”
“…no…”
“Then
does Master Gotama hold the view: ‘The soul and the body are the same:
only this is true, anything otherwise is worthless’?”
“…no…”
“Then
does Master Gotama hold the view: ‘The soul is one thing and the body
another: only this is true, anything otherwise is worthless’?”
“…no…”
“Then does Master Gotama hold the view: ‘After death a Tathagata exists: only this is true, anything otherwise is worthless’?”
“…no…”
“Then
does Master Gotama hold the view: ‘After death a Tathagata does not
exist: only this is true, anything otherwise is worthless’?”
“…no…”
“Then
does Master Gotama hold the view: ‘After death a Tathagata both exists
and does not exist: only this is true, anything otherwise is
worthless’?”
“…no…”
“Then
does Master Gotama hold the view: ‘After death a Tathagata neither
exists nor does not exist: only this is true, anything otherwise is
worthless’?”
“…no…”
“How
is it, Master Gotama, when Master Gotama is asked if he holds the view
‘the cosmos is eternal…’… ‘after death a Tathagata neither exists
nor does not exist: only this is true, anything otherwise is worthless,’
he says ‘…no…’ in each case. Seeing what drawback, then, is Master
Gotama thus entirely dissociated from each of these ten positions?”
“Vaccha,
the position that ‘the cosmos is eternal’ is a thicket of views, a
wilderness of views, a contortion of views, a writhing of views, a
fetter of views. It is accompanied by suffering, distress, despair, and
fever, and it does not lead to disenchantment, dispassion, cessation; to
calm, direct knowledge, full Awakening, Unbinding.
“The position that ‘the cosmos is not eternal’…
“…’the cosmos is finite’…
“…’the cosmos is infinite’…
“…’the soul and the body are the same’…
“…’the soul is one thing and the body another’…
“…’after death a Tathagata exists’…
“…’after death a Tathagata does not exist’…
“…’after death a Tathagata both exists and does not exist’…
“…’after
death a Tathagata neither exists nor does not exist’… does not lead
to disenchantment, dispassion, cessation; to calm, direct knowledge,
full Awakening, Unbinding.”
“Does Master Gotama have any position at all?”
“A
‘position,’ Vaccha, is something that a Tathagata has done away with.
What a Tathagata sees is this: ‘Such is form, such its origin, such its
disappearance; such is feeling, such its origin, such its disappearance;
such is perception… such are mental fabrications… such is
consciousness, such its origin, such its disappearance.’ Because of
this, I say, a Tathagata — with the ending, fading out, cessation,
renunciation, and relinquishment of all construings, all excogitations,
all I-making and mine-making and obsession with conceit — is, through
lack of clinging/sustenance, released.”
“But, Master Gotama, the monk whose mind is thus released: Where does he reappear?”
“‘Reappear,’ Vaccha, doesn’t apply.”
“In that case, Master Gotama, he does not reappear.”
“‘Does not reappear,’ Vaccha, doesn’t apply.”
“…both does and does not reappear.”
“…doesn’t apply.”
“…neither does nor does not reappear.”
“…doesn’t apply.”
“How
is it, Master Gotama, when Master Gotama is asked if the monk
reappears… does not reappear… both does and does not reappear…
neither does nor does not reappear, he says, ‘…doesn’t apply’ in each
case. At this point, Master Gotama, I am befuddled; at this point,
confused. The modicum of clarity coming to me from your earlier
conversation is now obscured.”
“Of
course you’re befuddled, Vaccha. Of course you’re confused. Deep,
Vaccha, is this phenomenon, hard to see, hard to realize, tranquil,
refined, beyond the scope of conjecture, subtle, to-be-experienced by
the wise. For those with other views, other practices, other
satisfactions, other aims, other teachers, it is difficult to know. That
being the case, I will now put some questions to you. Answer as you see
fit. How do you
construe this, Vaccha: If a fire were burning in front of you, would you
know that, ‘This fire is burning in front of me’?”
“…yes…”
“And
suppose someone were to ask you, Vaccha, ‘This fire burning in front of
you, dependent on what is it burning?’ Thus asked, how would you
reply?”
“…I would reply, ‘This fire burning in front of me is burning dependent on grass and timber as its sustenance.’”
“If the fire burning in front of you were to go out, would you know that, ‘This fire burning in front of me has gone out’?”
“…yes…”
“And
suppose someone were to ask you, ‘This fire that has gone out in front
of you, in which direction from here has it gone? East? West? North? Or
south?’ Thus asked, how would you reply?”
“That
doesn’t apply, Master Gotama. Any fire burning dependent on a
sustenance of grass and timber, being unnourished — from having
consumed that sustenance and not being offered any other — is
classified simply as ‘out’ (unbound).”
“Even
so, Vaccha, any physical form by which one describing the Tathagata
would describe him: That the Tathagata has abandoned, its root
destroyed, like an uprooted palm tree, deprived of the conditions of
existence, not destined for future arising. Freed from the
classification of form, Vaccha, the Tathagata is deep, boundless, hard
to fathom, like the sea. ‘Reappears’ doesn’t apply. ‘Does not reappear’
doesn’t apply. ‘Both does and does not reappear’ doesn’t apply. ‘Neither
reappears nor does not reappear’ doesn’t apply.
“Any feeling… Any perception… Any mental fabrication…
“Any
consciousness by which one describing the Tathagata would describe him:
That the Tathagata has abandoned, its root destroyed, like an uprooted
palm tree, deprived of the conditions of existence, not destined for
future arising. Freed from the classification of consciousness, Vaccha,
the Tathagata is deep, boundless, hard to fathom, like the sea.
‘Reappears’ doesn’t apply. ‘Does not reappear’ doesn’t apply. ‘Both does
and does not reappear’ doesn’t apply. ‘Neither reappears nor does not
reappear’ doesn’t apply.”
When
this was said, the wanderer Vacchagotta said to the Blessed One:
“Master Gotama, it is as if there were a great sala tree not far from a
village or town: From inconstancy, its branches and leaves would wear
away, its bark would wear away, its sapwood would wear away, so that on a
later occasion — divested of branches, leaves, bark, and sapwood — it
would stand as pure heartwood. In the same way, Master Gotama’s words
are divested of branches, leaves, bark, and sapwood and stand as pure
heartwood.
“Magnificent,
Master Gotama! Magnificent! Just as if he were to place upright what
was overturned, to reveal what was hidden, to show the way to one who
was lost, or were to carry a lamp into the dark so that those with eyes
could see forms, in the same way has Master Gotama has — through many
lines of reasoning — made the Dhamma clear. I go to Master Gotama for
refuge, to the Dhamma, and to the Sangha of monks. May Master Gotama
remember me as a lay follower who has gone to him for refuge, from this
day forward, for life.”
The Ten Fetters
The ten fetters referred to in Buddhist scriptures are what
bind beings to the cycle of birth and death. The first five are referred
to as the ‘lower fetters’ and the second five as the ‘higher fetters’.
1. Personality-Belief This refers to the mistaken belief -
from a Buddhist perspective - that the self is a permanent, unchanging
essence or soul. Buddhism teaches that what we call the self or
personality is made up of five factors - corporeality, feeling,
perception, mental formations (including volition or will) and
consciousness. To cling to the idea of a permanent self, therefore, is
erroneous. (See teaching on Not-Self or Anatta)
2. Skeptical Doubt This is to have doubts about the three jewels,
namely the Buddha, the Dhamma and the Sangha; about what is morally
wholesome and what is not; about the nature of religious training
outlined by the Buddha and about the conditionality of all things.
3. Clinging to Rites and Rituals Although rites and
rituals form a part of Buddhist practices in various schools, the Buddha
taught that there was no point in clinging to them for their own sake.
Rites and rituals are a means of giving form to the expression of heart
and mind, otherwise they are empty vessels.
4. Sensuous Craving On one level this refers to lust but
it has a broader meaning in terms of craving for pleasant sensations,
those that our senses bring to us: sounds, sights, smells, tastes and
touch.
5. Ill-will This encapsulates feelings of enmity, even hatred, towards others. It is the opposite of loving-kindness (metta).
6. Craving for Fine-Material Existence In the development of meditation, refined, rapturous states known as jhanas
can be experienced. But even attachment to these is ultimately
unwholesome to progress. This relates to the first four of eight jhanas.
7. Craving for Immaterial Existence This fetter calls for the abandonment of subtle attractions to those states of mind experienced in the final four jhanas .
8. Conceit This is sometimes interpreted as pride but it
is likely something more subtle is intended, namely, attachment to the
idea of self on an experiential level, even if the belief in an enduring
self has been abandoned intellectually.
9. Restlessness Restlessness or agitation suggests that
true peace and contentment have still not been achieved in full.The mind
is still unsettled.
10. Ignorance At the core of the Buddha’s teaching is the
idea that we live in a state of unknowing, of sleep, of ignorance. The
whole Buddhist approach is aimed at dispelling our ignorance which is
synonymous with waking up to truth. It is not surprising then that this
is the final fetter.
The removal of the first three fetters makes one a
’stream-enterer’, one whose final awakening is assured within seven
further rebirths. The removal of the first three fetters and the
dilution of the next two makes one ‘a once-returner’; in other words,
there will only one more rebirth as a human being before enlightenment.
The compete abandonment of the first five fetters makes one a
‘non-returner’ and therefore leads to rebirth in one of the Buddhist
‘Pure Abodes’ where final awakening will be assured. An arahat or
’saint’ is one in whom all ten fetters have been destroyed.
Buddhist Publication Society Newsletter
2nd Mailing 1995 No. 30
Towards a Threshold of Understanding - I
Pope
John Paul II’s recent book, Crossing the Threshold of Hope is a
collection of reflections primarily on issues of Christian faith; but
the book also features the Pope’s assessment of other religions,
including a short chapter on Buddhism. The Pontiff s words in this
chapter are far from appreciative. The release of the book in Sri Lanka
on the eve of the Pope’s visit to this country this past January stirred
up waves of indignation in the Buddhist community that spread as far as
the Vatican. The Buddhist prelates announced that they would not attend
an inter-religious meeting requested by the Pope unless he formally
retracted his unfavourable remarks about Buddhism. Although on arrival
the Pope tried to appease the feelings of Buddhist leaders by declaring
his esteem for their religion, even quoting the Dhammapada, he fell
short of proffering a full apology, and this did not satisfy the Sangha
elders.
The
following essay is intended as a short corrective to the Pope’s
demeaning characterization of Buddhism. It addresses the issues solely
at the level of ideas, without delving into the question whether
ulterior motives lay behind the Pope’s pronouncements. The essay is
based on an article written for a Polish publisher, Source (Katowice),
which is presently compiling a book on the Buddhist response to the
Pope’s book.
The Pope states that
“the Buddhist tradition and the methods deriving from it have an
almost exclusively negative soteriology (doctrine of salvation).”
Such a view of the Buddhist teachings was widespread among Christian
missionaries in Asia during the 19th century, serving to justify their
evangelical incursions into the heartlands of Buddhism. Serious scholars
of comparative religion have long recognized this view to be a
misrepresentation, rooted, in the case of the early missionaries, partly
in misunderstanding, partly in deliberate distortion. It
is therefore puzzling that the present head of the Catholic Church,
otherwise so well informed, should repeat these worn-out lines,
particularly at a time when greater mutual understanding is expected
from the leaders of different religions.
The
Pope does not explain exactly why he regards Buddhist soteriology as
negative. Most likely, he takes this view because the Buddhist
path of deliverance does not recognize a personal God as the agent and
end of salvation. Like beauty, however, what is negative and what is
positive lies in the eye of the beholder, and what is negative for one
may turn out to be another’s supreme ideal. If one seeks an everlasting
union between one’s eternal soul and a creator God, then a doctrine that
denies the existence of an eternal soul and a Divine Creator will
inevitably appear negative. If one regards everything conditioned as
impermanent and devoid of self, and seeks deliverance in Nibbana, the
Deathless Element, then a doctrine of everlasting union between God and
the soul will seem-not negative perhaps—but founded upon wishful
thinking and unacceptable articles of faith. For the ordinary reader,
however, the word “negative,” when applied to Buddhism, will suggest
something far different from a philosophically acute way of approaching
the Ultimate, conjuring up pictures of a bleak doctrine of escapism
aimed at personal annihilation. Behind the Pope’s words we can detect
echoes of the ancient texts: “There are, monks, some recluses and
brahmins who charge me with being an annihilationist, saying that the
recluse Gotama teaches the annihilation of an existent being. That is
false misrepresentation. What I teach, in the past as also now, is
suffering and the cessation of suffering” (MN 22).
Even
more worrisome than the Pope’s characterization of the Buddhist
doctrine of salvation as negative is his contention that “the Buddhist
doctrine of salvation constitutes the central point, or rather the only
point, of this system.” The conclusion implied by this pronouncement,
left hanging silently behind the lines, is that Buddhism is incapable of
offering meaningful guidance to people immersed in the problems of
everyday life; it is an otherworldly religion of escape suited only for
those of an ascetic bent.
While
Western scholars in the past have focused upon the Buddhist doctrine of
salvation as their main point of interest, the living traditions of
Buddhism as practised by its adherents reveal that this attitude, being
one-sided to begin with, must yield one-sided results. The Buddhist
texts themselves show that Buddhism addresses as wide a range of
concerns as any other of humanity’s great religions. Nibbana
remains the ultimate goal of Buddhism, and is certainly “the central
point” of the Dhamma, but it is by no means “the only point” for which
the Buddha proclaimed his Teaching.
According
to the Buddhist texts, the Dhamma is intended to promote three types
of good, each by way of different but overlapping sets of principles.
These three goals, though integrated into the framework of a single
internally consistent teaching, enable the Dhamma to address individuals
at different stages of spiritual development, with varying capacities
for comprehension. The three goods are:
(i)
the good pertaining to the present life (ditthadhammattha), i.e. the
achievement of happiness and well-being here and now, through ethical
living and harmonious relationships based on kindness and compassion;
(ii)
the good pertaining to the future life (samparayikattha), i.e. a
favourable rebirth within the round of existence, by practising
generosity, observing the precepts, and cultivating the mind in
meditation; and
(iii)
the ultimate good (paransattha), i.e. the attainment of Nibbana, by
following the complete training defined by the Noble Eightfold Path.
For
most Buddhists in their day-to-day lives, the pursuit of Nibbana is a
distant rather than an immediate goal, to be approached gradually
during the long course of rebirths. Until they are ready for a direct
assault on the final good, they expect to walk the path for many lives
within samsara, pursuing their mundane welfare while aspiring for the
Ultimate. To assist them in this endeavour, the Buddha has taught
numerous guidelines that pertain to ethically upright living within the
confines of the world. In the Sigalovada Sutta, for example, he
enumerates the reciprocal duties of parents and children, husband and
wife, friends and friends, employers and employees, teachers and
students, religious and laity. He made right livelihood an integral part
of the Noble Eightfold Path, and explained what it implies in the life
of a busy lay person. During his long ministry he gave advice to
merchants on the prudent conduct of business, to young wives on how to
behave towards their husbands, to rulers on how to administer their
state. All such guidance, issuing from the Buddha’s great compassion,
is designed to promote the welfare and happiness of the world while at
the same time steering his followers towards a pleasant rebirth and
gradual progress towards final liberation.
Yet,
while the Buddha offers a graduated teaching adjusted to the varying
life situations of his disciples, he does not allow any illusion to
linger about the ultimate aim of his Doctrine. That aim is Nibbana,
which is not a consoling reconciliation with the world but irreversible
deliverance from the world. Such deliverance cannot be gained merely by
piety and good works performed in a spirit of social sympathy. It can be
won only by renunciation, by “the relinquishment of all acquisitions”
(sabb’upadhipatinissagga), including among such “acquisitions” the
bodily and mental processes that we identify as our self. The
achievement of this end is necessarily individual. It must be arrived at
through personal purification and personal insight, as the fruit of
sustained effort in fulfilling the entire course of training. Hence the
Buddha did not set out to found a church capable of embracing all
humanity within the fold of a single creed. He lays down a path—a path
perfect in its ideal formulation—to be trodden by imperfect human
beings under the imperfect conditions that life within the world
affords. While the quest for the highest goal culminates in deliverance
from the world, this same ideal “bends back” towards the world and
spells out standards of conduct and a scale of values to guide the
unenlightened manyfolk in their daily struggles against the streams of
greed, hatred, and delusion. Nibbana remains the “chief point” and the
omega point of the Dhamma. But as this goal is to be experienced as the
extinction of greed, hatred, and delusion, it defines the condition for
its realization as a life devoted to overcoming greed through
generosity, to overcoming hatred through patience and loving kindness,
and to overcoming delusion through wisdom and understanding.
Bhikkhu Bodhi
Part II of this essay will appear in the next BPS newsletter.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ** New teaching and mediation series with Lama Rabten Tshering ** “The Six Paramitas” begins Sunday, January 6 @ Maitrivana 4610 Earles Street in Vancouver Everyone welcome - by donation ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
NalandabodhiVancouver is pleased to announce a new series of teachings and mediation sessions with our resident lama, Lama Rabten Tshering.
The series begins on Sunday morning, January 6, and will run every second Sunday thereafter (please see our on-line calendar to confirm dates). The format for Sunday sessions is:
9:30 am -10:30 am: Meditation 10:30 am -12:00 pm: Teaching on the Paramitas
** The Paramitas ** The Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche has asked the Nalandabodhi sangha to continuously practice the six Paramitas, the transcendent actions or virtues that are the basis of Mahayana practice.
The Paramitas are: Generosity, Morality (Discipline), Patience, Diligence, Mediation, and Wisdom (Prajna).
Rinpoche suggests that we study, practice, and meditate on one Paramita per month, repeating the cycle in the second half of the year.
In January, Lama’s teachings will focus on Generosity; in February on Morality, and so forth.
The purpose of Paramita practice and contemplation is to develop a strong sense of compassion and loving kindness, as well as mental discipline.
The Paramita teachings originate in the Sutras, the original teachings of Buddha Sakyamuni.
All are welcome to the Sunday morning sessions. Lama Rabten’s approach will be beneficial to both beginners and more seasoned practitioners.
We especially welcome newcomers to the dharma - Lama’s teachings will be a wonderful opportunity to meditate and learn with others. The sessions are by donation, and you are welcome to attend all or some of them.
You’ll find information about Lama Rabten’s future teaching dates, plus other programs and special events at Maitrivana, Nalandabodhi’s Garden of Loving Kindness.
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If
even for the time of a finger snap,bhikkhus,a bhikkhu pursues,
develops,considers a mind of goodwill,he is called a bhikkhu who is not
devoid of jhāna,who complies with the Teacher’s teaching,who acts
according to his instruction,and who does not eat the country’s almsfood
in vain.How much more,then,those who practice it frequently!
The
reason we considered Kushinagar is because the State Government of
Uttar Pradesh previously had the idea to build a large Buddha statue
when they heard that the great Buddha statues of Bamiyan in Afghanistan
were destroyed. Following that, State Government several times requested
that Maitreya Buddha Project come to Uttar Pradesh. State Government
kindly offered land for the Project in Kushinagar.
Kushinagar
is a place of serenity and contemplative beauty. Located in the state
of Uttar Pradesh, it is one of the eight great places of the “Buddhist
Pilgrimage Circuit” of North India commemorating the life of the Buddha.
The Eight Buddhist Pilgrimage Sites
The eight great pilgrimage sites are illustrated on the map above (click on the map for larger view). They are:
Sankashya where the Buddha descended from Tushita Heaven
Lumbini the site of Buddha’s birth
Bodhgaya the site of Buddha’s awakenment
Sarnath where the Buddha began teaching the Buddhist spiritual path in Deer Park.
Sravasti, where Buddha spent 25 rainy seasons and performed many great miracles.
Rajgir, where the Heart Sutra was expounded at Vulture’s Peak
Nalanda, the centre of Buddhist learning
Kushinagar, where the Buddha passed away, entering Mahaparinibbana.
Close
to the time of Buddha’s passing away, he and his entourage stopped to
rest near the banks of Hiranyavati River. There, many people came to pay
their respects and ask the Buddha for answers to their spiritual
questions.
Late
in the night, the Buddha asked three times if anyone still had
questions concerning the spiritual path. When no one responded, Buddha
gave his famous final teaching: “Impermanence is inherent in all things.
Work out your own salvation with diligence.” Then, passing through the
stages of his final meditation, Shakyamuni Buddha entered
Mahaparinirvana (final great enlightenment) and passed away.
Kushinagar
TempleKushinagar’s most famous site is the Mahaparinirvana temple,
built to commemorate the place of the Buddha’s passing. It contains the
20ft/6m statue of the Reclining Buddha. The statue dates back to the 5th
century.
Kushinagar_stupaOther
temples and stupas in Kushinagar mark places Buddha visited. The
Rambhar Stupa is where Buddha’s Holy body was cremated. Excavations have
revealed the remains of at least ten different monasteries dating from
the 4th – 11th centuries and these are now set in a park.
Today,
many national and international Buddhist groups maintain their own
spiritual centre in Kushinagar. Maitreya Buddha Project will highlight
Kushinagar, the site of the Historical Buddha’s passing away, as one of
the holiest places of Buddhist pilgrimage.
Kushinagar,
located in the state of Uttar Pradesh in northern India, is one of the
eight great places of Buddhist pilgrimage. Kushinagar is also the place
where Maitreya Buddha Project will build a large Maitreya Buddha Statue
and develop the Maitreya Buddha Kushinagar Project.
Please
click on the menu buttons on the left to read more about the scope and
plans for this project, or continue below for an introductory overview.
According
to Buddhist scriptures, Maitreya will be the next Buddha and will
embody and teach the path of loving-kindness. Maitreya Buddha Project is
based on the premise that loving-kindness is the cause of peace and
that “inner peace” within individuals is the direct cause of “outer
peace” among families, communities and nations.
The
Maitreya Buddha statue will be the centre piece of a landscaped park
which will contain halls for prayer and meditation and shrine rooms
filled with spiritual art.
Outreach: Healthcare
Surrounding
the Maitreya Buddha Project site, the State Government of Uttar Pradesh
has set up the Kushinagar Special Development Area Authority to support
the planned development of the area around the Project. Within the
Kushinagar Special Development Area, Maitreya Buddha Project has already
begun a mobile healthcare initiative. This will provide healthcare
services, particularly for the underprivileged in Kushinagar and
surrounding villages.
Outreach: Education
The
Maitreya Universal Educational Project offers a vision for education
that emphasizes ethical and spiritual development as well as academic
achievement.
Outreach: Economic
The
Maitreya Buddha Project will catalyze the development of the eastern
part of Uttar Pradesh and other sites within the “Buddhist Circuit” as
an area of pilgrimage and tourism. During the construction and
afterwards in the operation of the Maitreya Buddha Project complex,
there will be hundreds of direct and indirect employment opportunities.
Maitreya
Buddha Project’s vision integrates spiritual, educational, healthcare
and economic benefits with technological advancement and environmental
responsibility. The project is being designed and built to international
standards of “best practice” and aspires to become a model of socially
responsible and sustainable development.
As
the Project and its spiritual and social work are planned to thrive and
continue developing for at least 1000 years, the Maitreya Buddha
Project holds the potential to bring incalculable and sustainable
benefit.
American Buddhist Net
Uttar Pradesh to boast of world’s tallest Buddha statue
Fri, 2008-03-28 10:32 — ABN
Tuesday, 25 March , 2008, 18:25
Lucknow:
Decks are being cleared for the installation of the world’s tallest
Buddha statue in Kushinara town of eastern Uttar Pradesh.
Uttar
Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati directed officials to speed up the
acquisition and transfer of 600 acres of land required for the Rs 10
billion project to be funded and undertaken by the global Maitryi Group.
Provision of land is UP government’s share in the project.
The
project involves installation of a 152-metre-tall bronze statue of Lord
Buddha along with a giant meditation centre, an international
university, a state-of-art world-class hospital and a museum. The
project also envisages an entertainment complex in the neighbourhood
that would include an amusement park and a five-star hotel.
Dr B.R.Ambedkar thundered “Main Bharat Baudhmay karunga.” (I will make this country Buddhist)
Now All Aboriginal Awakened Societies Thunder ” Hum Prapanch Prabuddha
Prapanchmay karunge.” (We will make the whole world Prabuddha Prapanch(Universe).
“The
Chamcha Age (An Era of Stooges)” was written by Kanshi Ram, and
published by him on 24th Sept. 1982 on the occasion of 50th anniversary
of Poona Pact. It is dedicated to Mahatma Jyotirao Phule, “whose
initiation of cultural revolt in colonial India, later taken up by
Babasaheb Dr. B. R. Ambedkar, Periyar E.V.Ramaswamy and many other
rebellious spirits brought us to this level where we are thinking,
planning and struggling to put an end to the ‘Chamcha Age’ and usher in
‘Bright Age’ for the Shudras and the Ati-Shudras.”
In
preface he says Chamcha Age started from the Poona Pact giving Joint
Electorates instead of Separate Electorates. The purpose of book is to
make (SC/ST) Soshit Samaj of the existence of Chamchas or stooges, and
to awaken masses how to differentiate between genuine and counterfeit
leadership.
A
Chamcha is an indigenous word for a stooge, or a tool, or an agent, who
is operated by others for their own benefit. Gandhiji felt necessity of
Chamchas from 1939-32 onwards. A Chamcha is created to oppose the real
fighter, the genuine leader. While Dr. Ambedkar was taking the
untouchables of India from Dark Age to Bright Age, they slipped aside
into Chamcha Age. Gandhiji preferred two Chamchas through joint
electorate against one real representative through separate electorate.
The Way Out mostly outlines the struggle that is necessary to fight chitpavan Brahmanism.
It
has not only historical importance to understand Kanshiram’s struggle,
but also can awaken us what is to be done in future. It describes Dr.
Ambedkar’s concept of Educate, Agitate, Organise. Separate Settlements,
Denunciation of Poona pact, and also his three attempts to make the
movement broad based, giving the excerpts from Baba Saheb’s famous
speech at S.C.Conference at Lucknow on 25.4.1948. Below reproduced is
the entire Part IV, which is the main Part, for future guidance. Hope it
serves some useful purpose for those who are rather nonconversant with
Kanshiram’s philosophy.
AMBEDKAR’S EFFORTS
Ambedkar could anticipate
“THINGS
WILL BE MUCH WORSE UNDER THE SYSTEM OF JOINT ELECTORATES AND RESERVED
SEATS WHICH WILL HEREAFTER BECOME OPERATIVE UNDER THE TERMS OF THE POONA
PACT. THIS IS NO MORE SPECULATION. THE LAST ELECTION (1946) HAS
CONCLUSIVELY PROVED THAT THE SCHEDULED CASTES CAN BE COMPLETELY
DISFRANCHISED IN A JOINT ELECTORATE.” [DR.B.R. AMBEDKAR.]
The
joint electorate is from the point of the Hindus to use a familiar
phrase a “rotten borough” in which the Hindus get the right to nominate
an untouchable to set nominally as a representative of the untouchable
but really as a tool of the Hindu.” [Dr.B.R.Ambedkar.]
From
the above two quotations, it is abundantly clear that Baba Saheb
Ambedkar could clearly anticipate the outcome of the Poona Pact. Being a
constitutional expert and a democrat, he could well imagine the fact of
the disfranchised people in a democracy based on adult franchise. He
could also anticipate4e the fate of the people whose representatives
were not real representatives, but mere tools in the hand of their
age-old enemies. It was the helplessness of his people at that time that
forced him to sign the Poona-Pact under the coercive effects of
Gandhiji’s fast. At that time, he must have thought of the times when
the depressed classes would be less helpless to take up the challenge
and fight for their due. At any rate, he was there with us for 24 years
to fight the evil efforts of the Chamcha age.
Educate ! Agitate !! Organise !!!
To
meet the challenge of the chamcha age, he could develop various ways
and means. The best of all such ways and means way to prepare his people
through the well-planned concept of Educate, Agitate, Organise. He
thought that his people could kept slaves for long time because of their
ignorance. He, therefore, sought to eliminate ignorance through
education. The various types of efforts made by him to educate and
enlighten his people are there for all of us to see. The outcome of all
those efforts is also so glaringly visible. The various types of
struggles launched by him to meet the challenge of chamcha age have
become a legend by now. The organizations developed by him to meet the
challenge in an organized manner are also so familiar to all of us.
Separate Settlements
Keeping
in mind the helplessness of his people that forced the Poona Pact on
them he developed another concept to remove their helplessness. It was
manifested in the idea of Separate Settlements for his people. He
thought of eliminating their minority status in the villages by way of
creating separate settlements for them, where they would be in majority.
Thus, being in majority in such separate settlements, they could have
elected their real representatives to the legislatures. Besides, these
separate settlements were designed to improve their economy. But
unfortunately when the British decided to quit India after the IInd
World War, this idea of separate settlements could not be taken up with
the new rulers.
Denunciation of the Poona-Pact
When
the idea of separate Settlement could not materialize Dr. Ambedkar
again thought of Separate Electorates to meet the challenge of the
chamacha age. For this, he not only denounced Poona Pact, but also
launched a massive agitation against it in 1946. During the year of
1946, the submitted and elaborate memorandum to the Constituent Assembly
pleading for separate electorates.
Not
only this, he kept up propaganda against the chamcha age. He availed
each and every opportunity to do that. Even today we are guided by that
propaganda, available to us, especially through the following 3 books :-
(i) Mr. Gandhi and the Emancipation of the Untouchables.
(ii) What congress & Gandhi have done to the Untouchables.
(iii) States and Minorities.
Making of Movement broad based.
After
the exit of the British in 1947, Baba Saheb Ambedkar forgot about
Separate Electorates and Separate Settlements, but on the other hand
tried to broad-base the movement. Many instances can be sighted but the
following 3 efforts will prove the point:
(1)
At the Scheduled Castes Conference at Lucknow on 25th April, 1948, Baba
saheb Ambedkar made the first serious effort in this direction. The
following quote from his Lucknow speech will prove the point.
“…
I then turned to the question of unity between the Scheduled Castes and
the so-called Backward Classes. This I did at the request of the
leaders of the backward Classes who were present at the conference. I
said it was a pity that the two classes whose needs were common did not
join together. The reason was that the Backward Classes did not like to
associate themselves with the Scheduled Caste because they were afraid
that such an association will bring themselves down to the level of the
Scheduled Castes.
“I
said that I was not anxious to establish inter-dining and
inter-marriage between the Scheduled Castes and the Backward Classes.
They may well remain separate social entities. There is no reason why
they should not join hands to form a political party to remove their
backward condition. I pointed out how the Scheduled Castes have improved
their condition by playing their part in the politics of the country
and there is no reason why the Backward Classes should not do the same.
“I
said that I Scheduled Castes and the Backward Classed form majority of
the population of the country. There is no reason why they should not
rule this county. All that is necessary is to organize for the purpose
of capturing political power which is your own because of adult
suffrage. People do not seem to buck up courage because they are
overwhelmed by the belief that the Congress Government is there for
ever. I said this is a wrong impression. In a popular democracy no
Government is permanent and not even the Government established by the
two of the tallest Congressmen, Pandit Nehru and Sardar Patel. If you
organize you can even capture that Government.”
(2)
The second serious effort was made in 1951, when Baba Saheb Ambedkar
visited Patna on the invitation of the Backward Class leaders to form a
single party for S.C. & O.B.C. But the move was defeated by Pandit
Nehru by offering one chair to the O.B.C. leader and by using “Paper
Bullets” to attract the greedy amongst them.
(3)
The third and the last most serious effort was made by him to bring not
only the S.C. & O.B.C. under one banner but also all the oppressed
and exploited Indians whom we to-day call Dalit Soshit Samaj under the
umbrella of a single political party. But unfortunately, he left us on
Dec. 6, 1956, before translating the ideal into action.
POST-AMBEDKAR POSITION
During
the last days of Baba Saheb Ambedkar, while pushing ahead his plans and
programmes, he was very much worried about future without him. He was
not sure about the capacity, sincerity and devotion of his lieutenants
to carry the Caravan ahead, after him. We get a glimpse of such doubts
from his last message, ” … If my lieutenants are not able to take the
Caravan ahead they should leave it there, but under no circumstances
should they allow the Caravan to go back. This is the message to my
people.”
The
inevitable happened. After the sad demise of Baba Saheb Ambedkar on 6th
Dec. 1956, his lieutenants made feeble efforts almost on all the
fronts. Their failures on all the fronts are there for all of us to see.
The
set-back to the Ambedkarite movements, reduced many of his selfish,
greedy and insincere lieutenants to the worst variety of Chamchas, They
divided themselves into two halves, Half of them took to stooging
directly by entering congress and other parties. Another half thought it
more profitable to stooge indirectly, by forming small groups out of
the organizations created by Baba Saheb Ambedkar.
This, in nut-shell, is the story of the Post-Ambedkar period.
GENUINE & CAPABLE LEADERSHIP
To-day,
whether to meet the challenge of the chamcha age or to put an end to
the chamcha age and usher in bright age for the Dalit-Shoshit Samaj, the
most pressing need is of genuine and capable leadership.
All
of us know that Baba Saheb Ambedkar while himself leading us towards
the bright age, managed to create for us the opportunities for higher
education. His strong belief was that only highly educated leaders can
meet the challenge of the chamcha age. The following extract from the
Kaka Saheb Kalelkar report will prove the point :
“Q.1 :-What according to you, constitutes backwardness as it applies to the situation India ?
Dr.Ambedkar
:- Supposing I am left in the situation to do something for the
betterment and advancement of India, I would look at the social status
of the community. Here in India people have got different status – some
are in the highest position, some are in middle, some are still less and
some are at the bottom. Our problem is not so much to distribute wealth
in order to make everybody happy; our problem is that different status
should disappear. It can disappear only by advancement of education,
when all the communities are brought to the same level in the matter of
education, not everybody but the community as such. If there are 10
barristers, 20 doctors, 30 engineers etc. in a community, I regard that
community as rich, although every one of them is not educated. Take for
instance, chamars, you look upon this community with hatred, but if
there are some lawyers, doctors, engineers and educated persons among
them, you cannot put your hand upon them….
Q.5:-
What remedy would you suggest for the speedy removal of the
backwardness of so many communities in India that are suffering from
age-old social backwardness and educational apathy?
Dr.Ambedkar:-
I have suggested that if you produce big people from amongst them, the
backwardness would go. The backwardness is only a sort of inferiority
complex”.
In
a lengthy reply to question 4, his answer was that for removing
backwardness it was essential to produce highly qualified and educated
persons amongst them and then put them in key posts. They could control
any wrong being done.
At
late in his life as 1954, Baba Saheb had been having such views. But
within 2 years, our dear Doctor was to detect the worst disease, then,
instead of praise, he was to condemn these highly educated men of
status, occupying key posts. His condemnation of these highly qualified
men of status, occupying key post was open and public, during a very
well attended public meeting on 18th March, 1965 at Agra. After this
detection of the disease, during the comming 8 months left for him, he
could neither diagnose nor find remedial measures.
In
1954, Dr.Ambedkar was thinking of 10 lawyers, 20 doctor and 30
engineers, But during the coming years the number of such highly
qualified persons swelled to lakhs. Because of the opportunities created
by Dr. Ambedkar, they got key posts and acquired status. Very
unfortunately, along with this increase, the disease spread and became
an epidemic. This epidemic killed the very thought of Baba Saheb
Ambedkar which he had been entertaining and nourishing over the years,
The product of his dream and efforts, the highly educated persons of
status, occupying key posts, instead of becoming a boon, became, a curse
for their oppressed and exploited communities, in fact, for the entire
Dalit Soshit Samaj. Instead of controlling the wrongs being done to
their communities, they became the cause for many additional wrongs.
In
the absence of Baba Saheb Ambedkar, his lieutenants were helpless. They
simply ignored the epidemic. Much worse, most of them became a part and
parcel of it. Around 1973, some highly educated employees could
themselves diagnose the diseases and later named it “Alienation of the
elite.” The disease and its evil effects had been dealt with in a
separate chapter. As a cure BAMCEF was developed. The basic objective of
BAMCEF is “Pay back to the oppressed and exploited society.”
BAMCEF
has partly cured the disease, by way of securing a partial check over
the alienation of the elite, In future, it is likely to become a perfect
and permanent cure by becoming a perennial source of Genuine &
Capable leadership.
SHORT-TERM SOLUTION (SOCIAL ACTION) D-S4
After
making arrangements for the genuine & capable leadership which
could take care of even the worst disease like the alienation of the
elite, we come to the problem. To solve the problem of the chamcha age
successfully, we should split it in 3 parts as under.:
(i) To meet the challenge of the chamcha age.
(ii) To put an end to the chamcha age.
(iii) To usher in bright age.
Now
after splitting the problem systematically and suitably, we can solve
the problems one by one. To my mind by tackling the problems one by one,
we can complete the task within 10 years. The solutions for these three
parts can be termed as (i) Short- term, (ii) Long-term, and (iii)
Durable. These solution are briefly discussed in 3 separate chapters.
Social Action
The
Dalit Shoshit Samaj is lying low and reconciled to its lowly status. It
is a huge section of our society. Thus, the lowly and backward status
of this huge section of our society is keeping the country low and
backward. This huge section must be awakened, aroused and put in action.
Such action this huge section of society, after its awakening and
arousal may be termed as Social Action.
Preparation for Social Action
(i) Creating Awakening to induce arousal
To
awaken this huge section of our society many thoughtful measures are
required to be taken. Such thoughtful measures may be of 2 type a)
general (b) specific, based on issues.
(a)
General measures may be on social, economic, political, religious and
cultural aspects. Why such wide ranging measures are required? It is
because the Dalit Shoshit Samaj is in the dark on all such fronts. To
enlighten them, awakening on all these front is a must. Until and
unless, they are awakened, they cannot be aroused, unless they are
aroused, they can not be involved, So to involve them such wide-range
awakening is a must.
It
is for this large scale need of awakening on all the fronts that we are
attaching so much importance to our awakening squads. Our awakening
squads in almost all the major languages of India, cater to this need of
awakening. Our awakening squads are trained to enlighten the suppressed
society on all such fronts. Keeping in mind the long standing laziness
of the Dalit-Shoshit Samaj, the method used by our awakening squads is
enlightening and awakening while entertaining.
(b)
Specific measures to create awakening are based on issues. For example,
to spread Ambedkarite thought, Ambedkar Mela on Wheels was conducted;
to throw light on the chamcha age, Poona Pact was denounced; to form
habit of using our own little resources in a big way, the 4200 kms. long
Bicycle Prachar Yatra is to be undertaken. Specific measures are
required to throw light on the atrocities committed on the S.C./ S.T.
the non implementation of the rules, regulations, plans, projects,
programmes and laws meant for S.C./S.T. cannot be secured without
resorting to specific measures for awakening, enlightening and arousing
the concerned masses. The poor response for securing the implementation
of the Mandal Commission Report is for lack of specific measures being
taken for arousing the concerned masses.
(ii) Keeping the Dalit-Shoshit Samaj in Action
The
problems of the Dalit-Shosit Samaj are many and on all the fronts. To
tackle those problems with the help of the concerned masses, they must
be awakened, aroused and put into action. By putting them in action
occasionally will not solve all those problems. They, therefore, must
always be kept in action.
(iii)
Mild to Wild Action By and large social action should be mild, but
continuous without any break. It may be in one form or another, may be
for one cause or another. To make it meaningful and effective.
occasionally it will have to be wild, but non-violent. It will all
depend upon the types of struggles.
Examples of the planned Social Action
To
understand Social Action fully and for the benefit of those activists
who will be required to make the social action effective and successful
in future, it is essential to give a few examples. The following 5
examples of the planned social action of the past, the present and the
future will be useful, both for making the general public understand
social action and preparing the activists to conduct social action
effectively and successfully.
The past
(i) Ambedkar Mela on Wheels
After
shifting our H.Q. to Delhi, we notice that in the surrounding states of
Delhi our people were ignorant about the life and mission of Baba Saheb
Amedkar. Those who were not ignorant and interested in the mission,
were feeling demoralized because of alround failure of the Ambedkarite
mission. To remove this ignorance and demoralization a social action in
the form of Ambedkar Mela on Wheels was planned. It was conducted for 2
months. from 14-4-1980 to 14-6-1980, all around Delhi covering 9 states.
After the successful conduct of this social action, ignorance and
demoralization gave way to a new awakening and enthusiasm in all the 9
states surrounding Delhi. Our present success is deeply rooted in the
successful conduct of that social action named Ambedkar Mela on Wheels.
The Present
(ii) Denunciation of the Poona Pact
The
Chamcha age is a product of the Poona-Pact. To focus attention on the
chamcha age, the Poona-pact was denounced on the occasion of its 50th
Anniversary. An elaborate programme of denunciation was planned and
conducted from 24th Sept. to 24th Oct. 1982 starting from Poona and
ending at Jullunder. As a result of this planned social action, to-day
almost entire Dalit Shoshit Samaj, all over India is a awakened and
aroused against the chamcha age. Such awakening and arousal will greatly
help us in meeting the challenge of the chamcha age.
(iii) People Parliament
It
was thought that the Dalit Shoshit Samaj was not adequately represented
in the parliament and what ever representation is there, it is in the
form of Chamchas who cannot be expected to represent them fully and
faithfully. To make up this deficiency. on 25th Dec. 1982, People’s
Parliament will be launched in Delhi. From Delhi it will move to places
all over India, debating the of Dalit Shoshit Samaj Such a social action
is expected to focus attention on the burning issues which are not
debated is the National Parliament. Besides, it will be a constant
reminder for us to make the National Parliament, a really representative
parliament.
(iv) Miracle of two feet and two wheels
In
terms of resources, Dalit-Shoshit Samaj cannot competes, with the
ruling Castes, But to get their due, it must not only compete, but also
defeat the ruling Castes successfully. For this purpose, resources will
be required. Dalit-Shoshit Samaj therefore must learn to use its small
and little resources in a big way. This way, it can match the opponents.
To conduct one such experiment the use of bicycle in a big way is
planned. As per the present plan, about 100 cyclists will start from
Delhi on 15th March, 1983 and during 40 days period, they will propagate
the thought in 7 states around Delhi, while covering a distance of 4200
km. Thus, by this type of social action, bicycle can be used in a big
way not only for propaganda, but also for electioneering and show of
strength.
The Future
(v) Efforts for equality
On
Dec. 6, 1983, D-S4, the organization for social action, will be 2 year
young, On that occasion the youthful D-S4 is planning to launch an
extensive and massive social action. This social action will be for
equality.
While addressing the Constituent Assembly on 25th Nov.1949 Baba Saheb Ambedkar spoke thus:
“On
26th January 1950, we are going to enter into a life of contradictions.
In politics we will have equality and in social and economic life we
will have inequality….How long shall we continue to live this life of
contradictions ? How long shall we continue to deny equality in our
social and economic life ? …”
As
all of us know that all along over the last 32 years, we had been
living this life of contradictions. If anything, the gap of inequality
has further widened. It has caused almost irreparable loss to the Dalit
Shoshit Samaj. To put an end to this inequality, an extensive and a
massive social action is a must. This social action will unfold itself
after the 6th Dec.1983 when it is planned to be launched.
D-S4–An organization for Social Action
In
our mission, we believe in doing things in an organized manner. D-S4 is
our organization for social action. All future social actions will be
planned, designed and conducted by D-S4.
LONG-TERM SOLUTION (POLITICAL ACTION)
As
Social Action was found necessary to meet the challenge of the chamcha
age, Political Action is our solution for putting an end to the chamcha
age, But on the other hand, we understand that the chamcha age is the
product of present day political activity. The exit of the British on
15th August, 1947 resulted in the transfer of power to the High Caste
Hindus. But before the transfer of power, the seed for adult franchise
were already sown. The seed sprouted and by the time India became a
Republic, with a constitution of its own, it resulted in the build-up of
a huge Vote-Bank of the Dalit Shoshit Samaj.
All
this created a very peculiar situation. In a democratic set up, adopted
by us, the High Caste Hindus could not rule India without the consent
of the Dalit Shoshit Samaj. Thus, to have access to this Vote-Bank, the
ruling Castes required the help of the chamcha. All this has been
elaborated in a separate chapter. But our problem here is that we need a
Political Action to uproot the product of the present day political
activity. Such a political action, therefore, will have to be altogether
different from the present day political activity available to us.
Present political activity & outcome
To
build-up required political activity of our own, we must know and
understand the present day political activity and its outcome. After the
exit of the British, the high caste Hindus started sharing power
amongst them. The political and the bureaucratic power fell into the
hands of the Brahmins. The S.C. / S.T. got 22.5 % reservation; even
though their representatives remained chamchas in the hands of the
ruling Castes. In the bureaucratic machine, they got opening at various
levels. For the last 20 years, the are getting their full quota in the
top administrative services of the Center.
O.B.C.– The worst sufferers
But
the worst sufferers are the Other Backward Castes (O.B.C.) After the
exit of the British, they got alround setback. Their share, in both the
political and administrative power, had been almost entirely eaten by
the higher castes, especially the Brahmins. As per Mandal Commission
Report O.B.C. population is 52% of the total population of India. On the
other hand, the population of the Brahmins and Kshatriyas is about 8 to
9% of the total. But in present parliament, these 8 to 9% people are
represented by 52% of M.Ps., whereas 52% of people are represented by 8
to 9% of M.P.s. In a parliamentary democracy such representation makes
all the difference. As a result of this imbalance, the entire power
structure is grossly tilted against the O.B.C. To illustrate such a
gross tilt at all the important level 2 charts are presented in this
very chapter. The outcome of the entire present day political activity
can be well understood from these charts.
Tamil Nadu & U.P.- A study in contrast
Regarding
the position of O.B.C. to-day Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh present a
study of contrast. In Tamil Nadu the O.B.C. get its full quota in both
political and administrative spheres. It keeps increasing with the
passage of time. Whereas in U.P. the O.B.C. are worst-placed. As per the
latest election of May- June 1980, politically one Brahmin was
equivalent to 23 backward persons. As per U.P. Govt., the percentage of
gazetted officers of O.B.C. in 1946, 1955 and 1960 stood at 0.80, 0.47,
0.70 respectively. From this contrast, we can learn a lot for building
our own political activity.
Political Party of our own
To-day
in India we have 7 National level political parties, All these 7
parties are led by the High Caste Hindus. They control the affairs of
their parties on a manner to perpetuate high caste rule. Dalit-Shosht
Samaj is helpless in spite of 85% votes at their disposal. It is widely
felt that we must have our own political party. In the past some efforts
were made, but without success.
Recently
we have conducted some experiments towards building such a party. Such
experimentations known as Limited Political Action will be further
conducted till we feel sure of forming a political party of National
level on our own. Through such a political party of the Dalit Shoshit
Samaj Political Action for putting an end to the chamcha age will be
launched.
[Two
charts are given here. One is about Political and Bureaucratic grip of
Brahmins over India, and Percentage of Brahmins in parliament. The
figures being old these charts are not reproduced.]
DURABLE SOLUTION (CULTURAL CHANGE & CONTROL)
In
the last 2 chapters we have concluded that (i) to meet the challenge of
the chamcha age, we need Social Action and (ii) to put an end to the
chamcha age, we need Political Action. But to usher in Bright Age, will
be the toughest task before us, before this generation or even before
the coming generations. It will need a complete cultural change and
altogether different control. Only such change can bring about durable
solution.
The real and basic problem
In
India, our real and basic problem is social, religious and cultural.
Everything else is outcome of this basic problem. The chamcha age is
just a minor outcome of this major basic problem.
In
India, we have a religion of the Shastras, having peculiar religious
notions. The religious notions, not only dominate, but also make the
culture. The domination of these religious notions has resulted in
creating a peculiar culture which can be termed as the Culture of the
Castes, In other countries, they say religion is personal but culture is
common. Thus, they can be separate. But in India, both are one and the
same thing.
Caste-Crux of the problem
Dr. Ambedkar had written 2 major essays on the Caste, namely
(i) “Castes in India, their origin and their mechanism.”
(ii) “Annihilation of Caste.”
Leaving
aside his crusade against caste and his other writings on it, even on
the basis of these two essays, he can be considered the greatest
authority on caste. As per his thought Caste System is a Social System
which embodies the arrogance and selfishness of a perverse section of
the Hindus who were superior enough in social status to set it in
fashion and who had authority to force it on their inferiors. To enforce
such a degrading social system very harsh penal sanctions were required
which were provided by the Manu Smriti.
Caste
system made the Hindus sick men of India and their sickness affected
the health and happiness of other Indians. This became a major problem
for all the Indians. Much has been said against this evil system by
many, much more can be said, but here, we should conclude by saying that
the caste had been the problem of the Indians in the past, it still
remains a crux of the problem to-day.
In
the past caste was paraded openly and caste restrictions observed very
strictly. For long time, the high status of a caste was a paying
proposition. During the middle of the 19th century, revolt against this
evil system was initiated. It spread in the 1st half of the 20th
century, so much so that by 1950, it started becoming a double edged
sword cutting both ways, The High caste Hindus sensed the danger, so
much so they got the caste column removed from the census records. So,
today for any authentic and recorded information regarding caste, we are
required to look back to them 1931 census.
To-day
caste is very much there. But it is in the disguised form. The ruling
Castes, being in minority, do not speak much about it, but are in a
position to parctise it secretly and favorably to their own castes. Not
only that, it has become fashion with the ruling castes to speak against
it openly and practise it secretly, especially to retain the levers of
the power in their hand, Look at the performance of Nehru, he got 47%
Brahmins elected to the Lok Sabha during the height of his regime during
the 1957 Parliamentary polls. Along with the 22.5% reserved quota of
the S.C./ S.T. in Lok Sabha of the parliament, Nehruji kept ruling India
and Indians majestically. But by 1980 the caste equation changed,
especially when a Scheduled Caste candidate Babu Jagjivan Ram aspired to
be the Prime Minister of India, So in 1980 Indiraji was required to get
some 15% Kshatriyas elected to secure majority along with 36% Brahmin
M.Ps.
In
the last chapter, 2 charts have been added to show the grab of the
political and administrative power by the Brahmins, Here, we are
interested only pointing to the fact how power is grabbed and retained
by the change of caste equations. Surely you can not have caste
equations without cast considerations. And at the same time these
experts in caste equations from Nehru to Indira keep on speaking against
caste and keep on dubbing others as castists.
Social System (A product of Brahmanism)
Beneficiaries of the system 10 to 15%
Brahmins
Ksatriyas
Vaishyas
Victims of the System 85 to 90%
Intermediate Castes
(Shudras)
Other Backward Castes
(O.B.C.)
Scheduled Castes
(S.C.)
Scheduled Tribes
(S.T.)
This
sketch of the Social System stands like a structure,. In this structure
the castes are the building bricks. A mere look at the structure will
convince us, that it is an epitome of inequality.
How the system stands
In
this very chapter a sketch has been added to indicate how the caste
system or the social system stands, In this structure, castes are the
building bricks, The sketch is self explanatory, The beneficiaries of
the system have cornered all the 5 major powers and sources of the
powers, namely: (1)Political (2)Bureaucratic (3)Feudal (4)Economic and
(5)Cultural. In the sketch, the castes shown as the intermediary castes
which are not a part of the O.B.C. have also benefited and advanced even
though they happen to be the Shudra Castes, religiously speaking.
Whereas the victims of the system are loser all around and on every
front.
Revolt in Past
In
the recent past, many rebellious spirits all over India revolted
against this culture of the castes, The revolt of Mahatma Jotiba Phule,
Periyar E.V. Ramaswamy, Narayanaguru and Baba Saheb Ambedkar is
outstanding. A plethora of literature is available about their revolt
and the success they met. Here, we wish to take note of the means
adopted by them to change this culture of the castes. Satya Shodhak
Samaj by Mahatma Phule, Rationalism and Atheism by Periyar E V R and
Buddhism by Baba Saheb Ambedkar were the means applied by them for
affecting change. To-day while looking at the fate of these means, we
feel disappointed. It appears that this culture of the castes has the
strength and the strong backing to recover the lost ground. But
nevertheless the efforts of our crusaders, have resulted in the
emancipation of the mind. It will be greatly useful for further
expansion of our activity.
Task for the future
In
the light of the past experience it can be concluded that the task for
the future is tremendous, especially when we know the hidden and open
backing this culture of the castes is getting from the beneficiaries of
the system. But to change this culture of Perfect Inequality into the
one of Absolute Equality must remain our cherished goal. The present
culture is controlled by beneficiaries of the system. But the changed
culture of absolute equality must ever remain in the hands of the
victims of the present system. It is a must to avoid sabotage and
subversion. This the lesson to be learnt from the fall of the Maurya
Empire.
EDITORS
NOTE- THE CHAMCHA AGE (AN ERA OF STOOGES)” WAS WRITTEN BY KANSHI RAM,
AND PUBLISHED BY HIM ON 24TH SEPT. 1982 ON THE OCCASION OF 50TH
ANNIVERSARY OF POONA PACT. IT IS DEDICATED TO MAHATMA JYOTIRAO PHULE,
“WHOSE INITIATION OF CULTURAL REVOLT IN COLONIAL INDIA.
Last Meeting between Mother and Son and between Wife and Husband.
4.Last Meeting between Father and Son.
5.Last Meeting between the Buddha and Sariputta.
The Centres of His Preachings
It is not that after the appointment of the missionaries the Lord sat at one place. He too continued to be his own missionary.
The Lord seems to have made certain places chief centres of his missionary work.
Of such centres, the chief were Shravasti and Rajagraha.
He visited Shravasti about 75 times and Rajagraha about 24 times.
Certain other places were made minor centres.
They were Kapilavastu, which he visited 6 times, Vaishali which he visited 6 times, and Kamas-sadhamma, 4 times.
The Places He Visited
Besides these main and minor centres the Blessed Lord visited many other places during the course of his missionary tour.
He visited Ukkatha, Nadika, Sal, Assapura, Ghoshitaram, Nalanda, Appana, Etuma.
He visited Opasad, lccha-naukal, Chandal Kuppa, Kushinara.
He visited Devadaha, Pava, Ambasanda, Setavya, Anupiya and Ugunma.
The names of the places he visited show that he travelled over the Sakya Desa, the Kuru Desa and Anga Desa.
Roughly speaking, he travelled over the whole of Northern India.
These
appear to be a few places. But what distance do they cover ? Rajagraha
from Lumbini is not less than 250 miles. This just gives an idea of
distances.
These distances the Lord walked on foot. He did not even use a bullock-cart.
In
his wanderings he had no place to stay until later on when his lay
disciples built Viharas and resting places which he and his Bhikkhus
used as halts on their journeys. Most often he lived under vii the
shade of wayside trees.
He
went from place to place, sometimes from village to village, resolving
the doubts and difficulties of those who were willing to accept his
message, controverting the arguments of those who were his opponents and
preaching his gospel to those who like children came to him for
guidance.
The Blessed
Lord knew that all those who came to listen to him were not all of them
intelligent, not all of them came with an open and a free mind.
He had even warned the brethren that there were three sorts of listeners.
The
empty-head, the fool who cannot see,— though oft and oft, unto the
brethren going, he hears their talk, beginning, middle, end,—but can
never grasp it. Wisdom is not his.
Better
than he the man of scattered brains, who oft and oft, unto the brethren
going, hears all their talk, beginning, middle, end, and seated there
can grasp the very words, yet, rising, nought retains. Blank is his
mind.
Better than these
the man of wisdom wide. He, oft and oft unto the brethren going, hears
all their talk, beginning, middle, end, and seated there, can grasp the
very words, bears all in mind, steadfast, unwavering, skilled in the
Norm and what conforms thereto.
Notwithstanding this, the Lord was never tired of going from place to place preaching his gospel.
As
a bhikkhu the Lord never had more than three pieces of clothes. He
lived on one meal a day and he begged his food from door to door every
morning.
His mission was the hardest task assigned to any human being. He discharged it so cheerfully.
Last Meeting between Mother and Son and between Wife and Husband
Before their death Mahaprajapati and Yesho-dhara met the Blessed Lord,
It was probably their last meeting with him.
Mahaprajapati went and first worshipped him.
She
thanked him for having given her the happiness of the good doctrine,
for her having been spiritually born through him: for the doctrine
having grown in her through him; for her having suckled him, drinking
the Dhamma-milk of him; for her having plunged in and crossed over the
ocean of becoming through him—what a glorious thing it has been to be
known as the mother of the Buddha ! 5. And then she uttered her plea:— ”
I desire to die finally having put away this corpse. 0 sorrow-ender,
permit me.”
Yeshodhara,
addressing the Blessed Lord, said that she was in her seventy-eighth
year. The Blessed Lord replied that he was in his eighties.
She
told him that she was to die that very night. Her tone was more
self-reliant than that of Mahaprajapati. She did not ask his permission
to die nor did she go to him to seek him as her refuge.
On the contrary, she said to him (me saranam atthano), ” I am my own refuge.”
She had conquered all the cankers in her life.
She came to thank him because it was he who had shown her the way and given her the power.
Last Meeting between Father and Son
Once when the Lord was staying at Raja-graha in the bamboo grove Rahula was staying at Ambalathika.
The
Blessed One arising towards eventide from his meditation went over to
Rahula, who seeing the Lord some way off, set a seat for him and water
to wash his feet.
Seating
himself on the seat set for him, the Lord poured water over his feet
while Rahula, after salutations, took his seat to one side.
Addressing
Rahula, the Blessed Lord said “He who does not shrink from deliberate
lying has not—say I—left undone any evil thing which he could.
Therefore, you must school yourself never to tell a lie even in jest.
” In the same way you must reflect and again in doing every act, in speaking every word and in thinking every thought.
“When
you want to do anything you must reflect whether it would conduce to
your or others’ harm or to both, and so is a wrong act productive of woe
and ripening into woe. If reflection tells you that this is the nature
of that contemplated act, you should not do it.
” But if reflection assures you there is no harm but good in it, then you may do it.
“Grow in loving kindness; for as you do so malevolence will pass away.
“Grow in compassion; for as you do so vexation will pass away.
“Grow in gladness over others’ welfare; for as you do so aversions will pass away.
“Grow in poised equanimity; for as you do so all repugnance will pass away.
“Grow in contemplation of the body’s corruption; for as you do so passion will pass away.
“Grow in perception of the fleeting nature of things; for as you do so the pride of self will fall away.”
Thus spoke the Lord. Glad at heart, Rahula rejoiced in what the Lord had said.
Last Meeting between the Buddha and Sariputta
The Blessed Lord was staying in Shravasti in the Jetavana in the Gaudhakuti Vihar.
Sariputta arrived there with a company of five hundred brethren.
After
saluting the Blessed One Sariputta told him that the last day of his
life on earth had arrived. Will the Blessed Lord be pleased to permit
him to give up his mortal coils?
The Blessed Lord asked Sariputta if he had selected any place for his parinibbana.
Sariputta
told the Blessed One, ” I was born in the village Nalaka in Magadha.
The house in which I was born still stands. I have chosen my home for my
parinibbana.”
The Lord replied, ” Dear Sariputta! Do what pleases you.”
Sariputta
fell on the feet of the Blessed Lord arid said, “I have practised the
paramitas for one thousand Kalpas with only one wish, to have the honour
of falling on your feet. I have achieved that end and there is no end
to my happiness.”
‘ “We do not believe in rebirth. Therefore this is our last meeting. Let the Lord forgive me my faults. My last day has come.”
” Sariputta! There is nothing to forgive,” said the Lord.
When Sariputta rose to go, the Lord in his honour got up and stood up on the verandah of the Gauohakuti Vihar.
Then
Sariputta said to the Blessed Lord, “I was happy when I saw you first. I
am happy to see you now. I know this is the last darshan of you I am
having. I shall not have your darshan again.”
Joining together the palms of his hand he walked away without showing his back to the Blessed Lord.
Then
the Blessed Lord said to the assembled brethren—”Follow your Elder
Brother,” and the assembly for the first time left the Blessed Lord and
went after Sariputta.
Sariputta on reaching his village died in his home in the very room in which he was born.
He was cremated and his ashes were taken to the Blessed Lord.
On
receiving the ashes the Blessed Lord said to the brethren-“He was the
wisest, he had no acquisitive instinct, he was energetic and
industrious, he hated sin, ye brethren see his ashes. He was as strong
as the earth in his forgiveness, he never allowed anger to enter his
mind, he was never controlled by any desire, he had conquered all his
passions, he was full of sympathy, fellowship and love.”
About
that time Mahamogallan was then living in a solitary Vihar near
Rajagraha. He was murdered by some assassins employed by the enemies of
the Blessed Lord.
The
sad news of his end was conveyed to the Blessed One. Sariputta and
Mahamogallan were his two chief disciples. They were called
Dharma-Senapati —Defenders of the Faith. The Blessed Lord depended upon
them to continue the spread of his gospel.
The Blessed Lord was deeply affected by their death in his lifetime.
He did not like to stay in Shravasti and to relieve his mind he decided to move on.
PART II : LEAVING VAISHALI
Farewell to Vaishali.
Halt at Pava.
Arrival at Klishinara.
Farewell to Vaishali
Before he set on his last journey the Blessed Lord was staying at Rajagraha on the Vulture’s Peak.
After staying there for some time he said: ” Come Ananda, let us go to Ambalathika.”
“So be it Lord ! ” said Ananda in assent, and the Blessed One, with a large company of the brethren, proceeded to Ambalathika.
After staying at Ambalathika he moved on to Nalanda.
From Nalanda he went to Pataligama, the capital of Magadha.
From Pataligama he went to Kotigam and from Kotigam he went to Nadika.
At
each of these places he stopped for a few days and delivered a
religious discourse either to the brethren or the householders.
From Nadika he went to Vaishali.
Vaishali was the birth-place of Mahavira and consequently a stronghold of his faith.
But the Blessed Lord soon succeeded in converting the people of Vaishali to his own faith.
It is said that owing to drought, a famine ravaged the city of Vaishali to such an extent that people died in large numbers.
The people of Vaishali complained of it in a general assembly convoked by them.
The assembly after much discussion decided to invite the Blessed Lord to the city.
A Lichchavi by name Mahali, a friend of King Bimbisara and son of the chaplain of Vaishali, was sent to offer the invitation.
The
Blessed Lord accepted the invitation and started with five hundred
Bhikkhus. As soon as he entered the territory of the Vajjins there was a
thunderstorm, rain fell in torrents and famine disappeared.
This is the origin of the welcome which the people of Vaishali gave to the Blessed Lord.
Having won their hearts it was natural that the people of Vaishali should give him a warm response.
Then came vasa. The Blessed Lord went to Beluna for his vasa and asked the brethren to make their vasa in Vaishali.
After finishing his vasa the Lord came to Vaishali with a mind to leave Vaishali and move on his journey.
So
the Blessed Lord early one morning robed himself, and taking his bowl,
entered Vaishali for alms; and when he had passed through Vaishali and
eaten his meal he gazed at Vaishali with an elephant’s look and
addressed the venerable Ananda and said: “This will be the last time
Ananda that the Tathagatha will behold Vaishali.”
Thus saying he bade farewell to the people of Vaishali.
He gave to the Lichchavis, when they took leave of him at the old city on their northern frontier, his alms-bowl as a memento.
It was his last visit to Vaishali. He did not live to return to it again.
Halt at Pava
From Vaishali the Blessed Lord went to Bhandagam.
From Bhandagam he went to Hatthi-gam to Bhoga-Nagara.
And from Bhoga-Nagara he went to Pava.
At Pava the Blessed One stayed at the mango grove of one blacksmith by name Chunda.
Now Chunda heard that the Blessed One had come to Pava and was staying in his mango grove.
Chunda went to the mango grove and sat near the Blessed One, who gave him a religious discourse.
Gladdened
by it Chunda addressed the Blessed One and said: ” May the Blessed One
do me the honour of taking his meal together with the brethren, at my
house tomorrow.”
And the Blessed One signified, by silence, his consent. Seeing that the Blessed One had consented, Chunda departed thence.
Next
day Chunda made ready in his dwelling-place sweet rice and cakes and
some preparation of Sukara-Madhava. And he announced the hour to the
Blessed One, saying: ” The hour, Lord, has come, and the meal is ready.”
And
the Blessed One robed himself and taking his bowl went with the
brethren to the dwelling-place of Chunda and partook of the food
prepared by him.
Again after the meal the Blessed One gave a discourse on religion to Chunda, then rose from his seat and departed thence.
The
food offered by Chunda did not agree with the Blessed One. There fell
upon him a dire sickness, the disease of dysentery, and sharp and
shooting pain came upon him even unto death.
But the Blessed One, mindful and self-possessed, bore it without complaint.
Returning
to the mango grove and after nature was relieved, the Blessed One told
Ananda: ” Come let us go to Kushinara” and the party moved from Pava.
Arrival at Kushinara
The Blessed Lord walked for part of the way. He soon felt the need for some rest.
On
the way the Blessed One went aside from the path to the foot of a
certain tree and said to Ananda: “Fold, I pray you, Ananda, the robe;
and spread it out for me. I am weary, Ananda, and must rest awhile! “
” Even so, Lord!” said the venerable Ananda, in assent, to the Blessed One, and spread out the robe folded fourfold.
And the Blessed One seated himself on the seat prepared for him.
And
when he was seated, the Blessed One addressed the venerable Ananda, and
said: ” Fetch me. I pray you, Ananda, some water. I am thirsty, Ananda,
and would drink.”
Ananda
replied: ” This river Kakuttha is not far off, is clear and pleasant,
cool and transparent, easy to get down into and delightful. There the
Blessed One may both drink the water and cool his limbs. The water of
this stream is foul and turbid.”
The Blessed One was too weak to walk down to the river. He preferred to have the water of the nearby stream.
Ananda brought the water and the Blessed One drank it.
After
resting for a while the Blessed One with the company of the brethren
went on to the river Kakuttha; and when he had come there, he went down
into the water, and bathed, and drank. And coming out again on the other
side he went on to the mango grove.
And
when he came there he again asked his robe to be spread out, saying: ” I
am weary and would lie down.” The robe was accordingly spread out and
the Blessed One laid himself down on it.
After
resting for a while the Blessed One got up and said to Ananda: ” Let us
go on to the Sala grove of the Mallas, the Upavana of Kushinara on the
further side of the river Hiranyavatti.”
On
reaching the place in the company of Ananda, he again asked Ananda to
spread his robe between the twin Sala trees. ” I am weary and would lie
down.”
Ananda spread the robe and the Blessed One laid himself down on it.
PART III : HIS END
The Appointment of a Successor.
The Last Convert.
Last Words.
Ananda in Grief.
The Lament of the Mallas and the Joy of a Bhikkhu.
The Last Rites.
Quarrel Over Ashes.
Loyalty to the Buddha.
The Appointment of a Successor
The Exalted One was at one time sojourning among the Sakyans in the mango grove of the Sakyan family named the archers.
Now
at that time Nataputta the Nigantha had just died at Pava. And at his
death the Niganthas became disunited and divided into two parties, in
mutual strife and conflict, quarrelling and wounding each other with
wordy weapons.
Now
Chunda, the novice, having passed the rainy season at Pava, came to see
the venerable Ananda and said: “Nataputta, sir, the Nigantha had just
died at Pava. And he being dead the Niganthas have become disunited and
divided and are quarrelling and wounding one another. This is because
they are without a protector.”
Then
said the venerable Ananda, ” Friend Chunda, this is a worthy subject to
bring before the Exalted One. Let us go to him, and tell him about it.”
” Very good, sir,” replied Chunda.
So
the venerable Ananda and Chunda, the novice, sought out the Exalted One
and saluting him, told him about the Niganthas and pleaded the
necessity of appointing a successor.
The
Blessed Lord on hearing what Chunda had said, replied: ” But consider
Chunda, where a teacher hath arisen in the world, Arahat, supremely
enlightened: where a doctrine hath been well set forth, well imparted,
effectual for guidance, conducive to peace; but where his disciples have
not become proficient in good Norm, nor has it been made a thing of
saving grace to them, well proclaimed among men when their teacher
passes away.
“Now for such a teacher to die, Chunda, is a great affliction for his disciples and a great danger to his Dhamma.
”
But consider, Chunda, where a teacher has appeared in the world who is
all-enlightened; where the Norm has been well set forth, well imparted,
effectual for guidance, conducive to peace, and where the disciples have
become proficient in the good Norm, and where the full scope of the
higher life has become manifest to them when that teacher passes away.
” Now for such a teacher, Chunda, to die is not an affliction for his disciples. Why then have a successor ? “
When
Ananda raised the same question on another occasion the Blessed Lord
said: “What think you Ananda? Do you observe even a couple of almsmen at
variance about what I have taught ? “
”
No. But those who are about the Lord might after his death, stir up
quarrel in the con-fraternity respecting the regimen or of the code and
such quarrels would make for general grief. “
“Of
little concern, Ananda, are quarrels respecting rigours of regimen or
of the code ; it is possible quarrels in the confraternity about the
path which really matter,” said the Blessed Lord.
” These disputes about the path cannot be settled by a dictator. What then a successor can do unless he acts as a dictator.
” The controversies regarding the path cannot be settled by a dictator.
“The
decision of a controversy should be reached by the fraternity. The
whole conjoint body should assemble and thrash out the matter till there
is agreement and then to settle it conformably with such agreement.
” Majority agreements is the way to settle the disputes and not the appointment of a successor.”
The Last Convert
Now
at that time Subhadda the Wanderer was staying at Kusinara. And
Subhadda the Wanderer heard the rumour, ” This very day, it is said, in
the last watch of the night will be the final passing away of Gotama the
recluse.” Then this thought came to Subhadda the Wanderer.
“Thus
have I heard it said by other wanderers who are old and far gone in
years, both teachers and disciples; ‘ Rarely, rarely do Tathagatas arise
in the world, they, who are Arahats, fully Enlightened Ones, And here
tonight, in the last watch, will be the final passing away of Gotama,
the recluse. Now a doubt VII has arisen in my mind and I am assured of
Gotama, the recluse. Gotama, the recluse, can show me a teaching, so
that I may dispel this doubting state of mine.”
Then
Subhadda the Wanderer went towards the branch road to the Sala grove of
the Mallas, where the venerable Ananda was, and coming there he told
the venerable Ananda what he had thought and he exclaimed: ” 0 Master
Ananda ! If only I could get a sight of Gotama the recluse ! “
At
these words the venerable Ananda said to Subhadda the Wanderer: ”
Enough, friend Subhadda! Trouble not the Master! The Exalted One is
wearied.”
Then a second and yet a third time did Subhadda the Wanderer make the same request, and got the same reply.
Now
the Exalted One overheard this talk between the venerable Ananda and
Subhadda the Wanderer. And He called to the venerable Ananda, saying, ”
Enough, Ananda! prevent not Subhadda. Let Subhadda be permitted to see
the Tathagata. Whatsoever Subhadda shall ask of me, he will ask it all
from a desire to know, not from a desire to trouble me. And whatever I
shall say in answer, that will be quickly understood.”
So then the venerable Ananda said to Subhadda the Wanderer, ” Go you in, friend Subhadda. The Exalted One gives you leave.”
So
Subhadda the Wanderer went in to the Exalted One, and coming to Him
greeted Him pleasantly, and after the exchange of friendly compliments
he sat down at one side. So seated, Subhadda the Wanderer thus addressed
the Exalted One:
”
Master Gotama, all those recluses and Brahmins who have followings and
companies of listeners, who are teachers of companies, well known,
renowned founders of sects, esteemed as holy men by the multitude, men
like Purana Kassapa, Makkhali of the Cow-pen, Ajita of hairshirt,
Kacchayana of the Pakudha tree, Sanjaya, son of Belatthi, and Nigantha
of the Natha clan,—have all these, as they say, realised by their own
knowledge the truth of things, or have they not one and all so realised,
or have some realised and others not realised it, by their own
knowledge ? “
” Let be,
Subhadda ! Trouble not yourself about such things, as to whether one and
all or some have realised or not. I will show you the Norm, Subhadda.
Do you listen carefully. Apply your mind. I will speak.”
” Even so. Lord,” said Subhadda the Wanderer and gave heed to the Exalted One. Then the Exalted One said this:
“ln
whatsoever Norm-discipline, Subhadda, the Ariyan Eightfold Path is not
found, therein also no recluse is found. And in whatsoever
Norm-discipline, Subhadda, the Ariyan Eightfold Path is found, therein
also is found a recluse.
“Now
in this Norm-discipline (of mine), Subhadda, the Ariyan Eightfold Path
is found. Herein also is found a recluse of these four degrees. Void of
recluses are the other sects of disputants. But if, Subhadda, in this
one, brethren were to live the perfect life, the world would not be void
of arahats.
” My age was nine and twenty years when I went forth to seek the Good.
” Now fifty years and more are gone, Subhadda, since I left the world to range the Norm of Righteousness.”
And
when he had thus spoken, Subhadda the Wanderer said to the Exalted One:
“Most excellent are these words of thy mouth, most excellent.
”
Just as if a man were to set up that which is thrown down, or were to
reveal that which is hidden away, or were to point out the right road to
him who has gone astray or were to bring a lamp into darkness, so that
those who have eyes can see. 18. ” Just even so, has the truth been made
known to me by the Exalted One. And I, even I betake myself to the
Exalted One as my refuge, to the truth and to the Order.”
“Whosoever,
Subhadda, has formerly been a follower of another doctrine and
thereafter wishes to VII enter the Order remains on probation for the
space of four months.”
” If that is the rule I too will remain on probation.”
But
the Exalted One said, “I acknowledge the difference in persons.” So
saying he called the venerable Ananda and told Ananda, ” As it is,
Ananda, receive Subhadda into the Order.”
” Even so. Lord! ” said the venerable Ananda, in assent to the Exalted One.
And
Subhadda the Wanderer said to the venerable Ananda: ” Great is your
gain, friend Ananda, great is your good fortune, friend Ananda, in that
you all have been sprinkled with the sprinkling of discipleship in this
brotherhood at the hands of the Master himself.”
” The same is true of you, Subhadda,” replied Ananda.
So
Subhadda the Wanderer was received into the Order under the orders of
the Exalted One. He was the last disciple whom the Exalted One himself
converted
Last Words
Then said the Exalted One to the venerable Ananda:
”
It may be, Ananda, that you will say: ‘ Gone is the word of the Master:
we have no longer any Master now!’ But you must not so regard it,
Ananda; for the Norm and discipline taught and enjoyed by me, they shall
be your teachers when I am gone.
“Now,
Ananda, whereas the brethren have the habit of calling one another ‘
friend,’—when I am gone this habit must not be followed. By an elder
brother, Ananda, a brother who is a novice should be called by his name
or clan name or by the word ‘ friend ‘ : but by a novice, Ananda, an
elder brother should be addressed as ‘ Lord ‘ or ‘ Your reverence.’
” Again, Ananda, if the Order so desires, when I am gone, let it abolish the lesser and minor charges.
” You know, Ananda, the brother Channa. How obstinate, perverse and devoid of the sense of discipline he is.
” And to him, Ananda, let the extreme penalty be applied when I am gone.”
” What, Lord, do you mean by ‘ the extreme penalty ‘ ? “
”
The brother Channa, Ananda, whatever he may say, is not to be spoken
to, not to be admonished, not to be instructed by the brethren. He
should be left alone. It might improve him.”
Then the Exalted One addressed the brethren :
”
It may be, brothers, that in the mind of some one brother there is
doubt or perplexity, either about the Buddha, or about the Norm, or the
Order, or the Path, or the Way to the Path. If it be so, brothers, do ye
ask now. Be not hereafter remorseful at the thought, ‘ Here was our
Master face to face with us, and yet we had not the heart to question
the Exalted One, though we were in His very presence.’ “
At these words the brethren were silent.
Then
a second time and yet a third time did the Exalted One address the
brethren in the same words. And a third time the brethren were silent.
Then
said the Exalted One: “May be, brethren, it is out of respect for the
Master that ye ask not. Speak to me, then, as friend to friend,
brethren.”
Whereat those brethren were silent.
Then
exclaimed the venerable Ananda to the Exalted One: ” Strange it is,
Lord ! A marvel it is, Lord! Thus assured am I, Lord, of this Order of
Brethren. There is not any one brother that has a single doubt or
perplexity as to the Buddha, the Norm, the Order, or as to the Path, or
the Way to the Path.”
”
You speak out of assurance, Ananda. But in the Tathagata there is
knowledge of the fact. There is not in any one brother a single doubt or
perplexity as to this. Of these five hundred brethren of mine, Ananda,
even he who is the most backward is a stream-winner, one who is assured
from the Downfall, assured of reaching the Supreme Wisdom.”
Then said the Exalted One to the brethren :
”
Come now, brethren, I do remind ye, ‘ Subject to decay are all
compounded things’ Do ye abide in heedfulness.” 19. Those were the last
words of the Exalted One.
Ananda in Grief
As age advanced the Blessed Lord required a personal attendant to look after him.
He first chose Nanda. After Nanda he chose Ananda who served as his personal attendant till his death.
Ananda was his constant and dearest companion, not merely an attendant.
When
the Blessed One came to Kushinara and rested between the Sal trees, he
saw that his end was coming near, and felt that it was time he took
Ananda into confidence.
So
he called Ananda and said: ” And now this Ananda, at the third watch of
the night, in the Uppavana of Kushinara. between the twin Sal trees,
the utter passing away of the Tathagata will take place.”
And
when he had thus spoken the venerable Ananda addressed the Blessed One,
and said: “Vouchsafe, Lord, to remain during the Kalpa, 0 Blessed One!,
for the good and the happiness of the great multitudes, out of pity for
the world, for the good and the gain and the weal of gods and men.”
Three
times did Ananda make his plea. ” Enough now, Ananda, beseech not the
Tathagata ! ” was the reply. ” The time for making such request is
past.”
” I, Ananda, am
now grown old, and full of years, my journey is drawing to a close. I
have reached my sum of days. I am turning eighty years of age; and just
as a worn-out cart must give way some day, methinks, the same must
happen to the body of the Tathagata.” Hearing this, Ananda left.
Not
seeing Ananda, the Blessed One called the brethren, and said: “Where
then is Ananda?” ” The venerable Ananda is gone and is weeping,” said
the brethren.
And the
Blessed One called a certain brother and said: ” Go now brother, and
call Ananda in my name and say, ‘ Brother Ananda, the Master calls for
thee ‘ “
“Even so, Lord!” said that brother.
When Ananda came back he took his seat by the side of the Blessed One.
Then
the Blessed One said to Ananda: ” Enough, Ananda! Do not weep! Have I
not already, on former occasions, told you that it is in the very nature
of things most near and dear unto us that we must divide ourselves from
them, leave them, sever ourselves from them?
” For a long time, Ananda, you have been very near to me by acts of love, kind and good, beyond all measure.
“You
have done well, Ananda! Beearnest in effort and you too shall be free
from the great evils—from sensuality, from individuality, from delusion,
and from ignorance.”
Then addressing the brethren about Ananda the Blessed One said: ” He is a wise man, brethren, is Ananda.
“He
knows when it is the right time to come and visit the Tathagata, and
when it is the right time for brethren and sisters of the Order, for
devout men and devout women, for a king, or for a king’s ministers, for
other teachers and disciples, to visit the Tathagata.
“Brethren, there are these four special things about Ananda.
”
All are happy to visit Ananda. They are filled with joy on beholding
him; they are happy to hear him. They are ill at ease when Ananda is
silent.”
After this
Ananda again returned to the subject of the passing away of the
Tathagata. Addressing the Blessed One, he said: “Let not the Blessed One
die in this wattled and daub town in the midst of the jungle. For Lord
there are great cities, such as Champa, Rajagraha, Savathi, Saketa,
Kosambi and Benares. Let the Blessed One die in one of them. “
”
Say not so, Ananda! Say not so, Ananda. This Kushinara, Ananda, was the
capital of king Maha-Sudassana under the name of Keshavati.”
Thereafter the Blessed One gave Ananda two errands.
He
told Ananda to see that belief does not spread that the Blessed One
died as a result of the food given to Him by Chunda. He feared that
Chunda might suffer. He asked Ananda to disabuse the mind of the public
on this score.
The
second thing he told Ananda was to inform the Mallas of Kushinara that
the Blessed One had arrived there and would pass away in the last watch
of the night.
” Give no
occasion to reproach yourself. The Mallas may say : ‘ In our own village
the death of our Tathagata took place and we did not know and had no
opportunity of seeing him in his last hours.’”
Thereafter the venerable Anurudha and the venerable Ananda spent the rest of the night in religious discourse.
And in the third part of the night, as previously announced, the Blessed One breathed his last.
When
the Blessed One died, the brethren and Ananda stretched out their arms
and wept, and some even fell headlong on the ground, rolling to and fro
in anguish, saying: ” Too soon has the Blessed One died! Too soon has
the Happy One passed away from existence! Too soon has the Light gone
out of the world ! ” 29. It was at midnight on Vaishakha Paurnima that
the Blessed Lord breathed his last. The year of his death was 483 b.c.
30. As the Pali text truly says: Diva tapati addicco Ratin abhati
candima; Sannaddho khathio tapati Jhayi tapati brahamano; Atha Sabbain
ahorattain Buddho tapati tejasa.
“The
sun shines only in the day and the moon makes bright the night. The
warrior shines when he is in his armour. And the Brahmin when he is
meditating. But the Buddha shines over all by day as well as by night by
his own glory.
“He was beyond question the light of the world.”
The Lament of the Mallas and the Joy of a Bhikkhu
As desired by the Blessed One, Ananda went and informed the Mallas of the event.
And when they heard of this the Mallas, their wives, their young men and maidens were grieved and sad and afflicted at heart.
Some of them wept, dishevelling their hair, and stretched forth their arms and fell prostrate on the ground.
Then
the Mallas, with their young men and maidens and their wives, went to
the Sala grove in the Upavaana to have the last look of the Blessed One.
Then
the venerable Ananda thought: “lf I allow the Mallas of Kushinara one
by one it will take a long time for them to pay homage to the dead body
of the Blessed One.”
So
he decided to arrange them in groups, family by family. Each family then
bowed humbly at the feet of the Blessed One and parted.
Now
at the time the venerable Maha Kassapa was journeying along the high
road from Pava to Kushinara with a great company of the brethren.
Just at the time a certain naked ascetic was coming along the high road to Pava.
And
the venerable Maha Kassapa saw the naked ascetic coming in the
distance; and when he had seen him he said to the naked ascetic: ” 0
friend! Surely VII thou knowest our Master?”
“Yes, friend ! I know him.” “This day the Samana Gotama has been dead a week!”
Immediately on hearing the news the brethren were overcome with grief and started weeping.
Now at that time a brother named Sub-hadda, who had been received into the Sangh in his old age, was seated in their company.
And
this Subhadda addressed the brethren and said: “Enough brethren! Weep
not, neither lament! We are well rid of the great Samana. We used to be
annoyed by being told, * This beseems you, this beseems you not.’ But’
now we shall be able to do whatever we like: and what we do not like,
that we shall not have to do ! Isn’t it good he is dead? Why weep, why
lament ? It is a matter of joy.”
So great and harsh a disciplinarian the Blessed One was.
The Last Rites
Then the Mallas of Kushinara said to the venerable Ananda: “What should be done with the remains of the Tathagata?”
” As men treat the remains of a king of kings, so should you treat the remains of the Tathagata” replied Ananda.
“And how do they treat the remains of a king of kings?”
Ananda
told them: ” They wrap the body of a king of kings in a new cloth. When
that is done they wrap it in cotton-wool. When that is done they wrap
it in a new cloth and so on till they have wrapped the body in five
hundred successive layers of both kinds. Then they place the body in an
oil vessel of iron and cover that close up with another oil vessel of
iron.
They then build a funeral pile of all kinds. This is the way in which they treat the remains of a king of kings.”
“So be it,” said the Mallas.
Then
the Mallas of Kushinara said : ” It is VII much too late to burn the
body of the Blessed One today. Let us now perform the cremation
tomorrow.”
And the
Mallas of Kushinara gave orders to their attendants, saying: “Make
preparations for the funeral of the Tathagata and gather perfumes and
garlands and the musicians of Kushinara.”
But
in paying honour, reverence, respect, and homage to the remains of the
Tathagata with dancing, and hymns and music and with garlands and
perfumes; and in making canopies of their garments, and preparing
decoration wreath to hand thereon, they passed the second day too, and
then the third day, and the fourth and fifth and the sixth day also.
Then
on the seventh day the Mallas of Kushinara thought: “Let us carry the
body of the Blessed One and let us perform the cremation ceremony.”
And
thereupon eight chieftains among the Mallas bathed their heads, and dad
themselves in new garments with the intention of acting as pall-bearers
carrying the body of the Blessed One.
They
carried the dead body to the Shrine of the Mallas, called
Makuta-bandhana; to the east of the city and there they laid down the
body of the Blessed One and set fire to it.
After some time the mortal remains of the Blessed One were reduced to ashes.
Quarrel Over Ashes
After
the body of the Blessed One had been consumed by fire, the Mallas of
Kushinara collected the ashes and the bones of the Blessed One and
placed them in their Council Hall with a lattice work of spears and with
a rampart of bows; and guarded them against anybody stealing them or
any part of them.
For
seven days the Mallas paid honour and reverence and respect and homage
to them with dance and song and music and with garlands and perfumes.
Now the King of Magadha, Ajatasatru, heard the news that the Blessed One had died at Kushinara.
He, therefore, sent a messenger to the Mallas with a request for a portion of the relics of the Blessed One.
Similarly
messengers came from the Licchavis of Vaishali, from the Sakyas of
Kapilavastu, from the Bulis of Attakappa, from the Koliyas of Ramagama
and from the Mallas of Pava.
Among the claimants for ashes there was also a Brahmin of Vethadipa.
When
they heard these claims, the Mallas of Kushinara said: ” The Blessed
One died in our village. We will not give away any part of the remains
of the Blessed One. They belong to us.”
Seeing that the situation was tense a Brahmin by name Drona intervened and said: “Hear, reverend sirs, one single word from me.”
Said
Drona: “Forbearance was our Buddha to teach; unseemly is it that over
the division of the remains of him who was the best of beings, strife
should arise, and wounds and war !
”
Let us all, sirs, with one accord unite in friendly harmony to make
eight portions. Widespread let stupas arise in every land that the
Enlightened One from all parts be reverenced.”
The
Mallas of Kushinara agreed and said: “Do thou then, 0 Brahmin, thyself,
divide the remains equally into eight parts, with fair division.”
” Be it so, sir!” said’ Drona in assent.
And he divided the remains of the Blessed One equally into eight parts.
After making the division Drona said to them: ” Give me, sirs, this vessel. I will set up over it a stupa.”
And they agreed to give the vessel to him.
Thus the ashes of the Blessed One were shared and the quarrel was settled peacefully and amicably.
Loyalty to the Buddha
Shravasti was the occasion (of these events)….
Now
on that occasion a number of monks were VII busied with .making a
robe for the Exalted One, with this idea : When the robe is finished, in
three months’ time, the Exalted One will go forth on his rounds:
Now
at that time Isidatta and Purana, the chamberlains, were staying at
Sadhuka on some business or other. Then they heard the news: “They say
that a number of monks are busied with making a robe for the Exalted One
with this idea: When the robe is finished, in three months’ time, the
Exalted One will go forth upon his rounds.”
So
Isidatta and Purana, the chamberlains, sta-tioned a man on the
high-road (thus instructing him) : ” Now, good fellow, as soon as you
see that Exalted One, that Arahat, that perfectly Enlightened One coming
along, do you come and inform us.”
So
after standing there two or three days that man saw the Exalted One
coming along, while yet some distance off, and he went to inform the
chamberlains, Isidatta and Purana, saying: ” Here comes my lord, the
Exalted One, that Arahat, that perfectly Enlightened One ! Now’s the
time for you to do what you want!”
So
Isidatta and Purana, the chamberlains, went towards the Exalted One,
and on coming to him, saluted him, and followed behind the Exalted One
step for step.
Then the
Exalted One turned aside from the high road and went to the foot of a
certain tree and there sat down on a seat made ready. And Isidatta and
Purana, the chamberlains, saluting the Exalted One, also sat down at one
side. As they thus sat, they said this to the Exalted One:
“Lord,
when we heard of the Exalted One that he would go forth on his rounds
among the Ko-salans, at that time we were disappointed and depressed at
the thought : the Exalted One will be far from us.
9.”
And when. Lord, we learned that the Exalted One was starting out from
Shravasti on his rounds among the Kosalans, again we were disappointed
and depressed at the thought: The Exalted One will be far from us.
”
Again, lord, when we learned that the Exalted One would leave the
Kosalans and go on his rounds among the Mallas . . . that he was
actually doing so . . . we were disappointed and depressed.
“On
hearing that the Exalted One would leave the Mallas and go on his
rounds among the Vajji . . . that he was actually doing so . . . that he
would leave the Vajji for Kasi . . . that he was doing so . . . that he
would leave the folk of Kasi and go on his rounds in Magadha . . . that
he was actually doing so . . . again we were disappointed and depressed
. . ..
“But, Lord, when
we heard that the Exalted One would leave the Magadhas for Kasi and was
doing so, then we were delighted and elated at the thought: The Exalted
One will be quite near us.
“And when we heard that he was actually going his rounds in Kasi among the Magadhas, we were likewise delighted and elated.
(They
continue to trace the Master’s steps from Kasi to the Vajji . . . from
the Vajji to the Mallas . . . from the Mallas to the Kosalans in like
terms.)
” But, Lord,
when we heard that the Exalted One would be going on his rounds from the
Kosalans to Savatthi, we were delighted and elated at the thought: Now
the Exalted One will be quite near us !
”
Then, when we heard: ‘The Exalted One is staying at Shravasti, at Jeta
grove, in Anathapindika’s . Park.’ Then, Lord, boundless was our delight
and boundless our elation at the thought : The Exalted One is near us !
Mahaparinibbana and Mahasatipatthana Suttas in90) Classical Sesotho-Seserbia ea boholo-holo,91) Classical Shona-Shona Shona,92) Classical Sindhi,93) Classical Sinhala-සම්භාව්ය සිංහල,
Happy to see work progressing for renovating Rohni Buddha Vihara. Wish all Buddhists Donate Liberally for the Good Cause.
Hunger is the worst kind of illness said Awakened One Let us encourage all people to Do Good. Grow Broccoli Pepper Cucumber Carrots Beans in Pots. Fruit Bearing Trees all over the world and in Space.
Purify Mind. Lead Hilarious Happy Life to Attain Eternal Bliss as Final Goal.- Universal Prabuddha Intellectuals Convention.
“Wonderfully Auspicious” is replete with great kindness.
Mother of enlightened ones throughout the three periods of time, his wisdom is beyond measure.
His left hand brandishes a sharp sword that severs all afflictions;
And his right hand holds the blue lotus which reflects the mark of his virtue.
A peacock and lion-spirit act as his carriage,
Poisonous dragons and fierce beasts are subdued and become pure and cool.
The pure youth with the five topknots, this is a provisional manifestation.
Originally, he is the happy treasury of the Thus Come One.
Homage to Manjushri Bodhisattva of Great Wisdom, who dwells in the golden world of Pure Cool Mountain.
Homage to Wonderful Auspicious Bodhisattva.
Manjushri
Bodhisattva’s name is explained as “Wonderful Virtue” or “Wonderfully
Auspicious.” He is foremost in wisdom and holds the highest rank among
the Bodhisattvas.
When
Manjushri Bodhisattva was born, ten auspicious signs manifested and
they represent the Ten Paramitas: giving, morality, patience, vigor,
concentration, wisdom, skill in means, vows, determination, and
knowledge.
*
Om A Ra Pa Sa Na Dih Praise to Manjushri Bodhisattva:”Wonderfully
Auspicious” is replete with great kindness.Mother of enlightened ones
throughout the thre…
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Free Prabuddha bahlalefi ba Convention ka mantsoe a tsosoa e ‘ngoe ka
boeena bakeng sa boiketlo, Thabo le Khotso Mekhatlo All le hore ba fihle
ka ho sa Feleng Bliss ka Pakane ea ho Qetela ka Maha + satipaṭṭhāna-
teng ka temoho e ka hlokomela ea Kaya Karolo ka ānāpāna, postures,
sampajañña, repulsiveness, ho Elements, mabaka robong charnel, ea Vedanā
le Citta
ebe
Malumeli, merabe, Castes le ho se ho lekalekane
O tla be a le sieo!
TIPITAKA
DN 22 - (D-ii 290)
Mahāsatipaṭṭhāna Sutta
Ba bileng teng ka temoho e By Buddha
Maha + satipaṭṭhāna
sutta ena e pharaletseng nkoa e le sa moo ho buuoang ka sehloohong ea ho thuisa mokhoa ona.
Selelekela
I. hlokomela ea Kaya
A. Karolo ka ānāpāna
B. Karolo ka postures
C. Karolo ka sampajañña
D. Karolo ka repulsiveness
E. Karolo ka Elements
F. Karolo ka lebaka robong charnel
II. Hlokomela ea Vedanā
Selelekela
Ka tsela eo ba le ke ile ka utloa:
Ka
lekhetlo le leng, ho Bhagavā neng a lula har’a Kurus ka Kammāsadhamma, e
leng motse ‘maraka oa Kurus. Ho na le, a ne a ngolla bhikkhus:
- Bhikkhus.
- Bhaddante araba bhikkhus. The Bhagavā ile a re:
- This,
bhikkhus, e tseleng e isang ha ho letho le empa ho itlhoekisa ya
libōpuoa,
ho kolongaka ha masoabi le lebaka la ho lla, ba nyamele
dukkha-domanassa, re fumana tsela e nepahetseng, ho phethahala ha
Nibbāna, ke ho re ho satipaṭṭhānas bane.
Eo a mane?
Mona, bhikkhus, e bhikkhu ahileng shebeletseng Kaya ka Kaya, ātāpī
sampajāno, satimā, kaha o tetse abhijjhā-domanassa ikutloeleng lefatše.
A
lulang ho boloka vedanā ka vedanā, ātāpī sampajāno, satimā, kaha o
tetse abhijjhā-domanassa ikutloeleng lefatše. A lulang ho boloka citta
ka citta, ātāpī sampajāno, satimā, kaha o tetse abhijjhā-domanassa
ikutloeleng lefatše. A lulang ho boloka dhamma · ’s ka dhamma · s, ātāpī
sampajāno, satimā, kaha o tetse abhijjhā-domanassa ikutloeleng lefatše.
I. Kāyānupassanā
A. Karolo ka ānāpāna
le
kamoo,
bhikkhus, ha e bhikkhu ho aha shebeletseng Kaya ka Kaya? Mona,
bhikkhus, e bhikkhu, kaha o le sieo ho moru kapa eka le sieo ka ba le
motso oa sefate kapa eka il’o kamoreng e se nang letho, lula fatše
phutha maoto crosswise, beha Kaya lokile, ‘me a behela sati parimukhaṃ.
Ho ba ka tsela eo Sato o phefumoloheng ka, ho ba ka tsela eo Sato o
phefumoloheng tsoa. Hema telele o utloisisa: ‘Ke hema telele’; ho hema
ntle nako e telele o utloisisa: ‘Ke hema ntle nako e telele’; hema
lekgutshwanyane o utloisisa: ‘Ke’ na hema lekgutshwanyane ‘; hema tsoa
lekgutshwanyane o utloisisa: ‘Ke hema tsoa lekgutshwanyane’; a koetlisa
ipolella ho re: ‘utloa Kaya, ke tla o hemang ka’; a koetlisa ipolella ho
re: ‘utloa Kaya kaofela, ke tla o hemang tsoa’; a koetlisa ipolella ho
re: ‘khutsisa fatše le Kaya-saṅkhāras, ke tla o hemang ka’; a koetlisa
ipolella ho re: ‘khutsisa fatše le Kaya-saṅkhāras, Ke tla hema tsoa’.
feela
e
le, bhikkhus, e Turner ea nang le tsebo kapa Apprentice e Turner o, a
etsa retelehelang ho nako e telele, o utloisisa: “Ke etsa hore e ba
retelehelang telele ‘; etsa e khutšoanyane lehlakoreng le leng, o
utloisisa: “Ke etsa hore e khutšoanyane ba retelehelang ‘; ka tsela e
tšoanang, bhikkhus, e bhikkhu, ho hema ka nako e telele, o utloisisa:
‘Ke hema telele’; hema ntle nako e telele o utloisisa: ‘Ke hema ntle
nako e telele’; hema lekgutshwanyane o utloisisa: ‘Ke’ na hema
lekgutshwanyane ‘; hema tsoa lekgutshwanyane o utloisisa: ‘Ke hema tsoa
lekgutshwanyane’; a koetlisa ipolella ho re: ‘utloa Kaya kaofela, ke tla
o hemang ka’; a koetlisa ipolella ho re: ‘utloa Kaya kaofela, ke tla o
hemang tsoa’; a koetlisa ipolella ho re: ‘khutsisa fatše le
Kaya-saṅkhāras, ke tla o hemang ka’; a koetlisa ipolella ho re:
‘khutsisa fatše le Kaya-saṅkhāras, Ke tla hema tsoa’.
Ka tsela eo a lulang ho boloka Kaya ka Kaya lekgotleng,
kapa
a lulang ho boloka Kaya ka Kaya kwa, kapa a lulang ho boloka Kaya ka
Kaya lekgotleng le kwa; a lulang ho boloka samudaya ea liketsahalo tsa
ka Kaya, kapa a lulang ho boloka feta ‘ea liketsahalo tsa ka Kaya, kapa a
lulang ho boloka samudaya le feta’ ea liketsahalo tsa ka Kaya; kapa ho
seng joalo, [hlokomela:] “ena ke Kaya!” sati se teng ho eena, feela ho
isa tekanyong ea Nana feela le paṭissati feela tjee, a lulang ho
iphapanyetsa bona, ‘me ha e le khomarele letho lefatšeng. Kahoo,
bhikkhus, e bhikkhu ahileng shebeletseng Kaya ka Kaya.
B. Iriyāpatha Pabba
Ho feta moo,
bhikkhus, e bhikkhu, ha ho tsamaea, o utloisisa: ‘Ke tsamaea’, kapa
ha le eme o utloisisa: “Ke eme ka ‘, kapa ha ba lutse a
utloisisa:
‘Ke lutse’, kapa ha a robetse o utloisisa: ‘Ke robetse’. Kapa ho seng
joalo, ka natswe hore ke efe boemo ba Kaya hae e ratang, o utloisisa
hore e loketseng.
C. Karolo ka sampajañña
Ho feta moo,
bhikkhus,
e bhikkhu, ha atamela ‘me ha ba tloha, sebetsang sebakeng sa hae le
sampajañña, ha batla pele’ me ha a ntse a batla ho pota, o nka khato ka
sampajañña, ha ba kobang le ha ikotlolla, o nka khato ka sampajañña, ha
apereng liaparo le seaparo sa ka holimo ‘me a ntse a nkile sekotlolo, o
nka khato ka sampajañña, ha a ntse a ja, ha ho noa, ha ho hlafuna
sethethefatsi, le hoja latsoa, o nka khato ka sampajañña, ha ho ea ho
tsa khoebo tsa defecating le rota, o nka khato ka sampajañña, ha ho
tsamaea, a ntse a eme, ha a ntse a lutse, ha robetse, ha a ntse a ho ba
le falimehile, ha ho bua le ha a ntse a ho ba khutsa, o nka khato ka
sampajañña.
Ka tsela eo a lulang ho boloka Kaya ka Kaya lekgotleng, kapa a
ahileng
shebeletseng Kaya ka Kaya kwa, kapa a lulang ho boloka Kaya ka Kaya
lekgotleng le kwa; O lula samudaya ea liketsahalo tsa liketsahalo tsa
liketsahalo tsa Phenomena ea Kāya, kapa o lula ho feta ha Peheya, kapa o
lula ho Phenomena ho Kāya ho Kāya ka Kāya ka Kr. Mang kapa mang, a
nahana ka:] “Sena ke Kāya!” Sati o teng ho eena, ho isa boholeng ba mpa
le ho isa Paṭistati, o lula a tšohile, mme ha a khomarele letho
lefatšeng. Kahoo, Bhikkhus, ngoana ea shebang Bihkhu a lula Kāya ho
Kāya.
D. Karolo ka Repulsiveness
Ho feta moo,
bhikkhus, e bhikkhu nahana ‘mele ona haholo, ho tloha bohatong ba
maoto
a ‘me a tloha moriri ka hlooho fatše, e leng e delimited ke letlalo la
eona le feletseng tsa mefuta e sa tšoaneng ea litšila: “Ka Kaya ena, ho
na le moriri oa hlooho, moriri oa’ mele oa, manala, meno, letlalo, nama ,
Feela
joalokaha haeba, bhikkhus, ho na le e ne e le mokotla le openings tse
peli ‘me ba tlatsa ka mefuta e sa tšoaneng ea lijo-thollo, tse kang
leralleng-Paddy, Paddy, linaoa mung, khomo-dierekisi, dipeo tsa sesame,
le husked raese. Monna e mong ea nang le mahlo a se nang molemo, kaha
unfastened e, o ne a ela hloko [litaba tsa eona]: “Sena se
leralleng-Paddy, sena ke Paddy, tseo ke mung linaoa, tseo ke
khomo-dierekisi, tseo ke tsa sesame, dipeo le ena e husked raese;” ka e
tšoanang tsela, bhikkhus, e bhikkhu nahana ena ‘mele haholo, ho tloha
bohato ba maoto a ka nyoloha’ me ho tloha moriri ka hlooho fatše,
eo e delimited ke letlalo la eona le feletseng tsa mefuta e sa tšoaneng ea litšila:
“Ka Kaya ena, ho na le moriri oa hlooho, moriri oa ‘mele,
Ka tsela eo a lulang ho boloka Kaya ka Kaya lekgotleng, kapa a
ahileng
shebeletseng Kaya ka Kaya kwa, kapa a lulang ho boloka Kaya ka Kaya
lekgotleng le kwa; O lula samudaya ea liketsahalo tsa liketsahalo tsa
liketsahalo tsa Phenomena ea Kāya, kapa o lula ho feta ha Peheya, kapa o
lula ho Phenomena ho Kāya ho Kāya ka Kāya ka Kr. Mang kapa mang, a
nahana ka:] “Sena ke Kāya!” sati e presentin eena, feela ho isa
tekanyong ea Nana feela le paṭissati feela tjee, a lulang ho
iphapanyetsa bona, ‘me ha e le khomarele letho lefatšeng. Kahoo,
Bhikkhus, ngoana ea shebang Bihkhu a lula Kāya ho Kāya.
E. Karolo ka Elements
Ho feta moo,
bhikkhus, e bhikkhu bontša ka Kaya ena haholo, leha ho le joalo e beha,
Leha ho le joalo ho ke ke le tsekamelo: “Ka Kaya ena, ho na le ke elements lefatšeng,
metsi elements, e elements mollo le elements moea. “
Feela
joalokaha, bhikkhus, e selakheng ea nang le tsebo kapa Apprentice e
selakheng e, kaha o bolaoa khomo, ba ne ba lula ka le mateano a litsela
ka seha e likoto; ka tsela e tšoanang, bhikkhus, e bhikkhu bontša onthis
Kaya haholo, leha ho le joalo e beha, leha ho le joalo ke le tsekamelo:
“Ka thiskāya, ho na le karolo ea lefatše, le elements metsi, le
elements mollo le elements moea.”
Ka tsela eo a lulang ho boloka Kaya ka Kaya lekgotleng, kapa a lulang ho boloka Kaya ka Kaya kwa, kapa a lulang
sheba
Kaya ka Kaya lekgotleng le kwa; O lula samudaya ea liketsahalo tsa
liketsahalo tsa liketsahalo tsa Phenomena ea Kāya, kapa o lula ho feta
ha Peheya, kapa o lula ho Phenomena ho Kāya ho Kāya ka Kāya ka Kr. Mang
kapa mang, a nahana ka:] “Sena ke Kāya!” sati se teng ho eena, feela ho
isa tekanyong ea Nana feela le paṭissati feela tjee, a lulang ho
iphapanyetsa bona, ‘me ha e le khomarele letho ka world.Thus a lulang ho
boloka Kaya ka Kaya;
(1)
Ho feta moo,
bhikkhus,
e bhikkhu, feela joalokaha eka o ne a ho bona setopo, tse entsoeng hang
ka fatše charnel, letsatsi le le leng bafu, kapa matsatsi a mabeli bafu
kapa matsatsi a mararo ba shoeleng, ho ruruha, type genus le festering,
o ile a nahana ka ena Kaya haholo: “Kaya Sena hape ke a tlhaho a joalo,
ho tla ba joaloka ena, ‘me ha se lokolohileng jwalo boemo. “
Kahoo
o lula Kāya ho Kāya ka hare ho Kāya ho Kāya ka ntle ho Kāya ho Kāya
Internaund le kantle; O lula samudaya ea liketsahalo tsa liketsahalo tsa
liketsahalo tsa Phenomena ea Kāya, kapa o lula ho feta ha Peheya, kapa o
lula ho Phenomena ho Kāya ho Kāya ka Kāya ka Kr. Mang kapa mang, a
nahana ka:] “Sena ke Kāya!” Sati o teng ho eena, ho isa boholeng ba mpa
le ho isa Paṭistati, o lula a tšohile, mme ha a khomarele letho
lefatšeng. Kahoo, Bhikkhus, ngoana ea shebang Bihkhu a lula Kāya ho
Kāya.
(2)
Ho feta moo,
bhikkhus,
e bhikkhu, feela joalokaha eka o ne a ho bona setopo, tse entsoeng hang
ka fatše charnel, e ntse e jeoa ke lla, e ntse e jeoa ke Hawks, e ntse e
jeoa ke manong, e ntse e jeoa ke likokolofitoe, a jeoa ke lintja, e
ntse e jeoa ke litau, linkoe, e ntse e jeoa ke panthers, e ntse e jeoa
ke mefuta e sa tšoaneng ea libopuoa, o ile a nahana ka ena Kaya haholo:
“Kaya Sena hape ke a tlhaho a joalo, ho tla ba joaloka ena, ‘me ha se sa
lefelloeng boemong bo joalo.”
Kahoo
o lula Kāya ho Kāya ka hare ho Kāya ho Kāya ka ntle ho Kāya ho Kāya
Internaund le kantle; a lulang ho boloka samudaya ea liketsahalo tsa ka
Kaya, kapa a lulang ho boloka e ntse e feta hole ea liketsahalo tsa ka
Kaya, kapa a lulang ho boloka samudaya le
feta
‘ea liketsahalo tsa ka Kaya; Mang kapa mang, a nahana ka:] “Sena ke
Kāya!” Sati o teng ho eena, ho isa boholeng ba mpa le ho isa Paṭistati, o
lula a tšohile, mme ha a khomarele letho lefatšeng. Kahoo, Bhikkhus,
ngoana ea shebang Bihkhu a lula Kāya ho Kāya.
(3)
Ho
feta moo, bhikkhus, e bhikkhu, feela joalokaha eka o ne a ho bona
setopo, tse entsoeng hang ka fatše charnel, e squeleton le nama le mali,
e neng e tšoaretsoe hammoho ke tendons, o ile a nahana ka ena Kaya
haholo: “Kaya Sena hape ke tsa e joalo tlhaho, e tlang ho ba joaloka
ena, ‘me ha se lokolohileng jwalo boemo. “
Ka tsela eo a lulang ho boloka Kaya ka Kaya lekgotleng, kapa a
ahileng
shebeletseng Kaya ka Kaya kwa, kapa a lulang ho boloka Kaya ka Kaya
lekgotleng le kwa; O lula samudaya ea liketsahalo tsa liketsahalo tsa
liketsahalo tsa Phenomena ea Kāya, kapa o lula ho feta ha Peheya, kapa o
lula ho Phenomena ho Kāya ho Kāya ka Kāya ka Kr. Mang kapa mang, a
nahana ka:] “Sena ke Kāya!” Sati o teng ho eena, ho isa boholeng ba mpa
le ho isa Paṭistati, o lula a tšohile, mme ha a khomarele letho
lefatšeng. Kahoo, Bhikkhus, ngoana ea shebang Bihkhu a lula Kāya ho
Kāya.
(4)
Ho feta moo,
bhikkhus,
e bhikkhu, feela joalokaha eka o ne a ho bona setopo, tse entsoeng hang
ka charnel fatše, e squeleton ntle nama le netile ka mali, e neng e
tšoaretsoe hammoho ke tendons, o ile a nahana ka ena Kaya haholo: “Kaya
Sena hape ke tsa e joalo tlhaho, e tlang ho ba joaloka ena, ‘me ha se
lokolohileng jwalo boemo. “
Kahoo
o lula Kāya ho Kāya ka hare ho Kāya ho Kāya ka ntle ho Kāya ho Kāya
Internaund le kantle; O lula samudaya ea liketsahalo tsa liketsahalo tsa
liketsahalo tsa Phenomena ea Kāya, kapa o lula ho feta ha Peheya, kapa o
lula ho Phenomena ho Kāya ho Kāya ka Kāya ka Kr. Mang kapa mang, a
nahana ka:] “Sena ke Kāya!” Sati o teng ho eena, ho isa boholeng ba mpa
le ho isa Paṭistati, o lula a tšohile, mme ha a khomarele letho
lefatšeng. Kahoo, Bhikkhus, ngoana ea shebang Bihkhu a lula Kāya ho
Kāya.
(5)
Ho
feta moo, bhikkhus, e bhikkhu, feela joalokaha eka o ne a ho bona
setopo, tse entsoeng hang ka fatše charnel, e squeleton ntle nama e le
‘kapa mali, e neng e tšoaretsoe hammoho ke tendons, o ile a nahana ka
ena Kaya haholo: “Kaya Sena hape ke tsa e joalo tlhaho, e tlang ho ba
joaloka ena, ‘me ha se lokolohileng jwalo boemo. “
Ka tsela eo a lulang ho boloka Kaya ka Kaya lekgotleng, kapa a
ahileng
shebeletseng Kaya ka Kaya kwa, kapa a lulang ho boloka Kaya ka Kaya
lekgotleng le kwa; O lula samudaya ea liketsahalo tsa liketsahalo tsa
liketsahalo tsa Phenomena ea Kāya, kapa o lula ho feta ha Peheya, kapa o
lula ho Phenomena ho Kāya ho Kāya ka Kāya ka Kr. Mang kapa mang, a
nahana ka:] “Sena ke Kāya!” Sati o teng ho eena, ho isa boholeng ba mpa
le ho isa Paṭistati, o lula a tšohile, mme ha a khomarele letho
lefatšeng. Kahoo, Bhikkhus, ngoana ea shebang Bihkhu a lula Kāya ho
Kāya.
(6)
Ho
feta moo, Bhikkheus, Bihkkhu, joalo ka ha a bona setopo, o ile a
hasanya fatše, moo lesapo la maoto, moo lesapo la shin Hona joale serope
ke lesapo la sefoko, moo sethala, mona, lesapo le mokokotlo, mona,
lesapo la meno, le moo, lesapo la meno, o na le kāya e ngata haholo :
“Ena Kāya le eona e ea ba tlhaho e joalo, e tlo ba tjena, ‘me ha e
lokolloe ke boemo bo joalo.”
Kahoo
o lula Kāya ho Kāya ka hare ho Kāya ho Kāya ka ntle ho Kāya ho Kāya
Internaund le kantle; O lula samudaya ea liketsahalo tsa liketsahalo tsa
liketsahalo tsa Phenomena ea Kāya, kapa o lula ho feta ha Peheya, kapa o
lula ho Phenomena ho Kāya ho Kāya ka Kāya ka Kr. Mang kapa mang, a
nahana ka:] “Sena ke Kāya!” Sati o teng ho eena, ho isa boholeng ba mpa
le ho isa Paṭistati, o lula a tšohile, mme ha a khomarele letho
lefatšeng. Kahoo, Bhikkhus, ngoana ea shebang Bihkhu a lula Kāya ho
Kāya.
(7)
Ntle le moo, Bhikkheus, Bhikkhu, joalokaha eka o joalo
Ha a bona setopo, a lahla sebakeng sa charnel, o ile a nahana joalo ka sehlekehleke sena, ‘me ha se na taba ea hore a boemo. “
(
Ntle le moo, Bhikkheus, Bhikkhu, joalokaha eka o joalo
Ha
a bona setopo sa bona, a lahlela masapo a lilemo tse ngata, a tšosa
sena: “Ena e tla ba joalo, ‘me ha e na taba ea hore e joalo boemo. “
Kahoo
o lula Kāya ho Kāya ka hare ho Kāya ho Kāya ka ntle ho Kāya ho Kāya
Internaund le kantle; O lula samudaya ea liketsahalo tsa liketsahalo tsa
liketsahalo tsa Phenomena ea Kāya, kapa o lula ho feta ha Peheya, kapa o
lula ho Phenomena ho Kāya ho Kāya ka Kāya ka Kr. Mang kapa mang, a
nahana ka:] “Sena ke Kāya!” Sati o teng ho eena, ho isa boholeng ba mpa,
Kahoo, Bhikkhus, ngoana ea shebang Bihkhu a lula Kāya ho Kāya.
(9)
Ntle le moo, Bhikkheus, Bhikkhu, joalokaha eka o joalo
Ha
a bona setopo sa bona, a ahlamisa sebakeng sa chankaneng, o ile a
fokotsoa ke phofo, ‘me e tla ba ea kang ena,’ me ha e na ho tsoa boemong
bo joalo, ‘me ha e lokolohe boemong bo joalo . “
Kahoo
o lula Kāya ho Kāya ka hare ho Kāya ho Kāya ka ntle ho Kāya ho Kāya
Internaund le kantle; O lula samudaya ea liketsahalo tsa liketsahalo tsa
liketsahalo tsa Phenomena ea Kāya, kapa o lula ho feta ha Peheya, kapa o
lula ho Phenomena ho Kāya ho Kāya ka Kāya ka Kr. Mang kapa mang, a
nahana ka:] “Sena ke Kāya!” Sati o teng ho eena, ho isa boholeng ba mpa
le ho isa Paṭistati, o lula a tšohile, mme ha a khomarele letho
lefatšeng. Kahoo, Bhikkhus, ngoana ea shebang Bihkhu a lula Kāya ho
Kāya.
II. Ho shebella ha vevena
Ho feta moo, Bhikkhus, sebaka sa toropo ea Bhikkheu se ntse se shebile vevena ztanā?
Mona,
Bhikkhus, bhkkhu, a ntse a hlaheloa ke Sukhanā, e phahamisa: “Ke
thulana le Sukhaka”; Ho ba le dukkha Vetna Vevenā, Machabeng:
“Ke
ntse ke thulana le Dukkha Vetchā”; Ho ba le Adukām-Asukhā Vedanā, U:
“Ke ntse ke thulana Adukkham-Asukhā Vedanā”; Ho ba le sukha vevena
Vetanā Sāmashe, Mahlohonolo: “Ke thulana le Sukhanā Sāma”; Ho ba le
Sukhatero nirāmaISisa, lintlafatso:
“Ke
thulana la sukhatenro nrāmaisa”; Ho thulana le Dukkha Vvenkha Vanāma,
Mahahamafashe U: “Ke thulana le Dukkha Vevenā Sāma”; Ho ba le Dukkha
Vetā Nirāma, Mahaha oa: “Ke thulana le Dukkha Vevenā Nirāmaisa”; Bakuli
ba adukkham-adukhā iventha sāma, ba makatsang: “Ke thulana le
Aduksham-Asukhā iventa”; Ho ba le Adukkham-Asukā nirāmi nirāma,
Mahahaha: “Ke thulana le Aduksham-Nirāmaisa”.
Kahoo oa lula ventanā ka li-vevenā in Vvenā ka hare,
Kapa oa lula ventanā ka Vedanā ka ntle kapa eo a lulang a e lula
o shebile vetanā in Vetanā ka hare le kantle; oa lula
Ha
a bona Famidaya ea liketsahalo tsa liketsahalo tsa Vvedna, kapa o lula
Samdidana le tse fetang tsa liketsahalo tsa vevena. Ho seng joalo, ho
nahana ka:] “Sena ke Vvenanā!” Sati o teng ho eena, ho isa boholeng ba
mpa le ho isa Paṭistati, o lula a tšohile, mme ha a khomarele letho
lefatšeng. Kahoo, Bhikkhus, ngoana ea lulang Bhikkheu o lula a shebile
vevenā ka vevenā.
III. Hlokomela ea Citta
Le ho feta moo, bhikkhus, kamoo ha e bhikkhu ho aha shebeletseng citta ka citta?
Mona, bhikkhus, e bhikkhu utloisisa citta le rāga ka “citta le rāga”,
kapa o utloisisa citta ntle rāga ka “citta ntle rāga”, kapa o utloisisa
citta le dosa ka “citta le dosa”, kapa o utloisisa citta ntle dosa jwalo
“citta ntle dosa”, kapa o utloisisa citta le moha moha ka “citta le
moha moha”, kapa o utloisisa citta ntle moha moha ka “citta ntle moha
moha”, kapa o utloisisa le citta bokellwang e le “citta bokellwang”,
kapa o utloisisa ka hasane citta e le “citta hasane”, kapa o utloisisa
le citta atolosoa e le “citta atolosoa”, kapa o utloisisa le citta
unexpanded e le “citta unexpanded”, kapa o utloisisa le citta
surpassable e le “citta surpassable”, kapa o utloisisa e citta
unsurpassable e le “citta unsurpassable”, kapa o utloisisa le citta
khobokellane e le “citta khobokellane”, kapa o utloisisa le citta
unconcentrated e le “citta unconcentrated”, kapa o utloisisa le citta
lokolotsoeng e le “citta lokolotsoeng”, kapa o utloisisa le citta
unliberated ka “unli e berated citta “.
Ka tsela eo a lulang ho boloka citta ka citta lekgotleng, kapa a lulang
ho boloka citta ka citta kwa, kapa a lulang ho boloka citta ka citta
lekgotleng le kwa; a lulang ho boloka samudaya ea liketsahalo tsa ka
citta, kapa a lulang ho boloka feta ‘ea liketsahalo tsa ka citta, kapa a
lulang ho boloka samudaya le feta’ ea liketsahalo tsa ka citta; kapa ho
seng joalo, [hlokomela:] “ena ke citta!” sati se teng ho eena, feela ho
isa tekanyong ea Nana feela le paṭissati feela tjee, a lulang ho
iphapanyetsa bona, ‘me ha e le khomarele letho lefatšeng. Kahoo,
bhikkhus, e bhikkhu ahileng shebeletseng citta ka citta.
Iyi
Sutta inounza mirayiridzo yakapihwa naBuddha Buddha nekuda kwevateveri
mushure mekunge vaenda, izvo zvinoita kuti ive yakakosha mirairo yedu
mazuva ano.
Ini
ndichatsanangura hurukuro pamusoro peDhamma inonzi Dhammādāvaka, kana
achidaro, kana achizvida, kana ini, hapachina Naracchāna-yoni, hapana
pettivisaya, aiwa Mazhinji mamiriro ekusafara, ane njodzi, enhamo, ini
ndiri sotāpanna, nechisikigo chisina kubva kunyika kusuwa, zvimwe
zvekutongerwa Sambhi.
Uye chii, ānanda, is
Iyo
hurukuro iri paDhamma inonzi Dhammādāda, yakavezwa neiyo Aleyasāvaka,
kana achida kuzvida, kana ini, kuti: ‘ Unguniness, yenhamo, yenhamo, I.
AM SOTāpanna, nemasikirwo akasununguka kubva kumatunhu enhamo, zvimwe
zvekutongerwa Sambhi?
Apa, ānanda, an iyayasāvaka inopihwa naBuddhe Aveccappasāda:
Akapihwa dhamme aveccappasāda:
Akapihwa saṅghe aveccappasāda:
Akapihwa sīla iyo inobvumirwa kuAriya,
This,
ānanda, ndiyo hurukuro paDhamma iyo inonzi Dhammādāvaka, kana ichidaro,
kana zvakadaro, ingazvidavirira: ‘Kwandino, hapana imwe
tiracchāna-yoni, hapana pettivisaya , Hapasisina mamiriro ekusafara,
kwenjodzi, yenhamo, ini ndiri sotāpanna, nemasikirwo emahara kubva
kumatunhu, zvimwe zvekutongerwa Sambhi.
SATO UNOFANIRA KUTI URI KUTI URI KUTI URI KUTI URI KUTI UYE SAMPAJāsos. Uku ndiko kugoverwa kwedu kwauri.
Uye sei, Bhikkhus, is a bhikkhu sato? Apa, bhikkhus, a bhikkhu
Saka, bhikkhus, is a bhikkhu sato. Uye sei, Bikkhusi, is a bhikkhu sampajāno? Pano, Bhikkhusi,
Saka,
bhikkhus, is a bhikkhu sampajāno. SATO UNOFANIRA KUTI URI KUTI URI KUTI
URI KUTI URI KUTI UYE SAMPAJāsos. Uku ndiko kugoverwa kwedu kwauri.
Saka anogara achiona Kāya muKāya mukati, kana kuti anogara kuKāya muKāya kunze, kana kuti anogara
kucherechedza
Kāya muKāya mukati uye kunze; Aigara samudaya ye phenomena muKāya, kana
anogara achicherekedza kupfuura nePhenomena kuKāya, kana anogara
samudaya uye achipfuura phenomena ku Kāya; kana zvimwe, [chaichozing:]
“Ichi chi Kāya!” Sati aripo maAri, kungori kusvika pamwero wegore ñāṇa
uye mere paṭissati, iye anogara kune chero chinhu munyika.Iye anogara
pasi Kāya muKāya;
kana kuti anogara achiona Vedanā muVedanā kunze, kana kuti anogara
Kuona Vedanā muVedanā mukati uye kunze; anogara
Kuona
Sumodaya yePedanā, kana kuti anogara achicherekedza kupfuudza muVedanā,
kana anogara achiona Samudaya uye achipfuura Phenomena muVedanā; kana
zvimwe, [chaichozing:] “Izvi zvino Vedanā!” Sati aripo maAri, kungori
kusvika pamwero wegore ñāṇa uye mere Paṭissati, anogara akasungwa, uye
haanamatira chero chinhu munyika. Saka, bhikkhus, a bhikkhu dwell anoona
Vedanā muVedanā.
III. Kuongorora kweCitta
Uyezve, Bhikkhusi, ko bhikkosha anowana sei anoona citta mu citta?
Apa, bhikkhu, a bhikkhu anonyatsonzwisisa citta neRāga seRāga “, kana
anonzwisisa citta asina” citta pasina chigunwe “, “Citta pasina Dosa”,
kana anonzwisisa Citta naMoha se “Citta naMoha”, kana anonzwisisa Citta
asina “citta asina kuunganidzwa”, Citta se “Citta yakapararira”, kana
anonzwisisa citta yakawedzerwa se “citta yakawedzerwa”, kana anonzwisisa
citta isingazivikanwe ” Citta isingatariswe se “chibvumirano
chisingaenzaniswi”, kana anonzwisisa citta fani “, kana anonzwisisa
citta” Anonzwisisa citta isina kufarirwa se “unli Citrated Citta “.
Saka anogara achiona citta muCitta mukati, kana kuti anogara kuchiona
Citta muCitta kunze, kana anogara achiona Citta muCitta mukati uye
kunze; Aigara samudaya ye phenomena muCitta, kana anogara achiona
kupfuudza kwechiitiko muCitta, kana anogara achiona Samudaya uye
achipfuura phenomena mu citta; Kana kuti zvimwe, [kuziva:] “Ichi
chiDitta!” Sati aripo maAri, kungori kusvika pamwero wegore ñāṇa uye
mere Paṭissati, anogara akasungwa, uye haanamatira chero chinhu munyika.
Saka, bhikkhus, a bhikkhu rinogara kuchengeta citta mu citta.
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Overwhelme
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Alexander MCqueen
Album
Overwhelme
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وڏا
بروڪڪس، مرچ، ڪڪڙ، گاجر، گونگا وڻ، ٻوڙن جو ميوو ۽ ميوو پيئرس وڻن جي زمين
تي وڻن جي زمين ۽ خلا ۾. باغباني ۽ ٻيلن جي شعبن کي ٻج ۽ ٻلهن جي شعبن لاء
پهچايو.
ڊي 16 - (ڊي II 137)
مهاپربيبونا سٽا
{اقتباس}
مهاما طرفان آخري هدايتون مهام تي
هي سوسو مختلف هدايتن کي گڏ ڪري ٿو ته بوڏا هن جي گذرڻ کان پوء پوئلڳن جي محافظن جي تمام گهڻي اهم سيٽ ڏني وئي آهي.
مان
ڊحشي تي ڌيان ڏيڻ جنهن جي لاء ڊال ايمس ا apathatزا پيدا ڪندي، جيڪڏهن مان
مون لاء وڌيڪ آهيان، ڪجهه نن small نيا به نه، وڌيڪ هوٽيرا، نه بدحالي جي
وڌيڪ حالت، بدانتظامي جي قسمت، مان هڪ سوٽپانس، فصيح، فصيح حامي کان آزاد
ٿيڻ جو يقين ڏياريو.
۽ ڇا، ānanand، آهي
لاشا
تي غور جو سبب، جنهن جيormeralathatankankank آهي، جيڪڏهن هو چاهي ٿو:
‘منهنجي مائڪه، ڪجهه نه ٿو جي لاء هن کان وڌيڪهگي ناهي، جيڪڏهن مون لاء
وڌيڪ اقتصادي ناهي. بدحالي، بدقسمتي جي بدقسمتي، مان هڪ سترپهان جي بدحالي
کان آزاد آهيان، فطرت جي رياستن کان آزاد آهي، سمبڊو کي منزل تي آزاد ٿيڻ
جو يقين آهي؟
هتي، ānanatā، هڪ رشتها هڪ بلپيڊا سان گڏ حاوي آهي:
هن کي دمامي ايڪوپيسيڊا سان نوازيو ويو آهي:
هو ساهم جي aveccaccashdis سان لاتعلق آهي:
هو هڪ اگالا سان نوازيل آهي جيڪو قابليت به،
هي،
Bund2ukeath Thohal پرآشنه تي ڪو هيو، جيڪڏهن هو چاهي ٿو، جيڪڏهن مان وڌيڪ
معاتط! ‘واقعي، ڪوچوٽي، نه ئي ڪوٽيئليه، نه ئي ڪوٽاء، نه ئي ڪوٽ ولهاء
ناهي، ڪجهه کان ٽنگه، نه هو، “اي سنجيدگيه، ڪجهه کان وڌيڪ قابليت آهي،’ مون
لاء جيڪو ڪجهه مشغول ناهي:” منهنجي لاء اعلان ڪري سگهي ٿو: ‘اي ، بدحالي
جي وڌيڪ حالت ناهي، بدبخت جي بدمعاش، مان هڪ سوٽپانس، فصيح، فصيح حامي کان
آزاد ٿيڻ جو يقين رکان ٿو.
ستو توهان کي رهڻ گهرجي، بيخبرڪ، ۽ سامناسن. هي توهان جي لاء اسان جو تعين آهي.
اهڙي طرح مٺاڪو (ڀيڪااڪو سمپ جيو) آهي. ستو توهان کي رهڻ گهرجي، بيخبرڪ، ۽ سامناسن. هي توهان جي لاء اسان جو تعين آهي.
- انانڊا، ٽوئن سلاپ
وڻ
پوري بل ۾ آهن، جيتوڻيڪ اهو گلن جي موسم جو ناهي. ۽ تاتينگاتا ۽ drop اٽي
جي جسم جي جسم تي مينهن ۽ تاخات جي حدن تي. ۽ آسماني گلن ۽ آسماني گلن
آسمان تان آسمان جي آسمان تي تاخاتات جي جسم تي، ۽ drop اٽي ۽ اسٽرٿا جي
عبادت ۾ اڀري چڪا آهن. ۽ آسماني آوازن جو آواز ۽ آسماني آلات جو آواز هوا ۾
تتاتگاهن جي ڳولا ۾.
هي
هن جو نه آهي، ان کي اطمينان لاء جيڪو وعو هو امن بڻايو ويو آهي، تعماف ۽
عزت ڏيندڙ ۽ عزت وارو آهي. پر، اناڪرا، ڪا ڪڪاکش، حھرتي يا ذبح ڪرڻ، سا
finghyhyhyhyphyphyphanna،
حمماه
جي مطابق، اهو هڪ احترام، معزز، معزز، عزت، معزز، ۽ قميص کي ادا ڪري ٿو.
تنهن ڪري، vendathand، توهان کي پنهنجو پاڻ کي سکيا ڏيڻ گهرجي: ‘اسان زنده
هئاسين، Shamciap’papana جي مطابق رهنداسين’.
بگاگواندھھھھ چوي ٿو
“منهنجا
ڀائر، هتي اهي ٻئي انتها آهن ته هڪ ماڻهو جنهن رستي کان پاسو ڪرڻ گهرجي.
ڪهڙو ٻه؟ هڪ آهي پاڻ کي سنجيده خوشين ۾ وجهڻ. ۽ ٻيو اهو آهي ته داستانن کي
مشق ڪرڻ آهي جيڪي ان جي ضرورتن جي جسم کي محروم ڪن ٿا. اهي ٻئي انتهائي
ناڪامي جو سبب بڻجن ٿا.
“جو
نظريو مون وچ ۾ ٿي ڏنو، جيڪو ٻنهي انتتن کي to اڻڻ، آزادي، آزادي، آزادي،
آزادي، آزادين، آزادين، آزادي، آزادي، آزادي، آزادي، آزادين جي سمجهه کان
پاسو رکي. اهو صحيح سمجهاڻي، صحيح سمجهه، صحيح سمجهه، صحيح معزز، صحيح
معزز، صحيح معزز، صحيح ڪوشش، صحيح ڪوشش ۽ صحيح توجه. مون هن عظيم اٺن جي
رستي جي پيروي ڪئي آهي ۽ سمجهه ۾، آزادي ۽ امن کي محسوس ڪيو آهي.
پهرين
مصيبت جو وجود آهي. پيدائش، پراڻي دور، بيماري، ۽ موت ۾ تڪليف آهي. اداسي،
ڪاوڙ، ڪاوڙ، پريشاني، پريشاني، خوف، ۽ مايوسي مصيبت آهي. پيارن کان ڌار
ٿيڻ مصيبت آهي. انهن سان گڏ توهان کي ناپسند آهي. خواهش، منسلڪ، ۽ پنجن
مجموعين کي کلڻ ۾ مبتلا آهن.
زندگي جي سچائي کي سمجهڻ ۽ غم ۽ ڏک جي خاتمي جي خاتمي ۽ امن ۽ خوشي کي جنم ڏئي ٿو.
“ڀائر، چوٿون سچ جو رستو آهي جيڪو مصيبت جي خاتمي جو سبب بڻجي ٿو. اهو
سڀ کان وڏو اٺين فوٽ رستو آهي، جنهن کي مون صرف بيان ڪيو آهي. عظيم اٺن جو
رستو ذهني طور تي ذهني طور تي رهڻ سان گڏ آهي. ذهانت تي ڌيان ڏيڻ ۽ سمجھڻ
جو سبب بڻيو، توهان کي هر درد ۽ غم کان آزاد ڪري ٿو ۽ امن ۽ خوشي جو سبب
بڻائيندو آهي. مان توهان کي حقيقتن جي رستي تي رهنمائي ڪندس.
“ويزن آرو، بصيرت آل، سمجهاڻي ايروز، علم ايروز، شين جي حوالي سان اڀري، روشنيء جو اظهار نه ڪيو ويو آهي. ‘
“دٻاء
جي عظيم سچائي: مڪمل فنگنگ ۽ خاتمو، بحالي، رليشن، ڇڏڻ، جاري ڪرڻ، ۽ انهي
کي تمام گهڻو خواهش ڪرڻ. دٻاء جي تڪميل جو هي عظيم سچ محسوس ڪيو ويو آهي.
اهو دٻاء جي عمل کي ختم ڪرڻ جي رستي جي رستي جو بهترين سچ آهي.
“ا
today به انهن چ Fnss ا عظيم سچن بابت انهن کي صحيح طور تي ڪٿان آيو آهي،
ته جيئن هو صحيح طور تي Cosmos ۾ بيهو، غور سان ناخوشر، برنمين، ان جي
رائلٽي ۽ عام فول. علم ۽ ويژن مون ۾ اڀري: ‘بي ترتيب منهنجي رليز آهي. هي
منهنجو آخري جنم آهي. هاڻي ڪو نئون وجود نه آهي. “
جڏهن
ته سدھارتا چار عظيم سچن جي وضاحت ڪري رهيا هئا، هڪ ڌاڙيلن مان هڪ،
ڪينناناا اوچتو هن جي دماغ اندر هڪ عظيم چمڪ محسوس ڪيو. هو لشڪر کي مزو ڏئي
سگهي ٿو جيڪو هن گهڻو وقت تائين طلب ڪيو هو. هن جو چهرو خوشيء سان خوش
ٿيو. ٻڌ ڌرم هن ڏانهن اشارو ڪيو ۽ روئي، “ڪينڊنا! توهان حاصل ڪيو آهي!
توهان حاصل ڪيو آهي! “
ڪوڊينا
هن جي کجين ۾ شامل ٿيو ۽ سدھارت کان اڳ جھڪيو. گهڻي عزت سان، هن ڳالهايو،
“ضعيف گوٽاما، مهرباني ڪري مون کي پنهنجو شاگرد طور قبول ڪيو. مان that
اڻان ٿو ته توهان جي هدايت جي هيٺان، مان وڏي جاڳندي حاصل ڪندس. “
ٻين
ٻن چاڪڙ جي پيرن تي پڻ زور سر طور ۾ نظر ۾، ۽ هن شاگردن جو طور تي خوار
ٿيو. سدھارا چيو، “ڀائر! ڳوٺ جو اولاد مون کي نالو ڏنو آهي ‘ٻڌمت “. توهان
شايد انهي نالي کي انهي نالي سان ڪال ڪري سگهو ٿا جيڪڏهن توهان چاهيو ٿا. “
ڪونڊانانا پڇيو چيو “” نه توهان جو چوڻ آهي ‘جيڪو’ ڪير جاڳيل آهي ‘؟ “؟”؟ “؟
“اهو صحيح آهي، ۽ اهي رستو کي سڏين ٿا جيڪي مون کي جاڳڻ جو طريقو. ‘توهان هن نالي جو ڇا سوچيو ٿا؟”
“‘جيڪو
جاڳندو آهي! ‘جاڳڻ جو رستو’! عجيب! عجيب! اهي نالا صحيح آهن، اڃا تائين
سادو. اسان خوشيء سان توهان کي ٻڌ ڌرم سڏيندا، ۽ توهان جو جوش جنهن کي
توهان جاڳڻ جو رستو ڳولهيو آهي. جئين توهان صرف چيو، هر ڏينهن جي ذهن کي
ذهن ۾ رکڻ جو بنيادي بنياد آهي. ” پنجن جاڪرت جا هڪ ذهن انهن جو استاد ۽ هن
کي ٻڌائڻ لاء ۽ کيس ٻڌائڻ.
ٻڌ ڌرم انهن تي مسڪرايو. ” مهرباني، ڀ، به ،و بيٺل روح سان گڏ مشق سان ۽ ٽن مهن ۾ حاصل ڪري سگهندا.
Nagarjuna’s “Precious Garland of the Middle Way” & Mahamayuri Permission- Day 3
Dalai Lama Archive
34.3K subscribers
The
second day of His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s three day teaching on
Nagarjuna’s “Precious Garland of the Middle Way” at the request of a
group from Taiwan at the Main Tibetan Temple in Dharamsala, HP, India on
October 5, 2019. On the third day His Holiness gives the Mahamayuri
Permission. His Holiness speaks in Tibetan with an English translation
available.
ڊاڪٽر بي .ام بينڊڪر “مين برطانوي بتي ڪارنگا.” (مان هن ملڪ جي ٻڌمت کي ٺاهيندس)
سڀ اصلي خليل معزز مزاحيه مزاج “همراهه پراچ پراپچا پريم ڪارون.” (اسان س world ي دنيا کي پربھه پرينچ ٺاهينداسين
اهو ذريعي ٿيندو
مفت
آن لائن پربھه جي دانشور کي ڀلائي، ڀلائي ۽ سڀني معاشرن لاء ساهپال لاء
امن ۽ سٿن لاء حامي. ڌمڪيون، عناصر، نوڪرين جا نون بنياد ۽ سٽيتا جا
پوء
مذهب، ريس، ذات ۽ بي معني
اتي نه هوندو!
ٽپوٽا
ڊي 22 - (ڊي II 290)
مهاٽساپاوا سٽا
ٻڌمت طرفان شعور تي حاضري
مهمان + سٽيپها
اهو سوٽ وڏي پيماني تي مراقبي جي مشق لاء بنيادي حوالي سان سمجهيو ويندو آهي.
شارف
I. ڪائيا جو مشاهدو
A. ānāpān تي سيڪشن
B. سيڪشن پوسٽن تي
سي سي پي ايجينا تي سيڪشن
ڊي سيڪشن تي حصو
E. عنصر تي سيڪشن
F. سيڪشن نون چارين جي بنيادن تي
II. ويڊين جو مشاهدو
شارف
اهڙيء طرح مون ٻڌو آهي:
هڪ موقعي تي، ڀاووه ڪيمزسماامامما ۾ ڪنگس جي وچ ۾ رهي رهيو هو، ڪرس جو هڪ مارڪيٽ شهر. اتي هن رڪيل کي خطاب ڪيو:
- ڀائيڪي.
- بڊينٽ بيڪن کي جواب ڏنو. ڀاوو چيو:
- هي،
بيخلاز، اهو رستو آهي جيڪو اهو ڪجهه به نه آهي
مخلوق، غم ۽ تاخير جي ختم ٿيڻ، دبڪا-ڊومينا جي گمشدگي، نببنا جي حاصلات، اهو آهي ته نببونا جو احساس.
ڪهڙا چار؟
هتي، بيخبون، ڪوڪ ميڪا کي ڪوي ۾ ڪائيا جو مشاهدو ڪرڻ، ātap ۾ مشاهدو ڪندو آهي
SMPAZHONO، SHIMMASĀ، سيما کي دنيا جي طرف ڇڏي ڏنو آهي.
هو
werelinsā Vedana avishjozhno no sish sishish، sishimāa کي دنيا جي حوالي
ڪري رهيو آهي. هو سمٽ کي پيٽيتا جي پيپلٽي، @ satchmhmonononoconoc نه،
ابوال مجرغا کي پنهنجي دنيا جيان کي ڇڏي ڏنو آهي. هو حملي کان بدامنيء جو
مشاهدو ڪري ٿو، دمما ۾، سا semp ي و عرض ڪيو، جديمه کي ابومشہ جي، ابتي
ممتين کي ابيابا ۾ ابڙو مطالعي جو ڏنو آهي، سنسازي دنيا کي ابومڪرا) کان
وڌيڪ نجاتا، جيئن دنيا جي دنيا تائين ابڙو نوڪريا کي ابوعتا “کي هوڪي مجرم
کي هو، ابتي ميجاوا جي طرفان ابڙي ويو ته ابتي ممتا تي ابچي سنسڪرت جو)
ٻيهر جي نجڪاري کي ڇڏي ڏنو آهي.
مان ڪينپسن
A. ānāpān تي سيڪشن
۽
ڪئين،
ڀائيڪي سلوا، ڇا هڪ خرچي ڪوهيا ۾ ڪوي جو مشاهدو ڪندو رهيو آهي؟ هي، ناسٽ
مارڪ، جڑٽ ۾ وڃڻ، جهنگلي دوري تي وڃڻ يا وڻ سان گڏ وڃڻ يا خالي پارممو، کي
ترتيب ڏيڻ، ۽ گڏڙڻ، ترتيب ڏيڻ، سيزا به ترتيب ڏيڻ، جڙڻ ڏسڻ وارو، قارومي
سان گڏ ويٽ، ۽زا به پمڻڊا ۾ اچن ٿو. انهي ڪري ستو ٿي رهيو آهي، هو ان ڪري
ساهم ٿي رهيو آهي ته هو ساسا هن کي سانس ڪري ٿو. ڊگهي ۾ سانس وٺي رهيو آهي
هو سمجهي ٿو: ‘مان ڊگهي ۾ سانس وٺي رهيو آهيان’؛ سانس وٺي هن کي سمجهي ٿو:
‘مان ڊگهي سانس ڪري رهيو آهيان’؛ مختصر ۾ سانس وٺي هن سمجهي ٿو: ‘مان مختصر
۾ سانس ڪري رهيو آهيان’؛ نن seeming و ته هن کي سمجهي ٿو: مان مختصر ڪري
رهيو آهيان ‘؛ هو پنهنجو پاڻ کي ٽرينز ڪندو آهي: ‘ڪيا کي محسوس ڪرڻ، مان
اندر ۾ ايندس’؛ هو پنهنجو پاڻ کي ٽرين ٿو: ‘س k و ڪيا محسوس ڪندي، مان
ٻاهران ويندس’؛ هو پنهنجو پاڻ کي ٽرينز ڪندو آهي: ‘سلي سلوا کي خاموش ڪرڻ،
مان اندر ۾ ويندس’؛ هو پنهنجو پاڻ کي ٽرينز ڪندو آهي: ‘ڪيا سخرن کي خاموش
ڪرڻ، مان ٻاهر ويندس’.
بس
جيئن،
بيخبرس، هڪ مهارت وارو ٽرنر يا هڪ ٽرنر جي اپرنٽ، هڪ ڊگهي موڙ ٺاهڻ،
سمجهاڻي: ‘مان هڪ ڊگهو موڙ ٺاهي رهيو آهيان؛ هڪ مختصر موڙ ٺاهڻ، هو سمجهي
ٿو: ‘مان هڪ مختصر موڙ ٺاهي رهيو آهيان’؛ ساڳئي طريقي سان، هيڪ خاڪا، هڪ
بيڪ ماڪو، کي ڊگهي ۾ سانس وٺي رهيو آهي: ‘مان ڊگهي سانس وٺي رهيو آهيان.
مختصر ۾ سانس وٺي هن سمجهي ٿو: ‘مان مختصر ۾ سانس ڪري رهيو آهيان’؛ نن
seeming و ته هن کي سمجهي ٿو: مان مختصر ڪري رهيو آهيان ‘؛ هو پنهنجو پاڻ
کي ٽرينز ڪندو آهي: ‘س ca ي ڪوهيا محسوس ڪرڻ، مان اندر ۾ ايندس’؛ هو پنهنجو
پاڻ کي ٽرين ٿو: ‘س k و ڪيا محسوس ڪندي، مان ٻاهران ويندس’؛ هو پنهنجو پاڻ
کي ٽرينز ڪندو آهي: ‘سلي سلوا کي خاموش ڪرڻ، مان اندر ۾ ويندس’؛ هو پنهنجو
پاڻ کي ٽرينز ڪندو آهي: ‘ڪيا سخرن کي خاموش ڪرڻ، مان ٻاهر ويندس’.
اهڙيء طرح هو رويا ۾ ڪائيا ۾ ڪويا ۾ مشاهدو ڪندو آهي،
يا
هو خارجي طور تي ڪيا کي خارجي طور تي ڏسڻ جو مشاهدو ڪري ٿو، يا هو رويا
اندروني طور تي ۽ خارجي طور تي ڪوي ۾ ڏسڻ جو مشاهدو ڪندو آهي. هو ڪويتا جي
شام جو ناجامي جو ڏسي ٿو، يا هو ڪوهن ۾ رجحان جي گذرڻ جو مشاهدو ڪرڻ ۽
هوميا جي گذرڻ جو مشاهدو ڪرڻ جو مشاهدو ڪندو آهي. يا سواء، [پنهنجوجهڙو:]
اهو ڪيه آهي! ” ستي هن ۾ موجود آهي، صرف صرف اهو صرف مصيبت جي حد تائين، هن
کي خاص طور تي خراب ٿي ويندو آهي، ۽ دنيا ۾ ڪجهه نه ملندو آهي. ان ڪري نن
aken و akkkhhheake Chavy کي ڪوا جي مشاهدو ڪرڻ.
جڏهن ته هو سمجهي رهيو آهي: ‘مان بيٺو آهيان’، يا جڏهن هو ويٺي هو
سمجھو:
‘مان ويٺو آهيان’، يا جڏهن ته ڪوڙ ڳالهائي رهيو آهي: ‘مان ليٽي پيو
آهيان’. يا ٻي صورت ۾، جيڪو به پنهنجي ڪيا کي رد ڪيو ويو آهي، هو ان کي
تسليم ڪري ٿو.
اهڙي طرح هو رويا کي اندروني طور تي Kāai ۾ ڏسڻ جو ارادو ڪندو آهي، يا هو
Kāya
کي خارجي طور تي ڪيا ۾ ڏٺو ويو، يا هو رويا اندر ۽ خارجي طور تي ڪويا ۾
ڪويا کي ڏسڻ جو مشاهدو ڪندو آهي. هو ڪويتا جي شام جو ناجامي جو ڏسي ٿو، يا
هو ڪوهن ۾ رجحان جي گذرڻ جو مشاهدو ڪرڻ ۽ هوميا جي گذرڻ جو مشاهدو ڪرڻ جو
مشاهدو ڪندو آهي. يا سواء، [پنهنجوجهڙو:] اهو ڪيه آهي! ” ستي هن ۾ موجود
آهي، صرف صرف اهو صرف مصيبت جي حد تائين، هن کي خاص طور تي خراب ٿي ويندو
آهي، ۽ دنيا ۾ ڪجهه نه ملندو آهي. ان ڪري نن aken و akkkhhheake Chavy کي
ڪوا جي مشاهدو ڪرڻ.
Repulsiveness تي المتوفي سيڪشن
وڌيڪ،
bhikkhus، هڪ bhikkhu هن تمام جسم ڄاتائين، هن جي soles کان
مٿي
۽ مٿي نازل ڪيو، جنهن ۽پليديء جي مختلف قسمن جي مڪمل ان جي جلد جي تڪ
بندين ۽ آهي پر سنڌ جي وارن کان پيرن: “هن kāya ۾، اتي جي سر جي ڳوڙھن، جسم
جي ڳوڙھن، ميخن واريء، ڏند، جلد، گوشت آهن ،
tendons، ھڏا، هڏن جي مک، بڪيون، دل، جگر، pleura، spleen،
ڦڦڙن، intestines، mesentery، ان جي موڪليل سان آنڊن، feces، پت،
بلغم، روڳ، رت، مٺو، ٿلهو، ڳوڙها، اوسا، لار، ان جي برعڪس بلغم،
synovial سيال ۽ پيشاب. “
بس
ڄڻ ته، bhikkhus، اتي هڪ بيگ جا ٻه openings گذارڻ ۽ اهڙي ٽڪريء-paddy،
paddy، mung مٽر، ڳئون-مٽريء، سيسم پوکون ۽ husked چانورن جي اناج جي مختلف
قسمن، سان ڀرجي ويو. سٺو اکين جو ٻيو ڪير سان هڪ شخص، unfastened ان
گذارڻ، ٻڌ ها [ان جي موڪليل]: “هن ٽڪريء-paddy آهي، هن paddy آهي، جن mung
مٽر آهن، تن کي ڳئون-مٽريء آهن، تن کي سيسم پوکون آهن ۽ هن husked چانور
آهي؛” ساڳيء طرح، bhikkhus ۾، هڪ bhikkhu مٿي ۽ مٿي نازل تي وار کان پيرن
جي soles کان هن تمام جسم ڄاتائين،
جنهن کي پنهنجي چمڙي جي تڪ بندين ۽ ۽پليديء جي مختلف قسمن جي مڪمل آهي:
“هن kāya ۾، اتي جي سر جي ڳوڙھن، جسم جي ڳوڙھن آهن،
ميخن
واريء، ڏند، جلد، گوشت، tendons، ھڏا، هڏن جي مک، بڪيون، دل، جگر، pleura،
spleen، ڦڦڙن، intestines، mesentery، ان جي موڪليل سان آنڊن، feces، پت،
بلغم، روڳ، رت، مٺو، ٿلهو، ڳوڙها، اوسا، لار، ان جي برعڪس بلغم، synovial
سيال ۽ پيشاب. “
اهڙي طرح هو رويا کي اندروني طور تي Kāai ۾ ڏسڻ جو ارادو ڪندو آهي، يا هو
Kāya
کي خارجي طور تي ڪيا ۾ ڏٺو ويو، يا هو رويا اندر ۽ خارجي طور تي ڪويا ۾
ڪويا کي ڏسڻ جو مشاهدو ڪندو آهي. هو ڪويتا جي شام جو ناجامي جو ڏسي ٿو، يا
هو ڪوهن ۾ رجحان جي گذرڻ جو مشاهدو ڪرڻ ۽ هوميا جي گذرڻ جو مشاهدو ڪرڻ جو
مشاهدو ڪندو آهي. يا سواء، [پنهنجوجهڙو:] اهو ڪيه آهي! ” ستي کيس presentin
آهي، بس راهيء نانا ۽ راهيء paṭissati جي حد تائين، هن چيو ته ون يونٽ سو،
۽ دنيا ۾ ڪا به ڪري ٿي ڪرندا نه رکندو آھي. ان ڪري نن aken و akkkhhheake
Chavy کي ڪوا جي مشاهدو ڪرڻ.
E. عنصر تي سيڪشن
وڌيڪ،
bhikkhus، هڪ bhikkhu هن تمام kāya تي هنگامن، تنهن هوندي به ان کي رکيل آهي،
تنهن هوندي به ان جي بالرن جي آهي: “هن kāya ۾، اتي جي زمين کي هدايت ڪئي آهي، ته
پاڻيء جي هدايت ڪئي، هن کي باهه هدايت ۽ هوائي هدايت ڪئي. “
بس،
جيئن bhikkhus، هڪ سڀئي ھوشيار ڪاسائي يا هڪ ڪاسائي جي apprentice، هڪ
ڳئون ڄڻا مارجي ويا پوڻ، هڪ سنگم ان کي ٽڪر ٽڪر ۾ واڍي تي ويھاريو ها؛
ساڳيء طرح ۾، bhikkhus، هڪ bhikkhu تمام kāya onthis جي هنگامن، تنهن هوندي
به ان کي پيل آهي، تنهن هوندي به ان جي بالرن جي آهي: “thiskāya ۾، اتي جي
زمين کي هدايت ڪئي، پاڻي هدايت، باھ هدايت ۽ هوائي هدايت ڪئي آهي.”
اهڙيء طرح هن اندروني kāya ۾ kāya مشاهدو سو، يا ته هو خارجي kāya ۾ kāya مشاهدو سو، يا اھو آھي سو سڀ
اندروني
۽ خارجي kāya ۾ kāya مشاهدو؛ هو ڪويتا جي شام جو ناجامي جو ڏسي ٿو، يا هو
ڪوهن ۾ رجحان جي گذرڻ جو مشاهدو ڪرڻ ۽ هوميا جي گذرڻ جو مشاهدو ڪرڻ جو
مشاهدو ڪندو آهي. يا سواء، [پنهنجوجهڙو:] اهو ڪيه آهي! ” ستي کيس ۾ موجود،
بس راهيء نانا ۽ راهيء paṭissati جي حد تائين، هن چيو ته ون يونٽ آھي سو سڀ
۽ world.Thus ۾ ڪجھ هن kāya ۾ kāya مشاهدو سو ڪري ٿي ڪرندا نه ڪندو آهي؛
(1)
وڌيڪ،
هن
مراجع، بيعت ڪيل لاشہ يا ٻه ڏينھن کي خراب ڪري رهيو آھي، هڪ ڏينھن پڻ اهڙي
فطرت جو آهي، اهو هن وانگر ٿيڻ وارو آهي، ۽ اهڙي حالت کان آزاد ناهي. “
اهڙي
طرح هو رويا اندروني طور تي Kāyially جي رويا ۾ رويا ڪري ٿو، يا هو خاره
کي خارجي طور تي ڪائيا ۾ رويا کي ڏسي ٿو. هو ڪويتا جي شام جو ناجامي جو ڏسي
ٿو، يا هو ڪوهن ۾ رجحان جي گذرڻ جو مشاهدو ڪرڻ ۽ هوميا جي گذرڻ جو مشاهدو
ڪرڻ جو مشاهدو ڪندو آهي. يا سواء، [پنهنجوجهڙو:] اهو ڪيه آهي! ” ستي هن ۾
موجود آهي، صرف صرف اهو صرف مصيبت جي حد تائين، هن کي خاص طور تي خراب ٿي
ويندو آهي، ۽ دنيا ۾ ڪجهه نه ملندو آهي. ان ڪري نن aken و akkkhhheake
Chavy کي ڪوا جي مشاهدو ڪرڻ.
اهڙي
طرح هو رويا اندروني طور تي Kāyially جي رويا ۾ رويا ڪري ٿو، يا هو خاره
کي خارجي طور تي ڪائيا ۾ رويا کي ڏسي ٿو. هو ڪويا ۾ رجحان جي شام جو ڏسڻ جو
مشاهدو ڪري ٿو، يا هو ڪويا ۾ رجحان جي گذرڻ جو مشاهدو ڪندي، يا هو سموڊيا
کي ڏسڻ جو مشاهدو ڪندو آهي
ڪويا
۾ رجحان کان پري وڃڻ؛ يا سواء، [پنهنجوجهڙو:] اهو ڪيه آهي! ” ستي هن ۾
موجود آهي، صرف صرف اهو صرف مصيبت جي حد تائين، هن کي خاص طور تي خراب ٿي
ويندو آهي، ۽ دنيا ۾ ڪجهه نه ملندو آهي. ان ڪري نن aken و akkkhhheake
Chavy کي ڪوا جي مشاهدو ڪرڻ.
(3)
ٻيهر، بالوڪيولا، اٹ، هن وانگر نه ٿيڻ لڳي رهي آهي، ۽ اهڙي حالت کان آزاد نه آهي. “
اهڙي طرح هو رويا کي اندروني طور تي Kāai ۾ ڏسڻ جو ارادو ڪندو آهي، يا هو
Kāya
کي خارجي طور تي ڪيا ۾ ڏٺو ويو، يا هو رويا اندر ۽ خارجي طور تي ڪويا ۾
ڪويا کي ڏسڻ جو مشاهدو ڪندو آهي. هو ڪويتا جي شام جو ناجامي جو ڏسي ٿو، يا
هو ڪوهن ۾ رجحان جي گذرڻ جو مشاهدو ڪرڻ ۽ هوميا جي گذرڻ جو مشاهدو ڪرڻ جو
مشاهدو ڪندو آهي. يا سواء، [پنهنجوجهڙو:] اهو ڪيه آهي! ” ستي هن ۾ موجود
آهي، صرف صرف اهو صرف مصيبت جي حد تائين، هن کي خاص طور تي خراب ٿي ويندو
آهي، ۽ دنيا ۾ ڪجهه نه ملندو آهي. ان ڪري نن aken و akkkhhheake Chavy کي
ڪوا جي مشاهدو ڪرڻ.
(4)
وڌيڪ،
ڪوڪا،
هڪ ڀيڪچو، جيئن ته هڪ مئل جسم کي ڏسڻ، ته هن ڪتي پڻ تي غور ڪيو اٹ، هن
وانگر نه ٿيڻ لڳي رهي آهي، ۽ اهڙي حالت کان آزاد نه آهي. “
اهڙي
طرح هو رويا اندروني طور تي Kāyially جي رويا ۾ رويا ڪري ٿو، يا هو خاره
کي خارجي طور تي ڪائيا ۾ رويا کي ڏسي ٿو. هو ڪويتا جي شام جو ناجامي جو ڏسي
ٿو، يا هو ڪوهن ۾ رجحان جي گذرڻ جو مشاهدو ڪرڻ ۽ هوميا جي گذرڻ جو مشاهدو
ڪرڻ جو مشاهدو ڪندو آهي. يا سواء، [پنهنجوجهڙو:] اهو ڪيه آهي! ” ستي هن ۾
موجود آهي، صرف صرف اهو صرف مصيبت جي حد تائين، هن کي خاص طور تي خراب ٿي
ويندو آهي، ۽ دنيا ۾ ڪجهه نه ملندو آهي. ان ڪري نن aken و akkkhhheake
Chavy کي ڪوا جي مشاهدو ڪرڻ.
(5)
وڌيڪ، بيڪن، اٹ، هن وانگر نه ٿيڻ لڳي رهي آهي، ۽ اهڙي حالت کان آزاد نه آهي. “
اهڙي طرح هو رويا کي اندروني طور تي Kāai ۾ ڏسڻ جو ارادو ڪندو آهي، يا هو
Kāya
کي خارجي طور تي ڪيا ۾ ڏٺو ويو، يا هو رويا اندر ۽ خارجي طور تي ڪويا ۾
ڪويا کي ڏسڻ جو مشاهدو ڪندو آهي. هو ڪويتا جي شام جو ناجامي جو ڏسي ٿو، يا
هو ڪوهن ۾ رجحان جي گذرڻ جو مشاهدو ڪرڻ ۽ هوميا جي گذرڻ جو مشاهدو ڪرڻ جو
مشاهدو ڪندو آهي. يا سواء، [پنهنجوجهڙو:] اهو ڪيه آهي! ” ستي هن ۾ موجود
آهي، صرف صرف اهو صرف مصيبت جي حد تائين، هن کي خاص طور تي خراب ٿي ويندو
آهي، ۽ دنيا ۾ ڪجهه نه ملندو آهي. ان ڪري نن aken و akkkhhheake Chavy کي
ڪوا جي مشاهدو ڪرڻ.
(6)
ٻيهر
شکوکو پوء جيڪو حقيو ميدان ۽ لوڻ زمين ۾، مرندو هاڻي ۽ اتي هڪ وڏن گندو
سوار، هتي هڪ ڳاڙهي گروهه، هتي اڇلايو، هتي هڪ آهي هتي هڪ سڄا جي گھڙي، اتي
موجود آهي، هتي ڪ and و پی هنن جيڪو ڪو بهتريء کي “ڪو هڏائين، هو به وڌيڪ
and ائو، هو به وڌيڪ and ی سنجيار، هو : “هي ڇا هڪ آسٽريلين پڻ آهي، اهو
اها اها آدم ٿيڻ لڳي، ۽ هڪ اه ڻ وانگر آزاد آهي.”
اهڙي
طرح هو رويا اندروني طور تي Kāyially جي رويا ۾ رويا ڪري ٿو، يا هو خاره
کي خارجي طور تي ڪائيا ۾ رويا کي ڏسي ٿو. هو ڪويتا جي شام جو ناجامي جو ڏسي
ٿو، يا هو ڪوهن ۾ رجحان جي گذرڻ جو مشاهدو ڪرڻ ۽ هوميا جي گذرڻ جو مشاهدو
ڪرڻ جو مشاهدو ڪندو آهي. يا سواء، [پنهنجوجهڙو:] اهو ڪيه آهي! ” ستي هن ۾
موجود آهي، صرف صرف اهو صرف مصيبت جي حد تائين، هن کي خاص طور تي خراب ٿي
ويندو آهي، ۽ دنيا ۾ ڪجهه نه ملندو آهي. ان ڪري نن aken و akkkhhheake
Chavy کي ڪوا جي مشاهدو ڪرڻ.
(7)
ان کان سواء، بيخبرس، هڪ بيڪارخو، جيئن ته هو هيو
مئل جسم کي ڏسڻ، لاڳايل زمين ۾ تباهي هئي، هڏن کي به اهڙي ڪي فطري طور تي آهي، هو ان کي سمجهندو آهي، حالت. “
(
ان کان سواء، بيخبرس، هڪ بيڪارخو، جيئن ته هو هيو
کي)
مئل لاادي کي ڏسڻ کي ڏسڻ لاء، هڪ اڪثر پراڻين تي چيلان، هو اهو قيا جي ئي
فندتي پڻ آهي، هو ان وانگر اچي ٿو، هو ڏسڻ ۾ اچي ويو آهي ۽ اهڙيء کان سواء
هڪ حالت. “
اهڙي طرح هو
رويا اندروني طور تي Kāyially جي رويا ۾ رويا ڪري ٿو، يا هو خاره کي خارجي
طور تي ڪائيا ۾ رويا کي ڏسي ٿو. هو ڪويتا جي شام جو ناجامي جو ڏسي ٿو، يا
هو ڪوهن ۾ رجحان جي گذرڻ جو مشاهدو ڪرڻ ۽ هوميا جي گذرڻ جو مشاهدو ڪرڻ جو
مشاهدو ڪندو آهي. يا سواء، [پنهنجوجهڙو:] اهو ڪيه آهي! ” ستي هن ۾ موجود
آهي، صرف صرف اهو صرف مصيبت جي حد تائين، هن کي خاص طور تي خراب ٿي ويندو
آهي، ۽ دنيا ۾ ڪجهه نه ملندو آهي. ان ڪري نن aken و akkkhhheake Chavy کي
ڪوا جي مشاهدو ڪرڻ.
(9)
ان کان سواء، بيخبرس، هڪ بيڪارخو، جيئن ته هو هيو
کي
مئلن سان ڏسڻ ڏسڻ، هڪ ڪلينن زمين ۾ تباهي تباهي پھاناهه پيل آهن، سترا پڻ
اهو ئي فهميء ۾ آهي، هو ته هن طبيعت تي مشتمل هجي، هو به آزاد ٿيڻ وارو
آهي. . “
اهڙي طرح هو
رويا اندروني طور تي Kāyially جي رويا ۾ رويا ڪري ٿو، يا هو خاره کي خارجي
طور تي ڪائيا ۾ رويا کي ڏسي ٿو. هو ڪويتا جي شام جو ناجامي جو ڏسي ٿو، يا
هو ڪوهن ۾ رجحان جي گذرڻ جو مشاهدو ڪرڻ ۽ هوميا جي گذرڻ جو مشاهدو ڪرڻ جو
مشاهدو ڪندو آهي. يا سواء، [پنهنجوجهڙو:] اهو ڪيه آهي! ” ستي هن ۾ موجود
آهي، صرف صرف اهو صرف مصيبت جي حد تائين، هن کي خاص طور تي خراب ٿي ويندو
آهي، ۽ دنيا ۾ ڪجهه نه ملندو آهي. ان ڪري نن aken و akkkhhheake Chavy کي
ڪوا جي مشاهدو ڪرڻ.
هتي،
بيخوقوڪ، مرحو مائڪ جڑو ته پوء سان سشد، ۾ ڪوشش ڪندي آهيان، “مان شناڪيسس
کي سعوسڙي کي سختڙي اچي ٿي”. هڪ دوکيه ويڊين کي تجربو ڪري رهيو آهي:
“مان
هڪ دوکي ويڊين جو تجربو ڪري رهيو آهيان”؛ adukhamhh-asuadā Vedanāsā،
Idukansās جو تجربو ڪندي: “مان هڪ ايڊڪکم-اسوخاد کي محسوس ڪري رهيو آهيان”؛
هڪ سخي Vedanā sāmisa جو تجربو ڪندي: “مان هڪ سوڀي Vedanaāchāsa جو تجربو
ڪري رهيو آهيان”؛ سخا Vedanaānā Virāais، انڊرينڊس جو تجربو:
“مان
هڪ سوڀي Vivanaā niruāis” جو تجربو ڪري رهيو آهيان “؛ هڪ دکاه ويڊين سادسا
جو تجربو: “مان هڪ دوکي ويکي سعومانا ايس ايم ايزيا” جو تجربو ڪري رهيو
آهيان “؛ هڪ دکاه Vivanaā Viruāiss کي تجربو ڪندي: “مان هڪ دوکي
Vikeanavavaānā Vivanaāaa کي تجربو ڪري رهيو آهيان”؛ adukkhamh-asukhā
Vedanā sāmisa کي تجربو ڪندي: “مان هڪ ايڊڪکم-اسواسلا ساسا ايس اي ايم
ڪيوسيا” جو تجربو ڪري رهيو آهيان “؛ adukkhamhā-asuadā Vidanā Vivanisha،
“Idukhamham Vivanhā Vivanhā Vivanāa
اهڙيء طرح هو Vedanuly اندروني طور تي Vedanan جي مشاهدو ڪري ٿو،
يا هو ويدان کي خارجي طور تي ويڊيو جي مشاهدو ڪري ٿو، يا هو ڊوڙي ٿو
Vedanuly اندروني ۽ خارجي طور تي ويڊيو جو مشاهدو ڪرڻ؛ هو ڊوڙي ٿو
VOURANAA
جي سامويا جو مشاهدو ڪيو، يا هو Vedanan ۾ رجحان جي گذرڻ جو انتظار ڪرڻ ۽
هو سموڊيا جي گذرڻ جو مشاهدو ڪري ٿو، يا ٻي صورت ۾، [احساس ڪرڻ:] اهو
Vesidanā: ” ستي هن ۾ موجود آهي، صرف صرف اهو صرف مصيبت جي حد تائين، هن کي
خاص طور تي خراب ٿي ويندو آهي، ۽ دنيا ۾ ڪجهه نه ملندو آهي. اهڙي طرح،
بيقانشي، ڪتيخو dlevens swevanā جو مشاهدو ڪيو ويو.
III. سٽا جو مشاهدو
۽ ان کان علاوه، بيخبرس، هڪ بيڪار توهان کي سٽيٽا ۾ سيٽيٽا جو مشاهدو ڪيئن ڪندو آهي؟
ھتي، بيخبر، هڪ بيکا کي رگگا “رگا” رگا “سان گڏ” سٽيگا “کي” cāta “سان گڏ”
سٽا “جي طور تي سيٽيگا سمجهي ٿو “DASS کان سواء” سٽي “، يا هو موهن سان”
ساها “سان citat” يا هو ڪئٿا “کي نه ڪيو ويو آهي، يا هو هڪ sittatent” کي
سمجهي ٿو citta “attactered Stata”، يا هو وڌايل سٽيٽا “کي” وڌايل citta
“سمجهندو آهي، يا هو هڪ غير محفوظ ڪيلٽيٽا” سمجهي ٿو، يا هو سمجهي ٿو هڪ
ناقابل قبول سٽيتا “هڪ ناقابل قبول سٽيتا” طور “هڪ ناجائز citta” طور “هڪ
مرحوم ڪيلٽيٽا” سمجهي ٿو، يا هو هڪ بي ترتيب ڪيل سٽا “سمجهي ٿو، يا هو هڪ
بي ترتيب ڪيلٽيٽا” هو هڪ ناقابل اعتبار سٽيتا سمجهي ٿو “هڪ لولي سٽيٽيا “.
اهڙيء طرح هو ڪئپتا اندروني طور تي سيٽيا ۾ سيٽيا کي ڏسي ٿو، يا هو خارش
کي سٿرا ۾ سيٽيٽا ۾ سيٽيٽا ۾ متراگ ڪرڻ جو مشاهدو ڪري ٿو، يا هن کي اندروني
طور تي سيٽيا ۾ سيٽيٽا ۾ مٽاگتا جو مشاهدو ڪرڻ؛ هو شرارتا جي خواهش جو
سامويا آهي، يا هو سامايا جي جذبي جي پاسن کان پري ٿيڻ جو مشاهدو ڪري ٿو،
يا هو سيٽيايا جي گذرڻ جو مشاهدو ڪري ٿو. يا ٻئي، [بيان ڪري رهيو:] “هي سٽا
آهي!” ستي هن ۾ موجود آهي، صرف صرف اهو صرف مصيبت جي حد تائين، هن کي خاص
طور تي خراب ٿي ويندو آهي، ۽ دنيا ۾ ڪجهه نه ملندو آهي. اھڙي، بيقانشي،
ڪيڪندھ کي سينٽٽا ۾ سيٽيٽا جو مشاهدو ڪرڻ.
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The Attitude Of Fearlessness | Ajahn Brahm | 21-11-2008
Buddhist Society of Western Australia
164K subscribers
Fear
creates so much suffering and unnecessary problems in our lives, and
for many people a key aim is to overcome fear and experience a state of
fearlessness. Ajahn Brahm explains how it’s important to understand fear
and even to understand why we are addicted to fear.
The Attitude Of Fearlessness | Ajahn Brahm | 21-11-2008
Fear
creates so much suffering and unnecessary problems in our lives, and
for many people a key aim is to overcome fear and experience a state of
fearlessnes…
That number is constantly in flux, because we’re
learning more about the world’s languages every day. And beyond that,
the languages themselves are in flux. They’re living and dynamic, spoken
by communities whose lives are shaped by our rapidly changing world.
This is a fragile time: Roughly 0% of languages are now endangered,
often with less than 1,000 speakers remaining. Meanwhile, just 23
languages account for more than half the world’s population.
When
a just born baby is kept isolated without anyone communicating with the
baby, after a few days it will speak and human natural (Prakrit)
language known as
Classical Magahi Magadhi/
Classical Chandaso language
/
Magadhi Prakrit,
Classical Hela Basa (Hela Language),
Classical Pāḷi
which
are the same. Buddha spoke in Magadhi. All the 7111 languages and
dialects are off shoot of Classical Magahi Magadhi. Hence all of them
are Classical in nature (Prakrit) of Human Beings, just like all other
living speices have their own naturallanguages for communication. 116
languages are translated by https://translate.google.com
in 01) Classical Magahi Magadhi,
02) Classical Chandaso language,
03)Magadhi Prakrit,
04) Classical Hela Basa (Hela Language),
05) Classical Pāḷi,
06) Classical Devanagari,Classical Hindi-Devanagari- शास्त्रीय हिंदी,
mahā-parinibbāna and Maha Sathipattana in80) Classical Persian-کلاسیک فارسی 81) Classical Polish-Język klasyczny polski,
Hunger is the worst kind of illness said Awakened One
Do
Good. Grow Broccoli Pepper Cucumber Carrots Beans in Pots.
Fruit Bearing Trees all over the world and in Space. Purify
Mind. Lead Hilarious Happy Life to Attain Eternal Bliss as Final
Goal.- Universal Prabuddha Intellectuals Convention.
Let’s be part of such programmes and also support Hunger is the worst kind of illness said Awakened One Do Good. Grow Broccoli Pepper Cucumber Carrots Beans in Pots. Fruit Bearing Trees all over the world and in Space. Purify Mind. Lead Hilarious Happy Life to Attain Eternal Bliss as Final Goal.- Universal Prabuddha Intellectuals Convention. as Dr B.R.Ambedkar thundered “Main Bharat Baudhmay karunga.” (I will make this country Buddhist) All Aboriginal Awakened Societies Thunder ” Hum Prapanch Prabuddha Prapanchmay karunge.” (We will make the whole world Prabuddha Prapanch This will happen through Free Online Prabuddha Intellectuals Convention in Awakened One’s own words For the Welfare, Happiness and Peace for All Societies
Akshara,
who is the second daughter of actor Kamal, earlier had stated that she
was an atheist. However, recently she expressed closeness to Buddhism.
The actress said that she felt drawn towards the teachings and
principles of Buddha.
youtu.be/hqpUAljkVk0
“7aum Arivu”Shruti Hassan, has got an excellent launch pad in Kollywood.
Shruthi Haasan making a debut in Kollywood, has a story par excellence.
The movie which explains about Bodhidharma was neatly portrayed.
ಜೈ
ಭೀಮ್ ನಂತರ ತಮಿಳು ಚಿತ್ರರಂಗದಲ್ಲಿ ಮತ್ತೊಂದು ಮೈಲಿಗಲ್ಲು ಪ್ರಬುದ್ಧ ಭಾರತ
ಪರಿಕಲ್ಪನೆ. # ಚಲನಚಿತ್ರ # 22_ಅಜ್ಞಾನ. ಬೌದ್ಧ ಧರ್ಮವನ್ನು ಸ್ವೀಕರಿಸಿದ ನಂತರ,
ಡಾ.ಬಿ.ಆರ್.ಅಂಬೇಡ್ಕರ್ ಅವರ ಕ್ರಾಂತಿಕಾರಿ 22 ಪ್ರತಿಜ್ಞೆಯಾದ ಡಾ.ಬಾಬಾಸಾಹೇಬ್ ಭಾರತ
ರತ್ನ ಸಂವಿಧಾನವನ್ನು ಏಕಕಾಲದಲ್ಲಿ ಮೂರು ಭಾಷೆಗಳಲ್ಲಿ #Tamil_English ಭಾಷೆಗಳಲ್ಲಿ
ಬಿಡುಗಡೆ ಮಾಡಲಾಗುತ್ತದೆ.
ಧರ್ಮಗಳು, ಜನಾಂಗಗಳು, ಜಾತಿಗಳು, ಅಸಮಾನತೆಗಳು, ಅಲ್ಲಿದ್ದರು ಇವೆ ಮತ್ತು ಅಲ್ಲಿಯೇ ಮುಂದುವರಿಯುತ್ತದೆ!
ಡಾ.ಬಿ.ಆರ್.ಅಂಬೇಡ್ಕರ್ “ಮುಖ್ಯ ಭಾರತ್ ಬೌಧ್ಮಯ್ ಕರುಂಗಾ” ಎಂದು ಗುಡುಗಿದರು. (ನಾನು ಈ ದೇಶವನ್ನು ಬೌದ್ಧರನ್ನಾಗಿ ಮಾಡುತ್ತೇನೆ)
ಎಲ್ಲಾ ಮೂಲನಿವಾಸಿಗಳ ಜಾಗೃತ ಸಮಾಜಗಳು ಉಲ್ಲಾಸದಿಂದ ಗುಡುಗು ”ಹಮ್ ಪ್ರಪಂಚ ಪ್ರಬುದ್ಧ ಪ್ರಪಂಚಮಯ ಕರುಂಗೆ. ” (ನಾವು ಇಡೀ ಜಗತ್ತನ್ನು ಪ್ರಬುದ್ಧರನ್ನಾಗಿ ಮಾಡುತ್ತೇವೆ ಪ್ರಪಂಚ
ಈ ಮೂಲಕ ನಡೆಯುತ್ತದೆ ಉಚಿತ ಆನ್ಲೈನ್ ಪ್ರಬುದ್ಧ ಬುದ್ಧಿಜೀವಿಗಳ ಸಮಾವೇಶವು ಒಬ್ಬರ ಸ್ವಂತ ಮಾತುಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಎಲ್ಲಾ ಸಮಾಜಗಳಿಗೆ ಕಲ್ಯಾಣ, ಸಂತೋಷ ಮತ್ತು ಶಾಂತಿಗಾಗಿ ಮತ್ತು ಅವರಿಗೆ ಮಹಾ+ಸತಿಪಾನದ ಮೂಲಕ ಹಾಜರಾಗುವ ಮೂಲಕ ಶಾಶ್ವತ ಆನಂದವನ್ನು ಪಡೆಯಲು ಕೃಷ್ಣ ವಿಭಾಗದ ಅವಲೋಕನದಿಂದ ಜಾಗೃತಿ ಕುರಿತು ānāpāna, ಭಂಗಿಗಳು, sampajañña, ವಿಕರ್ಷಣೆ, ಅಂಶಗಳು, ಒಂಬತ್ತು ಚಾರ್ನಲ್ ವೇದನಾ ಮತ್ತು ಸಿಟ್ಟಾದ ಆಧಾರಗಳು
ನಂತರ
ಧರ್ಮಗಳು, ಜನಾಂಗಗಳು, ಜಾತಿಗಳು ಮತ್ತು ಅಸಮಾನತೆಗಳು ಇರುವುದಿಲ್ಲ!
ஜெய்
பீமுக்குப் பிறகு தமிழ் சினிமாவில் இன்னொரு மைல்கல் பிரபுத்த பாரத்
கருத்து. # திரைப்படம் # 22_அறிவிப்பு. ப Buddhismத்தத்தை ஏற்றுக்கொண்ட
பிறகு, டாக்டர் பி.ஆர்.அம்பேத்கரின் புரட்சிகர 22 உறுதிமொழியான டாக்டர்
பாபாசாகேப் பாரத ரத்னா அரசியலமைப்பு மூன்று மொழிகளில் #தமிழ்_ஆங்கில
மொழிகளில் ஒரே நேரத்தில் வெளியிடப்படும்.
மதங்கள், இனங்கள், சாதி, ஏற்றத்தாழ்வுகள், அங்கு இருந்தனர் உள்ளன மற்றும் அங்கு தொடர்ந்து இருக்கும்! டாக்டர் பி.ஆர்.அம்பேத்கர் “மெயின் பாரத் பhத்மய் கருங்கா” என்று முழங்கினார். (நான் இந்த நாட்டை ப Buddhistத்தமாக்குவேன்)
அனைத்து ஆதிவாசி விழிப்புணர்வு சமூகங்கள் பெருங்களிப்புடன் இடி ”ஹம் பிரபஞ்ச் பிரபுத்த பிரபஞ்சம் கருங்கே. ” (உலகம் முழுவதையும் பிரபுத்தமாக்குவோம் பிரபஞ்ச்
இதன் மூலம் நடக்கும் விழித்த ஒருவரின் சொந்த வார்த்தைகளில் இலவச ஆன்லைன் பிரபுத்த அறிவாளிகள் மாநாடு அனைத்து
சமுதாயங்களுக்கும் நல்வாழ்வு, மகிழ்ச்சி மற்றும் அமைதிக்காகவும்,
மஹா+சதிபாஹான - வருகையின் மூலம் இறுதி இலக்காக நித்திய ஆனந்தத்தை அடையவும் காயா பிரிவின் கண்காணிப்பு மூலம் விழிப்புணர்வு ānāpāna, தோரணைகள், sampajañña, repulsiveness, Elements, the ஒன்பது சேனல் வேதாணி மற்றும் சிட்டாவின் மைதானம்
பிறகு
மதங்கள், இனங்கள், சாதி மற்றும் ஏற்றத்தாழ்வுகள் இருக்காது!
General means Brahmin in general and chitpavan brahmins in particular
When
Modi came to power in 2014, the IAS did not change the IPS on a large
scale. It is not right to change like this in Tamil Nadu- Urine
journalist Sinrasu.
Total posts in the Presidential Secretariat-49 39 of them are Brahmins. OBC-6 people. SC-ST-4 people.
Total Positions of the Vice Presidential Secretariat-7 7 of them are Brahmins. OBC-0 SC-ST-0
Cabinet Secretary Total Posts-20 17 of them are Brahmins. OBC-2 people. SC-ST- 1 person
Total posts in the Prime Minister’s Office-35 31 of them are Brahmins. OBC-2 people. SC-ST- 2 people.
Total posts in the Department of Agriculture -274 Of these, 259 were Brahmins. OBC-10 people. SC-ST-5 people.
Total posts in the Ministry of Defense -1379 Of these, 1000 were Brahmins. OBC-31 people. SC-ST- 48 people.
Total posts in the Ministry of Social Welfare and Health-209 Of these, 132 were Brahmins. OBC-60 people. SC-ST- 17 people.
Total Positions in the Ministry of Finance -1008 Of these, 942 were Brahmins. OBC-46 people. SC-ST- 20 people.
Total posts in the Ministry of Planet-409 Of these, 327 were Brahmins. OBC-63 people. SC-ST- 19 people.
Total posts in the Ministry of Industry-74 Of these, 59 are Brahmins. OBC-9 people. SC-ST- 4 people.
Total posts in the Ministry of Chemicals and Petroleum -121 Of these, 91 are Brahmins. OBC-21 people. SC-ST-9 people.
Governor and Lieutenant Governor-Total Positions-27 25 of them are Brahmins. OBC-2 people. SC-ST- 0 people.
Total Posts of Foreign Ambassadors -140 Of these, 140 were Brahmins. OBC-0 people. SC-ST- 0 people.
Central Government University Vice Chancellors Total Posts-116 Of these, 108 are Brahmins. OBC-5 people. SC-ST-3 people.
Total Posts of Secretary General of the Union-26 18 of them are Brahmins. OBC-7 people. SC-ST- 1 person
Total Posts of High Court Judges -330 Of these, 306 were Brahmins. OBC-20 people. SC-ST- 4 people.
Total Posts of Supreme Court Judges-26 23 of them are Brahmins. OBC-2 people. SC-ST- 1 person
Total IAS Officers-3600 In which viewers-2750 OBC-350 people SC-ST-300 people
The above figures were obtained in 2018 by a Delhi-based company called ‘Young India’ under the Right to Information Act.
Amba Mathanum when it is like this? Ask and tell Sinrasutta. Please come and see.
For the past four years, you have been working hard The roar will be justifiable.
கதறு கதறு.
மோடி
2014:ல் ஆட்சிக்கு வந்த போது பெரிய அளவில் ஐஏஎஸ் ஐபிஎஸ்ஸை மாற்றவில்லை.
தமிழ்நாட்டில் இப்படி மாற்றுவது சரியல்ல- மூத்திர ஊடகவியலாளர் சின்ராசு.
ஜனாதிபதி செயலகத்தின் மொத்தப் பதவிகள்-49 இவர்களில் 39 பேர் பார்ப்பனர்கள். OBC-6 பேர். SC-ST-4 பேர்.
துணை ஜனாதிபதி செயலகத்தின் மொத்தப் பதவிகள்-7 இவர்களில் 7 பேரும் பார்ப்பனர்கள். OBC-0 SC-ST-0
கேபினட் செயலாளர் மொத்தப் பதவிகள்-20 இவர்களில் 17 பேர் பார்ப்பனர்கள். OBC-2 பேர். SC-ST- 1 நபர்
பிரதமர் அலுவலகத்தின் மொத்தப் பதவிகள்-35 இவர்களில் 31 பேர் பார்ப்பனர்கள். OBC-2 பேர். SC-ST- 2 பேர்.
விவசாயத் திணைக்களத்தின் மொத்தப் பதவிகள்-274 இவர்களில் 259 பேர் பார்ப்பனர்கள். OBC-10 பேர். SC-ST-5 பேர்.
பாதுகாப்பு அமைச்சகத்தின் மொத்தப் பதவிகள்-1379 இவர்களில் 1000 பேர் பார்ப்பனர்கள். OBC-31பேர். SC-ST- 48 பேர்.
சமூகநல மற்றும் சுகாதார அமைச்சின் மொத்தப் பதவிகள்-209 இவர்களில் 132 பேர் பார்ப்பனர்கள். OBC-60 பேர். SC-ST- 17 பேர்.
நிதி அமைச்சகத்தின் மொத்தப் பதவிகள்-1008 இவர்களில் 942 பேர் பார்ப்பனர்கள். OBC-46 பேர். SC-ST- 20 பேர்.
பிளானட் அமைச்சில் மொத்தப் பதவிகள்-409 இவர்களில் 327 பேர் பார்ப்பனர்கள். OBC-63 பேர். SC-ST- 19 பேர்.
தொழில் அமைச்சகத்தின் மொத்தப் பதவிகள்-74 இவர்களில் 59 பேர் பார்ப்பனர்கள். OBC-9 பேர். SC-ST- 4 பேர்.
கெமிக்கல் மற்றும் பெட்ரோலிய அமைச்சகத்தின் மொத்தப் பதவிகள்-121 இவர்களில் 91 பேர் பார்ப்பனர்கள். OBC-21 பேர். SC-ST- 9 பேர்.
கவர்னர் மற்றும் லெப்டினட் கவர்னர்-மொத்தப் பதவிகள்-27 இவர்களில் 25 பேர் பார்ப்பனர்கள். OBC-2 பேர். SC-ST- 0 பேர்.
வெளிநாட்டு தூதுவர்கள் மொத்தப் பதவிகள்-140 இவர்களில் 140 பேர் பார்ப்பனர்கள். OBC-0 பேர். SC-ST- 0 பேர்.
மத்திய அரசு பல்கலைக்கழக துணை வேந்தர்கள் மொத்தப் பதவிகள்-116 இவர்களில் 108 பேர் பார்ப்பனர்கள். OBC-5 பேர். SC-ST- 3 பேர்.
மத்திய பொதுச் செயலாளர் மொத்தப் பதவிகள்-26 இவர்களில் 18 பேர் பார்ப்பனர்கள். OBC-7பேர். SC-ST- 1 நபர்
உயர்நீதிமன்ற நீதிபதிகள் மொத்தப் பதவிகள்-330 இவர்களில் 306 பேர் பார்ப்பனர்கள். OBC-20 பேர். SC-ST- 4 பேர்.
உச்சநீதிமன்ற நீதிபதிகள் மொத்தப் பதவிகள்-26 இவர்களில் 23 பேர் பார்ப்பனர்கள். OBC-2 பேர். SC-ST- 1 நபர்
மொத்த ஐ.ஏ.எஸ் அதிகாரிகள்-3600 இதில் பார்ப்பனர்கள்-2750 OBC-350 பேர் SC-ST-300 பேர்
டெல்லியில்
செயல்படும் ‘யங் இந்தியா’ எனும் நிறுவனம் தகவல் அறியும் உரிமைச்
சட்டத்தின் கீழ் 2018 ம் ஆண்டு பெற்றதே மேற்கண்ட புள்ளிவிபரங்கள்.
இப்படி இருக்கும் போது ஏம்ப்பா மாத்தணும்? சின்ராசுட்ட கேட்டுச் சொல்லுங்க. கண்டா வரச் சொல்லுங்க.
கடந்த நாலு வருடத்தில் நீங்க பண்ணி வச்ச கேட்டில் கை வச்சா கதறல் ஜாஸ்தியாத்தான் இருக்கும். கதறு கதறு.
Dr Ambedkar’s journalism: From ‘Mooknayak’ to ‘Prabuddha Bharat’
As
a journalist, Ambedkar worked towards liberating the India of the
outcastes (Bahishkrit Bharat) and building a new, awakened Prabuddha
Bharat.
After resigning from the Union Cabinet on 27 September
1951, Dr Ambedkar issued a statement explaining his decision. On 10
October 1951, he issued this statement outside Parliament because he was
unwilling to provide an advance copy of it to the speaker. He said that
he was issuing the statement for three reasons. After giving the first
two reasons, he said, “Thirdly, we have our newspapers. They have their
age-old bias in favour of some and against others. Their judgments are
seldom based on merits. Whenever they find an empty space, they are
prone to fill the vacuum by supplying grounds for resignation which are
not the real grounds but which put those whom they favour in a better
light and those not in their favour in a bad light. Some such thing I
see has happened even in my case.” He wrote, “If we throw even a
cursory glance over the newspapers that are published in the Bombay
Presidency, we will find that many among these papers are only concerned
about protecting the interest some [upper] castes. And these can’t care
less for the interest of other castes. This is not all. Sometimes, they
go against the interest of other castes.” (Mooknayak, p 34). Since most
of the newspapers harboured casteist prejudices and biases and were
hurting the interests of the “other castes” (the outcastes), Dr Ambedkar
felt the need for a newspaper that would protect their interests. He
wrote, “There is no better source than the newspaper to suggest the
remedy to the injustice that is being done to our people at present and
will be done in future, and also to discuss the ways and means for our
progress in the future” (ibid). At another place in the same editorial,
he wrote: “It is clear that in the absence of authority and knowledge
non-Brahmins remained backward and their progress was arrested but at
least poverty was not their lot because it was not difficult for them to
earn their livelihood through agriculture, trade and commerce or state
services. But the effect of social inequality on the people called
Untouchables has been devastating. The vast masses of Untouchables are
undoubtedly sunk deep into the confluence of feebleness (helplessness),
poverty and ignorance” (ibid, p 33). It was to apprise the world of
the kinds of atrocities being committed against the Untouchables and the
ways and means of their liberation that Dr Ambedkar had decided to
bring out Mooknayak. What needs to be emphasized is that he did not
allow Mooknayak or any of the four other newspapers he published to
become carriers of casteist prejudices. That was because he believed
that what was hurtful to any particular caste was hurtful to society as
whole. He likened society to people travelling on a boat. Warning the
casteist newspapers he wrote, “If any one caste remains degraded it will
have an adverse effect on other castes, too. Society is like a boat.
Suppose a sailor, with the intent of causing some harm to the other
sailors or while playing a prank, punches a hole in their compartment,
the result will be that along with the other sailors he will also drown
sooner or later. Similarly, a caste which makes other castes suffer will
also undoubtedly suffer directly or indirectly. Therefore, newspapers
that pursue their own selfish interests should not follow the example of
a fool who deceives others and protects his own interests” (ibid p 34).
Declaring that he did not intend to “follow the example of a fool who
deceives others and protects his own interests” Dr Ambedkar made it
clear that his newspaper was not meant for hurting the interests of any
caste or community but for building a society in which anyone does no
harm to others but instead protects their interests.
Besides the
casteist outlook of the newspapers, the commercialization of journalism
and the immoral conduct of journalists were also matters of deep concern
to Ambedkar. He expressed his anguish in these words: “Journalism in
India was once a profession. It has now become a trade. It has no more
moral function than the manufacture of soap. It does not regard itself
as the responsible adviser of the public. To give the news uncoloured by
any motive, to present a certain view of public policy which it
believes to be for the good of the community, to correct and chastise
without fear all those, no matter how high, who have chosen a wrong or a
barren path, is not regarded by journalism in India its first or
foremost duty. To accept a hero and worship him has become its principal
duty. Under it, news gives place to sensation, reasoned opinion to
unreasoning passion, appeal to the minds of responsible people to appeal
to the emotions of the irresponsible … Never has the interest of
country been sacrificed so senselessly for the propagation of
hero-worship. Never has hero-worship become so blind as we see it in
India today. There are, I am glad to say, honourable exceptions. But
they are too few and their voice is never heard” (B.R. Ambedkar, 1993).
Thus, Dr Ambedkar’s seeks to lay down some standards for Indian newspapers. They are:
Journalism should be fair and unbiased. In the Indian context, it also means being free from casteist biases and prejudices. Journalism should be based on facts rather than on pre-conceived notions. Journalism should be a mission, not a trade or business. Journalism and journalists should have their own moral standards. Fearlessness is an essential characteristic of journalism and journalists. Advocacy in social interest is a prime duty of journalism and journalists. There should be no place for hero worship in journalism. Objectivity, not sensationalism, should be the ideal of newspapers. Instead of whipping up passions, the journalists should strive to evoke the reason of society.
Religions, Races,Castes,Inequalities, Were there Are there And Will continue to be there! Dr B.R.Ambedkar thundered “Main Bharat Baudhmay karunga.” (I will make this country Buddhist)
All Aboriginal Awakened Societies Thunder ” Hum Prapanch Prabuddha Prapanchmay karunge.” (We will make the whole world Prabuddha Prapanch This will happen through Free Online Prabuddha Intellectuals Convention in Awakened One’s own words For the Welfare, Happiness and Peace for All Societies
Another
milestone in Tamil cinema after Jai Bhim is the Prabuddha Bharat
concept. # Movie # 22_cognition. After the acceptance of Buddhism, Dr.
Babasaheb Bharat Ratna Constitution, a revolutionary 22 pledge by Dr BR
Ambedkar, will be released simultaneously in the three languages
#the_Tamil_English languages.
Religions, Races,Castes,Inequalities, Were there Are there And Will continue to be there! Dr B.R.Ambedkar thundered “Main Bharat Baudhmay karunga.” (I will make this country Buddhist)
All Aboriginal Awakened Societies Thunder Hilariously ” Hum Prapanch Prabuddha Prapanchmay karunge.” (We will make the whole world Prabuddha Prapanch
This will happen through Free Online Prabuddha Intellectuals Convention in Awakened One’s own words For
the Welfare, Happiness and Peace for All Societies and for them to
Attain Eternal Bliss as Final Goal through mahā+satipaṭṭhāna— Attendance on awareness by Observation of Kāya Section on ānāpāna,postures,sampajañña, repulsiveness,the Elements,the nine charnel grounds,of Vedanā and Citta
Then
Religions, Races, Castes and Inequalities Will not be there!
https://www.angelfire.com/ak/ambedkar/BR22vows.html 22 Vows of Dr. Ambedkar Dr.B.R.Ambedkar
prescribed 22 vows to his followers during the historic religious
conversion to Buddhism on 15 October 1956 at Deeksha Bhoomi, Nagpur in
India. The conversion to Buddhism by 800,000 people was historic because
it was the largest religious conversion, the world has ever witnessed.
He prescribed these oaths so that there may be complete severance of
bond with Hinduism. These 22 vows struck a blow at the roots of Hindu
beliefs and practices. These vows could serve as a bulwark to protect
Buddhism from confusion and contradictions. These vows could liberate
converts from superstitions, wasteful and meaningless rituals, which
have led to pauperisation of masses and enrichment of upper castes of
Hindus. The famous 22 vows are: I shall have no faith in Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesh nor shall I worship them. I shall have no faith in Rama and Krishna who are believed to be incarnation of God nor shall I worship them. I shall have no faith in ‘Gauri’, Ganapati and other gods and goddesses of Hindus nor shall I worship them. I do not believe in the incarnation of God.
I do not and shall not believe that Lord Buddha was the incarnation of
Vishnu. I believe this to be sheer madness and false propaganda. I shall not perform ‘Shraddha’ nor shall I give ‘pind-dan’. I shall not act in a manner violating the principles and teachings of the Buddha. I shall not allow any ceremonies to be performed by Brahmins. I shall believe in the equality of man. I shall endeavour to establish equality. I shall follow the ‘noble eightfold path’ of the Buddha. I shall follow the ‘paramitas’ prescribed by the Buddha. I shall have compassion and loving kindness for all living beings and protect them. I shall not steal. I shall not tell lies. I shall not commit carnal sins. I shall not take intoxicants like liquor, drugs etc. I shall endeavour to follow the noble eightfold path and practise compassion and loving kindness in every day life.
I renounce Hinduism which is harmful for humanity and impedes the
advancement and development of humanity because it is based on
inequality, and adopt Buddhism as my religion. I firmly believe the Dhamma of the Buddha is the only true religion. I believe that I am having a re-birth.
I solemnly declare and affirm that I shall hereafter lead my life
according to the principles and teachings of the Buddha and his Dhamma.
https://youtu.be/lTHVL5cfWXg டாக்டர் அம்பேத்கரின் பத்திரிகை: ‘மூக்நாயக்’ முதல் ‘பிரபுத்த பாரதம்’ வரை
ஒரு
பத்திரிகையாளராக, அம்பேத்கர் புறம்போக்கு மக்களின் இந்தியாவை
(பாஹிஷ்க்ரீத் பாரத்) விடுவிக்கவும், ஒரு புதிய, எழுந்த பிரபுத்த பாரதத்தை
உருவாக்கவும் பணியாற்றினார்.
27 செப்டம்பர் 1951 அன்று மத்திய
அமைச்சரவையிலிருந்து ராஜினாமா செய்த பிறகு, டாக்டர் அம்பேத்கர் தனது முடிவை
விளக்கி ஒரு அறிக்கையை வெளியிட்டார். அக்டோபர் 10, 1951 அன்று, அவர்
நாடாளுமன்றத்திற்கு வெளியே இந்த அறிக்கையை வெளியிட்டார், ஏனெனில் அதன்
முன்கூட்டிய நகலை சபாநாயகருக்கு வழங்க அவர் தயாராக இல்லை. அவர் மூன்று
காரணங்களுக்காக அறிக்கையை வெளியிடுவதாக கூறினார். முதல் இரண்டு காரணங்களைக்
கூறிய பிறகு, “மூன்றாவதாக, எங்களிடம் செய்தித்தாள்கள் உள்ளன. அவர்கள்
சிலருக்கு ஆதரவாகவும் மற்றவர்களுக்கு எதிராகவும் அவர்களின் பழைய சார்பு
உள்ளது. அவர்களின் தீர்ப்புகள் எப்போதாவது தகுதிகளை அடிப்படையாகக் கொண்டவை.
அவர்கள் ஒரு வெற்று இடத்தைக் காணும் போதெல்லாம், அவர்கள் வெற்றிடத்தை
நிரப்ப வாய்ப்புள்ளது, அவர்கள் ராஜினாமா செய்வதற்கான காரணங்களை
வழங்குகிறார்கள், அவை உண்மையான காரணங்கள் அல்ல, ஆனால் தங்களுக்கு சாதகமாக
இருப்பவர்களை மோசமான வெளிச்சத்தில் வைக்கின்றன. நான் பார்க்கும் சில
விஷயங்கள் என் விஷயத்தில் கூட நடந்திருக்கிறது. அவர் எழுதினார்,
“பம்பாய் பிரசிடென்சியில் வெளியிடப்படும் செய்தித்தாள்கள் மீது நாம் ஒரு
கூர்மையான பார்வையை எறிந்தால், இந்த ஆவணங்களில் பெரும்பாலானவை சில
உயர்சாதியினரின் நலன்களைப் பாதுகாப்பதில் மட்டுமே அக்கறை கொண்டிருப்பதை
நாம் காணலாம். மற்ற சாதியினரின் நலன்களுக்காக இவை குறைவாக கவலைப்பட
முடியாது. இது எல்லாம் இல்லை. சில சமயங்களில், அவர்கள் மற்ற சாதியினரின்
நலனுக்கு எதிராகச் செல்கிறார்கள். (மூக்நாயக், ப 34). பெரும்பாலான
செய்தித்தாள்கள் சாதி பாகுபாடுகளையும் சார்புகளையும் கொண்டிருந்ததால், “பிற
சாதியினரின்” நலன்களைப் புண்படுத்தியதால், டாக்டர் அம்பேத்கர் அவர்களின்
நலன்களைப் பாதுகாக்கும் ஒரு செய்தித்தாளின் தேவையை உணர்ந்தார். அவர்
எழுதினார், “தற்போது நம் மக்களுக்கு நிகழும் மற்றும் எதிர்காலத்தில்
செய்யப்படும் அநீதிக்கான தீர்வை பரிந்துரைப்பதற்கு செய்தித்தாளை விட சிறந்த
ஆதாரம் இல்லை, மேலும் எதிர்காலத்தில் நமது முன்னேற்றத்திற்கான வழிகள்
மற்றும் வழிமுறைகளைப் பற்றி விவாதிக்கவும்” (ibid) அதே தலையங்கத்தில்
மற்றொரு இடத்தில், அவர் எழுதினார்: “அதிகாரம் மற்றும் அறிவு இல்லாத
நிலையில் பிராமணர் அல்லாதவர்கள் பின்தங்கிய நிலையில் இருந்தனர் என்பது
தெளிவாகிறது மற்றும் அவர்களின் முன்னேற்றம் கைது செய்யப்பட்டது ஆனால்
குறைந்த பட்சம் வறுமை அவர்களுக்கு இல்லை, ஏனென்றால் அவர்கள் சம்பாதிப்பது
கடினம் அல்ல. விவசாயம், வர்த்தகம் மற்றும் வர்த்தகம் அல்லது மாநில சேவைகள்
மூலம் அவர்களின் வாழ்வாதாரம். ஆனால் தீண்டத்தகாதவர்கள் என்றழைக்கப்படும்
சமூக சமத்துவமின்மையின் தாக்கம் பேரழிவை ஏற்படுத்தியுள்ளது.
தீண்டத்தகாதவர்களின் பரந்த மக்கள் சந்தேகத்திற்கு இடமின்றி பலவீனம்
(உதவியற்ற தன்மை), வறுமை மற்றும் அறியாமையின் சங்கமத்தில் ஆழமாக
மூழ்கியுள்ளனர் ”(ஐபிட், ப 33). தீண்டத்தகாதவர்களுக்கு எதிராக
நடத்தப்படும் கொடுமைகள் மற்றும் அவர்களின் விடுதலைக்கான வழிகள் மற்றும்
வழிமுறைகளை உலகிற்கு உணர்த்துவதற்காகவே டாக்டர் அம்பேத்கர் மூக்நாயக்கை
வெளியே கொண்டு வர முடிவு செய்தார். வலியுறுத்தப்பட வேண்டிய விஷயம்
என்னவென்றால், அவர் மூக்நாயக்கையோ அல்லது அவர் வெளியிட்ட நான்கு
செய்தித்தாள்களையோ சாதிவெறி பாரபட்சங்களின் கேரியர்களாக மாற்ற
அனுமதிக்கவில்லை. ஏனென்றால், எந்த குறிப்பிட்ட சாதியினருக்கும் தீங்கு
விளைவிப்பது ஒட்டுமொத்த சமுதாயத்திற்கும் தீங்கு விளைவிக்கும் என்று அவர்
நம்பினார். அவர் சமுதாயத்தை ஒரு படகில் பயணிப்பவர்களுக்கு ஒப்பிட்டார்.
அவர் எழுதிய சாதிவெறி செய்தித்தாள்களை எச்சரித்து, “எந்த ஒரு சாதியும்
தாழ்த்தப்பட்டிருந்தால் அது மற்ற சாதிகளுக்கும் பாதகமான விளைவை
ஏற்படுத்தும். சமூகம் ஒரு படகு போன்றது. ஒரு மாலுமி, மற்ற மாலுமிகளுக்கு
ஏதேனும் தீங்கு விளைவிக்கும் நோக்கத்துடன் அல்லது ஒரு குறும்பு விளையாடும்
போது, அவர்களின் பெட்டியில் ஒரு துளை குத்துகிறார் என்று
வைத்துக்கொள்வோம், இதன் விளைவாக மற்ற மாலுமிகளுடன் சேர்ந்து அவர் விரைவில்
அல்லது பின்னர் மூழ்கிவிடுவார். அதுபோலவே, பிற சாதியினரும் துன்பமடையச்
செய்யும் சாதியும் சந்தேகமின்றி நேரடியாகவோ மறைமுகமாகவோ பாதிக்கப்படும்.
எனவே, தங்கள் சுயநல நலன்களைப் பின்தொடரும் செய்தித்தாள்கள் மற்றவர்களை
ஏமாற்றி தனது சொந்த நலன்களைப் பாதுகாக்கும் ஒரு முட்டாளின் முன்மாதிரியைப்
பின்பற்றக்கூடாது ”(ஐபிட் பக் 34). “மற்றவர்களை ஏமாற்றி தனது சொந்த
நலன்களைப் பாதுகாக்கும் ஒரு முட்டாளின் முன்மாதிரியைப் பின்பற்ற
விரும்பவில்லை” என்று அறிவித்த டாக்டர் அம்பேத்கர் தனது செய்தித்தாள் எந்த
சாதி அல்லது சமூகத்தின் நலன்களைப் புண்படுத்துவதற்காக அல்ல, மாறாக ஒரு
சமுதாயத்தை கட்டியெழுப்ப வேண்டும் என்று தெளிவுபடுத்தினார். எவரும்
மற்றவர்களுக்கு எந்தத் தீங்கும் செய்யாது மாறாக அவர்களின் நலன்களைப்
பாதுகாக்கிறார்கள்.
செய்தித்தாள்களின் சாதி ரீதியான கண்ணோட்டத்தைத்
தவிர, பத்திரிகை வணிகமயமாக்கல் மற்றும் பத்திரிகையாளர்களின் ஒழுக்கமற்ற
நடத்தை ஆகியவை அம்பேத்கருக்கு ஆழ்ந்த கவலையாக இருந்தது. இந்த வார்த்தைகளில்
அவர் தனது வேதனையை வெளிப்படுத்தினார்: “இந்தியாவில் பத்திரிகை ஒரு
காலத்தில் தொழிலாக இருந்தது. அது இப்போது வர்த்தகமாகிவிட்டது. இது சோப்பு
தயாரிப்பதை விட தார்மீக செயல்பாடு இல்லை. அது பொதுமக்களின் பொறுப்பான
ஆலோசகராக தன்னை கருதவில்லை. எந்த உள்நோக்கத்துடனும் செய்தி சேகரிக்கப்படாத,
சமூக நலனுக்காக அது நம்பும் பொதுக் கொள்கை குறித்த ஒரு குறிப்பிட்ட
பார்வையை முன்வைப்பது, தவறு செய்தாலும் அல்லது தவறு செய்தாலும், எவ்வளவு
உயர்ந்தவராக இருந்தாலும் சரி, அச்சமின்றி தண்டிக்கவும். தரிசான பாதை,
இந்தியாவில் பத்திரிகை அதன் முதல் அல்லது முக்கிய கடமையாக கருதப்படவில்லை.
ஒரு ஹீரோவை ஏற்று அவரை வணங்குவது அதன் முக்கிய கடமையாகிவிட்டது. அதன் கீழ்,
செய்தி உணர்ச்சிகளுக்கு இடமளிக்கிறது, நியாயமற்ற உணர்ச்சிக்கு நியாயமான
கருத்தை அளிக்கிறது, பொறுப்பற்றவர்களின் உணர்வுகளை பொறுப்பற்றவர்களின்
மனதைக் கவருமாறு முறையிடுகிறது … ஹீரோ-வழிபாட்டின் பரப்புதலுக்காக
நாட்டின் ஆர்வம் ஒருபோதும் புத்திசாலித்தனமாக தியாகம் செய்யப்படவில்லை.
இன்று
இந்தியாவில் நாம் காணும் அளவுக்கு ஹீரோ வழிபாடு ஒருபோதும் குருடாக
மாறவில்லை. க honரவமான விதிவிலக்குகள் என்று நான் சொல்வதில் மகிழ்ச்சி
அடைகிறேன். ஆனால் அவர்கள் மிகச் சிலரே, அவர்களின் குரல் கேட்கப்படாது
”(பி.ஆர். அம்பேத்கர், 1993).
இவ்வாறு, டாக்டர் அம்பேத்கர் இந்திய செய்தித்தாள்களுக்கான சில தரங்களை வகுக்க முயல்கிறார். அவை:
பத்திரிகை நியாயமானதாகவும், பக்கச்சார்பற்றதாகவும் இருக்க வேண்டும்.
இந்திய சூழலில், சாதி சார்பு மற்றும் பாரபட்சங்களிலிருந்து விடுபடுவதையும்
இது குறிக்கிறது. பத்திரிகை என்பது முன்கூட்டிய கருத்துக்களை விட உண்மைகளை அடிப்படையாகக் கொண்டதாக இருக்க வேண்டும். பத்திரிகை ஒரு பணியாக இருக்க வேண்டும், வர்த்தகம் அல்லது வணிகமாக இருக்கக்கூடாது. பத்திரிகை மற்றும் பத்திரிகையாளர்கள் தங்கள் சொந்த தார்மீக தரங்களைக் கொண்டிருக்க வேண்டும். அச்சமின்மை பத்திரிகை மற்றும் பத்திரிக்கையாளர்களின் இன்றியமையாத பண்பாகும். சமூக நலனில் வாதாடுவது பத்திரிகை மற்றும் பத்திரிக்கையாளர்களின் முதன்மையான கடமையாகும். பத்திரிக்கையில் ஹீரோ வழிபாட்டிற்கு இடம் இருக்கக்கூடாது. புறநிலைத்தன்மை, பரபரப்பு அல்ல, செய்தித்தாள்களின் இலட்சியமாக இருக்க வேண்டும். ஊடகவியலாளர்கள் உணர்வுகளைத் தூண்டிவிடுவதற்குப் பதிலாக, சமூகத்தின் காரணத்தைத் தூண்ட முயற்சிக்க வேண்டும்.
மதங்கள், இனங்கள், சாதி, ஏற்றத்தாழ்வுகள், அங்கு இருந்தனர் உள்ளன மற்றும் அங்கு தொடர்ந்து இருக்கும்! டாக்டர் பி.ஆர்.அம்பேத்கர் “மெயின் பாரத் பhத்மய் கருங்கா” என்று முழங்கினார். (நான் இந்த நாட்டை ப Buddhistத்தமாக்குவேன்)
அனைத்து ஆதிவாசி விழிப்புணர்வு சமூகங்கள் இடி “ஹம் பிரபஞ்ச் பிரபுத்தா பிரபஞ்சம் கருங்கே. ” (உலகம் முழுவதையும் பிரபுத்த பிரபஞ்சமாக்குவோம் இதன் மூலம் நடக்கும் விழித்த ஒருவரின் சொந்த வார்த்தைகளில் இலவச ஆன்லைன் பிரபுத்த அறிவாளிகள் மாநாடு அனைத்து சமுதாயங்களின் நல்வாழ்வு, மகிழ்ச்சி மற்றும் அமைதிக்காக
ஜெய்
பீமுக்குப் பிறகு தமிழ் சினிமாவில் இன்னொரு மைல்கல் பிரபுத்த பாரத்
கருத்து. # திரைப்படம் # 22_அறிவிப்பு. ப Buddhismத்தத்தை ஏற்றுக்கொண்ட
பிறகு, டாக்டர் பி.ஆர்.அம்பேத்கரின் புரட்சிகர 22 உறுதிமொழியான டாக்டர்
பாபாசாகேப் பாரத ரத்னா அரசியலமைப்பு மூன்று மொழிகளில் #தமிழ்_ஆங்கில
மொழிகளில் ஒரே நேரத்தில் வெளியிடப்படும்.
மதங்கள், இனங்கள், சாதி, ஏற்றத்தாழ்வுகள், அங்கு இருந்தனர் உள்ளன மற்றும் அங்கு தொடர்ந்து இருக்கும்! டாக்டர் பி.ஆர்.அம்பேத்கர் “மெயின் பாரத் பhத்மய் கருங்கா” என்று முழங்கினார். (நான் இந்த நாட்டை ப Buddhistத்தமாக்குவேன்)
அனைத்து ஆதிவாசி விழிப்புணர்வு சமூகங்கள் பெருங்களிப்புடன் இடி ”ஹம் பிரபஞ்ச் பிரபுத்த பிரபஞ்சம் கருங்கே. ” (உலகம் முழுவதையும் பிரபுத்தமாக்குவோம் பிரபஞ்ச்
இதன் மூலம் நடக்கும் விழித்த ஒருவரின் சொந்த வார்த்தைகளில் இலவச ஆன்லைன் பிரபுத்த அறிவாளிகள் மாநாடு அனைத்து
சமுதாயங்களுக்கும் நல்வாழ்வு, மகிழ்ச்சி மற்றும் அமைதிக்காகவும்,
மஹா+சதிபாஹான - வருகையின் மூலம் இறுதி இலக்காக நித்திய ஆனந்தத்தை அடையவும் காயா பிரிவின் கண்காணிப்பு மூலம் விழிப்புணர்வு ānāpāna, தோரணைகள், sampajañña, repulsiveness, Elements, the ஒன்பது சேனல் வேதாணி மற்றும் சிட்டாவின் மைதானம்
பிறகு
மதங்கள், இனங்கள், சாதி மற்றும் ஏற்றத்தாழ்வுகள் இருக்காது!
https://youtu.be/PpvgjU9qas0
ಡಾ ಅಂಬೇಡ್ಕರ್ ಅವರ ಪತ್ರಿಕೋದ್ಯಮ: ‘ಮೂಕನಾಯಕ್’ ನಿಂದ ‘ಪ್ರಬುದ್ಧ ಭಾರತ’
ಒಬ್ಬ
ಪತ್ರಕರ್ತನಾಗಿ, ಅಂಬೇಡ್ಕರ್ ಬಹಿಷ್ಕೃತರ ಭಾರತವನ್ನು (ಬಹಿಷ್ಕೃತ ಭಾರತ) ವಿಮೋಚಿಸಲು
ಮತ್ತು ಹೊಸ, ಜಾಗೃತ ಪ್ರಬುದ್ಧ ಭಾರತವನ್ನು ನಿರ್ಮಿಸಲು ಕೆಲಸ ಮಾಡಿದರು.
27
ಸೆಪ್ಟೆಂಬರ್ 1951 ರಂದು ಕೇಂದ್ರ ಸಚಿವ ಸಂಪುಟಕ್ಕೆ ರಾಜೀನಾಮೆ ನೀಡಿದ ನಂತರ, ಡಾ
ಅಂಬೇಡ್ಕರ್ ಅವರು ತಮ್ಮ ನಿರ್ಧಾರವನ್ನು ವಿವರಿಸುವ ಹೇಳಿಕೆಯನ್ನು ನೀಡಿದರು. 10
ಅಕ್ಟೋಬರ್ 1951 ರಂದು, ಅವರು ಈ ಹೇಳಿಕೆಯನ್ನು ಸಂಸತ್ತಿನ ಹೊರಗೆ ಬಿಡುಗಡೆ ಮಾಡಿದರು
ಏಕೆಂದರೆ ಅವರು ಅದರ ಮುಂಗಡ ಪ್ರತಿಯನ್ನು ಸ್ಪೀಕರ್ಗೆ ನೀಡಲು ಇಷ್ಟವಿರಲಿಲ್ಲ. ಅವರು
ಮೂರು ಕಾರಣಗಳಿಗಾಗಿ ಹೇಳಿಕೆ ನೀಡುತ್ತಿದ್ದಾರೆ ಎಂದು ಹೇಳಿದರು. ಮೊದಲ ಎರಡು
ಕಾರಣಗಳನ್ನು ನೀಡಿದ ನಂತರ, ಅವರು ಹೇಳಿದರು, “ಮೂರನೆಯದಾಗಿ, ನಮ್ಮ ಪತ್ರಿಕೆಗಳಿವೆ.
ಅವರು ಕೆಲವರ ಪರವಾಗಿ ಮತ್ತು ಇತರರ ವಿರುದ್ಧ ತಮ್ಮ ಹಳೆಯ ಪಕ್ಷಪಾತವನ್ನು ಹೊಂದಿದ್ದಾರೆ.
ಅವರ ತೀರ್ಪುಗಳು ಅರ್ಹತೆಯನ್ನು ಆಧರಿಸಿ ವಿರಳವಾಗಿರುತ್ತವೆ. ಅವರು ಖಾಲಿ ಜಾಗವನ್ನು
ಕಂಡುಕೊಂಡಾಗಲೆಲ್ಲಾ, ಅವರು ನಿರ್ವಾತವನ್ನು ತುಂಬಲು ಮುಂದಾಗುತ್ತಾರೆ ರಾಜೀನಾಮೆಗೆ
ಆಧಾರಗಳನ್ನು ಒದಗಿಸುತ್ತಾರೆ, ಅದು ನಿಜವಾದ ಆಧಾರವಲ್ಲ, ಆದರೆ ಅವರು ಒಲವು ತೋರುವವರನ್ನು
ಉತ್ತಮ ಬೆಳಕಿನಲ್ಲಿ ಮತ್ತು ತಮ್ಮ ಪರವಾಗಿರದವರನ್ನು ಕೆಟ್ಟ ಬೆಳಕಿನಲ್ಲಿ
ಇರಿಸುತ್ತಾರೆ. ನಾನು ನೋಡುವಂತಹ ಕೆಲವು ಸಂಗತಿಗಳು ನನ್ನ ಪ್ರಕರಣದಲ್ಲಿಯೂ ಸಂಭವಿಸಿವೆ. ” ಅವರು
ಬರೆದಿದ್ದಾರೆ, “ನಾವು ಬಾಂಬೆ ಪ್ರೆಸಿಡೆನ್ಸಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ಪ್ರಕಟವಾಗುವ ಪತ್ರಿಕೆಗಳ ಮೇಲೆ
ಒಂದು ಕಣ್ಣಿಟ್ಟು ನೋಡಿದರೆ, ಈ ಪತ್ರಿಕೆಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಅನೇಕವು ಕೆಲವು [ಮೇಲ್] ಜಾತಿಗಳ
ಹಿತಾಸಕ್ತಿಯನ್ನು ರಕ್ಷಿಸುವ ಬಗ್ಗೆ ಮಾತ್ರ ಕಾಳಜಿ ವಹಿಸುತ್ತವೆ. ಮತ್ತು ಇವುಗಳು ಇತರ
ಜಾತಿಗಳ ಹಿತಾಸಕ್ತಿಗಾಗಿ ಕಡಿಮೆ ಕಾಳಜಿ ವಹಿಸುವುದಿಲ್ಲ. ಇದು ಎಲ್ಲಲ್ಲ. ಕೆಲವೊಮ್ಮೆ
ಅವರು ಇತರ ಜಾತಿಗಳ ಹಿತಾಸಕ್ತಿಗೆ ವಿರುದ್ಧವಾಗಿ ಹೋಗುತ್ತಾರೆ. (ಮೂಕನಾಯಕ್, ಪು 34).
ಹೆಚ್ಚಿನ ಪತ್ರಿಕೆಗಳು ಜಾತೀಯ ಪೂರ್ವಾಗ್ರಹಗಳು ಮತ್ತು ಪಕ್ಷಪಾತಗಳನ್ನು
ಹೊಂದಿರುವುದರಿಂದ ಮತ್ತು “ಇತರ ಜಾತಿಗಳ” ಹಿತಾಸಕ್ತಿಗಳನ್ನು
ಘಾಸಿಗೊಳಿಸುತ್ತಿರುವುದರಿಂದ, ಡಾ ಅಂಬೇಡ್ಕರ್ ತಮ್ಮ ಹಿತಾಸಕ್ತಿಗಳನ್ನು ರಕ್ಷಿಸುವ ಒಂದು
ಪತ್ರಿಕೆಯ ಅಗತ್ಯವನ್ನು ಅನುಭವಿಸಿದರು. ಅವರು ಬರೆದಿದ್ದಾರೆ, “ಪ್ರಸ್ತುತ ನಮ್ಮ
ಜನರಿಗೆ ಆಗುತ್ತಿರುವ ಅನ್ಯಾಯಕ್ಕೆ ಪರಿಹಾರವನ್ನು ಸೂಚಿಸಲು ಮತ್ತು ಭವಿಷ್ಯದಲ್ಲಿ
ಮಾಡಲಾಗುವುದು ಮತ್ತು ಭವಿಷ್ಯದಲ್ಲಿ ನಮ್ಮ ಪ್ರಗತಿಯ ಮಾರ್ಗಗಳು ಮತ್ತು ವಿಧಾನಗಳ ಬಗ್ಗೆ
ಚರ್ಚಿಸಲು ಪತ್ರಿಕೆಗಿಂತ ಉತ್ತಮ ಮೂಲವಿಲ್ಲ” (ಐಬಿಐಡಿ) ಅದೇ ಸಂಪಾದಕೀಯದಲ್ಲಿ ಇನ್ನೊಂದು
ಸ್ಥಳದಲ್ಲಿ ಅವರು ಹೀಗೆ ಬರೆದಿದ್ದಾರೆ: “ಅಧಿಕಾರ ಮತ್ತು ಜ್ಞಾನದ ಅನುಪಸ್ಥಿತಿಯಲ್ಲಿ
ಬ್ರಾಹ್ಮಣೇತರರು ಹಿಂದುಳಿದಿದ್ದರು ಮತ್ತು ಅವರ ಪ್ರಗತಿಯನ್ನು ಬಂಧಿಸಲಾಯಿತು ಆದರೆ
ಕನಿಷ್ಠ ಬಡತನವು ಅವರ ಪಾಲಾಗಿರಲಿಲ್ಲ ಏಕೆಂದರೆ ಅವರಿಗೆ ಗಳಿಸುವುದು ಕಷ್ಟವಾಗಲಿಲ್ಲ.
ಕೃಷಿ, ವ್ಯಾಪಾರ ಮತ್ತು ವಾಣಿಜ್ಯ ಅಥವಾ ರಾಜ್ಯ ಸೇವೆಗಳ ಮೂಲಕ ಅವರ ಜೀವನೋಪಾಯ. ಆದರೆ
ಅಸ್ಪೃಶ್ಯರು ಎಂದು ಕರೆಯಲ್ಪಡುವ ಜನರ ಮೇಲೆ ಸಾಮಾಜಿಕ ಅಸಮಾನತೆಯ ಪರಿಣಾಮವು
ವಿನಾಶಕಾರಿಯಾಗಿದೆ. ಅಸ್ಪೃಶ್ಯರ ಅಪಾರ ಜನಸಾಮಾನ್ಯರು ನಿಸ್ಸಂದೇಹವಾಗಿ ದುರ್ಬಲತೆ
(ಅಸಹಾಯಕತೆ), ಬಡತನ ಮತ್ತು ಅಜ್ಞಾನದ ಸಂಗಮದಲ್ಲಿ ಆಳವಾಗಿ ಮುಳುಗಿದ್ದಾರೆ ”(ಅದೇ, ಪು
33). ಅಸ್ಪೃಶ್ಯರ ಮೇಲೆ ನಡೆಯುತ್ತಿರುವ ದೌರ್ಜನ್ಯಗಳು ಮತ್ತು ಅವರ ವಿಮೋಚನೆಯ
ಮಾರ್ಗಗಳು ಮತ್ತು ವಿಧಾನಗಳ ಬಗ್ಗೆ ಜಗತ್ತಿಗೆ ಅರಿವು ಮೂಡಿಸಲು ಡಾ. ಅಂಬೇಡ್ಕರ್ ಅವರು
ಮೂಕನಾಯಕನನ್ನು ಹೊರತರಲು ನಿರ್ಧರಿಸಿದರು. ಏನನ್ನು ಒತ್ತಿ ಹೇಳಬೇಕು ಎಂದರೆ ಅವರು
ಮೂಕನಾಯಕ್ ಅಥವಾ ಅವರು ಪ್ರಕಟಿಸಿದ ಇತರ ನಾಲ್ಕು ಪತ್ರಿಕೆಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಯಾವುದಾದರೂ ಜಾತೀಯತೆಯ
ಪೂರ್ವಾಗ್ರಹಗಳ ವಾಹಕರಾಗಲು ಬಿಡಲಿಲ್ಲ. ಅದೇನೆಂದರೆ, ಯಾವುದೇ ನಿರ್ದಿಷ್ಟ ಜಾತಿಗೆ
ನೋವುಂಟುಮಾಡುವುದು ಇಡೀ ಸಮಾಜಕ್ಕೆ ಹಾನಿಕಾರಕ ಎಂದು ಅವರು ನಂಬಿದ್ದರು. ಅವರು
ಸಮಾಜವನ್ನು ದೋಣಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ಪ್ರಯಾಣಿಸುವ ಜನರಿಗೆ ಹೋಲಿಸಿದರು. ಅವರು ಬರೆದ ಜಾತಿವಾದಿ
ಪತ್ರಿಕೆಗಳಿಗೆ ಎಚ್ಚರಿಕೆ ನೀಡಿ, “ಯಾವುದೇ ಒಂದು ಜಾತಿಯು ಕೀಳಾಗಿ ಉಳಿದಿದ್ದರೆ ಅದು
ಇತರ ಜಾತಿಗಳ ಮೇಲೂ ಪ್ರತಿಕೂಲ ಪರಿಣಾಮ ಬೀರುತ್ತದೆ. ಸಮಾಜವು ದೋಣಿಯಂತಿದೆ. ಒಬ್ಬ
ನಾವಿಕನು, ಇತರ ನಾವಿಕರಿಗೆ ಸ್ವಲ್ಪ ಹಾನಿ ಮಾಡುವ ಉದ್ದೇಶದಿಂದ ಅಥವಾ ಕುಚೇಷ್ಟೆ
ಆಡುವಾಗ, ಅವರ ಕಂಪಾರ್ಟ್ಮೆಂಟ್ನಲ್ಲಿ ರಂಧ್ರವನ್ನು ಹೊಡೆದರೆ, ಫಲಿತಾಂಶವು ಇತರ
ನಾವಿಕರೊಂದಿಗೆ ಅವನು ಬೇಗ ಅಥವಾ ನಂತರ ಮುಳುಗುತ್ತಾನೆ. ಅದೇ ರೀತಿ, ಇತರ ಜಾತಿಗಳನ್ನು
ನೋಯಿಸುವ ಜಾತಿಯು ನಿಸ್ಸಂದೇಹವಾಗಿ ನೇರವಾಗಿ ಅಥವಾ ಪರೋಕ್ಷವಾಗಿ ಬಳಲುತ್ತದೆ.
ಆದ್ದರಿಂದ, ತಮ್ಮ ಸ್ವಾರ್ಥ ಹಿತಾಸಕ್ತಿಗಳನ್ನು ಅನುಸರಿಸುವ ಪತ್ರಿಕೆಗಳು ಇತರರನ್ನು
ಮೋಸಗೊಳಿಸುವ ಮತ್ತು ತನ್ನ ಹಿತಾಸಕ್ತಿಗಳನ್ನು ರಕ್ಷಿಸುವ ಮೂರ್ಖನ ಮಾದರಿಯನ್ನು
ಅನುಸರಿಸಬಾರದು ”(ಐಬಿಡ್ ಪು 34). “ಇತರರನ್ನು ಮೋಸಗೊಳಿಸುವ ಮತ್ತು ತನ್ನ
ಹಿತಾಸಕ್ತಿಗಳನ್ನು ರಕ್ಷಿಸುವ ಮೂರ್ಖನ ಮಾದರಿಯನ್ನು ಅನುಸರಿಸಲು” ತಾನು ಉದ್ದೇಶಿಸಿಲ್ಲ
ಎಂದು ಘೋಷಿಸಿದ ಡಾ. ಅಂಬೇಡ್ಕರ್ ಅವರು ತಮ್ಮ ಪತ್ರಿಕೆ ಯಾವುದೇ ಜಾತಿ ಅಥವಾ ಸಮುದಾಯದ
ಹಿತಾಸಕ್ತಿಗೆ ಧಕ್ಕೆ ತರುವಂತದ್ದಲ್ಲ ಬದಲಾಗಿ ಸಮಾಜವನ್ನು ನಿರ್ಮಿಸುವ ಉದ್ದೇಶ ಹೊಂದಿದೆ
ಎಂದು ಸ್ಪಷ್ಟಪಡಿಸಿದರು. ಯಾರಾದರೂ ಇತರರಿಗೆ ಯಾವುದೇ ಹಾನಿ ಮಾಡುವುದಿಲ್ಲ ಬದಲಿಗೆ ಅವರ
ಹಿತಾಸಕ್ತಿಗಳನ್ನು ರಕ್ಷಿಸುತ್ತಾರೆ.
ಪತ್ರಿಕೆಗಳ ಜಾತಿವಾದಿ ದೃಷ್ಟಿಕೋನದ
ಹೊರತಾಗಿ, ಪತ್ರಿಕೋದ್ಯಮದ ವ್ಯಾಪಾರೀಕರಣ ಮತ್ತು ಪತ್ರಕರ್ತರ ಅನೈತಿಕ ನಡವಳಿಕೆಗಳು ಕೂಡ
ಅಂಬೇಡ್ಕರ್ ಅವರಿಗೆ ಆಳವಾದ ಕಾಳಜಿಯ ವಿಷಯಗಳಾಗಿವೆ. ಅವರು ಈ ಪದಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ತಮ್ಮ
ವೇದನೆಯನ್ನು ವ್ಯಕ್ತಪಡಿಸಿದರು: “ಭಾರತದಲ್ಲಿ ಪತ್ರಿಕೋದ್ಯಮವು ಒಂದು ಕಾಲದಲ್ಲಿ
ವೃತ್ತಿಯಾಗಿತ್ತು. ಇದು ಈಗ ವ್ಯಾಪಾರವಾಗಿ ಮಾರ್ಪಟ್ಟಿದೆ. ಇದು ಸೋಪ್ ತಯಾರಿಕೆಗಿಂತ
ಹೆಚ್ಚು ನೈತಿಕ ಕಾರ್ಯವನ್ನು ಹೊಂದಿಲ್ಲ. ಇದು ಸಾರ್ವಜನಿಕರ ಜವಾಬ್ದಾರಿಯುತ ಸಲಹೆಗಾರ
ಎಂದು ಪರಿಗಣಿಸುವುದಿಲ್ಲ. ಯಾವುದೇ ಉದ್ದೇಶದಿಂದ ಸುದ್ದಿಯಾಗದ ಸುದ್ದಿಯನ್ನು ನೀಡುವುದು,
ಸಮುದಾಯದ ಒಳಿತಿಗಾಗಿ ನಂಬಿರುವ ಸಾರ್ವಜನಿಕ ನೀತಿಯ ಒಂದು ನಿರ್ದಿಷ್ಟ ದೃಷ್ಟಿಕೋನವನ್ನು
ಪ್ರಸ್ತುತಪಡಿಸುವುದು, ಎಷ್ಟೇ ಉನ್ನತವಾಗಿದ್ದರೂ, ತಪ್ಪು ಅಥವಾ ಆಯ್ಕೆಯನ್ನು
ಆರಿಸಿಕೊಂಡ ಎಲ್ಲರನ್ನು ಭಯವಿಲ್ಲದೆ ಸರಿಪಡಿಸಿ ಮತ್ತು ಶಿಕ್ಷಿಸಿ. ಬರಡಾದ ಹಾದಿಯನ್ನು
ಭಾರತದಲ್ಲಿ ಪತ್ರಿಕೋದ್ಯಮವು ತನ್ನ ಮೊದಲ ಅಥವಾ ಅಗ್ರಗಣ್ಯ ಕರ್ತವ್ಯವೆಂದು
ಪರಿಗಣಿಸುವುದಿಲ್ಲ. ನಾಯಕನನ್ನು ಒಪ್ಪಿಕೊಳ್ಳುವುದು ಮತ್ತು ಆತನನ್ನು ಪೂಜಿಸುವುದು ಅದರ
ಪ್ರಮುಖ ಕರ್ತವ್ಯವಾಗಿದೆ. ಅದರ ಅಡಿಯಲ್ಲಿ, ಸುದ್ದಿಯು ಸಂವೇದನೆಗೆ ಸ್ಥಾನ ನೀಡುತ್ತದೆ,
ಅವಿವೇಕದ ಭಾವೋದ್ರೇಕಕ್ಕೆ ತಾರ್ಕಿಕ ಅಭಿಪ್ರಾಯವನ್ನು ನೀಡುತ್ತದೆ, ಜವಾಬ್ದಾರಿಯುತ ಜನರ
ಮನಸ್ಸನ್ನು ಬೇಜವಾಬ್ದಾರಿಯ ಭಾವನೆಗಳಿಗೆ ಮನವಿ ಮಾಡಲು ಮನವಿ ಮಾಡುತ್ತದೆ …
ನಾಯಕ-ಆರಾಧನೆಯ ಪ್ರಚಾರಕ್ಕಾಗಿ ದೇಶದ ಹಿತಾಸಕ್ತಿಯನ್ನು ಎಂದಿಗೂ ಅರ್ಥಹೀನವಾಗಿ ತ್ಯಾಗ
ಮಾಡಿಲ್ಲ.
ಇಂದು ಭಾರತದಲ್ಲಿ ನಾವು ನೋಡುವಂತೆ ನಾಯಕ-ಆರಾಧನೆಯು ಎಂದಿಗೂ
ಕುರುಡಾಗಿರಲಿಲ್ಲ. ಗೌರವಾನ್ವಿತ ವಿನಾಯಿತಿಗಳಿವೆ ಎಂದು ಹೇಳಲು ನನಗೆ ಸಂತೋಷವಾಗಿದೆ.
ಆದರೆ ಅವರು ತುಂಬಾ ಕಡಿಮೆ ಮತ್ತು ಅವರ ಧ್ವನಿ ಎಂದಿಗೂ ಕೇಳಿಸುವುದಿಲ್ಲ ”(ಬಿ.ಆರ್.
ಅಂಬೇಡ್ಕರ್, 1993).
ಹೀಗಾಗಿ, ಅಂಬೇಡ್ಕರ್ ಅವರು ಭಾರತೀಯ ಪತ್ರಿಕೆಗಳಿಗೆ ಕೆಲವು ಮಾನದಂಡಗಳನ್ನು ಹಾಕಲು ಪ್ರಯತ್ನಿಸುತ್ತಾರೆ. ಅವುಗಳು:
ಪತ್ರಿಕೋದ್ಯಮವು ನ್ಯಾಯಯುತವಾಗಿರಬೇಕು ಮತ್ತು ಪಕ್ಷಪಾತವಿಲ್ಲದೆ ಇರಬೇಕು. ಭಾರತೀಯ
ಸನ್ನಿವೇಶದಲ್ಲಿ ಇದರ ಅರ್ಥ ಜಾತಿವಾದಿ ಪಕ್ಷಪಾತ ಮತ್ತು ಪೂರ್ವಾಗ್ರಹಗಳಿಂದ
ಮುಕ್ತವಾಗಿರುವುದು. ಪತ್ರಿಕೋದ್ಯಮವು ಪೂರ್ವ ಕಲ್ಪಿತ ಕಲ್ಪನೆಗಳಿಗಿಂತ ಸತ್ಯಗಳನ್ನು ಆಧರಿಸಿರಬೇಕು. ಪತ್ರಿಕೋದ್ಯಮವು ಒಂದು ಧ್ಯೇಯವಾಗಬೇಕು, ವ್ಯಾಪಾರ ಅಥವಾ ವ್ಯಾಪಾರವಾಗಬಾರದು. ಪತ್ರಿಕೋದ್ಯಮ ಮತ್ತು ಪತ್ರಕರ್ತರು ತಮ್ಮದೇ ಆದ ನೈತಿಕ ಮಾನದಂಡಗಳನ್ನು ಹೊಂದಿರಬೇಕು. ನಿರ್ಭಯತೆ ಪತ್ರಿಕೋದ್ಯಮ ಮತ್ತು ಪತ್ರಕರ್ತರ ಅತ್ಯಗತ್ಯ ಲಕ್ಷಣವಾಗಿದೆ. ಸಾಮಾಜಿಕ ಹಿತಾಸಕ್ತಿಗಾಗಿ ವಕಾಲತ್ತು ವಹಿಸುವುದು ಪತ್ರಿಕೋದ್ಯಮ ಮತ್ತು ಪತ್ರಕರ್ತರ ಆದ್ಯ ಕರ್ತವ್ಯವಾಗಿದೆ. ಪತ್ರಿಕೋದ್ಯಮದಲ್ಲಿ ನಾಯಕನ ಪೂಜೆಗೆ ಸ್ಥಾನವಿರಬಾರದು. ವಸ್ತುನಿಷ್ಠತೆ, ಸಂವೇದನೆಯಲ್ಲ, ಪತ್ರಿಕೆಗಳ ಆದರ್ಶವಾಗಿರಬೇಕು. ಪತ್ರಕರ್ತರು ಭಾವೋದ್ರೇಕಗಳನ್ನು ಹೆಚ್ಚಿಸುವ ಬದಲು, ಸಮಾಜದ ಕಾರಣವನ್ನು ಹೊರಹೊಮ್ಮಿಸಲು ಶ್ರಮಿಸಬೇಕು.
ಧರ್ಮಗಳು, ಜನಾಂಗಗಳು, ಜಾತಿಗಳು, ಅಸಮಾನತೆಗಳು, ಅಲ್ಲಿದ್ದರು ಇವೆ ಮತ್ತು ಅಲ್ಲಿಯೇ ಮುಂದುವರಿಯುತ್ತದೆ! ಡಾ.ಬಿ.ಆರ್.ಅಂಬೇಡ್ಕರ್ “ಮುಖ್ಯ ಭಾರತ್ ಬೌಧ್ಮಯ್ ಕರುಂಗಾ” ಎಂದು ಗುಡುಗಿದರು. (ನಾನು ಈ ದೇಶವನ್ನು ಬೌದ್ಧರನ್ನಾಗಿ ಮಾಡುತ್ತೇನೆ)
ಎಲ್ಲಾ ಮೂಲನಿವಾಸಿ ಜಾಗೃತ ಸಮಾಜಗಳು ಗುಡುಗು ”ಹಮ್ ಪ್ರಪಂಚ ಪ್ರಬುದ್ಧ ಪ್ರಪಂಚಮಯ ಕರುಂಗೆ. ” (ನಾವು ಇಡೀ ಜಗತ್ತನ್ನು ಪ್ರಬುದ್ಧ ಪ್ರಪಂಚವನ್ನಾಗಿ ಮಾಡುತ್ತೇವೆ ಈ ಮೂಲಕ ನಡೆಯುತ್ತದೆ ಉಚಿತ ಆನ್ಲೈನ್ ಪ್ರಬುದ್ಧ ಬುದ್ಧಿಜೀವಿಗಳ ಸಮಾವೇಶವು ಒಬ್ಬರ ಸ್ವಂತ ಮಾತುಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಎಲ್ಲಾ ಸಮಾಜಗಳ ಕಲ್ಯಾಣ, ಸಂತೋಷ ಮತ್ತು ಶಾಂತಿಗಾಗಿ
ಜೈ
ಭೀಮ್ ನಂತರ ತಮಿಳು ಚಿತ್ರರಂಗದಲ್ಲಿ ಮತ್ತೊಂದು ಮೈಲಿಗಲ್ಲು ಪ್ರಬುದ್ಧ ಭಾರತ
ಪರಿಕಲ್ಪನೆ. # ಚಲನಚಿತ್ರ # 22_ಅಜ್ಞಾನ. ಬೌದ್ಧ ಧರ್ಮವನ್ನು ಸ್ವೀಕರಿಸಿದ ನಂತರ,
ಡಾ.ಬಿ.ಆರ್.ಅಂಬೇಡ್ಕರ್ ಅವರ ಕ್ರಾಂತಿಕಾರಿ 22 ಪ್ರತಿಜ್ಞೆಯಾದ ಡಾ.ಬಾಬಾಸಾಹೇಬ್ ಭಾರತ
ರತ್ನ ಸಂವಿಧಾನವನ್ನು ಏಕಕಾಲದಲ್ಲಿ ಮೂರು ಭಾಷೆಗಳಲ್ಲಿ #Tamil_English ಭಾಷೆಗಳಲ್ಲಿ
ಬಿಡುಗಡೆ ಮಾಡಲಾಗುತ್ತದೆ.
ಧರ್ಮಗಳು, ಜನಾಂಗಗಳು, ಜಾತಿಗಳು, ಅಸಮಾನತೆಗಳು, ಅಲ್ಲಿದ್ದರು ಇವೆ ಮತ್ತು ಅಲ್ಲಿಯೇ ಮುಂದುವರಿಯುತ್ತದೆ! ಡಾ.ಬಿ.ಆರ್.ಅಂಬೇಡ್ಕರ್ “ಮುಖ್ಯ ಭಾರತ್ ಬೌಧ್ಮಯ್ ಕರುಂಗಾ” ಎಂದು ಗುಡುಗಿದರು. (ನಾನು ಈ ದೇಶವನ್ನು ಬೌದ್ಧರನ್ನಾಗಿ ಮಾಡುತ್ತೇನೆ)
ಎಲ್ಲಾ ಮೂಲನಿವಾಸಿಗಳ ಜಾಗೃತ ಸಮಾಜಗಳು ಉಲ್ಲಾಸದಿಂದ ಗುಡುಗು ”ಹಮ್ ಪ್ರಪಂಚ ಪ್ರಬುದ್ಧ ಪ್ರಪಂಚಮಯ ಕರುಂಗೆ. ” (ನಾವು ಇಡೀ ಜಗತ್ತನ್ನು ಪ್ರಬುದ್ಧರನ್ನಾಗಿ ಮಾಡುತ್ತೇವೆ ಪ್ರಪಂಚ
ಈ ಮೂಲಕ ನಡೆಯುತ್ತದೆ ಉಚಿತ ಆನ್ಲೈನ್ ಪ್ರಬುದ್ಧ ಬುದ್ಧಿಜೀವಿಗಳ ಸಮಾವೇಶವು ಒಬ್ಬರ ಸ್ವಂತ ಮಾತುಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಎಲ್ಲಾ ಸಮಾಜಗಳಿಗೆ ಕಲ್ಯಾಣ, ಸಂತೋಷ ಮತ್ತು ಶಾಂತಿಗಾಗಿ ಮತ್ತು ಅವರಿಗೆ ಮಹಾ+ಸತಿಪಾನದ ಮೂಲಕ ಹಾಜರಾಗುವ ಮೂಲಕ ಶಾಶ್ವತ ಆನಂದವನ್ನು ಪಡೆಯಲು ಕೃಷ್ಣ ವಿಭಾಗದ ಅವಲೋಕನದಿಂದ ಜಾಗೃತಿ ಕುರಿತು ānāpāna, ಭಂಗಿಗಳು, sampajañña, ವಿಕರ್ಷಣೆ, ಅಂಶಗಳು, ಒಂಬತ್ತು ಚಾರ್ನಲ್ ವೇದನಾ ಮತ್ತು ಸಿಟ್ಟಾದ ಆಧಾರಗಳು
ನಂತರ
ಧರ್ಮಗಳು, ಜನಾಂಗಗಳು, ಜಾತಿಗಳು ಮತ್ತು ಅಸಮಾನತೆಗಳು ಇರುವುದಿಲ್ಲ!
https://abworldnews.com/the-silent-film-on-buddhas-life/ The silent film on Buddha’s life An adaptation of Edwin Arnold’s The Light of Asia, it released to international acclaim almost a century ago
Music: Hansheinrich Dransmann Himanshu Rai as Gautama and Seeta Devi as Gopa in The Light of Asia
The Light of Asia (Prem Sanyas in Hindi) is a memorable retelling of the life of Gautama Buddha, which continues to be a favourite subject of filmmakers. Firoze Rangoonwalla in A Pictorial History of Indian Cinema reviews it as “a courageous co-production with Germany that took Indian cinema into the world arena, even if only for a short while.” Its release in Germany was celebrated as a major critical achievement in Indian cinema, while in London it ran for 10 months and a special screening was organised for King George V and his family at the Windsor Castle on April 27, 1926.
Made as an Indo-German collaboration between Munich-born director Franz Osten and Indian filmmaker-actor Himanshu Rai, Prem Sanyas blends well the subtle acting sensibilities of European cinema with the rasa-evoking traditions of Indian drama. Rai was the founder of Bombay Talkies, which went on to make over 100 films including critical successes like Siraj (1926), Prapancha Pash (1928), Karma (1933) and Achut Kanya (1936). Movie lore remembers the studio for discovering some of the legends of Indian cinema like Devika Rani, Ashok Kumar, Dilip Kumar, Madhubala and Raj Kapoor. Devika Rani, who was Rai’s wife at the time of the making of Prem Sanyas, incidentally did the film’s set decoration.
آخرین دستورالعمل در کلمات خود بودا نقل قول در Sutta Piṭa-Digha Nikāya Mahāparinibbāna Sutta
DN 16 - (D II 137)
mahāparinibbāna sutta
{گزیده ها}
آخرین دستورالعمل توسط بودا در Mahā-Parinibbāna
این
SUTTA دستورالعمل های مختلفی را جمع آوری کرد. بودا پس از گذر از پیروان
به دنبال پیروان خود، که باعث می شود مجموعه ای از دستورالعمل های بسیار
مهم برای ما باشد.
من
گفتمان را در مورد Dhamma که به نام Dhammādāsa نامیده می شود، از جمله
Ariyasavaka، اگر او چنین خواسته، می تواند خود را اعلام کند: “برای من،
هیچ Niraya بیشتر وجود دارد، بیشتر tiracchāna-yoni، نه بیشتر pettivisaya،
هیچ Pettivisaya بیشتر نیست وضعیت بیشتر ناراحتی، بدبختی، بدبختی، من یک
سوتاپانا هستم، طبیعت آزاد از ایالت های بدبختی، مشخص اینکه به سامبودی
هدایت می شود.
و آنچه، ananda، است
گفتمان
دمالا که به نام Dhammādāsa نامیده می شود، دارای Ariyasavaka است، اگر او
چنین خواسته، می تواند خود را اعلام کند: “برای من، هیچ Niraya بیشتر وجود
دارد، بیشتر tiracchāna-yoni، نه بیشتر pettivisaya، هیچ دولتی بیشتر از
ناامیدی، بدبختی، بدبختی، I. من یک سوتاپانا هستم، طبیعت آزاد از حالت های
بدبختی، مشخص اینکه به سامبودی هدایت می شود؟
در اینجا، ananda، ariyasavaka با Buddhe Aveccappasāda تأمین می شود:
او با Damame Aveccappasāda تأمین می شود:
او با Saṅghe Aveccappasāda تأمین می شود:
او با یک سیلا است که برای آریاس مناسب است،
این،
ananda، گفتمان در Dhamma است که Dhammādāsa نامیده می شود، که از آن
ariyasāvaka، اگر او خواسته است، می تواند خود را اعلام کند: “برای من، هیچ
Niraya بیشتر وجود دارد، نه بیشتر tiracchāna-yoni، هیچ pettivisaya بیشتر
نیست ، هیچ دولتی ناراحتی، بدبختی، بدبختی، من یک سوتاپانا هستم، طبیعت
آزاد از ایالت های بدبختی، مشخص اینکه به سامبودی رفتم.
ساتو باید باقی بمانید، Bhikkhus و Sampajānos. این تورنت ما به شما است.
و چگونه، Bhikkhus، Bhikkhu Sato است؟ در اینجا، Bhikkhus، Bhikkhu
بنابراین، Bhikkhus، Bhikkhu Sato است. و چگونه Bhikkhus، Bhikkhu Sampajāno است؟ در اینجا، Bhikkhus،
بنابراین، Bhikkhus، Bhikkhu Sampajāno است. ساتو باید باقی بمانید، Bhikkhus و Sampajānos. این تورنت ما به شما است.
- آناندا، سالا دوقلو
درختان
در شکوفه کامل هستند، هرچند فصل گلدهی نیست. و شکوفه ها بر روی بدن
تاتاگاتا باران می کشند و قطره و پراکنده می شوند و در پرستش TathaGata به
آن توجه می شوند. و گل های مرجانی آسمانی و پودر ساندویچ آسمانی آسمانی از
آسمان باران بر بدن TathaGata، و قطره و پراکنده و بر روی آن در پرستش
TathaGata پر شده است. و صدای صداهای آسمانی و ابزارهای آسمانی موسیقی را
در هوا بیرون می کشد تا از احترام به TathaGata.
این،
این، ananda نیست، که تاتاگاتا احترام می گذارد، احترام، احترام، احترام و
احترام قرار می گیرد. اما، آناندا، هر Bhikkhu یا Bhikkhuni، Legman یا
Bhikkhuni، باقی مانده dhamm’nudhamma’p'ṭipanna، sāmīci’p'paitipanna،
زندگی
مطابق با Dhamma، که یکی از احترام، احترام، اتم ها، احترام می گذارد، و
تاتاگاتا را با احترام عالی به دست می آورد. بنابراین، آناندا، شما باید
خودتان را آموزش دهید: “ما همچنان Dhamm’nudhamma’p'tipanna،
Samyci’p'paṭipanna باقی خواهیم ماند، با توجه به Dhamma زندگی می کنیم.
بغووان بودا می گوید
“برادران
من، این دو افراطی وجود دارد که فرد در مسیر باید اجتناب شود. کدام دوتا؟
یکی این است که خود را به لذت های احساسی تبدیل کنید. و دیگری این است که
ریاضتتی را انجام دهیم که بدن نیازهای خود را محروم می کند. هر دو این
افراط به شکست منجر می شود.
“مسیری
که من کشف کرده ام، راه میانه است که از هر دو افراط جلوگیری می کند و
توانایی هدایت یکی را به درک، آزادی و صلح هدایت می کند. این مسیر هشت
برابر شریف از درک درست، تفکر درست، سخنرانی راست، عمل درست، معیشت مناسب،
تلاش راست، ذهنیت راست و تمرکز درست است. من این مسیر هشت برابر شریف را
دنبال کرده ام و درک، آزادی و صلح را درک کرده ام.
اولین
وجود درد و رنج است. تولد، سن، بیماری، و مرگ و میر رنج می برند. غم و
اندوه، خشم، حسادت، نگرانی، اضطراب، ترس و ناامیدی رنج می برند. جدایی از
عزیزان رنج می برد. ارتباط با کسانی که دوست ندارند رنج می برند. میل،
دلبستگی و چسبیدن به پنج عدد، رنج می برند.
“برادران، حقیقت دوم علت درد و رنج را نشان می دهد. به دلیل جهل، مردم
نمی توانند حقیقت را در مورد زندگی ببینند، و آنها در شعله های تمایل، خشم،
حسادت، غم و اندوه، نگرانی، ترس و ناامیدی گرفتار می شوند.
“برادران، حقیقت سوم، پایان دادن به رنج است.
درک حقیقت زندگی، پایان دادن به هر غم و اندوه و غم و اندوه را به ارمغان می آورد و موجب صلح و شادی می شود.
“برادران، حقیقت چهارم مسیری است که منجر به پایان دادن به رنج می شود.
این مسیر هشت برابر نجیب است که من فقط توضیح داده ام. مسیر نجیب زاده با
ذهنیت زندگی تغذیه می شود. ذهنیت منجر به تمرکز و درک می شود، با شما را از
هر درد و غم و اندوه آزاد می کند و منجر به صلح و شادی می شود. من شما را
در مسیر این راه تحقق هدایت خواهم کرد.
“چشم انداز، بینش، بینش، کشف شد، تشخیص، دانش بوجود آمد، نور به وجود آمد، روشنایی در میان من بوجود آمد.
“حقیقت
نجیب از توقف استرس: محو شدن کامل و پایان، انکار، رها کردن، آزادی، و رها
کردن آن بسیار اشتیاق. این حقیقت نجیب از توقف استرس تحقق یافته است. این
حقیقت نجیب از راه عمل است که منجر به توقف استرس می شود.
“به
محض این که دانش و بینایی من در مورد این چهار حق نجیب به عنوان آنها به
عنوان آنها آمده است - واقعا خالص بود، پس من ادعا کردم که به طور مستقیم
بیدار به خود بیداری غیر قابل تحمل در کیهان با تمام راهنماهای ناشناخته
خود را، اندیشه، برهمان، حق امتیاز و رایج آن. دانش و دیدگاه در من بوجود
آمد: “غیر قابل انعطاف آزادی من است. این آخرین تولد من است در حال حاضر
هیچ وجود تازه ای وجود ندارد. “
در
حالی که Siddhartha چهار حقیقت نجیب را توضیح داد، یکی از راهبان،
Kondanna به طور ناگهانی در ذهن خود بسیار درخشان بود. او می تواند آزادی
را که برای مدت طولانی به دنبال آن بود، طعم داشته باشد. چهره اش با شادی
پر شده است. بودا به او اشاره کرد و گریه کرد، “کاننا! گرفتیش! گرفتیش!”
Kondanna
به کف دست خود پیوست و قبل از سیداارتا غرق شد. با عمیق ترین احترام، او
گفت: “Gautama محترم، لطفا من را به عنوان شاگرد خود بپذیرید. من می دانم
که تحت راهنمایی شما، من بیداری بزرگ را به دست خواهم آورد. “
چهار
راه دیگر نیز در پاهای سیذارتا غرق شدند، به کف دست خود پیوستند و خواسته
بودند که به عنوان شاگردان دریافت شوند. سیداارتا گفت: “برادران! کودکان
روستا نام “بودا” را به من داده اند. اگر دوست دارید، شما نیز ممکن است به
من تلفن بزنید. “
Kondanna پرسید: “آیا” بودا “به معنای” کسی که بیدار است “؟”
“این درست است و آنها مسیری را که من” راه بیداری را کشف کرده اند، می نامند. شما از این نام فکر می کنید؟ “
“کسی
که بیدار است”! ‘راه بیداری’! شگفت انگیز! شگفت انگیز! این نام ها درست
است، اما ساده است. ما خوشبختانه شما را بودا می نامیم و مسیری را که راه
بیداری را کشف کرده اید. همانطور که قبلا گفتید، هر روز زندگی می کند، به
طرز محسوسی، بسیار مبتنی بر عمل معنوی است. ” پنج راهبان از یک ذهن بودند
که گوتاما را به عنوان معلم خود پذیرفتند و به او بودا را صدا بزنند.
بودا به آنها لبخند زد. ” لطفا برادران، تمرین با روح باز و هوشمند، و در سه ماهه شما به دست آوردن میوه آزادی. “
معنای کارما بر اساس آموزه های شرقی ادیان هندو و بودا
کلمات خود بودا در مورد حضور در مورد آگاهی نقل می شود
mahā + satipaṭhāna
ادیان، نژادها، ریخته گری، نابرابری،
وجود داشت
وجود دارد
و
ادامه خواهد یافت
دکتر B.R.B.Bedkar رعد و برق “اصلی Bharat Baudhmay Karunga”. (من این کشور را بودایی می کنم)
همه
جوامع بی نظیر بومی، رعد و برق را به طرز وحشیانه “Hum Prapanch Prabuddha
Prapanchmay Karunge”. (ما کل جهان Prabuddha Prapanch را ایجاد خواهیم
کرد
این اتفاق خواهد افتاد
رایگان
آنلاین کنوانسیون روشنفکران Prabuddha آنلاین در کلمات خود را بیدار کلمات
خود را برای رفاه، شادی و صلح برای همه جوامع و برای آنها برای رسیدن به
سعادت ابدی به عنوان هدف نهایی از طریق Mahah + Satipathathāna-. انطباق،
عناصر، نه زمین Charnel، از Vedanā و Citta
سپس
ادیان، نژادها، ریخته گری و نابرابری
وجود ندارد!
نوک تیز
DN 22 - (D II 290)
mahāsatipaṭṭṭāna sutta
حضور در مورد آگاهی توسط بودا
mahā + satipaṭhāna
این SUTTA به طور گسترده ای به عنوان یک مرجع اصلی برای تمرین مدیتیشن مورد توجه قرار گرفته است.
معرفی
I. مشاهده کاوی
A. بخش در ānāpāna
B. بخش در موقعیت های
C. بخش در Sampajañña
D. بخش در مورد تنفس
E. بخش در عناصر
F. بخش در نه زمین Charnel
دوم مشاهده ودان
معرفی
بنابراین من شنیدم:
در یک مورد، بغگا در میان کوروش در کاماساداما، یک شهر بازار کوروس بود. در آنجا، او به Bhikkhus اشاره کرد:
- Bhikkhus
- Bhaddante به Bhikkhus پاسخ داد. بغووا گفت:
- این،
Bhikkhus، مسیری است که منجر به چیزی جز تمیز کردن
موجودات،
غلبه بر غم و اندوه و غم و اندوه، ناپدید شدن Dukkha-Domanassa، دستیابی
به راه درست، تحقق نبیانا، این است که چهار ساتپططا را بگوید.
کدام چهار؟
در اینجا، Bhikkhus، Bhikkhu ساکنان مشاهده Kāya در Kāya، atāpī
Sampajāno، Satimā، با از دست دادن ابویژجلا دانکنا به سمت جهان.
او
در حال مشاهده ودانا در ونادا، اتازپیه سامپاجانو، ساتیما، با توجه به
ابحیججلا دونناسا به سمت جهان، از دست داده است. او در حال دیدن Citta در
Citta، atāpī Sampajāno، Satimā، با توجه به Abhijjhā-Domanassa به سمت
جهان است. او مشاهده می کند که Dhamma · s در Dhamma S، atāpī sampajāno،
satimā، از دست دادن ابحیججلا دانمانسا به سمت جهان است.
I. Kāyānupassanā
A. بخش در ānāpāna
و
چگونه،
Bhikkhus، آیا Bhikkhu ساکن را مشاهده می کند Kāya در Kāya؟ در اینجا،
Bhikkhus، Bhikkhu، رفتن به جنگل و یا رفتن به ریشه یک درخت و یا رفتن به
یک اتاق خالی، نشسته به پایین تاشو پاها متقابل، تنظیم Kāya راست، و تنظیم
sati parimukhaṃ. به این ترتیب Sato او را نفس می کشد، بنابراین Sato او
نفس می کشد. تنفس در مدت طولانی متوجه می شود: “من در طول زمان نفس می کشم؛
تنفس طولانی او را درک می کند: “من تا به حال نفس کشیدن؛ تنفس کوتاه او را
درک می کند: “من کوتاه تنفس ‘؛ او کوتاه می شود او را درک می کند: “من
کوتاه می کنم”؛ او خود را آموزش می دهد: “احساس کیا، من نفس بکشم ‘؛ او خود
را آموزش می دهد: “احساس کل کیا، من نفس بکشم ‘؛ او خود را آموزش می دهد:
“آرام کردن کیا-سعارها، من نفس بکشم؛ او خود را تربیت می کند: “آرام کردن
کیا-سعارها، من نفس بکشم.
فقط
به
عنوان، Bhikkhus، یک ترنر ماهر یا یک شاگرد ترنر، تبدیل به نوبه خود
طولانی، درک می کند: “من به نوبه خود طولانی”؛ او را به نوبه خود کوتاه می
کند، او می فهمد: “من یک نوبت کوتاه دارم ‘؛ به همان شیوه، Bhikkhus،
Bhikkhu، تنفس طولانی، درک می کند: “من در طول نفس نفس می کشم؛ تنفس طولانی
او درک می کند:” من تنفس طولانی است ‘؛ تنفس کوتاه او را درک می کند: “من
کوتاه تنفس ‘؛ او کوتاه می شود او را درک می کند: “من کوتاه می کنم”؛ او
خود را آموزش می دهد: “احساس کل کیا، من نفس می کشم ‘؛ او خود را آموزش می
دهد: “احساس کل کیا، من نفس بکشم ‘؛ او خود را آموزش می دهد: “آرام کردن
کیا-سعارها، من نفس بکشم؛ او خود را تربیت می کند: “آرام کردن کیا-سعارها،
من نفس بکشم.
به این ترتیب او در حال مشاهده کاوی در کیا در داخل است
یا
او در حال مشاهده کاوی در کائیا خارجی است، یا او را در حال مشاهده کیا در
کیا در داخل و خارج از آن؛ او ساکنان پدیده پدیده های پدیده را در کیا می
زند، یا او ساکنان عبور از پدیده ها را در کیا می زند، یا او ساکنان
سامودایا و عبور از پدیده ها را در کیا می زند؛ یا دیگر، [تحقق:] “این Kāya
است!” SATI در او حضور دارد، فقط به میزان یعنی یعنی و صرفا Paṭissati، او
ساکن نیست، و به هیچ چیز در جهان چسبیده است. بنابراین، Bhikkhus، یک
Bhikkhu ساکنان را مشاهده می کند Kāya در Kāya.
B. Iiyamatora Pabba
علاوه بر این،
Bhikkhus، Bhikkhu، در حالی که راه رفتن، درک می کند: “من راه رفتن”، و یا
در حالی که ایستاده او می داند: “من ایستاده ام”، و یا در حالی که نشسته او
درک
می کند: “من نشسته ام”، و یا در حالی که دروغ گفتن او را درک می کند: “من
دروغ می گویم”. یا دیگر، در هر موقعیتی که کیا او را دفع می کند، آن را درک
می کند.
C. بخش در Sampajañña
علاوه بر این،
bhikkhus،
یک bhikkhu، در حالی که نزدیک و در حالی که خروج، عمل می کند با
sampajañña، در حالی که با نگاه به آینده و در حالی که نگاه می کنم، او با
sampajañña عمل می کند، در حالی که خم و در حالی که کشش، او با sampajañña
عمل می کند، در حالی که با پوشیدن لباس و لباس بلند و گشاد بالا و در حالی
که حمل کاسه، او با sampajañña عمل می کند، در حالی که غذا خوردن، در حالی
که نوشیدن، در حالی که جویدن، در حالی که مزه، او با sampajañña عمل می
کند، در حالی که حضور به کسب و کار مدفوع و ادرار، او با sampajañña عمل می
کند، در حالی که راه رفتن، در حالی که ایستاده، در حالی که نشسته، در حالی
که خواب، در حالی که بیدار می شوید، در حالی که صحبت کردن و در حالی که
سکوت، او با sampajañña عمل می کند.
بنابراین او در حال دیدن کاوی در Kāya در داخل و یا او
ساکنان
را مشاهده می کنند Kaya در Kaya خارجی، و یا او ساکنان Kāya در Kāya در
داخل و خارج از آن؛ او ساکنان پدیده پدیده های پدیده را در کیا می زند، یا
او ساکنان عبور از پدیده ها را در کیا می زند، یا او ساکنان سامودایا و
عبور از پدیده ها را در کیا می زند؛ یا دیگر، [تحقق:] “این Kāya است!” SATI
در او حضور دارد، فقط به میزان یعنی یعنی و صرفا Paṭissati، او ساکن نیست،
و به هیچ چیز در جهان چسبیده است. بنابراین، Bhikkhus، یک Bhikkhu ساکنان
را مشاهده می کند Kāya در Kāya.
بخش D در دافعه
علاوه بر این،
bhikkhus، یک bhikkhu این بدن بسیار می داند، از کف
فوت
و از مو در پایین سر، است که توسط پوست و پر از انواع مختلف ناخالصی آن حد
و مرز مشخصی: “در این کایا هستند، موهای سر، موهای بدن، ناخن، دندان،
پوست، گوشت وجود دارد ،
فقط
به عنوان اگر، bhikkhus بود، یک کیسه داشتن دو دهانه و وجود پر با انواع
مختلف غلات مانند تپه برنج، برنج، لوبیا ماش، نخود فرنگی گاو، دانه کنجد و
برنج husked. مردی با بینایی خوب، داشتن unfastened آن، در نظر [محتویات
آن]: “این است که تپه برنج، این برنج، هستند کسانی که ماش، آن گاو نخود
فرنگی هستند، کسانی که دانه کنجد می باشد و این است برنج husked است.” در
راه همان، bhikkhus، یک bhikkhu نظر این بدن بسیار، از کف پا و از مو در
پایین سر،
است که توسط پوست آن حد و مرز مشخصی و پر از انواع مختلف ناخالصی:
“در این کایا، هستند موهای سر وجود دارد، موهای بدن،
بنابراین او در حال دیدن کاوی در Kāya در داخل و یا او
ساکنان
را مشاهده می کنند Kaya در Kaya خارجی، و یا او ساکنان Kāya در Kāya در
داخل و خارج از آن؛ او ساکنان پدیده پدیده های پدیده را در کیا می زند، یا
او ساکنان عبور از پدیده ها را در کیا می زند، یا او ساکنان سامودایا و
عبور از پدیده ها را در کیا می زند؛ یا دیگر، [تحقق:] “این Kāya است!” ساتی
است presentin او، فقط به میزان نانا صرف و paṭissati صرف، او ساکن جدا
شده، و به هر چیزی در جهان چسبیده نیست. بنابراین، Bhikkhus، یک Bhikkhu
ساکنان را مشاهده می کند Kāya در Kāya.
E. بخش در عناصر
علاوه بر این،
bhikkhus، یک bhikkhu، دربارة این کایا بسیار، با این حال آن قرار داده شده است،
با این حال آن دفع است: “در این کایا، است عنصر خاکی وجود دارد،
عنصر آب، عنصر آتش و عنصر هوا. “
فقط
به عنوان، bhikkhus، قصاب ماهر یا شاگرد قصاب، پس از کشته شدن گاو، می در
چهار راه برش آن را به قطعات نشستن؛ در همان راه، bhikkhus، یک bhikkhu
نشان دهنده onthis بسیار کایا، با این حال آن قرار داده شده است، با این
حال آن دفع است: “در thiskāya، است که عنصر خاکی، عنصر آب، عنصر آتش و عنصر
هوا وجود دارد.”
بنابراین او ساکن رعایت کایا در کایا داخلی، و یا او ساکن رعایت کایا در کایا خارجی، و یا او ساکن
مشاهده
کایا در کایا داخلی و خارجی، او ساکنان پدیده پدیده های پدیده را در کیا
می زند، یا او ساکنان عبور از پدیده ها را در کیا می زند، یا او ساکنان
سامودایا و عبور از پدیده ها را در کیا می زند؛ یا دیگر، [تحقق:] “این Kāya
است!” ساتی در او است، فقط به اندازه نانا صرف و paṭissati صرف، او ساکن
جدا شده، و به هر چیزی در world.Thus او ساکن رعایت چسبیده نیست کایا در
کایا؛
(1)
علاوه بر این،
Bhikkhus،
Bhikkhu، درست مثل اینکه او یک بدن مرده را می بیند، در یک زمین چارل، یک
روز مرده، یا دو روز مرده یا سه روز مرده، متورم، بلوی و فریبنده، او را
بسیار Kaya را در نظر می گیرد: “این کاجو همچنین چنین طبیعت است، این امر
مانند این است، و از چنین شرایطی آزاد نیست. “
به
این ترتیب او در حال مشاهده کاقیا در کیا در داخل است، یا او را در حال
مشاهده کائیا در کائیا خارجی است، یا او را در حال مشاهده کاوی در کیا در
داخل و خارج از آن؛ او ساکنان پدیده پدیده های پدیده را در کیا می زند، یا
او ساکنان عبور از پدیده ها را در کیا می زند، یا او ساکنان سامودایا و
عبور از پدیده ها را در کیا می زند؛ یا دیگر، [تحقق:] “این Kāya است!” SATI
در او حضور دارد، فقط به میزان یعنی یعنی و صرفا Paṭissati، او ساکن نیست،
و به هیچ چیز در جهان چسبیده است. بنابراین، Bhikkhus، یک Bhikkhu ساکنان
را مشاهده می کند Kāya در Kāya.
(2)
علاوه بر این،
Bhikkhus،
Bhikkhu، درست مثل اینکه او یک بدن مرده را می بیند، در یک زمین چارل دور
می شود، که توسط کلاغ ها خورده می شود، خورده شده توسط Hawks، خورده شده
توسط vultures، خورده شده توسط هرنس، خورده شده توسط سگ ها، خورده شده توسط
سگ، خورده شده توسط سگ ها ببرها، که توسط Panthers خورده می شوند، با
انواع مختلف موجود می خورند، او این را بسیار خوراکی می داند: “این کیا نیز
چنین طبیعت است، آن را به این موضوع تبدیل شده است، و از چنین شرایطی آزاد
نیست.”
به این ترتیب او
در حال مشاهده کاقیا در کیا در داخل است، یا او را در حال مشاهده کائیا در
کائیا خارجی است، یا او را در حال مشاهده کاوی در کیا در داخل و خارج از
آن؛ او ساکنان پدیده پدیده های پدیده را در کیا می زند، یا او ساکنان عبور
از پدیده ها را در کیا می زند، یا او ساکنان سامودایا و
عبور
از پدیده ها در کیا؛ یا دیگر، [تحقق:] “این Kāya است!” SATI در او حضور
دارد، فقط به میزان یعنی یعنی و صرفا Paṭissati، او ساکن نیست، و به هیچ
چیز در جهان چسبیده است. بنابراین، Bhikkhus، یک Bhikkhu ساکنان را مشاهده
می کند Kāya در Kāya.
(3)
علاوه
بر این، Bhikkhus، Bhikkhu، درست مثل اینکه او یک بدن مرده را می بیند، در
زمین چارل، یک اسکلت با گوشت و خون، که توسط تاندون ها برگزار می شود، دور
می شود، او این را بسیار کانه می داند: “این کایا نیز چنین است طبیعت، این
اتفاق می افتد مانند این، و از چنین شرایطی آزاد نیست. “
بنابراین او در حال دیدن کاوی در Kāya در داخل و یا او
ساکنان
را مشاهده می کنند Kaya در Kaya خارجی، و یا او ساکنان Kāya در Kāya در
داخل و خارج از آن؛ او ساکنان پدیده پدیده های پدیده را در کیا می زند، یا
او ساکنان عبور از پدیده ها را در کیا می زند، یا او ساکنان سامودایا و
عبور از پدیده ها را در کیا می زند؛ یا دیگر، [تحقق:] “این Kāya است!” SATI
در او حضور دارد، فقط به میزان یعنی یعنی و صرفا Paṭissati، او ساکن نیست،
و به هیچ چیز در جهان چسبیده است. بنابراین، Bhikkhus، یک Bhikkhu ساکنان
را مشاهده می کند Kāya در Kāya.
(4)
علاوه بر این،
Bhikkhus،
Bhikkhu، درست همانطور که او یک بدن مرده را می بیند، دور از یک زمین
چارل، یک اسکایپت بدون گوشت و ریزش با خون، با هم توسط تاندون ها برگزار می
شود، او این را بسیار Kaya را در نظر می گیرد: “این Kāya نیز از چنین است
طبیعت، این اتفاق می افتد مانند این، و از چنین شرایطی آزاد نیست. “
به
این ترتیب او در حال مشاهده کاقیا در کیا در داخل است، یا او را در حال
مشاهده کائیا در کائیا خارجی است، یا او را در حال مشاهده کاوی در کیا در
داخل و خارج از آن؛ او ساکنان پدیده پدیده های پدیده را در کیا می زند، یا
او ساکنان عبور از پدیده ها را در کیا می زند، یا او ساکنان سامودایا و
عبور از پدیده ها را در کیا می زند؛ یا دیگر، [تحقق:] “این Kāya است!” SATI
در او حضور دارد، فقط به میزان یعنی یعنی و صرفا Paṭissati، او ساکن نیست،
و به هیچ چیز در جهان چسبیده است. بنابراین، Bhikkhus، یک Bhikkhu ساکنان
را مشاهده می کند Kāya در Kāya.
(5)
علاوه
بر این، Bhikkhus، Bhikkhu، درست همانطور که او را دیدم بدن مرده، دور از
یک زمین چارل، یک اسکایپت بدون گوشت و نه خون، با هم توسط تاندون ها برگزار
می شود، او را بسیار Kaya را در نظر می گیرد: “این Kāya نیز از چنین است
طبیعت، این اتفاق می افتد مانند این، و از چنین شرایطی آزاد نیست. “
بنابراین او در حال دیدن کاوی در Kāya در داخل و یا او
ساکنان
را مشاهده می کنند Kaya در Kaya خارجی، و یا او ساکنان Kāya در Kāya در
داخل و خارج از آن؛ او ساکنان پدیده پدیده های پدیده را در کیا می زند، یا
او ساکنان عبور از پدیده ها را در کیا می زند، یا او ساکنان سامودایا و
عبور از پدیده ها را در کیا می زند؛ یا دیگر، [تحقق:] “این Kāya است!” SATI
در او حضور دارد، فقط به میزان یعنی یعنی و صرفا Paṭissati، او ساکن نیست،
و به هیچ چیز در جهان چسبیده است. بنابراین، Bhikkhus، یک Bhikkhu ساکنان
را مشاهده می کند Kāya در Kāya.
(6)
علاوه
بر این، Bhikkhus، Bhikkhu، درست همانطور که او یک بدن مرده را می بیند،
در زمین چارل دور می شود، استخوان های قطع شده در اینجا پراکنده شده است و
در اینجا یک استخوان دست، استخوان پا، در اینجا استخوان مچ پا وجود دارد،
استخوان شین وجود دارد در اینجا یک استخوان ران، استخوان لگن وجود دارد، در
اینجا یک رب رسیده، استخوان پشتی وجود دارد، در اینجا یک استخوان ستون
فقرات وجود دارد، استخوان گردن، در اینجا استخوان فک، استخوان دندان وجود
دارد، یا جمجمه، او این را بسیار کیه می داند : “این کایا نیز چنین طبیعت
است، این امر به این موضوع تبدیل شده است و از چنین شرایطی آزاد نیست.”
به
این ترتیب او در حال مشاهده کاقیا در کیا در داخل است، یا او را در حال
مشاهده کائیا در کائیا خارجی است، یا او را در حال مشاهده کاوی در کیا در
داخل و خارج از آن؛ او ساکنان پدیده پدیده های پدیده را در کیا می زند، یا
او ساکنان عبور از پدیده ها را در کیا می زند، یا او ساکنان سامودایا و
عبور از پدیده ها را در کیا می زند؛ یا دیگر، [تحقق:] “این Kāya است!” SATI
در او حضور دارد، فقط به میزان یعنی یعنی و صرفا Paṭissati، او ساکن نیست،
و به هیچ چیز در جهان چسبیده است. بنابراین، Bhikkhus، یک Bhikkhu ساکنان
را مشاهده می کند Kāya در Kāya.
(7)
علاوه بر این، Bhikkhus، Bhikkhu، درست مثل اگر او بود
دیدن
یک بدن مرده، در یک زمین چارل دور می شود، استخوان ها مانند یک دریاچه
سفید می شوند، او این را بسیار کانه می داند: “این کایا نیز چنین طبیعت
است، آن را به این موضوع تبدیل شده است، و از چنین رایگان آزاد نیست
وضعیت.”
(
علاوه بر این، Bhikkhus، Bhikkhu، درست مثل اگر او بود
دیدن
یک بدن مرده، دور افتاده در یک زمین چارل، استخوان ها را بیش از یک سال
پیش می برد، او این را بسیار Kaya را در نظر می گیرد: “این کیا نیز از چنین
طبیعت است، آن را به این موضوع تبدیل شده است، و از چنین رایگان نیست یک
شرط. “
به این ترتیب او
در حال مشاهده کاقیا در کیا در داخل است، یا او را در حال مشاهده کائیا در
کائیا خارجی است، یا او را در حال مشاهده کاوی در کیا در داخل و خارج از
آن؛ او ساکنان پدیده پدیده های پدیده را در کیا می زند، یا او ساکنان عبور
از پدیده ها را در کیا می زند، یا او ساکنان سامودایا و عبور از پدیده ها
را در کیا می زند؛ یا دیگر، [تحقق:] “این Kāya است!” SATI در او حضور دارد،
فقط به میزان یعنی یعنی و صرفا Paṭissati، او ساکن نیست، و به هیچ چیز در
جهان چسبیده است. بنابراین، Bhikkhus، یک Bhikkhu ساکنان را مشاهده می کند
Kāya در Kāya.
(9)
علاوه بر این، Bhikkhus، Bhikkhu، درست مثل اگر او بود
دیدن
یک بدن مرده، دور افتاده در زمین چارل، استخوان های فاسد به پودر کاهش
یافته است، او این را بسیار Kaya را در نظر می گیرد: “این کیا نیز از چنین
طبیعت است، آن را به این موضوع تبدیل شده است، و از چنین شرایطی آزاد نیست .
“
به این ترتیب او در
حال مشاهده کاقیا در کیا در داخل است، یا او را در حال مشاهده کائیا در
کائیا خارجی است، یا او را در حال مشاهده کاوی در کیا در داخل و خارج از
آن؛ او ساکنان پدیده پدیده های پدیده را در کیا می زند، یا او ساکنان عبور
از پدیده ها را در کیا می زند، یا او ساکنان سامودایا و عبور از پدیده ها
را در کیا می زند؛ یا دیگر، [تحقق:] “این Kāya است!” SATI در او حضور دارد،
فقط به میزان یعنی یعنی و صرفا Paṭissati، او ساکن نیست، و به هیچ چیز در
جهان چسبیده است. بنابراین، Bhikkhus، یک Bhikkhu ساکنان را مشاهده می کند
Kāya در Kāya.
دوم مشاهده ودان
علاوه بر این، Bhikkhus، چگونه Bhikkhu ساکنان رعایت ودان را در ونادا مشاهده می کند؟
بنابراین او رعایت ودان را در ونادا در نظر می گیرد،
یا او در حال مشاهده ودان در ودانان خارجی است، یا او ساکن است
رعایت ویادان در ونادا داخلی و خارجی؛ او ساکن است
رعایت
پدیده های پدیده ای از پدیده ها در ونادا، یا ساکنان رعایت پدیده ها را در
ونادا مشاهده می کنند، یا او ساکنان سامودایا و عبور از پدیده ها را در
وردان می زند؛ یا دیگر، [درک:] “این ونادا است!” SATI در او حضور دارد، فقط
به میزان یعنی یعنی و صرفا Paṭissati، او ساکن نیست، و به هیچ چیز در جهان
چسبیده است. بنابراین، Bhikkhus، یک Bhikkhu ساکنان رعایت Vedanā در
Vedanā.
III. Observation of Citta
And furthermore, bhikkhus, how does a bhikkhu dwell observing citta in citta?
Here, bhikkhus, a bhikkhu understands citta with rāga as “citta with
rāga“, or he understands citta without rāga as “citta without rāga“, or
he understands citta with dosa as “citta with dosa“, or he understands
citta without dosa as “citta without dosa“, or he understands citta with
moha as “citta with moha“, or he understands citta without moha as
“citta without moha“, or he understands a collected citta as “a
collected citta“, or he understands a scattered citta as “a scattered
citta“, or he understands an expanded citta as “an expanded citta“, or
he understands an unexpanded citta as “an unexpanded citta“, or he
understands a surpassable citta as “a surpassable citta“, or he
understands an unsurpassable citta as “an unsurpassable citta“, or he
understands a concentrated citta as “a concentrated citta“, or he
understands an unconcentrated citta as “an unconcentrated citta“, or he
understands a liberated citta as “a liberated citta“, or he understands
an unliberated citta as “an unliberated citta“.
Thus he dwells observing citta in citta internally, or he dwells
observing citta in citta externally, or he dwells observing citta in
citta internally and externally; he dwells observing the samudaya of
phenomena in citta, or he dwells observing the passing away of phenomena
in citta, or he dwells observing the samudaya and passing away of
phenomena in citta; or else, [realizing:] “this is citta!” sati is
present in him, just to the extent of mere ñāṇa and mere paṭissati, he
dwells detached, and does not cling to anything in the world. Thus,
bhikkhus, a bhikkhu dwells observing citta in citta.
1724 / 5000
Translation results
III. د Citta د څارني
او سربیره پر دې، bhikkhus، څنګه کوي د يو bhikkhu واوسيږي کتونکیو Citta په Citta؟
دلته، bhikkhus، یو bhikkhu Citta سره د “سره Raga Citta” Raga پوهیږي، او
یا هغه پرته Raga Citta “Raga پرته Citta” په توګه پوهیږي، او یا هغه
Citta سره dosa په توګه “سره dosa Citta” پوهیږي، او یا هغه پرته په توګه
dosa Citta پوهیږي “dosa پرته Citta”، يا د هغه Citta سره د زارع په توګه
“سره زارع Citta” پوهیږي، او یا هغه پرته د زارع Citta “زارع پرته Citta”
په توګه پوهیږي، او یا هغه د “یو راټول شوی Citta” یو راټول شوی Citta
پوهیږي، او یا هغه پوهیږي يوه تيت د “یو تيت Citta” Citta، او یا هغه یو
پراخ Citta په توګه: “د یو پراخ Citta” پوهیږي، او یا هغه د “یو unexpanded
Citta” یو unexpanded Citta پوهیږي، او یا هغه د “یو surpassable Citta”
یو surpassable Citta پوهیږي، او یا هغه پوهیږي د “یو unsurpassable Citta”
یو unsurpassable Citta، يا د هغه د “یو متمرکز Citta” یو متمرکز Citta
پوهیږي، او یا هغه د “یو unconcentrated Citta” یو unconcentrated Citta
پوهیږي، او یا هغه د “د يو ازاد Citta” یو ازاد Citta پوهیږي، او یا هغه د
“یو unli یو unliberated Citta پوهیږي سرزنش Citta “.
نو هغه خوايوازې داخلي رعایت په Citta Citta، او يا هغه خوايوازې په Citta
بهر Citta په رعایت، او يا هغه خوايوازې په Citta په داخلي او خارجي Citta
رعایت؛ هغه خوايوازې په Citta د پدیدو د samudaya په رعایت، او يا هغه
خوايوازې رعایت په Citta د تيريدو د پدیدو لرې، یا هغه خوايوازې د samudaya
رعایت او په Citta پدیدې تيريدو لرې؛ او یا بل، [د تحقق:] “دا Citta!”
SATI په هغه کې شتون لري، د میریوو او میر پائساتي حد پورې به یوازې په
جلاوطنۍ سره اوسیږي، او په نړۍ کې هیڅ شی ته نه ورغوي. په دې ډول،
bhikkhus، یو bhikkhu خوايوازې کتونکیو Citta په Citta.
Ostatnie instrukcje w własnych słowach Buddy cytaty na Sutcie Piṭaka-Digha Nikāya Mahaparinibāna Sutta
DN 16 - (D II 137)
Sutta Mahaparinibāna
{Expects}
Ostatnie instrukcje Buddy na Mahā-Parinibbāna
Ta
Sutta gromadzi różne instrukcje Budda dał ze względu na zwolenników po
przejechaniu, co sprawia, że jest to bardzo ważny zestaw instrukcji
dla nas w dzisiejszych czasach.
Wyjaśniam
dyskurs na Dhammie, który nazywa się Dhammmy, posiadał, z której
Ariyasāvaka, jeśli tak pragnie, może zadeklarować się: “dla mnie, nie ma
więcej Niraya, nie więcej Tiracchāna-Yoni, nie więcej Pettivisaya, Nie
Większy stan nieszczęścia, nieszczęścia, nieszczęścia, jestem sotāpanna,
z natury wolny od stanów nędzy, pewni bycia przeznaczonym do Sambodhi.
A co, Aānanda, jest
ten
dyskurs na Dhammie, który nazywa się Dhammādata, posiadany, z których
Ariyasāvaka, jeśli tak pragnie, może zadeklarować się: “Dla mnie nie ma
więcej Niraya, nie więcej Tiracchāna-Yoni, nie więcej Pettivisaya, nie
ma więcej stanu Nieszczęście, nieszczęścia, nieszczęścia, I. jestem
sotāpanna, z natury wolny od stanów nędzy, pewni bycia przeznaczonym na
Sambodhi?
Tutaj, Aānanda, Ariyasāvaka jest wyposażony w Buddhe Aveccapasāda:
On jest obdarzony Dhamme Aveccapasāda:
On jest wyposażony w Saṅghe Aveccapasāda:
Jest obdarzony sīla, który jest zgodny z Ariyami,
To,
Aānanda, jest dyskursem na Dhammie, który nazywa się Dhammādāsa,
posiadał, z których Ariyasāvaka, jeśli tak pragnie, może zadeklarować
się: “Dla mnie nie ma więcej Niraya, nie więcej Tiracchāna-Yoni, nie
więcej Pettivisaya , Nie więcej stanu nieszczęścia, nieszczęścia,
nieszczęścia, jestem sotāpanna, z natury wolny od stanów nędzy, pewnych
bycia przeznaczone do Samodhiego.
Sato powinieneś pozostać, Bhikkhus i Sampajānos. To jest nasza instrukcja dla Ciebie.
A jak, Bhikkhus, jest bhikkhu sato? Tutaj, Bhikkhus, bhikkhu
Tak więc Bhikkhus, jest bhikkhu sato. A jak, Bhikkhus, jest bhikkhu sampajāno? Tutaj, Bhikkhus,
Tak więc Bhikkhus, jest bhikkhu sampajāno. Sato powinieneś pozostać, Bhikkhus i Sampajānos. To jest nasza instrukcja dla Ciebie.
- Ananda, Twin Sala
Drzewa
są w pełnym rozkwicie, choć nie jest sezon kwitnienia. I kwiaty deszcz
na ciele tathagaty i spadają i rozpraszają i są posypione na to
uwielbienie Tathagata. I niebiańskie kwiaty koralowe i niebiański
sandałowy proszek z nieba deszcz na ciele tathagaty i upadku i
rozpraszają i są usunięte w kulcie Tathagata. A dźwięk niebiańskich
głosów i niebiańskich instrumentów sprawia, że muzyka w powietrzu z
szacunku dla Tathagata.
To
nie jest przez to, Aānanda, że tahagata jest szanowana, czci,
ceniona, wypłacona hołd i honorowany. Ale Ananda, każdy bhikkhu lub
bhikkhuni, laik lub leżący, pozostały dhamm’ānudhamma’p'paṭipanna,
samīci’p'paṭipanna,
Życie
zgodnie z Dhammą, że jeden szacunek, czszeni, esteems, płaci hołd i
wyróżnia Tathagata z najbardziej doskonałym hołdem. Dlatego też Aānanda,
powinieneś trenować siebie: “Pozostaniemy dhamm’ānudhamma’p'paṭipanna,
samīci’p'paṭipanna, żyjących zgodnie z Dhammą”.
Bhagawan Buddha mówi
“Moi
bracia, istnieją te dwa skrajności, które na ścieżce powinno uniknąć.
Które dwa? Jeden ma zanurzyć się w zmysłowe przyjemności. A drugi ma
praktykować wyrzeczenie, które pozbawiają organizm jego potrzeb. Obie te
skrajności prowadzą do niepowodzenia.
“Ścieżka,
którą odkryłem, jest środkowy sposób, który pozwala uniknąć obu
skrajności i ma zdolność prowadzenia jednego do zrozumienia, wyzwolenia i
pokoju. Jest to szlachetna osiemkła ścieżka prawego zrozumienia, prawa
myślowa, odpowiednia mowa, odpowiednie działania, prawa utrzymanie,
odpowiedni wysiłek, odpowiednia uważność i prawa koncentracja. Podążyłem
za tę szlachetną ośmiokrotną drogą i zrealizowałem zrozumienie,
wyzwolenie i pokój.
Pierwszym
jest istnienie cierpienia. Narodziny, starość, choroba i śmierć
cierpią. Smutek, gniew, zazdrość, zmartwienie, niepokój, strach i
rozpaczy cierpią. Separacja od bliskich cierpi. Stowarzyszenie z tymi,
których nie lubisz, jest cierpienie. Pragnienie, przywiązanie i
przywiązanie do pięciu agregatów cierpi.
“Bracia, druga prawda ujawnia przyczynę cierpienia. Ze względu na
ignorancję, ludzie nie widzą prawdy o życiu i zostali złapani w
płomienie pragnienia, gniewu, zazdrości, żalu, zmartwienia, strachu i
rozpaczy.
“Bracia, trzecia prawda jest zaprzestaniem cierpienia.
Zrozumienie prawdy życia przynosi zaprzestanie każdego żalu i smutku i daje początek pokoju i radości.
“Bracia, czwarta prawda jest ścieżką, która prowadzi do zaprzestania
cierpienia. Jest to szlachetna osiemkła ścieżka, którą właśnie
wyjaśniłem. Szlachetna osiemniejsza ścieżka jest odżywiona przez życie.
Uważność prowadzi do koncentracji i zrozumienia, z wyzwala cię z każdego
bólu i smutku i prowadzi do pokoju i radości. Poprowadzę cię wzdłuż tej
ścieżki realizacji.
“Wizja pojawiła się wgląd wstał, rozeznawanie powstały, pojawiło się
wiedza, oświetlenie powstało w mnie w odniesieniu do rzeczy, których
nigdy wcześniej nie słyszano:” Ta szlachetna prawda stresu została
połączona.
“Szlachetna
prawda o zaprzestaniu stresu: kompletne zanikanie i zaprzestanie,
wyrzeczenie, rezygnacja, zwolnienie i puszczenie tego bardzo pragnienia.
Ta szlachetna prawda o zaprzestaniu stresu została zrealizowana. Jest
to szlachetna prawda sposobu praktyki prowadzącej do zaprzestania
stresu.
“Gdy
tylko moja wiedza i wizja dotycząca tych czterech szlachetnych prawd,
ponieważ przyszli być - był naprawdę czysty, a potem twierdzę, że
bezpośrednio obudził się do właściwego przebudzenia niewydolnego w
kosmosie ze wszystkimi niewidzialnymi przewodnikami, kontemplaciami,
Brahmany, jego Agentfolk. Wiedza i wizja powstały we mnie: “niezachwiany
jest moim wydaniem. To moje ostatnie narodziny. Nie ma teraz odnowionej
istnienia. “
Podczas
gdy Siddhartha wyjaśniała cztery szlachetne prawdy, jednego z mnichów,
Kondanna nagle poczuła wielką świecące w swoim umyśle. Mógł skosztować
wyzwolenia, którego szukał tak długo. Jego twarz belka z radością. Budda
wskazał na niego i płakał: “Konnę! Masz to! Masz to!”
Konna
dołączyła do palmów i skłoniła się przed Siddhartha. Z najgłębszym
szacunkiem, mówił: “Czcigodna Gautama, proszę przyjąć mnie jako swojego
ucznia. Wiem, że pod twoimi wskazówkami, osiągnię wielkie przebudzenie.
Pozostałe
cztery mnichów skłoniły się również na stopach Siddhartha, dołączyli do
swoich dłoni i poprosił o otrzymanie jako uczniów. Siddhartha
powiedziała: “Bracia! Dzieci wioski dały mi nazwę “Budda”. Ty też możesz
nazywać mnie tym imię, jeśli chcesz. “
Zapytała Kondanna: “Nie” Buddha “oznacza” ten, kto budzi “?”
“To jest poprawne i nazywają ścieżką, którą odkryłem” drogę przebudzenia “. Co myślisz o tej nazwie?
“”
Kto jest przebudzony “! “Sposób przebudzenia”! Wspaniały! Wspaniały!
Nazwy te są prawdziwe, ale proste. Z przyjemnością zadzwonisz do ciebie
Buddha, a ścieżka odkryłaście drogę przebudzenia. Jak powiedziałeś, żyć
każdego dnia uważnie jest podstawą duchowej praktyki “. Pięciu mnisi
miał jednego umysłu, aby zaakceptować Gautama jako swojego nauczyciela i
zadzwonić do niego Budda.
Budda
uśmiechnął się do nich. Proszę, bracia, praktyka z otwartym i
inteligentnym duchem, aw ciągu trzech miesięcy osiągniesz owoc
wyzwolenia. “
Bhagwan Buddha & His Dhamma By Dr.B.R Ambedkar
to see things as they really are
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@Dear friends welcome to our channel to see things as they really are
Własne słowa Buddy cytuje się na rzecz świadomości
Mahā + Satipaṭṭhāna.
Religie, rasy, kasty, nierówności,
Byli tam
Są tam
I
Będzie tam być!
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Wszystkie
Aborygenowe przebudzone społeczeństwa grzmotów zabawnie “Hum Prapanch
Prabuddha Prapanchmay Karme”. (Sprawimy, że cały świat Prabuddha
Prapanch
To się wydarzy
Darmowe
online Konwencja Prabuddha Intelektualna w obudzionych własnych słów
dla dobrobytu, szczęścia i pokoju dla wszystkich społeczeństw, a dla
nich do osiągnięcia Eternal Bliss jako ostateczny cel przez Mahā +
Satipaṭṭhāna - obecność na świadomość przez obserwację sekcji Kya na
Aāpāna, Postures, Sampajañña, odpychalność, elementy, dziewięć terenów
Charnel, Vedana i Citta
Następnie
Religie, rasy, kasty i nierówności
Nie będzie tam!
Tipitaka.
DN 22 - (D II 290)
Mahāsatipaṭṭhāna sutta.
Obecność na świadomość przez Budda
Mahā + Satipaṭṭhāna.
Ta Sutta jest powszechnie uważana za główny odniesienie do praktyki medytacyjnej.
Wstęp
I. Obserwacja Kya
A. Sekcja na Aānpāna
B. Sekcja na postawach
C. Sekcja na Samajañña
D. Sekcja na odpychalności
E. Sekcja na elementach
F. Sekcja na dziewięciu terenów Charnel
II. Obserwacja Vedanā.
Wstęp
Tak więc usłyszałem:
Przy pewnej okazji Bhagavā przebywała wśród Kurusa w Kammāsadhammie, targowy miasteczko Kurusa. Tam poruszył bhikkhus:
- Bhikkhus.
- Bhaddante odpowiedział na bhikkhus. Bhagavā powiedział:
- Ten,
bhikkhus, jest ścieżką, która prowadzi do niczego oprócz oczyszczania
Istoty,
pokonanie smutku i lamenacji, zniknięcie Dukkaja-Domanassy,
osiągnięcie właściwego sposobu, realizacja Nibbāny, która ma
powiedzieć cztery satypaṭṭhanas.
Które cztery?
Tutaj, Bhikkhus, bhikkhu mieszki obserwując Kya w Kāya, Atāpī
Sampajāno, satima, porzuciła abhijjhā-domanassa w kierunku świata.
Mieszkają
obserwując Vedana w Vedana, Atāpī Sampajāno, Satima, porzucił
abhijjhā-domanassa w kierunku świata. Mieszkają obserwując Citta w
Citta, Atāpī Sampajāno, Satima, porzucił Abhijjhā-Domanassa w kierunku
świata. Mieszkał obserwując Dhamma · S w Dhammie · S, Atāpī Sampajāno,
Satima, porzucił Abhijjhā-Domanassa w kierunku świata.
I. Kāyānupassanā.
A. Sekcja na Aānpāna
I
Jak,
Bhikkhus, robi bhikkhu mieszka obserwując Kya w Kāya? Tutaj, Bhikkhus,
bhikkhu, poszedł do lasu lub poszedł na korzeń drzewa lub poszedł do
pustego pokoju, siedzi w dół składania nóg w poprzek, ustawienie w
pozycji pionowej Kya i ustawienie Sati Parimukhaṃ. Tak więc Sato, w
którym oddycha, a więc Sato oddycha. Oddychanie długo rozumie: “Oddycham
długo”; Oddychając długo, rozumie: “Oddycham długiego”; Oddychanie w
skrócie rozumie: “Oddycham krótko”; Oddychanie Krótko mówiąc, rozumie:
“Oddycham krótki”; Trenuje sam: “Uczucie Kya, oddycham”; Trenuje sam:
“Czując całość Kya, oddycham”; Trenuje sam: “uspokojenie Kya-Saṅkier,
oddycham”; Trenuje sam: “uspokojenie Kya-Saṅkhāras, oddycham”.
Właśnie
AS,
Bhikkhus, umiejętny Turner lub ucznia Turnera, robiąc długi obrót,
rozumie: “Mam długą turę”; Krótki obrót, rozumie: “Robię krótką turę”; W
ten sam sposób, Bhikkhus, bhikkhu, oddychający długie, rozumie:
“Oddycham długo”; oddychając długo, rozumie: “Oddycham długiego”;
Oddychanie w skrócie rozumie: “Oddycham krótko”; Oddychanie Krótko
mówiąc, rozumie: “Oddycham krótki”; Trenuje sam: “Czując całość Kya,
oddycham”; Trenuje sam: “Czując całość Kya, oddycham”; Trenuje sam:
“uspokojenie Kya-Saṅkier, oddycham”; Trenuje sam: “uspokojenie
Kya-Saṅkhāras, oddycham”.
W ten sposób mieszkają obserwując Kya w Kya wewnętrznie,
Albo
zamieszkuje obserwując Kya w Kya zewnętrznie, albo mieszka obserwując
Kya w Kya wewnętrznie i zewnętrznie; mieszka obserwując samudyna z
zjawiska w Kya, albo mieszka obserwując przechodzącą zjawiska w Kya,
albo mieszka obserwując Samudayę i przechodząc z zjawisk w Kya; albo
[realizacja:] “To jest Kya!” Sati jest w nim obecny, tylko do zakresu
zwykłej ñana i zwykłych Paṭissati, mieszka wolnostoję i nie przywierają
do niczego na świecie. W ten sposób Bhikkhus, bhikkhu mieszka obserwując
Kya w Kāya.
B. Iriyāpatha Pabba.
Ponadto,
Bhikkhus, bhikkhu, podczas chodzenia, rozumie: “Idę”, lub
Stojąc, rozumie: “Stoję”, lub siedząc
Rozumie:
“Siedzę”, albo podczas leżenia, rozumie: “Leżę”. Bo inaczej, w którym
położenie jego Kya jest rozproszona, odpowiednio to rozumie.
C. Sekcja na Samajañña
Ponadto,
Bhikkhus,
bhikkhu, podczas zbliżania się i podczas odlatowania, działa z
Samajaña, patrząc w przyszłość i jednocześnie rozglądając się, działa z
Samajañña, po zginaniu i podczas rozciągania, działa z Sampajañña,
podczas noszenia szatów i górnej szaty i podczas noszenia misa, działa z
Samajaña, jedząc, podczas picia, podczas żucia, degustacja, działa z
Samajañña, podczas gdy uczestnicząc w biznesie ulepszającego i oddawania
moczu, działa z Sampajañña, podczas chodzenia, stojąc, podczas gdy
siedząc Spanie, podczas gdy będąc obudzony, rozmawiając i milczał,
działa z Sampajañña.
W ten sposób mieszkają obserwując Kya w Kya wewnętrznie lub on
Mieszkania
obserwujące Kya na Kya zewnętrznie, albo zamieszkuje obserwując Kya w
Kya wewnętrznie i zewnętrznie; mieszka obserwując samudyna z zjawiska w
Kya, albo mieszka obserwując przechodzącą zjawiska w Kya, albo mieszka
obserwując Samudayę i przechodząc z zjawisk w Kya; albo [realizacja:]
“To jest Kya!” Sati jest w nim obecny, tylko do zakresu zwykłej ñana i
zwykłych Paṭissati, mieszka wolnostoję i nie przywierają do niczego na
świecie. W ten sposób Bhikkhus, bhikkhu mieszka obserwując Kya w Kāya.
D. Sekcja na odpychalności
Ponadto,
Bhikkhus, bhikkhu uważa to za bardzo ciało, od podeszwych
stopy
w górę i z włosów na głowie w dół, która jest ograniczona przez jego
skórę i pełna różnego rodzaju zanieczyszczeń: “W tym Kya są włosy głowy,
włosy ciała, paznokcie, zęby, skórę, ciało ,
Podobnie
jak w Bhikkhus, była torba o dwóch otworach i wypełniona różnymi
rodzajami ziarna, takich jak wzgórza, niełuskane, ziarna mung, krowy,
sezamowe nasiona i łuskany ryż. Człowiek z dobrym wzrokiem, po raz
nieznacznie rozważałbyś [jego zawartość]: “To jest wzgórza-Paddy, to nie
pasowało, to fasola Mung, są to krowie-groszek, są to nasiona sezamowe i
jest to łuskany ryż;” W ten sam sposób, Bhikkhus, bhikkhu uważa to za
bardzo ciało, od podeszwy stóp w górę i z włosów na głowie w dół,
który jest ograniczony przez jego skórę i pełne różnego rodzaju zanieczyszczeń:
W ten sposób mieszkają obserwując Kya w Kya wewnętrznie lub on
Mieszkania
obserwujące Kya na Kya zewnętrznie, albo zamieszkuje obserwując Kya w
Kya wewnętrznie i zewnętrznie; mieszka obserwując samudyna z zjawiska w
Kya, albo mieszka obserwując przechodzącą zjawiska w Kya, albo mieszka
obserwując Samudayę i przechodząc z zjawisk w Kya; albo [realizacja:]
“To jest Kya!” Sati jest on prezentowany, tylko w zakresie zwykłej ñana i
zwykłego Paṭissati, mieszka wolnostoję i nie przywierają do niczego na
świecie. W ten sposób Bhikkhus, bhikkhu mieszka obserwując Kya w Kāya.
E. Sekcja na elementach
Ponadto,
Bhikkhus, bhikkhu odzwierciedla to bardzo Kya, jednak jest umieszczona,
Jednak jest on usuwany: “W tym Kya znajduje się element ziemi,
Element wody, element ognia i element powietrza. “
Tak
jak Bhikkhus, umiejętność rzeźnika lub praktykantów rzeźnika, że
zabiła krowy, usiądzie na rozdrożu na kawałki; W ten sam sposób,
Bhikkhus, bhikkhu odzwierciedla onthis bardzo Kya, jednak jest
umieszczony, jednak jest on usuwany: “W Thiskāya znajduje się element
ziemi, element wody, element ognia i element powietrza”.
W ten sposób zamieszkuje obserwując Kya w Kya wewnętrznie, albo zamieszkuje obserwując Kya w Kya zewnętrznie, albo mieszka
obserwowanie
Kya w Kya wewnętrznie i zewnętrznie; mieszka obserwując samudyna z
zjawiska w Kya, albo mieszka obserwując przechodzącą zjawiska w Kya,
albo mieszka obserwując Samudayę i przechodząc z zjawisk w Kya; albo
[realizacja:] “To jest Kya!” Sati jest w nim obecny, tylko w zakresie
zwykłej ñana i zwykłego Paṭissati, mieszka wolnostoję i nie przywierają
do niczego na świecie. Mieszcza się, że obserwuje Kya w Kya;
(1)
Ponadto,
Bhikkhus,
bhikkhu, podobnie jak widział martwych ciało, odrzuconych w ziemi
Charnel, pewnego dnia martwy, lub dwa dni martwe lub trzy dni martwe,
spuchnięte, niebieskawe i festerskie, uważa to za bardzo Kya: “To Kya
Również jest taka natura, stała się taka i nie jest wolna od takiego
stanu. “
W ten sposób
mieszkają obserwując Kya w Kya wewnętrznie, albo zamieszkuje obserwując
Kya w Kya zewnętrznie, a on mieszka obserwując Kya w Kya wewnętrznie i
zewnętrznie; mieszka obserwując samudyna z zjawiska w Kya, albo mieszka
obserwując przechodzącą zjawiska w Kya, albo mieszka obserwując Samudayę
i przechodząc z zjawisk w Kya; albo [realizacja:] “To jest Kya!” Sati
jest w nim obecny, tylko do zakresu zwykłej ñana i zwykłych Paṭissati,
mieszka wolnostoję i nie przywierają do niczego na świecie. W ten sposób
Bhikkhus, bhikkhu mieszka obserwując Kya w Kāya.
(2)
Ponadto,
Bhikkhus,
bhikkhu, podobnie jak widziany martwy ciało, odrzucony w ziemi Charnel,
będąc jastrząbem, będąc jastrząbem, będąc jastrząbem przez sępy, będąc
jastrząbem przez czaple, będąc jastrząbem Tygrysy, spożywane przez
Panthersa, będąc jedzą różnymi rodzajami istot, uważa to za bardzo Kya:
“Ta Kya jest również taka natura, stała się taka, i nie jest wolna od
takiego stanu”.
W ten
sposób mieszkają obserwując Kya w Kya wewnętrznie, albo zamieszkuje
obserwując Kya w Kya zewnętrznie, a on mieszka obserwując Kya w Kya
wewnętrznie i zewnętrznie; mieszka obserwując samudyna z zjawisk w Kya,
albo mieszka obserwując przechodzącą zjawiska w Kya, albo mieszka
obserwując Samudayę i
mijając
zjawiska w Kya; albo [realizacja:] “To jest Kya!” Sati jest w nim
obecny, tylko do zakresu zwykłej ñana i zwykłych Paṭissati, mieszka
wolnostoję i nie przywierają do niczego na świecie. W ten sposób
Bhikkhus, bhikkhu mieszka obserwując Kya w Kāya.
(3)
Ponadto,
Bhikkhus, bhikkhu, podobnie jak gdy widział martwych ciało, odrzuconych
w terenie Charnel, Przytulnie z ciałem i krwią, odbywającymi się przez
ścięgna, uważa to za bardzo Kya: “Ta Kya jest również taka Natura, stała
się taka i nie jest wolna od takiego stanu. “
W ten sposób mieszkają obserwując Kya w Kya wewnętrznie lub on
Mieszkania
obserwujące Kya na Kya zewnętrznie, albo zamieszkuje obserwując Kya w
Kya wewnętrznie i zewnętrznie; mieszka obserwując samudyna z zjawiska w
Kya, albo mieszka obserwując przechodzącą zjawiska w Kya, albo mieszka
obserwując Samudayę i przechodząc z zjawisk w Kya; albo [realizacja:]
“To jest Kya!” Sati jest w nim obecny, tylko do zakresu zwykłej ñana i
zwykłych Paṭissati, mieszka wolnostoję i nie przywierają do niczego na
świecie. W ten sposób Bhikkhus, bhikkhu mieszka obserwując Kya w Kāya.
(4)
Ponadto,
Bhikkhus,
bhikkhu, podobnie jak gdy widział martwych ciało, odrzuconych w terenie
Charnel, ściska bez ciała i rozmazana krwią, trzymającą się przez
ścięgnach, uważa to za bardzo Kya: “To Kya jest również takiego Natura,
stała się taka i nie jest wolna od takiego stanu. “
W
ten sposób mieszkają obserwując Kya w Kya wewnętrznie, albo zamieszkuje
obserwując Kya w Kya zewnętrznie, a on mieszka obserwując Kya w Kya
wewnętrznie i zewnętrznie; mieszka obserwując samudyna z zjawiska w Kya,
albo mieszka obserwując przechodzącą zjawiska w Kya, albo mieszka
obserwując Samudayę i przechodząc z zjawisk w Kya; albo [realizacja:]
“To jest Kya!” Sati jest w nim obecny, tylko do zakresu zwykłej ñana i
zwykłych Paṭissati, mieszka wolnostoję i nie przywierają do niczego na
świecie. W ten sposób Bhikkhus, bhikkhu mieszka obserwując Kya w Kāya.
(5)
Ponadto,
bhikkhus, bhikkhu, podobnie jak gdyby widział martwych ciele,
odrzuconych w terenie Charnel, szkielet bez ciało ani krwi, odbywających
się przez ścięgna, uważa to za bardzo Kya: “Ta Kya jest również taka
Natura, stała się taka i nie jest wolna od takiego stanu. “
W ten sposób mieszkają obserwując Kya w Kya wewnętrznie lub on
Mieszkania
obserwujące Kya na Kya zewnętrznie, albo zamieszkuje obserwując Kya w
Kya wewnętrznie i zewnętrznie; mieszka obserwując samudyna z zjawiska w
Kya, albo mieszka obserwując przechodzącą zjawiska w Kya, albo mieszka
obserwując Samudayę i przechodząc z zjawisk w Kya; albo [realizacja:]
“To jest Kya!” Sati jest w nim obecny, tylko do zakresu zwykłej ñana i
zwykłych Paṭissati, mieszka wolnostoję i nie przywierają do niczego na
świecie. W ten sposób Bhikkhus, bhikkhu mieszka obserwując Kya w Kāya.
(6)
Ponadto,
Bhikkhus, bhikkhu, podobnie jak gdyby widział martwych ciało,
odrzuconych w terenie Charnel, odłączone kości rozrzucone tutaj i tam,
tutaj kość dłoni, jest kość stóp, tutaj kość kostki, kość shin , tutaj
kość udowa, jest kość biodra, tu żebro, tam kość tylna, tutaj kość
kręgosłupa, kość szyi, tutaj kość szczęki, kość zęba, czy tam czaszka,
uważa, że to bardzo kya : “Ta Kya jest również taka natura, stała się
taka, i nie jest wolna od takiego stanu”.
W
ten sposób mieszkają obserwując Kya w Kya wewnętrznie, albo zamieszkuje
obserwując Kya w Kya zewnętrznie, a on mieszka obserwując Kya w Kya
wewnętrznie i zewnętrznie; mieszka obserwując samudyna z zjawiska w Kya,
albo mieszka obserwując przechodzącą zjawiska w Kya, albo mieszka
obserwując Samudayę i przechodząc z zjawisk w Kya; albo [realizacja:]
“To jest Kya!” Sati jest w nim obecny, tylko do zakresu zwykłej ñana i
zwykłych Paṭissati, mieszka wolnostoję i nie przywierają do niczego na
świecie. W ten sposób Bhikkhus, bhikkhu mieszka obserwując Kya w Kāya.
(7)
Ponadto Bhikkhus, bhikkhu, tak jakby był
widząc
martwe ciało, odrzucane w ziemi Charnel, kości wybieliły się jak
muszla, uważa to za bardzo Kya: “Ta Kya jest również taka natura, stała
się taka, i nie jest wolna od takiej stan: schorzenie.”
(.
Ponadto Bhikkhus, bhikkhu, tak jakby był
Widząc
martwe ciało, odrzucane w ziemi Charnel, roztnij kości ponad rok, uważa
to za bardzo Kya: “Ta Kya jest również taka natura, stała się taka, i
nie jest wolna od takich stan.”
W
ten sposób mieszkają obserwując Kya w Kya wewnętrznie, albo zamieszkuje
obserwując Kya w Kya zewnętrznie, a on mieszka obserwując Kya w Kya
wewnętrznie i zewnętrznie; mieszka obserwując samudyna z zjawiska w Kya,
albo mieszka obserwując przechodzącą zjawiska w Kya, albo mieszka
obserwując Samudayę i przechodząc z zjawisk w Kya; albo [realizacja:]
“To jest Kya!” Sati jest w nim obecny, tylko do zakresu zwykłej ñana i
zwykłych Paṭissati, mieszka wolnostoję i nie przywierają do niczego na
świecie. W ten sposób Bhikkhus, bhikkhu mieszka obserwując Kya w Kāya.
(9)
Ponadto Bhikkhus, bhikkhu, tak jakby był
widząc
martwe ciało, odrzucane w ziemi Charnel, zgniłe kości zredukowane do
proszku, uważa to za bardzo Kya: “Ta Kya jest również taka natura, stała
się taka, i nie jest wolna od takiego stanu . “
W
ten sposób mieszkają obserwując Kya w Kya wewnętrznie, albo zamieszkuje
obserwując Kya w Kya zewnętrznie, a on mieszka obserwując Kya w Kya
wewnętrznie i zewnętrznie; mieszka obserwując samudyna z zjawiska w Kya,
albo mieszka obserwując przechodzącą zjawiska w Kya, albo mieszka
obserwując Samudayę i przechodząc z zjawisk w Kya; albo [realizacja:]
“To jest Kya!” Sati jest w nim obecny, tylko do zakresu zwykłej ñana i
zwykłych Paṭissati, mieszka wolnostoję i nie przywierają do niczego na
świecie. W ten sposób Bhikkhus, bhikkhu mieszka obserwując Kya w Kāya.
II. Obserwacja Vedanā.
A ponadto Bhikkhus, jak mieszka bhikkhu obserwując Vedana w Vedana?
W ten sposób mieszkają obserwując Vedana w Vedana wewnętrznie,
albo zamieszkuje obserwując Vedana w Vedana zewnętrznie, albo mieszka
obserwowanie Vedana w Vedana wewnętrznie i zewnętrznie; on mieszka
Obserwowanie
samudyjskiej zjawiska w Vedana, albo mieszka obserwując przechodzącą
zjawiska w Vedana, albo mieszka obserwując Samudayę i przechodząc z
zjawisk w Vedanā; albo [realizacja:] “To jest Vedana!” Sati jest w nim
obecny, tylko do zakresu zwykłej ñana i zwykłych Paṭissati, mieszka
wolnostoję i nie przywierają do niczego na świecie. Tak więc Bhikkhus,
bhikkhu mieszki obserwując Vedana w Vedana.
III. Obserwacja Citta.
A ponadto Bhikkhus, w jaki sposób bhikkhu mieszka obserwując Citta w Citta?
Tutaj, Bhikkhus, bhikkhu rozumie Citta z Rāga jako “Citta z Rāga”, albo
rozumie Citta bez Rāgi jako “Citta bez Rāgi”, albo rozumie Citta z Doza
jako “Citta z Doza”, czy też rozumie Citta bez Doza “Citta bez Doza”,
albo rozumie Citta z Moha jako “Citta z Moha”, albo rozumie Citta bez
Mohy jako “Citta bez Mohy”, albo rozumie zebrane citty jako “zebrany
cyzm”, albo rozumie rozproszony Citta jako “rozproszony cytta”, albo
rozumie rozszerzone citta jako “rozszerzone citta”, albo rozumie
nieoczeżną cittę jako “niewykorzystane citta”, albo rozumie przewyższane
citta jako “zatrudnienie citty”, albo rozumie niezrównana citta jako
“niezrównana citta”, albo rozumie skoncentrowany cyzm jako
“skoncentrowany cyzm”, albo rozumie niekoncentratowany cyzm jako
“nieskoncentrated cytta”, albo rozumie wyzwolony cittę jako “wyzwolony
cyzm”, lub rozumie niepubliczne citta jako “nieostre pana cytta “.
W ten sposób mieszkają obserwując Citta w Citta wewnętrznie, albo
zamieszkuje obserwując Citta w Citta zewnętrznie, albo mieszka
obserwując Citta w Citta wewnętrznie i zewnętrznie; Mieszkają obserwując
samudy jak zjawiska w Citta, albo mieszka obserwując przechodzącą
zjawiska w Citta, albo mieszka obserwując Samudayę i przechodząc z
zjawisk w Citta; albo inaczej, [realizacja:] “To jest citta!” Sati jest w
nim obecny, tylko do zakresu zwykłej ñana i zwykłych Paṭissati, mieszka
wolnostoję i nie przywierają do niczego na świecie. Tak więc Bhikkhus,
bhikkhu mieszka obserwując Citta w Citta.
Hunger is the worst kind of illness said Awakened One
Do
Good. Grow Broccoli Pepper Cucumber Carrots Beans in Pots.
Fruit Bearing Trees all over the world and in Space. Purify
Mind. Lead Hilarious Happy Life to Attain Eternal Bliss as Final
Goal.- Universal Prabuddha Intellectuals Convention.
Do Good. Grow Broccoli
Pepper
Cucumber
Carrots
Beans in Pots.
Fruit
Bearing Trees all over the world and in Space. Purify Mind.
Lead Hilarious Happy Life to Attain Eternal Bliss as Final Goal.-
Universal Prabuddha Intellectuals Convention.
The pill to reverse aging would be available to the public within five years and cost the same each day as a cup of coffee, says researcher. (Supplied) Staff writer, Al Arabiya English Wednesday 05 September 2018
BHSBS vision is to fulfill Bharat Ratna Dr. Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar(Babasaheb) envision of a Prabuddha Samaj (Enlightened Society) based on the principles of dignity, justice, equality, freedom and fraternity.
BHSBS strive for active peace and work towards equal access and rights over resources and services, without any prejudice, discrimination or exclusion on any basis, including caste, class, race, gender, age, religion, abilities, regions, language or property.
BHSBS strive for a society where human rights and equal dignity of all are respected and there is no place for exploitation or oppression.
http://www.bhsbspune.org/vipassana/
What is Vipassana
Vipassana meditation is the personal
purification of the mind. It is the highest form of awareness—the total
perception of the mind-matter phenomena in its true nature. It is the
choiceless observation of things as they are.
Vipassana is the meditation the Buddha practiced after trying all other
forms of bodily mortification and mind control and finding them
inadequate to free him from the seemingly endless round of birth and
death, pain and sorrow.
It is a technique so valuable that in Burma it was preserved in its pristine purity for more than 2,500 years.
Vipassana meditation has nothing to do with the development of
supernormal, mystical, or special powers, even though they may be
awakened. Nothing magical happens. The process of purification that
occurs is simply an elimination of negativities, complexes, knots, and
habits that have clouded pure consciousness and blocked the flow of
mankind’s highest qualities—pure love (metta), compassion (karuna), sympathetic joy (mudita), and equanimity (upekkha).
There is no mysticism in Vipassana. It is a science of the mind that
goes beyond psychology by not only understanding, but also purifying,
the mental process.
The practice is an Art of Living which manifests its profound
practical value in our lives — lessening and then eliminating the greed,
anger, and ignorance that corrupt all relationships, from the family
level to international politics. Vipassana spells an end to daydreaming,
illusion, fantasy—the mirage of the apparent truth.
Like the sizzling explosion of cold water being thrown on a red-hot
stove, the reactions after bringing the mind out of its hedonistic
tendencies into the here and now are often dramatic and painful. Yet
there is an equally profound feeling of release from tensions and
complexes that have for so long held sway in the depths of the
unconscious mind.
Through Vipassana anyone, irrespective of race, caste, or creed, can
eliminate finally those tendencies that have woven so much anger,
passion, and fear into our lives. During the training a student
concentrates on only one task — the battle with his own ignorance. There
is no guru worship or competition among students. The teacher is simply
a well-wisher pointing the way he has charted through his own long
practical experience.
With continuity of practice, the meditation will
quiet the mind, increase concentration, arouse acute mindfulness, and
open the mind to the supramundane consciousness—the “peace of nibbana
(freedom from all suffering) within.”
As in the Buddha’s enlightenment, a student simply
goes deep inside himself, disintegrating the apparent reality until in
the depths he can penetrate even beyond subatomic particles into the
absolute.
There is no dependence on books, theories, or
intellectual games in Vipassana. The truth of impermanence (anicca),
suffering (dukkha), and egolessness (anatta) are grasped directly with
all the enormous power of the mind rather than the crutch of the
intellect. The illusion of a “self,” binding the mental and physical
functions together, is gradually broken. The madness of cravings and
aversions, the futile grasping of “I, me, mine,” the endless chatter and
conditioned thinking, the reaction of blind impulse—these gradually
lose their strength. By his own efforts the student develops wisdom and
purifies his mind.
The foundation of Vipassana meditation is sila—moral conduct. The practice is strengthened through samadhi—concentration of the mind. And the purification of the mental processes is achieved through panna—the
wisdom of insight. We learn how to observe the interplay of the four
physical elements within ourselves with perfect equanimity, and find how
valuable this ability is in our daily lives.
We smile in good times, and are equally unperturbed
when difficulties arise all around us, in the certain knowledge that
we, like our troubles, are nothing but a flux, waves of becoming arising
with incredible speed, only to pass away with equal rapidity.
A Non-sectarian Technique: Although Vipassana meditation was developed
by the Buddha, its practice is not limited to Buddhists. There is no
question of conversion—the technique works on the simple basis that all
human beings share the same problems, and a technique that can eradicate
these problems will have a universal application.
Hindus, Jains, Muslims, Sikhs, Jews, Roman Catholics, and other
Christian sects have all practised Vipassana meditation, and have
reported a dramatic lessening of those tensions and complexes that
affect all mankind. There is a feeling of gratefulness to Gotama, the
historical Buddha, who showed the way to the cessation of suffering, but
there is absolutely no blind devotion.
The Buddha repeatedly discouraged any excessive veneration paid to him
personally. He said, “What will it profit you to see this impure body?
Who sees the teaching—the Dhamma—sees me.”
http://www.bhsbspune.org/gratitude/
Asoka and the spread of Dhamma
History shows that during the time of the
Buddha, the Kings Bimbisara, Suddhodana, and Prasenajita received great
benefit from their practice of the Dhamma, and naturally wanted to share
this benefit with others. They enthusiastically supported the
dissemination of the Buddha’s teaching in their respective kingdoms. Yet
the fact remains that the Dhamma spread to the masses not only because
of this royal patronage but because of the efficacy of the technique
itself. This technique enables anyone who applies it to come out of
misery by rooting out the mental impurities of greed (lobha), hatred
(dosa), and delusion (moha). A simple and universal technique, it can be
practised by men and women from any class, any sect, any communal
group, with the same results. Suffering is universal: unwanted things
happen and desired things may or may not happen. A universal malady must
have a universal remedy: Dhamma is this remedy. The Buddha
compassionately and freely distributed the Dhamma throughout northern
India, attracting a large number of people in what was then called
Majjhima Desa.
Similarly after the time of the Buddha, during the time of Emperor Asoka
in the third century B.C., the Dhamma spread widely. Again this was
mainly because of the practical, applied aspect of the teaching (Dhamma
paṭipatti). Several Asokan rock edicts prove this fact. Asoka must have
himself experienced the beneficial results of this technique, and he
propagated the Dhamma with great zeal. It was out of the volition to
serve others, which develops when the mind becomes purified, that he put
forth so much effort to help his subjects in both the mundane as well
as the supramundane spheres. On the Pillar Edict #7 he points out two
reasons why he succeeded in this. One was the rule of law and order in
his kingdom (Dhammaniyamani), but he gave more emphasis to the second
reason which was the practice of meditation (nijhatiya), the practical
aspect of the Dhamma. This shows that he appreciated the fact that the
practice of the Dhamma is the main reason for its spread.
It was after the Third Council under Asoka’s patronage that fully
liberated arahant monks were sent out of northern India to nine
different areas to make the Dhamma available to more people. These monks
were called Dhamma dutas (Dhamma messengers). They naturally gave
emphasis to the practical aspect of the Dhamma by which they themselves
had become free from mental impurities. Filled with love and compassion,
they attracted large numbers of people to the path of liberation.
The following are the names of the elder monks (Theras) and the nine areas where they went to teach Dhamma:
Majjhantika Thera: Kasmira and Gandhara (Kashmir, Afghanistan, Peshawar and Rawalpindi in Northwest Pakistan)
Mahadeva Thera: Mahisamandala (Mysore)
Rakkhita Thera: Vanavasi (North Kanara in South India)
Mahinda Thera and others: Tambapannidipa (Sri Lanka)
Asoka also sent teachers to as far away as
present day Syria and Egypt. He paved the way for coming generations to
spread the sublime Dhamma to the entire world.
His lead was followed by King Kanishka who sent teachers such as the
Theras Kumarajiva and Bodhidhamma to Central Asia and China.
From there the Dhamma went to Korea in the early 4th century A.D., and
then to Japan. In India, Dhamma Universities—Takkasila, Nalanda,
Vikkamasila, and others—developed, flourished, and attracted learned
people from as far away as China. Dhamma also spread throughout
Southeast Asia. Large numbers of people started practising in Thailand,
Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, and Indonesia. Tibet also received the Dhamma,
through the service of Santirakshita, Padmasambhava, Atisha, and
Kamalashila.
Today the technique which the Buddha taught 2,500 years ago is once
again flourishing, and is giving the same results now as it did then.
Thousands of people in India and in countries around the world are
learning Vipassana. What is attracting so many different types of people
to the Dhamma is the same as what attracted them 2,500 years ago: the
very practical nature of the teaching which is vivid, tangible,
wholesome, easily understood, giving benefit here and now, leading one
step-by-step to the goal.
As many people start to practise Dhamma once again, we can begin to
imagine what life in the time of the Buddha, and later in the time of
Asoka, was like: a society full of peace and harmony as millions of
people became established in love, compassion, and wisdom through the
practice of Dhamma.
May all beings be happy. May peace and harmony prevail.
http://www.bhsbspune.org/dhammasevka/
Vipassana Masters
Sixth century BC was an important era in history. This was the
period when a great benefactor of mankind was born and became renowned
as Gotama the Buddha. The Buddha rediscovered the path of Dhamma leading
to the eradication of universal suffering. With great compassion he
spent forty-five years showing the path and this helped millions of
people to come out of their misery. Even today this path is helping
humanity, and will continue to do so provided the teachings and practice
are maintained in their pristine purity.
The following account of Sayagyi U Ba Khin’s teacher is partially
based on a translation of the book “Saya Thetgyi” by Dhammacariya U Htay
Hlaing, Myanmar.
Saya Thetgyi (pronounced “Sa ya ta ji” in Burmese) was born in the
farming village of Pyawbwegyi, eight miles south of Rangoon, on the
opposite side of the Rangoon river, on June 27, 1873. He was given the
name Maung Po Thet. His father died when Po Thet was about 10, leaving
his mother alone to care for the four children: him, his two brothers
and a sister.
She supported the family by selling vegetable fritters in the
village. The little boy was made to go around selling leftover fritters,
but often came home without having sold any because he was too shy to
advertise his wares by calling out. So his mother dispatched two
children: Po Thet to carry the fritters on a tray on his head, and his
younger sister to proclaim their wares.
Because he was needed to help support the family, his formal
education was minimal -only about six years. His parents did not own any
land or rice fields, and so used to collect the stalks of rice which
remained after harvesting in the fields of others. One day on the way
home from the fields, Po Thet found some small fish in a pond that was
drying up. He caught them and brought them home so that he could release
them into the village pond. His mother saw the fish and was about to
chastise her son for catching them, but when he explained his intentions
to her, she instead exclaimed, “Sadhu! Sadhu! (well-said! well-done!).”
She was a kind-hearted woman who never nagged or scolded, but did not
tolerate any akusala (immoral) deed.
When he was 14 years old, Maung Po Thet started working as a
bullock-cart driver transporting rice, giving his daily wages to his
mother. He was so small at the time that he had to take a box along to
help him get in and out of the cart.
Po Thet’s next job was as a sampan oarsman. The village of Pyawbwegyi
is on a flat cultivated plain, fed by many tributaries which flow into
the Rangoon river. When the rice fields are flooded navigation is a
problem, and one of the common means of travel is by these long,
flat-bottomed boats.
The owner of a local rice mill observed the small boy working
diligently carrying loads of rice, and decided to hire him as a
tally-man in the mill at a wage of six rupees per month. Po Thet lived
by himself in the mill and ate simple meals of split pea fritters and
rice.
At first he bought rice from the Indian watchman and other laborers.
They told him he could help himself to the sweepings of milled rice
which were kept for pig and chicken feed. Po Thet refused, saying that
he did not want to take the rice without the mill owner’s knowledge. The
owner found out, however, and gave his permission. As it happened,
Maung Po Thet did not have to eat the rice debris for long. Soon the
sampan and cart owners began to give him rice because he was such a
helpful and willing worker. Still, Po Thet continued to collect the
sweepings, giving them to poor villagers who could not afford to buy
rice.
After one year his salary was increased to 10 rupees, and after two
years, to 15. The mill owner offered him money to buy good quality rice
and allowed him free milling of 100 baskets per month. His monthly
salary increased to 25 rupees, which supported him and his mother quite
adequately.
Maung Po Thet married Ma Hmyin when he was about 16 years old, as was
customary. His wife was the youngest of three daughters of a well-to-do
landowner and rice merchant. The couple had two children, a daughter
and a son. Following the Burmese custom, they lived in a joint family
with Ma Hmyin’s parents and sisters. Ma Yin, the younger sister,
remained single and managed a successful small business. She was later
instrumental in supporting U Po Thet in practicing and teaching
meditation.
Ma Hmyin’s eldest sister, Ma Khin, married Ko Kaye and had a son,
Maung Nyunt. Ko Kaye managed the family rice fields and business. Maung
Po Thet, now called U Po Thet or U Thet (Mr. Thet), also prospered in
the buying and selling of rice.
As a child, U Thet had not had the opportunity to ordain as a novice
monk, which is an important and common practice in Burma. It was only
when his nephew Maung Nyunt became a novice at 12 years of age that U
Thet himself became a novice. Later, for a time, he also ordained as a
bhikkhu (monk).
When he was about 23, he learned Anapana meditation from a lay teacher, Saya Nyunt, and continued to practice for seven years.
U Thet and his wife had many friends and relatives living nearby in
the village. With numerous uncles, aunts, nephews, nieces, cousins and
in-laws, they led an idyllic life of contentment in the warmth and
harmony of family and friends.
This rustic peace and happiness was shattered when a cholera epidemic
struck the village in 1903. Many villagers died, some within a few
days. They included U Thet’s son and young teenage daughter who, it is
said, died in his arms. His brother-in-law, Ko Kaye, and his wife also
perished from the disease, as well as U Thet’s niece who was his
daughter’s playmate.
This calamity affected U Thet deeply, and he could not find refuge
anywhere. Desperately wanting to find a way out of this misery, he asked
permission from his wife and sister-in-law, Ma Yin, and other relatives
to leave the village in search of “the deathless.”
Accompanied in his wanderings by a devoted companion and follower, U
Nyo, U Thet wandered all over Burma in a fervent search, visiting
mountain retreats and forest monasteries, studying with different
teachers, both monks and laymen. Finally he followed the suggestion of
his first teacher, Saya Nyunt, to go north to Monywa to practice with
the Venerable Ledi Sayadaw.
During these years of spiritual searching, U Thet’s wife and
sister-in-law remained in Pyawbwegyi and managed the rice fields. In the
first few years he returned occasionally to see that all was well.
Finding that the family was prospering, he began to meditate more
continuously. He stayed with Ledi Sayadaw seven years in all, during
which time his wife and sister-in-law supported him by sending money
each year from the harvest on the family farm.
With U Nyo, he finally went back to his village, but did not return
to his former householder’s life. Ledi Sayadaw had advised him at the
time of his departure to work diligently to develop his samadhi
(concentration) and panna (purifying wisdom), so that eventually he
could begin to teach meditation.
Accordingly, when U Thet and U Nyo reached Pyawbwegyi, they went straight to the sala (rest-house)
at the edge of the family farm, which they began to use as a Dhamma
hall. Here they meditated continuously. They arranged for a woman who
lived nearby to cook two meals a day while they kept up their retreat.
U Thet persevered in this way for one year, making rapid progress in
his meditation. At the end of the period he felt the need for advice
from his teacher, and although he could not speak to Ledi Sayadaw in
person, he knew that his teacher’s books were in a cupboard at his home.
So he went there to consult the manuals.
His wife and her sister, in the meantime, had become quite angry with
him for not returning to the house after such a long absence. His wife
had even decided to divorce him. When the sisters saw U Po Thet
approaching, they agreed neither to greet nor welcome him. But as soon
as he came in the door, they found themselves welcoming him profusely.
They talked awhile and U Thet asked for their forgiveness, which they
readily granted.
They served him tea and a meal and he procured his books. He
explained to his wife that he was now living on eight precepts and would
not be returning to the usual householder’s life; from now on they
would be as brother and sister.
His wife and sister-in-law invited him to come to the house every day
for his morning meal and happily agreed to continue supporting him. He
was extremely grateful for their generosity and told them that the only
way he could repay them was to give them Dhamma.
Other relatives, including his wife’s cousin, U Ba Soe, came to see
and talk with him. After about two weeks, U Thet said that he was
spending too much time coming and going for lunch, so Ma Hmyin and Ma
Yin offered to send the noon meal to the sala.
Misinterpreting U Thet’s zeal, people in the village were at first
reluctant to come to him for instruction. They thought that due perhaps
to grief over his losses, and his absence from the village, he had lost
his senses. But slowly they realized from his speech and actions that he
was indeed a transformed person, one who was living in accordance with
Dhamma.
Soon some of U Thet’s relatives and friends began to request that he
teach them meditation. U Ba Soe offered to take charge of the fields and
the household affairs and U Thet’s sister and a niece took
responsibility for preparing the meals. U Thet started teaching Anapana
to a group of about 15 people in 1914, when he was 41 years old. The
students all stayed at the sala, some of them going home from
time to time. He gave discourses to his meditation students, as well as
to interested people who were not practicing meditation. His listeners
found his talks so learned that they refused to believe that U Thet had
very little theoretical knowledge of Dhamma.
Due to his wife’s and sister-in-law’s generous financial support and
the help of other family members, all the food and other necessities
were provided for the meditators who came to U Thet’s Dhamma hall, even
to the extent, on one occasion, of compensating workers for wages lost
while they took a Vipassana course.
In about 1915, after teaching for a year, U Thet took his wife and
her sister and a few other family members to Monywa to pay respects to
Ledi Sayadaw who was then about 70 years old. When U Thet told his
teacher about his meditation experiences and the courses he had been
offering, Ledi Sayadaw was very pleased.
It was during this visit that Ledi Sayadaw gave his walking staff to U
Thet, saying: “Here my great pupil, take my staff and forward. Keep it
well. I do not give this to you to make you live long, but as a reward,
so that there will be no mishaps in your life. You have been successful.
From today onwards you must teach the Dhamma of rupa and nama (mind and matter) to 6,000 people. The Dhamma known by you is inexhaustible, so propagate the sasana (era of the Buddha’s teaching). Pay homage to the sasana in my stead.”
The next day Ledi Sayadaw summoned all the monks of his monastery. He
requested U Thet to stay on for 10 or 15 days to instruct them. The
Sayadaw then told the gathering bhikkhus: “Take note, all of you. This
layman is my great pupil U Po Thet, from lower Burma. He is capable of
teaching meditation like me. Those of you who wish to practice
meditation, follow him. Learn the technique from him and practice. You,
Dayaka Thet (a lay supporter of a monk who undertakes to supply his
needs such as food, robes, medicine, etc.), hoist the victory banner of
Dhamma in place of me, starting at my monastery.”
U Thet then taught Vipassana meditation to about 25 monks learned in
the scriptures. It was at this time that he became known as Saya
Thetgyyi (saya means “teacher”; gyi is a suffix denoting respect).
Ledi Sayadaw encouraged Saya Thetgyi to teach the Dhamma on his
behalf. Saya Thetgyi knew many of Ledi Sayadaw’s prolific writings by
heart, and was able to expound on the Dhamma with references to the
scriptures in such a way that most learned Sayadaws (monk teachers)
could not find fault. Ledi Sayadaw’s exhortation to him to teach
Vipassana in his stead was a solemn responsibility, but Saya Thetgyi was
apprehensive due to his lack of theoretical knowledge. Bowing to his
teacher in deep respect, he said: “Among your pupils, I am the least
learned in the scriptures. To dispense the sasana by teaching Vipassana
as decreed by you is a highly subtle, yet heavy duty to perform, sir.
That is why I request that, if at any time I need to ask for
clarification, you will give me your help and guidance. Please be my
support, and please admonish me whenever necessary.”
Ledi Sayadaw reassured him by replying, “I will not forsake you, even at the time of my passing away.”
Saya Thetgyi and his relatives returned to their village in southern
Burma and discussed with other family members plans for carrying out the
task given by Ledi Sayadaw. Saya Thetgyi considered traveling around
Burma, thinking that he would have more contact with people that way.
But his sister-in-law said, “You have a Dhamma hall here, and we can
support you in your work by preparing food for the students. Why not
stay and give courses? There are many who will come here to learn
Vipassana.” He agreed, and began holding regular courses at his sala in Pyawbwegyi.
As his sister-in-law had predicted, many people started coming, and
Saya Thetgyi’s reputation as a meditation teacher spread. He taught
simple farmers and laborers, as well as those who were well-versed in
the Pali texts. The village was not far from Rangoon, the capital of
Burma under the British, so government employees and city dwellers like U
Ba Khin, also came.
As more and more people came to learn meditation, Saya Thetgyi
appointed as assistant teachers some of the older, experienced
meditators like U Nyo, U Ba Soe, and U Aung Nyunt.
The center progressed year by year until there were up to 200
students, including monks and nuns, in the courses. There was not enough
room in the Dhamma hall, so the more experienced students practiced
meditation in their homes and came to the sala only for the discourses.
From the time he returned from Ledi Sayadaw’s center, Saya Thetgyi
lived by himself and ate only one meal a day, in solitude and silence.
Like the bhikkhus, he never discussed his meditation attainments. If
questioned, he would never say what stage of meditation he or any other
student had achieved, although it was widely believed in Burma that he
was an Anagami (person having achieved the last stage before final liberation), and he was known as Anagam Saya Thetgyi.
Since lay teachers of Vipassana were rare at that time, Saya Thetgyi
faced certain difficulties that monk teachers did not. For example, he
was opposed by some because he was not so learned in the scriptures.
Saya Thetgyi simply ignored these criticisms and allowed the results of
the practice to speak for themselves.
For 30 years he taught meditation to all who came to him, guided by
his own experience and using Ledi Sayadaw’s manuals as a reference. By
1945, when he was 72, he had fulfilled his mission of teaching
thousands. His wife had died, his sister-in-law had become paralyzed,
and his own health was failing. So he distributed all his property to
his nieces and nephews, setting aside 50 acres of rice fields for the
maintenance of his Dhamma hall.
He had 20 water buffaloes that had tilled his fields for years. He
distributed them among people who he knew would treat them kindly, and
sent them off with the invocation, “You have been my benefactors. Thanks
to you, the rice has been grown. Now you are free from your work. May
you be released from this kind of life for a better existence.”
Saya Thetgyi moved to Rangoon, both for medical treatment and to see
his students there. He told some of them that he would die in Rangoon
and that his body would be cremated in a place where no cremation had
taken place before. He also said that his ashes should not be kept in
holy places because he was not entirely free from defilements, that is,
he was not an arahant (fully enlightened being).
One of his students had established a meditation center at
Arzanigone, on the northern slope of the Shwedagon Pagoda. Nearby was a
bomb shelter that had been built during the Second World War. Saya
Thetgyi used this shelter as his meditation cave. At night he stayed
with one of his assistant teachers. His students from Rangoon, including
the Accountant General, U Ba Khin, and Commissioner of Income Tax, U
San Thein, visited him as much as time permitted.
He instructed all who came to see him to be diligent in their
practice, to treat the monks and nuns who came to practice meditation
with respect, to be well-disciplined in body, speech and mind, and to
pay respects to the Buddha in everything they did.
Saya Thetgyi was accustomed to go to the Shwedagon Pagoda every
evening, but after about a week he caught a cold and fever from sitting
in the dug-out shelter. Despite being treated by physicians, his
condition deteriorated. As his state worsened, his nieces and nephews
came from Pyawbwegyi to Rangoon. Every night his students, numbering
about 50, sat in meditation together. During these group meditations
Saya Thetgyi himself did not say anything, but silently meditated.
One night at about 10 pm, Saya Thetgyi was with a number of his
students (U Ba Khin was unable to be present). He was lying on his back,
and his breathing became loud and prolonged. Two of the students were
watching intently, while the rest meditated silently. At exactly 11:00
p.m., his breathing became deeper. It seemed as if each inhalation and
expiration took about five minutes. After three breaths of this kind the
breathing stopped altogether, and Saya Thetgyi passed away.
His body was cremated on the northern slope of the Shwedagon Pagoda
and Sayagyi U Ba Khin and his disciples later built a small pagoda on
the spot. But perhaps the most fitting and enduring memorial to this
singular teacher is the fact that the task given him by Ledi Sayadaw of
spreading the Dhamma in all strata of society still continues.
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8th. Their predictions about Italy and Spain fit exactly
http://www.ambedkar.org/News/News062403.htm
Why Should We Embrace Buddhism
WHY SHOULD WE EMBRACE BUDDHISM Baba Saheb Dr BR Ambedkar From the
book Bahujan Samaj Aur Uski Rajniti by: Kumari Mayawati and The Hindu
News paper extract.
JC Vimalo ( Acharya Venerable Buddharakkhita named Jagatheesan Chandrasekharan as Vimalo a Buddhist name)
It is necessary to understand the History of the Saints and Gurus
who made significant contributions towards giving a right direction to
the Bahujan samaj from time to time. Although BSP is in favour of
Secularism as enunciated in the Constitution of India, within that we
ought to seriously consider the options available before us, if the
words of Buddha and Dhamma inspire us to reconstruct a social order into
one based on equal values, we should opt for it. In the larger interest
of the Country and the world at large, to encourage humanity and
humanism. We should not hesitate in following such religion. In other
words, since Buddhism has valuable lessons for the today’s global
village, we should take full advantage of such a religion.
This approach might be misconstrued, as if we are trying to preach a
particular Religion. All Religions have to be equally respected. But
the shortcomings of each Religion in so far as they fall short of what
is “Dhamma” have to be clearly understood and practiced. Today, all
political parties, whether they are National or Regional, have members
from all Religious denominations. Likewise, in Bahujan samaj Party also,
There are people who profess different religions. All political parties
should bear in mind the principles of secularism, and instead of
misusing Religion for political benefits, they should use Religion in
the best interests of the Country, for giving correct direction to the
Society. Now the question arises, as to which are the religions, which
help us to preserve the Unity and Integrity of the Society. To arrive at
an answer to this question, we will have to study the History of all
Religions as was done by Baba Saheb Dr Ambedkar.
After an in depth study of all Religions, he described the Teachings
of Buddha as appropriate for building an equality based social order. A
glimpse of this belief of Baba Saheb is visible in his historic speech
delivered on 14th October 1956, in Nagpur. It becomes necessary to make a
special mention of that speech so that, not only the Bahujan Samaj but
the whole society as such will realise some truths about the Teachings
of Buddha. These teachings will help in the reconstruction of the
society on equality based order.
`It is important to throw some light on the significant things which
are essential for reconstructing the social order on the basis of
equality, and which Gautam Buddha emphasised in his sermons, before we
come to the principles highlighted by Baba Saheb in his speech at
Nagpur. Gautam Buddha said, ” Do not believe in traditions merely
because they have been handed down, for many generations and in many
places Do not believe in anything because it is rumored and spoken by
many. Do not believe because the written statement of some old sage is
reproduced. Do not believe in fancies, thinking that because they are
extraordinary, they must have been implanted by a deva, or a wonderful
being. Only after careful observations and analysis, when a thing agrees
with reason and is conducive to the good and benefit of one and all,
accept it and live up to it.” (Kalma Sutta, Anguttara Nikaya)
Gautam Buddha announced a social revolution for the first time in
India. He taught the lesson of equality, comradeship, mercy and
brotherhood to the entire human society, and laid the foundations for an
independent conscience, delivering the society from the slavery of
spiritualism. Atamvad, Ishwarvad, Shastravad, and religious scriptures.
It is due to his saddharma that the Country scaled heights of art and
culture. But those professing Brahmimism did not like it since the
interest of their section of society were served only by perpetuating
inequalities, through Ishwarvad and Shastravad.
As a result, Brahmins used all possible conceits and even State
power, to extinguish Saddharma and Buddhism from the very land on which
it was born, while it kept flourishing abroad, beyond the boundaries of
our Country. Not only this, the Brahmins executed hundreds of Buddhist
Monks, broke many statues of Buddha, destroyed many Monasteries, and
killed thousands of Buddhist people, and converted most of the
hardworking Buddhists of this Country into Untouchables, through the
instruments of Manuvad, This oppressed class of Untouchables had to
suffer inhuman cruelties and extreme exploitation for a long time. As a
result, this class of working people was forced to forget its own
culture and religion - in other words Buddhism itself. But on 14th
October 1956, Baba Saheb Dr Ambedkar gave a call to this oppressed and
deprived class to return to their own culture, namely Buddhism. He
showed the path to comprehensive Dalit Revolution and Independence. By
leaving Hindu religion, and returning to Buddhism alone, is emancipation
and progress of Dalits possible. Not only this, the welfare of entire
society of India and the welfare of the whole Country as such, lies only
in adopting the high human values professed by Buddhism. The Historic
words, which Baba Saheb uttered in his speech, are as follows:
WHY SHOULD WE EMBRACE BUDDHISM? - BABA SAHEB DR BR AMBEDKAR
“Followers of Buddhist Faith, I want to explain in my address to you
today, why I have assumed the mighty responsibility of Revival and
Propagation of the Gospel of Lord Buddha. Many intellectual friends and
myself feel that the” induction” ritual, which took place yesterday on
Conversion, should have preceded the Induction Ceremony, yesterday. But
what has happened, is history, and it will be of no significance to
ponder over this question of sequence now.
Why only Nagpur?
Many people have been curious to know, why did I select only Nagpur
for this monumental task, and why did I not think some other location.
Some believe that, since this town is a hub of the Rashtriya Swayam
Sevak, I have deliberately selected this venue to embarrass them, by
executing a spectacular right in their view. But it is not so. I have no
such ambition. I have neither the time nor the intention to provoke
them with such meaningless ploys. The enormous task that I have taken
upon myself is important that every minute that I spend on it is
valuable to me. The thought of RSS has not even remotely touched my mind
while selecting this venue.
Those who have studied the ancient history of India, and the
Buddhist connection, know that the credit for propagating Buddhism in
the beginning goes to Nagas. Nagas were non-Aryans, and there existed a
fierce enmity between the Aryans and the Nagas. Many battles were fought
between the Aryans and the non-Aryans. Aryans wanted to completely
annihilate the Nagas. There are many legends, to be found in the puranas
in this connection. The Sage ‘Agastya’ is said to have saved one snake
deity, symbolic of Nagas. You are all supposed to be the descendents of
naga. The Nagas, who were suppressed and oppressed by the Aryans, were
on the look out for a great man to liberate them, and they found that
great man in the person of Lord Buddha. Nagas spread the Religion of the
Buddha throughout India. Nagas were predominantly the inhabitants of
Nagpur. A river flowing at a distance of 27 miles from Nagpur is also
named Nag. It appears that the Nagas lived in the banks of this river.
This is mainly the reason for selecting Nagpur for this occasion.
Conflict is possible with the RSS on any other issue, but none has
selected this venue to provoke them.
Frustration among critics
Severe criticism has been made by some NewsPapers, of this great
moment launched by me, and followed by you. According to some of my
critics, I am misguiding my own brethren. According to them, the
Untouchables will continue to remain Untouchables. Conversion will not
benefit us.
Many News papers even went to the extent of suggesting that whatever
Political Privileges are being enjoyed by the Untouchables at present,
will also be taken away after conversion. All this is absurd propaganda.
These people are of the view that, instead of exploring new avenues, we
should follow the beaten path for amelioration of our condition. This
kind of mischievous talk is likely to cause doubts in the minds of
young, as well as the older people. Therefore, I cannot desist from
answering this question. Our Movement will gain strength if such doubts
are removed. Therefore, I wish to speak on this question at length.
Mahars and Chamars should stop removing the dead bodies of buffaloes
and cows. ‘Mahars and Chamars. Don’t eat carryon’ was a slogan, which
was raised by me. Some thirty years ago, I launched this Movement on
these issues. This somehow immensely offended our Hindu friends. I asked
them, “You take the milk from the cows and buffaloes, and when they are
dead you expect us to remove their dead bodies. Why? If you can carry
the dead bodies of your mothers to cremate, why do you not carry the
bodies of your ‘mother-cows’ yourself? When I put this question to the
Hindus, they felt offended I told them, if you let us remove the dead
bodies of your mothers, we will very gladly remove the dead bodies of
your cows and buffaloes as well. A ‘Chitpavan Brahmin’ tried to prove,
through a number of letters published in ‘Kesri’, a Brahmin journal,
that if the Untouchables stopped removing the dead bodies of animals,
they would be put to a great financial loss. He augmented his point, by
furnishing statistical data in support of his argument. According to
him, every Chamar, who removed the dead bodies of the animal, earned
between Rs.500 and Rs.600 per annum from the sale of proceeds of skin,
horns, teeth, hoofs and bones of the dead cows. He accused me that I was
trying to deprive them, of their livelihood by preaching against this
practice. My Untouchable brethren felt confused, as to where I was
leading them.
Once I happened to visit Sangmaner, a Tehsil in the District of
Belgaum. The author of those letters, which had appeared in Kesri, met
me and repeated the same questions. I told him that, I would answer his
questions at an appropriate time. I answered the questions published in
‘Kesri’ in a public meeting in the following manner. ‘My people do not
have sufficient food to eat. Women have no clothes to cover their
bodies. No roof over their heads to give them shelters. No land to grow
food -grains. So they are drown-trodden and poverty stricken. They are
oppressed and exploited. ‘ I asked all those present, if they knew the
reason why? None replied from among the congregation; not even the
person who had written those letters to the ‘Kesri’. I told them, to
better leave us alone, and allow us to worry about ourselves. ‘If you
are so much anxious about our losses, why don’t you send your friends
and relatives to live in the villages, and do this dirty job of dragging
the dead bodies of animals so that they may earn Rs.500/- per annum. In
addition to that amount, I will pay Rs.500/- from my pocket as prize.
They will gain doubly. Why miss this opportunity? True, we will suffer a
loss, but you stand to gain. No caste Hindu has come forward to
undertake this job and claim the prize. Why do they feel perturbed on
seeing us making progress? I can take care of my people for the food,
clothing, houses and other things they need. You Hindus need not worry
about these things.
If we do this dirty work, it is said to be profitable, and if they
do it, it becomes non-profitable. They were welcome to remove the dead
animals and earn profit. Similarly, some people say that, some seats
have been reserved for us in the Legislature. Why are we keen to give up
that advantage by converting to Buddhism? My reply to them is that they
should let the Brahmins, Rajputs and other caste Hindus come forward,
and fill these up by becoming Chamars, sweepers and mahars.
Why should they moan over our loss, if seats Reserved for us are
left vacant? Self-Respect is more important to a man than material gains
only.
There is an area in Bombay known for prostitution. Women of easy
virtue who live there wake up at about 8 O’clock in the morning, and
call for boys who work in the cheap restaurants, ‘O boys; Get a plate of
‘kheema’ and ‘Roti. They take ‘Kheema roti’ and tea. But our women do
not get ‘Kheema roti’ to eat. They eat ordinary ‘Roti’ and ‘Chatni’, and
remain content with that. They too can opt to live the life of
prostitutes, but they are fond of their self-respect. And Dignity is
one’s birthright. Our ambition is to do our utmost towards achieving it
completely. No sacrifice will be enough to achieve this. Journalists
have been after me for the last forty years. I want to tell them now
that, they ought to write in a mature and considered language. We do
deserve to live with fuller Dignity, which the Hindus have hitherto
denied to us. We will achieve that fullness, after we have embraced
Buddhism.
I have been liberated from Hell
I am surprised that our Conversion is being discussed everywhere.
But, I am surprised to see that nobody has asked me the Reason why of
all the religions I have chosen Buddhism. In any Movement of Conversion,
this is a significant question to be asked. Which religion should be
adopted and why? I started the Movement of renouncing the Hindu Religion
in 1935, and since then I have been continuing the struggle. A mammoth
public meeting was held at Yeola, District Nasik in 1935, in which it
was resolved in the congregation that, we shall renounce the Hindu
religion. I had resolved then, that although I am born as a Hindu, I
would not die a Hindu. I had taken that pledge 21 years ago, and I have
fulfilled it today. This Conversion has given me enormous pleasure. I
feel as if I have been liberated from Hell. L does not want any blind
followers. Those who want to embrace Buddhism should do so after careful
thinking so that they hold on firmly to this Religion for future.
Karl Marx and Dalits
Religion is a must for the progress of mankind. I am deeply aware
that, according to a new interpretation given by Karl Marx, Religion is
an opiate. According to him, Religion has no place in life. They believe
in ‘eat, drink and be merry.’ All that they want is bread and butter
for breakfast, delicious meals in the afternoon, nice comfortable bed to
sleep on, and cinema to while away their time. I do not somehow agree
with them. Owing to the poverty of my father, I did not have the
opportunity to enjoy any of these luxuries. None would have labored in
life as much as I have. But this ahs not made me irreligious. I known
myself what sort of hardships the poor have to bear. We must launch our
struggle keeping in view the economic aspects. I am not against this
idea. We should progress economically too. I have been struggling
throughout my life to that end. Not only this, I very much desires the
entire mankind to become economically strong.
Animal and Man
But I have my own views in this regard. There is difference between
man and animal. Whilst the beast needs nothing except its daily food for
existence, the human being is endowed with a Body and a Mind. Mind must
be developed side by side with body. Mind should also be filled with
pure and cultured thoughts. I do not consider it advantageous to have
anything to do with the Countries where people believe that eating and
drinking is separate from Development of mind. One should bear in mind
that, just as we have a healthy body in order to be able to remain free
from disease, so in order to keep the body healthy, we must also develop
a healthy Mind. Without this, all human progress will become meaning
less.
A developed Mind - the Main Force Behind Enthusiasm
What causes the disease in human body or mind? So long as the body
is in suffering, Mind cannot be happy. If the mind is not happy, there
cannot be any enthusiasm in life. Nothing can be achieved if there is no
enthusiasm.
What causes this lack of enthusiasm? It is a state of hopelessness.
If one begins to believe that there is no hope of ones’ elevation in
life, one looses enthusiasm. There can be no enthusiasm without hope.
The mind becomes diseased. When one is assured of enjoying the reward of
ones’ labour, only then one feels enriched by enthusiasm and
inspiration. If the teachers in school start commenting, “Oh! This is a
Mahar boy. How did he secure the first position in the class? What
business has he to stand first in the class? Only the Brahmins are
entitled to secure the first position.” Now what enthusiasm can the
Mahar boy have in these circumstances? How will he advance in life? Mind
is the main source of generation of enthusiasm. One who has a healthy
body and a healthy mind has confidence and courage. He can fight with
all kinds of odds in life. This generates enthusiasm in him. Hinduism is
founded on ideologies and such principles of inequality and injustice,
as leave no room for the development of enthusiasm. If this religion
thrives for another thousand years, it will only produce clerks who will
do nothing except filling their bellies. Then we shall need super
clerks to protect them from injustices and various kinds of atrocities.
Common masses of Untouchables will not gain anything. If there is one
foundation for enthusiasm it is the mind. Manager is appointed in mills
to extract work from labour. Their job is only to get work from the
labour. The proprietors remain engrossed in their business, and get no
time to develop their minds. How did I get my education? Owing to
poverty, I used to attend school with nothing more than loin clothes on
my body. I was not allowed to get even water to drink in the school. I
had to go without water for many days. Untouchability was observed even
in Elphinstone College, Bombay. What can be expected in this kind of
circumstances? Untouchability cannot be removed if education produces
only slavish clerks.
Be Rulers, not Clerks.
I was an Executive Councilor in Delhi during British Rule. Lord
Linlithgow was the viceroy of India at that time. Once I asked that he
allocated Rs 3 Lacs for Aligar Muslim University for the sake of
Muslims, and Rs 3 Lacs to the Benaras Hindu University for the sake of
Hindus. But we are neither Hindus nor Muslims. An amount proportionate
to the population of the Scheduled Castes should be allocated for us.
Since that proportionate amount would be quite high you should allocate
an amount equal to that allocated to Muslims. Lord Linlithgow asked me
to give in writing whatever I wanted to say. As desired by him, I
submitted a Memorandum. Europeans were generally sympathetic in their
outlook. He agreed to my proposal, and granted a sum of Rs. 3 Lacs for
the Scheduled Castes. But the question, as to how the amount thus
allocated should be spent, could not be resolved. Viceroy wanted this
amount to be spent on education of the girls belonging to Scheduled
Castes, and suggested Boarding Houses be built for them. If this money
is spent in this manner to build Boarding Houses, in order to make the
illiterate girls belonging to the Scheduled castes educated. I thought
we should soon require money for providing them with good food too. Poor
as our people are, how shall they get these things for their daughters?
What will be the result of this education? Since these questions could
not be resolved, the Viceroy withheld the money earmarked for the
education of the Scheduled castes.
I went to Lord Linlithgow again and had a straightforward talk with
him on the topic. I put this question to the Viceroy Lord Linlithgow.
‘Am I not equal to 500 graduates?’ ‘Yes, of course, you are.’ Replied
Lord Linlithgow. Then I asked him, ‘Do you know the reason why I say
so?’ He did not know. I told the Viceroy that my education that my
education is so thorough that I am capable of holding any office of the
Govt. with confidence. I need such learned men who should be capable of
holding key position whence they should work in the most effective
manner for the betterment of the community.
If you really want to do something for the betterment of the
‘untouchables’ you will have to produce such people as would be able to
ameliorate their condition. How will it help to merely help produce
clerks? Lord Linlithgow acceded to my suggestion, and sent 16 boys
belonging to Scheduled castes abroad for higher education.
YESTERDAY
“Chaturvarna, Gandhi and Religion
We have been living in this country for thousands of years, in a
hopeless system, which generates no enthusiasm. So long as the present
system continues, there is no scope for generation of any enthusiasm for
our progress. Smarting under Hindu religion, which is founded on
inequality and injustice, we can achieve nothing. Manusmriti describes
the ‘Chaturvarna’. This ‘Chaturvarna’ is disastrous for the progress of
mankind. Under this system, the Shudras are restricted to performance of
drudgeries only. They have nothing to do with education. Who would be
interested in ameliorating their lot? Brahmins, Kshatriyas and vaishyas
benefit alike from the slavish condition of Shudras. Shudras have
nothing but slavery to share. Chaturvarna cannot just be blown away. It
is not only a part of tradition; it has become a religion.
There is no equality in Hinduism. I once went to see Gandhiji.
Gandhiji told me that he believed in CHATURVARNA. ‘What kind of
Chaturvarna’? I enquired, pointing towards my hand with the little
finger in the bottom and thumb on the top or this way - with the palm
lying flat on the surface of the table and fingers lying side by side.
‘What do you mean by the Chaturvarna? Where does it begin and where does
it end?’ I asked Gandhiji. Gandhiji could not reply.
Those who have ruined us, this unjust religion of theirs will be
annihilated in front of them. I do not accuse the Hindu religion in
vain. This sinful religion cannot save any body. It has no life left in
it.” Dr.B.R.Ambedkar
TODAY
Bahujan Samaj Party under the able Ms. Mayawati, Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Don’t Delude: They deliver
The Facts Speak for Themselves
· 69% reduction in crime.
· Rs. 7000 crore Water Restructuring Project Launched
· Rs. 3000 Crore State Roads Project initiated.
· Highest external aid received and utilised in last 5 years.
· Construction of Rs. 2500 crore first accesses controlled expressway of India between Greater Nouda & Agra started.
· 650 crore PM Rural Roads Projects implemented.
· First State to provide legal framework for SEZs.
· Proposal of Rs. 1900 crore for new industries.
· 1.87 lakh landless dalits provided ownership of village land.
· 89,000 landless given new land leases.
· 1001 new urban development projects launched.
· 96 crore Dr.Ambedkar Memorial dedicated to people.
…And all this happened in just One Year It needed courage with Vision to realise it.
Mayawati moots reservation in cabinet
The Bahujan Samaj Party today advocated reservation in the Council
of Ministers in order to ensure adequate reservation for Scheduled
Castes and Scheduled Tribes.
While supporting the move to limit the size of Ministries both at
the Centre and the States, the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and BSP
vice-president, Mayawati said that she had instructed her party leaders
in the Lok Sabah to seek a clause providing reservation for the SCs and
the STs, “keeping in mind their population”.
Addressing the media at NEW DELHI on 03-04-2003, on completion of
one-year of her coalition Government, Ms Mayawati said the BSP would
also support the Centre’s move to introduce legislation to tackle the
problem of defection. “We will vote in favour of both the Bills and help
in their passage.” To a question on the BSP’s viewpoint to ban
religious conversion, Ms Mayawati said there was no objection to the
move to check forcible conversions. Otherwise the constitution permitted
the freedom to practice any religion. Incidentally, Ms Mayawati had
warned at the Lucknow rally on April 14, that unless Hindu religion
leaders eliminated discriminatory practices, the ‘Bahujan ‘ samaj led by
her would embrace Buddhism.
The BSP would also support Central ligislation to ban cow slaughter
and such a law was already in place in Uttar Pradesh. Asked about her
Government’s stand on the VHP’s ‘trishul’ (trident-anodized plastic)
distribution programme, Ms.mayawati said she agreed with the Deputy
Prime Minister, L.K.Advani’s remarks that it marred the organisation’s
image. However, she said the VHP had already carried on some ‘minor’
programme in the state. “I would not commit the mistake of carrying out
(their) arrest like Rajastan did and make him (VHP leader Praveen
Togadia) a hero,” she said.
In the same breath, she warned that if the Samajawadi Party
attempted to distribute swords, as the party leaders did at a rally in
Delhi, they would be proceeded against under the Arms Act.
The BSP would go it alone in the Assembly elections in Madya
Pradesh, Chattisgarh, Delhi and Rajastan later this year. Talks on
seat-sharing arrangement with the BJP for U.P. ahead of the next general
elections would take place only after the Assembly polls.
The BSP would field a candidate against the Mahashtra Chief Minister, Sushil Kumar Shinde.
TOMORROW
‘I will be the best PM and Mayawati is my chosen heir’
“I will be the best Prime Minister. I have already declared at the Lucknow rally that Mayawati is my chosen political heir.”
Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) Chief Kanshi Ram appeared out of the blue
in the mid-70s to pose a challenge to the powerful and influential
leaders of Indian politics. The former employee of a steel plant set out
to rid society of its most potent evil - the caste system - and give
dignity and freedom to his constituency, the Dalits. It has been two
decades since he began, and Kanshi Ram is still energetic despite a
debilitating illness.
Today, the BSP rules India’s largest state, UP, and is a national
party. Kanshi Ram spends his time Travelling in states as far flung as
Punjab, AP, and MP and Gujarat ‘’addressing the public, creating leaders
for his party and building the future’’. His views on why he aligned
with ‘’casteist’’ and ‘’communal’’ parties like BJP are well known - for
Dalit empowerment -
‘Yes, I was influenced by the writings on the caste struggle of
Ambedkar, Jyotibhai Phule and Shahu Maharaj, who were all from
Maharashtra. I am a chamar from Punjab but we were an educated people
because of the Sikh religion. We even had an IAS officer from our
village soon after Independence. It became clear that if I had to take
the fight of the chamars against upper caste oppression, I should first
mobilise educated and employed chamars like me, because they have the
resources and the ability to comprehend. And, so, Bamcef, a federation
representing them, was born in Pune around 1975, but I shifted my
headquarters to Delhi. The majority of chamars are in north India.
Yes. I saw the Congress was the most powerful in the chamar belt -
extending from Jammu in the north to Dhanbad in the east including
Madhya Pradesh in the south. The Congress had cleverly got a stooge in
Jagjivan Ram, a chamar leader, whose only job was to keep the community
in the Congress fold and to ensure that the radical writings of Ambedkar
did not enter the region. I decided to break Jagjivan Ram’s grip and
finish the manuvadi (upper caste) Congress here.
Nothing in my life is immediate. When word got around that there was
a new chamar leader, Indira Gandhi began strengthening the hands of
Jagjivan Ram, but it proved costly. It finally led Jagjivan Ram to
challenge her leadership by wanting to become PM and he was forced to
leave the party.
The BSP was founded in 1984 and in 1985, it contested the UP
assembly elections by fielding more than 200 candidates. We did not win a
single seat but the Congress lost 165 seats because we split its votes.
It was the beginning of the end.
Is it wrong for the chamars to have their own leader and party to
fight for dignity and justice? The BSP represents the chamars and we had
got 18 varieties of chamars under one umbrella
in UP.
But ours is a strange Country. If all Kasatriyas get killed, all the
warriors get killed. This has been happening in the past. That is why
our Country became slave, so many times. If we were allowed to bear
arms, this Country would never have been subjugated, as no invader would
have been able to conquer this Country.
Buddhism has hope for this Country
There is no salvation for anybody in Hinduism. According to the
tenets of Hinduism only the so-called higher castes have been benefited.
There is no exaggeration in my statement. What has the Shudras or the
Ati-Shudras gained? As soon as the wife of a Brahmin conceives, she
thinks oh the High Court, whether any post of a Judge has fallen vacant,
but when our woman becomes pregnant, she cannot think anything better
than a sweeper’s post under the Municipal Committee. This deplorable
situation exists only because of Hinduism. How can we gain by staying in
this system? It is only by embracing Buddhism that we can hope to gain
anything.
Brahmins and Shudras alike embraced the religion of Lord Buddha.
While delivering a Sermon to the original Bhikkus, Lord Buddha said, “O’
Bhikkus, you have come from different Countries and various Castes,
Great rivers when they flow in different Countries maintain their
individual flow, but, after falling into the ocean, they loose their
separate identities. Buddhism is like that ocean. All are one and equal
in this ocean. It is not possible to identify the waters of Ganga or
Yamuna when they have merged. Similarly after embracing Buddhism, you
are all one.” Such was the teaching of Lord Buddha.
I have a grave Responsibility on my Shoulders
Some people ask me why I have taken so long to take a decision to
Change of Religion? What was I doing all these years? This is a very
serious question. It is an enormous task to persuade people about the
merits of a Religion. It is not a task only one man can perform. You
will understand the enormity of the matter, if you meditate on the
principles of the Dhaka. I have a great responsibility on my shoulders.
No other person in the world has had to shoulder such an enormous
responsibility. If I live for a few more years, I will bring this task
that I have undertaken to a successful end. (Slogans of Baba Saheb
Zindabad) We will not be Untouchable Buddhists
Some people will naturally ask this question, what will the
Untouchables gain by embracing Buddhism? My only assertion in this
regard is that, you should not ask this question since, it is worthless
to ask it. Religion is not necessary for the well to do. Those who are
holding high positions in life, have nice bungalows to live in. money to
buy all comforts of life, and servants to attend on them. Practicing a
Religion or thinking about it has no use for them.
Religion has use for the poor
It is the poor who need Religion. The suffering and the oppressed
need Religion. The poor live on Hope. Hope is Foundation of Action in
Life. Life cannot go on if Hope is demolished. Religion affords this
Hope to everyone. Religion gives solace to the poor and the oppressed,
and assures that life is full of Hope. This is the reason why the poor
cling to Religion.
Some people will, no doubt, say that the Buddhism is the Religion of
the untouchables. Brahmins used to irreverently address Lord Buddha as
‘Bho-Gautama’. They used to insult and disrespect him with such names.
But as you know, if the idols of Rama, Krishna, or Shankara are kept for
sale in foreign countries, nobody would buy them. But if the images of
Buddha are kept for sale none will be left. So much has happened and has
been witnessed in India. Let us look outside the Country also. If there
is an Indian God whose name is popular abroad, it is Lord Buddha.
We shall follow our path, undaunted. Let others follow their own
path. We have found a new way to life and we shall follow it. This path
symbolises Hope. This path leads to progress. In fact we have not
imported it from outside. Buddhism is the Religion of this country. It
is more than two thousand years old.
I feel sorry for the fact that I did not embrace this Religion
earlier. The teachings of Buddha are eternal, but even then Buddha did
not proclaim them to be infallible. The Religion of Buddha has the
capacity to change according to times - a quality, which no other
Religion can claim to have.
The decline of Buddhism
Main reason for the decline of Buddhism in India, was the invasion
of India by the Moslems. Thousands of images were mutilated and
destroyed. Viharas were desecrated and thousands of Bhikkus were
massacred. Terrified by these ghastly events, the Bhikkus fled to the
adjoining Countries. Some went to Tibet. Some went to China. They spread
throughout the world. The result was that, the Bhikkus disappeared from
this Country.
There was a Greek King in North West Province, called King Menander.
He was an expert on the religious Discourses. He had defeated the
Brahmins many a time during the religious Discourses. He asked his
servants to invite Bhikkus and the scholars of Buddhism to his court.
The Bhikkus approached Nagasena, a learned versatile Bhikku, to discuss
the Religion of Buddha. Menander asked him a question, as to what leads
to downfall of a Religion. In his answer, Nagasena listed three causes
of the ruination of a Religion. Firstly, if a Religion is not based on
Truth, and its basic principles are not cogent, it does not last long.
It has only temporary existence. Secondly if its preachers are not
learned enough, the Religion cannot be sustained. Thirdly, if the
Religion and its principles do not get translated into the Temples and
other modes of worship among common people, then also that Religion
declines.
You must bear in mind, some facts while accepting Buddhism. You must
not think that the Teachings of Buddhism are of temporary value, and
are not likely to last longer. Even after a lapse of 2,500 years, the
world respects the Teachings of Buddha. There are as many 2000
Institutions of the followers of Buddhism in the United States of
America. In England, a Buddhist Vihara has been built at a cost of Rs.3,
00,000. There are some 3000 or 4000 Institutions founded in the name of
Buddha in Germany. The Principles of Buddha are Eternal, but in spite
of this fact Buddha did not claim any Divine Status for himself, nor did
he claim his Faith to be Infallible. Buddha did not say that he was the
Son of God, or the last Prophet Messenger of God. On the contrary he
said, “My Father and my Mother are ordinary mortals”. Only those people
should embrace this Religion who earnestly believe in it. For such high
principles are not to be found in any other Religion.
There is a world of difference between this Religion and other
Religions of the world. Main Principles of Buddhism form no part of
theistic Religions. According to other Religions, God created the world,
this Earth, and thereafter he created Heaven, Air Moon and other
planets. God has done all that was required to be done, and there
remains nothing for us to do. All that we are required to do is, just to
sing the praises of Almighty God. According to Christianity, there will
be a day of Judgement after death. Everything will be determined on the
basis of that Judgement. This does not appeal to rational man today.
Buddhism denies the existence of God and Soul. The real basis of
Buddhism is, rational way to eradicate suffering. ‘There is’ Buddha
said, ’suffering in the world-suffering wide spread’. Ninety- percent
people are afflicted with suffering or misery of some kind or other. The
main object of Buddhism is to emancipate the suffering humanity. The
question arises then, what is the use of Das Kapital? I believe that
Karl Marx was behind Buddha. For, he did not say anything that had not
been brought to light by the Buddha himself, some two thousand and four
hundred years before Karl Marx was born. Whatever Buddha said was
simple, and the path he showed was straight.
Brothers and Sisters, that is all I had to say. This Religion is the best of all. It is an all-comprehensive Religion.
There are some such ingredients in Hindu religion as inhibits any
kind of enthusiasm. This Religion has not permitted any member of our
samaj, to become a scholar for thousands of years.
I do not hesitate to tell you, some of the bitter facts about my
childhood. There was a Maratha maid in our school. She was herself
uneducated, but she never used to teach me. My mother had taught me to
address every senior person with respect. I used to address, even the
postman of the school with respect. Once I felt thirsty in School. I
requested the teacher for water. The teacher called the peon, and asked
him to open the tap, and I drank the water. If the peon used to be
absent from School, I used to go without water for days together in
School. I used to return home thirsty, and drink water after reaching
home. When I returned after receiving higher Education, I was offered
the post of District Judge. But I did not accept this offer, considering
that if I accepted this post, I would not be able to serve my people.
It is only on these considerations that I did not accept Government
Service.
With the education, intelligence, knowledge and experience that I
have, it is not difficult for me to oppose or fight against any evil.
But there is a mountain - colossal mountain of caste hierarchy,
vaishyas, Brahmins, Kshatriyas sitting on our heads. The question before
us is how to topple it down and blast it. To be able to do so, I will
write books, remove all your doubts and acquaint you fully with the
Religion of Buddha. I owe it as a duty. Have full faith in me and follow
me.
Some people say that, Buddhism is on its deathbed or practically
dead. If it is so, it is our duty to awaken it to better status. We
should act in a manner so as to enthuse, inspire respect among other
people. We should arrange discourses.
Elevate yourself and the world
A great responsibility has fallen on your shoulders now. It is a
significant matter. Don’t think that this Religion is like the dog
collar tied around your neck. Buddhism considers that this Country is
ours, has become a desert. Now it has fallen on you that you should
endeavor to follow this Religion sincerely. If you do not do so, people
will laugh at this Conversion. Pledge today, to liberate yourself, and
to elevate your Country and the World in general. Buddhism can alone
salvage the World. Until Justice Rules the World, World peace cannot be
there.
Donate 1/20th of your Income
The task you have taken in hand is of immense responsibility. You
have resolved to labor hard, to complete it. The young among us have to
work hard. This thing you have to bear in mind. Do not be interested in
your bread. You must resolve to contribute at least 1/20th of your
income for the propagation of the Dhamma. I am to carry you all with me.
Bhagwan Buddha used to carry out Initiation Ceremony himself. When it
became unmanageable for one person, he allowed that work to be shared by
other competent persons among his followers. You might have heard the
name of one ‘Yasha’. He was the scion of a rich family. Yasha became his
Disciple, and there were forty more men who followed him. Bhagwan told
them, ‘My Religion is for the good of many; for in the good of many,
lies the happiness for many. This is good in the beginning; this is good
in the middle, and this is good in the end’.
Buddha adopted the method of preaching according to circumstances
then prevailing. Accordingly, we too should adopt the method, which is
most suitable to the existing circumstances. There are no Bhikkus in
this Country now to do this work. So every one of us has to take
“deeksha”. Every Buddhist has the right to initiate others, by
administering the 22 vows, which are as follows:
The 22 Vows of Buddhism
1. I shall have no faith in Brahma, Vishnu and mahesh, nor shall I worship them.
2. I shall have no faith in Rama and Krishna, nor shall I worship them.
3. I shall have no faith in ‘Gauri’, Ganapathi and other gods and goddesses of Hindus, nor shall I worship them.
4. I do not believe in the incarnation of God.
5.
I do not and shall not believe that, Lord Buddha was the incarnation
of Vishnu. I believe this is to be sheer madness of false propaganda.
6. I shall not perform ’shraddha’, nor shall I give ‘pind-dan’.
7. I shall not act in a manner, violating the Principles and Teachings of Buddha.
8. I shall not allow any Ceremonies to be performed by Brahmins. 9. I shall believe in the Equality of Man.
10. I shall endeavor to establish Equality.
11. I shall follow the ‘noble eight path’ of the Buddha. 12. I shall follow the ‘paramitas’ prescribed by the Buddha.
13. I shall have compassion and loving kindness, for all living beings, and protect them.
14. I shall not steal.
15. I shall not tell lies.
16. I shall not commit carnal sins.
17. I shall not take intoxicants.
18. I shall endeavor to mould my life, to the practice of compassion and loving kindness in every day life.
19. I renounce Hinduism, which is harmful for humanity, and which
impedes the advancement and development of humanity, because it is based
on inequality, and adopt Buddhism as my Religion.
20. I firmly believe the Dhamma of the Buddha is the only true Religion.
21. I believe that I am having re-birth.
22. I solemnly declare and affirm that, I shall hereafter lead my
life, according to the Principles and teachings of the Buddha and his
Dhamma. Baba Saheb Dr. Ambekar
Thus, on 14th October 1956, Baba Saheb Dr. Ambedkar, the true
Buddhist, underwent the Initiation Ceremony into Buddhism, the Religion
founded by Lord Buddha, along with Lacs of followers. Some people call
it Conversion, and some describe it merely as modification of Religious
Belief. As a matter of fact, this was not a Conversion. What happened is
that, thanks to the guidance of Baba Saheb Dr. Ambedkar, a very large
number of people returned to the Religion practiced by their
forefathers. They returned to a Religion, to coax the masses to abstain
from which, the conservative Brahmins had conspired for ages. We have
escaped mirage set out by them, and have adopted the right path. This
will be recorded, as the most important convention Free Revolution. When
in the remote future, History is recalled, this day the 14th of October
will be recalled as the day of the Emancipation of the dalits.
Here, the author of the book ‘BAHUJAN SAMAJ AUR USKI RAJNITY’ Kumari
Mayawati clarified that ‘Baba Saheb Dr.Ambedkar did prefer Buddhism on
account of certain values vouched by this Religion, but this should not
be taken to mean that he was against other religions. Even about
Hinduism Baba Saheb Dr. Ambedkar had said that if fundamentalist Hindus
purge this religion of its objectionable principles, even this religion
can prove to be beneficial to mankind. These ideas of Baba Saheb Dr.
Ambedkar became abundantly clear from his utterances while introducing
the Hindu Code Bill in the Parliament in his capacity as the first Law
Minister of India. He said, “If you wish to protect the Hindu-system,
the Hindu-culture and the Hindu-society, do not hesitate to remove the
evils that have crept into them. This Bill intends nothing beyond
removing such evils”. He held respect for all Religions likewise.
The significance of the above event is, however, much larger. By
embracing Buddhism, Baba Saheb Dr. Ambedkar made the poor and the
oppressed, the repositories of the richest Culture of the World.
Much before Baba Saheb Dr. Ambedkar, Mahatma Jotiba Phule, goaded by
the tyranny and oppression perpetrated by caste system, had begun the
struggle to transform the manuvadi social order, based on inequalities,
into an order based on equality. But Jotiba Phule expired in 1890. Dr.
Ambedkar was born after one year of the death of this founding father
and pioneer of the Social Revolution. Baba Saheb sacrificed his entire
life, for the establishment of society based on equality, based on the
inspiration he received from the life of Mahatma Jotiba Phule and Lord
Buddha. Simultaneously, Sri. Harichand Thakur and Shri.
Guruchand Thakur, who belonged to the Chandal Community of the
Scheduled castes, and graduated to be barristers, thanks to the British
Rule, started work on social reforms. Chatrapathi Shauji Maharaj of
Kholapur, made his own contributions towards ushering a Revolution in
the Bahujan samaj. Periyar Ramaswamy and Narayan Guru, also struggled
against manuvad. Similarly, our saints and Gurus, also spread the
message of humanism and human brotherhood and fought against manuvad.
To be able to transform the brahminical social order, the members of
Bahujan Samaj must understand their own History, apart from the History
of manuvad samaj. Otherwise, they will continue to be exploited by a
handful of dominant caste hindu people, who constitute only 15% of the
total population. Besides it is necessary for them to understand their
own History in order to consolidate and organise the Bahujan samaj. They
cannot capture Political Power at the Centre and the States, even
though Baba Saheb Dr. Ambedkar had cleared their way to Political Power,
through the Constitution of India. A colleague of Baba Saheb asked a
question about this, sometimes before he died in 1956. The collegue
asked as to why he did he remain cheerful and happy those days. To this
Baba Saheb replied that, he had pledged to restore the reins of the
Country to its original rulers, and that with the promulgation of the
Constitution on 26th January 1950, he had won the battle. How do you say
that, the inquisitive colleague retorted, since the Prime Minister and
most of the Ministers then belonged to the dominant hindu castes. To
this Baba Saheb Ambedkar replied stating that, so far as he was
concerned, by introducing the Democratic System of Governance and
Universal Adult Franchise, he had handed over the potential capacity to
capture Political Power to the majority community of Bahujan Samaj.
That, as on date, the Samaj was not capable of controlling the Reins of
the Government, but in the coming 30 years the Samaj will get educated,
and will grow strong enough to gain political control of the Country.
Keeping in view the above facts, my appeal to the Members of the
Bahujan Samaj is that, if they aspire to stand on their own feet, the
first thing for them is to understand their own History and the
struggles of their Ancestors. Failing this, the Members of the manuvad
samaj will continue to exploit our ignorance, and will make it difficult
for us to progress in any walk of life’.
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Baba Saheb Dr. Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar
Dr. Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar (1891–1956) popularly known as Babasaheb, was
an Indian jurist, economist, politician and social reformer who
inspired the Dalit Buddhist movement and campaigned against social
discrimination against Untouchables (Dalits), while also supporting the
rights of women and labour He was Independent India’s first law minister
and the principal architect of the Constitution of India.
His Birth and Greatness Foretold
On April 14th, 1891 a son was born to Bhimabai and Ramji Ambadvekar. His
father Ramji was an army officer stationed at Mhow in Madhya Pradesh –
he had risen to the highest rank an Indian was allowed to hold at that
time under British rule. His mother decided to call her son Bhim. Before
the birth, Ramji’s uncle, who was a man living the religious life of a
sanyasi, foretold that this son would achieve worldwide fame. His
parents already had many children. Despite that, they resolved to make
every effort to give him a good education.
Early Life and First School of Ambedkar
Two years later, Ramji retired from the army, and the family moved to
Dapoli in the Ratnagiri district of Maharashtra, from where they came
originally. Bhim was enrolled at school when he was five years old. The
whole family had to struggle to live on the small army pension Ramji
received.
When some friends found Ramji a job at Satara, things seemed to be
looking up for the family, and they moved again. Soon after, however,
tragedy struck. Bhimabai, who had been ill, died. Bhim’s aunt Mira,
though she herself was not in good health, took over the care of the
children. Ramji read stories from the epics Mahabharata and Ramayana to
his children, and sang devotional songs to them. In this way, home life
was still happy for Bhim, his brothers and sisters. He never forgot the
influence of his father. It taught him about the rich cultural tradition
shared by all Indians.
The Shock of Prejudice – Casteism
Bhim began to notice that he and his family were treated differently. At
high school he had to sit in the corner of the room on a rough mat,
away from the desks of the other pupils. At break-time, he was not
allowed to drink water using the cups his fellow school children used.
He had to hold his cupped hands out to have water poured into them by
the school caretaker. Bhim did not know why he should be treated
differently – what was wrong with him?
Once, he and his elder brother had to travel to Goregaon, where
their father worked as a cashier, to spend their summer holidays. They
got off the train and waited for a long time at the station, but Ramji
did not arrive to meet them. The station master seemed kind, and asked
them who they were and where they were going. The boys were very
well-dressed, clean, and polite. Bhim, without thinking, told him they
were Mahars (a group classed as ‘untouchables’). The station master was
stunned – his face changed its kindly expression and he went away.
Bhim decided to hire a bullock-cart to take them to their father – this
was before motor cars were used as taxis – but the cart-men had heard
that the boys were ‘untouchables’, and wanted nothing to do with them.
Finally, they had to agree to pay double the usual cost of the journey,
plus they had to drive the cart themselves, while the driver walked
beside it. He was afraid of being polluted by the boys, because they
were ‘untouchables’.
However, the extra money persuaded him that he could have his cart
‘purified’ later! Throughout the journey, Bhim thought constantly about
what had happened – yet he could not understand the reason for it. He
and his brother were clean and neatly dressed. Yet they were supposed to
pollute and make unclean everything they touched and all that touched
them. How could that be possible?
Bhim never forgot this incident. As he grew up, such senseless insults
made him realise that what Hindu society called ‘untouchability’ was
stupid, cruel, and unreasonable. His sister had to cut his hair at home
because the village barbers were afraid of being polluted by an
‘untouchable’. If he asked her why they were ‘untouchables’, she could
only answer -that is the way it has always been.” Bhim could not be
satisfied with this answer. He knew that -it has always been that way”
does not mean that there is a just reason for it – or that it had to
stay that way forever. It could be changed.
शिक्षित बनो
Educate
संगठित रहो
Organise
संघर्ष करो
Agitate,
An Outstanding Scholar
At this time in his young life, with his mother dead, and father working
away from the village where Bhim went to school, he had some good
fortune. His teacher, though from a ‘high’ caste, liked him a lot. He
praised Bhim’s good work and encouraged him, seeing what a bright pupil
he was. He even invited Bhim to eat lunch with him – something that
would have horrified most high caste Hindus. The teacher also changed
Bhim’s last name to Ambedkar – his own name.
When his father decided to remarry, Bhim was very upset – he still
missed his mother so much. Wanting to run away to Bombay, he tried to
steal his aunt’s purse. When at last he managed to get hold of it, he
found only one very small coin. Bhim felt so ashamed. He put the coin
back and made a vow to himself to study very hard and to become
independent.
Soon he was winning the highest praise and admiration from all his
teachers. They urged Ramji to get the best education fro his son Bhim.
So Ramji moved with his family to Bombay. They all had to live in just
one room, in an area where the poorest of the poor lived, but Bhim was
able to go to Elphinstone High School – one of the best schools in all
of India.
In their one room everyone and everything was crowed together and the
streets outside were very noisy. Bhim went to sleep when he got home
from school. Then his father would wake him up at two o’clock in the
morning! Everything was quiet then – so he could do his homework and
study in peace.
In the big city, where life was more modern than in the villages, Bhim
found that he was still called an ‘untouchable’ and treated as if
something made him different and bad – even at his famous school.
One day, the teacher called him up to the blackboard to do a sum. All the other boys jumped up and made a big fuss.
Their lunch boxes were stacked behind the blackboard – they believed
that Bhim would pollute the food! When he wanted to learn Sanskrit, the
language of the Hindu holy scriptures, he was told that it was
forbidden for ‘untouchables’ to do so. He had to study Persian instead –
but he taught himself Sanskrit later in life.
Educational qualifications of Dr.B R Ambedkar
1 .Elementary Education, 1902 Satara, Maharashtra
2. Matriculation, 1907, Elphinstone High School, Bombay Persian etc.,
3. Inter 1909, Elphinstone College,Bombay
4. B.A, 1913, Elphinstone College, Bombay, University of Bombay, Economics & Political Science
5. M.A, 1915 Majoring in Economics and with Sociology, History
Philosophy, Anthropology and Politics as the other subjects of study.
6. Ph.D, 1917, Columbia University conferred a Degree of Ph.D.
7. MSc. 1921 June, London School of Economics, London. Thesis –
‘Provincial Decentralization of Imperial Finance in British India’
8. Barrister-at- Law 30-9-1920 Gray’s Inn, London Law
(1922-23, Spent some time in reading economics in the University of Bonn in Germany.)
9. DSc. 1923 Nov London School of Economics, London ‘The Problem of the
Rupee – Its origin and its solution’ was accepted for the degree of DSc.
(Economics).
10. L.L.D (Honoris Causa) 5-6-1952 Columbia University, New York For HIS
achievements, Leadership and authoring the constitution of India
11. D.Litt (Honoris Causa) 12-1-1953 Osmania University, Hyderabad For
HIS achievements, Leadership and writing the constitution of India
12. NO 1 scholar in the World 13/9/2015 Columbia University , New York
His coursework during his three years (including summers) at Columbia
consisted of: 29 courses in economics, 11 in history, 6 in sociology, 5
in philosophy, 4 in anthropology, 3 in politics, and 1 each in
elementary French and German.
(Source: Office of the Registrar, Columbia University.)
Matriculation and Marriage
In due course, Bhim passed his Matriculation Exam. He had already come
to the attention of some people interested in improving society. So when
he passed the exam, a meeting was arranged to congratulate him – he was
the first ‘untouchable’ from his community to pass it.
Bhim was then 17 years old. Early marriage was common in those days, so
he was married to Ramabai the same year. He continued to study hard and
passed the next Intermediate examination with distinction. However,
Ramji found himself unable to keep paying the school fees. Through
someone interested in his progress, Bhim was recommended to the Maharaja
Gaekwad of Baroda.
The Shahu Maharaja granted him a monthly scholarship. With the help of
this, Bhimrao (‘rao’ is added to names in Maharashtra as a sign of
respect) passed his B.A. in 1912. Then he was given a job in the civil
service – but only two weeks after starting, he had to rush home to
Bombay. Ramji was very ill, and died soon afterwards. He had done all he
could for his son, laying the foundations for Bhimrao’s later
achievements.
Studies in the USA and the UK
The Maharaja of Baroda had a scheme to send a few outstanding scholars
abroad for further studies. Of course, Bhimrao was selected – but he had
to sign an agreement to serve Baroda state for ten years on finishing
his studies.
In 1913, he went to the USA where he studied at the world-famous
Columbia University, New York. The freedom and equality he experienced
in America made a very strong impression on Bhimrao. It was so
refreshing for him to be able to live a normal life, free from the caste
prejudice of India. He could do anything he pleased – but devoted his
time to studying. He studied eighteen hours a day. Visits to bookshops
were his favourite entertainment!
His main subjects were Economics and Sociology. In just two years he had
been awarded an M.A. – the following year he completed his Ph.D.
thesis. Then he left Columbia and went to England, where he joined the
London School of Economics. However, he had to leave London before
completing his course because the scholarship granted by the State of
Baroda expired. Bhimrao had to wait three years before he could return
to London to complete his studies.
Return to India – Nightmare in Baroda
So he was called back to India to take up a post in Baroda as agreed. He
was given an excellent job in the Baroda Civil Service. Bhimrao now
held a doctorate, and was being trained for a top job. Yet, he again ran
into the worst features of the Hindu caste system. This was all the
more painful, because for the past four years he had been abroad, living
free from the label of ‘untouchable.’
No one at the office where he worked would hand over files and papers to
him – the servant threw them onto his desk. Nor would they give him
water to drink. No respect was given to him, merely because of his
caste.
He had to go from hotel to hotel looking for a room, but none of them
would take him in. At last he had found a place to live in a Parsi guest
house, but only because he had finally decided to keep his caste
secret.
He lived there in very uncomfortable conditions, in a small bedroom with
a tiny cold-water bathroom attached. He was totally alone there with no
one to talk to. There were no electric lights or even oil lamps – so
the place was completely dark at night.
Bhimrao was hoping to find somewhere else to live through his civil
service job, but before he could, one morning as he was leaving for work
a gang of angry men carrying sticks arrived outside his room. They
accused him of polluting the hotel and told him to get out by evening –
or else! What could he do? He could not stay with either of the two
acquaintances he had in Baroda for the same reason – his low caste.
Bhimrao felt totally miserable and rejected.
Bombay – Beginning Social Activity
He had no choice. After only eleven days in his new job, he had to
return to Bombay. He tried to start a small business there, advising
people about investments – but it too failed once customers learned of
his caste.
In 1918, he became a lecturer at Sydenham College in Bombay. There, his
students recognised him as a brilliant teacher and scholar. At this time
he also helped to found a Marathi newspaper ‘Mook Nayak’ (Leader of the
Dumb) to champion the cause of the ‘untouchables’. He also began to
organise and attend conferences, knowing that he had to begin to
proclaim and publicise the humiliations suffered by the Dalits – ‘the
oppressed’ – and fight for equal rights. His own life had taught him the
necessity of the struggle for emancipation.
Completion of Education – Leader of India’s Untouchables
In 1920, with the help of friends, he was able to return to London to
complete his studies in Economics at LSE. He also enrolled to study as a
Barrister at Gray’s Inn. In 1923, Bhimrao returned to India with a
Doctorate in Economics from the LSE – he was perhaps the first Indian to
have a Doctorate from this world-famous institution. He had also
qualified as a Barrister-at-Law.
Back in India, he knew that nothing had changed.
His qualifications meant nothing as far as the practice of
Untouchability was concerned – it was still an obstacle to his career.
However, he had received the best education anyone in the world could
get, and was well equipped to be a leader of the Dalit community. He
could argue with and persuade the best minds of his time on equal terms.
He was an expert on the law, and could give convincing evidence before
British commissions as an eloquent and gifted speaker. Bhimrao dedicated
the rest of his life to his task.
He became known by his increasing number of followers – those
‘untouchables’ he urged to awake – as Babasaheb Ambedkar. Knowing the
great value and importance of education, in 1924 he founded an
association called Bahiskrit Hitakarini Sabha. This set up hostels,
schools, and free libraries. To improve the lives of Dalits, education
had to reach everyone. Opportunities had to be provided at grass roots
level – because knowledge is power.
Leading Peaceful Agitation
In 1927 Babasaheb Ambedkar presided over a conference at Mahad in Kolaba
District. There he said: -It is time we rooted out of our minds the
ideas of high and low. We can attain self-elevation only if we learn
self-help and regain our self-respect.”
Because of his experience of the humiliation and injustice of
untouchability, he knew that justice would not be granted by others.
Those who suffer injustice must secure justice for themselves.
The Bombay Legislature had already passed a Bill allowing everyone to
use public water tanks and wells. (We have seen how Bhim was denied
water at school, in his office, and at other places. Public water
facilities were always denied to ‘untouchables’ because of the
superstitious fear of ‘pollution.’)
Mahad Municipality had thrown open the local water tank four years
earlier, but so far not one ‘untouchable’ had dared to drink or draw
water from it. Babasaheb Ambedkar led a procession from the Conference
on a peaceful demonstration to the Chowdar Tank. He knelt and drank
water from it. After he set this example, thousands of others felt
courageous enough to follow him. They drank water from the tank and made
history. For many hundreds of years, ‘untouchables’ had been forbidden
to drink public water.
When some caste Hindus saw them drinking water, they believed the tank
had been polluted and violently attacked the Conference, but Babasaheb
Ambedkar insisted violence would not help – he had given his word that
they would agitate peacefully.
Babasaheb Ambedkar started a Marathi journal Bahishkrit Bharat (‘The
Excluded of India’). In it, he urged his people to hold a satyagraha
(non-violent agitation) to secure the right of entry to the Kala Ram
Temple at Nasik. ‘untouchables’ had always been forbidden to enter Hindu
temples. The demonstration lasted for a month. Then they were told they
would be able to take part in the annual temple festival. However, at
the festival they had stones thrown at them – and were not allowed to
take part. Courageously, they resumed their peaceful agitation. The
temple had to remain closed for about a year, as they blocked its
entrance.
Round Table Conferences
Meanwhile, the Indian Freedom Movement had gained momentum under the
leadership of Mahatma Gandhi. In 1930, a Round Table Conference was held
by the British Government in London to decide the future of India.
Babasaheb Ambedkar represented the ‘untouchables’.
He said there: -The Depressed Classes of India also join in the
demand for replacing the British Government by a Government of the
people and by the people… Our wrongs have remained as open sores and
have not been righted although 150 years of British rule have rolled
away. Of what good is such a Government to anybody?”
Soon a second conference was held, which Mahatma Gandhi attended
representing the Congress Party. Babasaheb Ambedkar met Gandhi in Bombay
before they went to London. Gandhi told him that he had read what
Babasaheb said at the first conference. Gandhi told Babasaheb Ambedkar
he knew him to be a real Indian patriot.
At the Second Conference, Babasaheb Ambedkar asked for a separate
electorate for the Depressed Classes. -Hinduism”, he said, -has given us
only insults, misery, and humiliation.” A separate electorate would
mean that the ‘untouchables’ would vote for their own candidates and be
allotted their votes separate from the Hindu majority.
Babasaheb was made a hero by thousands of his followers on his return
from Bombay – even though he always said that people should not idolise
him. News came that separate electorates had been granted. Gandhi felt
that separate electorates would separate the Harijans from the Hindus.
The thought that the Hindus would be divided pained him grievously. He
started a fast, saying that he would fast unto death.
Only Babasaheb Ambedkar could save Gandhi’s life – by withdrawing the
demand for separate electorates. At first he refused, saying it was his
duty to do the best he could for his people – no matter what. Later he
visited Gandhi, who was at that time in Yeravda jail. Gandhi persuaded
Babasaheb that Hinduism would change and leave its bad practices behind.
Finally Babasaheb Ambedkar agreed to sign the Poona Pact with Gandhi in
1932. Instead of separate electorates, more representation was to be
given to the Depressed Classes. However, it later became obvious that
this did not amount to anything concrete.
In the Prime of His Life
Babasaheb had by this time collected a library of over 50,000 books, and
had a house named Rajgriha built at Dadar in north Bombay to hold it.
In 1935 his beloved wife Ramabai died. The same year he was made
Principal of the Government Law College, Bombay.
Also in 1935 a conference of Dalits was held at Yeola. Babasaheb told
the conference: -We have not been able to secure the barest of human
rights… I am born a Hindu. I couldn’t help it, but I solemnly assure you
that I will not die a Hindu.” This was the first time that Babasaheb
stressed the importance of conversion from Hinduism for his people – for
they were only known as ‘untouchables’ within the fold of Hinduism.
During the Second World War, Babasaheb Ambedkar was appointed Labour
Minister by the Viceroy. Yet he never lost contact with his roots – he
never became corrupt or crooked. He said that he had been born of the
poor and had lived the life of the poor, he would remain absolutely
unchanged in his attitudes to his friends and to the rest of the world.
The All-India Scheduled Castes Federation was formed in 1942 to gather all ‘untouchables’ into a united political party.
Architect of the Indian Constitution
After the war Babasaheb Ambedkar was elected to the Constituent Assembly
to decide the way jthat India – a country of millions of people –
should be ruled. How should elections take place? What are the rights of
the people? How are laws to be made? Such important matters had to be
decided and laws had to be made. The Constitution answers all such
questions and lays down rules.
When India became independent in August 1947, Babasaheb Ambedkar became
First Law Minister of Independent India. The Constituent Assembly made
him chairman of the committee appointed to draft the constitution for
the world’s largest democracy.
All his study of law, economics, and politics made him the best
qualified person for this task. A study of the Constitutions of many
countries, a deep knowledge of law, a knowledge of the history of India
and of Indian Society – all these were essential. In fact, he carried
the whole burden alone. He alone could complete this huge task.
After completing the Draft Constitution, Babasaheb fell ill. At a
nursing home in Bombay he met Dr. Sharda Kabir and married her in April
1948. On November 4, 1948 he presented the Draft Constitution to the
Constituent Assembly, and on November 26, 1949 it was adopted in the
name of the people of India. On that date he said: -I appeal to all
Indians to be a nation by discarding castes, which have brought
separation in social life and created jealousy and hatred.”
“My friends tell me that I have made the Constitution. But I am quite
prepared to say that I shall be the first person to burn it out. I do
not want it. It does not suit anybody. But whatever that may be if our
people want to carry on they must not forget that there are majorities
and there are minorities and they simply cannot ignore the minorities by
saying, “Oh, no. To recognize you is to harm democracy.” I should say
that the greatest harm will come by injuring the minorities.
Dr Br Ambedkar in the Rajya Sabha on 2 September 1953
Later Life – Buddhist Conversion
In 1950, he went to a Buddhist conference in Sri Lanka. On his return he
spoke in Bombay at the Buddhist Temple. -In order to end their
hardships, people should embrace Buddhism. I am going to devote the rest
of my life to the revival and spread of Buddhism in India.”
Babasaheb Ambedkar resigned from the Government in 1951. He felt that as
an honest man he had no choice but to do so, because the reforms so
badly needed had not been allowed to come into being.
For the next five years Babasaheb carried on a relentless fight against
social evils and superstitions. On October 14, 1956 at Nagpur he
embraced Buddhism. He led a huge gathering in a ceremony converting over
half a million people to Buddhism. Presently the place is known as
“Deekshabhoomi”. He knew that Buddhism was a true part of Indian history
and that to revive it was to continue India’s best tradition.
‘Untouchability’ is a product only of Hinduism.
Parinirvan of Babasaheb Dr B.R Ambedkar
Only seven weeks later on December 6, 1956 Babasaheb Ambedkar died at
his Delhi residence. His body was taken to Bombay. A two-mile long crowd
formed the funeral procession. At Dadar cemetery that evening, eminent
leaders paid their last respects to him. The pyre was lit according to
Buddhist rites. Half a million people witnessed it. Presently the place
is known as “Chaitya Bhoomi”.
Thus ended the life of one of India’s greatest sons. His was the task of
awakening India’s millions of excluded and oppressed to their human
rights. He experienced their suffering and the cruelty shown to them. He
overcame the obstacles to stand on an equal footing with the greatest
men of his time. He played a vital role in forming modern India through
its Constitution.
His work and mission continue today – we must not rest until we see a
truly democratic India of equal citizens living in peace together.
Unknown facts about Dr. B. R. Ambedkar
Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar was the first Indian to get a Doctorate (PhD) degree in Economics from abroad.
Dr. Ambedkar is the only Indian whose statue is attached with Karl Marx in the London Museum.
The credit of giving place to “Ashok Chakra” in the Indian Tricolour also goes to Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar.
Nobel Prize winner Prof. Amartya Sen considered Dr. B. R. Ambedkar as his father in economics.
For the better development of Madhya Pradesh and Bihar, Babasaheb had
proposed division of these states in 50s, but only after 2000
Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand were formed by splitting Madhya Pradesh and
Bihar.
Babasaheb’s personal library “Rajgirh” consisted more than 50,000 books and it was world’s largest private library.
The book “Waiting for a visa” written by Dr. Babasaheb is a textbook in
Columbia University. Columbia University made a list of world’s top 100
scholars in 2004 and first name in that list was Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar.
Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar was master in 64 subjects. He had knowledge of 9
languages like Hindi, Pali, Sanskrit, English, French, German, Marathi,
Persian and Gujarati. Apart from this, he studied all the religions of
the world in comparative way for almost 21 years.
In the London School of Economics, Babasaheb completed 8 years of
studies in just 2 years 3 months. For this, he studied 21 hours in a
day.
Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar’s initiation in Buddhism with his 8,50,000
supporters historical in the world, because it was the largest
conversion in the world.
“Mahant Veer Chandramani”, a great Buddhist monk who initiated Babasaheb
to Buddhism, called him “the modern Buddha of this age”.
Babasaheb is the first and only person in the world to receive a
valuable doctorate degree named “Doctor All Science” from London School
of Economics. Many intelligent students have tried for it, but they have
not been successful till now.
Worldwide, highest number of songs and books written in the name of the leader is Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar.
Governor Lord Linlithgow and Mahatma Gandhi believed that Babasaheb is
more intelligent than 500 graduates and thousands of scholars.
Babasaheb was the world’s first and only Satyagrahi, who did Satyagraha for drinking water.
In 1954, in the “World Buddhist Council” held in Kathmandu, Nepal,
Buddhist monks had given Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar highest title of
Buddhism “Bodhisattva”. His famous book “The Buddha and his Dhamma” is
the “scripture” of Indian Buddhists.
Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar had considered three great men, Lord Buddha, Saint Kabir and Mahatma Phule as their “instructor”.
The highest number of statue in the world is of Babasaheb. His birth anniversary is also celebrated all over the world.
Babasaheb was the first lawyer from backward class.
Based on a global survey called “The Makers of the Universe” a list of
top 100 humanist people of the last 10 thousand years was made by Oxford
University, in which fourth name was Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar.
Babasaheb Ambedkar has given many suggestions in the book “The
Problem of Rupee-Its Origin & its solution” about the demonetisation
that is being discussed all around in the present time. He has
described in his book that “If any country has to eliminate black money
and fake currency, then after every 10 years Country’s currency should
be demonetized.”
Everywhere in the world, Buddha’s closed-eyed statues and paintings are
visible, but Babasaheb, who was also a good painter, made the first
painting of Buddha in which Buddha’s eyes were opened.
The first Statue of Babasaheb was built in the year 1950, when he was alive and this statue is established in Kolhapur city.
-डॉ. बाबासाहेब अम्बेडकर विदेश जाकर अर्थशास्त्र में डॉक्टरेट (PhD) की डिग्री हासिल करने वाले पहले भारतीय थे।
-डॉ. अम्बेडकर ही एकमात्र भारतीय हैं जिनकी प्रतिमा लन्दन संग्रहालय में कार्ल मार्क्स के साथ लगी हुई है।
-भारतीय तिरंगे में “अशोक चक्र” को जगह देने का श्रेय भी डॉ. बाबासाहेब अम्बेडकर को जाता है।
-अर्थशास्त्र का नोबेल पुरस्कार जीत चुके अर्थशास्त्री प्रो. अमर्त्य सेन,
डॉ. बी. आर अम्बेडकर को अर्थशास्त्र में अपना पिता मानते हैं।
-मध्य प्रदेश और बिहार के बेहतर विकास के लिए बाबासाहेब ने 50 के दशक में
ही विभाजन का प्रस्ताव रखा था, पर सन 2000 में जाकर ही इनका विभाजन कर
छत्तीसगढ़ और झारखण्ड का गठन किया गया।
-बाबासाहेब के निजी पुस्तकालय “राजगृह” में 50,000 से भी अधिक उनकी किताबें थी और यह विश्व का सबसे बडा निजी पुस्तकालय था।
-डॉ. बाबासाहेब द्वारा लिखी गई पुस्तक “waiting for a visa” कोलंबिया
विश्वविद्यालय में टेक्स्टबुक है। कोलंबिया विश्वविद्यालय ने 2004 में
विश्व के शीर्ष 100 विद्वानों की सूची बनाई थी और उसमे पहला नाम डॉ. भीमराव
अम्बेडकर का था
-डॉ. बाबासाहेब अम्बेडकर कुल 64 विषयों में मास्टर थे| वे हिन्दी, पाली,
संस्कृत, अंग्रेजी, फ्रेंच, जर्मन, मराठी, पर्शियन और गुजराती जैसे 9
भाषाओँ के जानकार थे| इसके अलावा उन्होंने लगभग 21 साल तक विश्व के सभी
धर्मों की तुलनात्मक रूप से पढाई की थी|
-बाबासाहेब ने लंदन स्कूल ऑफ इकॉनॉमिक्स में 8 वर्ष में समाप्त होनेवाली
पढाई केवल 2 वर्ष 3 महीने में पूरी की थी| इसके लिए उन्होंने प्रतिदिन
21-21 घंटे पढ़ाई की थी|
-डॉ. बाबासाहेब अम्बेडकर का अपने 8,50,000 समर्थको के साथ बौद्ध धर्म में
दीक्षा लेना विश्व में ऐतिहासिक था, क्योंकि यह विश्व का सबसे बडा
धर्मांतरण था।
-बाबासाहेब को बौद्ध धर्म की दीक्षा देनेवाले महान बौद्ध भिक्षु “महंत वीर चंद्रमणी” ने उन्हें “इस युग का आधुनिक बुद्ध” कहा था।
-लंदन स्कूल ऑफ इकॉनॉमिक्स से “डॉक्टर ऑल सायन्स” नामक अनमोल डॉक्टरेट पदवी
प्राप्त करनेवाले बाबासाहेब विश्व के पहले और एकमात्र महापुरूष हैं। कई
बुद्धिमान छात्रों ने इसके लिए प्रयास किये परन्तु वे अब तक सफल नहीं हो
सके हैं|
-विश्व में जिस नेता के ऊपर सबसे अधिक गाने और किताबें लिखी गई है वह डॉ. बाबासाहेब अम्बेडकर हैं|
-गवर्नर लॉर्ड लिनलिथगो और महात्मा गांधी का मानना था कि बाबासाहेब 500 स्नातकों तथा हजारों विद्वानों से भी अधिक बुद्धिमान हैं|
-विश्व में हर जगह बुद्ध की बंद आंखो वाली प्रतिमाएं एवं पेंटिग्स दिखाई
देती है लेकिन बाबासाहेब जो उत्तम चित्रकार भी थे, उन्होंने सर्वप्रथम
बुद्ध की ऐसी पेंटिंग बनाई थी जिसमें बुद्ध की आंखे खुली थी।
-बाबासाहेब का पहला स्टेच्यु (Statue) उनके जीवित रहते हुए ही 1950 में बनवाया गया था, और यह Statue कोल्हापूर शहर में है।
हिंदू कोड बिल
1. हिंदुओं में बहू विवाह की प्रथा को समाप्त करके केवल एक विवाह का प्रावधान, जो विधिसम्मत हो.
2. महिलाओं को संपत्ति में अधिकार देना और गोद लेने का अधिकार देना.
3. पुरुषों के समान नारियों को भी तलाक का अधिकार देना, हिंदू समाज में पहले पुरुष ही तलाक दे सकते थे.
4. आधुनिक और प्रगतिशील विचारधारा के अनुरूप हिंदू समाज को एकीकृत करके उसे मजबूत करना.
डॉ. आंबेडकर का मानना था-
सही मायने में प्रजातंत्र तब आएगा, जब महिलाओं को पिता की संपत्ति में
बराबरी का हिस्सा मिलेगा. उन्हें पुरुषों के समान अधिकार मिलेंगे. महिलाओं
की उन्नति तभी होगी, जब उन्हें परिवार-समाज में बराबरी का दर्जा मिलेगा.
शिक्षा और आर्थिक तरक्की उनकी इस काम में मदद करेगी.
भारतीय महिला क्रांति के मसीहा थे ‘आंबेडकर’
आंबेडकर यह बात समझते थे कि स्त्रियों की स्थिति सिर्फ ऊपर से उपदेश देकर
नहीं सुधरने वाली, उसके लिए क़ानूनी व्यवस्था करनी होगी| इस संदर्भ में
महाराष्ट्रीयन दलित लेखक बाबुराव बागुल कहते है, ‘हिंदू कोड बिल महिला
सशक्तिकरण का असली आविष्कार है|’
हिंदू कोड बिल पर अधिक जानकारी
हिंदू कोड बिल प्रस्तुति के बिंदु निम्न थे –
• यह बिल हिंदू स्त्रियों की उन्नति के लिए प्रस्तुत किया गया था|
• इस बिल में स्त्रियों को तलाक लेने का अधिकार था|
• तलाक मिलने पर गुज़ारा भत्ता मिलने का अधिकार था|
• एक पत्नी के होते हुए दूसरी शादी न करने का प्रावधान किया गया था|
• गोद लेने का अधिकार था|
• बाप-दादा की संपत्ति में हिस्से का अधिकार था|
• स्त्रियों को अपनी कमाई पर अधिकार दिया गया था|
• लड़की को उत्तराधिकार का अधिकार था|
• अंतरजातीय विवाह करने का अधिकार था|
• अपना उत्तराधिकारी निश्चित करने की स्वतंत्रता थी|
इन सभी बिंदुओं के अवलोकन से स्पष्ट होता है कि ‘हिंदू कोड बिल’ भारतीय
महिलाओं के लिए सभी मर्ज़ की दवा थी| क्योंकि आंबेडकर समझते थे कि असल में
समाज की मानसिक सोच जब तक नहीं बदलेगी तब तक व्यावहारिक सोच विकसित नहीं हो
सकेगी| पर अफ़सोस यह बिल संसद में पारित नहीं हो पाया और इसी कारण आंबेडकर
ने विधि मंत्री पद का इस्तीफ़ा दे दिया| इस आधार पर आंबेडकर को भारतीय
महिला क्रांति का ‘मसीहा’ कहना कहीं से भी अतिश्योक्तिपूर्ण नहीं होगा|
About the Poona Pact
The background to the Poona Pact was the Communal Award of August 1932.
This Communal Award of August 1932, among other things, had reserved 71
seats in the central legislature for the depressed classes.
Gandhi’s opposition to Communal Award of August 1932: Gandhi was opposed
to the award as he saw it as a British attempt to split Hindus, and
began a fast unto death to have it repealed.
Agreement between Gandhi and B.R. Ambedkar,1932
In line with the status of communal award, in late September 1932, B.R. Ambedkar negotiated the Poona Pact with Mahatma Gandhi.
Provisions in Poona Pact,1932
Joint Electorate for depressed classes: In a settlement negotiated with
Gandhi, Ambedkar agreed for depressed class candidates to be elected by a
joint electorate.
Increased number of seats for depressed classes in legislature: Slightly
over twice as many seats (147) were reserved for the depressed classes
in the legislature than what had been allotted under the Communal Award.
Fair representation in the public services: The Pact also assured a fair
representation of the depressed classes in the public services while
earmarking a portion of the educational grant for their uplift.
Significance of the Poona pact:
The Poona Pact was an emphatic acceptance by upper-class Hindus that the
depressed classes constituted the most discriminated sections of Hindu
society.
Realization of the need of taking urgent steps:
It was emphasized during the Poona pact that something concrete had to
be done to give depressed classes a political voice as well as to lift
them from a backwardness they could not otherwise overcome.
Poona pact acted as precursors to many initiatives launched for depressed classes later on in independent India.
New identity of depressed class as a political force:
The Poona Pact had several positive outcomes for Ambedkar. It
emphatically sealed Ambedkar’s leadership of the depressed classes
across India.
Ambedkar made the entire country, and not just the Congress Party, morally responsible for the uplift of the depressed classes.
Ambedkar also became successful in making the depressed classes a formidable political force for the first time in history.
More about Poona Pact
Unlike a drop of water which loses its identity when it joins the ocean,
man does not lose his being in the society in which he lives. Man’s
life is independent. He is born not for the development of the society
alone, but for the development of his self.
Dr. B. R. Ambedkar
/
For a successful revolution it is not enough that there is discontent.
What is required is a profound and thorough conviction of the justice,
necessity and importance of political and social rights.
Dr. B. R. Ambedkar
/
History shows that where ethics and economics come in conflict,
victory is always with economics. Vested interests have never been known
to have willingly divested themselves unless there was sufficient force
to compel them.
Dr. B. R. Ambedkar
/
That the caste system must be abolished if the Hindu society is to be
reconstructed on the basis of equality, goes without saying.
Untouchability has its roots in the caste system.
They cannot expect the Brahmins to rise in revolt against the caste
system. Also we cannot rely upon the non-Brahmins and ask them to fight
our battle.
Dr. B. R. Ambedkar
/
Famous books written by the Dr. Ambedkar
Castes in India: Their Mechanism, Genesis and Development
was a paper read by B. R. Ambedkar at an anthropological seminar of
Alexander Goldenweiser in New York on 9 May 1916. It was later published
in volume XLI of Indian Antiquary in May 1917
The Problem of the Rupee: its origin and its solution
This book raises “Currency question” in British India, which led to the
Creation of Reserve Bank of India. One of the best book on economics by
the “Father of Economics of India”.
The Annihilation of Caste
Annihilation of Caste is an undelivered speech written in 1936 by B. R.
Ambedkar who fought against the country’s practice of untouchability. It
was later self-published by the author.
Thoughts on Pakistan
The Muslim League’s Resolution on Pakistan has called forth different
reactions. There are some who look upon it as a case of political
measles to which a people in the infancy of their conscious unity and
power are very liable. Others have taken it as a permanent frame of the
Muslim mind and not merely as a passing phase and have in consequence
been greatly perturbed.
Mr. Gandhi and Emancipation of Untouchables
What Congress and Gandhi have done to the Untouchables
Pakistan Or Partition Of India
Who were the Shudras
Manu and the Shudras
Mook Nayak (weekly)
As word of Ambedkar’s newspaper spread, Kolhapur’s Chhatrapati Shahu
Maharaj himself visited Babsaheb in his chawl in Mumbai. The first issue
was printed on 31 January 1920. It included a scathing takedown of the
Hindu caste structure and its despicable advocacy of inequality.
Bahishkrit Bharat (India Ostracized)
On 3 April 1927, Ambedkar launched the Marathi fortnightly ‘Bahishkrit
Bharat’. In one of its many editorials severely critical of upper-caste
Hindu society, Ambedkar likened the British rule and the Brahmanical
rule to two leeches incessantly sucking the blood of the Indian people,
writes Siddharth
Federation Versus Freedom
Ambedkar was a prolific student, earning doctorates in economics from
both Columbia University and the London School of Economics, and gained a
reputation as a scholar for his research in law, economics and
political science. In his early career he was an economist, professor,
and lawyer.
Ranade, Gandhi and Jinnah
Address delivered by the author on the 101st birthday celebration of Mahadev Govind Ranade, held at Poona on 18th January 1943
Maharashtra as a Linguistic Province
The Untouchables
Buddha Or Karl Marx
The Buddha and his Dhamma
Riddles in Hinduism
However good a Constitution may be, if those who are implementing it
are not good, it will prove to be bad. However bad a Constitution may
be, if those implementing it are good, it will prove to be good.
Our Leadership
Bahan Kumari Mayawati ji
Shri Satish Chandra Misra
Shri R. S. Kushwaha
Shri Kunwar Danish Ali
Our Ideals
Baba Saheb Dr B.R. Ambedkar
Chhatrapati Shahuji Maharaj
Periyar Lalai Singh Yadav
BSP
Our President
About Us
Books
Video Gallery
Contact Us
Milestones
Poona Pact
G
M
T
Y
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Propagate growing vegan and dwarf fruit bearing trees in homes and spread all over the world like Samrat Ashoka did
8800662528 Registration to be part of largest Kushinara NIBBĀNA reclining Awakened One with Awareness Universe for Welfare, Happiness and Peace for all Societies by 3-12-2021 and for them to attain Eternal Bliss as their Final Goal
As per the report by CDC (Centre for Disease Control and Prevention) COVID-19 does not spread through water. In fact, the report clearly states that chlorine water is one of the best disinfectants. We have explained the same to the CM and the health minister in our appeal,” he added.
According to the University of Singapore survey/review based on 131 countries. From June 18, world will be 100% free and happy from December 8th. Their predictions about Italy and Spain fit exactly.
10 SECRETS TO GROWING VEGETABLES AND FRUITS IN CONTAINERS | URBAN GARDENING
10 SECRETS TO GROWING VEGETABLES AND FRUITS IN CONTAINERS | URBAN GARDENING
10 SECRETS TO GROWING VEGETABLES AND FRUITS IN CONTAINERS | URBAN GARDENING
By GARDEN TIPS
free online step by step guide to grow nutritious vegetables and fruits in pots to practice mindful swimming with pictures and videos
Learn to grow organic vegetables in containers and make it sustainable
Learn to grow organic vegetables in containers and make it sustainable
If you want to learn to grow organic vegetables in containers in your balcony, terrace, backyard or anywhere else you have reached the right place. You can learn from this blog, or our book or video course. Choose the option that suits you.
Learn to grow organic vegetables in containers and make it sustainable
Learn to grow organic vegetables in containers and make it sustainable
If you want to learn to grow organic vegetables in containers in your balcony, terrace, backyard or anywhere else you have reached the right place. You can learn from this blog, or our book or video course. Choose the option that suits you. Read on t
Learn to Grow Your Own Fresh Organic Food
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Long time back when I started this blog I had never imagined that I would be writing this post. I had started my blog to document and share my experience and findings on growing vegetables in container using locally available waste and recycled organic waste. But soon I started getting requests for making specific posts related to organic terrace gardening. While I kept sharing my finding I also started to make posts on readers’ requests. And thus this blog grew into a learning resource for people who wanted to learn to grow organic vegetables in a sustainable manner.
But it had grown in an unplanned and unorganized manner. And that led me to write my book ‘Organic Urban Farming, The Indian Way’, which is a complete and crisp guide for growing your own food at home. But there are a lot of people who are visual learners and do not read books. Hence I have created an online video course titled ‘Organic Container Gardening, The Indian Way’ for all kind of learners to easily lean container gardening.
If you ever wanted to learn how to create you own food garden that is organic and sustainable, you have three options to choose from now. You can learn directly from this blog if you are looking for anything specific. And if you want to learn in a holistic manner about organic container gardening, you can choose between book and video course.
Choose the learning method that suits you and sow the seeds of a healthy, content and joyful life.
Related Posts:
1 Growing These Four Herbs in Your Garden is Super Easy
2 Terrace Gardening Workshop Announcement
Author
Prabal
Posted on
June 21, 2020
Categories
How of Terrace Gardening, Planting Guide, Workshop and Training
Tags
Benefits of Organic Terrace Gardening, Organic Terrace Gardening, organic urban farming training, urban farming book, Urban Farming Course, urban farming training, urban farming workshop
How to Preserve Tomatoes in The Most Delicious Way
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Tomato is one plant which never disappoints in terms of produce, if basics are done right. In our organic terrace garden tomato is in fact one of the most highly producing plants (here is my earlier post on how to grow tomatoes). Generally we grow around eight to ten regular tomato and four to five cherry tomato plants every winter and we have never had to buy tomatoes from the market. In fact there is a lot of surplus and even after sharing some of it with our neighbors we are still left with lots and lots of fresh and juicy tomatoes. And that is when my sister Smita Mallick who is a budding chef and food blogger comes to rescue. She preserves the tomatoes in various way which makes them even more delicious and I really mean it. She has been kind enough to write the following post on How to Preserve Tomatoes.
Smita Mallick
Though tomato is grown only in winter, we have been enjoying the taste of our own home grown produce throughout the year because of her preserves. I am sure this post will enable you to do the same. Please don’t forget to follow Smita at Instagram and let her know whether you liked the post or not.
Tomatoes need to be de-seeded before drying
For this recipe you can use any type of tomatoes. Working with cherry tomatoes for this recipe can be a little tiresome as each tomato needs to be de-seeded by hand. Hence you can choose to use regular tomatoes for this recipe. Sun dried tomatoes can be used directly in pasta and other dishes. To use them in salads you need to soak them in warm water for 3 to 4 minutes before use. You need now throw away the seeds. They can be stored for the next season.
Ingredients
1 Fresh Tomatoes – 1 kg
2 Olive oil – 2 tbsp
3 Dried mixed herbs – 1 tbsp
4 Salt to taste
Process
Process
Arrange the tomatoes skin side down
1 Wash the tomatoes and pat dry with kitchen towel.
2 Cut them into two halves and take out all the seeds and the juice.
3 Add dried mix Italian herb, salt and olive oil to the tomatoes and mix well.
4 Grease any plate or tray with olive oil and put the tomatoes skin side down.
5 Arrange the tomatoes such that each individual piece is separated. This way all pieces will get access to sunlight.
6 Sun dry it for 4 to 5 days or till the moisture evaporates. Sun rays not only help evaporate the moisture, they also help in killing bacteria.
7 Store the sun dried tomatoes in an air tight jar and keep it in refrigerator.
8 These can be stored up to a year
Sun dried Tomatoes
How to Make Tomato Paste at Home
Cut Tomatoes into halves
For this recipe you can use any kind of tomatoes. Tomatoes are not de-seeded individually; hence cherry tomatoes can also be used without much fuss. Tomato paste is typically used in stews, soups, pilaf, pasta etc. The flavors are concentrated and hence just one spoons can change the flavor profile of your dish completely; in a good way of course.
Ingredients
Arrange tomatoes skin side down in the baking tray
1 Fresh tomatoes – 1 kg
2 Dried Italian Herbs – 1 tbps
3 Vinegar – 1 tsp
4 Olive Oil – 1 tsp for baking and 3 tbsp for cooking
Process
1
2 Strain the seeds and skin out
Wash the tomatoes and pat dry with kitchen towel. Cut them into two halves.
3 Add dried Italian herb mix and drizzle olive oil. Don’t add much Olive oil; it is just to coat the herbs.
4 Grease baking tray with olive oil and arrange the tomatoes skin side down. You can add some fresh herbs (optional) at this point. Here we added some fresh Italian basil from our organic terrace garden.
1 Add more herbs before reducing the paste
2 Bake the tomatoes for 30 to 40 mins on 180-200 degree centigrade and then take out the tomatoes from the oven and cool.
3 Blend the tomatoes using a food processor or blender. Make sure that you do not add any water to it.
4 Strain the tomato paste using a strainer and put the pureed tomato in a deep pan with a thick base. Add some more dried herbs at this point if you need more flavor.
5 Add vinegar to the tomato paste at this point.
6 Cook it in a low-med heat till about 90% of the water evaporates.Keep
1 Keep stirring the tomato paste to avoid burning stirring in between so that the paste does not burn at the bottom.
2 Add olive (3tbsp) oil to it. Cook for another 10 min in a low heat while stirring.
3 Switch of the flame, when the oil separates from the paste.
4 Let it cool. Tomato paste is now ready to be stored.
5 Transfer to an air tight glass jar and label the jar with date.
6 Store it in refrigerator. You can store it for a year.
Label the jar with date
I hope this post on how to preserve tomatoes will be useful for you and if you use these recipes to make sun dried tomatoes of tomato paste, don’t forget to post the pics and tag me on instagram.
Related Posts:
1 Growing These Four Herbs in Your Garden is Super Easy
Author
Prabal
Posted on
March 13, 2020
Categories
How of Terrace Gardening, Recipe, Tomato and Eggplant Family
Tags
Food Preservation, How to Preserve Tomatoes, Organic Terrace Garden, Preserving Tomatoes, Sun Dried Tomato, Sun Drying Tomatoes, Tomato Paste Recipe
Growing There Four Herbs in Your Garden is Super Easy
Growing There Four Herbs in Your Garden is Super Easy
Herbs which are essential part of our meals and nutrition are best eaten fresh from the garden. This post will guide you on how to grow four popular herbs; coriander, mint, basil and dill. And if you are a beginner there is no better way to learn tha
Growing These Four Herbs in Your Garden is Super Easy
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Sometime earlier I got a request from one of my readers to write a post on how to grow coriander from seeds. I was a little surprised that I had not made a post on it already. And when I checked I found out that I have not made any post on growing any herb whatsoever. Herbs are integral part of a terrace vegetable garden; not only they are easy to grow and pack loads of flavors for your food, but also because they act as pest repellents and thus help in pest management of your garden organically. So I thought of doing a post on how to grow different herbs. In this post I am going to show you how you can grow coriander, mint, basil and dill easily in your container garden.
Growing Condition for Herbs
Item
Coriander
Mint
Basil
Dill
Growing Temperature
15 – 30 °C
15 – 25 °C
10 – 25 °C
15 – 25 °C
Germination Temperature
20-22 °C
20-22 °C
20-22 °C
20-22 °C
Germination Time
5-20 days
7-15 days
3-10 days
7-15 days
Soil pH
6 to 7
6.5 to 7.5
5.5 to 6.5
5.5 to 6.5
Sunlight Need
4-8 hours per day
4-8 hours per day
6-8 hours per day
6-8 hours per day
Preferred Planting Method
Direct sowing
Direct sowing/From Cutting
Direct sowing/ Transplanting
Direct sowing/ Transplanting
Container type/size
6-8 inch deep Broad container
4-6 inch deep broad container
10 liter
10 liter
Time to Harvest from germination
25 days
40 days
40 days
40 days
Harvest Period
10-15 days
30-50 days
30-40 days
40-50 days
Edible Parts
Whole Plant
Leaves
Leaves
Leaves, stem, Flowers
Typical Pests
None observed
None observed
None observed
None observed
Typical Diseases
Leaf spot
Leaf spot, Rust
Wilting
Powdery Mildew
Best season to grow in India
November to March
November to February
November to February
November to February
How to Grow Coriander in Container
Young coriander plants
Coriander is grown from seeds; but you don’t need to get coriander seeds from your gardening store. Just grab some whole coriander seeds from your kitchen shelf and you are good to go. For faster germination you can soak the seeds for 12-15 hours in water or Amrut Jal. For the container you do not really need a deep one as coriander has shallow roots. And shallow container is ideal for growing coriander. Just fill the container with potting mix. Spread the seeds all over the container and top it with quarter inch of potting mix. Then water carefully so as not to disturb the seeds. To keep the soil moist check everyday and water if necessary. In a few days time you should see coriander seedlings bursting out of the soil. Sometimes. it can take up to 20 days for coriander seeds to germinate. So you need to be patient and wait if the seeds do not germinate early.
Ready to harvest coriander
After coriander seeds have germinated all you need to do is to water them as needed. You can water with Amrut Jal every 10-15 days for better growth of the plant; but its not absolutely necessary. To harvest you can cut the mature stalks and leave the rest of the plant in place. When coriander plant starts flowering or a little before it you can harvest the whole plant. All parts including the roots can be used in cooking.
How to Grow Mint in Container
Mint growing in a six inch container
Of all the herbs mentioned in this blog, mint is probably the easiest to grow. Though seeds are available in the market you don’t really need them. Just take a few mature stalk from a mint plant, remove the leaves except 2-4 top leaves and bury the lower part of the stalk in your pot. Water to make the soil moist and in about 10-12 days the stalk would have taken roots. Yes it is as simple as that.
Mint grows like a weed. You’ll see mint spreading everywhere in your pot even from a single stalk. In about 30-40 days after your plant has taken root you can start harvesting. To harvest just nip the mature stalks at the bottom. You can use the leaves and stalks in salads, soups, tea and other beverages
How to Grow Basil in Container
Basil can be started in seed trays
Basil has become a much sought after herb now a days. Stores are stocking it up in their shelves, but it is expensive and also not fresh most of the time. Ironically what most people are not aware is that it can be easily grown at home even by a five year old kid. All you need is good quality seeds which are available in most online stores.
Basil transplanted in a pot
You can start your basil seeds directly in your pot. But if the weather is on the cooler side, then you can start your seeds in a seed tray and place it in a warm area in your house for faster and better germination. You can grow basil in a 10 liter pot, but even a 3-4 liter container would work fine. If you are planning to keep the plant near the kitchen window then smaller container works better from handling and space point of view. Fill the pot with good quality potting mix and put 3-4 seeds at the center of the pot. Cover with a thin layer of the mix and water gently. Good basil seeds germinate in 2-3 days; but sometimes they take about 7-10 days depending on the weather conditions.
Just like coriander you do not really need to do anything extra except watering the plant with a good soil conditioner every 10-15 days. Also make sure your plant gets enough sunlight. Basil does really well if it gets full sun. In approximately 40-50 days time after germination you can start harvesting basil.
How to Grow Dill in Container
Two dill plants planted in a ten liter pot
Dill is not as popular as other three herbs I have listed in this post, but once you get used to its subtle flavor, you just cant do without it. Dill belongs to the carrot family and is grown from seeds and just like basil you can choose to grow it directly in the soil or start it indoors in a seed tray depending on the temperature. Dill can take a long time to germinate; so you need to be patient.
In case you have started the seeds in a seed tray, transfer it to a container after 10-15 days after germination. Dill grows well in a ten liter container, but anything around 7 liter will also work out fine. You can even plant two plants in a ten liter pot. In 40-50 days after germination you can start harvesting the leaves. The stems and leaves are edible parts of the plant. Even the flower is eaten and is often used as decorative garnish. The root is eaten too, though we have never used it in cooking yet.
End Note
Ready to harvest basil
Herbs are sold in bunches in the stores and even by your friendly neighborhood vegetable vendor. Most often than not we use a part of the bunch and rest of the bunch is left in the refrigerator to rot. Instead of buying not so fresh bunches of your favorite herb and then leaving it to rot, it is always a better idea to grow your own fresh herb at home and use them as needed. Herbs are the easiest to grow and they can be grown almost everywhere; even on your windowsill. And if you are a gardening enthusiast, but don’t know where to start, you can always start by growing herbs.
So get up your ath and grow some herbs..
Related Posts:
1 How to Grow Cluster Beans in Containers
Author
Prabal
Posted on
December 28, 2019
Categories
Herbs, How of Terrace Gardening, Planting Guide
Tags
basil, cilantro, container gardening, coriander, dill, grow herbs, herbs, herbs in pots, italian basil, mint, organic terrace, Organic Terrace Garden, pudina, Urban Farming
Green Ninja - Organic Urban Farming Workshop for Kids
Green Ninja - Organic Urban Farming Workshop for Kids
Organic Terrace conducted Green Ninja - Organic Urban Farming Workshop for Kids on 24 November, 2019 at Aikyam, Bhubaneswar. This post recounts the proceedings of the workshop in which children learnt how to grow their own leafy greens while having f
Green Ninja – The Urban Farming Workshop for Kids
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Green Ninja – The Urban Farming Workshop for Kids
Date – 24.11.2019, Venue – Aikyam
Green Ninjas fooling around
I am very excited about this post. A few days earlier I got an opportunity to conduct my very first Organic Urban Farming Workshop for kids. The workshop was organized by Aikyam located in Old Town area of Bhubaneswar. Surrounded by canopies of different trees of varying shades of green, the open terrace of Aikyam provided the ideal setting for the workshop. But having never conducted any programs for children earlier I was nowhere near being the ideal instructor. So I really had to prepare well. There were multiple iterations on the content of the workshop, but finally I knew what I had to deliver. But the biggest challenge of the workshop was not what, but how it had to be delivered.
Container Prep demo in progress
The children for the workshop were going to be aged between 7 and 12. So I knew I had to capture their attentions right from the word go and then keep them interested for a good four hours after that. I researched a little on what cartoon characters, activities, nursery rhymes kids are familiar with and used them to set the flow of the workshop. I even wrote funny rhymes and songs that the children could sing along and learn. The measurements of the potting mix recipe also had to change so that kids could easily do it. It took me a good 7-8 days to get prepared for the workshop. Then a few iterations later I was ready with the presentation and flow of the workshop. Yet I was nervous.
Making the perfect potting mix
Finally the day of the workshop arrived and it was time for action. The workshop started with Vinita Mitra of Aikyam teaching ‘Garden Yoga’ to the kids, which was not only enjoyed, but performed extremely well by them. Next was a awareness quiz which was conducted by me. It was heartening to see the awareness level of the children who answered 9/10 questions correctly. By this time the children were already involved in the workshop. And then for the next one hour through animations, rhymes, songs and stories they learned about the features of good soil, vermicompost, neem cake and how to make a good potting mix. A short muffin and milkshake break later they did some seed identification and then it was time to get their hands dirty. All of them followed the potting mix recipe to the T, prepared their own pots, planted seeds in their containers and watered them.
Getting their hands dirty
After a super energetic four hours, the workshop concluded with feedback sessions from the children and distribution of certificates. They were also handed over a plant care instruction card each. As the kids proudly carried away their own containers now filled with potting mix and seeds sown in it and waiting in anticipation for them to germinate, I felt contentment, joyful and a sense of achievement.
Garden Yoga by Vinita Mitra
Containers lined up
Seed Sowing in Progress
Kids receiving certificates
When kids talk everyone listens
Green Ninja Group Pic
Organic Farming for Mitigating Climate Change
Organic Farming for Mitigating Climate Change
Industrial Agriculture is the biggest contributor of green house gasses.This post discusses Organic Farming for Mitigating Climate Change with soil carbon sequestration being the technique for reversing climate change.
Organic Farming for Mitigating Climate Change
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Thanks to Greta Thunberg, people around the world have been woken up to climate change crisis. Some critics have already termed it as just a passing fad and some have also harshly criticized the demands of climate strike group as lop sided and even French media has warned that her radical ways could end up depressing a generation. Despite the criticism, we can not ignore the passion and effort of a young 16 year old, which for sure has brought about a much needed disruption in the collective slumber of the world.
Along with climate activists there has also been the rise of climate change deniers. In fact the deniers claim that the earth is actually in the middle of a cooling period. Though it is suspected that these groups are backed by fossil fuel companies to spread misinformation based on fringe science, the climate change data is also not without it share of suspicion. There are claims cthat the Global Warming data has actually been faked by NASA to aid politically vested interests. Such contradictory reports can be very confusing and its very difficult to really understand the truth. But we can always look around and see how things have changed around us. We need also to understand both Global Warming/Cooling and Climate Change independently even though they are linked.
Devastation caused by Cyclonic Storm Fani in May 2019
Climate Change can be defined as unexpected and unpredictable change in weather pattern. It can be either in the direction of cooling or warming. Agriculture, economy, cultures and societies are dependent very heavily on predictability of climatic conditions. When weather pattern is disrupted on a continuous basis it leads to break down of societies and civilization irrespective of whether we are cooling or warming. From the data of past few years it can be seen that there has been unexpected changes in climatic conditions and weather stability has been an issue. Closer home monsoons have become irregular. The agricultural system of India is largely dependent on the predictability of monsoons. But with errant maze of downpours and droughts the agrarian crisis has gone from bad to worse in the last decade. Sea level rise has inundated villages in the coastline and at few places entire village has been abandoned. There has been unprecedented rise in temperature even in what are supposed to be cooler months. Cyclonic storms have become very common and stronger. Ground and surface water availability has become a big issue. Our oceans are becoming poisonous and ecosystems around us are failing. All these facts tell us that there is a definite change in weather cycle and also rise in over all temperature. Greenhouse gasses and deforestation have been found to be a major cause of these changes. It really does not matter what different groups are saying about the temperature of the earth; climate is surely changing and we need to be concerned about it.
Agriculture and Climate Change
GHG Emission per Economic Sector (Source EPA-IPCC-2014)
The demands of the climate strike group focus on reducing emission in transport and electricity production sectors and rightly so. But there is little focus on another significant contributor to global greenhouse gasses which is the Agriculture sector. According to IPCC data in 2014 Agriculture is a close second to Electricity and heat production sector in effecting climate change (Some latest statistics also suggest that GHG emission from agricultural sector is now at 29% as opposed to 24% according to 2010 data) . To some it may come as a shock; after all we are growing plants in farming and how can that contribute to climate change! It sounds so counter intuitive. But the fact is that modern industrial agriculture is one of the biggest culprits of increasing global green house gasses. And this is how it happens.
1 According to a 50 year long study by university of Illinois carbon loss from soil is accelerated when synthetic nitrogen fertilizer is used. Average carbon loss in fields where synthetic nitrogen fertilizer is applied is 10,000 kg per hectare which is 36,700 kg of CO2 per hectare.
2 Intensive industrial agriculture practices such as tilling, mono cropping and removing crop residue expose the carbon soil to oxygen which combines with the carbon to become atmospheric carbon dioxide. In fact it is estimated that some 25-40% of the excess carbon in air is due to destruction of soil organic matter.
3 Intensive agriculture practices are used for growing animal feed and cash crops. About 90% of the soy and 50% of the grain of the world is actually used as animal feed to grow meat and dairy. In addition industrial animal husbandry by itself it a huge contributor of green house gasses especially methane.
4 Forests are being destroyed for agriculture. About half of forest land in the world has been converted into croplands and pastures. The cooling effect caused by moisture transpired from plants and trees is hence gone. This causes compounded warming along with the greenhouse effect.
5 Heavy usage of fossil fuels in industrial farming causes further GHG emission.
6 Last but not the least, the carbon footprint of making and transporting chemical fertilizers and pesticides also contributes to the over all role of organic farming for mitigating climate change.
Soil Carbon and the Carbon Cycle
Agricultural Productivity Impact of Climate Change (Source-UNCTAD-2013)
The graphics here released by United Nations show the predicted agricultural productivity loss due to climate change. But we now know that modern agriculture is not just an innocent victim of climate change, but is a major contributor to it too. But unlike other sectors Agriculture also has the ability to become a solution to mitigate climate change. According to FAO (Food and Agriculture organization of the UN) – “Agriculture not only suffers from the effect of climate change, it is also responsible for 14% of greenhouse gas emission. But agriculture has the potential to be an important part of the solution through mitigation – reducing and/or removing a large part of global emissions.” To understand this we need to understand how carbon is stored in the soil by nature.
Plants pull out carbon dioxide from atmosphere and then convert the carbon to stems leaves etc. They do give some of the carbon dioxide back to the atmosphere through respiration, but it is smaller comparable to what they absorb from the atmosphere. When plants die they decompose and turn into soil carbon. Some amount of carbon dioxide is also released during the decomposition process and microbes break down plant matter into their food. When this decomposed plant matter stabilizes as humus (well decomposed organic matter) it stays in the soil for hundreds of years. I guess now we are beginning to see how soil can become a good sink for atmospheric carbon.
Soil is the key to climate change mitigation
Currently soil stores more than three times the amount of carbon in atmosphere. But there has been a significant loss in soil carbon in post industrial era. Soil have lost 50-70% of their carbon according to studies. But that also tells us that there is a potential of removing atmospheric carbon and returning the lost carbon back to soil and thus help fight climate change. The process of returning carbon to soil is known as carbon sequestration of soil and according to a study in 2017 it was found that global croplands can store up to 1.85 giga tonnes of carbon per year. This process could continue upto 40 years till soil becomes saturated. According to an GRAIN (NFO) soil organic matter could be restored to pre-industrial cultivation era in roughly 50 years offsetting approx 30% of current global GHG emission. It is these numbers of soil carbon sequestration which makes organic agriculture a front line candidate for mitigating climate change.
Organic Agriculture for Mitigation of Climate Change
Organic agriculture most of the time is referred to as replacing chemical inputs with natural ones in the current industrial mode of agriculture. But that is a huge mislead. In spirit organic farming is a different practice of agriculture which runs in sync with nature and natural conditions. Though the practices vary slightly with geography as it should, in approach it remains same and is based on the core philosophy of regeneration, nutrient cycling and balance. Some of the features of organic farming are
1 Integrated approach (trees, animals and croplands) for better nutrient recycling
2 Closed loop agriculture with locally available inputs and resources
3 Soil regeneration through composting and ground covers
4 Use of locally adapted sturdy varieties and seed saving
5 Bio-diverse agriculture
6 Efficient nutrient and water management
7 Integrated with larger social and cultural systems and managed by local small scale farmers
The following sections examine how Organic Farming practices can be used to offset green house gasses and also combat climate change issues.
Soil Carbon and GHG Management through Organic Agriculture
Farm waste is composted and given back to soil
Every year during winters the smoke from crop residue burning creates a smog situation in the national capital of India. Crop residue burning is a common practice in conventional agriculture which not only creates a lot of smoke, it adds significant amount of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere. In fact it is the largest contributor of GHG in agriculture. In contrast in organic farming crop residue is composted as farm yard manure or FYM to be applied to soil and thus returning carbon back to soil. Additionally crop residue is also used as a mulch or ground cover to protect the soil from further carbon loss. Crop residues also serve as a great food for the farm animals in integrated farming.
Organic agriculture integrates forests with farming
No tilling agriculture is an extreme form of organic farming in which soil is not tilled. Soil organisms are encouraged to act as the natural tillers and with presence of enough organic matter soil structure also becomes good enough so as not to require tilling. Bio-diversity in cropland is one of the main features of organic farming and mono cropping is discouraged. Thus with reduction in tilling and absence of mono cropping soil carbon losses are minimized. Also As synthetic fertilizers and pesticides are not used in organic farming, the soil carbon loss due to nitrogenous fertilizer is arrested.
Infertile lands have low quantities of carbon and hence a lot of carbon can be sequestered in it. But generally they are abandoned leading to further carbon loss. But using organic agriculture techniques of soil carbon sequestration, the soil can be rejuvenated and used as croplands within a span of 2-5 years. This will also bring down the pressure on forest land which is being cleared for farming.
Though unfairly compared with transport sector in terms of GHG emission, commercial live stock farming is one of the major contributors of methane gas in agriculture sector. The effect of methane on climate change is estimated to be about 23-25 times that of Carbon Dioxide. Additionally feed grown for the cattle separately using industrial agriculture practices add their own carbon to the atmosphere. Organic farming follows an integrated approach whereby ruminants are a part of the agricultural system. This combination of animal husbandry and farming at a single place produces the most efficient nutrient cycling and reduces the total GHG emission. The total agricultural land in the world is approximately 1.5 billion hectare while the total number of ruminants are also estimated to be around the 1.5 billion mark which is one cow per hectare of agricultural land. Mathematically at least the numbers look great for GHG emission reduction.
Mulching helps protect soil
Conventional agriculture practices require forests to be cleared off to make way for agriculture. But organic agriculture integrates forests and trees into the agricultural system. Farm land is seen more as a ‘food forest’ rather than crop field. The shade of the trees and cooling effects due to transpiration provide a more suitable micro climate for agriculture. Additionally their leaves and other parts are used in compost, pest management, animal feed etc. They also help to arrest soil and nutrient erosion caused due to rain and wind.
Thus Organic Farming not only has a low carbon foot print, it also helps in better nutrient cycling, animal management, soil rejuvenation and most importantly it has the capability to offset atmospheric GHG through soil carbon sequestration.
Climate Change Resilience of Organic Agriculture
The advantages of organic farming does not stop at just reducing atmospheric carbon in the context of climate change. The practices of organic farming are also resilient to climate variations. Some of the major ones are,
1 Use of locally adapted crops and their varieties makes the crops grown naturally resilient to local pests, diseases and climate variations as their tolerance level of local climate is high.
2 As soil biomass content increases the water holding and retention capacity of the soil increases. This makes organic agriculture less prone to drought and flooding. During flooding the soil can absorb excess moisture and during droughts the moisture retained in the soil helps to hydrate the plants.
3 Pest and weed management is better done through practices like crop rotation, companion planting, mulching etc.
4 In bio diverse farming the total crop loss due to a climatic event is very rare. In case of an extreme weather event some crops are lost while other manage to hang on. Thus bio diverse farming increases the resilience of the agricultural system itself.
5 Low dependency on non-local inputs and resources makes sure that production is never disturbed due to any external events. It also lowers the cost of production.
Comparison of Organic Agriculture with AI’s of the UN
Soil carbon loss has been found to be significantly higher when nitrogen based chemical fertilizers are used
The 2013 annual report of United Nation Commission for Trade and Development (UNCTAD) dramatically titled ‘Wake up before its too late’ had suggested that small scale sustainable agriculture is the only way forward to feed the world in the context of climate change and not GMO or any other such technologies. While sustainable farming is defined by the UN as “Production of more and better quality food with less inputs most of which are locally available based on closed nutrient cycles”, the following action items are given for climate change mitigation through sustainable agriculture.
1 Technical (Direct)
1 Reduction of Nitrogen inputs
2 Agro forestry
3 Organic fertilizers instead of synthetic fertilizers
4 Soil carbon sequestration through organic matter and compost
5 Storage loss minimization
6 Integrated system with closed nutrient cycle
7 Climate resilient food and varieties
2 Technical (Indirect)
1 Reduction in use of fossil fuels
2 Reduction in transport
3 Social
1 Reduction of food wastage
2 Reduction of meat consumption
In the Technical (direct) AI’s organic agriculture ticks all boxes except point no 5 which is not really related to the agricultural process as such. In the Indirect technical AI’s too organic agriculture meets both the demands. The nature of organic agriculture itself (non industrial nature) does not allow much mechanization and hence use of fossil fuels. As there is very low dependency of external inputs, there is reduction in transport too.
Can Organic Agriculture Feed the World
As per the definition of sustainable agriculture given by UN Organic agriculture produces food with less inputs most of which are local and is based on closed nutrient cycle. The quality of food produced is also better in terms of nutritional value and being safe from pesticides and other chemicals. But the big question is that can it produce more quantity of food! In other words ‘Can Organic Farming Feed the World?’
Inherent in the above question is an assumption, that the current form of industrial agriculture is able to feed the world. And if we switch to organic farming the quantity of food produced will not be enough to meet the demands. But the fact is that under current system of industrial agriculture, where 40% of the world’s food is wasted, about 1 billion people still go un-nourished and poverty stricken. 70% of such people live in rural areas. The main reason for this is not actually lack of production, but lack of access to affordable diet, means of production and resources for small holders (UNCTAD report 2013).
The cost of food production shows an upward graph in conventional agriculture. Soil fertility decreases with repeated chemical fertilizer application. Water holding capacity of the soil reduces putting more stress on ground water. Use of pesticides breaks the natural balance of predators and hence every year the money spent on pesticides also goes up. Farmers also have to buy seeds which is manufactured by third party. To get similar production from a piece of land a farmer has to invest more on fertilizers (The per hectare fertilizer consumption in India has increased from 100 kgs in 2002 to 165 kgs in 2014), pesticides, higher yield seeds and energy to pump out ground water. All these make the soil condition even worse and this chain reaction makes agricultural land turn completely infertile. The production keeps decreasing consistently w.r.t. the investments made. Thus in the long run the quantity of food produced not only decreases, it becomes less affordable and accessible for the poor. This is the reason why the farmer who produces food, can not afford it himself.
By contrast, in organic agriculture as soil regeneration is the focus, fertility of the land is maintained. This is how the same land has been giving consistent production for thousands of years for those practicing traditional agriculture. As the inputs and resources used are local and cheap the cost of production is also much lower, making the food not only safe and nutritious, but also affordable.
The Way Forward
Organic waste can be composted easily at home using an old bucket
Now that we have justification for adopting organic farming for mitigating climate change, the next natural question is how do we move forward. And this happens to be the most difficult question to answer. There are two facets to this question. First is collective action and second is individual action. Collective action will be governed more by socioeconomic conditions and national and international policies and their implementation while individual action is completely dependent on a person, family and community.
At the policy level changes need to be brought about encouraging soil carbon sequestration and climate resistant agriculture. Some examples are as follows.
1 Reduce/remove subsidy from chemical fertilizer and pesticides
2 Reward farmer financially for soil carbon sequestration
3 Encourage farming of climate resistant crops and varieties through subsidies, insurance and consumer awareness
4 Levy meat tax on industrially produced meat
5 Handhold farmer during conversion from conventional to organic farming through insurance and free training
6 Increase awareness about organic food among consumers
And here are some suggestion, to be practiced at an individual level in the context of organic farming for mitigating climate change.
1 Support your local farmer and create incentives for him to grow organic food
2 Include more millet and local varieties of crops in your diet
3 Reduce meat and diary consumption
4 Get your food waste down to zero
5 Compost your home’s organic waste and put it back into soil. Use dry leaves from your nearby park in the composting process (They are usually incinerated by municipality)
6 Start your own kitchen garden using locally available inputs and waste materials
7 Generate awareness in your community
End Note
Layers of Climate Change Crisis
Climate change is not just an environmental issue. At present it is causing hunger and nutrition issues and social disruptions, but will soon turn into a survival and sustainability issue having repercussion for the entire human civilization. Greta has surely manged to make people sit up and take notice of this crisis and hence this is a great starting point. But now its time for well directed action.
A few days earlier there was a climate strike organized here in Bhubaneswar. People marched together shouting slogans and demanding action from the municipality for properly disposing waste (esp organic waste as it emits methane when dumped in landfills). But I wonder if it could have been for something else that is beyond individual action. Every individual can segregate organic waste at home and compost it. Then the municipality really does not have to deal with all that waste. By this I don’t mean to undermine the value of the strike. What I am worried about is the purpose of the strike. There is individual action and there is organizational action and every problem is better solved in one domain than the other. Collective individual action more doable and probably has better impact in waste handling than organizational action while policy level changes and incentives has better impact in lowering industrial pollution. Individual action is as important as government’s action. What every individual practices also affects carbon emission levels in the world.
Any disruptive measure always helps in generating attention. But if such disruptions are not followed up by solid well directed action or are followed by more such disruptions then it ends up becoming theatrical and flimsy. And I hope this moment created by Greta goes up to become the exact opposite through collective and individual action with Organic Farming being at the center of all actions and demands for managing climate change.
http://www.ambedkar.org/News/News062403.htm
Why Should We Embrace Buddhism
WHY SHOULD WE EMBRACE BUDDHISM Baba Saheb Dr BR Ambedkar From the book Bahujan Samaj Aur Uski Rajniti by: Kumari Mayawati and The Hindu News paper extract.
JC Vimalo ( Acharya Venerable Buddharakkhita named Jagatheesan Chandrasekharan as Vimalo a Buddhist name)
It is necessary to understand the History of the Saints and Gurus who made significant contributions towards giving a right direction to the Bahujan samaj from time to time. Although BSP is in favour of Secularism as enunciated in the Constitution of India, within that we ought to seriously consider the options available before us, if the words of Buddha and Dhamma inspire us to reconstruct a social order into one based on equal values, we should opt for it. In the larger interest of the Country and the world at large, to encourage humanity and humanism. We should not hesitate in following such religion. In other words, since Buddhism has valuable lessons for the today’s global village, we should take full advantage of such a religion.
This approach might be misconstrued, as if we are trying to preach a particular Religion. All Religions have to be equally respected. But the shortcomings of each Religion in so far as they fall short of what is “Dhamma” have to be clearly understood and practiced. Today, all political parties, whether they are National or Regional, have members from all Religious denominations. Likewise, in Bahujan samaj Party also, There are people who profess different religions. All political parties should bear in mind the principles of secularism, and instead of misusing Religion for political benefits, they should use Religion in the best interests of the Country, for giving correct direction to the Society. Now the question arises, as to which are the religions, which help us to preserve the Unity and Integrity of the Society. To arrive at an answer to this question, we will have to study the History of all Religions as was done by Baba Saheb Dr Ambedkar.
After an in depth study of all Religions, he described the Teachings of Buddha as appropriate for building an equality based social order. A glimpse of this belief of Baba Saheb is visible in his historic speech delivered on 14th October 1956, in Nagpur. It becomes necessary to make a special mention of that speech so that, not only the Bahujan Samaj but the whole society as such will realise some truths about the Teachings of Buddha. These teachings will help in the reconstruction of the society on equality based order.
`It is important to throw some light on the significant things which are essential for reconstructing the social order on the basis of equality, and which Gautam Buddha emphasised in his sermons, before we come to the principles highlighted by Baba Saheb in his speech at Nagpur. Gautam Buddha said, ” Do not believe in traditions merely because they have been handed down, for many generations and in many places Do not believe in anything because it is rumored and spoken by many. Do not believe because the written statement of some old sage is reproduced. Do not believe in fancies, thinking that because they are extraordinary, they must have been implanted by a deva, or a wonderful being. Only after careful observations and analysis, when a thing agrees with reason and is conducive to the good and benefit of one and all, accept it and live up to it.” (Kalma Sutta, Anguttara Nikaya)
Gautam Buddha announced a social revolution for the first time in India. He taught the lesson of equality, comradeship, mercy and brotherhood to the entire human society, and laid the foundations for an independent conscience, delivering the society from the slavery of spiritualism. Atamvad, Ishwarvad, Shastravad, and religious scriptures. It is due to his saddharma that the Country scaled heights of art and culture. But those professing Brahmimism did not like it since the interest of their section of society were served only by perpetuating inequalities, through Ishwarvad and Shastravad.
As a result, Brahmins used all possible conceits and even State power, to extinguish Saddharma and Buddhism from the very land on which it was born, while it kept flourishing abroad, beyond the boundaries of our Country. Not only this, the Brahmins executed hundreds of Buddhist Monks, broke many statues of Buddha, destroyed many Monasteries, and killed thousands of Buddhist people, and converted most of the hardworking Buddhists of this Country into Untouchables, through the instruments of Manuvad, This oppressed class of Untouchables had to suffer inhuman cruelties and extreme exploitation for a long time. As a result, this class of working people was forced to forget its own culture and religion - in other words Buddhism itself. But on 14th October 1956, Baba Saheb Dr Ambedkar gave a call to this oppressed and deprived class to return to their own culture, namely Buddhism. He showed the path to comprehensive Dalit Revolution and Independence. By leaving Hindu religion, and returning to Buddhism alone, is emancipation and progress of Dalits possible. Not only this, the welfare of entire society of India and the welfare of the whole Country as such, lies only in adopting the high human values professed by Buddhism. The Historic words, which Baba Saheb uttered in his speech, are as follows:
WHY SHOULD WE EMBRACE BUDDHISM? - BABA SAHEB DR BR AMBEDKAR
“Followers of Buddhist Faith, I want to explain in my address to you today, why I have assumed the mighty responsibility of Revival and Propagation of the Gospel of Lord Buddha. Many intellectual friends and myself feel that the” induction” ritual, which took place yesterday on Conversion, should have preceded the Induction Ceremony, yesterday. But what has happened, is history, and it will be of no significance to ponder over this question of sequence now.
Why only Nagpur?
Many people have been curious to know, why did I select only Nagpur for this monumental task, and why did I not think some other location. Some believe that, since this town is a hub of the Rashtriya Swayam Sevak, I have deliberately selected this venue to embarrass them, by executing a spectacular right in their view. But it is not so. I have no such ambition. I have neither the time nor the intention to provoke them with such meaningless ploys. The enormous task that I have taken upon myself is important that every minute that I spend on it is valuable to me. The thought of RSS has not even remotely touched my mind while selecting this venue.
Those who have studied the ancient history of India, and the Buddhist connection, know that the credit for propagating Buddhism in the beginning goes to Nagas. Nagas were non-Aryans, and there existed a fierce enmity between the Aryans and the Nagas. Many battles were fought between the Aryans and the non-Aryans. Aryans wanted to completely annihilate the Nagas. There are many legends, to be found in the puranas in this connection. The Sage ‘Agastya’ is said to have saved one snake deity, symbolic of Nagas. You are all supposed to be the descendents of naga. The Nagas, who were suppressed and oppressed by the Aryans, were on the look out for a great man to liberate them, and they found that great man in the person of Lord Buddha. Nagas spread the Religion of the Buddha throughout India. Nagas were predominantly the inhabitants of Nagpur. A river flowing at a distance of 27 miles from Nagpur is also named Nag. It appears that the Nagas lived in the banks of this river. This is mainly the reason for selecting Nagpur for this occasion. Conflict is possible with the RSS on any other issue, but none has selected this venue to provoke them.
Frustration among critics
Severe criticism has been made by some NewsPapers, of this great moment launched by me, and followed by you. According to some of my critics, I am misguiding my own brethren. According to them, the Untouchables will continue to remain Untouchables. Conversion will not benefit us.
Many News papers even went to the extent of suggesting that whatever Political Privileges are being enjoyed by the Untouchables at present, will also be taken away after conversion. All this is absurd propaganda. These people are of the view that, instead of exploring new avenues, we should follow the beaten path for amelioration of our condition. This kind of mischievous talk is likely to cause doubts in the minds of young, as well as the older people. Therefore, I cannot desist from answering this question. Our Movement will gain strength if such doubts are removed. Therefore, I wish to speak on this question at length.
Mahars and Chamars should stop removing the dead bodies of buffaloes and cows. ‘Mahars and Chamars. Don’t eat carryon’ was a slogan, which was raised by me. Some thirty years ago, I launched this Movement on these issues. This somehow immensely offended our Hindu friends. I asked them, “You take the milk from the cows and buffaloes, and when they are dead you expect us to remove their dead bodies. Why? If you can carry the dead bodies of your mothers to cremate, why do you not carry the bodies of your ‘mother-cows’ yourself? When I put this question to the Hindus, they felt offended I told them, if you let us remove the dead bodies of your mothers, we will very gladly remove the dead bodies of your cows and buffaloes as well. A ‘Chitpavan Brahmin’ tried to prove, through a number of letters published in ‘Kesri’, a Brahmin journal, that if the Untouchables stopped removing the dead bodies of animals, they would be put to a great financial loss. He augmented his point, by furnishing statistical data in support of his argument. According to him, every Chamar, who removed the dead bodies of the animal, earned between Rs.500 and Rs.600 per annum from the sale of proceeds of skin, horns, teeth, hoofs and bones of the dead cows. He accused me that I was trying to deprive them, of their livelihood by preaching against this practice. My Untouchable brethren felt confused, as to where I was leading them.
Once I happened to visit Sangmaner, a Tehsil in the District of Belgaum. The author of those letters, which had appeared in Kesri, met me and repeated the same questions. I told him that, I would answer his questions at an appropriate time. I answered the questions published in ‘Kesri’ in a public meeting in the following manner. ‘My people do not have sufficient food to eat. Women have no clothes to cover their bodies. No roof over their heads to give them shelters. No land to grow food -grains. So they are drown-trodden and poverty stricken. They are oppressed and exploited. ‘ I asked all those present, if they knew the reason why? None replied from among the congregation; not even the person who had written those letters to the ‘Kesri’. I told them, to better leave us alone, and allow us to worry about ourselves. ‘If you are so much anxious about our losses, why don’t you send your friends and relatives to live in the villages, and do this dirty job of dragging the dead bodies of animals so that they may earn Rs.500/- per annum. In addition to that amount, I will pay Rs.500/- from my pocket as prize. They will gain doubly. Why miss this opportunity? True, we will suffer a loss, but you stand to gain. No caste Hindu has come forward to undertake this job and claim the prize. Why do they feel perturbed on seeing us making progress? I can take care of my people for the food, clothing, houses and other things they need. You Hindus need not worry about these things.
If we do this dirty work, it is said to be profitable, and if they do it, it becomes non-profitable. They were welcome to remove the dead animals and earn profit. Similarly, some people say that, some seats have been reserved for us in the Legislature. Why are we keen to give up that advantage by converting to Buddhism? My reply to them is that they should let the Brahmins, Rajputs and other caste Hindus come forward, and fill these up by becoming Chamars, sweepers and mahars.
Why should they moan over our loss, if seats Reserved for us are left vacant? Self-Respect is more important to a man than material gains only.
There is an area in Bombay known for prostitution. Women of easy virtue who live there wake up at about 8 O’clock in the morning, and call for boys who work in the cheap restaurants, ‘O boys; Get a plate of ‘kheema’ and ‘Roti. They take ‘Kheema roti’ and tea. But our women do not get ‘Kheema roti’ to eat. They eat ordinary ‘Roti’ and ‘Chatni’, and remain content with that. They too can opt to live the life of prostitutes, but they are fond of their self-respect. And Dignity is one’s birthright. Our ambition is to do our utmost towards achieving it completely. No sacrifice will be enough to achieve this. Journalists have been after me for the last forty years. I want to tell them now that, they ought to write in a mature and considered language. We do deserve to live with fuller Dignity, which the Hindus have hitherto denied to us. We will achieve that fullness, after we have embraced Buddhism.
I have been liberated from Hell
I am surprised that our Conversion is being discussed everywhere. But, I am surprised to see that nobody has asked me the Reason why of all the religions I have chosen Buddhism. In any Movement of Conversion, this is a significant question to be asked. Which religion should be adopted and why? I started the Movement of renouncing the Hindu Religion in 1935, and since then I have been continuing the struggle. A mammoth public meeting was held at Yeola, District Nasik in 1935, in which it was resolved in the congregation that, we shall renounce the Hindu religion. I had resolved then, that although I am born as a Hindu, I would not die a Hindu. I had taken that pledge 21 years ago, and I have fulfilled it today. This Conversion has given me enormous pleasure. I feel as if I have been liberated from Hell. L does not want any blind followers. Those who want to embrace Buddhism should do so after careful thinking so that they hold on firmly to this Religion for future.
Karl Marx and Dalits
Religion is a must for the progress of mankind. I am deeply aware that, according to a new interpretation given by Karl Marx, Religion is an opiate. According to him, Religion has no place in life. They believe in ‘eat, drink and be merry.’ All that they want is bread and butter for breakfast, delicious meals in the afternoon, nice comfortable bed to sleep on, and cinema to while away their time. I do not somehow agree with them. Owing to the poverty of my father, I did not have the opportunity to enjoy any of these luxuries. None would have labored in life as much as I have. But this ahs not made me irreligious. I known myself what sort of hardships the poor have to bear. We must launch our struggle keeping in view the economic aspects. I am not against this idea. We should progress economically too. I have been struggling throughout my life to that end. Not only this, I very much desires the entire mankind to become economically strong.
Animal and Man
But I have my own views in this regard. There is difference between man and animal. Whilst the beast needs nothing except its daily food for existence, the human being is endowed with a Body and a Mind. Mind must be developed side by side with body. Mind should also be filled with pure and cultured thoughts. I do not consider it advantageous to have anything to do with the Countries where people believe that eating and drinking is separate from Development of mind. One should bear in mind that, just as we have a healthy body in order to be able to remain free from disease, so in order to keep the body healthy, we must also develop a healthy Mind. Without this, all human progress will become meaning less.
A developed Mind - the Main Force Behind Enthusiasm
What causes the disease in human body or mind? So long as the body is in suffering, Mind cannot be happy. If the mind is not happy, there cannot be any enthusiasm in life. Nothing can be achieved if there is no enthusiasm.
What causes this lack of enthusiasm? It is a state of hopelessness. If one begins to believe that there is no hope of ones’ elevation in life, one looses enthusiasm. There can be no enthusiasm without hope. The mind becomes diseased. When one is assured of enjoying the reward of ones’ labour, only then one feels enriched by enthusiasm and inspiration. If the teachers in school start commenting, “Oh! This is a Mahar boy. How did he secure the first position in the class? What business has he to stand first in the class? Only the Brahmins are entitled to secure the first position.” Now what enthusiasm can the Mahar boy have in these circumstances? How will he advance in life? Mind is the main source of generation of enthusiasm. One who has a healthy body and a healthy mind has confidence and courage. He can fight with all kinds of odds in life. This generates enthusiasm in him. Hinduism is founded on ideologies and such principles of inequality and injustice, as leave no room for the development of enthusiasm. If this religion thrives for another thousand years, it will only produce clerks who will do nothing except filling their bellies. Then we shall need super clerks to protect them from injustices and various kinds of atrocities. Common masses of Untouchables will not gain anything. If there is one foundation for enthusiasm it is the mind. Manager is appointed in mills to extract work from labour. Their job is only to get work from the labour. The proprietors remain engrossed in their business, and get no time to develop their minds. How did I get my education? Owing to poverty, I used to attend school with nothing more than loin clothes on my body. I was not allowed to get even water to drink in the school. I had to go without water for many days. Untouchability was observed even in Elphinstone College, Bombay. What can be expected in this kind of circumstances? Untouchability cannot be removed if education produces only slavish clerks.
Be Rulers, not Clerks.
I was an Executive Councilor in Delhi during British Rule. Lord Linlithgow was the viceroy of India at that time. Once I asked that he allocated Rs 3 Lacs for Aligar Muslim University for the sake of Muslims, and Rs 3 Lacs to the Benaras Hindu University for the sake of Hindus. But we are neither Hindus nor Muslims. An amount proportionate to the population of the Scheduled Castes should be allocated for us. Since that proportionate amount would be quite high you should allocate an amount equal to that allocated to Muslims. Lord Linlithgow asked me to give in writing whatever I wanted to say. As desired by him, I submitted a Memorandum. Europeans were generally sympathetic in their outlook. He agreed to my proposal, and granted a sum of Rs. 3 Lacs for the Scheduled Castes. But the question, as to how the amount thus allocated should be spent, could not be resolved. Viceroy wanted this amount to be spent on education of the girls belonging to Scheduled Castes, and suggested Boarding Houses be built for them. If this money is spent in this manner to build Boarding Houses, in order to make the illiterate girls belonging to the Scheduled castes educated. I thought we should soon require money for providing them with good food too. Poor as our people are, how shall they get these things for their daughters? What will be the result of this education? Since these questions could not be resolved, the Viceroy withheld the money earmarked for the education of the Scheduled castes.
I went to Lord Linlithgow again and had a straightforward talk with him on the topic. I put this question to the Viceroy Lord Linlithgow. ‘Am I not equal to 500 graduates?’ ‘Yes, of course, you are.’ Replied Lord Linlithgow. Then I asked him, ‘Do you know the reason why I say so?’ He did not know. I told the Viceroy that my education that my education is so thorough that I am capable of holding any office of the Govt. with confidence. I need such learned men who should be capable of holding key position whence they should work in the most effective manner for the betterment of the community.
If you really want to do something for the betterment of the ‘untouchables’ you will have to produce such people as would be able to ameliorate their condition. How will it help to merely help produce clerks? Lord Linlithgow acceded to my suggestion, and sent 16 boys belonging to Scheduled castes abroad for higher education.
YESTERDAY
“Chaturvarna, Gandhi and Religion
We have been living in this country for thousands of years, in a hopeless system, which generates no enthusiasm. So long as the present system continues, there is no scope for generation of any enthusiasm for our progress. Smarting under Hindu religion, which is founded on inequality and injustice, we can achieve nothing. Manusmriti describes the ‘Chaturvarna’. This ‘Chaturvarna’ is disastrous for the progress of mankind. Under this system, the Shudras are restricted to performance of drudgeries only. They have nothing to do with education. Who would be interested in ameliorating their lot? Brahmins, Kshatriyas and vaishyas benefit alike from the slavish condition of Shudras. Shudras have nothing but slavery to share. Chaturvarna cannot just be blown away. It is not only a part of tradition; it has become a religion.
There is no equality in Hinduism. I once went to see Gandhiji. Gandhiji told me that he believed in CHATURVARNA. ‘What kind of Chaturvarna’? I enquired, pointing towards my hand with the little finger in the bottom and thumb on the top or this way - with the palm lying flat on the surface of the table and fingers lying side by side. ‘What do you mean by the Chaturvarna? Where does it begin and where does it end?’ I asked Gandhiji. Gandhiji could not reply.
Those who have ruined us, this unjust religion of theirs will be annihilated in front of them. I do not accuse the Hindu religion in vain. This sinful religion cannot save any body. It has no life left in it.” Dr.B.R.Ambedkar
TODAY
Bahujan Samaj Party under the able Ms. Mayawati, Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Don’t Delude: They deliver
The Facts Speak for Themselves
· 69% reduction in crime.
· Rs. 7000 crore Water Restructuring Project Launched
· Rs. 3000 Crore State Roads Project initiated.
· Highest external aid received and utilised in last 5 years.
· Construction of Rs. 2500 crore first accesses controlled expressway of India between Greater Nouda & Agra started.
· 650 crore PM Rural Roads Projects implemented.
· First State to provide legal framework for SEZs.
· Proposal of Rs. 1900 crore for new industries.
· 1.87 lakh landless dalits provided ownership of village land.
· 89,000 landless given new land leases.
· 1001 new urban development projects launched.
· 96 crore Dr.Ambedkar Memorial dedicated to people.
…And all this happened in just One Year It needed courage with Vision to realise it.
Mayawati moots reservation in cabinet
The Bahujan Samaj Party today advocated reservation in the Council of Ministers in order to ensure adequate reservation for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.
While supporting the move to limit the size of Ministries both at the Centre and the States, the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and BSP vice-president, Mayawati said that she had instructed her party leaders in the Lok Sabah to seek a clause providing reservation for the SCs and the STs, “keeping in mind their population”.
Addressing the media at NEW DELHI on 03-04-2003, on completion of one-year of her coalition Government, Ms Mayawati said the BSP would also support the Centre’s move to introduce legislation to tackle the problem of defection. “We will vote in favour of both the Bills and help in their passage.” To a question on the BSP’s viewpoint to ban religious conversion, Ms Mayawati said there was no objection to the move to check forcible conversions. Otherwise the constitution permitted the freedom to practice any religion. Incidentally, Ms Mayawati had warned at the Lucknow rally on April 14, that unless Hindu religion leaders eliminated discriminatory practices, the ‘Bahujan ‘ samaj led by her would embrace Buddhism.
The BSP would also support Central ligislation to ban cow slaughter and such a law was already in place in Uttar Pradesh. Asked about her Government’s stand on the VHP’s ‘trishul’ (trident-anodized plastic) distribution programme, Ms.mayawati said she agreed with the Deputy Prime Minister, L.K.Advani’s remarks that it marred the organisation’s image. However, she said the VHP had already carried on some ‘minor’ programme in the state. “I would not commit the mistake of carrying out (their) arrest like Rajastan did and make him (VHP leader Praveen Togadia) a hero,” she said.
In the same breath, she warned that if the Samajawadi Party attempted to distribute swords, as the party leaders did at a rally in Delhi, they would be proceeded against under the Arms Act.
The BSP would go it alone in the Assembly elections in Madya Pradesh, Chattisgarh, Delhi and Rajastan later this year. Talks on seat-sharing arrangement with the BJP for U.P. ahead of the next general elections would take place only after the Assembly polls.
The BSP would field a candidate against the Mahashtra Chief Minister, Sushil Kumar Shinde.
TOMORROW
‘I will be the best PM and Mayawati is my chosen heir’
“I will be the best Prime Minister. I have already declared at the Lucknow rally that Mayawati is my chosen political heir.”
Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) Chief Kanshi Ram appeared out of the blue in the mid-70s to pose a challenge to the powerful and influential leaders of Indian politics. The former employee of a steel plant set out to rid society of its most potent evil - the caste system - and give dignity and freedom to his constituency, the Dalits. It has been two decades since he began, and Kanshi Ram is still energetic despite a debilitating illness.
Today, the BSP rules India’s largest state, UP, and is a national party. Kanshi Ram spends his time Travelling in states as far flung as Punjab, AP, and MP and Gujarat ‘’addressing the public, creating leaders for his party and building the future'’. His views on why he aligned with ‘’casteist'’ and ‘’communal'’ parties like BJP are well known - for Dalit empowerment -
‘Yes, I was influenced by the writings on the caste struggle of Ambedkar, Jyotibhai Phule and Shahu Maharaj, who were all from Maharashtra. I am a chamar from Punjab but we were an educated people because of the Sikh religion. We even had an IAS officer from our village soon after Independence. It became clear that if I had to take the fight of the chamars against upper caste oppression, I should first mobilise educated and employed chamars like me, because they have the resources and the ability to comprehend. And, so, Bamcef, a federation representing them, was born in Pune around 1975, but I shifted my headquarters to Delhi. The majority of chamars are in north India.
Yes. I saw the Congress was the most powerful in the chamar belt - extending from Jammu in the north to Dhanbad in the east including Madhya Pradesh in the south. The Congress had cleverly got a stooge in Jagjivan Ram, a chamar leader, whose only job was to keep the community in the Congress fold and to ensure that the radical writings of Ambedkar did not enter the region. I decided to break Jagjivan Ram’s grip and finish the manuvadi (upper caste) Congress here.
Nothing in my life is immediate. When word got around that there was a new chamar leader, Indira Gandhi began strengthening the hands of Jagjivan Ram, but it proved costly. It finally led Jagjivan Ram to challenge her leadership by wanting to become PM and he was forced to leave the party.
The BSP was founded in 1984 and in 1985, it contested the UP assembly elections by fielding more than 200 candidates. We did not win a single seat but the Congress lost 165 seats because we split its votes. It was the beginning of the end.
Is it wrong for the chamars to have their own leader and party to fight for dignity and justice? The BSP represents the chamars and we had got 18 varieties of chamars under one umbrella
in UP.
But ours is a strange Country. If all Kasatriyas get killed, all the warriors get killed. This has been happening in the past. That is why our Country became slave, so many times. If we were allowed to bear arms, this Country would never have been subjugated, as no invader would have been able to conquer this Country.
Buddhism has hope for this Country
There is no salvation for anybody in Hinduism. According to the tenets of Hinduism only the so-called higher castes have been benefited. There is no exaggeration in my statement. What has the Shudras or the Ati-Shudras gained? As soon as the wife of a Brahmin conceives, she thinks oh the High Court, whether any post of a Judge has fallen vacant, but when our woman becomes pregnant, she cannot think anything better than a sweeper’s post under the Municipal Committee. This deplorable situation exists only because of Hinduism. How can we gain by staying in this system? It is only by embracing Buddhism that we can hope to gain anything.
Brahmins and Shudras alike embraced the religion of Lord Buddha. While delivering a Sermon to the original Bhikkus, Lord Buddha said, “O’ Bhikkus, you have come from different Countries and various Castes, Great rivers when they flow in different Countries maintain their individual flow, but, after falling into the ocean, they loose their separate identities. Buddhism is like that ocean. All are one and equal in this ocean. It is not possible to identify the waters of Ganga or Yamuna when they have merged. Similarly after embracing Buddhism, you are all one.” Such was the teaching of Lord Buddha.
I have a grave Responsibility on my Shoulders
Some people ask me why I have taken so long to take a decision to Change of Religion? What was I doing all these years? This is a very serious question. It is an enormous task to persuade people about the merits of a Religion. It is not a task only one man can perform. You will understand the enormity of the matter, if you meditate on the principles of the Dhaka. I have a great responsibility on my shoulders. No other person in the world has had to shoulder such an enormous responsibility. If I live for a few more years, I will bring this task that I have undertaken to a successful end. (Slogans of Baba Saheb Zindabad) We will not be Untouchable Buddhists
Some people will naturally ask this question, what will the Untouchables gain by embracing Buddhism? My only assertion in this regard is that, you should not ask this question since, it is worthless to ask it. Religion is not necessary for the well to do. Those who are holding high positions in life, have nice bungalows to live in. money to buy all comforts of life, and servants to attend on them. Practicing a Religion or thinking about it has no use for them.
Religion has use for the poor
It is the poor who need Religion. The suffering and the oppressed need Religion. The poor live on Hope. Hope is Foundation of Action in Life. Life cannot go on if Hope is demolished. Religion affords this Hope to everyone. Religion gives solace to the poor and the oppressed, and assures that life is full of Hope. This is the reason why the poor cling to Religion.
Some people will, no doubt, say that the Buddhism is the Religion of the untouchables. Brahmins used to irreverently address Lord Buddha as ‘Bho-Gautama’. They used to insult and disrespect him with such names. But as you know, if the idols of Rama, Krishna, or Shankara are kept for sale in foreign countries, nobody would buy them. But if the images of Buddha are kept for sale none will be left. So much has happened and has been witnessed in India. Let us look outside the Country also. If there is an Indian God whose name is popular abroad, it is Lord Buddha.
We shall follow our path, undaunted. Let others follow their own path. We have found a new way to life and we shall follow it. This path symbolises Hope. This path leads to progress. In fact we have not imported it from outside. Buddhism is the Religion of this country. It is more than two thousand years old.
I feel sorry for the fact that I did not embrace this Religion earlier. The teachings of Buddha are eternal, but even then Buddha did not proclaim them to be infallible. The Religion of Buddha has the capacity to change according to times - a quality, which no other Religion can claim to have.
The decline of Buddhism
Main reason for the decline of Buddhism in India, was the invasion of India by the Moslems. Thousands of images were mutilated and destroyed. Viharas were desecrated and thousands of Bhikkus were massacred. Terrified by these ghastly events, the Bhikkus fled to the adjoining Countries. Some went to Tibet. Some went to China. They spread throughout the world. The result was that, the Bhikkus disappeared from this Country.
There was a Greek King in North West Province, called King Menander. He was an expert on the religious Discourses. He had defeated the Brahmins many a time during the religious Discourses. He asked his servants to invite Bhikkus and the scholars of Buddhism to his court. The Bhikkus approached Nagasena, a learned versatile Bhikku, to discuss the Religion of Buddha. Menander asked him a question, as to what leads to downfall of a Religion. In his answer, Nagasena listed three causes of the ruination of a Religion. Firstly, if a Religion is not based on Truth, and its basic principles are not cogent, it does not last long. It has only temporary existence. Secondly if its preachers are not learned enough, the Religion cannot be sustained. Thirdly, if the Religion and its principles do not get translated into the Temples and other modes of worship among common people, then also that Religion declines.
You must bear in mind, some facts while accepting Buddhism. You must not think that the Teachings of Buddhism are of temporary value, and are not likely to last longer. Even after a lapse of 2,500 years, the world respects the Teachings of Buddha. There are as many 2000 Institutions of the followers of Buddhism in the United States of America. In England, a Buddhist Vihara has been built at a cost of Rs.3, 00,000. There are some 3000 or 4000 Institutions founded in the name of Buddha in Germany. The Principles of Buddha are Eternal, but in spite of this fact Buddha did not claim any Divine Status for himself, nor did he claim his Faith to be Infallible. Buddha did not say that he was the Son of God, or the last Prophet Messenger of God. On the contrary he said, “My Father and my Mother are ordinary mortals”. Only those people should embrace this Religion who earnestly believe in it. For such high principles are not to be found in any other Religion.
There is a world of difference between this Religion and other Religions of the world. Main Principles of Buddhism form no part of theistic Religions. According to other Religions, God created the world, this Earth, and thereafter he created Heaven, Air Moon and other planets. God has done all that was required to be done, and there remains nothing for us to do. All that we are required to do is, just to sing the praises of Almighty God. According to Christianity, there will be a day of Judgement after death. Everything will be determined on the basis of that Judgement. This does not appeal to rational man today.
Buddhism denies the existence of God and Soul. The real basis of Buddhism is, rational way to eradicate suffering. ‘There is’ Buddha said, ’suffering in the world-suffering wide spread’. Ninety- percent people are afflicted with suffering or misery of some kind or other. The main object of Buddhism is to emancipate the suffering humanity. The question arises then, what is the use of Das Kapital? I believe that Karl Marx was behind Buddha. For, he did not say anything that had not been brought to light by the Buddha himself, some two thousand and four hundred years before Karl Marx was born. Whatever Buddha said was simple, and the path he showed was straight.
Brothers and Sisters, that is all I had to say. This Religion is the best of all. It is an all-comprehensive Religion.
There are some such ingredients in Hindu religion as inhibits any kind of enthusiasm. This Religion has not permitted any member of our samaj, to become a scholar for thousands of years.
I do not hesitate to tell you, some of the bitter facts about my childhood. There was a Maratha maid in our school. She was herself uneducated, but she never used to teach me. My mother had taught me to address every senior person with respect. I used to address, even the postman of the school with respect. Once I felt thirsty in School. I requested the teacher for water. The teacher called the peon, and asked him to open the tap, and I drank the water. If the peon used to be absent from School, I used to go without water for days together in School. I used to return home thirsty, and drink water after reaching home. When I returned after receiving higher Education, I was offered the post of District Judge. But I did not accept this offer, considering that if I accepted this post, I would not be able to serve my people. It is only on these considerations that I did not accept Government Service.
With the education, intelligence, knowledge and experience that I have, it is not difficult for me to oppose or fight against any evil. But there is a mountain - colossal mountain of caste hierarchy, vaishyas, Brahmins, Kshatriyas sitting on our heads. The question before us is how to topple it down and blast it. To be able to do so, I will write books, remove all your doubts and acquaint you fully with the Religion of Buddha. I owe it as a duty. Have full faith in me and follow me.
Some people say that, Buddhism is on its deathbed or practically dead. If it is so, it is our duty to awaken it to better status. We should act in a manner so as to enthuse, inspire respect among other people. We should arrange discourses.
Elevate yourself and the world
A great responsibility has fallen on your shoulders now. It is a significant matter. Don’t think that this Religion is like the dog collar tied around your neck. Buddhism considers that this Country is ours, has become a desert. Now it has fallen on you that you should endeavor to follow this Religion sincerely. If you do not do so, people will laugh at this Conversion. Pledge today, to liberate yourself, and to elevate your Country and the World in general. Buddhism can alone salvage the World. Until Justice Rules the World, World peace cannot be there.
Donate 1/20th of your Income
The task you have taken in hand is of immense responsibility. You have resolved to labor hard, to complete it. The young among us have to work hard. This thing you have to bear in mind. Do not be interested in your bread. You must resolve to contribute at least 1/20th of your income for the propagation of the Dhamma. I am to carry you all with me. Bhagwan Buddha used to carry out Initiation Ceremony himself. When it became unmanageable for one person, he allowed that work to be shared by other competent persons among his followers. You might have heard the name of one ‘Yasha’. He was the scion of a rich family. Yasha became his Disciple, and there were forty more men who followed him. Bhagwan told them, ‘My Religion is for the good of many; for in the good of many, lies the happiness for many. This is good in the beginning; this is good in the middle, and this is good in the end’.
Buddha adopted the method of preaching according to circumstances then prevailing. Accordingly, we too should adopt the method, which is most suitable to the existing circumstances. There are no Bhikkus in this Country now to do this work. So every one of us has to take “deeksha”. Every Buddhist has the right to initiate others, by administering the 22 vows, which are as follows:
The 22 Vows of Buddhism
1. I shall have no faith in Brahma, Vishnu and mahesh, nor shall I worship them.
2. I shall have no faith in Rama and Krishna, nor shall I worship them.
3. I shall have no faith in ‘Gauri’, Ganapathi and other gods and goddesses of Hindus, nor shall I worship them.
4. I do not believe in the incarnation of God.
5.
I do not and shall not believe that, Lord Buddha was the incarnation of Vishnu. I believe this is to be sheer madness of false propaganda.
6. I shall not perform ’shraddha’, nor shall I give ‘pind-dan’.
7. I shall not act in a manner, violating the Principles and Teachings of Buddha.
8. I shall not allow any Ceremonies to be performed by Brahmins. 9. I shall believe in the Equality of Man.
10. I shall endeavor to establish Equality.
11. I shall follow the ‘noble eight path’ of the Buddha. 12. I shall follow the ‘paramitas’ prescribed by the Buddha.
13. I shall have compassion and loving kindness, for all living beings, and protect them.
14. I shall not steal.
15. I shall not tell lies.
16. I shall not commit carnal sins.
17. I shall not take intoxicants.
18. I shall endeavor to mould my life, to the practice of compassion and loving kindness in every day life.
19. I renounce Hinduism, which is harmful for humanity, and which impedes the advancement and development of humanity, because it is based on inequality, and adopt Buddhism as my Religion.
20. I firmly believe the Dhamma of the Buddha is the only true Religion.
21. I believe that I am having re-birth.
22. I solemnly declare and affirm that, I shall hereafter lead my life, according to the Principles and teachings of the Buddha and his Dhamma. Baba Saheb Dr. Ambekar
Thus, on 14th October 1956, Baba Saheb Dr. Ambedkar, the true Buddhist, underwent the Initiation Ceremony into Buddhism, the Religion founded by Lord Buddha, along with Lacs of followers. Some people call it Conversion, and some describe it merely as modification of Religious Belief. As a matter of fact, this was not a Conversion. What happened is that, thanks to the guidance of Baba Saheb Dr. Ambedkar, a very large number of people returned to the Religion practiced by their forefathers. They returned to a Religion, to coax the masses to abstain from which, the conservative Brahmins had conspired for ages. We have escaped mirage set out by them, and have adopted the right path. This will be recorded, as the most important convention Free Revolution. When in the remote future, History is recalled, this day the 14th of October will be recalled as the day of the Emancipation of the dalits.
Here, the author of the book ‘BAHUJAN SAMAJ AUR USKI RAJNITY’ Kumari Mayawati clarified that ‘Baba Saheb Dr.Ambedkar did prefer Buddhism on account of certain values vouched by this Religion, but this should not be taken to mean that he was against other religions. Even about Hinduism Baba Saheb Dr. Ambedkar had said that if fundamentalist Hindus purge this religion of its objectionable principles, even this religion can prove to be beneficial to mankind. These ideas of Baba Saheb Dr. Ambedkar became abundantly clear from his utterances while introducing the Hindu Code Bill in the Parliament in his capacity as the first Law Minister of India. He said, “If you wish to protect the Hindu-system, the Hindu-culture and the Hindu-society, do not hesitate to remove the evils that have crept into them. This Bill intends nothing beyond removing such evils”. He held respect for all Religions likewise.
The significance of the above event is, however, much larger. By embracing Buddhism, Baba Saheb Dr. Ambedkar made the poor and the oppressed, the repositories of the richest Culture of the World.
Much before Baba Saheb Dr. Ambedkar, Mahatma Jotiba Phule, goaded by the tyranny and oppression perpetrated by caste system, had begun the struggle to transform the manuvadi social order, based on inequalities, into an order based on equality. But Jotiba Phule expired in 1890. Dr. Ambedkar was born after one year of the death of this founding father and pioneer of the Social Revolution. Baba Saheb sacrificed his entire life, for the establishment of society based on equality, based on the inspiration he received from the life of Mahatma Jotiba Phule and Lord Buddha. Simultaneously, Sri. Harichand Thakur and Shri.
Guruchand Thakur, who belonged to the Chandal Community of the Scheduled castes, and graduated to be barristers, thanks to the British Rule, started work on social reforms. Chatrapathi Shauji Maharaj of Kholapur, made his own contributions towards ushering a Revolution in the Bahujan samaj. Periyar Ramaswamy and Narayan Guru, also struggled against manuvad. Similarly, our saints and Gurus, also spread the message of humanism and human brotherhood and fought against manuvad.
To be able to transform the brahminical social order, the members of Bahujan Samaj must understand their own History, apart from the History of manuvad samaj. Otherwise, they will continue to be exploited by a handful of dominant caste hindu people, who constitute only 15% of the total population. Besides it is necessary for them to understand their own History in order to consolidate and organise the Bahujan samaj. They cannot capture Political Power at the Centre and the States, even though Baba Saheb Dr. Ambedkar had cleared their way to Political Power, through the Constitution of India. A colleague of Baba Saheb asked a question about this, sometimes before he died in 1956. The collegue asked as to why he did he remain cheerful and happy those days. To this Baba Saheb replied that, he had pledged to restore the reins of the Country to its original rulers, and that with the promulgation of the Constitution on 26th January 1950, he had won the battle. How do you say that, the inquisitive colleague retorted, since the Prime Minister and most of the Ministers then belonged to the dominant hindu castes. To this Baba Saheb Ambedkar replied stating that, so far as he was concerned, by introducing the Democratic System of Governance and Universal Adult Franchise, he had handed over the potential capacity to capture Political Power to the majority community of Bahujan Samaj. That, as on date, the Samaj was not capable of controlling the Reins of the Government, but in the coming 30 years the Samaj will get educated, and will grow strong enough to gain political control of the Country.
Keeping in view the above facts, my appeal to the Members of the Bahujan Samaj is that, if they aspire to stand on their own feet, the first thing for them is to understand their own History and the struggles of their Ancestors. Failing this, the Members of the manuvad samaj will continue to exploit our ignorance, and will make it difficult for us to progress in any walk of life’.
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Baba Saheb Dr. Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar
Dr. Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar (1891–1956) popularly known as Babasaheb, was an Indian jurist, economist, politician and social reformer who inspired the Dalit Buddhist movement and campaigned against social discrimination against Untouchables (Dalits), while also supporting the rights of women and labour He was Independent India’s first law minister and the principal architect of the Constitution of India.
His Birth and Greatness Foretold
On April 14th, 1891 a son was born to Bhimabai and Ramji Ambadvekar. His father Ramji was an army officer stationed at Mhow in Madhya Pradesh – he had risen to the highest rank an Indian was allowed to hold at that time under British rule. His mother decided to call her son Bhim. Before the birth, Ramji’s uncle, who was a man living the religious life of a sanyasi, foretold that this son would achieve worldwide fame. His parents already had many children. Despite that, they resolved to make every effort to give him a good education.
Early Life and First School of Ambedkar
Two years later, Ramji retired from the army, and the family moved to Dapoli in the Ratnagiri district of Maharashtra, from where they came originally. Bhim was enrolled at school when he was five years old. The whole family had to struggle to live on the small army pension Ramji received.
When some friends found Ramji a job at Satara, things seemed to be looking up for the family, and they moved again. Soon after, however, tragedy struck. Bhimabai, who had been ill, died. Bhim’s aunt Mira, though she herself was not in good health, took over the care of the children. Ramji read stories from the epics Mahabharata and Ramayana to his children, and sang devotional songs to them. In this way, home life was still happy for Bhim, his brothers and sisters. He never forgot the influence of his father. It taught him about the rich cultural tradition shared by all Indians.
The Shock of Prejudice – Casteism
Bhim began to notice that he and his family were treated differently. At high school he had to sit in the corner of the room on a rough mat, away from the desks of the other pupils. At break-time, he was not allowed to drink water using the cups his fellow school children used. He had to hold his cupped hands out to have water poured into them by the school caretaker. Bhim did not know why he should be treated differently – what was wrong with him?
Once, he and his elder brother had to travel to Goregaon, where their father worked as a cashier, to spend their summer holidays. They got off the train and waited for a long time at the station, but Ramji did not arrive to meet them. The station master seemed kind, and asked them who they were and where they were going. The boys were very well-dressed, clean, and polite. Bhim, without thinking, told him they were Mahars (a group classed as ‘untouchables’). The station master was stunned – his face changed its kindly expression and he went away.
Bhim decided to hire a bullock-cart to take them to their father – this was before motor cars were used as taxis – but the cart-men had heard that the boys were ‘untouchables’, and wanted nothing to do with them. Finally, they had to agree to pay double the usual cost of the journey, plus they had to drive the cart themselves, while the driver walked beside it. He was afraid of being polluted by the boys, because they were ‘untouchables’.
However, the extra money persuaded him that he could have his cart ‘purified’ later! Throughout the journey, Bhim thought constantly about what had happened – yet he could not understand the reason for it. He and his brother were clean and neatly dressed. Yet they were supposed to pollute and make unclean everything they touched and all that touched them. How could that be possible?
Bhim never forgot this incident. As he grew up, such senseless insults made him realise that what Hindu society called ‘untouchability’ was stupid, cruel, and unreasonable. His sister had to cut his hair at home because the village barbers were afraid of being polluted by an ‘untouchable’. If he asked her why they were ‘untouchables’, she could only answer -that is the way it has always been.” Bhim could not be satisfied with this answer. He knew that -it has always been that way” does not mean that there is a just reason for it – or that it had to stay that way forever. It could be changed.
शिक्षित बनो
Educate
संगठित रहो
Organise
संघर्ष करो
Agitate,
An Outstanding Scholar
At this time in his young life, with his mother dead, and father working away from the village where Bhim went to school, he had some good fortune. His teacher, though from a ‘high’ caste, liked him a lot. He praised Bhim’s good work and encouraged him, seeing what a bright pupil he was. He even invited Bhim to eat lunch with him – something that would have horrified most high caste Hindus. The teacher also changed Bhim’s last name to Ambedkar – his own name.
When his father decided to remarry, Bhim was very upset – he still missed his mother so much. Wanting to run away to Bombay, he tried to steal his aunt’s purse. When at last he managed to get hold of it, he found only one very small coin. Bhim felt so ashamed. He put the coin back and made a vow to himself to study very hard and to become independent.
Soon he was winning the highest praise and admiration from all his teachers. They urged Ramji to get the best education fro his son Bhim. So Ramji moved with his family to Bombay. They all had to live in just one room, in an area where the poorest of the poor lived, but Bhim was able to go to Elphinstone High School – one of the best schools in all of India.
In their one room everyone and everything was crowed together and the streets outside were very noisy. Bhim went to sleep when he got home from school. Then his father would wake him up at two o’clock in the morning! Everything was quiet then – so he could do his homework and study in peace.
In the big city, where life was more modern than in the villages, Bhim found that he was still called an ‘untouchable’ and treated as if something made him different and bad – even at his famous school.
One day, the teacher called him up to the blackboard to do a sum. All the other boys jumped up and made a big fuss.
Their lunch boxes were stacked behind the blackboard – they believed that Bhim would pollute the food! When he wanted to learn Sanskrit, the language of the Hindu holy scriptures, he was told that it was forbidden for ‘untouchables’ to do so. He had to study Persian instead – but he taught himself Sanskrit later in life.
Educational qualifications of Dr.B R Ambedkar
1 .Elementary Education, 1902 Satara, Maharashtra
2. Matriculation, 1907, Elphinstone High School, Bombay Persian etc.,
3. Inter 1909, Elphinstone College,Bombay
4. B.A, 1913, Elphinstone College, Bombay, University of Bombay, Economics & Political Science
5. M.A, 1915 Majoring in Economics and with Sociology, History Philosophy, Anthropology and Politics as the other subjects of study.
6. Ph.D, 1917, Columbia University conferred a Degree of Ph.D.
7. MSc. 1921 June, London School of Economics, London. Thesis – ‘Provincial Decentralization of Imperial Finance in British India’
8. Barrister-at- Law 30-9-1920 Gray’s Inn, London Law
(1922-23, Spent some time in reading economics in the University of Bonn in Germany.)
9. DSc. 1923 Nov London School of Economics, London ‘The Problem of the Rupee – Its origin and its solution’ was accepted for the degree of DSc. (Economics).
10. L.L.D (Honoris Causa) 5-6-1952 Columbia University, New York For HIS achievements, Leadership and authoring the constitution of India
11. D.Litt (Honoris Causa) 12-1-1953 Osmania University, Hyderabad For HIS achievements, Leadership and writing the constitution of India
12. NO 1 scholar in the World 13/9/2015 Columbia University , New York
His coursework during his three years (including summers) at Columbia consisted of: 29 courses in economics, 11 in history, 6 in sociology, 5 in philosophy, 4 in anthropology, 3 in politics, and 1 each in elementary French and German.
(Source: Office of the Registrar, Columbia University.)
Matriculation and Marriage
In due course, Bhim passed his Matriculation Exam. He had already come to the attention of some people interested in improving society. So when he passed the exam, a meeting was arranged to congratulate him – he was the first ‘untouchable’ from his community to pass it.
Bhim was then 17 years old. Early marriage was common in those days, so he was married to Ramabai the same year. He continued to study hard and passed the next Intermediate examination with distinction. However, Ramji found himself unable to keep paying the school fees. Through someone interested in his progress, Bhim was recommended to the Maharaja Gaekwad of Baroda.
The Shahu Maharaja granted him a monthly scholarship. With the help of this, Bhimrao (‘rao’ is added to names in Maharashtra as a sign of respect) passed his B.A. in 1912. Then he was given a job in the civil service – but only two weeks after starting, he had to rush home to Bombay. Ramji was very ill, and died soon afterwards. He had done all he could for his son, laying the foundations for Bhimrao’s later achievements.
Studies in the USA and the UK
The Maharaja of Baroda had a scheme to send a few outstanding scholars abroad for further studies. Of course, Bhimrao was selected – but he had to sign an agreement to serve Baroda state for ten years on finishing his studies.
In 1913, he went to the USA where he studied at the world-famous Columbia University, New York. The freedom and equality he experienced in America made a very strong impression on Bhimrao. It was so refreshing for him to be able to live a normal life, free from the caste prejudice of India. He could do anything he pleased – but devoted his time to studying. He studied eighteen hours a day. Visits to bookshops were his favourite entertainment!
His main subjects were Economics and Sociology. In just two years he had been awarded an M.A. – the following year he completed his Ph.D. thesis. Then he left Columbia and went to England, where he joined the London School of Economics. However, he had to leave London before completing his course because the scholarship granted by the State of Baroda expired. Bhimrao had to wait three years before he could return to London to complete his studies.
Return to India – Nightmare in Baroda
So he was called back to India to take up a post in Baroda as agreed. He was given an excellent job in the Baroda Civil Service. Bhimrao now held a doctorate, and was being trained for a top job. Yet, he again ran into the worst features of the Hindu caste system. This was all the more painful, because for the past four years he had been abroad, living free from the label of ‘untouchable.’
No one at the office where he worked would hand over files and papers to him – the servant threw them onto his desk. Nor would they give him water to drink. No respect was given to him, merely because of his caste.
He had to go from hotel to hotel looking for a room, but none of them would take him in. At last he had found a place to live in a Parsi guest house, but only because he had finally decided to keep his caste secret.
He lived there in very uncomfortable conditions, in a small bedroom with a tiny cold-water bathroom attached. He was totally alone there with no one to talk to. There were no electric lights or even oil lamps – so the place was completely dark at night.
Bhimrao was hoping to find somewhere else to live through his civil service job, but before he could, one morning as he was leaving for work a gang of angry men carrying sticks arrived outside his room. They accused him of polluting the hotel and told him to get out by evening – or else! What could he do? He could not stay with either of the two acquaintances he had in Baroda for the same reason – his low caste. Bhimrao felt totally miserable and rejected.
Bombay – Beginning Social Activity
He had no choice. After only eleven days in his new job, he had to return to Bombay. He tried to start a small business there, advising people about investments – but it too failed once customers learned of his caste.
In 1918, he became a lecturer at Sydenham College in Bombay. There, his students recognised him as a brilliant teacher and scholar. At this time he also helped to found a Marathi newspaper ‘Mook Nayak’ (Leader of the Dumb) to champion the cause of the ‘untouchables’. He also began to organise and attend conferences, knowing that he had to begin to proclaim and publicise the humiliations suffered by the Dalits – ‘the oppressed’ – and fight for equal rights. His own life had taught him the necessity of the struggle for emancipation.
Completion of Education – Leader of India’s Untouchables
In 1920, with the help of friends, he was able to return to London to complete his studies in Economics at LSE. He also enrolled to study as a Barrister at Gray’s Inn. In 1923, Bhimrao returned to India with a Doctorate in Economics from the LSE – he was perhaps the first Indian to have a Doctorate from this world-famous institution. He had also qualified as a Barrister-at-Law.
Back in India, he knew that nothing had changed.
His qualifications meant nothing as far as the practice of Untouchability was concerned – it was still an obstacle to his career. However, he had received the best education anyone in the world could get, and was well equipped to be a leader of the Dalit community. He could argue with and persuade the best minds of his time on equal terms. He was an expert on the law, and could give convincing evidence before British commissions as an eloquent and gifted speaker. Bhimrao dedicated the rest of his life to his task.
He became known by his increasing number of followers – those ‘untouchables’ he urged to awake – as Babasaheb Ambedkar. Knowing the great value and importance of education, in 1924 he founded an association called Bahiskrit Hitakarini Sabha. This set up hostels, schools, and free libraries. To improve the lives of Dalits, education had to reach everyone. Opportunities had to be provided at grass roots level – because knowledge is power.
Leading Peaceful Agitation
In 1927 Babasaheb Ambedkar presided over a conference at Mahad in Kolaba District. There he said: -It is time we rooted out of our minds the ideas of high and low. We can attain self-elevation only if we learn self-help and regain our self-respect.”
Because of his experience of the humiliation and injustice of untouchability, he knew that justice would not be granted by others. Those who suffer injustice must secure justice for themselves.
The Bombay Legislature had already passed a Bill allowing everyone to use public water tanks and wells. (We have seen how Bhim was denied water at school, in his office, and at other places. Public water facilities were always denied to ‘untouchables’ because of the superstitious fear of ‘pollution.’)
Mahad Municipality had thrown open the local water tank four years earlier, but so far not one ‘untouchable’ had dared to drink or draw water from it. Babasaheb Ambedkar led a procession from the Conference on a peaceful demonstration to the Chowdar Tank. He knelt and drank water from it. After he set this example, thousands of others felt courageous enough to follow him. They drank water from the tank and made history. For many hundreds of years, ‘untouchables’ had been forbidden to drink public water.
When some caste Hindus saw them drinking water, they believed the tank had been polluted and violently attacked the Conference, but Babasaheb Ambedkar insisted violence would not help – he had given his word that they would agitate peacefully.
Babasaheb Ambedkar started a Marathi journal Bahishkrit Bharat (‘The Excluded of India’). In it, he urged his people to hold a satyagraha (non-violent agitation) to secure the right of entry to the Kala Ram Temple at Nasik. ‘untouchables’ had always been forbidden to enter Hindu temples. The demonstration lasted for a month. Then they were told they would be able to take part in the annual temple festival. However, at the festival they had stones thrown at them – and were not allowed to take part. Courageously, they resumed their peaceful agitation. The temple had to remain closed for about a year, as they blocked its entrance.
Round Table Conferences
Meanwhile, the Indian Freedom Movement had gained momentum under the leadership of Mahatma Gandhi. In 1930, a Round Table Conference was held by the British Government in London to decide the future of India. Babasaheb Ambedkar represented the ‘untouchables’.
He said there: -The Depressed Classes of India also join in the demand for replacing the British Government by a Government of the people and by the people… Our wrongs have remained as open sores and have not been righted although 150 years of British rule have rolled away. Of what good is such a Government to anybody?”
Soon a second conference was held, which Mahatma Gandhi attended representing the Congress Party. Babasaheb Ambedkar met Gandhi in Bombay before they went to London. Gandhi told him that he had read what Babasaheb said at the first conference. Gandhi told Babasaheb Ambedkar he knew him to be a real Indian patriot.
At the Second Conference, Babasaheb Ambedkar asked for a separate electorate for the Depressed Classes. -Hinduism”, he said, -has given us only insults, misery, and humiliation.” A separate electorate would mean that the ‘untouchables’ would vote for their own candidates and be allotted their votes separate from the Hindu majority.
Babasaheb was made a hero by thousands of his followers on his return from Bombay – even though he always said that people should not idolise him. News came that separate electorates had been granted. Gandhi felt that separate electorates would separate the Harijans from the Hindus. The thought that the Hindus would be divided pained him grievously. He started a fast, saying that he would fast unto death.
Only Babasaheb Ambedkar could save Gandhi’s life – by withdrawing the demand for separate electorates. At first he refused, saying it was his duty to do the best he could for his people – no matter what. Later he visited Gandhi, who was at that time in Yeravda jail. Gandhi persuaded Babasaheb that Hinduism would change and leave its bad practices behind. Finally Babasaheb Ambedkar agreed to sign the Poona Pact with Gandhi in 1932. Instead of separate electorates, more representation was to be given to the Depressed Classes. However, it later became obvious that this did not amount to anything concrete.
In the Prime of His Life
Babasaheb had by this time collected a library of over 50,000 books, and had a house named Rajgriha built at Dadar in north Bombay to hold it. In 1935 his beloved wife Ramabai died. The same year he was made Principal of the Government Law College, Bombay.
Also in 1935 a conference of Dalits was held at Yeola. Babasaheb told the conference: -We have not been able to secure the barest of human rights… I am born a Hindu. I couldn’t help it, but I solemnly assure you that I will not die a Hindu.” This was the first time that Babasaheb stressed the importance of conversion from Hinduism for his people – for they were only known as ‘untouchables’ within the fold of Hinduism.
During the Second World War, Babasaheb Ambedkar was appointed Labour Minister by the Viceroy. Yet he never lost contact with his roots – he never became corrupt or crooked. He said that he had been born of the poor and had lived the life of the poor, he would remain absolutely unchanged in his attitudes to his friends and to the rest of the world.
The All-India Scheduled Castes Federation was formed in 1942 to gather all ‘untouchables’ into a united political party.
Architect of the Indian Constitution
After the war Babasaheb Ambedkar was elected to the Constituent Assembly to decide the way jthat India – a country of millions of people – should be ruled. How should elections take place? What are the rights of the people? How are laws to be made? Such important matters had to be decided and laws had to be made. The Constitution answers all such questions and lays down rules.
When India became independent in August 1947, Babasaheb Ambedkar became First Law Minister of Independent India. The Constituent Assembly made him chairman of the committee appointed to draft the constitution for the world’s largest democracy.
All his study of law, economics, and politics made him the best qualified person for this task. A study of the Constitutions of many countries, a deep knowledge of law, a knowledge of the history of India and of Indian Society – all these were essential. In fact, he carried the whole burden alone. He alone could complete this huge task.
After completing the Draft Constitution, Babasaheb fell ill. At a nursing home in Bombay he met Dr. Sharda Kabir and married her in April 1948. On November 4, 1948 he presented the Draft Constitution to the Constituent Assembly, and on November 26, 1949 it was adopted in the name of the people of India. On that date he said: -I appeal to all Indians to be a nation by discarding castes, which have brought separation in social life and created jealousy and hatred.”
“My friends tell me that I have made the Constitution. But I am quite prepared to say that I shall be the first person to burn it out. I do not want it. It does not suit anybody. But whatever that may be if our people want to carry on they must not forget that there are majorities and there are minorities and they simply cannot ignore the minorities by saying, “Oh, no. To recognize you is to harm democracy.” I should say that the greatest harm will come by injuring the minorities.
Dr Br Ambedkar in the Rajya Sabha on 2 September 1953
Later Life – Buddhist Conversion
In 1950, he went to a Buddhist conference in Sri Lanka. On his return he spoke in Bombay at the Buddhist Temple. -In order to end their hardships, people should embrace Buddhism. I am going to devote the rest of my life to the revival and spread of Buddhism in India.”
Babasaheb Ambedkar resigned from the Government in 1951. He felt that as an honest man he had no choice but to do so, because the reforms so badly needed had not been allowed to come into being.
For the next five years Babasaheb carried on a relentless fight against social evils and superstitions. On October 14, 1956 at Nagpur he embraced Buddhism. He led a huge gathering in a ceremony converting over half a million people to Buddhism. Presently the place is known as “Deekshabhoomi”. He knew that Buddhism was a true part of Indian history and that to revive it was to continue India’s best tradition.
‘Untouchability’ is a product only of Hinduism.
Parinirvan of Babasaheb Dr B.R Ambedkar
Only seven weeks later on December 6, 1956 Babasaheb Ambedkar died at his Delhi residence. His body was taken to Bombay. A two-mile long crowd formed the funeral procession. At Dadar cemetery that evening, eminent leaders paid their last respects to him. The pyre was lit according to Buddhist rites. Half a million people witnessed it. Presently the place is known as “Chaitya Bhoomi”.
Thus ended the life of one of India’s greatest sons. His was the task of awakening India’s millions of excluded and oppressed to their human rights. He experienced their suffering and the cruelty shown to them. He overcame the obstacles to stand on an equal footing with the greatest men of his time. He played a vital role in forming modern India through its Constitution.
His work and mission continue today – we must not rest until we see a truly democratic India of equal citizens living in peace together.
Unknown facts about Dr. B. R. Ambedkar
Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar was the first Indian to get a Doctorate (PhD) degree in Economics from abroad.
Dr. Ambedkar is the only Indian whose statue is attached with Karl Marx in the London Museum.
The credit of giving place to “Ashok Chakra” in the Indian Tricolour also goes to Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar.
Nobel Prize winner Prof. Amartya Sen considered Dr. B. R. Ambedkar as his father in economics.
For the better development of Madhya Pradesh and Bihar, Babasaheb had proposed division of these states in 50s, but only after 2000 Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand were formed by splitting Madhya Pradesh and Bihar.
Babasaheb’s personal library “Rajgirh” consisted more than 50,000 books and it was world’s largest private library.
The book “Waiting for a visa” written by Dr. Babasaheb is a textbook in Columbia University. Columbia University made a list of world’s top 100 scholars in 2004 and first name in that list was Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar.
Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar was master in 64 subjects. He had knowledge of 9 languages like Hindi, Pali, Sanskrit, English, French, German, Marathi, Persian and Gujarati. Apart from this, he studied all the religions of the world in comparative way for almost 21 years.
In the London School of Economics, Babasaheb completed 8 years of studies in just 2 years 3 months. For this, he studied 21 hours in a day.
Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar’s initiation in Buddhism with his 8,50,000 supporters historical in the world, because it was the largest conversion in the world.
“Mahant Veer Chandramani”, a great Buddhist monk who initiated Babasaheb to Buddhism, called him “the modern Buddha of this age”.
Babasaheb is the first and only person in the world to receive a valuable doctorate degree named “Doctor All Science” from London School of Economics. Many intelligent students have tried for it, but they have not been successful till now.
Worldwide, highest number of songs and books written in the name of the leader is Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar.
Governor Lord Linlithgow and Mahatma Gandhi believed that Babasaheb is more intelligent than 500 graduates and thousands of scholars.
Babasaheb was the world’s first and only Satyagrahi, who did Satyagraha for drinking water.
In 1954, in the “World Buddhist Council” held in Kathmandu, Nepal, Buddhist monks had given Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar highest title of Buddhism “Bodhisattva”. His famous book “The Buddha and his Dhamma” is the “scripture” of Indian Buddhists.
Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar had considered three great men, Lord Buddha, Saint Kabir and Mahatma Phule as their “instructor”.
The highest number of statue in the world is of Babasaheb. His birth anniversary is also celebrated all over the world.
Babasaheb was the first lawyer from backward class.
Based on a global survey called “The Makers of the Universe” a list of top 100 humanist people of the last 10 thousand years was made by Oxford University, in which fourth name was Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar.
Babasaheb Ambedkar has given many suggestions in the book “The Problem of Rupee-Its Origin & its solution” about the demonetisation that is being discussed all around in the present time. He has described in his book that “If any country has to eliminate black money and fake currency, then after every 10 years Country’s currency should be demonetized.”
Everywhere in the world, Buddha’s closed-eyed statues and paintings are visible, but Babasaheb, who was also a good painter, made the first painting of Buddha in which Buddha’s eyes were opened.
The first Statue of Babasaheb was built in the year 1950, when he was alive and this statue is established in Kolhapur city.
-डॉ. बाबासाहेब अम्बेडकर विदेश जाकर अर्थशास्त्र में डॉक्टरेट (PhD) की डिग्री हासिल करने वाले पहले भारतीय थे।
-डॉ. अम्बेडकर ही एकमात्र भारतीय हैं जिनकी प्रतिमा लन्दन संग्रहालय में कार्ल मार्क्स के साथ लगी हुई है।
-भारतीय तिरंगे में “अशोक चक्र” को जगह देने का श्रेय भी डॉ. बाबासाहेब अम्बेडकर को जाता है।
-अर्थशास्त्र का नोबेल पुरस्कार जीत चुके अर्थशास्त्री प्रो. अमर्त्य सेन, डॉ. बी. आर अम्बेडकर को अर्थशास्त्र में अपना पिता मानते हैं।
-मध्य प्रदेश और बिहार के बेहतर विकास के लिए बाबासाहेब ने 50 के दशक में ही विभाजन का प्रस्ताव रखा था, पर सन 2000 में जाकर ही इनका विभाजन कर छत्तीसगढ़ और झारखण्ड का गठन किया गया।
-बाबासाहेब के निजी पुस्तकालय “राजगृह” में 50,000 से भी अधिक उनकी किताबें थी और यह विश्व का सबसे बडा निजी पुस्तकालय था।
-डॉ. बाबासाहेब द्वारा लिखी गई पुस्तक “waiting for a visa” कोलंबिया विश्वविद्यालय में टेक्स्टबुक है। कोलंबिया विश्वविद्यालय ने 2004 में विश्व के शीर्ष 100 विद्वानों की सूची बनाई थी और उसमे पहला नाम डॉ. भीमराव अम्बेडकर का था
-डॉ. बाबासाहेब अम्बेडकर कुल 64 विषयों में मास्टर थे| वे हिन्दी, पाली, संस्कृत, अंग्रेजी, फ्रेंच, जर्मन, मराठी, पर्शियन और गुजराती जैसे 9 भाषाओँ के जानकार थे| इसके अलावा उन्होंने लगभग 21 साल तक विश्व के सभी धर्मों की तुलनात्मक रूप से पढाई की थी|
-बाबासाहेब ने लंदन स्कूल ऑफ इकॉनॉमिक्स में 8 वर्ष में समाप्त होनेवाली पढाई केवल 2 वर्ष 3 महीने में पूरी की थी| इसके लिए उन्होंने प्रतिदिन 21-21 घंटे पढ़ाई की थी|
-डॉ. बाबासाहेब अम्बेडकर का अपने 8,50,000 समर्थको के साथ बौद्ध धर्म में दीक्षा लेना विश्व में ऐतिहासिक था, क्योंकि यह विश्व का सबसे बडा धर्मांतरण था।
-बाबासाहेब को बौद्ध धर्म की दीक्षा देनेवाले महान बौद्ध भिक्षु “महंत वीर चंद्रमणी” ने उन्हें “इस युग का आधुनिक बुद्ध” कहा था।
-लंदन स्कूल ऑफ इकॉनॉमिक्स से “डॉक्टर ऑल सायन्स” नामक अनमोल डॉक्टरेट पदवी प्राप्त करनेवाले बाबासाहेब विश्व के पहले और एकमात्र महापुरूष हैं। कई बुद्धिमान छात्रों ने इसके लिए प्रयास किये परन्तु वे अब तक सफल नहीं हो सके हैं|
-विश्व में जिस नेता के ऊपर सबसे अधिक गाने और किताबें लिखी गई है वह डॉ. बाबासाहेब अम्बेडकर हैं|
-गवर्नर लॉर्ड लिनलिथगो और महात्मा गांधी का मानना था कि बाबासाहेब 500 स्नातकों तथा हजारों विद्वानों से भी अधिक बुद्धिमान हैं|
-विश्व में हर जगह बुद्ध की बंद आंखो वाली प्रतिमाएं एवं पेंटिग्स दिखाई देती है लेकिन बाबासाहेब जो उत्तम चित्रकार भी थे, उन्होंने सर्वप्रथम बुद्ध की ऐसी पेंटिंग बनाई थी जिसमें बुद्ध की आंखे खुली थी।
-बाबासाहेब का पहला स्टेच्यु (Statue) उनके जीवित रहते हुए ही 1950 में बनवाया गया था, और यह Statue कोल्हापूर शहर में है।
हिंदू कोड बिल
1. हिंदुओं में बहू विवाह की प्रथा को समाप्त करके केवल एक विवाह का प्रावधान, जो विधिसम्मत हो.
2. महिलाओं को संपत्ति में अधिकार देना और गोद लेने का अधिकार देना.
3. पुरुषों के समान नारियों को भी तलाक का अधिकार देना, हिंदू समाज में पहले पुरुष ही तलाक दे सकते थे.
4. आधुनिक और प्रगतिशील विचारधारा के अनुरूप हिंदू समाज को एकीकृत करके उसे मजबूत करना.
डॉ. आंबेडकर का मानना था-
सही मायने में प्रजातंत्र तब आएगा, जब महिलाओं को पिता की संपत्ति में बराबरी का हिस्सा मिलेगा. उन्हें पुरुषों के समान अधिकार मिलेंगे. महिलाओं की उन्नति तभी होगी, जब उन्हें परिवार-समाज में बराबरी का दर्जा मिलेगा. शिक्षा और आर्थिक तरक्की उनकी इस काम में मदद करेगी.
भारतीय महिला क्रांति के मसीहा थे ‘आंबेडकर’
आंबेडकर यह बात समझते थे कि स्त्रियों की स्थिति सिर्फ ऊपर से उपदेश देकर नहीं सुधरने वाली, उसके लिए क़ानूनी व्यवस्था करनी होगी| इस संदर्भ में महाराष्ट्रीयन दलित लेखक बाबुराव बागुल कहते है, ‘हिंदू कोड बिल महिला सशक्तिकरण का असली आविष्कार है|’
हिंदू कोड बिल पर अधिक जानकारी
हिंदू कोड बिल प्रस्तुति के बिंदु निम्न थे –
• यह बिल हिंदू स्त्रियों की उन्नति के लिए प्रस्तुत किया गया था|
• इस बिल में स्त्रियों को तलाक लेने का अधिकार था|
• तलाक मिलने पर गुज़ारा भत्ता मिलने का अधिकार था|
• एक पत्नी के होते हुए दूसरी शादी न करने का प्रावधान किया गया था|
• गोद लेने का अधिकार था|
• बाप-दादा की संपत्ति में हिस्से का अधिकार था|
• स्त्रियों को अपनी कमाई पर अधिकार दिया गया था|
• लड़की को उत्तराधिकार का अधिकार था|
• अंतरजातीय विवाह करने का अधिकार था|
• अपना उत्तराधिकारी निश्चित करने की स्वतंत्रता थी|
इन सभी बिंदुओं के अवलोकन से स्पष्ट होता है कि ‘हिंदू कोड बिल’ भारतीय महिलाओं के लिए सभी मर्ज़ की दवा थी| क्योंकि आंबेडकर समझते थे कि असल में समाज की मानसिक सोच जब तक नहीं बदलेगी तब तक व्यावहारिक सोच विकसित नहीं हो सकेगी| पर अफ़सोस यह बिल संसद में पारित नहीं हो पाया और इसी कारण आंबेडकर ने विधि मंत्री पद का इस्तीफ़ा दे दिया| इस आधार पर आंबेडकर को भारतीय महिला क्रांति का ‘मसीहा’ कहना कहीं से भी अतिश्योक्तिपूर्ण नहीं होगा|
About the Poona Pact
The background to the Poona Pact was the Communal Award of August 1932.
This Communal Award of August 1932, among other things, had reserved 71 seats in the central legislature for the depressed classes.
Gandhi’s opposition to Communal Award of August 1932: Gandhi was opposed to the award as he saw it as a British attempt to split Hindus, and began a fast unto death to have it repealed.
Agreement between Gandhi and B.R. Ambedkar,1932
In line with the status of communal award, in late September 1932, B.R. Ambedkar negotiated the Poona Pact with Mahatma Gandhi.
Provisions in Poona Pact,1932
Joint Electorate for depressed classes: In a settlement negotiated with Gandhi, Ambedkar agreed for depressed class candidates to be elected by a joint electorate.
Increased number of seats for depressed classes in legislature: Slightly over twice as many seats (147) were reserved for the depressed classes in the legislature than what had been allotted under the Communal Award.
Fair representation in the public services: The Pact also assured a fair representation of the depressed classes in the public services while earmarking a portion of the educational grant for their uplift.
Significance of the Poona pact:
The Poona Pact was an emphatic acceptance by upper-class Hindus that the depressed classes constituted the most discriminated sections of Hindu society.
Realization of the need of taking urgent steps:
It was emphasized during the Poona pact that something concrete had to be done to give depressed classes a political voice as well as to lift them from a backwardness they could not otherwise overcome.
Poona pact acted as precursors to many initiatives launched for depressed classes later on in independent India.
New identity of depressed class as a political force:
The Poona Pact had several positive outcomes for Ambedkar. It emphatically sealed Ambedkar’s leadership of the depressed classes across India.
Ambedkar made the entire country, and not just the Congress Party, morally responsible for the uplift of the depressed classes.
Ambedkar also became successful in making the depressed classes a formidable political force for the first time in history.
More about Poona Pact
Unlike a drop of water which loses its identity when it joins the ocean, man does not lose his being in the society in which he lives. Man’s life is independent. He is born not for the development of the society alone, but for the development of his self.
Dr. B. R. Ambedkar
/
For a successful revolution it is not enough that there is discontent. What is required is a profound and thorough conviction of the justice, necessity and importance of political and social rights.
Dr. B. R. Ambedkar
/
History shows that where ethics and economics come in conflict, victory is always with economics. Vested interests have never been known to have willingly divested themselves unless there was sufficient force to compel them.
Dr. B. R. Ambedkar
/
That the caste system must be abolished if the Hindu society is to be reconstructed on the basis of equality, goes without saying. Untouchability has its roots in the caste system.
They cannot expect the Brahmins to rise in revolt against the caste system. Also we cannot rely upon the non-Brahmins and ask them to fight our battle.
Dr. B. R. Ambedkar
/
Famous books written by the Dr. Ambedkar
Castes in India: Their Mechanism, Genesis and Development
was a paper read by B. R. Ambedkar at an anthropological seminar of Alexander Goldenweiser in New York on 9 May 1916. It was later published in volume XLI of Indian Antiquary in May 1917
The Problem of the Rupee: its origin and its solution
This book raises “Currency question” in British India, which led to the Creation of Reserve Bank of India. One of the best book on economics by the “Father of Economics of India”.
The Annihilation of Caste
Annihilation of Caste is an undelivered speech written in 1936 by B. R. Ambedkar who fought against the country’s practice of untouchability. It was later self-published by the author.
Thoughts on Pakistan
The Muslim League’s Resolution on Pakistan has called forth different reactions. There are some who look upon it as a case of political measles to which a people in the infancy of their conscious unity and power are very liable. Others have taken it as a permanent frame of the Muslim mind and not merely as a passing phase and have in consequence been greatly perturbed.
Mr. Gandhi and Emancipation of Untouchables
What Congress and Gandhi have done to the Untouchables
Pakistan Or Partition Of India
Who were the Shudras
Manu and the Shudras
Mook Nayak (weekly)
As word of Ambedkar’s newspaper spread, Kolhapur’s Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj himself visited Babsaheb in his chawl in Mumbai. The first issue was printed on 31 January 1920. It included a scathing takedown of the Hindu caste structure and its despicable advocacy of inequality.
Bahishkrit Bharat (India Ostracized)
On 3 April 1927, Ambedkar launched the Marathi fortnightly ‘Bahishkrit Bharat’. In one of its many editorials severely critical of upper-caste Hindu society, Ambedkar likened the British rule and the Brahmanical rule to two leeches incessantly sucking the blood of the Indian people, writes Siddharth
Federation Versus Freedom
Ambedkar was a prolific student, earning doctorates in economics from both Columbia University and the London School of Economics, and gained a reputation as a scholar for his research in law, economics and political science. In his early career he was an economist, professor, and lawyer.
Ranade, Gandhi and Jinnah
Address delivered by the author on the 101st birthday celebration of Mahadev Govind Ranade, held at Poona on 18th January 1943
Maharashtra as a Linguistic Province
The Untouchables
Buddha Or Karl Marx
The Buddha and his Dhamma
Riddles in Hinduism
However good a Constitution may be, if those who are implementing it are not good, it will prove to be bad. However bad a Constitution may be, if those implementing it are good, it will prove to be good.
Our Leadership
Bahan Kumari Mayawati ji
Shri Satish Chandra Misra
Shri R. S. Kushwaha
Shri Kunwar Danish Ali
Our Ideals
Baba Saheb Dr B.R. Ambedkar
Chhatrapati Shahuji Maharaj
Periyar Lalai Singh Yadav
BSP
Our President
About Us
Books
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Milestones
Poona Pact
Kanshi Ram’s Bahujan movement was cultural, not just political
Kanshi Ram’s Bahujan movement was cultural, not just political
BSPs diminishing political power doesnt mean all is lost for the Bahujan movement. Kanshi Ram Jayanti is a reminder the anti-caste revolution is alive among the masses.
Kanshi Ram’s Bahujan movement was also cultural, not just political
BSP’s diminishing political power doesn’t mean all is lost for the Bahujan movement. Kanshi Ram Jayanti is a reminder the anti-caste revolution is alive among the masses.
Kanshi Ram releasing cassette of DS4 singer Harnam Singh during a meeting | Photo: Harnam Singh
K
anshi Ram, a charismatic Bahujan leader, believed that a society in which the non-political roots are not strong, is bound to fail in its political aspirations as well. It is easy to write off the Bahujan Samaj Party because of its recent political misfortunes, but it would be a grave error to look at Kanshi Ram’s Bahujan revolution as merely political. The bedrock of all his meetings and mobilisations was a cultural revival.
Kanshi Ram’s Hegelian premise of raising rational consciousness among Bahujans can well be drawn from his efforts towards debunking Brahminism and raising anti-caste awareness through everyday practices. So, Kanshi Ram Jayanti, which falls on 15 March, holds a special place among those who identify themselves as Bahujan. Its celebration becomes a reminder of the shared cultural-political history of being part of the Bahujan movement that began in the 1980s.
This cultural re-imagination was present in BAMCEF (All India Backward and Minority Communities Employees Federation), DS4 (Dalit Shoshit Samaj Sangharsh Samiti) and BRC (Buddhist Research Center).
The three pillars
BAMCEF, DS4, and BRC can be considered the three cultural pillars holding up the Bahujan movement. Kanshi Ram, in one of his interviews, said that while the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) was aimed towards political gratification, the other three were the most important vehicles to achieve it (Collected Interviews of Kanshi Ram).
The manifesto of BAMCEF had specifically called for creating a literary wing to bring together different thought processes. An engagement with the Bahujan literary tradition was an attempt to understand the social history and the experiential reality of the Bahujan community as well. Similarly, the manifesto also discussed the creation of Jagriti Jatha to raise anti-caste consciousness among Bahujans.
In BAMCEF meetings, cultural presentation was an integral part and it included displaying posters, musical performances, and poetry recitation. One of the earliest BAMCEF meetings in Delhi’s Shahdara on 17 May 1980 was themed as Chalta Firta Ambedkar Mela, which involved an art gallery displaying the life and philosophy of Dr Ambedkar. Kanshi Ram’s practice of the carnivalesque weaved together Bahujan masses at both individual and collective levels. The early BAMCEF participants still recall the collective memory of participating in different BAMCEF meetings.
Harvinder Kaur recalls her association, “My memory with BAMCEF is as old as when I was 14 years old. I had participated in the third BAMCEF meeting at Chandigarh and sang a Punjabi song dedicated to the mission.” Similarly, a Bahujan singer Taranum Baudh recalled singing her first song on the BAMCEF platform when she was barely three years old. Residents of Punjab, Harnam Singh Bahelpuri and Poonam Bala, were closely associated with singing and had also performed during several BAMCEF meetings convened by Kanshi Ram. Kanshi Ram himself had released cassettes of many of these singers.
The Dalit Shoshit Samaj Sangharsh Samiti, or DS4, was launched on 6 December 1981. It laid particular emphasis on the struggles of students, youth, and women. This cultural wing started from Punjab and spread to several states in north India including Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttar Pradesh. Kanshi Ram started DS4 with the aim of giving Bahujans a platform to share their anti-caste consciousness. In one of the editorials of The Oppressed Indian, 1982, Kanshi Ram said that DS4 is one of the foremost steps to organise 85 per cent of Bahujan voters and prepare them for politics so that they can take up leadership roles.
Buddhist Research Centre, or BRC, was also established by Kanshi Ram and he was ever willing to take up Buddhism. In 2003, Kanshi Ram had announced that he along with his protege Mayawati would convert to Buddhism in 2006, the year that marked the golden jubilee of Ambedkar’s conversion. He had also said that the conversion of people from the Chamar community In Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh alone will create three crore Buddhists in India (Bahujan Sanghtak, 2003).
Contemporary cultural practices of Bahujan
The Bahujan movement is still fresh in the minds of those who were associated with Kanshi Ram through BAMCEF, DS4, BRC, or BSP. They recall even the smallest memories they have of meeting Saheb or his visit to their houses to share a meal. The charismatic leader is graciously remembered by them every 15 March.
In north India, the modern anti-caste struggle goes back to Swami Achyutananda, B.A. Santram, Chandrika Prasad Jigyasu, Jagdeo Prasad, Lalai Singh Yadav, Mangu Ram, and many others. While the intellectual wave generated by them is worth appreciating, it was Kanshi Ram who translated the Bahujan idea into popular imagination. Kanshi Ram’s personality was such that he instantly connected with the masses, particularly Bahujan women. There were several women who led Kanshi Ram’s Bahujan struggle, but they are hardly known today. But Kanshi Ram knew the importance of everyone who was associated with the movement. He would often visit the homes of cadre members, stay with them and have long conversations. It won’t be an exaggeration to call him a bottom-up leader who had a dynamic relationship with the masses. He was a mass leader in the true sense.
Nirmala Dasua with Kanshiram in 2001, at Guru Ravidas Jayanti, Hoshiarpur | Nirmala Dasua personal archive
Ishwar Kaur Narwal, giving speech. Kanshiram can be seen on the stage too | Ishwar Kaur Narwal personal archives
Besides political milestones, Kanshi Ram had an important role in reviving the socio-cultural icons in north India. Kanshi Ram Jayanti is marked by paying reverence to Dalit-Bahujan icons like Jyotiba Phule, Savitri Bai Phule, Dr Ambedkar, Sahuji Maharaj, Fatima Sheikh, Birsa Munda, and Periyar E.V. Ramasamy to mention a few. It is done by circulating their images, wall-art, calendar prints, pamphlets, etc.
The occasion also sees a carnival organised by different groups. It involves a discussion on Kanshi Ram’s thoughts and struggle, cultural performances like plays, songs and poetry recitation, circulation of popular prints and pamphlets, sloganeering, and taking out marches.
This annual carnival is one of the many ways through which the Bahujan society remains connected today, sharing each other’s thoughts, passing on their individual experiences of fighting the anti-caste struggle. This carnival is a new space for the emergence of a counter-culture. Russian philosopher Mikhail Bakhtin’s carnivalesque discussed the importance of cultural spaces like carnivals in the Renaissance. The Bahujan carnival, like Kanshi Ram Jayanti, is also a new space for anti-caste imagination, which seeks to assert its claim on dignity and equality.
Kanshi Ram Jayanti’s meaning and its cultural prospects
Kanshi Ram’s Jayanti means an anti-caste worldview for the Dalit-Bahujan. It is the day of remembrance of Saheb’s struggle to claim political consciousness and uproot caste practices from the public sphere.
Interestingly, the conceptual category like Bahujan has brought together different caste-based oppressed identities together. The idea of Bahujan is culturally rooted. This Bahujanhood marks its visibility through celebrating Bahujan icons, discussing historical gaps and absences, musical re-imagination, etc.
The music industry has engaged with Kanshi Ram through songs like Kanshi Ram Saheb Ka Alha sung by Seema Azad. Her song brings out the life history of Kanshi Ram through the Alha genre of music, which is popular in regions of Uttar Pradesh. Other songs include The Great Leader Kanshi Ram by Raju Bharti and Manywar Kanshi Ram Saheb Ki Yaad Mein by Malti Rao. Publication houses like Samyak Prakashan, which was started by Shanti Swaroop Baudh, have played an important role in popularising Kanshi Ram’s ideas. Similarly, there has been an effort by activists like A.R. Akela to put together Kanshi Ram’s speeches and bring them out through his home-grown publication Anand Sahitya Sadan in Aligarh.
Each of these cultural facets displayed in events like Kanshi Ram Jayanti has played a significant role in assembling the collective memories of Bahujan. The Bahujan movement started by Kanshi Ram was a well-structured plan that spread into social, cultural, and political spheres. Even though in recent times, the Bahujan movement has reflected political fragility, the idea of Bahujan remains alive with fresh life being breathed into it by members both on the ground and on social media. It has all the potential to return to the political sphere with the same zeal and fervour because of the sentimentality involved in the Bahujan movement, borne out of people’s life-long struggle against oppression. Kanshi Ram’s vision of engaging with cultural parameters so that people are emotionally attached to the movement gives him a unique position as a Bahujan leader in India’s socio-political firmament.
Kalyani is a PhD scholar at the Center for the Study of Social Systems, Jawaharlal Nehru University. She tweets at @FiercelyBahujan. Views are personal.
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1. “I have been wounded by the strife of the world, and I have come out longing to obtain peace; I would not accept any empire in the third heaven, for saving me from all the ills of the earth; how much less amongst men?
2. “But as for what thou has said to me, O King, that the universal pursuit of the three objects is the supreme end of man,–and thou saidst that what I regard as the desirable is misery,–thy three objects are perishable and also unsatisfying.
3. “And as for what thou saidst, ‘wait till old age comes, for youth is ever subject to change’;–this want of decision is itself uncertain; for age too can be irresolute and youth can be firm.
4. “But since Fate is so well skilled in its art as to draw the world in all its various ages into its power,–how shall the wise man, who desires tranquillity, wait for old age, when he knows not when the time of death will be?
5. “When death stands ready like a hunter, with old age as his weapon, and diseases scattered about as his arrows, smiting down living creatures who fly like deer to the forest of destiny, what desire can there be in anyone for length of life?
6. “It well befits the youthful son or the old man or the child so to act with all promptitude, that they may choose the path of the religious man whose soul is all mercy.
7. “And as for what thou saidst, be diligent in sacrifices for religion, such as are worthy of thy race and bring a glorious fruit’,–honour to such sacrifices! I desire not that fruit which is sought by causing pain to others!
8. “To kill a helpless victim through a wish for future reward,–it would be unseemly action for a merciful, good-hearted man, even if the reward of the sacrifice were eternal.
9. “And even if true religion did not consist in quite another rule of conduct, by self-restraint, moral practice and a total absence of passion,–still it would not be seemly to follow the rule of sacrifice, where the highest reward is described as attained only by slaughter.
10. “Even that happiness which comes to a man while he stays in this world, through the injury of another, is hateful to the wise compassionate heart; how much more if it be something beyond our sight in another life?
11. “I am not to be lured into a course of action for future reward,–my mind does not delight, O King, in future births; these actions are uncertain and wavering in their direction, like plants beaten by the rain from a cloud.”
12. The king himself, folding his hands, replied, “Thou art obtaining thy desire without hindrance; when thou has at last accomplished all that thou has to do, thou shall show hereafter thy favour towards me.”
13. Having received a firm promise from Gautama to visit him again, the monarch, taking his courtiers with him, returned to the palace.
§ 5. News of Peace
1. While Gautama was staying in Rajagraha there came five other Parivrajakas, who also put up a hut by the side of the hut which Gautama had erected for himself.
2. These five Parivrajakas were Kaundinya, Ashvajit, Kasyapa, Mahanam, and Bhaduka.
3. They too were struck by Gautama’s appearance, and wondered what could have led him to take Parivraja.
4. They questioned him over the issue in the same way as did King Bimbisara.
5. When he explained to them the circumstances which led him to take Parivraja, they said, “We have heard of it. But do you know what has happened since you left?” they asked.
6. Siddharth said, “No.” Then they told him that after he left Kapilavatsu, there was a great agitation among the Sakyas against going to war with the Koliyas.
7. There were demonstrations and processions by men and women, boys and girls, carrying flags with such slogans as, “Koliyas are our brothers,” “It is wrong for a brother to fight against brother.” “Think of the exile of Siddharth Gautama,” etc.
8. The result of the agitation was that the Sakya Sangh had to call a meeting and reconsider the question. This time the majority was for compromise with the Koliyas.
9. The Sangh decided to select five Sakyas to act as their envoys and negotiate peace with the Koliyas.
10. When the Koliyas heard of this they were very glad. They too selected five Koliyas to deal with the envoys of the Sakyas.
11. The envoys on the two sides met and agreed to appoint a permanent Council of Arbitration, with authority to settle every dispute regarding the sharing of the waters of the river Rohini, and both sides to abide by its decision. Thus the threatened war had ended in peace.
12. After informing Gautama of what had happened at Kapilavatsu, the Parivrajakas said, “There is now no need for you to continue to be a Parivrajaka. Why don’t you go home and join your family?”
13. Siddharth said, “I am happy to have this good news. It is a triumph for me. But I will not go back to my home. I must not. I must continue to be a Parivrajaka.”
14. Gautama asked the five Parivrajakas what their programme was. They replied, “We have decided to do tapasya. Why don’t you join us?” Siddharth said, “By and b ; I must examine other ways first.”
15. The five Parivrajakas then left.
§ 6. The Problem in a New Perspective
1. The news brought by the five Parivrajakas that the Koliyas and Sakyas had made peace, made Gautama very uneasy.
2. Left alone, he began to reflect on his own position, and to make sure if any reason was left for him to continue his Parivraja.
3. He had left his people for what?, he asked himself.
4. He had left his home because he was opposed to war. “Now that the war is over, is there any problem left to me? Does my problem end because war has ended?”
5. On a deep reflection, he thought not.
6. “The problem of war is essentially a problem of conflict. It is only a part of a larger problem.
7. “This conflict is going on not only between kings and nations, but between nobles and Brahmins, between householders, between mother and son, between son and mother, between father and son, between sister and brother, between companion and companion.
8. “The conflict between nations is occasional. But the conflict between classes is constant and perpetual. It is this which is the root of all sorrow and suffering in the world.
9. “True, I left home on account of war. But I cannot go back home, although the war between the Sakyas and Koliyas has ended. I see now that my problem has become wider. I have to find a solution for this problem of social conflict.
10. “How far do the old-established philosophies offer a solution of this problem?”
11. Can [=Could] he accept any one of the social philosophies?
12. He was determined to examine everything for himself.
1. *Halt at Brighu’s Ashram* — 2. *Study of Sankhya* — 3. *Training in Samadhi Marga* — 4. *Trial of Asceticism* — 5. *Abandonment of Asceticism*
§ 1. Halt at Brighu’s Ashram
1. With the desire to pursue other ways, Gautama left Rajagraha to meet Arada Kalam.
2. On his way he beheld the hermitage of Brighu, and entered it out of curiosity.
3. The Brahmin inmates of the Ashram who had gone outside for the sake of fuel, having just come back with their hands full of fuel, flowers, and kusa grass, pre-eminent as they were in penances, and proficient in wisdom, went just to see him, and went not to their cells.
4. Then he, being duly honoured by those dwellers of the hermitage, paid his homage to the Elders of the Ashram.
5. He, the wise one, longing for liberation, traversed that hermitage, filled with the holy company desirous of heaven,–gazing at their strange penances.
6. He, the gentle one, saw for the first time the different kinds of penances practised by the ascetics in that sacred grove.
7. Then the Brahmin Brighu, well-versed in the technique of penance, told Gautama all the various kinds of penances and the fruits thereof.
8. “Uncooked food, growing out of water, and roots and fruits,–this is the fare of the saints according to the sacred texts; but the different alternatives of penance vary.
9. “Some live like the birds on gleaned corn; others graze on grass like the deer,=; others live on air like the snakes, as if turned into ant-hills.
10. “Others win their nourishment with great effort from stones; others eat corn ground with their own teeth; some, having boiled for others, keep for themselves what may chance to be left.
11. “Others, with their tufts of matted hair continually wet with water, twice offer oblations to Agni with hymns; others, plunging like fishes into the water, dwell there with their bodies scratched by tortoises.
12. “By such penances endured for a time,–by the higher they attain heaven, by the lower the world of men, by the path of pain they eventually dwell in happiness,–pain, they say, is the root of merit.”
13. On hearing this Gautama said, “Today is my first sight of such a hermitage, and I do not understand this rule of penance.
14. “This is all I would say at the moment. This devotion of yours is for the sake of heaven–while my desire is that the ills of life on earth be probed and a solution found. Will you allow me to take your leave? I wish to learn the Sankhya Philosophy and train myself in the Samadhi marga, and see what help it can give me for the solution of my problem.
15. “There is sorrow to me when I reflect that I shall have to depart, leaving you who are thus engaged, you who are such a refuge and who have shown such excessive kindness to me,–just as there was when I had to leave my kindred behind.
16. “It is not, therefore, any dislike on my part, or the wrong conduct of another, which makes me go away from this wood; for ye are like great sages, standing fast in the religious duties which are in accordance with former sages.
17. “I wish to go to Muni Arada Kalam, who is known to be the master of the subject.”
18. Seeing his resolve, Brighu, the chief of the hermitage, said, ” Prince, brave indeed is thy purpose, who, young as thou art, having pondered thoroughly between heaven and liberation have [=having] made up your mind for liberation, ye are indeed brave!
19. “If what you have said is thy settled purpose go quickly to Vindhyakoshth ; the Muni Arada lives there, who has gained an insight into absolute bliss.
20. “From him thou wilt learn the path; but as I foresee, this purpose of thine will go further, after having studied his theory.”
21. Gautama thanked him, and having saluted the company of sages he departed; the hermits also, having duly performed to him all the rites of courtesy, entered again into the ascetic grove.
§ 2. Study of Sankhya
1. Leaving the Ashram of Brighu, Gautama started [out] to find the abode of Arada Kalam.
2. Arada Kalam was staying at Vaishali. Gautama went thither. On reaching Vaishali, he went to his Ashram.
3. Approaching Arada Kalam, he said, “I wish to be initiated into your doctrine and discipline.”
4. Thereupon Arada Kalam said: “You are welcome. Such is my doctrine that an intelligent man like you in no long time may of himself comprehend, realise and attain my teaching and abide by it.
5. “Verily thou art a worthy vessel to receive this highest training.”
6. The prince, having heard these words of Arada, was filled with great pleasure and thus made reply.
7. “This extreme kindliness which thou showest to me, makes me, imperfect as I am, seem even already to have attained perfection.
8. “Will you, therefore, deign to tell me what your doctrine is?”
9. Said Arada, “I am so much impelled by your noble nature, by your sincerity of character, and by your resolution, that I need not put you to any preliminary examination to test your worthiness.
10. “Listen, best of listeners, to our tenets.”
11. He then expounded to Gautama the tenets of what was known as the Sankhya Philosophy.
12. At the conclusion of his discourse Arada Kalam said:
13. “These are, O Gautama, the tenets of our system. I have told them to you in a summary form.”
14. Gautama was greatly pleased with the clear exposition given by Arada Kalam.
§ 3. Training in Samadhi Marga
1. At the time when Gautama was examining the various ways of finding a solution to his problem, he thought of getting himself acquainted with the Dhyana Marga (Concentration of the Mind).
2. There were three schools of the Dhyana Marga.
3. All of them had one thing in common, namely, that control of breathing was the means of achieving Dhyana.
4. One school followed a way of controlling breathing which is called Anapanasati.
5. Another school followed the way of control of breathing known as Pranayama. It divided the breathing process into three parts: (1) Breathing in (Puraka); (2) holding the breath (Kumbhaka); and (3) breathing out (Rechak). The third school was known as Samadhi School.
6. Arada Kalam was well known as the master of Dhyana Marga. Gautama felt that it might be well for him if he could get some training in the Dhyana Marga under Arada Kalam.
7. So he spoke to Arada Kalam and asked him if he would be so good as to give training in the Dhyana Marga.
8. Arada Kalam replied, “With great pleasure.”
9. Arada Kalam taught him his technique of the Dhyana Marga. It consisted of seven stages.
10. Gautama practised the technique every day.
11. After acquiring complete mastery over it, Gautama asked Arada Kalam if there was anything further to be learned.
12. Arada Kalam replied, “No friend, that is all that I have to teach.” With this, Gautama took leave of Arada Kalam.
13. Gautama had heard of another yogi, by name Uddaka Ramaputta, who was reputed to have devised a technique which enabled a Dhyani to go one stage higher than that devised by Arada Kalam.
14. Gautama thought of learning his technique, and experiencing the highest stage of Samadhi. Accordingly he went to the Ashram of Uddaka Ramaputta, and placed himself under his training.
15. Within a short time did Gautama master the technique of Uddaka’s eighth stage. After having perfected himself in the technique of Uddaka Rama-putta, Gautama asked him the same question which he had asked Arada Kalam, “Is there anything further to be learned?”
16. And Uddaka Ramaputta gave the same reply, “No, friend, there is nothing more that I can teach you.”
17. Arada Kalam and Uddaka Ramaputta were famous for their mastery of Dhyana Marga in the country of the Kosalas. But Gautama had heard that there were similar masters of Dhyana Marga in the country of the Magadhas. He thought he should have a training in their system also.
18. Gautama accordingly went to Magadha.
19. He found that their technique of Dhyana Marga, though based on control of breathing, was different from what was in vogue in the Kosala country.
20. The technique was not to breathe, but to reach concentration by stopping breathing.
21. Gautama learned this technique. When he tried concentration by stopping breathing, he found that piercing sounds used to come out of his ears, and his head appeared to him to be pierced as though by a sharp pointed knife.
22. It was a painful process. But Gautama did not fail to master it.
23. Such was his training in the Samadhi Marga.
§ 4. Trial of Asceticism
1. Gautama had given a trial to the Sankhya and Samadhi Marga. But he had left the Ashram of the Brighus without giving a trial to Asceticism.
2. He felt he should give it a trial and gain experience for himself, so that he could speak authoritatively about it.
3. Accordingly Gautama went to the town of Gaya. From there he reconnoitred the surrounding country and fixed his habitation at Uruvela, in the hermitage of Negari, the Royal Seer of Gaya, for practising asceticism. It was a lonely and solitary place on the banks of the river Nairanjana for practising asceticism.
4. At Uruvela he found the five Parivrajakas whom he had met at Rajagraha, and who had brought news of peace. They too were practising asceticism.
5. The mendicants saw him there and approached him, to take them with him. Gautama agreed.
6. Thereon they served him reverently, abiding as pupils under his orders, and were humble and compliant.
7. The austerities and self-mortification practised by Gautama were of the severest sort.
8. Sometimes he visited two but not more than seven houses a day, and took at each only two but not more than seven morsels.
9. He lived on a single saucer of food a day, but not more than seven saucers.
10. Sometimes he had but one meal a day, or one every two days, and so on, up to once every seven days, or only once a fortnight, on a rigid scale of rationing.
11. As he advanced in the practice of asceticism, his sole diet was herbs gathered green, or the grain of wild millets and paddy, or snippets [of?] hide, or water-plants, or the red powder round rice-grains within the husk, or the discarded scum of rice on the boil, or the flour of oilseeds.
12. He lived on wild roots and fruit, or on windfalls only.
13. His raiment was of hemp, or hempen mixture of cerements of rags from the dust-heap, of bark, of the black antelope’s pelt either whole or split down the middle, of grass, of strips of bark or wood, hair of men or animals woven into a blanket, or of owl’s wings.
14. He plucked out the hair of his head and the hair of his beard, never quitted the upright for the sitting posture, squatted and never rose up, moving only squatting.
15. After this wise, in diverse fashions, be lived to torment and to torture his body–to such a length in asceticism did he go.
16. To such a length in loathliness did he go that there became accumulated on his body the dirt and filth for years, till it dropped off by itself.
17. He took up his abode in the awesome depths of the forest, depths so awesome that it was reputed that none but the senseless could venture without his hair standing on end.
18. When the cold season brought chill wintry nights, then it was that in the dark half of the months he dwelt by night in the open air and in the dark thicket by day.
19. But when there came the last broiling month of summer before the rains, he made his dwelling under the baking sun by day and in the stifling thicket by night.
20. In a charnel ground did he lay down, with charred bones for pillow.
21. Thereafter Gautama lived on a single bean a day–on a single sesamum seed a day–or a single grain of rice a day.
22. When he was living on a single fruit a day, his body grew emaciated in the extreme.
23. If he sought to feel his belly, it was his backbone which he found in his grasp; if he sought to feel his backbone, he found himself grasping his belly, so closely did his belly cleave to his backbone, and all because he ate so little.
§ 5. Abandonment of Asceticism
1. The austerities and mortification practised by Gautama were of the severest sort. They lasted for a long period of six years.
2. At the end of six years his body had become so weak that he was quite unable to move.
3. Yet he had seen no new light, and was no nearer to the solution to the problem of misery in the world on which his mind was centred.
4. He reflected to himself, “This is not the way, even to passionlessness, nor to perfect knowledge, nor to liberation.
5. “Some undergo misery for the sake of this world, others meet toil for the sake of heaven; all living beings, wretched through hope and always missing their aim, fall certainly for the sake of happiness into misery.
6. “Has not something like this happened to me?
7. “It is not the effort itself which I blame,–which flinging aside the base pursues a high path of its own.
8. “What I ask is, ‘Can the mortification of the body be called religion?’
9. “Since it is only by the mind’s authority that the body either acts or ceases to act, therefore to control the thought is alone befitting–without thought the body is like a dog.
10. “If there was only the body to be considered, merit may [=might] be gained by purity of food, but then there is merit also in the doer. But of what good is it?
11. “New light cannot be attained by him who has lost his strength and is wearied with hunger, thirst, and fatigue, with his mind no longer self-possessed through fatigue.
12. “How could he who is not absolutely calm, reach the end which is to be attained by his mind?
13. “True calm and the self-possession of the mind is properly obtained by the constant satisfaction of the body’s wants.”
14. At this time there lived at Uruvela a house-holder, by name Senani. Sujata was his daughter.
15. Sujata had uttered a wish to a Banyan Tree, and vowed a yearly offering to it, if she should have a son.
16. The wish having been fulfilled, she sent her maid Punna to prepare the place for the offering.
17. Punna, finding Gautama sitting beneath the Banyan Tree, thought he was the god of the tree who had come down.
18. Sujata came and offered Gautama the food prepared by her, in a golden bowl.
19. He took the bowl to the river bank, bathed at a ford or a bathing place called Suppatitthita, and ate the food.
20. Thus ended his trial of asceticism.
21. The five ascetics who were with Gautama became angry with him for having given up the life of austerity and self-mortification, and in disgust left him.
Book One, Part IV—Enlightenment and the Vision of a New Way
1. *Meditation for New Light* — 2. *Enlightenment* — 3. *The Discovery of a New Dhamma* — 4. *Gautama who was a Bodhisatta, after Sammabodhi becomes a Buddha*
§ 1. Meditation for New Light
1. Having refreshed himself with food, Gautama sat thinking over his past experiences. He realised that all paths had failed.
2. The failure was so complete that it could have led anyone into a state of frustration. He was, of course, sorry. But frustration as such did not touch him.
3. He was always hopeful of finding a way. So much so that on the night of the day on which he partook of the food sent by Sujata, Gautama had five dreams, and when he awoke he interpreted his dreams to mean that he was sure to attain enlightenment.
4. He had also tried to forecast his future. This he did by throwing the bowl of food Sujata’s maid brought, into the river Nairanja, saying, “If I am to have enlightenment let the bowl ascend the stream; if not, let it go down.” The vessel, indeed, began to float against the current and at last sank near the abode of Kala, a Naga king.
5. Fortified with hope and determination, he left Uruvela and towards evening went along the wide road to Gaya. There he saw a Banyan Tree. He thought of sitting under it in meditation, in the hope of a new light dawning upon him and enabling him to find a way which would solve his problem.
6. After trying each of the four directions he chose the East, which is always chosen by all the great sages for the removal of all defilements.
7. Gautama sat down cross-legged and upright under the Banyan Tree. Determined to achieve enlightenment, he said to himself, “Skin, sinew and bone may dry up as they will, my flesh and blood may dry in my body, but without attaining complete enlightenment I will not leave this seat.”
8. Then Kala, the king of the Nagas, whose majesty was like the lord of elephants, and his wife Suvarnaprabhasa, having been awakened by the vision of Gautama sitting under the Banyan Tree, uttered this in praise of him, being sure that he was destined to attain perfect knowledge.
9. “Inasmuch as the earth, pressed down by thy feet, O Sage, resounds repeatedly, and inasmuch as thy splendour shines forth like the sun, thou shalt assuredly reap the desired fruit.
10. “Inasmuch as flocks of birds fluttering in the sky offer thee reverential salutation, O Lotus-eyed One; and inasmuch as gentle breezes blow in the sky, thou shalt certainly attain thy object.”
11. As he sat down for meditation, a crowd of evil thoughts and evil passions–mythologically called the children of Mara (Kama), which is another name for evil passions–entered his mind.
12. Gautama was greatly frightened lest they should overpower him and defeat his purpose.
13. He knew that in this battle with evil passions many Rishis and Brahmins had succumbed.
14. So he summoned all the courage he had and said to Mara, “Faith is found in me, and heroism and wisdom. How can ye evil passions defeat me? The streams even of rivers may this wind dry up. Ye would be unable to dry up my resolutions, when I am so intent. Better to me is death in battle than that I should be defeated in life.”
15. The evil passions entered the mind of Gautama as a crow goes after a stone that looks like a hump of fat, thinking surely, “here I shall find a tender morsel, here perchance is something sweet.”
16. And finding no sweetness there, the crow departs thence. So like a crow attacking a rock, the evil passions left Gautama in disgust.
§2. Enlightenment
1. To feed himself during the period of meditation, Gautama had collected enough food to last him for forty days.
2. Having routed the evil thoughts that disturbed his mind, Gautama refreshed himself with food and gained strength. He thus prepared himself for meditation with the aim of obtaining enlightenment.
3. It took Gautama four weeks of meditation to obtain enlightenment. He reached final enlightenment in four stages.
4. In the first stage he called forth reason and investigation. His seclusion helped him to attain it easily.
5. In the second stage he added concentration.
6. In the third stage he brought to his aid equanimity and mindfulness.
7. In the fourth and final stage he added purity to equanimity and equanimity to mindfulness.
8. Thus with mind concentrated, purified, spotless, with defilement gone, supple, dexterous, firm, impassionate [=dispassionate], not forgetting what he is [=was] after, Gautama concentrated himself on the problem of finding an answer to the question which had troubled him.
9. On the night of the last day of the fourth week, light dawned upon him. He realised that there were two problems. The first problem was that there was suffering in the world, and the second problem was how to remove this suffering and make mankind happy.
10. So in the end, after meditation for four weeks, darkness was dispelled, light arose, ignorance was dispelled and knowledge arose. He saw a new way.
§ 3. The Discovery of a New Dhamma
1. Gautama, when he sat in meditation for getting new light, was greatly in the grip of the Sankhya Philosophy.
2. That suffering and unhappiness [were] in the world, he thought was an incontrovertible fact.
3. Gautama was, however, interested in knowing how to do away with suffering. This problem the Sankhya Philosophy did not deal with.
4. It is, therefore, on this problem–how to remove suffering and unhappiness–that he concentrated his mind.
5. Naturally, the first question he asked himself was–”What are the causes of [the] suffering and unhappiness which an individual undergoes?”
6. His second question was–”How to remove unhappiness?”
7. To both these questions he got a right answer, which is called ‘Samma Bodhi’ (Right Enlightenment).
8. It is because of this that the Banyan Tree has come to be known as the Bodhi Tree.
§ 4. Gautama who was a Bodhisatta, After Sammabodhi Becomes a Buddha
1. Before enlightenment Gautama was only a Bodhisatta. It is after reaching enlightenment that he became a Buddha.
2. Who and what is a Bodhisatta?
3. A Bodhisatta is a person who is seeking to be a Buddha.
4. How does a Bodhisatta become a Buddha?
5. A Bodhisatta must be a Bodhisatta for ten lives in succession. What must a Bodhisatta do in order to qualify himself to become a Buddha?
6. In his first life he acquires Mudita (joy). The Bodhisatta, having blown off his impurities as the smith blows the dross from silver, reflects that man who has been reckless and becomes sober brightens up the world like the moon freed from clouds. Joy springs up in him, realising this, and he is fervent in his desire to benefit all beings.
7. In his second life he acquires Vimala (Purity). The Bodhisatta has now removed all thoughts of lust; he is kind; he is kind to all; he neither flatters the vices of men nor disparages their virtues.
8. In his third life he acquires Prabhakari (Brightness). The intellect of the Bodhisatta now becomes as bright as a mirror. He fully knows and grasps the truths of Anatta and Anicca. His only wish is for the highest wisdom, and for this he is ready to sacrifice anything.
9. In his fourth life he acquires Arcishmati (Intelligence of Fire). The Bodhisatta in this life fixes his mind on the Eightfold Path, the Four Contemplations, the Fourfold Contest, the Fourfold Will Power, the Fivefold Morality.
10. In his fifth life he acquires Sudurjaya (Difficult to Conquer). He fully understands the connection of the relative and the absolute.
11. In his sixth life he becomes Abhimukhi. In this stage the Bodhisatta is now prepared fully to grasp the evolution of things, its cause, the Twelve Nidanas; and this knowledge, called Abhimukhi, awakens the most profound compassion in his heart for all beings blinded by Avidya.
12. In his seventh life the Bodhisatta becomes a Durangama (going far off). The Bodhisatta is now beyond time and space ; he is one with Infinity, but he still retains nama-rupa out of his great compassion for all beings. He is secluded from others, in that the lusts of the world no more cling to him than water to a lotus leaf. He quenches desires in his fellow beings, practices charity, patience, tactfulness, energy, calmness, intelligence, and the highest wisdom.
13. While in this life, he knows the Dharma, but presents it in ways understood by the people; he knows he must be tactful and patient. Whatever men do to him he bears with equanimity, for he knows that it is through ignorance [that] they misunderstand his motives. At the same time he never slackens his energy to benefit all beings, nor does he withdraw his mind from wisdom; therefore misfortune can never turn him from the righteous path.
14. In his eighth life he becomes Acala. In the stage of Acala, or ‘immovable,’ all strivings on the part of the Bodhisatta cease. He follows good spontaneously; whatever he will do he will succeed in.
15. In his ninth life he becomes Sadhumati. This is the stage or condition of one who has vanquished and penetrated all dharmas or systems, all quarters, and does not enter time.
16. In his tenth life he becomes Dharmamegha. The Bodhisatta attains the infinite divine eye of a Buddha.
17. The Bodhisatta acquires these ten powers which are necessary for him when he becomes a Buddha.
18. The Bodhisatta must not only acquire these ten powers as he evolves from stage to stage, but he must also practice to perfection the ten Paramitas.
19. One Paramita is to be the end of one life. Specialisation in the Paramitas must go stage by stage. One Paramita in one life and not a little of one and a little of the other.
20. It is only when he is doubly equipped that a Bodhisatta becomes qualified for becoming a Buddha. The Buddha is a culminating point in the life of a Bodhisatta.
21. The theory of the Jatakas or the birth stages of a Bodhisatta appears analogous to the Brahmanic theory of Avataras, i.e., the theory of incarnations of God.
22. The Jataka theory is based upon the Buddha having the highest degree of purity as the essence of his being.
23. The Avatar theory does not require that the God should be pure in his making. All that the Brahmanic theory of Avatar says is that God saves his followers by taking different forms although the God may be very impure and immoral in his conduct.
24. The theory that to be a Bodhisatta for ten lives as a condition precedent for becoming a Buddha has no parallel anywhere. No other religion calls upon its founder to answer such a test.
1. *The Buddha and the Vedic Rishis* — 2. *Kapila—The Philosopher* — 3. *The Bramhanas* — 4. *The Upanishads and their Teachings*
§1. The Buddha and the Vedic Rishis
1. The Vedas are a collection of Mantras, i.e., hymns or chants. The reciters of these hymns are called Rishis.
2. The Mantras are mere invocations to deities such as Indra, Varuna, Agni, Soma, Isana, Prajapati, Bramba, Mahiddhi, Yama and others.
3. The invocations are mere prayers for help against enemies, for gift of wealth, for accepting the offerings of food, flesh and wine from the devotee.
4. There is not much philosophy in the Vedas. But there were some Vedic sages who had entered into speculations of a philosophical nature.
5. These Vedic sages were: (1) Aghamarsana; (2) Prajapati Parmesthin; (3) Brahmanaspati, otherwise known as Brihaspati; (4) Anila; (5) Dirghatamas; (6) Narayan; (7) Hiranyagarbha; and (8) Visvakarman.
6. The main problems of these Vedic philosophers were: How did the world originate? In what manner were individual things created? Why have they their unity and existence? Who created, and who ordained? From what did the world spring up, and to what again will it return ?
7. Aghamarsana said that the world was created out of Tapas (heat). Tapas was the creative principle from which eternal law and truth were born. From these were produced the night (tamas). Tamas produced water, and from water originated time. Time gave birth to the sun and the moon, the heaven and the earth, the firmament and light, and ordained the days and nights.
8. Brahmanaspati postulated the genesis of being from non-being. By the term non-existence, he denoted apparently the infinite. The existent originally sprang up from the non-existent. The non-existent (asat, nonens) was the permanent foundation of all that is existent (sat, ens) and of all that is possible and yet non-existent (asat).
9. Prajapati Parmesthin started with the problem: “Did being come out of non-being?” His view was that this was an irrelevant question. For him water was the original substance of that which exists. For him the original matter–water–came neither under the definition of being nor under that of non-being.
10. Paramesthin did not draw any distinction between matter and motive power. According to him, water transformed itself into particular things by some inherent principle to which he gave the name Kama, Cosmic Desire.
11. Anila was another Vedic Philosopher. To him the principal element was air (vayu). It possesses the inherent capacity for movement. It is endowed with the generating principle.
12. Dirghtamas maintained that all living beings rest and depend ultimately on the sun. The sun, held up and propelled by its inherent force, went backward and forward.
13. The sun is composed of a grey-coloured substance, and so are lightning and fire.
14. The sun, lightning, and fire formed the germ of water. Water forms the germ of plants. Such were the views of Dirghatamas.
15. According to Narayana, Purusha (God) is the first cause of the universe. It is from Purusha that the sun, the moon, the earth, water, fire, air, mid-air, the sky, the regions, the seasons, the creatures of the air, all animals, all classes of men, and all human institutions, had originated.
16. Hiranyagarbha. From [a] doctrinal point of view he stood midway between Parmeshthin and Narayan. Hiranyagarbha means the golden germ. It was the great power of the universe, from which all other powers and existences, divine and earthly, were derived.
17. Hiranyagarbha means [=refers to] fire. It is fire that constituted the solar essence, the generating principle of the universe.
18. From the point of view of Vishvakarman, it was quite inadequate and unsatisfactory to hold that water was the primitive substance of all that is, and then to derive from it this world as a whole by giving it an inherent power of movement. If water be the primitive substance which is endowed with the inherent principle of change, we have yet to account for that from which water derived its being, and derived the motive power, the generating principle, the elemental forces, the laws and all the rest.
19. Vishvakarman held the view that it was God which was the motive power. God is first and God is last. He is earlier than the visible universe; he had existed before all cosmic forces came into being. He is the sole God who created and ordained this universe. God is one, and the only one. He is the unborn one (aja) in whom all the existing things abide. He is the one who is mighty in mind and supreme in power. He is the maker–the disposer. As father he generated us, and as disposer he knows the fate of all that is.
20. The Buddha did not regard all the Vedic Sages as worthy of reverence. He regarded just ten Vedic Rishis as the most ancient, and as the real authors of the Mantras.
21. But in the Mantras he saw nothing that was morally elevating.
22. In his view the Vedas were as worthless as a desert.
23. The Buddha, therefore, discarded the Mantras as a source from which to learn or to borrow.
24. Similarly, the Buddha did not find anything in the philosophy of the Vedic Rishis. They were groping to reach the truth. But they had not reached it.
25. Their theories were mere speculations, not based on logic nor on facts. Their contributions to philosophy created no social values.
26. He therefore rejected the philosophy of the Vedic Rishis as useless.
§2. Kapila— The Philosopher
1. Among the ancient philosophers of India, the most pre-eminent was Kapila.
2. His philosophical approach was unique, and as philosopher he stood in a class by himself. His philosophy was known as the Sankhya Philosophy.
3. The tenets of his philosophy were of a startling nature.
4. Truth must be supported by proof. This is the first tenet of the Sankhya system. There is no truth without proof.
5. For purposes of proving the truth, Kapila allowed only two means of proof–(1) perception, and (2) inference.
6. By perception is meant mental apprehension of a present object.
7. Inference is threefold: (1) from cause to effect, as from the presence of clouds to rain; (2) from effect to cause, as from the swelling of the streams in the valleys to rain in the hills; and (3) by analogy, as when we infer from the fact that a man alters his place when he moves that the stars must also move, since they appear in different places.
8. His next tenet related to causality–creation and its cause.
9. Kapila denied the theory that there was a being who created the universe. In his view a created thing really exists beforehand in its cause, just as the clay serves to form a pot, or the threads go to form a piece of cloth.
10. This is the first ground on which Kapila rejected the theory that the universe was created by a being.
11. But there are other grounds which he advanced in support of his point of view.
12. The non-existent cannot be the subject of an activity; there is no new creation. The product is really nothing else than the material of which it is composed: the product exists before its coming into being ,in the shape of its material of which it is composed. Only a definite product can be produced from such material; and only a specific material can yield a specific result.
13. What then is the source of the empirical universe?
14. Kapila said the empirical universe consists of things evolved (Vyakta) and things that are not evolved (Avyakta).
15. Individual things (Vyakta Vastu) cannot be the source of unevolved things (Avyakta Vastu).
16. Individual things are all limited in magnitude, and this is incompatible with the nature of the source of the universe.
17. All individual things are analogous one to another, and therefore no one [of them] can be regarded as the final source of the other. Moreover, as they all come into being from a source, they cannot constitute that source.
18. Further, argued Kapila, an effect must differ from its cause, though it must consist of the cause. That being so, the universe cannot itself be the final cause. It must be the product of some ultimate cause.
19. When asked why the unevolved cannot be perceived, why does it not show movement which would make it perceivable, Kapila replied:
20. “It may be due to various causes. It may be that its fine nature makes, it imperceptible, just as other things of whose existence there is no doubt, cannot be perceived; or because of their too great a distance or proximity; or through the intervention of a third object; or through admixture with similar matter; or through the presence of some more powerful sensation; or the blindness or other defect of the senses or the mind of the observer.”
21. When asked, “What then is the source of the universe? What makes the difference between the evolved and unevolved part of the universe?
22. Kapila’s reply was: “Things that have evolved have a cause, and the things that have not evolved have also a cause. But the source of both is uncaused and independent.
23. “The things that have evolved are many in number, and limited in space and name. The source is one, eternal and all-pervasive. The things evolved have activities and parts; the source is imminent in all, but has neither activities nor parts.”
24. Kapila argued that the process of development of the unevolved is through the activities of three constituents of which it is made up, Sattva, Rajas, and Tamas. These are called three Gunas.
25. The first of the constituents, or factors, corresponds to what we call as light in nature, which reveals, which causes pleasure to men; the second is that [=what] impels and moves, what produces activity; the third is what is heavy and puts under restraint, what produces the state of indifference or inactivity.
26. The three constituents act essentially in close relation; they overpower and support one another, and intermingle with one another. They are like the constituents of a lamp, the flame, the oil, and wick.
27. When the three Gunas are in perfect balance, none overpowering the other, the universe appears static (Achetan) and ceases to evolve.
28. When the three Gunas are not in balance, one overpowers the other, the universe becomes dynamic (sachetan), and evolution begins.
29. Asked why the Gunas become unbalanced, the answer which Kapila gave was [that] this disturbance in the balance of the three Gunas was due to the presence of Dukha (suffering).
30. Such were the tenets of Kapila’s philosophy.
31. Of all the philosophers, the Buddha was greatly impressed by the doctrines of Kapila.
32. He was the only philosopher whose teachings appeared to the Buddha to be based on logic and facts.
33. But he did not accept everything which Kapila taught. Only three things did the Buddha accept from Kapila.
34. He accepted that reality must rest on proof. Thinking must be based on rationalism.
35. He accepted that there was no logical or factual basis for the presumption that God exists or that he created the universe.
36. He accepted that there was Dukha (suffering) in the world.
37. The rest of Kapila’s teachings he just bypassed as being irrelevant for his purpose.
§ 3. The Bramhanas
1. Next to the Vedas are the religious books known as the Bramhanas. Both were held as sacred books. Indeed the Bramhanas are a part of the Vedas. The two went together and were called by a common name, Sruti.
2. There were four theses on which the Bramhanic Philosophy rested.
3. The first thesis was that the Vedas are not only sacred, but that they are infallible, and they are not to be questioned.
4. The second thesis of the Bramhanic Philosophy was that salvation of the soul–that is escape from transmigration–can be had only by the due performance of Vedic sacrifices, and observances of religious rites and ceremonies, and the offering of gifts to Brahmins.
5. The Brahmins had not only a theory of an ideal religion as contained in the Vedas, but they also had a theory for an ideal society.
6. The pattern of this ideal society they named Chaturvarna. It is imbedded in the Vedas, and as the Vedas are infallible, and as their authority cannot be questioned, so also Chaturvarna as a pattern of society was binding and unquestionable.
7. This pattern of society was based upon certain rules.
8. The first rule was that society should be divided into four classes: (1) Brahmins; (2) Kshatriyas; (3) Vaishyas; and (4) Shudras.
9. The second rule was that there cannot be social equality among these four classes. They must be bound together by the rule of graded inequality.
10. The Brahmins to be at the top, the Kshatriyas to be kept below the Brahmins but above the Vaishyas, the Vaishyas to be below the Kshatriyas but above the Shudras, and the Shudras to be the lowest of all.
11. These four classes were not to be equal to one another in the matter of rights and privileges. The rule of graded inequality governed the question of rights and privileges.
12. The Brahmin had all the rights and privileges which he wished to claim. But a Kshatriya could not claim the rights and privileges which a Brahmin could. He had more rights and privileges than a Vaishya could claim. The Vaishya had more rights and privileges than a Shudra. But he could not claim the rights and privileges which a Kshatriya could. And the Shudra was not entitled to any right, much less any privilege. His privilege was to subsist without offending the three superior classes.
13. The third rule of Chaturvarna related to the division of occupations. The occupation of the Brahmin was learning and teaching and the performance of religious observances. The occupations of the Kshatriya was fighting. Trade was assigned to the Vaishyas. The occupations of the Shudras was service of the three superior classes. These occupations assigned to different classes were exclusive. One class could not trespass upon the occupation of the other.
14. The fourth rule of Chaturvarna related to the right to education. The pattern of Chaturvarna gave the right to education to the first three classes, the Brahmins, Kshatriyas and Vaishyas. The Shudras were denied the right to education. This rule of Chaturvarna did not deny the right to education to the Shudras only. It denied the right to education to all women, including those belonging to the class of Brahmins, Kshatriyas and Vaishyas.
15. There was a fifth rule. According to it, man’s life was divided into four stages. The first stage was called Bramhacharya; the second stage was called Grahastashram; the third stage was called Vanaprasta and the fourth stage was called Sannyasa.
16. The object of the first stage was study and education. The object of the second stage was to live a married life. The object of the third stage was to familiarise a man with the life of a hermit, i.e., severing family ties, but without deserting his home. The object of the fourth stage was to enable a man to go in search of God and seek union with him.
17. The benefits of these stages were open only to the male members of the three superior classes. The first stage was not open to the Shudras and women. Equally the last stage was not open to the Shudras and women.
18. Such was the divine pattern of an ideal society called Chaturvarna. The Brahmins had idealised the rule and had realised the ideal without leaving any cracks or loopholes.
19. The fourth thesis of Brahmanic Philosophy was the doctrine of Karma. It was part of the thesis of transmigration of the soul. The Karma of the Brahmins was an answer to the question, “Where did the soul land on transmigration with his new body on new birth?” The answer of the Brahmanic Philosophy was that it depended on a man’s deeds in his past life. In other words, it depended on his Karma.
20. The Buddha was strongly opposed to the first tenet of Brahmanism. He repudiated their thesis that the Vedas are infallible and their authority could never be questioned.
21. In his opinion, nothing was infallible and nothing could be final. Everything must be open to re-examination and reconsideration, whenever grounds for re-examination and reconsideration arise.
22. Man must know the truth–and real truth. To him freedom of thought was the most essential thing. And he was sure that freedom of thought was the only way to the discovery of truth.
23. Infallibility of the Vedas meant complete denial of freedom of thought.
24. For these reasons this thesis of the Brahmanic Philosophy was most obnoxious to him.
25. He was equally an opponent of the second thesis of the Brahmanic Philosophy. The Buddha did admit that there was any [=some] virtue in a sacrifice. But he made a distinction between true sacrifice and false sacrifice.
26. Sacrifice in the sense of self-denial for the good of others, he called true sacrifice. Sacrifice in the sense of killing an animal as an offering to God for personal benefit, he regarded as a false sacrifice.
27. The Brahmanic sacrifices were mostly sacrifices of animals to please their gods. He condemned them as false sacrifices. He would not allow them, even though they be performed with the object of getting salvation for the soul.
28. The opponents of sacrifices used to ridicule the Brahmins by saying, “If one can go to heaven by sacrificing an animal, why should not one sacrifice one’s own father? That would be a quicker way of going to heaven.”
29. The Buddha wholeheartedly agreed with this view.
30. The theory of Chaturvarna was as repugnant to the Buddha as the theory of sacrifices was repulsive to him.
31. The organization of society set up by Brahmanism in the name of Chaturvarna did not appear to him a natural organization. Its class composition was compulsory and arbitrary. It was a society made to order. He preferred an open society and a free society.
32. The Chaturvarna of the Brahmins was a fixed order never to be changed. Once a Brahmin always a Brahmin. Once a Kshatriya always a Kshatriya, once a Vaishya always a Vaishya, and once a Shudra always a Shudra. Society was based on status conferred upon an individual by the accident of his birth. Vice, however heinous, was no ground for degrading a man from his status, and virtue, however great, had no value [=ability] to raise him above it. There was no room for worth, nor for growth.
33. Inequality exists in every society. But it was different with Brahmanism. The inequality preached by Brahmins was its official doctrine. It was not a mere growth. Brahmanism did not believe in equality. In fact, it was opposed to equality.
34. Brahmanism was not content with inequality. The soul of Brahmanism lay in graded inequality.
35. Far from producing harmony, graded inequality, the Buddha thought, might produce in society an ascending scale of hatred and a descending scale of contempt, and might be a source of perpetual conflict.
36. The occupations of the four classes were also fixed. There was no freedom of choice. Besides, they were fixed not in accordance with skill, but in accordance with birth.
37. On a careful review of the rules of Chaturvarna, the Buddha had no difficulty in coming to the conclusion that the philosophic foundations on which the social order was reared by Brahmanism were wrong if not selfish.
38. It was clear to him that it did not serve the interests of all, much less did it advance the welfare of all. Indeed, it was deliberately designed to make [the] many serve the interests of the few. In it man was made to serve a class of self-styled supermen.
39. It was calculated to suppress and exploit the weak, and to keep them in a state of complete subjugation.
40. The law of Karma as formulated by the Brahmins, thought the Buddha, was calculated to sap the spirit of revolt completely. No one was responsible for the suffering of man except he himself. Revolt could not alter the state of suffering ; for suffering was fixed by his past Karma as his lot in this life.
41. The Shudras and women–the two classes whose humanity was most mutilated by Brahmanism–had no power to rebel against the system.
42. They were denied the right to knowledge, with the result that by reason of their enforced ignorance they could not realize what had made their condition so degraded. They could not know that Brahmanism had robbed them completely of the significance of their life. Instead of rebelling against Brahmanism, they had become the devotees and upholders of Brahmanism.
43. The right to bear arms is the ultimate means of achieving freedom which a human being has. But the Shudras were denied the right to bear arms.
44. Under Brahmanism the Shudras were left as helpless victims of a conspiracy of selfish Brahmanism, powerful and deadly Kshatriyas, and wealthy Vaishyas.
45. Could it be amended? Knowing that it was a divinely ordained social order, he knew that it could not be. It could only be ended.
46. For these reasons the Buddha rejected Brahmanism as being opposed to the true way of life.
§4. The Upanishads and Their Teachings
1. The Upanishads constituted another piece of literature. It is not part of the Vedas. It is uncanonical.
2. All the same, they did form a part of religious literature.
3. The number of the Upanishads is quite large. Some important, some quite unimportant.
4. Some of them were ranged against the Vedic theologians, the Brahmin priests.
5. All of them agreed in viewing Vedic study as a study of nescience or ignorance (avidya).
6. They were all agreed in their estimate of the four Vedas and the Vedic science as the lower knowledge.
7. They were all agreed in questioning the divine origin of the Vedas.
8. They were all agreed in denying the efficacy attributed to sacrifices, to the funeral oblations, and the gifts to the priests which are the fundamentals of the Brahmanic philosophy.
9. This, however, was not the main topic with which the Upanishads were concerned. Their discussions centred round Brahman and Atman.
10. Brahman was the all-pervading principle which binds the universe, and [they maintained] that salvation lay in the Atman realizing that it is Brahman.
11. The main thesis of the Upanishads was that Brahmana was a reality and that Atmana was the same as Brahmana. The Atmana did not realize that it was Brahmana because of the Upadhis in which it was entangled.
12. The question was, Is Brahmana a reality? The acceptance of the Upanishadic thesis depended upon the answer to this question.
13. The Buddha could find no proof in support of the thesis that Brahmana was a reality. He, therefore, rejected the thesis of the Upanishads.
14. It is not that questions on this issue were not put to the authors of the Upanishads. They were.
15. Such questions were put to no less a person than Yajnavalkya, a great seer who plays so important a part in the Brahadarnyka Upanishad.
16. He was asked, “What is Brahmana? What is Atmana ” All that Yajnavalkya could say, “Neti! Neti! I know not! I know not! “
17. “How can anything be a reality about which no one knows anything?” asked the Buddha. He had, therefore, no difficulty in rejecting the Upanishadic thesis as being based on pure imagination.
Book One, Part VI—The Buddha and His Contemporaries
1. *His Contemporaries* — 2. His attitude to His Contemporaries*
§ 1. His Contemporaries
1. At the time when Gautama took Parivraja, there was a great intellectual ferment in the country. Besides the Brahmanic Philosophy there were as many as sixty-two different schools of philosophy, all opposed to the Brahmanic Philosophy. Of them at least six were worthy of attention.
2. Of these schools of philosophy there was one headed by Purana Kassappa. His doctrine was known as Akriyavada. He maintained that the soul was not affected in any way by Karma. One may do, or one may get things done. One may do injury, or one may get someone to kill. One may commit theft or dacoity [=highway robbery], or one may get theft or dacoity committed; one may commit adultery, or one may get adultery committed; one may tell a lie, or one may get a lie told. Nothing affects the soul. An act, however licentious, does not affect the soul with sin. An act, however good, does not bring merit to the soul. Nothing has any Kriya (result) on the soul. When a person dies, all the elements of which he is made join in their originals. Nothing survives after death, neither body nor soul.
3. Another school of thought was known as Niyativada. Its chief propounder was Makhali Ghosal. His doctrine was a kind of fatalism or determinism. He taught that no one can do anything or undo anything. Things happen. No one can make them happen. No one can remove unhappiness, increase it, or diminish it. One must undergo one’s share of the experiences of the world.
4. The third school was known as Ucchedavada. Its chief propounder was Ajit Kesakambal. His doctrine was a kind of Annihilism. He taught that there was nothing in Yajna, Haom; there is no such thing as the fruits or effects of deeds to be enjoyed or suffered by the soul. There is neither heaven nor hell. Man is made up of certain elements of unhappiness in the world. The soul cannot escape it. Whatever sorrow or unhappiness there was in the world, the soul cannot escape. This sorrow or unhappiness will come to an end automatically. The soul must undergo rebirth during eighty-four lakhs [=hundred thousands] of cycles of Mahakalpas. Then only the sorrow and unhappiness of the soul will end, not before nor by any other means.
5. The fourth school was known as Annyonyavad. The head of this school was Pakudha Kacchyana. He preached that there are seven elements which go to make up a being, namely, Prathvi, Apa, Tej, Vayu, Sukha, Dukha and the Soul. Each is independent of the other; one does not affect the other. They are self-existent, and they are eternal. Nothing can destroy them. If any one chops off the head of man, he does not kill him. All that happens is that the weapon has entered the seven elements.
6. Sanjaya Belaputta had his own school of philosophy. It was known as Vikshepavada, a kind of scepticism. He argued, “if anyone asked me is there heaven, if I feel there was I would say yes. But if I feel there was no heaven I would say no. If I am asked whether human beings are created, whether man has to suffer the fruits of his action whether good or bad, and whether the soul lives after death, I say nay to all these because I don’t think they exist. This is how Sanjaya Belaputta summed up his doctrine.
7. The sixth school of philosophy was known as Chaturyamsamvarvad. The head of this school who was alive at the time when Gautama was searching for light was Mahavir, who was also called Nigantha Nathaputta. Mahavir taught that the soul had to undergo rebirth because of the bad karmas done in the past life and in the present life. One must therefore get over the bad, he suggested, by tapascharya. For preventing the doing of bad karmas in this life Mahavira prescribed the observance of chaturyama dharma, i.e., observance of four rule: (1) not to kill; (2) not to steal; (3) not to tell a lie; and (4) not to have property, and to observe celibacy.
§ 2. His Attitude to His Contemporaries
1. The Buddha did not accept the teachings of the new philosophers.
2. His rejection of their teaching was not without reasons. He said that:
3. If the doctrines of Purana Kassyappa or Pakudha Kacchyana were true, then one can do any evil or any harm; one may even go to the length of killing another without involving any social responsibility or social consequences.
4. If the doctrine of Makhali Ghosal is true, then man becomes the slave of destiny. He cannot liberate himself.
5. If the doctrine of Ajit Kesakambal is true, then all that man has to do is to eat, drink and make merry.
6. If the doctrine of Sanjaya Belaputta was true, then man must float about, and live without a positive philosophy of life.
7. If the doctrine of Nigantha Nathaputta was true, then man’s life must be subjected to Asceticism and Tapascharya, a complete subjugation and uprooting of man’s instincts and desires.
8. Thus, none of the paths of life suggested by the philosophers appealed to the Buddha. He thought they were the thoughts of men who had become hopeless, helpless, and reckless. He therefore decided to seek light elsewhere.
1. *What HE Rejected* — 2. *What HE Modified* — 3. *What HE Accepted*
§ 1. What HE Rejected
1. This survey of the philosophical and religious thought shows that at the time when the Buddha formulated his Sasana, certain ideas had a firm grip on the mind of the people. They were:
(i) Belief in the infallibility of the Vedas
(ii) Belief in Moksha, or Salvation of the soul, i.e., its ceasing to be born again
(iii) Belief in the efficacy of rites, ceremonies and sacrifices as means of obtaining moksha
(iv) Belief in Chaturvarna as the ideal for social organization
(v) Belief in Iswara as the creator of, and in Brahmana as the principle underlying, the universe
(vi) Belief in Atmana, or the soul
(vii) Belief in Sansara (wandering together), i.e., transmigration of the soul
(viii) Belief in Karma, i.e., the determination of man’s position in present life by deeds done by him in his past life.
2. In formulating the principles of his Sasana, the Buddha dealt with this old stock of ideas in his own way.
3. The following are the ideas which he rejected:
(i) He condemned indulging in speculation as to the whence, whither, and what am I?
(ii) He discarded heresies about the soul, and refrained from identifying it with either the body, sensations, volitions, and [=or] consciousness.
(iii) He discarded all the Nihilistic views which were promulgated by certain religious teachers.
(iv) He condemned such views as were held by heretics.
(v) He discarded the theory that the cosmic progress had a known beginning.
(vi) He repudiated the theory that a God created man, or that he came out of the body of some Bramha.
(vii) The existence of the soul he either ignored or denied.
§ 2. What HE Modified
1. He accepted the great grand law of cause and effect with its corollaries.
2. He repudiated the fatalistic view of life, and [the] other equally foolish view that a God predestined as to what should happen for man and the world.
3. He discarded the theory that all deeds committed in some former birth have the potency to produce suffering, making present activity impotent. He denied the fatalistic view of Karma. He replaced the view of Karma by a much more scientific view of Karma. He put new wine in old bottle[s].
4. Transmigration (sansara) was replaced by the doctrine of re-birth.
5. He replaced the doctrine of moksha or salvation of the soul by the doctrine of Nibbana.
6. The Buddha Sasana is thus an original piece [of thought]. The little in it which is old is either modified or restated.
§3. What HE Accepted
1. The first distinguishing feature of his teachings lay in the recognition of the mind as the centre of everything.
2. Mind precedes things, dominates them, creates them. If mind is comprehended, all things are comprehended.
3. Mind is the leader of all its faculties. Mind is the chief of all its faculties. The very mind is made up of those faculties.
4. The first thing to attend to is the culture of the mind.
5. The second distinguishing feature of his teachings is that mind is the fount of all the good and evil that arises within, and befalls us from without.
6. Whatsoever there is of evil, connected with evil, belonging to evil–that issues from the mind. Whatsoever there is of good, connected with good, belonging to good–all issues from mind.
7. If one speaks or acts with a pounded [=polluted?] mind, then affliction follows him as the wheels of the cart follow the feet of the bullocks who pull the cart. The cleaning of the mind is, therefore, the essence of religion.
8. The third distinguishing feature of his teachings is the avoidance of all sinful acts.
9. The fourth distinguishing feature of his teaching is that real religion lies not in the books of religion, but in the observance of the tenets of the religion.
10. Can anyone say that the Buddha’s religion was not his own creation?
1. *To preach or not to preach* — 2. *Proclamation of good news by Bramha Sahampati* — 3. *Two types of conversion*
1. To Preach or Not to Preach
1. After having attamed enlightenment and after having formulated his way, doubt arose in the mind of the Buddha. Should he go forth and preach his doctrine, or should he continue to devote himself to his own personal perfection?
2. He said to himself, “True, I have gained a new doctrine. But it is too difficult for the common man to accept it and follow it. It is too subtle even for the wise.
3. “It is hard for mankind to liberate itself from the entanglement of God and Soul. It is hard for mankind to give up its belief in rites and ceremonies. It is hard for mankind to give up its belief in Karma.
4. “It is hard for mankind to give up its belief in the immortality of the Soul, and accept my doctrine that the Soul as an independent entity does not exist and does not survive after death.
5. “Mankind is intent on its selfishness, and takes delight and pleasure in it. It is hard for mankind to accept my doctrine of righteousness overriding selfishness.
6. “If I were to teach my doctrine, and others did not understand it; or, understanding it, did not accept; or, accepting it, did not follow it, it would be weariness to others and a vexation to me.
7. “Why not remain a sanyasi away from the world, and use my gospel to perfect my own self?” he asked himself. “At least I can do good to myself.”
8. Thus as he reflected, his mind turned to inaction, not to teaching of the gospel.
9. Then Brahma Sahampati, knowing what was passing in the mind of the Buddha, thought, “Verily the world is being destroyed, verily the world is going to destruction, if the Tathagata, the fully enlightened, turns to inaction and not to teaching his doctrine.”
10. Filled with anxiety, Brahma Sahampati left the Brahma world and appeared before the Buddha. And arranging his upper robe on one shoulder, he bent down and with clasped hands said, “Thou art no longer Siddharth Gautama, Thou art Buddha. Thou art the Blessed One who is blessed with the fullest enlightenment. Thou art the Tathagatha. How can thou refuse to enlighten the world? How can thou refuse to save erring humanity?
11. “There are beings full of impurity that are falling away through not hearing the doctrine.
12. “As the Lord knows,” proceeded Brahma Sahampati, “Among the Magadhas arose in ancient times, doctrine impure, with many blemishes devised.
13. “Will not the Lord open for them the door of his immortal doctrine?
14. “As one upon a rocky mountain standing beholdeth all the people round about him, even thus, O thou, with wisdom distilled, ascending all, behold, look down, thou griefless one, upon those plunged in their griefs.
15. “Rise up, O hero, victor in battle, O caravan-leader, free from the debt of birth, go to the world and [do] not turn away from it.
16. “May the Lord in his compassion design to teach his gospel to men and to gods.”
17. “O Brahma, Eminent and Excellent among men, if I did not give public utterance to my gospel, it is because I perceived vexation,” was the reply of the Buddha.
18. Knowing that there was so much unhappiness in the world, the Buddha realised that it was wrong for him to sit as a sanyasi with folded arms and allow things to remain as they were.
19. Asceticism he found to be useless. It was vain to attempt to escape from the world. There is no escape from the world even for an ascetic. He realised that what is necessary is not escape from the world. What is necessary is to change the world and to make it better.
20. He realised that he left the world because there was so much conflict, resulting in misery and unhappiness, and for which he knew no remedy. If he can [=could] banish misery and unhappiness from the world by the propagation of his doctrine, it was his duty to return to the world and serve it, and not sit silent as the personification of inactive impassivity.
21. The Buddha therefore agreed to the request of Brahma Sahampati and decided to preach his doctrine to the world.
§ 2. Proclamation of Good News by Brahma Sahampati
1. Then, Brahma Sahampati, thinking, “I have been instrumental in persuading the Buddha to agree to preach his doctrine to the masses,” felt extremely happy. He saluted the Buddha, went round him passing to the right, took a look, and departed.
2. On his way back he kept on proclaiming to the world, “Rejoice at the glad tidings. The Buddha, our Lord, has found the root of all evil and unhappiness in the world. He knows the way out.
3. “The Buddha will bring comfort to the weary and sorrow-laden. He will give peace to those stricken by war. He will give courage to those who are broken in heart. He will give to those who are suppressed and oppressed, faith and hope.
4. “Ye that suffer from the tribulations of life, ye that have to struggle and endure, ye that yearn for justice, rejoice at the glad tidings.
5. “Heal your wounds, ye that are wounded. Eat your fill, ye that are hungry. Rest, ye that are weary, and quench your thirst, ye that are thirsty. Seek the light, ye that are in darkness. Be of good cheer, ye that are forlorn.
6. “In his doctrine there is love to create a longing to own [=acknowledge] those who are disowned or unowned; to the degraded there is the ennoblement ever present to raise them; to the disinherited and the downtrodden there is equality blazing forth their path to advancement.
7. “His doctrine is the doctrine of righteousness, and his aim is to establish the kingdom of righteousness on earth.
8. “His doctrine is the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.
9. “Blessed is the Buddha, for his is the path of reason, and his is the way of emancipation from superstition. Blessed is the Buddha who teaches the middle way. Blessed is the Buddha who teaches the law of righteousness. Blessed is the Buddha who teaches the peace of Nibbana. Blessed is the Buddha who preaches love, kindness, and fellowship to help fellow beings to obtain salvation.”
§ 3. Two Types of Conversion
1. In the Buddha’s scheme of things conversion has two meanings.
2. Conversion to the Order of Bhikkus, called Sangh.
3. Secondly, it means conversion of a householder as an Upasaka, or lay follower of the Buddha’s Dhamma.
4. Except on four points, there is no difference in the way of life of the Bhikku and the Upasaka.
5. An Upasaka remains a householder. A Bhikku becomes a homeless wanderer.
6. Both the Upasakas and the Bhikkus must observe in their life certain rules.
7. Here again to the Bhikku they are vows, the breach of which ends in punishment. To the Upasaka they are precepts. They must be observed to the best of his ability.
8. An Upasaka can have property. A Bhikku cannot have.
9. To become an Upasaka, there is no ceremony.
10. To become a Bhikku, he must undergo a ceremony called Upasampada.
11.The Buddha converted those who came to him according to their wish, either as Bhikku or as Upasaka.
12. An Upasaka could become a Bhikku whenever he felt like it.
13. And a Bhikku had to cease to be a Bhikku when he committed a breach of the major vows, or whenever he wished to give up his membership of the Order.
14. It must not be understood that the Buddha converted only those whose names occur in the following pages.
15. The instances are chosen only to show that he did not observe any distinction as to caste or sex in admitting persons to his Sangh or preaching his Dhamma.
Book Two, Part II—The Conversion of the Parivrajakas
1. *Arrival at Sarnath* — 2. *The Buddha’s First Sermon* — 3. *The Buddha’s First Sermon (cont’d)* — 4. *The Buddha’s First Sermon (cont’d)* — 5. *The Buddha’s First Sermon (cont’d)* — 6. *The Buddha’s First Sermon (concluded)* — 7. *The Response of the Parivrajakas*
§ 1. Arrival at Sarnath
1. Having decided to preach his doctrine, the Buddha asked himself “To whom shall I first teach the doctrine?” The thought [came to him] of Alara Kalam, whom the Buddha adored as the learned, wise, intelligent, and of little impurity; “What if I first teach him the doctrine?” But he was told that Alara Kalam was dead.
2. Then thought he of preaching it to Uddaka Ramputta. But he too was dead.
3. Then he thought of the five old companions of his who were with him at Niranjana when he was practising austerities, and who had left him in anger on his abandonment of austerities.
4. “They did much for me, attended me and looked after me; what if I first teach the doctrine to them?” said he to himself.
5. He asked for their whereabouts. Having learnt that they were dwelling at Sarnath, in the deer park of Isipatana, he left in search of them.
6. The five, seeing him coming, decided among themselves not to welcome him. Said one of them, “This, friends, is the ascetic Gautama coming, who has abandoned austerities and has turned to [a] life of abundance and luxury. He has committed a sin. We must not therefore greet him, nor rise in respect, nor take his bowl and robe. We will only set apart a seat for him. If he wishes, he may sit down.” And they all agreed.
7. But when the Buddha approached, the five Parivrajakas were not able to abide by their decision; so greatly impressed were they by his personality that they all rose in their seats. One took his bowl, one took his robe, and one prepared a seat, and one brought water to wash his feet.
8. It was really a great welcome to an unwelcome guest.
9. Thus those who intended to scoff remained to pray.
§ 2. The Buddha’s First Sermon
1. After [the] exchange of greetings, the five Parivrajakas asked the Buddha whether he still believed in asceticism. The Buddha replied in the negative.
2. He said there were two extremes, a life of pleasure and a life of self-mortification.
3. One says let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die. The other says, kill all vasanas (desires) because they bring rebirth. He rejected both as unbecoming to man.
4. He was a believer in the Madhyama Marga (Majjhima Patipada), the middle path, which is neither the path of pleasure nor the path of self-mortification.
5. “Answer me this,” he said to the Parivrajakas. “So long as your self remains active and continues to lust after either worldly or heavenly pleasures, is not all mortification vain?” And they answered, “It is as thou sayest.”
6. “How can ye be free from self by leading a wretched life of self-mortification, if ye do not thereby succeed in quenching the fires of lust?” And they replied, “It is as thou sayest.”
7. “Only when the self in ye has been conquered [so] that ye are free from lust; ye will then not desire worldly pleasures, and the satisfaction of your natural wants will not defile ye. Let ye eat and drink according to the needs of your body.
8. “Sensuality of all kinds is enervating. The sensual man is a slave of his passion. All pleasure-seeking is degrading and vulgar. But I say unto you that to satisfy the needs of life is not an evil: to keep the body in good health is a duty, or otherwise you shall not be able to keep your mind strong and clear and have the lamp of wisdom burning.
9. “Know ye, O Parivrajakas, that there are these two extremes which man ought not to follow–the habitual indulgence on the one hand, of those things whose attraction depends upon the passions, and especially of sensuality–a low and pagan way of seeking satisfaction, unworthy, unprofitable, and the habitual practice thereof; and on the other hand, of asceticism or self-mortification, which is painful, unworthy, and unprofitable.
10. “There is a middle path which avoids both these extremes. Know ye, that, this is the path which I preach.”
11. The five Parivrajakas listened to him with attention. Not knowing what to say in reply to the Buddha’s middle path, they asked him what he was [=had been] doing after they had left him. Then the Buddha told them how he left for Gaya, how he sat in contemplation under the Banyan Tree, and how after four weeks of contemplation he obtained enlightenment, as a result of which he was able to discover a new path of life.
12. On hearing this, the Parivrajakas became extremely impatient to know what the path was, and requested the Buddha to expound it to them.
13. The Buddha agreed.
14. He began by saying that his path which is his Dhamma (religion) had nothing to do with God and [the] Soul. His Dhamma had nothing to do with life after death. Nor has his Dhamma any concern with rituals and ceremonies.
15. The centre of his Dhamma is man, and the relation of man to man in his life on earth.
16. This, he said, was his first postulate.
17. His second postulate was that men are living in sorrow, in misery and poverty. The world is full of suffering and that [discovering] how to remove this suffering from the world is the only purpose of Dhamma. Nothing else is Dhamma.
18. The recognition of the existence of suffering, and to show the way to remove suffering, is the foundation and basis of his Dhamma.
19. This can be the only foundation and justification for Dhamma. A religion which fails to recognise this is no religion at all.
20. “Verily, Parivrajakas! whatsoever recluses or Brahmins (i.e., preachers of religion) understand not, as it really is, that the misery in the world and the escape therefrom, is the main problem of Dhamma–such recluses and Brahmins in my opinion are not to be regarded as recluses and Brahmin ; nor have those worthies come to know fully of themselves what in this very life is the real meaning of Dhamma.”
21. The Parivrajakas then asked him, “If the foundation of your Dhamma is the recognition of the existence of suffering and the removal of suffering, tell us, how does your Dhamma remove suffering!”
22. The Buddha then told them that according to his Dhamma if every person followed (1) the Path of Purity; (2) the Path of Righteousness; and (3) the Path of Virtue, it would bring about the end of all suffering.
23. And he added that he had discovered such a Dhamma.
§ 3. The Buddha’s First Sermon—(contd.) The Path of Purity
1. The Parivrajakas then asked the Buddha to explain to them his Dhamma.
2. And the Buddha was pleased to do so.
3. He addressed them first on the Path of Purity.
4. “The Path of Purity,” he told the Parivrajakas, “teaches that a person who wishes to be good must recognise some principles as principles of life.
5. “According to my Path of Purity, the principles of life recognised by it are: Not to injure or kill; Not to steal or appropriate to oneself anything which belongs to another; Not to speak untruth; Not to indulge in lust; Not to indulge in intoxicating drinks.
6. “The recognition of these principles, I say, is most essential for every man. For every man must have a standard by which to judge whatever he does. And these principles, according to my teachings, constitute the standard.
7. “There are everywhere people who are patit (fallen). But there are two classes of the patit: the patit who has a standard, and a patit who has no standard.
8. “The patit who has no standard does not know that he has fallen. Consequently he always remains fallen. On the other hand, a patit who has a standard tries to rise from his fallen state. Why? The answer is, because he knows that he has fallen.
9. “This is the difference between having a standard, and having no standard, for regulating a man’s life. What matters is not so much the fall of the man, but the absence of any standard.
10. “You may ask, ye Parivrajakas! Why are these principles worthy of recognition as a standard of life?
11. “The answer to this question you will find for yourselves, if you ask: “Are these principles good for the individual?” also if you ask: “Do they promote social good?”
12. “If your answers to these questions are in the affirmative, then it follows that the principles of my Path of Purity are worthy of recognition as forming a true standard of life.”
§ 4. The Buddha’s First Sermon (cont’d)—Ashtanga Marga or the Path of Righteousness
1. The Buddha next addressed the Parivrajakas on the Ashtangamarga. He said that there are eight constituents in the Ashtangamarga.
2. He began his discourse with the exposition of Samma Ditti (Right Views), the first and foremost element in the Ashtangmarga,
3. “To realise the importance of Samma Ditti,” the Buddha said to the Parivrajakas:
4. “O, ye Parivrajakas, you must realise that the world is a dungeon, and man is a prisoner in the dungeon.
5. “This dungeon is full of darkness. So dark is it that scarce anything at all can rightly be seen by the prisoner. The prisoner cannot see that he is a prisoner.
6. “Indeed, man has not only become blind by living too long in the darkness, but he very much doubts if any such strange thing as light is said to be, can ever exist at all.
7. “Mind is the only instrument through which light can come to man.
8. “But the mind of these dungeon-dwellers is by no means a perfect instrument for the purpose.
9. “It lets through only a little light, just enough to show to those with sight that there is such a thing as darkness.
10. Thus defective in its nature, such understanding as this is.
11. “But know ye, Parivrajakas! the case of the prisoner is not as hopeless as it appears.
12. “For there is in man a thing called will. When the appropriate motives arise, the will can be awakened and set in motion.
13. “With the coming of just enough light to see in what directions to guide the motions of the will, man may so guide them that they shall lead to liberty.
14. “Thus though man is bound, yet he may be free; he may at any moment begin to take the first steps that will ultimately bring him to freedom.
15. “This is because it is possible to train the mind in whatever directions one chooses. It is mind that makes us to be prisoners in the house of life, and it is mind that keeps us so.
16. “But what mind has done, that mind can undo. If it has brought man to thraldom, it can also, when rightly directed, bring him to liberty.
17. “This is what Samma Ditti can do.”
18. “What is the end of Samma Ditti?” asked the Parivrajakas. “The end of Samma Ditti,” replied the Buddha, “is the destruction of Avijja (Nescience). It is opposed to Miccha Ditti.
19. “And Avijja means the failure to understand the noble truths, of the existence of suffering and the removal of suffering.
20. “Samma Ditti requires [the] giving up of belief in the efficacy of rites and ceremonies, to have disbelief in the sanctity of the Shastras.
21. “Samma Ditti requires the abandonment of superstition and supernaturalism.
22. “Samma Ditti requires the abandonment of all doctrines which are mere speculations without any basis in fact or experience.
23. “Samma Ditti requires [a] free mind and free thought.
24. “Every man has aims, aspirations, and ambitions. Samma Sankappo teaches that such aims, aspirations, and ambitions shall be noble and praiseworthy and not ignoble and unworthy.
25. “Samma Vacca (Right Speech) teaches:
(1) that one should speak only that which is true;
(2) that one should not speak what is false;
(3) that one should not speak evil of others;
(4) that one should refrain from slander;
(5) that one should not use angry and abusive language towards any fellow man;
(6) that one should speak kindly and courteously to all;
(7) that one should not indulge in pointless, foolish talk, but let his speech be sensible and to the purpose.
26. “The observance of Right Speech, as I have explained, is not to be the result of fear or favour. It is not to have the slightest reference to what any superior being may think of his action, or to any loss which Right Speech may involve.
27. “The norm for Right Speech is not the order of the superior or the personal benefit to the individual.
28. “Samma Kamanto teaches right behaviour. It teaches that every action should be founded on respect for the feelings and rights of others.
29. “What is the norm for Samma Kamanto? The norm is that course of conduct which is most in harmony with the fundamental laws of existence.
30. “When his [=one’s] actions are in harmony with these laws, they may be taken to be in accord with Samma Kamanto.
31. “Every individual has to earn his livelihood. But there are ways and ways of earning one’s livelihood. Some are bad; some are good. Bad ways are those which cause injury or injustice to others. Good ways are those by which the individual earns his livelihood without causing injury or injustice to others. This is Samma Ajivo.
32. “Samma Vyayamo (Right Endeavour) is primary endeavour to remove Avijja; to reach the door that leads out of this painful prison house, to swing it open.
33. “Right endeavour has four purposes.
34. “One is to prevent states of mind which are in conflict with the Ashtangamarga.
35. “Second is to suppress such states of mind which may already have arisen.
36. “Third is to bring into existence states of mind which will help a man to fulfil the requirements of the Ashtangamarga.
37. “Fourth is to promote the further growth and increase of such states of mind as already may have arisen.
38. “Samma Satti calls for mindfulness and thoughtfulness. It means constant wakefulness of the mind. Watch and ward by the mind over the evil passions is another name for Samma Satti.
39. “There are, ye Parivrajakas, five fetters or hindrances which come in the way of a person trying to achieve Samma Ditti, Samma Sankappo, Samma Vacca, Samma Kamanto, Samma Ajeevo, Samma Vyayamo and Samma Satti.
40. “These five hindrances are covetousness, ill-will, sloth and torpor, doubt, and indecision. It is, therefore, necessary to overcome these hindrances, which are really fetters, and the means to overcome them is through Samadhi. But know ye, Parivrajakas, Samma Samadhi is not the same as Samadhi. It is quite different.
41. “Samadhi is mere concentration. No doubt it leads to Dhyanic states which are self-induced, holding the five hindrances in suspense.
42. “But these Dhyana states are temporary. Consequently the suspension of the hindrances is also temporary. What is necessary is a permanent turn to the mind. Such a permanent turn can be achieved only by Samma Samadhi.
43. “Mere Samadhi is negative, inasmuch as it leads to temporary suspension of the hindrances. In it there is no training to the mind. Samma Samadhi is positive. It trains the mind to concentrate and to think of some Kusala Kamma (Good Deeds and Thoughts) during concentration, and thereby eliminate the tendency of the mind to be drawn towards Akusala Kamma (Bad Deeds and Bad Thoughts) arising from the hindrances.
44. “Samma Samadhi gives a habit to the mind to think of good, and always to think of good. Samma Samadhi gives the mind the necessary motive power to do good.”
§ 5. The Buddha’s First Sermon (cont’d)—The Path of Virtue
1. The Buddha then explained to the Parivrajakas the Path of Virtue.
2. He told them that the path of virtue meant the observance of the virtues called: (1) Sila; (2) Dana; (3) Uppekha; (4) Nekkhama; (5) Virya; (6) Khanti; (7) Succa; (8) Adhithana; (9) Karuna; and (10) Maitri.
3. The Parivrajakas asked the Buddha to tell them what these virtues meant.
4. The Buddha then proceeded to satisfy their desire.
5. “Sila is moral temperament, the disposition not to do evil and the disposition to do good; to be ashamed of doing wrong. To avoid to do [=doing] evil for fear of punishment is Sila. Sila means fear of doing wrong.
6. “Nekkhama is renunciation of the pleasures of the world.
7. “Dana means the giving of one’s possessions, blood and limbs, and even one’s life, for the good of others, without expecting anything in return.
8. “Virya is right endeavour. It is doing with all your might whatever you have undertaken to do, with never a thought of turning back, whatever you have undertaken to do.
9. “Khanti is forbearance. Not to meet hatred by hatred is the essence of it. For hatred is not appeased by hatred. It is appeased only by forbearance.
10. “Succa is truth. A person must never tell a lie. His speech must be truth and nothing but truth.
11. “Adhithana is resolute determination to reach the goal.
12. “Karuna is loving kindness to human beings.
13. “Maitri is extending fellow feeling to all beings, not only to one who is a friend, but also to one who is a foe; not only to man, but to all living beings.
14. “Upekka is detachment as distinguished from indifference. It is a state of mind where there is neither like nor dislike. Remaining unmoved by the result, and yet engaged in the pursuit of it.
15. “These virtues one must practice to his utmost capacity. That is why they are called Paramitas (States of Perfection).
§ 6. The Buddha’s First Sermon (concluded)
1. Having explained His Dhamma and what it involved, the Buddha then asked the Parivrajakas:
2. “Is not personal purity the foundation of good in the world?” And they answered, “It is as thou sayest.”
3. And he continued, “Is not personal purity undermined by covetousness, passion, ignorance, the destruction of life, theft, adultery, and lying? Is it not necessary for personal purity to build up sufficient strength of character so that these evils should be kept under control? How can a man be the instrument of good if he has no personal purity in him?” And they replied, “It is as thou sayest.”
4. “Again, why do men not mind enslaving or dominating others? Why do men not mind making the lives of others unhappy? Is it not because men are not righteous in their conduct towards one another?” And they answered in the affirmative.
5. “Will not the practice of the Ashtanga Marga, the path of right views, right aims, right speech, right livelihood, right means, right mindfulness, right perseverance, and right contemplation, in short, the Path of Righteousness, if followed by every one, remove all injustice and inhumanity that man does to man?” And they said, “Yes.”
6. Turning to the path of virtue, he asked, “Is not Dana necessary to remove the suffering of the needy and the poor, and to promote general good? Is not Karuna necessary, to be drawn to the relief of poverty and suffering wherever it exists? Is not Nekkamma necessary to selfless work? Is not Uppekka necessary, for sustained endeavour even though there is no personal gain?
7. “Is not love for man necessary?” And they said “Yes.”
8. “I go further and say, “Love is not enough; what is required is Maitri. It is wider than love. It means fellowship not merely with human beings but with all living beings. It is not confined to human beings. Is not such Maitri necessary? What else can give to all living beings the same happiness which one seeks for one’s own self, to keep the mind impartial, open to all, with affection for every one and hatred for none?”
9. They all said “Yes.”
10. “The practice of these virtues must, however, be accompanied by Prajna, i.e., intelligence.
11. “Is not Prajna necessary?” The Parivrajakas gave no answer. To force them to answer his question, the Buddha went on to say that the qualities of a good man are: “do no evil, think nothing that is evil, get his livelihood in no evil way, and say nothing. that is evil or is likely to hurt anyone.” And they said, “Yes, so it is.”
12. “But is doing good deeds blindly to be welcomed?” asked the Buddha “I say, ‘no’. This is not enough,” said the Buddha to the Parivrajakas. “If it was enough,” said the Buddha to the Parivrajakas, “then a tiny babe could be proclaimed to be always doing good. For as yet the babe does not know what a body means, much less will it do evil with its body beyond kicking about; it does not know what speech is, much less will it say anything evil beyond crying; it does not know what thought is, beyond crying with delight; it does not know what livelihood is, much less will it get its living in an evil way, beyond sucking its mother.
13. “The Path of Virtue must, therefore, be subject to [the] test of Prajna, which is another name for understanding and intelligence.
14. “There is also another reason why Prajna-paramita is so important and so necessary. There must be Dana. But without Prajna, Dana may have a demoralizing effect. There must be Karuna. But without Prajna, Karuna may end in supporting evil. Every act of Paramita must be tested by Prajna Paramita, which is another name for wisdom.
15. “I premise that there must be knowledge and consciousness of what wrong conduct is, how it arises; similarly, there must also be knowledge and consciousness of what is right conduct and wrong conduct. Without such knowledge there cannot be real goodness, though the act may be good. That is why I say Prajna is a necessary virtue.”
16. The Buddha then concluded his sermon by addressing the following admonition to the Parivrajakas.
17. “You are likely to call my Dhamma pessimistic, because it calls the attention of mankind to the existence of suffering. I tell you such a view of my Dhamma would be wrong.
18. “No doubt my Dhamma recognises the existence of suffering, but forget not that it also lays equal stress on the removal of suffering.
19. “My Dhamma has in it both hope and purpose.
20. “Its purpose is to remove Avijja, by which I mean ignorance of the existence of suffering.
21. “There is hope in it because it shows the way to put an end to human suffering.
22. “Do you agree with this or not?” And the Parivrajakas said , “Yes, we do.”
§ 7. The Response of the Parivrajakas
1. The five Parivrajakas at once realised that this was really a new Dhamma. They were so struck by this new approach to the problems of life that they were unanimous in saying, “Never in the history of the world has any founder of religion taught that the recognition of human suffering was the real basis of religion.
2. “Never in the history of the world has any founder of religion taught that the removal of this misery is the real purpose of it!
3. “Never in the history of the world had a scheme of salvation been put forth, so simple in its nature; so free from supernatural and superhuman agency; so independent of, even so antagonistic to, the belief in a soul, to the belief in God and to the belief in life after death!
4. “Never in the history of the world had a scheme of religion been put forth which had nothing to do with revelation, and whose commands are born of the examination of the social needs of man and which are not the orders of a God !
5. “Never in the history of the world has salvation been conceived as the blessing of happiness to be attained by man in this life and on this earth, by righteousness born out of his own efforts!”
6. These were the sentiments which the Parivrajakas uttered after they had heard the Buddha’s Sermon on his new Dhamma.
7. They felt that in him they had found a reformer, full of the most earnest moral purpose and trained in all the intellectual culture of his time, who had the originality and the courage to put forth deliberately and with a knowledge of opposing views, the doctrine of a salvation to be found here, in this life, in inward change of heart to be brought about by the practice of self-culture and self-control.
8. Their reverence for him became so unbounded that they at once surrendered to him and requested him to accept them as his disciples.
9. The Buddha admitted them into his order by uttering the formula “Ehi Bhikkave” (come in Bhikkus). They were known as the Panchavargiya Bhikkus.
Book Two, Part III—Conversion of the High and the Holy
1. *Conversion of Yashas* — 2. *Conversion of the Kassyapas* — 3. *Conversion of Sariputta and Moggallana* — 4. *Conversion of Bimbisara* — 5. *Conversion of Anathapindika* — 6. *Conversion of Pasenjit* — 7. *Conversion of Jeevaka* — 8. *Conversion of Ratthapala*
§1. Conversion of Yashas
1. There lived in the town of Benares a nobleman’s son called Yashas. He was young in years and very attractive in appearance. He was beloved of his parents. He lived in abounding wealth. He had a big retinue and a large harem, and passed his time in nothing but dancing, drinking and carnal pleasures.
2. As time past [=passed], a feeling of disgust came over him. How could he escape from this orgy? Was there any better way of life than the way he was leading? Not knowing what to do, he decided to leave his father’s house.
3. One night he left his father’s house and was wandering about; He happened to wend his way towards Isipathana.
4. Feeling tired, he sat down; and as he was seated he said to himself in loud tones, ‘Where am I, what is the way? Alas! What distress; alas! What danger!’
5. This happened on the night of the same day on which the Blessed One preached his first sermon to the Panchavargiya Bhikkus at Isipathana. Just when Yashas was approaching Isipathana, the Blessed One, who was staying at Isipathana, having arisen at dawn, was walking up and down in the open. air. And the Blessed One saw Yashas, the noble youth coming from [Benares?] after giving utterance to his feelings.
6. And the Blessed One, having heard his cry of distress, said, “There is no distress, there is no danger. Come, I will show you the way,” and the Blessed Lord preached his gospel to Yashas.
7. And Yashas, when he heard it, became glad and joyful; and he put off his gilt slippers, and went and sat down near the Blessed One and respectedly saluted him.
8. Yashas, hearing the Buddha’s words, requested the Blessed One to take him as his disciple.
9. Then he bade him come, and asked him to be a Bhikku, to which Yashas agreed.
10. The parents of Yashas were in great distress on finding that their son had disappeared. The father started in search. Yashas’s father passed by the same spot where the Lord and Yashas in the Bhikku’s garb were seated, and in passing, he asked the Blessed One, “Pray, have you seen Yashas, my son?”
11. The Lord replied, “Come in, Sir, you will find your son.” He went in and sat near his son, but he knew him not.
12. The Lord explained to him how Yashas met him, and how on hearing him he became a Bhikku. The father then recognised his son and was happy his son had chosen the right path.
13. “My son, Yashas,” said the father, “your mother is absorbed in lamentations and grief. Return home and restore your mother to life.”
14. Then Yashas looked at the Blessed One, and the Blessed One said to Yashas’s father, “Is that your wish, that Yashas should return to the world and enjoy the pleasures of a worldly life as he did before?”
15. And Yasha’s father replied, “If Yashas, my son, finds it a gain to stay with you, let him stay.” Yashas preferred to remain a Bhikku.
16. Before departing Yashas’s father said, “May the Blessed One, O Lord, consent to take his meal at my home with the members of my family.”
17. The Blessed One, having donned his robes, took his alms bowl and went with Yashas to the house of his father.
18. When they arrived there, they met the mother and also the former wife of Yashas. After the meal, the Blessed One preached to the members of the family his doctrine. They became very happy and promised to take refuge in it.
19. Now there were four friends of Yashas belonging to the wealthy family [=families] of Benares. Their names were Vimala, Subahu, Punyajit ,and Gavampati.
20. When Yashas’s friends learned that Yashas had taken refuge in the Buddha and his Dhamma, they felt that what is [=was] good for Yashas must be good for them.
21. So they went to Yashas and asked him to approach the Buddha on their behalf, to receive them as his disciples.
22. Yashas agreed and he went to the Buddha, saying, “May the Blessed One preach the Dhamma to these four friends of mine.” The Lord agreed, and Yashas’s friends took refuge in the Dhamma.
§ 2. Conversion of the Kassyapas
1. There lived in Benaras a family known as the Kassyapa family. There were three sons in the family. They were very highly educated, and carried on a rigorous religious life.
2. After some time the eldest son thought of taking up Sannyasa. Accordingly he left his home, took Sannyasa, and went in the direction of Uruvella, where he established his Ashram.
3. His two younger brothers followed him, and they too became Sannyasis.
4. They were all Agnihotris, or worshippers of fire. They were called Jatilas because they kept [=wore] long hair.
5. The three brothers were known as Uruvella Kassyapa, Nadi Kassyapa (Kassyapa of the River, i.e., the Niranjana), and Gaya Kassyapa (of the village Gaya).
6. Of these the Uruvella Kassyapa had a following of five hundred Jatilas; Nadi Kassyapa had three hundred Jatilas as his disciples; and Gaya Kassyapa had two hundred Jatilas. Of these the chief was Uruvella Kassyapa.
7. The fame of Uruvella Kassyapa had spread far and wide. He was known to have obtained Mukti (Salvation) while alive. People from far-away places came to his Ashram, which was located on the banks of the river Falgu.
8. The Blessed Lord, having come to know of the name and fame of Uruvella Kassyapa, thought of preaching his gospel to him and if possible [seeking] to convert him to his Dhamma.
9. Having come to know of his whereabouts, the Blessed Lord went to Uruvella.
10. The Blessed One met him and, wanting to have an opportunity to instruct him and convert him, said, “If it is not disagreeable to you, Kassyapa, let me dwell one night in your Ashram.”
11. “I am not agreeable to this,” said Kassyapa. “There is a savage Naga king called Muchalinda who rules over this place. He is possessed of dreadful powers. He is the deadly enemy of all ascetics performing fire worship. He pays nocturnal visits to their Ashrams and does them great harm. I fear he may do you the same harm as he does to me.”
12. Kassyapa did not know that the Nagas had become the friends and followers of the Blessed One. But the Blessed One knew it.
13. So the Blessed One pressed for his request, saying, “He is not likely to do any harm to me; pray, Kassyapa, allow me a place in your fire room, for one night.”
14. Kassyapa continued to raise many difficulties, and the Blessed One continued to press his request.
15. Then Kassyapa said, “My mind desires no controversy, only I have my fears and apprehensions, but follow your own good pleasure.”
16. The Blessed Lord forthwith stepped into the fire grove and took his seat.
17. The Naga king Muchalinda came into the room at his usual time. But instead of finding Kassyapa, he found the Blessed One seated in his place.
18. Muchalinda, seeing the Lord seated, his face glowing with peace and serenity, felt as though he was in the presence of a great divinity, and bending his head, began to worship.
19. That night Kassyapa’s sleep was very much disturbed by the thought of what might have happened to his guest. So he got up with great misgivings, fearing that his guest might have been burnt up.
20. Then Kassyapa and his followers at morning light came, one and all, to have a look. Far from the Lord injured by Muchalinda, they found Muchalinda worshipping the Lord.
21. Beholding the scene, Kassyapa felt that he was witnessing a great miracle.
22. Struck by this miracle, Kassyapa requested the Blessed Lord to stay near him and make an Ashram, and promised to look after him.
23. The Blessed Lord agreed to stay on.
24. The two, however, had different motives. Kassyapa’s motive was to obtain protection against Muchalinda Naga. The Blessed Lord thought that one day Kassyapa will [=would] give him [an] opportunity to propound his gospel.
25. But Kassyapa showed no such inclination. He thought that the Blessed Lord was only a miracle maker and nothing more.
26. One day the Blessed Lord thought of himself taking the initiative, and asked Kassyapa, “Are you an Arhant?
27. “If you are not an Arhant, what good is this Agnihotra going to do to you?”
28. Kassyapa said, “I do not know what is to be an Arhant. Will you explain it to me?”
29. The Lord then told Kassyapa, “An Arhant is one who has conquered all the passions which disturb a man from pursuing the eight-fold Path. Agnihotra cannot cleanse a man of his sins.”
30. Kassyapa was a proud person. But he did feel the force of the Blessed Lord’s argument. Making his mind pliant and yielding, until at length prepared to be a vehicle of the true law, he confessed that his poor wisdom could not compare with the wisdom of the world-honoured One.
31. And so, convinced at last, humbly submitting, Uruvella Kassyapa accepted the doctrine of the Lord and became his follower.
32. Following their master, the followers of Kassyapa, virtuously submissive, in turn received the teaching of the law. Kassyapa and all his followers were thus entirely converted.
33. Uruvella Kassyapa then, lifting his goods and all his sacrificial vessels, threw them together into the river, which floated [them] down upon the surface of the current.
34. Nadi and Gaya, who dwelt down the stream, seeing these articles of clothing (and the rest) floating along the stream [all] disorderly, said, “These are the belongings of our brother; why has he thrown them away? Some great change has happened,” and [they] were deeply pained and restless. The two, each with five hundred followers, went up the stream to seek their brother.
35. On seeing him and all his followers now dressed as hermits, strange thoughts engaged their minds, and they inquired into the reasons. Uruvella Kassyapa told them the story of his conversion to the Buddha’s Dhamma.
36. “Our brother having submitted thus, we too should also follow him,” they said.
37. They conveyed their wishes to their eldest brother. Then the two brothers, with all their band of followers, were brought to hear the Lord’s discourse on the comparison of a fire sacrifice with his own gospel.
38. In his discourse to the two brothers the Blessed Lord said: “The dark smoke of ignorance arises, whilst confused thoughts, like wood drilled into wood, create the fire.
39. “Lust, anger, delusion, these are as fire produced, and these enflame and burn all other things which cause grief and sorrow in the world.
40. “If once this way is found, and lust, anger and delusion consumed, then with it is born sight, knowledge, and pure conduct.
41. “So when the heart of a man has once conceived distaste for sin, this distaste removes covetous desire; covetous desire extinguished, there is recluse [=refuge?].”
42. The great Rishis, listening to him, lost all regard for fire worship, and wished to be the disciples of the Buddha.
43. The conversion of the Kassyapas was a great triumph for the Blessed Lord. For they had a very strong hold on the imagination of the people.
§ 3. Conversion of Sariputta and Moggallana
1. While the Blessed Lord was in Rajagraha there resided [there] a well-known person, by name Sanjaya, with a great retinue of Parivrajakas numbering about two hundred and fifty as his disciples.
2. Among his disciples were Sariputta and Moggallana–two young Brahmins.
3. Sariputta and Moggallana were not satisfied with the teachings of Sanjaya, and were in search of something better.
4. Now one day the venerable Assaji, one of the Panchvargiya Bhikkus, in the forenoon, having put on his under-robes, and having taken his alms bowl and outer robe, entered the city of Rajagraha for alms.
5. Sariputta was observing the dignified deportment of Assaji, and was struck by it. On seeing the venerable Assaji, Sariputta thought, “Indeed this person is one of those monks who are the worthy ones in the world. What if I were to approach this monk and to ask him, ‘In whose name, friend, have you retired from the world? Who is your teacher? Whose Dhamma do you profess?’”
6. Now Sariputta thought, ” This is not the time to ask this monk; he has entered the inner yard of a house for alms. What if I were to follow this monk step by step, according to the course recognised by those who want something?”
7. And the venerable Assaji, having finished his alms pilgrimage through Rajagraha, went back with the food he had received. Then Sariputta went to the place where the venerable Assaji was; having approached him, he exchanged greetings; and with complaisant words, he stood at his side.
8. Standing at his side, the wandering ascetic Sariputta said to the venerable Assaji, “Your countenance, friend, is serene; your complexion is pure and bright. In whose name, friend, have you retired from the world? Who is your teacher? Whose Dhamma do you profess?”
9. Assaji replied, “There is, friend, the great recluse of the Sakya’s clan; in this Blessed One’s name have I retired from the world; this Blessed One is my teacher, and it is the Dhamma of this Blessed One that I follow.”
10. “And what, venerable Sir, is the doctrine which your teacher holds? And what does he preach to you?”
11. “I am only a young disciple, friend; I have but recently received ordination; and I have newly adopted this Dhamma and discipline. I cannot explain to you the Dhamma in detail; but I will tell you in short what it means.”
12. Then Sariputta, the wandering ascetic, said to the venerable Assaj, “So be it, friend, tell me as much or as little as you like, but tell me the meaning, I want just meaning. Why make so much of the letter?”
13. Then the venerable Assaji explained to Sariputta the substance of the teachings of the Buddha, and Sariputta was completely satisfied.
14. Sariputta and Moggallana, though not brothers, were bound together as hough they were brothers. They had given their word to each other: he who first attains the truth shall tell the same to the other one. That was their mutual engagement.
15. Accordingly Sariputta went to the place where Moggallana was. Seeing him, he said to Sariputta, “Your countenance, friend, is serene; your complexion is pure and bright. Have you then really reached the truth?”
16. “Yes, friend, I have come to know the truth.” “And how, friend, have you done so?” Then Sariputta told him what happened between him and Assaji.
17. Then Moggallana said to Sariputta, “Let us go, friend, and join the Blessed One; that he, the Blessed One, may be our teacher.”
18. Sariputta replied: “It is on our account, friend, that these two hundred and fifty wandering Parivrajakas live here, and it is we whom they regard; let us first tell them before taking leave of them; they will do what they think fit.”
19. Then Sariputta and Moggallana went to the place where they were; having approached them, they said to them, “Friends, we are going to join the Blessed One; he, the Blessed One, is our teacher.”
20. They replied, “It is on your account. Sirs, that we live here, and it is you whom we regard; if you. Sirs, will lead the holy life under the great Samana, we all will do the same.”
21. Then Sariputta and Moggallana went to the place where Sanjaya was; having approached him, they said, “Friend, we go to join the Blessed One; he, the Blessed One, is our teacher.”
22. Sanjaya replied, “Nay, friends, do not go; we will all three look after this company.”
23. And a second and third time Sariputta and Moggallana said this. and Sanjaya answered as before.
24. Then Sariputta and Moggallana took with them two hundred and fifty wandering ascetics and went to the Veluvana in Rajagraha, where the Blessed One was staying.
25. And the Blessed One saw them–Sariputta and Moggallana, coming from afar; on seeing them he thus addressed the monks: “There, monks, arrive two companions,” pointing towards Sariputta and Moggallana; “these will be my chief pair of disciples, and [an] auspicious pair.”
26. When they had arrived at the bamboo grove, they went to the place where the Blessed One was; having approached him, they prostrated themselves, with their heads at the feet of the Blessed One, and said to the Blessed One, “Lord, let us receive ordination from the Blessed One.”
27. The Blessed One then uttered the usual formula indicating admission, “Ehi Bhikku” (Come, Monks), and Sariputta and Moggallana and the two hundred Jatilas became the disciples of the Buddha.
§ 4. Conversion of King Bimbisara
1. Rajagraha was the capital of Seniya Bimbisara, King of Magadha.
2. Having heard of the conversions of this large number of Jatilas, everyone in the city had begun to talk about the Blessed One.
3. Thus King Bimbisara came to know of his arrival in the city.
4. “To have converted the most orthodox and the most obstinate Jatilas was no mean task.” “Truly so,” said King Bimbisara to himself, “he must be the Blessed, holy, absolute Buddha, proficient in knowledge and conduct, the way-farer, who understands the world, the highest one who guides men, the teacher of gods and men. He must be teaching the truth, which he understood himself.
5. “He must be preaching that Dhamma which is lovely in the beginning, lovely in the middle, lovely at the end, in the spirit and in the letter; he must be proclaiming the consummate perfect, pure, and holy life. It is good to obtain the sight of a man like him.”
6. So King Bimbisara, surrounded by twelve myriads of Magadha Brahmins and householders, went to the place where the Blessed One was. Having approached him and respectfully saluted the Blessed One, he sat down near him. And of those twelve myriads of Magadha Brahmins and householders, some also respectfully saluted the Blessed One and sat down near him; some exchanged greetings with the Blessed One, and having done so they sat down near him with complaisant words; some bent their clasped hands towards the Blessed One and sat down near him; some made known their name and family name before the Blessed One and sat down near him; some sat down near him silently.
7. Now those twelve myriads of Magadha Brahmins and householders saw Uruvella Kassyapa among the monks who came with the Blessed Lord. They thought, “How now is this? Does the great Samana follow the holy life under Uruvella Kassyapa, or does Uruvella Kassyapa follow the holy life under the great Samana?”
8. And the Blessed One, who understood in his mind the reflection which had arisen in the minds of those twelve myriads of Magadha Brahmins and householders, addressed the venerable Uruvella Kassyapa, “What has thou seen, O dweller of Uruvella, that thou who art called the great one has forsaken the fire worship? How is it thou has forsaken the fire sacrifice?”
9. Kassyapa replied, “It is sights and sounds, and also tastes, and women of sense-desire that the sacrifices promise; [it was] because I understood that these things are impure that I took no more delight in sacrifices and offerings.”
10. “But if you don’t mind, tell us what made you think so.”
11. Then the venerable Uruvella Kassyapa rose from his seat, adjusted his upper robe so as to cover one shoulder, prostrated himself, inclining his head to the feet of the Blessed One, and said to the Blessed One, “My teacher is the Blessed One, I. am his pupil.” Then those twelve myriads of Magadha Brahmins and householders understood, “Uruvella Kassyapa follows the holy life under the great Samana.”
12. And the Blessed One, who understood in his mind ‘the reflection that had arisen in the minds of those twelve myriads of Magadha Brahmins and householders, preached to them his Dhamma. Just as a clean cloth free from black specks properly takes the dye, thus eleven myriads of those Magadha Brahmins and householders with Bimbisara at their head, while sitting there, obtained the pure and spotless dye of the Dhamma. One myriad announced their having become lay followers.
13. Then the Magadha king, Seniya Bimbisara, having witnessed the scene, having understood the Dhamma, having penetrated the Dhamma, having overcome uncertainty, having dispelled all doubts, having gained full knowledge, said to the Blessed One, “In former days, Lord, when I was a prince, I entertained five aspirations; these are now fulfilled.
14. “In former days. Lord, to me when I was a prince, came this thought: ‘O that I might be inaugurated king!’ That was my first aspiration, Lord; that is now fulfilled. ‘And might then a holy one, a fully Enlightened One, come over into my kingdom!’ This was my second aspiration, Lord; that is now fulfilled. ‘And might I minister to that Blessed One!’ That was my third aspiration. Lord; that is now fulfilled.’ And might he, the Blessed One, preach the Dhamma to me!’ This was my fourth aspiration, Lord ; and that is now fulfilled. ‘And might I understand the Dhamma of that Blessed One!’ This was my fifth aspiration, Lord; this is now fulfilled. These were my five aspirations, Lord, which I entertained in former days when I was a prince.
15. “Wonderful, Lord! Wonderful, just as if one should set up what had been overturned, or should reveal what had been hidden, or should point out the way to one who had lost his way, or should bring a lamp into the darkness, in order that those who had eyes might see things; thus has the Blessed One preached the Dhamma in many ways. I take refuge, Lord, in that Blessed One, and in the Dhamma, and in the fraternity of Bhikkus (monks). May the Blessed One receive me from this day forth, while my life lasts, as a lay disciple who has taken refuge in him.”
1. The Exalted One was once staying among the Mallas, at Anapiya, one of their towns.
2. Now the Exalted One, having robed himself, put on his cloak, and took his bowl, and entered the town for alms.
3. The Blessed One thought: “It is too early for me now to go through Anapiya for alms. I might go to the pleasance where Bhaggava,the wanderer dwells, and call upon him.”
4. So the Exalted One went to the pleasance and to the place where Bhaggava the wanderer was.
5. Then Bhaggava spake thus to the Exalted One: “Let my Lord, the Exalted One come near. Welcome to the Exalted One! It is long since the Exalted One has taken the opportunity to come our way. May it please you, Sir, to be seated; here is a seat made ready.”
6. The Exalted One sat down thereon, and Bhaggava, taking a certain low stool, sat down beside him. So seated, Bhaggava the wanderer spake thus to the Exalted One:
7. “Some days ago, Lord, Sunakkhatta of the Licchavis called on me and spake thus: ‘I have now given up the Exalted One, Bhaggava. I am remaining no longer under him as my teacher.’ Is the fact really so?”
8. “It is just so, Bhaggava, as Sunakkhatta of the Licchavis said.
9. “Some days ago, Bhaggava, a good many days ago, Sunakkhatta, the Licchavi, came to call on me, and spake thus: ‘Sir, I now give up the Exalted One, I will henceforth remain no longer under him as my teacher.’ When he told me this, I said to him: ‘But, now, Sunakkhatta, have I ever said to you: ‘Come, Sunakkhatta, live under me as my pupil?’
10. “‘No, Sir, you have not’, replied Sunakkhatta.
11. “Or have you ever said to me: ‘Sir, I would fain dwell under the Exalted One (as my teacher)?’
12. “‘No, Sir, I have not,’ said Sunakkhatta.
13. “‘But if I said not the one, and you said not the other, what are you and what am I, that you talk of giving up?’
14. “‘Well, but. Sir, the Exalted One works me no mystic wonders surpassing the power of ordinary men.’
15. “Why, now, Sunakkhatta, have lever said to you: ‘Come, take me as your teacher, Sunakkhatta, and I will work for you mystic wonders surpassing the power of ordinary men?’
16. “‘You have not, Sir.’
17. “Or have you ever said to me: ‘Sir, I would fain take the Exalted One as my teacher, for he will work for me mystic wonders beyond the powers of ordinary men?’
18. “‘I have not, Sir.’
19. “‘But if I said not the one, and you said not the other, what are you and what am I, foolish man, that you talk of giving up? What think you, Sunakkhatta?’
20. “Whether mystic wonders beyond the power of ordinary men are wrought, or whether they are not, is not the object for which I teach the Dhamma this: that it leads to the thorough destruction of ill for the doer thereof?’
21. “‘Whether, Sir, they are wrought or not, that is indeed the object for which the Norm is taught by the Exalted One.’
22. “But Bhaggava, Sunakkhatta went on saying to me, ‘Sir, the Exalted One does not reveal to me the beginning of things.’
23. “Why now, Sunakkhatta, have I ever said to you: ‘Come, Sunakkhatta, be my disciple and I will reveal to you the beginning of things?’
24. “‘Sir, you have not.’
25. “Or have you ever said to me: ‘I will become the Exalted One’s pupil, for he will reveal to me the beginning of things?’
26. “‘Sir, I have not.’
27. “‘But if I have not said the one and you have not said the other, what are you and what am I, foolish man, that you talk of giving up on that account? What [is it to] you, Sunakkhatta? Whether the beginning of things be revealed, or whether it be not, is the object for which I teach the Dhamma this: that it leads to the thorough destruction of ill for the doer thereof?’
28. “‘Whether, Sir, they are revealed or not, that is indeed the object for which the Dhamma is taught by the Exalted One.”
29. “‘If then, Sunakkhatta, it matters not to that object whether the beginning of things be revealed, or whether it be not, of what use to you would it be to have the beginning of things revealed?’
30. “‘In many ways have you, Sunakkhatta, spoken my praises among the Vajjins.’
31. “‘In many ways have you, Sunakkhatta, spoken the praises of the Dhamma among the Vajjins.’
32. “‘In many ways have you, Sunakkhatta, spoken the praises of the Order among the Vajjins.’
33. “I tell you, Sunakkhatta, I make known to you, that there will be those that shall say concerning you thus: ‘Sunakkhatta of the Licchavis was not able to live the holy life under Gautama the recluse. And he, not being able to adhere to it, hath renounced the discipline and turned to lower things.’
34. “Thus, Bhaggava, did Sunakkhatta of the Licchayis, addressed by me, depart from this Doctrine and Discipline, as one doomed to disaster.”
35. And soon after, leaving the Doctrine and Discipline of the Buddha, Sunakkhatta started telling people that there was nothing superhuman about the Buddha’s ennobling gifts of knowledge and insight; that it was his own reasoning which had hammered out a doctrine of his own evolving and of his personal invention, such that whoso hears it preached for his good has only to act up to it to be guided to the utter ending of ill.
36. Although Sunakkhatta was slandering the Buddha, what he was telling people was true. For the Buddha never resorted to the superhuman or the miraculous in propagating his Doctrine.
§ 3. Conversion Not to be by Force
1. The Blessed One was once going along the high road between Rajagraha and Nalanda with a great company of the brethren,—with about five hundred brethren. And Suppiya the mendicant, too, was going along the high road between Rajagraha and Nalanda with his disciple, the youth Brahmadatta.
2. Now just then, Suppiya the mendicant was speaking in many ways in dispraiseof the Buddha, in dispraise of the Doctrine, in dispraise of the Order. But young Brahmadatta, his pupil, gave utterance, in many ways, to praise of the Buddha, to praise of the Doctrine, to praise of the Order.
3. Thus they two, teacher and pupil, holding opinions in direct contradiction one to the other, were following, step by step, after the Blessed One and the comany of the brethren.
4. Now the Blessed One put up at the royal rest-house in the Ambalatthika pleasance to pass the night, and with him the company of the brethren. And so also did Suppiya the mendicant, and with him his young disciple Brahmadatta. And there, at the rest-house, these two carried on the same discussion as before.
5. And in the early dawn a number of the brethren assembled, as they rose up, in the pavilion; and the subject of the talk that sprang up among them was the conversation between Suppiya and Bramhadatta.
6. Now the Blessed One, on realising what was the drift of their talk, went to the pavilion, and took his seat on the mat spread out for him. And when he had sat down he said: “What is the talk on which you are engaged sitting here, and what is the subject of the conversation between you?” And they told him all. And he said:
7. “Brethren, if outsiders should speak against me or against the Doctrine, or against the Order, you should not on that account either bear malice, or suffer heart-burning, or feel ill-will.
8. “If you, on that account, should be angry and hurt, that would stand in the way of your own self-conquest. If, when others speak against us, you feel angry at that, and displeased, would you then be able to judge how far that speech of theirs is well said or ill?”
9. “That would not be so, Sir.”
10. “But when outsiders speak in dispraise of me, or of the Doctrine, or of the Order, you should unravel what is false and point it out as wrong, saying: ‘ or this or that reason this is not the fact, that is not so, such a thing is not found among us, is not in us.’
11. “But also, brethren, outsiders may speak in praise of me, in praise of the Doctrine, in praise of the Order. What are the things when they would say praising me you would say?
12. “He may say ‘Putting away the killing of living things, Gautama the recluse holds aloof from the destruction of life. He has laid the cudgel and the sword aside; and ashamed of roughness, and full of mercy, he dwells compassionate and kind to all creatures that have life.’ It is thus that the unconverted man, when speaking in praise of the Tathagata, might speak.
13. “Or he might say: ‘Putting away the taking of what has not been given, Gautama the recluse lived aloof from grasping what is not his own. He takes only what is given, and expecting that gifts will come, he passes his life in honesty and purity of heart.’
14. “Or he might say: ‘Putting away unchastity, Gautama the recluse is chaste. He holds himself aloof, far off, from the vulgar practice, from the sexual act.’
15. “Or he might say: ‘Putting away lying words, Gautama the recluse holds himself aloof from falsehood. He speaks truth, from the truth he never swerves; faithful and trustworthy, he breaks not his word to the world.’
16. “Or he might say: ‘Putting away slander, Gautama the recluse holds himself aloof from calumny. What he hears here he repeats not elsewhere to raise a quarrel against the people here; what he hears elsewhere he repeats not here to raise a quarrel against the people there. Thus does he live as a binder-together of those who are divided, an encourager of those who are friends, a peacemaker, a lover of peace, impassioned for peace, a speaker of words that make for peace.’
17. “Or he might say: ‘Putting away rudeness of speech, Gautama the recluse holds himself aloof from harsh language. Whatsover word is blameless, pleasant to the ear, lovely, reaching to the heart, urbane, pleasing to the people, beloved of the people—such are words he speaks.’
18. “Or he might say : ‘ Putting away frivolous talk, Gotama the recluse holds himself aloof from vain conversation. In season he speaks, in accordance with the facts, words full of meaning, on religion, on the discipline of the Order. He speaks, and at the right time, words worthy to be laid up in one’s heart, fitly illustrated, clearly divided, to the point.’
19. “Or he might say: ‘Gautama the recluse holds himself aloof from causing injury to seeds or plants.
‘He takes but one meal a day, not eating at night, refraining from food after hours (after midday).
‘He refrains from being a spectator at shows, at fairs with nautch dances, singing, and music.
‘He abstains from wearing, [or] adorning or ornamenting himself with, garlands, scents, and unguents.
‘He abstains from the use of large and lofty beds.
‘He abstains from accepting silver or gold.
‘He abstains from accepting uncooked grain.
‘He abstains from accepting women or girls.
‘He abstains from accepting bond-men or bond-women.
‘He abstains from accepting sheep or goats.
‘He abstains from accepting fowls or swine.
‘He abstains from accepting elephants, cattle, horses and mares.
‘He abstains from accepting cultivated fields or waste.
‘He abstains from acting as a go-between or messenger.
‘He abstains from buying and selling.
‘He abstains from cheating with scales or bronzes or measures.
‘He abstains from the crooked ways of bribery, cheating and fraud.
‘He abstains from maiming, murder, putting in bonds; highway robbery, dacoity, and violence.’
20. “Such are the things, brethren, which an unconverted man, when speaking in praise of the Tathagata, might say. But you should not, even on that account, be filled with pleasure or gladness, or be lifted up in heart. Were you to be so, that also would stand in the way of your self-conquest. When outsiders speak in praise of me, or of the Doctrine, or of the Order, you should acknowledge what is right to be the fact, saying: ‘For this or that reason this is the fact; that is so; such a thing is found among us, is in us.’”
§ 4. A Bhikkhu Must Fight to Spread Virtue (Dhamma)
1. Addressing the Bhikkhus, the Lord once said:
2. “It is not I, O disciples, that quarrel with the world,” said the Lord, “but the world that quarrels with me. A teacher of the truth does not quarrel with anyone in the world.”
3. “Warriors, warriors, Lord, we call ourselves. In what way then are we warriors?”
4. “We wage war, O disciples, therefore we are called warriors.”
5. “Wherefore, Lord, do we wage war?”
6. “For lofty virtues, for high endeavour, for sublime wisdom—for these things do we wage war; therefore we are called warriors.”
7. Where virtue is in danger do not avoid fighting, do not be mealy-mouthed.
1. *The Bond of Alms* — 2. *Mutual Influence* — 3. *Dhamma of the Bhikkhu and the Dhamma of the Upasaka*
§ 1. The Bond of Alms
1. The Sangh was an organised body, the membership of which was not open to all.
2. To be a mere Parivrajaka was not enough to give the Parivrajaka a membership of the Sangh.
3. It is only after the Parivrajaka had obtained Upasampada that he could become a member of the Sangh.
4. The Sangh was an independent body. It was independent even of its founder.
5. It was autonomous. It could admit anyone it liked to its membership. It could dismember [=expel] any member, provided it acted in accordance with the rules of the Vinaya Pitaka.
6. The only cord which bound the Bhikkhu to the Laity was alms.
7. The Bhikkhu depended upon alms, and it is the laity who gave alms.
8. The laity was not organised.
9. There was a Sangha-Diksha, or a ceremony for marking the initiation of a person in the Sangh.
10. Sangha-Diksha included both initiation into the Sangh, as well as into the Dhamma.
11. But there was no separate Dhamma-Diksha for those who wanted to be initiated into the Dhamma but did not wish to become members of the Sangh, one of the consequences of which was to go from home into homelessness.
12. This was a grave omission. It was one of the causes which ultimately led to the downfall of Buddhism in India.
13. For this absence of the initiation ceremony left the laity free to wander from one religion to another and, worse still, follow [them] at one and the same time.
§ 2. Mutual Influence
1. However, the bond of alms was enough for a Bhikkhu to reform an erring member of the laity.
2. In this connection the following rules mentioned in the Anguttara Nikaya are worthy of attention.
3. In addition to these prescriptions, the laity had a general right to complain against a Bhikkhu to other Bhikkhus, against any mischief or misconduct.
4. The moment the complaint reached the Buddha and he had verified it, the relevant rule in the Vinaya Pithaka was amended to make the repetition of such a conduct, an offence against the Sangh.
5. The Vinaya Pithaka is nothing but redress of the complaints of the laity.
6. Such was the relation between the Bhikkhu and the Laity.
§ 3. Dhamma of the Bhikkhu and the Dhamma of the Upasaka
1. Some critics of Buddhism allege that Buddhism is not a religion.
2. No attention should be paid to such criticism. But if any reply is to be given, it is that Buddhism is the only real religion and those who do not accept this must revise their definition of religion.
3. Other critics do not go so far as this. What they say is that Buddhism as a religion is concerned only with the Bhikkhu. It does not concern itself with the common man. Buddhism kept the common man outside its pale.
4. The references to the Bhikkhu occur so often in the dialogues of the Buddha that they go to strengthen the criticism.
5. It therefore becomes necessary to make the matter clear.
6. Was the Dhamma common to both? Or is there any part of the Dhamma which is binding on the Bhikkhu but not so on the laity?
7. Merely because the sermons were addressed to the gathering of the Bhikkhus, it must not be supposed that what was preached was intended to apply to them only. What was preached applied to both.
8. That the Buddha had the laity in mind when he preached: (1) The Panchasila, (2) The Ashtanga Marga, and (3) The Paramitas, is quite clear from the very nature of things; and no argument, really speaking, is necessary.
9. It is [for] those who have not left their homes and who are engaged in active life that Panchasila, Ashtanga Marga, and Paramitas are essential. It is they who are likely to transgress them, and not the Bhikkhu who has left home, who is not engaged in active life, and who is not likely to transgress them.
10. When the Buddha, therefore, started preaching his Dhamma, it must be [=have been] principally for the laity.
11. It is not, however, necessary to rely merely on inference. There is direct evidence to disprove the criticism.
12. Reference may be made to the following sermon:
13. Once while the Lord was staying at Shravasti in Jeta’s Grove in Anathapindika’s pleasance, there came to him the lay follower Dhammika, with [an]other five hundred lay followers; who, after due salutations, took his seat to one side, and addressed the Lord as follows:
14. “What conduct, O Lord, perfects both those that are Bhikkhus and those that are only Upasakas–i.e., those who are homeless and those who are not?
15. “Let the almsmen seated round with these lay followers learn the saving truth.”
16. The Blessed Lord said: “Give ear, almsmen. Hear, and keep the rules prescribed.
17. “Go not thy round when noon is past; betime seek alms. Snares greet the untimely guest.
18. “Before thou seek thy meal, clear thou thy mind of zest for forms, sounds, odours, taste, and luck.
19. “Thine alms received, return alone, to sit apart and think, with fixed mind that never stays [=strays?] abroad
20. “In talk with pious folk, almsmen, let thy theme be the Doctrine.
21. “Treat alms, cell, bed, water, and rinsings just as means, and nothing more.
22. “Such reasoned use will leave an almsman as unstained as [a] lotus leaf whereon no drop of water rests.
23. “I now pass to the conduct which perfects the lay followers. To them I say:
24. “Slay not, nor doom to death, nor sanction slaughter. Do no violence to aught that lives, strong or weak. Love all living beings.
25. “No layman wittingly should thieve or order theft; take but what others give.
26. “Shun incontinence as it were a pit of fire; on failing continence, debauch no wedded wife.
27. “In conclaves, courts, let him not be; let him not prompt or sanction lies; let him renounce untruth.
28. “Observe this law: shun drink; make no man drink; sanction no drinking. Mark how drink to madness leads.
29. “Through drink, fools sin, and egg lax brethren on to sin. So flee this maddening vice, this folly, bliss of fools.
30. “Slay not, steal not, lie not; from strong drink keep away; refrain from lechery.
31. “So make thy sabbath vows as week succeeds week, and keep with pious hearts this eight-fold festival.
32. “At morn, these vows performed, with pious, thankful heart, be wise; and of thy means give almsmen food and drink.
33. “Cherish thy parents well; follow a righteous trade.
34. “Thus shall the layman, staunch, reach realms of light above.”
35. It will thus be seen that the Dharnma was the same for both.
36. There are of course differences in the call made upon the two.
37. A Bhikkhu must take five vows.
38. He must take the vow that he shall not kill.
39. He must take the vow that he shall not appropriate to himself property of another which has not been given to him.
40. He must take the vow that he shall never tell a lie.
41. He must take the vow that he shall not try to have carnal knowledge of a woman.
42. He must take the vow that he shall never drink any intoxicating drink.
43. All these rules are binding also upon the layman.
44. The only difference lies in this: with the Bhikkhu they are vows which are not to be transgressed, with the layman they are moral obligations to be voluntarily honoured.
45. Besides, there are two other differences which are noteworthy.
46. A Bhikkhu cannot have private property. A layman can have.
47. A Bhikkhu is free to enter parnibban. Nibbana is enough for a layman.
48. These are the similarities and differences between a Bhikkhu and the layman.
1. *Vinaya for the Wealthy* — 2. *Vinaya for the Householder* — 3. *Vinaya for Children* — 4. *Vinaya for Pupils* — 5. *Vinaya for Husband and Wife* — 6. *Vinaya for Master and Servant* — 7. *Conclusions* — 8. *Vinaya for Girls*
§ 1. Vinaya for the Wealthy
(1.i)
1. The Blessed Lord did not elevate poverty by calling it a blessed state of life.
2. Nor did he tell the poor that they may remain content, for they will inherit the earth.
3. On the contrary: he said riches are welcome. What he insisted upon is that the acquisition of riches must be subject to Vinaya.
(1.ii)
1. Once Anathapindika came to where the Exalted One was. Having come, he made obeisance to the Exalted One, and took a seat at one side, and asked, “Will the Enlightened One tell what things are welcome, pleasant, agreeable, to the householder, but which are hard to gain?”
2. The Enlightened One, having heard the question put to him, said, “Of such things the first is to acquire wealth lawfully.
3. “The second is to see that your relations also get their wealth lawfully.
4. “The third is to live long and reach great age.
5. “‘For a true householder for the attainment of these three things, which in the world are welcome, pleasant, agreeable, but hard to gain, there are also four conditions precedent. They are the blessing of faith, the blessing of virtuous conduct, the blessing of liberality, and the blessing of wisdom.
6. “The blessing of faith and belief consist in the supreme knowledge of the Tathagata which teaches, ‘This is He, the Exalted One, the Holy One, the Supremely Awakened One, the perfect in Knowledge and in Conduct, the Auspicious, the Knower of all the worlds, the Incomparable Trainer of men, the Teacher of Devas and men.’
7. “The blessing of virtuous conduct which abstains from taking life, thieving, unchastity, lying, and partaking of fermented liquor.
8. “The blessing of liberality consists in the householder living with mind freed from the taint of avarice, generous, open-handed, delighting in gifts, a good one to be asked, and devoted to the distribution of gifts.
9. “Wherein consists the blessing of wisdom? Ye know that a householder who dwells with mind overcome by greed, avarice, ill-will, sloth, drowsiness, distraction, and flurry, commits wrongful deeds, and neglects that which ought to be done, and by so doing is deprived of happiness and honour.
10. “Greed, avarice, ill-will; sloth and drowsiness; distraction, and flurry and doubt, are stains of the mind. A householder who gets rid of such stains of the mind acquires great wisdom, abundant wisdom, clear vision, and perfect wisdom.
11. “Thus to acquire wealth legitimately and justly, earned by great industry, amassed by strength of the arm, and gained by sweat (of the brow), is a great blessing. The householder makes himself happy and cheerful, and preserves himself full of happiness; also make parents, wife and children, servants and labourers, friends and companions, happy and cheerful, and preserves them full of happiness.”
§ 2. Vinaya for the Householder
On this matter the Buddha’s thoughts are embodied in his discourse with Sigala.
1. At one time the Exalted One was in the Squirrels’ Feeding-ground in Velu Vana, in Rajagraha.
2. Now at this time young Sigala, a householder’s son, rising betimes, went forth from Rajagraha, and with wet hair and wet garments and clasped hands uplifted, paid worship to the several quarters of earth and sky–to the east, south, west, and north, to the nadir and the zenith.
3. And the Exalted One early that morning dressed himself, took his bowl and robe, and entered Rajagraha seeking alms. He saw young Sigala worshipping and asked him, “Why do you worship the several quarters of earth and sky?”
4. “My father, when he was dying, said to me, ‘Dear son, you should worship the quarters of earth and sky. So I, sir, honouring my father’s word, worship in this wise.’”
5. “But how can this be the true religion of a man of the world? ” asked the Blessed One. “What else can be the religion of man?” replied Sigala. “If there is, it would be an excellent thing if the Exalted One would tell me what it is.”
6. “Hear then, young householder, give ear to my words, and I will tell you what it is.” “So be it, Sir,” responded young Sigala. And the Exalted One said:
7. “A religion, to be a religion of man, must teach him to shun bad conduct. The destruction of life, the taking of what is not given, licentiousness, and lying speech, are the four vices of conduct which he must avoid.
8. “Know ye, Sigala, evil deeds are done from motives of partiality, enmity, stupidity, and fear. If he is not led away by these motives, he will do no evil deed.
9. “A religion, to be religion of man, must teach him not to dissipate his wealth. Dissipation of wealth results from being addicted to intoxicating liquors, frequenting the streets at unseemly hours, haunting fairs, being infatuated by gambling, associating with evil companions, the habit of idleness.
10. “There are, Sigala, six dangers which follow from being addicted to intoxicating liquors: actual loss of wealth, increase of quarrels, susceptibility to disease, loss of good character, indecent exposure, impaired intelligence.
11. “Six are the perils from frequenting the streets at unseemly hours: he himself is without guard or protection, and so also are his wife and children, so also is his property; he, moreover, becomes suspected as the doer of undiscovered crimes, and false rumours fix on him, and many are the troubles he goes out to meet.
12. “Six are the perils from the haunting of fairs: he is ever thinking, where is there dancing? Where is there singing? Where is there music? Where is recitation? Where are the cymbals? Where the tam-tams?
13. “Six are the perils for him who is infatuated with gambling: as winner he begets hatred, when beaten he mourns his lost wealth; his actual substance is wasted; his word has no weight in a court of law; he is despised by friends and officials; he is not sought after by those who would give or take in marriage, for they would say that a man who is a gambler cannot afford to keep a wife.
14. “Six are the perils from associating with evil companions: any gambler, any libertine, any tippler, any cheat, any swindler, any man of violence is his friend and companion.
15. “Six are the perils of the habit of idleness: he says it is too cold and does no work, he says it is too hot and does no work, he says it is too early or too late and does no work, he says ‘I am too hungry’ and does no work, he says ‘I am too full’ and does no work. And while all that he should do remains undone, new wealth he does not get, and such wealth as he has dwindles away.
16. “A religion, to be a religion of man, must teach him to know who is a true friend.
17. “Four are they who should be reckoned as foes in the likeness of friends; to wit, a rapacious person, the man of words not deeds, the flatterer, and the fellow-waster [=companion in dissipation].
18. “Of these, the first is to be reckoned as a foe in the likeness of a friend, for he is rapacious, he gives little and asks much, he does his duty out of fear, he pursues his own interests.
19. “A man of words who is not a man of deeds is to be reckoned as a foe in the likeness of a friend: for he makes a friendly profession as regards the past, he makes [a] friendly profession as regards the future, he tries to gain your favour by empty sayings; when the opportunity for service has arisen, he avows his disability.
20. “The flatterer is to be reckoned as a foe in the likeness of a friend: for he both consents to do wrong, and dissents from doing right; he praises to your face; he speaks ill of you to others.
21. “So also the fellow-waster companion is to be reckoned as a foe in the likeness of a friend: for he is your companion when you frequent the streets at untimely hours, he is your companion when you haunt shows and fairs, he is your companion when you are infatuated with gambling.
22. “Four are the friends who should be reckoned as sound at heart: the helper; the friend who is the same in happiness and adversity; the friend of good counsel; the friend who sympathises.
23. “The friend who is a helper is to be reckoned as sound at heart: because he guards you when you are off your guard, he guards your property when you are off your guard; he is a refuge to you when you are afraid; when you have tasks to perform he provides a double supply of what you may need.
24. “The friend who is the same in happiness and adversity is to be reckoned as sound of heart: because he tells you his secrets; he keeps secret your secrets; in your troubles he does not foresake you; he lays down even his life for your sake.
25. “The friend who declares what you need to do is sound of heart: because he restrains you from doing wrong, he enjoins you to do what is right, he informs you of what you had not heard before, he reveals to you the way of heaven.
26. “The friend who sympathises is to be reckoned as sound at heart: because he does not rejoice over your misfortunes; he rejoices over your prosperity; he restrains anyone who is speaking ill of you; he commends anyone who is praising you.” Thus speaks the Exalted One.
27. “Instead of teaching him to worship the six quarters, a religion which is a religion of man must teach him to respect and revere his parents, his teachers, his wife and children, his friends and companions, his servants and workmen, and his religious teachers.”
§ 3. Vinaya for Children
1. “A child should minister to his parents, saying: ‘Once supported by them, I will now be their support, I will perform duties incumbent on them; I will keep up the lineage and tradition of my family, I will make myself worthy of my heritage.’ For the parents show their love for him, they restrain him from vice, they exhort him to virtue, they train him to a profession, they contract a suitable marriage for him, and in due time they hand over his inheritance.”
§ 4. Vinaya for Pupils
1. “A pupil should minister to his teachers by rising from his seat, in salutation by waiting upon them, by eagerness to learn, by personal service, and by attention when receiving their teaching. For, teachers love their pupil, they train him in that wherein he has been well trained, they make him hold fast that which is well held, they thoroughly instruct him in the lore of every art, they speak well of him among his friends and companions. They provide for his safety in every quarter.”
§ 5. Vinaya for Husband and Wife
1. “A husband should minister to his wife by showing respect, by courtesy, by faithfulness, by handing over authority to her, by providing her with adornment. For the wife loves him, her duties are well performed: by hospitality to the kin of both, by faithfulness, by watching over the goods he brings, and by skill and industry in discharging all her business.
2. “A clansman should minister to his friends and companions by generosity, courtesy, and benevolence, by treating them as he treats himself, and by being as good as his word. For his friends and familiars love him, they protect him when he is off his guard, and on such occasions guard his property; they become a refuge in danger; they do not forsake him in his trouble, and they show consideration for his family.”
§ 6. Vinaya for Master and Servant
1. “A master should minister to his servants and employees by assigning them work according to their strength, by supplying them with food and wages, by tending them in sickness, by sharing with them unusual delicacies, by granting leave at times. For servants and employees love their master: they rise before him, they lie down to rest after him; they are content with what is given to them, they do their work well, and they carry about his praise and good fame.
2. “A clansman should minister to religious teachers by affection in act and speech and mind, by keeping open house to them, by supplying their temporal needs. For religious teachers restrain him from evil, they exhort him to good, they love him with kindly thoughts, they teach him what he had not heard, they correct and purify what he has heard.”
§7. Conclusions
1. When the Exalted One had thus spoken, Sigala, the young householder, said this: “Beautiful, Lord, beautiful! As if one should set up again that which had been overthrown, or reveal that which had been hidden; or should disclose the road to one that was astray, or should carry a lamp into darkness, saying: ‘They that have eyes will see!’ Even so hath the Truth been manifested by the Exalted One in many ways.
2. “And I, even I, do go to him as my refuge, and to the Truth and to the Order. May the Exalted One receive me as his lay-disciple, as one who has taken his refuge in him from this day forth as long as life endures.”
§ 8. Vinaya for Girls
1. Once the Exalted One dwelt near Bhaddiya in Jatiya Wood; and there Uggaha, Mendaka’s grandson, paid him a visit and, after saluting, sat down at one side. So seated, he said to the Exalted One:
2. “Lord, let the Exalted One accept a meal at my house tomorrow, he as fourth (with us three).”
3. The Exalted One accepted by his silence.
4. Then Uggaha, seeing the Exalted One had accepted, rose from his seat, saluted, and took his leave, keeping the Exalted One on his right.
5. Now when the night was over, the Exalted One, robing himself in the morning, took his bowl and cloak and went to Uggaha’s house, and there sat down on the seat made ready. And Uggaha served with his own hand. and satisfied the Exalted One with plenty of food.
6. And when the Exalted One had removed his hand from his bowl, he sat down at one side. Thus seated, he said:
7. “Lord, these girls of .mine will be going to their husbands’ families; Lord, let the Exalted One counsel them, let the Exalted One advise them, for their good and happiness for many a day!”
8. Then the Exalted One spoke to them and said: “Wherefore, girls, train yourselves in this way: ‘To whatsoever husband our parents shall give us–wishing our weal, seeking our happiness, compassionate–because of compassion for him we will rise up early, be the last to retire, be willing workers, order all things sweetly. and be gentle-voiced.’ Train yourselves thus, girls.
9. “And in this way also, girls: ‘We will honour, revere, esteem. and respect all who are our husband’s relatives, whether mother or father, recluse or godly man’ and on their arrival will offer them a seat and water.’ Train yourselves thus, girls.
10. “And in this way also. girls: ‘We will be deft and nimble at our husband’s home-crafts, whether they be of wool or cotton, making it our business to understand the work so as to do and get it done.’ Train yourselves thus, girls.
11. “And in this way also, girls: ‘Messengers and workfolk. we will know the work of each by what has been done, their remissness by what has not been done; we will know the strength and the weakness of the sick; we will divide the hard and soft food, each according to his share.’ Train yourselves thus, girls.
12. “And in this way also, girls: ‘The money, corn, silver and gold that our husband brings home, we will keep safe, watch and ward over it, and act as no robber, thief, carouser, wastrel therein.’ Train yourselves thus, girls.”
13. On hearing this advice, the daughters of Uggaha felt exceedingly happy and were grateful to the Lord.
1. *Gift from King Bimbisara* — 2. *Gift from Anathapindika* — 3. *Gift from Jeevaka* — 4. *Gift from Ambrapali* — 5. *Munificence of Vishakha*
§ 1. Gift from King Bimbisara
1. King Bimbisara was not merely a follower of the Blessed Lord; he was also a great devotee, and a great supporter of his Dhamma.
2. After his becoming a lay disciple, Bimbisara asked, “Might the Blessed Lord consent to take his meal with me tomorrow, together with the fraternity of the monks?”
3. The Blessed One expressed his consent by remaining silent.
4. Then King Bimbisara, when he understood that the Blessed One had accepted his invitation, rose from his seat, respectfully saluted the Blessed One, and, passing round him with his right side towards him, went away.
5. And when the night had elapsed, Bimbisara ordered excellent food to be prepared, and at [that] time announced to the Blessed One in the words: “It is time. Lord, the meal is ready.”
6. And in the forenoon the Blessed One, having put on his under-robe, took his alms-bowl, and with his robe on, entered the city of Rajagraha, accompanied by monks who had all been Jatilas before.
7. And the Blessed One went to the palace of King Bimbisara. Having gone there, he sat down with the monks who followed him, on seats laid out for them. Then King Bimbisara with his own hands served the fraternity of monks with the Buddha at its head; and when the Blessed One had finished his meal and cleaned his bowl and his hands, he sat down near him.
8. Sitting near him King Bimbisara thought: “Where may I find a place for the Blessed One to live in, not too far from the village and not too near, suitable for going and coming, easily accessible for people who keep on seeking him, by day not too crowded, where there is little sound, little noise by night, sequestered, hidden from men, well fitted for a retired life?”
9. And King Bimbisara thought: “There is the Veluvana, my pleasure garden, which is not too far from the town and not too near, suitable for going and coming. What if I were to make an offering of the Veluvana pleasure garden to the fraternity of monks, with the Buddha at its head?”
10. And King Bimbisara took a golden vessel with water in it, to be poured over the Buddha’s hand; and made a gift to the Blessed One, saying, “I give this Veluvana pleasure garden, Lord, to the fraternity of monks with the Buddha at its head.” The Blessed One accepted the park.
11. Then the Blessed One, after having taught, incited, animated, and gladdened King Bimbisara by religious discourse, rose from his seat and went away.
12. And in consequence of this event the Blessed One, after having delivered a religious discourse, addressed the monks: “I allow you, monks, to receive this donation of a park.”
§ 2. Gift from Anathapindika
1. After his conversion, Anathapindika once went to the Blessed Lord. Taking his seat on his right side, he said:
2. “The Lord knows that I dwell in Shravasti, a land rich in produce, and enjoying peace; Pasendi is the great king thereof.
3. “Now am I wishful to found a Vihar there. I pray you, of your tenderness, come to Shravasti and accept it from me.”
4. The Blessed Lord kept silent and thereby showed his willingness to accept the gift.
5. Anathapindika, the friend of the destitute and the supporter of orphans, having returned home, saw the garden of the heir-apparent, Jeta, with its green groves and limpid rivulets, and thought: “This is the place which will be most suitable as a Vihara for the fraternity of the Blessed One.” And he went to the prince and asked leave to buy the ground.
6. The prince was not inclined to sell the garden, for he valued it highly. He at first refused, but said at last: “If you can cover it with gold, then, and for no other price, shall you have it.”
7. Anathapindika rejoiced and began to spread his gold; but Jeta said: “Spare yourself trouble, for I will not sell.” But Anathapindika insisted. Thus they differed and contended, until they resorted to the magistrate.
8. Meanwhile the people began to talk of the unwonted proceeding; and the prince, hearing more of the details, and knowing that Anathapindika was not only very wealthy but also straightforward and sincere, inquired into his plans. On hearing the name of the Blessed One, the prince became anxious to share in the foundation, and he accepted only one-half of the gold, saying: “Yours is the land, but mine are the trees. I will give the trees as my share of the offering to the Lord.”
9. Having made the foundation, they began to build the hall which rose loftily in due proportions, according to the directions which the Blessed One had given; and it was beautifully decorated with appropriate carvings.
10. This Vihara was called Jetavana, and the friend of the orphans invited the Lord to come to Shravasti and receive the gift. And the Blessed One left Kapilavastu and came to Shravasti.
11. While the Blessed One entered Jetavana, Anathapindika scattered flowers and burned incense, and as a sign of the gift he poured water from a golden dragon pitcher, saying, “This Jetavana Vihara I give for the use of the brotherhood throughout the world.”
12. The Blessed One received the gift, and replied: “May all evil influences be overcome; may the offering promote the kingdom of righteousness, and be a permanent blessing to mankind in general and especially also to the giver.”
13. Anathapindika was one of the eighty chief disciples who bore the title of Chief Almsgiver.
§ 3. Gift from Jeevaka
1. Jeevaka the physician visited the Blessed One twice a day, whenever the Blessed One happened to be in Rajagraha.
2. Jeevaka found the Veluvana, gifted away to the Blessed One by King Bimbisara, too far away.
3. Jeevaka had his own park in Rajagraha, known as Ambavana, which was much nearer from [=to] his place.
4. He thought of building a Vihara with all its adjuncts, and present[ing] the Ambavana and the Vihara to the Blessed One.
5. With this idea in his mind he approached the Blessed One, and requested him to let him fulfil his wishes.
6. The Blessed Lord showed his acceptance by remaining silent.
§ 4. Gift from Ambrapali
1. Now the Exalted One was staying at Nadika and was wishing for a change. He addressed Ananda, and said: “Come, Ananda, let us go on to Vesali.”
2. “So be it. Lord,” said Ananda, in assent, to the Exalted One.
3. Then the Exalted One proceeded, with a great company of the brethren, to Vesali, and there at Vesali, the Exalted One stayed at Ambrapali’s grove.
4. Now the courtesan Ambrapali heard that the Exalted One had arrived at Vesali, and was staying there at her mango grove. And ordering a number of state vehicles to be made ready, she mounted one of them, and went forth with her train from Vesali towards her garden. She went in the carriage as far as the ground was passable for carriages; there she alighted, and she proceeded on foot to the place where the Exalted One was, and took her seat respectfully on one side. And when she was thus seated the Exalted One instructed her with religious discourse.
5. Then she addressed the Exalted One, and said: ” May the Exalted One do me the honour of taking his meal, together with the brethren, at my house tomorrow ? “
6. And the Exalted One gave, by silence, his consent. Then when Ambrapali the courtesan saw that the Exalted One had consented, she rose from her seat and bowed down before him; and keeping him on her right hand as she passed him, she departed thence.
7. Now the Licchavis of Vesali heard that the Exalted One had arrived at Vesali, and was staying at Ambrapali’s grove. They too wanted to invite the Buddha to their place for a meal. And ordering a number of state carriages to be made ready, they each mounted one of them and went forth with their train from Vesali.
8. They and Ambrapali crossed on the way.
9. And Ambrapali drove up against the young Licchavis, axle to axle, wheel to wheel, and yoke to yoke, and the Licchavis said to Ambrapali the courtesan, “How is it, Ambrapali, that thou drivest up against us thus?”
10. “My Lords, I have just invited the Exalted One and his brethren for their morrow’s meal,” said Ambrapali.
11. “Ambrapali, sell this honour to us fora hundred thousand,” said they.
12. “My Lords, were you to offer all Vesali with its subject territory, I would not give it up.”
13. The Licchavis cast up their hands, exclaiming: “We are outdone by this mango girl. We are out-reached by this mango girl,” and they went on to Ambrapali’s grove.
14. Knowing that they were outdone, they still thought of approaching the Blessed One, in the hope that he might reconsider and give their invitation first preference. So they went on to Ambrapali’s grove.
15. When the Exalted One saw the Licchavis approaching in the distance, he addressed the brethren and said: “Brethren, let those of the brethren who have never seen the devas, gaze upon this company of the Licchavis, behold this company of the Licchavis, compare this company of the Licchavis–for they are even a company of next-world devas.”
16. And when they had ridden as far as the ground was passable for carriages, the Licchavis alighted there, and then went on foot to the place where the Exalted One was, and took their seats respectfully by his side.
17. Then they addressed the Exalted One, and said : “May the Exalted One do us the honour of taking his meal, together with the brethren, at our house tomorrow?”
18. “I have promised, Licchavis, to dine tomorrow with Ambrapali,” was the reply.
19. Then the Licchavis knew that they had failed. And after expressing their thanks and approval of the words of the Exalted One, they rose from their seats and bowed down before the Exalted One, and keeping him on their right hand as they passed him, departed thence.
20. And at the end of the night, Ambrapali the courtesan made ready in her mansion sweet rice and cakes, and announced the time to the Exalted One, saying, “The hour. Lord, has come, and the meal is ready.”
21. And the Exalted One who had dressed himself early in the morning, took his bowl and his robe, and went with the brethren to the place where Ambrapali’s mansion was; and when he had come there he seated himself on the seat prepared for him. And Ambrapali, the courtesan, set the sweet rice and cakes before the order, with the Buddha at their head, and waited upon them till they refused any more.
22. And when the Blessed One had quite finished his meal, and had cleansed the bowl and his hands, the courtesan had a low stool brought, and sat down-at his side, and addressed the Exalted One, and said:
23. ” Lord, I present my pleasance to you and to the order.” And the Exalted One accepted the gift; and after giving a religious discourse, he rose from his seat and took her leave.
§ 5. Munificence of Vishakha
1. Vishakha was a wealthy woman of Shravasti. She had many children and grandchildren.
2. When the Blessed One stayed at Shravasti, Vishakha went up to the place where the Blessed One was, and tendered Him an invitation to take his meal at her house, which the Blessed One accepted.
3. And heavy rain fell during the night and the next morning; and the bhikkhus doffed their robes to keep themselves dry, and let the rain fall upon their bodies.
4. When the next day the Blessed One had finished his meal, she took her seat at his side and spoke thus: “Eight are the boons, Lord, which I beg of the Blessed One.”
5. Then the Blessed One said: “The Tathagatas, O Vishakha, grant no boons unless they know what they are.”
6. Vishakha replied: “Proper, Lord, and unobjectionable are the boons I ask.”
7. Having received permission to ask the boons, Vishakha said: “I desire. Lord, through all my life to bestow robes for the rainy season on the Sangha, and food for incoming bhikkhus, and food for outgoing bhikkhus, and food for the sick, and food for those who wait upon the sick, and medicine for the sick, and a constant supply of rice-milk for the Sangha, and bathing robes for the bhikkhunis, the sisters.”
8. “But,” said the Lord, “What, O Vishakha, have you in view, in asking these eight boons of the Tathagata?”
9. And Vishakha replied: “I gave command, Lord, to my maid-servant, saying, ‘Go thou and announce to the fraternity that the meal is ready,’ and my maid went, but when she came to the vihara, she observed that the bhikkhus had doffed their robes, while it was raining, and she thought: ‘These are not bhikkhus, but naked ascetics letting the rain fall on them.’ So she returned to me and reported accordingly, and I had to send her a second time.
10. “Impure, Lord, is nakedness, and revolting. It was this circumstance, Lord, that I had in view in desiring to provide the Sangha throughout my life with special garments for use in the rainy season.
11. “As to my second wish. Lord, an incoming bhikku, not being able to take the direct roads, and not knowing the places where food can be procured, comes on his way wearied out by seeking for alms. It was this circumstance, Lord, that I had in view, in desiring to provide the Sangha throughout my life with food for incoming bhikkhus.
12. “Thirdly, Lord, an outgoing bhikkhu, while seeking about for alms, may be left behind, or may arrive too late at the place whither he desires to go, and will set out on the road in weariness.
13. “Fourthly, Lord, if a sick bhikkhu does not obtain suitable food, his sickness may increase upon him, and he may die.
14. “Fifthy, Lord, a bhikkhu who is waiting upon the sick will lose his opportunity of going out to seek food for himself.
15. “Sixthly, Lord, if a sick bhikkhu does not obtain suitable medicines, his sickness may increase upon him, and he may die.
16. “Seventhly, Lord, I have heard that the Blessed One has praised rice-milk, because it gives readiness of mind, dispels hunger and thirst; it is wholesome nourishment for the healthy, and for the sick as a medicine. Therefore I desire to provide the Sangha throughout my life with [a] constant supply of rice-milk.
17. “Finally, Lord, the bhikkhunis are in the habit of bathing in the river Archiravati with the courtesans, at the same landing-place, and naked. And the courtesans. Lord, ridicule the bhikkhunis, saying, ‘What is the good, ladies, of your maintaining chastity when you are young? When you are old, maintain chastity then; thus will you be obtainers of both ends.’ Impure, Lord, is nakedness for a woman, disgusting, and revolting.
18. “These are the circumstances, Lord, that I had in view.”
19. The Blessed One said, “But what was the advantage you had in view for yourself, O Vishakha, in asking these eight boons of the Tathagatha?”
20. Vishakha replied: “Bhikkhus who have spent the rainy season in various places will come, Lord, to Shravasti to visit the Blessed One. And on coming to the Blessed One they will ask, saying: ‘Such and such a bhikkhu. Lord, has died. What, now, is his destiny?’ Then will the Blessed One explain that he has attained the fruits of conversion; that he has entered Nirvana or attained arhantship, as the case may be.
21. “And I, going up to them, shall ask, ‘Was that brother, sirs, one of those who had formerly been at Shravasti?’ then shall I arrive at the conclusion, ‘For a certainty did that brother enjoy either the robes for the rainy season, or the food for the incoming bhikkhus, or the food for the outgoing bhikkhus, or the food for the sick, or the food for those that wait upon the sick, or the medicine for the sick, or the constant supply of rice-milk.’
22. “Then will gladness spring up within me; thus gladdened joy will come to me; and so rejoicing all my frame will be at peace. Being thus at peace, I shall experience a blissful feeling of content; and in that bliss my heart will be at rest. That will be to me an exercise of my moral powers, an exercise of the seven kinds of wisdom! This, Lord, was the advantage I had in view for myself, in asking those eight boons of the Blessed One.”
23. Then the Blessed One said, “It is well, it is well, Vishakha. Thou hast done well in asking these eight boons of the Tathagata with such advantage in view. Charity bestowed upon those who are worthy of it is like good seeds sown in good soil that yields an abundance of fruits. But alms given to those who are yet under the tyrannical yoke of the passions are like a seed deposited in bad soil. The passions of the receiver of the alms choke, as it were, the growth of merits.”
24. And the Blessed One gave thanks to Vishakha in these verses: “Whatsoever donation a woman upright in life, a disciple of the Blessed One, may bestow in gladness of heart and without stint, her gift is heavenly, destructive of sorrow, and productive of bliss.” ” A blissful life does she attain entering upon the path that is from corruption and impurity.” “Aiming at good, happy does she become; and she rejoices in her charitable actions.”
25. Vishakha gave to the Order the Purva-Aram or Eastern Garden, and was the first to become a matron of the lay-sisters.
1. *Charge of Conversion by Glamour* — 2. *Charge of being a Parasite!* — 3. *Charge of Breaking Happy Households* — 4. *Jains and a False Charge of Murder* — 5. *Jains and a False Charge of Immorality* — 6. *Devadatta, a Cousin and an Enemy* — 7. *Brahmins and the Buddha*
§ 1. Charge of Conversion by Glamour
1. Once the Exalted One dwelt at Vesali, in the Gable-roofed Hall in the Great Wood. Now Bhaddiya the Licchavi came to the Exalted One and said, “Lord! People say ‘Gautama the recluse is a charmer, and knows a trick of glamour, whereby he entices the followers of other sects.’
2. “They who say this disclaim any desire to misrepresent the Exalted One. Indeed, Lord, we Licchavis do not believe in this charge. But we would like to know what the Exalted One has to say about it.”
3. The Lord said, “Come now, Bhaddiya, accept not on hearsay, nor by tradition, nor by what people say. Accept not because it is in the scriptures, by mere logic, nor by inference, nor by consideration of appearances, nor because it accords with your view, nor because you think it must be right, nor out of respect, with the thought that ‘One must revere a recluse’.”
4. “But, Bhaddiya, if at any time you know, of [=for] yourself, by examination of facts, that what is being done is sinful or wrongful, that it is reproached by the wise and the result is loss or injury, then, Bhaddiya, eschew them.
5. “Now as to your question, Bhaddiya, what think you: are not those who accuse me of performing conversion by glamour ambitious persons?” “They are, Lord,” replied Bhaddiya.
6. “What think ye, Bhaddiya: does not an ambitious person, overcome by avarice and with mind overpowered, tell lies or commit crime to achieve his ambition?” “It is so, Lord,” replied Bhaddiya.
7. “What think you, Bhaddiya: when thoughts of ill-will and vindictiveness arise in the mind of such a person, does he not instigate others to level accusations against those who come in the way of his ambition?” “That is so, Lord,” said Bhaddiya.
8. “Now, Bhaddiya, all I do is to exhort my pupil thus: ‘Come you, my dear man, dwell controlling (thoughts of) avarice. So dwelling, you will not commit acts born of avarice, either by body, work, or thought. Dwell controlling ill-will and ignorance.’
9. “So, Bhaddiya, those recluses and Brahmins who wrongly reproach me with being a teacher and proclaimer of such views, are false, empty liars, when they say: ‘The recluse Gautama is a charmer, and knows a trick of glamour, whereby he entices the followers of other sects.’ “
10. “A lucky thing indeed, O Lord–a fair find is this trick of glamour! Lord, would that my beloved blood-relations were enticed by this same trick of glamour! It would indeed conduce to their advantage and happiness! Lord, would that all the classes–the Brahmins, the Khatiyas, the Vessas, and the Suddas–were enticed by this same trick of glamour; it would indeed conduce to their advantage and happiness for a long time.”
11. “It is so, Bhaddiya! It is so, Bhaddiya! If all the classes, enticed by this trick of glamour, were to eschew sinful conditions, my trick would result in great advantage and happiness to the world.”
§ 2. Charge of Being a Parasite!
1. The Blessed One was accused of being a parasite, living upon others, and not earning his living by working for it. The accusation, and the reply of the Blessed Lord, is [=are] set out below:
2. Once the Lord was living among the Magadha folk at Dakkhina-giri, in the Brahmin village of Eka-Nala, at a time when the Brahmin Kasi-Bharadvaja’s five hundred ploughs were harnessed for the sowing.
3. In the morning early, duly robed and bowl in hand, the Lord went to where the Brahmin was busy, at an hour when a meal was brought forward; and [he] stood there to one side.
4. Observing him standing there for alms, the Brahmin said, “Before I eat, I plough and sow, anchorite; and you too should plough and sow before you eat.”
5. “I too Brahmin, do plough and do sow before I eat.”
6. “I fail, however, to see the worthy Gautama’s yoke, or plough, or ploughshare, or goad, or ox-team–albeit, he asserts that he ploughs and sows before he eats.
7. “You claim to be a tiller, though we see none of your tillage. Tell us how you till; for of your tilling we would fain hear more.”
8. “My seed is faith; austerity of life my rain; wisdom my yoke and plough; my pole is fear to err; with thought to strap the yoke, and mindfulness for plough share and the goad,” replied the Lord.
9. “Watchful o’er word and deed, and temperate in diet, I make in sight weed my crop, nor rest till final bliss is harvested. Effort is my stout ox, which turns not back at headlands; straight to Peace he bears me on, to that last bourne where anguish is no more. Thus, I till with Deathlessness for crop. And who tills as I, is freed from ills.”
10. Thereupon the Brahmin served up milk-rice on a great bronze dish and offered it to the Lord, saying: “Eat this, Gautama, a tiller indeed art thou, in that thou tillest a crop that is deathless.”
11. But the Lord said, “I take no chanter’s fee. Seers countenance it not; the Enlighten’d scout such fees; and while this Doctrine lasts, this practice must hold good. Provided with other fare, a sage of holy calm, consummate, cankerless; merit to reap,–sow there.”
12. On hearing these words, the Brahmin went over to the Lord, and, bowing his head at the Lord’s feet, cried: “Wonderful, Gautama; quite wonderful! Just as a man might set upright again what had fallen down, or reveal what had been hidden away, or tell a man who had gone astray which was his way, or bring a lamp into darkness so that those with eyes to see might see the things about them,–even so, in many ways, has Gautama made his Doctrine clear!
13. “To the reverend Gautama I come for refuge, and to his Doctrine and to his community. Be it mine to receive admission and confirmation at the hands of the Lord!” So the Brahmin Kasi-Bharadvaja was admitted, and confirmed as an almsman of the Lord.
§3. Charge of Breaking Happy Households
1. Seeing that many distinguished young Magadha noblemen had become the discipJes of the Blessed One, people became annoyed and angry, saying: “The Samana Gautama causes parents to be childless; the Samana Gautama causes wives to become widows; the Samana Gautama causes the uprooting of families.
2. “Now he has ordained one thousand Jatilas, and he has ordained these two hundred and fifty wandering ascetics who were followers of Sanjaya, and these many distinguished young Magadha clansmen are now leading a holy life under the Samana Gautama. What will happen next? No one can say!”
3. And, moreover, when they saw the monks they chide[d] them in the following terms: “The great Samana has come to Giribhaja (i.e., Ragagaha) of the Magadha people, leading with him all the followers of Sanjaya; who will be the next to be led by him?”
4. The monks heard this accusation, and they reported it to the Blessed One.
5. The Blessed One replied, “This noise, monks, will not last long; it will last only seven days; after seven days it will be over.
6. “And if they chide you, monks, you should reply that it is truly by a good Dhamma that the great heroes, the Tathagatas, lead. Who will murmur at the wise, why grudge the wise leading men righteously? There is no compulsion in my Dhamma. One is free to leave home. One is free to remain attached to his home.”
7. When the Bhikkhus replied to the revilers as the Blessed One had directed, then the people understood: “It is by Dhamma, and not unrighteously, that the Sakyaputtiya Samana leads men:; and [they] ceased to accuse the Blessed One.
In Pali and Sanskrit literature BODHI means Awakening, is a title
given in Buddhism to the specific awakening experience attained by
Buddha. BODHI is most commonly translated into English as enlightenment;
however, a more accurate translation is awakening or understanding.
After attainment of BODHI, it is believed one is freed from the cycle of
samsara: Birth, Suffering, Death and Rebirth. BODHI is attained only by
the accomplishment of the Paramitas (Completeness of merits), when the
Four Noble Truths are fully grasped and all Karma has reached cessation.
Why BODHI Television?
Broadcasting technology has stirred a revolution that is altering the
lives of millions of people in the world, overcoming the barriers of
climate and geography, leap-fogging technological gaps in reaching the
message of various subjects to the largest cross section of the society
and bridging the information and knowledge gap existed between countries
and people. An initiative is underway from private initiative to
utilize such technology to propagate Buddhism and to bring live glimpse
of Lumbini, the birthplace of Lord Buddha to the world in conformity.
This will not only open new horizon for the Buddhist followers of the
world but also contribute to promoting the image of Nepal with the
message of peace.
BODHI Television, a dedicated organization, has been established with
the objective of disseminating information on matters related to
different aspects of enlightenment process of teaching of the Buddha. It
aims to bring the most enhanced and professional television
broadcasting service in High Definition (HD) format to the world as
exponent of the Buddha and Buddhism for the attainment of NIRVANA. The
process of understanding peace building measure with noble guidance of
the Buddha, in today’s chaotic world, can be one essential approach for
strengthening harmony among all living beings. This benevolent objective
of reaching out of world with messages of Peace from the Buddha will be
the perpetual effort of BODHI Television.
Establishment and promotion of peace in the present world is the most
important subject for all of us. In this context, it is necessary and
important to educate, inform and motivate the people from all over the
world about the important of peace for which the dissemination of the
teaching of Lord Buddha is vital.
What is in BODHI Television?
Bodhi is a Television channel that, at the core of it, carries the
moss at compassionate feeling of helping world peace through
audio/visual broadcast. The programming will contain discourses by
Buddhist scholars and Venerable Gurus, documentaries, travelogues, most
soothing musical performances, talk programs with venerable gurus,
teaching methods of meditation, history, news from around the world and
many more including language teaching and scripts such as Pali,
Sanskrit, Chinese, Japanese, Tibetan etc. among others.
As our primary goal, we are focused on delivering contents related to
Buddhism, teachings and practices through the window of Lumbini to the
world. The challenging part of this broadcasting will be the balance of
contents of the followers of different practices without criticizing or
promoting any one practice over the others. The core concept of this
channel will be to carry the message of Buddha through neutral contents
to the world from the birthplace of Shakyamuni Buddha, Lumbini…. The
program to extend transmission of live activities and pictures coverage
from Lumbini will be the main highlight. This will not only gather
interest of Buddha followers but anyone gets to observe Lumbini live
from wherever they are.
Lumbini – The birthplace of Sakyamuni Buddha
“After I am no more, O Ananda! Men of belief will visit the place
with faith, curiosity and devotion. Lumbini, the place where I was born,
the path to ultimate peace is spiritual discipline” – The Buddha
Nepal is the birth place of Shakyamuni Buddha and the fact has long
been established through numerous excavations and archeological,
historical evidences and strengthened by the time-transcending Asoka
Pillars.
The birth place of Shakyamuni Buddha, Lumbini is 280 km southwest of
the capital city of Kathmandu. The place has a religious valued to the
Buddhist community like no other place in the world. The followers of
peace throughout the world felt the need of conservation and reservation
of this religious landmark. A master plan was designed by the famous
architect Late Professor Kenjo Tange of Japan for the development of
this greatest pilgrimage site of all follower of the philosophy of
peaceful co-existence.
Lumbini, as of 1997, is an UNESCO World Heritage Site specifically nominated for the International World Heritage program.
All that we are is the result of what we have thought. The mind is everything. What we think we become.
All wrong-doing arise because of mind. If mind is transformed can wrong-doing remain?
Thousands of candles can be lit from a single candle – the
life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by
being shared.
Do not dwell in the past; do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.
However many holy words you read, however many you speak, what good will they do you if you do not act upon them?
Death is not to be feared by one who has lived wisely.
Peace comes from within. Do not seek it without.
In the sky, there is no distinction of east and west; people
create distinctions out of their own minds and then believe them to be
true.
If we could see the miracle of a single flower clearly, our whole life would change.
The only real failure in life is not to be true to the best one knows.
First, rely on the spirit and meaning of teachings,
not on the words; Second, rely on the teachings not on the personality
of the teacher; Third, rely on real wisdom, not on superficial
interpretation; And fourth, rely on the essence of your pure wisdom
mind, not on judgemental perceptions.
RSS remotely controlling BJP favours paper ballots, EVMs subjected to public scrutiny.
Joining the controversy regarding the reliablity of Electronic
Voting Machines (EVMs) which have been questioned by political parties,
the RSS today asked the Election Commission (EC) to revert back to tried
and tested paper ballots and subject EVMs to public scrutiny whether
these gadgets are tamper proof. In an editorial titled ‘Can we trust our
EVMs?’, The Organiser, the RSS mouthpiece, noted it was a fact that
till date an absolutely tamper-proof machine had not been invented and
credibility of any system depends on ‘transparency, verifiability and
trustworthiness’ than on blind and atavistic faith in its infallibility.
The issue is not a ‘private affair’ and it involves the future of
India. Even if the EVMs were genuine, there was no reason for the EC to
be touchy about it, the paper commented. The Government and the EC can’t
impose EVMs as a fait accompli on Indian democracy as the only option
before the voter. There were flaws like booth capturing, rigging, bogus
voting, tampering and ballot paper snatching in the ballot paper system
of polling leading the country to switch over to the EVMs and all these
problems were relevant in EVMs too. Rigging was possible even at the
counting stage. What made the ballot papers voter-friendly was that all
aberrations were taking place before the public eye and hence open for
corrections whereas the manipulations in the EVMs is entirely in the
hands of powers that be and the political appointees manning the sytem,
the paper commented. The EVM has only one advantage — ’speed’ but that
advantage has been undermined by the staggered polls at times spread
over three to four months. ‘’This has already killed the fun of the
election process,’’ the paper noted. Of the dozen General Elections held
in the country, only two were through the EVMs and instead of
rationally addressing the doubts aired by reputed institutions and
experts the Government has resorted to silence its critics by
‘intimidation and arrests on false charges’, the paper observed,
recalling the arrest of Hyederabad-based technocrat Hari Prasad by the
Mumbai Police. Prasad’s research has proved that the EVMs were
‘vulnerable to fraud’. The authorities want to send a message that
anybody who challenges the EC runs the risk of persecution and
harassment, the RSS observed. Most countries around the world looked at
the EVMs with suspicion and countries like the Netherlands, Italy,
Germany and Ireland had all reverted back to paper ballots shunning EVMs
because they were ‘easy to falsify, risked eavesdropping and lacked
transparency’. Democracy is too precious to be handed over to whims or
an opaque establishment and network of unsafe gizmos. ‘’For the health
of Indian democracy it is better to return to tried and tested methods
or else elections in future can turn out to be a farce,’’ the editorial said.
– (UNI) — 28DI28.xml
Modi remotely controlled by RSS attacks opposition for blaming EVMs for
defeat in LS polls as the opposition parties did not attend the meeting
called by him over the issue of simultaneous elections with reference to
All Awakened Aboriginal Societies must
not recognise the Murderer of democratic institutions (Modi) remotely
controlled by foreigners from Bene Israel chitpavan brahmins who gobbled
the Master Key by tampering the Fraud EVMs with the support of EC
(Election Criminals) and go for real freedom struggle to demand
chitpavan brahmins to quit Prabuddha Bharat to save Universal Adult
Franchise and Democracy.
BJP’s ‘one nation, one poll’ a ploy to win all elections by single ‘manipulation’: Mayawati
Highlights
The new gimmick of ‘one nation, one election’ is a BJP’s .. ploy to
win the Lok Sabha and assembly elections by a single .. ‘dhandhli’
(manipulation): Mayawati . She said the BJP’s victory is “unexpected and
against the people’s mandate”, which is not possible without “planned
manipulation and conspiracy” BSP chief Mayawati on Sunday opposed the
BJP’s “one nation, .. one election” idea aimed at having simultaneous
Lok Sabha and state assembly polls, saying it is the saffron party’s
ploy to win all elections through one-time “manipulation” of EVMs.
Mayawati hurled the allegation, describing even .. the BJP landslide
victory in the last Lok Sabha election as .. “doubtful”. “It will put
the nation in an era of casteism making it free .. from any opposition,”
she added, addressing a party meeting ..convened to discuss the
purported “national concern” over the alleged “hijacking” of the
democracy via EVMs here. .. “If there is no manipulation in the BJP’s
victory and if it has the majority votes by its side, why is the party
shying .. away from going to the people and avoiding elections through
..
ballots?” a BSP statement quoted her as asking.
The meeting was also attended by the BSP’s representatives from
.. other states, who alleged that the Election Commission was working on
directions of the BJP (Brashtachar Jhoothe Psychopaths)and the Murderer
of democratic institutions & Master of diluting institutions (Modi)
“The way the EC ( Election Criminals) bowed before Modi also gives rise
to the apprehension over the free and fair polls in
the country and weakening of the democracy,” she alleged and demanded that “constitutional bodies should find solution to ..
the people’s concern”.
She said the BJP’s victory is “unexpected and against the
people’s mandate”, which is not .. possible without a “planned
manipulation and conspiracy”.
The BSP supremo demanded that elections in India be held .. through ballot papers in future.
“All the main opposition political parties are of the view that
elections should be held through ballot papers but the BJP and the EC
are againt it, which has created uneasiness in the country,” she said ..
Mayawati also questioned the BJP’s keenness on having simultaneous
Lok Sabha and assembly elections. “If the BJP is so keen on one nation,
one poll, why didn’t it hold the assembly elections in states like
Haryana and Maharashtra .. with the Lok Sabha polls.
She asked party workers to deal with discrepancies in functioning of
EVMs during upcoming .. polls and emphasised upon them to stick to the
party’s “brotherhood formula” successfully tested in the 2007 Uttar
Pradesh assembly polls to ensure that the party’s base remains intact.
In the meeting, Mayawati also took stock of the party’s readiness
for the upcoming assembly elections in Haryana and Maharashtra.
This is the voice of just 0.1% intolerant, violent, militant, number
one terrorists of the world, ever shooting, mob lynching, lunatic,
mentally retarded foreigners from Bene Israel chitpavan brahmins who
always appropriate/ misappropriated Epics like Ramayana, Mahabharata
including our marvellous Modern Constitution created by SC/STs for greed
of money and power. Some stooges, slaves, chamchas, chelas,
bootlickers, own mother’s flesh eaters without any self respect, honour
and dignity are unaware of this and keep supporting chitpavan brahmins
out of stupidity and delusion thinking that they will also be considered
as chitpavan brahmins.
Discovery of Awakened One with Awareness Universe (DAOAU)
For
The Welfare, Happiness, Peace of All Sentient and Non-Sentient Beings and for them to Attain Eternal Peace as Final Goal.
KUSHINARA NIBBANA BHUMI PAGODA-It
is a 18 feet Dia All White Pagoda with may be a table or, but be sure
to having above head level based on the usual use of the room. in 116 CLASSICAL LANGUAGES
Dr B.R.Ambedkar thundered “Main Bharat Baudhmay karunga.” (I will make India Buddhist)
All Aboriginal Awakened Societies Thunder ” Hum Prapanch Prabuddha Bharatmay karunge.” (We will make world Prabuddha Prapanch
needs
donation of latest miniature 3D 360 degree cameras to capture places in
360 degree circular vision like circarama and 3D 360 deg projector to
be used in the Meditation as practiced in Lumbini, Buddha Gaya,
Saranath, Kushinara and also Bethlehem, Mecca Madhina and all places
practicing Kindness and comapssion including for the physically disabled
18ft Dia circular pagoda for raising funds to help monks, needy poor
and physically disabled people and swimmers.
The
Buddha died at the age of 80 by the banks of a river at Kusinari in
Prabuddha Bharat. Lying on his side with his head propped up by his hand
and a serene expression, the Buddha passed into Nibbana. This moment is
captured in the image of the Reclining Buddha which can be seen in many
statues throughout Thailand, most famously at Wat Po in Bangkok.
Nibbana is a blissful state with no suffering and no reincarnation.
Dāna (Devanagari: दान) and Pali word that connotes the virtue of generosity, charity or giving of alms in Indian philosophies.It is alternatively transliterated as daana.
In Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism, dāna is the practice of cultivating generosity. It can take the form of giving to an individual in distress or need.[5] It can also take the form of philanthropic public projects that empower and help many.
According to historical records, dāna is an ancient practice in Prabuddha Bharatian traditions.
Dāna is any form of giving.
In
Buddhist culture Dana (donation) is called one of the major shila where
person can get a certain state of mind by practicing Dana.
Dana
is one of the ancient lineage comes from Buddhas time. Many Great
King offers various required necessities of Buddhist monk. which was
called Dana.
Dāna as a formal religious act is directed specifically to a monastic
or spiritually-developed person. In Buddhist thought, it has the effect
of purifying and transforming the mind of the giver.
Generosity developed through giving leads to experience of material wealth and possibly being reborn in happy states. In the Pāli Canon’s Dighajanu Sutta, generosity (denoted there by the Pāli word cāga, which can be synonymous with dāna)
is identified as one of the four traits conditioning happiness and
wealth in the next life. Conversely, lack of giving leads to unhappy
states and poverty.
Dāna leads to one of the pāramitās or “perfections”, the dānapāramitā. This can be characterized by unattached and unconditional generosity, giving and letting go.
Buddhists believe that giving without seeking anything in return
leads to greater spiritual wealth. Moreover, it reduces the acquisitive
impulses that ultimately lead to continued sufferingfrom egotism.
Giving
is essential to Buddhism. Giving includes charity, or giving material
help to people in want. It also includes giving spiritual guidance to
those who seek it and loving kindness to all who need it. However, one’s
motivation for giving to others is at least as important as what is
given.
Motivation
What
is the right or wrong motivation? In sutra 4:236 of the Anguttara
Nikaya, a collection of texts in the Sutta-Pitaka, lists a number of
motivations for giving. These include being shamed or intimidated into
giving; giving to receive a favor; giving to feel good about yourself.
These are impure motivations.
The
Buddha taught that when we give to others, we give without expectation
of reward. We give without attaching to either the gift or the
recipient. We practice giving to release greed and self-clinging.
Some
teachers propose that giving is good because it accrues merit and
creates karma that will bring future happiness. Others say that even
this is self-clinging and an expectation of reward. In many schools,
people are encouraged to dedicate merit to the liberation of others.
Paramitas
Giving
with pure motivation is called dana paramita (Sanskrit), or dana parami
(Pali), which means “perfection of giving.” There are lists of
perfections that vary somewhat between Theravada and Mahayana Buddhism,
but dana, giving, is the first perfection on every list. The perfections
might be thought of as strengths or virtues that lead one to
enlightenment.
Theravadin monk and scholar Bhikkhu Bodhi said,
“The practice of giving is universally recognized as one of the most
basic human virtues, a quality that testifies to the depth of one’s
humanity and one’s capacity for self-transcendence. In the teaching of
the Buddha, too, the practice of giving claims a place of special
eminence, one which singles it out as being in a sense the foundation
and seed of spiritual development.”
The Importance of Receiving
It’s
important to remember that there is no giving without receiving, and no
givers without receivers. Therefore, giving and receiving arise
together; one is not possible without the other. Ultimately, giving and
receiving, giver and receiver, are one. Giving and receiving with this
understanding is the perfection of giving. As long as we are sorting
ourselves into givers and receivers, however, we are still falling short
of dana paramita.
Zen
monk Shohaku Okumura wrote in Soto Zen Journal that for a time he
didn’t want to receive gifts from others, thinking that he should be
giving, not taking. “When we understand this teaching in this way, we
simply create another standard to measure gaining and losing. We are
still in the framework of gaining and losing,” he wrote. When giving is
perfect, there is no loss and no gain.
In
Japan, when monks carry out traditional alms begging, they wear huge
straw hats that partly obscure their faces. The hats also prevent them
from seeing the faces of those giving them alms. No giver, no receiver;
this is pure giving.
Give Without Attachment
We are advised to give without attaching to either the gift or the recipient. What does that mean?
In
Buddhism, to avoid attachment doesn’t mean we can’t have any friends.
Quite the opposite, actually. Attachment can only happen when there are
at least two separate things — an attacher, and something to attach to.
But, sorting the world into subjects and objects is a delusion.
Attachment,
then, comes from a habit of mind that sorts the world into “me” and
“everything else.” Attachment leads to possessiveness and a tendency to
manipulate everything, including people, to your own personal advantage.
To be non-attached is to recognize that nothing is really separate.
This
brings us back to the realization that the giver and the receiver are
one. And the gift isn’t separate, either. So, we give without
expectation of reward from the recipient — including a “thank you” —
and we place no conditions on the gift.
A Habit of Generosity
Dana
paramita is sometimes translated “perfection of generosity.” A generous
spirit is about more than just giving to charity. It is a spirit of
responding to the world and giving what is needed and appropriate at the
time.
This
spirit of generosity is an important foundation of practice. It helps
tear down our ego-walls while it relieves some of the sufferings of the
world. And it also includes being grateful for the generosity shown to
you. This is the practice of dana paramita.
Offering
food is one of the oldest and most common rituals of Buddhism. Food is
given to monks during alms rounds and also ritually offered to tantric
deities and hungry ghosts. Offering food is a meritorious act that also
reminds us not to be greedy or selfish.
Offering Alms to Monks
The
first Buddhist monks did not build monasteries. Instead, they were
homeless mendicants who begged for all their food. Their only
possessions were their robe and begging bowl.
Today,
in many predominately Theravada countries like Thailand, monks still
rely on receiving alms for most of their food. The monks leave the
monasteries early in the morning. They walk single file, oldest first,
carrying their alms bowls in front of them. Laypeople wait for them,
sometimes kneeling, and place food, flowers or incense sticks in the
bowls. Women must be careful not to touch the monks.
The
monks do not speak, even to say thank you. The giving of alms is not
thought of as charity. The giving and receiving of alms create a
spiritual connection between the monastic and lay communities. Laypeople
have a responsibility to support the monks physically, and the monks
have an obligation to support the community spiritually.
The
practice of begging for alms has mostly disappeared in Mahayana
countries, although in Japan monks periodically do takuhatsu, “request”
(taku) “with eating bowls” (hatsu). Sometimes monks recite sutras in
exchange for donations. Zen monks may go out in small groups, chanting
“Ho” (dharma) as they walk, signifying that they are bringing the
dharma.
Monks
practicing takuhatsu wear large straw hats that partly obscure their
faces. The hats also prevent them from seeing the faces of those giving
them alms. There is no giver and no receiver; just giving and receiving.
This purifies the act of giving and receiving.
Other Food Offerings
Ceremonial
food offerings also are a common practice in Buddhism. The precise
rituals and doctrines behind them differ from one school to another.
Food may be simply and silently left on an altar, with a small bow, or
elaborate chants and full prostrations might accompany the offering.
However, it is done, as with the alms given to monks, offering food on
an altar is an act of connecting with the spiritual world. It is also a
means to release selfishness and open the heart to the needs of others.
It
is a common practice in Zen to make food offerings to the hungry
ghosts. During formal meals during sesshin, an offering bowl will be
passed or brought to each person about to partake of the meal. Everyone
takes a small piece of food from his bowl, touches it to the forehead,
and places it in the offering bowl. The bowl is then ceremonially placed
on the altar.
Hungry
ghosts represent all of our greed and thirst and clinging, which bind
us to our sorrows and disappointments. By giving away something that we
crave, we unbind ourselves from our own clinging and neediness to think
of others.
Eventually, the offered food is left out for birds and wild animals.
Discovery of Awakened One with Awareness Universe (DAOAU)
For The Welfare, Happiness, Peace of All Sentient and Non-Sentient
Beings and for them to Attain Eternal Peace as Final Goal.KUSHINARA
NIBBANA BHUMI PAGODA-It is a 18 feet Dia All White Pagoda with may be a
table or, but be sure to having above head level based on the usual use
of the room. in 116 CLASSICAL LANGUAGES
Throughhttp://sarvajan.ambedkar.orgAtWHITE HOME 668, 5A main Road, 8th
Cross, HAL III Stage,
Prabuddha Bharat Puniya Bhumi Bengaluru
Magadhi Karnataka State
PRABUDDHA BHARAT
Dr B.R.Ambedkar thundered “Main Bharat Baudhmay karunga.” (I will make India Buddhist)
Food
is offered to monks and through ritual to deities and hungry ghosts.
Discover an explanation of the meaning and purpose of Buddhist food
offerings.
In
the West, we often associate religion, Christianity especially, with
organized charity. With its emphasis on compassion, one would think
charity is important to Buddhism also, but we don’t hear much about it.
In the West, there’s a common assumption that Buddhism doesn’t “do”
charity, in fact, and instead encourages followers to withdraw from the
world and ignore the suffering of others. Is that true?
Buddhists
argue that the reason one doesn’t hear so much about Buddhist charity
is that Buddhism doesn’t seek publicity for charity. Giving, or
generosity, is one of the Perfections (paramitas) of Buddhism, but to
be “perfect” it must be selfless, without expectation of reward or
praise. Even practicing charity “to feel good about myself” is
considered an impure motivation. In some schools of Buddhism monks
asking for alms wear large straw hats that partly obscure their faces,
signifying there is neither giver nor receiver, but just the act of
giving.
Alms and Merit
It
has long been the case that laypeople have been encouraged to give alms
to monks, nuns, and temples, with the promise that such giving will
make merit for the giver. The Buddha spoke of such merit in terms of
spiritual maturity. Developing the selfless intention of doing good for
others brings one closer to enlightenment.
Still,
“making merit” does sound like a reward, and it is common to think that
such merit will bring good fortune to the giver. To get around such
expectation of reward, it is common for Buddhists to dedicate the merit
of a charitable act to someone else, or even to all beings.
Charity in Early Buddhism
In
the Sutta-pitaka the Buddha spoke of six kinds of people in particular
need of generosity — recluses or hermits, people in religious orders,
the destitute, travelers, the homeless and beggars. Other early sutras
speak of caring for the sick and people who are needy because of
disasters. Throughout his teaching, the Buddha was clear that one should
not turn away from suffering but do whatever can be done to relieve it.
Still,
through most of Buddhist history charity per se was an individual
practice. Monks and nuns performed many acts of kindness, but monastic
orders generally didn’t function as charities in an organized way except
in times of great need, such as after natural disasters.
Engaged Buddhism
Taixu
(Tai Hsu; 1890-1947) was a Chinese Linji Chan Buddhist monk who
proposed a doctrine that came to be called “humanistic Buddhism.” Taixu
was a modernist reformer whose ideas refocused Chinese Buddhism away
from rituals and rebirth and toward addressing human and social
concerns. Taixu influenced new generations of Chinese and Taiwanese
Buddhists who expanded humanistic Buddhism into a force for good in the
world.
Humanistic
Buddhism inspired the Vietnamese monk Thich Nhat Hanh to propose
Engaged Buddhism. Engaged Buddhism applies Buddhist teaching and
insights to social, economic, environmental and other issues troubling
the world. A number of organizations work actively with Engaged
Buddhism, such as the Buddhist Peace Fellowship and the International
Network of Engaged Buddhists.
Buddhist Charities Today
Today there are many Buddhist charities, some local, some international. Here are just a few:
Tzu Chi Foundation — Buddhist Compassionate Relief: Established in
1966 by Dharma Master Cheng Yen, a Taiwanese nun, Tzu Chi today has more
than 500 offices in 50 countries and regions. Its millions of
volunteers around the globe have built schools, offered medical care,
and responded to disasters in 87 different countries, including the
United States.
Buddhist Global Relief: Founded by the American Theravadin monk
Bikkhu Bodhi, BGR provides food aid to the hungry and malnourished,
promotes ecologically sustainable agriculture, and supports education
and other opportunities for girls and women.
Cambodia AIDS Project: This chaplaincy program supports AIDS,
tuberculosis, cancer and other patients too poor to access traditional
spiritual resources. The program also provides material support for
caregivers, the elderly, the disabled, pregnant and breastfeeding women,
prisoners, and others without access to the resources they need.
Lotus Outreach International: Lotus outreach provides education,
health, and economic opportunity programs to over 30,000 women and
children in India and Cambodia.
The Buddha Jyoti Himalayan Youth Club Nepal: Among other projects,
this group operates Maitri Griha, a home for mentally handicapped
children.
The
Model Aquatic Health Code, produced by the Centers for Disease Control
or CDC, the National Swimming Pool Foundation and a host of swimming
pool manufacturers and public health representatives established
standards for swimming pool maintenance to avoid public health hazards.
The recommendations, once approved by the concerned agencies and
implemented, will improve the water safety for the nearly 339 million
Americans who visit public pools each year.
Legionnaires’ Disease
Legionnaires’
Disease, also known as Legionellosis, is caused by a bacterium. Water
and vapor provide the medium for its easy transmission. The disease took
the name of the organization impacted by an outbreak at its 1976
convention in Philadelphia. Legionnaires’ Disease, a bacterial lung
disease with symptoms similar to pneumonia, is linked to swimming pools
and to the moisture created in enclosed public pools, according to the
CDC. Transmission occurs through breathing in the bacteria-infected
vapors, not by human contact. Treatment of the disease includes
antibiotic drugs, although many infected people recover without any
treatment. The pool environment must be thoroughly and regularly cleaned
to remove the bacteria and risk of infection.
The Cryptosporidiosis Parasite
The
CDC reports that cryptosporidiosis, caused by an infection by the
“Cryptosporidium” parasite, was at record levels in 2010 due to “the
high resistance to chlorine disinfection” and the easy transmission of
the parasite. The agency recommends preventive procedures for public
swimming and wading pools to avoid widespread outbreaks. Public health
education of pool managers, parents, childcare professionals and
community health departments is crucial for avoiding the health risks.
The prevention program involves educating all of the partners in
transmission; alternative disinfection systems, such as use of ozone and
ultraviolet light; and proper hand-and-foot washing techniques.
The Influenza Virus
Properly
maintained public swimming pools pose little risk for influenza
infection, but improperly maintained pools that fail to meet the
CDC-recommended free chlorine levels of one to three parts per million
offer a moist environment for the influenza virus. While recent health
concerns include the swine, or H1N1, influenza virus, all flu viruses
are spread in the same manner. Infection occurs via personal contact or
by contact with a pool chair or hard surface also touched by a person
infected with the flu virus, according to the CDC. Avoid touching the
mouth, eyes or nose to minimize the risk of influenza while at the
public pool.
Athlete’s Foot
Athlete’s
foot is an infection by fungus, tinea pedis, that creates a fungal
growth and additional skin cell growth on the basal, or top-most, layer
of the skin. Pieces of discarded skin infected with fungus fall from
swimmers’ feet, creating an opportunity to infect other pool visitors.
The Society of Chiropodists and Podiatrists reports that athlete’s foot
is “…highly contagious and can spread to anywhere on your skin.”
Wearing sandals while walking around the pool deck discourages
infection. Drying the skin thoroughly after swimming also discourages
athlete’s foot growth.
oureverydaylife.com
Health Risks of Public Swimming Pools
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Health Risks of Public Swimming Pools
The Model Aquatic Health Code, produced by the Centers for Disease
Control or CDC, the National Swimming Pool Foundation and a host of
swimming pool manufacturers and public health representatives
established standards
Top Ten Grantmaking Donors that Support Children’s Projects
We’ve
selected ten of the world’s best grantmaking donors that support
children’s projects around the world. All of the organisations featured
offer financial support for NGOs that provide development projects for
children as well as cross-cutting issues related to children.
For each
donor we have included a brief description of the organisation, its
geographical coverage, areas of interest, application procedure and
contact details.
Donors often change their funding
priorities and eligibility criteria over time. Please check the
official website of each donor for the very latest information before
applying.
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Brief
Description: The Global Fund for Children works to transform the lives
of the world’s most vulnerable children. The Fund provides small grants to innovative community-based organizations and harnessing the power of children’s books, films and documentary photography to promote global understanding.
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Membership offers unlimited search options to find your grants and
donors. Search by country or thematic area of your work interest or even
by keyword. View the number of open grants for your country. on a
Google Map. Keep a watch on grant deadlines through a calendar. Learn more.
Area of Interest: Youth & Adolescents, Vocational Education, Education, Children, HIV/AIDS, Primary Education, Disability
Application Procedure: To
apply NGOs must submit a preliminary letter of inquiry, which may be
submitted at any time during the year. For more information please click here.
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Brief:
Dubai Cares awards grants to implement projects or activities in
relation to primary education in developing countries worldwide. The
grants are not awarded on a case-by-case basis. Rather, to be considered
for funding, proposals
should be consistent with Dubai Cares’ annual programming and approved
list of intervention countries. While proposals are assessed throughout
the year, only during the last quarter are the new programs for the
upcoming year finalized and approved
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Area of interest: Children, Education, Nutrition, Agriculture, Food & Nutrition
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Application procedure:
To ensure a thorough and fair assessment for partnerships with Dubai
Cares, interested organizations should follow the process below:
Provide general information on the organization, its mission, scope of work, operations and governance
Submit previous years’ annual and audit reports
Submit reports and assessments regarding previous or ongoing programs related to primary education
Provide concept notes (3-4 pages) for projects that the organization would like to consider
Brief Description: Waterloo
Foundation gives grants to organizations in both the UK and world-wide.
The Foundation is most interested in projects that help globally
particularly in the areas of disparity of wealth, climate-related issues
and child development.
Geographical Coverage: Ghana, Lesotho, Malawi, Nepal, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Europe and United Kingdom
Area of Interest: Secondary Education, Health, Education, Community Health, Climate Change, Water & Sanitation, Primary Education, Environment, Children, Natural Resources
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Application Procedure: The
Waterloo Foundation accepts requests for funding under each of their
Grant Programmes. Each Grant Programme has specific requirements or
deadlines which you must follow if submitting an application for
funding. For more information click here.
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Brief Description: The
UPS Foundation focuses its investment strategy around four pillars
aligned with its corporate values and business expertise: Diversity,
Community Safety, Environment, and Volunteerism. The Foundation is
committed to leveraging business expertise and resources to help deliver
innovative and sustainable solutions to address some of the world’s
most pressing challenges.
Geographical Coverage: Global
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Area of Interest: Accidents & Traffic Safety, Children, Democracy & Good Governance, Economic Development, Education, Environment, Health, Humanitarian Relief, Youth & Adolescents, Conservation, Health care
Application Procedure: A
written proposal, proof of tax exempt status and reflections of
specific project must be submitted to the following address by September
1st: Kenneth Sternad, The UPS Foundation 55 Glenlake Pkwy NE Atlanta,
GA 30328
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Brief Description:
The trust provides grants to organizations registered in the United
Kingdom. They support organizations that work with children and young
people, those with a disability, living in poverty or who are disadvantaged in Hertfordshire.
(Ad) Still,
finding it difficult to find new grants and donors to support your
work? No way to easily search and identify upcoming funding
opportunities? No idea how to raise funds? We have a solution for you.
Our Premium Membership service answers all your questions.Learn more.
Geographical Coverage: Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, United Kingdom
Area of Interest: Youth & Adolescents, Children, Disability
Application Procedure: You
can submit your application only electronically. The Trust will usually
let respond within one month to indicate whether you should submit a
full application.
Brief Description: The
EDF Foundation’s mission is to primarily support the development of
targeted and specific programs to help young people find their place in
society. The Foundation also supports solidarity initiatives in France and around the world by supporting the actors involved.
Geographical Coverage: Global
Area of Interest: Children, Education, Employment & Labor, Environment, Science, Youth & Adolescents, Energy, Tertiary & Higher Education
Application Procedure: For application information, please visit: http://fondation.edf.com/presentez_un_projet
Brief Description: The
A M Qattan Foundation an independent, not-for-profit developmental
institution is working in the culture and education sectors targeting a
variety of social groups, particularly children, teachers and young
artists.
Brief Description: Children
for Tomorrow is a non-profit foundation with the aim of supporting
children and families who have become victims of war, persecution and
organized violence The foundation endeavors to provide support in the
process of emotional recovery for children who have experienced various
forms of violence
Brief Description: The
mission of the Fondation Sanofi Espoir is to help in reducing
healthcare inequalities, particularly among the world’s most needy
communities.
Brief Description:
On His Path is a private, non-profit foundation, which was formed in
2009 by John and Jean Mitchell, for the purpose of manufacturing and
distributing superior low-cost clubfoot braces for the disabled in
developing countries.
Application Procedure: The
Foundation is currently accepting grant requests for the 2014 giving
cycle. For more details on the application process please click here.
Written by Said Shah, Edited by Robin Toal
Comments
KEITUMETSE MOTSUMIsays
I study in Ireland and would like to start
an orphanage home in Botswana. I am volunteering with Irish Cancer
Association. Can someone assist with steps i need to take after
completion of my education?
Gamala Luitelsays
Hello Keitumetse,
You must find some appropriate funding opportunities and apply so that you can secure fund for your plan.
We wish you good luck!
BOGERE ALPHONCEsays
Foundation for Education and Development
wants to set up a computer center for orphans and other at risk
children. Where can we get funding?
Gamala Luitelsays
Hello Bogere,
Please visit the individual grantmaking donors by clicking on their
names and find a relevant donor for your project. We post funding
opportunities on daily basis, please find a relevant one for your
project and apply.
We wish you good luck!
Gideon Kaahwasays
We run a kindergatten since 2012. i seek a
help of 4300 Euros to enable me construct a class room for p1 and p2 in
remote kabarole district western uganda
Gamala Luitelsays
Hello Gideon,
Please find relevant funding opportunity and apply. Before you apply, make sure that you meet all the eligibility criteria.
Also, you should visit the link we provide at the bottom of the article
(find line beginning with ‘For more information…’) to begin with
application process.
Thank you!
Suleiman millanzisays
We are looking Donor to support us in the ares of Health, Water, Sanitation, Education and Environment issues
Gamala Luitelsays
Hello Suleiman,
Please find a relevant funding opportunity and apply. To keep track of the opportunities, you can subscribe our newsletter http://newsletters.fundsforngos.org/.
Good Luck!
Francis Hellansays
We are Indian origin, live in Sri Lanka.In
200 years ago We were taken by Europion from south India to work in the
plantation sector .still our community living with out any basic needs.
How can you help to us?
Gamala Luitelsays
Hello Francis,
You should find relevant opportunities and apply. This is the only way someone can help you.
Thank you!
Jonathan Ambuchi Silasays
EDF Foundation, Kenya, need fund to support the children to complete education.
Gamala Luitelsays
Hello Jonathan,
Please find a relevant funding opportunity for the project your
foundation is working on. Read the eligibility criteria thoroughly and
make sure the foundation and project fit to it. Do not forget to visit
the link on the bottom of the article (in the line beginning with ‘For
more information…’). You can now begin with the application process.
We wish you good luck!
Jonathan Ambuchi Silasays
Please advise me on how to go about with
the whole issue concerning application and other needed information. I
haven’t been able to access the link in order to get more information.
Gamala Luitelsays
Hello Jonathan,
Please click on the titles, they direct you to the original sites where you will get all the information you need/want.
Wish you good luck!
George Mbiriri Nyamburasays
Volunteering in NGO for many years, I am
starting a new organisation ‘Blue Flame International’ to directly
assist affected and needy communities all around Kenya. Would highly
appreciate any form of advice, guidance and any assistance while staring
my new NGO.
Cecilia Bonasays
I am interested in Dubai cares funds for education please reply me and send you e-details
Regards
Gamala Luitelsays
Hello Cecilia,
Please click ‘Dubai Cares’ in the article. You will be directed to where
you can browse to all relevant pages for your information and proceed
with application process.
Good Luck!
Cecilia Bonasays
We have an organization called Mundri
Relief Development Association (MRDA) which is implementing four
different projects one of it is Education and we are interested in area
of helping girls in secondary and primary schools in one of the state in
South Sudan, but we are stuck of getting funds to proceed on with this
project. We tried on our organizational budget, but it’s hard of no fund
at hand now. Our hearts jumps when we see girls dropping out of the
school and walking on streets in every corner of South Sudan. In which
majority of those girls in villages are orphans of the longest war in
Africa history which took place in Sudan and not over yet. I would be
grateful if you would help us in funding this project so as to educate
our girls in south Sudan to move hand to hand with boys. best regards
N Thungdemo Kikonsays
I run an orphanage exclusively for girls,
they are studying in reputed schools doing excellent in their studies.
we are looking for donor to set up permanent infrastructure.
DANIEL ASHITEYsays
I base in Ghana, I have association which
is called help the child association .am supporting them in their
education.we are ready to welcome any body who is ready to help this
children. Please come to our aid.I need some one to join hends with me
to push this children forward.
Thank u.hope to hear from u soon.
Rose Rehansays
I have a project proposal of helping two
primary schools in one of the villages in South Sudan, but I am stuck of
getting funding to proceed on with this project. I tried on my personal
budget, but it’s heavy on my shoulder. My heart is bleeding when I see
children walking on streets in every corner of South Sudan. Majority of
those children in villages are orphans of the longest war in Africa
history which took place in Sudan and not over yet. I would be grateful
if you help me in carry on this project. stay well
Paul Omonginsays
I am interest in UPS Foundation grants but
only physical address is availed. I am from Uganda and would easily
E-mail my request. P’se send E-mail details
James Russell Miller once said, “Nothing else in all life is such a maker of joy and cheer as the privilege of doing good”.
It is indeed a great humane gesture to give. It is a way to express
generosity and kindness towards the less privileged sections of the
society to fulfill our social conscience.
Donating for a noble cause can be the most gratifying feeling but
many a times we are prone to get hysterical and can rush into the
process without checking some significant details about the NGO/
nonprofit.
So if you’re here reading this article, pause for a bit before
parting ways with your hard-earned money. We want to make sure you
understand that there are certain things which need to be kept in mind
before you make a donation in India.
Here are the things you need to check for, before making your contribution:
Is the NGO/Non Profit registered?
The first step you need to take is to look for a proper registration.
Registered NGOs in India are eligible to obtain a legal status, seek
assistance from government agencies, contract funds and support from the
relevant departments.
The NGOs registered under the FCRA (Foreign Contribution Registration
Act), are eligible to get donations from foreign sources implying a
great financial stability of the nonprofit.
Does it provide a Safe Payment Method?
The process one follows to make a Donation for NGO is
very important. After all, as a donor, you would like to see that the
maximum part of your contribution reaches the target NGO.
It is mostly safe to avoid making a donation in cash, and instead
trying other options such as cheques, or even better, online payments.
The donations of Narayan Seva Sansthan are made online through the SSL
gateway ensuring security and privacy to the donors.
Do they provide reliable Accountability & Transparency?
In recent times, a couple of NGOs have been caught in scams,
concealing illegal ways where the donor funds were not being used for
the right social cause. Therefore, the nonprofit’s past achievements and
financial position over the years is a must to verify before getting
involved.
Check the NGO’s website, social media presence, ongoing campaigns,
contact information, on-ground work, financial details, tax status and
other relevant features to decide which NGO you want to give your money
to. A reliable NGO is always open to any form of Public Scrutiny.
Are the donations Tax Deductible?
Be aware of the fact that the donations for certain NGO’s like
Narayan Seva Sansthan are exempted from taxes under section 80G of the
Income tax.
So, if your philanthropic organization provides you Tax free donation then it’s a cherry on the cake.
Also, not all donations are eligible for Tax deduction, so you are advised to go through the rules before making a decision.
The bottom Line:
If you know a reliable charitable organization and want to support it, do the above research and make the best decisions.
Lastly, you can also try donating through ways other than money, such as getting involved by devoting your time and skills.
Narayan Seva Sansthan is widely hailed as the Top Charity Organization of India and
has improved the lives of millions by their cause of providing free
treatments and surgeries, skill development, mass wedding ceremonies and
what not; for the physically impaired individuals.
Welcome to
GiveIndia, India’s largest and most trusted giving platform that
connects donors to verified nonprofits. GiveIndia helps you become a ray
of hope for people in need. Choose a cause that is close to your heart
and join hands with millions of donors like you who aim to make this
world a better place.
B 404, The Atrium, 49 Kalakshetra Road, Thiruvanmiyur, Chennai 600041 Tamilnadu
Akanksha was born when a group of friends started volunteering on weekends at public hospitals and homes for destitute children and women in Chennai in 1998. … Read more
Amar Seva Sangram was established to help differently-abled and underprivileged children. Their mission is to empower disabled citizens by rehabilitating them and integrating them into mainstream society. They have a home for rehabilitated physically challen… Read more
St. Joseph Matric School Campus, Vendanpatty, Ponnamaravathi Taluk, Pudukottai District 622419 Tamilnadu
The vision of the organisation is to work towards empowerment of the less privileged, oppressed and deprived women and children, youth, artisans, landless, unorganized and migrant labourers, and the farming community through a process of organizati… Read more
The primary objective of ASHWINI is to establish a health system that is accessible, acceptable, effective and sustainable. It should be owned and managed by the people themselves. The most important aspect of this health intervention is the strong … Read more
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The
country has seen large scale devastation as an effect of Covid-19. The
pandemic has led to massive losses of income and had a long-lasting
impact on the economy. Poor daily wager families who were already
struggling to make ends meet are now starving. And the worst-hit are
their children - who need not just full stomachs but proper nutrition to
grow.
More than a third of the world’s malnourished children
live in India. Now, due to the pandemic, the numbers are only rising.
95.1 million children are deprived of midday meals at school during the
pandemic. The State of the World’s Children Report 2019 by UNICEF
reckons that 69% of deaths among children under five years of age can be
attributed to malnutrition in India. It also estimates that every
second child up to five years of age is affected by some form of
malnutrition. That is just an indication of the level of risk children
in this country face in this crisis.
Through Mission: No Child
Hungry, our NGO partners will be distributing monthly nutrition kits to
ensure India’s poor children are not malnourished. The kits will
contain immunity-boosting formulas, multi-vitamins, iron-rich food
items, and food with high protein content including dates, Horlicks,
chickpea/green gram/cowpea, ragi flour, etc.
Provide
nutrition for the development and growth of all children. All it takes
is ₹1,000 per month to safeguard one child from malnutrition.
*Strict
adherence to social distancing rules are being followed by the NGOs for
the distribution. Door to door distribution will be done to ensure zero
public gathering.
Once you donate, we will send you the name and photo of the child you are supporting.
387 children still need support
128 monthly supporters
42%
per month
₹ 1000 per month supports 1 child
Share on Facebook
Share on Whatsapp
Our promise that your giving is doing what it’s supposed to - changing lives.
We
go to the extent of meeting the actual people that the nonprofits
serve. Yes, they sometimes live in remote villages, but that doesn’t
stop us because we take our promise to bring you trustworthy options
very seriously.
GiveIndia partners with the most credible nonprofits to make sure your donation does what it is supposed to - change lives.
Join us in this mission to ensure that every child in our country has access to nutritious food.
Your support for a child’s nutritional growth will:
Save a child from malnutrition
Healthy growth for all children
Reduce the risk of Covid-19 in poor children
Nutritious food will boost the immune system
Help eradicate hunger
Well nourished children is a move towards a hunger-free future
How
Each
nutrition kit contains immunity-boosting formulas, multi-vitamins,
iron-rich food items, high protein food like dates, Horlicks, chickpea,
ragi flour, etc.
₹ 1000
per
month
A donation of ₹ 1000 a month can provide nutritious food to
1
child
387 children waiting to be sponsored
₹ 1000 per month
https://www.udayfoundation.org/
Uday Foundation : Official Website
Who We Are
Little Uday, who was born with multiple birth defects inspire his parents to start Uday Foundation. Learn More
Help Us
Different types of contributions and in-kind support you can make. Learn More
Get Involved
Nothing greater than giving back to the society. Learn More
Please make a donation directly though Paytm app Click Here
THIS PITRU PAKSHA (SHRADH PUJA) DONATE FOOD TO THE NEEDY.
PITRU PAKSHA START DATE: TUESDAY, 1 SEPTEMBER 2020 – END DATE: THURSDAY, 17 SEPTEMBER 2020)
On this Pitru Paksha (Shradh) remember your ancestors by doing tarpan
and donating food to needy people. While making a donation for
Pitrupaksha, you can also mention the name of the person on whose Pitru
Paksha / Shradh ceremony you wish to feed the needy people.
Help us to feed poor patients and their families outside hospitals
Your small contribution will support us to feed family members & caregivers of underprivileged patients in the hospital
Majority of the underprivileged patients admitted in Government
hospitals are those who come from nearby states are often poor, in
several cases family members decide to stay hungry to save money.
With just Rs.550/- you can provide food to 50 person. Donate Now
Donate Hygiene Kit
With just Rs.500/- you can provide a hygiene kit to a woman. Donate Now
Donate Educational Kit
With just Rs.750/- you can provide an educational kit to a child. Donate Now
Donate A Warm Blanket
With just Rs.400/- you can provide a blanket to a homeless. Donate Now
Donate Through Paytm
Make a small contribution directly through your paytm wallet to feed the needy. Donate Now
Remembrance Giving
Honor and remember your loved one on their death anniversary by feeding the needy. Donate Now
Birthday Celebration
Celebrate your birthday by feeding the poor patients and their families outside hospitals. Donate Now
Donate Old Clothes
Donate winter clothes for children and adults at our Adhchini collection centre. Learn More
Stories of Impact | How your help is reaching to the most needy.
Distribution Drive with Indian Army
In
an attempt to reach out to the local populace in Kashmir and to help
them fight the severe winters, 15 Rashtriya Rifles/7 Sector RR/Kilo
Force, organized a programme to distribute huge quantity of essential
items like blankets, suitcases, leather bags, sports and canvas shoes,
sweat shirts etc at Vilgam Army Camp.
Helping The Homeless
Every
year from the month of October till January we run our share and care
campaign, providing winter cloths, woolens and blankets to
underprivileged patients in Government hospitals, people living in open
on streets and night shelters in Delhi NCR and major part of Northern
India.
Uttarakhand Floods
In
June 2013, Uttarakhand faced devastating floods, which was India’s
worst natural disaster since a decade. Uday Foundation SOS response
teams reached the remote flood affected areas with essential help. We
still continue to work in Uttarakhand with various charity programs.
CSR Partnership with NGO for CSR Projects ( Financial Year 2020 – 2021)
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR Partnership, Financial Year 2020 – 2021)
Join
Uday Foundation NGO for CSR Partnership : If you wish to utilise your
CSR fund for CSR project for Financial year 2019 as per activities
specified in clause (1) of Schedule VII of the Companies Act, 2013 as
notified by Ministry of Corporate Affairs vide its notification dated
27th February, 2014 ( In exercise of the power conferred by sub-section
(1) of section 467 of the companies Act, 2013 (18 of 2013). Our team
will help you to better utilise your CSR funds for Financial year 2020 –
2021 with hunger and poverty CSR projects with full transparency and
CSR Fund utilisation.
For any queries and details, please write to Ms. Reena Sen at reena.sen@udayfoundation.org
Follow us on Twitter
Follow us on Facebook
Children Ambulance Project in fond memory of Dr. Ved Prakash Duggal
Uday
Foundation runs a small initiative of children ambulance, wherein we
support emergency hospital transportation of sick children. Learn More
Memorial Giving
Does
the death anniversary of your near and dear ones come and go and you
wish to do something to remember them? Connecting to others will help
you heal Learn More
Monthly Help
When
you make a monthly donation pledge, you can take comfort in knowing
that your regular contributions are constantly working, day in and day
out, saving lives. Learn More
Donate Old Clothes
Throughout
the year, we collect all kinds of summer and winter clothes for
children and adults at our Adhchini collection centre. Donate old
clothes, feel blessed.Learn More
Humanitarian Aid
We
believe, that mere providing basic health care is not enough, as every
individual also deserves dignity so at Uday Foundation we ensure the
same by providing them respect and human touch.
Medical Centre
Healthcare
always remains as top priority for Uday Foundation. We continue to
address the health needs of underprivileged children and women through
our dedicated health centre.
Stories on Wheels
Our
Stories on Wheels daily visits various hospitals with storybooks, Toys
and Gifts. volunteers can visit hospitals and narrate stories to the
sick children and share gifts with them.
Reading Room
We
have a dedicated reading room at our centre with hundreds of books. We
also run regular storytelling session for our children.
Medical Camp
We also conduct regular health camps for homeless and underprivileged who find it difficult to reach to the hospital.
Relief Camp
The
Uday foundation works for disaster relief and humanitarian aid, with
primary response efforts focused on food, shelter, water, sanitation and
emergency supplies to the victims.
Covid-19
has presented new set of challenges before everybody. Countries across
the globe have been tested at multiple levels. This has been a crisis
like never before.
You are facing hardships economically, socially, mentally and
psychologically. For your family and friends, staying inside homes
during the lockdown was a safer option and we all did practice social
distancing diligently.
But India’s invisible population – the unsheltered population, the
homeless were at an increased risk as they faced multiple hardships. As
the number of cases surged, Uday Foundation continued providing relief
materials to the homeless during the pandemic.
Uday Foundation worked tirelessly throughout the lockdown period.
Items that were distributed include dry ration, cooked meals, clothes,
life-saving medicines, hygiene kits, masks, sanitizers, gloves, sanitary
napkins for women and girls and essential items to the needy. Our food
donation drive did not stop for a even a single day. We know healthcare
burden is increasing and so is the burden for caregivers.
Uday Foundation supported the most vulnerable population – the
migrant workers who were forced to leave cities for lack of money and
resources. Millions witnessed the great Indian migration through
television and other social media channels.
We tried and eased their pain and struggle by being part of their
journey for few days. The organization distributed food, water,
umbrellas, medicines and other essential items. With the help of your
constant in the time of crisis we have been able to support stand in
solidarity with those in need.
As the humanity continues to fight, you are preparing and adapting to
new ways of living. But let’s not forget the most vulnerable in our
society. We share the same planet, and we share the same crisis. Real
strength lies in supporting each other and lifting those who are weak.
I hope you will continue to help us during our food donation drive,
clothes donation drive, blanket donation drive, dry ration donation
drive and essential items.
Best 360 cameras that’ll help you capture life in every direction.
If you’re planning to buy a 360-degree camera, you should be clear about what are you going to use it for. Some models of such camera feature rugged, all-weather builds and also fit solidly in the action cam category.
After
70-plus hours of researching over nearly three years, including days of
hands-on testing for this update and two months using our main pick,
we’ve found that the Insta360 One X
is the best 360 camera. It produces attractive, high-resolution,
360-degree, fully spherical images and videos that you can scroll around
to show a view of every direction surrounding the camera, plus unique
non-360 “FreeCapture” 1080p videos that show just the most interesting
sections of your 360 content. The camera is small and easy to use and
has excellent apps for your phone and computer.
The Insta360 One X
is the camera that does everything well. The specs on the One X read
like a 360 camera wishlist: 5.7K resolution (the highest you can get in
this price range), removable battery, on-camera display, Bluetooth,
Wi-Fi, an app with advanced editing methods, and more. It’s as if
Insta360 looked at everything people wanted in a 360 camera, and stuffed
it all into the One X. Even better, it performs as well as you’d hope
looking at the features list. The camera isn’t waterproof, but two
waterproof cases are available, along with numerous other accessories.
Though
it lacks some of the advanced features of the Insta360 One X like
robust image stabilization, a removable battery, and 5.7K video, the Ricoh Theta V
is a solid alternative if our main pick is sold out. The Theta V’s
simple design belies the complexity within, offering high-quality images
and videos that look more natural and immersive than those taken by
most other cameras. Though its resolution isn’t as high as that of some
others, the quality of its lenses and image sensors let it take
excellent photos and videos.
If you’re looking for something you can take surfing, swimming, mountain biking, or otherwise action cam-y, the Garmin Virb 360
is waterproof to 33 feet (10 meters), records 5.7K video, and has a
number of cool editing features. It’s significantly more expensive than
our other picks, but offers a lot more for people looking for a 360
action cam. While the similar GoPro Fusion has a bit better image
quality, it is significantly more difficult to use and live with. So for
most people, the Garmin is the better option.
In
addition to being the editor-at-large for Wirecutter, I also review 360
cameras for Forbes. I was an early adopter of the format and have used
several cameras in my other, other life as a travel writer and photographer for Forbes and CNET. You can check out samples from different 360 cameras I’ve used and reviewed on my Flickr page and on my YouTube channel. I also post lots of Tiny Planet photos, shot with 360 cameras, on my Instagram.
Why get a 360 camera?
Although
it’s unlikely that a 360 camera will replace a traditional camera, it
offers additional creative options for fun and interesting photos and
videos. Whether you’re getting into virtual reality or you’re a
real-estate broker hoping to show off a home in a new way, photos and
videos captured with a 360 camera offer a more immersive way to see
places than any other media. Viewers can enjoy a full sphere, allowing
them to take in, for better or worse, everything in a space—not just a
narrow view from the Eiffel Tower, but the sweep of Paris, you, and the
tower itself. Not just a selfie with the crazy lights of Shinjuku,
Tokyo, but of the entire street and everyone around you. Taking a good
360 photo or video is challenging, needing great placement and
environment, but the result can be fantastic.
In addition, most
360 cameras now let you create a standard, rectangular 1080p video using
just the most interesting portions of your 360 sphere. Think of this
like cutting out a section of the sphere, your face for example, and
just showing that instead of everything around the camera. In most cases
this video is highly stabilized, and looks professionally smooth. It
can also have pans, zooms, and time lapses that are far more interesting
and creative than what a traditional camera can easily create.
That versatility has led some action camera photographers to consider switching to a 360 camera.
Imagine, for example, you’re racing go karts with your friends. With a
traditional action camera, you’ll need to point the camera at exactly
one thing. With a 360 camera, there’s no aiming. You’re recording
everything in all directions at all times. So with the same go kart
race, you’ve got video of you, of where you’re going, of your friend
passing you and wiping out, and everything around the camera. Your
shots, angles, and field of view are all determined after you record,
while you’re editing (a simple process that you can do in the app on
your smartphone) . You’ve captured everything, so your videos are only
the best, most interesting bits. You can start with a view of the track
ahead, smoothly pan around to your face, track your mate as he tries to
pass, then cut back for your reaction.
GoPro calls their version of this “OverCapture,” while Insta360, one of the biggest names in 360 cameras, calls it “FreeCapture.”
While these features debuted a few years ago, the latest versions of
both company’s apps improve how the tech works and makes it far easier
to get fun results.
A Tiny Planet photo from Las Vegas shot with the Insta360 One X. More examples like this on my Instagram. Photo: Geoffrey Morrison
The
360 photos and videos themselves, however, aren’t viewable everywhere.
Facebook and Flickr are two of the biggest free websites that can
correctly display the images. YouTube, Vimeo, and Facebook are three of
the biggest that can correctly display the videos. Most recent mobile
phones can show 360 media and some use their internal sensors to act as a
sort of moving window into your photos/videos: Load the image, then
move the phone to see the image as if you’re inside it. It’s pretty
amazing the first time you see it work.
Lastly, the photos and videos you will get from
any consumer 360 camera are not going to be anything close to the
quality you’re used to. Even the best results will be softer than a
normal HD or 4K video, because the same number of pixels now have to
show the entire photosphere. Still, our picks produce some great images.
Because of the smaller image sensors in these cameras, the images are
typically noisier, especially in low light, than those from
point-and-shoot cameras or modern high-end cell phones.
You don’t need a VR headset to enjoy 360 content, though having one adds a layer of realism.
How we picked
The Ricoh Theta V, Garmin Virb 360, and the Insta360 One X. Though only
the Garmin comes with a small tripod, all three have tripod mounts that
can also be used with selfie sticks. Photo: Kyle Fitzgerald
There
aren’t that many 360 cameras available, and only a few new models have
come out since our update in summer 2018. With these new models, though,
we added a few “must-have” features to our list.
At least 4K video capture:
Because you’re seeing only a portion of the video at any one time,
resolution becomes an issue. While traditional 1080p video can look
sharp, 1080p 360 videos look very soft. Even 4K, which offers four times
the resolution of 1080p, is still not enough with 360. It’s the minimum
we recommend.
To put it another way, imagine
taking a picture with just what your eyes can see right now, without
moving them or your head. That “image” in 4K would look very detailed.
But now imagine using the same number of pixels to “photograph”
everything you can see while moving your head. It wouldn’t be possible
to have the same level of detail with the larger field of view. So with
360, the more resolution the better. In 2018 several models offer
greater-than-4K resolution. Though not a requirement yet, it will be
going forward.
The ability to capture and share a full 360 sphere:
There are many cameras available that don’t offer photo spheres as much
as photo “domes.” In images made with these cameras, there’s a large
area around the bottom of the camera that’s just black. Think “bowl”
versus “globe.” There are now many excellent cameras that create the
full 360-by-360-degree photo/video spheres/globes, so we decided to
limit our picks to those. These images and videos are more immersive and
offer more of a wow factor. To create such media, these cameras
generally have two lenses and image sensors.
Compatibility with your phone:
Some 360 cameras unlock their full potential only with a specific OS,
or even a specific phone maker. While these can be good values for
people with the right phone, they can’t be the best for most people.
Though no camera will work with every phone, we at least wanted similar
levels of iOS and Android compatibility.
Waterproofing (for action-oriented cameras):
There are several great action 360 cameras at or above $500. At that
price, they had better be able to stand up to some real action.
Size and design:
These cameras don’t have to be tiny, but you’ll be more likely to carry
around a small camera with a simple, intuitive design that’s easy to
hold than some large monstrosity.
We didn’t look at
commercial or professional 360 cameras, which cost thousands of dollars.
These cameras use far more than just two sensors to capture the image.
Their performance is likely fantastic, but we figured these would be far
beyond what most people would want to spend for something that is, at
best, a secondary camera.
Several
great models from 2017 have carried over, and we also compared against
those, like the Rylo, and our former top pick, the Ricoh Theta V.
How we tested
We
gathered together the Theta V, One X, and Mi Sphere. The Garmin Virb
360, being much more expensive and waterproof, is in a separate category
that we’ll call action 360 cameras, of which the Nikon KeyMission 360
and GoPro Fusion are similar. We’ll cover those when we talk about our upgrade pick.
Having
used these cameras extensively, but individually, already, I took
multiple photos and videos with the three main contenders together. You
can see examples of their photos and videos below and on my
aforementioned Flickr page and YouTube channel.
There
is a lot to consider when it comes to the image and video quality of
360 cameras. First, all of the normal camera aspects: color, dynamic
range, noise, detail, and so on. Additionally, and unique to 360
cameras, you have what’s called “stitching.” All of the 360 cameras we
tested have two image sensors, essentially back to back. It’s sort of
like if both the front- and back-facing cameras on your phone took an
image at the same time. How well those images are stitched together by
the camera dictates how seamless the final photosphere is.
Several
scenes captured by the One X, Theta V, and Mi Sphere, edited into one
video. Use your mouse or move your phone or tablet to look around the
360 sphere. Also make sure the video is set for maximum resolution
(access the settings by clicking the gear icon in the bottom right of
the video ). Though edited together with Adobe Premiere, we made no
color correction or other adjustments. The Insta360 One X video was
downconverted to 4K to match that of the other cameras. We also made a side-by-side version of this video. Video: Geoffrey Morrison
All
of our picks do a pretty good job with stitching, but they also all
have a “dead zone.” There is a sphere around the camera that isn’t in
the photo. The cameras essentially remove themselves from each image,
but they also take a bit extra with them. As you’ll see in the samples
above, if you’re holding the camera or something is too close, the
camera might cut it off a bit. Generally, this isn’t an issue, but the
farther apart each sensor is, the bigger this dead zone is. Most, though
not all, companies have figured this out by now and place the sensors
very close together.
In addition to the basic picture quality, I
also paid close attention to how well each camera connected to phones,
how well their apps worked, and how easy it was to upload media to the
Web.
The Insta360 One X
is pretty much everything we’re looking for in a 360 camera: excellent
image quality and a thoughtful physical design, with an app that lets
you create clever and fun photos and videos of both 360 and traditional
1080p varieties. It takes everything we liked about our previous
runner-up pick, the Insta360 One, but adds in better image sensors,
lenses, a removable battery, and a camera body with a small screen so
you don’t have to pull out your phone to adjust settings.
The small screen on the One X lets you adjust settings and choose modes with ease. Photo: Kyle Fitzgerald
Physically
the One X is on the small side for a 360 camera, which is a good start.
The thin frame keeps distance between the image sensors at a minimum,
which is crucial for good stitching of the two hemispherical images to
create a 360 sphere photo or video. A small screen on the back lets you
adjust settings and modes without having to connect to your phone. It
has a removable battery, an excellent feature that’s surprisingly rare
among 360 cameras. On the bottom is a ¼-screw thread to connect to a
selfie stick or tripod. A single SD card saves your content. It has both
Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, but included short cables let you connect directly
to any phone or tablet that has a Micro USB, Lightning, or USB-C
connection, allowing for significantly faster transfers than what’s
possible with wireless.
The One X can handle microSD cards up to 128 GB. To smoothly record
5.7K and high-frame-rate videos, they recommend V30 speed class cards,
like our pick for microSD. Video: Kyle Fitzgerald
Inside
are two Sony CMOS 1/2.3″ sensors. These, paired with f2.0 aperture
200-degree lenses output photos at 6080×3040. This is lower than some
competitors, but the images are sharp, with good contrast. A high
dynamic range video mode lets you expand the apparent contrast if the
situation warrants it.
Video, on the other hand, is among the
highest resolution and frame rate of any consumer 360 camera. At 30
frames per second, the One X can create a 5760×2880 or “5.7K” image.
Only the Rylo is higher, at 5.8K, but at a lower 24 fps frame rate. In
use, the video tends to look similar in quality to the GoPro Fusion,
which is widely considered to have the best 360 video (though it has
other issues, which we discuss in the Competition section below).
Perhaps
more interesting is that the One X can record 4K video at 50 fps, and
3K at 100 fps. This lets you create professional-looking and supersmooth
slow-motion videos. Like its predecessor, the One X has Insta360’s
FlowState image stabilization, which is among the best in the 360 camera
world. An HDR video mode has now rolled out to iOS and Android, but
wasn’t available during our testing.
A
series of One X clips at full resolution. Though edited together with
Adobe Premiere, no color correction or other adjustments were made.
Video: Geoffrey Morrison
Insta360 has been known as an app in
search of good hardware. The cameras were fine, but software was really
what the company did best. Regular—and huge—updates added numerous
excellent features. If another 360 camera has a cool feature, it was a
safe bet that Insta360 either had it, or would add it shortly. That
continues with the One X. With photos you can create Tiny Planets of
course, but also short videos Insta360 calls Spin View that add motion
to the image, swooping and zooming in different ways. Some of these are
in the video below and at my Flickr page.
The Xiaomi Mi Sphere. Photo: Geoff Morrison
1 of 4
The
full 360 spheres, compressed to rectangular images. To see these in 360
form, check out my Flickr page (most websites can’t show 360s as 360).
Note the differences in color, contrast, and detail. These are all
unedited from the cameras. The Garmin photo is included for comparison,
though its testing was predominantly last year, hence the different
photo.
With videos, the editing options are even more
extensive. You can create a rectangular 1080p video using just the most
interesting portions of your 360 sphere. Imagine standing inside the
sphere of your video, and using your phone as the “viewfinder” to focus
just on the best parts of what you shot. Perhaps your face, or what you
were looking at, or a pan from your face to what you were looking at,
and so on. Insta360 calls this FreeCapture, and it’s similar to what
Rylo, GoPro, and Garmin have as well. It works easily and intuitively.
If you record at one of the camera’s higher frame rates, you can add
slow motion to the videos with ease. You can also speed up the footage
for a hyperlapse-style fast-motion video.
This all lets you create
photos and videos far beyond the simple spheres the 360 camera category
was once known for. While these features are available in other
cameras, no other camera combines them as well, with such excellent
hardware.
A 1080p “sizzle reel” of some of the photo and video editing possible with Insta360 One X.
Insta360
released an impressive number of accessories with the One X. We tested
only the selfie stick, but it was solidly built and disappeared from
images and videos. The company also released a superlong selfie-stick
extender, a handle to help create a Matrix-like bullet-time
effect (thanks to the camera’s slow-motion ability). The two waterproof
cases, one for surf and one for scuba, have modes in the app to stitch
underwater content correctly (always an issue). It even has a “lawn
dart” called the Drifter that lets you throw the One X and have it land
without harming the camera (theoretically). A GPS-enabled remote lets
you add telemetry data as an overlay to videos, like what the Garmin
Virb 360 can do. Which is to say, whatever you want to do with your One
X, the camera probably has an option for it.
Flaws but not dealbreakers
Like
all 360 cameras, the biggest issue with the One X right now is with the
software. We’ve seen lots of reports of bugs and app crashes from
owners, and it routinely refused to connect to my Pixel 2 during
testing. Or should I say, the camera connected to my phone, but the app
refused to acknowledge this fact. Insta360 has already rolled out a
number of updates fixing this and many of the launch issues, and it
likely will have done so several more times by the time you read this,
but no 360 camera is as smooth an experience as most other modern tech
products. Occasionally it’s going to annoy you.
Another issue is
the overall muted colors. As you can see in the videos above, and to a
lesser extent the photos, other 360 cameras create a far more vibrant
image. This is largely adjustable via post-processing in apps like
Snapseed, Photoshop, or Premiere, but out of the camera, they’re a bit
bland. This is something Insta360 can, and likely will, fix with an
update, but for the time being if you’re hoping for some true
Instagram-worthy image quality, you’ll need to tweak it a bit first.
With
just a single microphone, audio quality is a bit thin and not as clear
or as immersive as the Theta V’s multiple mics. It’s not a dealbreaker,
but if you’re recording something where audio is important, consider
using a separate mic and recorder. I recorded the same video with me
talking about both cameras, so you can compare the two. You can check
out the One X here and the Theta V here.
Low-light video performance could be better, though that’s true of all 360 cameras. You can get a taste of what that looks like in this video.
As
with all 360 cameras, not every phone/tablet is going to have the
horsepower to be able to stitch and export photos and videos. Insta360
has a list of compatible devices,
though keep in mind this is just a list of what will definitely work.
If your device isn’t here, it might still work, but perhaps slowly or
only partially. But really, if you don’t have a recent, higher-end
phone, you shouldn’t expect any 360 camera to work flawlessly.
Triggering the shutter, starting the record, or outputting photos will
likely work on a lot of devices, but 4K videos, not so much. That’s not
specifically an Insta360 issue, but it is worth mentioning.
Last,
whatever camera you buy, consider getting a case for it. All of these
cameras have lenses that stick far out from the body. They scratch
easily, and because of their small size, even minute scratches are
noticeable in the images. The Ricoh and Insta360 come with neoprene
sleeves, which work pretty well if you’re careful not to crush them at
the bottom of a bag.
If the One X is not available, or you have very high standards for audio recording for your videos, consider the Ricoh Theta V.
It doesn’t have some of the features found in its competitors, like
robust image stabilization or the highest-resolution video, but overall
it works and works well. Its ease of use, support across all mobile
platforms, and excellent overall performance make it a well-rounded and
highly capable 360 camera.
The narrow shape and small lenses end
up being quite convenient, making it easy to hold and use, while taking
up little space in a bag. It’s slightly taller than the One X, but both
are still quite small.
The Theta V lacks a screen, but lit icons show what mode you’re in and if the Wi-Fi is active. Photo: Kyle Fitzgerald
The
V has no screen at all, just illuminated icons to show mode and Wi-Fi
status. It’s really just about turning it on and pressing the shutter
button. This simplicity works, but requires you to connect your phone to
adjust any settings.
Photo quality is better than its relatively
low resolution would imply. Great dynamic range and vibrant color put it
well above most of its competitors. It also does a great job stitching
the two hemispheres into a single sphere, something Ricoh is still one
of the best at (for consumer-level cameras anyway).
A
video using the Theta V. Check that it’s running at 4K resolution to
ensure you’re seeing the footage at its best. Video: Geoffrey Morrison
The
Theta V’s 4K video is still good, but now lags behind competitors like
the Insta360 One X. The lenses and sensors are of high quality, so the
result still looks good, though lacking the detail of the cameras with
higher resolutions. At 30 frames per second it’s fine for normal video,
but the One X can do 4K at 50 fps, letting you create some gorgeous
slow-motion effects.
A series of locations and different lighting situations using the Theta V, edited into one video. Video: Geoffrey Morrison
If
you aren’t satisfied with the audio that the One X records on its
single microphone, the Theta V’s multiple mics may be a reason to opt
for it instead if you don’t already plan to record audio separately.
The
Theta V doesn’t offer the USB-to-phone transfer of the One X, but does
have fast dual-band Wi-Fi. This greatly boosts transfer speeds of photos
and videos; 4K videos still take a while, though, due to the large file
sizes. Alternatively, you can hook it up to your computer via USB.
The
Theta software, available for Android and iOS, has most of the editing
features that the One X does, just split across two apps. The main app
has the right amount of adjustments, including exposure, shutter speed,
and ISO. It has a built-in HDR photo mode as well. The app occasionally
crashes, but software issues are sadly par for the course with 360
cameras; although I never found it got in the way of using the camera.
Then there’s the Theta+ app that lets you create Tiny Planet photos and
short videos from your images, or edit and add music to videos. It
doesn’t have the FreeCapture/OverCapture abilities of the One X,
however.
Although the Theta V does have some stabilization, it’s not nearly as effective as the One X’s.
In
the broadest terms, the Theta V is a solid camera that produces
excellent 360 photos and videos, but lacks the additional bells and
whistles of the One X. If you’re only interested in still photos, check
out the cheaper Xiaomi Mi Sphere mentioned in the Competition section below.
If you need a 360 action cam to take surfing, mounting biking, or in situations where you’d normally use a GoPro, the Garmin Virb 360
offers great picture quality, compact size, lots of features, and image
stabilization. Although our main pick can do many of the same
action-cam-type tricks, they require additional accessories. The Garmin
packs all of that in, out of the box. The trade-off is that the overall
image quality isn’t quite what you can get from other options.
The
Virb 360 is waterproof to 33 feet (10 meters) without a casing, shoots
5.7K video, and has digital video stabilization. Photos are
lower-resolution than our other main picks’, at 5640×2816.
The Virb 360’s screen gives you lots of info, including GPS connectivity, modes, settings, and more. Photo: Kyle Fitzgerald
Because
of the distance between the sensors, the Virb has a larger “dead zone”
than the Insta360 One X. So you might experience slight stitching issues
in a wider sphere around the camera. Where the One X’s dead zone is
roughly a sphere no larger than the diameter of the camera’s length, the
Garmin’s is larger even though the camera itself is smaller. Not a
dealbreaker, but it’s something to consider. Overall stitching is pretty
good. It also underexposes images slightly, so they’re a bit dark, but
with in-app settings and/or a little image post-processing, this is
easily overcome.
The Virb 360’s small tripod is detachable, connecting via a standard
tripod mount. Collapsed, it works as a short selfie stick. Photo: Kyle Fitzgerald
The app has manual picture settings and offers a HyperFrame Director Mode that lets you create a 2D 1080p video with a virtual camera within your already-shot 360 video. The GoPro Fusion, Rylo, and Insta360 have a similar feature.
The
main 360 action-cam competitor to the Virb is the GoPro Fusion. We
discuss that camera in more detail in the Competition section below. The
short version is that though the Fusion can produce some gorgeous
video—better than what’s possible with the Virb—it is so frustrating to
use that we can’t recommend it.
If you’re trying to decide between
the Virb and the One X, we’d say that if you plan to only occasionally
use it as an action cam, the One X is better. If you’re going to use it
only as an action cam, the Virb is the better choice.
How to edit and share 360 videos and images
Not
every website can display 360 images as 360 images. In fact, as you can
see above, most can’t. The main free websites to share on are Facebook,
Flickr, Vimeo, and YouTube. There are others as well, though they
aren’t as popular. Many of the early bugs with 360 photos, like the
websites not understanding the image is a 360, have largely been fixed.
Adobe
has added 360 photo editing to Photoshop. This is fantastic, as you’re
now able to add or remove logos, hide random strangers, and otherwise
spot edit just like you would with a regular photo. For example, you can
now remove a 360 camera’s tripod in just a few seconds. If you just
want to adjust color, contrast, brightness, and so on, most
photo-editing software can do this and keep the metadata intact so
Facebook and the like can read that it’s a 360 image. If you edit a
photo and then it appears on Facebook as a standard image, your editing
software might be to blame.
All of the above cameras come with
smartphone video apps, and most come with desktop versions as well.
These vary in quality—some allow for editing, others just stitching and
conversion. Many third-party video-editing programs, like Adobe
Premiere, will edit 360 videos as well. Just keep in mind that 4K and
5.xK videos take up a lot of storage space.
Ricoh’s Theta Z1,
announced in early 2019, has two 1.0-inch back illuminated CMOS image
sensors. These are significantly larger than the sensors in other
consumer 360-cameras. In theory, these will produce images with greater
dynamic range, and lower noise in low light situations, than other 360
cameras. Still images have a respectable 6720×3360 resolution, but video
resolution is only 4K at 30fps. At around $1,000, it is likely beyond
the scope of this guide. We’ll keep an eye on it in though, in case it
turns out to have a significant leap in performance to justify its much
higher price.
Insta360 also announced a new 360 camera in early 2019, though it doesn’t replace our top pick. Called the Evo,
it is a bit different in use and design, looking more like two GoPro
cameras mounted back-to-back. In addition to being able to take 360
photos, the two halves are connected via a hinge. Pivot them out so the
lenses are side-by-side and the Evo can take 180-degree 3D photos and
videos. Resolution and framerates are the same as the One X, with
6080×3040 photos and up to 5.7K video at 30fps. The Evo will be slightly
more expensive than the One X, at about $420. It won’t be a pick for
now as we don’t think the 3D aspect is necessary for most people.
However, if 3D is something you’re interested in, the Evo should
otherwise perform similar to the One X. It’s also worth checking out the Vuze XR, which does a similar 360/180 3D trick, and is mentioned in the comments.
We liked the 360fly 4K
last round, and still do, but as a single-lens camera it can’t do a
full photo sphere (there’s a blank area below the camera). We think
better options are available now that offer similar performance and a
full 360-by-360-degree image/video.
The 360fly HD
shares many of the same features (and limitations) of the 360fly 4K
camera but with a lower-resolution sensor, a single microphone, and 16
GB of internal storage.
The Giroptic 360cam
uses three lenses to capture the scene, although it still omits a lower
section where the lenses can’t get around the camera’s base. It started
as a Kickstarter project that was set back by manufacturing troubles;
some backers waited for their cameras for more than two years after the
campaign concluded, and many others required warranty replacements.
We had high hopes for the GoPro Fusion.
It’s a great piece of hardware that goes head-to-head with the Garmin
Virb 360. However, buggy software, limited mobile compatibility, and
exceptionally slow and buggy desktop software mean that this camera still isn’t quite ready for prime time.
It produces probably the best video quality of any 360 camera, but it
is so frustrating to use that we can’t recommend it for most people.
The Ion360 U
works similarly to the Insta360 products, in that it works using your
phone as the “brains.” In this case, only six phones are compatible:
Samsung S8/S8+ and iPhone 7, 7 Plus, 8, and 8 Plus. The Ion360 actually
has two parts. There’s the camera itself, which is removable, and a case
for your phone with an integral 1,260 mAh battery. It makes the phone a
bit bulkier, but not outrageously so. Once you install the app, the
Ion360 works smoothly. Videos are a bit washed-out,
but otherwise seem fine. Photos are likewise “fine.” At $300, though,
it’s a bit expensive, lacking the features of the Insta360 One
(stabilization, notably) and the remote usage of the Theta V. If you
like the idea of combining an external phone battery, hard case, and 360
camera, the Ion360 U does let you put together all three rather
seamlessly.
The Insta360 One was a former pick. It’s a good camera, but the One X surpasses it in every way. It’s worth spending a bit more on the One X.
The Insta360 Nano
and Nano S are more compact and affordable than our main pick, and
connect to an iPhone’s Lightning port. You can capture shots and videos
manually without the phone by pressing its single button, but with no
built-in wireless networking in this model, you need to connect it to
the iPhone to view or access the images. The Insta360 Air
is a similarly equipped camera that connects to a limited selection of
Android devices. These cameras are fine for what they are and for their
price but are limited compared with what a “real” 360 camera can offer.
The KanDao QooCam
is an interesting 360 camera that can also take 3D 180-degree photos.
Reviews have been mixed. If you want to take 3D photos, though, it’s
worth checking out. Also consider the Vuze XR, mentioned below.
The Kodak Pixpro SP360 4K and Pixpro SP360
limit the image to a 235-degree vertical field of view due to a
single-lens design, just in 4K and 1080p respectively. To get the full
360, the Dual Pro Pack
pairs two of the cameras using a bracket that holds them back-to-back,
but this nearly doubles the price, putting it well above that of the
easier-to-use competition. Plus, once you’ve captured that two-headed
footage, you need to use software on a Mac or PC to stitch it together.
The Rylo
is a great camera produced by a team that worked at Instagram and
Apple. They recently updated the camera, via a firmware update, to
record 5.8K video. The app is slick, and features many of the same cool
editing features we like in the Insta360 One X. The Rylo has the best
image stabilization of any 360 camera and the camera is tiny and feels
exceptionally well-made.
However, at its current price of $500
it’s way more expensive than other options that offer similar features.
Also, as of this writing, you can output 360 videos at 5.8K only if you
have a Mac computer; no PC software and no mobile app can output that
resolution in 360 (no camera’s app can, to be fair). The image quality
and stabilization are so good that this trade-off might be worthwhile
for some. If its price were $400 this would be a worthy alternate to our
main picks.
VSN Mobile’s V.360º camera
looks like a handheld coffee grinder, with a single embedded lens
surrounded by a clear plastic chamber that we worry is a magnet for
scratches. This camera is waterproof down to 1 meter for 30 minutes
(IP67), but its 60-degree vertical viewing angle makes it more of a
grand panorama than a 360-degree immersive experience.
The Vuze and Vuze+
are a slightly different product compared with our main picks, in that
they create a 3D 360 video. For VR headsets this is especially cool, and
if that’s what you’re looking to do, check them out. However, they’re
big and expensive, and not quite the same category as our main picks.
The Xiaomi Mi Sphere
is an excellent camera and could easily be considered as the runner-up
to the runner-up. Its photo quality is a bit better than that of the
Theta V, but the Mi Sphere’s video quality is a little worse. The app
works well enough, has some of the features we like in the Insta360 app,
and overall is very easy to use. I brought it with me during my travels
this past summer and got many great Tiny Planet photos.
If $400 for a 360 camera is too steep for you, this one performs better
than its current $300 price would imply. If its price drops below
that—which it has before—it’s a bargain. The Madv Madventure 360 is the same camera in a different color and with a selfie stick.
The Yi 360 VR is an interesting camera, with 5.7K video resolution, stabilization, and more. However, reviews have come away fairly mixed. The 360 Guy liked the video quality and value for the money, but found photos to be just okay and the stabilization to be fairly poor. Ben at Life in 360,
on the other hand, basically couldn’t get it to work, finding the
mobile app mediocre and Mac compatibility nonexistent. If Yi upgrades
the firmware and software, we’ll take another look, but for now there
are better options.
The turn of the 21stcentury
ushered in an era full of technological innovations and advances. These
innovations have made our lives easier in multiple ways, simplifying
even the most complex tasks and impacting almost every aspect of
society. With everybody a single call away and vital information a
single click away, we must appreciate the positive implications of such
dynamic technology. However, every rose has its thorn. The highly
digitalized world has caused us to lose our personal touch. From
children as young as five years to senior citizens, almost every age
group is engrossed in their smartphones, tablets, laptops, etc. Looking
away from the screen has become an impossible task, and spending time as
a family? An entirely rare affair. Disillusioned by this world where
social interactions have become a myth, product designer Troy Linklater
from the design studio Alloy, created ‘Orbit’.
Orbit is an interactive projector on
steroids! An ultra-short-throw projector, Orbit can project a 360-degree
view. Shaped like a Minion, the matte black gadget possesses one
important feature that sets it apart from other projectors. Orbit
connects with your smartphone! Place the smartphone on top of the
projector and watch as it’s magic unfolds! Whatever you choose to play
on the screen of your smartphone is reflected onto the corresponding
surface Orbit has been placed upon. Equipped with 4 ultra-short-throw
projectors, Orbit projects a 360-degree interactive touch interface onto
any surface. Such a visual experience creates a central focus for the
entire family, allowing them to come together to watch movies and shows,
engage in fun study sessions or even have makeshift karaoke sessions to
music videos! Orbit promises to connect families together through a
fun, interactive and visual experience. Though the projector is still a
concept, we can’t wait for the day when we can use our smartphones to
share some fun moments with our loved ones!
Net population growth this year- 66,398 Net population growth today 67,706,505 Births this year-158,156 Births today-Recovered:5,178,999
from COVID-19 Coronavirus Pandemic
May all be Happy, Well and Secure!
May all live Long!
May all have calm, quiet, alert, attentive and equanimity Mind with a clear understanding that Everything is Changing!
COVID-19 conspiracy claims, but virus origins still a mystery.
There were still no conclusive answers as to where the disease started.
SARS-CoV-2,
now responsible for more than 200,000 deaths worldwide, was synthesised
by the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV), based in the city where the
disease was first identified.
Current World Population-39,281,692 Net population growth this year- 66,398 Net population growth today 67,706,505 Births this year-158,156 Births today-Recovered:5,178,999 from COVID-19 Coronavirus Pandemic
$ 193,329,576,922 Money spent on illegal drugs this year 652,358Road traffic accident fatalities this year
7,793,670,082 Current World Population-39,281,692 Net population growth this year- 66,398 Net population growth today 67,706,505 Births this year-158,156 Births today-Recovered:5,178,999
from COVID-19 Coronavirus Pandemic
Last updated: June 25, 2020, 04:19 GMT
BIRTH, OLD AGE, SICKNESS, ILLNESS, DEATH ARE CERTAININTIES
May all be Happy, Well and Secure!
May all have Calm, Quiet, Alert, Attentive and Equanimity Mind with a Clear Understanding that Everything is Changing!
May all those who died attain Eternal Bliss as Final Goal and Rest in Peace
as they followed the following original words of the Buddha the Mettiyya Awakened One with awraeness :
Countries and territories without any cases of COVID-19
1. Comoros,2. North Korea,3. Yemen,4.
The Federated States of Micronesia,5. Kiribati,6. Solomon Islands,7.
The Cook Islands,8. Micronesia,9. Tong,10. The Marshall Islands
Palau,11. American Samoa,12. South Georgia,13. South Sandwich
Islands,14.SaintHelena,Europe,15. Aland Islands,16.Svalbard,17. Jan
Mayen Islands,18. Latin America,19.Africa,20.British Indian Ocean
Territory,21.French Southern
Territories,22.Lesotho,23.Oceania,24.Christmas
Island,25. Cocos
(Keeling) Islands,26. Heard Island,27. McDonald Islands,28. Niue,29.
Norfolk Island,30. Pitcairn,31. Solomon Islands,32. Tokelau,33. United
States Minor Outlying Islands,34. Wallis and Futuna Islands,35.Tajikistan,
36. Turkmenistan,37. Tuvalu,38. Vanuatu
as they are following the original words of the Buddha Metteyya Awakened One with Awareness:
Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta
1. Dasa raja dhamma, 2. kusala 3. Kuutadanta Sutta dana, 4.
priyavacana,5. artha cariya ,6. samanatmata, 7. Samyutta
Nikayaaryaor,ariyasammutidev 8. Agganna Sutta,9. Majjima Nikaya,10.
arya” or “ariy, 11.sammutideva,12. Digha Nikaya,13. Maha
Sudassana,14.Dittadhammikatthasamvattanika-dhamma ,15. Canon Sutta ,16. Pali Canon and Suttapitaka,17. Iddhipada ,18. Lokiyadhamma and Lokuttaradhamma,19. Brahmavihàra,20. Sangahavatthu ,21. Nathakaranadhamma ,22. Saraniyadhamma ,23. Adhipateyya Dithadhammikattha,24. dukkha,25. anicca,26. anatta,27. Samsara,28. Cakkamatti Sihananda Sutta,29.Chandagati,30.Dosagati, 31. Mohagati,32.Bhayagati,33.Yoniso manasikara,34. BrahmavihàraSangaha vatthu,35. Nathakaranadhamma,36.SaraniyadhammaAdhipateyya,37. Dithadhammikatth38.Mara,39.Law of Kamma,40. dhammamahamatras, 41.IV. Observation of Dhammas,42. Assamedha43.Sassamedha
Naramedha
Purisamedha
Sammapasa
Vajapeyya
Niraggala
Sila
Samadhi
Panna
Samma-sankappa
Sigalovada Sutta
Brahmajala Sutta
40.Vasettha Sutta in Majjhima Nikaya,Ambattha Sutta in Digha Nikaya
Assamedha
refers to: N. of a sacrifice: the horse-sacrifice (Vedic aśvamedha as
Np. ) S. I, 76 (v. l. sassa°); It. 21 (+ purisamedha); Sn. 303. Note:
……
Did
the Buddha feel that it was possible to have a just ruler or just
government? We will look at the early Buddhist texts for an answer to
this vexed question, and find several different possible answers.
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Based
on the spirit of Sobbe satta shuketa vabantu meaning all entities be
happy, Buddhist governance offers a total system perspective of
governance to steer human action, both individual and collective,
including everything within its functional purview.
With
Nibbana (Eternal Bliss / ultimate freedom as Final Goal ) as the
overall goal, Buddhist governance includes four noble truth, eightfold …
See more
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Governance and Buddhism
…
Buddhist
governance; Buddhist perspective of governance; Governance in Buddhism
Based on the spirit of Sobbe satta shuketa vabantumeaning all entities
be happy, Buddhist governance offers a total……
3.1 Introduction
Whereas Buddha has been considered to be mostly a philosopher
and an ethical teacher and not preoccupied with political or state-related
issues, in contrast to that, many recent scholars have analysed from, the
historical context of Buddha Gautama’s life that he was both a ‘social reformer’ and political thinker. Among the scholars mentioned is Ilaiah
K. (2002).
The truth lies in the fact that Ancient Indian society had begun to
change when Buddha attained Awakenment with Awareness (Pali: maha parinibbana).
Historically, that period was known as Vedanta . At that time, commerce with other states had begun and there
was a new merchant class in the territory who had expressed interest in Buddha’s teachings. As reported in our earlier chapters, Buddha
challenged the divine origin concept from a very simple and acceptable
viewpoint: i.e., that the brahmins like the other varnas had a common
human birth. This would make the brahmins essentially equal to the
others. Jayasuriya is quick to point out that even in the Buddhist
literature, there was scant mention of political attitudes. Among
exceptional scholars on the subject are Jayatilleke (1967) and Omveldt
(2005).
Jayasuriya adds that the advent of political attitude was Emperor
Asoka. Asoka’s predecessors maintained a treatment of political prisoners, which must have shocked Asoka. The Samyutta Nikaya
described the physical condition of King Pasenadi’s prisoners. (Uma Cakravarti, 1996; p.161-62) The Stone Edicts were an obvious testament
against barbarity (cruelty) towards prisoners, among other things. They
displayed a socio-political attitude based on and advocating non-violence
and compassion. In Chapter Two, we have mentioned some of Asokas’ accomplishments.
Debate on Buddha’s preference of state has occurred. As we have mentioned earlier, evidence exists that Buddha emphasises the sangha or ‘tribal republic’ such as Vajja. In his fourth sermon to Ananda
bhikku and Vasakara the Chaplain of King Ajatasatru, Buddha mentioned
that tribal unity was a vital criterion for the survival of the state. Most scholars of Asoka’s dharma accredit it as an ethical code. Beside the
foundation of hospitals, inns and rest homes, arboretums [parks
established for the planting and nurturing of plants and trees] and so on,
Asoka preached social equity and sectarian equality. He declared that he
was impartial to any sect of his time but his edict warned his subjects
against showing prejudice or hatred towards other sects. At the core of his
dhamma, like that of Buddha, was sila or conduct. Even today, it is still
easy “to fall into evil ways” and the highly-placed—i.e., public and
private administrators, etc—especially cannot always behave properly.
(Mahesh Tiwari, 1989; p.159)
Throughout Chapter Three, which follows, the researcher intends
to elucidate the Buddhist concept of governance as fixed at the time of the
dhamma and enlightenment, which was certainly ahead of our time and modern principles. In so far as the sangha as a form of
governance displayed “democratic principles” such as freedom of speech,
equal representation of the masses and the solidarity and civility
demanded by Buddha Gautama, it can stand as a precursor of modern
democracy and researcher shall emphasise it in this light. On the opposite
side of the spectrum is the enlightened monarchy of Emperor Asoka.
In the next units of this chapter, the researcher shall analyse the
available data regarding the Buddhist concept of monarch—especially
those of Kosala and Magadha, being the principle and most important
historical monarchies of the time. From that, we shall endeavour to draw
the proper conclusion(s).
Buddha Gautama had been an advocate of the
or republican
system, as we mentioned earlier. However, among his many lay followers
were kings, especially of Magadha- e.g., Bimbisara and his heir
Ajatasatru. Monarchical states or kingdoms were conceivably numerous
in Chumpudveepa (Ancient India) and earned considerable reputations
historically. Buddha Gautama was frequently an honoured and invited
guest in their palaces.
Among Buddha’s ideals was that of the ‘ideal monarch’ or
“dhammaraja” who reportedly ruled over his subjects justly and
equitably. (S. Tachibana, 1975; p.264) Dhamma means
righteousness and
includes such traits as equity and impartiality. Buddha discredited the
theory of divine origin and knew the basic, common origin of all living
beings barring plants. Therefore, a true, righteous monarch should
understand the equality of his subjects. Seeing the equality of all of
his
subjects, a true monarch would rule them impartially. This concept shall
be discussed in the next unit.
Dhammaraja could have been a reaction to the despots who exercised their control over people in Buddha’s time. Uma Cakravarti
(1996; p.158) speaks of “absolute exercise of power unrestrained by any
institutional controls.” However, the Pali literature of the period
acknowledged the social need for authority to maintain law and order,
referred to as “legitimate basis of kingship.” It has been expounded in the
Agganna Sutta. As with power generally, use of it for legitimate or
arbitrary purposes largely depended on the king—i.e., as he saw fit to
exercise it.
Chakravarti mentions two principle threats to the social order,
which may be still evident today: One is offences against the property and
the other is offences against the family. The subjects expected their
monarch to act effectively against these offences. Evidence of public
demonstration (protest) in Kosala, the domain of King Pasenadi,
mentioned a protest against the ravages of the famed robber Angulimala
(who later met the Buddha and became a bhikku). (Majjima Nikaya 11;
p.346 quoted in Uma Chakravarti, 1996; p.159)
Furthermore, Buddhism holds no concept of aristocracy except in
terms of intellect and morality. (S. Tachibana, 1975; p.264). The Buddhist “aristocrat” was called “arya” or “ariya.”
On the Buddhist concept of kingship, there exists much
information. Besides describing the king as a public refuge
(patisaranam), Sidhi Budh-Indr reports that the king should possess both
virtue (sila) and wisdom, or intellect (pañña) to understand and
discrtiminate between good and evil statements (Siddhi Butr-Indr, 1995;
p.147) . Whereas many actual monarchs can be compared with thieves, the ideal monarch is a “lord of men” (manussindo) and can neither equal
nor count as a commoner. His subjects deem him the “god of public
domain” (sammutideva). This is not a real god, as that would demand that
the king should die and ascend to paradise, but rather it is a term of
respect among his subjects. Furthermore, the king is empowered by five
strengths, as follows:
1.Physical strength, or power-agility and muscular strength, as
applied in governance and warfare.
2.Material strength-wealth and material resources.
3.Strength of court officials, providing they are united behind him
and know and perform their respective duties.
4.strength of nobility 5.wisdom or intellect
Budh-Indra mentions the Ten Royal Virtues (rajadhamman), which
we shall explain in detail in a later unit of this chapter. He agrees in
principle with the social contract theory, as far as he reports “Kingship is,
in a sense, founded upon and determined by public opinion.” (Ibid.
p.153), which, in its turn, depends upon righteousness. To this point, he adds “the nature of kingship is essentially based on the concept of
righteousness (dhamma). The king is supposed to be the agent who
maintains the principle of righteousness in the worldly spheres.” (Ibid. p155) The Digha Nikaya quotes Buddha Gautama himself as explaining that a king (raja) ‘charms others by Dhamma or righteousness.’ (S.
Tachibana, 1975;p. 264) Oliver Abeynayake claims that Buddhism
prefers monarchy to republicanism, but the fact simply is that the
monarchies, despite possible despotism and abuses, were stronger than
the ganas. He continues to infer that “Buddhism prescribes a centralized administration. Buddhism introduced the system of governance under the Cakravarti king to centralise North India, which was divided into various small kingdoms.”(Oliver Abeynayake, p.2) He continues to list the
characteristics of an effective ruler, as follow:
1. Reputation.
2. Economic prosperity.
3. Military strength.
4. Competent advisors.
5. Diplomatic acclaim.
6. Personality. 7. Parents’ affection. 8. Patriotism and popularity.
9. Competency and discipline.
10. Education, intelligence and intuition. (Ibid.)
Reputation usually precedes the person and acts as a tool in
attracting others towards him/her; so, we may conceive that a good
reputation, usually created through good actions towards the subjects of
the state, will enable the leader of that state to maintain his rapport with
the subjects. Economic prosperity is
the result of sustaining a prosperous
state, since the king receives payment in various forms from his
subjects,
such as foodstuff, gold, etc. As we have indicated in the unit on ten
virtues, a good ruler deems the prosperity of his subjects to be his
own.
Military strength is the requisite for protecting the country from
invasion.
A good king will need a strong and extensive army (sena) to defend his
territory. Competent advisors and diplomatic acclaim is needed in
peaceful and cooperative measures between states. In fact, Abeynayake
has reiterated and emphasized the qualities we have mentioned in earlier
chapters of our thesis.
3.3 The Normative King (cakkavati dhammiko dhammaraja) and
Ideal Administrative Office
Buddha vs King
Guide to the Buddhist Path
A story about the Buddha meeting a king. Who is happier? Worldly happiness versus unworldly happiness.
Written and animated by Aryajit.
Based on the discussion the Buddha had with some Jain ascetics which you can
Buddha vs King
A
story about the Buddha meeting a king. Who is happier? Worldly
happiness versus unworldly happiness. Written and animated by Aryajit.
Based on the discussi…
youtube.com
To begin, the Pali concept of normative kingship, which we shall
explain in this unit, consists of two distinct but not separate ideals. Both
are ideals of Buddhism and the objectives of a true monarch in the
Buddhist consciousness. The first ideal is cakkavati. Cakkavati is derived
from the Sanksrit word cakra, which means several things: 1) a circle, 2)
a wheel or disk, 3) a centre of energy or power (ayurvedic, tantric and
yogic) and 4) world. “Cakkavati” or cakravartin is a universal monarch, a
world ruler who “would put an end to the petty tyranny of the many and
establish instead a universe where not only a social order but also a moral order would prevail.” (Uma Cakravarti, 1996; p.164)
Since tyranny would be abolished, the new social order would
likely to be either spontaneous or promoted by righteous leadership, or
both. Petty tyranny mentioned above referred mostly to the historical monarchs of Buddha’s lifetime.
The second ideal is dhammiko dhammaraja. The dhammaraja is
firstly a protector of his subjects (janapadatthaviriya patto: jana, people; padattha, protection; viriya, effort) via righteousness and equity, rather
than by force, including military campaign. The dhammaraja or righteous
king is always expected to be just and impartial in the governance of his
people. The Cakavatti or universal monarch will rule his country justly
and impartially (dhammena samena). (S. Tachibana,1975; p.264). Sama and dhamma are deemed to be synonyms as far as the description of the
ideal monarch is concerned. The subjects of the dhammaraja (will) live in comparative comfort. Researcher takes exception to the term comparative
comfort because, whereas poverty should be eradicated, excess and
luxury should also be avoided. Comparative comfort is a relative term,
referring to the degree of comfort compared with previous living. E.g.,
when someone has lived in abject poverty throughout his childhood,
comparably, when he has the means to uplift his standards of material
existence, it can be deemed comparative comfort. However, the fact is
that we compare our living with those around us.
Under the rule of the dhammaraja, the subjects should expect to
live comfortably within existing means and limits. Cakravarti supports this hypothesis by adding “dhammiko dhammaraja thus provides for the
basic needs of the people.” (Ibid, p. 165) Thus, in a general outlook, the
dhammaraja does not only protect the family and property of his subjects.
A fine example of such a king was Maha Sudassana. Maha Sudassana
gave to the needy whatever was truly needed: food to the starved, water
to the thirsty and even a wife to the man who wished to wed. Grants of
money were not the only necessities.
The dhammarājā had the high duty of eradicating poverty. He also
taxes his subjects fairly, whereas his historical counterparts taxed their
subjects unfairly and acted like thieves. This appears to be a subject of
both literature and history. From the Pali canon of Buddhism to the
legend of Robin Hood in Britain, kings were lumped together with the
thieves in their kingdoms.
Another vital characteristic of the dhammaraja was charisma. His
relationship to the subjects was like that to his family: father to sons and
daughters. His charisma compels him to be popular and he is obeyed
without coercion. Since all his subjects like him, no one would overthrow
him. Finally, the dhammaraja supports only the worthy samanas and
brahmanas, and aids them in achieving their goals.
Buddhist tradition placed the Dvaravati kings as cakravartins,
(Rhys Davids, 1899). Rhys Davids quotes that the Universal Emperor
appeared and ruled righteously in the manner of the Buddha. Buddha was
perceived as the foremost Cakkavatti in his style of leadership and others
attempted to follow him. The Buddhist kings were also described as
embarking upon the path of bodhisattva and both saving themselves and
their subjects, which is the action of a bodhisattva, according to
Mahayana Buddhism. Ernst Benz describes it as follows:
‘The Buddhist kings were regarded as the central personages on the
stage, themselves striving to be Bodhisattvas and expected to lead their
subjects on the way to salvation. As Bodhisattvas, they were not only
examples to their subjects, but actually helpful to them. The salvation
chrism of the Bodhisattva consists in using his own salvation to further
the efforts of others to achieve salvation.’ (Ernst Benz, Buddhism or Communism: Which Holds the Future of Asia?, trans; Richard and Clara
Winston, Great Britain, 1966; p.97)
What Babasaheb said in Buddha or Karl Marx - Basic information and Interesting facts #Ambedkar
Janta We The People
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Buddha or Karl Marx by Babasaheb Ambedkar - Basic information
A
comparison between Karl Marx and Buddha may be regarded as a joke.
There need be no surprise in this. Marx and Buddha are divided by 2381
years. Buddha was born in 563 BC and Karl
Marx in 1818 AD Karl Marx is supposed to be the architect of a new ideology-polity a new
Economic system. The Buddha on the other hand is believed to be no more than the founder of a
religion, which has no relation to politics or economics. The heading of this essay ” Buddha or Karl
Marx ” which suggests either a comparison or a contrast between two such personalities divided
by such a lengthy span of time and occupied with different fields of thought is sure to sound odd.
The Marxists may easily laugh at it and may ridicule the very idea of treating Marx and Buddha on
the same level. Marx so modern and Buddha so ancient! The Marxists may say that the Buddha as
compared to their master must be just primitive. What comparison can there be between two such
persons? What could a Marxist learn from the Buddha? What can Buddha teach a Marxist? None-
the-less a comparison between the two is a attractive and instructive Having read both and being
interested in the ideology of both a comparison between them just forces itself on me. If the
Marxists keep back their prejudices and study the Buddha and understand what he stood for I feel
sure that they will change their attitude. It is of course too much to expect that having been
determined to scoff at the Buddha they will remain to pray. But this much can he said that they will
realise that there is something in the Buddha’s teachings which is worth their while to take note of
The Buddha is generally associated with the doctrine of Ahimsa.
That is taken to be the be-all and end-all of his teachings. Hardly any one
knows that what the Buddha taught is something very vast: far beyond
Ahimsa. Dr. B.R. Ambedkar in his The Buddha and His Dhamma has
analyzed Buddha’s approach to Ahimsa. Here he makes a distinction
between principle and rule. According to him ahimsa in Buddhism is
accepted not as a rule, but as a principle. Rule binds you and takes away
your freedom. Principle does not take away your freedom; you can
choose your course of action in the light of the principle. Secondly the
Buddha did not emphasise just the negative aspect of ahimsa (viz. ‘Don’t
kill’) but he also emphasised the positive aspect in the form of love and
compassion ( Metta and Karuna). But more importantly Buddha’s primary concern was not himsa or ahimsa, but the problem of human
suffering, suffering which is natural and also the suffering which is
caused by human being. He tried to go the root cause of all sufferings and
find a solution to the problem of suffering. In the last two centuries social
philosopher who has been influential was Karl Marx, who was also
deeply concerned with the problem of suffering, mainly the problem of
poverty, exploitation and alienation.
The
Buddha as a social thinker can be regarded as a scientific
thinker rather than utopian thinker. He developed the causal model of
dependent origination (Paticca-samuppada) and applied it to the problem
of suffering.
Hence both Buddha and Mark were concerned with the problem of
suffering; they accepted the ultimate social goal as the society without
suffering and exploitation, where human beings live as equal members of
the society and as free beings. Both of them approached the problem by
applying scientific method rather than following any religious dogma or
utopian ideal. But the conclusions they arrived at were different. This is
because the ways they approached the problem were different. Marx did
not consider the inner roots of the problem of suffering, but only the
external roots. Hence according to him human beings suffer, they are
exploited, they enter into conflicts, because of the contradictions in the
socio-economic structure, that is, the capitalist structure. Hence changing
socio-economic structure through revolution, though it could be a blooly
revolution is the solution of the problem of suffering.
Though the Buddha dealt with the problem of unjust social
structure and establishment of an alternative social structure, when he
thought about the root cause of suffering, he emphasised the inner root of
suffering rather than the external causes or occasioning factors. He spelt
out the internal cause of suffering in two ways. Sometimes he emphased
tanha- craving as the root cause. Because of craving people suffer, they
exploit others and are exploited by others; they enter into conflicts and
wars with others. People can get rid of suffering and experience peace
only by getting rid of craving. He further went into the root of craving
and found that Avijja, ignorance / misconception is the root cause of
craving. We are ignorant about the impermanent, soul-less and
unsatisfactory nature of all phenomena and misconceive them as
permanent, soul-possessing and satisfactory. Because of these misconceptions we develop attachment and craving about those
phenomena. Hence the path towards cessation of suffering necessarily
involved threefold training (Trisika) viz.(sila), meditation (samadhi) and
wisdom (panna) through which one gets rid of craving and ignorance and
is finally liberated. The Buddha conceived of and executed an alternative
form of social structure – the order of bhikkus which gives institutional
support for developing the threefold training. The order of Bhikkhus had
no place for the caste-system, or exploitation, but followed egalitarian
democratic pattern. On the contrary, Karl Marx maintained that the way
to ideal social system went through revolution (which could be violent
revolution) and what he called dictatorship of proletariat. Sangha order on
the other hand was not imposed on the members but was willingly
accepted by them. Marx maintained that in ideal social structure the
private property will have been abolished. This idea of the absence of
private property was already practiced long back in the Buddhist order of
Bhikkhus.
Dr. B.R. Ambedkar in his article “Buddha or Karlmark” has brought out clearly the contrast between the Marxian approach and the Buddha’s approach as follows:
Karl
Marx is no doubt the father of modern socialism or
Communism but he was not interested merely in propounding the theory
of Socialism. That had been done long before him by others. Marx was
more interested in proving that his Socialism was scientific. His
crusade
was as much against the capitalists as it was against those whom he
called
the Utopian Socialists. He disliked them both. It is necessary to note
this
point because Marx attached the greatest importance to the scientific
character of his Socialism. All the doctrines which Marx propounded had
no other purpose than to establish his contention that his brand of
Socialism was scientific and not Utopian.
The means of bringing about Communism, which the Buddha
propounded, were quite definite. It can be devided into three parts. Part I
consisted in observing the Pancha Silas. The Enlightenment gave birth to
a new gospel, which contains the key to the solution of the problem,
which was haunting him.
The foundation of the New Gospel is the fact that the world was
full of misery and unhappiness. This was the fact that was not merely to
be noted but to be regarded as being the first and foremost in any scheme
of salvation. The recognition of this fact was made by the Buddha, the
starting point of his gospel. To remove this misery and unhappiness was
to him the aim and object of the gospel if it was to serve any useful
purpose. Asking what could be the causes of this misery the Buddha
found that there could be only two.
A part of the misery and unhappiness of man was the result of his
own misconduct. To remove this cause of misery he preached the
practice of Panch Sil
The Panch Sila comprised the following observations: (1) To
abstain from destroying or causing destruction of any living things (2) To
abstain from stealing i.e. acquiring or keeping by fraud or violence, the
property of another: (3) To Abstain from telling untruth: (4) To abstain
from lust: (5) To abstain from intoxicating drinks.
A
part of the misery and unhappiness in the world was according to
the Buddha the result of man’s inequity towards man. How was this
inequity to be removed? For the removal of man’s inequity towards man
the Buddha prescribed the Noble Eight-Fold Path. The elements of the
Noble Fight-Fold Path are:
(1) Right views i.e. freedom from superstition: (2) Right aims, high
and worthy of the intelligent and earnest men; (3) Right speech i.e.
kindly, open, truthful: (4) Right Conduct i.e. peaceful, honest and pure;
(5) Right livelihood i.e. causing hurt or injury to no living being; (6)
Right perseverance in all the other seven; (7) Right mindfulness i.e. with
a watchful and active mind; and (8) Right contemplation i.e. earnest
thought on the deep mysteries of life.
The aim of the Noble Eight-Fold Path is to establish on earth the
kingdom of righteousness, and thereby to banish sorrow and unhappiness
from the face of the world.
The third part of the Gospel is the doctrine of Nibbana. The
doctrine of Nibbana is an integral part of the doctrine of the Noble Eight-
Fold Path. Without Nibbana the realisation of the Eight-Fold Path cannot
be accomplished.
The doctrine of Nibbana tells what are the difficulties in the way of
the realisation of the Eight-Fold Path.
The chiefs of these difficulties are ten in number. The Buddha
called them the Ten Asavas, Fetters or Hindrances.
The first hindrance is the delusion of self. So long as a man is
wholly occupied with himself, chasing after every bauble that he vainly
thinks will satisfy the cravings of his heart, there is no noble path for him.
Only when his eyes have been opened to the fact that he is but a tiny part
of a measureless, whole, only when he begins to realise how impermanent
a thing is his temporary individuality can he even enter upon this narrow
path.
The
second is Doubt and Indecision. When a man’s eyes are opened
to the great mystery of existence, the impermanence of every
individuality, he is likely to be assailed by doubt and indecision as to
his
action. To do or not to do, after all my individuality is impermanent,
why
do anything are questions, which make him indecisive or inactive. But
that will not do in life. He must make up his mind to follow the
teacher,
to accept the truth and to enter on the struggle or he will get no
further.
The third is dependence on the efficacy of Rites and Ceremonies.
No good resolutions, however firm will lead to anything unless a man
gets rid of ritualism: of the belief that any outward acts. any priestly
powers, and holy ceremonies, can afford him an assistance of any kind. It
is only when he has overcome this hindrance, that men can be said to
have fairly entered upon the stream and has a chance sooner or later to
win a victory.
‘’ The fourth consists of the bodily passions… The fifth is ill will
towards other individuals. The sixth is the suppression of the desire for a
future life with a material body and the seventh is the desire for a future
life in an immaterial world.
The eighth hindrance is Pride and ninth is self-righteousness. These
are failings which it is most difficult for men to overcome, and to which
superior minds are peculiarly liable contempt for those who are less able
and less holy than themselves.
The tenth hindrance is ignorance. When all other difficulties are
conquered this will even remain, the thorn in the flesh of the wise and
good, the last enemy and the bitterest foe of man.
Nibbana consists in overcoming these hindrances to the pursuit of
the Noble Eight-Fold Path.
The
doctrine of the Noble Eight-Fold Path tells what disposition of
the mind which a person should sedulously cultivate. The doctrine of
Nibbana tells of the temptation or hindrance which a person should
earnestly overcome if he wishes to trade along with the Noble Eight-Fold
Path
The Fourth Part of the new Gospel is the doctrine of Paramitas.
The doctrine of Paraimitas inculcates the practice of ten virtues in one’s
daily life.
These are those ten virtues—d) Panna (2) Sila (3) Nekkhama (4)
Dana(5) Virya(6) Khanti(7) Succa(8) Aditthana(9) Mettaa-nd (10)
Upekkha.
Panna or wisdom is the light that removes the darkenss of Avijja,
Moha or Nescience. The Panna requires that one must get all his doubts
removed by questioning those wiser than him self, associate with the wise
and cultivate the different arts and sciences which help to develop the
mind.
Sila is moral temperament, the disposition not to do evil and the
disposition to do good; to be ashamed of doing wrong. To avoid doing
evil for fear of punishment is Sila. Sila means fear of doing wrong.
Nekkhama is renunciation of the pleasures of the world. Dana means the
giving of one’s possessions, blood and limbs and even one’s life for the
good of the others without expecting anything in return.
Virya is right endeavour. It is doing with all your might with
thought never turning back, whatever you have undertaken to do.
Khanti is forbearance. Not to meet hatred by harted is the essence
of it. For hatred is not appeased by hatred. It is appeased only by
forbearance.
Succa is truth. An aspirant for Buddha never speaks a lie. His
speech is truth and nothing but truth.
Aditthana is resolute determination to reach the goal. Metta is
fellow feeling extending to all beings, foe and friend, beast and man.
Upekka is detachment as distinguished from indifference. It is a
state of mind where there is neither like nor dislike. Remaining unmoved
by the result and yet engaged in the pursuit of it.
These virtues one must practice to his utmost capacity. That is why
they are called Paramitas (States of Perfection).
Such is the gospel the Buddha enunciated as a result of his
enlightenment to end the sorrow and misery in the world.
It is clear from Dr. Ambedkar’s article “Buddha or Karl Marx” (W&S, vol.3) how, the means adopted by the Buddha were to convert a
man by changing his moral disposition to follow the path voluntarily. The
means adopted by the Communists are equally clear, short and swift.
They are (1) Violence and (2) Dictatorship of the Proletariat.
The Communists say that there are the only two means of
establishing communism. The first is violence. Nothing short of it will
suffice to break up the existing system. The other is dictatorship of the
proletariat. Nothing short of it will suffice to continue the new system.
It is now clear what are the similarities and differences between
Buddha and Karl Marx. The differences are about the means. The end is
common to both. (Buddha or Karl Marx”, (W&S vol. 3 p. 450)
Buddhadāsa Bhikkhu : « Buddhadasa Never Dies »
หอจดหมายเหตุพุทธทาส อินทปัญโญ -BIA-
“Buddhadasa Never Dies”
A poem written by Buddhadāsa Bhikkhu
Translation from the Thai into English by Santikaro r other works by Buddhadāsa Bhikkhu, please visit:
Buddhadāsa Bhikkhu : « Buddhadasa Never Dies »
“Buddhadasa
Never Dies” A poem written by Buddhadāsa Bhikkhu Translation from the
Thai into English by Santikaro For other works by Buddhadāsa Bhikkhu,
pleas…
Buddhadasa
Bhikkhu (Servant of the Buddha) went forth as a bhikkhu (Buddhist monk)
in 1926, at the age of twenty. After a few years of study in Bangkok,
which convinced him “purity is not to be found in the big city,” he was
inspired to live close with nature in order to investigate the
Buddha-Dhamma. Thus, he established Suan Mokkhabalarama (The Grove of
the Power of Liberation) in 1932, near his hometown of Pum Riang (now in
Chaiya District). At that time, it was the only forest Dhamma Center
and one of the few places dedicated to vipassana meditation in Southern
Thailand. Word of Buddhadasa Bhikkhu, his work, and Suan Mokkh spread
over the years so that they are easily described as “one of the most
influential events of Buddhist history in Siam.” Here, we can only
mention some of the most interesting services he has rendered Buddhism.
Ajahn
Buddhadasa worked painstakingly to establish and explain the correct
and essential principles of what he called “pristine Buddhism,” that is,
the original realization of the Lord Buddha before it was buried under
commentaries, ritualism, clerical politics, and the like. His work was
based in extensive research of the Pali texts (Canon and commentary),
especially of the Buddha’s Discourses (Sutta Pitaka), followed by
personal experiment and practice with these teachings. Then he taught
whatever he could say truly quenches dukkha (dissatisfaction,
suffering). His goal was to produce a complete set of references for
present and future research and practice. His approach was always
scientific, straight-forward, and practical.
Although
his formal education only went as far as ninth grade and beginning Pali
studies, he was given five Honorary Doctorates by Thai universities.
His books, both written and transcribed from talks, fill a room at the
National Library and influence all serious Thai Buddhists in Siam.
Doctoral dissertations are still being written about him and his legacy.
His books can be found in bookstores around the country and are
favorites as gifts at cremations.
Progressive
elements in Thai society, especially the young, were inspired by his
teaching and selfless example. Since the 1960’s, activists and thinkers
in areas such as education, ecology, social welfare, and rural
development have drawn upon his teaching and advice. Most of the monks
involved in nature conservation and community development were inspired
by him. He provided the link between the scriptural tradition and
engaged buddhist practice today.
After
the founding of Suan Mokkh, he studied all schools of Buddhism, as well
as the other major religious traditions. This interest was practical
rather than scholarly. He sought to unite all genuinely religious people
in order to work together to help, as he put it, “drag humanity out
from under the power of materialism.” This broadmindedness won him
friends and students from around the world, including Christians,
Muslims, Hindus, and Sikhs.
His
last project was to establish an International Dhamma Hermitage. This
addition to Suan Mokkh is intended to provide facilities for:
- Courses which introduce foreigners to the correct understanding of Buddhist principles and practice;
- Meetings among Buddhists from around the world to establish and agree upon the “heart of Buddhism”;
-
Meetings of leaders from all religions for the sake of making mutual
good understanding and cooperating to drag the world out from under the
tyranny of materialism.
-
He left instruction for the building of Dhamma-Mata, a residential
facility to support the dedicated study-practice of women. He called it
Dhamma-Mata (Dhamma Mothers, those who give birth to others through
Dhamma).
Ajahn
Buddhadasa died in 1993 after a series of heart attacks and strokes
that he kept bouncing back from in order to teach. The final stroke
occurred as he was preparing notes for a talk to be given on his
birthday in two days (27 May). Suan Mokkh carries on in the hearts and
actions of all those who have been inspired and guided by his example
and words. Suan Mokkh is not so much a physical place as it is the space
of liberation that we all must discover in this very life.
Another Buddhist response to Marxism can be seem in Bhikkhu
Buddhadasa, a contemporary Thai Buddhist thinker, who proposed his
social theory of dhammic socialism out of an Asian way of thinking,
within an Asian context. Since Thailand has never been colonized by a
Western power, Buddhist socialism can be interpreted as a struggle for economic and cultural independence. Bhikkhu Buddhadasa, a
contemporary Thai Buddhist thinker, has interpreted Buddhism not only
from a religious point of view of his unique theory of Buddhist socialism or “dhammic socialism” but also from a sociopolitical perspective. After devoting most of his life to reforming Buddhism in Thailand, Buddhadasa
found it necessary to address sociopolitical issues from a Buddhist perspective. In the 1960’s, he articulated his sociopolitical position in
terms of “dhammocracy” (dhammathipatai): the social and political order
should follow the law of Dhamma the teachings of the Buddha. Later on,
in the atmosphere of the student led Revolution in Thailand from 1973 to
1976, Buddhadasa presented (dhammika sangkhomniyom). Buddhadasa
bases his theory of dhammic socialism on nature. To him, nature
represents the state of balance for the survival and wellbeing of human
beings, animals, plants, and the ecology of the world. In the state of
nature, every being produces according to its capacity and consumes according to its needs; no being, whatever form, hoards “surplus” for its
own sake. Buddhadasa calls this balanced state of nature socialistic. Problems arise, however, when human beings begin to hoard a “surplus” for the sake of their own profit; this leaves others facing scarcity and
poverty. According to Buddhadasa, human beings can and should produce a “surplus,” but the “surplus” should be distributed for the wellbeing of everyone, and Buddhism provides the ethical tools for this
fair distribution. Philosophically, dhammic socialism is based on this
principle: none of us should take more than we really need. We should
share whatever extra we have with those who have less. Social problems
are fundamentally a result of greed. In other words, greed is at the heart
of scarcity and poverty (Buddhadasa, Dhammic Socialism, 107). Buddhadasa’s individualistic approach to social and economic problems is implemented via the personal practices of generosity (dana) and self-restraint, which consists of keeping precepts (sila) and being self
disciplined the global market economy.
In a later unit in this chapter, we shall explain more on that
concept. According to Buddhist tradition, a good ruler has ten virtues,
enumerated in the next unit.
Eighth
in the series of Dhamma talks on Ten Perfections, the outstanding
virtues that were cultivated by the Buddha before his enlightenment.
Discover a multitude of practical ways to nourish and sustain these
virtues in daily life.
Buddhism is more than a religion or a life philosophy; it is a way of
life. It is broad in scope and perceptive of the lives of others. Henceforth,
Buddha Gautama taught the eradication of poverty and internal security
of a kingdom as well as other social virtues. Towards the eradication of
crime in a country, a leader should eliminate poverty. Although there
were perhaps not the same strata of employment then that we have today,
Buddha urged employers and national leaders to improve relations with
employees through the means of wage and incentives, and occasional
gifts. Furthermore, kings and governments should consider the happiness
of their people seriously. In respect of good monarchy, there is the dasa
raja dhamma, which follow:
According to Buddhadhamma, or Buddhasatsana, a true, good
monarch is or should be endowed with the following ten virtues.
1.
As it is incumbent of the monarch to ensure the welfare and
prosperity of his people, the first of these virtues is dana or charity.
Dana
comes from the Sanskrit root dan, to give, which also founded the Latin
word don- as in donor (giver) and donation. In Buddhism, dana includes
generosity and reward. It is incumbent for a good leader to give freely
from his resources to anyone who needs anything. Maha Sudassana gave
whatever the needy person demanded at the time. This entails an accurate
assessment of the person’s condiition: ‘This man is hungry’ etc. and the suitable response.
2. The second virtue, very typically, was sila or morality. The raja
is himself a lay follower and lay followers were expected to follow only
five principles of moral conduct, whereas the bhikkus had many more.
The five principles, unlike their counterparts in other world religions, were not rigidly enforced. This may have been due to Buddha’s understanding of human weakness. These principles included the aversion
to kill meaninglessly, barring a war in the cause of national defence.
(Buddha taught ahimsa, or non-violence, but understood that war in self-
defense was hard to avoid for any nation.) The other precepts included
aversion to adultery (as it provokes rage and jealousy, and disharmony
among subjects), aversion to the use of harmful and improper speech such
as lies, slander, rumours and gossiping and aversion to intoxicating things
etc.
Buddha continued to advise the following eight virtues:
3. pariccaga (self-sacrifice for common good): Sidhhi Butr-Indr
(1995; p.150) claims that this included the sacrifice of life and limbs on
behalf of the people, which is a very grand and noble gesture for anyone
and therefore very scarce. It arises from the belief that the happiness of
others causes oneself to feel happy, which is true.
4. ajjava (honesty): this virtue encompasses sincerity and freedom
from fear (bhayamokka) while discharging royal duties. It is very
conceivable that any honest man or woman, regardless of birthright,
should have no cause to fear so long as his/her activity is honest and
sincere. Thus, a king who lives honestly and sincerely need not fear any
loss to himself; or his family. Additionally, a king is recommended to be
straightforward and avoid deceptive or ‘crooked’ recourse towards his
ends. To highlight this, the Sigalovada Sutta, Digha Nikaya, adds: “Canda dosa bhaya moha—yo dhammam nativattati. Apurati tassa
yaso—Sukkha pakheva candima”. (If a person maintains justice without
being subjected to favouritism, hatred, fear or ignorance, his popularity
grows like the waxing moon.)
5. maddava (gentleness) includes politeness and friendliness.
Buddha apparently intended this as a tool in addressing the subjects. As
he must have known well that common men prefer to listen to kind,
sincere speeches.
6. tapa (austerity) is generally a quality of ascetics and therefore
uncommon in men of high birth and status in society. It requires the
monarch to simplify his ways of life, which seemed rare in those days as
well as in the present. The scriptures had mentioned reports of kings who abused wealth and power and were ‘lumped together’ with the thieves
from whom they were expected to protect their subjects.
7. akkodha is good will. It is also translated as ‘non-hatred.’ Thus, a ruler should not bear any grudge against anyone. Furthermore, he
should act with love and forbearance.
8. ahimsa (non-violence): Buddha taught non-violence even in the
case of war, although he was well aware that war was difficult to avoid.
As we have mentioned, he sanctioned war only when it was fought for the
preservation of the state and could avoid killing. He included the
promotion of peace through non-violent action, which is truly the only
way to peace. This virtue was best epitomised in Emperor Asoka.
9. khanti, or patience. The ruler is herein urged to bear all
hardships without losing his temper and should avoid yielding to his
emotions. In fact, Buddhists are generally advised to be thoughtful rather
than giving way to emotions, but a king or ruler should avoid this as well.
10. avirodha (non-opposition to the public demand) This includes a
commitment to public welfare and is a good twin to pariccaga. As a good
monarch will first deem the welfare and happiness of the people as his
own and then undertake to promote it. (Rahula, What the Buddha Taught 84-85)
Butr-Intr (Ibid. p.151) discusses the nature of a good king along
these lines, and historically there were god examples such as Maha
Sudassana and Asoka. Maha Sudassana practiced dana in the manner
described; Asoka practiced dana, sila and ahimsa and originated many
institutions in his kingdom to promote the public welfare. He stands as
one of the best examples of a monarch in early history. However, while
the leader who possesses all of thee virtues is loved well, he is very rare.
Some kings or leaders have possessed only a few virtues and others have
abused wealth and power for self-interest.
In modern day, with many countries assuming a democratic stance,
a few of them maintain monarchical influences. In Asia, these are
principally Nepal, Bhutan and Thailand. Nepal has deposed its monarchs
for criminal offences concerning ascension. Bhutan has remained a model
monarchical state, as Robert Thurman averred recently.
Thurman refers to the interesting paradox that Nagarjuna points out, that it’s very likely that a good and strong executive is an essential thing to maintain the interest of individuals in a society. So there is an
interesting paradox that you need a strong central leader to guarantee the
rights of the people and therefore the idea of a constitutional monarchy is
pretty close to a Buddhist ideal. (Retrieved from http://www.kuensel
online.com/ on 22 March 2009. Date of Citation: 27 November 2007)
Speaking more precisely on the duty and nature of the dhammaraja,
Thurman pointed that a true Buddhist king should attain to the state of
bodhisattva and serve his people. Asoka tried in his lifetime to attain that
end and we shall discuss him in the next unit. Below are Thurman’s words on the king:
Buddhism has a very interesting paradox and that is, yes, it’s very
important to be a bodhisattva and serve the people, but you can’t really serve people well until you have wisdom, compassion and certain qualities of an enlightened person. That’s the first thing of a Buddhist King, the first duty is to himself, to develop full potential as a human being. That’s the first principle.
The
second principle is Non-Violence. This is very difficult for a
ruler or a King, because there are some criminals and they have to be
punished or there are some threats to the nation and it has to be taken
care
of, so it may seem a little tough.
But Nagarjuna ruled out capital punishment. Even criminals should
not be killed, but you might kill someone if they try to harm your family,
but generally you try to correct criminals and educate them. The analysis
of self-defense is kind of tricky in Buddhism, you can’t necessarily be perfect but you tend towards the principle of non-violence.
The third principle is difficult to explain in English because there is
no real word for it but I call it Educationalism. What this means is that the
primary industry of a Buddhist society is education of its citizens
because, for any human being, the most important thing they can do is to
learn. Buddhism is very different from any other religions because
Buddhism does not teach that you can achieve nirvana just by faith, faith
is not sufficient to be free from suffering. (Ibid.)
Sitting Still and Standing Up: Women, Buddhism, and Social Justice
What is the place of Buddhist practitioners in the movement toward a
just and equitable world? How do we understand the place of stillness in
the struggle to move forward?
Sitting Still and Standing Up: Women, Buddhism, and Social Justice
What
is the place of Buddhist practitioners in the movement toward a just
and equitable world? How do we understand the place of stillness in the
struggle to…
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Buddhism
has been an integral part of the life of Buddhists for it is
the root of culture and way of life of the people. In order to
appreciate the
importance, role and influence of Buddhism on the way of life of the
Buddhist populace, it is necessary to understand other structures or
fabrics, which are integral parts of Buddhism. Important components are
the Buddha (Somdej Phra Nyanasamvara 2000, pp.6-7), the Dhamma,
the Sangha and the Wat (monastery) and lay disciples. The Dhamma or
the teachings of the Buddha has been most influential on the way of life
of Buddhists. The teachings are found not only in the Pali Canon and
Suttapitaka but also in such religious literatures as the Jataka,
Buddhist
chronicles and myths. The Dhamma component is an abstract aspect and
serves as the heart of Buddhism. The Sangha or the community of monks
and the Wat are in close relation and proximity with the laymen and
interact with society in its daily life.
The close association and continuous relationship between
Buddhism and society is based on the concept that a society is a
conglomeration of tangible compositions and such abstract elements as
virtue, value, goodness, morality and ethics. There are continuous
interactions between the tangible and intangible components. In order to
maintain the society functionally and structurally, there must be an
interdependent and supportive relationship of different compositions of
Buddhism. Lacking any of them would cause imbalance in society. In a
village community, for example, not having a monastery and monks to
edify and guide the people would result in the low morality and spirit of
the inhabitants. Similarly, if the monks in the community do not strictly
adhere to the Dhamma and keep to their duties according to the code of discipline (Vinaya), the people’s morality and spirit would become lax,
the community’s social relationships would also be weakened, unstable and not in peace. Social relationships are not always in harmony.
Conflicts may arise from time to time. Resolution to such conflicts may
be achieved by means of adjustment and adaptation of the existing social
structure and function in order to maintain the society. Alternatively,
there might be a replacement of the structure and function of the old
society by a new one.
Interaction and the independent relationship of the Sangha and lay
society is another aspect of the relationship between society and religion.
The Sangha is the most important and traditional Buddhist institution,
which is in close association with the people. It plays an essential role,
both religious and secular, in the life of the people. It provides spiritual
sanctuary and serves as a field of merit for the people when they need
spiritual comfort. In the secular sphere, the monks render services to rural
and remote communities. The monks help in teaching the children,
healing the sick by traditional methods, and leading the villagers in
various development efforts. Reciprocally, the lay community provides
the monks with necessities for their living so that they need not worry
about earning their living. Such an interdependent and reciprocal
relationship contributes to a situation in which each party has to be
flexible and adaptable to changes. An accommodating and adaptive
ability is an indispensable quality of the structure within a society, which
make possible the maintenance of the society. The maintenance of the
structure and the regulation of social order are structurally and
functionally defined. It is a situation in which every component of the
society is interdependent, interacting and contributing to the system
maintenance. Generally speaking, there are a variety of components in a
society. The important ones are an economic structure, a political structure and a belief system meaningful to people’s lives and thoughts. The major element in this belief system is a religious structure.
The
teachings of the Buddha are voluminous and classified into
groups. Each group serves a specific purpose. It explains an existing
phenomenon, its cause of arising and the effects thereof. There are also
prescriptions to overcome individual problems. The level of depth and
sophistication of the teachings are also purposely prescribed to suit
individual needs. Due to the differences in context and level of
sophistication of the teachings, there arise differences in
interpretation of the teachings. This concerns one’s perception and experiences, occupation and education. Some political scientists may understand the
Buddhist concept Santosa (satisfaction with whatever is one’s own) as not conducive to development. In contrast, conservationalists and
environmentalists would see the meaning of Santosa as contentment with
the maintenance of the existing status and conditions, which is supportive
to environmental conservation. Students of Buddhist Studies would view
such interpretations as not comprehensive. This signifies different levels
of understanding of the teachings of the Buddha by the Buddhists. According to Robert Redfield’s concept of ‘Great and Little Tradition’,
people’s appreciation of Buddhism can be divided into two broad categories, doctrinal and popular Buddhism. (Robert Redfield 1965,
pp.41-43)
Firstly, doctrinal Buddhism refers to the teachings of the Buddha
and practices contained in the Canon Sutta and related literatures.
Doctrinal Buddhism is thus believed to be original. Its followers will
refuse principles, teachings and practices, which are not contained in the
Canon and Suttapitaka. They view belief in spirits, deities, and other
forms of Animism including beliefs and practices adopted from other
faiths, as heresy. The followers of doctrinal Buddhism are few in number
but are well educated.
Secondly,
popular Buddhism refers to a Buddhism which is
permeated by other religions and belief systems. It includes Animism,
Brahmanism, and beliefs in spirits and ghosts. The teachings and
practices of Buddhism and other belief systems are so interwoven that
only the well educated among the faithful can distinguish Buddhism from
the others.
Religious rites, an important structure and function of a religion
can differentiate between the intricacy of doctrinal and popular
Buddhism. The followers of popular Buddhism tend to rank ritual very
high. Their rituals are a combination of Buddhistic, Animistic and
Brahmanical elements. A wedding ceremony, for example, begins with
Buddhist merit making such as giving alms to the monks in the morning.
Late morning ritual involves the offering of sacrifices to the spirit house
and to the ancestors. In the evening Brahmanism is invoked to bless the
bride and the groom. The holiest part of the evening ritual is the pouring
of lustral water on the hands of the couple with blessings from the senior
guests. On the contrary, the followers of doctrinal Buddhism are more
concerned with Buddhist ritual and play down the non-Buddhistic ones.
The
great majority of Buddhists in Thailand, Laos and Cambodia
follow popular Buddhism. This phenomenon can be explained in the
context of the belief system at every level of society. Amongst the most
primitive, there exists a belief system that human beings can hold on
to.
Such a belief system may be Animism in various forms, including beliefs
regarding natural happenings. Certain communities have embraced an
established religion such as Brahmanism, which was well rooted in India
and propagated all over the world, and Taoism or Confucianism, which
spread from China. By the time that Buddhism was introduced to
Southeast Asia, there already existed belief systems and religious among
the people. When they accepted Buddhism they also kept their old
beliefs.
Due to its flexible and liberalism, Buddhism easily absorbed certain
elements of existing belief systems into its mainstream. What developed
from this process is popular Buddhism.
The teachings of the Buddha display variety in its levels of
sophistication, purposes, content, and specialties. For example, the Four
Noble Truths explain natural phenomena, which will be with everyone
from birth to death. It describes the nature of suffering represented by
birth, old age, disease and death, including sorrow and frustration of
every kind; the origin of problems and suffering by way of causality; the
extinction of suffering; and the path leading to the extinction of suffering.
There are teachings that guide the people to live comfortably without
economic hardship. This teaching is called
Dittadhammikatthasamvattanika-dhamma (virtues conducive to benenfits
in the present).
It teaches the laymen to have energy; industry and watchfulness
concerning their properties; to associate with good people; and to live
economically. The Buddha also encouraged people to follow the path to
success. This appears in a particular teaching called Iddhipada (basis for
success). However, the over all purpose of the teachings of the Buddha
can be summarized in the following:
Firstly, it enlightens the laymen about the nature of life from birth
and existence to death. This includes an explanation of the origin of life,
existence after birth and survival until death. The teachings also deal with ways to lead one’s life happily, in harmony with nature and how to minimize and cope with suffering arising from sickness, death,
disappointment, separation and other misfortunes.
Secondly, it explains and prescribes ways for people to live
together mutually on a one to one level, as well as on national and global
levels. The teachings, to achieve this purpose, deals with the prescriptions
for social relationships between individuals, social relations within the
family, social relationships between family and family, between teacher
and students, between employer and employees, between religious
personnel and laymen, between government and subjects and between
state and state.
Thirdly, it gives guidance on the application of the teachings of the
Buddha to improve the daily life. The prescriptions are designed to be
workable according to the nature of problems and the level of
appreciation of the individual needs. Therefore, there are levels in the
teachings of the Buddha, i.e., basic truth, middle and sophisticated truth,
both in mundane and supramundane states (Lokiyadhamma and
Lokuttaradhamma).
The
dissemination of the teachings of the Buddha to people at
different levels of appreciation requires specialized methods to suit
each
group. So as to preach Dhamma to intellectuals and educated people who
are keen on Buddhism and who want to apply Dhamma to improve their
lives, sophisticated Dhamma must be selected. The Dhamma for the
followers of popular Buddhism, on the contrary, has to be simplified and
easy to understand. Simplified Laws8 of Kamma and stories from the
Jataka and Sutta are an effective means to edify them. However, Phra
Rajavoramuni points out that whatever the teaching methods are, all
teachings are related, for the essence of the teachings derives from the
same truth and the ultimate purpose is identical. In fact, these
teachings are identical in purpose but given different labels. The truth
is
disseminated selectively and in different forms.
3.8 Buddhism: The Socio-political Changes and the Social Order
The principle of ever-changing nature or the impermanent
condition of the society is a very important to consider when one studies
the relationship between Buddhism and society. It is argued that at the
time when the Gotama was seeking enlightenment there had been rapid
socio-political changes in the homeland of Buddhism, i.e., present
Northern India (Phra Rajavoramuni 1983, pp.11-12). The Buddha
considered that the ever-changing or impermanent conditions were causes
of suffering and societal problems. He therefore devoted himself to the
search for truth to remedy human suffering. The suffering and problems,
which the Buddha perceived, were: (1) natural changes in human beings
and (2) changes caused by man.
Firstly, natural changes in human beings, these were the causes of
suffering inherent in human beings, for example, birth, sickness, death,
happiness, suffering, satisfaction, disappointment, etc. Though they are
the natural phenomena, yet they can cause suffering to people. The
Buddha believed that there must be a remedy to end or at least to
minimize those causes of suffering. Thus, he set forth in search of the
truth. Secondly, changes caused by man, includes: (1) political changes
and (2) socio-economic changes.
Firstly,
political changes during the lifetime of the Buddha and the
political environment could be characterized as pertaining to two major
forms of government. The first one was absolute monarchy. The other was a
system based on co-operation between the ruling elites of small
principalities within the states. This form of government is said to be
equivalent to a loosely structured republican system and the mode of
government was democratic. The absolute monarchy form of government
had been adopted by the four northern states of India and they proved to
be very politically strong and stable. Among these states, two of them
had
adopted democratic procedures in their government. Legislation, policy
making, and judicial processes were based on consultation in the
assembly of the assigned ruling elite. Majority opinion was adopted to
arrive at final decisions and resolutions. However, the democratic form
of
government was gradually weakened by the stronger authoritarian
governments and finally became absorbed by the absolute monarchical
system.
Secondly, it is the socio-economic changes. The expansion of the
absolute monarchical states contributed to the expansion of trade. The
growth of trade generated the bourgeois and capitalist classes. Those who
were economically strong became politically influential and dominated
the government (Phra Rajavoramuni 1982 pp.21-22).
The characteristics and nature of socio-political and economic
changes became integral parts of the teachings of the Buddha. Since the
Buddha gave heavy importance to the forces of socio-political and
economic change, this contributed to Buddhist ability to adjust to changes
without losing its essence.
In the context of socio-political changes, Buddhism has played a
very important role in regulating and organizing society for the survival and continuity of the society. These functions can be summarized as
followings
A. Socialization function. In Buddhist societies, culture, values and
customs are deeply rooted in Buddhism. Although there are normative
and substantive socializing agents, the monks and monasteries are another
important socializing institution. They have served as ethical and moral
socializing agents. They persuade the people to follow social rules and
regulations and to lead their lives according to the Buddhist way of life.
Such virtues as loving and kindness (Metta-Karuna), kind-heartedness,
being helpful to each other, courtesy and social relationships between
persons of different status constitute this way of life.
B. Social control function. Social control is indispensable for
human society. In order to keep society in order and its members
behaving correctly, so as to maintain peace and order, there must be laws
and regulations governing the society. It is necessary to have an
authoritative body, i.e., a government to enact and enforce such secular
laws and regulations. In addition there are also traditions and customary
laws that enhance the social control of any society.
However, those secular social control mechanisms are aimed at regulating men’s activities and overt behavior. They will be effective only when men
feel morally obligated to follow the laws and regulations.
Religion can play a very important role in instilling in the people a
sense
of morality and edifying them. The monks and monasteries are essential
religious socializing agents that train Buddhists to be good citizens.
Buddhist principles, which function as a social control mechanism, are,
for example, the Five Precepts, Brahmavihàra (sublime states of mind),
Sangahavatthu (virtues making for group integration and leadership and
principle of services), Nathakaranadhamma (virtues which make for
protection), Saraniyadhamma (virtues for fraternal living), Adhipateyya
(dominant influence, supremacy, Dithadhammikattha (sources of
happiness in the present life), etc. People, who are trained, edified,
and
keep to the teachings of the Buddha will have shared norms and follow a
common way of life. Such a society will face minimal conflicts, people
will live together with reason and social problems are minimized.
C. Buddhism serves as a unifying force for the society. The fact
that the faithful follow the teaching of the Buddha, and adopt Dhamma as
guidance in their life, reinforces national integration and solidarity. Good
racial integration and a healthy religion enhance national security. In
addition to the teachings of the Buddha, religious rituals and calendar
festivals foster the unity of the people.
Adapted
from ‘The Dictator’s Handbook’: http://amzn.to/2fgBWps Part 2:
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Plato’s definition of philosopher king refer to one who is going to seek the truth; And truth can only be won by knowledge and wisdom. The
best government for him is the one, which has a philosopher king in
power. The other virtue, which is stressed by Plato, is justice. He says that
justice is the whole duty of man. He further explains that it is justice went
each class does its own proper work. In each of us also, if our inward
faculties do severally their roper work, we will live in the virtue of
justice; we will do just men, and doers of proper work.
Aristotle (born 884 B.C.) wrote how the powers of government
should be expressed. According to him, the government would be good if
it worked in the interest of the community as a whole. And on the
contrary it would be bad if it worked for the governing body and for
selfish purposes. Aristotle focused on the practitioner of government who,
by his power, would make the common good, good of life for all.
He mentions that political justice exists among people who are
associated in a common life with a view to self-sufficiency and who
enjoy freedom and equality. Justice must be administered not merely for a
private group but for the whole world. Aristotle explains that government
will be best if it serves the common good for the people. The political
thinkers emphasize the moral virtues of the ruler who should do justice to
all and bring good to all, a government working for the public good.
(Macilwain, 1932, pp.83-85)
The basis of religion is morality and faith, while that for politics is
power. Religion was used to justify wars and conquest, persecutions,
atrocities, rebellions, destruction of works of art and culture. When
religion is used to pander to political whims, it has to forego its high
moral ideals and become debased by worldly political demands.
The thrust of the Buddha Dhamma is not directed to the creation of
new political institutions and establishing political arrangements.
Basically, it seeks to approach the problems of society by reforming the
individuals constituting that society and suggesting some general
principles, through which the society can be guided towards greater
humanism, improved welfare of its members, and more equitable sharing
of resources.
There is a limit to the extent to which a political system can
safeguard the happiness and prosperity of its people. No political system,
no matter how ideal it may appear to be, can bring about peace and
happiness as long as the no matter what political system is adopted, there
are certain universal factors which the members of that society will have
to experience: the effects of good and bad kamma, the lack of real
satisfaction or everlasting happiness in the world characterized by dukkha (unsatisfactoriness), anicca (impermanence), and anatta (egolessness). To
the Buddhist, nowhere in Samsara is there real freedom, not even in the
heavens or the world of Brahmas.
Although a good and just political system which guarantees basic
human rights and contains checks and balances to the use of power is an
important condition for a happy life in society, people should mot fritter
away their time by endlessly searching for the ultimate political system
where men can be completely free, because complete freedom cannot be
found in any system but only in minds which are free.
To be free, people will have to look within their own minds and
work towards freeing themselves from the chains of ignorance and
craving. Freedom in the truest sense is only possible when a person use Dhamma to develop his character through good speech and action and to
train his mind so as to expand his mental potential and achieve his
ultimate aim of enlightenment.
While recognizing the use fullness of separating religion from
politics and the limitations of political systems in bringing about peace and
happiness, there are several aspects of the Buddha’s teaching, which
have close correspondence to the political arrangements of the present
day.
1) Firstly, the Buddha spoke about the equality of all human beings
long before Abraham Lincoln, and the classes and castes are artificial
barriers erected by society. According to the Buddha, the only
classification of human beings is based on the quality of their moral
conduct.
2) Secondly, the Buddha encouraged the spirit of social co-
operation and active participation in society. This spirit is actively
promoted in the political in the political process of modern societies.
3) Thirdly, since no one was appointed as the Buddha’s successor, the members of the Order were to be guided by the Dhamma and Vinaya,
or in short, the Rule of Law. Until today every member of the Sangha is
to abide by the Rule of Law, which governs and guides their conduct.
4) Fourthly, the Buddha encouraged the spirit of consultation and
the democratic process. This is shown within the community of the Order
in which all members have the right to decide on matters of general
concern. When a serious question arose demanding attention, the issues
were put before the monks and discussed in a manner similar to the
democratic parliamentary system used today.
This self-governing procedure may come as a surprise to many to
learn that in the assemblies of Buddhists in India 2,500 years ago and
more are to be found the rudiments of the parliamentary practice of the
present day. A special officer similar to “Mr. Speaker” was appointed to preserve the dignity of the assembly.
A second officer, who played a role similar to the Parliamentary
Chief Whip, was also appointed to see if the quorum was secured.
Matters were put forward in the form of a motion, which was open to
discussion. In some cases it was done once, in others three times, thus
anticipating the practice of Parliament in requiring that a bill should be
read a third time before it becomes law. If the discussion shows a
difference of opinion, it was to be settled by the vote of the majority
through balloting.
The Buddhist approach to political power is the moralization and
the responsible use of public power. The Buddha preached non-violence
and peace as a universal message. He did not approve of violence or the destruction of life, and declared that there is no such thing as a “just” war.
He taught: ‘The victor breeds hatred, the defeated lives in misery. He who renounces both victory and defeat is happy and peaceful. Not only did the
Buddha teach non-violence and peace, but also he was perhaps the first
and only religious teacher who went to the battlefield personally to
prevent the outbreak of a war. He diffused tension between the Sakyas
and Koliyas who were about to wage war over the waters of Rohine. He
also dissuaded king Ajātaśatru from attacking the Kingfom of the vajjis.
The Buddha discussed the importance and the prerequisites of a
good government. He showed how the country could become corrupt,
degenerate and unhappy when the head of the government becomes
corrupt and unjust. He spoke against corruption and how a government should act on humanitarian principles. The Buddha once said, “When the ruler of a
country is just and good, the ministers become just and good;
when the ministers are just and good, the higher officials become just
and
good; when the higher officials are just and good, the rank and file
become just and good; when the rank and file become just and good, the people become just and good.”
In the Cakkamatti Sihananda Sutta, the Buddha said that
immorality and crime, such as theft, falsehood, violence, hatred, cruelty,
could arise from poverty. Kings and government may try to suppress
crime through punishment, but it is futile to eradicate crimes through
force.
In the Kutadanta Sutta, the Buddha suggested economic
development instead of force to reduce crime. The government should use the country’s resources to improve the economic conditions of the country. It could embark on agricultural and rural development, provide
financial support to entrepreneurs and business, and provide adequate
wages for workers to maintain a decent life with human dignity.
In the Milinda Panha, it is stated: ‘If a man, who is unfit, incompetent, immoral, improper, unable and unable and unworthy of
kingship, has enthroned himself a king or a ruler with great authority, he is subject to be tortured…to be subject to a variety of punishment by the people, because, being unfit and unworthy, he has placed himself
unrighteously in the seat of sovereignty. The ruler, like others who violate
and transgress moral codes and basic rules of all social laws of mankind,
is equally subject to punishment; and moreover, to be censure is the ruler who conducts himself as a robber of the public.’
In
Jantaka story, it is mentioned that a ruler who punishes innocent
people and does not punish the culprit is not suitable to rule a
country.
The king always improves himself and carefully examines his own conduct
in deed, words and thoughts, trying to discover and listen to
public opinion as to whether or been guilty of any faults and mistakes
in
ruling the that they are ruined by the wicked ruler with unjust
treatment,
punishment, taxation, or other oppressions including corruption of any
kind, and they will react against him un one way or another. On the contrary, if he rules righteously they will bless him: ‘Long live His
Majesty.’
The Buddha’s emphasis is on the moral duty of a ruler to use public power to improve the welfare of the people had inspired Emperor
Asoka, a sparkling example of this principle, resolved to live and preach
the Dhamma and to serve his subjects and all humanity accordingly. He
declared his non-aggressive intentions to his neighbours, assuring them of
his goodwill and sending envoys to distant kings bearing his message of
peace and non-aggression.
He promoted the energetic practice of the socio-moral virtues of
honesty, truthfulness, compassion, benevolence, non-violence,
considerate behaviour towards all, non-extravagance, non-
acquisitiveness, and non-injury to animals. He encouraged religious freedom and mutual respect for each other’s creed. He went on to
periodic tours preaching the Dhamma to the rural people. He undertook
works of public utility, such as founding of hospitals for man beings and
animals, supplying of medicine, plantation of the roadside trees and
groves, digging of wells, and construction of watering sheds and rest
houses. He expressly forbade cruelty to animals.
Sometimes
the Buddha is said to be a social reformer. Among other
things, he condemned the caste system, recognized the equality of
people, spoke on the need to improve socio-economic conditions,
recognized the
importance of n more equitable distribution of wealth among the rich and
the poor, raised the status of women, recommended the incorporation of
humanism in government and administration, and taught that a society
should not be run by greed but with consideration and compassion for the
people. despite all of these, his contribution to mankind is much
greater
because he took off at a point which no other social reformer before or
ever since had done, that is, by going to the deepest roots of human ill
which are found in human mind.
It is only in the human mind that true reform can be affected.
Reforms imposed by force upon the external world have a very short life
because they have no roots. Not those reforms, which spring as a result of the transformation of man’s inner consciousness, remain rooted. While their braches spread outwards, they draw their nourishment from and
unfailing source the subconscious imperatives of the life- stream itself. So reforms come about when men’s minds have prepared the way for them, and they live as long as men revitalize them out of their own love of truth,
justice and their fellow men. (K.Shi Dhammananda, 1993, pp.231-236)
Kingship
is generally regarded as a result of meritorious actions
performed in the past births. The pali texts generally insist that a
king be
khattiya and belong to a family with a hoary lineage. This is in keeping
with the early Buddhist view that the Khattiyas are the highest among
classes and castes. Nor is a woman favoured as a ruler. Of course this
can
be taken as the observation of the Buddhists of the contemporary
situation. This cannot be regarded as the general rule or even the main
emphasis of Buddhism. What is more important for Buddhism, is that a
good king is expected to have ten qualities such as charity, morality,
and spirit of sacrifice, justice, humility, penitence, absence of wrath,
absence
of violence, patience and harmlessness. A good king, however, should do
more than merely possess certain qualities. He should sub-serve two
traditions namely those of attha and Dhamma. The terms attha and
Dhamma may be rendered, in our present context, as actions conducive to
prosperity and righteousness.
Owing to the fact that a leader is the most important and powerful
person. He, therefore, should know the price of leadership: emulation and
envy. A leader is envied. High and powerful positions are fervently
sought out for all the promise they hold. And what can be more alluring
than the highest post in the land?
To be good leader should be undaunted to emulation and envy
which are around us. In this case, the researcher agrees with S. Leelavathi
the famous columnist who in the column “The Speaking Tree” (Times of
India, Monday, May 31, 2004), mentioned the price of leadership by
saying, “Now that the “crown of thorns” has been placed on a leader’s head, it is instructive to look at what leadership means, both for the leader
and the led. True, the lead of any huge corporation or country will have
almost boundless resourced at his word shall be law. And sycophants
there will be aplenty. However, it is also true that no leader can be free of the baggage of leadership.”
In
every field of human endeavour; first he must perpetually live in
the white light of publicity. Whether the leadership should be vested in
a
man or in a manufactured product, emulation and envy are ever at work
in the art, in literature, in music, in industry, the reward and the
punishment are always the same. The reward is widespread recognition;
the punishment, fierce denial and detraction.
When a man’s work becomes a standard for the whole world, it also becomes a target for the shafts of the envious few. Should his work
be merely mediocre, he will be left severely alone; if he achieves a
masterpiece, it will set a million tongues wagging. Jealousy does not
protrude its forked tongue at the artist who produced a commonplace
painting.
Whatsoever you write, paint, play, sing or build, no one will strive
to surpass, or to slander you. Unless your work be stamped with the seal
of genius. Long, long after a great work or a good work has been done;
those who are disappointed or envious continue to cry out that it cannot
be done.
It is as old as the world and as old as human passions namely;
envy, fear, greed, ambition and the desire to surpass. And it all avails
nothing. If the leader truly leads, he remains the leader.
In conclusion we may say that the ruler is considered as the center
of the society. Everybody has to follow him as the leader. He is the model
for common people and the virtues to be developed by the ruler and his
subordinates to be the good model of people. The staff and all officials of
the ruler should be men of wisdom and virtue. The economic glory and
prosperity and spiritual peace of the people and the state should be taken
care of strictly by the ruler. It is supposed to be the symbol of the well-
being of the people.
The qualities of life both of body and mind, both of the ruler and
the ruled, should be developed simultaneously. Happiness, peace security,
and confidence of the people will thus be widely spread. A good ruler is
beloved and popular among the domestic as well as the monastic
inhabitants: just as a father is near and dear to his children, even so is the
ruler beloved and regarded by the ruled; and just as the children are near
and dare to their father, even so are the ruled to a ruler. He instructs the
public in the threefold practice of well-doing in thought, word and deed
and encourages them to perform charitable deeds, to observe morality, to
engage themselves energetically in their occupation to educate
themselves, to gain wealth, to fulfill their respective duties.
A good ruler sets his whole heart upon promoting the welfare of his
people and makes righteousness the sole purpose of his actions. Being
devoted to the happiness and well-being of his subjects, he appears like
righteousness personified. As the embodiment of righteousness and the
promoter of what is good for his subjects, he realizes their welfare to be
the fruit of righteousness and knows no other purpose than this. A ruler,
therefore, must have righteousness to lead his country and his people to
peace and happiness. ( Khongchinda Chanya,1993 pp.96-7)
A virtue needed by all beings, both human and animal, justice is the result of men’s treatment to their fellow human beings, other beings or even
their natural surroundings in the way believed to be fair in
accordance with the religious as well as the legal principles. However,
it
is an abstract element, unable to be touched but able to be felt by
heart.
The society, where there exists the justice, is assured to enjoy peace,
tranquillity and equality as well. In such society, the law can be
enforced
in the full scale, and the religious teachings can be applied
effectively.
But how justice arises and how justice can be achieved and implanted in the global community are the ‘everlasting’ questions pending solution by
the religions, legal instruments, education systems as well as by human
beings themselves. This chapter is going to deal with the Buddhist
concept concerning justice, the Buddhist approaches to create justice and
the Buddhist contributions to social justice in the society.
In
today’s episode, Hank asks you to consider all the ways people talk
about justice and what we really mean when we use that word. We’ll
explain various theories of justice, just distribution, and different
approaches to punishment
Although “justice” is sometimes used synonym for “law” or
“lawfulness,” it has a broader closer to “fairness.”
As it has been explained in the Encyclopedia of philosophy edited
by Paul Edward, Justice presupposes people pressing claims and
justifying them by rules or standards. This distinguishes it from charity,
benevolence, or generosity. No one can claim alms or gifts as a right.
However, although this account is appropriate to questions of distributive
justice, where the problem is to allocate benefits, it is not so obviously
true of corrective (or retributive) justice. It is farfetched to describe a criminal trial as a conflict between an accused man’s interest in being let alone and the community’s interest (if it has one) in punishing him. Nevertheless, sentencing criminals and giving judgment in favor of one
party to a dispute rather than another have this in common with
distribution- that they all may involve overriding a claim and treating one
person more harshly that another. All presuppose general principles by
which such distinctions are regulated and justified.
Aristotle’s analysis of justice is the key to its meaning at the level
of the particular act or decision. Justice, he said, consists in treating
equals equally and unequals unequally, but in proportion their relevant
differences. This involves the idea like impartiality and right to equal
consideration.
Mill sought to reconcile retaliataive justice with utilitarianism,
arguing that the natural impulse to retaliate is moralized as a sentiment of
justice by confining it to those cases where the injury is to society at large
and where retaliative justice has a useful deterrent function. However,
although the duty of reciprocity may spring from our recognition of other
men, just as much as ourselves, as persons with interests and claims
deserving of respect, we cannot infer from that a duty to attack their
interests whenever they attack either our own or even those of society at
large.
Alf Ross, for instance, has declared that to use the word “just” as a description of a rule or general order, rather than of a particular decision
in accordance with the rule is merely to express emotion, like “banging
on the table.”
Hobbes is often said to have been a positivist because he maintained that “just” and “unjust” presuppose a coercive power capable of enforcing obligations and that no complaint of injustice could be made
against the sovereign legislator. But since he admitted that the sovereign
may act inequitably, that is, contrary to natural law, canons of legal
criticism beyond positive law do exist; it is only that the subject is not
entitled to use them.
The strength of the conventionalist position is illustrated by Rawls’s view of a just order as that body of principles that anyone might
recognize as in his interest to maintain, given that others on whose
acquiescence he depends, have interests that conflict with his own.
Although the rules might appear to discriminate against him on some
given occasion, he would be able to see the point, nevertheless, of having those rules. This was, broadly, Hume’s opinion. Justice, he geld, was conventional in the sense of being necessary to society. Though there
were discrepancies in detail, men’s ideas on justice corresponded in essentials because they arose from needs common to all social
saturations. These rules were binding by custom and convention but were
justified by their public utility.
Rawls has challenged the view that a practice is just if it answer
most fully to wants and interests. Justice is not the outcome but is
presupposed by such a calculation. Any interest not compatible with
justice ought not to be counted. Classical utilitarianism is at fault,
according to the Rawls, because it permits one to give as a reason why
slavery is unjust that the advantage to the slave holder does not outweigh
the disadvantages to the slave and to society at large. Justice, understood
as fairness, would not admit to the calculation the advantages of the
slaveholder as such because hid role could not be mutually acknowledge
as part of an acceptable practice by all parties involved. It would not be
thought relevant for one person, engaged with another in a common
practice and accused by him of injustice, to answer that nevertheless it
allowed of the greatest satisfaction of desire.
Dr.B.R.Ambedkar, one of greatest political and intellectual
personalities of India, elucidated the concept of social justice as follows: “Social justice as a guiding and evaluative principle is always dynamic
because it takes stock of the changing situation and suggests the abolition
or modification of unjust custom, tradition and social structures to
promote the welfare of the people and the preservation of rights of the poor and weaker section of society” (Gokhale, Ed. 2008, p.87)
Buddhist Ethics, Justice & Compassion in Modern Times : Buddhism Explained with Robert A.F. Thurman
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The term “Justice” is possibly equivalent to a Pali word of
“Yuttidhamma”or “Yuktidharma” in Sanskrit, which means ‘the principle
of impartiality’ or ‘the righteous principle on which the treatment of
either man-to-man or man to his fellow beings even his surroundings is
based and kept in balance’. Justice is abstract and difficult to understand.
To make clear what justice is requires the explanation in the opposite term, i.e., to talk about ‘prejudice’ or ‘partiality’. According to Buddhism, there are four kinds of prejudice, consisting of the prejudice caused by ‘Love’(Chandagati), ‘Hatred’(Dosagati), ‘Delusion’(Mohagati) and ‘Fear’(Bhayagati). This sounds quite different from the concept in
general which holds that there are just 2 kinds of prejudice, namely, ‘Love-based prejudice’ and ‘Hatred-based prejudice’. There is no need to elaborate the first two kinds of prejudice as they have already been well
acquainted to all. It is worth to explain the last two kinds: the prejudice
caused by delusion and that caused by fear.
It is admitted that in the context of decision-making, the all-
embracing knowledge, experiences, perfect information and thorough
consideration (Yoniso manasikara) are needed, not to mention the ‘SWOT’ (Strengths,
Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) analysis, which cannot be
absolutely overlooked. In spite of this, some failures
sometimes still arise. Specifically, should discrete appraisal or Yoniso
manasikara is to be accepted, what will happen is very horrible to
imagine
of. The delusion (Moha) or, in another word, lack of knowledge,
experiences and information that are sufficient and supportive, leads to
the rise of prejudice, either intentionally or unintentionally. Another
element that significantly influences the decision-making procedure is ‘fear’ (Bhaya), or the decision made under the pressure staged by an
influential person or group like political as well as interest groups that
exercise their power to the extent that the decision made is distorted.
These two kinds of prejudice, it can be said, may bring about, to the
society, negative effects which are more aggravated than those caused by
love and hatred.
As a matter of fact, Buddhism is the religion of ‘wisdom’. Thus, in all the practical processes ranging from the beginning to the highest level,
wisdom is an inevitable agent, lack of which the result will be otherwise. Moreover, ‘Bhaya’ or fear is, of course, nothing but an external power
that threatens the decision-making or Dhamma-practicing process. It can be compared to an ‘ill-wisher’ or ‘Mara’ in Pali term, who is always attempting to find chance to either tease or tempt the practitioners to go
astray and, at last, fail to achieve their goal.
Then it can be defined here that the treatment process that is
deprived of the above-mentioned four kinds of prejudice is called ‘Justice’.
As
an atheistic religion, Buddhism denies the existence of God or
any external power that is believed to determine the fate of man as he
wishes, whilst guaranteeing human competency in respect of self-
development, self-reliance and future-shaping through man’s own action,
i.e., the ‘Law of Kamma’ or, in other word, the ‘Law of Cause and Effect’. A Buddhist proverb says, ‘As a farmer reaps whatever crop he
grows, so man is due to receive whatever result of his own action, either
wholesome or unwholesome. If he does good action, he is due to receive
good result, and vice versa’. There are more of the Buddha’s sayings in the Pali Text confirming the principle, for example,
-‘It is your duty to make your own effort. I am merely the pointer of
the way.’
-‘Have yourself as your own refuge, O Bhikkhus, and do not have others as such. Have the Dhamma as theirown refuge, and do not have others as such.’
In the Vasettha Sutta in Majjhima Nikaya (the Pali Text of Middle-
Length Discourses) dealing with two young Brahmans named Vasettha and Bharadavaja who had a controversial attitude in respect of ‘pure
birth’ according to the caste system in Hiduism, and decided to take the case to the Lord Buddha for judgment, the Lord Buddha said (in Pali),
‘Na jacca vasalo hoti na jacca hoti brahmano.
Kammuna vasalo hoti kammuna hoti brahmano.’ (Not by his birth man is an outcaste or a Brahman;
Only by his own Kamma man becomes an outcaste
or a Brahman.)
Moreover, it is unbelievable that even in the community of those
who believe in a theistic religion, there still exists a proverb saying like ‘God helps those who help themselves.’
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The introduction of the law of Kamma instead of the external power
exercised by god or gods, which was, at the inception of Buddhism, the
major powerful faith occupying the entire society emphasized the role of
the Lord Buddha in a courageous attempt to create the justice-based
society in the subcontinent. The first evidence can be detected from the
principle of belief laid down for the new-comers to Buddhism that starts
with (1) belief in Kamma or one’s own action, (2) belief in effect of Kamma, (3) belief that one is due to reap the effect of Kamma he has already done, and (4) belief in the Exalted One’s enlightenment. There may be some argument that the last of the four beliefs is distinctively an
element of faith in external power, the answer to which is that Buddhists
are not taught to believe in the Lord Buddha as Almighty God who solely possesses the power to determine man’s fate, but, on the contrary, taught to believe in what had been enlightened by the Lord Buddha through His
insight-wisdom like the Four Noble Truth, the Noble Eight-fold Path and
so on.
Another example lies in the revolutionary teaching in aspect of the
caste system to be substituted by the virtue-oriented system as the Lord
Buddha once said in the Ambattha Sutta in Digha Nikaya (the Pali Text of Lengthy Discourses) that ‘To those who are troubled with birth and
caste, the caste of monarchy is considered supreme. However, he who is
perfect in the principle of knowledge and the code of conduct is supreme
among celestial and human beings.’
Not
only does Buddhism expect the availability of justice among the
human community, but even the animal world as well as natural
surroundings should also enjoy the virtue. Take for example the re-
interpretation of the five Brahmanical sacrifices in light of Buddhism.
1. Assamedha that means the horse sacrifice was changed to Sassamedha, the meaning of which is the knowledge in the development
of rice or agricultural products.
2. Naramedha that means human sacrifice was reinterpreted as
Purisamedha meaning to render help to the people instead of killing them.
3. Sammapasa that formerly implied a series of sacrificial rites
in connection with a hoop or noose was re-interpretted as a philanthropic
movement implemented by the government or head of a community in
the form of a moral hoop or noose to fasten the minds of the people with.
4. Vajapeyya that means the immolation of seventeen kinds of
animal in the sacrifice, the meaning of which was changed to ‘drinking the water of wholesome speech.
5. Niraggala formerly implying the wholesale slaughter of both
human beings and animals was newly defined as the abolition of all
obstacles or crimes to the extent that people are so peacefully content and
happy.
Above all, the justice in the Buddhist concept that transcends all
kinds of the justice as earlier mentioned is the justice toward one’s own self, viz. the perfect liberation of one’s mind off the influence of defilements or Kilesas, which is the ultimate goal of Buddhism. It is considered an absolute prejudice toward his own self so far as man lets
himself fall under the yoke of defilements, the cruellest master, and become their faithful servants. Once the Lord Buddha said, ‘Be hurry, O
Bhikkhus, to paddle your boat till it shall reach the other side of the river
bank.’
Ambedkar
writings on constitutionalism and democracy are of great contemporary
relevance. His warning on democracy to retain its form and give place to
dictatorship deserves serious concern.
Through its long history of over 2550 years, Buddhism has
contributed so much to the social justice, beginning with the destruction
of the caste system which resulted in the equilibrium of human beings in consistence with the proverb that says, ‘All men are born equal’, and introduction of the virtue-oriented system in its place, followed by the
challenging admission of ladies to get ordained as Bhikkhuni, which
means nothing but upgrading the status of females to be equal to that of
males, despite the fact that the problem of equal rights between men and
women still remains unanswerable so far in the age of globalization.
There exist more evidences in the issue, to mention just few as
follows:
-The establishment of the ‘Law of Cause and Effect’ implies the denial of the existence of God, the source of the external power, that may
effect the prejudice because of love, hatred, delusion and fear as earlier
mentioned.
-The
seniority system applied in the ecclesiastical circle, regardless
of whatever category of birth they belong to, guarantees the fundamental
nature of Buddhism that places a significant emphasis on the
accumulated
virtues by means of doing good or wholesome actions.
-The self-development steps that begins with the control of physical
and verbal behaviors or Sila (Precept), followed by the control of mind or Samadhi (Meditation) and culminating with Panna (Insight-wisdom)
ensures the self-purification process that must be performed by one’s own self, not by others nor any external power, as says a Buddhist verse, ‘Suddhi asuddhi paccattam nanno nannam visodhaye’ (purity and impurity is the matter of an individual; one can, by no means, purify
another).
Notions of rights derive from ethical principles. There is a clear
convergence between Buddhist ethics and modern discussions on human
rights, particularly in the common focus on responsibility and
indivisibility/interdependence. The non-dual understanding of Buddhism
gives rise to an ethics of inter-responsibility, or Bodhicitta - what His
Holiness the Dalai Lama calls Universal Responsibility. In the Theravada
we speak of Samma-sankappa or Right Thought, which leads to Bodhi,
the Awakened Mind. This principle is expressed in everyday terms by the
teaching of loving-kindness, non-violence, compassion, and particular
responsibilities. For monks and nuns these are set down in the rule or
Vinaya; for lay people in the Sigalovada Sutta and for rulers in the
Dasarajadhamma.
All
human beings, according to Buddhism, are equal, and each has
the potential to realize the truth by his or her own will and endeavour,
and can help others to realize it. Buddhist concepts recognize the
inherent
dignity and the equal and inalienable rights of all human beings. The
teaching of the Buddha holds that all human beings are endowed with
reason and conscience. It recommends a Universal spirit of brotherhood
and sisterhood. Buddhist theory holds that the “three poisons” of
hatred,
greed and delusion are at the root of violence in the world, and that
the
solution is for us to see so deeply into these factors that we are no
longer
dominated by them.
In the early, organic, societies the Buddha was addressing, these
specific responsibilities were assumed to be adequate guidelines for
human behaviour, with no need to identify the corresponding rights. In
modern, fragmented societies, however, where the fulfillment of
responsibilities cannot be guaranteed by the immediate community, these
guidelines or skillful means (upaya) have been supplemented by
corresponding rights. These are specified and protected by States and
International Organisations. In large part these bodies derive their
legitimacy from their promotion and protection of human rights. A State
which does not guarantee the enjoyment of human rights by its people
loses its claim to legitimacy.
Buddhism is widely regarded as the most tolerant of all religious
traditions. However, Buddhist countries like Sri Lanka, Burma, and
Cambodia have seen some of the highest levels of religious and ethnic
intolerance in the world, with Buddhists among the main perpetrators. In
other places it is Buddhists who are persecuted by the State, which fears
the influence of Buddhism on the people. In Burma, Tibet and Viet Nam,
for instance, thousands of Buddhists (especially monks and nuns) have
been persecuted, with well-documented instances of torture and executions. In Tibet most of the country’s monasteries have been
demolished.
The depiction of rights as simply a Western invention fails to
understand the relationship of rights to responsibilities and ethical norms.
The central values of all societies are very much the same. All ethical
systems encourage people to respect each other, and discourage killing,
violence and so on. Rights are skilful means designed to assist the
implementation of these ethics.
Human Rights discourse has moved on during the past 50 years
and has expanded and enriched the somewhat individualistic principles
set out in the ‘Universal Declaration of Human Rights’ which was adopted
and proclaimed by the General Assembly of the United Nations on 10
December 1948. The dialectic of universalism and cultural relativism, for
instance, is an immensely creative process as well as a cause for countless
conflicts. The work since 1982 on the rights of indigenous peoples -
group rights - is another important development. The cultural, social and
political development of a nation is a dynamic process. The orientation of
the process should not only be based in our own roots and traditions, but
must also be shaped by innovative new ideas. Cultural diversity is a factor
that enriches the modern approach to human rights, rather than hindering
the universal respect for and observance of human rights.
(http://www.buddhanetz.org/projekte/rights.htmRetrieved on 21/03/09)
This
is a much needed conversation in light of the violence and pain taking
place in many parts of the world. Should Buddhists be silent and
maintain peace? Is peace an effective way to meet oppressed people’s
suffering and oppression?
The basis of political justice is that politically or economically
strongerpeoplemustnotbeempoweredtoviolatelegalsystem. Verilyin
Buddhism there is no explicit body of social and political theory
comparable to its psychology or metaphysics. Nevertheless, a Buddhist
political theory can be deduced primarily from basic Buddhism i.e. from Dharma. Buddhism is of the view that political power is essential to
fashion and sustain a society whose citizens are free to live in dignity,
harmony and mutual respect, free of the degradation of poverty and war.
In such a society of good heart, all men and women find encouragement
and support in making the best use of their human condition in the
practice of wisdom and compassion.
Political action, thus, involves the Buddhist ideal of approaching
each situation without prejudice, but with deserved circumspection in
questions of power and conflict, social oppression and justice. These
social and political conflicts are the great public samsaric driving
energies of our life to which an individual responds with both aggression
and self-repression. The Buddha Dharma offers the possibility of
transmuting the energies of the individual into wisdom and compassion.
This may indicate that Buddhist movement was mainly concerned
with ethical advancement and psychic illumination and not with political
affairs. Nevertheless, political repercussions did ensue from Buddhism. In
the Brahmajala Sutta, Gautama Buddha emphatically states that he is
vitally interested in social cohesion and co-operation and in the act of
reconciling those people who are divided. Early Buddhism did have
significant political consequences. From the evidence of the Buddha’s discourses, or suttas in the Digha Nikaya (Mahaparinibbana-sutta), it is
clear that early Buddhists were very much concerned with the creation of
political conditions favorable to the individual cultivation of Buddhist
values. An outstanding example of this, in later times, is the remarkable
“welfare state” created by the Buddhist emperor, Asoka (B.C. 274-236).
The Buddhist political justice enjoins special responsibility to the king.
As the head of state he must adhere to specific code of conduct, as he is at
the helm of affairs of the state. Buddha felt that the personal moral
conduct of the king, along with his officials, would be expressed in the
political affairs of the state. Thus, the righteous character of the state
would help in prevailing universal righteousness on earth. Hence,
deliverance through peaceful coexistence would become easily attainable
for all. In some passages of the Pali Texts a parallel has been drawn
between a Buddha and a monarch, as both held the same esteemed place
in the eyes of the people. The two have the same objective, i.e. the well-
being of people. Both are also an integral part of the ordinary empirical
existence, and the political good and well-being is assured through them.
The Kutadana sutta of the Digha-Nikāya explains that the safety of the
people and their economic, as well as material prosperity should be of
special concern for the state and the government. Political power may
manifest and sustain social and economic structures, which breed both
material deprivation and spiritual degradation for millions of people.
Buddhists are, thus, concerned with political action, first, in the direct
relief of non-volitionally caused suffering now and in the future, and,
secondly, with the creation of social karmic conditions favourable to the
following of the way that leads to the cessation of volitionally-caused
suffering, the creation of a society which tends to the ripening of wisdom
and compassion rather than the withering of them.
It is not an exaggeration to say that Buddhism is a single religion
that does recognize the competency of human beings to solve all the
problems confronting the world, no exception even to the problem of
prejudice or lack of justice. Justice can be developed through the
principle of the Buddhist Teachings. However, the propagation of
Buddhism is not effective enough in lack of active cooperation of all
Buddhist traditions and Sects. The Second World Buddhist Forum hosted
by the Chinese Buddhist Association with a strong support from the
Chinese Government, it can be said, will be accounted as a spring board
for the active and energetic spreading of Buddhist Teachings as ‘Message
of Social Justice’ to all corners of the world, with the joint attempt of all Buddhists and Buddhist organizations, regardless of whatever tradition or
sect they are attached to. This is for the sake of peacefulness, happiness
and well-being of the world. (http://www.urbandharma.org retrieved on
20/01/09)
Did Buddha give advice to Kings or Rulers of his time? Buddhism Explained - Bob Thurman
Tibet House US Menla Online
9.66K subscribers
In this #ForceForGood
teaching Robert A.F. Thurman leads a close translation of The Jewel
Rosary (Ratnāvalī aka Precious Garland) and in his trademark style makes
the 3rd Century B.C.E. advice to the Indian King Udayibhadra come alive
for today’s interconnected, global village.
Opening
with stories about Tibet’s Geshe Ben Gungyal, Professor Thurman gives
short introductions to the ethics of Buddhism, the history of
mindfulness skills training and the sources of bias found in the
understanding and presentation of Mahayana Buddhist teachings.
Includes
definition of the five mental aggregates or body mind processes during a
guided meditation and leads an exploration of non-dualism and it’s
relationship to the Buddha’s teachings on ethics, emptiness, compassion
and his discovery of the blissful nature of reality.
Concludes
with a discussion of the transcendent virtues, especially upāya
(Skillful Means or Liberative Art), the seventh, as presented in the
Mahayana sūtras and in the writings of Nāgārjuna.
This
talk was recorded during the 2017 Force For Good Class “Buddhist Ethics
+ the World Crisis : Counsel for Kings (Ratnavali)” at Tibet House US
in New York City.
‘A
Force For Good’ is a Tibet House US course to further the Dalai Lama’s
contemporary world initiatives, from His Holiness’ American Institute of
Buddhist Studies and Mind & Life Institute science dialogues
(Universe in a Single Atom) and His creation of Abhidharma 2.0 through
the “Science for Monks” programs, his “secular ethics” (Ethics for the
New Millennium and Beyond Religion), His nonviolent approach to conflict
resolution, including His Nobel Peace Laureate activities to seek
dialogue and a win-win reconciliation with China in the face of the
ongoing ethnicidal policies in Tibet (Freedom in Exile and Man of Peace:
The Illustrated Life Story of Tibet’s Dalai Lama) & along with his
emphasis on positive activism (A New Reality: Charter of Universal
Responsibility).
This
video is a apart of the Tibet House US Digital Archives & is
brought to you by the generosity of it’s membership community.
To start, Buddha and Buddhism declared that righteousness
(dhamma) and morality (sila) were the best choices for rulers, as they would ensure a long, successful and popular reign. Whereas many monarchs of Buddha’s time exercised extreme and often arbitrary power over their subjects, there were a few who followed his teachings. The
best-known examples were Bimbisara, and Asoka. Data on Asoka are
numerous and detailed, so the researcher shall concentrate on him.
Furthermore, Buddhism was proselytised by Asoka.
One of the greatest emperors of all times, Emperor Asoka was a
Mauryan ruler whose empire spread across the Indian subcontinent and
the present day Pakistan and Afghanistan thus covering a vast area. Born
in 265 B.C, the great king Ashoka was the grandson of the famous ruler
Chandragupta Maurya. He is known as Asoka the Great since he was one
of the most able rulers who ruled India. Under his rule, the whole of India
was united as one single entity with smooth administration.
After his father died, he was crowned as the king of Magadha
around 268 B.C. After being crowned as the king, he proved himself by
smoothly administrating his territory and performing all his duties as an
able and courageous king. After a period of eight years of being a king,
Ashoka planned to seize the territory of Kalinga, the present day Orissa.
He led a huge army and fought a gruesome battle with the army of
Kalinga. The battle of Kalinga made him pledge to never wage a war
again. The battle took place on the Dhauli hills that are located on the
banks of River Daya. Though Ashoka emerged victorious at the end, the
sight of the battlefield made his heart break with shame, guilt and disgust.
It is said that the battle was so furious that the waters of River Daya
turned red with the blood of the slain soldiers and civilians.
The
sight of numerous corpses lying strewn across the battlefield made his
heart wrench. He felt sick inside. The battle ground looked like
a graveyard with bodies of not just soldiers but men, women and
children.
He saw young children crying over the bodies of their dead parents,
women crying over the bodies of their dead husbands, mothers crying
over the loss of a child. This made him heartbroken and he made a pledge
to never ever fight a battle again. To seek solace, he converted to
Buddhism. He was so inspired by the teachings of the Buddhist monks
and Buddhist philosophies that he used his status to impart this
knowledge all over the world. He is credited to be the first Emperor to
make a serious attempt at developing Buddhist policies.
Ashoka’s endeavour to proselytise Buddhism is seen through his fourteen stone edicts, which were erected throughout Northern India, and
the great stone statues of Buddha in Bhamiyan, Afghanistan. From the
start, as evident in Edict I, Asoka (who called himself Piyadasi, or “beloved of the gods”) established a policy of love and compassion:
One must not, here below, kill any living animal by
immolating it, not for the purpose of feasts. The King Piyadasi sees
much that is sinful in such feasts. Formerly, such feasts were
allowed; and in the cuisine of King Piyadasi, beloved of the gods,
and for the table of King Piyadasi, beloved of the gods, hundreds of
thousands of living beings were killed every day. At the time when
this Edict id engraved, three animals only are killed for the table, two
pea-fowls and a gazelle, and the gazelle not regularly. Even these
animals will not be killed in the future. (Edict I, trans. by James
Prinsep. Romesh C. Dutt, 2004, p.92)
Edict II mentioned medicine within the empire and on the frontiers
thereof, “the Cholas, the Pandyas,” etc. and in the kingdom of
Antiochus, king of the Greeks.” (Ibid. p.93) Edict IV refers again
to the “slaughter of living beings.” Asoka also shows his gratitude
and respect to Buddhism “the religion spread by the King Piyadasi, beloved of the gods:”
“Thanks to the instruction of the religion spread by King Piyadasi, beloved of the gods, there exists today a respect for living
creatures, a tenderness towards them, a regard for relations and for
Brahmans and Sramans, a dutiful obedience to father and mother, and obeisance to aged men, such as have not existed for centuries”. (Edict IV, trans. by James Prinsep. Ibid.)
Edict V speaks of the difficulty in performing virtuous acts. It is
worthy to note that conversely Asoka acknowledged “to do evil is easy.” Therefore, he established ministers of the religion or dharmamahamatras. The dharmamahamatras were told to contact every sect in the empire and
with every race or tribe:
“They mix with all sects for the establishment and progress of the
religion, and for the well-being of the faithful. They mix with the
Yavanas, the Kambojas, the Gandharas, the Saurashtras, and the
Petenikas, and with other frontier (Aparanta) nations. They mix with
warriors and with Brahmans, with the rich and the poor and the aged, for
their well-being and happiness, and in order to remove all the obstacles in the path of the followers of the true religion”. (Ibid. p.94) Edict VII
testifies to Asoka’s religious tolerance and pluralism. In this edict, he
declares sectarian freedom by granting protection; and in Edict VIII he
declares that his new livelihood is the visitation of aged and learned men,
as opposed to hunting, etc.:
“The King Piyadasi, beloved of the gods, ardently desires that all
sects may live (unmolested) in all places. All of them equally propose the
subjection of the senses and the purification of the soul; but man is fickle in his attachments.” (Edict VII, Ibid. p.95)
“In past times, kings went out for pastimes. Hunting and other
amusements of the kind were their pastimes. Here below, I, King
Piyadasi, beloved of the gods, obtained true intelligence ten years after
my appointment. These then are my pastimes:-visits and gifts to
Brahmans and Sramans, visits to aged men, the distribution of money,
visited to the people of the empire, their religious instruction, and
consultation on religious subjects. It is thus that King Piyadasi, beloved of the gods, enjoys the pleasure derived from his virtuous acts.” (Edict VIII, Ibid.)
The Asokan model of governance was informed by what Sen (2005) terms a ‘foundational agnosticism and commitment to public
communication and discussion’ (Sen 2005: p.182). Unlike, Emperor
Constantine who made Christianity the official creed of the Roman
Empire, Asoka never made Buddhism a state religion. Furthermore, by
his willingness to accept dissent and commitment to tolerance of other
faiths, Asoka looked upon sectarianism with strong disfavor (Ling 1973).
Following the precedents set by the Buddha, Asoka strove to ensure ‘religious freedom by supporting not just the Buddhist monks but ascetics
of other religious sects’ (Harvey 2000; p. 116); and also by striving to negotiate
differences through participation and consensus building
(Laksiri Jayasuriya, 2008, p.25) Jayasuriya concludes that Buddha
faboured democracy over monarchy because of equity and freedom
incumbent in it. The Buddha favoured democracy not just as a question of
the constitutional or legal right of equality and ‘the absolute worth
of theindividual’ but more as an affirmation of the moral obligation cast on the individual to act within a code of conduct based on such values was
the ideal of human dignity, equality of respect and worth of the
individual. (Ibid.)
At this juncture, researcher will explore the Buddhist viewpoint
and approach to democracy.
Democracy understood as a way of thinking and acting implies a
rational commitment to freedom, equality and tolerance in a pluralistic
society, profoundly open minded, if not agnostic. The Buddha saw that
life’s very purpose is happiness. He also saw that while ignorance binds
beings in endless frustration and suffering, wisdom is liberating. Modern
democracy is based on the principle that all human beings are essentially
equal, that each of us has an equal right to life, liberty, and happiness.
Buddhism too recognises that human beings are entitled to dignity, that
all members of the human family have an equal and inalienable right to
liberty, not just in terms of political freedom, but also at the fundamental
level of freedom from fear and want. Irrespective of whether we are rich
or poor, educated or uneducated, belonging to one nation or another, to
one religion or another, adhering to this ideology or that, each of us is just
a human being like everyone else. Not only do we all desire happiness
and seek to avoid suffering, but each of us has an equal right to pursue
these goals. “Buddhism
is essentially a practical doctrine. In addressing
the fundamental problem of human suffering, it does not insist on a
single solution. Recognising that human beings differ widely in their
needs,
dispositions and abilities, it acknowledges that the paths to peace and
happiness are many. As a spiritual community its cohesion has sprung
from a unifying sense of brotherhood and sisterhood. Without any
apparent centralized authority Buddhism has endured for more than two
thousand five hundred years. It has flourished in a diversity of forms,
while repeatedly renewing, through study and practice, its roots in the
teachings of the Buddha. This kind of pluralistic approach, in which
individuals themselves are responsible, is very much in accord with a democratic outlook”.(Statement of H.H. the Dalai Lama, from
http//www.dalailama.com /news.350.html April 1993)
As we have mentioned in Chapter Two, earlier, Buddha may have
based the structure of his Sangha on the
principle which was
available. Data say that the republics attracted and interested him, so they
could have influenced him to form the Sangha. Recent information
supports this as democratic government was getting underway in Athens,
the First Buddhist Council convened in India. The Council, which met
about 480 BCE, give or take, was an exercise in democracy. (Retrieved
from http://www.about.com/ on 17 March 2009. Date of Citation: 28 -10-
2008)
Robert Thurman, working in Bhutan, a Buddhist nation like
Thailand and Sri Lanka, affirms the similarities between Buddhism and
democracy as follows:
Buddhism
has many principles that fit with democracy such as
individualism, allowing people to develop their own mind to the fullest
than having to serve whatever their duty is, parents, cast etc. This is
very
much in consonance with democracy. Buddhism teaches each person to
have the opportunity to develop their own being towards enlightenment,
to the fullest extent in life. That is the highest thing in the society.
(Retrieved from http://www.kuensel online.com/ on 17 March 2009. Date
of Citation: 21-11-2006).
The Point: How does Asian Buddhism stay relevant?
CGTN
Buddhism is one of the world’s oldest religions, with a history that
spans nearly 2,500 years. Yet it remains influential today, with some
half-a-billion followers – in China, across Asia, and around
The Point: How does Asian Buddhism stay relevant?
Buddhism
is one of the world’s oldest religions, with a history that spans
nearly 2,500 years. Yet it remains influential today, with some
half-a-billion fol…
Buddhism
is one of the world’s oldest religions, with a history that spans
nearly 2,500 years. Yet it remains influential today, with some
half-a-billion followers – in China, across Asia, and around the world.
How does this ancient religion remain relevant in the modern world?
Guests:
Venerable Yifa, founder of the Woodenfish Foundation, a New York-based
Buddhist educational NGO; Venerable Zhen Guan, first Chinese Buddhist
monk in the U.S. Army Chaplain Corps, and Professor Wang Bangwei,
director of Center for India Studies at Peking University.
There is a consensus that Buddhism resembles democracy in
miniature. The Sangha, as we reported in Chapter 2, was based on the
republic system, which favoured Buddha Gautama and which he
taught a specific dharma. On this note, we shall look at Buddhist
approach to democracy. The principle countries we shall investigate are
Japan, Republic of Korea, Thailand, and Sri Lanka. Buddhism in these
countries appears to be more dynamic. Concerning Republic of Korea,
history shows that it had established a Republic several times and
Buddhism was interrelated. Korea was originally one state until it was
liberated from the Japanese after World War II. Buddhism was non-
evident in the North due to the government practice of Soviet Socialism.
In the 1950s, Buddhism in the South Korea, called Republic of Korea,
prospered. It became more political as it aligned with various political
parties in the country. By the decade of the 1980s, ROK established its
first Buddhist TV station. During the Third Republic, Korean Buddhism
echoed the national ideology of Japan. In the Fifth Republic, headed by
Christian leader Chun Doohwan, it was downplayed and even criticized
as unprogressive. The Sixth Republic, under No Taewoo, revived it and
Buddhism continued to prosper. Until the present, Buddhism has been
existing side by side with Christianity. To attest to this information
there
is the Korean analyst Jae-ryong Shim, who has commented firstly about
the North-South divide and claims of demo racy in both states:
Thus far the governments or power holders in both North and
South claim that they run the countries in accordance with democratic
principles. But nobody believes the claims. Instead they are of the opinion
that the North is run by a dictatorship of the late Kim Ilsung and his heir
even after his demise, while the South is struggling to keep the balance
between the proclaimed democracy imposed upon it from the West and
the embedded tradition of paternalistic authoritarianism, perhaps the only
ideological contender to modern Western democracy. (Francis Fukuyama, “Confucianism and democracy,” Journal of Democracy, April 1995, p.
20-33.)
Democracy was introduced only after the 1945 liberation from the
Japanese imperial-military rule by the occupying forces of the United States of America, which happened to occupy and “democratize” the area south of the 38th parallel in the Korean peninsula. Shin continues to
analyse/criticise the situation in a thesis, as follows:
“The
Buddhist political institution originally promulgated by the
Buddha Sakyamuni for the resident monks in the Sangha, the Buddhist
community of religious practitioners, had some seminal ideas and
practices similar to democracy. But the ideally democratic position with
which Buddhism began underwent many transformations in the course of
history. It is my task to summarize some major transformations in the
history of Buddhism, and to assess the relationship between Buddhism and
democracy in modern Korea. The reason why we have to confine our
talk to modern Korea is evident”.
Sri Lankan Buddhism is very pro-active. Sri Lanka is traditionally
the home of the last Sanghas of Gautama Buddha. The island was known
as Serendipity and Ceylon respectively before being called Sri Lanka. Its
activity there resembles the Israeli Zionist movement, which emphasized
homeland. The Sri Lankan Buddhists claimed similar right in the island
and even the monks, who took vows of non-violence, resort to fighting
and violence in the conflict.
The two remaining entries, Thailand and Japan, are the most
significant countries where Buddhism has been active.
In Thailand, Buddhism endeavours to propagate an ideal
government through the analysis of Venerable Buddhadasa Bhikku.
Buddhadasa was a respected and honored bhikku in Thailand. He
analyzed politics into equality and unity, through interdependence. Buddhadasa actually coined the phrase “spiritual socialism” wherein the
individual loses self-centeredness and becomes socially aware. Some
scholars thought that Nirvana was actually a selflessness of this type and
that it was an original state of being. Buddhadasa agreed with this. Herein
he is quoted as defining politics in the true sense: “spiritual or dharmic socialism, namely a state where individuals act not out of self-interest but out of regard for the common good.” (Donald K Swearer, p. 217-18)
In Japan,
in contradiction to the state religion of Shintö, which was
a type of polytheism, Buddhism had established several socio-political
organisations. Shinto was a way of countering possible military
invasions but Buddhism asserted itself as the national religion and, in
the
modern age, it sought reforms. Buddhism began to re-emerge after the
defeat of Japan, post World War II. However, the bhikkus practiced only
traditional measures. By the 1960s, new organisations developed. Among
them was the Nichiren Sokka Gakai.
Nichiren was a Buddhist saint who lived in Japan of the 13th Century. Nichiren believed that national security depended upon
dhamma. He exemplified this in the Lotus Sutra. More recently, a modern
follower, Tanaka Chigaku, established that the Imperial Constitution personified Nichiren’s teaching. In 1923, Seno Giro, another follower,
established the Buddhist Youth League based upon equality and
compassion. However, he disbelieved that Nichiren preached nationalism. Nichiren’s Buddhism founded other new socio-religious organisations.
As mentioned above, one such organisation was the Sokka Gakai. The
protest against the US-Japan Treaty in the1960s heightened the organisation’s political action. The president of the Sokka Gakai was Ikeda Daisaku. Under Daisaku, the organisations started its political
wing, which emphasised Buddhist democratic ideals-e.g., equality, fair
elections, parliamentary democracy. By 1964, it merged and formed the Komeito or Clean Government Party. This party earned 24 seats in the
House of Councillors, which was the Upper House of Japanese
Parliament.
Conclusion
Chapter Three can be summarised as follows: Predominantly,
Buddha Gautama was not directly a, political reformer because his most
important concern was social ethics. Buddha spent his life after
asceticism recommending proper social interaction towards the goal of
social cohesion, unity and peace, to both monarchies and republics.
However, scholars have highlighted his interest in and attraction for the
latter. Among these latter republics, the Vajjians were well documented.
Towards the above-mentioned goals, he warned that solidarity and
unity as well as adherence to his dharma would guarantee their survival.
In contrast, his monarchical supporters included King Bimbisara. We
have recorded earlier that Ajatasatru had referred to him, but he used Buddha’s counsel to his won advantage against the Vajjians. However, data do not mention whether Ajatasatru conducted a siege of the republic
or not. [Some data mention that he colluded with Devadatta against
Buddha]. King Pasenadi might have listened to him as well.
From the basic introduction, the researcher has discussed the
concept of Kingship and the ten royal virtues prescribed by Buddha, or Das Raja Dhamma(m). Buddha prescribed them against the
licenciousness of monarchs probably, such as Ajatasatru or Pasenadi. In
this unit, researcher has added data recorded in Bhutan. Asoka was
discussed in the following unit.
Concerning righteous monarchs, Emperor Asoka stands out as the
most historical and most admirable. A full account of Asoka’s reign including some important stone edicts is given in this unit. We highlighted his compassion towards all living beings and his
magnanimity towards secular society under his rule. Asoka converted to
Buddhism due to his wartime experiences, which also induced him to act
more compassionately and to revile war and violence. However, due to
his fame, other monarchs had no data.
The researcher continued to examine Buddhist approach to
democracy, although the democracy of Buddha’s lifetime did not outwardly resemble the “Republic” of Plato. As mentioned earlier, data from other scholars indicated that Buddha both was interested in the
or tribal republics and was welcomed among them as a teacher.
Their success at democracy inspired him to structure and regulate the
Sangha. Like these republics, the Buddhist Sangha was autonomous and
the bhikkus had rights and freedom similar to the denizens of the republics. Vijayvardhan rermarks that “in its original form the Sangha was an organized brotherhood of earnest minded men–and later women
also-who had dedicated their lives to the service of mankind. The
Vinaya Pitaka recommends solutions for disputes as well as monastic
disciplines but does not impose them strictly. This suggests Buddha’s humanism and pragmatism in contrast with the authoritarian regime of
other religions. Due to this similarity, the Asian democracies such as
Republic of Korea, Thailand, Bhutan and Sri Lanka, as well as Tibet,
have been investigated in this chapter. Bhutan and Thailand stand forth as the closest in resemblance to Buddha’s concept of a republic governed at the centre by a powerful but compassionate monarch, like Emperor Asoka, or ‘dhamamraja.”
Whereas Buddha has been considered to be mostly a philosopher
and an ethical teacher and not preoccupied with political or state-related
issues, in contrast to that, many recent scholars have analysed from, the
historical context of Buddha Gautama’s life that he was both a ‘social reformer’ and political thinker. Among the scholars mentioned is Ilaiah
K. (2002).
The truth lies in the fact that Ancient Indian society had begun to
change when Buddha attained Enlightenment (Pali: maha parinippana).
Historically, that period was known as Vedanta (Skt.: Veda+anta, end of
Vedas). At that time, commerce with other states had begun and there
was a new merchant class in the territory who had expressed interest in Buddha’s teachings. As reported in our earlier chapters, Buddha
challenged the divine origin concept from a very simple and acceptable
viewpoint: i.e., that the Brahmins like the other varnas had a common
human birth. This would make the Brahmins essentially equal to the
others. Jayasuriya is quick to point out that even in the Buddhist
literature, there was scant mention of political attitudes. Among
exceptional scholars on the subject are Jayatilleke (1967) and Omveldt
(2005).
Jayasuriya adds that the advent of political attitude was Emperor
Asoka. Asoka’s predecessors maintained a treatment of political prisoners, which must have shocked Asoka. The Samyutta Nikaya
described the physical condition of King Pasenadi’s prisoners. (Uma Cakravarti, 1996; p.161-62) The Stone Edicts were an obvious testament
against barbarity (cruelty) towards prisoners, among other things. They
displayed a socio-political attitude based on and advocating non-violence
and compassion. In Chapter Two, we have mentioned some of Asokas’ accomplishments.
Debate on Buddha’s preference of state has occurred. As we have mentioned earlier, evidence exists that Buddha emphasises the sangha or ‘tribal republic’ such as Vajja. In his fourth sermon to Ananda
bhikku and Vasakara the Chaplain of King Ajatasatru, Buddha mentioned
that tribal unity was a vital criterion for the survival of the state. Most scholars of Asoka’s dharma accredit it as an ethical code. Beside the
foundation of hospitals, inns and rest homes, arboretums [parks
established for the planting and nurturing of plants and trees] and so on,
Asoka preached social equity and sectarian equality. He declared that he
was impartial to any sect of his time but his edict warned his subjects
against showing prejudice or hatred towards other sects. At the core of his
dhamma, like that of Buddha, was sila or conduct. Even today, it is still
easy “to fall into evil ways” and the highly-placed—i.e., public and
private administrators, etc—especially cannot always behave properly.
(Mahesh Tiwari, 1989; p.159)
Throughout Chapter Three, which follows, the researcher intends
to elucidate the Buddhist concept of governance as fixed at the time of the
dhamma and enlightenment, which was certainly ahead of our time and
49
modern principles. In so far as the sangha as a form of
governance displayed “democratic principles” such as freedom of speech,
equal representation of the masses and the solidarity and civility
demanded by Buddha Gautama, it can stand as a precursor of modern
democracy and researcher shall emphasise it in this light. On the opposite
side of the spectrum is the enlightened monarchy of Emperor Asoka.
In the next units of this chapter, the researcher shall analyse the
available data regarding the Buddhist concept of monarch—especially
those of Kosala and Magadha, being the principle and most important
historical monarchies of the time. From that, we shall endeavour to draw
the proper conclusion(s).
3.2 Buddhist Concept of King
Buddha Gautama had been an advocate of the
or republican
system, as we mentioned earlier. However, among his many lay followers
were kings, especially of Magadha- e.g., Bimbisara and his heir
Ajatasatru. Monarchical states or kingdoms were conceivably numerous
in Chumpudveepa (Ancient India) and earned considerable reputations
historically. Buddha Gautama was frequently an honoured and invited
guest in their palaces.
Among Buddha’s ideals was that of the ‘ideal monarch’ or
“dhammaraja” who reportedly ruled over his subjects justly and
equitably. (S. Tachibana, 1975; p.264) Dhamma means righteousness and
includes such traits as equity and impartiality. Buddha discredited the
theory of divine origin and knew the basic, common origin of all living
beings barring plants. Therefore, a true, righteous monarch should
50
understand the equality of his subjects. Seeing the equality of all of his
subjects, a true monarch would rule them impartially. This concept shall
be discussed in the next unit.
Dhammaraja could have been a reaction to the despots who exercised their control over people in Buddha’s time. Uma Cakravarti
(1996; p.158) speaks of “absolute exercise of power unrestrained by any
institutional controls.” However, the Pali literature of the period
acknowledged the social need for authority to maintain law and order,
referred to as “legitimate basis of kingship.” It has been expounded in the
Agganna Sutta. As with power generally, use of it for legitimate or
arbitrary purposes largely depended on the king—i.e., as he saw fit to
exercise it.
Chakravarti mentions two principle threats to the social order,
which may be still evident today: One is offences against the property and
the other is offences against the family. The subjects expected their
monarch to act effectively against these offences. Evidence of public
demonstration (protest) in Kosala, the domain of King Pasenadi,
mentioned a protest against the ravages of the famed robber Angulimala
(who later met the Buddha and became a bhikku). (Majjima Nikaya 11;
p.346 quoted in Uma Chakravarti, 1996; p.159)
Furthermore, Buddhism holds no concept of aristocracy except in
terms of intellect and morality. (S. Tachibana, 1975; p.264). The Buddhist “aristocrat” was called “arya” or “ariya.”
51
On the Buddhist concept of kingship, there exists much
information. Besides describing the king as a public refuge
(patisaranam), Sidhi Budh-Indr reports that the king should possess both
virtue (sila) and wisdom, or intellect (pañña) to understand and
discrtiminate between good and evil statements (Siddhi Butr-Indr, 1995;
p.147) . Whereas many actual monarchs can be compared with thieves, the ideal monarch is a “lord of men” (manussindo) and can neither equal
nor count as a commoner. His subjects deem him the “god of public
domain” (sammutideva). This is not a real god, as that would demand that
the king should die and ascend to paradise, but rather it is a term of
respect among his subjects. Furthermore, the king is empowered by five
strengths, as follows:
1.Physical strength, or power-agility and muscular strength, as
applied in governance and warfare.
2.Material strength-wealth and material resources.
3.Strength of court officials, providing they are united behind him
and know and perform their respective duties.
4.strength of nobility 5.wisdom or intellect
Budh-Indra mentions the Ten Royal Virtues (rajadhamman), which
we shall explain in detail in a later unit of this chapter. He agrees in
principle with the social contract theory, as far as he reports “Kingship is,
in a sense, founded upon and determined by public opinion.” (Ibid.
p.153), which, in its turn, depends upon righteousness. To this point, he adds “the nature of kingship is essentially based on the concept of
righteousness (dhamma). The king is supposed to be the agent who
maintains the principle of righteousness in the worldly spheres.” (Ibid. p
52
155) The Digha Nikaya quotes Buddha Gautama himself as explaining that a king (raja) ‘charms others by Dhamma or righteousness.’ (S.
Tachibana, 1975;p. 264) Oliver Abeynayake claims that Buddhism
prefers monarchy to republicanism, but the fact simply is that the
monarchies, despite possible despotism and abuses, were stronger than
the ganas. He continues to infer that “Buddhism prescribes a centralized administration. Buddhism introduced the system of governance under the Cakravarti king to centralise North India, which was divided into various small kingdoms.”(Oliver Abeynayake, p.2) He continues to list the
characteristics of an effective ruler, as follow:
1. Reputation.
2. Economic prosperity.
3. Military strength.
4. Competent advisors.
5. Diplomatic acclaim.
6. Personality. 7. Parents’ affection. 8. Patriotism and popularity.
9. Competency and discipline.
10. Education, intelligence and intuition. (Ibid.)
Reputation usually precedes the person and acts as a tool in
attracting others towards him/her; so, we may conceive that a good
reputation, usually created through good actions towards the subjects of
the state, will enable the leader of that state to maintain his rapport with
the subjects. Economic prosperity is the result of sustaining a prosperous
state, since the king receives payment in various forms from his subjects,
such as foodstuff, gold, etc. As we have indicated in the unit on ten
53
virtues, a good ruler deems the prosperity of his subjects to be his own.
Military strength is the requisite for protecting the country from invasion.
A good king will need a strong and extensive army (sena) to defend his
territory. Competent advisors and diplomatic acclaim is needed in
peaceful and cooperative measures between states. In fact, Abeynayake
has reiterated and emphasized the qualities we have mentioned in earlier
chapters of our thesis.
3.3 The Normative King (cakkavati dhammiko dhammaraja) and
Ideal Administrative Office
To begin, the Pali concept of normative kingship, which we shall
explain in this unit, consists of two distinct but not separate ideals. Both
are ideals of Buddhism and the objectives of a true monarch in the
Buddhist consciousness. The first ideal is cakkavati. Cakkavati is derived
from the Sanksrit word cakra, which means several things: 1) a circle, 2)
a wheel or disk, 3) a centre of energy or power (ayurvedic, tantric and
yogic) and 4) world. “Cakkavati” or cakravartin is a universal monarch, a
world ruler who “would put an end to the petty tyranny of the many and
establish instead a universe where not only a social order but also a moral order would prevail.” (Uma Cakravarti, 1996; p.164)
Since tyranny would be abolished, the new social order would
likely to be either spontaneous or promoted by righteous leadership, or
both. Petty tyranny mentioned above referred mostly to the historical monarchs of Buddha’s lifetime.
54
The second ideal is dhammiko dhammaraja. The dhammaraja is
firstly a protector of his subjects (janapadatthaviriya patto: jana, people; padattha, protection; viriya, effort) via righteousness and equity, rather
than by force, including military campaign. The dhammaraja or righteous
king is always expected to be just and impartial in the governance of his
people. The Cakavatti or universal monarch will rule his country justly
and impartially (dhammena samena). (S. Tachibana,1975; p.264). Sama and dhamma are deemed to be synonyms as far as the description of the
ideal monarch is concerned. The subjects of the dhammaraja (will) live in comparative comfort. Researcher takes exception to the term comparative
comfort because, whereas poverty should be eradicated, excess and
luxury should also be avoided. Comparative comfort is a relative term,
referring to the degree of comfort compared with previous living. E.g.,
when someone has lived in abject poverty throughout his childhood,
comparably, when he has the means to uplift his standards of material
existence, it can be deemed comparative comfort. However, the fact is
that we compare our living with those around us.
Under the rule of the dhammaraja, the subjects should expect to
live comfortably within existing means and limits. Cakravarti supports this hypothesis by adding “dhammiko dhammaraja thus provides for the
basic needs of the people.” (Ibid, p. 165) Thus, in a general outlook, the
dhammaraja does not only protect the family and property of his subjects.
A fine example of such a king was Maha Sudassana. Maha Sudassana
gave to the needy whatever was truly needed: food to the starved, water
to the thirsty and even a wife to the man who wished to wed. Grants of
money were not the only necessities.
55
The dhammarājā had the high duty of eradicating poverty. He also
taxes his subjects fairly, whereas his historical counterparts taxed their
subjects unfairly and acted like thieves. This appears to be a subject of
both literature and history. From the Pali canon of Buddhism to the
legend of Robin Hood in Britain, kings were lumped together with the
thieves in their kingdoms.
Another vital characteristic of the dhammaraja was charisma. His
relationship to the subjects was like that to his family: father to sons and
daughters. His charisma compels him to be popular and he is obeyed
without coercion. Since all his subjects like him, no one would overthrow
him. Finally, the dhammaraja supports only the worthy samanas and
brahmanas, and aids them in achieving their goals.
Buddhist tradition placed the Dvaravati kings as cakravartins,
(Rhys Davids, 1899). Rhys Davids quotes that the Universal Emperor
appeared and ruled righteously in the manner of the Buddha. Buddha was
perceived as the foremost Cakkavatti in his style of leadership and others
attempted to follow him. The Buddhist kings were also described as
embarking upon the path of bodhisattva and both saving themselves and
their subjects, which is the action of a bodhisattva, according to
Mahayana Buddhism. Ernst Benz describes it as follows:
‘The Buddhist kings were regarded as the central personages on the
stage, themselves striving to be Bodhisattvas and expected to lead their
subjects on the way to salvation. As Bodhisattvas, they were not only
examples to their subjects, but actually helpful to them. The salvation
chrism of the Bodhisattva consists in using his own salvation to further
the efforts of others to achieve salvation.’ (Ernst Benz, Buddhism or
56
Communism: Which Holds the Future of Asia?, trans; Richard and Clara
Winston, Great Britain, 1966; p.97)
3.4 Buddhism and Communism
3.4.1 The approach of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar
The Buddha is generally associated with the doctrine of Ahimsa.
That is taken to be the be-all and end-all of his teachings. Hardly any one
knows that what the Buddha taught is something very vast: far beyond
Ahimsa. Dr. B.R. Ambedkar in his The Buddha and His Dhamma has
analyzed Buddha’s approach to Ahimsa. Here he makes a distinction
between principle and rule. According to him ahimsa in Buddhism is
accepted not as a rule, but as a principle. Rule binds you and takes away
your freedom. Principle does not take away your freedom; you can
choose your course of action in the light of the principle. Secondly the
Buddha did not emphasise just the negative aspect of ahimsa (viz. ‘Don’t
kill’) but he also emphasised the positive aspect in the form of love and
compassion ( Metta and Karuna). But more importantly Buddha’s primary concern was not himsa or ahimsa, but the problem of human
suffering, suffering which is natural and also the suffering which is
caused by human being. He tried to go the root cause of all sufferings and
find a solution to the problem of suffering. In the last two centuries social
philosopher who has been influential was Karl Marx, who was also
deeply concerned with the problem of suffering, mainly the problem of
poverty, exploitation and alienation.
The Buddha as a social thinker can be regarded as a scientific
thinker rather than utopian thinker. He developed the causal model of
57
dependent origination (Paticca-samuppada) and applied it to the problem
of suffering.
Hence both Buddha and Mark were concerned with the problem of
suffering; they accepted the ultimate social goal as the society without
suffering and exploitation, where human beings live as equal members of
the society and as free beings. Both of them approached the problem by
applying scientific method rather than following any religious dogma or
utopian ideal. But the conclusions they arrived at were different. This is
because the ways they approached the problem were different. Marx did
not consider the inner roots of the problem of suffering, but only the
external roots. Hence according to him human beings suffer, they are
exploited, they enter into conflicts, because of the contradictions in the
socio-economic structure, that is, the capitalist structure. Hence changing
socio-economic structure through revolution, though it could be a blooly
revolution is the solution of the problem of suffering.
Though the Buddha dealt with the problem of unjust social
structure and establishment of an alternative social structure, when he
thought about the root cause of suffering, he emphasised the inner root of
suffering rather than the external causes or occasioning factors. He spelt
out the internal cause of suffering in two ways. Sometimes he emphased
tanha- craving as the root cause. Because of craving people suffer, they
exploit others and are exploited by others; they enter into conflicts and
wars with others. People can get rid of suffering and experience peace
only by getting rid of craving. He further went into the root of craving
and found that Avijja, ignorance / misconception is the root cause of
craving. We are ignorant about the impermanent, soul-less and
unsatisfactory nature of all phenomena and misconceive them as
permanent, soul-possessing and satisfactory. Because of these
58
misconceptions we develop attachment and craving about those
phenomena. Hence the path towards cessation of suffering necessarily
involved threefold training (Trisika) viz.(sila), meditation (samadhi) and
wisdom (panna) through which one gets rid of craving and ignorance and
is finally liberated. The Buddha conceived of and executed an alternative
form of social structure – the order of bhikkus which gives institutional
support for developing the threefold training. The order of Bhikkhus had
no place for the caste-system, or exploitation, but followed egalitarian
democratic pattern. On the contrary, Karl Marx maintained that the way
to ideal social system went through revolution (which could be violent
revolution) and what he called dictatorship of proletariat. Sangha order on
the other hand was not imposed on the members but was willingly
accepted by them. Marx maintained that in ideal social structure the
private property will have been abolished. This idea of the absence of
private property was already practiced long back in the Buddhist order of
Bhikkhus.
Dr. B.R. Ambedkar in his article “Buddha or Karlmark” has brought out clearly the contrast between the Marxian approach and the Buddha’s approach as follows:
Karl Marx is no doubt the father of modern socialism or
Communism but he was not interested merely in propounding the theory
of Socialism. That had been done long before him by others. Marx was
more interested in proving that his Socialism was scientific. His crusade
was as much against the capitalists as it was against those whom he called
the Utopian Socialists. He disliked them both. It is necessary to note this
point because Marx attached the greatest importance to the scientific
character of his Socialism. All the doctrines which Marx propounded had
59
no other purpose than to establish his contention that his brand of
Socialism was scientific and not Utopian.
The means of bringing about Communism, which the Buddha
propounded, were quite definite. It can be devided into three parts. Part I
consisted in observing the Pancha Silas. The Enlightenment gave birth to
a new gospel, which contains the key to the solution of the problem,
which was haunting him.
The foundation of the New Gospel is the fact that the world was
full of misery and unhappiness. This was the fact that was not merely to
be noted but to be regarded as being the first and foremost in any scheme
of salvation. The recognition of this fact was made by the Buddha, the
starting point of his gospel. To remove this misery and unhappiness was
to him the aim and object of the gospel if it was to serve any useful
purpose. Asking what could be the causes of this misery the Buddha
found that there could be only two.
A part of the misery and unhappiness of man was the result of his
own misconduct. To remove this cause of misery he preached the
practice of Panch Sila.
The Panch Sila comprised the following observations: (1) To
abstain from destroying or causing destruction of any living things (2) To
abstain from stealing i.e. acquiring or keeping by fraud or violence, the
property of another: (3) To Abstain from telling untruth: (4) To abstain
from lust: (5) To abstain from intoxicating drinks.
A part of the misery and unhappiness in the world was according to
the Buddha the result of man’s inequity towards man. How was this
inequity to be removed? For the removal of man’s inequity towards man
60
the Buddha prescribed the Noble Eight-Fold Path. The elements of the
Noble Fight-Fold Path are:
(1) Right views i.e. freedom from superstition: (2) Right aims, high
and worthy of the intelligent and earnest men; (3) Right speech i.e.
kindly, open, truthful: (4) Right Conduct i.e. peaceful, honest and pure;
(5) Right livelihood i.e. causing hurt or injury to no living being; (6)
Right perseverance in all the other seven; (7) Right mindfulness i.e. with
a watchful and active mind; and (8) Right contemplation i.e. earnest
thought on the deep mysteries of life.
The aim of the Noble Eight-Fold Path is to establish on earth the
kingdom of righteousness, and thereby to banish sorrow and unhappiness
from the face of the world.
The third part of the Gospel is the doctrine of Nibbana. The
doctrine of Nibbana is an integral part of the doctrine of the Noble Eight-
Fold Path. Without Nibbana the realisation of the Eight-Fold Path cannot
be accomplished.
The doctrine of Nibbana tells what are the difficulties in the way of
the realisation of the Eight-Fold Path.
The chiefs of these difficulties are ten in number. The Buddha
called them the Ten Asavas, Fetters or Hindrances.
The first hindrance is the delusion of self. So long as a man is
wholly occupied with himself, chasing after every bauble that he vainly
thinks will satisfy the cravings of his heart, there is no noble path for him.
Only when his eyes have been opened to the fact that he is but a tiny part
of a measureless, whole, only when he begins to realise how impermanent
a thing is his temporary individuality can he even enter upon this narrow
path.
The second is Doubt and Indecision. When a man’s eyes are opened
to the great mystery of existence, the impermanence ofevery
61
individuality, he is likely to be assailed by doubt and indecision as to his
action. To do or not to do, after all my individuality is impermanent, why
do anything are questions, which make him indecisive or inactive. But
that will not do in life. He must make up his mind to follow the teacher,
to accept the truth and to enter on the struggle or he will get no further.
The third is dependence on the efficacy of Rites and Ceremonies.
No good resolutions, however firm will lead to anything unless a man
gets rid of ritualism: of the belief that any outward acts. any priestly
powers, and holy ceremonies, can afford him an assistance of any kind. It
is only when he has overcome this hindrance, that men can be said to
have fairly entered upon the stream and has a chance sooner or later to
win a victory.
‘’ The fourth consists of the bodily passions… The fifth is ill will
towards other individuals. The sixth is the suppression of the desire for a
future life with a material body and the seventh is the desire for a future
life in an immaterial world.
The eighth hindrance is Pride and ninth is self-righteousness. These
are failings which it is most difficult for men to overcome, and to which
superior minds are peculiarly liable contempt for those who are less able
and less holy than themselves.
The tenth hindrance is ignorance. When all other difficulties are
conquered this will even remain, the thorn in the flesh of the wise and
good, the last enemy and the bitterest foe of man.
Nibbana consists in overcoming these hindrances to the pursuit of
the Noble Eight-Fold Path.
The doctrine of the Noble Eight-Fold Path tells what disposition of
the mind which a person should sedulously cultivate. The doctrine of
Nibbana tells of the temptation or hindrance which a person should
62
earnestly overcome if he wishes to trade along with the Noble Eight-Fold
Path
The Fourth Part of the new Gospel is the doctrine of Paramitas.
The doctrine of Paraimitas inculcates the practice of ten virtues in one’s
daily life.
These are those ten virtues—d) Panna (2) Sila (3) Nekkhama (4)
Dana(5) Virya(6) Khanti(7) Succa(8) Aditthana(9) Mettaa-nd (10)
Upekkha.
Panna or wisdom is the light that removes the darkenss of Avijja,
Moha or Nescience. The Panna requires that one must get all his doubts
removed by questioning those wiser than him self, associate with the wise
and cultivate the different arts and sciences which help to develop the
mind.
Sila is moral temperament, the disposition not to do evil and the
disposition to do good; to be ashamed of doing wrong. To avoid doing
evil for fear of punishment is Sila. Sila means fear of doing wrong.
Nekkhama is renunciation of the pleasures of the world. Dana means the
giving of one’s possessions, blood and limbs and even one’s life for the
good of the others without expecting anything in return.
Virya is right endeavour. It is doing with all your might with
thought never turning back, whatever you have undertaken to do.
Khanti is forbearance. Not to meet hatred by harted is the essence
of it. For hatred is not appeased by hatred. It is appeased only by
forbearance.
Succa is truth. An aspirant for Buddha never speaks a lie. His
speech is truth and nothing but truth.
Aditthana is resolute determination to reach the goal. Metta is
fellow feeling extending to all beings, foe and friend, beast and man.
63
Upekka is detachment as distinguished from indifference. It is a
state of mind where there is neither like nor dislike. Remaining unmoved
by the result and yet engaged in the pursuit of it.
These virtues one must practice to his utmost capacity. That is why
they are called Paramitas (States of Perfection).
Such is the gospel the Buddha enunciated as a result of his
enlightenment to end the sorrow and misery in the world.
It is clear from Dr. Ambedkar’s article “Buddha or Karl Marx” (W&S, vol.3) how, the means adopted by the Buddha were to convert a
man by changing his moral disposition to follow the path voluntarily. The
means adopted by the Communists are equally clear, short and swift.
They are (1) Violence and (2) Dictatorship of the Proletariat.
The Communists say that there are the only two means of
establishing communism. The first is violence. Nothing short of it will
suffice to break up the existing system. The other is dictatorship of the
proletariat. Nothing short of it will suffice to continue the new system.
It is now clear what are the similarities and differences between
Buddha and Karl Marx. The differences are about the means. The end is
common to both. (Buddha or Karl Marx”, (W&S vol. 3 p. 450)
3.4.2 Bhikku Buddhadasa’s approach
Another Buddhist response to Marxism can be seem in Bhikkhu
Buddhadasa, a contemporary Thai Buddhist thinker, who proposed his
social theory of dhammic socialism out of an Asian way of thinking,
within an Asian context. Since Thailand has never been colonized by a
Western power, Buddhist socialism can be interpreted as a struggle for
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economic and cultural independence. Bhikkhu Buddhadasa, a
contemporary Thai Buddhist thinker, has interpreted Buddhism not only
from a religious point of view of his unique theory of Buddhist socialism or “dhammic socialism” but also from a sociopolitical perspective. After devoting most of his life to reforming Buddhism in Thailand, Buddhadasa
found it necessary to address sociopolitical issues from a Buddhist perspective. In the 1960’s, he articulated his sociopolitical position in
terms of “dhammocracy” (dhammathipatai): the social and political order
should follow the law of Dhamma the teachings of the Buddha. Later on,
in the atmosphere of the student led Revolution in Thailand from 1973 to
1976, Buddhadasa presented (dhammika sangkhomniyom). Buddhadasa
bases his theory of dhammic socialism on nature. To him, nature
represents the state of balance for the survival and wellbeing of human
beings, animals, plants, and the ecology of the world. In the state of
nature, every being produces according to its capacity and consumes according to its needs; no being, whatever form, hoards “surplus” for its
own sake. Buddhadasa calls this balanced state of nature socialistic. Problems arise, however, when human beings begin to hoard a “surplus” for the sake of their own profit; this leaves others facing scarcity and
poverty. According to Buddhadasa, human beings can and should produce a “surplus,” but the “surplus” should be distributed for the wellbeing of everyone, and Buddhism provides the ethical tools for this
fair distribution. Philosophically, dhammic socialism is based on this
principle: none of us should take more than we really need. We should
share whatever extra we have with those who have less. Social problems
are fundamentally a result of greed. In other words, greed is at the heart
of scarcity and poverty (Buddhadasa, Dhammic Socialism, 107). Buddhadasa’s individualistic approach to social and economic problems is implemented via the personal practices of generosity (dana) and self-
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restraint, which consists of keeping precepts (sila) and being self
disciplined the global market economy.
In a later unit in this chapter, we shall explain more on that
concept. According to Buddhist tradition, a good ruler has ten virtues,
enumerated in the next unit.
3.5 Dasa Rajadhamman or Ten Royal Virtues
Buddhism is more than a religion or a life philosophy; it is a way of
life. It is broad in scope and perceptive of the lives of others. Henceforth,
Buddha Gautama taught the eradication of poverty and internal security
of a kingdom as well as other social virtues. Towards the eradication of
crime in a country, a leader should eliminate poverty. Although there
were perhaps not the same strata of employment then that we have today,
Buddha urged employers and national leaders to improve relations with
employees through the means of wage and incentives, and occasional
gifts. Furthermore, kings and governments should consider the happiness
of their people seriously. In respect of good monarchy, there is the dasa
raja dhamma, which follow:
According to Buddhadhamma, or Buddhasatsana, a true, good
monarch is or should be endowed with the following ten virtues.
1. As it is incumbent of the monarch to ensure the welfare and
prosperity of his people, the first of these virtues is dana or charity. Dana
comes from the Sanskrit root dan, to give, which also founded the Latin
word don- as in donor (giver) and donation. In Buddhism, dana includes
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generosity and reward. It is incumbent for a good leader to give freely
from his resources to anyone who needs anything. Maha Sudassana gave
whatever the needy person demanded at the time. This entails an accurate
assessment of the person’s condiition: ‘This man is hungry’ etc. and the suitable response.
2. The second virtue, very typically, was sila or morality. The raja
is himself a lay follower and lay followers were expected to follow only
five principles of moral conduct, whereas the bhikkus had many more.
The five principles, unlike their counterparts in other world religions, were not rigidly enforced. This may have been due to Buddha’s understanding of human weakness. These principles included the aversion
to kill meaninglessly, barring a war in the cause of national defence.
(Buddha taught ahimsa, or non-violence, but understood that war in self-
defense was hard to avoid for any nation.) The other precepts included
aversion to adultery (as it provokes rage and jealousy, and disharmony
among subjects), aversion to the use of harmful and improper speech such
as lies, slander, rumours and gossiping and aversion to intoxicating things
etc.
Buddha continued to advise the following eight virtues:
3. pariccaga (self-sacrifice for common good): Sidhhi Butr-Indr
(1995; p.150) claims that this included the sacrifice of life and limbs on
behalf of the people, which is a very grand and noble gesture for anyone
and therefore very scarce. It arises from the belief that the happiness of
others causes oneself to feel happy, which is true.
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4. ajjava (honesty): this virtue encompasses sincerity and freedom
from fear (bhayamokka) while discharging royal duties. It is very
conceivable that any honest man or woman, regardless of birthright,
should have no cause to fear so long as his/her activity is honest and
sincere. Thus, a king who lives honestly and sincerely need not fear any
loss to himself; or his family. Additionally, a king is recommended to be
straightforward and avoid deceptive or ‘crooked’ recourse towards his
ends. To highlight this, the Sigalovada Sutta, Digha Nikaya, adds: “Canda dosa bhaya moha—yo dhammam nativattati. Apurati tassa
yaso—Sukkha pakheva candima”. (If a person maintains justice without
being subjected to favouritism, hatred, fear or ignorance, his popularity
grows like the waxing moon.)
5. maddava (gentleness) includes politeness and friendliness.
Buddha apparently intended this as a tool in addressing the subjects. As
he must have known well that common men prefer to listen to kind,
sincere speeches.
6. tapa (austerity) is generally a quality of ascetics and therefore
uncommon in men of high birth and status in society. It requires the
monarch to simplify his ways of life, which seemed rare in those days as
well as in the present. The scriptures had mentioned reports of kings who abused wealth and power and were ‘lumped together’ with the thieves
from whom they were expected to protect their subjects.
7. akkodha is good will. It is also translated as ‘non-hatred.’ Thus, a ruler should not bear any grudge against anyone. Furthermore, he
should act with love and forbearance.
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8. ahimsa (non-violence): Buddha taught non-violence even in the
case of war, although he was well aware that war was difficult to avoid.
As we have mentioned, he sanctioned war only when it was fought for the
preservation of the state and could avoid killing. He included the
promotion of peace through non-violent action, which is truly the only
way to peace. This virtue was best epitomised in Emperor Asoka.
9. khanti, or patience. The ruler is herein urged to bear all
hardships without losing his temper and should avoid yielding to his
emotions. In fact, Buddhists are generally advised to be thoughtful rather
than giving way to emotions, but a king or ruler should avoid this as well.
10. avirodha (non-opposition to the public demand) This includes a
commitment to public welfare and is a good twin to pariccaga. As a good
monarch will first deem the welfare and happiness of the people as his
own and then undertake to promote it. (Rahula, What the Buddha Taught 84-85)
Butr-Intr (Ibid. p.151) discusses the nature of a good king along
these lines, and historically there were god examples such as Maha
Sudassana and Asoka. Maha Sudassana practiced dana in the manner
described; Asoka practiced dana, sila and ahimsa and originated many
institutions in his kingdom to promote the public welfare. He stands as
one of the best examples of a monarch in early history. However, while
the leader who possesses all of thee virtues is loved well, he is very rare.
Some kings or leaders have possessed only a few virtues and others have
abused wealth and power for self-interest.
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In modern day, with many countries assuming a democratic stance,
a few of them maintain monarchical influences. In Asia, these are
principally Nepal, Bhutan and Thailand. Nepal has deposed its monarchs
for criminal offences concerning ascension. Bhutan has remained a model
monarchical state, as Robert Thurman averred recently.
Thurman refers to the interesting paradox that Nagarjuna points out, that it’s very likely that a good and strong executive is an essential thing to maintain the interest of individuals in a society. So there is an
interesting paradox that you need a strong central leader to guarantee the
rights of the people and therefore the idea of a constitutional monarchy is
pretty close to a Buddhist ideal. (Retrieved from http://www.kuensel
online.com/ on 22 March 2009. Date of Citation: 27 November 2007)
Speaking more precisely on the duty and nature of the dhammaraja,
Thurman pointed that a true Buddhist king should attain to the state of
bodhisattva and serve his people. Asoka tried in his lifetime to attain that
end and we shall discuss him in the next unit. Below are Thurman’s words on the king:
Buddhism has a very interesting paradox and that is, yes, it’s very
important to be a bodhisattva and serve the people, but you can’t really serve people well until you have wisdom, compassion and certain qualities of an enlightened person. That’s the first thing of a Buddhist King, the first duty is to himself, to develop full potential as a human being. That’s the first principle.
The second principle is Non-Violence. This is very difficult for a
ruler or a King, because there are some criminals and they have to be
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punished or there are some threats to the nation and it has to be taken care
of, so it may seem a little tough.
But Nagarjuna ruled out capital punishment. Even criminals should
not be killed, but you might kill someone if they try to harm your family,
but generally you try to correct criminals and educate them. The analysis
of self-defense is kind of tricky in Buddhism, you can’t necessarily be perfect but you tend towards the principle of non-violence.
The third principle is difficult to explain in English because there is
no real word for it but I call it Educationalism. What this means is that the
primary industry of a Buddhist society is education of its citizens
because, for any human being, the most important thing they can do is to
learn. Buddhism is very different from any other religions because
Buddhism does not teach that you can achieve nirvana just by faith, faith
is not sufficient to be free from suffering. (Ibid.)
3.6 Buddhism and the Social Life
Buddhism has been an integral part of the life of Buddhists for it is
the root of culture and way of life of the people. In order to appreciate the
importance, role and influence of Buddhism on the way of life of the
Buddhist populace, it is necessary to understand other structures or
fabrics, which are integral parts of Buddhism. Important components are
the Buddha (Somdej Phra Nyanasamvara 2000, pp.6-7), the Dhamma,
the Sangha and the Wat (monastery) and lay disciples. The Dhamma or
the teachings of the Buddha has been most influential on the way of life
of Buddhists. The teachings are found not only in the Pali Canon and
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Suttapitaka but also in such religious literatures as the Jataka, Buddhist
chronicles and myths. The Dhamma component is an abstract aspect and
serves as the heart of Buddhism. The Sangha or the community of monks
and the Wat are in close relation and proximity with the laymen and
interact with society in its daily life.
The close association and continuous relationship between
Buddhism and society is based on the concept that a society is a
conglomeration of tangible compositions and such abstract elements as
virtue, value, goodness, morality and ethics. There are continuous
interactions between the tangible and intangible components. In order to
maintain the society functionally and structurally, there must be an
interdependent and supportive relationship of different compositions of
Buddhism. Lacking any of them would cause imbalance in society. In a
village community, for example, not having a monastery and monks to
edify and guide the people would result in the low morality and spirit of
the inhabitants. Similarly, if the monks in the community do not strictly
adhere to the Dhamma and keep to their duties according to the code of discipline (Vinaya), the people’s morality and spirit would become lax,
the community’s social relationships would also be weakened, unstable and not in peace. Social relationships are not always in harmony.
Conflicts may arise from time to time. Resolution to such conflicts may
be achieved by means of adjustment and adaptation of the existing social
structure and function in order to maintain the society. Alternatively,
there might be a replacement of the structure and function of the old
society by a new one.
Interaction and the independent relationship of the Sangha and lay
society is another aspect of the relationship between society and religion.
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The Sangha is the most important and traditional Buddhist institution,
which is in close association with the people. It plays an essential role,
both religious and secular, in the life of the people. It provides spiritual
sanctuary and serves as a field of merit for the people when they need
spiritual comfort. In the secular sphere, the monks render services to rural
and remote communities. The monks help in teaching the children,
healing the sick by traditional methods, and leading the villagers in
various development efforts. Reciprocally, the lay community provides
the monks with necessities for their living so that they need not worry
about earning their living. Such an interdependent and reciprocal
relationship contributes to a situation in which each party has to be
flexible and adaptable to changes. An accommodating and adaptive
ability is an indispensable quality of the structure within a society, which
make possible the maintenance of the society. The maintenance of the
structure and the regulation of social order are structurally and
functionally defined. It is a situation in which every component of the
society is interdependent, interacting and contributing to the system
maintenance. Generally speaking, there are a variety of components in a
society. The important ones are an economic structure, a political structure and a belief system meaningful to people’s lives and thoughts. The major element in this belief system is a religious structure.
3.7 Buddhist dharma and Society
The teachings of the Buddha are voluminous and classified into
groups. Each group serves a specific purpose. It explains an existing
phenomenon, its cause of arising and the effects thereof. There are also
prescriptions to overcome individual problems. The level of depth and
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sophistication of the teachings are also purposely prescribed to suit
individual needs. Due to the differences in context and level of
sophistication of the teachings, there arise differences in interpretation of the teachings. This concerns one’s perception and experiences, occupation and education. Some political scientists may understand the
Buddhist concept Santosa (satisfaction with whatever is one’s own) as not conducive to development. In contrast, conservationalists and
environmentalists would see the meaning of Santosa as contentment with
the maintenance of the existing status and conditions, which is supportive
to environmental conservation. Students of Buddhist Studies would view
such interpretations as not comprehensive. This signifies different levels
of understanding of the teachings of the Buddha by the Buddhists. According to Robert Redfield’s concept of ‘Great and Little Tradition’,
people’s appreciation of Buddhism can be divided into two broad categories, doctrinal and popular Buddhism. (Robert Redfield 1965,
pp.41-43)
Firstly, doctrinal Buddhism refers to the teachings of the Buddha
and practices contained in the Canon Sutta and related literatures.
Doctrinal Buddhism is thus believed to be original. Its followers will
refuse principles, teachings and practices, which are not contained in the
Canon and Suttapitaka. They view belief in spirits, deities, and other
forms of Animism including beliefs and practices adopted from other
faiths, as heresy. The followers of doctrinal Buddhism are few in number
but are well educated.
Secondly, popular Buddhism refers to a Buddhism which is
permeated by other religions and belief systems. It includes Animism,
Brahmanism, and beliefs in spirits and ghosts. The teachings and
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practices of Buddhism and other belief systems are so interwoven that
only the well educated among the faithful can distinguish Buddhism from
the others.
Religious rites, an important structure and function of a religion
can differentiate between the intricacy of doctrinal and popular
Buddhism. The followers of popular Buddhism tend to rank ritual very
high. Their rituals are a combination of Buddhistic, Animistic and
Brahmanical elements. A wedding ceremony, for example, begins with
Buddhist merit making such as giving alms to the monks in the morning.
Late morning ritual involves the offering of sacrifices to the spirit house
and to the ancestors. In the evening Brahmanism is invoked to bless the
bride and the groom. The holiest part of the evening ritual is the pouring
of lustral water on the hands of the couple with blessings from the senior
guests. On the contrary, the followers of doctrinal Buddhism are more
concerned with Buddhist ritual and play down the non-Buddhistic ones.
The great majority of Buddhists in Thailand, Laos and Cambodia
follow popular Buddhism. This phenomenon can be explained in the
context of the belief system at every level of society. Amongst the most
primitive, there exists a belief system that human beings can hold on to.
Such a belief system may be Animism in various forms, including beliefs
regarding natural happenings. Certain communities have embraced an
established religion such as Brahmanism, which was well rooted in India
and propagated all over the world, and Taoism or Confucianism, which
spread from China. By the time that Buddhism was introduced to
Southeast Asia, there already existed belief systems and religious among
the people. When they accepted Buddhism they also kept their old beliefs.
Due to its flexible and liberalism, Buddhism easily absorbed certain
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elements of existing belief systems into its mainstream. What developed
from this process is popular Buddhism.
The teachings of the Buddha display variety in its levels of
sophistication, purposes, content, and specialties. For example, the Four
Noble Truths explain natural phenomena, which will be with everyone
from birth to death. It describes the nature of suffering represented by
birth, old age, disease and death, including sorrow and frustration of
every kind; the origin of problems and suffering by way of causality; the
extinction of suffering; and the path leading to the extinction of suffering.
There are teachings that guide the people to live comfortably without
economic hardship. This teaching is called
Dittadhammikatthasamvattanika-dhamma (virtues conducive to benenfits
in the present).
It teaches the laymen to have energy; industry and watchfulness
concerning their properties; to associate with good people; and to live
economically. The Buddha also encouraged people to follow the path to
success. This appears in a particular teaching called Iddhipada (basis for
success). However, the over all purpose of the teachings of the Buddha
can be summarized in the following:
Firstly, it enlightens the laymen about the nature of life from birth
and existence to death. This includes an explanation of the origin of life,
existence after birth and survival until death. The teachings also deal with ways to lead one’s life happily, in harmony with nature and how to minimize and cope with suffering arising from sickness, death,
disappointment, separation and other misfortunes.
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Secondly, it explains and prescribes ways for people to live
together mutually on a one to one level, as well as on national and global
levels. The teachings, to achieve this purpose, deals with the prescriptions
for social relationships between individuals, social relations within the
family, social relationships between family and family, between teacher
and students, between employer and employees, between religious
personnel and laymen, between government and subjects and between
state and state.
Thirdly, it gives guidance on the application of the teachings of the
Buddha to improve the daily life. The prescriptions are designed to be
workable according to the nature of problems and the level of
appreciation of the individual needs. Therefore, there are levels in the
teachings of the Buddha, i.e., basic truth, middle and sophisticated truth,
both in mundane and supramundane states (Lokiyadhamma and
Lokuttaradhamma).
The dissemination of the teachings of the Buddha to people at
different levels of appreciation requires specialized methods to suit each
group. So as to preach Dhamma to intellectuals and educated people who
are keen on Buddhism and who want to apply Dhamma to improve their
lives, sophisticated Dhamma must be selected. The Dhamma for the
followers of popular Buddhism, on the contrary, has to be simplified and
easy to understand. Simplified Laws8 of Kamma and stories from the
Jataka and Sutta are an effective means to edify them. However, Phra
Rajavoramuni points out that whatever the teaching methods are, all
teachings are related, for the essence of the teachings derives from the
same truth and the ultimate purpose is identical. In fact, these teachings
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are identical in purpose but given different labels. The truth is
disseminated selectively and in different forms.
3.8 Buddhism: The Socio-political Changes and the Social Order
The principle of ever-changing nature or the impermanent
condition of the society is a very important to consider when one studies
the relationship between Buddhism and society. It is argued that at the
time when the Gotama was seeking enlightenment there had been rapid
socio-political changes in the homeland of Buddhism, i.e., present
Northern India (Phra Rajavoramuni 1983, pp.11-12). The Buddha
considered that the ever-changing or impermanent conditions were causes
of suffering and societal problems. He therefore devoted himself to the
search for truth to remedy human suffering. The suffering and problems,
which the Buddha perceived, were: (1) natural changes in human beings
and (2) changes caused by man.
Firstly, natural changes in human beings, these were the causes of
suffering inherent in human beings, for example, birth, sickness, death,
happiness, suffering, satisfaction, disappointment, etc. Though they are
the natural phenomena, yet they can cause suffering to people. The
Buddha believed that there must be a remedy to end or at least to
minimize those causes of suffering. Thus, he set forth in search of the
truth. Secondly, changes caused by man, includes: (1) political changes
and (2) socio-economic changes.
Firstly, political changes during the lifetime of the Buddha and the
political environment could be characterized as pertaining to two major
forms of government. The first one was absolute monarchy. The other
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was a system based on co-operation between the ruling elites of small
principalities within the states. This form of government is said to be
equivalent to a loosely structured republican system and the mode of
government was democratic. The absolute monarchy form of government
had been adopted by the four northern states of India and they proved to
be very politically strong and stable. Among these states, two of them had
adopted democratic procedures in their government. Legislation, policy
making, and judicial processes were based on consultation in the
assembly of the assigned ruling elite. Majority opinion was adopted to
arrive at final decisions and resolutions. However, the democratic form of
government was gradually weakened by the stronger authoritarian
governments and finally became absorbed by the absolute monarchical
system.
Secondly, it is the socio-economic changes. The expansion of the
absolute monarchical states contributed to the expansion of trade. The
growth of trade generated the bourgeois and capitalist classes. Those who
were economically strong became politically influential and dominated
the government (Phra Rajavoramuni 1982 pp.21-22).
The characteristics and nature of socio-political and economic
changes became integral parts of the teachings of the Buddha. Since the
Buddha gave heavy importance to the forces of socio-political and
economic change, this contributed to Buddhist ability to adjust to changes
without losing its essence.
In the context of socio-political changes, Buddhism has played a
very important role in regulating and organizing society for the survival
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and continuity of the society. These functions can be summarized as
followings:
A. Socialization function. In Buddhist societies, culture, values and
customs are deeply rooted in Buddhism. Although there are normative
and substantive socializing agents, the monks and monasteries are another
important socializing institution. They have served as ethical and moral
socializing agents. They persuade the people to follow social rules and
regulations and to lead their lives according to the Buddhist way of life.
Such virtues as loving and kindness (Metta-Karuna), kind-heartedness,
being helpful to each other, courtesy and social relationships between
persons of different status constitute this way of life.
B. Social control function. Social control is indispensable for
human society. In order to keep society in order and its members
behaving correctly, so as to maintain peace and order, there must be laws
and regulations governing the society. It is necessary to have an
authoritative body, i.e., a government to enact and enforce such secular
laws and regulations. In addition there are also traditions and customary
laws that enhance the social control of any society.
However, those secular social control mechanisms are aimed at regulating men’s activities and overt behavior. They will be effective only when men feel morally obligated to follow the laws and regulations.
Religion can play a very important role in instilling in the people a sense
of morality and edifying them. The monks and monasteries are essential
religious socializing agents that train Buddhists to be good citizens.
Buddhist principles, which function as a social control mechanism, are,
for example, the Five Precepts, Brahmavihàra (sublime states of mind),
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Sangahavatthu (virtues making for group integration and leadership and
principle of services), Nathakaranadhamma (virtues which make for
protection), Saraniyadhamma (virtues for fraternal living), Adhipateyya
(dominant influence, supremacy, Dithadhammikattha (sources of
happiness in the present life), etc. People, who are trained, edified, and
keep to the teachings of the Buddha will have shared norms and follow a
common way of life. Such a society will face minimal conflicts, people
will live together with reason and social problems are minimized.
C. Buddhism serves as a unifying force for the society. The fact
that the faithful follow the teaching of the Buddha, and adopt Dhamma as
guidance in their life, reinforces national integration and solidarity. Good
racial integration and a healthy religion enhance national security. In
addition to the teachings of the Buddha, religious rituals and calendar
festivals foster the unity of the people.
3.9 The Characteristics of the Rulers
Plato’s definition of philosopher king refer to one who is going to seek the truth; And truth can only be won by knowledge and wisdom. The
best government for him is the one, which has a philosopher king in
power. The other virtue, which is stressed by Plato, is justice. He says that
justice is the whole duty of man. He further explains that it is justice went
each class does its own proper work. In each of us also, if our inward
faculties do severally their roper work, we will live in the virtue of
justice; we will do just men, and doers of proper work.
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Aristotle (born 884 B.C.) wrote how the powers of government
should be expressed. According to him, the government would be good if
it worked in the interest of the community as a whole. And on the
contrary it would be bad if it worked for the governing body and for
selfish purposes. Aristotle focused on the practitioner of government who,
by his power, would make the common good, good of life for all.
He mentions that political justice exists among people who are
associated in a common life with a view to self-sufficiency and who
enjoy freedom and equality. Justice must be administered not merely for a
private group but for the whole world. Aristotle explains that government
will be best if it serves the common good for the people. The political
thinkers emphasize the moral virtues of the ruler who should do justice to
all and bring good to all, a government working for the public good.
(Macilwain, 1932, pp.83-85)
The basis of religion is morality and faith, while that for politics is
power. Religion was used to justify wars and conquest, persecutions,
atrocities, rebellions, destruction of works of art and culture. When
religion is used to pander to political whims, it has to forego its high
moral ideals and become debased by worldly political demands.
The thrust of the Buddha Dhamma is not directed to the creation of
new political institutions and establishing political arrangements.
Basically, it seeks to approach the problems of society by reforming the
individuals constituting that society and suggesting some general
principles, through which the society can be guided towards greater
humanism, improved welfare of its members, and more equitable sharing
of resources.
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There is a limit to the extent to which a political system can
safeguard the happiness and prosperity of its people. No political system,
no matter how ideal it may appear to be, can bring about peace and
happiness as long as the no matter what political system is adopted, there
are certain universal factors which the members of that society will have
to experience: the effects of good and bad kamma, the lack of real
satisfaction or everlasting happiness in the world characterized by dukkha (unsatisfactoriness), anicca (impermanence), and anatta (egolessness). To
the Buddhist, nowhere in Samsara is there real freedom, not even in the
heavens or the world of Brahmas.
Although a good and just political system which guarantees basic
human rights and contains checks and balances to the use of power is an
important condition for a happy life in society, people should mot fritter
away their time by endlessly searching for the ultimate political system
where men can be completely free, because complete freedom cannot be
found in any system but only in minds which are free.
To be free, people will have to look within their own minds and
work towards freeing themselves from the chains of ignorance and
craving. Freedom in the truest sense is only possible when a person use Dhamma to develop his character through good speech and action and to
train his mind so as to expand his mental potential and achieve his
ultimate aim of enlightenment.
While recognizing the use fullness of separating religion from
politics and the limitations of political systems in bringing about peace and happiness, there are several aspects of the Buddha’s teaching, which
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have close correspondence to the political arrangements of the present
day.
1) Firstly, the Buddha spoke about the equality of all human beings
long before Abraham Lincoln, and the classes and castes are artificial
barriers erected by society. According to the Buddha, the only
classification of human beings is based on the quality of their moral
conduct.
2) Secondly, the Buddha encouraged the spirit of social co-
operation and active participation in society. This spirit is actively
promoted in the political in the political process of modern societies.
3) Thirdly, since no one was appointed as the Buddha’s successor, the members of the Order were to be guided by the Dhamma and Vinaya,
or in short, the Rule of Law. Until today every member of the Sangha is
to abide by the Rule of Law, which governs and guides their conduct.
4) Fourthly, the Buddha encouraged the spirit of consultation and
the democratic process. This is shown within the community of the Order
in which all members have the right to decide on matters of general
concern. When a serious question arose demanding attention, the issues
were put before the monks and discussed in a manner similar to the
democratic parliamentary system used today.
This self-governing procedure may come as a surprise to many to
learn that in the assemblies of Buddhists in India 2,500 years ago and
more are to be found the rudiments of the parliamentary practice of the
present day. A special officer similar to “Mr. Speaker” was appointed to preserve the dignity of the assembly.
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A second officer, who played a role similar to the Parliamentary
Chief Whip, was also appointed to see if the quorum was secured.
Matters were put forward in the form of a motion, which was open to
discussion. In some cases it was done once, in others three times, thus
anticipating the practice of Parliament in requiring that a bill should be
read a third time before it becomes law. If the discussion shows a
difference of opinion, it was to be settled by the vote of the majority
through balloting.
The Buddhist approach to political power is the moralization and
the responsible use of public power. The Buddha preached non-violence
and peace as a universal message. He did not approve of violence or the destruction of life, and declared that there is no such thing as a “just” war.
He taught: ‘The victor breeds hatred, the defeated lives in misery. He who renounces both victory and defeat is happy and peaceful. Not only did the
Buddha teach non-violence and peace, but also he was perhaps the first
and only religious teacher who went to the battlefield personally to
prevent the outbreak of a war. He diffused tension between the Sakyas
and Koliyas who were about to wage war over the waters of Rohine. He
also dissuaded king Ajātaśatru from attacking the Kingfom of the vajjis.
The Buddha discussed the importance and the prerequisites of a
good government. He showed how the country could become corrupt,
degenerate and unhappy when the head of the government becomes
corrupt and unjust. He spoke against corruption and how a government should act on humanitarian principles. The Buddha once said, “When the ruler of a country is just and good, the ministers become just and good;
when the ministers are just and good, the higher officials become just and
good; when the higher officials are just and good, the rank and file
85
become just and good; when the rank and file become just and good, the people become just and good.”
In the Cakkamatti Sihananda Sutta, the Buddha said that
immorality and crime, such as theft, falsehood, violence, hatred, cruelty,
could arise from poverty. Kings and government may try to suppress
crime through punishment, but it is futile to eradicate crimes through
force.
In the Kutadanta Sutta, the Buddha suggested economic
development instead of force to reduce crime. The government should use the country’s resources to improve the economic conditions of the country. It could embark on agricultural and rural development, provide
financial support to entrepreneurs and business, and provide adequate
wages for workers to maintain a decent life with human dignity.
In the Milinda Panha, it is stated: ‘If a man, who is unfit, incompetent, immoral, improper, unable and unable and unworthy of
kingship, has enthroned himself a king or a ruler with great authority, he is subject to be tortured…to be subject to a variety of punishment by the people, because, being unfit and unworthy, he has placed himself
unrighteously in the seat of sovereignty. The ruler, like others who violate
and transgress moral codes and basic rules of all social laws of mankind,
is equally subject to punishment; and moreover, to be censure is the ruler who conducts himself as a robber of the public.’
In Jantaka story, it is mentioned that a ruler who punishes innocent
people and does not punish the culprit is not suitable to rule a country.
The king always improves himself and carefully examines his own
86
conduct in deed, words and thoughts, trying to discover and listen to
public opinion as to whether or been guilty of any faults and mistakes in
ruling the that they are ruined by the wicked ruler with unjust treatment,
punishment, taxation, or other oppressions including corruption of any
kind, and they will react against him un one way or another. On the contrary, if he rules righteously they will bless him: ‘Long live His
Majesty.’
The Buddha’s emphasis is on the moral duty of a ruler to use public power to improve the welfare of the people had inspired Emperor
Asoka, a sparkling example of this principle, resolved to live and preach
the Dhamma and to serve his subjects and all humanity accordingly. He
declared his non-aggressive intentions to his neighbours, assuring them of
his goodwill and sending envoys to distant kings bearing his message of
peace and non-aggression.
He promoted the energetic practice of the socio-moral virtues of
honesty, truthfulness, compassion, benevolence, non-violence,
considerate behaviour towards all, non-extravagance, non-
acquisitiveness, and non-injury to animals. He encouraged religious freedom and mutual respect for each other’s creed. He went on to
periodic tours preaching the Dhamma to the rural people. He undertook
works of public utility, such as founding of hospitals for man beings and
animals, supplying of medicine, plantation of the roadside trees and
groves, digging of wells, and construction of watering sheds and rest
houses. He expressly forbade cruelty to animals.
Sometimes the Buddha is said to be a social reformer. Among other
things, he condemned the caste system, recognized the equality of people,
87
spoke on the need to improve socio-economic conditions, recognized the
importance of n more equitable distribution of wealth among the rich and
the poor, raised the status of women, recommended the incorporation of
humanism in government and administration, and taught that a society
should not be run by greed but with consideration and compassion for the
people. despite all of these, his contribution to mankind is much greater
because he took off at a point which no other social reformer before or
ever since had done, that is, by going to the deepest roots of human ill
which are found in human mind.
It is only in the human mind that true reform can be affected.
Reforms imposed by force upon the external world have a very short life
because they have no roots. Not those reforms, which spring as a result of the transformation of man’s inner consciousness, remain rooted. While their braches spread outwards, they draw their nourishment from and
unfailing source the subconscious imperatives of the life- stream itself. So reforms come about when men’s minds have prepared the way for them, and they live as long as men revitalize them out of their own love of truth,
justice and their fellow men. (K.Shi Dhammananda, 1993, pp.231-236)
Kingship is generally regarded as a result of meritorious actions
performed in the past births. The pali texts generally insist that a king be
khattiya and belong to a family with a hoary lineage. This is in keeping
with the early Buddhist view that the Khattiyas are the highest among
classes and castes. Nor is a woman favoured as a ruler. Of course this can
be taken as the observation of the Buddhists of the contemporary
situation. This cannot be regarded as the general rule or even the main
emphasis of Buddhism. What is more important for Buddhism, is that a
good king is expected to have ten qualities such as charity, morality, and
88
spirit of sacrifice, justice, humility, penitence, absence of wrath, absence
of violence, patience and harmlessness. A good king, however, should do
more than merely possess certain qualities. He should sub-serve two
traditions namely those of attha and Dhamma. The terms attha and
Dhamma may be rendered, in our present context, as actions conducive to
prosperity and righteousness.
Owing to the fact that a leader is the most important and powerful
person. He, therefore, should know the price of leadership: emulation and
envy. A leader is envied. High and powerful positions are fervently
sought out for all the promise they hold. And what can be more alluring
than the highest post in the land?
To be good leader should be undaunted to emulation and envy
which are around us. In this case, the researcher agrees with S. Leelavathi
the famous columnist who in the column “The Speaking Tree” (Times of
India, Monday, May 31, 2004), mentioned the price of leadership by
saying, “Now that the “crown of thorns” has been placed on a leader’s head, it is instructive to look at what leadership means, both for the leader
and the led. True, the lead of any huge corporation or country will have
almost boundless resourced at his word shall be law. And sycophants
there will be aplenty. However, it is also true that no leader can be free of the baggage of leadership.”
In every field of human endeavour; first he must perpetually live in
the white light of publicity. Whether the leadership should be vested in a
man or in a manufactured product, emulation and envy are ever at work
in the art, in literature, in music, in industry, the reward and the
89
punishment are always the same. The reward is widespread recognition;
the punishment, fierce denial and detraction.
When a man’s work becomes a standard for the whole world, it also becomes a target for the shafts of the envious few. Should his work
be merely mediocre, he will be left severely alone; if he achieves a
masterpiece, it will set a million tongues wagging. Jealousy does not
protrude its forked tongue at the artist who produced a commonplace
painting.
Whatsoever you write, paint, play, sing or build, no one will strive
to surpass, or to slander you. Unless your work be stamped with the seal
of genius. Long, long after a great work or a good work has been done;
those who are disappointed or envious continue to cry out that it cannot
be done.
It is as old as the world and as old as human passions namely;
envy, fear, greed, ambition and the desire to surpass. And it all avails
nothing. If the leader truly leads, he remains the leader.
In conclusion we may say that the ruler is considered as the center
of the society. Everybody has to follow him as the leader. He is the model
for common people and the virtues to be developed by the ruler and his
subordinates to be the good model of people. The staff and all officials of
the ruler should be men of wisdom and virtue. The economic glory and
prosperity and spiritual peace of the people and the state should be taken
care of strictly by the ruler. It is supposed to be the symbol of the well-
being of the people.
90
The qualities of life both of body and mind, both of the ruler and
the ruled, should be developed simultaneously. Happiness, peace security,
and confidence of the people will thus be widely spread. A good ruler is
beloved and popular among the domestic as well as the monastic
inhabitants: just as a father is near and dear to his children, even so is the
ruler beloved and regarded by the ruled; and just as the children are near
and dare to their father, even so are the ruled to a ruler. He instructs the
public in the threefold practice of well-doing in thought, word and deed
and encourages them to perform charitable deeds, to observe morality, to
engage themselves energetically in their occupation to educate
themselves, to gain wealth, to fulfill their respective duties.
A good ruler sets his whole heart upon promoting the welfare of his
people and makes righteousness the sole purpose of his actions. Being
devoted to the happiness and well-being of his subjects, he appears like
righteousness personified. As the embodiment of righteousness and the
promoter of what is good for his subjects, he realizes their welfare to be
the fruit of righteousness and knows no other purpose than this. A ruler,
therefore, must have righteousness to lead his country and his people to
peace and happiness. ( Khongchinda Chanya,1993 pp.96-7)
3.10 Social Justice in Buddhism
A virtue needed by all beings, both human and animal, justice is the result of men’s treatment to their fellow human beings, other beings or even their natural surroundings in the way believed to be fair in
accordance with the religious as well as the legal principles. However, it
is an abstract element, unable to be touched but able to be felt by heart.
The society, where there exists the justice, is assured to enjoy peace,
The Awakened One with Awareness Ideals of Good Governance
When
the Awakened One with Awareness came along, he did not see things quite
that way. He saw that many jungle animals could, indeed, live together
in harmony and get along amicably and not all were living in conflict.
Rather than emphasizing power and punishment, the Buddha, stressed four
ways of treating subjects: “They are dana or charity, priyavacana or kind speech, artha cariya or the spirit of frugality and of service, and of samanatmata or equality.”
In line with Awakened One with Awareness principles:
The virtuous king should practice dana or charity, giving alms to the poor and gifts to those who serve the kingdom well.
The virtuous king should practice priyavacana or kind speech, never using unkind words or harsh speech with anyone.
The virtuous king should cultivate artha cariya, which means acting in
the spirit of service as well as living a simple and frugal life.
The virtuous king should cultivate samanatmata, which means equality.
Despite being in an exalted position, the king must never feel himself
to be superior to the least of his subjects.
The virtuous king should learn to dispense justice to all his subjects without fear or favor.
The virtuous king should treat all of his subjects equally. (Vitanage 7–8, 2011)
Moreover, the 10 royal virtues of the Awakened One with Awareness Ideal
of Kingship (dasa raja dharma) may be explained as follows:
Dana . . . means giving alms to the needy. It is the duty of the king
to look after the welfare of his needy subjects, and to give them food,
clothing, and other wherewithalls.
Sila .
. . means morality. The monarch must so conduct himself in private and
in public life so as to be a shining example to his subjects.
Paraccaca means the grant of gifts to those who serve the monarch
loyally. By the grant of gifts, not only does the monarch acknowledge
their efficient and loyal service, but he also spurs them on to more
efficient and more loyal service.
Ajjivan means that the ruler must be absolutely straightforward. (Vitanage 7–8, 2011)
The
good king must never take recourse to any crooked or doubtful means to
achieve his ends. His yea must be yea, and his nay must be nay.
Majjavan means gentleness. The monarch’s straightforwardness and
rectitude, that will often require firmness, should be tempered with
gentleness. His gentleness will keep his firmness from being over harsh
or even cruel, while his firmness will keep gentleness from turning into
weakness. A harmonious balance of these two qualities is essential not
only for a ruler but for all leaders of men.
Tapan
means the restraint to the senses. The ideal monarch is the one who
keeps his five senses under strict control, shunning indulgence in
sensual pleasures.
Akkhodha means non-hatred. The monarch should not indulge in games
where killing is resorted to or cause injury to any being. He must
practice non-violence to the greatest possible extent that is
reconcilable with the duties of a ruler.
Avihimsa means non-violence. The monarch should not indulge in games
where killing is resorted to, or cause any injury to any being. He must
practice non-violence to the greatest extent that is reconcilable with
the duties of a ruler.
Khanti means patience, the king must conduct himself with patience,
courage and fortitude on all occasions. In joy and sorrow, in prosperity
and adversity, in victory and defeat. He must conduct himself with
calmness and dignity without giving in to emotions.
Avirodhata means non-enmity, friendship. The king must cultivate the
spirit of amity amongst his subjects, by himself always acting in a
spirit of amity and benevolence. It will be seen that avirodhata is in
this context opposed to bheda—the divide and rule policy in hindutva
statecraft.
The
Awakened One with Awareness also laid emphasis on the fact that the good
and evil of the people depend on the behavior of their leaders; and for
the god of the people he set out these ten royal virtues to be
practiced by the rulers of men. (Vitanage 8–10, 2011)
Such
a system may seem simple to us today, but in the Awakened One with
Awareness’s day, the chitpavan brahmin hierarchy divided society into a
system that was broken down into castes and levels and sanctioned by
religion, in which human equality was lacking. The Awakened One with
Awareness went against that trend, he swam against the stream and
welcomed all comers into the monastic order: Upali, who was a barber,
and Sunita, who was a former outcast, both found places of honor in the
sangha.
The Awakened One with Awareness said,
“Monks,
just as all the great rivers, that is to say the Ganges, the Jammu, the
Aciravati, the Sarabhu, the Mahi, on reaching the great ocean lose
their former names
and identities and are reckoned as the great ocean, similarly, the
Kshatriya, the Brahmana, the Vaisya and the Sudra after entering the
sangha, lose their former identities and become one with the members of
one order.” (Vitanage 11, 2011)
There is also a story in the Jataka tales that illustrates the virtue of
kingship. A ruler, called King Ummadayanti, once saw a beautiful woman
during his rounds of the
city and he fell in love with her at first sight, but when he learned
that she was married, he felt ashamed. As it happened, the woman’s
husband, who had guessed the secret, out of deference to the ruler,
offered his wife to the king as a concubine, but the ruler refused.
The monarch replied, “If I should lack the power of ruling my own self,
say, into what condition would I bring the people who long for
protection from my side? Thus considering and regarding the good of my
subjects, my own righteousness, and my spotless fame. I do not allow
myself to submit to my passion. I am the leader of my subjects, the
bullof my herd.” (Vitanage 15, 2011)
what is gained by practicing Meditation. Buddha’s reply is, “Nothing!”
“However , what I lost is Anger,Anxiety,Depression,Insecurity,Fear of Old Age and Death.
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Dear Friend,
I’m deeply honored that you’re considering joining me for The Practice of Direct Awakening.
Creating
this course has been a tremendous labor of love and I’m excited that
I’ll soon be sharing this life-changing process with committed spiritual
seekers all over the world.
When I first began my meditation
journey 35 years ago, I was just sixteen years old and never could have
imagined where the path would take me.
Since then, I’ve had the
extraordinary privilege to learn from many of the world’s greatest
living masters and have also had the good fortune to be part of a group
of pioneering consciousness researchers testing the limits of ancient
wisdom and breaking through onto new ground.
Since I began
sharing my discoveries with my fellow spiritual travelers over the past
decade, I have been continuously inspired and humbled to encounter so
many remarkable human beings so deeply dedicated to their own awakening.
There
is nothing that gives more meaning to my life than being able to share
this work with anyone who feels called to receive it.
If you
decide to join me on this adventure, I look forward to connecting with
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miraculous journey of awakening.
With Love,
Previous Course Participants Share Their Experiences . . .
“I find Craig’s skillful guidance a great doorway to accessing deeper states of being.”
“I’ve
studied Buddhism for ten years and probably have tried every form of
meditation under the sun—following my breath, staring at a candle flame,
chanting a mantra, etc., but I’ve found no more powerful meditation
than these practices that Craig offers. Craig’s approach is simple but
profound. His multiple-meditation approach means that you will
definitely find one that works for you. I find his skillful guidance a
great doorway to accessing deeper states of being. By practicing these
meditations daily, I am able to remain consistently more centered and
serene during the day, much more than I had with any of the meditations
I’d done prior.”
— Jeff Sullivan, New Hampshire
“Probably one of the best things I have ever done for myself and for the world.”
“These
meditations have opened up a whole new world for me. My mood is
typically elevated and bright (often causing others to joke about
wanting some of whatever I am “on”), and I continuously experience a
sense of ’roundedness’ which allows my responses to be more measured,
appropriate and clear. Probably one of the best things I have ever done
for myself and for the world.”
— Susan Friese, Virginia
“I have a command of my relationship to my thoughts/mind/feelings that I never imagined possible.”
“The
difference these meditations have made in my life is profound. I have a
command of my relationship to my thoughts/mind/feelings that I never
imagined possible. On the rare occasions that I begin to skip or get lax
with my meditation, I can now see the outcome in my life, in stark
contrast to the results of regular practice. I see meditation as
essential now, like good food, exercise, and sleep—and the best part is,
I love the practice.”
— Simone Thailer, New York
“No other approach has had such a powerful impact on my spiritual growth.”
“Without
any trace of hesitation I can tell you that in all of my years of
study, no other approach has had such a powerful impact on my spiritual
growth. I am actually developing. I am actually changing. And that’s the
whole point. Spirituality in action.”
— Dr. Marc W. Ross, Calgary, Canada
“Craig’s teachings are rich, practical, and very, very compassionate and loving.”
“What
a journey and experience–this course blew my mind. Craig is so poetic,
compassionate, connected, and on the ball all the time that I could not
wait to either dial in or listen to the audio recordings. His teachings
are rich, practical, and very, very compassionate and loving. He is a
true role model, living and teaching every moment from his authentic
self.”
— N. S., Boulder, CO
“I have noticed increasing calmness, less reactivity to others, and more focus.”
“As
a result of engaging these practices, I have noticed increasing
calmness, less reactivity to others, more focus, and an almost natural
desire to continue to deepen my connection with reality.”
— Judy Voruz, Oregon
“Craig is a gifted, trustworthy and loving guide.”
“Life-beyond-awakening
is challenging terrain, with many paths, obstacles, loose rocks,
quicksand, vertical climbs—and some great views. I’d still be at the
Information Booth perusing the tour bus schedule if it hadn’t been for
the course I took with Craig Hamilton. Craig is a gifted, trustworthy
and loving guide. He takes you by the hand and leads you gently along,
encouraging and sympathetic but also firm and uncompromising.”
— Jocelyn Stevenson, London, UK
Here’s What You’ll Learn
The Twelve Core Modules of The Practice of Direct Awakening
MODULE ONE
Opening to the Miracle of Awakened Consciousness module 1
In
order to practice direct awakening, a clear understanding and
experience of awakened consciousness is essential. In this opening
session, we will take an experiential journey into our own true nature,
noticing how this luminous consciousness differs from ordinary
consciousness and learning how we can allow this sacred dimension of
being to naturally begin to reveal itself as none other than our own
true self.
You’ll learn . . .
How to recognize your own
“true nature” or “awakened consciousness” and how to make room for this
essential mystery to begin to animate your being. What it means to “practice awakening” right now and how this differs from practicing in order to prepare for awakening. How
to discern the difference between “awakened consciousness” and other
altered states of consciousness that can often be distractions on the
spiritual path. Why the practice of direct awakening is the most
natural practice we can do, and how to allow that naturalness and
easefulness to begin to “meditate you.” MODULE TWO
An Unshakable Foundation for Awakening: Cultivating a Fertile Field in Which our Meditation Can Flourish module2-1
Like
any practice, Direct Awakening rests on a set of fundamentals that
together create a strong foundation for the deep transformative work
we’ll be doing. In this module, you’ll learn a clear and simple set of
steps to follow each time you practice that will enable you to establish
this unshakable foundation for the great work of awakening.
You’ll learn . . .
The
3 foundations of optimal meditation posture that will enable you to
practice without the distractions of unnecessary physical tension or
pain. (No, you don’t have to sit on the floor with your legs crossed,
but it does matter how you sit and these dos and don’ts can have a big
impact on the quality of your attention!). The 5 key environmental
factors that support a deep meditation practice, and how to create a
simple “virtual temple” wherever you are that will help you bring your
full presence and attention to the practice. How to generate a
powerful intention rooted in “enlightened motivation” prior to each
practice session (and why practicing without this awakened intention
often leads to dullness and distraction for even seasoned meditators). A
simple practice for boosting your concentration to help you reduce
inner distraction and enable you to bring an “easeful focused attention”
to your meditation. How to leave your “inner critic” on the temple
steps so that you can allow your meditation to unfold naturally without
the distraction of worrying whether you’re “doing it right.” MODULE THREE
A Peace Beyond Understanding: The Unfathomable Contentment of Being module3-1
From
dawn to dusk, we’re always doing something. We’re trying to achieve
something, accomplish something, change something, make something
happen. And while this engaged orientation to life is essential for
participating in and contributing to the world, it tends to obscure a
more fundamental reality: the inherent freedom and fullness of Being
itself. In this module, we’ll consciously undertake what may be the
ultimate challenge for any human being: allowing ourselves to rest in
the unimaginable contentment and freedom of simply being as we are.
You’ll learn . . .
How
to short-circuit the ego’s relentless insistence that there is
something missing from this moment and discover the profound depth and
fullness that is always already here. Why “doing nothing” changes everything, and how to avoid turning “not doing” into another, more subtle form of “doing.” How
to suspend the habitual presumption of lack and limitation long enough
to make room for the essential perfection of your “true nature” to
reveal itself. How to go beyond mere “self acceptance” and discover the deep peace and contentment of embracing all of reality as it is. Why taking time to “simply be” is paradoxically one of the most transformative things you can do. MODULE FOUR
Return to Innocence: Activating the Mystery of Not Knowing module4-1
Our
culture places a premium on knowledge. We are valued and rewarded for
what we know and often afraid to admit it when we don’t. Yet when it
comes to the mystery of spiritual awakening, our conceptual knowledge
can only take us so far. To truly enter into the vast, limitless
territory of awakened consciousness, we must be willing to step beyond
our certainties and enter into an awakened innocence. In this module,
you’ll learn how to “live in the unknown” so that a profound energy and
intelligence which lies forever beyond our comprehension can begin to
reveal itself in your experience.
You’ll learn . . .
How to open the door to profound intuitive wisdom and spontaneous creativity by letting go of “the need to know.”. Why
the discovery of our “true nature” does not depend on conceptual
knowledge and how to relinquish our attachment to certainty so that this
awakened essence can continuously reveal itself. How to meditate deeply even if you have an active mind by learning how to disembed your awareness from the stream of thought. Why innocence is more powerful than certainty and how to become comfortable living in “the unknown.” How to meet each moment of meditation–and life–with a “beginner’s mind” and discover the expansive freedom of not knowing. MODULE FIVE
Becoming Aware of Awareness: The Miracle of Self-Recognition module5-1
One
definition of awakened awareness is “awareness that is aware of
itself.” Although this might sound esoteric, learning how to be aware of
your own awareness is in fact one of the simplest and most accessible
practices of Direct Awakening we’ll explore. The discovery that this
awakened awareness is always present brings our search for freedom
outside ourself to an end, liberating us into a natural state of ever
present wakefulness. In this module, we’ll engage a series of exercises
to help you discover how to activate awakened consciousness by paying
attention to the movement of awareness itself in meditation and in daily
life.
You’ll learn . . .
Why our habitual identification
with thoughts and feelings blocks the recognition of awakened awareness,
and how to release this habit and penetrate directly into your awakened
nature right now. Why becoming aware of awareness itself is the easiest entry point into awakened consciousness. 3 accessible practices for awakening awareness to itself without needing to activate any special state of consciousness. How to recognize the essential qualities of awakened awareness and unleash their liberating power into your life. How to directly access the liberating spaciousness of awakened awareness even amidst challenging emotions and mental chatter. MODULE SIX
Embracing our True Nature: Awareness Beyond the False Self module6-1
We’ve
all heard that the “false self” or ego is the primary obstacle on the
spiritual path. But how do we move beyond this mind-constructed story of
self to unleash the extraordinary capacities of our true nature? In
this module, we’ll engage a series of powerful practices for dissolving
the limitations of our “false self” so that we can open to the infinite
power and depth of our authentic self.
You’ll learn . . .
How to systematically deconstruct the deeply held “false identity structure” that we all take for granted as who we are. Why letting go of yourself is the key to fully experiencing the beauty and fullness of Life. The
key to embracing the radical and liberating truth that “you are not
your ego” so that you can begin to accept the limitless reality of your
essential self. How to open to the freedom, joy and fullness of being
alive without needing to tie that experience back to a narrow, limiting
idea of self. A simple but effective practice that will enable you
to experience the boundless freedom of your true nature and unleash its
built in “supercapacities” into every area of your life. MODULE SEVEN
Shattering the Myth of Separation: The Emergence of Non-Dual Awareness module7
Most
of us are familiar with the idea of “oneness.” For many of us, the
belief in our essential unity has even become a new religion. But how
many of us can truly say we have transcended the illusion of duality? In
this module, we’ll dive deep into one of the most essential and
life-changing revelations of Enlightenment–the truth of non-duality, the
liberating reality of no separation.
You’ll learn . . .
How to cut through the most powerful illusion there is. A potent practice for stepping directly into the deepest part of who we are. How to experience the great liberation of embracing everyone and everything as an inseparable part of yourself. What
it means to go beyond subtle “spiritual dualism” by learning how to
directly perceive the “already enlightened nature” of all that arises. MODULE EIGHT
Surrendering the Illusion of Control: The Sacred Art of Letting Go module8
Most
of us have accomplished great things in life by trying to control and
drive events and circumstances to work in our favor. But spiritual
awakening is ultimately about getting out of the way so that a greater
wisdom and power can begin to guide and ultimately animate our life. To
allow the miraculous energy of awakening to begin to operate without
obstruction, we must each find a way to surrender ourselves to a mystery
beyond our mind’s comprehension. In other words, we have to let go of
control. In this module, we’ll learn the subtle art of letting go in
meditation so that we can begin to be carried by the current of
awakening.
You’ll learn . . .
How to give up control of your meditation so that awakened consciousness can begin to “meditate you.” What it really means to surrender to a deeper wisdom or higher power without giving up your sovereignty over your own life. How to navigate your way between the polarities of mindful effort and unconditional surrender. Why
letting go is the key to accessing a profound “inner GPS” to enable you
to navigate life with wisdom, clarity and unshakable confidence. How to let go so deeply that you’ll never want to hold on again. MODULE NINE
Nowhere Else To Go: Resting in the Explosive Recognition That “This Is It” module9
The
human condition is dominated by an underlying sense of lack. This
assumption of insufficiency keeps us in an endless cycle of always
looking elsewhere for happiness and fulfillment. In this module, we’ll
learn the life-altering meditative practice of seeing the inherent
perfection and wholeness of reality as it is right now. When we stop
insisting that there is something missing from this moment, we open the
door to the overwhelming revelation of fullness and unimaginable
contentment that is our natural state.
You’ll learn . . .
The
secret to moving beyond a paradigm of lack into the direct recognition
of unconditional Fullness and inherent Freedom here and now. Why it’s
necessary to abandon any investment in the future in order to allow the
extraordinary nature of the present to reveal itself. How to
cultivate the equanimity to stay steady as the uncontainable Truth of
wholeness begins to overwhelm your being with its immensity. Why finally accepting the moment as it is is the key to a life of unimaginable meaning, purpose and contribution. How to let go once and for all of the insistence that you aren’t enough. MODULE TEN
The Meditation is Already Occurring: Allowing Awakening to Happen by Itself module_10
As
we deepen in the Practice of Direct Awakening, we gradually discover
that the less effort we make, the more the process of awakening begins
to take on a life of its own. In the later stages of practice, we’re
learning how to navigate the subtleties involved in making room for a
mysterious energy and intelligence to open up within us, but without
making the mistake of becoming entirely passive in the process. In this
module, we’ll learn the delicate art of “getting out of our own way” so
that the miracle of awakening can begin to have its way with us,
ultimately allowing it to permeate every aspect of our life.
You’ll learn . . .
How to “get out of the way” in meditation so that the process of awakening can unfold naturally. What it means to stop making effort without sinking into unhealthy passivity or complacency. Three powerful but simple practices for experiencing “effortless meditation” and spontaneous awakening. How
to access the humility required to accept that the process of awakening
works better when you don’t try to steer or control it. What it really means to allow meditation to happen on its own. MODULE ELEVEN
Awakenment in Action: The Practice of Direct Awakening in Daily Life module11-1
Although
the precious time we spend in meditation establishes the foundation for
an extraordinary, awakened life, we all spend the majority of our time
outside of meditation, actively engaged with the world. What if it were
possible to turn our daily life into a profound spiritual practice, so
that every moment could become a moment of awakening? In this module,
we’ll take our contemplative practice out of our “virtual temple” and
into the marketplace, exploring how to practice Direct Awakening even as
we engage with the complexities and challenges of relationships, work,
play and creative pursuits.
You’ll learn . . .
Why trying
to hold on to meditative awareness in the midst of a busy life usually
doesn’t work and can actually be counterproductive–and the key shift
that will enable you to turn daily life into a profound field of
awakening. How to use “engaged inquiry practices” to continue to deepen your awakening as you move through your day. An
active approach to transformation that enables you to defuse, disarm,
and deconstruct the ego in the midst of engagement with everyday life. How
to transform your relationships into dynamic “evolutionary
partnerships” that both support and challenge you to fully live your
awakening. The 8 inner postures of enlightened action that enable awakened consciousness to freely express itself in everything you do. MODULE TWELVE
A Journey That Never Ends: Activating the Process of Perpetual Awakening module12-1
As
we become established in the natural practices of Direct Awakening, the
boundary between formal practice and the rest of life gradually
dissolves. This is when we fall in love with meditation. This is when we
come home to our True Nature. However, this can also be a delicate
transition, as our conditioned tendencies toward unawakened
consciousness likely still have momentum. It is therefore imperative
that, even as our awakening becomes more organic, easeful and natural,
we maintain our commitment to a practice routine that can last a
lifetime. In our final module, we’ll explore how to sustain our formal
practice, even as we make room for the natural process of awakening to
gradually overtake our being.
You’ll learn . . .
How to
avoid falling into a “practice rut” (even one that feels really good)
and what it means to approach each moment of practice as if you were
practicing for the first time. How to always remain open and innocent even as you gain access to profound wisdom and insight. What
it means to continually “take no position” and “hold on to nothing,” no
matter how Enlightened you become. (Yes, awakening itself should take
care of that, but it doesn’t always work that way, so best not to take
it for granted). How to avoid spiritual stagnation by living always
on the edge of the unknown, following a process of perpetual emergence
that has no end. The keys to staying grounded in a place of humility
as your spiritual presence and illumination deepens (especially as
others begin to notice and be impacted by the power of your Awakening).
AWAKENED ONE WITH AWARENESS’S BEST GOVERNANCE
The
truth lies in the fact that Ancient PRABUDDHA BHARATIAN society had
begun to change when Awakened One with Awareness attained Awakenment.
Awakened One with Awareness was both a ‘social reformer’ and political thinker.
The
truth lies in the fact that Ancient PRABUDDHA BHARATIAN society had
begun to change when Awakened One with Awareness attained Awakenment.
Historically, at
that time, commerce with other states had begun and there was a new
merchant class in the territory who had expressed interest in Awakened One with Awareness’s teachings.
Awakened One with Awareness challenged the divine origin concept from a very simple and acceptable viewpoint: i.e., that the chitpavan brahmins like the other varnas had a common human birth. This would make the chitpavan brahmins essentially equal to the others.
That the advent of political attitude was Emperor Asoka. Asoka’s predecessors maintained a treatment of political prisoners, which must have shocked Asoka. The Samyutta Nikaya described the physical condition of King P
asenadi’s prisoners. (Uma Cakravarti, 1996; p.161-62) The Stone Edicts were an obvious testament
against barbarity (cruelty) towards prisoners, among other things. They
displayed a socio-political attitude based on and advocating
non-violence
and compassion. In Chapter Two, we have mentioned some of Asokas’ accomplishments.
Evidence exists that Awakened One with Awareness emphasises the sangha or ‘tribal republic’ such as Vajja. In his fourth sermon to Ananda bhikku and Vasakara the Chaplain of King Ajatasatru, Awakened One with Awareness mentioned that tribal unity was a vital criterion for the survival of the state. Most scholars of Asoka’s dhamma accredit
it as an ethical code. Beside the foundation of hospitals, inns and
rest homes, arboretums [parks established for the planting and nurturing
of plants and trees] and so on, Asoka preached social equity and
sectarian equality. He declared that he was impartial to any sect of his
time but his edict warned his subjects against showing prejudice or
hatred towards other sects. At the core of his dhamma, like that of
Buddha, was sila or conduct. Even today, it is still easy “to fall into evil ways” and the highly-placed—i.e., public and private administrators, etc—especially cannot always behave properly.(Mahesh Tiwari, 1989; p.159)
Awakened One with Awareness concept of
governance as fixed at the time of the dhamma and awakenment with
awareness, which was certainly ahead of our time and modern principles. In so far as the sangha as a form of governance displayed “democratic principles” such as
freedom of speech, equal representation of the masses and the
solidarity and civility demanded by Awakened One with Awareness , it can
stand as a precursor of modern democracy and researcher shall emphasise
it in this light. On the opposite side of the spectrum is the
enlightened monarchy of Emperor Asoka.
Awakened One with Awareness concept of monarch—especially
those of Kosala and Magadha, being the principle and most important
historical monarchies of the time. From that, we shall endeavour to draw
the proper conclusion(s)
Awakened One with Awareness Concept of King
Awakened
One with Awareness had been an advocate of the or republican system, as
we mentioned earlier. However, among his many lay followers were kings,
especially of Magadha- e.g., Bimbisara and his heir Ajatasatru.
Monarchical states or kingdoms were conceivably numerous in Chumpudveepa
(Ancient India) and earned considerable reputations historically.
Awakened One with Awareness was frequently an honoured and invited guest
in their palaces.
Among Awakened One with Awareness’s ideals was that of the ‘ideal monarch’ or “dhammaraja” who reportedly ruled over his subjects justly and equitably. (S. Tachibana, 1975; p.264) Dhamma means
righteousness and includes such traits as equity and impartiality.
Awakened One with Awareness discredited the theory of divine origin and
knew the basic, common origin of all living beings barring plants.
Therefore, a true, righteous monarch should
understand the equality of his subjects. Seeing the equality of all of
his subjects, a true monarch would rule them impartially. This concept
shall be discussed in the next unit.
Dhammaraja could have been a reaction to the despots who exercised their control over people in Awakened One with Awareness’s time. Uma Cakravarti (1996; p.158) speaks of “absolute exercise of power unrestrained by any institutional controls.” However, the Pali literature of the period acknowledged the social need for authority to maintain law and order, referred to as “legitimate basis of kingship.” It has been expounded in the Agganna Sutta. As with power generally, use of it for legitimate or arbitrary purposes largely depended on the king—i.e., as he saw fit to exercise it.
Chakravarti
mentions two principle threats to the social order, which may be still
evident today: One is offences against the property and the other is
offences against the family. The subjects expected their monarch to act
effectively against these offences. Evidence of public demonstration
(protest) in Kosala, the domain of King Pasenadi, mentioned a protest
against the ravages of the famed robber Angulimala (who later met the
Buddha and became a bhikku). (Majjima Nikaya 11;p.346 quoted in Uma Chakravarti, 1996; p.159)
Furthermore, Awakened One with Awarenessholds no concept of aristocracy except in terms of intellect and morality. (S. Tachibana, 1975; p.264). The Buddhist “aristocrat” was called“arya” or “ariya.”
On the Awakened One with Awarenessconcept of kingship, there exists muc
information. Besides describing the king as a public refuge (patisaranam), Sidhi Budh-Indr reports that the king should possess both virtue (sila) and wisdom, or intellect (pañña) to understand and discrtiminate between good and evil statements (Siddhi Butr-Indr, 1995; p.147) . Whereas many actual monarchs can be compared with thieves, the ideal monarch is a “lord of men” (manussindo) and can neither equal nor count as a commoner. His subjects deem him the “god of publc
domain”(sammutideva). This is not a real god, as that would demand that
the king should die and ascend to paradise, but rather it is a term of
respect among his subjects. Furthermore, the king is empowered by
fivestrengths, as follows:
1.Physical strength, or power-agility and muscular strength, as applied in governance and warfare.
2.Material strength-wealth and material resources.
3.Strength of court officials, providing they are united behind him and know and perform their respective duties.
4.strength of nobility
5.wisdom or intellect
Ten Royal Virtues (rajadhamman),
which we shall explain in detail in a later unit of this chapter. He
agrees in principle with the social contract theory, as far as he
reports “Kingship is, in a sense, founded upon and determined by public opinion.” (Ibid. p.153), which, in its turn, depends upon righteousness. To this point, he adds “the nature of kingship is essentially based on the concept of righteousness (dhamma). The king is supposed to be the agent who maintains the principle of righteousness in the worldly spheres.” (Ibid.
The Digha Nikaya quotes Awakened One with Awareness himself as explaining that a king (raja) ‘charms others by Dhamma or righteousness.’ (S.
Tachibana, 1975;p. 264) Oliver Abeynayake claims that Awakened One with
Awareness prefers monarchy to republicanism, but the fact simply is
that the monarchies, despite possible despotism and abuses, were
stronger than the ganas. He continues to infer that “Awakened One with Awareness prescribes a centralized
administration. Awakened One with Awarenessintroduced the system of governance under the Cakravarti king to centralise North India, which was divided into various small kingdoms.”(Oliver Abeynayake, p.2) He continues to list the characteristics of an effective ruler, as follow:
1. Reputation.
2. Economic prosperity.
3. Military strength.
4. Competent advisors.
5. Diplomatic acclaim.
6. Personality. 7. Parents’ affection. 8. Patriotism and popularity.
9. Competency and discipline.
10. Education, intelligence and intuition. (Ibid.)
Reputation usually
precedes the person and acts as a tool in attracting others towards
him/her; so, we may conceive that a good reputation, usually created
through good actions towards the subjects of the state, will enable the
leader of that state to maintain his rapport with the subjects. Economic prosperity is
the result of sustaining a prosperous state, since the king receives
payment in various forms from his subjects, such as foodstuff, gold,
etc. As we have indicated in the unit on ten
virtues, a good ruler deems the prosperity of his subjects to be his
own. Military strength is the requisite for protecting the country from
invasion.
A good king will need a strong and extensive army (sena) to
defend his territory. Competent advisors and diplomatic acclaim is
needed in peaceful and cooperative measures between states. In fact,
Abeynayake has reiterated and emphasized the qualities we have mentioned
in earlier chapters of our thesis.
3.3 The Normative King (cakkavati dhammiko dhammaraja) and Ideal Administrative Office
To begin, the Pali concept of normative
kingship, which we shall explain in this unit, consists of two distinct
but not separate ideals. Both are ideals of Awakened One with Awareness
and the objectives of a true monarch in the Awakened One with Awareness consciousness. The first ideal is cakkavati. Cakkavati is derived from the Sanksrit word cakra,
which means several things: 1) a circle, 2) a wheel or disk, 3) a
centre of energy or power (ayurvedic, tantric and yogic) and 4) world. “Cakkavati” or cakravartin is a universal monarch, a world ruler who “would put an end to the petty tyranny of the many and establish instead a universe where not only a social order but also a moral order would prevail.” (Uma Cakravarti, 1996; p.164)
Since tyranny would be abolished, the new
social order would likely to be either spontaneous or promoted by
righteous leadership, or both. Petty tyranny mentioned above referred
mostly to the historical monarchs of Awakened One with Awareness’s lifetime.
The second ideal is dhammiko dhammaraja. The dhammaraja is firstly a protector of his subjects (janapadatthaviriya patto: jana, people; padattha, protection; viriya,
effort) via righteousness and equity, rather than by force, including
military campaign. The dhammaraja or righteous king is always expected
to be just and impartial in the governance of his people. The Cakavatti
or universal monarch will rule his country justly and impartially (dhammena samena). (S. Tachibana,1975; p.264). Sama and dhamma are
deemed to be synonyms as far as the description of the ideal monarch is
concerned. The subjects of the dhammaraja (will) live in
comparative comfort. Researcher takes exception to the term comparative comfort because, whereas poverty should be eradicated, excess and luxury should also be avoided. Comparative comfort is
a relative term, referring to the degree of comfort compared with
previous living. E.g., when someone has lived in abject poverty
throughout his childhood, comparably, when he has the means to uplift
his standards of material existence, it can be deemed comparative
comfort. However, the fact is that we compare our living with those
around us.
Under the rule of the dhammaraja, the subjects should expect to live comfortably within existing means and limits. Cakravarti supports this hypothesis by adding “dhammiko dhammaraja thus provides for the basic needs of the people.” (Ibid, p. 165) Thus,
in a general outlook, the dhammaraja does not only protect the family
and property of his subjects. A fine example of such a king was Maha
Sudassana. Maha Sudassana gave to the needy whatever was truly needed:
food to the starved, water to the thirsty and even a wife to the man
who wished to wed. Grants of money were not the only necessities.
The dhammarājā had the high duty of eradicating poverty.
He also taxes his subjects fairly, whereas his historical counterparts
taxed their subjects unfairly and acted like thieves. This appears to be
a subject of both literature and history. From the Pali canon of
Awakened One with Awareness to the legend of Robin Hood in Britain,
kings were lumped together with the thieves in their kingdoms.
Another vital characteristic of the dhammaraja was charisma.
His relationship to the subjects was like that to his family: father to
sons and daughters. His charisma compels him to be popular and he is
obeyed without coercion. Since all his subjects like him, no one would
overthrow him. Finally, the dhammaraja supports only the worthy samanas
and chitpavan brahmanas, and aids them in achieving their goals.
Awakened One with Awareness
tradition placed the Dvaravati kings as cakravartins, (Rhys Davids,
1899). Rhys Davids quotes that the Universal Emperor appeared and ruled
righteously in the manner of the Buddha. Buddha was perceived as the
foremost Cakkavatti in his style of leadership and others attempted to
follow him. The Awakened One with Awareness kings were also described as
embarking upon the path of bodhisattva and both saving themselves and
their subjects, which is the action of a bodhisattva, according to
Mahayana Awakened One with Awareness. Ernst Benz describes it as
follows:
‘The Awakened One with Awareness kings were regarded as the central personages on thestage, themselves striving to be Bodhisattvas and expected to lead their
subjects on the way to salvation. As Bodhisattvas, they were not only
examples to their subjects, but actually helpful to them. The salvation
chrism of the Bodhisattva consists in using his own salvation to further
the efforts of others to achieve salvation.’ (Ernst Benz, Awakened One with Awareness or Communism: Which Holds the Future of Asia?, trans; Richard and Clara Winston, Great Britain, 1966; p.97)
3.4 Awakened One with Awareness and Communism
3.4.1 The approach of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar
The Awakened One with Awareness
is generally associated with the doctrine of Ahimsa. That is taken to
be the be-all and end-all of his teachings. Hardly any one
knows that what the Awakened One with Awareness taught is something very vast: far beyond Ahimsa. Dr. B.R. Ambedkar in his The Awakened One with Awareness and His Dhamma has analyzed Awakened One with Awareness’s approach to Ahimsa. Here he makes a distinction between principle and rule. According to him ahimsa in Awakened One with Awareness
is accepted not as a rule, but as a principle. Rule binds you and takes
away your freedom. Principle does not take away your freedom; you can
choose your course of action in the light of the principle. Secondly the Awakened One with Awareness did not emphasise just the negative aspect of ahimsa (viz. ‘Don’t kill’) but he also emphasised the positive aspect in the form of love and compassion ( Metta and Karuna). But more importantly Awakened One with Awareness’s
primary concern was not himsa or ahimsa, but the problem of human
suffering, suffering which is natural and also the suffering which is
caused by human being. He tried to go the root cause of all sufferings
and find a solution to the problem of suffering. In the last two
centuries social
philosopher who has been influential was Karl Marx, who was also deeply
concerned with the problem of suffering, mainly the problem of poverty,
exploitation and alienation.
The Awakened One with Awareness
as a social thinker can be regarded as a scientific thinker rather than
utopian thinker. He developed the causal model of dependent origination
(Paticca-samuppada) and applied it to the problem of suffering.
Hence both Awakened One with Awareness and Mark were concerned with the problem of suffering; they accepted the ultimate social goal as the society without
suffering and exploitation, where human beings live as equal members of
the society and as free beings. Both of them approached the problem by
applying scientific method rather than following any religious dogma or
utopian ideal. But the conclusions they arrived at were different. This
is because the ways they approached the problem were different. Marx did
not consider the inner roots of the problem of suffering, but only the
external roots. Hence according to him human beings suffer, they are
exploited, they enter into conflicts, because of the contradictions in
the socio-economic structure, that is, the capitalist structure. Hence
changing socio-economic structure through revolution, though it could be
a blooly revolution is the solution of the problem of suffering.
Though the Awakened One with Awareness dealt
with the problem of unjust social structure and establishment of an
alternative social structure, when he thought about the root cause of
suffering, he emphasised the inner root of suffering rather than the
external causes or occasioning factors. He spelt out the internal cause
of suffering in two ways. Sometimes he emphased tanha- craving as the
root cause. Because of craving people suffer, they exploit others and
are exploited by others; they enter into conflicts and wars with others.
People can get rid of suffering and experience peace only by getting
rid of craving. He further went into the root of craving and found that
Avijja, ignorance / misconception is the root cause of craving. We are
ignorant about the impermanent, soul-less and unsatisfactory nature of
all phenomena and misconceive them as permanent, soul-possessing and
satisfactory. Because of these misconceptions we develop attachment and
craving about those phenomena. Hence the path towards cessation of
suffering necessarily involved threefold training (Trisika) viz.(sila),
meditation (samadhi) and wisdom (panna) through which one gets rid of
craving and ignorance and is finally liberated. The Buddha conceived of
and executed an alternative form of social structure – the
order of bhikkus which gives institutional support for developing the
threefold training. The order of Bhikkhus had no place for the
caste-system, or exploitation, but followed egalitarian democratic
pattern. On the contrary, Karl Marx maintained that the way to ideal
social system went through revolution (which could be violent
revolution) and what he called dictatorship of proletariat. Sangha order
on the other hand was not imposed on the members but was willingly
accepted by them. Marx maintained that in ideal social structure the
private property will have been abolished. This idea of the absence of
private property was already practiced long back in the Awakened One
with Awareness order of Bhikkhus.
Dr. B.R. Ambedkar in his article “Awakened One with Awareness or Karlmark” has brought out clearly the contrast between the Marxian approach and the Awakened One with Awareness’s approach as follows:
Karl
Marx is no doubt the father of modern socialism or Communism but he was
not interested merely in propounding the theory of Socialism. That had
been done long before him by others. Marx was more interested in proving
that his Socialism was scientific. His crusade was as much against the
capitalists as it was against those whom he called the Utopian
Socialists. He disliked them both. It is necessary to note this point
because Marx attached the greatest importance to the scientific
character of his Socialism. All the doctrines which Marx propounded had
no other purpose than to establish his contention that his brand of
Socialism was scientific and not Utopian.
The
means of bringing about Communism, which the Awakened One with Awareness
propounded, were quite definite. It can be devided into three parts.
Part I
consisted in observing the Pancha Silas. The Enlightenment gave birth to
a new gospel, which contains the key to the solution of the problem,
which was haunting him.
The
foundation of the New Gospel is the fact that the world was full of
misery and unhappiness. This was the fact that was not merely to be
noted but to be regarded as being the first and foremost in any scheme
of salvation. The recognition of this fact was made by the Buddha, the
starting point of his gospel. To remove this misery and unhappiness was
to him the aim and object of the gospel if it was to serve any useful
purpose. Asking what could be the causes of this misery the Awakened One
with Awareness found that there could be only two.
A part
of the misery and unhappiness of man was the result of his own
misconduct. To remove this cause of misery he preached the practice of
Panch Sila.
The Panch Sila comprised the following observations:
(1) To abstain from destroying or causing destruction of any living things
(2) To abstain from stealing i.e. acquiring or keeping by fraud or violence, the property of another:
(3) To Abstain from telling untruth:
(4) To abstain from lust: (5) To abstain from intoxicating drinks.
A part
of the misery and unhappiness in the world was according to the Awakened
One with Awareness the result of man’s inequity towards man. How was
this
inequity to be removed? For the removal of man’s inequity towards man the Awakened One with Awareness prescribed the Noble Eight-Fold Path. The elements of the Noble Fight-Fold Path are:
(1) Right views i.e. freedom from superstition:
(2) Right aims, high
and worthy of the intelligent and earnest men;
(3) Right speech i.e.kindly, open, truthful:
(4) Right Conduct i.e. peaceful, honest and pure;
(5) Right livelihood i.e. causing hurt or injury to no living being;
(6) Right perseverance in all the other seven;
(7) Right mindfulness i.e. with a watchful and active mind; and
(8) Right contemplation i.e. earnest thought on the deep mysteries of life.
The aim
of the Noble Eight-Fold Path is to establish on earth the kingdom of
righteousness, and thereby to banish sorrow and unhappiness
from the face of the world.
The
third part of the Gospel is the doctrine of Nibbana. The doctrine of
Nibbana is an integral part of the doctrine of the Noble Eight- Fold
Path. Without Nibbana the realisation of the Eight-Fold Path cannot be
accomplished.
The doctrine of Nibbana tells what are the difficulties in the way of the realisation of the Eight-Fold Path.
The chiefs of these difficulties are ten in number. The Buddha called them the Ten Asavas, Fetters or Hindrances.
The
first hindrance is the delusion of self. So long as a man is wholly
occupied with himself, chasing after every bauble that he vainly thinks
will satisfy the cravings of his heart, there is no noble path for him.
Only when his eyes have been opened to the fact that he is but a tiny
part of a measureless, whole, only when he begins to realise how
impermanent a thing is his temporary individuality can he even enter
upon this narrow path.
The
second is Doubt and Indecision. When a man’s eyes are opened to the
great mystery of existence, the impermanence of every individuality, he
is likely to be assailed by doubt and indecision as to his action. To do
or not to do, after all my individuality is impermanent, why do
anything are questions, which make him indecisive or inactive. But that
will not do in life. He must make up his mind to follow the teacher, to
accept the truth and to enter on the struggle or he will get no
further.
The
third is dependence on the efficacy of Rites and Ceremonies. No good
resolutions, however firm will lead to anything unless a man gets rid of
ritualism: of the belief that any outward acts. any priestly powers,
and holy ceremonies, can afford him an assistance of any kind. It is
only when he has overcome this hindrance, that men can be said to have
fairly entered upon the stream and has a chance sooner or later to win a
victory.
‘’ The
fourth consists of the bodily passions… The fifth is ill will towards
other individuals. The sixth is the suppression of the desire for a
future life with a material body and the seventh is the desire for a
future life in an immaterial world.
The
eighth hindrance is Pride and ninth is self-righteousness. These are
failings which it is most difficult for men to overcome, and to which
superior minds are peculiarly liable contempt for those who are less
able and less holy than themselves.
The
tenth hindrance is ignorance. When all other difficulties are conquered
this will even remain, the thorn in the flesh of the wise and good, the
last enemy and the bitterest foe of man.
Nibbana consists in overcoming these hindrances to the pursuit of the Noble Eight-Fold Path.
The
doctrine of the Noble Eight-Fold Path tells what disposition of the mind
which a person should sedulously cultivate. The doctrine of Nibbana
tells of the temptation or hindrance which a person should earnestly
overcome if he wishes to trade along with the Noble Eight-Fold Path
The
Fourth Part of the new Gospel is the doctrine of Paramitas. The doctrine
of Paraimitas inculcates the practice of ten virtues in one’s daily
life.
These are those ten virtues—
1) Panna
(2) Sila
(3) Nekkhama
(4) Dana
(5) Virya
(6) Khanti
(7) Succa
(8) Aditthana
(9) Mettaa-nd
(10) Upekkha.
Panna
or wisdom is the light that removes the darkenss of Avijja, Moha or
Nescience. The Panna requires that one must get all his doubts removed
by questioning those wiser than him self, associate with the wise and
cultivate the different arts and sciences which help to develop the
mind.
Sila is
moral temperament, the disposition not to do evil and the disposition
to do good; to be ashamed of doing wrong. To avoid doing evil for fear
of punishment is Sila. Sila means fear of doing wrong. Nekkhama is
renunciation of the pleasures of the world. Dana means the giving of
one’s possessions, blood and limbs and even one’s life for the good of
the others without expecting anything in return.
Virya is right endeavour. It is doing with all your might with thought never turning back, whatever you have undertaken to do.
Khanti
is forbearance. Not to meet hatred by harted is the essence of it. For
hatred is not appeased by hatred. It is appeased only by forbearance.
Succa is truth. An aspirant for Buddha never speaks a lie. His speech is truth and nothing but truth.
Aditthana
is resolute determination to reach the goal. Metta is fellow feeling
extending to all beings, foe and friend, beast and man.
Upekka
is detachment as distinguished from indifference. It is a state of mind
where there is neither like nor dislike. Remaining unmoved by the
result and yet engaged in the pursuit of it.
These virtues one must practice to his utmost capacity. That is why they are called Paramitas (States of Perfection).
Such is the gospel the Buddha enunciated as a result of his awakenment to end the sorrow and misery in the world.
It is clear from Dr. Ambedkar’s article “Awakened One with Awareness or Karl Marx” (W&S, vol.3) how, the means adopted by the Buddha were to convert a
man by changing his moral disposition to follow the path voluntarily.
The means adopted by the Communists are equally clear, short and swift.
They are
(1) Violence and
(2) Dictatorship of the Proletariat.
The Communists say that there are the only
two means of establishing communism. The first is violence. Nothing
short of it will suffice to break up the existing system. The other is
dictatorship of the proletariat. Nothing short of it will suffice to
continue the new system.
It is now clear what are the similarities and
differences between Awakened One with Awareness and Karl Marx. The
differences are about the means. The end is
common to both. (Awakened One with Awareness or Karl Marx”, (W&S vol. 3 p. 450)
3.4.2 Bhikku Buddhadasa’s approach
Another Awakened One with Awareness response to Marxism can be seem in Bhikkhu Buddhadasa, a contemporary Thai Awakened One with Awareness thinker,
who proposed his social theory of dhammic socialism out of an Asian way
of thinking, within an Asian context. Since Thailand has never been
colonized by a
Western power, Awakened One with Awareness socialism can be interpreted as a struggle for economic and cultural independence. Bhikkhu Buddhadasa, a contemporary Thai Awakened One with Awareness thinker, has interpreted Awakened One with Awareness not only from a religious point of view of his unique theory of Awakened One with Awareness socialism or “dhammic socialism” but also from a sociopolitical perspective. After
devoting most of his life to reforming Buddhism in Thailand, Buddhadasa
found it necessary to address sociopolitical issues from a Awakened One with Awarenessperspective. In the 1960’s, he articulated his sociopolitical position in terms of “dhammocracy” (dhammathipatai): the social and political order should follow the law of Dhamma the teachings of the Awakened One with Awareness. Later on, in the atmosphere of the student led Revolution in Thailand from 1973 to 1976, Buddhadasa presented (dhammika sangkhomniyom).
Buddhadasa bases his theory of dhammic socialism on nature. To him,
nature represents the state of balance for the survival and wellbeing of
human beings, animals, plants, and the ecology of the world. In the
state of nature, every being produces according to its capacity and
consumes according to its needs; no being, whatever form, hoards “surplus” for its own sake. Buddhadasa calls this balanced state of nature socialistic.
Problems arise, however, when human beings begin to hoard a “surplus”
for the sake of their own profit; this leaves others facing scarcity
and poverty. According to Buddhadasa, human beings can and should produce a “surplus,” but the “surplus” should be distributed for the
wellbeing of everyone, and Buddhism provides the ethical tools for this
fair distribution. Philosophically, dhammic socialism is based on this
principle: none of us should take more than we really need. We should
share whatever extra we have with those who have less. Social problems
are fundamentally a result of greed. In other words, greed is at the
heart
of scarcity and poverty (Buddhadasa, Dhammic Socialism, 107). Buddhadasa’s individualistic approach to social and economic problems is implemented via the personal practices of generosity (dana) and self-restraint, which consists of keeping precepts (sila) and being self disciplined the global market economy.
In a later unit in this chapter, we shall explain more on that concept. According to Awakened One with Awareness tradition, a good ruler has ten virtues, enumerated in the next unit.
3.5 Dasa Rajadhamman or Ten Royal Virtues
Awakened One with Awarenessis
more than a religion or a life philosophy; it is a way of life. It is
broad in scope and perceptive of the lives of others. Henceforth, Awakened One with Awareness
taught the eradication of poverty and internal security of a kingdom as
well as other social virtues. Towards the eradication of
crime in a country, a leader should eliminate poverty. Although there
were perhaps not the same strata of employment then that we have today, Awakened One with Awareness
urged employers and national leaders to improve relations with
employees through the means of wage and incentives, and occasional
gifts. Furthermore, kings and governments should consider the happiness
of their people seriously. In respect of good monarchy, there is the
dasa
raja dhamma, which follow:
According to Awakened One with Awareness Dhamma, or Buddhasatsana, a true, good monarch is or should be endowed with the following ten virtues.
1. As
it is incumbent of the monarch to ensure the welfare and prosperity of
his people, the first of these virtues is dana or charity. Dana comes
from the Sanskrit root dan, to give, which also founded the Latin word
don- as in donor (giver) and donation. In Buddhism, dana includes
generosity and reward. It is incumbent for a good leader to give freely
from his resources to anyone who needs anything. Maha Sudassana gave
whatever the needy person demanded at the time. This entails an accurate
assessment of the person’s condiition: ‘This man is hungry’ etc. and the suitable response.
2. The second virtue, very typically, was sila or
morality. The raja is himself a lay follower and lay followers were
expected to follow only five principles of moral conduct, whereas the
bhikkus had many more. The five principles, unlike their counterparts in
other world religions, were not rigidly enforced. This may have been due to Awakened One with Awareness’s
understanding of human weakness. These principles included the aversion
to kill meaninglessly, barring a war in the cause of national defence. (Awakened One with Awareness taught ahimsa,
or non-violence, but understood that war in self-defense was hard to
avoid for any nation.) The other precepts included aversion to adultery
(as it provokes rage and jealousy, and disharmony among subjects),
aversion to the use of harmful and improper speech such as lies,
slander, rumours and gossiping and aversion to intoxicating things etc.
Awakened One with Awarenesscontinued to advise the following eight virtues:
3. pariccaga (self-sacrifice
for common good): Sidhhi Butr-Indr (1995; p.150) claims that this
included the sacrifice of life and limbs on behalf of the people, which
is a very grand and noble gesture for anyone and therefore very scarce.
It arises from the belief that the happiness of others causes oneself to
feel happy, which is true.
4. ajjava (honesty):
this virtue encompasses sincerity and freedom from fear (bhayamokka)
while discharging royal duties. It is very conceivable that any honest
man or woman, regardless of birthright, should have no cause to fear so
long as his/her activity is honest and sincere. Thus, a king who lives
honestly and sincerely need not fear any loss to himself; or his family.
Additionally, a king is recommended to be straightforward and avoid
deceptive or ‘crooked’ recourse towards his
ends. To highlight this, the Sigalovada Sutta, Digha Nikaya, adds: “Canda dosa bhaya moha—yo dhammam nativattati. Apurati tassa yaso—Sukkha pakheva candima”. (If
a person maintains justice without being subjected to favouritism,
hatred, fear or ignorance, his popularity grows like the waxing moon.)
5. maddava (gentleness) includes politeness and friendliness. Awakened One with Awareness apparently intended this as a tool in addressing the subjects. As
he must have known well that common men prefer to listen to kind, sincere speeches.
6. tapa (austerity)
is generally a quality of ascetics and therefore uncommon in men of
high birth and status in society. It requires the monarch to simplify
his ways of life, which seemed rare in those days as well as in the
present. The scriptures had mentioned reports of kings who abused wealth and power and were ‘lumped together’ with the thieves from whom they were expected to protect their subjects.
7. akkodha is good will. It is also translated as ‘non-hatred.’ Thus, a ruler should not bear any grudge against anyone. Furthermore, he should act with love and forbearance.
8. ahimsa (non-violence):
Buddha taught non-violence even in the case of war, although he was
well aware that war was difficult to avoid. As we have mentioned, he
sanctioned war only when it was fought for the preservation of the state
and could avoid killing. He included the promotion of peace through
non-violent action, which is truly the only way to peace. This virtue
was best epitomised in Emperor Asoka.
9. khanti,
or patience. The ruler is herein urged to bear all hardships without
losing his temper and should avoid yielding to his emotions. In fact, Awakened One with Awareness are generally advised to be thoughtful rather than giving way to emotions, but a king or ruler should avoid this as well.
10. avirodha (non-opposition
to the public demand) This includes a commitment to public welfare and
is a good twin to pariccaga. As a good monarch will first deem the
welfare and happiness of the people as his own and then undertake to
promote it. (Rahula, What the Awakened One with Awareness Taught 84-85)
Butr-Intr (Ibid. p.151) discusses the nature of a good king along these lines, and historically there were god examples such as Maha Sudassana and Asoka. Maha Sudassana practiced dana in the manner described; Asoka practiced dana, sila and ahimsa and
originated many institutions in his kingdom to promote the public
welfare. He stands as one of the best examples of a monarch in early
history. However, while the leader who possesses all of thee virtues is
loved well, he is very rare. Some kings or leaders have possessed only a
few virtues and others have abused wealth and power for self-interest.
In modern day, with many countries assuming a
democratic stance, a few of them maintain monarchical influences. In
Asia, these are principally Nepal, Bhutan and Thailand. Nepal has
deposed its monarchs for criminal offences concerning ascension. Bhutan
has remained a model monarchical state, as Robert Thurman averred
recently.
Thurman refers to the interesting paradox that Nagarjuna points out, that it’s very likely that a good and strong executive is an essential
thing to maintain the interest of individuals in a society. So there is
an interesting paradox that you need a strong central leader to
guarantee the rights of the people and therefore the idea of a
constitutional monarchy is pretty close to a Buddhist ideal. (Retrieved
from http://www.kuensel online.com/ on 22 March 2009. Date of Citation:
27 November 2007)
Speaking more precisely on the duty and
nature of the dhammaraja, Thurman pointed that a true Awakened One with
Awarenessking should attain to the state of bodhisattva and serve his
people. Asoka tried in his lifetime to attain thatend and we shall discuss him in the next unit. Below are Thurman’s words on the king:
Awakened One with Awarenesshas
a very interesting paradox and that is, yes, it’s very important to be a
bodhisattva and serve the people, but you can’t really serve people well until you have wisdom, compassion and certain qualities of an enlightened person. That’s the first thing of a Awakened One with Awareness King, the first duty is to himself, to develop full potential as a human being. That’s the first principle.
The second principle is Non-Violence. This
is very difficult for a ruler or a King, because there are some
criminals and they have to be
punished or there are some threats to the nation and it has to be taken care of, so it may seem a little tough.
But
Nagarjuna ruled out capital punishment. Even criminals should not be
killed, but you might kill someone if they try to harm your family, but
generally you try to correct criminals and educate them. The analysis of
self-defense is kind of tricky in Buddhism, you can’t necessarily be perfect but you tend towards the principle of non-violence.
The
third principle is difficult to explain in English because there is no
real word for it but I call it Educationalism. What this means is that
the primary industry of a Awakened One with Awareness society is
education of its citizens because, for any human being, the most
important thing they can do is to learn. Awakened One with Awareness is
very different from any other religions because Awakened One with
Awareness does not teach that you can achieve nirvana just by faith,
faith
is not sufficient to be free from suffering. (Ibid.)
3.6 Awakened One with Awareness and the Social Life
Awakened One with Awareness
has been an integral part of the life of Buddhists for it is the root
of culture and way of life of the people. In order to appreciate the
importance, role and influence of Awakened One with Awareness on the way of life of the Awakened One with Awareness
populace, it is necessary to understand other structures orfabrics,
which are integral parts of Buddhism. Important components are the Awakened One with Awareness
(Somdej Phra Nyanasamvara 2000, pp.6-7), the Dhamma, the Sangha and the
Wat (monastery) and lay disciples. The Dhamma or the teachings of the Awakened One with Awareness has been most influential on the way of life of Awakened One with Awareness. The teachings are found not only in the Pali Canon and Suttapitaka but also in such religious literatures as the Jataka, Awakened One with Awareness chronicles and myths. The Dhamma component is an abstract aspect and serves as the heart of Awakened One with Awareness.
The Sangha or the community of monks and the Wat are in close relation
and proximity with the laymen and interact with society in its daily
life.
The close association and continuous relationship between Awakened One with Awareness
and society is based on the concept that a society is a conglomeration
of tangible compositions and such abstract elements as virtue, value,
goodness, morality and ethics. There are continuous interactions between
the tangible and intangible components. In order to maintain the
society functionally and structurally, there must be an interdependent
and supportive relationship of different compositions of Awakened One with Awareness.
Lacking any of them would cause imbalance in society. In a village
community, for example, not having a monastery and monks to edify and
guide the people would result in the low morality and spirit of the
inhabitants. Similarly, if the monks in the community do not strictly
adhere to the Dhamma and keep to their duties according to the code of discipline (Vinaya), the people’s morality and spirit would become lax, the community’s social relationships would also be weakened, unstable
and not in peace. Social relationships are not always in harmony.
Conflicts may arise from time to time. Resolution to such conflicts may
be achieved by means of adjustment and adaptation of the existing social
structure and function in order to maintain the society. Alternatively,
there might be a replacement of the structure and function of the old
society by a new one.
Interaction
and the independent relationship of the Sangha and lay society is
another aspect of the relationship between society and religion.
The Sangha is the most important and traditional Awakened One with Awareness institution, which is in close association with the people. It plays an essential role,
both
religious and secular, in the life of the people. It provides spiritual
sanctuary and serves as a field of merit for the people when they need
spiritual comfort. In the secular sphere, the monks render services to
rural and remote communities. The monks help in teaching the children,
healing the sick by traditional methods, and leading the villagers in
various development efforts. Reciprocally, the lay community provides
the monks with necessities for their living so that they need not worry
about earning their living. Such an interdependent and reciprocal
relationship contributes to a situation in which each party has to be
flexible and adaptable to changes. An accommodating and adaptive ability
is an indispensable quality of the structure within a society, which
make possible the maintenance of the society. The maintenance of the
structure and the regulation of social order are structurally and
functionally defined. It is a situation in which every component of the society
is interdependent, interacting and contributing to the system
maintenance. Generally speaking, there are a variety of components in a society. The important ones are an economic structure, a political structure and a belief system meaningful to people’s lives and thoughts.The major element in this belief system is a religious structure.
3.7 Awakened One with Awarenessdhamma and Society
The teachings of the Awakened One with Awareness are voluminous and classified into groups. Each group serves a specific purpose. It explains an existing
phenomenon, its cause of arising and the effects thereof. There are also prescriptions to overcome individual problems. The level of depth and sophistication of the teachings are also purposely prescribed to suit individual needs. Due to the differences in context and level of sophistication of the teachings, there arise differences in interpretation of the teachings. This concerns one’s perception and experiences, occupation and education. Some political scientists may understand the Awakened One with Awareness concept Santosa (satisfaction with whatever is one’s own) as not conducive to development. In contrast, conservationalists and
environmentalists would see the meaning of Santosa as contentment with the maintenance of the existing status and conditions, which is supportive to environmental conservation. Students of Awakened One with Awareness Studies would view such interpretations as not comprehensive. This signifies different levels of understanding of the teachings of the Awakened One with Awareness by the Awakened One with Awareness . According to Robert Redfield’s concept of ‘Great and Little Tradition’,people’s appreciation of Buddhism can be divided into two broad categories, doctrinal and popular Buddhism. (Robert Redfield 1965,
pp.41-43)
Firstly, doctrinal Awakened One with Awareness refers to the teachings of the Awakened One with Awareness and practices contained in the Canon Sutta and related literatures. Doctrinal Awakened One with Awareness is thus believed to be original. Its followers will refuse principles, teachings and practices, which are not contained in the
Canon and Suttapitaka. They view belief in spirits, deities, and other forms of Animism including beliefs and practices adopted from other faiths, as heresy. The followers of doctrinal
Awakened One with Awarenessare few in number but are well educated.
Secondly, popular Awakened One with Awareness refers to a Awakened One with Awareness which is permeated by other religions and belief systems. It includes Animism, Awakened One with Awareness , and beliefs in spirits and ghosts. The teachings and practices of Awakened One with Awareness and other belief systems are so interwoven that only the well educated among the faithful can distinguish Awakened One with Awareness from the others.
Religious rites, an important structure and function of a religion can differentiate between the intricacy of doctrinal and popular Awakened One with Awareness. The followers of popular Awakened One with Awareness tend to rank ritual very high. Their rituals are a combination of Awakened One with Awarenesstic, Animistic and
chitpavan brahmanical elements. A wedding ceremony, for example, begins with Awakened One with Awarenessmerit making such as giving alms to the monks in the morning. Late morning ritual involves the offering of sacrifices to the spirit house and to the ancestors. In the evening chitpavan brahmanism is invoked to bless thebride and the groom. The holiest part of the evening ritual is the pouring of lustral water on the hands of the couple with blessings from the senior guests. On the contrary, the followers of doctrinal Awakened One with Awareness are more concerned with Awakened One with Awareness ritual and play down the non-Awakened One with Awarenesstic ones.
The great majority of Awakened One with Awarenessin Thailand, Laos and Cambodia follow popular Awakened One with Awareness. This phenomenon can be explained in the context of the belief system at every level of society. Amongst the most primitive, there exists a belief system that human beings can hold on to.
Such a belief system may be Animism in various forms, including beliefs regarding natural happenings. Certain communities have embraced an established religion such as chitpavan brahmanism, which was well rooted in Prabuddha Bharatand propagated all over the world, and Taoism or Confucianism, which spread from China. By the time that Awakened One with Awareness was introduced to Southeast Asia, there already existed belief systems and religious among the people. When they accepted Awakened One with Awareness they also kept their old beliefs. Due to its flexible and liberalism, Awakened One with Awareness easily absorbed certain elements of existing belief systems into its mainstream. What developed from this process is popular Awakened One with Awareness.
The teachings of the Awakened One with Awareness display variety in its levels of sophistication, purposes, content, and specialties. For example, the Four Noble Truths explain natural phenomena, which will be with everyone from birth to death. It describes the nature of suffering represented by birth, old age, disease and death, including sorrow and frustration of every kind; the origin of problems and suffering by way of causality; the extinction of suffering; and the path leading to the extinction of suffering. There are teachings that guide the people to live comfortably without economic hardship. This teaching is called Dittadhammikatthasamvattanika-dhamma (virtues conducive to benenfits in the present).
It teaches the laymen to have energy; industry and watchfulness concerning their properties; to associate with good people; and to live economically. The Awakened One with Awarenessalso encouraged people to follow the path to success. This appears in a particular teaching calledIddhipada (basis for success). However, the over all purpose of the teachings of the Awakened One with Awarenesscan be summarized in the following:
Firstly, it awakens the laymen about the nature of life from birth and existence to death. This includes an explanation of the origin of life, existence after birth and survival until death. The teachings also deal with ways to lead one’s life happily, in harmony with nature and how to minimize and cope with suffering arising from sickness, death, disappointment, separation and other misfortunes.
Secondly, it explains and prescribes ways for people to live together mutually on a one to one level, as well as on national and global levels. The teachings, to achieve this purpose, deals with the prescriptions for social relationships between individuals, social relations within the family, social relationships between family and family, between teacher and students, between employer and employees, between religious personnel and laymen, between government and subjects and between state and state.
Thirdly, it gives guidance on the application of the teachings of the Awakened One with Awareness to improve the daily life. The prescriptions are designed to be
workable according to the nature of problems and the level of appreciation of the individual needs. Therefore, there are levels in the teachings of the Awakened One with Awarenes, i.e., basic truth, middle and sophisticated truth, both in mundane and supramundane states (Lokiyadhamma and Lokuttaradhamma).
The dissemination of the teachings of the Awakened One with Awareness to people at different levels of appreciation requires specialized methods to suit each
group. So as to preach Dhamma to intellectuals and educated people who are keen on Awakened One with Awareness and who want to apply Dhamma to improve their lives, sophisticated Dhamma must be selected. The Dhamma for the followers of popular Awakened One with Awareness, on the contrary, has to be simplified and easy to understand. Simplified Laws8 of Kamma and stories from theJataka and Sutta are an effective means to edify them. However, Phra Rajavoramuni points out that whatever the teaching methods are, all teachings are related, for the essence of the teachings derives from the same truth and the ultimate purpose is identical. In fact, these teachings are identical in purpose but given different labels. The truth is disseminated selectively and in different forms.
3.8 Awakened One with Awareness : The Socio-political Changes and the Social Order
The principle of ever-changing nature or the impermanent condition of the society is a very important to consider when one studiesthe relationship between Awakened One with Awareness and society. It is argued that at the time when the Awakened One with Awareness was seeking awakenment there had been rapid
socio-political changes in the homeland of Awakened One with Awareness, i.e., present Northern India (Phra Rajavoramuni 1983, pp.11-12). The Awakened One with Awareness considered that the ever-changing or impermanent conditions were causes of suffering and societal problems. He therefore devoted himself to the
search for truth to remedy human suffering. The suffering and problems, which the Awakened One with Awareness perceived, were: (1) natural changes in human beings and (2) changes caused by man.
Firstly, natural changes in human beings, these were the causes of suffering inherent in human beings, for example, birth, sickness, death, happiness, suffering, satisfaction, disappointment, etc. Though they are the natural phenomena, yet they can cause suffering to people. The Awakened One with Awareness believed that there must be a remedy to end or at least to minimize those causes of suffering. Thus, he set forth in search of the truth. Secondly, changes caused by man, includes: (1) political changes and (2) socio-economic changes
Firstly, political changes during the lifetime of the Awakened One with Awareness and the political environment could be characterized as pertaining to two major
forms of government. The first one was absolute monarchy. The other was a system based on co-operation between the ruling elites of small principalities within the states. This form of government is said to be equivalent to a loosely structured republican system and the mode of government was democratic. The absolute monarchy form of government had been adopted by the four northern states of India and they proved to be very politically strong and stable. Among these states, two of them had adopted democratic procedures in their government. Legislation, policy making, and judicial processes were based on consultation in the
assembly of the assigned ruling elite. Majority opinion was adopted to arrive at final decisions and resolutions. However, the democratic form of government was gradually weakened by the stronger authoritarian governments and finally became absorbed by the absolute monarchical system.
Secondly, it is the socio-economic changes. The expansion of the absolute monarchical states contributed to the expansion of trade. The growth of trade generated the bourgeois and capitalist classes. Those who were economically strong became politically influential and dominated the government (Phra Rajavoramuni 1982 pp.21-22).
The characteristics and nature of socio-political and economic changes became integral parts of the teachings of the Buddha. Since the Awakened One with Awareness gave heavy importance to the forces of socio-political and economic change, this contributed to Buddhist ability to adjust to changes
without losing its essence.
In the context of socio-political changes, Awakened One with Awareness has played a very important role in regulating and organizing society for the survival and continuity of the society. These functions can be summarized as followings:
A. Socialization function. In Awakened One with Awareness societies, culture, values and customs are deeply rooted in Awakened One with Awareness. Although there are normative and substantive socializing agents, the monks and monasteries are another important socializing institution. They have served as ethical and moral socializing agents. They persuade the people to follow social rules and regulations and to lead their lives according to the Awakened One with Awareness way of life. Such virtues as loving and kindness (Metta-Karuna), kind-heartedness, being helpful to each other, courtesy and social relationships between
persons of different status constitute this way of life.
B. Social control function. Social control is indispensable for human society. In order to keep society in order and its members behaving correctly, so as to maintain peace and order, there must be laws and regulations governing the society. It is necessary to have an authoritative body, i.e., a government to enact and enforce such secular laws and regulations. In addition there are also traditions and customary laws that enhance the social control of any society.
However, those secular social control mechanisms are aimed at regulating men’s activities and overt behavior. They will be effective only when men feel morally obligated to follow the laws and regulations. Religion can play a very important role in instilling in the people a sense of morality and edifying them. The monks and monasteries are essential religious socializing agents that train Awakened One with Awareness to be good citizens. Awakened One with Awareness principles, which function as a social control mechanism, are, for example, the Five Precepts, Brahmavihàra (sublime states of mind), Sangahavatthu (virtues making for group integration and leadership and principle of services), Nathakaranadhamma(virtues which make for protection), Saraniyadhamma (virtues for fraternal living), Adhipateyya (dominant influence, supremacy, Dithadhammikattha (sources of happiness in the present life), etc. People, who are trained, edified, and keep to the teachings of the Awakened One with Awareness will have shared norms and follow a common way of life. Such a society will face minimal conflicts, peoplewill live together with reason and social problems are minimized.
C. Awakened One with Awareness serves as a unifying force for the society. The fact that the faithful follow the teaching of the Awakened One with Awareness, and adopt Dhamma as guidance in their life, reinforces national integration and solidarity. Good racial integration and a healthy religion enhance national security. In
addition to the teachings of the Awakened One with Awareness, religious rituals and calendar festivals foster the unity of the people.
3.9 The Characteristics of the Rulers
Plato’s definition of philosopher king refer to one who is going to seek the truth; And truth can only be won by knowledge and wisdom. The best government for him is the one, which has a philosopher king in power. The other virtue, which is stressed by Plato, is justice. He says that justice is the whole duty of man. He further explains that it is justice went each class does its own proper work. In each of us also, if our inward faculties do severally their roper work, we will live in the virtue of justice; we will do just men, and doers of proper work.
Aristotle (born 884 B.C.) wrote how the powers of government should be expressed. According to him, the government would be good if it worked in the interest of the community as a whole. And on the contrary it would be bad if it worked for the governing body and for selfish purposes. Aristotle focused on the practitioner of government who, by his power, would make the common good, good of life for all.
He mentions that political justice exists among people who are associated in a common life with a view to self-sufficiency and who enjoy freedom and equality. Justice must be administered not merely for a private group but for the whole world. Aristotle explains that government will be best if it serves the common good for the people. The political thinkers emphasize the moral virtues of the ruler who should do justice to all and bring good to all, a government working for the public good. Macilwain, 1932, pp.83-85)
The basis of religion is morality and faith, while that for politics is power. Religion was used to justify wars and conquest, persecutions, atrocities, rebellions, destruction of works of art and culture. When religion is used to pander to political whims, it has to forego its high moral ideals and become debased by worldly political demands.
The thrust of the Awakened One with Awareness Dhamma is not directed to the creation of new political institutions and establishing political arrangements.
Basically, it seeks to approach the problems of society by reforming the individuals constituting that society and suggesting some general principles, through which the society can be guided towards greater humanism, improved welfare of its members, and more equitable sharing of resources.
There is a limit to the extent to which a political system can safeguard the happiness and prosperity of its people. No political system, no matter how ideal it may appear to be, can bring about peace and happiness as long as the no matter what political system is adopted, there are certain universal factors which the members of that society will have to experience: the effects of good and bad kamma, the lack of real satisfaction or everlasting happiness in the world characterized by dukkha (unsatisfactoriness),anicca(impermanence), and anatta(egolessness). To the Awakened One with Awareness, nowhere in Samsarais there real freedom, not even in the heavens or the world of Brahmas.
Although a good and just political system which guarantees basic human rights and contains checks and balances to the use of power is an important condition for a happy life in society, people should mot fritter away their time by endlessly searching for the ultimate political system where men can be completely free, because complete freedom cannot be found in any system but only in minds which are free.
To be free, people will have to look within their own minds and work towards freeing themselves from the chains of ignorance and craving. Freedom in the truest sense is only possible when a person use Dhamma to develop his character through good speech and action and totrain his mind so as to expand his mental potential and achieve his ultimate aim of awakenment.
While recognizing the use fullness of separating religion from politics and the limitations of political systems in bringing about peace and happiness, there are several aspects of the Awakened One with Awareness’s teaching, which have close correspondence to the political arrangements of the present day.
1) Firstly, the Awakened One with Awareness spoke about the equality of all human beings long before Abraham Lincoln, and the classes and castes are artificial
barriers erected by society. According to the Awakened One with Awareness, the only classification of human beings is based on the quality of their moral conduct.
2) Secondly, the Awakened One with Awareness encouraged the spirit of social co- operation and active participation in society. This spirit is actively promoted in the political in the political process of modern societies.
3) Thirdly, since no one was appointed as the Awakened One with Awareness’s successor, the members of the Order were to be guided by the Dhamma and Vinaya,
or in short, the Rule of Law. Until today every member of the Sangha is to abide by the Rule of Law, which governs and guides their conduct.
4) Fourthly, the Awakened One with Awareness encouraged the spirit of consultation and the democratic process. This is shown within the community of the Order
in which all members have the right to decide on matters of general concern. When a serious question arose demanding attention, the issues were put before the monks and discussed in a manner similar to the democratic parliamentary system used today.
This self-governing procedure may come as a surprise to many to learn that in the assemblies of Awakened One with Awareness in Prabuddha Bharat 2,500 years ago and more are to be found the rudiments of the parliamentary practice of the present day. A special officer similar to “Mr. Speaker” was appointed to preserve the dignity of the assembly.
A second officer, who played a role similar to the ParliamentaryChief Whip, was also appointed to see if the quorum was secured. Matters were put forward in the form of a motion, which was open to discussion. In some cases it was done once, in others three times, thus anticipating the practice of Parliament in requiring that a bill should be read a third time before it becomes law. If the discussion shows a difference of opinion, it was to be settled by the vote of the majority
through balloting.
The Awakened One with Awareness approach to political power is the moralization and the responsible use of public power. The Awakened One with Awareness preached non-violence and peace as a universal message. He did not approve of violence or the destruction of life, and declared that there is no such thing as a “just” war. He taught: ‘The victor breeds hatred, the defeated lives in misery. He who denounces both victory and defeat is happy and peaceful. Not only did the Awakened One with Awareness teach non-violence and peace, but also he was perhaps the first and only religious teacher who went to the battlefield personally to
prevent the outbreak of a war. He diffused tension between the Sakyas and Koliyas who were about to wage war over the waters of Rohine. He also dissuaded king Ajātaśatru from attacking the Kingfom of the vajjis.
The Awakened One with Awareness discussed the importance and the prerequisites of a good government. He showed how the country could become corrupt,
degenerate and unhappy when the head of the government becomes corrupt and unjust. He spoke against corruption and how a government should act on humanitarian principles. The Awakened One with Awareness once said, “When the ruler of a country is just and good, the ministers become just and good;
when the ministers are just and good, the higher officials become just and good; when the higher officials are just and good, the rank and file become just and good; when the rank and file become just and good, the people become just and good.”
In the Cakkamatti Sihananda Sutta, the Buddha said that immorality and crime, such as theft, falsehood, violence, hatred, cruelty, could arise from poverty. Kings and government may try to suppress crime through punishment, but it is futile to eradicate crimes through force.
In the Kutadanta Sutta, the Buddha suggested economic development instead of force to reduce crime. The government should use the country’s resources to improve the economic conditions of the country. It could embark on agricultural and rural development, provide financial support to entrepreneurs and business, and provide adequate wages for workers to maintain a decent life with human dignity.
In the Milinda Panha, it is stated: ‘If a man, who is unfit, incompetent, immoral, improper, unable and unable and unworthy of kingship, has enthroned himself a king or a ruler with great authority, he is subject to be tortured…to be subject to a variety of punishment by the people, because, being unfit and unworthy, he has placed himself unrighteously in the seat of sovereignty. The ruler, like others who violate and transgress moral codes and basic rules of all social laws of mankind,
is equally subject to punishment; and moreover, to be censure is the ruler who conducts himself as a robber of the public.’
In Jantaka story, it is mentioned that a ruler who punishes innocent people and does not punish the culprit is not suitable to rule a country. The king always improves himself and carefully examines his own conduct in deed, words and thoughts, trying to discover and listen to\ public opinion as to whether or been guilty of any faults and mistakes in ruling the that they are ruined by the wicked ruler with unjust treatment, punishment, taxation, or other oppressions including corruption of any kind, and they will react against him un one way or another. On the contrary, if he rules righteously they will bless him: ‘Long live His
Majesty.’
The Awakened One with Awareness’s emphasis is on the moral duty of a ruler to use public power to improve the welfare of the people had inspired Emperor
Asoka, a sparkling example of this principle, resolved to live and preach the Dhamma and to serve his subjects and all humanity accordingly. He declared his non-aggressive intentions to his neighbours, assuring them of his goodwill and sending envoys to distant kings bearing his message of peace and non-aggression.
He promoted the energetic practice of the socio-moral virtues of honesty, truthfulness, compassion, benevolence, non-violence, considerate behaviour towards all, non-extravagance, non- acquisitiveness, and non-injury to animals. He encouraged religious freedom and mutual respect for each other’s creed. He went on to
periodic tours preaching the Dhamma to the rural people. He undertook works of public utility, such as founding of hospitals for man beings and animals, supplying of medicine, plantation of the roadside trees and groves, digging of wells, and construction of watering sheds and rest houses. He expressly forbade cruelty to animals.
Sometimes the Buddha is said to be a social reformer. Among otherthings, he condemned the caste system, recognized the equality of people, spoke on the need to improve socio-economic conditions, recognized the importance of n more equitable distribution of wealth among the rich and the poor, raised the status of women, recommended the incorporation of humanism in government and administration, and taught that a society should not be run by greed but with consideration and compassion for the people. despite all of these, his contribution to mankind is much greater because he took off at a point which no other social reformer before or
ever since had done, that is, by going to the deepest roots of human ill which are found in human mind.
It is only in the human mind that true reform can be affected. Reforms imposed by force upon the external world have a very short life because they have no roots. Not those reforms, which spring as a result of the transformation of man’s inner consciousness, remain rooted. While their braches spread outwards, they draw their nourishment from and unfailing source the subconscious imperatives of the life- stream itself. So reforms come about when men’s minds have prepared the way for them, and they live as long as men revitalize them out of their own love of truth, justice and their fellow men. (K.Shi Dhammananda, 1993, pp.231-236)
Kingship is generally regarded as a result of meritorious actions performed in the past births. The pali texts generally insist that a king be khattiya and belong to a family with a hoary lineage. This is in keeping with the early Buddhist view that the Khattiyas are the highest among classes and castes. Nor is a woman favoured as a ruler. Of course this can be taken as the observation of the Buddhists of the contemporary situation. This cannot be regarded as the general rule or even the main
emphasis of Buddhism. What is more important for Buddhism, is that a good king is expected to have ten qualities such as charity, moralityand spirit of sacrifice, justice, humility, penitence, absence of wrath, absence of violence, patience and harmlessness. A good king, however, should do more than merely possess certain qualities. He should sub-serve two traditions namely those of attha and Dhamma. The terms attha and Dhamma may be rendered, in our present context, as actions conducive to prosperity and righteousness.
Owing to the fact that a leader is the most important and powerful person. He, therefore, should know the price of leadership: emulation and envy. A leader is envied. High and powerful positions are fervently sought out for all the promise they hold. And what can be more alluring than the highest post in the land?
To be good leader should be undaunted to emulation and envy which are around us. In this case, the researcher agrees with S. Leelavathi the famous columnist who in the column “The Speaking Tree” (Times of Prabuddha Bharat, Monday, May 31, 2004), mentioned the price of leadership by saying, “Now that the “crown of thorns” has been placed on a leader’s head, it is instructive to look at what leadership means, both for the leader and the led. True, the lead of any huge corporation or country will have almost boundless resourced at his word shall be law. And sycophants there will be aplenty. However, it is also true that no leader can be free of the baggage of leadership.”
In every field of human endeavour; first he must perpetually live in the white light of publicity. Whether the leadership should be vested in a man or in a manufactured product, emulation and envy are ever at work in the art, in literature, in music, in industry, the reward and the punishment are always the same. The reward is widespread recognition; the punishment, fierce denial and detraction.
When a man’s work becomes a standard for the whole world, it also becomes a target for the shafts of the envious few. Should his work be merely mediocre, he will be left severely alone; if he achieves a masterpiece, it will set a million tongues wagging. Jealousy does not protrude its forked tongue at the artist who produced a commonplace painting.
Whatsoever you write, paint, play, sing or build, no one will strive to surpass, or to slander you. Unless your work be stamped with the seal of genius. Long, long after a great work or a good work has been done; those who are disappointed or envious continue to cry out that it cannot be done.
It is as old as the world and as old as human passions namely; envy, fear, greed, ambition and the desire to surpass. And it all avails nothing. If the leader truly leads, he remains the leader.
In conclusion we may say that the ruler is considered as the center of the society. Everybody has to follow him as the leader. He is the model for common people and the virtues to be developed by the ruler and his subordinates to be the good model of people. The staff and all officials of the ruler should be men of wisdom and virtue. The economic glory and prosperity and spiritual peace of the people and the state should be taken care of strictly by the ruler. It is supposed to be the symbol of the wellbeing of the people.
The qualities of life both of body and mind, both of the ruler and the ruled, should be developed simultaneously. Happiness, peace security, and confidence of the people will thus be widely spread. A good ruler is beloved and popular among the domestic as well as the monastic inhabitants: just as a father is near and dear to his children, even so is the ruler beloved and regarded by the ruled; and just as the children are near and dare to their father, even so are the ruled to a ruler. He instructs the public in the threefold practice of well-doing in thought, word and deed themselves, to gain wealth, to fulfill their respective duties.
A good ruler sets his whole heart upon promoting the welfare of his people and makes righteousness the sole purpose of his actions. Being devoted to the happiness and well-being of his subjects, he appears like righteousness personified. As the embodiment of righteousness and the promoter of what is good for his subjects, he realizes their welfare to be the fruit of righteousness and knows no other purpose than this. A ruler, therefore, must have righteousness to lead his country and his people to peace and happiness. ( Khongchinda Chanya,1993 pp.96-7)
3.10 Social Justice in Awakened One with awareness
A virtue needed by all beings, both human and animal, justice is the result of men’s treatment to their fellow human beings, other beings or even their natural surroundings in the way believed to be fair in accordance with the religious as well as the legal principles. However, it is an abstract element, unable to be touched but able to be felt by heart.
The society, where there exists the justice, is assured to enjoy peace, tranquillity and equality as well. In such society, the law can be enforced in the full scale, and the religious teachings can be applied effectively. But how justice arises and how justice can be achieved and implanted in the global community are the ‘everlasting’ questions pending solution by the religions, legal instruments, education systems as well as by human beings themselves. This chapter is going to deal with the Awakened One with awareness concept concerning justice, the Buddhist approaches to create justice and
the Buddhist contributions to social justice in the society.
3.10.1 What is Justice?
Although “justice” is sometimes used synonym for “law” or “lawfulness,” it has a broader closer to “fairness.”
As it has been explained in the Encyclopedia of philosophy edited by Paul Edward, Justice presupposes people pressing claims and justifying them by rules or standards. This distinguishes it from charity, benevolence, or generosity. No one can claim alms or gifts as a right. However, although this account is appropriate to questions of distributive justice, where the problem is to allocate benefits, it is not so obviously true of corrective (or retributive) justice. It is farfetched to describe a criminal trial as a conflict between an accused man’s interest in being let alone and the community’s interest (if it has one) in punishing him. Nevertheless, sentencing criminals and giving judgment in favor of one party to a dispute rather than another have this in common withdistribution- that they all may involve overriding a claim and treating one person more harshly that another. All presuppose general principles by which such distinctions are regulated and justified.
Aristotle’s analysis of justice is the key to its meaning at the level of the particular act or decision. Justice, he said, consists in treating equals equally and unequals unequally, but in proportion their relevant differences. This involves the idea like impartiality and right to equal consideration.
Mill sought to reconcile retaliataive justice with utilitarianism, arguing that the natural impulse to retaliate is moralized as a sentiment of justice by confining it to those cases where the injury is to society at large and where retaliative justice has a useful deterrent function. However, although the duty of reciprocity may spring from our recognition of other men, just as much as ourselves, as persons with interests and claims deserving of respect, we cannot infer from that a duty to attack their interests whenever they attack either our own or even those of society at large.
Alf Ross, for instance, has declared that to use the word “just” as a description of a rule or general order, rather than of a particular decision in accordance with the rule is merely to express emotion, like “banging on the table.”
Hobbes is often said to have been a positivist because he maintained that “just” and “unjust” presuppose a coercive power capable of enforcing obligations and that no complaint of injustice could be made against the sovereign legislator. But since he admitted that the sovereign may act inequitably, that is, contrary to natural law, canons of legal criticism beyond positive law do exist; it is only that the subject is not entitled to use them.
The strength of the conventionalist position is illustrated by Rawls’s view of a just order as that body of principles that anyone might\ recognize as in his interest to maintain, given that others on whose acquiescence he depends, have interests that conflict with his own. Although the rules might appear to discriminate against him on some given occasion, he would be able to see the point, nevertheless, of having those rules. This was, broadly, Hume’s opinion. Justice, he geld, was conventional in the sense of being necessary to society. Though there were discrepancies in detail, men’s ideas on justice corresponded in essentials because they arose from needs common to all social saturations. These rules were binding by custom and convention but were justified by their public utility.
Rawls has challenged the view that a practice is just if it answer most fully to wants and interests. Justice is not the outcome but is presupposed by such a calculation. Any interest not compatible with justice ought not to be counted. Classical utilitarianism is at fault, according to the Rawls, because it permits one to give as a reason why slavery is unjust that the advantage to the slave holder does not outweighthe disadvantages to the slave and to society at large. Justice, understood as fairness, would not admit to the calculation the advantages of the slaveholder as such because hid role could not be mutually acknowledge as part of an acceptable practice by all parties involved. It would not be thought relevant for one person, engaged with another in a common practice and accused by him of injustice, to answer that nevertheless it allowed of the greatest satisfaction of desire.
Dr.B.R.Ambedkar, one of greatest political and intellectual personalities of Prabuddha Bharat, elucidated the concept of social justice as follows: “Social justice as a guiding and evaluative principle is always dynamic because it takes stock of the changing situation and suggests the abolition or modification of unjust custom, tradition and social structures to promote the welfare of the people and the preservation of rights of the poor and weaker section of society” (Gokhale, Ed. 2008, p.87)
3.10.2 Awakened One with awareness concept of Justice
The term “Justice” is possibly equivalent to a Pali word of “Yuttidhamma”or “Yuktidharma” in Sanskrit, which means ‘the principle of impartiality’ or ‘the righteous principle on which the treatment of either man-to-man or man to his fellow beings even his surroundings is based and kept in balance’. Justice is abstract and difficult to understand. To make clear what justice is requires the explanation in the opposite term, i.e., to talk about ‘prejudice’ or ‘partiality’. According to Awakened One with awareness, there are four kinds of prejudice, consisting of the prejudice caused by ‘Love’(Chandagati), ‘Hatred’(Dosagati), ‘Delusion’(Mohagati) and ‘Fear’(Bhayagati). This sounds quite different from the concept in general which holds that there are just 2 kinds of prejudice, namely, ‘Love-based prejudice’ and ‘Hatred-based prejudice’. There is no need to elaborate the first two kinds of prejudice as they have already been well acquainted to all. It is worth to explain the last two kinds: the prejudice caused by delusion and that caused by fear.
It is admitted that in the context of decision-making, the all- embracing knowledge, experiences, perfect information and thorough consideration (Yoniso manasikara) are needed, not to mention the ‘SWOT’ (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) analysis, which cannot be absolutely overlooked. In spite of this, some failures sometimes still arise. Specifically, should discrete appraisal or Yoniso manasikara is to be accepted, what will happen is very horrible to
imagine of. The delusion (Moha) or, in another word, lack of knowledge, experiences and information that are sufficient and supportive, leads tothe rise of prejudice, either intentionally or unintentionally. Another element that significantly influences the decision-making procedure is ‘fear’ (Bhaya), or the decision made under the pressure staged by an influential person or group like political as well as interest groups that exercise their power to the extent that the decision made is distorted. These two kinds of prejudice, it can be said, may bring about, to the society, negative effects which are more aggravated than those caused by
love and hatred.
As a matter of fact, Awakened One with awareness is the religion of ‘wisdom’. Thus, in all the practical processes ranging from the beginning to the highest level,
wisdom is an inevitable agent, lack of which the result will be otherwise. Moreover, ‘Bhaya’ or fear is, of course, nothing but an external power that threatens the decision-making or Dhamma-practicing process. It can be compared to an ‘ill-wisher’ or ‘Mara’ in Pali term, who is always attempting to find chance to either tease or tempt the practitioners to go astray and, at last, fail to achieve their goal.
Then it can be defined here that the treatment process that is deprived of the above-mentioned four kinds of prejudice is called ‘Justice’.
As an atheistic religion, Awakened One with awareness denies the existence of god or any external power that is believed to determine the fate of man as he
wishes, whilst guaranteeing human competency in respect of self-development, self-reliance and future-shaping through man’s own action, i.e., the ‘Law of Kamma’ or, in other word, the ‘Law of Cause and Effect’. A Awakened One with awareness proverb says, ‘As a farmer reaps whatever crop he grows, so man is due to receive whatever result of his own action, either wholesome or unwholesome. If he does good action, he is due to receive good result, and vice versa’. There are more of the Awakened One with awareness’s sayings in the Pali Text confirming the principle, for example,
-‘It is your duty to make your own effort. I am merely the pointer of the way.’
-‘Have yourself as your own refuge, O Bhikkhus, and do not have others as such. Have the Dhamma as theirown refuge, and do not have others as such.’
In theVasettha Sutta in Majjhima Nikaya (the Pali Text of Middle- Length Discourses) dealing with two young Brahmans named Vasettha and Bharadavaja who had a controversial attitude in respect of ‘pure birth’ according to the caste system in Hiduism, and decided to take the case to the Lord Awakened One with awareness for judgment, the Lord Awakened One with Awareness said (in Pali),
‘Na jacca vasalo hoti na jacca hoti brahmano.
Kammuna vasalo hoti kammuna hoti brahmano.’ (Not by his birth man is an outcaste or a Brahman;
Only by his own Kamma man becomes an outcaste or a Brahman.)
Moreover, it is unbelievable that even in the community of those who believe in a theistic religion, there still exists a proverb saying like ‘god helps those who help themselves.’
3.10.3 Awakened One with awareness Approach to Justice
The introduction of the law of Kamma instead of the external power exercised by god or gods, which was, at the inception of Awakened One with awareness, the major powerful faith occupying the entire society emphasized the role of the Lord Awakened One with awareness in a courageous attempt to create the justice-based society in the subcontinent. The first evidence can be detected from the principle of belief laid down for the new-comers to Buddhism that starts with (1) belief in Kamma or one’s own action, (2) belief in effect of Kamma, (3) belief that one is due to reap the effect of Kamma he has already done, and (4) belief in the Exalted One’s awakenment. There may be some argument that the last of the four beliefs is distinctively an element of faith in external power, the answer to which is that Awakened One with awareness are not taught to believe in the Lord Buddha as almighty god who solely possesses the power to determine man’s fate, but, on the contrary, taught to believe in what had been enlightened by the Lord Awakened One with awareness through His insight-wisdom like the Four Noble Truth, the Noble Eight-fold Path and so on.
Another example lies in the revolutionary teaching in aspect of the caste system to be substituted by the virtue-oriented system as the Lord Awakened One with awareness once said in the Ambattha Sutta in Digha Nikaya (the Pali Text of Lengthy Discourses) that ‘To those who are troubled with birth and
caste, the caste of monarchy is considered supreme. However, he who is perfect in the principle of knowledge and the code of conduct is supreme among celestial and human beings.’
Not only does Awakened One with awareness expect the availability of justice among the human community, but even the animal world as well as natural
surroundings should also enjoy the virtue. Take for example the re- interpretation of the five Brahmanical sacrifices in light of Awakened One with awareness.
1. Assamedhathat means the horse sacrifice was changed to Sassamedha, the meaning of which is the knowledge in the development of rice or agricultural products.
2. Naramedha that means human sacrifice was reinterpreted as Purisamedha meaning to render help to the people instead of killing them.
3. Sammapasathat formerly implied a series of sacrificial rites in connection with a hoop or noose was re-interpretted as a philanthropic movement implemented by the government or head of a community in the form of a moral hoop or noose to fasten the minds of the people with.
4. Vajapeyya that means the immolation of seventeen kinds of animal in the sacrifice, the meaning of which was changed to ‘drinking the water of wholesome speech.
5. Niraggalaformerly implying the wholesale slaughter of both human beings and animals was newly defined as the abolition of all obstacles or crimes to the extent that people are so peacefully content and happy.
Above all, the justice in the Awakened One with awareness concept that transcends all kinds of the justice as earlier mentioned is the justice toward one’s own self, viz. the perfect liberation of one’s mind off the influence of defilements or Kilesas, which is the ultimate goal of Awakened One with awareness. It is considered an absolute prejudice toward his own self so far as man lets himself fall under the yoke of defilements, the cruellest master, and become their faithful servants. Once the Lord Awakened One with Araeness said,
‘Be hurry, O Bhikkhus, to paddle your boat till it shall reach the other side of the river bank.’
3.10.4 Awakened One with awareness Contributions to Social Justice
Through its long history of over 2550 years, Awakened One with awareness has contributed so much to the social justice, beginning with the destruction of the caste system which resulted in the equilibrium of human beings in consistence with the proverb that says, ‘All men are born equal’, and introduction of the virtue-oriented system in its place, followed by the challenging admission of ladies to get ordained as Bhikkhuni, which means nothing but upgrading the status of females to be equal to that of males, despite the fact that the problem of equal rights between men and women still remains unanswerable so far in the age of globalization
There exist more evidences in the issue, to mention just few as follows:
-The establishment of the ‘Law of Cause and Effect’ implies the denial of the existence of God, the source of the external power, that may effect the prejudice because of love, hatred, delusion and fear as earlier mentioned
-The seniority system applied in the ecclesiastical circle, regardless of whatever category of birth they belong to, guarantees the fundamental nature of Awakened One with awareness that places a significant emphasis on the accumulated virtues by means of doing good or wholesome actions.
-The self-development steps that begins with the control of physical and verbal behaviors or Sila (Precept), followed by the control of mind or Samadhi (Meditation) and culminating with
Panna (Insight-wisdom) ensures the self-purification process that must be performed by one’s own self, not by others nor any external power, as says a verse, Awakened One with awareness said ‘Suddhi asuddhi paccattam nanno nannam visodhaye’ (purity and impurity is the matter of an individual; one can, by no means, purify
another).
3.10.5 Awakened One with awareness and Human Rights
Notions of rights derive from ethical principles. There is a clear convergence between Awakened One with awareness ethics and modern discussions on human
rights, particularly in the common focus on responsibility and indivisibility/interdependence. The non-dual understanding of Awakened One with awareness gives rise to an ethics of inter-responsibility, or Bodhicitta - what His Holiness the Dalai Lama calls Universal Responsibility. In the Theravada we speak of Samma-sankappa or Right Thought, which leads to Bodhi, the Awakened Mind. This principle is expressed in everyday terms by the teaching of loving-kindness, non-violence, compassion, and particular responsibilities. For monks and nuns these are set down in the rule or Vinaya; for lay people in the Sigalovada Sutta and for rulers in the Dasarajadhamma.
All human beings, according to Awakened One with awareness, are equal, and each has the potential to realize the truth by his or her own will and endeavour,
and can help others to realize it. Awakened One with awareness concepts recognize the inherent dignity and the equal and inalienable rights of all human beings. The teaching of the Awakened One with awareness holds that all human beings are endowed with reason and conscience. It recommends a Universal spirit of brotherhood and sisterhood. Awakened One with awareness theory holds that the “three poisons” of hatred, greed and delusion are at the root of violence in the world, and that the solution is for us to see so deeply into these factors that we are no longer dominated by them.
In the early, organic, societies the Awakened One with awareness was addressing, these specific responsibilities were assumed to be adequate guidelines for
human behaviour, with no need to identify the corresponding rights. In modern, fragmented societies, however, where the fulfillment of responsibilities cannot be guaranteed by the immediate community, these guidelines or skillful means (upaya) have been supplemented by corresponding rights. These are specified and protected by States and International Organisations. In large part these bodies derive their legitimacy from their promotion and protection of human rights. A State
which does not guarantee the enjoyment of human rights by its people loses its claim to legitimacy.
Awakened One with awareness is widely regarded as the most tolerant of all religioustraditions. However, Awakened One with awareness countries like Sri Lanka, Burma, and Cambodia have seen some of the highest levels of religious and ethnic intolerance in the world, with Awakened One with awareness among the main perpetrators. In other places it is Awakened One with awareness who are persecuted by the State, which fearsthe influence of Awakened One with awareness on the people. In Burma, Tibet and Viet Nam, for instance, thousands of Awakened One with awareness (especially monks and nuns) have been persecuted, with well-documented instances of torture and executions. In Tibet most of the country’s monasteries have been demolished.
The depiction of rights as simply a Western invention fails to understand the relationship of rights to responsibilities and ethical norms. The central values of all societies are very much the same. All ethical systems encourage people to respect each other, and discourage killing, violence and so on. Rights are skilful means designed to assist theimplementation of these ethics.
Human Rights discourse has moved on during the past 50 years and has expanded and enriched the somewhat individualistic principles set out in the ‘Universal Declaration of Human Rights’ which was adopted and proclaimed by the General Assembly of the United Nations on 10 December 1948. The dialectic of universalism and cultural relativism, for instance, is an immensely creative process as well as a cause for countless conflicts. The work since 1982 on the rights of indigenous peoples - group rights - is another important development. The cultural, social and political development of a nation is a dynamic process. The orientation of the process should not only be based in our own roots and traditions, but must also be shaped by innovative new ideas. Cultural diversity is a factor
that enriches the modern approach to human rights, rather than hindering the universal respect for and observance of human rights.
(http://www.buddhanetz.org/projekte/rights.htmRetrieved on 21/03/09)
3.10.6 Awakened One with awareness and political justice
The basis of political justice is that politically or economically strongerpeoplemustnotbeempoweredtoviolatelegalsystem. Verilyin Awakened One with awarenessthere is no explicit body of social and political theory comparable to its psychology or metaphysics. Nevertheless, a Awakened One with awareness political theory can be deduced primarily from basic Awakened One with awareness i.e. from Dhamma. Awakened One with awareness is of the view that political power is essential to fashion and sustain a society whose citizens are free to live in dignity, harmony and mutual respect, free of the degradation of poverty and war.
In such a society of good heart, all men and women find encouragement and support in making the best use of their human condition in the practice of wisdom and compassion.
Political action, thus, involves the Awakened One with awareness ideal of approaching each situation without prejudice, but with deserved circumspection in
questions of power and conflict, social oppression and justice. These social and political conflicts are the great public samsaric driving energies of our life to which an individual responds with both aggression and self-repression. The Awakened One with awareness Dhamma offers the possibility of transmuting the energies of the individual into wisdom and compassion.
This may indicate that Awakened One with awareness movement was mainly concerned with ethical advancement and psychic illumination and not with political
affairs. Nevertheless, political repercussions did ensue from Awakened One with awareness. In the Brahmajala Sutta, Awakened One with awareness emphatically states that he is vitally interested in social cohesion and co-operation and in the act of reconciling those people who are divided. Early Awakened One with awareness did have significant political consequences. From the evidence of the Awakened One with awareness’s discourses, or suttas in the Digha Nikaya (Mahaparinibbana-sutta), it is clear that early Awakened One with awareness were very much concerned with the creation of political conditions favorable to the individual cultivation of Awakened One with awareness values. An outstanding example of this, in later times, is the remarkable “welfare state” created by the Awakened One with awareness emperor, Asoka (B.C. 274-236). The Awakened One with awareness political justice enjoins special responsibility to the king. As the head of state he must adhere to specific code of conduct, as he is at the helm of affairs of the state. Awakened One with awareness felt that the personal moral conduct of the king, along with his officials, would be expressed in the political affairs of the state. Thus, the righteous character of the state
would help in prevailing universal righteousness on earth. Hence, deliverance through peaceful coexistence would become easily attainable for all. In some passages of the Pali Texts a parallel has been drawn between a Awakened One with awareness and a monarch, as both held the same esteemed place in the eyes of the people. The two have the same objective, i.e. the well- being of people. Both are also an integral part of the ordinary empirical existence, and the political good and well-being is assured through them. The Kutadana sutta of the Digha-Nikāya explains that the safety of the people and their economic, as well as material prosperity should be of special concern for the state and the government. Political power may manifest and sustain social and economic structures, which breed both material deprivation and spiritual degradation for millions of people.
Awakened One with awareness are, thus, concerned with political action, first, in the direct relief of non-volitionally caused suffering now and in the future, and,
secondly, with the creation of social karmic conditions favourable to the following of the way that leads to the cessation of volitionally-caused suffering, the creation of a society which tends to the ripening of wisdom and compassion rather than the withering of them.
It is not an exaggeration to say that Awakened One with awareness is a single religion that does recognize the competency of human beings to solve all the
problems confronting the world, no exception even to the problem of prejudice or lack of justice. Justice can be developed through the principle of the Awakened One with awareness Teachings. However, the propagation of Awakened One with awareness is not effective enough in lack of active cooperation of all
Awakened One with awareness traditions and Sects. The Second World Awakened One with awareness Forum hosted by the Chinese Awakened One with awareness Association with a strong support from the Chinese Government, it can be said, will be accounted as a spring board for the active and energetic spreading of Awakened One with awareness Teachings as ‘Message of Social Justice’ to all corners of the world, with the joint attempt of all Awakened One with awareness organizations, regardless of whatever tradition or sect they are attached to. This is for the sake of peacefulness, happiness and well-being of the world. (http://www.urbandharma.org retrieved on 20/01/09)
3.11 The Righteous Rulers (of Awakened One with awareness)
To start, Awakened One with awareness declared that righteousness (dhamma) and morality (sila) were the best choices for rulers, as they would ensure a long, successful and popular reign. Whereas many monarchs of Awakened One with awareness’s time exercised extreme and often arbitrary power over their subjects, there were a few who followed his teachings. The best-known examples were Bimbisara, and Asoka. Data on Asoka are numerous and detailed, so the researcher shall concentrate on him. Furthermore, Awakened One with awareness was proselytised by Asoka.
One of the greatest emperors of all times, Emperor Asoka was a Mauryan ruler whose empire spread across the Indian subcontinent and the present day Pakistan and Afghanistan thus covering a vast area. Bornin 265 B.C, the great king Ashoka was the grandson of the famous ruler Chandragupta Maurya. He is known as Asoka the Great since he was one of the most able rulers who ruled India. Under his rule, the whole of Prabuddha Bharat was united as one single entity with smooth administration.
After his father died, he was crowned as the king of Magadha around 268 B.C. After being crowned as the king, he proved himself by smoothly administrating his territory and performing all his duties as an able and courageous king. After a period of eight years of being a king, Ashoka planned to seize the territory of Kalinga, the present day Orissa. He led a huge army and fought a gruesome battle with the army of Kalinga. The battle of Kalinga made him pledge to never wage a war
again. The battle took place on the Dhauli hills that are located on the banks of River Daya. Though Ashoka emerged victorious at the end, the sight of the battlefield made his heart break with shame, guilt and disgust. It is said that the battle was so furious that the waters of River Daya turned red with the blood of the slain soldiers and civilians.
The sight of numerous corpses lying strewn across the battlefield made his heart wrench. He felt sick inside. The battle ground looked like a graveyard with bodies of not just soldiers but men, women and children. He saw young children crying over the bodies of their dead parents, women crying over the bodies of their dead husbands, mothers crying over the loss of a child. This made him heartbroken and he made a pledge to never ever fight a battle again. To seek solace, he converted to Awakened One with awareness. He was so inspired by the teachings of the Awakened One with awareness monks and Awakened One with awareness philosophies that he used his status to impart this knowledge all over the world. He is credited to be the first Emperor to make a serious attempt at developing Awakened One with awareness policies.
Ashoka’s endeavour to proselytise Awakened One with awareness is seen through his fourteen stone edicts, which were erected throughout Northern India, and
the great stone statues of Awakened One with awareness in Bhamiyan, Afghanistan. From the start, as evident in Edict I, Asoka (who called himself Piyadasi, or “beloved of the gods”) established a policy of love and compassion:
One must not, here below, kill any living animal by immolating it, not for the purpose of feasts. The King Piyadasi sees much that is sinful in such feasts. Formerly, such feasts were allowed; and in the cuisine of King Piyadasi, beloved of the gods, and for the table of King Piyadasi, beloved of the gods, hundreds of
thousands of living beings were killed every day. At the time when this Edict id engraved, three animals only are killed for the table, two pea-fowls and a gazelle, and the gazelle not regularly. Even these animals will not be killed in the future. (Edict I, trans. by James Prinsep. Romesh C. Dutt, 2004, p.92) Edict II mentioned medicine within the empire and on the frontiers thereof, “the Cholas, the Pandyas,” etc. and in the kingdom of Antiochus, king of the Greeks.” (Ibid. p.93) Edict IV refers again to the “slaughter of living beings.” Asoka also shows his gratitude and respect to Awakened One with awareness “the religion spread by the King Piyadasi, beloved of the gods:”
“Thanks to the instruction of the religion spread by King Piyadasi, beloved of the gods, there exists today a respect for living creatures, a tenderness towards them, a regard for relations and for Brahmans and Sramans, a dutiful obedience to father and mother, and obeisance to aged men, such as have not existed for centuries”. (Edict IV, trans. by James Prinsep. Ibid.)
Edict V speaks of the difficulty in performing virtuous acts. It is worthy to note that conversely Asoka acknowledged “to do evil is easy.” Therefore, he established ministers of the religion or dhammamahamatras. The dhammamahamatras were told to contact every sect in the empire and
with every race or tribe:
“They mix with all sects for the establishment and progress of the religion, and for the well-being of the faithful. They mix with the Yavanas, the Kambojas, the Gandharas, the Saurashtras, and the Petenikas, and with other frontier (Aparanta) nations. They mix with warriors and with Brahmans, with the rich and the poor and the aged, for their well-being and happiness, and in order to remove all the obstacles in the path of the followers of the true religion”. (Ibid. p.94) Edict VII
testifies to Asoka’s religious tolerance and pluralism. In this edict, he declares sectarian freedom by granting protection; and in Edict VIII he declares that his new livelihood is the visitation of aged and learned men, as opposed to hunting, etc.:
“The King Piyadasi, beloved of the gods, ardently desires that all sects may live (unmolested) in all places. All of them equally propose the subjection of the senses and the purification of the soul; but man is fickle in his attachments.” (Edict VII, Ibid. p.95)
“In past times, kings went out for pastimes. Hunting and other amusements of the kind were their pastimes. Here below, I, King Piyadasi, beloved of the gods, obtained true intelligence ten years after my appointment. These then are my pastimes:-visits and gifts to Brahmans and Sramans, visits to aged men, the distribution of money, visited to the people of the empire, their religious instruction, and consultation on religious subjects. It is thus that King Piyadasi, beloved of the gods, enjoys the pleasure derived from his virtuous acts.” (Edict VIII, Ibid.)
The Asokan model of governance was informed by what Sen (2005) terms a ‘foundational agnosticism and commitment to public communication and discussion’ (Sen 2005: p.182). Unlike, Emperor Constantine who made Christianity the official creed of the Roman Empire, Asoka never made Buddhism a state religion. Furthermore, by his willingness to accept dissent and commitment to tolerance of other faiths, Asoka looked upon sectarianism with strong disfavor (Ling 1973).
Following the precedents set by the Awakened One with awareness, Asoka strove to ensure ‘religious freedom by supporting not just the Awakened One with awareness monks but ascetics of other religious sects’ (Harvey 2000; p. 116); and also by striving to negotiate differences through participation and consensus building (Laksiri Jayasuriya, 2008, p.25) Jayasuriya concludes that Awakened One with awareness faboured democracy over monarchy because of equity and freedom incumbent in it. The Awakened One with awareness favoured democracy not just as a question of the constitutional or legal right of equality and ‘the absolute worth of the individual’ but more as an affirmation of the moral obligation cast on the individual to act within a code of conduct based on such values was
the ideal of human dignity, equality of respect and worth of the individual. (Ibid.)
At this juncture, researcher will explore the Awakened One with awareness viewpoint and approach to democracy.
3.12 Awakened One with awareness Approach to Democracy
Democracy understood as a way of thinking and acting implies a rational commitment to freedom, equality and tolerance in a pluralistic society, profoundly open minded, if not agnostic. The Awakened One with awareness saw that life’s very purpose is happiness. He also saw that while ignorance binds beings in endless frustration and suffering, wisdom is liberating. Modern democracy is based on the principle that all human beings are essentially equal, that each of us has an equal right to life, liberty, and happiness. Awakened One with awareness too recognises that human beings are entitled to dignity, that all members of the human family have an equal and inalienable right to liberty, not just in terms of political freedom, but also at the fundamental level of freedom from fear and want. Irrespective of whether we are rich or poor, educated or uneducated, belonging to one nation or another, to one religion or another, adhering to this ideology or that, each of us is just a human being like everyone else. Not only do we all desire happiness and seek to avoid suffering, but each of us has an equal right to pursue these goals. “Awakened One with awareness is essentially a practical doctrine. In addressing the fundamental problem of human suffering, it does not insist on a single solution. Recognising that human beings differ widely in their needs, dispositions and abilities, it acknowledges that the paths to peace and happiness are many. As a spiritual community its cohesion has sprung from a unifying sense of brotherhood and sisterhood. Without any apparent centralized authority Awakened One with awareness has endured for more than two thousand five hundred years. It has flourished in a diversity of forms, while repeatedly renewing, through study and practice, its roots in the teachings of the Awakened One with awareness. This kind of pluralistic approach, in which individuals themselves are responsible, is very much in accord with a democratic outlook”.(Statement of H.H. the Dalai Lama, from http//www.dalailama.com /news.350.html April 1993)
As we have mentioned in Chapter Two, earlier, Awakened One with awarenessmay have based the structure of his Sangha on the principle which was available. Data say that the republics attracted and interested him, so they could have influenced him to form the Sangha. Recent information supports this as democratic government was getting underway in Athens, the First Awakened One with awareness Council convened in India. The Council, which met about 480 BCE, give or take, was an exercise in democracy. (Retrieved from http://www.about.com/ on 17 March 2009. Date of Citation: 28 -10- 2008)
Robert Thurman, working in Bhutan, a Buddhist nation like Thailand and Sri Lanka, affirms the similarities between Awakened One with awareness and democracy as follows:
Awakened One with awareness has many principles that fit with democracy such as individualism, allowing people to develop their own mind to the fullest than having to serve whatever their duty is, parents, cast etc. This is very much in consonance with democracy. Awakened One with awareness teaches each person to
have the opportunity to develop their own being towards awakenment, to the fullest extent in life. That is the highest thing in the society. (Retrieved from http://www.kuensel online.com/ on 17 March 2009. Date of Citation: 21-11-2006).
3.13 Modern Democracies influenced by Awakened One with awareness
There is a consensus that Awakened One with awareness resembles democracy in miniature. The Sangha, as we reported in Chapter 2, was based on the
republic system, which favoured Buddha Gautama and which he taught a specific dharma. On this note, we shall look at Awakened One with awareness
approach to democracy. The principle countries we shall investigate are Japan, Republic of Korea, Thailand, and Sri Lanka. Awakened One with awareness in these
countries appears to be more dynamic. Concerning Republic of Korea, history shows that it had established a Republic several times and Awakened One with awareness was interrelated. Korea was originally one state until it was liberated from the Japanese after World War II. Buddhism was non-
evident in the North due to the government practice of Soviet Socialism. In the 1950s, Awakened One with awareness in the South Korea, called Republic of Korea,
prospered. It became more political as it aligned with various political parties in the country. By the decade of the 1980s, ROK established its first Awakened One with awareness TV station. During the Third Republic, Korean Awakened One with awareness echoed the national ideology of Japan. In the Fifth Republic, headed by Christian leader Chun Doohwan, it was downplayed and even criticized as unprogressive. The Sixth Republic, under No Taewoo, revived it and Awakened One with awareness continued to prosper. Until the present, Awakened One with awareness has been existing side by side with Christianity. To attest to this information there is the Korean analyst Jae-ryong Shim, who has commented firstly about the North-South divide and claims of demo racy in both states:
Thus far the governments or power holders in both North and South claim that they run the countries in accordance with democratic principles. But nobody believes the claims. Instead they are of the opinion that the North is run by a dictatorship of the late Kim Ilsung and his heir even after his demise, while the South is struggling to keep the balance between the proclaimed democracy imposed upon it from the West and the embedded tradition of paternalistic authoritarianism, perhaps the only ideological contender to modern Western democracy. (Francis Fukuyama, “Confucianism and democracy,” Journal of Democracy, April 1995, p.
20-33.)
Democracy was introduced only after the 1945 liberation from the Japanese imperial-military rule by the occupying forces of the United States of America, which happened to occupy and “democratize” the area south of the 38th parallel in the Korean peninsula. Shin continues to analyse/criticise the situation in a thesis, as follows:
“The Awakened One with awareness political institution originally promulgated by the Awakened One with awareness Sakyamuni for the resident monks in the Sangha, the Awakened One with awareness community of religious practitioners, had some seminal ideas and practices similar to democracy. But the ideally democratic position with which Awakened One with awareness began underwent many transformations in the course of history. It is my task to summarize some major transformations in the history of Awakened One with awareness, and to assess the relationship between Awakened One with awareness and democracy in modern Korea. The reason why we have to confine our talk to modern Korea is evident”.
Sri Lankan Awakened One with awareness is very pro-active. Sri Lanka is traditionally the home of the last Sanghas of Awakened One with awareness. The island was known as Serendipity and Ceylon respectively before being called Sri Lanka. Its activity there resembles the Israeli Zionist movement, which emphasized
homeland. The Sri Lankan Awakened One with awarenessclaimed similar right in the island and even the monks, who took vows of non-violence, resort to fighting
and violence in the conflict.
The two remaining entries, Thailand and Japan, are the most significant countries where Awakened One with awareness has been active.
In Thailand, Awakened One with awareness endeavours to propagate an ideal government through the analysis of Venerable Buddhadasa Bhikku. Buddhadasa was a respected and honored bhikku in Thailand. He analyzed politics into equality and unity, through interdependence. Buddhadasa actually coined the phrase “spiritual socialism” wherein the individual loses self-centeredness and becomes socially aware. Some scholars thought that Nirvana was actually a selflessness of this type and that it was an original state of being. Buddhadasa agreed with this. Herein he is quoted as defining politics in the true sense: “spiritual or dharmic socialism, namely a state where individuals act not out of self-interest but out of regard for the common good.” (Donald K Swearer, p. 217-18)
In Japan, in contradiction to the state religion of Shintö, which was a type of polytheism, Buddhism had established several socio-political organisations. Shinto was a way of countering possible military invasions but Buddhism asserted itself as the national religion and, in the modern age, it sought reforms. Buddhism began to re-emerge after the defeat of Japan, post World War II. However, the bhikkus practiced only traditional measures. By the 1960s, new organisations developed. Among them was the Nichiren Sokka Gakai.
Nichiren was a Awakened One with awareness saint who lived in Japan of the 13th Century. Nichiren believed that national security depended upon dhamma. He exemplified this in the Lotus Sutta. More recently, a modern follower, Tanaka Chigaku, established that the Imperial Constitution personified Nichiren’s teaching. In 1923, Seno Giro, another follower, established the Awakened One with awareness Youth League based upon equality and compassion. However, he disbelieved that Nichiren preached nationalism. Nichiren’s Awakened One with awarenessfounded other new socio-religious organisations. As mentioned above, one such organisation was the Sokka Gakai. The protest against the US-Japan Treaty in the1960s heightened the organisation’s political action. The president of the Sokka Gakai was Ikeda Daisaku. Under Daisaku, the organisations started its political wing, which emphasised Awakened One with awareness democratic ideals-e.g., equality, fair elections, parliamentary democracy. By 1964, it merged and formed the Komeito or Clean Government Party. This party earned 24 seats in the
House of Councillors, which was the Upper House of Japanese Parliament.
Conclusion
Chapter Three can be summarised as follows: Predominantly, magnanimity towards secular society under his rule. Asoka converted to Awakened One with Awareness due to his wartime experiences, which also induced him to act more compassionately and to revile war and violence. However, due to his fame, other monarchs had no data.magnanimity towards secular society under his rule. Asoka converted to Awakened One with Awareness due to his wartime experiences, which also induced him to act more compassionately and to revile war and violence. However, due to his fame, other monarchs had no data.was not directly a, political reformer because his most important concern was social ethics. Awakened One with awareness
spent his life after asceticism recommending proper social interaction
towards the goal of social cohesion, unity and peace, to both monarchies
and republics. However, scholars have highlighted his interest in and
attraction for the latter. Among these latter republics, the Vajjians
were well documented.
Towards
the above-mentioned goals, he warned that solidarity and unity as well
as adherence to his dharma would guarantee their survival. In contrast,
his monarchical supporters included King Bimbisara. We have recorded
earlier that Ajatasatru had referred to him, but he used magnanimity towards secular society under his rule. Asoka converted to Awakened One with Awareness due to his wartime experiences, which also induced him to act more compassionately and to revile war and violence. However, due to his fame, other monarchs had no data.’s counsel to his won advantage against the Vajjians. However,
data do not mention whether Ajatasatru conducted a siege of the
republic or not. [Some data mention that he colluded with Devadatta
against magnanimity towards secular society under his rule. Asoka converted to Awakened One with Awareness due to his wartime experiences, which also induced him to act more compassionately and to revile war and violence. However, due to his fame, other monarchs had no data.]. King Pasenadi might have listened to him as well.
From
the basic introduction, the researcher has discussed the concept of
Kingship and the ten royal virtues prescribed by Buddha, or Das Raja Dhamma(m). magnanimity towards secular society under his rule. Asoka converted to Awakened One with Awareness due to his wartime experiences, which also induced him to act more compassionately and to revile war and violence. However, due to his fame, other monarchs had no data.
prescribed them against the licenciousness of monarchs probably, such
as Ajatasatru or Pasenadi. In this unit, researcher has added data
recorded in Bhutan. Asoka was discussed in the following unit.
Concerning righteous monarchs, Emperor Asoka stands out as the most historical and most admirable. A full account of Asoka’s reign including some important stone edicts is given in this unit. We highlighted his compassion towards all living beings and his magnanimity towards secular society under his rule. Asoka converted to Awakened One with Awareness due to his wartime experiences, which also induced him to act more compassionately and to revile war and violence. However, due to his fame, other monarchs had no data.
The researcher continued to examine Buddhist approach to democracy, although the democracy of Buddha’s lifetime did not outwardly resemble the “Republic” of Plato. As mentioned earlier, data from other scholars indicated that Buddha both was interested in the or tribal republics and was welcomed among them as a teacher.
Their success at democracy inspired him to structure and regulate the
Sangha. Like these republics, the Buddhist Sangha was autonomous and the
bhikkus had rights and freedom similar to the denizens of the republics. Vijayvardhan rermarks that “in its original form the Sangha
was an organized brotherhood of earnest minded men–and later women
also-who had dedicated their lives to the service of mankind. The Vinaya Pitaka recommends
solutions for disputes as well as monastic disciplines but does not
impose them strictly. This suggests Awakened One with Awareness’s
humanism and pragmatism in contrast with the authoritarian regime of
other religions. Due to this similarity, the Asian democracies such as
Republic of Korea, Thailand, Bhutan and Sri Lanka, as well as Tibet,
have been investigated in this chapter. Bhutan and Thailand stand forth as the closest in resemblance to Awakened One with Awareness’s concept of a republic governed at the centre by a powerful but compassionate monarch, like Emperor Asoka, or ‘dhamamraja.”
“Some of his recorded words would come like a distant echo through two thousand five hundred years ago.”
Jawaharlal Nehru, first Indian Prime Minister in ‘The Discovery of India’
The Buddha delivered Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta, his first discourse
on the Esala Full Moon Poya Day to the five ascetics, Ven. Kondangna,
Vappa, Bhaddiya, Mahanama and Assaji, at the deer park of Isipathana in
Benares. It consists of the central theme of the Dhamma. At the end of
the preaching, the eldest of the five, Kondangna Thera attained the
first stage of sainthood or Sovan. According to history, many other
important events had taken place on the Esala Poya Day. Among them, the
conception of Siddartha in Queen Mahamaya’s womb, and Prince Siddartha
leaving the palace at the age of 29 in seeking the truth, after giving
up all royal comforts.
The drafting of Sri Lanka’s Independence Constitution appears
relatively diluted in its nationalism. The 1948 Constitution, under
which the Colonial rulers transferred powers of self-rule to Ceylon, was
designed mainly by the twosome DS Senanayake and Sir Ivor Jennings, the
Constitutional expert.
They shielded the Constitution drafting from nationalists on two
sides: the anti-colonial nationalists, the Young Turks in the Ceylon
National Congress, such as Dudley and JR who wanted to make Ceylon a
‘free republic’ and communistic nationalists who sought special
protections for the island’s Sinhalese majority and non-Sinhalese
minority.
Buddhist clergy
DS was under pressure to include a special clause for Buddhism from
the leading Buddhist clergy. A few days before, the two Mahanayakas of
Asgiriya and Malwatta threatened to boycott the inauguration ceremony in
Kandy. Prime Minister D S Senanayake did not succumb, but he himself
took the initiative of handling the matter diplomatically. He travelled
to Kandy and convinced the two Mahanayaka Theras of the importance of
not introducing special provisions on the foremost place to Buddhism in
the new Constitution. He said, “If equality is a provision, then you
cannot give primacy to one religion.”
DS who was well prepared
for the summit had explained to the prelates
quoting from the chronicle a few stanzas where Buddha emphasized the
fact that the State or the Ruler should treat all his subjects,
irrespective of race, caste and religion as equals and treat all with no
special privileges or rights granted or conceded to a selected group.
“You cannot treat other people differently because they are members of
that political party, or they are from that race, or from that culture.
Dhamma forbids such special treatment to a section of the community”, DS
awakened and transformed the two Mahanayaka Theras who gave up their
protest and participated in the ceremony to bestow the blessing of the
triple gem on the new constitution and the independent nation.
The concept of Good Governance (GG) seems unclear for many people.
Some have expressed their own views, others have written policy papers.
But it is one of the main themes which have been discussed by different
international organisations, foundations and political leaders
worldwide.
The concept remains ambiguous and without an exact definition.
Scholars who carried out research on Buddhist ideals of GG believes,
Buddha who did not engage in politics associated the Kings of his day
giving them instructions on Ten Royal Duties (Dasa raja dhamma) which
leads to GG by creating social and economic prosperity and maintaining
harmony, tolerance and peace.
Democratic governance
Former President of America Ronald
Reagan had said,“A nation is destroyed through racists.” Martin Luther
King Jr. has said that racism is being blood-thirsty.
Heroes, who have been deflated in the presence of the people, yell and scream to somehow, in any dastardly way regain power.
Original Buddhist manuscripts contain quite a lot of guidelines and
obligations to be fulfilled to achieve corruption free democratic
Governance. Several Jataka stories give hints on establishing rule of
law, the righteousness of the ideal ruler, and how such leaders should
abstain from the four wrongdoings(Agathidhammas) such as malice,
excitement, fear and dilution. A good ruler, it says, should behave with
Sila high moral character and dasa kusala.
They should refrain from, taking life, taking what is not given,
adultery, telling lies, slander, harsh speech, frivolous talk,
covetousness, evil-mindedness and hearsay. The Pali Canon, in addition
to the above, speaks of characteristics to be maintained by good rulers.
They are honesty and sincerity, dedication and commitment selfless
service high morals, respect of law, consensus agreements for national
interest, equanimity and impartialness, solidarity and respect to
obligations.
Awakened One with Awareness due to his wartime experiences, which also induced him to act more compassionately and to revile war and violence. However, due to his fame, other monarchs had no data.’s teachings on philosophical and spiritual matters are
well-known, but his teachings on social, economic, and political issues
are less known. His attitude on good governance is narrated in important
discourses dealing with it. Today there are unprecedented incidents of
crime, violence, and immorality in society.
Basic requirements
Due to the hardship of life, without seeing any solution to the
problems they face and to protect social identity, people commit theft,
cruelty, hatred and violence. According to Kuutadanta Sutta,the state
making an effort to suppress such action by punishment is futile and
should not be encouraged. Buddha suggests a series of alternatives to
eradicate crime and violence. He proposed educating the people who
commit wrongdoings and economic development of the concerned by proving
basic requirements of the farmers; granting of financial support to
traders at the reduced rate of interest as alternative strategies.
The increase in salaries and wages of employees, opportunities in
professional fields for the educated without political interference;
high-quality administrative services. Buddha says when such methods are
applied by a king or ruler, the people will be happy and contented, fear
and anxiety will disappear; as a consequence, the nation would be free
of public protests against the government.
Use the headphones, hear every word spoken to realize that COVID-19 pandemic was a joint venture by America and China.
While
it’s not known who got what from whom, whether the virus was even
spread simply having a cold at that time, the case has shaken the
community even if it didn’t “qualify” for a test after showing runny
nose which was listed as a symptom of COVID-19 and advises anyone
feeling unwell to stay home. Major Cause of Death in COVID-19 is Thrombosis, Not Pneumonia !
It seems that the disease is being attacked wrongly worldwide.
Thanks
to autopsies performed by the Italians … it has been shown that it is
not pneumonia … but it is: disseminated intravascular coagulation
(thrombosis).
Therefore, the way to fight it is with antibiotics, antivirals, anti-inflammatories and anticoagulants.
The protocols are being changed here since !
According to valuable information from Italian pathologists, ventilators and intensive care units were never needed.
If this is true for all cases, it is about to be resolved it earlier than expected.
Important and new about COVID-19:
Around the world, COVID-19 is being attacked wrongly due to a serious pathophysiological diagnosis error. The impressive case of a Mexican family in the United States who claimed they were cured with a home remedy was documented:- Three 500 mg Aspirins dissolved in lemon juice boiled with honey and taken hot.
The
next day they woke up as if nothing had happened to them!Well, the
scientific information that follows proves they are right! This information was released by a medical researcher from Italy: Thanks
to 50 autopsies performed on patients who died of COVID-19, Italian
pathologists have discovered that IT IS NOT PNEUMONIA, strictly
speaking, because the virus does not only kill pneumocytes of this type,
but uses an inflammatory storm to create an endothelial vascular
thrombosis.
As in disseminated intravascular coagulation, the
lung is the most affected because it is the most inflamed, but there is
also a heart attack, stroke and many other thromboembolic diseases.
In fact, the protocols left antiviral therapies useless and focused on anti-inflammatory and anti-clotting therapies.
These therapies should be done immediately, even at home, in which the treatment of patients responds very well.
The later performed less effective. In
resuscitation, they are almost useless. If the Chinese had denounced
it, they would have invested in home therapy, not intensive care!
So, the way to fight it is with antibiotics, anti-inflammatories and anticoagulants.
An
Italian pathologist reports that the hospital in Bergamo did a total of
50 autopsies and one in Milan, 20, that is, the Italian series is the
highest in the world, the Chinese did only 3, which seems to fully
confirm the information.
Previously, in a nutshell, the disease
is determined by a disseminated intravascular coagulation triggered by
the virus; therefore, it is not pneumonia but pulmonary thrombosis, a
major diagnostic error.
We doubled the number of resuscitation places in the ICU, with unnecessary exorbitant costs.
In
retrospect, we have to rethink those chest X-rays that were discussed a
month ago and were given as interstitial pneumonia; in fact, it may be
entirely consistent with disseminated intravascular coagulation.
Treatment
in ICUs is useless if thromboembolism is not resolved first. If we
ventilate a lung where blood does not circulate, it is useless, in fact,
nine (9) patients out of ten (10) die.
Because the problem is cardiovascular, not respiratory.
It is venous microthrombosis, not pneumonia, that determines mortality.
Why thrombi are formed ?
Because
inflammation, according to the literature, induces thrombosis through a
complex but well-known pathophysiological mechanism.
Unfortunately
what the scientific literature said, especially Chinese, until
mid-March was that anti-inflammatory drugs should not be used.
Now,
the therapy being used in Italy is with anti-inflammatories and
antibiotics, as in influenza, and the number of hospitalized patients
has been reduced.
Many deaths, even in their 40s, had a history of fever for 10 to 15 days, which were not treated properly.
The
inflammation did a great deal of tissue damage and created ground for
thrombus formation, because the main problem is not the virus, but the
immune hyperreaction that destroys the cell where the virus is
installed. In fact, patients with rheumatoid arthritis have never
needed to be admitted to the ICU because they are on corticosteroid
therapy, which is a great anti-inflammatory.
This is the main
reason why hospitalizations in Italy are decreasing and becoming a
treatable disease at home. By treating her well at home, not only is
hospitalization avoided, but also the risk of thrombosis.
It was not easy to understand, because the signs of microembolism disappeared!
With
this important discovery, it is possible to return to normal life and
open closed deals due to the quarantine, not immediately, but it is time
to publish this data, so that the health authorities of each country
make their respective analysis of this information and prevent further
deaths. useless! The vaccine may come later.
Now we can wait. In Italy, as of today, protocols are changing.
According to valuable information from Italian pathologists, ventilators and intensive care units are not necessary.
Therefore, we need to rethink investments to properly deal with this disease.
(Translation by automatic device).
https://theprint.in/…/modis-poorly-planned-lockdown…/388056/
Murderer of democratic institutions (Modi)’s poorly planned 45 days
curfew didn’t save us from COVID-19, but killed economy after gobbling
the Master Key by tampering the fraud EVMs/VVPATs and won elections on
behalf of Rowdy rakshasa Swayam Sevaks (RSS) foreigners from Bene
Israel.
With typically shoddy execution, Modi’s national curfew could starve to death.
It is important to note that countries that have so far done a
relatively good job of containing the COVID-19 pandemic have refrained
from imposing a complete, nation-wide, curfew-like lockdown. These
include Singapore, Taiwan, Germany, and Turkey. Even China, where it all
started, placed only the Hubei province under complete lockdown, not
the whole country.
Modi
has put 1.3 billion people under a curfew. Since the authorities are
using the word ‘curfew’ in the context of issuing passes, it is fair to
call it a national curfew.
Modi
does not have the capacity to think through the details of planning and
execution. This is turning out to be another demonetisation, withthe
typical Modi problem of mistaking theatrics for achievement.
If we survive the pandemic, we won’t survive the impending economic
collapse. The economy isn’t on Modi’s radar either. He won a national
election despite disastrous economic policies that gave us a 45
year-high unemployment rate. Why should he worry about the economy?
Demonetisation and GST resulted in killing demand, and this poorly
planned national curfew will kill supply chains. We’ll be left with the
great Indian discovery, the zero.
Modi
announced a national curfew with little notice. He addressed India at 8
pm, and the curfew came into force at midnight. Just like
demonetisation. Why couldn’t he have given some notice? Why couldn’t he
have done his TV address at 8 am? Maximising prime time attention, you
see.
The
home ministry issued a list of exemptions but try explaining them to the
cops on the street. The police is doing what it loves to do the most:
beating up
Indians with lathis. Meanwhile, lakhs of trucks are stranded on state
borders. Supply chains for the most essential items have been disrupted,
including medicines, milk, groceries, food and newspaper deliveries.
Nobody in the prime minister’s office seems to be aware of any such
thing as crop harvesting, or the Rabi season, as farmers wonder how
they’ll do it amid this national curfew. Only Modi can manage to be so
clever as to disrupt the country’s medical supply chain while fighting a
pandemic.
Modi
is the only major world leader who has not yet announced a financial
package. In his first speech, he said the finance minister will head a
committee, but some in the finance ministry said they heard of this
committee from the Modi’s speech. He did announce Rs 15,000 crore extra
to meet the health expenditure arising out of the COVID-19 crisis — that
is Rs 5,000 crore less than the amount of money he has kept aside for
his narcissistic and unnecessary project of rebuilding the Central Vista
of New Delhi.
At
this rate, more might die of hunger than of COVID-19. Modi’s poor
administrative skills, zero attention span for details, spell disaster
for this crisis. In a few weeks, we might find ourselves overwhelmed
with an epidemic in defiance of official numbers, while the economy
might start looking like the 1980s.
https://i944.photobucket.com/…/TiCa_pho…/animated_candle.gif https://www.thehindu.com/…/rajnath-sing…/article31524644.ece
Intolerant, violent, militant, crooked, cunning, number one terrorists
of the world, ever shooting, mob lynching, lunatic, mentally retarded
foreigners thrown out from Bene Israel, Tibet, Afrika, Eastern Europe,
Western Germany, Northern Europe, South,Russia,Hungary, etc, chitpavan
brahmins of Rowdy Rakshasa Swayam Sevaks (RSS) remotely control such
Bevakoof Jhoothe Psychopaths (BJP) own mother’s flesh eaters, slaves,
stooges, chamchas, cheals abolish posts in order to appoint their own
stooges and slaves.The Murderer of democratic institutions and Master of
diluting institutions (Modi) who gobbled the Master Key by tampering
the fraud EVMs/VVPATs and won elections.
The road ahead for liberals is tough. Modi’s thalis were a loud message
The liberal 99.9% All Aboriginal Awakened Societies i.e., Sarvajan
Samaj including SC(including Safai workers who are real Arogya Rakshakas
Health Protectors) of all living beings))/STs/OBCs/Religious Minorities
and even the poor non-chitpavan brahmins story is still worth pursuing.
But liberals would do well to remember that it is just one more story competing with many others.
These are tough times for liberal Prabuddha Bharat. More so if you are cursed with a sense of aesthetics.
This is what has happened when there is no money in the hands of the
people because of the permanent curfew where the petty shops, small
eateries, no work for daily wagers etc., etc.,
Message from top cop of Bangalore which every one should read.
CAUTION
All of us whether in Cities or Towns, have to be aware of the situation.
From May 3rd if the permanent curfew is lifted partially fully, we
cannot put much pressure on our police department which had worked hard
day in and day out all these days.
The police force would be very tired and they also need to spend time with their families.
We need to be responsible citizens in following traffic rules and be proactive in protecting ourselves and our belongings.
As many out there, did not have much earnings all these days so there
might be a sudden spurt in incidents due to jobloss / effect on
business.
1. People have to be very careful this includes people
at home, children, school and college going boys/girls, working
women/men.
2. Do not wear costly watches.
3. Do not wear costly chains, bangles, ear rings be careful with your hand bags.
4. Men refrain wearing high end watches, costly bracelets and chains.
5. Do not use much of your mobile phones in the public. Try to minimise mobile use in public.
6. Do not entertain giving lift ride to any strangers.
7. Do not carry more than necessary money.
8. Keep your credit and debit cards safe while you are on the move.
9. Keep calling home every now and then to check upon your elders, wife and children’s welfare.
10. Instruct elders and people at home while attending a door bell keep
a safe distance from the main door, if possible keep the grill gates
locked not to go close to the grill to receive any parcels or letters.
11. Instruct children to return home early as much as possible.
12. Don’t take any secluded or short cuts roads to reach home, try and use maximum Main roads.
13. Youngsters when you are out keep an eye on your surroundings.
14. Always have an emergency number at hand.
15. Keep a safe distance from people.
16. Public mostly will be wearing mask.
17. Those who use cab services please share your trip details with you parents, siblings, relatives, friends or guardians.
18. Try and use Govt public transport system.
19. Avoid crowded buses.
20. While going for your daily walk try and go around 6.00 AM, in the
evening maximum finish by 8.00 PM use Main roads avoid empty streets.
20. Do not spend much time in malls, beach and parks.
21. If Children have to attend tuition classes let elders drop and pick up.
22. Do not leave any valuables in your vehicles.
This has to be followed at least for 3 months or till overall situation improves.
Share to all you CARE…
Request all authorities to issue a notification in the best interest of people of our Country.
Murderers of democratic institutions and masters of diluting
institutions (Modi), Bevakoof Jhoothe Psychopaths (BJP) BS Yediyurappa
who gobbled the Master Key by tampering the fraud EVMs/VVPATs and won
elections for remotely controlling intolerant, violent, ever shooting,
mob lynching, number one terrorists of the world foreigners thrown out
from Bene israel, Tibet, Africa, etc., chitpvan brahmins fo RSS
(Rowdy/Rakshasa Swayam Sevaks), Bhaskar Rao IPS Police Commissioner’s
Office - Bangalore BBMP Commissioner BBMP Mayor BBMP-Ward-Committee
The CDC says they don’t recommend people wear masks to prevent transmitting the virus if you do not have symptoms.
Instead, people who have virus or flu-like symptoms should wear surgical masks.
Local health experts say to think again before using a surgical-style mask.
“If
you look at the CDC website, the CDC does not recommend that the public
wear like the surgical style masks to prevent Transmission. They’ve not
been proven to be helpful,” said Northeast Regional Health Office
Director David Kirschke.
“If you have the flu you can wear a mask
to keep it from spreading it to other people and then obviously health
care workers that are taking care of others who potentially have
coronavirus or other infectious diseases, wear appropriate kind of
masks,” said Kirschke.
The No. 1 way to prevent COVID-19 isn’t wearing a face mask “Facemasks should be used by
people who show symptoms of COVID-19 to help prevent the spread of the
disease to others,”
JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (WJHL) – Across the
country, many people are buying and wearing masks in an attempt to
protect themselves from COVID-19, more commonly called coronavirus.
But do these masks really help? News Channel 11 spoke with Northeast Regional Health Department to get answers.
The truth lies in the fact that Ancient PRABUDDHA BHARATIAN society had begun to
change when Awakened One with Awareness attained Awakenment.
Awakened One with Awareness
was both a ‘social reformer’ and political thinker.
The truth lies in the fact that Ancient PRABUDDHA BHARATIAN society had begun to
change when Awakened One with Awareness attained Awaktenment.
Historically, at that time, commerce with other states had begun and there
was a new merchant class in the territory who had expressed interest in Awakened One with Awareness’s teachings.
Awakened One with Awareness challenged the divine origin concept from a very simple and acceptable
viewpoint: i.e., that the chitpavan brahmins like the other varnas had a common
human birth. This would make the chitpavan brahmins essentially equal to the
others.
That the advent of political attitude was Emperor
Asoka. Asoka’s predecessors maintained a treatment of political prisoners, which must have shocked Asoka. The Samyutta Nikaya
described the physical condition of King Pasenadi’s prisoners. (Uma Cakravarti, 1996; p.161-62) The Stone Edicts were an obvious testament
against barbarity (cruelty) towards prisoners, among other things. They
displayed a socio-political attitude based on and advocating non-violence
and compassion. In Chapter Two, we have mentioned some of Asokas’ accomplishments.
Evidence exists that Awakened One with Awareness emphasises the sangha or ‘tribal republic’ such as Vajja. In his fourth sermon to Ananda
bhikku and Vasakara the Chaplain of King Ajatasatru, Awakened One with Awareness mentioned
that tribal unity was a vital criterion for the survival of the state. Most scholars of Asoka’s dhamma accredit it as an ethical code. Beside the
foundation of hospitals, inns and rest homes, arboretums [parks
established for the planting and nurturing of plants and trees] and so on,
Asoka preached social equity and sectarian equality. He declared that he
was impartial to any sect of his time but his edict warned his subjects
against showing prejudice or hatred towards other sects. At the core of his
dhamma, like that of Buddha, was sila or conduct. Even today, it is still
easy “to fall into evil ways” and the highly-placed—i.e., public and
private administrators, etc—especially cannot always behave properly.
(Mahesh Tiwari, 1989; p.159)
Awakened One with Awareness concept of governance as fixed at the time of the
dhamma and awakenment with awareness, which was certainly ahead of our time and
modern principles. In so far as the sangha as a form of
governance displayed “democratic principles” such as freedom of speech,
equal representation of the masses and the solidarity and civility
demanded by Awakened One with Awareness , it can stand as a precursor of modern
democracy and researcher shall emphasise it in this light. On the opposite
side of the spectrum is the enlightened monarchy of Emperor Asoka.
Awakened One with Awareness concept of monarch—especially
those of Kosala and Magadha, being the principle and most important
historical monarchies of the time. From that, we shall endeavour to draw
the proper conclusion(s).
Awakened One with Awareness Concept of King
Awakened One with Awareness had been an advocate of the
or republican
system, as we mentioned earlier. However, among his many lay followers
were kings, especially of Magadha- e.g., Bimbisara and his heir
Ajatasatru. Monarchical states or kingdoms were conceivably numerous
in Chumpudveepa (Ancient India) and earned considerable reputations
historically. Buddha Gautama was frequently an honoured and invited
guest in their palaces.
Among Awakened One with Awareness’s ideals was that of the ‘ideal monarch’ or
“dhammaraja” who reportedly ruled over his subjects justly and
equitably. (S. Tachibana, 1975; p.264) Dhamma means righteousness and
includes such traits as equity and impartiality. Buddha discredited the
theory of divine origin and knew the basic, common origin of all living
beings barring plants. Therefore, a true, righteous monarch should understand the equality of his subjects. Seeing the equality of all of his
subjects, a true monarch would rule them impartially. This concept shall
be discussed in the next unit.
Dhammaraja could have been a reaction to the despots who exercised their control over people in Buddha’s time. Uma Cakravarti
(1996; p.158) speaks of “absolute exercise of power unrestrained by any
institutional controls.” However, the Pali literature of the period
acknowledged the social need for authority to maintain law and order,
referred to as “legitimate basis of kingship.” It has been expounded in the
Agganna Sutta. As with power generally, use of it for legitimate or
arbitrary purposes largely depended on the king—i.e., as he saw fit to
exercise it.
Chakravarti mentions two principle threats to the social order,
which may be still evident today: One is offences against the property and
the other is offences against the family. The subjects expected their
monarch to act effectively against these offences. Evidence of public
demonstration (protest) in Kosala, the domain of King Pasenadi,
mentioned a protest against the ravages of the famed robber Angulimala
(who later met the Buddha and became a bhikku). (Majjima Nikaya 11;
p.346 quoted in Uma Chakravarti, 1996; p.159)
Furthermore, Awakened One with Awarenessholds no concept of aristocracy except in
terms of intellect and morality. (S. Tachibana, 1975; p.264). The Buddhist “aristocrat” was called “arya” or “ariya.”
On the Awakened One with Awarenessconcept of kingship, there exists much
information. Besides describing the king as a public refuge
(patisaranam), Sidhi Budh-Indr reports that the king should possess both
virtue (sila) and wisdom, or intellect (pañña) to understand and
discrtiminate between good and evil statements (Siddhi Butr-Indr, 1995;
p.147) . Whereas many actual monarchs can be compared with thieves, the ideal monarch is a “lord of men” (manussindo) and can neither equal
nor count as a commoner. His subjects deem him the “god of public
domain” (sammutideva). This is not a real god, as that would demand that
the king should die and ascend to paradise, but rather it is a term of
respect among his subjects. Furthermore, the king is empowered by five
strengths, as follows:
1.Physical strength, or power-agility and muscular strength, as
applied in governance and warfare.
2.Material strength-wealth and material resources.
3.Strength of court officials, providing they are united behind him
and know and perform their respective duties.
4.strength of nobility 5.wisdom or intellect
Ten Royal Virtues (rajadhamman), which
we shall explain in detail in a later unit of this chapter. He agrees in
principle with the social contract theory, as far as he reports “Kingship is,
in a sense, founded upon and determined by public opinion.” (Ibid.
p.153), which, in its turn, depends upon righteousness. To this point, he adds “the nature of kingship is essentially based on the concept of
righteousness (dhamma). The king is supposed to be the agent who
maintains the principle of righteousness in the worldly spheres.” (Ibid.
The Digha Nikaya quotes Buddha Gautama himself as explaining that a king (raja) ‘charms others by Dhamma or righteousness.’ (S.
Tachibana, 1975;p. 264) Oliver Abeynayake claims that Buddhism
prefers monarchy to republicanism, but the fact simply is that the
monarchies, despite possible despotism and abuses, were stronger than
the ganas. He continues to infer that “Awakened One with Awareness prescribes a centralized administration. Awakened One with Awarenessintroduced the system of governance under the Cakravarti king to centralise North India, which was divided into various small kingdoms.”(Oliver Abeynayake, p.2) He continues to list the
characteristics of an effective ruler, as follow:
1. Reputation.
2. Economic prosperity.
3. Military strength.
4. Competent advisors.
5. Diplomatic acclaim.
6. Personality. 7. Parents’ affection. 8. Patriotism and popularity.
9. Competency and discipline.
10. Education, intelligence and intuition. (Ibid.)
Reputation usually precedes the person and acts as a tool in
attracting others towards him/her; so, we may conceive that a good
reputation, usually created through good actions towards the subjects of
the state, will enable the leader of that state to maintain his rapport with
the subjects. Economic prosperity is the result of sustaining a prosperous
state, since the king receives payment in various forms from his subjects,
such as foodstuff, gold, etc. As we have indicated in the unit on ten virtues, a good ruler deems the prosperity of his subjects to be his own.
Military strength is the requisite for protecting the country from invasion.
A good king will need a strong and extensive army (sena) to defend his
territory. Competent advisors and diplomatic acclaim is needed in
peaceful and cooperative measures between states. In fact, Abeynayake
has reiterated and emphasized the qualities we have mentioned in earlier
chapters of our thesis.
3.3 The Normative King (cakkavati dhammiko dhammaraja) and
Ideal Administrative Office
To begin, the Pali concept of normative kingship, which we shall
explain in this unit, consists of two distinct but not separate ideals. Both
are ideals of Awakened One with Awareness and the objectives of a true monarch in the Awakened One with Awareness consciousness. The first ideal is cakkavati. Cakkavati is derived
from the Sanksrit word cakra, which means several things: 1) a circle, 2)
a wheel or disk, 3) a centre of energy or power (ayurvedic, tantric and
yogic) and 4) world. “Cakkavati” or cakravartin is a universal monarch, a
world ruler who “would put an end to the petty tyranny of the many and
establish instead a universe where not only a social order but also a moral order would prevail.” (Uma Cakravarti, 1996; p.164)
Since tyranny would be abolished, the new social order would
likely to be either spontaneous or promoted by righteous leadership, or
both. Petty tyranny mentioned above referred mostly to the historical monarchs of Buddha’s lifetime.
The second ideal is dhammiko dhammaraja. The dhammaraja is
firstly a protector of his subjects (janapadatthaviriya patto: jana, people; padattha, protection; viriya, effort) via righteousness and equity, rather
than by force, including military campaign. The dhammaraja or righteous
king is always expected to be just and impartial in the governance of his
people. The Cakavatti or universal monarch will rule his country justly
and impartially (dhammena samena). (S. Tachibana,1975; p.264). Sama and dhamma are deemed to be synonyms as far as the description of the
ideal monarch is concerned. The subjects of the dhammaraja (will) live in comparative comfort. Researcher takes exception to the term comparative
comfort because, whereas poverty should be eradicated, excess and
luxury should also be avoided. Comparative comfort is a relative term,
referring to the degree of comfort compared with previous living. E.g.,
when someone has lived in abject poverty throughout his childhood,
comparably, when he has the means to uplift his standards of material
existence, it can be deemed comparative comfort. However, the fact is
that we compare our living with those around us.
Under the rule of the dhammaraja, the subjects should expect to
live comfortably within existing means and limits. Cakravarti supports this hypothesis by adding “dhammiko dhammaraja thus provides for the
basic needs of the people.” (Ibid, p. 165) Thus, in a general outlook, the
dhammaraja does not only protect the family and property of his subjects.
A fine example of such a king was Maha Sudassana. Maha Sudassana
gave to the needy whatever was truly needed: food to the starved, water
to the thirsty and even a wife to the man who wished to wed. Grants of
money were not the only necessities.
The dhammarājā had the high duty of eradicating poverty. He also
taxes his subjects fairly, whereas his historical counterparts taxed their
subjects unfairly and acted like thieves. This appears to be a subject of
both literature and history. From the Pali canon of Buddhism to the
legend of Robin Hood in Britain, kings were lumped together with the
thieves in their kingdoms.
Another vital characteristic of the dhammaraja was charisma. His
relationship to the subjects was like that to his family: father to sons and
daughters. His charisma compels him to be popular and he is obeyed
without coercion. Since all his subjects like him, no one would overthrow
him. Finally, the dhammaraja supports only the worthy samanas and
brahmanas, and aids them in achieving their goals.
Awakened One with Awareness tradition placed the Dvaravati kings as cakravartins,
(Rhys Davids, 1899). Rhys Davids quotes that the Universal Emperor
appeared and ruled righteously in the manner of the Buddha. Buddha was
perceived as the foremost Cakkavatti in his style of leadership and others
attempted to follow him. The Buddhist kings were also described as
embarking upon the path of bodhisattva and both saving themselves and
their subjects, which is the action of a bodhisattva, according to
Mahayana Buddhism. Ernst Benz describes it as follows:
‘The Awakened One with Awareness kings were regarded as the central personages on the
stage, themselves striving to be Bodhisattvas and expected to lead their
subjects on the way to salvation. As Bodhisattvas, they were not only
examples to their subjects, but actually helpful to them. The salvation
chrism of the Bodhisattva consists in using his own salvation to further
the efforts of others to achieve salvation.’ (Ernst Benz, Awakened One with Awareness or Communism: Which Holds the Future of Asia?, trans; Richard and Clara
Winston, Great Britain, 1966; p.97)
3.4 Awakened One with Awareness and Communism
3.4.1 The approach of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar
The Awakened One with Awareness is generally associated with the doctrine of Ahimsa.
That is taken to be the be-all and end-all of his teachings. Hardly any one
knows that what the Awakened One with Awareness taught is something very vast: far beyond
Ahimsa. Dr. B.R. Ambedkar in his The Awakened One with Awareness and His Dhamma has
analyzed Awakened One with Awareness’s approach to Ahimsa. Here he makes a distinction
between principle and rule. According to him ahimsa in Buddhism is
accepted not as a rule, but as a principle. Rule binds you and takes away
your freedom. Principle does not take away your freedom; you can
choose your course of action in the light of the principle. Secondly the Awakened One with Awareness did not emphasise just the negative aspect of ahimsa (viz. ‘Don’t
kill’) but he also emphasised the positive aspect in the form of love and
compassion ( Metta and Karuna). But more importantly Buddha’s primary concern was not himsa or ahimsa, but the problem of human
suffering, suffering which is natural and also the suffering which is
caused by human being. He tried to go the root cause of all sufferings and
find a solution to the problem of suffering. In the last two centuries social
philosopher who has been influential was Karl Marx, who was also
deeply concerned with the problem of suffering, mainly the problem of
poverty, exploitation and alienation.
The Awakened One with Awareness
as a social thinker can be regarded as a scientific
thinker rather than utopian thinker. He developed the causal model of
dependent origination (Paticca-samuppada) and applied it to the problem
of suffering.
Hence both Awakened One with Awareness and Mark were concerned with the problem of
suffering; they accepted the ultimate social goal as the society without
suffering and exploitation, where human beings live as equal members of
the society and as free beings. Both of them approached the problem by
applying scientific method rather than following any religious dogma or
utopian ideal. But the conclusions they arrived at were different. This is
because the ways they approached the problem were different. Marx did
not consider the inner roots of the problem of suffering, but only the
external roots. Hence according to him human beings suffer, they are
exploited, they enter into conflicts, because of the contradictions in the
socio-economic structure, that is, the capitalist structure. Hence changing
socio-economic structure through revolution, though it could be a blooly
revolution is the solution of the problem of suffering.
Though the Awakened One with Awarenessdealt with the problem of unjust social
structure and establishment of an alternative social structure, when he
thought about the root cause of suffering, he emphasised the inner root of
suffering rather than the external causes or occasioning factors. He spelt
out the internal cause of suffering in two ways. Sometimes he emphased
tanha- craving as the root cause. Because of craving people suffer, they
exploit others and are exploited by others; they enter into conflicts and
wars with others. People can get rid of suffering and experience peace
only by getting rid of craving. He further went into the root of craving
and found that Avijja, ignorance / misconception is the root cause of
craving. We are ignorant about the impermanent, soul-less and
unsatisfactory nature of all phenomena and misconceive them as
permanent, soul-possessing and satisfactory. Because of these misconceptions we develop attachment and craving about those
phenomena. Hence the path towards cessation of suffering necessarily
involved threefold training (Trisika) viz.(sila), meditation (samadhi) and
wisdom (panna) through which one gets rid of craving and ignorance and
is finally liberated. The Buddha conceived of and executed an alternative
form of social structure – the order of bhikkus which gives institutional
support for developing the threefold training. The order of Bhikkhus had
no place for the caste-system, or exploitation, but followed egalitarian
democratic pattern. On the contrary, Karl Marx maintained that the way
to ideal social system went through revolution (which could be violent
revolution) and what he called dictatorship of proletariat. Sangha order on
the other hand was not imposed on the members but was willingly
accepted by them. Marx maintained that in ideal social structure the
private property will have been abolished. This idea of the absence of
private property was already practiced long back in the Buddhist order of
Bhikkhus.
Dr. B.R. Ambedkar in his article “Awakened One with Awareness or Karlmark” has brought out clearly the contrast between the Marxian approach and the Awakened One with Awareness’s approach as follows:
Karl Marx is no doubt
the father of modern socialism or
Communism but he was not interested merely in propounding the theory
of Socialism. That had been done long before him by others. Marx was
more interested in proving that his Socialism was scientific. His
crusade
was as much against the capitalists as it was against those whom he
called
the Utopian Socialists. He disliked them both. It is necessary to note
this
point because Marx attached the greatest importance to the scientific
character of his Socialism. All the doctrines which Marx propounded had
no other purpose than to establish his contention that his brand of
Socialism was scientific and not Utopian.
The means of bringing about Communism, which the Buddha
propounded, were quite definite. It can be devided into three parts. Part I
consisted in observing the Pancha Silas. The Enlightenment gave birth to
a new gospel, which contains the key to the solution of the problem,
which was haunting him.
The foundation of the New Gospel is the fact that the world was
full of misery and unhappiness. This was the fact that was not merely to
be noted but to be regarded as being the first and foremost in any scheme
of salvation. The recognition of this fact was made by the Buddha, the
starting point of his gospel. To remove this misery and unhappiness was
to him the aim and object of the gospel if it was to serve any useful
purpose. Asking what could be the causes of this misery the Buddha
found that there could be only two.
A part of the misery and unhappiness of man was the result of his
own misconduct. To remove this cause of misery he preached the
practice of Panch Sila.
The Panch Sila comprised the following observations: (1) To
abstain from destroying or causing destruction of any living things (2) To
abstain from stealing i.e. acquiring or keeping by fraud or violence, the
property of another: (3) To Abstain from telling untruth: (4) To abstain
from lust: (5) To abstain from intoxicating drinks.
A part of the misery and unhappiness in the world was according to
the Buddha the result of man’s inequity towards man. How was this
inequity to be removed? For the removal of man’s inequity towards man the Awakened One with Awareness prescribed the Noble Eight-Fold Path. The elements of the
Noble Fight-Fold Path are:
(1) Right views i.e. freedom from superstition: (2) Right aims, high
and worthy of the intelligent and earnest men; (3) Right speech i.e.
kindly, open, truthful: (4) Right Conduct i.e. peaceful, honest and pure;
(5) Right livelihood i.e. causing hurt or injury to no living being; (6)
Right perseverance in all the other seven; (7) Right mindfulness i.e. with
a watchful and active mind; and (8) Right contemplation i.e. earnest
thought on the deep mysteries of life.
The aim of the Noble Eight-Fold Path is to establish on earth the
kingdom of righteousness, and thereby to banish sorrow and unhappiness
from the face of the world.
The third part of the Gospel is the doctrine of Nibbana. The
doctrine of Nibbana is an integral part of the doctrine of the Noble Eight-
Fold Path. Without Nibbana the realisation of the Eight-Fold Path cannot
be accomplished.
The doctrine of Nibbana tells what are the difficulties in the way of
the realisation of the Eight-Fold Path.
The chiefs of these difficulties are ten in number. The Buddha
called them the Ten Asavas, Fetters or Hindrances.
The first hindrance is the delusion of self. So long as a man is
wholly occupied with himself, chasing after every bauble that he vainly
thinks will satisfy the cravings of his heart, there is no noble path for him.
Only when his eyes have been opened to the fact that he is but a tiny part
of a measureless, whole, only when he begins to realise how impermanent
a thing is his temporary individuality can he even enter upon this narrow
path.
The second is Doubt and
Indecision. When a man’s eyes are opened
to the great mystery of existence, the impermanence of every
individuality, he is likely to be assailed by doubt and indecision as to
his
action. To do or not to do, after all my individuality is impermanent,
why
do anything are questions, which make him indecisive or inactive. But
that will not do in life. He must make up his mind to follow the
teacher,
to accept the truth and to enter on the struggle or he will get no
further.
The third is dependence on the efficacy of Rites and Ceremonies.
No good resolutions, however firm will lead to anything unless a man
gets rid of ritualism: of the belief that any outward acts. any priestly
powers, and holy ceremonies, can afford him an assistance of any kind. It
is only when he has overcome this hindrance, that men can be said to
have fairly entered upon the stream and has a chance sooner or later to
win a victory.
‘’ The fourth consists of the bodily passions… The fifth is ill will
towards other individuals. The sixth is the suppression of the desire for a
future life with a material body and the seventh is the desire for a future
life in an immaterial world.
The eighth hindrance is Pride and ninth is self-righteousness. These
are failings which it is most difficult for men to overcome, and to which
superior minds are peculiarly liable contempt for those who are less able
and less holy than themselves.
The tenth hindrance is ignorance. When all other difficulties are
conquered this will even remain, the thorn in the flesh of the wise and
good, the last enemy and the bitterest foe of man.
Nibbana consists in overcoming these hindrances to the pursuit of
the Noble Eight-Fold Path.
The doctrine of the
Noble Eight-Fold Path tells what disposition of
the mind which a person should sedulously cultivate. The doctrine of
Nibbana tells of the temptation or hindrance which a person should
earnestly overcome if he wishes to trade along with the Noble Eight-Fold
Path
The Fourth Part of the new Gospel is the doctrine of Paramitas.
The doctrine of Paraimitas inculcates the practice of ten virtues in one’s
daily life.
These are those ten virtues—d) Panna (2) Sila (3) Nekkhama (4)
Dana(5) Virya(6) Khanti(7) Succa(8) Aditthana(9) Mettaa-nd (10)
Upekkha.
Panna or wisdom is the light that removes the darkenss of Avijja,
Moha or Nescience. The Panna requires that one must get all his doubts
removed by questioning those wiser than him self, associate with the wise
and cultivate the different arts and sciences which help to develop the
mind.
Sila is moral temperament, the disposition not to do evil and the
disposition to do good; to be ashamed of doing wrong. To avoid doing
evil for fear of punishment is Sila. Sila means fear of doing wrong.
Nekkhama is renunciation of the pleasures of the world. Dana means the
giving of one’s possessions, blood and limbs and even one’s life for the
good of the others without expecting anything in return.
Virya is right endeavour. It is doing with all your might with
thought never turning back, whatever you have undertaken to do.
Khanti is forbearance. Not to meet hatred by harted is the essence
of it. For hatred is not appeased by hatred. It is appeased only by
forbearance.
Succa is truth. An aspirant for Buddha never speaks a lie. His
speech is truth and nothing but truth.
Aditthana is resolute determination to reach the goal. Metta is
fellow feeling extending to all beings, foe and friend, beast and man.
Upekka is detachment as distinguished from indifference. It is a
state of mind where there is neither like nor dislike. Remaining unmoved
by the result and yet engaged in the pursuit of it.
These virtues one must practice to his utmost capacity. That is why
they are called Paramitas (States of Perfection).
Such is the gospel the Buddha enunciated as a result of his
enlightenment to end the sorrow and misery in the world.
It is clear from Dr. Ambedkar’s article “Awakened One with Awareness or Karl Marx” (W&S, vol.3) how, the means adopted by the Buddha were to convert a
man by changing his moral disposition to follow the path voluntarily. The
means adopted by the Communists are equally clear, short and swift.
They are (1) Violence and (2) Dictatorship of the Proletariat.
The Communists say that there are the only two means of
establishing communism. The first is violence. Nothing short of it will
suffice to break up the existing system. The other is dictatorship of the
proletariat. Nothing short of it will suffice to continue the new system.
It is now clear what are the similarities and differences between
Buddha and Karl Marx. The differences are about the means. The end is
common to both. (Awakened One with Awareness or Karl Marx”, (W&S vol. 3 p. 450)
3.4.2 Bhikku Buddhadasa’s approach
Another Awakened One with Awareness response to Marxism can be seem in Bhikkhu
Buddhadasa, a contemporary Thai Awakened One with Awareness thinker, who proposed his
social theory of dhammic socialism out of an Asian way of thinking,
within an Asian context. Since Thailand has never been colonized by a
Western power, Buddhist socialism can be interpreted as a struggle for economic and cultural independence. Bhikkhu Buddhadasa, a
contemporary Thai Awakened One with Awareness thinker, has interpreted Buddhism not only
from a religious point of view of his unique theory of Buddhist socialism or “dhammic socialism” but also from a sociopolitical perspective. After devoting most of his life to reforming Buddhism in Thailand, Buddhadasa
found it necessary to address sociopolitical issues from a Buddhist perspective. In the 1960’s, he articulated his sociopolitical position in
terms of “dhammocracy” (dhammathipatai): the social and political order
should follow the law of Dhamma the teachings of the Awakened One with Awareness. Later on,
in the atmosphere of the student led Revolution in Thailand from 1973 to
1976, Buddhadasa presented (dhammika sangkhomniyom). Buddhadasa
bases his theory of dhammic socialism on nature. To him, nature
represents the state of balance for the survival and wellbeing of human
beings, animals, plants, and the ecology of the world. In the state of
nature, every being produces according to its capacity and consumes according to its needs; no being, whatever form, hoards “surplus” for its
own sake. Buddhadasa calls this balanced state of nature socialistic. Problems arise, however, when human beings begin to hoard a “surplus” for the sake of their own profit; this leaves others facing scarcity and
poverty. According to Buddhadasa, human beings can and should produce a “surplus,” but the “surplus” should be distributed for the wellbeing of everyone, and Buddhism provides the ethical tools for this
fair distribution. Philosophically, dhammic socialism is based on this
principle: none of us should take more than we really need. We should
share whatever extra we have with those who have less. Social problems
are fundamentally a result of greed. In other words, greed is at the heart
of scarcity and poverty (Buddhadasa, Dhammic Socialism, 107). Buddhadasa’s individualistic approach to social and economic problems is implemented via the personal practices of generosity (dana) and self-restraint, which consists of keeping precepts (sila) and being self
disciplined the global market economy.
In a later unit in this chapter, we shall explain more on that
concept. According to Buddhist tradition, a good ruler has ten virtues,
enumerated in the next unit.
3.5 Dasa Rajadhamman or Ten Royal Virtues
Awakened One with Awarenessis more than a religion or a life philosophy; it is a way of
life. It is broad in scope and perceptive of the lives of others. Henceforth, Awakened One with Awareness taught the eradication of poverty and internal security
of a kingdom as well as other social virtues. Towards the eradication of
crime in a country, a leader should eliminate poverty. Although there
were perhaps not the same strata of employment then that we have today,
Buddha urged employers and national leaders to improve relations with
employees through the means of wage and incentives, and occasional
gifts. Furthermore, kings and governments should consider the happiness
of their people seriously. In respect of good monarchy, there is the dasa
raja dhamma, which follow:
According to Buddhadhamma, or Buddhasatsana, a true, good
monarch is or should be endowed with the following ten virtues.
1. As it is incumbent of
the monarch to ensure the welfare and
prosperity of his people, the first of these virtues is dana or charity.
Dana
comes from the Sanskrit root dan, to give, which also founded the Latin
word don- as in donor (giver) and donation. In Buddhism, dana includes
generosity and reward. It is incumbent for a good leader to give freely
from his resources to anyone who needs anything. Maha Sudassana gave
whatever the needy person demanded at the time. This entails an accurate
assessment of the person’s condiition: ‘This man is hungry’ etc. and the suitable response.
2. The second virtue, very typically, was sila or morality. The raja
is himself a lay follower and lay followers were expected to follow only
five principles of moral conduct, whereas the bhikkus had many more.
The five principles, unlike their counterparts in other world religions, were not rigidly enforced. This may have been due to Buddha’s understanding of human weakness. These principles included the aversion
to kill meaninglessly, barring a war in the cause of national defence.
(Buddha taught ahimsa, or non-violence, but understood that war in self-
defense was hard to avoid for any nation.) The other precepts included
aversion to adultery (as it provokes rage and jealousy, and disharmony
among subjects), aversion to the use of harmful and improper speech such
as lies, slander, rumours and gossiping and aversion to intoxicating things
etc.
Awakened One with Awarenesscontinued to advise the following eight virtues:
3. pariccaga (self-sacrifice for common good): Sidhhi Butr-Indr
(1995; p.150) claims that this included the sacrifice of life and limbs on
behalf of the people, which is a very grand and noble gesture for anyone
and therefore very scarce. It arises from the belief that the happiness of
others causes oneself to feel happy, which is true.
4. ajjava (honesty): this virtue encompasses sincerity and freedom
from fear (bhayamokka) while discharging royal duties. It is very
conceivable that any honest man or woman, regardless of birthright,
should have no cause to fear so long as his/her activity is honest and
sincere. Thus, a king who lives honestly and sincerely need not fear any
loss to himself; or his family. Additionally, a king is recommended to be
straightforward and avoid deceptive or ‘crooked’ recourse towards his
ends. To highlight this, the Sigalovada Sutta, Digha Nikaya, adds: “Canda dosa bhaya moha—yo dhammam nativattati. Apurati tassa
yaso—Sukkha pakheva candima”. (If a person maintains justice without
being subjected to favouritism, hatred, fear or ignorance, his popularity
grows like the waxing moon.)
5. maddava (gentleness) includes politeness and friendliness.
Buddha apparently intended this as a tool in addressing the subjects. As
he must have known well that common men prefer to listen to kind,
sincere speeches.
6. tapa (austerity) is generally a quality of ascetics and therefore
uncommon in men of high birth and status in society. It requires the
monarch to simplify his ways of life, which seemed rare in those days as
well as in the present. The scriptures had mentioned reports of kings who abused wealth and power and were ‘lumped together’ with the thieves
from whom they were expected to protect their subjects.
7. akkodha is good will. It is also translated as ‘non-hatred.’ Thus, a ruler should not bear any grudge against anyone. Furthermore, he
should act with love and forbearance.
8. ahimsa (non-violence): Buddha taught non-violence even in the
case of war, although he was well aware that war was difficult to avoid.
As we have mentioned, he sanctioned war only when it was fought for the
preservation of the state and could avoid killing. He included the
promotion of peace through non-violent action, which is truly the only
way to peace. This virtue was best epitomised in Emperor Asoka.
9. khanti, or patience. The ruler is herein urged to bear all
hardships without losing his temper and should avoid yielding to his
emotions. In fact, Buddhists are generally advised to be thoughtful rather
than giving way to emotions, but a king or ruler should avoid this as well.
10. avirodha (non-opposition to the public demand) This includes a
commitment to public welfare and is a good twin to pariccaga. As a good
monarch will first deem the welfare and happiness of the people as his
own and then undertake to promote it. (Rahula, What the Buddha Taught 84-85)
Butr-Intr (Ibid. p.151) discusses the nature of a good king along
these lines, and historically there were god examples such as Maha
Sudassana and Asoka. Maha Sudassana practiced dana in the manner
described; Asoka practiced dana, sila and ahimsa and originated many
institutions in his kingdom to promote the public welfare. He stands as
one of the best examples of a monarch in early history. However, while
the leader who possesses all of thee virtues is loved well, he is very rare.
Some kings or leaders have possessed only a few virtues and others have
abused wealth and power for self-interest.
In modern day, with many countries assuming a democratic stance,
a few of them maintain monarchical influences. In Asia, these are
principally Nepal, Bhutan and Thailand. Nepal has deposed its monarchs
for criminal offences concerning ascension. Bhutan has remained a model
monarchical state, as Robert Thurman averred recently.
Thurman refers to the interesting paradox that Nagarjuna points out, that it’s very likely that a good and strong executive is an essential thing to maintain the interest of individuals in a society. So there is an
interesting paradox that you need a strong central leader to guarantee the
rights of the people and therefore the idea of a constitutional monarchy is
pretty close to a Buddhist ideal. (Retrieved from http://www.kuensel
online.com/ on 22 March 2009. Date of Citation: 27 November 2007)
Speaking more precisely on the duty and nature of the dhammaraja,
Thurman pointed that a true Buddhist king should attain to the state of
bodhisattva and serve his people. Asoka tried in his lifetime to attain that
end and we shall discuss him in the next unit. Below are Thurman’s words on the king:
Awakened One with Awarenesshas a very interesting paradox and that is, yes, it’s very
important to be a bodhisattva and serve the people, but you can’t really serve people well until you have wisdom, compassion and certain qualities of an enlightened person. That’s the first thing of a Buddhist King, the first duty is to himself, to develop full potential as a human being. That’s the first principle.
The second principle is
Non-Violence. This is very difficult for a
ruler or a King, because there are some criminals and they have to be
punished or there are some threats to the nation and it has to be taken
care
of, so it may seem a little tough.
But Nagarjuna ruled out capital punishment. Even criminals should
not be killed, but you might kill someone if they try to harm your family,
but generally you try to correct criminals and educate them. The analysis
of self-defense is kind of tricky in Buddhism, you can’t necessarily be perfect but you tend towards the principle of non-violence.
The third principle is difficult to explain in English because there is
no real word for it but I call it Educationalism. What this means is that the
primary industry of a Buddhist society is education of its citizens
because, for any human being, the most important thing they can do is to
learn. Buddhism is very different from any other religions because
Buddhism does not teach that you can achieve nirvana just by faith, faith
is not sufficient to be free from suffering. (Ibid.)
3.6 Awakened One with Awareness and the Social Life
Buddhism has been
an integral part of the life of Buddhists for it is
the root of culture and way of life of the people. In order to
appreciate the
importance, role and influence of Buddhism on the way of life of the
Buddhist populace, it is necessary to understand other structures or
fabrics, which are integral parts of Buddhism. Important components are
the Buddha (Somdej Phra Nyanasamvara 2000, pp.6-7), the Dhamma,
the Sangha and the Wat (monastery) and lay disciples. The Dhamma or
the teachings of the Buddha has been most influential on the way of life
of Buddhists. The teachings are found not only in the Pali Canon and
Suttapitaka but also in such religious literatures as the Jataka,
Buddhist
chronicles and myths. The Dhamma component is an abstract aspect and
serves as the heart of Buddhism. The Sangha or the community of monks
and the Wat are in close relation and proximity with the laymen and
interact with society in its daily life.
The close association and continuous relationship between
Buddhism and society is based on the concept that a society is a
conglomeration of tangible compositions and such abstract elements as
virtue, value, goodness, morality and ethics. There are continuous
interactions between the tangible and intangible components. In order to
maintain the society functionally and structurally, there must be an
interdependent and supportive relationship of different compositions of
Buddhism. Lacking any of them would cause imbalance in society. In a
village community, for example, not having a monastery and monks to
edify and guide the people would result in the low morality and spirit of
the inhabitants. Similarly, if the monks in the community do not strictly
adhere to the Dhamma and keep to their duties according to the code of discipline (Vinaya), the people’s morality and spirit would become lax,
the community’s social relationships would also be weakened, unstable and not in peace. Social relationships are not always in harmony.
Conflicts may arise from time to time. Resolution to such conflicts may
be achieved by means of adjustment and adaptation of the existing social
structure and function in order to maintain the society. Alternatively,
there might be a replacement of the structure and function of the old
society by a new one.
Interaction and the independent relationship of the Sangha and lay
society is another aspect of the relationship between society and religion.
The Sangha is the most important and traditional Buddhist institution,
which is in close association with the people. It plays an essential role,
both religious and secular, in the life of the people. It provides spiritual
sanctuary and serves as a field of merit for the people when they need
spiritual comfort. In the secular sphere, the monks render services to rural
and remote communities. The monks help in teaching the children,
healing the sick by traditional methods, and leading the villagers in
various development efforts. Reciprocally, the lay community provides
the monks with necessities for their living so that they need not worry
about earning their living. Such an interdependent and reciprocal
relationship contributes to a situation in which each party has to be
flexible and adaptable to changes. An accommodating and adaptive
ability is an indispensable quality of the structure within a society, which
make possible the maintenance of the society. The maintenance of the
structure and the regulation of social order are structurally and
functionally defined. It is a situation in which every component of the
society is interdependent, interacting and contributing to the system
maintenance. Generally speaking, there are a variety of components in a
society. The important ones are an economic structure, a political structure and a belief system meaningful to people’s lives and thoughts. The major element in this belief system is a religious structure.
3.7 Awakened One with Awarenessdhamma and Society
The teachings of the Awakened One with Awareness are voluminous and classified into
groups. Each group serves a specific purpose. It explains an existing
phenomenon, its cause of arising and the effects thereof. There are also
prescriptions to overcome individual problems. The level of depth and sophistication of the teachings are also purposely prescribed to suit
individual needs. Due to the differences in context and level of
sophistication of the teachings, there arise differences in interpretation of the teachings. This concerns one’s perception and experiences, occupation and education. Some political scientists may understand the Awakened One with Awareness concept Santosa (satisfaction with whatever is one’s own) as not conducive to development. In contrast, conservationalists and
environmentalists would see the meaning of Santosa as contentment with
the maintenance of the existing status and conditions, which is supportive
to environmental conservation. Students of Buddhist Studies would view
such interpretations as not comprehensive. This signifies different levels
of understanding of the teachings of the Buddha by the Buddhists. According to Robert Redfield’s concept of ‘Great and Little Tradition’,
people’s appreciation of Buddhism can be divided into two broad categories, doctrinal and popular Buddhism. (Robert Redfield 1965,
pp.41-43)
Firstly, doctrinal Awakened One with Awareness refers to the teachings of the Buddha
and practices contained in the Canon Sutta and related literatures.
Doctrinal Buddhism is thus believed to be original. Its followers will
refuse principles, teachings and practices, which are not contained in the
Canon and Suttapitaka. They view belief in spirits, deities, and other
forms of Animism including beliefs and practices adopted from other
faiths, as heresy. The followers of doctrinal Awakened One with Awarenessare few in number
but are well educated.
Secondly, popular Buddhism refers to a Buddhism which is
permeated by other religions and belief systems. It includes Animism,
Brahmanism, and beliefs in spirits and ghosts. The teachings and practices of Awakened One with Awareness and other belief systems are so interwoven that
only the well educated among the faithful can distinguish Buddhism from
the others.
Religious rites, an important structure and function of a religion
can differentiate between the intricacy of doctrinal and popular Awakened One with Awareness. The followers of popular Buddhism tend to rank ritual very
high. Their rituals are a combination of Buddhistic, Animistic and
Brahmanical elements. A wedding ceremony, for example, begins with Awakened One with Awarenessmerit making such as giving alms to the monks in the morning.
Late morning ritual involves the offering of sacrifices to the spirit house
and to the ancestors. In the evening Brahmanism is invoked to bless the
bride and the groom. The holiest part of the evening ritual is the pouring
of lustral water on the hands of the couple with blessings from the senior
guests. On the contrary, the followers of doctrinal Awakened One with Awareness are more
concerned with Awakened One with Awareness ritual and play down the non-Awakened One with Awarenesstic ones.
The great majority of Awakened One with Awarenessin Thailand, Laos and Cambodia
follow popular Awakened One with Awareness. This phenomenon can be explained in the
context of the belief system at every level of society. Amongst the most
primitive, there exists a belief system that human beings can hold on to.
Such a belief system may be Animism in various forms, including beliefs
regarding natural happenings. Certain communities have embraced an
established religion such as Brahmanism, which was well rooted in India
and propagated all over the world, and Taoism or Confucianism, which
spread from China. By the time that Buddhism was introduced to
Southeast Asia, there already existed belief systems and religious among
the people. When they accepted Buddhism they also kept their old beliefs.
Due to its flexible and liberalism, Awakened One with Awareness easily absorbed certain elements of existing belief systems into its mainstream. What developed
from this process is popular Awakened One with Awareness.
The teachings of the Awakened One with Awareness display variety in its levels of
sophistication, purposes, content, and specialties. For example, the Four
Noble Truths explain natural phenomena, which will be with everyone
from birth to death. It describes the nature of suffering represented by
birth, old age, disease and death, including sorrow and frustration of
every kind; the origin of problems and suffering by way of causality; the
extinction of suffering; and the path leading to the extinction of suffering.
There are teachings that guide the people to live comfortably without
economic hardship. This teaching is called
Dittadhammikatthasamvattanika-dhamma (virtues conducive to benenfits
in the present).
It teaches the laymen to have energy; industry and watchfulness
concerning their properties; to associate with good people; and to live
economically. The Awakened One with Awarenessalso encouraged people to follow the path to
success. This appears in a particular teaching called Iddhipada (basis for
success). However, the over all purpose of the teachings of the Awakened One with Awareness
can be summarized in the following:
Firstly, it enlightens the laymen about the nature of life from birth
and existence to death. This includes an explanation of the origin of life,
existence after birth and survival until death. The teachings also deal with ways to lead one’s life happily, in harmony with nature and how to minimize and cope with suffering arising from sickness, death,
disappointment, separation and other misfortunes.
Secondly, it explains and prescribes ways for people to live
together mutually on a one to one level, as well as on national and global
levels. The teachings, to achieve this purpose, deals with the prescriptions
for social relationships between individuals, social relations within the
family, social relationships between family and family, between teacher
and students, between employer and employees, between religious
personnel and laymen, between government and subjects and between
state and state.
Thirdly, it gives guidance on the application of the teachings of the
Buddha to improve the daily life. The prescriptions are designed to be
workable according to the nature of problems and the level of
appreciation of the individual needs. Therefore, there are levels in the
teachings of the Buddha, i.e., basic truth, middle and sophisticated truth,
both in mundane and supramundane states (Lokiyadhamma and
Lokuttaradhamma).
The dissemination of the teachings of the Buddha to people at
different levels of appreciation requires specialized methods to suit each
group. So as to preach Dhamma to intellectuals and educated people who
are keen on Buddhism and who want to apply Dhamma to improve their
lives, sophisticated Dhamma must be selected. The Dhamma for the
followers of popular Buddhism, on the contrary, has to be simplified and
easy to understand. Simplified Laws8 of Kamma and stories from the
Jataka and Sutta are an effective means to edify them. However, Phra
Rajavoramuni points out that whatever the teaching methods are, all
teachings are related, for the essence of the teachings derives from the
same truth and the ultimate purpose is identical. In fact, these teachings
are identical in purpose but given different labels. The truth is
disseminated selectively and in different forms.
3.8 Awakened One with Awareness : The Socio-political Changes and the Social Order
The principle of ever-changing nature or the impermanent
condition of the society is a very important to consider when one studies
the relationship between Awakened One with Awareness and society. It is argued that at the
time when the Awakened One with Awareness was seeking awakenment there had been rapid
socio-political changes in the homeland of Awakened One with Awareness, i.e., present
Northern India (Phra Rajavoramuni 1983, pp.11-12). The Awakened One with Awarenessconsidered that the ever-changing or impermanent conditions were causes
of suffering and societal problems. He therefore devoted himself to the
search for truth to remedy human suffering. The suffering and problems,
which the Awakened One with Awareness perceived, were: (1) natural changes in human beings
and (2) changes caused by man.
Firstly, natural changes in human beings, these were the causes of
suffering inherent in human beings, for example, birth, sickness, death,
happiness, suffering, satisfaction, disappointment, etc. Though they are
the natural phenomena, yet they can cause suffering to people. The
Buddha believed that there must be a remedy to end or at least to
minimize those causes of suffering. Thus, he set forth in search of the
truth. Secondly, changes caused by man, includes: (1) political changes
and (2) socio-economic changes.
Firstly, political changes during the lifetime of the Awakened One with Awareness
and the
political environment could be characterized as pertaining to two major
forms of government. The first one was absolute monarchy. The other was a
system based on co-operation between the ruling elites of small
principalities within the states. This form of government is said to be
equivalent to a loosely structured republican system and the mode of
government was democratic. The absolute monarchy form of government
had been adopted by the four northern states of India and they proved to
be very politically strong and stable. Among these states, two of them
had
adopted democratic procedures in their government. Legislation, policy
making, and judicial processes were based on consultation in the
assembly of the assigned ruling elite. Majority opinion was adopted to
arrive at final decisions and resolutions. However, the democratic form
of
government was gradually weakened by the stronger authoritarian
governments and finally became absorbed by the absolute monarchical
system.
Secondly, it is the socio-economic changes. The expansion of the
absolute monarchical states contributed to the expansion of trade. The
growth of trade generated the bourgeois and capitalist classes. Those who
were economically strong became politically influential and dominated
the government (Phra Rajavoramuni 1982 pp.21-22).
The characteristics and nature of socio-political and economic
changes became integral parts of the teachings of the Buddha. Since the
Buddha gave heavy importance to the forces of socio-political and
economic change, this contributed to Buddhist ability to adjust to changes
without losing its essence.
In the context of
socio-political changes, Buddhism has played a
very important role in regulating and organizing society for the
survival and continuity of the society. These functions can be
summarized as
followings:
A. Socialization function. In Awakened One with Awareness societies, culture, values and
customs are deeply rooted in Awakened One with Awareness. Although there are normative
and substantive socializing agents, the monks and monasteries are another
important socializing institution. They have served as ethical and moral
socializing agents. They persuade the people to follow social rules and
regulations and to lead their lives according to the Awakened One with Awareness way of life.
Such virtues as loving and kindness (Metta-Karuna), kind-heartedness,
being helpful to each other, courtesy and social relationships between
persons of different status constitute this way of life.
B. Social control function. Social control is indispensable for
human society. In order to keep society in order and its members
behaving correctly, so as to maintain peace and order, there must be laws
and regulations governing the society. It is necessary to have an
authoritative body, i.e., a government to enact and enforce such secular
laws and regulations. In addition there are also traditions and customary
laws that enhance the social control of any society.
However, those secular social control mechanisms are aimed at regulating men’s activities and overt behavior. They will be effective only when men feel morally obligated to follow the laws and regulations.
Religion can play a very important role in instilling in the people a sense
of morality and edifying them. The monks and monasteries are essential
religious socializing agents that train Awakened One with Awareness to be good citizens. Awakened One with Awareness
principles, which function as a social control mechanism, are,
for example, the Five Precepts, Brahmavihàra (sublime states of mind),
Sangahavatthu (virtues making for group integration and leadership and
principle of services), Nathakaranadhamma (virtues which make for
protection), Saraniyadhamma (virtues for fraternal living), Adhipateyya
(dominant influence, supremacy, Dithadhammikattha (sources of
happiness in the present life), etc. People, who are trained, edified,
and
keep to the teachings of the Buddha will have shared norms and follow a
common way of life. Such a society will face minimal conflicts, people
will live together with reason and social problems are minimized.
C. Awakened One with Awareness serves as a unifying force for the society. The fact
that the faithful follow the teaching of the Awakened One with Awareness, and adopt Dhamma as
guidance in their life, reinforces national integration and solidarity. Good
racial integration and a healthy religion enhance national security. In
addition to the teachings of the Awakened One with Awareness, religious rituals and calendar
festivals foster the unity of the people.
3.9 The Characteristics of the Rulers
Plato’s definition of philosopher king refer to one who is going to seek the truth; And truth can only be won by knowledge and wisdom. The
best government for him is the one, which has a philosopher king in
power. The other virtue, which is stressed by Plato, is justice. He says that
justice is the whole duty of man. He further explains that it is justice went
each class does its own proper work. In each of us also, if our inward
faculties do severally their roper work, we will live in the virtue of
justice; we will do just men, and doers of proper work.
Aristotle (born 884 B.C.) wrote how the powers of government
should be expressed. According to him, the government would be good if
it worked in the interest of the community as a whole. And on the
contrary it would be bad if it worked for the governing body and for
selfish purposes. Aristotle focused on the practitioner of government who,
by his power, would make the common good, good of life for all.
He mentions that political justice exists among people who are
associated in a common life with a view to self-sufficiency and who
enjoy freedom and equality. Justice must be administered not merely for a
private group but for the whole world. Aristotle explains that government
will be best if it serves the common good for the people. The political
thinkers emphasize the moral virtues of the ruler who should do justice to
all and bring good to all, a government working for the public good.
(Macilwain, 1932, pp.83-85)
The basis of religion is morality and faith, while that for politics is
power. Religion was used to justify wars and conquest, persecutions,
atrocities, rebellions, destruction of works of art and culture. When
religion is used to pander to political whims, it has to forego its high
moral ideals and become debased by worldly political demands.
The thrust of the Awakened One with Awareness Dhamma is not directed to the creation of
new political institutions and establishing political arrangements.
Basically, it seeks to approach the problems of society by reforming the
individuals constituting that society and suggesting some general
principles, through which the society can be guided towards greater
humanism, improved welfare of its members, and more equitable sharing
of resources.
There is a limit to the extent to which a political system can
safeguard the happiness and prosperity of its people. No political system,
no matter how ideal it may appear to be, can bring about peace and
happiness as long as the no matter what political system is adopted, there
are certain universal factors which the members of that society will have
to experience: the effects of good and bad kamma, the lack of real
satisfaction or everlasting happiness in the world characterized by dukkha (unsatisfactoriness), anicca (impermanence), and anatta (egolessness). To
the Awakened One with Awareness, nowhere in Samsara is there real freedom, not even in the
heavens or the world of Brahmas.
Although a good and just political system which guarantees basic
human rights and contains checks and balances to the use of power is an
important condition for a happy life in society, people should mot fritter
away their time by endlessly searching for the ultimate political system
where men can be completely free, because complete freedom cannot be
found in any system but only in minds which are free.
To be free, people will have to look within their own minds and
work towards freeing themselves from the chains of ignorance and
craving. Freedom in the truest sense is only possible when a person use Dhamma to develop his character through good speech and action and to
train his mind so as to expand his mental potential and achieve his
ultimate aim of enlightenment.
While recognizing the use fullness of separating religion from
politics and the limitations of political systems in bringing about peace and happiness, there are several aspects of the Buddha’s
teaching, which have close correspondence to the political arrangements
of the present
day.
1) Firstly, the Awakened One with Awareness spoke about the equality of all human beings
long before Abraham Lincoln, and the classes and castes are artificial
barriers erected by society. According to the Awakened One with Awareness, the only
classification of human beings is based on the quality of their moral
conduct.
2) Secondly, the Awakened One with Awareness encouraged the spirit of social co-
operation and active participation in society. This spirit is actively
promoted in the political in the political process of modern societies.
3) Thirdly, since no one was appointed as the Awakened One with Awareness’s successor, the members of the Order were to be guided by the Dhamma and Vinaya,
or in short, the Rule of Law. Until today every member of the Sangha is
to abide by the Rule of Law, which governs and guides their conduct.
4) Fourthly, the Awakened One with Awareness encouraged the spirit of consultation and
the democratic process. This is shown within the community of the Order
in which all members have the right to decide on matters of general
concern. When a serious question arose demanding attention, the issues
were put before the monks and discussed in a manner similar to the
democratic parliamentary system used today.
This self-governing procedure may come as a surprise to many to
learn that in the assemblies of Awakened One with Awareness in Prabuddha Bharat 2,500 years ago and
more are to be found the rudiments of the parliamentary practice of the
present day. A special officer similar to “Mr. Speaker” was appointed to preserve the dignity of the assembly.
A second officer, who played a role similar to the Parliamentary
Chief Whip, was also appointed to see if the quorum was secured.
Matters were put forward in the form of a motion, which was open to
discussion. In some cases it was done once, in others three times, thus
anticipating the practice of Parliament in requiring that a bill should be
read a third time before it becomes law. If the discussion shows a
difference of opinion, it was to be settled by the vote of the majority
through balloting.
The Awakened One with Awareness approach to political power is the moralization and
the responsible use of public power. The Awakened One with Awarenesspreached non-violence
and peace as a universal message. He did not approve of violence or the destruction of life, and declared that there is no such thing as a “just” war.
He taught: ‘The victor breeds hatred, the defeated lives in misery. He who renounces both victory and defeat is happy and peaceful. Not only did the Awakened One with Awareness teach non-violence and peace, but also he was perhaps the first
and only religious teacher who went to the battlefield personally to
prevent the outbreak of a war. He diffused tension between the Sakyas
and Koliyas who were about to wage war over the waters of Rohine. He
also dissuaded king Ajātaśatru from attacking the Kingfom of the vajjis.
The Awakened One with Awareness discussed the importance and the prerequisites of a
good government. He showed how the country could become corrupt,
degenerate and unhappy when the head of the government becomes
corrupt and unjust. He spoke against corruption and how a government should act on humanitarian principles. The Awakened One with Awareness once said, “When the ruler of a country is just and good, the ministers become
just and good;
when the ministers are just and good, the higher officials become just
and
good; when the higher officials are just and good, the rank and
filebecome just and good; when the rank and file become just and good,
the people become just and good.”
In the Cakkamatti Sihananda Sutta, the Buddha said that
immorality and crime, such as theft, falsehood, violence, hatred, cruelty,
could arise from poverty. Kings and government may try to suppress
crime through punishment, but it is futile to eradicate crimes through
force.
In the Kutadanta Sutta, the Buddha suggested economic
development instead of force to reduce crime. The government should use the country’s resources to improve the economic conditions of the country. It could embark on agricultural and rural development, provide
financial support to entrepreneurs and business, and provide adequate
wages for workers to maintain a decent life with human dignity.
In the Milinda Panha, it is stated: ‘If a man, who is unfit, incompetent, immoral, improper, unable and unable and unworthy of
kingship, has enthroned himself a king or a ruler with great authority, he is subject to be tortured…to be subject to a variety of punishment by the people, because, being unfit and unworthy, he has placed himself
unrighteously in the seat of sovereignty. The ruler, like others who violate
and transgress moral codes and basic rules of all social laws of mankind,
is equally subject to punishment; and moreover, to be censure is the ruler who conducts himself as a robber of the public.’
In Jantaka story, it is
mentioned that a ruler who punishes innocent
people and does not punish the culprit is not suitable to rule a
country.
The king always improves himself and carefully examines his own conduct
in deed, words and thoughts, trying to discover and listen to
public opinion as to whether or been guilty of any faults and mistakes
in
ruling the that they are ruined by the wicked ruler with unjust
treatment,
punishment, taxation, or other oppressions including corruption of any
kind, and they will react against him un one way or another. On the contrary, if he rules righteously they will bless him: ‘Long live His
Majesty.’
The Awakened One with Awareness’s emphasis is on the moral duty of a ruler to use public power to improve the welfare of the people had inspired Emperor
Asoka, a sparkling example of this principle, resolved to live and preach
the Dhamma and to serve his subjects and all humanity accordingly. He
declared his non-aggressive intentions to his neighbours, assuring them of
his goodwill and sending envoys to distant kings bearing his message of
peace and non-aggression.
He promoted the energetic practice of the socio-moral virtues of
honesty, truthfulness, compassion, benevolence, non-violence,
considerate behaviour towards all, non-extravagance, non-
acquisitiveness, and non-injury to animals. He encouraged religious freedom and mutual respect for each other’s creed. He went on to
periodic tours preaching the Dhamma to the rural people. He undertook
works of public utility, such as founding of hospitals for man beings and
animals, supplying of medicine, plantation of the roadside trees and
groves, digging of wells, and construction of watering sheds and rest
houses. He expressly forbade cruelty to animals.
Sometimes the Buddha is
said to be a social reformer. Among other
things, he condemned the caste system, recognized the equality of
people, spoke on the need to improve socio-economic conditions,
recognized the
importance of n more equitable distribution of wealth among the rich and
the poor, raised the status of women, recommended the incorporation of
humanism in government and administration, and taught that a society
should not be run by greed but with consideration and compassion for the
people. despite all of these, his contribution to mankind is much
greater
because he took off at a point which no other social reformer before or
ever since had done, that is, by going to the deepest roots of human ill
which are found in human mind.
It is only in the human mind that true reform can be affected.
Reforms imposed by force upon the external world have a very short life
because they have no roots. Not those reforms, which spring as a result of the transformation of man’s inner consciousness, remain rooted. While their braches spread outwards, they draw their nourishment from and
unfailing source the subconscious imperatives of the life- stream itself. So reforms come about when men’s minds have prepared the way for them, and they live as long as men revitalize them out of their own love of truth,
justice and their fellow men. (K.Shi Dhammananda, 1993, pp.231-236)
Kingship is generally
regarded as a result of meritorious actions
performed in the past births. The pali texts generally insist that a
king be
khattiya and belong to a family with a hoary lineage. This is in keeping
with the early Buddhist view that the Khattiyas are the highest among
classes and castes. Nor is a woman favoured as a ruler. Of course this
can
be taken as the observation of the Buddhists of the contemporary
situation. This cannot be regarded as the general rule or even the main
emphasis of Buddhism. What is more important for Buddhism, is that a
good king is expected to have ten qualities such as charity, morality,
and spirit of sacrifice, justice, humility, penitence, absence of wrath,
absence
of violence, patience and harmlessness. A good king, however, should do
more than merely possess certain qualities. He should sub-serve two
traditions namely those of attha and Dhamma. The terms attha and
Dhamma may be rendered, in our present context, as actions conducive to
prosperity and righteousness.
Owing to the fact that a leader is the most important and powerful
person. He, therefore, should know the price of leadership: emulation and
envy. A leader is envied. High and powerful positions are fervently
sought out for all the promise they hold. And what can be more alluring
than the highest post in the land?
To be good leader should be undaunted to emulation and envy
which are around us. In this case, the researcher agrees with S. Leelavathi
the famous columnist who in the column “The Speaking Tree” (Times of
India, Monday, May 31, 2004), mentioned the price of leadership by
saying, “Now that the “crown of thorns” has been placed on a leader’s head, it is instructive to look at what leadership means, both for the leader
and the led. True, the lead of any huge corporation or country will have
almost boundless resourced at his word shall be law. And sycophants
there will be aplenty. However, it is also true that no leader can be free of the baggage of leadership.”
In every field of human
endeavour; first he must perpetually live in
the white light of publicity. Whether the leadership should be vested in
a
man or in a manufactured product, emulation and envy are ever at work
in the art, in literature, in music, in industry, the reward and the
punishment are always the same. The reward is widespread recognition;
the punishment, fierce denial and detraction.
When a man’s work becomes a standard for the whole world, it also becomes a target for the shafts of the envious few. Should his work
be merely mediocre, he will be left severely alone; if he achieves a
masterpiece, it will set a million tongues wagging. Jealousy does not
protrude its forked tongue at the artist who produced a commonplace
painting.
Whatsoever you write, paint, play, sing or build, no one will strive
to surpass, or to slander you. Unless your work be stamped with the seal
of genius. Long, long after a great work or a good work has been done;
those who are disappointed or envious continue to cry out that it cannot
be done.
It is as old as the world and as old as human passions namely;
envy, fear, greed, ambition and the desire to surpass. And it all avails
nothing. If the leader truly leads, he remains the leader.
In conclusion we may say that the ruler is considered as the center
of the society. Everybody has to follow him as the leader. He is the model
for common people and the virtues to be developed by the ruler and his
subordinates to be the good model of people. The staff and all officials of
the ruler should be men of wisdom and virtue. The economic glory and
prosperity and spiritual peace of the people and the state should be taken
care of strictly by the ruler. It is supposed to be the symbol of the well-
being of the people.
The qualities of life both of body and mind, both of the ruler and
the ruled, should be developed simultaneously. Happiness, peace security,
and confidence of the people will thus be widely spread. A good ruler is
beloved and popular among the domestic as well as the monastic
inhabitants: just as a father is near and dear to his children, even so is the
ruler beloved and regarded by the ruled; and just as the children are near
and dare to their father, even so are the ruled to a ruler. He instructs the
public in the threefold practice of well-doing in thought, word and deed
and encourages them to perform charitable deeds, to observe morality, to
engage themselves energetically in their occupation to educate
themselves, to gain wealth, to fulfill their respective duties.
A good ruler sets his whole heart upon promoting the welfare of his
people and makes righteousness the sole purpose of his actions. Being
devoted to the happiness and well-being of his subjects, he appears like
righteousness personified. As the embodiment of righteousness and the
promoter of what is good for his subjects, he realizes their welfare to be
the fruit of righteousness and knows no other purpose than this. A ruler,
therefore, must have righteousness to lead his country and his people to
peace and happiness. ( Khongchinda Chanya,1993 pp.96-7)
3.10 Social Justice in Awakened One with awareness
A virtue needed by all beings, both human and animal, justice is the result of men’s treatment to their fellow human beings, other beings or even their natural surroundings in the way believed to be
fair in
accordance with the religious as well as the legal principles. However,
it
is an abstract element, unable to be touched but able to be felt by
heart.
The society, where there exists the justice, is assured to enjoy peace,
tranquillity and equality as well. In such society, the law can be
enforced
in the full scale, and the religious teachings can be applied
effectively.
But how justice arises and how justice can be achieved and implanted in the global community are the ‘everlasting’ questions pending solution by
the religions, legal instruments, education systems as well as by human
beings themselves. This chapter is going to deal with the Buddhist
concept concerning justice, the Buddhist approaches to create justice and
the Buddhist contributions to social justice in the society.
3.10.1 What is Justice?
Although “justice” is sometimes used synonym for “law” or
“lawfulness,” it has a broader closer to “fairness.”
As it has been explained in the Encyclopedia of philosophy edited
by Paul Edward, Justice presupposes people pressing claims and
justifying them by rules or standards. This distinguishes it from charity,
benevolence, or generosity. No one can claim alms or gifts as a right.
However, although this account is appropriate to questions of distributive
justice, where the problem is to allocate benefits, it is not so obviously
true of corrective (or retributive) justice. It is farfetched to describe a criminal trial as a conflict between an accused man’s interest in being let alone and the community’s interest (if it has one) in punishing him. Nevertheless, sentencing criminals and giving judgment in favor of one
party to a dispute rather than another have this in common with
distribution- that they all may involve overriding a claim and treating one
person more harshly that another. All presuppose general principles by
which such distinctions are regulated and justified.
Aristotle’s analysis of justice is the key to its meaning at the level
of the particular act or decision. Justice, he said, consists in treating
equals equally and unequals unequally, but in proportion their relevant
differences. This involves the idea like impartiality and right to equal
consideration.
Mill sought to reconcile retaliataive justice with utilitarianism,
arguing that the natural impulse to retaliate is moralized as a sentiment of
justice by confining it to those cases where the injury is to society at large
and where retaliative justice has a useful deterrent function. However,
although the duty of reciprocity may spring from our recognition of other
men, just as much as ourselves, as persons with interests and claims
deserving of respect, we cannot infer from that a duty to attack their
interests whenever they attack either our own or even those of society at
large.
Alf Ross, for instance, has declared that to use the word “just” as a description of a rule or general order, rather than of a particular decision
in accordance with the rule is merely to express emotion, like “banging
on the table.”
Hobbes is often said to have been a positivist because he maintained that “just” and “unjust” presuppose a coercive power capable of enforcing obligations and that no complaint of injustice could be made
against the sovereign legislator. But since he admitted that the sovereign
may act inequitably, that is, contrary to natural law, canons of legal
criticism beyond positive law do exist; it is only that the subject is not
entitled to use them.
The strength of the conventionalist position is illustrated by Rawls’s view of a just order as that body of principles that anyone might
recognize as in his interest to maintain, given that others on whose
acquiescence he depends, have interests that conflict with his own.
Although the rules might appear to discriminate against him on some
given occasion, he would be able to see the point, nevertheless, of having those rules. This was, broadly, Hume’s opinion. Justice, he geld, was conventional in the sense of being necessary to society. Though there
were discrepancies in detail, men’s ideas on justice corresponded in essentials because they arose from needs common to all social
saturations. These rules were binding by custom and convention but were
justified by their public utility.
Rawls has challenged the view that a practice is just if it answer
most fully to wants and interests. Justice is not the outcome but is
presupposed by such a calculation. Any interest not compatible with
justice ought not to be counted. Classical utilitarianism is at fault,
according to the Rawls, because it permits one to give as a reason why
slavery is unjust that the advantage to the slave holder does not outweigh
the disadvantages to the slave and to society at large. Justice, understood
as fairness, would not admit to the calculation the advantages of the
slaveholder as such because hid role could not be mutually acknowledge
as part of an acceptable practice by all parties involved. It would not be
thought relevant for one person, engaged with another in a common
practice and accused by him of injustice, to answer that nevertheless it
allowed of the greatest satisfaction of desire.
Dr.B.R.Ambedkar, one of greatest political and intellectual
personalities of Prabuddha Bharat, elucidated the concept of social justice as follows: “Social justice as a guiding and evaluative principle is always dynamic
because it takes stock of the changing situation and suggests the abolition
or modification of unjust custom, tradition and social structures to
promote the welfare of the people and the preservation of rights of the poor and weaker section of society” (Gokhale, Ed. 2008, p.87)
3.10.2 Awakened One with awareness concept of Justice
The term “Justice” is possibly equivalent to a Pali word of
“Yuttidhamma”or “Yuktidharma” in Sanskrit, which means ‘the principle
of impartiality’ or ‘the righteous principle on which the treatment of
either man-to-man or man to his fellow beings even his surroundings is
based and kept in balance’. Justice is abstract and difficult to understand.
To make clear what justice is requires the explanation in the opposite term, i.e., to talk about ‘prejudice’ or ‘partiality’. According to Buddhism, there are four kinds of prejudice, consisting of the prejudice caused by ‘Love’(Chandagati), ‘Hatred’(Dosagati), ‘Delusion’(Mohagati) and ‘Fear’(Bhayagati). This sounds quite different from the concept in
general which holds that there are just 2 kinds of prejudice, namely, ‘Love-based prejudice’ and ‘Hatred-based prejudice’. There is no need to elaborate the first two kinds of prejudice as they have already been well
acquainted to all. It is worth to explain the last two kinds: the prejudice
caused by delusion and that caused by fear.
It is admitted that in the context of decision-making, the all-
embracing knowledge, experiences, perfect information and thorough
consideration (Yoniso manasikara) are needed, not to mention the ‘SWOT’ (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities,
and Threats) analysis, which cannot be absolutely overlooked. In spite
of this, some failures
sometimes still arise. Specifically, should discrete appraisal or Yoniso
manasikara is to be accepted, what will happen is very horrible to
imagine
of. The delusion (Moha) or, in another word, lack of knowledge,
experiences and information that are sufficient and supportive, leads to
the rise of prejudice, either intentionally or unintentionally. Another
element that significantly influences the decision-making procedure is ‘fear’ (Bhaya), or the decision made under the pressure staged by an
influential person or group like political as well as interest groups that
exercise their power to the extent that the decision made is distorted.
These two kinds of prejudice, it can be said, may bring about, to the
society, negative effects which are more aggravated than those caused by
love and hatred.
As a matter of fact, Awakened One with awareness is the religion of ‘wisdom’. Thus, in all the practical processes ranging from the beginning to the highest level,
wisdom is an inevitable agent, lack of which the result will be otherwise. Moreover, ‘Bhaya’ or fear is, of course, nothing but an external power
that threatens the decision-making or Dhamma-practicing process. It can be compared to an ‘ill-wisher’ or ‘Mara’ in Pali term, who is always attempting to find chance to either tease or tempt the practitioners to go
astray and, at last, fail to achieve their goal.
Then it can be defined here that the treatment process that is
deprived of the above-mentioned four kinds of prejudice is called ‘Justice’.
As an atheistic religion, Awakened One with awareness
denies the existence of God or
any external power that is believed to determine the fate of man as he
wishes, whilst guaranteeing human competency in respect of self-
development, self-reliance and future-shaping through man’s own action,
i.e., the ‘Law of Kamma’ or, in other word, the ‘Law of Cause and Effect’. A Awakened One with awareness proverb says, ‘As a farmer reaps whatever crop he
grows, so man is due to receive whatever result of his own action, either
wholesome or unwholesome. If he does good action, he is due to receive
good result, and vice versa’. There are more of the Awakened One with awareness’s sayings in the Pali Text confirming the principle, for example,
-‘It is your duty to make your own effort. I am merely the pointer of
the way.’
-‘Have yourself as your own refuge, O Bhikkhus, and do not have others as such. Have the Dhamma as theirown refuge, and do not have others as such.’
In the Vasettha Sutta in Majjhima Nikaya (the Pali Text of Middle-
Length Discourses) dealing with two young Brahmans named Vasettha and Bharadavaja who had a controversial attitude in respect of ‘pure
birth’ according to the caste system in Hiduism, and decided to take the case to the Lord Awakened One with awareness for judgment, the Lord Buddha said (in Pali),
‘Na jacca vasalo hoti na jacca hoti brahmano.
Kammuna vasalo hoti kammuna hoti brahmano.’ (Not by his birth man is an outcaste or a Brahman;
Only by his own Kamma man becomes an outcaste or a Brahman.)
Moreover, it is unbelievable that even in the community of those
who believe in a theistic religion, there still exists a proverb saying like ‘God helps those who help themselves.’
3.10.3 Awakened One with awareness Approach to Justice
The introduction of the law of Kamma instead of the external power
exercised by god or gods, which was, at the inception of Buddhism, the
major powerful faith occupying the entire society emphasized the role of
the Lord Buddha in a courageous attempt to create the justice-based
society in the subcontinent. The first evidence can be detected from the
principle of belief laid down for the new-comers to Buddhism that starts
with (1) belief in Kamma or one’s own action, (2) belief in effect of Kamma, (3) belief that one is due to reap the effect of Kamma he has already done, and (4) belief in the Exalted One’s awakenment. There may be some argument that the last of the four beliefs is distinctively an
element of faith in external power, the answer to which is that Buddhists
are not taught to believe in the Lord Buddha as Almighty God who solely possesses the power to determine man’s fate, but, on the contrary, taught to believe in what had been enlightened by the Lord Awakened One with awareness through His
insight-wisdom like the Four Noble Truth, the Noble Eight-fold Path and
so on.
Another example lies in the revolutionary teaching in aspect of the
caste system to be substituted by the virtue-oriented system as the Lord Awakened One with awareness once said in the Ambattha Sutta in Digha Nikaya (the Pali Text of Lengthy Discourses) that ‘To those who are troubled with birth and
caste, the caste of monarchy is considered supreme. However, he who is
perfect in the principle of knowledge and the code of conduct is supreme
among celestial and human beings.’
Not only does Awakened One with awareness
expect the availability of justice among the
human community, but even the animal world as well as natural
surroundings should also enjoy the virtue. Take for example the re-
interpretation of the five Brahmanical sacrifices in light of Awakened One with awareness.
1. Assamedha that means the horse sacrifice was changed to Sassamedha, the meaning of which is the knowledge in the development
of rice or agricultural products.
2. Naramedha that means human sacrifice was reinterpreted as
Purisamedha meaning to render help to the people instead of killing them.
3. Sammapasa that formerly implied a series of sacrificial rites
in connection with a hoop or noose was re-interpretted as a philanthropic
movement implemented by the government or head of a community in
the form of a moral hoop or noose to fasten the minds of the people with.
4. Vajapeyya that means the immolation of seventeen kinds of
animal in the sacrifice, the meaning of which was changed to ‘drinking the water of wholesome speech.
5. Niraggala formerly implying the wholesale slaughter of both
human beings and animals was newly defined as the abolition of all
obstacles or crimes to the extent that people are so peacefully content and
happy.
Above all, the justice in the Awakened One with awareness concept that transcends all
kinds of the justice as earlier mentioned is the justice toward one’s own self, viz. the perfect liberation of one’s mind off the influence of defilements or Kilesas, which is the ultimate goal of Awakened One with awareness. It is considered an absolute prejudice toward his own self so far as man lets
himself fall under the yoke of defilements, the cruellest master, and become their faithful servants. Once the Lord Buddha said, ‘Be hurry, O
Bhikkhus, to paddle your boat till it shall reach the other side of the river
bank.’
3.10.4 Awakened One with awareness Contributions to Social Justice
Through its long history of over 2550 years, Awakened One with awareness has
contributed so much to the social justice, beginning with the destruction
of the caste system which resulted in the equilibrium of human beings in consistence with the proverb that says, ‘All men are born equal’, and introduction of the virtue-oriented system in its place, followed by the
challenging admission of ladies to get ordained as Bhikkhuni, which
means nothing but upgrading the status of females to be equal to that of
males, despite the fact that the problem of equal rights between men and
women still remains unanswerable so far in the age of globalization.
There exist more evidences in the issue, to mention just few as
follows:
-The establishment of the ‘Law of Cause and Effect’ implies the denial of the existence of God, the source of the external power, that may
effect the prejudice because of love, hatred, delusion and fear as earlier
mentioned.
-The seniority system applied in the ecclesiastical circle, regardless
of whatever category of birth they belong to, guarantees the fundamental nature of Awakened One with awareness that places a significant emphasis on the accumulated
virtues by means of doing good or wholesome actions.
-The self-development steps that begins with the control of physical
and verbal behaviors or Sila (Precept), followed by the control of mind or Samadhi (Meditation) and culminating with Panna (Insight-wisdom)
ensures the self-purification process that must be performed by one’s own self, not by others nor any external power, as says a Buddhist verse, ‘Suddhi asuddhi paccattam nanno nannam visodhaye’ (purity and impurity is the matter of an individual; one can, by no means, purify
another).
3.10.5 Awakened One with awareness and Human Rights
Notions of rights derive from ethical principles. There is a clear
convergence between Awakened One with awareness ethics and modern discussions on human
rights, particularly in the common focus on responsibility and
indivisibility/interdependence. The non-dual understanding of Awakened One with awareness
gives rise to an ethics of inter-responsibility, or Bodhicitta - what His
Holiness the Dalai Lama calls Universal Responsibility. In the Theravada
we speak of Samma-sankappa or Right Thought, which leads to Bodhi,
the Awakened Mind. This principle is expressed in everyday terms by the
teaching of loving-kindness, non-violence, compassion, and particular
responsibilities. For monks and nuns these are set down in the rule or
Vinaya; for lay people in the Sigalovada Sutta and for rulers in the
Dasarajadhamma.
All human beings, according to Awakened One with awareness,
are equal, and each has
the potential to realize the truth by his or her own will and endeavour,
and can help others to realize it. Buddhist concepts recognize the
inherent
dignity and the equal and inalienable rights of all human beings. The
teaching of the Buddha holds that all human beings are endowed with
reason and conscience. It recommends a Universal spirit of brotherhood
and sisterhood. Buddhist theory holds that the “three poisons” of
hatred,
greed and delusion are at the root of violence in the world, and that
the
solution is for us to see so deeply into these factors that we are no
longer
dominated by them.
In the early, organic, societies the Awakened One with awareness was addressing, these
specific responsibilities were assumed to be adequate guidelines for
human behaviour, with no need to identify the corresponding rights. In
modern, fragmented societies, however, where the fulfillment of
responsibilities cannot be guaranteed by the immediate community, these
guidelines or skillful means (upaya) have been supplemented by
corresponding rights. These are specified and protected by States and
International Organisations. In large part these bodies derive their
legitimacy from their promotion and protection of human rights. A State
which does not guarantee the enjoyment of human rights by its people
loses its claim to legitimacy.
Awakened One with awareness is widely regarded as the most tolerant of all religious
traditions. However, Awakened One with awareness countries like Sri Lanka, Burma, and
Cambodia have seen some of the highest levels of religious and ethnic
intolerance in the world, with Awakened One with awareness among the main perpetrators. In
other places it is Awakened One with awareness who are persecuted by the State, which fears
the influence of Awakened One with awareness on the people. In Burma, Tibet and Viet Nam,
for instance, thousands of Awakened One with awareness (especially monks and nuns) have
been persecuted, with well-documented instances of torture and executions. In Tibet most of the country’s monasteries have been
demolished.
The depiction of rights as simply a Western invention fails to
understand the relationship of rights to responsibilities and ethical norms.
The central values of all societies are very much the same. All ethical
systems encourage people to respect each other, and discourage killing,
violence and so on. Rights are skilful means designed to assist the
implementation of these ethics.
Human Rights discourse has moved on during the past 50 years
and has expanded and enriched the somewhat individualistic principles
set out in the ‘Universal Declaration of Human Rights’ which was adopted
and proclaimed by the General Assembly of the United Nations on 10
December 1948. The dialectic of universalism and cultural relativism, for
instance, is an immensely creative process as well as a cause for countless
conflicts. The work since 1982 on the rights of indigenous peoples -
group rights - is another important development. The cultural, social and
political development of a nation is a dynamic process. The orientation of
the process should not only be based in our own roots and traditions, but
must also be shaped by innovative new ideas. Cultural diversity is a factor
that enriches the modern approach to human rights, rather than hindering
the universal respect for and observance of human rights.
(http://www.buddhanetz.org/projekte/rights.htmRetrieved on 21/03/09)
3.10.6 Awakened One with awareness and political justice
The basis of political justice is that politically or economically
strongerpeoplemustnotbeempoweredtoviolatelegalsystem. Verilyin Awakened One with awarenessthere is no explicit body of social and political theory
comparable to its psychology or metaphysics. Nevertheless, a Awakened One with awarenesspolitical theory can be deduced primarily from basic Awakened One with awareness i.e. from Dharma. Awakened One with awareness is of the view that political power is essential to
fashion and sustain a society whose citizens are free to live in dignity,
harmony and mutual respect, free of the degradation of poverty and war.
In such a society of good heart, all men and women find encouragement
and support in making the best use of their human condition in the
practice of wisdom and compassion.
Political action, thus, involves the Awakened One with awareness ideal of approaching
each situation without prejudice, but with deserved circumspection in
questions of power and conflict, social oppression and justice. These
social and political conflicts are the great public samsaric driving
energies of our life to which an individual responds with both aggression
and self-repression. The Buddha Dharma offers the possibility of
transmuting the energies of the individual into wisdom and compassion.
This may indicate that Awakened One with awareness movement was mainly concerned
with ethical advancement and psychic illumination and not with political
affairs. Nevertheless, political repercussions did ensue from Awakened One with awareness. In
the Brahmajala Sutta, Awakened One with awarenessemphatically states that he is
vitally interested in social cohesion and co-operation and in the act of
reconciling those people who are divided. Early Awakened One with awareness did have
significant political consequences. From the evidence of the Awakened One with awareness’s discourses, or suttas in the Digha Nikaya (Mahaparinibbana-sutta), it is
clear that early Buddhists were very much concerned with the creation of
political conditions favorable to the individual cultivation of Buddhist
values. An outstanding example of this, in later times, is the remarkable
“welfare state” created by the Buddhist emperor, Asoka (B.C. 274-236).
The Awakened One with awareness political justice enjoins special responsibility to the king.
As the head of state he must adhere to specific code of conduct, as he is at
the helm of affairs of the state. Awakened One with awareness felt that the personal moral
conduct of the king, along with his officials, would be expressed in the
political affairs of the state. Thus, the righteous character of the state
would help in prevailing universal righteousness on earth. Hence,
deliverance through peaceful coexistence would become easily attainable
for all. In some passages of the Pali Texts a parallel has been drawn
between a Buddha and a monarch, as both held the same esteemed place
in the eyes of the people. The two have the same objective, i.e. the well-
being of people. Both are also an integral part of the ordinary empirical
existence, and the political good and well-being is assured through them.
The Kutadana sutta of the Digha-Nikāya explains that the safety of the
people and their economic, as well as material prosperity should be of
special concern for the state and the government. Political power may
manifest and sustain social and economic structures, which breed both
material deprivation and spiritual degradation for millions of people.
Awakened One with awareness are, thus, concerned with political action, first, in the direct
relief of non-volitionally caused suffering now and in the future, and,
secondly, with the creation of social karmic conditions favourable to the
following of the way that leads to the cessation of volitionally-caused
suffering, the creation of a society which tends to the ripening of wisdom
and compassion rather than the withering of them.
It is not an exaggeration to say that Awakened One with awareness is a single religion
that does recognize the competency of human beings to solve all the
problems confronting the world, no exception even to the problem of
prejudice or lack of justice. Justice can be developed through the
principle of the Awakened One with awareness Teachings. However, the propagation of Awakened One with awareness is not effective enough in lack of active cooperation of all
Buddhist traditions and Sects. The Second World Awakened One with awareness Forum hosted
by the Chinese Awakened One with awareness Association with a strong support from the
Chinese Government, it can be said, will be accounted as a spring board
for the active and energetic spreading of Awakened One with awareness Teachings as ‘Message
of Social Justice’ to all corners of the world, with the joint attempt of all Awakened One with awareness organizations, regardless of whatever tradition or
sect they are attached to. This is for the sake of peacefulness, happiness
and well-being of the world. (http://www.urbandharma.org retrieved on
20/01/09)
3.11 The Righteous Rulers (of Awakened One with awareness)
To start, Awakened One with awareness declared that righteousness
(dhamma) and morality (sila) were the best choices for rulers, as they would ensure a long, successful and popular reign. Whereas many monarchs of Awakened One with awareness’s time exercised extreme and often arbitrary power over their subjects, there were a few who followed his teachings. The
best-known examples were Bimbisara, and Asoka. Data on Asoka are
numerous and detailed, so the researcher shall concentrate on him.
Furthermore, Awakened One with awareness was proselytised by Asoka.
One of the greatest emperors of all times, Emperor Asoka was a
Mauryan ruler whose empire spread across the Indian subcontinent and
the present day Pakistan and Afghanistan thus covering a vast area. Born
in 265 B.C, the great king Ashoka was the grandson of the famous ruler
Chandragupta Maurya. He is known as Asoka the Great since he was one
of the most able rulers who ruled India. Under his rule, the whole of India
was united as one single entity with smooth administration.
After his father died, he was crowned as the king of Magadha
around 268 B.C. After being crowned as the king, he proved himself by
smoothly administrating his territory and performing all his duties as an
able and courageous king. After a period of eight years of being a king,
Ashoka planned to seize the territory of Kalinga, the present day Orissa.
He led a huge army and fought a gruesome battle with the army of
Kalinga. The battle of Kalinga made him pledge to never wage a war
again. The battle took place on the Dhauli hills that are located on the
banks of River Daya. Though Ashoka emerged victorious at the end, the
sight of the battlefield made his heart break with shame, guilt and disgust.
It is said that the battle was so furious that the waters of River Daya
turned red with the blood of the slain soldiers and civilians.
The sight of numerous
corpses lying strewn across the battlefield made his heart wrench. He
felt sick inside. The battle ground looked like
a graveyard with bodies of not just soldiers but men, women and
children.
He saw young children crying over the bodies of their dead parents,
women crying over the bodies of their dead husbands, mothers crying
over the loss of a child. This made him heartbroken and he made a pledge
to never ever fight a battle again. To seek solace, he converted to Awakened One with awareness. He was so inspired by the teachings of the Buddhist monks
and Awakened One with awareness philosophies that he used his status to impart this
knowledge all over the world. He is credited to be the first Emperor to
make a serious attempt at developing Awakened One with awareness policies.
Ashoka’s endeavour to proselytise Awakened One with awareness is seen through his fourteen stone edicts, which were erected throughout Northern India, and
the great stone statues of Awakened One with awareness in Bhamiyan, Afghanistan. From the
start, as evident in Edict I, Asoka (who called himself Piyadasi, or “beloved of the gods”) established a policy of love and compassion:
One must not, here below, kill any living animal by
immolating it, not for the purpose of feasts. The King Piyadasi sees
much that is sinful in such feasts. Formerly, such feasts were
allowed; and in the cuisine of King Piyadasi, beloved of the gods,
and for the table of King Piyadasi, beloved of the gods, hundreds of
thousands of living beings were killed every day. At the time when
this Edict id engraved, three animals only are killed for the table, two
pea-fowls and a gazelle, and the gazelle not regularly. Even these
animals will not be killed in the future. (Edict I, trans. by James
Prinsep. Romesh C. Dutt, 2004, p.92)
Edict II mentioned medicine within the empire and on the frontiers thereof, “the Cholas, the Pandyas,” etc. and in
the kingdomof Antiochus, king of the Greeks.” (Ibid. p.93) Edict IV
refers again
to the “slaughter of living beings.” Asoka also shows his gratitude
and respect to Awakened One with awareness “the religion spread by the King Piyadasi, beloved of the gods:”
“Thanks to the instruction of the religion spread by King Piyadasi, beloved of the gods, there exists today a respect for living
creatures, a tenderness towards them, a regard for relations and for
Brahmans and Sramans, a dutiful obedience to father and mother, and obeisance to aged men, such as have not existed for centuries”. (Edict IV, trans. by James Prinsep. Ibid.)
Edict V speaks of the difficulty in performing virtuous acts. It is
worthy to note that conversely Asoka acknowledged “to do evil is easy.” Therefore, he established ministers of the religion or dharmamahamatras. The dharmamahamatras were told to contact every sect in the empire and
with every race or tribe:
“They mix with all sects for the establishment and progress of the
religion, and for the well-being of the faithful. They mix with the
Yavanas, the Kambojas, the Gandharas, the Saurashtras, and the
Petenikas, and with other frontier (Aparanta) nations. They mix with
warriors and with Brahmans, with the rich and the poor and the aged, for
their well-being and happiness, and in order to remove all the obstacles in the path of the followers of the true religion”. (Ibid. p.94) Edict VII
testifies to Asoka’s religious tolerance and pluralism. In this edict, he
declares sectarian freedom by granting protection; and in Edict VIII he
declares that his new livelihood is the visitation of aged and learned men,
as opposed to hunting, etc.:
“The King Piyadasi, beloved of the gods, ardently desires that all
sects may live (unmolested) in all places. All of them equally propose the
subjection of the senses and the purification of the soul; but man is fickle in his attachments.” (Edict VII, Ibid. p.95)
“In past times, kings went out for pastimes. Hunting and other
amusements of the kind were their pastimes. Here below, I, King
Piyadasi, beloved of the gods, obtained true intelligence ten years after
my appointment. These then are my pastimes:-visits and gifts to
Brahmans and Sramans, visits to aged men, the distribution of money,
visited to the people of the empire, their religious instruction, and
consultation on religious subjects. It is thus that King Piyadasi, beloved of the gods, enjoys the pleasure derived from his virtuous acts.” (Edict VIII, Ibid.)
The Asokan model of governance was informed by what Sen (2005) terms a ‘foundational agnosticism and commitment to public
communication and discussion’ (Sen 2005: p.182). Unlike, Emperor
Constantine who made Christianity the official creed of the Roman
Empire, Asoka never made Buddhism a state religion. Furthermore, by
his willingness to accept dissent and commitment to tolerance of other
faiths, Asoka looked upon sectarianism with strong disfavor (Ling 1973).
Following the precedents set by the Awakened One with awareness, Asoka strove to ensure ‘religious freedom by supporting not just the Awakened One with awareness monks but ascetics
of other religious sects’ (Harvey 2000; p. 116); and also by striving to negotiate differences through participation and consensus building
(Laksiri Jayasuriya, 2008, p.25) Jayasuriya concludes that Awakened One with awareness
faboured democracy over monarchy because of equity and freedom
incumbent in it. The Awakened One with awareness favoured democracy not just as a question of the constitutional or legal right of equality and ‘the absolute worth of theindividual’ but more as an affirmation of the moral obligation cast on the individual to act within a code of conduct based on such values was
the ideal of human dignity, equality of respect and worth of the
individual. (Ibid.)
At this juncture, researcher will explore the Awakened One with awareness viewpoint
and approach to democracy.
3.12 Awakened One with awareness Approach to Democracy
Democracy understood as a way of thinking and acting implies a
rational commitment to freedom, equality and tolerance in a pluralistic
society, profoundly open minded, if not agnostic. The Awakened One with awareness saw that
life’s very purpose is happiness. He also saw that while ignorance binds
beings in endless frustration and suffering, wisdom is liberating. Modern
democracy is based on the principle that all human beings are essentially
equal, that each of us has an equal right to life, liberty, and happiness. Awakened One with awareness too recognises that human beings are entitled to dignity, that
all members of the human family have an equal and inalienable right to
liberty, not just in terms of political freedom, but also at the fundamental
level of freedom from fear and want. Irrespective of whether we are rich
or poor, educated or uneducated, belonging to one nation or another, to
one religion or another, adhering to this ideology or that, each of us is just
a human being like everyone else. Not only do we all desire happiness
and seek to avoid suffering, but each of us has an equal right to pursue
these goals. “Awakened One with awareness
is essentially a practical doctrine. In addressing
the fundamental problem of human suffering, it does not insist on a
single solution. Recognising that human beings differ widely in their
needs,
dispositions and abilities, it acknowledges that the paths to peace and
happiness are many. As a spiritual community its cohesion has sprung
from a unifying sense of brotherhood and sisterhood. Without any
apparent centralized authority Awakened One with awareness has endured for more than two
thousand five hundred years. It has flourished in a diversity of forms,
while repeatedly renewing, through study and practice, its roots in the
teachings of the Awakened One with awareness. This kind of pluralistic approach, in which
individuals themselves are responsible, is very much in accord with a democratic outlook”.(Statement of H.H. the Dalai Lama, from
http//www.dalailama.com /news.350.html April 1993)
As we have mentioned in Chapter Two, earlier, Awakened One with awarenessmay have
based the structure of his Sangha on the
principle which was
available. Data say that the republics attracted and interested him, so they
could have influenced him to form the Sangha. Recent information
supports this as democratic government was getting underway in Athens,
the First Awakened One with awareness Council convened in India. The Council, which met
about 480 BCE, give or take, was an exercise in democracy. (Retrieved
from http://www.about.com/ on 17 March 2009. Date of Citation: 28 -10-
2008)
Robert Thurman, working in Bhutan, a Buddhist nation like
Thailand and Sri Lanka, affirms the similarities between Awakened One with awareness and
democracy as follows:
Awakened One with awareness
has many principles that fit with democracy such as
individualism, allowing people to develop their own mind to the fullest
than having to serve whatever their duty is, parents, cast etc. This is
very
much in consonance with democracy. Awakened One with awareness teaches each person to
have the opportunity to develop their own being towards awakenment,
to the fullest extent in life. That is the highest thing in the society.
(Retrieved from http://www.kuensel online.com/ on 17 March 2009. Date
of Citation: 21-11-2006).
3.13 Modern Democracies influenced by Awakened One with awareness
There is a consensus that Awakened One with awareness resembles democracy in
miniature. The Sangha, as we reported in Chapter 2, was based on the
republic system, which favoured Buddha Gautama and which he
taught a specific dharma. On this note, we shall look at Awakened One with awareness
approach to democracy. The principle countries we shall investigate are
Japan, Republic of Korea, Thailand, and Sri Lanka. Awakened One with awareness in these
countries appears to be more dynamic. Concerning Republic of Korea,
history shows that it had established a Republic several times and Awakened One with awareness was interrelated. Korea was originally one state until it was
liberated from the Japanese after World War II. Buddhism was non-
evident in the North due to the government practice of Soviet Socialism.
In the 1950s, Awakened One with awareness in the South Korea, called Republic of Korea,
prospered. It became more political as it aligned with various political
parties in the country. By the decade of the 1980s, ROK established its
first Awakened One with awareness TV station. During the Third Republic, Korean Awakened One with awareness
echoed the national ideology of Japan. In the Fifth Republic, headed by
Christian leader Chun Doohwan, it was downplayed and even criticized
as unprogressive. The Sixth Republic, under No Taewoo, revived it and Awakened One with awareness continued to prosper. Until the present, Awakened One with awareness has been existing side by side with Christianity. To attest to this information there
is the Korean analyst Jae-ryong Shim, who has commented firstly about
the North-South divide and claims of demo racy in both states:
Thus far the governments or power holders in both North and
South claim that they run the countries in accordance with democratic
principles. But nobody believes the claims. Instead they are of the opinion
that the North is run by a dictatorship of the late Kim Ilsung and his heir
even after his demise, while the South is struggling to keep the balance
between the proclaimed democracy imposed upon it from the West and
the embedded tradition of paternalistic authoritarianism, perhaps the only
ideological contender to modern Western democracy. (Francis Fukuyama, “Confucianism and democracy,” Journal of Democracy, April 1995, p.
20-33.)
Democracy was introduced only after the 1945 liberation from the
Japanese imperial-military rule by the occupying forces of the United States of America, which happened to occupy and “democratize” the area south of the 38th parallel in the Korean peninsula. Shin continues to
analyse/criticise the situation in a thesis, as follows:
“The Awakened One with awareness political institution originally promulgated by the Awakened One with awareness Sakyamuni for the resident monks in the Sangha, the Buddhist
community of religious practitioners, had some seminal ideas and
practices similar to democracy. But the ideally democratic position with
which Awakened One with awareness began underwent many transformations in the course of
history. It is my task to summarize some major transformations in the
history of Awakened One with awareness, and to assess the relationship between Awakened One with awareness and democracy in modern Korea. The reason why we have to confine our
talk to modern Korea is evident”.
Sri Lankan Awakened One with awareness is very pro-active. Sri Lanka is traditionally
the home of the last Sanghas of Awakened One with awareness. The island was known
as Serendipity and Ceylon respectively before being called Sri Lanka. Its
activity there resembles the Israeli Zionist movement, which emphasized
homeland. The Sri Lankan Awakened One with awarenessclaimed similar right in the island
and even the monks, who took vows of non-violence, resort to fighting
and violence in the conflict.
The two remaining entries, Thailand and Japan, are the most
significant countries where Awakened One with awareness has been active.
In Thailand, Awakened One with awareness endeavours to propagate an ideal
government through the analysis of Venerable Buddhadasa Bhikku.
Buddhadasa was a respected and honored bhikku in Thailand. He
analyzed politics into equality and unity, through interdependence. Buddhadasa actually coined the phrase “spiritual socialism” wherein the
individual loses self-centeredness and becomes socially aware. Some
scholars thought that Nirvana was actually a selflessness of this type and
that it was an original state of being. Buddhadasa agreed with this. Herein
he is quoted as defining politics in the true sense: “spiritual or dharmic socialism, namely a state where individuals act not out of self-interest but out of regard for the common good.” (Donald K Swearer, p. 217-18)
In Japan,
in contradiction to the state religion of Shintö, which was
a type of polytheism, Buddhism had established several socio-political
organisations. Shinto was a way of countering possible military
invasions but Buddhism asserted itself as the national religion and, in
the
modern age, it sought reforms. Buddhism began to re-emerge after the
defeat of Japan, post World War II. However, the bhikkus practiced only
traditional measures. By the 1960s, new organisations developed. Among
them was the Nichiren Sokka Gakai.
Nichiren was a Awakened One with awareness saint who lived in Japan of the 13th Century. Nichiren believed that national security depended upon
dhamma. He exemplified this in the Lotus Sutra. More recently, a modern
follower, Tanaka Chigaku, established that the Imperial Constitution personified Nichiren’s teaching. In 1923, Seno Giro, another follower,
established the Awakened One with awareness Youth League based upon equality and
compassion. However, he disbelieved that Nichiren preached nationalism. Nichiren’s Awakened One with awarenessfounded other new socio-religious organisations.
As mentioned above, one such organisation was the Sokka Gakai. The
protest against the US-Japan Treaty in the1960s heightened the organisation’s political action. The president of the Sokka Gakai was Ikeda Daisaku. Under Daisaku, the organisations started its political
wing, which emphasised Awakened One with awareness democratic ideals-e.g., equality, fair
elections, parliamentary democracy. By 1964, it merged and formed the Komeito or Clean Government Party. This party earned 24 seats in the
House of Councillors, which was the Upper House of Japanese
Parliament.
Conclusion
Chapter Three can be summarised as follows: Predominantly,
Buddha Gautama was not directly a, political reformer because his most
important concern was social ethics. Awakened One with awareness spent his life after
asceticism recommending proper social interaction towards the goal of
social cohesion, unity and peace, to both monarchies and republics.
However, scholars have highlighted his interest in and attraction for the
latter. Among these latter republics, the Vajjians were well documented.
Towards the above-mentioned goals, he warned that solidarity and
unity as well as adherence to his dharma would guarantee their survival.
In contrast, his monarchical supporters included King Bimbisara. We
have recorded earlier that Ajatasatru had referred to him, but he used Buddha’s counsel to his won advantage against the Vajjians. However, data do not mention whether Ajatasatru conducted a siege of the republic
or not. [Some data mention that he colluded with Devadatta against
Buddha]. King Pasenadi might have listened to him as well.
From the basic introduction, the researcher has discussed the
concept of Kingship and the ten royal virtues prescribed by Buddha, or Das Raja Dhamma(m). Buddha prescribed them against the
licenciousness of monarchs probably, such as Ajatasatru or Pasenadi. In
this unit, researcher has added data recorded in Bhutan. Asoka was
discussed in the following unit.
Concerning righteous monarchs, Emperor Asoka stands out as the
most historical and most admirable. A full account of Asoka’s reign including some important stone edicts is given in this unit. We
117
highlighted his compassion towards all living beings and his
magnanimity towards secular society under his rule. Asoka converted to
Buddhism due to his wartime experiences, which also induced him to act
more compassionately and to revile war and violence. However, due to
his fame, other monarchs had no data.
The researcher continued to examine Buddhist approach to
democracy, although the democracy of Buddha’s lifetime did not outwardly resemble the “Republic” of Plato. As mentioned earlier, data from other scholars indicated that Buddha both was interested in the
or tribal republics and was welcomed among them as a teacher.
Their success at democracy inspired him to structure and regulate the
Sangha. Like these republics, the Buddhist Sangha was autonomous and
the bhikkus had rights and freedom similar to the denizens of the republics. Vijayvardhan rermarks that “in its original form the Sangha was an organized brotherhood of earnest minded men–and later women
also-who had dedicated their lives to the service of mankind. The
Vinaya Pitaka recommends solutions for disputes as well as monastic
disciplines but does not impose them strictly. This suggests Buddha’s humanism and pragmatism in contrast with the authoritarian regime of
other religions. Due to this similarity, the Asian democracies such as
Republic of Korea, Thailand, Bhutan and Sri Lanka, as well as Tibet,
have been investigated in this chapter. Bhutan and Thailand stand forth as the closest in resemblance to Buddha’s concept of a republic governed at the centre by a powerful but compassionate monarch, like Emperor Asoka, or ‘dhamamraja.”
https://i944.photobucket.com/…/TiCa_pho…/animated_candle.gif https://www.thehindu.com/…/rajnath-sing…/article31524644.ece
Intolerant, violent, militant, crooked, cunning, number one terrorists
of the world, ever shooting, mob lynching, lunatic, mentally retarded
foreigners thrown out from Bene Israel, Tibet, Afrika, Eastern Europe, Western Germany, Northern Europe, South,Russia,Hungary, etc, chitpavan
brahmins of Rowdy Rakshasa Swayam Sevaks (RSS) remotely control such
Bevakoof Jhoothe Psychopaths (BJP) own mother’s flesh eaters, slaves,
stooges, chamchas, cheals abolish posts in order to appoint their own
stooges and slaves.The Murderer of democratic institutions and Master of diluting
institutions (Modi) who gobbled the Master Key by tampering the fraud
EVMs/VVPATs and won elections.
The road ahead for liberals is tough. Modi’s thalis were a loud message
The liberal 99.9% All Aboriginal Awakened Societies i.e., Sarvajan
Samaj including SC(including Safai workers who are real Arogya Rakshakas
Health Protectors) of all living beings))/STs/OBCs/Religious Minorities
and even the poor non-chitpavan brahmins story is still worth pursuing.
But liberals would do well to remember that it is just one more story competing with many others.
These are tough times for liberal Prabuddha Bharat. More so if you are cursed with a sense of aesthetics.
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The Awakened One with Awareness replied, “Any such river can be halted
with the dam of mindfulness. This is why he called mindfulness the flood
stopper. With wisdom you can close the flood gates.”
Undertake
work while staying indoors, have to do our work and we have to take
care of the society. Sleep and get up early morning. Follow the curfew
then the work of All Aboriginal Awakened Societies can be done. Train
the parents to teach their children to wash their clothes, take bath and
iron their clothes. We
can practice concentration in different postures of the body with our
family members in smaller groups of five-seven within families.
We
have to remember Voice of All Aboriginal Awakened Societies in spirit.
Educate them in English and own mother tongue and also all the 116
classical languages of the world using https://translate.google.com.
Awakened One with Awareness teachings on
When the Awakened One with Awareness was asked
“Chaos is inherent in all compounded things. Strive on with diligence.”
“To be idle is a short road to death and to be diligent is a way of life; foolish people are idle, wise people are diligent.”
“I never see what has been done; I only see what remains to be done.” “Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.” “It
is better to conquer yourself than to win a thousand battles. Then the
victory is yours. It cannot be taken from you, not by angels or by
demons, heaven or hell.” “It is better to travel well than to arrive.” “Peace comes from within. Do not seek it without.” “The only real failure in life is not to be true to the best one knows.” “There
is nothing more dreadful than the habit of doubt. Doubt separates
people. It is a poison that disintegrates friendships and breaks up
pleasant relations. It is a thorn that irritates and hurts; it is a
sword that kills.” “Thousands
of candles can be lighted from a single candle, and the life of the
candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being
shared.” “We are what we think. All that we are arises with our thoughts. With our thoughts, we make the world.” “What we think, we become.“ Thoughts and ideas go further through action.
“A jug fills drop by drop.”
“An idea that is developed and put into action is more important than an idea that exists only as an idea.”
“Hatred does not cease through hatred at any time. Hatred ceases through compassion. This is an unalterable law.”
“Have compassion for all beings, rich and poor alike; each has their suffering. Some suffer too much, others too little.”
“Holding on to anger is
like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else;
you are the one who gets burned.”
“In a controversy the
instant we feel anger we have already ceased striving for the truth, and
have begun striving for ourselves.” “Teach
this triple truth to all: A generous mind, kind speech, and a life of
service and compassion are the things which renew humanity.” “To understand everything is to forgive everything.”
“You will not be punished for your anger, you will be punished by your anger.”
Health
A healthy mind and body empower us for life. “Every human being is the author of his own health or disease.”
“Health is the greatest gift, contentment the greatest wealth, faithfulness the best relationship.”
“The secret of health for both mind and body is not to mourn for the
past, worry about the future, or anticipate troubles, but to live in
the present moment wisely and earnestly.”
“To enjoy good health, to bring true happiness to one’s family, to
bring peace to all, one must first discipline and control one’s own
mind. If a man can control his mind he can find the way to Awakenment
with Awareness and all wisdom and virtue will naturally come to him.” “To keep the body in good health is a duty … otherwise we shall not be able to keep our mind strong and clear.”
“Without health life is not life; it is only a state of languor and suffering an image of death.”
Life and Living
Life is a journey and wisdom is the North Star. “He
who experiences the unity of life sees his own Self in all beings, and
all beings in his own Self, and looks on everything with an impartial
eye.”
“Just as a candle cannot burn without fire, men cannot live without a spiritual life.”
“Just as treasures are
uncovered from the earth, so virtue appears from good deeds, and wisdom
appears from a pure and peaceful mind. To walk safely through the maze
of human life, one needs the light of wisdom and the guidance of
virtue.”
“Life is suffering.”
“The foot feels the foot when it feels the ground with bare foot.” “There has to be evil so that good can prove its purity above it.”
“To live a pure unselfish life, one must count nothing as one’s own in the midst of abundance.”
“When you realize how perfect everything is you will tilt your head back and laugh at the sky.”
“You cannot travel the path until you have become the path itself.” “Your work is to discover your work and then with all your mind to give yourself to it.”
Compassion,Connection, and Unity
We have an impact, and we’re worth it. “All
things appear and disappear because of the concurrence of causes and
conditions. Nothing ever exists entirely alone; everything is in
relation to everything else.” “Ambition is like compassion, impatient both of delays and rivals.” “Unity can only be manifested by the Binary. Unity itself and the idea of Unity are already two.” “You
can search throughout the entire universe for someone who is more
deserving of your compassion and affection than you are yourself, and
that person is not to be found anywhere. You yourself, as much as
anybody in the entire universe deserve your love and affection.”
Mind, Thought, and Thinking
Our thoughts shape us, and the world around us. “All wrong-doing arises because of mind. If mind is transformed can wrong-doing remain?” “An
insincere and evil friend is more to be feared than a wild beast; a
wild beast may wound your body, but an evil friend will wound your
mind.”
“Believe nothing, no matter where you read it, or who said it, no
matter if I have said it, unless it agrees with your own reason and your
own common sense.”
“He is able who thinks he is able.” “It is a man’s own mind, not his enemy or foe, that lures him to evil ways.”
“The mind is everything. What you think you become.” “Those who are free of resentful thoughts surely find peace.”
“We are what we think. All that we are arises with our thoughts. With our thoughts, we make the world.”
Personal Development
Master yourself.
“Do not overrate what you have received, nor envy others. He who envies others does not obtain peace of mind.”
“The virtues, like the Muses, are always seen in groups. A good principle was never found solitary in any breast.”
“To conquer oneself is a greater task than conquering others.”
“Virtue is persecuted more by the wicked than it is loved by the good.”
“We are shaped by our thoughts; we become what we think. When the mind is pure, joy follows like a shadow that never leaves.”
Self-Reliance
Don’t let yourself down.
“No one saves us but ourselves. No one can and no one may. We ourselves must walk the path.”
“Work out your own salvation. Do not depend on others.”
Speech
Choose your words carefully.
“A
dog is not considered a good dog because he is a good barker. A man is
not considered a good man because he is a good talker.”
“Better than a thousand hollow words, is one word that brings peace.”
“The tongue like a sharp knife … Kills without drawing blood.”
“The wise ones fashioned speech with their thought, sifting it as grain is sifted through a sieve.”
“Whatever words we utter should be chosen with care for people will hear them and be influenced by them for good or ill.”
Truth
It’s all around us.
“In
the sky, there is no distinction of east and west; people create
distinctions out of their own minds and then believe them to be true.”
“There are only two mistakes one can make along the road to truth; not going all the way, and not starting.”
“Three things cannot be long hidden: the sun, the moon, and the truth.”
(9. Yogi 843 abonnenter Chanting af Mahāsatipaṭṭhāna Sutta, Kategori Nonprofits & Activism Licens Creative Commons Attribution-licens (genbrug tilladt) Kilde videoer Se attributter Mahāsatipaṭṭhāna Sutta - Deltagelse i bevidsthed —i, 29) Klassisk engelsk, romersk,
Denne sutta betragtes bredt som en grundlæggende reference til meditationspraksis. Introduktion
I. Observation af Kāya A. Afsnit om ānāpāna B. Afsnit om stillinger C. Afsnit om sampajañña D. Afsnit om frastødende virkning E. Afsnit om elementerne F. Sektion om de ni charnel-grunde
II. Observation af Vedanā
III. Observation af Citta
IV. Observation af Dhammas A. Afsnit om Nīvaraṇas B. Sektion om Khandhas C. Afsnit om sansesfærerne D. Afsnit om Bojjhaṅgas E. Afsnit om sandheden E1. Udstilling af Dukkhasacca E2. Udstilling af Samudayasacca E3. Exposition af Nirodhasacca E4. Udstilling af Maggasacca
Introduktion
Således har jeg hørt:
Ved en lejlighed blev Bhagavā opholdt sig blandt Kurus ved
Kammāsadhamma, en markedsby for Kurus. Der henvendte han sig til
bhikkhus: - Bhikkhus.– Bhaddante svarede bhikkhus. Bhagavā sagde:
- Dette, bhikkhus, er den sti, der fører til intet andet end renselse
af væsener, overvindelse af sorg og klageslag, forsvinden af
dukkha-domanassa, opnåelsen af den rigtige måde, realisering af
Nibbāna, det vil sige de fire satipaṭṭhānas.
Hvilke fire? Her bor
bhikkhus, en bhikkhu, der observerer kāya i kāya, ātāpī sampajāno,
satimā, efter at have opgivet abhijjhā-domanassa mod verden. Han bor og
observerer vedanā i vedanā, ātāpī sampajāno, satimā, efter at have
opgivet abhijjhā-domanassa mod verden. Han bor og observerer citta i
citta, ātāpī sampajāno, satimā, efter at have opgivet abhijjhā-domanassa
mod verden. Han bor og observerer dhammaer i dhammaer, ātāpī sampajāno,
satimā, efter at have opgivet abhijjhā-domanassa mod verden.
I. Kāyānupassanā
A. Afsnit om ānāpāna
Og hvordan, bhikkhus, bor en bhikkhu ved at observere kāya i kāya? Her,
bhikkhus, en bhikkhu, efter at have gået i skoven eller gået ved roden
af et træ eller gået til et tomt rum, sætter sig ved at folde benene
på tværs, sætte kāya lodret og sætte sati parimukhaṃ. Når han er således
sato, trækker han vejret ind, bliver den sato, han trækker ud.
Åndedrættet længe forstår han: ‘Jeg trækker vejret ind’; når jeg trækker
ud, forstår han: ‘Jeg trækker vejret ud’; når han trækker vejret,
forstår han: ‘Jeg trækker vejret’; når jeg trækker ud, forstår han: ‘Jeg
trækker kort ud’; han træner sig selv: ‘føler hele kāya, jeg vil trække
vejret ind’; han træner sig selv: ‘føler hele kāya, jeg vil trække
vejret ud’; han træner sig selv: ‘beroliger kāya-saṅkhāras, jeg vil
trække vejret ind’; han træner sig selv: ‘beroliger kāya-saṅkhāras, jeg
vil trække vejret ud’.
Ligesom bhikkhus, en dygtig turner eller
en turner-lærling, der foretager en lang sving, forstår: ‘Jeg er ved at
gøre en lang sving’; ved at gøre en kort sving, forstår han: ‘Jeg er ved
at gøre en kort sving’; på samme måde forstår bhikkhus, en bhikkhu, der
trækker vejret ind, og forstår: ‘Jeg trækker vejret ind’; når jeg
trækker ud, forstår han: ‘Jeg trækker vejret ud’; når han trækker
vejret, forstår han: ‘Jeg trækker vejret’; når han trækker ud, forstår
han: ‘Jeg trækker kort ud’; han træner sig selv: ‘føler hele kāya, jeg
vil trække vejret ind’; han træner sig selv: ‘føler hele kāya, jeg vil
trække vejret ud’; han træner sig selv: ‘beroliger kāya-saṅkhāras, jeg
vil trække vejret ind’; han træner sig selv: ‘beroliger kāya-saṅkhāras,
jeg vil trække vejret ud’.
Således bor han og observerer kāya i
kāya internt, eller han bor og observerer kāya i kāya eksternt, eller
han bor og observerer kāya i kāya internt og eksternt; han bor
iagttagelse af samudaya af fænomener i kāya, eller han dvæler ved at
observere bortgang af fænomener i kāya, eller han bor i at observere
samudaya og gå bort fra fænomener i kāya; Ellers [indse:] “dette er
kāya!” sati er til stede i ham, lige i det omfang, der kun er ñāṇa og
ren paṭissati, bor han løsrevet og klæber sig ikke fast til noget i
verden. Således bor bhikkhus, en bhikkhu, der observerer kāya i kāya.
B. Afsnit om stillinger
Desuden forstår bhikkhus, en bhikkhu, mens han går, forstår: ‘Jeg går’,
eller mens han står, forstår han: ‘Jeg står’, eller mens han sidder,
forstår han: ‘Jeg sidder’, eller mens han ligger, forstår han: ‘ Jeg
ligger nede. Ellers, uanset hvilken position hans kāya er disponeret,
forstår han det i overensstemmelse hermed.
Således bor han og
observerer kāya i kāya internt, eller han bor og observerer kāya i kāya
eksternt, eller han bor og observerer kāya i kāya internt og eksternt;
han bor iagttagelse af samudaya af fænomener i kāya, eller han bor
iagttagelse af bortgang af fænomener i kāya, eller han bor i at
observere samudaya og bortgå af fænomener i kāya; Ellers [indse:] “dette
er kāya!” sati er til stede i ham, lige i det omfang, der kun er ñāṇa
og ren paṭissati, bor han løsrevet og klæber sig ikke fast til noget i
verden. Således bor bhikkhus, en bhikkhu, der observerer kāya i kāya.
C. Afsnit om sampajañña
Desuden handler bhikkhus, en bhikkhu, mens han nærmer sig og mens han
rejser, handler med sampajañña, mens han kigger fremad, mens han kigger
rundt, handler han med sampajañña, mens han bøjer sig, og mens han
strækker sig, handler han med sampajañña, mens han bærer kjortlerne og
den øvre kappe og mens han bærer skålen, handler han med sampajañña,
mens han spiser, mens han drikker, mens han tygger, mens han smager,
handler han med sampajañña, mens han tager sig af branchen og tisser,
handler han med sampajañña, mens han går, mens han står, mens han sidder
, mens han sover, mens han er vågen, mens han taler og mens han er
tavs, handler han med sampajañña.
Således bor han og observerer
kāya i kāya internt, eller han bor og observerer kāya i kāya eksternt,
eller han bor og observerer kāya i kāya internt og eksternt; han bor
iagttagelse af samudaya af fænomener i kāya, eller han dvæler ved at
observere bortgang af fænomener i kāya, eller han bor i at observere
samudaya og gå bort fra fænomener i kāya; Ellers [indse:] “dette er
kāya!” sati er til stede i ham, lige i det omfang, der kun er ñāṇa og
ren paṭissati, bor han løsrevet og klæber sig ikke fast til noget i
verden. Således bhikkhus, en bhikkhu bor og observerer kāya i kāya.
D. Afsnit om frastødende virkning
Endvidere betragter bhikkhus, en bhikkhu, netop denne krop, fra
fodsålerne op og fra håret på hovedet ned, der er afgrænset af dens hud
og fuld af forskellige former for urenheder: “I denne kāya er der hårene
i hovedet, hår i kroppen, negle, tænder, hud, kød, sener, knogler,
knoglemarv, nyrer, hjerte, lever, pleura, milt, lunger, tarme,
mesenteri, mave med dets indhold, fæces, galle, slim , pus, blod, sved,
fedt, tårer, fedt, spyt, næseslim, synovialvæske og urin. “
Ligesom der, bhikkhus, var der en pose med to åbninger og fyldt med
forskellige slags korn, såsom bakkehvalse, uer, mungbønner, ko-ærter,
sesamfrø og afskallet ris. En mand med et godt syn, som havde løsnet
det, ville overveje [dets indhold]: “Dette er bakkehval, dette er
uafskallet, det er mungbønner, det er ko-ærter, det er sesamfrø, og
dette er afskallet ris;” på samme måde betragter bhikkhus, en bhikkhu
netop denne krop, fra fodsålerne op og fra håret på hovedet ned, som er
afgrænset af dens hud og fuld af forskellige slags urenheder: “I denne
kāya, der er hovedhårene, kroppens hår, negle, tænder, hud, kød, sener,
knogler, knoglemarv, nyrer, hjerte, lever, pleura, milt, lunger, tarme,
mesenteri, mave med dens indhold, fæces, galde, slim, pus, blod, sved,
fedt, tårer, fedt, spyt, næseslim, synovialvæske og urin. “
Således bor han og observerer kāya i kāya internt, eller han bor og
observerer kāya i kāya eksternt, eller han bor og observerer kāya i kāya
internt og eksternt; han bor iagttagelse af samudaya af fænomener i
kāya, eller han dvæler ved at observere bortgang af fænomener i kāya,
eller han bor i at observere samudaya og gå bort fra fænomener i kāya;
Ellers [indse:] “dette er kāya!” sati er til stede i ham, lige i det
omfang, der kun er ñāṇa og ren paṭissati, bor han løsrevet og klæber sig
ikke fast til noget i verden. Således bor bhikkhus, en bhikkhu, der
observerer kāya i kāya.
E. Afsnit om elementerne
Endvidere reflekterer bhikkhus, en bhikkhu over netop denne kāya, uanset
hvor den er placeret, er den dog disponeret som bestående af elementer:
“I denne kāya er der jordelementet, vandelementet, brandelementet og
luftelementet.”
Ligesom bhikkhus, en dygtig slagter eller en
slagterlærling, der havde dræbt en ko, sad ved en skillevej og skar den i
stykker; på samme måde, bhikkhus, en bhikkhu reflekterer over netop
denne kāya, uanset hvor den er placeret, dog er den bortskaffet: “I
denne kāya er der jordelementet, vandelementet, brandelementet og
luftelementet.”
Således bor han og observerer kāya i kāya
internt, eller han bor og observerer kāya i kāya eksternt, eller han bor
og observerer kāya i kāya internt og eksternt; han bor iagttagelse af
samudaya af fænomener i kāya, eller han dvæler ved at observere bortgang
af fænomener i kāya, eller han bor i at observere samudaya og gå bort
fra fænomener i kāya; Ellers [indse:] “dette er kāya!” sati er til stede
i ham, lige i det omfang, der kun er ñāṇa og ren paṭissati, bor han
løsrevet og klæber sig ikke fast til noget i verden. Således bor
bhikkhus, en bhikkhu, der observerer kāya i kāya.
F. Sektion om de ni charnel-grunde
(1)
Endvidere bhikkhus, en bhikkhu, ligesom hvis han så et dødt legeme,
kastet i en charnelgrund, en dag død eller to dage død eller tre dage
død, hævet, blålig og festende, anser han for denne meget kāya: ” Denne
kāya er også af en sådan karakter, den vil blive sådan og er ikke fri
for en sådan tilstand. “
Således bor han og observerer kāya i
kāya internt, eller han bor og observerer kāya i kāya eksternt, eller
han bor og observerer kāya i kāya internt og eksternt; han bor
iagttagelse af samudaya af fænomener i kāya, eller han dvæler ved at
observere bortgang af fænomener i kāya, eller han bor i at observere
samudaya og gå bort fra fænomener i kāya; Ellers [indse:] “dette er
kāya!” sati er til stede i ham, lige i det omfang, der kun er ñāṇa og
ren paṭissati, bor han løsrevet og klæber sig ikke fast til noget i
verden. Således bor bhikkhus, en bhikkhu, der observerer kāya i kāya.
(2)
Desuden bhikkhus, en bhikkhu, ligesom han så et dødt legeme, kastet i
en karnell, blev spist af krager, bliver spist af høge, bliver spist af
gribbe, bliver spist af hegre, bliver spist af hunde, bliver spist af
tigre, spist af pantere, bliver spist af forskellige slags væsener, han
betragter dette som meget kāya: “Denne kāya er også af en sådan art, den
vil blive sådan og er ikke fri for en sådan tilstand. “
Således
bor han og observerer kāya i kāya internt, eller han bor og observerer
kāya i kāya eksternt, eller han bor og observerer kāya i kāya internt og
eksternt; han bor iagttagelse af samudaya af fænomener i kāya, eller
han dvæler ved at observere bortgang af fænomener i kāya, eller han bor i
at observere samudaya og gå bort fra fænomener i kāya; Ellers [indse:]
“dette er kāya!” sati er til stede i ham, lige i det omfang, der kun er
ñāṇa og ren paṭissati, bor han løsrevet og klæber sig ikke fast til
noget i verden. Således bor bhikkhus, en bhikkhu, der observerer kāya i
kāya.
(3) Yderligere, bhikkhus, en bhikkhu, ligesom hvis han
så et dødt legeme, kastet i en charnelgrund, et skelet med kød og blod,
holdt sammen af sener, betragter han denne meget kāya: “Denne kāya er
også af sådan en naturen, den vil blive sådan og er ikke fri for en
sådan tilstand. “
Således bor han og observerer kāya i kāya
internt, eller han bor og observerer kāya i kāya eksternt, eller han bor
og observerer kāya i kāya internt og eksternt; han bor iagttagelse af
samudaya af fænomener i kāya, eller han dvæler ved at observere bortgang
af fænomener i kāya, eller han bor i at observere samudaya og gå bort
fra fænomener i kāya; Ellers [indse:] “dette er kāya!” sati er til stede
i ham, lige i det omfang, der kun er ñāṇa og ren paṭissati, bor han
løsrevet og klæber sig ikke fast til noget i verden. Således bor
bhikkhus, en bhikkhu, der observerer kāya i kāya.
(4)
Yderligere, bhikkhus, en bhikkhu, ligesom hvis han så et dødt legeme,
kastet i en charnelgrund, et skelet uden kød og smurt med blod, holdt
sammen af sener, anser han for denne meget kāya: “Denne kāya er også
af en sådan karakter, den vil blive sådan og er ikke fri for en sådan
tilstand. “
Således bor han og observerer kāya i kāya internt,
eller han bor og observerer kāya i kāya eksternt, eller han bor og
observerer kāya i kāya internt og eksternt; han bor iagttagelse af
samudaya af fænomener i kāya, eller han dvæler ved at observere bortgang
af fænomener i kāya, eller han bor i at observere samudaya og gå bort
fra fænomener i kāya; Ellers [indse:] “dette er kāya!” sati er til stede
i ham, lige i det omfang, der kun er ñāṇa og ren paṭissati, bor han
løsrevet og klæber sig ikke fast til noget i verden. Således bor
bhikkhus, en bhikkhu, der observerer kāya i kāya.
(5)
Yderligere, bhikkhus, en bhikkhu, ligesom hvis han så et dødt legeme,
kastet i en charnelgrund, et skelet uden kød eller blod, holdt sammen af
sener, betragter han denne meget kāya: “Denne kāya er også af sådan
en naturen, den vil blive sådan og er ikke fri for en sådan tilstand. “
Således bor han og observerer kāya i kāya internt, eller han bor og
observerer kāya i kāya eksternt, eller han bor og observerer kāya i kāya
internt og eksternt; han bor iagttagelse af samudaya af fænomener i
kāya, eller han dvæler ved at observere bortgang af fænomener i kāya,
eller han bor i at observere samudaya og gå bort fra fænomener i kāya;
Ellers [indse:] “dette er kāya!” sati er til stede i ham, lige i det
omfang, der kun er ñāṇa og ren paṭissati, bor han løsrevet og klæber sig
ikke fast til noget i verden. Således bor bhikkhus, en bhikkhu, der
observerer kāya i kāya.
(6) Endvidere kastede bhikkhus, en
bhikkhu, ligesom han så et dødt legeme, kastet ned i en skråningsjord,
frakoblede knogler spredt her og der, her en håndben, der en fodben, her
en ankelben, der et skinneben , her et lårben, der en hofteben, her et
ribben, der en rygben, her en rygmarv, der en halsben, her en kæbe
knogle, der en tand knogle, eller der kraniet, han betragter dette meget
kāya : “Denne kāya er også af en sådan karakter, den vil blive sådan og
er ikke fri for en sådan tilstand.”
Således bor han og
observerer kāya i kāya internt, eller han bor og observerer kāya i kāya
eksternt, eller han bor og observerer kāya i kāya internt og eksternt;
han bor iagttagelse af samudaya af fænomener i kāya, eller han dvæler
ved at observere bortgang af fænomener i kāya, eller han bor i at
observere samudaya og gå bort fra fænomener i kāya; Ellers [indse:]
“dette er kāya!” sati er til stede i ham, lige i det omfang, der kun er
ñāṇa og ren paṭissati, bor han løsrevet og klæber sig ikke fast til
noget i verden. Således bor bhikkhus, en bhikkhu, der observerer kāya i
kāya.
(7) Endvidere bhikkhus, en bhikkhu, ligesom hvis han så
et dødt legeme, kastet i en charnelgrund, knoglerne hvide som en
muslingeskal, han betragter denne meget kāya: “Denne kāya er også af en
sådan karakter, det går at blive sådan, og er ikke fri for en sådan
betingelse. “
Således bor han og observerer kāya i kāya internt,
eller han bor og observerer kāya i kāya eksternt, eller han bor og
observerer kāya i kāya internt og eksternt; han bor iagttagelse af
samudaya af fænomener i kāya, eller han dvæler ved at observere bortgang
af fænomener i kāya, eller han bor i at observere samudaya og gå bort
fra fænomener i kāya; Ellers [indse:] “dette er kāya!” sati er til stede
i ham, lige i det omfang, der kun er ñāṇa og ren paṭissati, bor han
løsrevet og klæber sig ikke fast til noget i verden. Således bor
bhikkhus, en bhikkhu, der observerer kāya i kāya.
(8)
Endvidere betragter bhikkhus, en bhikkhu, ligesom han så et dødt legeme,
kastet ned i en charnelgrund, hobet op knogler over et år gammelt, han
betragter denne meget kāya: “Denne kāya er også af en sådan karakter,
det er vil blive sådan, og er ikke fri for en sådan betingelse. “
Således bor han og observerer kāya i kāya internt, eller han bor og
observerer kāya i kāya eksternt, eller han bor og observerer kāya i kāya
internt og eksternt; han bor iagttagelse af samudaya af fænomener i
kāya, eller han dvæler ved at observere bortgang af fænomener i kāya,
eller han bor i at observere samudaya og gå bort fra fænomener i kāya;
Ellers [indse:] “dette er kāya!” sati er til stede i ham, lige i det
omfang, der kun er ñāṇa og ren paṭissati, bor han løsrevet og klæber sig
ikke fast til noget i verden. Således bor bhikkhus, en bhikkhu, der
observerer kāya i kāya.
(9 Yderligere, bhikkhus, en bhikkhu,
ligesom hvis han så et dødt legeme, kastet i en charnelgrund, rådne
knogler reduceret til pulver, anser han for denne meget kāya: “Denne
kāya er også af en sådan karakter, det vil bliver sådan her og er ikke
fri for en sådan tilstand. “
Således bor han og observerer kāya i
kāya internt, eller han bor og observerer kāya i kāya eksternt, eller
han bor og observerer kāya i kāya internt og eksternt; han bor
iagttagelse af samudaya af fænomener i kāya, eller han dvæler ved at
observere bortgang af fænomener i kāya, eller han bor i at observere
samudaya og gå bort fra fænomener i kāya; Ellers [indse:] “dette er
kāya!” sati er til stede i ham, lige i det omfang, der kun er ñāṇa og
ren paṭissati, bor han løsrevet og klæber sig ikke fast til noget i
verden. Således bor bhikkhus, en bhikkhu, der observerer kāya i kāya.
II. Observation af Vedanā
Og desuden, bhikkhus, hvordan bor en bhikkhu ved at observere vedanā i vedanā?
Her understregede bhikkhus, en bhikkhu, der oplever en sukha vedanā:
“Jeg oplever en sukha vedanā”; oplever en dukkha vedanā, understregede:
“Jeg oplever en dukkha vedanā”; oplever en adukkham-asukhā vedanā,
understreger: “Jeg oplever en adukkham-asukhā vedanā”; oplever en sukha
vedanā sāmisa, understreger: “Jeg oplever en sukha vedanā sāmisa”;
oplever en sukha vedanā nirāmisa, understreger: “Jeg oplever en sukha
vedanā nirāmisa”; oplever en dukkha vedanā sāmisa, understregede: “Jeg
oplever en dukkha vedanā sāmisa”; oplever en dukkha vedanā nirāmisa,
understregede: “Jeg oplever en dukkha vedanā nirāmisa”; oplever en
adukkham-asukhā vedanā sāmisa, understøtter: “Jeg oplever en
adukkham-asukhā vedanā sāmisa”; oplever en adukkham-asukhā vedanā
nirāmisa, understreger: “Jeg oplever en adukkham-asukhā vedanā
nirāmisa”.
Således bor han og observerer vedanā i vedanā internt,
eller han bor iagttagende vedanā i vedanā eksternt, eller han bor
iagttagende vedanā i vedanā internt og eksternt; han bor iagttagelse af
samudaya af fænomener i vedanā, eller han bor iagttagelse af bortgang af
fænomener i vedanā, eller han bor i at observere samudaya og gå bort
fra fænomener i vedanā; Ellers [indse:] “dette er vedanā!” sati er til
stede i ham, lige i det omfang, der kun er ñāṇa og ren paṭissati, bor
han løsrevet og klæber sig ikke fast til noget i verden. Således bor
bhikkhus, en bhikkhu, der observerer vedanā i vedanā.
III. Observation af Citta
Og desuden, bhikkhus, hvordan bor en bhikkhu i at observere citta i citta?
Her, bhikkhus, forstår en bhikkhu citta med rāga som “citta med rāga”,
eller han forstår citta uden rāga som “citta uden rāga”, eller han
forstår citta med dosa som “citta med dosa”, eller han forstår citta
uden dosa som “citta uden dosa”, eller han forstår citta med moha som
“citta med moha”, eller han forstår citta uden moha som “citta uden
moha”, eller han forstår en samlet citta som “en samlet citta”, eller
han forstår en spredt citta som “en spredt citta”, eller han forstår en
udvidet citta som “en udvidet citta”, eller han forstår en
ikke-ekspanderet citta som “en ikke-ekspanderet citta”, eller han
forstår en overgåelig citta som “en overgåelig citta”, eller han forstår
en uovertruffen citta som “en uovertruffen citta”, eller han forstår en
afviklet citta som “en afviklet citta”, eller han forstår en uudviklet
citta som “en uudviklet citta”, eller han forstår en befriet citta som
“en befriet citta”, eller han forstår en uliberet citta som “en uliberet
citta”.
Således bor han og observerer citta i citta internt,
eller han bor og observerer citta i citta eksternt, eller han bor og
observerer citta i citta internt og eksternt; han bor iagttagelse af
samudaya af fænomener i citta, eller han bor og observerer bortgang af
fænomener i citta, eller han bor iagttagelse af samudaya og bortgang af
fænomener i citta; Ellers [indse:] “dette er citta!” sati er til stede i
ham, lige i det omfang, der kun er ñāṇa og ren paṭissati, bor han
løsrevet og klæber sig ikke fast til noget i verden. Således bhikkhus,
en bhikkhu bor og observerer citta i citta.
IV. Observation af Dhammas
A. Afsnit om Nīvaraṇas
Og desuden, bhikkhus, hvordan bor en bhikkhu i at observere dhammas i
dhammas? Her, bhikkhus, bor en bhikkhu og observerer dhammas i dhammas
med henvisning til de fem nīvaraṇas. Og desuden, bhikkhus, hvordan bor
en bhikkhu i at observere dhammas i dhammas med henvisning til de fem
nīvaraṇas?
Her forstår bhikkhus, en bhikkhu, der er kāmacchanda
til stede inden i, “der er kāmacchanda inden i mig”; der ikke er
kāmacchanda til stede inden i, forstår han: “der er ingen kāmacchanda
inden i mig”; han forstår, hvordan den uopståede kāmacchanda kommer til
at opstå; han forstår, hvordan den opståede kāmacchanda forlades; og han
forstår, hvordan den forladte kāmacchanda ikke kommer til at opstå i
fremtiden.
Her forstår bhikkhus, en bhikkhu, der er byāpāda til
stede indeni, “der er byāpāda inden i mig”; der ikke er byāpāda til
stede inden i, forstår han: “der er ingen byāpāda inden i mig”; han
forstår, hvordan den uopståede byāpāda kommer til at opstå; han forstår,
hvordan den opståede byāpāda opgives; og han forstår, hvordan den
forladte byāpāda ikke kommer til at opstå i fremtiden.
Her
forstår bhikkhus, en bhikkhu, der er thīnamiddhā til stede inden i, “der
er thīnamiddhā i mig”; der ikke er thīnamiddhā til stede indeni,
forstår han: “der er ingen thīnamiddhā i mig”; han forstår, hvordan den
uopståede thīnamiddhā kommer til at opstå; han forstår, hvordan den
opståede thnamnamhā forlades; og han forstår, hvordan den forladte
thīnamiddhā ikke kommer til at opstå i fremtiden.
Her forstår
bhikkhus, en bhikkhu, der er uddhacca-kukkucca til stede inden i, “der
er uddhacca-kukkucca inden i mig”; der ikke er uddhacca-kukkucca til
stede inden i, forstår han: “der er ingen uddhacca-kukkucca inden i
mig”; han forstår, hvordan den uarisenede uddhacca-kukkucca kommer til
at opstå; han forstår, hvordan den opståede uddhacca-kukkucca opgives;
og han forstår, hvordan den forladte uddhacca-kukkucca ikke kommer til
at opstå i fremtiden.
Her forstår bhikkhus, en bhikkhu, der er
vicikicchā til stede i,: “der er vicikicchā inden i mig”; der ikke er
vicikicchā til stede inden i, forstår han: “der er ingen vicikicchā i
mig”; han forstår, hvordan den uberegnede vicikicchā kommer til at
opstå; han forstår, hvordan den opståede vicikicchā opgives; og han
forstår, hvordan den forladte vicikicchā ikke kommer til at opstå i
fremtiden.
Således bor han og observerer dhammas i dhammas
internt, eller han bor og observerer dhammas i dhammas eksternt, eller
han bor i at observere dhammas i dhammas internt og eksternt; han bor
iagttagelse af samudaya af fænomener i dhammas, eller han bor og
observerer bortgang af fænomener i dhammas, eller han bor i at observere
samudaya og gå bort fra fænomener i dhammas; Ellers [indse:] “dette er
dhammas!” sati er til stede i ham, lige i det omfang, der kun er ñāṇa og
ren paṭissati, bor han løsrevet og klæber sig ikke fast til noget i
verden. Således bor bhikkhus, en bhikkhu, der observerer dhammas i
dhammas, med henvisning til de fem nīvaraṇas.
B. Sektion om Khandhas
Og desuden bhikkhus, der bor en bhikkhu, der observerer dhammas i
dhammas med henvisning til de fem khandhas. Og desuden, bhikkhus,
hvordan bor en bhikkhu i at observere dhammas i dhammas med henvisning
til de fem khandhas?
Her bhikkhus, en bhikkhu [skelner]: “sådan
er rūpa, sådan er sampaaya af rūpa, sådan er bortgang af rūpa; sådan er
vedanā, sådan er samudaya af vedanā, sådan er bortgangen fra vedanā;
sådan er saññā, sådan er samudaya af saññā, sådan er bortgang af saññā;
sådan er saṅkhāra, sådan er samudaya af saṅkhāra, sådan er bortgang af
saṅkhāra; sådan er viññāṇa, sådan er samudaya fra sañkāra, sådan er
bortgangen af viññāṇa “.
Således bor han og observerer dhammas i
dhammas internt, eller han bor og observerer dhammas i dhammas
eksternt, eller han bor i at observere dhammas i dhammas internt og
eksternt; han bor iagttagelse af samudaya af fænomener i dhammas, eller
han bor og observerer bortgang af fænomener i dhammas, eller han bor i
at observere samudaya og gå bort fra fænomener i dhammas; Ellers
[indse:] “dette er dhammas!” sati er til stede i ham, lige i det omfang,
der kun er ñāṇa og ren paṭissati, bor han løsrevet og klæber sig ikke
fast til noget i verden. Således bor bhikkhus, en bhikkhu, der
observerer dhammas i dhammas, med henvisning til de fem khandhas.
C. Afsnit om sansesfærerne
Og desuden bhikkhus, der bor en bhikkhu, der observerer dhammas i
dhammas med henvisning til de seks interne og eksterne āyatanas. Og
desuden, bhikkhus, hvordan bor en bhikkhu i at observere dhammas i
dhammas med henvisning til de seks interne og eksterne yatanas?
Her, bhikkhus, en bhikkhu forstår cakkhu, han forstår rūpa, han forstår
saṃyojana, der opstår på grund af disse to, han forstår, hvordan den
uopståede saṃyojana kommer til at opstå, han forstår, hvordan den
opståede saṃyojana er forladt, og han forstår, hvordan den forladte
saṃyojana opstår ikke i fremtiden.
Han forstår sota, han forstår
sadda, han forstår saṃyojana, der opstår på grund af disse to, han
forstår, hvordan den uopståede saṃyojana kommer til at opstå, han
forstår, hvordan den opståede saṃyojana opgives, og han forstår, hvordan
den forladte saṃyojana ikke kommer til at opstå i fremtiden.
Han
forstår ghana, han forstår ganda, han forstår saṃyojana, der opstår på
grund af disse to, han forstår, hvordan den uopståede saṃyojana kommer
til at opstå, han forstår, hvordan den opståede saṃyojana opgives, og
han forstår, hvordan den forladte saṃyojana ikke kommer til at opstå i
fremtiden.
Han forstår jivha, han forstår rasa, han forstår
saṃyojana, der opstår på grund af disse to, han forstår, hvordan den
uopståede saṃyojana kommer til at opstå, han forstår, hvordan den
opståede saṃyojana opgives, og han forstår, hvordan den forladte sa
abandonedyojana ikke kommer til at opstå i fremtiden.
Han forstår
kāya, han forstår phoṭṭhabba, han forstår saṃyojana, der opstår på
grund af disse to, han forstår, hvordan den uberørte saṃyojana opstår,
han forstår, hvordan den opståede saṃyojana er forladt, og han forstår,
hvordan den forladte saṃyojana ikke kommer til at opstå i fremtiden.
Han forstår mana, han forstår dhammas, han forstår saṃyojana, der
opstår på grund af disse to, han forstår, hvordan den uopståede
saṃyojana kommer til at opstå, han forstår, hvordan den opståede
saṃyojana opgives, og han forstår, hvordan den forladte saṃyojana ikke
kommer til at opstå i fremtiden.
Således bor han og observerer
dhammas i dhammas internt, eller han bor og observerer dhammas i dhammas
eksternt, eller han bor i at observere dhammas i dhammas internt og
eksternt; han bor iagttagelse af samudaya af fænomener i dhammas, eller
han bor og observerer bortgang af fænomener i dhammas, eller han bor i
at observere samudaya og gå bort fra fænomener i dhammas; Ellers
[indse:] “dette er dhammas!” sati er til stede i ham, lige i det omfang,
der kun er ñāṇa og ren paṭissati, bor han løsrevet og klæber sig ikke
fast til noget i verden. Således bor bhikkhus, en bhikkhu, der
observerer dhammas i dhammas, med henvisning til de seks interne og
eksterne āyatanas.
D. Afsnit om Bojjhaṅgas
Og desuden
bhikkhus, der bor en bhikkhu, der observerer dhammas i dhammas med
henvisning til de syv bojjhaṅgas. Og desuden bhikkhus, hvordan bor en
bhikkhu i at observere dhammas i dhammas med henvisning til de syv
bojjhaṅgas?
Her forstår bhikkhus, en bhikkhu, der er sati
sambojjhaṅga til stede inden i, “der er sati sambojjhaṅga inden i mig”;
der ikke er sati sambojjhaṅga til stede inden i, forstår han: “der er
ingen sati sambojjhaṅga inden i mig”; han forstår, hvordan den uopståede
sati sambojjhaṅga kommer til at opstå; han forstår, hvordan den
opståede sati sambojjhaṅga udvikles til perfektion.
Da der er
dhammavicaya sambojjhaṅga til stede inden i, forstår han: “der er
dhammavicaya sambojjhaṅga inden i mig”; der ikke at være dhammavicaya
sambojjhaṅga til stede inden i, forstår han: “der er ingen dhammavicaya
sambojjhaṅga inden i mig”; han forstår, hvordan den uopståede
dhammavicaya sambojjhaṅga kommer til at opstå; han forstår, hvordan den
opståede dhammavicaya sambojjhaṅga udvikles til perfektion.
Da
vīriya sambojjhaṅga er til stede inden i, forstår han: “der er vīriya
sambojjhaṅga inden i mig”; der ikke er vīriya sambojjhaṅga til stede
inden i, forstår han: “der er ingen vīriya sambojjhaṅga inden i mig”;
han forstår, hvordan den uarisen vīriya sambojjhaṅga kommer til at
opstå; han forstår, hvordan den opståede vīriya sambojjhaṅga udvikles
til perfektion.
Da der er pīti sambojjhaṅga til stede inden i,
forstår han: “der er pīti sambojjhaṅga inden i mig”; der ikke er pīti
sambojjhaṅga til stede inden i, forstår han: “der er ingen pīti
sambojjhaṅga inden i mig”; han forstår, hvordan den uopståede pīti
sambojjhaṅga kommer til at opstå; han forstår, hvordan den opståede pīti
sambojjhaṅga udvikles til perfektion.
Da der er passaddhi
sambojjhaṅga til stede inden i, forstår han: “der er passaddhi
sambojjhaṅga inden i mig”; der ikke er passaddhi sambojjhaṅga til stede
inden i, forstår han: “der er ingen passaddhi sambojjhaṅga inden i mig”;
han forstår, hvordan den uopståede passaddhi sambojjhaṅga kommer til at
opstå; han forstår, hvordan den opståede passaddhi sambojjhaṅga
udvikles til perfektion.
Da der er samādhi sambojjhaṅga til stede
inden i, forstår han: “der er samādhi sambojjhaṅga inden i mig”; der
ikke er samādhi sambojjhaṅga til stede inden i, forstår han: “der er
ingen samādhi sambojjhaṅga inden i mig”; han forstår, hvordan den
uopståede samādhi sambojjhaṅga kommer til at opstå; han forstår, hvordan
den opståede samādhi sambojjhaṅga udvikles til perfektion.
Da
der er upekkhā sambojjhaṅga til stede inden i, forstår han: “der er
upekkhā sambojjhaṅga inden i mig”; der ikke er upekkhā sambojjhaṅga til
stede inden i, forstår han: “der er ingen upekkhā sambojjhaṅga inden i
mig”; han forstår, hvordan den uopståede upekkhā sambojjhaṅga kommer til
at opstå; han forstår, hvordan den opståede upekkhā sambojjhaṅga
udvikles til perfektion.
Således bor han og observerer dhammas i
dhammas internt, eller han bor og observerer dhammas i dhammas eksternt,
eller han bor i at observere dhammas i dhammas internt og eksternt; han
bor iagttagelse af samudaya af fænomener i dhammas, eller han bor og
observerer bortgang af fænomener i dhammas, eller han bor i at observere
samudaya og gå bort fra fænomener i dhammas; Ellers [indse:] “dette er
dhammas!” sati er til stede i ham, lige i det omfang, der kun er ñāṇa og
ren paṭissati, bor han løsrevet og klæber sig ikke fast til noget i
verden. Således bor bhikkhus, en bhikkhu, der observerer dhammas i
dhammas, med henvisning til de syv bojjhaṅgas.
E. Afsnit om sandheden
Og desuden bhikkhus, der bor en bhikkhu, der observerer dhammas i
dhammas med henvisning til de fire Ariasakkaer. Og desuden, bhikkhus,
hvordan bor en bhikkhu i at observere dhammas i dhammas med henvisning
til de fire ariya-saccas?
E1. Udstilling af Dukkhasacca
Og
hvad, bhikkhus, er dukkha ariyasacca? Jāti er dukkha, aldring er dukkha
(sygdom er dukkha) maraṇa er dukkha, sorg, klageslag, dukkha, domanassa
og nød er dukkha, tilknytning til hvad man ikke kan lide er dukkha,
dissociation fra hvad man kan lide er dukkha, ikke at få hvad man vil er
dukkha; kort sagt, de fem upādāna · k · khandhas er dukkha.
Og
hvad, bhikkhus, er jati? For de forskellige væsener i de forskellige
klasser af væsener, jāti, fødslen, nedstigningen [ind i livmoderen], den
opstående [i verden], udseendet, tilsyneladelsen af khandhas,
erhvervelsen af āyatanas. Dette, bhikkhus, kaldes jāti.
Og
hvad, bhikkhus, er jarā? For de forskellige væsner i forskellige klasser
af væsener, jarā, at være forfaldne, at have brudt [tænder], at have
gråt hår, at være krøllet, forringelse af vitalitet, forfald af
indriierne: dette, bhikkhus, kaldes jarā.
Og hvad, bhikkhus, er
maraṇa? For de forskellige væsner i de forskellige klasser af væsener,
død, tilstanden til at skifte [ud af eksistensen], opbruddet,
forsvinden, døden, maraṇa, bortgangen, opdeling af khandhaer,
nedlæggelse af liget: dette, bhikkhus, kaldes maraṇa.
Og hvad,
bhikkhus, er sorg? I det ene, bhikkhus, forbundet med forskellige former
for ulykke, berørt af forskellige former for dukkha dhammas, sorrrow,
sorg, tilstand af sorg, den indre sorg, den indre store sorg: dette,
bhikkhus, kaldes sorg.
Og hvad, bhikkhus, er klagesang? I det
ene, bhikkhus, der er forbundet med forskellige former for ulykke,
berørt af forskellige slags dukkha dhammas, skrigene, klagesagerne,
gråd, græd, tilstand af gråd, tilstand af klagende: dette, bhikkhus,
kaldes klagesang.
Og hvad, bhikkhus, er dukkha? Uanset hvad,
bhikkhus, kropslig dukkha, kropslig ubehagelighed, dukkha fremkaldt af
kropslig kontakt, ubehagelig vedayitas: dette, bhikkhus, kaldes dukkha.
Og hvad, bhikkhus, er domanassa? Uanset hvad, bhikkhus, mental dukkha,
mental ubehagelighed, dukkha fremkaldt af mental kontakt, ubehagelig
vedayitas: dette, bhikkhus, kaldes domanassa.
Og hvad, bhikkhus,
er fortvivlelse? I det ene, bhikkhus, der er forbundet med forskellige
former for ulykke, berørt af forskellige slags dukkha dhammas, besværet,
fortvivlelsen, staten i at være i problemer, staten at være i
fortvivlelse: dette, bhikkhus, kaldes fortvivlelse.
Og hvad,
bhikkhus, er dukkhaen ved at være forbundet med hvad der er uenig? Her
angår former, lyde, smag, lugt, kropslige fænomener og mentale fænomener
der er som er ubehagelige, ikke underholdende, ubehagelige eller ellers
de der ønsker ens ulempe, dem der ønsker ens tab, dem der ønsker ens
ubehag, dem der ønsker ens ikke-befrielse fra tilknytning, møde, at
blive tilknyttet, være sammen, møde dem: dette, bhikkhus, kaldes dukkha
af at være forbundet med hvad der er uenig.
Og hvad, bhikkhus, er
dukkhaen ved at blive adskilt fra hvad der er behageligt? Her, hvad
angår former, lyde, smag, lugt, kropslige fænomener og mentale
fænomener, der er der er behagelige, fornøjelige, behagelige eller
ellers de der ønsker ens fordel, dem der ønsker ens fordel, dem der
ønsker ens komfort, dem der ønsker ens befrielse fra tilknytning, ikke
at mødes, ikke være forbundet, ikke være sammen, ikke møde dem: dette,
bhikkhus, kaldes dukkha af at blive adskilt fra hvad der er behageligt.
Og hvad, bhikkhus, er dukkha ved ikke at få det, man vil? Hos væsener,
bhikkhus, der har karakteristikken ved at blive født, opstår et sådant
ønske: “Åh virkelig, måske er der ikke jāti for os, og virkelig, må vi
ikke komme til jāti.” Men dette skal ikke opnås ved at ønske. Dette er
dukkha ved ikke at få det, man ønsker.
Hos væsener, bhikkhus, der
har karakteristikken ved at ældes, opstår et sådant ønske: “Åh
virkelig, måske er der ikke jarā for os, og virkelig, må vi ikke komme
til jarā.” Men dette skal ikke opnås ved at ønske. Dette er dukkha ved
ikke at få det, man ønsker.
Hos væsener, bhikkhus, der har
kendetegnende for at blive syge, opstår et sådant ønske: “Åh, måske er
der ikke sygdom for os, og måske må vi ikke komme til sygdom.” Men dette
skal ikke opnås ved at ønske. Dette er dukkha ved ikke at få det, man
ønsker.
Hos væsener, bhikkhus, der har karakteristikken ved at
blive gammel, opstår et sådant ønske: “Åh virkelig, måske er der ikke
maraṇa for os, og virkelig, må vi ikke komme til maraṇa.” Men dette skal
ikke opnås ved at ønske. Dette er dukkha ved ikke at få det, man
ønsker.
Hos væsener, bhikkhus, der har karakteristika for sorg,
klagesang, dukkha, domanassa og nød, opstår et sådant ønske: “Åh, måske
er der ikke sorg, klagesang, dukkha, domanassa og nød for os, og
virkelig, må vi ikke kom til sorg, klagesang, dukkha, domanassa og nød. ”
Men dette skal ikke opnås ved at ønske. Dette er dukkha ved ikke at få
det, man ønsker.
Og hvad, bhikkhus, er kort sagt de fem
upādānakkhandhas? De er: rūpa upādānakkhandha, vedanā upādānakkhandha,
saññā upādānakkhandha, saṅkhāra upādānakkhandha, viññāṇa
upādānakkhandha. Disse kaldes kort sagt bhikkhus, de fem
upādānakkhandhas.
Dette kaldes bhikkhus, dukkha ariyasacca
E2. Udstilling af Samudayasacca
Og hvad, bhikkhus, er dukkha-samudaya ariyasacca? Det er denne taṇhā,
der fører til genfødsel, forbundet med lyst og glæde, der finder glæde
her eller der, det vil sige: kāma-taṇhā, bhava-taṇhā og vibhava-taṇhā.
Men denne taṇhā, bhikkhus, når den rejser sig, hvor opstår den, og når
den bosætter sig, hvor bosætter den sig? I det i den verden, der
forekommer behagelig og behagelig, er det, hvor taṇhā, når det opstår,
opstår, hvor det når det sætter sig ned.
Og hvad i all verden er
behageligt og behageligt? Øjet i verden er behageligt og behageligt, der
taṇhā, når det opstår, opstår, der når det sætter sig, det sætter sig.
Øret i verden er behageligt og behageligt, der taṇhā, når det opstår,
opstår, der når det sætter sig, det sætter sig. Næsen i verden er
behagelig og behagelig, der taṇhā, når den opstår, opstår, der når den
sætter sig, den sætter sig. Tungen i verden er behagelig og behagelig,
der taṇhā, når den opstår, opstår, der når den sætter sig, den sætter
sig. Kāya i verden er behagelig og behagelig, der taṇhā, når der opstår,
opstår, der når der bosættes, det sætter sig. Mana i verden er
behagelig og behagelig, der taṇhā, når der opstår, opstår, der når der
bosætter sig, det sætter sig.
Synlige former i verden er
behagelige og behagelige, der taṇhā, når der opstår, opstår, der når der
bosættes, det sætter sig. Lyde i verden er behagelige og behagelige,
der taṇhā, når der opstår, opstår, der når der bosættes, det sætter sig.
Lugt i verden er behageligt og behageligt, der taṇhā, når det opstår,
opstår, der når der bosættes, det sætter sig. Smager i verden er
behagelige og behagelige, der taṇhā, når der opstår, opstår, der når der
bosættes, det sætter sig. Kropslige fænomener i verden er behagelige og
behagelige, der taṇhā, når der opstår, opstår, der når der bosættes,
det sætter sig. Dhammas i verden er behagelige og behagelige, der taṇhā,
når de opstår, opstår, der når de bosætter sig, det sætter sig.
Eye-viññāṇa i verden er behagelig og behagelig, der taṇhā, når der
opstår, opstår, der når der bosættes, det sætter sig. Øre-viññāṇa i
verden er behagelig og behagelig, der taṇhā, når der opstår, opstår, der
når der bosættes, det sætter sig. Næsen-viññāṇa i verden er behagelig
og behagelig, der taṇhā, når der opstår, opstår, der når der bosættes,
det sætter sig. Tungen-viññāṇa i verden er behagelig og behagelig, der
taṇhā, når der opstår, opstår, der når der bosættes, det sætter sig.
Kāya-viññāṇa i verden er behagelig og behagelig, der taṇhā, når der
opstår, opstår, der når der bosættes, det sætter sig. Mana-viññāṇa i
verden er behagelig og behagelig, der taṇhā, når der opstår, opstår, der
når der bosættes, det sætter sig.
Eye-samphassa i verden er
behagelig og behagelig, der taṇhā, når der opstår, opstår, der når der
bosættes, det sætter sig. Ear-samphassa i verden er behagelig og
behagelig, der taṇhā, når det opstår, opstår, der når der bosættes, det
sætter sig. Næse-samphassa i verden er behagelig og behagelig, der
taṇhā, når der opstår, opstår, der når der bosættes, det sætter sig.
Tungen-samphassa i verden er behagelig og behagelig, der taṇhā, når den
opstår, opstår, der når den sætter sig, den sætter sig. Kāya-samphassa i
verden er behagelig og behagelig, der taṇhā, når der opstår, opstår,
der når der bosættes, det sætter sig. Mana-samphassa i verden er
behagelig og behagelig, der taṇhā, når der opstår, opstår, der når der
bosættes, det sætter sig.
Vedanā født af øje-samphassa i verden
er behagelig og behagelig, der taṇhā, når der opstår, opstår, der når
der bosættes, det sætter sig. Vedanāen, der er født af øre-samphassa i
verden, er behagelig og behagelig, der ta arhā, når den rejser sig,
opstår, der når den sætter sig, den sætter sig. Vedanā født af
næse-samphassa i verden er behagelig og behagelig, der taṇhā, når der
opstår, opstår, der når der bosættes, det sætter sig. Vedanā født af
tunge-samphassa i verden er behagelig og behagelig, der taṇhā, når der
opstår, opstår, der når der bosættes, det sætter sig. Vedanāen, der er
født af kāya-samphassa i verden, er behagelig og behagelig, der taṇhā,
når den opstår, opstår, der når den bosætter sig, den sætter sig. Den
vedanā, der er født af mana-samphassa i verden, er behagelig og
behagelig, der ta arhā, når der opstår, opstår, der, når der bosættes,
det sætter sig.
Saññā af synlige former i verden er behagelig og
behagelig, der taṇhā, når der opstår, opstår, der når der bosættes, det
sætter sig. Saññā af lyde i verden er behageligt og behageligt, der
taṇhā, når der opstår, opstår, der når der bosættes, det sætter sig.
Saññā af lugt i verden er behagelig og behagelig, der taṇhā, når der
opstår, opstår, der når der bosættes, det sætter sig. Saññā af smag i
verden er behagelig og behagelig, der taṇhā, når der opstår, opstår, der
når der bosættes, det sætter sig. Saññā af kropslige fænomener i verden
er behageligt og behageligt, der taṇhā, når det opstår, opstår, der når
det bosætter sig, det sætter sig. Dhammas ’saññā i verden er behagelig
og behagelig, der taṇhā, når der opstår, opstår, der når der bosættes,
det sætter sig.
Hensigten [relateret til] synlige former i verden
er behagelig og behagelig, der taṇhā, når det opstår, opstår, der når
der bosættes, det sætter sig. Hensigten [relateret til] lyde i verden er
behagelig og behagelig, der taṇhā, når det opstår, opstår, der når der
bosættes, det sætter sig. Intentionen [relateret til] lugt i verden er
behagelig og behagelig, der taṇhā, når der opstår, opstår, der når der
bosættes, det sætter sig. Hensigten [relateret til] smag i verden er
behagelig og behagelig, der taṇhā, når der opstår, opstår, der når der
bosættes, det sætter sig. Intensionen [relateret til] kropslige
fænomener i verden er behagelig og behagelig, der taṇhā, når der opstår,
opstår, der når man bosætter sig, det sætter sig. Intentionen
[relateret til] dhammas i verden er behagelig og behagelig, der taṇhā,
når den rejser sig, opstår, der når den bosætter sig, sætter den sig.
Taṇhā for synlige former i verden er behageligt og behageligt, der
taṇhā, når det opstår, opstår, der når der bosættes, det sætter sig.
Taṇhā for lyde i verden er behageligt og behageligt, der taṇhā, når det
opstår, opstår, der når det sætter sig, det sætter sig. Taṇhā for lugt i
verden er behageligt og behageligt, der taṇhā, når det opstår, opstår,
der når der bosættes, det sætter sig. Taṇhā for smag i verden er
behageligt og behageligt, der taṇhā, når det opstår, opstår, der når det
sætter sig, det sætter sig. Taṇhā for kropslige fænomener i verden er
behageligt og behageligt, der taṇhā, når det opstår, opstår, der når det
bosætter sig, det sætter sig. Taṇhā for dhammas i verden er behageligt
og behageligt, der taṇhā, når det opstår, opstår, der når der bosættes,
det sætter sig.
Vitakka af synlige former i verden er behagelig
og behagelig, der taṇhā, når der opstår, opstår, der når der bosættes,
det sætter sig. Vitakka af lyde i verden er behagelig og behagelig, der
taṇhā, når der opstår, opstår, der når der bosættes, det sætter sig.
Vitakka af lugt i verden er behagelig og behagelig, der taṇhā, når der
opstår, opstår, der når der bosættes, det sætter sig. Vitakka af smag i
verden er behagelig og behagelig, der taṇhā, når der opstår, opstår, der
når der bosættes, det sætter sig. Vitakka af kropslige fænomener i
verden er behagelig og behagelig, der taṇhā, når der opstår, opstår, der
når der bosættes, det sætter sig. Dammas vitakka i verden er behagelig
og behagelig, der taṇhā, når der opstår, opstår, der når der bosættes,
det sætter sig.
Vikaraen af synlige former i verden er
behagelig og behagelig, der taṇhā, når der opstår, opstår, der når der
bosættes, det sætter sig. Omgivelsen af lyde i verden er behagelig og
behagelig, der taṇhā, når der opstår, opstår, der når der bosættes, det
sætter sig. Omgivelsen af lugt i verden er behagelig og behagelig, der
taṇhā, når der opstår, opstår, der når der bosættes, det sætter sig.
Stedets smag i verden er behageligt og behageligt, der taṇhā, når det
opstår, opstår, der, når der bosættes, det sætter sig. Omgivelsen til
kropslige fænomener i verden er behagelig og behagelig, der taṇhā, når
der opstår, opstår, der når der bosættes, det sætter sig. Dhammas vicara
i verden er behagelig og behagelig, der taṇhā, når der opstår, opstår,
der når der bosættes, det sætter sig. Dette kaldes bhikkhus, dukkha ·
samudaya ariyasacca.
E3. Exposition af Nirodhasacca
Og
hvad, bhikkhus, er dukkha-samudaya ariyasacca? Det er denne taṇhā, der
fører til genfødsel, forbundet med lyst og glæde, der finder glæde her
eller der, det vil sige: kāma-taṇhā, bhava-taṇhā og vibhava-taṇhā. Men
dette taṇhā, bhikkhus, når det er forladt, hvor er det forladt, og når
det ophører, hvor ophører det? I det i verden, der synes behageligt og
behageligt, er det, hvor taṇhā, når den er forladt, opgives, hvor den
ophører, når den ophører.
Og hvad i all verden er behageligt og
behageligt? Øjet i verden er behageligt og behageligt, der taṇhā, når
det er forladt, forladt, der når det ophører, det ophører. Øret i verden
er behageligt og behageligt, der taṇhā, når det er forladt, er forladt,
der når det ophører, det ophører. Næsen i verden er behagelig og
behagelig, der taṇhā, når den er forladt, bliver forladt, der når den
ophører, den ophører. Tungen i verden er behagelig og behagelig, der
taṇhā, når den er forladt, bliver forladt, der når den ophører, den
ophører. Kāya i verden er behagelig og behagelig, der taṇhā, når den er
forladt, er forladt, der når den ophører, den ophører. Mana i verden er
behagelig og behagelig, der taṇhā, når den er forladt, bliver forladt,
der når den ophører, den ophører.
Synlige former i verden er
behagelige og behagelige, der taṇhā, når de er forladt, forlades, der
når de ophører, den ophører. Lyde i verden er behagelige og behagelige,
der er taṇhā, når de er forladt, forladt, der når de ophører, den
ophører. Lugt i verden er behageligt og behageligt, der taṇhā, når det
er forladt, er forladt, der når det ophører, det ophører. Smager i
verden er behagelige og behagelige, der taṇhā, når det er forladt,
forladt, der når det ophører, det ophører. Kropslige fænomener i verden
er behagelige og behagelige, der taṇhā, når de er forladt, forlades, der
når de ophører, den ophører. Dhammas i verden er behagelige og
behagelige, der taṇhā, når de er forladt, bliver forladt, der når de
ophører, den ophører.
Eye-viññāṇa i verden er behagelig og
behagelig, der taṇhā, når den er forladt, der er forladt, der når den
ophører, den ophører. Øre-viññāṇa i verden er behagelig og behagelig,
der taṇhā, når den er forladt, bliver forladt, der når den ophører, den
ophører. Næsen-viññāṇa i verden er behagelig og behagelig, der taṇhā,
når den er forladt, bliver forladt, der når den ophører, den ophører.
Tungen-viññāṇa i verden er behagelig og behagelig, der taṇhā, når den er
forladt, bliver forladt, der når den ophører, den ophører. Kāya-viññāṇa
i verden er behagelig og behagelig, der taṇhā, når den er forladt,
bliver forladt, der når den ophører, den ophører. Mana-viññāṇa i verden
er behagelig og behagelig, der taṇhā, når den er forladt, bliver
forladt, der når den ophører, den ophører.
Eye-samphassa i verden
er behagelig og behagelig, der taṇhā, når den er forladt, bliver
forladt, der når den ophører, den ophører. Ear-samphassa i verden er
behagelig og behagelig, der taṇhā, når den er forladt, er forladt, der
når den ophører, den ophører. Næse-samphassa i verden er behagelig og
behagelig, der taṇhā, når den er forladt, er forladt, der når den
ophører, den ophører. Tungesamphassa i verden er behagelig og behagelig,
der taṇhā, når den er forladt, bliver forladt, der når den ophører, den
ophører. Kāya-samphassa i verden er behagelig og behagelig, der taṇhā,
når den er forladt, bliver forladt, der når den ophører, den ophører.
Mana-samphassa i verden er behagelig og behagelig, der taṇhā, når den er
forladt, bliver forladt, der når den ophører, den ophører.
Vedanā født af øje-samphassa i verden er behagelig og behagelig, der ta
agrehā, når den er forladt, bliver forladt, der når den ophører, den
ophører. Vedanā født af øre-samphassa i verden er behagelig og
behagelig, der ta agrehā, når den er forladt, bliver forladt, der når
den ophører, den ophører. Vedanā født af næse-samphassa i verden er
behagelig og behagelig, der taṇhā, når den er forladt, bliver forladt,
der når den ophører, den ophører. Vedanā født af tunge-samphassa i
verden er behagelig og behagelig, der taṇhā, når den er forladt, bliver
forladt, der når den ophører, den ophører. Den vedanā, der er født af
kāya-samphassa i verden, er behagelig og behagelig, der taṇhā, når den
er forladt, bliver forladt, der når den ophører, den ophører. Vedanā
født af mana-samphassa i verden er behagelig og behagelig, der taṇhā,
når den er forladt, bliver forladt, der når den ophører, den ophører.
Saññā af synlige former i verden er behagelig og behagelig, der taṇhā,
når den er forladt, bliver forladt, der når den ophører, den ophører.
Saññā af lyde i verden er behageligt og behageligt, der taṇhā, når det
er forladt, er forladt, der når det ophører, det ophører. Saññā af lugt i
verden er behagelig og behagelig, der taṇhā, når den er forladt, bliver
forladt, der når den ophører, den ophører. Saññā af smag i verden er
behagelig og behagelig, der taṇhā, når den er forladt, bliver forladt,
der når den ophører, den ophører. Saññā af kropslige fænomener i verden
er behageligt og behageligt, der taṇhā, når det er forladt, er forladt,
der når det ophører, det ophører. Dhammas ’saññā i verden er behagelig
og behagelig, der taṇhā, når den er forladt, bliver forladt, der når den
ophører, den ophører.
Intensionen [relateret til] synlige former
i verden er behagelig og behagelig, der taṇhā, når den er forladt,
bliver forladt, der når den ophører, den ophører. Intensionen [relateret
til] lyde i verden er behagelig og behagelig, der taṇhā, når den er
forladt, bliver forladt, der når den ophører, den ophører. Intentionen
[relateret til] lugt i verden er behagelig og behagelig, der taṇhā, når
den er forladt, bliver forladt, der når den ophører, den ophører.
Intentionen [relateret til] smag i verden er behagelig og behagelig, der
taṇhā, når den er forladt, bliver forladt, der når den ophører, den
ophører. Intensionen [relateret til] kropslige fænomener i verden er
behagelig og behagelig, der taṇhā, når den er forladt, bliver forladt,
der når den ophører, den ophører. Intentionen [relateret til] dhammas i
verden er behagelig og behagelig, der taṇhā, når den er forladt, bliver
forladt, der når den ophører, den ophører.
Taṇhā for synlige
former i verden er behageligt og behageligt, der taṇhā, når det er
forladt, er forladt, der når det ophører, det ophører. Taṇhā for lyde i
verden er behageligt og behageligt, der taṇhā, når det er forladt, er
forladt, der når det ophører, det ophører. Taṇhā for lugt i verden er
behageligt og behageligt, der taṇhā, når det er forladt, er forladt, der
når det ophører, det ophører. Taṇhā for smag i verden er behagelig og
behagelig, der ta therehā, når den er forladt, bliver forladt, der når
den ophører, den ophører. Taṇhā for kropslige fænomener i verden er
behageligt og behageligt, der taṇhā, når det er forladt, er forladt, der
når det ophører, det ophører. Taṇhā for dhammas i verden er behageligt
og behageligt, der taṇhā, når det er forladt, er forladt, der når det
ophører, det ophører.
Vitakka af synlige former i verden er
behagelig og behagelig, der taṇhā, når den er forladt, er forladt, der
når den ophører, den ophører. Vitakka af lyde i verden er behagelig og
behagelig, der taṇhā, når det er forladt, er forladt, der når det
ophører, det ophører. Vitakka af lugt i verden er behagelig og
behagelig, der taṇhā, når det er forladt, er forladt, der når det
ophører, det ophører. Vitakka af smag i verden er behagelig og
behagelig, der taṇhā, når det er forladt, er forladt, der når det
ophører, det ophører. Vitakka af kropslige fænomener i verden er
behagelig og behagelig, der taṇhā, når det er forladt, er forladt, der
når det ophører, det ophører. Dammas vitakka i verden er behagelig og
behagelig, der taṇhā, når det er forladt, er forladt, der når det
ophører, det ophører.
Vikaraen af synlige former i verden er
behagelig og behagelig, der taṇhā, når den er forladt, bliver forladt,
der når den ophører, den ophører. Omgivelsen af lyde i verden er
behagelig og behagelig, der taṇhā, når den er forladt, bliver forladt,
der når den ophører, den ophører. Omgivelsen af lugt i verden er
behagelig og behagelig, der taṇhā, når den er forladt, bliver forladt,
der når den ophører, den ophører. Væksten af smag i verden er
behagelig og behagelig, der taṇhā, når den er forladt, bliver forladt,
der når den ophører, den ophører. Omgivelsen af kropslige fænomener i
verden er behagelig og behagelig, der taṇhā, når den er forladt, bliver
forladt, der når den ophører, den ophører. Dhammas vicara i verden er
behagelig og behagelig, der taṇhā, når den er forladt, bliver forladt,
der når den ophører, den ophører. Dette kaldes bhikkhus, dukkha ·
nirodha ariyasacca.
E4. Udstilling af Maggasacca
Og hvad,
bhikkhus, er dukkha · nirodha · gāminī paṭipadā ariyasacca? Det er netop
denne ariya aṭṭhaṅgika magga, det vil sige sammādiṭṭhi, sammāsaṅkappo,
sammāvācā, sammākammanto, sammā-ājīvo, sammāvāyāmo, sammāsati og
sammāsamādhi.
Og hvad, bhikkhus, er sammādiṭṭhi? Det, bhikkhus,
som er dukkha’s ñāṇa, dukkha-samudaya’s ñāṇa, dukkha-nirodha’s ñāṇa og
dukkha-nirodha-gāmini paṭipada ñāṇa, det kaldes bhikkhus, sammādiṭṭhi.
Og hvad, bhikkhus, er sammāsaṅkappas? Disse, bhikkhus, som er saṅkappas
af nekkhamma, saṅkappas af abyāpāda, saṅkappas af avihiṃsā, de kaldes,
bhikkhus, sammāsaṅkappas.
Og hvad, bhikkhus, er sammāvācā? At
bhikkhus, der afholder sig fra musāvādā, afholder sig fra pisuṇa vācā,
afholder sig fra pharusa vācā, og afholder sig fra samphappalāpa, der
kaldes bhikkhus, sammāvācā.
Og hvad, bhikkhus, er sammā-kammanta?
At bhikkhus, der afholder sig fra pāṇātipāta, afholder sig fra
adinnādāna, afholder sig fra abrahmacariya, det kaldes bhikkhus,
sammā-kammanta.
Og hvad, bhikkhus, er sammā-ājīva? Her støtter
bhikkhus, en ædel discipel, der har forladt forkert levebrød hans liv
ved hjælp af rigtige levebrød, det vil sige bhikkhus, sammā-ājīva.
Og hvad, bhikkhus, er sammāvāyāma? Her, bhikkhus, genererer en bhikkhu
sin chanda til ikke-opståen af uopstået pāpaka og akusala dhammas, han
udøver sig, vækker sin viriya, anvender kraftigt sin citta og stræber;
han genererer sin chanda til at forlade de opståede pāpaka og akusala
dhammas, han udøver sig, vækker sin viriya, anvender kraftigt sin citta
og stræber; han genererer sin chanda til opståen af uopstået kusala
dhammas, han udøver sig, vækker sin viriya, anvender kraftigt sit citta
og stræber; han genererer sin chanda til standhaftighed hos opståede
kusala dhammas, for deres fravær af forvirring, for deres stigning,
deres udvikling, deres dyrkning og deres færdiggørelse, han udøver sig,
vækker sin viriya, anvender kraftigt sin citta og stræber. Dette kaldes
bhikkhus, sammāvāyāma.
En hvad, bhikkhus, er sammāsati? Her bor
bhikkhus, en bhikkhu, der observerer kāya i kāya, ātāpī sampajāno,
satimā, efter at have opgivet abhijjhā-domanassa mod verden. Han bor og
observerer vedanā i vedanā, ātāpī sampajāno, satimā, efter at have
opgivet abhijjhā-domanassa mod verden. Han bor og observerer citta i
citta, ātāpī sampajāno, satimā, efter at have opgivet abhijjhā-domanassa
mod verden. Han bor og observerer dhammaer i dhammaer, ātāpī sampajāno,
satimā, efter at have opgivet abhijjhā-domanassa mod verden. Dette
kaldes bhikkhus, sammāsati.
Og hvad, bhikkhus, er sammāsamādhi?
Her forbliver bhikkhus, en bhikkhu, løsrevet fra kāma, løsrevet fra
akusala dhammas, når han er kommet ind i den første jhāna, deri, med
vitakka og vicāra, med pīti og sukha født af løsrivelse. Med stillingen
af vitakka-vicāra, efter at han er kommet ind i den anden jhāna,
forbliver han deri med indre tanquilization, forening af citta, uden
vitakka eller vicāra, med pti og sukha født af samādhi. Og med
ligegyldighed over for pīti forbliver han i upekkha, sato og sampajāno,
han oplever i kāya den sukha, som ariyaerne beskriver: ‘en der er
ensartet og opmærksom, bor i [denne] sukha’, når han er kommet ind i den
tredje jhāna, overholder han deri. At forlade sukha og opgive dukkha,
somanassa og domanassa, der tidligere er forsvundet, uden sukha eller
dukkha, med renheden af upekkha og sati, efter at have gået ind i den
fjerde jhāna, bliver han der. Dette kaldes bhikkhus, sammāsamādhi.
Dette kaldes bhikkhus, dukkha · nirodha · gāminī paṭipadā ariyasacca.
Således bor han og observerer dhammas i dhammas internt, eller han bor
og observerer dhammas i dhammas eksternt, eller han bor i at observere
dhammas i dhammas internt og eksternt; han bor iagttagelse af samudaya
af fænomener i dhammas, eller han bor og observerer bortgang af
fænomener i dhammas, eller han bor i at observere samudaya og gå bort
fra fænomener i dhammas; Ellers [indse:] “dette er dhammas!” sati er til
stede i ham, lige i det omfang, der kun er ñāṇa og ren paṭissati, bor
han løsrevet og klæber sig ikke fast til noget i verden. Således bor
bhikkhus, en bhikkhu, der observerer dhammas i dhammas, med henvisning
til de fire Ariasakkaer.
Fordelene ved at øve Satipaṭṭhānas
For den, bhikkhus, som ville øve disse fire satipaṭṭhānas på denne måde
i syv år, kan man forvente et af to resultater: enten [perfekt] viden
om synlige fænomener, eller hvis der er en vis klamring tilbage,
anāgāmita.
Bortset fra syv år, bhikkhus. For den, bhikkhus, som
ville praktisere disse fire satipaṭṭhānas på denne måde i seks år, kan
man forvente et af to resultater: enten [perfekt] viden om synlige
fænomener, eller hvis der er noget klamrende tilbage, anāgāmita.
Bortset fra seks år, bhikkhus. For den, bhikkhus, som ville praktisere
disse fire satipaṭṭhānas på denne måde i fem år, kan et af to resultater
forventes: enten [perfekt] viden om synlige fænomener, eller hvis der
er en vis klamring tilbage, anāgāmita.
Bortset fra fem år,
bhikkhus. For den, bhikkhus, som ville praktisere disse fire
satipaṭṭhānas på denne måde i fire år, kan et af to resultater
forventes: enten [perfekt] viden om synlige fænomener, eller hvis der er
noget fastklamrende tilbage, anāgāmita.
Bortset fra fire år,
bhikkhus. For den, bhikkhus, som ville praktisere disse fire
satipaṭṭhānas på denne måde i tre år, kan man forvente et af to
resultater: enten [perfekt] viden om synlige fænomener, eller hvis der
er noget klamrende tilbage, anāgāmita.
Bortset fra tre år,
bhikkhus. For den, bhikkhus, som ville praktisere disse fire
satipaṭṭhānas på denne måde i to år, kan et af to resultater forventes:
enten [perfekt] viden i synlige fænomener, eller hvis der er noget
fastklamrende tilbage, anāgāmita.
Bortset fra to år, bhikkhus.
For den, bhikkhus, som ville øve disse fire satipaṭṭhānas på denne måde i
et år, kan et af to resultater forventes: enten [perfekt] viden om
synlige fænomener, eller hvis der er en vis klamring tilbage, anāgāmita.
For ikke at sige et år, bhikkhus. For den, bhikkhus, som ville øve
disse fire satipaṭṭhānas på denne måde i syv måneder, kan et af to
resultater forventes: enten [perfekt] viden om synlige fænomener, eller
hvis der er noget fastklamrende tilbage, anāgāmita.
Bortset fra
syv måneder, bhikkhus. For den, bhikkhus, som ville øve disse fire
satipaṭṭhānas på denne måde i seks måneder, kan et af to resultater
forventes: enten [perfekt] viden om synlige fænomener, eller hvis der er
en vis klamring tilbage, anāgāmita.
Bortset fra seks måneder,
bhikkhus. For den, bhikkhus, som ville øve disse fire satipaṭṭhānas på
denne måde i fem måneder, kan man forvente et af to resultater: enten
[perfekt] viden om synlige fænomener, eller hvis der er en vis klamring
tilbage, anāgāmita.
Bortset fra fem måneder, bhikkhus. For den,
bhikkhus, som ville praktisere disse fire satipaṭṭhānas på denne måde i
fire måneder, kan et af to resultater forventes: enten [perfekt] viden
om synlige fænomener, eller hvis der er en vis klamring tilbage,
anāgāmita.
Bortset fra fire måneder, bhikkhus. For den, bhikkhus,
som ville øve disse fire satipaṭṭhānas på denne måde i tre måneder, kan
et af to resultater forventes: enten [perfekt] viden om synlige
fænomener, eller hvis der er en vis klamring tilbage, anāgāmita.
Bortset fra tre måneder, bhikkhus. For den, bhikkhus, som ville
praktisere disse fire satipaṭṭhānas på denne måde i to måneder, kan et
af to resultater forventes: enten [perfekt] viden om synlige fænomener,
eller hvis der er noget fastklamrende tilbage, anāgāmita.
For
ikke at sige to måneder, bhikkhus. For den, bhikkhus, som ville øve
disse fire satipaṭṭhānas på denne måde i en måned, kan et af to
resultater forventes: enten [perfekt] viden om synlige fænomener, eller
hvis der er en vis klamring tilbage, anāgāmita.
Bortset fra en
måned, bhikkhus. For den, bhikkhus, som ville øve disse fire
satipaṭṭhānas på denne måde i en halv måned, kan et af to resultater
forventes: enten [perfekt] viden om synlige fænomener, eller hvis der er
en vis klamring tilbage, anāgāmita.
Bortset fra en halv måned,
bhikkhus. For den, bhikkhus, som ville øve disse fire satipaṭṭhānas på
denne måde i en uge, kan et af to resultater forventes: enten [perfekt]
viden om synlige fænomener, eller hvis der er en vis klamring tilbage,
anāgāmita.
”Dette, bhikkhus, er den sti, der fører til intet
andet end rensningen af væsener, overvindelsen af sorg og klageslag,
forsvinden af dukkha-domanassa, opnåelsen af den rigtige måde,
realiseringen af Nibbāna, dvs. satipaṭṭhānas.” Således er det blevet
sagt, og på grundlag af alt dette er det blevet sagt.
Således talte Bhagavā. Bhikkhus glæder sig over Bhagavas ord.
Book Seven, Part I—The Meeting of those Near and Dear
1. *The Centres of His Preachings* — 2. *The Places He Visited* –
3. *Last Meeting between Mother and Son, and between Wife and Husband*
– 4. *Last Meeting between Father and Son* — 5. *Last Meeting between
the Buddha and Sariputta*
§1. The Centres of His Preachings
1. It is not that after the appointment of the missionaries the
Lord sat at one place. He too continued to be his own missionary. 3. Of such centres, the chief were Shravasti and Rajagraha. 4. He visited Shravasti about 75 times, and Rajagraha about 24 times. 5. Certain other places were made minor centres. 6. They were Kapilavastu, which he visited 6 times; Vesali, which he visited 6 times; and Kamas-sadhamma, 4 times.
§ 2. The Places He Visited
1. Besides these main and minor centres, the Blessed Lord
visited many other places during the course of his missionary tour. 2. He visited Ukkatha, Nadika, Sal, Assapura, Ghoshitaram, Nalanda, Appana, Etuma. 3. He visited Opasad, lccha-naukal, Chandal Kuppa, Kushinara. 4. He visited Devadaha, Pava, Ambasanda, Setavya, Anupiya, and Ugunma. 5. The names of the places he visited show that he travelled over the Sakya Desa, the Kuru Desa, and [the] Anga Desa. 6. Roughly speaking, he travelled over the whole of Northern India.
7. These appear to be a few places. But what distance do they
cover? Rajagraha from Lumbini is not less than 250 miles. This just
gives an idea of distances. 8. These distances the Lord walked on foot. He did not even use a bullock-cart.
9. In his wanderings he had no place to stay, until later on
when his lay disciples built Viharas and resting places which he and his
Bhikkhus used as halts on their journeys. Most often he lived under the
shade of wayside trees. 10. He went from place to place,
sometimes from village to village, resolving the doubts and difficulties
of those who were willing to accept his message, controverting the
arguments of those who were his opponents, and preaching his gospel to
those who, like children, came to him for guidance. 11. The
Blessed Lord knew that all those who came to listen to him were not all
of them intelligent, not all of them came with an open and a free mind. 12. He had even warned the brethren that there were three sorts of listeners:
13. The empty-head, the fool who cannot see–though oft and
oft, unto the brethren going, he hears their talk, beginning, middle,
end, but can never grasp it. Wisdom is not his. 14. Better
than he the man of scattered brains, who oft and oft, unto the brethren
going, hears all their talk, beginning, middle, end, and seated there
can grasp the very words, yet, rising, nought retains. Blank is his
mind. 15. Better than these the man of wisdom wide. He, oft
and oft unto the brethren going, hears all their talk, beginning,
middle, end, and seated there, can grasp the very words, bears all in
mind, steadfast, unwavering, skilled in the Norm and what conforms
thereto. 16. Notwithstanding this, the Lord was never tired of going from place to place preaching his gospel.
17. As a bhikkhu the Lord never had more than three pieces of
clothes [=clothing]. He lived on one meal a day, and he begged his food
from door to door every morning. 18. His mission was the hardest task assigned to any human being. He discharged it so cheerfully.
§ 3. Last Meeting between Mother and Son, and between Wife and Husband
1. Before their death Mahaprajapati and Yeshodhara met the Blessed Lord, 2. It was probably their last meeting with him. 3. Mahaprajapati went, and first worshipped him.
4. She thanked him for having given her the happiness of the
good doctrine; for her having been spiritually born through him; for the
doctrine having grown in her through him; for her having suckled him,
drinking the Dhamma-milk of him; for her having plunged in and crossed
over the ocean of becoming through him–what a glorious thing it has
been to be known as the mother of the Buddha! 5. And then she uttered her plea: “I desire to die, finally having put away this corpse. O sorrow-ender, permit me.”
6. Yeshodhara, addressing the Blessed Lord, said that she was
in her seventy-eighth year. The Blessed Lord replied that he was in his
eighties. 7. She told him that she was to die that very
night. Her tone was more self-reliant than that of Mahaprajapati. She
did not ask his permission to die, nor did she go to him to seek him as
her refuge. 8. On the contrary, she said to him (me saranam atthano), ” I am my own refuge.” 9. She had conquered all the cankers in her life. 10. She came to thank him, because it was he who had shown her the way and given her the power.
§ 4. Last Meeting between Father and Son
1. Once when the Lord was staying at Raja-graha in the bamboo grove, Rahula was staying at Ambalathika.
2. The Blessed One, arising towards eventide from his
meditation, went over to Rahula, who seeing the Lord some way off, set a
seat for him and water to wash his feet. 3. Seating himself
on the seat set for him, the Lord poured water over his feet, while
Rahula, after salutations, took his seat to one side. 4.
Addressing Rahula, the Blessed Lord said, “He who does not shrink from
deliberate lying has not, say I, left undone any evil thing which he
could. Therefore, you must school yourself never to tell a lie even in
jest. 5. “In the same way you must reflect, and again in
doing every act, in speaking every word, and in thinking every thought.
6. “When you want to do anything, you must reflect whether it
would conduce to your or others’ harm or to both, and so is a wrong act
productive of woe and ripening into woe. If reflection tells you that
this is the nature of that contemplated act, you should not do it. 7. “But if reflection assures you there is no harm but good in it, then you may do it. 8. “Grow in loving kindness; for as you do so, malevolence will pass away. 9. “Grow in compassion; for as you do so, vexation will pass away. 10. “Grow in gladness over others’ welfare; for as you do so, aversions will pass away. 11. “Grow in poised equanimity; for as you do so, all repugnance will pass away. 12. “Grow in contemplation of the body’s corruption; for as you do so, passion will pass away. 13. “Grow in perception of the fleeting nature of things; for as you do so, the pride of self will fall away.” 14. Thus spoke the Lord. Glad at heart, Rahula rejoiced in what the Lord had said.
§ 5. Last Meeting between the Buddha and Sariputta
1. The Blessed Lord was staying in Shravasti, in the Jetavana in the Gaudhakuti Vihar. 2. Sariputta arrived there with a company of five hundred brethren.
3. After saluting the Blessed One, Sariputta told him that the
last day of his life on earth had arrived. Will the Blessed Lord be
pleased to permit him to give up his mortal coils [=body]? 4. The Blessed Lord asked Sariputta if he had selected any place for his parinibbana.
5. Sariputta told the Blessed One, “I was born in the village
Nalaka in Magadha. The house in which I was born still stands. I have
chosen my home for my parinibbana.” 6. The Lord replied, “Dear Sariputta! Do what pleases you.”
7. Sariputta fell on the feet of the Blessed Lord arid said, “I
have practised the paramitas for one thousand Kalpas with only one
wish: to have the honour of falling on [=at] your feet. I have achieved
that end, and there is no end to my happiness.” 8. “We do
not believe in rebirth. Therefore this is our last meeting. Let the Lord
forgive me my faults. My last day has come.” 9. “Sariputta! There is nothing to forgive,” said the Lord. 10. When Sariputta rose to go, the Lord in his honour got up, and stood up on the verandah of the Gauohakuti Vihar.
11. Then Sariputta said to the Blessed Lord, “I was happy when I
saw you first. I am happy to see you now. I know this is the last
darshan of you [that] I am having. I shall not have your darshan again.” 12. Joining together the palms of his hand[s], he walked away without showing his back to the Blessed Lord.
13. Then the Blessed Lord said to the assembled brethren,
“Follow your Elder Brother”–and the assembly for the first time left
the Blessed Lord and went after Sariputta. 14. Sariputta, on reaching his village, died in his home, in the very room in which he was born. 15. He was cremated, and his ashes were taken to the Blessed Lord.
16. On receiving the ashes, the Blessed Lord said to the
brethren, “He was the wisest, he had no acquisitive instinct, he was
energetic and industrious, he hated sin–ye brethren, see his ashes! He
was as strong as the earth in his forgiveness, he never allowed anger to
enter his mind, he was never controlled by any desire, he had conquered
all his passions, he was full of sympathy, fellowship and love.”
17. About that time Mahamogallan was then living in a solitary
Vihar near Rajagraha. He was murdered by some assassins employed by the
enemies of the Blessed Lord. 18. The sad news of his end was
conveyed to the Blessed One. Sariputta and Mahamogallan were his two
chief disciples. They were called Dharma-Senapati–Defenders of the
Faith. The Blessed Lord depended upon them to continue the spread of his
gospel. 19. The Blessed Lord was deeply affected by their death in his lifetime. 20. He did not like to stay in Shravasti; and to relieve his mind, he decided to move on.
The
Centres of His PreachingsThe Places He VisitedLast Meeting between
Mother and Son, and between Wife and HusbandLast Meeting between Father
and SonLast Meeting between the Buddha and Sariputta
render it necessary for him to take immediate action, he may
promulgate such Ordinances as the circumstances appear to him to
require. (2) An Ordinance
promulgated under this article shall have the same force and effect as
an Act of Parliament, but every such Ordinance—
(a) shall be laid before both Houses of Parliament and shall
cease to operate at the expiration of six weeks from the reassembly of
Parliament, or, if before the expiration of that period resolutions
disapproving it are passed by both Houses, upon the passing of the
second of those resolutions; and
(b) may be withdrawn at any time by the President.
Explanation.—Where
the Houses of Parliament are summoned to reassemble on different dates,
the period of six weeks shall be reckoned from the later of those dates
for the purposes of this clause. (3) If and so far
as an Ordinance under this article makes any provision which Parliament
would not under this Constitution be competent to enact, it shall be
void.
Chapter IV.—The Union Judiciary
124. (1) There shall be a Supreme Court of India consisting of a
Chief Justice of India and, until Parliament by law prescribes a larger
number, of not more than seven other Judges. (2) Every Judge
of the Supreme Court shall be appointed by the President by warrant
under his hand and seal after consultation with such of the Judges of
the Supreme Court and of the High Courts in the States as the President
may deem necessary for the purpose and shall hold office until he
attains the age of sixty-five years: Provided that in
the case of appointment of a Judge other than the Chief Justice, the
Chief Justice of India shall always be consulted: Provided further that—
(a) a Judge may, by writing under his hand addressed to
Establishment and constitution of Supreme Court.
the President, resign his office;
(b) a Judge may be removed from his office in the manner provided in clause (4).
(3) A person shall not be qualified for appointment as a Judge of the Supreme Court unless he is a citizen of India and—
(a) has been for at least five years a Judge of a High Court or of two or more such Courts in succession; or
(b) has been for at least ten years an advocate of a High Court or of two or more such Courts in succession; or
(c) is, in the opinion of the President, a distinguished jurist.
Explanation I.—In
this clause “High Court” means a High Court which exercises, or which
at any time before the commencement of this Constitution exercised,
jurisdiction in any part of the territory of India.
Explanation II.—In
computing for the purpose of this clause the period during which a
person has been an advocate, any period during which a person has held
judicial office not inferior to that of a district judge after he became
an advocate shall be included.
(4) A
Judge of the Supreme Court shall not be removed from his office except
by an order of the President passed after an address by each House of
Parliament supported by a majority of the total membership of that House
and by a majority of not less than two-thirds of the members of that
House present and voting has been presented to the President in the same
session for such removal on the ground of proved misbehaviour or
incapacity.
(5)
Parliament may by law regulate the procedure for the presentation of an
address and for the investigation and proof of the misbehaviour or
incapacity of a Judge under clause (4).
(6) Every
person appointed to be a Judge of the Supreme Court shall, before he
enters upon his office, make and subscribe before the President, or some
person appointed in that behalf by him, an oath or affirmation
according to the form set out for the purpose in the Third Schedule.
(7) No person who has held office as a Judge of the Supreme
Court shall plead or act in any court or before any authority within the territory of India.
125. (1) There shall be paid to the Judges of the Supreme Court such salaries as are specified in the Second Schedule. (2) Every Judge
shall be entitled to such privileges and allowances and to such rights
in respect of leave of absence and pension as may from time to time be
determined by or under law made by Parliament and, until so determined,
to such privileges, allowances and rights as are specified in the Second
Schedule: Provided that
neither the privileges nor the allowances of a Judge nor his rights in
respect of leave of absence or pension shall be varied to his
disadvantage after his appointment.
126. When the office of Chief Justice of India is vacant or when
the Chief Justice is, by reason of absence or otherwise, unable to
perform the duties of his office, the duties of the office shall be
performed by such one of the other Judges of the Court as the President
may appoint for the purpose.
127. (1) If at any time there should not be a quorum of the
Judges of the Supreme Court available to hold or continue any session of
the Court, the Chief Justice of India may, with the previous consent of
the President and after consultation with the Chief Justice of the High
Court concerned, request in writing the attendance at the sittings of
the Court, as an ad hoc Judge, for such period as may be
necessary, of a Judge of a High Court duly qualified for appointment as a
Judge of the Supreme Court to be designated by the Chief Justice of
India. (2) It shall be
the duty of the Judge who has been so designated, in priority to other
duties of his office, to attend the sittings of the Supreme Court at the
time and for the period for which his attendance is required, and while
so attending he shall have all the jurisdiction, powers and privileges,
and shall discharge the duties, of a Judge of the Supreme Court.
128. Notwithstanding anything in this Chapter, the Chief Justice
of India may at any time, with the previous consent of the President,
Salaries, etc., of Judges.
Appointment of acting Chief Justice.
Appointment of ad hoc Judges.
Attendance of retired Judges at sittings of the Supreme Court.
request any person who has held the office of a Judge of the Supreme
Court or of the Federal Court to sit and act as a Judge of the Supreme
Court, and every such person so requested shall, while so sitting and
acting, be entitled to such allowances as the President may by order
determine and have all the jurisdiction, powers and privileges of, but
shall not otherwise be deemed to be, a Judge of that Court: Provided that
nothing in this article shall be deemed to require any such person as
aforesaid to sit and act as a Judge of that Court unless he consents so
to do.
129. The Supreme Court shall be a court of record and shall have
all the powers of such a court including the power to punish for
contempt of itself.
130. The Supreme Court shall sit in Delhi or in such other place
or places, as the Chief Justice of India may, with the approval of the
President, from time to time, appoint.
131. Subject to the provisions of this Constitution, the Supreme
Court shall, to the exclusion of any other court, have original
jurisdiction in any dispute—
(a) between the Government of India and one or more States; or
(b) between the Government of India and any State or States on one side and one or more other States on the other; or
(c) between two or more States,
if and in so far as the dispute involves any question (whether of law
or fact) on which the existence or extent of a legal right depends: Provided that the said jurisdiction shall not extend to—
(i) a dispute to which a State specified in Part B of the First
Schedule is a party, if the dispute arises out of any provision of a
treaty, agreement, covenant, engagement, sanad or other similar instrument which was entered into or executed
Supreme Court to be a court of record.
Seat of Supreme Court.
Original jurisdiction of the Supreme Court.
before the commencement of this Constitution and has, or has been, continued in operation after such commencement;
(ii) a dispute to which any State is a party, it the dispute arises
out of any provision of a treaty, agreement, covenant, engagement, sanad or other similar instrument which provides that the said jurisdiction shall not extend to such a dispute.
132. (1) An appeal shall lie to the Supreme Court from any judgment,
decree or final order of a High Court in the territory of India, whether
in a civil, criminal or other proceeding, if the High Court certifies
that the case involves a substantial question of law as to the
interpretation of this Constitution. (2) Where the
High Court has refused to give such a certificate, the Supreme Court
may, if it is satisfied that the case involves a substantial question of
law as to the interpretation of this Constitution, grant special leave
to appeal from such judgment, decree or final order. (3) Where such a
certificate is given, or such leave is granted, any party in the case
may appeal to the Supreme Court on the ground that any such question as
aforesaid has been wrongly decided and, with the leave of the Supreme
Court, on any other ground. Explanation.—For
the purposes of this article, the expression “final order” includes an
order deciding an issue which, if decided in favour of the appellant,
would be sufficient for the final disposal of the case.
133. (1) An appeal shall lie to the Supreme Court from any
judgment, decree or final order in a civil proceeding of a High Court in
the territory of India if the High Court certifies—
(a) that the amount or value of the subject-matter of the
dispute in the court of first instance and still in dispute on appeal
was and is not less than twenty thousand rupees or such other sum as may
be specified in that behalf by Parliament by law; or
Appellate Jurisdiction of Supreme Court in appeals from High Courts in certain cases.
Appellate jurisdiction of Supreme Court in appeals from High Courts in regard to civil matters.
(b) that the judgment, decree or final order involves directly
or indirectly some claim or question respecting property of the like
amount or value; or
(c) that the case is a fit one for appeal to the Supreme Court;
and, where the judgment, decree or final order appealed from affirms
the decision of the court immediately below in any case other than a
case referred to in sub-clause (c), if the High Court further certifies that the appeal involves some substantial question of law. (2)
Notwithstanding anything in article 132, any party appealing to the
Supreme Court under clause (1) may urge as one of the grounds in such
appeal that a substantial question of law as to the interpretation of
this Constitution has been wrongly decided. (3)
Notwithstanding anything in this article, no appeal shall, unless
Parliament by law otherwise provides, lie to the Supreme Court from the
judgment, decree or final order of one Judge of a High Court.
134. (1) An appeal shall lie to the Supreme Court from any
judgment, final order or sentence in a criminal proceeding of a High
Court in the territory of India if the High Court—
(a) has on appeal reversed an order of acquittal of an accused person and sentenced him to death; or
(b) has withdrawn for trial before itself any case from any
court subordinate to its authority and has in such trial convicted the
accused person and sentenced him to death; or
(c) certifies that the case is a fit one for appeal to the Supreme Court:
Provided that an appeal under sub-clause (c)
shall lie subject to such provisions as may be made in that behalf
under clause (1) of article 145 and to such conditions as the High Court
may establish or require. (2) Parliament
may by law confer on the Supreme Court any further powers to entertain
and hear appeals from any judgment, final order or sentence in a
criminal proceeding of a High Court in the
Appellate jurisdiction of Supreme Court in regard to criminal matters.
territory of India subject to such conditions and limitations as may be specified in such law.
135. Until Parliament by law otherwise provides, the Supreme
Court shall also have jurisdiction and powers with respect to any matter
to which the provisions of article 133 or article 134 do not apply if
jurisdiction and powers in relation to that matter were exercisable by
the Federal Court immediately before the commencement of this
Constitution under any existing law.
136. (1) Notwithstanding anything in this Chapter, the Supreme
Court may, in its discretion, grant special leave to appeal from any
judgment, decree, determination, sentence or order in any cause or
matter passed or made by any court or tribunal in the territory of
India. (2) Nothing in
clause (1) shall apply to any judgment, determination, sentence or order
passed or made by any court or tribunal constituted by or under any law
relating to the Armed Forces.
137. Subject to the provisions of any law made by Parliament or
any rules made under article 145, the Supreme Court shall have power to
review any judgment pronounced or order made by it.
138. (1) The Supreme Court shall have such further jurisdiction
and powers with respect to any of the matters in the Union List as
Parliament may by law confer. (2) The Supreme
Court shall have such further jurisdiction and powers with respect to
any matter as the Government of India and the Government of any State
may by special agreement confer, if Parliament by law provides for the
exercise of such jurisdiction and powers by the Supreme Court.
139. Parliament may by law confer on the Supreme Court power to
issue directions, orders or writs, including writs in the nature of habeas corpus, mandamus, prohibition, quo warranto and certiorari, or any of them, for any purposes other than those mentioned in clause (2) of article 32.
140. Parliament may by law make provision for conferring upon the
Supreme Court such supplemental powers not inconsistent with any of the
provisions of this Constitution as may appear to be necessary or
desirable for the purpose of enabling the Court more effectively to
exercise
Jurisdiction and powers of the Federal Court under existing law to be exercisable by the Supreme Court.
Special leave to appeal by the Supreme Court.
Review of judgments or orders by the Supreme Court.
Enlargement of the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court.
Conferment on the Supreme Court of powers to issue certain writs.
Ancillary powers of Supreme Court.
the jurisdiction conferred upon it by or under this Constitution.
141. The law declared by the Supreme Court shall be binding on all courts within the territory of India.
142. (1) The Supreme Court in the exercise of its jurisdiction
may pass such decree or make such order as is necessary for doing
complete justice in any cause or matter pending before it, and any
decree so passed or order so made shall be enforceable throughout the
territory of India in such manner as may be prescribed by or under any
law made by Parliament and, until provision in that behalf is so made,
in such manner as the President may by order prescribe. (2) Subject to
the provisions of any law made in this behalf by Parliament, the Supreme
Court shall, as respects the whole of the territory of India, have all
and every power to make any order for the purpose of securing the
attendance of any person, the discovery or production of any documents,
or the investigation or punishment of any contempt of itself.
143. (1) If at any time it appears to the President that a
question of law or fact has arisen, or is likely to arise, which is of
such a nature and of such public importance that it is expedient to
obtain the opinion of the Supreme Court upon it, he may refer the
question to that Court for consideration and the Court may, after such
hearing as it thinks fit, report to the President its opinion thereon. (2) The President
may, notwithstanding anything in clause (i) of the proviso to article
131, refer a dispute of the kind mentioned in the said clause to the
Supreme Court for opinion and the Supreme Court shall, after such
hearing as it thinks fit, report to the President its opinion thereon.
144. All authorities, civil and judicial, in the territory of India shall act in aid of the Supreme Court.
145. (1) Subject to the provisions of any law made by Parliament,
the Supreme Court may from time to time, with the approval of the
President, make rules for regulating generally the practice and
procedure of the Court including—
(a) rules as to the persons practising before the Court;
(b) rules as to the procedure for hearing appeals and other matters pertaining to appeals including the time
Law declared by Supreme Court to be binding on all courts.
Enforcement of decrees and orders of Supreme Court and orders as to discovery, etc.
Power of President to consult Supreme Court.
Civil and judicial authorities to act in aid of the Supreme Court.
Rules of Court, etc.
within which appeals to the Court are to be entered;
(c) rules as to the proceedings in the Court for the enforcement of any of the rights conferred by Part III;
(d) rules as to the entertainment of appeals under sub-clause (c) of clause (1) of article 134;
(e) rules as to the conditions subject to which any judgment
pronounced or order made by the Court may be reviewed and the procedure
for such review including the time within which applications to the
Court for such review are to be entered;
(f) rules as to the costs of and incidental to any proceedings
in the Court and as to the fees to be charged in respect of proceedings
therein;
(g) rules as to the granting of bail;
(h) rules as to stay of proceedings;
(i) rules providing for the summary determination of any
appeal which appears to the Court to be frivolous or vexatious or
brought for the purpose of delay;
(j) rules as to the procedure for inquiries referred to in clause (1) of article 317.
(2) Subject to
the provisions of clause (3), rules made under this article may fix the
minimum number of Judges who are to sit for any purpose, and may
provide for the powers of single Judges and Division Courts.
(3) The
minimum number of Judges who are to sit for the purpose of deciding any
case involving a substantial question of law as to the interpretation of
this Constitution or for the purpose of hearing any reference under
article 143 shall be five:
Provided
that, where the Court hearing an appeal under any of the provisions of
this Chapter other than article 132 consists of less than five Judges
and in the course of the hearing of the appeal the Court is satisfied
that the appeal involves a substantial question of law as to the
interpretation of this Constitution the determination of which is
necessary for the disposal of the appeal, such Court shall refer the
question for opinion to a Court constituted as required by this
clause for the purpose of deciding any case involving such a question
and shall on receipt of the opinion dispose of the appeal in conformity
with such opinion. (4) No judgment
shall be delivered by the Supreme Court save in open Court, and no
report shall be made under article 143 save in accordance with an
opinion also delivered in open Court. (5) No judgment
and no such opinion shall be delivered by the Supreme Court save with
the concurrence of a majority of the Judges present at the hearing of
the case, but nothing in this clause shall be deemed to prevent a Judge
who does not concur from delivering a dissenting judgment or opinion.
146. (1) Appointments of officers and servants of the Supreme
Court shall be made by the Chief Justice of India or such other Judge or
officer of the Court as he may direct: Provided that the
President may by rule require that in such cases as may be specified in
the rule, no person not already attached to the Court shall be
appointed to any office connected with the Court, save after
consultation with the Union Public Service Commission. (2) Subject to
the provisions of any law made by Parliament, the conditions of service
of officers and servants of the Supreme Court shall be such as may be
prescribed by rules made by the Chief Justice of India or by some other
Judge or officer of the Court authorised by the Chief Justice of India
to make rules for the purpose: Provided that the
rules made under this clause shall, so far as they relate to salaries,
allowances, leave or pensions, require the approval of the President. (3) The
administrative expenses of the Supreme Court, including all salaries,
allowances and pensions payable to or in respect of the officers and
servants of the Court, shall be charged upon the Consolidated Fund of
India, and any fees or other moneys taken by the Court shall form part
of that Fund.
147. In this Chapter and in Chapter V of Part VI, references to any substantial question of law as to the interpretation of this
Officers and servants and the expenses of the Supreme Court.
Interpretation.
Constitution shall be construed as including references to any
substantial question of law as to the interpretation of the Government
of India Act, 1935 (including any enactment amending or supplementing
that Act), or of any Order in Council or order made thereunder, or of
the Indian Independence Act, 1947, or of any order made thereunder.
Chapter V.—Comptroller and Auditor-General of India
148. (1) There shall be a Comptroller and Auditor-General of India
who shall be appointed by the President by warrant under his hand and
seal and shall only be removed from office in like manner and on the
like grounds as a Judge of the Supreme Court.
(2) Every
person appointed to be the Comptroller and Auditor-General of India
shall, before he enters upon his office, make and subscribe before the
President, or some person appointed in that behalf by him, an oath or
affirmation according to the form set out for the purpose in the Third
Schedule.
(3) The
salary and other conditions of service of the Comptroller and
Auditor-General shall be such as may be determined by Parliament by law
and, until they are so determined, shall be as specified in the Second
Schedule:
Provided
that neither the salary of a Comptroller and Auditor-General nor his
rights in respect of leave of absence, pension or age of retirement
shall be varied to his disadvantage after his appointment.
(4) The
Comptroller and Auditor-General shall not be eligible for further office
either under the Government of India or under the Government of any
State after he has ceased to hold his office.
(5)
Subject to the provisions of this Constitution and of any law made by
Parliament, the conditions of service of persons serving in the Indian
Audit and Accounts Department and the administrative powers of the
Comptroller and Auditor-General shall be such as may be prescribed by
rules made by the President after consultation with the Comptroller and
Auditor-General.
(6) The administrative expenses of the office of the Comptroller
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Pali shown the door in Buddha’s Land
http://www.lankaweb.com/news/items/2013/11/24/pali-shown-the-door-in-buddhas-land/ The
Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) of India recently
removed the ancient Pali language from the list of prescribed
optional languages of the main entrance examination of the
Indian Administrative Service (IAS), also commonly known as
the Indian Civil Service. This came as a shocking move to many, as
Pali is considered as the second popular language amongst IAS
candidates. However during the turbulence which occurred
following this incident, professors and teachers specialising
in the Pali language in India learnt that Pali which is indigenous
to the Indian subcontinent and the language in which Buddha
disclosed the Dhamma (which is also the language of the Buddhist
Canon) Pali has not been recognised as an Indian classical and
national language. This prompted many Buddhists living around the
world to sadly accuse the Indian Government of giving
step-motherly treatment to the Buddha’s language in his own
country. Professor and Head of the Department of Pali and
Buddhist Studies in Banares Siddharth Singh addressing a media
briefing on this matter in Colombo last week said this action
discriminated Buddhists in India on both religious and ethnic
grounds. ” Removal of Pali is a great damage to Buddhist studies
and the understanding of Buddhism in Buddha’s motherland. Pali
is the foundation to understanding Buddhism. So this move of the
Indian government should be opposed “
“The sentiments of
the Buddhists in India have been hurt through this act. We wrote to
the Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, to the leader of the
opposition and to the members of the Rajya and Lok Sabha about
this great injustice. But so far they have not given any reason or a
justification for the removal of Pali from the Indian civil
service examination. Removal of Pali is a great damage to
Buddhist studies and the understanding of Buddhism in Buddha’s
motherland. Pali is the foundation to understanding Buddhism. So
this move of the Indian government should be opposed,” Singh said.
“
I believe this act is an effort to take vengeance from the
Scheduled Caste people and stop the spreading of Buddhism in India.
Today India is talking about the human rights violations of Sri
Lanka. But how can they criticise Sri Lanka, when they themselves
are violating the human rights of the Buddhist community living
in India? “ He further explained that this move of the Indian
government could result in India losing international
relations with the Buddhist nations around the world and that
during his stay in Sri Lanka he planned to hand a memorandum to
the Indian High Commissioner in Sri Lanka about this matter who
he expects would communicate the message to the Indian
government. “We wrote to the Indian Prime Minister Man Mohan
Singh, to the leader of the opposition and to the members of the
Rajya and Lok Sabha about this great injustice. But so far they have
not given any reason or a justification for the removal of Pali
from the Indian civil service examination “
Commenting
on the consequences of removing Pali from the Indian civil
service examination Singh said the de-listing of Pali may prevent
candidates conversant in Pali (who are Buddhists in India) from
sitting for the exam and joining the Indian civil service. He
said this would also cause the Indian administration including
its foreign service to be manned by officers ignorant of Pali,
while Buddhists living in India would lose the state patronage they
have had and the preservation of its few shrines and monuments
would come to an end. “By the removal of Pali from the list of
‘approved subjects’, the UPSC has openly violated the provisions
of the Constitution of India (which they had sworn to uphold);
removal of Pali constitutes violation of fundamental rights of
minorities (Buddhists less than 0.79% in India) and the less
privileged ‘scheduled castes and scheduled tribes’ protected by
the constitution of India. The UPSC has violated Indian
citizens’ fundamental rights on the ‘right to equality’ that
constitute ‘discrimination on grounds of religion’ violating
Article-16, ‘equality of opportunity in matters of public
employment’ under the Indian Constitution. De-listing of Pali
has infringed the Indian Constitution under ‘directive
principles of state policy (article 46) which states that
‘promotion of educational and economic interests of scheduled
castes, scheduled tribes and other weaker sections in the society
would be protected from social injustice and all forms of
exploitation. Article-335 claims of Scheduled Castes and
Scheduled Tribes to services posts. There is also provision for
making claims against the UPSC to the “National Commission for the
Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes” under the special
provisions relating to certain classes,” Singh said. Jathika
Hela Urumaya (JHU) Parliamentarian Ven. Athuraliye Rathana
Thera who was also present at this press conference said that this
move of the Indian government was a violation of human rights
against the Scheduled Caste people living in India. “I believe
this act is an effort to take vengeance from the Scheduled Caste
people and stop the spreading of Buddhism in India. Today India is
talking about the human rights violations of Sri Lanka. But how
can they criticise Sri Lanka, when they themselves are violating
the human rights of the Buddhist community living in India? This
is a Brahmic Caste act based on the regressive Brahmic ideology of
India,” Rathana Thera said. Meanwhile when the Daily Mirror
contacted the Sri Lankan Foreign Ministry about this issue,
sources said they were yet to receive comprehensive information
on this matter. It is sad that many people today consider Pali a
‘dead language’ when the earliest extant Buddhist scriptures are
written in Pali. It was the language the Buddha used to
disseminate the Dhamma on which the whole of the Buddhist
civilization is founded. Our country today remains a nation
where several millions of Buddhists reside. Today Buddhism is
not only a religion, but it has turned into a way of life. Today
the Buddha’s Dhamma (which is in Pali) is not only chanted in a
ritual context by Buddhists all over the world, but it is also
practiced and lived in their day-to-day lives. So if Pali is a ‘dead
language’ and ‘outdated’ in today’s society as many consider it
to be, then how come so many people around the world today live by
this language? Pix by Waruna Wanniarachchi http://www.dailymirror.lk/opinion/172-opinion/36388-pali-shown-the-door-in-buddhas-land-.html FREE ONLINE E-Nālanda Research and Practice UNIVERSITY ART OF GIVING 68 With aroused effort to attain the highest, with a mind not sticky and lazy, Thoroughly given up and with firm endeavour, fare alone like the single horned rhinoceros. CLASSICAL PALI 68. âraddhaviriyo paramatthapattiyà Alãnacitto akusãtavutti, Daëhanikkamo thàma khalåpapanno Eko care khaggavisàõakappo. Pali is a classical language now the TIPITAKA is being translated to 74 languages. And all these automatically become classical. The
Brahmins right from time immemorial oppose anything they feel will
affect their interest. Now it is true that majority of the educated and
others started moving back to Buddhism the original religion of
Jambudvipa and one fine day again it will become a majority religion and
PRABUDDHA BHARATH will become reality because of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar,
Kanshi Ram and Ms Mayawati. This is not tolerated by the brahmins hence
the path followed by the Buddhist is correct. Now is all that you have. Throw
out Congress from power and do not allow BJP to come back as they are
remotely controlled by just 0.1% intolerant, violent, militant, number
one terrorists of the world, cunning, crooked, ever shooting, mob
lynching, lunatic, mentally retarded, timid, foreigners from BENE ISRAEL
CHITPAVAN BRAHMINS of Rowdy/Rakshasa Swayam SEvaks (RSS) who gobbled
the Master Key through the slaves, stooges, chamchas, chelas,
bootlickers, own mother’s flesh eaters, Murderer of democratic
institution and Master of diluting institutions (Modi) by tampering the
filthy fraud EVMs. Support BSP to acquire the Master Key to distribute
the wealth of the Country equally among all sections of the society for
their welfare, happiness and peace and also to enable them to attain
eternal Bliss as their final goal. That is the only hope of the nation.
Lankaweb
The
aim of Buddha, Jesus and Islam is the same, that is, to save people
from suffering and to lead them to welfare, happiness, peace and to
their Eternal Bliss as ultimate goal during Ashoka the Great’s rule with
pictures, videos and Maps.
25th
of December. It is celebrated all over the Christian world as the birth
of Jesus Christ. But for the whole world of SC/STs, it is an important
day as “manu smruti Dahan Din”, as it was on this day in 1927 that
manusmruti was publicly burned by Dr. Ambedkar, during the
“Maha-Sangharsha” of Mahad Satyagraha, and is an important mile stone in
SC/ST struggle against Foreigners from BENE ISRAEL chitpavan
brahmanism. Let us all remember this day with pride. Manuvadis had
arranged that Ambedkar does not get a ground for meeting, but a Muslim
gentleman, Mr. Fattekhan, gave his private land. They had arranged that
no supplies of food, water or anything else could be bought, so
everything was brought from outside by our men. The volunteers had to
take a vow of five items: 1. I do not believe on Chaturvarna based on birth. 2. I do not believe in caste distinctions. 3.
I believe that untouchability is an anathema on stealth shadowy
hindutva and I will honestly try my best to completely destroy it. 4.
Considering that there is no inequality, I will not follow any
restrictions about food and drink among at least all hindutvaites. 5. I believe that untouchables must have equal rights in temples, water sources, schools and other amenities. Dr.
Ambedkar came from Bombay by boat “Padmavati” via Dasgaon port, instead
of Dharamtar, though it is longer distance, because in the event of
boycott by bus owners, they could walk down five miles to Mahad. Some
people later tried to say that Dr. Ambedkar decided to burn Manusmruti
at the eleventh hour, as he had to withdraw the programme of drinking
water from Chavadar Tank under court orders and persuasion by the
Collector. That is not true, because right in front of the pendal of the
meeting a “vedi” was created beforehand to burn manusmruti. Six people
were labouring for two days to prepare it. A pit six inches deep and one
and half foot square was dug in, and filled with sandle wood pieces. On
its four corners, poles were erected, bearing banners on three sides.
Banners said, 1. “manusmruti chi dahan bhumi”, i.e. Crematorium for manusmruti. 2. Destroy Untouchability and 3. Bury the chitpavan brahmanism. On
25th December, 1927, at 9 p.m., the book of manusmruti was kept on this
and burned at the hands of Bapusahib Sahastrabuddhe and another five
six SC/ST sadhus. At the meeting there was Babasahib’s historical speech. The main points of speech: We
have to understand why we are prevented from drinking water from this
tank. He explained chaturvarna, and declared that our struggle is to
destroy the fetters of chaturvarna, this was the starting point of the
struggle for equality. He compared that meeting with the meeting of 24th
Jan. 1789, when Loui XVI of France had called a meeting of French
peoples representatives. This meeting killed king and queen, harassed
and massacred the upper classes, remaining were banished, property of
the rich was confiscated, and it started a fifteen year long civil war.
People have not grasped the importance of this Revolution. This
Revolution was the beginning of the prosperity of not only France but
whole of Europe and has revolutionized the whole World. He explained
French Revolution in detail. He then explained that our aim is not only
to remove untouchabilty but to destroy chaturvarna, as the root cause
lies there. He explained how Patricians deceived Plebeians in the name
of religion. The root of untouchability lies in prohibition of
inter-caste marriages, that we have to break, he thundered. He appealed
to higher varnas to let this “Social Revolution” take place peacefully,
discard the sastras, and accept the principle of justice, and he assured
them peace from our side. Four resolutions were passed and a
Declaration of Equality was pronounced. After this manusmruti was burned
as mentioned above. There was a strong reaction in chitpavan
brahmanical presstitutes; Babasaheb was called “Bheemaasura” by one
paper. Dr. Ambedkar justified the burning of manusmruti in various
articles. He ridiculed those people that they have not read the
manusmruti, and declared that we will never accept it. For those who say
it is an outdated booklet so why give importance to it, he invited
attention to atrocities on SC/STs and said, these are because
hindutvates are following this book. And further asked, if it is
outdated, how does it matter to you if somebody burns it. For those who
enquire, what is achieved by SC/STs by burning it, he retorted, what M.
Gandhi achieved by burning foreign clothes, what was achieved by burning
“Dnyana-prakash” which published about marriage of Khan-Malini, what
was achieved by those who burned Miss Mayo’s book “Mother India” in New
York, what was achieved by boycotting Simon Commission formed to frame
political reforms? These were the forms of registering the protests, so
was ours against manusmruti. He further declared, that if
unfortunately, this burning of manusmruti does not result in destruction
of “chitpavan brahmanya”, we will have to either burn the “chitpavan
brahmanya-grast” people (i.e. affected by chitpavan brahmanism), or
renounce hindutva of Rowdy/Rakshasa Swayam Sevaks (RSS). Let all of
us pay tribute to this great day by adopting online “manu smruti Dahan
Din” and to spread on all social media and the supporting media.
Courtesy: http://www.ambedkar.org Posted on www.ambedkartimes.com
December 25, 2014
Mayawati opposes Citizenship (Amendment) Bill By Daily Excelsior - 06/12/2019
LUCKNOW, Dec 5: Slamming
the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, Bahujan Samaj Party supremo Mayawati
on Thursday said the Bill, brought in hurriedly by the Centre, was
completely divisive and unconstitutional. The BSP president said to
grant citizenship on the basis of religion and discriminate among the
citizens on the basis of religion, etc was a step completely against the
desire and basic structure of Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar’s humanitarian and
secular constitution. The BSP does not agree to the present form of this
Bill. Ms Mayawati said rather than imposing the Bill, brought in a
very unconstitutional and immature manner, much like demonetisation and
the Goods and Services Tax (GST), the Centre should re-think on the
matter. It should be sent to a Parliamentary Committee for better
discussions and deliberations so that the Bill can be presented before
the people of the country in a constitutional manner. The BSP chief
said she wanted to make it clear that if the Union government takes the
right and suitable decisions according to the Indian Constitution in the
country and public interest, they will rise above party-based politics
and support the Centre. Further, the BSP honcho said her party has
always had a clear stand that if a policy is made after respecting
believers of every caste, community and religions, by not indulging in
narrow politics, it will be supported. If its the opposite case though,
her oppose will firmly oppose it. The present Citizenship (Amendment)
Bill has many flaws and the Centre, for removing the same, should
deliberate and discuss the matter with all the parties before bringing
it in Parliament so that the various, serious apprehensions regarding it
are resolved. (UNI)
The Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati on Sunday held a review meeting
of the party’s Uttar Pradesh unit here and issued instructions to the
leaders to remove shortcomings in functioning pointed out in earlier
such meetings, according to a statement.
“The
stand taken by the party chief vis-a-vis the Citizenship (Amendment)
Bill was praised, and that there is positive discussion among people
regarding the stand taken by the party,” the statement issued by the BSP
said. Watch | All about the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2019 CAB review sought
On
December 5, Ms. Mayawati had described the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill
as “unconstitutional and divisive” and demanded that it be sent to a
parliamentary committee for review.
“Citizenship in the name of
religion and discrimination in the name of religion of the citizens
through it is totally against the basic structure of the humanitarian
and secular Constitution of Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar,” she had said.
“Instead of forcing this Bill, like demonetisation and GST, the central
government should review it,” she said.
“It should be sent to a
parliamentary committee for better deliberations so that this Bill could
come before people in a proper manner that is in consonance with the
Constitution,” the BSP chief had said. Comments:She is a strong lady of
99.9% All Aboriginal Awakened Societies for Sarvajan Hithaya Sarvajan
Sukhaya i.e for the welfare, happiness and peace for all societies &
a good administrator. As CM of UP she distributed wealth of the State
equally among all sections of the society as enshrined in the
Constitution with her excellent administration and became the PM of this
country. This was not tolerated by just 0.1% intolerant, violent,
militant, number one terrorists of the world, cunning, crooked, ever
shooting, mob lynching, lunatic, mentally retarded, timid, foreigners
from BENE ISRAEL CHITPAVAN BRAHMINS of Rowdy/Rakshasa Swayam SEvaks
(RSS) hence gobbled the Master Key through the slaves, stooges,
chamchas, chelas, bootlickers, own mother’s flesh eaters, Murderer of
democratic institution and Master of diluting institutions (Modi) by
tampering the filthy fraud EVMs. Hence the solution is
to
Capturing the Master Key
Babasaheb Dr B.R Ambedkar has said that “political power is the master key using which you can open all the doors of your progress and self respect”.
If Foreigners from Bene Israel chitpavan brahmins of Rowdy/Rakshasa Swayam Sevaks (RSS) can call this as manusmriti manuvad hindutva land why can not we declare this land as PRABUDDHA BHARAT for the benefit of All Aboriginal Societies ?
As we were Buddhists, are Buddhists and continue to be Buddhists.
The
aim of Buddha, Jesus and Islam is the same, that is, to save people
from suffering and to lead them to welfare, happiness, peace and to
their Eternal Bliss as ultimate goal during Ashoka the Great’s rule with
pictures, videos and Maps.
He
became a patron of Buddhism, supporting the rise of the doctrine across
India. He reportedly dispatched emissaries to several countries,
including Syria and Greece, and he sent his own children as missionaries
to Sri Lanka.
Ashoka shared his new outlook on life through edicts carved into
stones and pillars located around the country at pilgrimage sites and
along busy trade routes. The edicts are considered among the first
examples of writing in Indian history. They were not carved in
Sanskrit—the official state language—but in local dialects, so that the
messages could be widely understood. For example, an edict near
modern-day Kandahar in Afghanistan, an area that had been under
Alexander the Great’s control for a period of time, is written in Greek
and Aramaic.
Tending to earthly needs
In addition to his edicts, Ashoka built stupas, monasteries, and
other religious structures at noteworthy Buddhist sites, such as
Sarnath. He was not an unworldly ruler, however. He efficiently managed a
centralized government from the Mauryan capital at Pataliputra. A large
bureaucracy collected taxes. Inspectors reported back to the emperor.
Irrigation expanded agriculture. Familiar hallmarks of ancient empires,
excellent roads were built connecting key trading and political centers;
Ashoka ordered that the roads have shade trees, wells, and inns.
Sarnath, pillar of faith
Ashoka’s
most famous pillar was erected at Sarnath, in the state of Uttar
Pradesh in northern India. The site is revered among Buddhist pilgrims
as the spot where the Buddha gave his first sermon and shared his Four
Noble Truths.
The pillar’s exquisitely carved capital, more than seven feet tall,
is divided into three sections. Its base is a lotus flower, a Buddhist
symbol. A cylindrical abacus features carvings of a horse, a lion, a
bull, and an elephant at the compass points of the cardinal directions,
with dharma wheels evenly spaced in between. At the top stand four
powerful lions, also facing the four cardinal directions and thought to
represent Ashoka’s power over all the land. The capital was adopted as
the national emblem of India in 1950 and is depicted on several of the
country’s coins and banknotes.
Buddhism
Founded
between the sixth and early fourth century B.C. by Siddhartha Gautama,
the Buddha or “awakened one with awareness,” Buddhism soon spread through India and
much of Asia. Buddha introduced the concept of peace through inner
discipline. His meditations told him that suffering came from desire for
sensory pleasures. Therefore, he laid out an Eightfold Path to inner
holiness: right view, right aspiration, right speech, right conduct,
right livelihood, right effort, right-mindedness, and right
concentration.
He taught that through meditation, discussion, humility, and denial
of a self, a person could achieve a perfect, peaceful state known as
nirvana. As years passed, increasing numbers of Buddhist monks fanned
out across Asia, acting as missionaries to promote the faith.
https://www.ancient.eu/Ashoka_the_Great/
The Pillars of Ashoka
Ashokan pillar, c. 279 B.C.E. - 232 B.C.E, Vaishali, India (where Buddha preached his last sermon). Photo: Rajeev Kumar, CC: BY-SA 2.5)
A Buddhist king
What
happens when a powerful ruler adopts a new religion that contradicts
the life into which he was born? What about when this change occurs
during the height of his rule when things are pretty much going his way?
How is that information conveyed over a large geographical region with
thousands of inhabitants?
King
Ashoka, who many believe was an early convert to Buddhism, decided to
solve these problems by erecting pillars that rose some 50’ into the
sky. [1] The pillars were raised throughout the Magadha region in the
North of India that had emerged as the center of the first Indian
empire, the Mauryan Dynasty (322-185 B.C.E). Written on these pillars,
intertwined in the message of Buddhist compassion, were the merits of
King Ashoka.
The
third emperor of the Mauryan dynasty, Ashoka (pronounced Ashoke), who
ruled from c. 279 B.C.E. – 232 B.C.E., is widely believed to be the
first leader to accept Buddhism and thus the first major patron of
Buddhist art. Ashoka made a dramatic conversion to Buddhism after
witnessing the carnage that resulted from his conquest of the village of
Kalinga. He adopted the teachings of the Buddha known as the Four Noble
Truths, referred to as the dharma (the law):
Life is suffering (suffering=rebirth) the cause of suffering is desire the cause of desire must be overcome when desire is overcome, there is no more suffering (suffering=rebirth)
Individuals
who come to fully understand the Four Noble Truths are able to achieve
Enlightenment, ending samsara, the endless cycle of birth and rebirth.
Ashoka also pledged to follow the Six Cardinal Perfections (the
Paramitas), which were codes of conduct created after the Buddha’s death
providing instructions for the Buddhist practitioners to follow a
compassionate Buddhist practice. Ashoka did not require that everyone in
his kingdom become Buddhist, and Buddhism did not become the state
religion, but through Ashoka’s support, it spread widely and rapidly.
The pillars
Asokan pillar capital at Vaishali, Bihar, India, c. 250 B.C.E. (photo: mself, CC BY-SA 2.5)
One of Ashoka’s first artistic programs was to erect the pillars that
are now scattered throughout what was the Mauryan empire. The pillars
vary from 40 to 50 feet in height. They are cut from two different types
of stone—one for the shaft and another for the capital. The shaft was
almost always cut from a single piece of stone. Laborers cut and dragged
the stone from quarries in Mathura and Chunar, located in the northern
part of India within Ashoka’s empire. The pillars weigh about 50 tons
each. Only 19 of the original pillars survive and many are in fragments.
The first pillar was discovered in the 16th century.
Lotus and lion
The
physical appearance of the pillars underscores the Buddhist doctrine.
Most of the pillars were topped by sculptures of animals. Each pillar is
also topped by an inverted lotus flower, which is the most pervasive
symbol of Buddhism (a lotus flower rises from the muddy water to bloom
unblemished on the surface—thus the lotus became an analogy for the
Buddhist practitioner as he or she, living with the challenges of
everyday life and the endless cycle of birth and rebirth, was able to
achieve Enlightenment, or the knowledge of how to be released from
samsara, through following the Four Noble Truths). This flower, and the
animal that surmount it, form the capital, the topmost part of a column.
Most pillars are topped with a single lion or a bull in either seated
or standing positions. The Buddha was born into the Shakya or lion clan.
The lion, in many cultures, also indicates royalty or leadership. The
animals are always in the round and carved from a single piece of stone.
Ashoka Pillar at Lumbini, Nepal the birthplace of the Buddha (photo: Charlie Phillips, CC: BY 2.0)
The edicts
Some
pillars had edicts (proclamations) inscribed upon them. The edicts
were translated in the 1830s. Since the 17th century, 150 Ashokan edicts
have been found carved into the face of rocks and cave walls as well as
the pillars, all of which served to mark his kingdom, which stretched
across northern India and south to below the central Deccan plateau and
in areas now known as Nepal, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan. The
rocks and pillars were placed along trade routes and in border cities
where the edicts would be read by the largest number of people possible.
They were also erected at pilgrimage sites such as at Bodh Gaya, the
place of Buddha’s Enlightenment, and Sarnath, the site of his First
Sermon and Sanchi, where the Mahastupa, the Great Stupa of Sanchi, is
located (a stupa is a burial mound for an esteemed person. When the
Buddha died, he was cremated and his ashes were divided and buried in
several stupas. These stupas became pilgrimage sites for Buddhist
practitioners).
Some
pillars were also inscribed with dedicatory inscriptions, which firmly
date them and name Ashoka as the patron. The script was Brahmi, the
language from which all Indic language developed. A few of the edicts
found in the western part of India are written in a script that is
closely related to Sanskrit and a pillar in Afghanistan is inscribed in
both Aramaic and Greek—demonstrating Ashoka’s desire to reach the many
cultures of his kingdom. Some of the inscriptions are secular in nature.
Ashoka apologizes for the massacre in Kalinga and assures the people
that he now only has their welfare in mind. Some boast of the good works
that Ashoka has done, underscoring his desire to provide for his
people.
The Hinayana Period
The
pillars (and the stupas) were created in the Hinayana (Lesser Vehicle)
period. Hinayana is the first stage of Buddhism, roughly dated from the
sixth c. to the first century B.C.E., in which no images of the Buddha
were made. The memory of the historical Buddha and his teachings was
enough to sustain the practitioners. But several symbols became popular
as stand-ins for the human likeness of the Buddha. The lotus, as noted
above, is one. The lion, which is typically seen on the Ashokan pillars,
is another. The wheel (cakra) is a symbol of both samsara, the endless
circle of birth and rebirth, and the dharma, the Four Noble Truths.
Why a pillar?
There
are a few hypotheses about why Ashoka used the pillar as a means for
communicating his Buddhist message. It is quite possible that Persian
artists came to Ashoka’s empire in search of work, bringing with them
the form of the pillar, which was common in Persian art. But is also
likely that Ashoka chose the pillar because it was already an
established Indian art form. In both Buddhism and Hinduism, the pillar
symbolized the axis mundi (the axis on which the world spins).
The
pillars and edicts represent the first physical evidence of the
Buddhist faith. The inscriptions assert Ashoka’s Buddhism and support
his desire to spread the dharma throughout his kingdom. The edicts say
nothing about the philosophical aspects of Buddhism and scholars have
suggested that this demonstrates that Ashoka had a very simple and naïve
understanding of the dharma. But, as Ven S. Dhammika suggests, Ashoka’s
goal was not to expound on the truths of Buddhism, but to inform the
people of his reforms and encourage them to live a moral life. The
edicts, through their strategic placement and couched in the Buddhist
dharma, serve to underscore Ashoka’s administrative role and as a
tolerant leader.
Edict #6 is a good example:
Beloved of the Gods speaks thus: Twelve years after my coronation I
started to have Dhamma edicts written for the welfare and happiness of
the people, and so that not transgressing them they might grow in the
Dhamma. Thinking: “How can the welfare and happiness of the people be
secured?” I give my attention to my relatives, to those dwelling far, so
I can lead them to happiness and then I act accordingly. I do the same
for all groups. I have honored all religions with various honors. But I
consider it best to meet with people personally.
Essay by Dr. Karen Shelby
[1] The
details and extent to which Emperor Ashoka was a practicing Buddhist is
a topic debated by scholars, though it is widely accepted that he was
the first major patron of Buddhist art on the Indian subcontinent. For
more discussions as to whether or not Ashoka was a “secular” ruler, see
Akeel Bilgrami, ed.,Beyond the Secular West (Columbia University Press,
2016); Charles Taylor and Alfred Stepan, eds., Boundaries of Toleration:
Religion, Culture, and Public Life (Columbia University Press, 2014);
and Ashis Nandy, “The Politics of Secularism and the Recovery of
Religious Tolerance,” Alternatives XIII (1988), pp. 177-194. For more
on Ashoka’s relationship with the Buddhist community and
doctrine, see Alf Hiltebeitel, “King Asoka’s Dhamma,” in Dharma (University of Hawai’i Press, 2010), pp. 12-18 and John S. Strong, The Legend of King Asoka: A Study and Translation of the Asokavadana (Princeton University Press, 1983).
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the MercifulMay Peace and Blessings be upon the Prophet Muhammad
Introduction to Common Ground By H. R. H. Prince Ghazi bin Muhammad
The
Religions of the World and World PeaceAs of the year 2010 CE, 1431 AH,
at least 80% of the world’s popu-lation of 6.7 billion humans belong to
four of the world’s many re-ligions. Four out of five people on earth
are either Christian (32%), Muslim (23%), Hindu (14%) or Buddhist
(12%). Since religion (from the Latin ‘re-ligio’, meaning to
‘re-tie’ [man to Heaven]) is arguably the most powerful force in
shaping people’s attitudes and behaviour — in theory if not in practice —
it follows logically that if there is to be peace and harmony in the
world there must peace and harmony between religions as such, and in
particular between the world’s four largest religions.On October 13th
2007, 138 of the world’s leading Muslim scholars and intellectuals
(including such figures as the Grand Muftis of Egypt, Syria, Jordan,
Oman, Bosnia, Russia, and Istanbul) sent an Open Letter to the religious
leaders of Christianity. It was addressed to the leaders of the
Christian churches and denominations of the entire world, starting with
His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI. In essence, the Open Letter pro-posed,
based on verses from the Holy Qur’ān and the Holy Bible, that Islam and
Christianity share, at their core, the twin ‘golden’ command-ments of
the paramount importance of loving God and loving one’s
neighbour. Based on this joint common ground, it called for peace and
harmony between Christians and Muslims worldwide. That Open Letter
led to a historical global peace movement be-tween Muslims and
Christians specifically (as can be seen on www.acommonword.com),
and whilst it has not reduced wars as such be-tween Muslims
and Christians or ended mutual hatred and prejudice, it has done a
lot of good, by the Grace of God, and has noticeably changed
the tone between Muslim and Christian religious leaders and somewhat
deepened true understanding of each other’s religions in sig-nificant
ways. The A Common Word initiative was certainly not alone on the
world’s stage in attempting to make things better between people of
faith (one thinks in particular of the Alliance of Civilizations, H. M.
King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia’s Interfaith Initiative and
President Obama’s Cairo 2009 speech), but we think it nevertheless
significant that, for example, according to the October 2009 Pew Global
Report the percentage of Americans harbouring negative opinions about
Islam was 53% when only a few years earlier it was 59%. It is thus
possible to ameliorate tensions between two religious communities (even
though conflicts and wars rage and indeed have increased in number over
that same period of time) when religious leaders and intellectuals reach
out to each other with the right religious message.It was with all
these things in mind that, after detailed discus-sions with H.H. the
14th Dalai Lama, we conceived of the present ini-tiative. We
commissioned one of the Royal Academy’s Fellows, Dr. Reza Shah-Kazemi —
a respected specialist in Islamic mysticism and a leading author
in comparative religion — to write an essay on the topic, which we then
asked him to expand into this treatise. We hope and pray that this book
will be blessed with the same kind of global effect between Muslims and
Buddhists that A Common Word Between Us and You did between Muslims and
Christians.Why Do We Need ‘Common Ground’?The specific intention and
goal of the commission was to identify a spiritual ‘Common
Ground’ (authentically based on the religious sacred texts of Islam and
Buddhism) between Muslims and Buddhists that will enable both
communities to love and respect each other not merely as human beings in
general, but also as Muslims and Buddhists in particu-lar. In other
words, we hoped to find out and understand what in our two great
religions — despite all of the many irreconcilable and unbridge-able
doctrinal, theological, juridical and other differences that we
do have between us and that we cannot and must not deny — we have in
common that will enable us to practise more loving mercy and respect
towards each other more because we are Muslims and Buddhists, and not
simply because we are all human beings. We believe that, despite the
dangers of syncretism, finding religious Common Ground is fruit-ful,
because Muslims at leastwill never be able to be whole-heartedly
enthusiastic about any ethic that does not even mention God or
refer back to Him. For God says in the Holy Qur’ān:But he who turneth
away from remembrance of Me, his will be a narrow life, and I shall
bring him blind to the assem-bly on the Day of Resurrection. (The Holy
Qur’ān, Ta Ha, 20:124)
And
also:Restrain thyself along with those who cry unto their Lord at morn
and evening, seeking His Countenance; and let not thine eyes overlook
them, desiring the pomp of the life of the world; and obey not him whose
heart We have made heedless of Our remembrance, who followeth his own
lust and whose case hath been abandoned. (The Holy Qur’ān,Al-Kahf,
18:28)This explains why we do not simply propose a version of the
Sec-ond ‘Golden’ Commandment (‘Love thy Neighbour’) — versions of
which are indeed to be found in the same texts of Islam and Bud-dhism
(just as they are to be found in the sacred texts of Judaism,
Christianity, Hinduism, Confucianism and Taoism amongst other
religions): without the First ‘Golden’ Commandment (‘Love thy
God’), the Second Commandment on its own inherently risks being
spiritually devoid of truth, and thus risks descending into a
superfi-cial sentimentalism without true virtue and goodness; it risks
being a secular ethic taking its stance on moods which we can conjure up
to ourselves on occasion, requiring nothing from the soul,
risking nothing, changing nothing, deceiving all. On the other hand,
one of the greatest ironies of many religious practitioners is
that despite the fact that their religions call for mercy and
respect between people, they disparage others (and deny them that mercy
and respect) if those others do not undertake the same paths of loving
mercy as them. Thus love of their own religions makes them
less lovingly merciful to other people rather making them more merci-ful
to other people! This seems to me as a Muslim to be particularly
ironic, because in all four traditional Sunni Juridical Schools of
Thought (Madhahib), as well as in traditional Shi’a thought and Ibadhi
thought — that is to say, in all the traditional juridical schools of
thought in Is-lam as such) — a person’s choice of religion is not
grounds for hostility against them (if they are not first hostile to
Muslims). Rather, Muslims are required to behave with mercy and justice
to all, believers and non-believers alike. God says in the Holy
Qur’ān:Tell those who believe to forgive those who hope not for the days
of God; in order that He may requite folk what they used to earn. /
Whoso doeth right, it is for his soul, and whoso doeth wrong, it is
against it. And afterward unto your Lord ye will be brought back. (The
Holy Qur’ān, Al-Jathiyah, 45:14–15)The same is clear in the following
passage from the Holy Qur’ān which starts by citing a prayer of earlier
believers:‘Our Lord! Make us not a trial for those who disbelieve, and
forgive us, our Lord! Lo! Thou, only Thou, are the Mighty, the Wise’. /
Verily ye have in them a goodly pattern for every-one who looketh to God
and the Last Day. And whosoever may turn away, lo! still God, He is the
Absolute, the Owner of Praise. / It may be that God will ordain love
between you and those of them with whom ye are at enmity. God is Mighty,
and God is Forgiving, Merciful. / God forbiddeth you not those who
warred not against you on account of religion and drove you not out from
your homes, that ye should show them kindness and deal justly with
them. Lo! God loveth the just dealers. (The Holy Qur’ān, Al-Mumta-hinah,
60:5–8)Thus Muslims must on principle show loving mercy and
respect to all those who are not waging war on them or driving them
from their homes (these thus being the conditions for just, defensive
war in Is-lam). Muslims must not make their mercy conditional upon other
peo-ple’s mercy, but it is nevertheless psychologically almost
inevitable that people will better appreciate their fellows more when
they know their fellows are also trying to show mercy and respect to
all. At least that was one of our chief assumptions in commissioning
this book. the Common GroundTurning to the book itself, we think
it not amiss to say that it has proved to be, by the grace
of God, in general a stunning piece of scholarship and a display
of depth of understanding and grandness of soul on behalf of the author.
That is not to say that every Mus-lim — or every Buddhist — will
accept, or even understand, ev-erything that the author says, but
nevertheless it can fairly be said that the book is generally normative
from the Islamic point of view (especially in that it is deliberately
based on the Holy Qur’ān, theHadith and the insights of the great
scholar and mystic Abu Hamid Al-Ghazali) and that it examines all the
major schools of Buddhist thought (as I understand them). Moreover, the
book shows beyond any reasonable doubt some very important similarities
and parallels between Islam and Buddhism, and in particular the
following:(1) The belief in the Ultimate Truth (Al-Haqq) who is also
Ab-solutely One, and who is Absolute Reality, and the Source of Grace
and Guidance to human beings.(2) The belief that each soul is
accountable to a principle of jus-tice in the Hereafter, and that this
principle is rooted in the very nature of Absolute Reality. (3) The
belief in the categorical moral imperative of exercis-ing
compassion and mercy to all, if not in the central cos-mogonic and
eschatological functions of mercy (by this we mean the idea that the
world was created through Mercy, and that through Mercy we are
saved and delivered).(4) The belief that human beings are capable of
supra-rational knowledge, the source both of salvation in the Hereafter
and enlightenment in the here-below. (5) The belief in the possibility
of a sanctified state for human beings, and the conviction that all
should aspire to this state of sanctity. (6) The belief in the efficacy
and necessity of spiritual practice:whether this take the form of
fervent prayer, contemplative meditation, or methodic invocation.(7)
The belief in the necessity of detachment from the world, from
the ego and its passional desires.As regards the Buddha’s not mentioning
of God as Creator, this is def-initely an absolute difference between
Muslims and Buddhists but if it is understood that the One is God, and
that the Buddha’s silence on the One as Creator is not a denial as such,
then it is possible to say that the points above certainly make
for substantial ‘Common Ground’ between Islam and Buddhism, despite
the many unbridgeable differ-ences between them. Certainly, these points
can be taken as constitut-ing or ‘establishing’ the core of
religion — and not being ‘divided’ therein, and this is precisely
what God says in the Holy Qur’ān is the essential message of the most
important messengers of God:He hath ordained for you that religion which
He commend-ed unto Noah, and that which We inspire in thee (Muham-mad),
and that which We commended unto Abraham and Moses and Jesus, saying:
Establish the religion, and be not divided therein. Dreadful for the
idolaters is that unto which thou callest them. God chooseth for Himself
whom He will, and guideth unto Himself him who turneth (toward
Him).(The Holy Qur’ān, Al-Shura, 42:13)One might also say that these
points also make up the substance of the Two Greatest Commandments:
the belief in the One Absolute Truth and striving for detachment
from the world, the ego and the body through spiritual practices and
striving for sanctity (and hence supra-rational knowledge) might be
considered an inverse way of achieving the First Commandment,
and the categorical imperative of compassion and mercy is
clearly the Second Commandment in different words, if not the First
Commandment as well(with the im-mortality of the soul being indicated in
both Commandments by the naming of the whole ‘heart’). And God knows
best.People of the Scripture (Ahl Al-Kitab)All of the above leads us to
conclude as Muslims that the Buddha, whose basic guidance one in
ten people on earth have been in principle following for the
last 2500 years, was, in all likelihood — and God knows best — one
of God’s great Messengers, even if many Muslims will not accept
everything in the Pali Canon as being authentically attributable to
the Buddha. For if the Buddha is not mentioned in the Holy Qur’ān
by name, nevertheless it is clear that God says that every people
had their own ‘warner’ and that there were Messengers not
mentioned in the Holy Qur’ān:Lo! We have sent thee with the Truth, a
bearer of glad tidings and a warner; and there is not a nation but a
warner hath passed among them. (The Holy Qur’ān, Al-Fatir, 35:24)Verily
We sent messengers before thee, among them those of whom We have told
thee, and some of whom We have not told thee; and it was not given to
any messenger that he should bring a portent save by God’s leave, but
when God’s commandment cometh (the cause) is judged aright, and the
followers of vanity will then be lost. (The Holy Qur’ān, Al-Ghafir,
40:78)It seems to us then that the Umayyads and the Abbasids
were en-tirely correct in regarding Buddhists as if they were ‘Ahl
Al-Kitab’ (‘Fellow People of a Revealed Scripture’). This is in fact how
mil-lions of ordinary Muslim believers have unspokenly regarded their
pious Buddhists neighbours for hundreds of years, despite what
their scholars will tell them about doctrinal difference between the two
faiths.On a more personal note, may I say that I had read Zen Bud-dhist
texts as a younger man when studying in the West (such as some of the
writings of D.T. Suzuki and such as Eugen Herrigel’s seminal Zen in the
Art of Archery). I had greatly appreciated them, without for all that
being fully able to situate Buddhism in the con-text of my own faith,
Islam. More recently, I had noticed in myself an effect when meeting
with H. H. the Dalai Lama. It was simply this: I performed the five
daily prayers with greater concentration, and during the rest of
the day I was better able to monitor my own thoughts, and censor
and control my own impulses more eas-ily. I did not have any
particular urge to go out and learn more about Buddhism, as one
might expect, but I nevertheless realised that there was something
positive taking place. I asked my friend Shaykh Hamza Yusuf Hanson
(who I knew had read a lot about Buddhism) why he thought this
happened, and he wisely answered that this was because: ‘Buddhists are
heirs to a very powerful spir-itual training’. Thus I am personally very
gratified to learn of the underlying Common Ground between Islam and
Buddhism in an explicit manner. Indeed, as a Muslim I am relieved and
delighted — if I may say so — to know that one eighth of the world who
is not Muslim practises Buddhism and makes the practice of
com-passion and mercy the centre of their lives (in theory at least).
And I hope that this book will lead to Muslims and Buddhists vying in
the compassion and mercy which is at the core of both their reli-gions.
God says in the Holy Qur’ān:And unto thee have We revealed the Scripture
with the truth, confirming whatever Scripture was before it, and a
watcher over it. So judge between them by that which God hath revealed,
and follow not their desires away from the truth which hath come unto
thee. For each We have ap-pointed a law and a way. Had God willed He
could have made you one community. But that He may try you by that which
He hath given you (He hath made you as ye are). So vie one with another
in good works. Unto God ye will all return, and He will then inform you
of that wherein ye differ. (The Holy Qur’ān, Al-Ma’idah, 5:48)Earlier Common Ground ?It would be amiss not to mention that although this book may repre-sent one of the first — if not the first — major attempt at a scholarly spiritual comparison between Buddhism as such and Islam as such in our modern age, there have been some very brilliant and serious intellectual and spiritual exchanges in the past between Islam and the ‘Three (Great) Teachings’ of China (Confucianism, Taoism and Bud-dhism). This is evinced in particular by the works of indigenous Chi-nese Muslims (the ‘Han Kitab’) during the sixteenth, seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, and in particular the two figures Wang Daiyu(ca. 1570–1660 CE)and Liu Zhi (ca. 1670–1724 CE). This work has been recently brought to light and translated into English (ironically, it is more or less unknown in Arabic and in modern Chinese) by Pro-fessors William Chittick, Sachiko Murata and Tu Weiming. Currently this team of scholars has produced the two following seminal books: (1) Chinese Gleams of Sufi Light: Wang Tai-yü’s ‘Great Learning of the Pure and Real’ and Liu Chih’s ‘Displaying the Concealment of the Real Realm’ (State University of New York Press, 2000); (2) The Sage Learning of Liu Zhi: Islamic Thought in Confucian Terms(Cambridge, MA, Harvard University Asia Centre, 2009). They are also working on Wang Daiyu’s The Real Commentary on the True Teaching (first published in 1642 CE). These works represent a criti-cal resource for mutual understanding between China and Islam, and scholars interested in delving further into spiritual comparisons be-tween Islam and Buddhism (as well as Confucianism and Taoism) could not do better than to start here. We hope that these treasures will be translated into Arabic and modern Chinese and made widely avail-able. When we make full use of the wisdom of the past, and combine it with the knowledge of today, we are better equipped to face the uncertainties of the future.And all praise be to God, the Lord of the worlds.The opinions expressed above represent solely Prince Ghazi’s per-sonal and private views and do not represent the views of the gov-ernment and people of Jordan in any way; nor are they meant to bear upon political issues in any form whatsoever.H. R. H. Prince Ghazi bin MuhammadMarch 2010
Q
45 Describe when the Buddha Ratana, Dhamma Ratana, and Sangha Ratana
arose. What is the significance of the term Ratana in this context,
i.e., why are Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha called Treasure Gems ?
4 6 . W h a t th e e s s e n tia l p o in ts o f th e D is c o u rs e o n N o n -s e lf a s fo u n d in h is s e c o n d discourse?
Q 46 What is the essential points of the Discourse on non-self as found in his second discourse ?
Q 52 What id Dhammapada, in which pitaka it appears ? How many chapters and verses are there ?
53.Explain Dhpd.verse no.42 & Verse no 43 with back ground story and give your comments?
Q 53 Explain Dhpd. Verse no 42 & Verse no. 43 with back ground story and give your comments ?
54.ExplainDhpdverseno.
127and128withbackgroundstory?
Q 54 Explain Dhpd. Verse no 127 and 128 with background story ?
55.W rite dow n in pāliany 10 verses from cit ta vagga?
Q 55 Write down in Pali any 10 verses from citta vagga ?
56.
Whatarethefourprotectivemediationsandhowdoesonecanpracticeindialylife? W rtie s h o rt N o te s o n e a c h A ra k k h ā b h a v a n a i.e . B u d d h a ā n u s s a ti, m e t tā , a s u b h ā a n d
Q
56 What are the four protective meditations and how does one can
practice in daily life ? Write short Notes on each Arakkha bhavana ie.,
Buddhaanusatti, metta, ashubha and maranussati?
1.
It is said Buddhism rejects a creator God, but accepts the existence of
infinite number of gods in different divine planes. Do you find it
contradictory ? If so, how, if no why? Explain.
Monks,
that sphere should be realized where the eye (vision) stops and the
perception (mental noting) of form fades. That sphere is to be realized
where the ear stops and the perception of sound fades… where the nose
stops and the perception of aroma fades… where the tongue stops and
the perception of flavor fades… where the body stops and the
perception of tactile sensation fades… where the intellect stops and
the perception of idea/phenomenon fades: That sphere should be realized.
— Samyutta Nikaya XXXV.116
Buddhism and belief in god
Buddhism
believes in the existence of neither god nor soul in the theistic
sense. It is essentially a religion of the mind, which advocates present
moment awareness, inner purity, ethical conduct, freedom from the
problem of change, impermanence and suffering, and reliance upon one’s
own experience and discernment on the Eightfold path as the teacher and
guide, rather than an external authority other than the Dhamma. One may
take guidance from a teacher, but insightful awareness and experiential
knowledge of the Dhamma are vital to progress on the path.
Unlike
the other major religions of the world, Buddhism is not centered on the
concept of god as the upholder and sum of all or a universal supreme
being, who is responsible for the creation and dissolution of the world
and the existence of sentient beings.
Buddhism does not even
support the idea of an eternal and unchanging soul residing in the body.
According to Buddhism the whole existence is in a state of flux, and
there is nothing that is either permanent or unchanging. Some things may
last longer, but never forever.
The Buddhist scriptures do
confirm the existence of devas or celestial beings, bodhisattvas or pure
beings, heavens and hells and other planes of existence. They may last
for eons.
However, none of them are permanent entities. They are
all subject to change, impermanence and evolution. It is said that the
Buddha either remained silent or discouraged speculation when he was
asked questions about the existence of god or a Supreme Being.
Buddha’s views on god
The
Buddha did so with a purpose. He wanted his followers to remain focused
upon Nibbana and the permanent resolution of suffering, without
distractions and wasteful discussions. Therefore, he did his best to
keep them focused upon that single and virtuous goal, without becoming
distracted by theological speculation or intellectual disputation, which
was the common preoccupation of many scholars and religious teachers of
his time.
However, his silence does not mean that he was an
agnostic or he favored the notion of god as the ruler and creator of the
worlds and beings. His silence was not an affirmation of the existence
of an eternal creator. The Buddha did not believe in hidden causes but
apparent causes, which made sense to the mind and the intellect and
which were humanly relatable, experiential and explicable.
One
may wonder if it was so, why he accepted kamma and reincarnation as
governing laws, which were in some respects abstract concepts. Kamma was
a hidden process of cause and effect, but with mindfulness practice its
working could be discerned and experienced in the world by one and all.
No supernatural testimony was required to establish its universality or
working. Therefore, he accepted kamma as an operating principle. He
believed in reincarnation because he saw his own past lives (and
probably those of others) in contemplative states and understood their
significance in attaining the Buddhahood. However, he held that the
incarnating entity was not an eternal soul but a temporary formation.
Seven reasons why the existence of god is unacceptable
On
occasions, he expressed his opinions about creation and the role of
god. When Ananthapindika, a wealthy young man, met the Buddha at a
bamboo groove at Rajagaha, the Buddha made a few statements before him
about the existence of god and the real cause behind the creation of
beings in this world. Those views are summarized as below:
1. If
god is indeed the creator of all living things, then all things here
should submit to his power unquestioningly. Like the vessels produced by
a potter, they should remain without any individuality of their own. If
that is so, how can there be an opportunity for anyone to practice
virtue?
2. If this world is indeed created by god, then there
should be no sorrow or calamity or evil in this world and no need for
the existence of the principle of kamma since all deeds, both pure and
impure, must come from Him.
3. If it is not so, then there must
be some other cause besides god which is behind him, in which case He
would not be self-existent.
4. It is not convincing that the
Absolute has created us, because that which is absolute cannot be a
cause. All things here arise from different causes. Then can we can say
that the Absolute is the cause of all things alike? If the Absolute is
pervading them, then certainly It is not their creator.
5. If we
consider the Self as the maker, why did it not make things pleasant? Why
and how should it create so much sorrow and suffering for itself?
6.
It is neither god nor the self nor some causeless chance which creates
us. It is our deeds which produce both good and bad results according to
the law of causation.
7. We should therefore “abandon the heresy
of worshipping god and of praying to him. We should stop all
speculation and vain talk about such matters and practice good so that
good may result from our good deeds.
For such reasons, the Buddha
did not encourage speculation on the existence of Isvara, (god) among
his disciples. He wanted them to confine themselves to what was within
their field of awareness, that is, to understand the causes of suffering
and work for their mitigation. For the same reason, he discouraged
speculation upon the nature of Nibbana.
He preached that
initially each being was a product of ignorance and illusion and subject
to suffering, kamma and transmigration. Life was full of suffering and
it could be resolved only by overcoming desires and attraction and
aversion. The Dhamma served as the lamp in the darkness of existential
suffering. By knowing it and practicing it one could find a way to
escape from the cycle of births and deaths and from suffering itself.
Therefore,
for their final liberation he urged his disciples to contemplate upon
the Four Noble Truths, practice the Eightfold path and lead a virtuous
life by performing good deeds. He declared that by ending the transient
states of having, becoming, being and changing and removing the
defilements of the mind and body they could resolve suffering and enter
the state of beatitude or Nirvana on a lasting basis. Thus, in Buddhism
knowledge of the Dhamma has far greater significance than idle
speculation in resolving suffering. One may inquire into it and
contemplate upon it since it is experiential, relatable and verifiable,
unlike the speculative subjects such as the nature of god or the
existence of god and soul.
The complex and diverse nature of Buddhism
It
is difficult to categorize Buddhism as atheistic, theistic or agnostic
because it has aspects of them but does not particularly fit well into
any of them. For example, Buddhism may not believe in god and may not be
considered a theistic tradition, but it does believe in the Buddha and
the Buddhahood. Indeed, it not only believes in the Buddha but also in
numerous past and future Buddhas who exist in numerous higher worlds.
Buddhists worship them with devotion and reverence and make them
offerings just as the Hindus worship their gods. Thus, as explained in
the concluding part of this discussion, Buddhism is a diverse religion,
with elements of theistic, atheistic and agnostic beliefs and practices.
However, it cannot conclusively be placed in any of them with enough
justification because of its inherent contradictions.
Although it
was founded by the Buddha and its teachings are more organized,
concrete and systematic, Buddhism, just as Hinduism, is a complex
religion. It underwent further changes after his death, resulting in the
formation of many sects, sub-sects and regional versions, which made it
even more complex. Some of them made a radical departure from the
original teachings of the Buddha to the extent that they stand in their
own light as independent religions.
Were he alive, the Buddha
would have been surprised to witness the emergence of so many traditions
that rely upon his name to mark their teachings and philosophy but show
a marked deviation from his very teachings, doctrinal expositions and
stand points. What mostly binds them to Buddhism and keeps them in its
fold is their adherence to the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path.
While
scholars may keep arguing about the essential nature of Buddhism it is
the firm opinion of this writer that according to the teachings of the
Buddha it is difficult to place Buddhism on the same footing as Hinduism
or Christianity and consider it a theistic tradition. It is theistic
only in the sense that some of its sects (especially those of Mahayana)
believe in a deity, the Buddha, who is not god but seem to possess some
attributes of god.
The centrality of Dhamma rather than god
The
Buddha did not ascribe any role to god either in creation or in human
suffering or in the liberation of beings. For the Buddha, the world was a
godless world, a formation or aggregate of objects and living beings,
in which both good and evil were produced by the actions of individual
beings, and their fate was determined by the law of causation (kamma).
While beings which lacked intelligence had no choice until they evolved
through rebirths, human beings and those above them had a unique
opportunity to exercise their discerning intellect (buddhi) and chose
right actions and the principles of right living to escape from the law
of kamma and the cycle of births and deaths.
Therefore, to awaken
their minds to the idea of righteous living and virtuous actions, he
taught the world the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path, ascribing
no role to god in either of them and putting the entire burden of
resolving individual suffering upon the individuals themselves. In
Buddhism, there is nothing like the grace of god which can resolve the
kamma of a devotee. An arhant (awakened master) or a selfless monk may
transfer his good karma to a suffering soul out of compassion, as
believed in some sects, but such decisions are purely personal in which
neither god nor Buddha has any role.
While drawing his
conclusions and formulating the principles of Dhamma and the Code of
Conduct (Vinaya) for the monks or in his teachings, the Buddha
assiduously avoided to the extent possible all manners of speculation
about supernatural matters and abstract concepts, keeping his focus
firmly fixed upon the causes as well as solutions to the problems of
human existence within the realm of the mind and its abilities, and
without alluding to anything beyond them.
If he had any opinions
or knowledge about transcendence or eternal realities, he kept them out
of the purview of his discussion and deliberations to avoid causing
confusion and delusion. Even when he was pressed for a clear answer, he
remained silent, knowing that it would be a distraction for his
followers in their quest for Nibbana, and for himself in his attempts to
show them the right way and teach them the right knowledge. Besides,
speculation would not lead to right perception, right awareness, right
understanding and right knowledge.
Belief in gods, Bodhisattvas and Primordial Buddhas
While
Buddhism does not believe in the existence of an all pervading eternal
god who is the cause of the causes and the soul of the souls, it does
believe in the existence of Noble beings or gods of heaven. The Buddhist
texts mention the names of several gods and goddesses, whose names are
similar in many cases to those of the gods and goddesses of Hinduism.
However,
while the deities of Hinduism are immortal, those of Buddhism are not.
They live for longer duration of time, but like all other beings, they
are prone to decay and subject to the cycle of births and deaths. They
may be even humans who evolve into gods through self-effort.
Some
of the gods whose names frequently appear in the Buddhist Pantheon are
Brahma, Indra, Aapo (Varuna), Vayo (Vayu), Tejo (Agni), Surya, Pajapati
(Prajapati), Soma, Yasa, Venhu (Vishnu), Mahadeva (Siva), Vijja
(Saraswati), Usha, Pathavi (Prithvi), Sri (Lakshmi), Yama, Kala, Kuvera
(Kubera), and Garuda.
The texts also refer to the existence of
celestial beings such as yakkhas (Yakshas), gandhabbas (Gandharvas),
Nāgas, and demons such as Bali and his sons, Veroca, etc. Brahma figures
frequently in Pali Canon, which refers to not one but several Brahmas
inhabiting different planes. Brahma is the leader of the heaven.
However, he is not a creator god, and in all the worlds where he
presides he is also subject to change and decay as the other gods.
Apart
from them, Mahayana Buddhism refers to the Bodhisattvas or
compassionate beings and primordial Buddhas who inhabit the higher
heavens and act as the guardians of the world.
The Bodhisattvas
are truth beings, who are fully qualified for Nirvana. However, out of
compassion they decide to postpone their liberation and work for
alleviating the suffering of the sentient beings upon earth.
The
primordial Buddhas such as Samantabhadra, Vajradhara, Vairochana, and
Adi-Buddha among others are personalized embodiments of different
aspects of Buddha Nature. They are pure beings who possess dharmakayas
(bodies of truth).
Hindu gods vs. Buddhist gods
The gods
of Buddhism have greater powers than humans, but unlike the gods of
Hinduism, they do not possess absolute powers. They can have an impact
upon our lives and destinies, but they cannot change or alter the course
of life upon earth beyond a point.
Besides, the gods are not
liberated beings. Their actions have consequences. Hence, just as humans
they too are subject to the law of kamma. If they indulge in wrong
actions, they will fall down from heaven into lower worlds according to
their deeds. However, the same is not true in case of the primordial
Buddhas. They are not only free from decay and the law of kamma but also
endowed with supernatural powers.
According to Buddhism life in
heaven is not a class privilege, which only a few chosen ones are
entitled to enjoy according to the will or at the pleasure of god. The
gods are not created by a supreme god. They are self-made. Their
divinity is the consequences of their good kamma and their personal
choice. Beings evolve through self-effort and good kamma and earn the
right to enter the world of gods. In other words, anyone can be reborn
in the worlds of gods through righteous self-effort and become a
divinity.
Although it is not encouraged, Buddhism does not rule
out the possibility of humans taking birth in the world of gods and
gods, having lost their virtue and due to bad kamma, taking birth in our
world. Since life in heaven is equally conducive to suffering,
Buddhists aim for liberation rather than rebirth in the heavens.
Devotion in Buddhism
The
origin of Buddhism is rooted in the ascetic and monastic traditions of
ancient India. The Buddha did not advise the monks to indulge in ritual
worship or venerate him or other beings with devotion.
However, a
few centuries after his death, a schism in Buddhism led to the
formation of Mahayana sect of Buddhism, which made a radical departure
from the traditional teachings of the Theravada or Hinayana Buddhism and
projected ritual worship of venerable Buddha in his highest and purest
aspect as worthy of worship and devotion.
The Mahayana tradition
supports the worship of Buddha to cultivate virtues, practice love and
compassion and receive enlightenment. The purpose of worship in Buddhism
seems to be to enable the worshippers to form a clear concept of the
ideal of Buddhahood and understand the Buddha nature rather than seeking
his grace or intervention in their personal lives for the alleviation
of their suffering.
Conclusion
Buddhism is primarily a
monastic and ascetic religion, which shares some aspects of theism with
Hinduism and some aspects of atheism with Jainism. Yet, you cannot say
it is a cross between the two. It is a unique tradition in its own
right. It adapted the theistic practices of Hinduism mostly in the
context of its own teachings and for the ultimate purpose of putting the
onus of attaining Nirvana entirely upon individual effort rather than
upon divine intervention or the grace of god.
While in Hinduism,
the householders may pursue the four chief aims life (Purusharthas)
namely Dharma (the law), Artha (wealth), Kama (pleasure) and Moksha
(liberation) apart from categories of athmas (souls), 1st rate, 2nd, 3rd
and 4th rate souls and the all awakened aboriginal societies the
untouchable as having no souls at all so that they can commit any
atrocities on them. Buddha never believed in any soul. He said all are
equal. In Buddhism the lay followers as well as the monks aim for only
two namely the practice of Dhamma and the attainment of Nibbana.
In
ancient India, atheists such as the Lokayatas and Charvakas also
believed in the nonexistence of god. At the same time, they did not
believe in the possibility of life after death. For them, death itself
was Nibbana. Hence, they ignored both Dhamma and Moksha and focused only
upon the other two aims namely Artha and Kama. They considered life a
unique opportunity to strive for happiness while it lasted, since death
the end of all. They saw no greater virtue or justification to suffer
here and now for the sake of a better life in the next birth or
enjoyment in a heaven.
Thus, even in comparison to atheistic
traditions of ancient India, Buddhism retains its distinct character as a
spiritual religion which can be categorized neither as theistic just as
Hinduism nor as atheistic just as the Carvaka or the Lokayata
doctrines. It is a tradition which is uniquely human, intellectual,
practical and which is principally rooted in verifiable, relatable and
perceptual human experience.There Is No God in Buddhism Buddhism
facts reveal that Buddhism is defined as a nontheistic religion, but the
relationship of Buddhist teachings and god(s) is a complicated one.
Buddha himself rejected the existence of a creator deity, but the notion
of divinity is not incompatible with his teachings. In fact, there are
gods found in Buddhist teachings, but these are considered to be
inferior to Buddha and not necessarily wiser than us.
In
conclusion, the concept of god(s) exists in Buddhism, but is not central
to the religion, in contrast to Christianity, for example. While most
experts agree that this makes Buddhism a nontheistic religion, there are
also some who believe that naming Buddhism nontheistic is overly
simple..
2. What is the motivation underlying the attempt at calling the Buddha as an avatar of Vishnu ?
Buddha is rarely worshipped like Krishna and Rama in Hinduism.
Buddha
criticised the Vedic/Astik shastras, rejected the Vedic religion and
the Astik school of thought, and challenged the hegemony of the
Brahmans. Buddha didn’t believe in a Supreme Being or an universal soul.
The
late S. Radhakrishnan, former President of India who was also a
Brahman, claimed that the Buddha was actually preaching Hinduism:
“Famous Indian Hindu scholars like the ex-President of India the late S.
Radhakrishnan stated: ‘The Buddha did not feel that he was announcing a
new religion. He was born, grew up, and died a Hindu. He was restating
with a new emphasis the ancient ideals of the Indo-Aryan civilization’”
(2500 Years of Buddhism, 1971, Government of India)
While
Babasaheb Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar, the Father of the Indian Constitution and
one of the greatest Buddhist personalities of India, called this belief
“sheer madness and false propaganda”.
In Dona Sutta, Gautama Buddha didn’t claim to be God.
On seeing Buddha, Dona went to him and said, “Master, are you a deva?”
“No, brahman, I am not a deva.”
“Are you a gandhabba?”
“No…”
“… a yakkha?”
“No…”
“… a human being?”
“No, brahman, I am not a human being.”
…………..’ Then what sort of being are you?”
“Brahman,
the fermentations by which — if they were not abandoned — I would be a
deva: Those are abandoned by me, their root destroyed, made like a
palmyra stump, deprived of the conditions of development, not destined
for future arising. The fermentations by which — if they were not
abandoned — I would be a gandhabba… a yakkha… a human being: Those
are abandoned by me, their root destroyed, made like a palmyra stump,
deprived of the conditions of development, not destined for future
arising.
“Just like a red, blue, or white lotus — born in the
water, grown in the water, rising up above the water — stands unsmeared
by the water, in the same way I — born in the world, grown in the world,
having overcome the world — live unsmeared by the world. Remember me,
brahman, as ‘awakened.’
Freedom
is not given to us by anyone; we have to cultivate it ourselves. It is a
daily practice… No one can prevent you from being aware of each step
you take or each breath in and breath out. ~Thich Nhat Hạnh
The Dream of Queen Siri Mahamaya Devi
More
than 2,500 years ago, there was a king called Suddhodana. He married a
beautiful Koliyan princess named Maha Maya. The couple ruled over the
Sakyas, a warrior tribe living next to the Koliya tribe, in the north of
India, in what is now known as Nepal. The capital of the Sakya country
was laid out across the foothills of the Himalayas and called
Kapilavatthu.
Queen Maha Maya was the daughter of King Anjana of
the Koliyas. Such was her beauty that the name Maya, meaning “vision”
was given to her. But it was Maya’s virtues and talents that were her
most wonderful qualities, for she was endowed with the highest gifts of
intelligence and piety. King Suddhodana was indeed worthy of his lovely
wife. He himself was called “King of the Law” because he ruled according
to the law. There was no other man among the Sakyas more honored and
respected. The king was admired by his nobles and courtiers, as well as
by the householders and merchants. Such was the noble family from which
the Buddha was to arise.
One full moon night, sleeping in the
palace, the queen had a vivid dream. She felt herself being carried away
by four devas (spirits) to Lake Anotatta in the Himalayas. After
bathing her in the lake, the devas clothed her in heavenly cloths,
anointed her with perfumes, and bedecked her with divine flowers. Soon
after a white elephant, holding a white lotus flower in its trunk,
appeared and went round her three times, entering her womb through her
right side. Finally the elephant disappeared and the queen awoke,
knowing she had been delivered an important message, as the elephant is a
symbol of greatness in Nepal. The next day, early in the morning, the
queen told the king about the dream. The king was puzzled and sent for
some wise men to discover the meaning of the dream.
The wise men
said, “Your Majesty, you are very lucky. The devas have chosen our queen
as the mother of the Purest-One and the child will become a very great
being.” The king and queen were very happy when they heard this.
They
were so pleased that they invited many of the noblemen in the country
to the palace to a feast to tell them the good news. Even the needy were
not forgotten. Food and clothes were given to the poor people in
celebration. The whole kingdom waited eagerly for the birth of the new
prince, and Queen Maya enjoyed a happy and healthy pregnancy, living a
pure life for herself and her unborn child.
5. Birth of the future Buddha in the Lumbini Grove
Queen
Maha-Maya carried the Future Buddha in her womb for ten months; and on
the full moon day in May (Vesak) she said to King Suddhodana—”I wish, O
King, to go to Devadaha, the city of my family”. The King approved and
caused the road from Kapilavatthu to Devadaha to be made smooth and
adorned, and sent her with a great retinue. Between the two cities there
was a pleasure grove of sal trees, called Lumbini Grove. She entered
the grove for a rest. And at this particular time, this grove was one
mass of flowers presenting a very pretty scene. She went to the foot of a
great sal tree and reached out her hand to seize hold of one of its
branches. She was at once shaken with the pains of birth. Thereupon the
people hung a curtain about her, and her delivery took place while she
was standing up. At that moment came four Mahabrahmas (higher gods) with
a golden net; and, receiving the Future Buddha with it, they placed him
before his mother and said, “Rejoice, O Queen! A mighty son has been
born to thee”.
iii. Prince Siddharttha’s proclamation at his birth
Aspects
of the story of Buddha’s birth may have been borrowed from Hindu texts,
such as the account of the birth of Indra from the Rig Veda. The story
may also have Hellenic influences. For a time after Alexander the Great
conquered central Asia in 334 BCE, there was a considerable
intermingling of Buddhism with Hellenic art and ideas. There also is
speculation that the story of the Buddha’s birth was “improved” after
Buddhist traders returned from the Middle East with stories of the birth
of Jesus.
The Traditional Tale of the Buddha’s Birth
Twenty-five centuries ago, King Suddhodana ruled a land near the Himalaya Mountains.
One
day during a midsummer festival, his wife, Queen Maya, retired to her
quarters to rest, and she fell asleep and dreamed a vivid dream, in
which four angels carried her high into white mountain peaks and clothed
her in flowers. A magnificent white bull elephant bearing a white lotus
in its trunk approached Maya and walked around her three times. Then
the elephant struck her on the right side with its trunk and vanished
into her.
When Maya awoke, she told her husband about the dream.
The King summoned 64 Brahmans to come and interpret it. Queen Maya would
give birth to a son, the Brahmans said, and if the son did not leave
the household, he would become a world conqueror. However, if he were to
leave the household he would become a Buddha.
When the time for
the birth grew near, Queen Maya wished to travel from Kapilavatthu, the
King’s capital, to her childhood home, Devadaha, to give birth. With the
King’s blessings, she left Kapilavatthu on a palanquin carried by a
thousand courtiers.
On the way to Devadaha, the procession passed
Lumbini Grove, which was full of blossoming trees. Entranced, the Queen
asked her courtiers to stop, and she left the palanquin and entered the
grove. As she reached up to touch the blossoms, her son was born.
Then
the Queen and her son were showered with perfumed blossoms, and two
streams of sparkling water poured from the sky to bathe them. And the
infant stood, and took seven steps, and proclaimed “I alone am the
World-Honored One!
Then Queen Maya and her son returned to
Kapilavatthu. The Queen died seven days later, and the infant prince was
nursed and raised by the Queen’s sister Pajapati, also married to King
Suddhodana.
Symbolism
There is a jumble of symbols
presented in this story. The white elephant was a sacred animal
representing fertility and wisdom. The lotus is a common symbol of
enlightenment in Buddhist art. A white lotus, in particular, represents
mental and spiritual purity. The baby Buddha’s seven steps evoke seven
directions—north, south, east, west, up, down, and here.
Buddha’s Birthday Celebration
In
Asia, Buddha’s birthday is a festive celebration featuring parades with
many flowers and floats of white elephants. Figures of the baby Buddha
pointing up and down are placed in bowls, and sweet tea is poured over
the figures to “wash” the baby.
Buddhist Interpretation
Newcomers
to Buddhism tend to dismiss the Buddha birth myth as so much froth. It
sounds like a story about the birth of a god, and the Buddha was not a
god. In particular, the declaration “I alone am the World-Honored One”
is a bit hard to reconcile with Buddhist teachings on nontheism and
anatman.
However, in Mahayana Buddhism, this is interpreted as
the baby Buddha speaking of the Buddha-nature that is the immutable and
eternal nature of all beings. On Buddha’s birthday, some Mahayana
Buddhists wish each other happy birthday, because the Buddha’s birthday
is everyone’s birthday.
iv. What do you understand by this proclamation?
Why did the baby prince do that ?
Describe.
4.
Write an account of the visit of Sage Asita and his prophecy. Why did
he laugh and then cry? Describe the significance of this contradictory
scene.
Asita
was a hermit ascetic of ancient India in the 6th century BCE. He is
best known for having predicted that Prince Siddhattha of Kapilavatthu
would either become a great king (chakravartin) or become a supreme
religious leader (Buddha).
According to legend, Asita noticed the
32 signs of a great man on the Buddha, which shows that this concept
pre-dates Buddhism. (Sutta Nipata 3.11)
Asita, also known as
Kanhasiri, was a sage who lived in the forest in the Sakyan country. He
is described as wearing matted hair (Sn.689). One day he noticed that
the gods were wildly celebrating and he asked them why they were so
happy. They replied, ‘A Bodhisattva, an excellent and incomparable
jewel, has been born in the Sakyan town in Lumbini, for the welfare and
happiness of the human world. This is why we are so happy.’(Sn.683).
Anxious to see this child Asita went to Kapilavastu where Suddhodana
welcomed him and gave him the child to hold. Being accomplished in the
art of ‘signs and mantras’ (lakkhana mantra, Sn.690) he examined the
baby and proclaimed that he would ‘attain complete enlightenment’
(Sambodhi), reach the ultimate purified vision’ (paramavisuddhidassi),
and proclaim the Truth ‘out of compassion of the many’
(bahujamhitanukampii, Sn.693). Then tears welled up into his eyes.
Noticing this and being worried by it, the Sakyans asked Asita if he had
foreseen some misfortune in the boy’s future. He replied that he was
sad because he knew that he would pass away before this all happened
(Sn.694).
The name Asita literally means ‘not clinging’ while Kanhasiri means ‘dark splendour’.
This
is the only mention of Asita in the Tipitaka. According to some
scholars the story about him is purely legendary and it may be. However,
there is little in it that is inherently fantastic or unbelievable. It
would have been quite common in ancient India for a monarch to invite a
local holy man to bless and perhaps name his new-born son. Likewise, it
would be normal for the holy man to ‘predict’ that the king’s son would
grow up to be a great man. Later re-tellings of the Asita story, and
there are many of them, each more detailed and elaborate than the
earlier ones, often say that Asita predicted than the baby prince would
become either a universal monarch (cakkavattin) or a fully enlightened
sage (Buddha). This ‘either or’ prediction is absent from the Tipitaka
story.
The Buddha taught that for a layman it is not a noble monk who
should be the example, but a good layman.[1] The best layman who can
serve as our example is the Bodhisatta. In Mahāyāna supernatural powers
and some degrees of holiness are attributed to him. But according to the
Theravāda tradition the Bodhisatta belongs still to the worldlings and
not yet to the Ariyasangha, the community of the Buddhist saints of the
first, second, third or fourth level.
The Pāli word
Bodhisatta and the Sanskrit word Bodhisattva differ only by a single
letter, yet there is an essential difference between the two concepts.
Several studies have been published that show direct or indirect concern
with the doctrine of the Bodhisatta in Theravāda. A systematic survey
of these has not yet been published, as far as I know. As I have been
interested in this topic for many years, I thought it would be useful to
make a compilation of my research. I was encouraged to do so by
Venerable Rassagala Seewali from Opanayaka, Sri Lanka, whom I met when
he was studying in Thailand. He, too, is very much interested in this
topic. A first attempt was made at the beginning of 2000. However, it
turned out that the information available was too limited. Fortunately,
Dr. K.H. Eckert, a good acquaintance of mine, donated more than 1100 of
his books about Buddhism to me – May that donation be for his welfare
and happiness for a long time. I had now at my disposal a large library
of invaluable material and for that reason I was able to make a fresh
attempt at presenting an examination of the teachings relating to the
Bodhisatta.
In the Suttas of the Pāli Canon only a little
information can be found about the Bodhisatta where the word is used
there to indicate the Buddha Gotama before he attained Enlightenment. In
the Cakkavatti-Sīhanāda sutta (Digha Nikaya 26) the name of the next
Buddha is mentioned. And in the Buddhavamsa and the Cariyapitaka there
is information about other future Buddhas. Another source for this topic
is the Dasabodhisattuppattikathā (about the births of the ten
Bodhisattas). The value of these works will be discussed later.
Much has been written about the Bodhisattas by Venerable Narada
Thera and also by Venerable Ledi Sayadaw. It is a pity that they did not
give the sources from which they derived their information. This has
made assessing the value of their observations quite difficult.
Venerable Dr. Sangharatana Thero, chief incumbent of Pitaramba
Temple, Bentota, Sri Lanka, advised me – after reading of the first
draft – to dwell a little more on the Mahāyāna. That good advice was
accepted thankfully. It was of great profit for the study of the concept
of the Bodhisatta / Bodhisattva.
The English typescript
was sent to the Buddhist Publication Society, Kandy, Sri Lanka. There it
is read carefully by Mr. Dennis Candy and Prof. Handunukanda. They made
many suggestions to improve this study, which suggestions are accepted
thankfully.
This study deals mainly with the Bodhisatta in
Theravāda Buddhism. Many works have already been published about the
Bodhisattvas in Mahāyāna. Therefore only a little is written here about
them. First I try to explain how there arose a difference in thinking
about these matters and what those main differences were between
Theravāda on the one hand and Mahāyāna on the other hand. Then I
describe in brief the concept of the Bodhisattvas in Mahāyāna. Next
follows a discussion of the concept of the Bodhisatta in Theravāda. Then
there is a chapter referring to the Jātakas and another to the Pāramīs
as well. A separate chapter is devoted to the future Buddhas. Finally
there is a short survey and a comparison of the concepts in Theravāda
and Mahāyāna.
To get a good understanding of the teaching
of the Buddha, we must try to identify all alien and irrelevant elements
that have accumulated in the course of time. This too is necessary for
the doctrine of the Bodhisatta. I hope that I have succeeded in doing
this to some degree.
5. After Sumeda was consecrated as
Buddhahood by Buddha Dipankara, how did he contemplate on the
prerequisites of Buddhahood,namely, on the thirty Paramis ?
The story of Sumedha
Four
Asankheyyas and one hundred thousand aeons ago, in the city of
Amaravati, there lived a very rich and learned man called Sumedha. After
the death of his parent, his Treasurer showed him the colossal wealth
he had inherited; also the names of his parents and forefathers who were
the former owners whose names where written in the record books. The
Treasurer replied that all were dead. He then asked why they did not
take away their wealth with them. The treasurer told him that the world
was such that after death no one could take anything away with them, but
must leave all their wealth behind. On hearing this, Sumedha realized
the wantonness of Samsara (the cycle of birth and death).
He
then went to the king’s palace and asked for permission to distribute
his wealth. When he could not finish one warehouse full of gold and
precious stones in seven days, he become inpatient and though that he
might die at any moment, and he had not yet finished distributing his
twelve thousand five hundred warehouse full of treasures. He forthwith
took the keys of the warehouses to the middle of the city and signed
away all his wealth. He freed his slaves, gave them immense wealth, and
advised the people to renounce the world. He himself then entered the
jungle and become a hermit.
Sakka the King of the Devas, ordered
Vissa-kamma to build a temple for Sumedha and also to provide for the
requirement of a hermit. That Deity built the temple and provided
Sumedha with the necessary things. After seven days of deep meditation,
he attained “Jhana” or divine ecstasy, i.e. Supernatural Powers, etc. At
that time Dipankara Buddha was staying at Sudasana Monastery in
Amaravati together with four hundred thousand Arahats. People of the
neighboring city invited the Lord Buddha and his disciples to their
city, where they prepared and built large halls to accommodate Lord
Buddha and his disciples. The people built and leveled the road with
flags and flowers. They also strewed white sand on the ground. All the
workers were eager and happy.
Sumedha the hermit, because he was
always in the state of “Jhana”, i.e. ecstasy, did not know that
Dipankara Buddha was staying in the city. One day as he was coming out
of the jungle in search of food, he was surprised to see so many people
working happily, leveling the roads. He flew down and enquired of the
reason. They told him that they were preparing the roads for Lord Buddha
and his disciples to enter the city, to receive their offering of food,
etc. Sumedha thought to himself, “This word “Buddha” is very rare and
we seldom hear it”. So he asked them to allow him to help. The people
knowing that he had supernatural powers, gave him a deep muddy valley to
fill up.
He could use his supernatural powers,
but he knew that he would get no merit for it. So instead of that, he
worked very hard carrying basket of sand and trying to fill up the
valley. Before that part of the road was complete, Dipankara Buddha and
his disciples together with a great procession of followers arrived.
Sumedha at once threw himself flat on the ground and asked the Buddha to
step on his body in order to cross the muddy valley. By doing this
meritorious deed, he knew that he could become an Arahat, but he gave up
the idea and aspired to become a Buddha in the presence of the Supreme
Buddha. The deities of the ten thousand worlds and other beings knowing
that on that day Sumedha would be registered as a Bodhisatta, came down
and mingled with human beings.
At that time the people could see
the Deities, and heavenly music rank in harmony with earthly music.
Dipankara Buddha announce to all the assembly of Deities and men that
this Sumedha in the future would become a Buddha like himself. The
Buddha then offered eight handfuls of jasmine flowers given by a Novice
and the Arahats and Deities did likewise. Sumedha sat on the heap of
flowers and meditated on what could be the Pre-requisites of Buddhahood.
He then found out that they were : -Dana (Charity), Sila (Observance of
precepts), Nekkhamma (Renunciation), Panna (Wisdom), Viriya (Energy),
Khanti (Patience), Sacca (Truthfulness), Adhitthana (Determination),
Metta (Loving Kindness), and Upekkha (Equanimity). When he realized
this, the earth shook and everyone present shouted “Sadhu”, “Sadhu”,
After becoming Bodhisatta a man is free from : -
Blindness, i.e. he can never be totally blind.
Deafness, i.e. he is never deaf.
Madness, i.e. he never is insane.
Dumbness, i.e. he is never dumb.
Becoming a cripple, i.e. he will never be one who crawls by means of a chair or bench.
Birth in a barbarian country, i.e. he can never be a barbarian.
Birth in the womb of a slave-girl, i.e. he can never be born a slave.
Becoming an absolute wrong believer, i.e. he will never have wrong beliefs.
Become a person of the effeminate sex, i.e. he will always be a male.
Committing the five deathly crimes, i.e. he will never kill father or
mother or any Arahats. He will never create dissention among the Order
and he will never injure Lord Buddha.
Leprosy, i.e. he will never be a leper.
Birth as a creature smaller that a quail (Vattaka).
Birth as an animal bigger than an elephant.
Becoming petas, i.e. he will never born as fire-consuming petas, etc.
Avici Hell and Lokantarika Hell, i.e. he will never be born in such a kind of hell.
Birth in the Celestial world, i.e. he will never be born in the Celestial world
Becoming Mara.
Birth in other world, i.e. he will never be born in other worlds.
After
Dipankara Buddha, there was no Buddha for one Asankheyya. Then came
Kondanna Buddha. During this period, Sumedha the Bohdisat, who was born
as a world monarch called Vijitavi, did many meritorious deeds and on
Wesak Full Moon Day, aspired to become a Buddha.
At the time of
Mangala Buddha, the Bodhisatta was born as a Brahmin called Surici. He
renounced the world and aspired to be a Buddha.
During Sumana Buddha’s era, he become Atula the Dragon King. He also aspired to become a Buddha.
At the time of Revata Buddha, he was born as the Brahmin Atideva. He also aspired to become a Buddha.
When Sobhita Buddha was in the world, the Bodhisatta was born as the Brahmin Sujata. He also aspired to be a Buddha.
During Anoma-dassi Buddha’s period, the Bodhisatta, become a great Devil-King called Yakkha. He also aspired to be a Buddha.
At the time of Paduma Buddha, the Bodhisatta who was born as a lion, also aspired to be a Buddha.
During Narada Buddha’s time, the Bodhisatta became a hermit, attained divine ecstasy and aspired to be a Buddha.
When
Padumuttara Buddha was on earth, the Bodhisatta was born as a great man
called Jatila. He also made aspirations for Buddhahood.
During Sumedha Buddha’s time, the Bodhisatta was born as a man called Uttara. H also aspired to become a Buddha.
At the time of Sujata Buddha, he became a world monarch also made aspiration to become a Buddha.
In Piya-dassi Buddha’s time, the Bodhisatta was born in a Brahmin family called Kassapa. He also aspired to be a Buddha.
During Atta-dassi Buddha’s period, the Bodhisatta became a powerful hermit called Susima. He also aspired to be a Buddha.
In Dhamma-dassi Buddha’s time, the Bodhisatta who became Sakka Deva Raja, i.e. King of Gods, also aspired to be a Buddha.
When Siddhartha Buddha was in the world, the Bodhisatta became Mangala the hermit. He also made aspiration for Buddhahood.
During
the time of Tissa Buddha, the Bodhisatta became King Sujata. He
renounced the world, studied the Doctrine, and made aspirations to
become a Buddha.
At the time of Phussa Buddha, the Bodhisatta was
born as the King Vijitavi. He renounced the world, studied the Doctrine
and made aspiration for Buddhahood.
During Vipassi Buddha’s time, the Bodhisatta was born as a Dragon King. He also aspired to be a Buddha.
In Sikhi Buddha’s time, the Bodhisatta was born as King Arindama. He also made aspirations to become a Buddha.
During the period of Buddha Vessabhu, the Bodhisatta who became King Sudassana also made aspirations for Buddhahood.
At the time of Kaku-sandha Buddha, the Bodhisatta was born as King Khema. He renounced the world and aspired to become a Buddha.
During
the era of Konagamana Buddha, the Bodhisatta became King Pabbata. He
offered Chinese silk robes, carpets, etc. He also aspired to become a
Buddha.
When Kassapa Buddha was on earth, the Bodhisatta was born
as a man called Jotipala. He renounced the world and made aspirations
to become a Buddha.
During this long period, the Bodhisatta had been practicing the Ten Paramitas or Pre-requisites of Buddhahood,
Saturday February 7th, 2015 admin “Success,”
as it is generally understood, is nothing more than personal success in
the present lifetime, things like fame, wealth, and power. In the
teachings of Mahayana Buddhism, “success” means benefiting living
beings, having successful cultivation, and becoming a Buddha or
bodhisattva.
Quite a number of people believe that for Buddhist
monastics to develop from ordinary people into sages they must cut
themselves off from their family and loved ones and hide away in some
remote mountain hermitage. Likewise, there is a saying in Buddhism that
“All things are empty,” though this concept of “emptiness” is often
misunderstood to mean that we should not want or pursue anything. This
misapprehension recasts the Buddhist teaching on “emptiness” into
nothing but meaningless talk about metaphysical ideas. But, according to
Buddhism, success comes as the fruition of karmic causes and
conditions. These instances of karmic fruition are also called
paramitas.
Parami is an ancient Sanskirt word which means “to
cross over,” in that one crosses from the shore of suffering over to the
other shore of nirvana, while “ta” is an auxiliary particle that
indicates completion. When the Buddhist sutras were translated from
Sanskrit to Chinese, the choice was made to transliterate the term
paramita, rather than translating its meaning, and most English
translations follow in suit. This was done in order to preserve the
concept as close to the time of the Buddha’s transmission of the Dharma
and not to limit it by a particular translated term.
If we want
to cross over affliction, trouble, and the cycle of birth and death, and
transform suffering into happiness, partiality into universality, and
affliction into enlightenment, we must rely upon the six paramitas. Also
known as the “six perfections,” the six paramitas are six methods that
enable us to cross over and transcend. The six paramitas are giving,
morality, patience, diligence, meditative concentration, and prajna.
Each of the paramitas will be explained more fully later.
The
four main teachings of the Diamond Sutra are to give without notions, to
liberate with no notion of self, to live without abiding, and to
cultivate without attainment; this way of practicing the Dharma allows
us to cross from this shore to the other shore and to fulfill our
paramitas. To put it more simply, one should use a spirit that
transcends the world to do the work of the world.
Human life can be divided into four levels:
Physical life Community life Transcendent life Unending life “Physical
life” refers to the physical body as given to us by our parents. This
human body is hard to come by, so we should take good care of it.
“Community life” means fulfilling one’s role within the larger life of
the group. “Transcendent life” means altruistically contributing what
you can for the sake of others, the larger community, and for all living
beings. “Unending life” refers to what Buddhism calls the “life of
wisdom.” Someone who lives this way is not worried about whether he
lives or dies, having transcended the suffering of life and the fear of
death. This is eternal life where one no longer wanders through the
cycle of birth and death.
Every human life has boundless potential. It is up to the mind of each individual to fulfill the value and success of life.
Reconsidering Value
In
her later years, my mother was a patient at Whittier Hospital in Los
Angeles, U.S.A. On May 31, 1996, I received news in Taipei that my
mother’s illness had taken a turn for the worse, and I immediately
boarded a plane for Los Angeles. During the flight I kept reflecting on
the past. In my mind I could see my mother’s tender, smiling face as if
it were before my very eyes. My heart filled with all manner of
emotions, and I silently recited the name of Amitabha Buddha as a
blessing for my mother.
Upon arriving at Los Angeles
International Airport, I raced over to the hospital, but my mother had
already passed on. All I could do was go over to Rose Hills Memorial
Park to pay my last respects.
The nursing staff that had been
looking after her told me that she was kind and frugal, and was plain
and simple in her daily needs. She rarely bothered others and was always
thinking of other people. My mother did not even want them to tell me
about her worsening condition, to spare me any alarm or worry. My mother
always took everything upon herself, and kept her feelings of care and
loving concern inside. Twenty minutes before she died, she still left
instructions with Venerable Tzu Chuang, the abbess of Hsi Lai Temple who
was attending at her side:
Thank you for reciting the name of
Amitabha Buddha on my behalf. I am leaving now, so, please, under no
circumstances are you to let my son know, thus sparing him any distress.
He should busy himself with the problems of all sentient beings and not
be troubled on my account alone.
In the face of disciples and
family members who had hurried to Los Angeles from various places, I
decided to follow my mother’s final instructions by not disturbing the
outside world and keeping everything simple. In accordance with her
wishes, no formal condolences, no funerary contributions of money and no
gifts or flowers were accepted. I then dictated the following obituary
notice to solemnly inform all those concerned:
My mother, Mrs.
Liu Yuying, peacefully passed away at 4:20 a.m. on the 30 of May, 1996,
at Whittier Hospital in Los Angeles, U.S.A, amid the sounds of chanting
“Amitofo.” She was ninety-five years old. Many of her children and
grandchildren as well as my disciples were by her side. Her body was
then transferred to Rose Hills that same day.
Four days later, my
mother was cremated at Rose Hills. Amid the sounds of those assembled
there chanting sutras and reciting Amitabha Buddha’s name, I gently
pressed the green switch to activate the cremation process. At that time
I composed the following poem in my mind:
Between this mundane world and the Pure Land,
There remains the unchanging bond between mother and son;
For whether here on earth or there in heaven,
She remains forever my dear mother.
With a burst of fire,
A puff of wind,
And a flash of light,
I bid eternal farewell to my mother.
My
mother was twenty-five when she gave birth to my body. Since then
seventy years had slipped away, and my mother has passed on. And so,
with a push of a button, the body of my mother was cremated. Our
physical bodies are like houses that we live in only for a short time.
Time passes and the house becomes leaky and in need of repair. This
temporary residence of ours will surely decay, and there will come a
time when we will be unable to live in it anymore.
Some twenty
years earlier, my mother once came to stay for a while at Fo Guang Shan,
and on one occasion during a grand assembly of lay disciples, I asked
whether or not she was willing to meet with them and say a few words.
She agreed, but I was worried that my mother would be intimidated by
stage fright. But to my surprise, she faced the assembled audience of
more than twenty thousand and said with a calm assurance, “Fo Guang Shan
is indeed the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss; a heaven on earth.
We should rely upon the venerable master to be our guide in the hope
that everyone will achieve enlightenment here at Fo Guang Shan. Everyone
has been so kind to me, but this old woman has nothing to give to you
in return. I can only offer my son as a gift to everyone.”
Her
words were met by thunderous applause from the audience. My mother was
illiterate and had never read any sacred literature, nor ever prepared
herself to speak in front of others. But she had experienced the chaos
of the late Qing dynasty, the Revolution of 1911, the establishment of
the Republic of China, the armed occupations of the warlords, the
Sino-Japanese War, the stand-off between the Nationalist Party and the
Chinese Communist Party, and the Great Cultural Revolution, as well as
the changes over time in relations between Taiwan and Mainland China.
The
turmoil of the times had kept her constantly on the move; she lived
through nearly one hundred years of epoch-making change. In her life,
she practiced the Dharma, but she was too busy to let the question of
whether or not she had a firm background in Buddhism bother her. She had
already transcended the scriptural understanding with all its careful
wording to bring fulfillment to her own life.
And yet, through the power of a vow, we have the power to return again to this human world.
Humanistic Buddhism
As Buddhists we acknowledge that the Dharma exists in the world, but what exactly is the Dharma as taught by the Buddha?
The
word Buddha means “enlightened one,” for he is one who has enlightened
himself, enlightens others, and has completed his mission of
enlightening others. A Buddha is one who transcends the ignorance of
sentient beings. The quality of his enlightenment is unlike that of the
sravaka or pratyekabuddha, who pursue enlightenment for themselves
alone. A Buddha has realized a state of enlightenment that even a
bodhisattva has yet to fully attain.
The founder of Buddhism was
originally named Siddhartha, though he is also called Sakyamuni Buddha,
the World-honored One, the Tathagata, and so on. He was born on the
eighth day of the fourth month of the lunar calendar in Lumbini Garden
within the Indian state of Kapilavastu. His father, King Suddhodana, was
head of the Sakya clan. His mother, Queen Maya, died seven days after
his birth.
Sakyamuni Buddha was raised into adulthood by his
maternal aunt, Lady Mahaprajapati. As a prince, Siddhartha was a
handsome and intelligent young man, who was skilled in both the civil
and military arts. From boyhood, he was much beloved by the common
people. His father put all his effort into training him to become a wise
ruler. When he was seventeen, Siddhartha married the beautiful
Yasodhara, and the following year she bore him a son, Prince Rahula.
However,
despite his life in the palace with all its comfort and contentment,
and the warm love and affection of his family, Siddhartha felt a deep
void in his heart. He was seeking something more from life and needed a
truer understanding of human existence. So at the age of twenty-nine, he
bid farewell to his family, gave up all his pleasures and comforts, and
left the palace to pursue his spiritual quest. At age thirty-five,
after six years of austere practice, he sat underneath the bodhi tree,
and attained enlightenment while looking up at a bright star, and said,
“Marvelous, marvelous! All sentient beings have the Tathagata’s wisdom
and virtue, but they fail to realize it because they cling to deluded
thoughts and attachments.”
The now enlightened Buddha shared his
realization with others, setting the wheel of Dharma turning, and
established the monastic order. He then taught the Dharma for the
liberation of living beings for forty-nine years, and entered nirvana
while lying between two sala trees outside the city of Kusinara in the
year 483 bce.
The Buddha was born in this human world, grew up
and attained enlightenment in this human world; he passed into nirvana
in this human world, as well. Buddhism has always been concerned with
this human world. The Buddhist sutras which circulate today are a record
of the Buddha’s teachings to liberate living beings, gathered and
organized by his disciples after the Buddha’s final nirvana. From the
time of the Buddha, the Buddhist teachings are meant to fundamentally
address the issues of how we as human beings are to conduct ourselves,
how we are to act and think throughout the course of our lives, as well
as how we can gain liberation. The Dharma quite naturally serves as a
guide to how to live our daily lives. As Buddhism enters the modern era,
we as Buddhists must take an active role in the world and be diligent.
There
are some people who think the Dharma serves as an escape, that one may
“retreat into Buddhist practice,” as if Buddhism is some sort of
pessimistic escape or resignation that does not demand that we
accomplish anything. The Ekottara Agama states:
All the Buddhas
and World-honored Ones come from the human world; their realization is
not something attained in the heavenly realms.
Huineng, the Sixth Patriarch of the Chan School, also said in the Platform Sutra:
The
Dharma is within the world, apart from this world there is no
awakening. Seeking bodhi apart from the world is like looking for a
rabbit’s horn.
If we seek enlightenment by rejecting the world,
in doing so we throw away our potential. This creates a sense of
withdrawal and escape in the mind, and then nothing whatsoever will
succeed.
Buddhism is not a religion that belongs only to
monastics, nor is it a body of philosophical texts to be studied by
scholars. Buddhism should be something that benefits all people.
Buddhism is not an abstract theory; it is a religion that brings
happiness and well-being into the world. To learn Buddhism is to learn
how to be happy, carefree, liberated, and attain meditative bliss and
Dharma joy. Joy and happiness are the most precious things in life, and
living a happy, blessed, and carefree life is what Humanistic Buddhism
promotes. Humanistic Buddhism is the practical application of the
Buddhist spirit in the world.
One day, the Buddha and his
disciples entered the city of Sravasti to gather alms, and it so
happened that they encountered someone who bore a grudge against the
Buddha. This person started to malign, slander, and shout in a loud
voice as the Buddha walked along the street.
Seeing how the
Buddha was being insulted in public, one of his disciples said to the
Buddha angrily, “The people here lack any speck of goodness and do not
know how to respect the Triple Gem. Lord Buddha, it would be better if
we left this place and went to a city with kind-hearted people!”
The
Buddha replied, “Suppose we do move to another place but the people
there still do not believe in the Dharma, what would you do then?”
The disciple said, “We should move to yet another place!”
“When
will we ever stop moving if we do so because of external conditions?
This is not the way to ultimately solve the problem! We can resolve the
root of the problem this way: If we are treated with scorn, we must
remain unperturbed and bring an end to slander through patience. We must
not stop guarding our speech and training our minds until we are no
longer treated with scorn.”
The Buddha continued, “An enlightened
person remains calm and patient like the earth. We should not allow our
mission to be shaken by either praise or blame. By contemplating the
absence of an independent self, we will observe how all phenomena are
false fabrications. Then the illusory distinctions of self and others,
as well the so-called good and bad of the world, will become nothing
more than froth upon the water that suddenly appears, and just as
suddenly disappears. Can anything remain constant and unchanging?”
Buddhism
such as this is what allows people to experience well-being and
success. It is a religion for people, and one that is concerned with the
development of people. In Buddhism there is a teaching called the
“three Dharma seals,” which are three qualities that certify something
as an authentic teaching. They are all conditioned phenomena are
impermanent, all phenomena are without an independent self, and nirvana
is perfect tranquility. By viewing the world through the teaching on
impermanence, one can come to understand that all conditioned phenomena
are impermanent. Determination and diligence allows us to see that “all
phenomena are without an independent self.” In Buddhism there is a
saying that “there is nothing to attain,” and it is because of this
understanding that all the wonders of existence can arise out of true
emptiness. The last of the three Dharma seals, “nirvana is perfect
tranquility” asserts that our potential for success is unlimited.
Wholesome Wealth
There
are many people in this world who believe that one of the standards for
measuring success is making a lot of money. In terms of material
wealth, Buddhist monastics live a plain and simple life: they live with
three robes, a bowl, and few small items, such as sutras and a Buddha
statue. There is even a saying in Chinese that, “A monastic’s rucksack
weighs only two and a half pounds.” That being said, even a skilled
housewife cannot prepare a meal without rice, and a poor couple will
suffer hundreds of sorrows. A lay Buddhist must have some monetary
wealth, or else he will be unable to care for his parents and support
his family. Buddhist practice and acts of charity also require a certain
amount of money to support them, let alone the riches required to
engage in various social development programs. Therefore, Humanistic
Buddhism does not disdain money, for wealth that is acquired through
pure and wholesome means can serve as supporting resources.
However,
we must also understand that worldly success arises from a combination
of causes and conditions. Consider the example of a single individual.
The process that takes this person from birth as a crying baby to
maturity as an adult is supported by many causes and conditions, such as
the safeguarding by parents, instruction of teachers and elders, as
well as the various trades and professions that supply clothing, food,
housing, transportation and so on. We go to school, find our place in
society, start a family, and begin our careers; and we all hope we will
be successful in these. But success is not building castles in the sky,
nor is it possible to achieve it without hard work. Having the right
conditions in place to support us is to our advantage, but even then
depending upon others too much cannot lead to success either.
People
are often greedy. If they have even a bit of money, they think of
depositing it in the bank where it will accumulate interest. But in that
case, such money cannot be used to launch new enterprises. We bring no
money with us when we are born, and take none of it with us when we die,
and during our lives it is always taken away by fire, flood, thieves,
corrupt officials, and wayward children.1 We can only appreciate the
value of money if we do not feel attached to it, but rather allow our
wealth to circulate and accomplish good things. There is a Buddhist
saying that captures this sentiment well:
What comes from all directions
Supports undertakings in all directions;
The generosity of thousands of people
Creates connections for thousands of people.
In this way worldly money can serve both worldly causes, as well as those that transcend this world.
There
are some people who have a fixed view that spiritual practice does not
need money and cannot involve money, and expect spiritual seekers to
live in poverty. But poverty cannot guarantee a higher level of
practice. These attitudes come from a fixed sense of self which is
attached to appearing impoverished, that it is the only way to be a
practitioner. This is a question of reality. If you have nothing, how
then can you give something? To liberate living beings and practice
giving, we need the qualities of physical strength, practical talent,
ability, and commitment. Why must monetary wealth be singled out for
disdain and rejection? To varying levels, lacking mental or material
resources will limit our ability to give and liberate others.
The
question that is truly worthy of our concern is how to best utilize the
pure, wholesome, and noble wealth that is donated to benefit living
beings. We should not fall into the view that only poverty can show that
one is well cultivated. For a modernized Buddhism, Buddhists should
engage in enterprise so long as such activities are beneficial to the
economy of the country and the lives of its people. This then is the
true meaning of the Buddhists teachings on “non-abiding” and “non-self.”
Oneness and Coexistence
There
is a story recounted in the Samyukta Agama about two monastics who
argue about who is better at chanting. One day the Buddha’s great
disciple Mahakasyapa reported to the Buddha, “Lord Buddha, there are two
monks who are both unyielding in nature; one is Ananda’s disciple Nantu
and the other is Maudgalyayana’s disciple Abifu. The two of them argue
with each other from time to time over who is the best at chanting, and
tomorrow they are going to decide once and for all who can chant the
most sutras and teach the Dharma the best!”
The Buddha sent
someone to summon Nantu and Abifu. He then asked them, “Have you heard
my teaching on how to determine the winner and the loser when two people
are arguing with one another?”
“We have never heard of such a teaching concerning winning or losing.”
“The
real winner is someone who puts a stop to the confusion caused by
greed, anger, and ignorance; diligently practices the threefold training
of morality, meditative concentration, and wisdom; and can destroy the
thieves of the six sense organs. One who can truly contemplate how the
five aggregates of form, feeling, perceptions, mental formation, and
consciousness are as insubstantial as a plantain trunk; and can make the
Noble Eightfold Path their guide can realize the bliss and tranquility
of great nirvana. You may be able to recite hundreds of thousands of
verses from memory, but if you do not understand their meaning, then how
does that benefit your liberation?”
The Buddha wants us to
cultivate right concentration, part of the Noble Eightfold Path, and
stay away from any conflict between ourselves and others. The Diamond
Sutra emphasizes how one should not abide in anything. In terms of human
commercial enterprises, one must not become attached to a single fixed
market. Do not cling to old markets and old industries, but have the
courage instead to open up alternative avenues, seek out alternative
markets, and set up new creative teams. By implementing strategies like
“value reassessment,” “collective creation,” and “systematic
leadership,” one can develop brand new enterprises and live a life as
vast as endless space.
Value Reassessment
In the Diamond
Sutra, the Buddha instructs living beings to not cling to the notion of
self, the notion of others, the notion of sentient beings, or the notion
of longevity, nor to allow the discriminating mind to hinder our
practice. If organizations and commercial enterprises are able to align
themselves closely with human nature, be attentive to the needs of the
larger community, and offer more varied opportunities, then they can
create new value.
In the past, hearing Buddhist teachings
required a visit to a temple, but since such temples were located in
remote locations with poor transportation, people often hesitated to go.
Even the infrastructure of the temples failed to meet the needs of
those who came to hear the teachings. Having done their best to visit
once or twice, some beginning Buddhists would give up on their good
intention of listening to the Dharma.
The Lotus Sutra states:
In
whatever land where this sutra is received and upheld, read and
recited, explained and copied, and cultivated and practiced as taught;
whether in a place where a volume of scripture is kept, or in a grove,
or in a forest, or under a tree, or in a monastery, or in a layman’s
house, or in a temple hall, or in a mountain valley, or upon an open
plain; in all of these places one should erect a memorial stupa and make
offerings. Why is that? One must know that these places are temples.
The Vimalakirti Sutra also states:
The
upright mind is a temple, the profound mind is a temple, the mind
aspiring to bodhi is a temple, generosity is a temple, the three kinds
of supernatural knowledge2 are a temple, the knowledge of all phenomena
within a single thought is a temple.
That is to say, everywhere
in the world can be a place for us to learn the Dharma and attain
enlightenment. In order to spread the Dharma throughout the world, it
should go into homes, schools, factories, farms, workplaces, and
military bases. By upholding the principles of harmonizing the
traditional and the modern, by sharing ownership between monastics and
laypeople, by equally emphasizing both practice and understanding, and
by integrating literature and art with Buddhism, we will continue to
promote Humanistic Buddhism.
Fo Guang Shan and its branch temples
all include facilities like auditoriums, conference rooms, classrooms,
lounge areas, reception areas, and libraries, along with the gradual
addition of the Fo Guang Yuan art galleries, Water Drop teahouses, and
so on. Such an approach allows devotees to come to the temple not only
to worship the Buddha, but also to receive the Dharma instruction that
is offered in auditoriums, conference rooms, and classrooms. In this way
Fo Guang Shan endeavors to combine the worldly with that which
transcends the world, and integrate society with the mountain monastery,
so that monastics and laypeople can practice anytime and anywhere.
With
its transcendent spirit and worldly practicality, Buddhism liberates
living beings by bestowing upon them the Buddha’s wisdom and compassion.
The enterprises of the world with their profit motive must also adapt
to changes in external conditions from time to time, so that they can
provide the products and services that are aligned with the people’s
demands in a planned, organized, and efficient manner. That too is using
a spirit that transcends the world to do the work of the world.
Collective Creation
Organizations
and enterprises must create new value, but this is impossible to
accomplish by relying solely on one individual to take charge of
everything and make all the decisions. What is needed is for everyone to
pull together their creative ideas and the will for collective success.
In
its early days, Fo Guang Shan had absolutely nothing. We had neither
modern equipment nor today’s popular management theory, but what we did
have was group planning and effort, and the tacit understanding we all
shared about collective creation. In 1967, the construction of the
temple began, and I brought along the first generation of my
disciples—Hsin Ping, Hsin Ting, Tzu Chuang, Tzu Hui, and Tzu Jung—and
together we began to toil and work. We cleared away each tree and moved
every rock. We drafted the general layout for the temple’s structure in
the Lichee Garden, and came up with our teaching guidelines in the old
Huiming Hall.
At each stage in going from nothing to something,
there were perhaps personal differences over understanding,
conceptualization, and judgment, but once an issue affected the general
direction of Fo Guang Shan, or what was needed to bring success to
Buddhism, everyone promptly came together. There was never any conflict
sparked by personal or selfish motives, for we shared a common
determination to overcome any difficulties and help each other work
towards the same goal. This was the spirit behind the founding of Fo
Guang Shan.
“Collective creation” does not mean many people
supporting the dictatorship of one individual; rather, it means that
each individual within the collective participates equally, so we can
broadly solicit views and opinions from all corners. From Fo Guang
Shan’s founding to the present day, nearly every single issue has been
decided democratically. At all of our meetings at every level of the
organization, everyone has an equal opportunity to speak and exercise
their right to vote, regardless of their degree of seniority or the
duties they undertake. At the meetings I chair personally, anybody who
is so inclined is free to sit in and listen at any time. Not only does
this style reduce many of the barriers to getting things done, it also
ensures that members of Fo Guang Shan who attend these meetings can
learn the art of communication. Everyone has an opportunity to grow from
such experiences.
When I think of Fo Guang Shan’s initial
building phase, images of how all of us worked together from morning to
night, shouldering loads of bricks, sand, rock, and cement with sweat
streaming down our backs flash in my mind. After the hired workers had
finished their day’s work and gone home, Fo Guang Shan’s disciples would
continue working. In addition, there are no words to describe the
assistance we received from all of the laypeople who wished to support
the Dharma. This is why I often say, “the success of Fo Guang Shan
belongs to everyone.” Fo Guang Shan is not for any individual. Rather,
it belongs to its more than thirteen hundred monastic disciples, the
millions of lay followers around the world, its many benefactors, as
well as people from all walks of life. Fo Guang Shan was not something
that was completed in a day or a certain period of time; it succeeded,
bit by bit, through the continuous effort due to oneness and
coexistence.
Systematic Leadership
Even during the
Buddha’s time the monastic community had a well-developed organizational
system. The Buddha set up the posadha system, in which monastics met
regularly to reflect upon their religious lives and confess their
faults, and the karman system for conducting meetings and adopting
resolutions. In these systems we can see a set of legal procedures that
are even more complete in their details than those of many modern
countries. The Buddha’s management style reflects a deep understanding
of human nature and his system of rules and regulations are skillfully
adaptive. The Buddha’s monastic community could be ranked among the best
of the many successful enterprises we have today.
Never in my
life have I worried about my future, and I have not set my mind on any
particular achievement. Things just fell into place naturally. The year I
turned fifty-eight, I relinquished my position as abbot of Fo Guang
Shan, but even then I was merely stepping down in accordance with the
system. I then left Fo Guang Shan and went directly to Beihai Temple. I
wanted to let my successor get on with the job, which is why I did not
want to linger at Fo Guang Shan. In Buddhism there is a saying that one
should “rely on the Dharma rather than an individual”; organizations and
enterprises, likewise, need clearly defined and implementable system as
they pursue success.
The Buddha’s Light International
Association, a Buddhist organization founded to encourage the
participation of lay Buddhists, has a membership now in the millions,
while the entire Fo Guang Shan organization operates harmoniously. We
have furthered the work of spreading the Dharma to all parts of the
world, and each of our successes has been achieved by operating within
our system. In this way the Dharma has been able to break through the
barriers of race, language, and culture, and we have been able to use
Buddhist chanting, calligraphy, writing, publishing, and visual and
performing arts to spread Humanistic Buddhism to every corner of the
world.
The success of Fo Guang Buddhists can be seen as an
example of “cultivation without attainment”: in Fo Guang Shan, we have a
policy that glory belongs to the Buddha, and the success belongs to the
community. In this instance these achievements “belong” in the sense
that each person contributes their cultivation without expecting to gain
anything in return. In this way, Fo Guang Buddhists are one with all
living beings, and can coexist together in harmony.
Building One Brick at a Time
In
Chinese there is an old saying: “When the eggs are not ready to hatch,
do not crack the shell; when the rice is not fully cooked, do not lift
the lid.” Trying to break open the eggs when they are not ready to hatch
will bring an untimely death to these small creatures, and trying to
lift the lid of the pot before the rice is fully cooked will make it
hard for the rice to be cooked tender.
There is no free lunch in
this world. If you want to get something you must give something. I
would suggest that, when a person is young, he or she should fear
neither hardship, nor being at a disadvantage. One should harden oneself
with real experience with no expectation of compensation. One should
increase one’s own knowledge and experience, no matter if that be
through reading books, starting a major undertaking, or engaging in some
sort of work. Do not be eager for success: success that comes too
easily can lead to pride and disdain for others, and with such
irresolute aspirations, one will quickly fail and be laid low. A lofty
tower is built from the ground up: no real success in this world is
achieved all at once. Success does not happen by mere chance, nor is it a
product of instant results. Rather, it is solidly built one brick at a
time. Great minds often develop gradually. Likewise, there is a saying
in Taiwan that goes: “a big rooster takes its time crowing.”
Quick
success is not really all that good. Take trees for example: those that
mature in a year are only good for firewood, while those that mature in
three to five years can be made into tables and chairs. Only trees that
take decades and decades to mature can be made into pillars and beams.
That is why we should “cultivate without attainment,” and free ourselves
of that win or lose mentality that leads to hasty work. We must
gradually cultivate and refine ourselves, and wait until the conditions
are right. As it is said, the journey of a thousand miles begins with
the first step; so never get ahead of yourself nor delude yourself with
the idea that chanting Amitabha Buddha’s name for two days will give you
a diamond-like mind capable of overcoming evil.
After Hongren,
the Fifth Patriarch of the Chan School, gave the monastic robe and alms
bowl to Huineng, signifying that he was now the Sixth Patriarch, he
escorted Huineng to a riverbank and said to him:
Henceforth, you
shall spread the Dharma far and wide. You should depart now and quickly
travel south. Do not start teaching too quickly because it is difficult
to spread the Dharma.
The Fifth Patriarch was telling Huineng not
to be too eager to spread the Dharma publicly. It is important to wait
for the right opportunity. This was why Huineng lived in seclusion among
a band of hunters, eating some vegetables that he added to their pot of
meat, as he bided his time. A favorable opportunity is when all the
conditions are right. Any matter can easily succeed, if it happens at
just the right moment when the causes and conditions are in place.
The Ten Directions and Three Time Periods
People
often ask me, “The Fo Guang Shan monastic order is large and its
activities are on an immense scale, how do you manage it all? How do you
keep everyone focused, harmonious, and without contention?”
I
always like to reply by sharing an old Buddhist expression: “Pervade
across the ten directions and extend down through the three time
periods.”3
The expression “Pervade across the ten directions and
extend down through the three times periods” describes our own intrinsic
Buddha nature. The size of everything in the world is limited, the only
things large enough to “pervade across the ten directions” are prajna,
our intrinsic nature, and the Dharmakaya. Such things are so large that
nothing is outside them and so small that nothing more can be contained
within; for they pervade everyplace and exist everywhere. In terms of
time, although our physical bodies are born and die and our lives come
to an end, our intrinsic Buddha wisdom can transcend the temporal
limitations of past, present, and future. It neither arises nor ceases
and does not come or go, which is why it “extends down through the three
time periods.”
The year I stepped down as abbot of Fo Guang Shan
my successor, Venerable Hsin Ping, would come and ask me the same
question whenever any major event was about to take place at the
monastery. He would ask, “How should we handle it this year?”
I would always answer, “Look to what was done before.”
Referencing
earlier precedents means striving for consistency with the monastery’s
guiding principles, yet as times change, all things should also undergo
some reform and innovation. This is why I said to look to what was done
before, not to follow what was done before.
To build people’s
faith in the Dharma I have gone from riding a bicycle down to the
village in my early years to taking automobiles. Because of this
modernized society, instead of walking, I can now fly to and fro through
the sky. I deeply appreciate how these modern forms of transportation
offer many conveniences for teaching the Dharma. However, an appropriate
respect for tradition can allow people to see the true meaning of
Buddhism. For example, beginning in 1988 and continuing every other year
afterwards, Fo Guang Shan has an alms procession, in which monastics
collect donations with their bowls as in the time of the Buddha. Not
only does this activity serve to bring the light of the Buddha’s
compassion to every corner of Taiwan and give Buddhists an opportunity
to make offerings and generate merit, it is a good experience for the
monastics as well. In 1988 I launched a series of events across Taiwan
entitled “Returning to the Buddha’s Time,” featuring ceremonies,
performances, and a Dharma talk. The events used modern audio-visual
multimedia to enable the audience of tens of thousands to travel back in
time and return to the sacred site of Vulture Peak where the Buddha was
teaching twenty-five hundred years ago and share in the Dharma joy of
Buddhist chanting.
The policy of referring to past precedents is a
manifestation of “extending down through the three time periods.”
Whenever some improvement is introduced, it goes through a process of
discussion and coordination and then later becomes widely known to
everyone. Meetings are an indispensable part of this process. There are
times when students ask to attend our meetings, and I do not refuse
them.
In the past I served on the monastery staff, and while
taking care of guests I developed a keen awareness as to how all things
are connected. Each moment can be considered as a point that leads to
some other point, together these points make a line, and by observing
many of these lines, one comes to an understanding of the whole. By
seeing some individual matter as part of the whole, then one can tweak
its temporal and spatial qualities in just the right way so that nothing
will be left out.
Buddha nature permeates everywhere, “pervading
across the ten directions and extending down through the three time
periods.” Because of this, in terms of our essence, both the Buddha and I
possess the same Buddha nature. Therefore, I need not submit to force,
nor become beguiled by wealth and honor. I am one with all living
beings. Sometimes I may sit upon a high throne and expound the sublime
truths of the Buddha, while at other times I can toil and work for the
benefit of living beings and contribute through my sacrifice. I can be
great or be small, I can come first or come last, I can do with or do
without, I can handle happiness or suffering, I can expand or contract,
and I can bear being full or being hungry. I was not born with the
ability to do everything, but I am always willing to try.
It is
because of the maxim “pervade across the ten directions and extend down
through the three time periods” that we must throw open the universal
gate. There can be no racial barriers or special treatment. We must be
able to lead people from all walks of life, regardless of their
religious and social backgrounds, into sharing equally in the benefits
of the Dharma. This will enable all living beings from different regions
of the world and different stations in life to benefit from the
Dharma’s various positive connections, and bestow them upon society.
Buddhist Success: Paramita
As
mentioned previously, paramita is a Sanskrit word that means “success,”
“crossing from this shore to the other shore,” and “the perfect
tranquility of nirvana.”
We know that we must go from this shore
of delusion and cross to the other shore of enlightenment, but can we do
this just by thinking about it from time to time?
The Diamond
Sutra says we should “Give rise to a mind that does not abide in
anything.” In this instance, “abide” means to be attached to something,
particularly attached to an independent self. When we become too focused
on this sense of an independent self we become attached to the
perceived value of this “self,” and thus cling to certain ideas and
never let them go. When we worry too much about the gains and losses of
this “self” our feelings become deluded by love, hate, sadness, and
happiness. Having a mind that does not abide in anything calls upon us
to live in the world according to the selflessness of prajna, for this
is the only way to reach the state of nirvana. Nirvana is:
Complete tranquility The highest bliss Everlasting happiness Complete merit and wisdom Total freedom from desire The ultimate state of liberation True reality Success
in Buddhism is transcending this shore with its affliction, delusion,
and suffering, and crossing to the other shore of purity and
tranquility, where no afflictions appear and all suffering has ended.
The specific practice to accomplish this is a group of virtues called
the “six paramitas” or “six perfections.” The six paramitas are:
Giving
(dana-paramita)Giving is to take what one has or knows and give it to
others. Besides the giving of wealth and property, this also includes
giving the Dharma and confidence or fearlessness to others. The paramita
of giving can help to eliminate the defilement of greed. Morality
(sila-paramita)The basis of Buddhist morality is the five precepts, but
it is not enough to think that the five precepts are just about not
doing this or not doing that. The five precepts should be viewed in
positive terms, for that is the path to happiness. For example, one
should go beyond the first precept “not to kill” and in addition
actively protect life. One can go beyond “not stealing” and practice
giving. One can go beyond “not committing sexual misconduct” and be
respectful. One can go beyond “not lying” and give praise. Going beyond
not killing to protect life leads to a long life; going beyond not
stealing to practice giving brings riches; going beyond not committing
sexual misconduct to being respectful leads to a pleasant family life;
and going beyond not lying to giving praise means that one will have a
good reputation. Patience (ksanti-paramita)In Buddhism there are
three kinds of patience: the patience for life, the patience for
phenomena, and the patience for non-arising phenomena.4 A bodhisattva is
one who patiently endures all the humiliations of life, as well as
cold, heat, hunger, thirst, and so on. The paramita of patience can help
to eliminate the defilement of anger. Diligence (virya-paramita)The
paramita of diligence includes physical diligence and mental diligence.
Mental diligence means earnestly practicing wholesome teachings while
taking care to eliminate the roots of unwholesomeness. The paramita of
diligence is the antidote for laziness and idleness. Meditative
Concentration (dhyana-paramita)The paramita of meditative concentration
comes from making one’s mind free of distractions such that it does not
become confused or deluded by worldly matters. The paramita of
meditative concentration can remove the defilement of doubt. Prajna
(prajna-paramita)The paramita of prajna is the most important of the
paramitas, and the forerunner of the other five. By using prajna wisdom
one can eradicate the defilement of ignorance. I loved playing
basketball when I was young, so I often draw my analogies from
basketball: be it spiritual cultivation, academic study, or interacting
with others, they’re all like playing basketball. For example, when
trying to get along with others, you should not go off to fight your own
battles, for it is important to remember team spirit. One should wait
for the right time to act, just as when one has possession of the ball,
one must wait for any opportunity to make a shot. And if you break the
rules, you must admit your fault, just as in raising one’s hand in a
game.
When playing basketball, one must have the spirit of the
six paramitas: you must pass the ball to your teammates to help them to
score points on a basket (giving), you need to play by the rules of the
court (morality), you must show restraint to avoid being bumped by
others during the heat of a match (patience), you must practice your
skills if you want to score (diligence), and, in addition to
fundamentals, you must develop basketball strategy in order to win
(prajna).
Why is prajna considered the foremost paramita? The
Treatise on the Perfection of Great Wisdom says, “the other five
perfections are blind without prajna to guide them.” It is impossible to
reach the ultimate goal by relying only upon the other five paramitas
and attempting to do without prajna. This is why prajna is described as
the foundation of the six paramitas and is also the foundation of the
Dharma.
The Lotus Sutra states, “The turmoil of the three realms
is like a burning house.” The three realms of Buddhist cosmology (the
desire realm, the form realm, and the formless realm) are like a burning
house. But if we make our minds nice and cool, then the blaze of
suffering that presses upon us will disappear. Only by cultivating
prajna without the expectation of gain can we succeed with the six
paramitas.
Once the Chan master Caoshan Huixia said to his
attendant, “An enlightened person will be unperturbed by heat, no matter
how hot it gets inside or outside.”
Huixia’s attendant agreed. Huixia then asked, “If it were extremely hot now, where would you go to escape it?”
The attendant answered, “I would seek refuge in a burning-hot cauldron.”
Huixia was puzzled. He asked further, “Nothing is hotter than a cauldron. Why would you seek refuge in such blazing heat?”
Pointing at his heart, the attendant answered, “The great mass of suffering cannot reach me here.”
The
Diamond Sutra reveals to us the secret of success: to have a mind that
does not abide in anything. This is prajna. The mind itself is all of
wondrous existence, while abiding in nothing is true emptiness; and
there cannot be wondrous existence without true emptiness. The prajna of
the Buddha can make one understand the mind and body with crystal
clarity, like the moon reflected in water, transporting one from this
shore of delusion and attachment to the other shore that is permanent,
blissful, pure, and has an inherent self. Practitioners are able to turn
a world of blazing heat into a realm that is refreshingly cool, and
transform defilement and affliction into the Pure Land. Such people find
no situation in which they are not content.
1. These are the “five causes of loss”: five things mentioned in the Buddhist sutras that can destroy our wealth. Ed.
2.
The three kinds of supernatural knowledge are knowledge of past,
present, and future lives, heavenly eyes, and the power of ending all
defilement. Ed.
3. 橫遍十方,豎窮三際: The ten directions are the four
cardinal directions, the four intermediate directions, plus above and
below, and the three time periods are the past, present, and future.
There is a suggestion in the Chinese expression that space exists on a
horizontal plane and that time exists on a vertical plane, with the two
together encompassing everything. Ed.
4. This type of patience
comes from the realization that, on a supramundane level, phenomena do
not truly arise or cease, and all things are simply as they are. Ed.
Q 7 Write down Sangha Vadana in Pali as well as in English
Translation - Homage to the Disciples of the Buddha The
Sangha of the Blessed One’s disciples has entered on the good way; the
Sangha of the Blessed One’s disciples has entered on the straight way;
the Sangha of the Blessed One’s disciples has entered on the proper way,
that is to say; the Four Pairs of Men, the Eight Types of Persons; the
Sangha of the Blessed One’s disciples is fit for gifts, fit for
hospitality, fit for offerings, and fit for reverential salutation, as
the incomparable field of merit for the world.
Harshavardhan Devde Published on Jul 12, 2007 These
verses are recited to pay homage to the Triple Gem - Buddha, Dhamma and
Sangha. These words explain some of the great qualities and virtues
pertaining to the Triple Gem. By reciting these words, one can
understand the admirable qualities of the Triple Gem and so develop
one’s confidence in their intrinsic worth.
The Buddha himself
explained these qualities in many of His Suttas. He also advised his
followers to recite these words to be mindful of the Buddha, Dhamma and
Sangha in times of fear or disturbance, whether arising from external
sources or through evil influences so that such disturbances can be
vanquished. This is because the Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha are free from
all kinds of defilements and hindrances such as greed, anger and
ignorance.
Pali
Supatipanno Bhagavato savaka-sangho
Ujupatipanno Bhagavato savaka-sangho
Ñayapatipanno Bhagavato savaka-sangho
Samicipatipanno Bhagavato savaka-sangho
Yadidam cattari purisayugani attha
purisa-puggala, esa Bhagavato savaka-sangho
Ahuneyyo, pahuneyyo, dakkhineyyo,
Anjalikaraniyo, anuttaram punnakkhettam lokassa ti
English Translation
The
Sangha of the Blessed One’s disciples has entered on the good way; The
Sangha of the Blessed One’s disciples has entered on the straight way;
The Sangha of the Blessed Ones disciples has entered on the right path;
The Sangha of the Blessed One’s disciples has entered on the proper way;
That is to say, the Four Pairs of Men, the Eight Types of Persons; The
Sangha of the Blessed One’s disciples is fit for gifts, fit for
hospitality, fit for offerings and fit for reverential salutation As the
incomparable field of merits for the world.
Pali Chantings
Sangham jivitam yava nibbanam
saranam gacchami
Ye ca Sangha atita ca
Ye ca Sangha anagata
Paccuppanna ca ye Sangha
Aham vandami sabbada
English translations
The Sangha of the ages past,
The Sangha that are yet to come,
The Sangha of the present age,
I always pay homage to them.
Pali Chantings
Natthi me saranam annam
Sangho me saranam varam
Etena sacca-vajjena
Hotu me jayamangalam
English translations
No other refuge do I seek;
The Sangha is my matchless refuge;
By the might of this truth,
May joyous victory be mine!
Pali
Uttamangena vandeham
Sangham ca tividhuttamam
Sanghe yo khalito doso
Sangho khamatu tam mamam
English translation
With my bows I humbly worship,
The Sangha triply unrivalled;
If I have done wrong to the Sangha
May the Sangha forgive me. Category People & Blogs
youtube.com Buddhism - Pali Chantings {Salutations to Sangha of Blessed} These verses are recited to pay homage to the Triple Gem - Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha. These words…
Q 8 Write an essay on what you understand about the meaning of each of the nine qualities of the Sangha
Supreme Qualities of the Sangha (Sangha Guna)
1.
Here it must be noted that Sangha is not bhikkhus. Sangha means the
Nobles or Ariyas, those who have attained one of the magga phala.
(Sangha means one who has removed “san“, i.e., “san” + “gha“).
2. Bhagavatō
Savakasanghō means Noble disciples of the Buddha. The first four
phrases describe four Noble qualities: Supatipannō, Ujupatipannō,
nāyapatipannö, and Sämichipatipannö.
Patipannö means “having such
quality”: “Su” means goodness and morality; “uju” means straightforward
and not crooked in character; “nāya” means nana or wise; “sāmichi”
means pleasant to associate. Thus it is easy to what is meant
(succinctly) by those phrases. But as with all these qualities, it is
not possible to describe them fully in words. 3. “Yadidam chattari
purisayugāni atta purisapuggalā” means thus described eight types of
persons (attapurisa puggala) of four Noble (purisa) lineages. Eight
types comes when each stage is divided into two, for example, Arahant
magga and Arahant phala.
4. Then starting with “esa Bhagavato
Savakasanghō” (i.e., those Noble disciples of the Buddha), five more
qualities are stated: Āhuneyyō, pāhuneyyō, dakkhineyyō, anjalikaraniyō,
anuttaram punnakkhettam lokassa.
In those words, “neyyō” means
niyama dhamma or core principle of nature; also called “nyāma“. Then
“āhu” means “grasped”, “pāhu” means “inseparable” or “fused together”,
“dakkhi” means “see”. Thus those disciples have clearly seen the core
principles of nature (paticca samuppada), have grasped them and will not
be separated from them ever. Because of that, they can dissolve and
remove the causes (food) that fuel the sansaric journey:
anjalikaraneeyō. Here “an” means “āhara” or causes, “jali” is water
(dissolve), and karenneya means “do”. Another meaning of “an” is “horn”
with sharp tips (as in a bull), which can hurt others; here
anjalikaraneeyō means dissolving them (by cultivating metta) so that
they cannot hurt others. anuttaram punnakkhettam: anuttara is
unmatached, punna is meritorious, and ketha is for a field. Thus it
means these disciples are like fertile fields, that can provide
unlimited resources to others (just like a well-cultivated field can
provide food for many). You can download the above audio files below
by clicking “DOWNLOAD”. You can play it there or right-click on the
screen and choose “save as..” to save to your computer.
DownloadDownload
More audio files are at: “Sutta Chanting (with Pali Text)“.
DownloadDownload More audio files are at: “Sutta Chanting (with Pali Text)“.
puredhamma.net Supreme Qualities of Buddha, Dhamma, Sangha | Pure Dhamma The
24 supreme qualities of the Buddha, Dhamma, Sangha (called “suvisi
guna”) are discussed. Audio recordings of the Pali recitals are
provided. puredhamma.net Supreme Qualities of Buddha, Dhamma, Sangha | Pure Dhamma The
24 supreme qualities of the Buddha, Dhamma, Sangha (called “suvisi
guna”) are discussed. Audio recordings of the Pali recitals are
provided.
Q 9 What was Siddhartha in his immediate past life ? What was his role ?
Siddhartha is a name meaning “one who has accomplished a goal,” and Gautama is a family name. His
father, King Suddhodana, was the leader of a large clan called the
Shakya (or Sakya). It’s not clear from the earliest texts whether he was
a hereditary king or more of a tribal chief. It is also possible that
he was elected to this status. Suddhodana married two sisters, Maya
and Pajapati Gotami. They are said to have been princesses of another
clan, the Koliya, from what is northern India today. Maya was the mother
of Siddhartha, and he was her only child. She died shortly after his
birth. Pajapati, who later became the first Buddhist nun, raised
Siddhartha as her own.
By all accounts, Prince Siddhartha and his
family were of the Kshatriya caste of warriors and nobles. Among
Siddhartha’s more well-known relatives was his cousin Ananda, the son of
his father’s brother. Ananda would later become the Buddha’s disciple
and personal attendant. He would have been considerably younger than
Siddhartha, however, and they didn’t know each other as children
Everyone
in their village loves Siddhartha. But although he brings joy to
everyone’s life, Siddhartha feels little joy himself. He is troubled by
restless dreams and begins to wonder if he has learned all that his
father and the other Brahmins can teach him. As Hesse says, “…they had
already poured the sum total of their knowledge into his waiting
vessel; and the vessel was not full, his intellect was not satisfied,
his soul was not at peace, his heart was not still” (5).
Siddhartha
is dissatisfied with the Brahmans because despite their knowledge, the
Brahmins are seekers still, performing the same exercises again and
again in order to reach their goal‹Nirvana: the peace of oneness with
Atman the Divine within‹without ever finding it. But if Atman is within,
then oneness with it must proceed by focusing on the world within. As
Siddhartha says, “One must find the source within one’s Self, one must
possess it. Everythig else was seeking‹a detour, error” (7). It is
Siddhartha’s search for this new path that leads him to the ascetic
Samanas.
When Siddhartha announces his intention to join the
Samanas, his father becomes very upset and forbids Siddhartha’s
departure. In respectful defiance, Siddhartha does not move. His
frustrated father leaves him, gazing out of his window periodically to
see if Siddhartha has left. The obstinate youth, though, remains
motionless. Night passes. In the morning, Siddhartha’s father returns to
his intransigent son and realizes that while Siddhartha’s body remains
is present, his mind had already departed. Siddhartha’s father
acquiesces to his son’s wishes and allows him to leave, reminded him
that he is welcome back should he find disillusionment with the Samanas.
Govinda joins Siddhartha as they disappear into the forest in search of
the Samanas.
With the Samanas
As Samanas, Siddhartha and
Govinda relinquish all their possessions and dedicate themselves to
meditation, fasting, and other methods of mortification. As a result of
this, the normal human world becomes anathema to Siddhartha. It is all
illusory and destined to decay, leaving those who treasure it in great
pain. With the Samanas, “Siddhartha had one goal - to become empty, to
become empty of thirst, desire, dreams, pleasure, and sorrow‹to let the
Self die” (14). His path to self-negation was through physical pain,
pain he endured until he no longer felt it as pain. When pain is gone,
the Self fades into oblivion and peace is attained. But while pain
became a memory for Siddhartha, peace did not come.
After having
been with the Samanas for some time, Siddhartha expresses concern that
he is no closer to his goal than he was before joining the Samanas.
Govinda replies that while they have grown in spirit, they still have
much to learn. In response, Siddhartha derisively comparesthe Samanas’
life to that of a drunkard, a series of temporary respites from the
pains of existence. Ultimately, Siddhartha reasons, one cannot really
learn anything from teachers or the doctrines they espouse. As
Siddhartha tells Govinda, “There is, my friend, only a knowledge‹that is
everywhere, that is Ataman, that is in me and you and every creature,
and I am beginning to believe that this knowledge has no worse enemy
than the man of knowledge, than learning” (19). Siddhartha is unsettled
by the implications of his thoughts but feels certain that the Samanas
have nothing for to teach him. For this reason, Siddhartha declares that
he will leave the Samanas soon.
Three years after joining the
Samanas, Siddhartha and Govinda hear intriguing rumors of a great man,
Goatama, the Buddha, who, having attained enlightenment, teaches others
the way to peace. Govinda is immediately entranced by this tale and
tells Siddhartha of his intent to seek out Goatama. Siddhartha,
surprised by Govinda’s uncharacteristic initiative, wishes his friend
well. Govinda, though, wishes Siddhartha to seek the Buddha with him.
Siddhartha expresses his doubt that anything new can be learned from
this man, but surrenders to Govinda’s enthusiasm and agrees to go. The
leaders of the Samanas scolds Siddhartha and Govinda for their
departure. Siddhartha then demonstrates his mastery of the Samana ways
by hypnotizing the old master.
Goatama
Siddhartha and
Govinda travel to Savathi, where they discover that the Buddha is
staying in Jetavana, in the garden of Anathapindika. Arriving in
Jetavana, Siddhartha recognizes Goatama immediately despite his
nondescript dress: “he wore his gown and walked along exactly like the
other monks, but his face and his step…spoke of peace, spoke of
completeness,…an unfading light, an invulnerable peace.”(28). And
while Siddhartha is not terribly interested in what the Buddha has to
say, he is completely taken with the Buddha’s demeanor.
The two
men hear Gotama’s sermon, after which Govinda announces his intention to
join in Goatama’s discipleship. Siddhartha commends Govinda for his
decision, but says that he will not join up. Govinda asks Siddhartha
what fault he finds in the Buddha’s program that makes him resist
pledging his allegiance. Siddhartha says that he finds no fault; he just
does not want to join. The next day Govinda takes his monk’s robe and
bids Siddhartha a sad farewell.
As Siddhartha is leaving, he
runs into Goatama in the woods and questions the Buddha about his
teachings. Siddhartha compliments the theoretical coherence of Gotama’s
worldview, the ultimate unity of creation and the incessant chain of
causes and effects, but remarks that Goatama’s doctrine of salvation,
the transcendence of causation, calls into question the consistency of
his position. Goatama responds by saying that he goal of his teaching is
not “to explain the world to those who are thirsty for knowledge. It’s
goal is quite different; its goal is salvation from suffering. That is
what Goatama teaches, nothing else” (33). Siddhartha, afraid that he has
offended the Buddha, reiterates his confidence in the Buddha’s
holiness, but expresses his doubt that any teaching can ever provide the
learner with the experience of Nirvana. And while Gotama’s path may be
appropriate for some, Siddhartha says that he must take his own path,
lest self-deception overtake him and he admit to Nirvana before having
actually attained it. The Buddha admonishes Siddhartha to beware his own
cleverness then wishes him well on his path.
Awakening
As
Siddhartha leaves the Buddha, he realizes that a change has overcome
him: he has outgrown the desire for teachers. From teachers he had
sought to discover the mystery of his Self. As Siddhartha says, “Truly,
nothing in the world has occupied my thoughts as much as the Self, this
riddle, that I live, that I am one and am separated and different from
everybody else, that I am Siddhartha” (38). But in seeking this Self,
Siddhartha has only succeeded in fleeing from it. He was so consumed in
annihilating this Self that he had lost sight of it completely. The path
to self-knowledge‹and with it a knowledge of everything: Atman and
Brahman are one‹cannot proceed by listening to the voice of others.
Instead, as Siddhartha puts it, “I will learn from myself, be my own
pupil; I will learn from myself the secret of Siddhartha” (39).
This
awakening leads to a change in Siddhartha’s perception of the world.
Whereas he formerly reviled the world as a painful illusion, a
distraction from a submerged, unitary reality, he now sees that the
value in the world of the senses. Unlike the Brahmins and Samanas who
ignored the wondrous diversity of shapes and colors around them,
seeking to reduce everything to the common denominator of Braham,
Siddhartha became convinced that truth was in the plurality rather than
the commonality of nature. As he says, “meaning and reality were not
hidden somewhere behind things, they were in them, in all of them” (40).
This realization set Siddhartha apart from all of his previous
associations. He was no longer a Brahmin or a Samansa, and he had
resisted following his friend Govinda into the Buddha’s discipleship.
While this consciousness of solitude was frightening, it was also
exhilarating; untethered from these communities and languages of
thought, Siddhartha was more himself than ever. Enlivened by this new
feeling of authenticity, Siddhartha “bean to walk quickly and
impatiently, no longer homewards, no longer to his father, no longer
looking backwards” (42).
Prince
Siddhartha’s life was different than most peoples. When he was born his
mother Maya died. So then his dad had to take care of him and he said
that he would only let his son have the best of everything best food,
the best education, and of course the best clothes.His dad also said
that he would have nothing less than the best and that he was not
allowed to see the world outside the walls of the palace. One day Prince
Siddhartha made his bus driver take him around in the city.First he
came accross two old men aging. But the prince did not know what aging
was and when he say it he did not like it. On his second trip he saw a
person with a sickness but he did not know what sickness was either. And
he did not like that either. On his third trip he saw and old person
die .And he definetly didnt like that either.(who does!) And on his last
trip he saw an astetic.
An astetic is a person that gives up
worldly pleasures to find enlightenment.When Siddhartha saw this he
wanted tobecome an astetic. One day the prince asked a taxi driver to
take him to the forest. When he was there he took of all of his jewelry
and he vauluable stuff. When he was done he took of his clothes and put
on a white robe.Then he started walking around to start his new life.
(More stuff astetics can do is……………………….……………………………………. Hold their breath for long periods of time. …………………………………………………………………………………………………………..)
After a while the prince did not reach enlightenment beign and astetic
and he didnt reach it beign a prince so he made a middle way. This way
was becoming the BUDDHA! Siddhartha walked under a Bodhi tree and then
he started to medidtate.Then and evil sprirt named Mana tried to delude
Siddhartha into become evil but Siddhartha didnt pay attention to any of
them. AND FROM THERE ON PRINCE SIDDHARTHA HAS BEEN TEACHING PEOPLE HOW
TO BECOME AWAKENED. UNTIL HE DIED AT AGE 80. THE END!
Buddism 14172.jpg Svetaketu
(Pali: Setaketu), who was reborn as Siddhartha, who would become the
Buddha Sakyamuni; since then the Bodhisattva has been Natha (or
Nathadeva) who will be reborn as Ajita and will become the Buddha
Maitreya (Pali Metteyya). While this Bodhisattva is the foremost of the
dwellers in Tusita, the ruler of this world is another deva called
Santusita (Pali: Santusita). The beings of this world are 3,000 feet
(910 m) tall and live for 576,000,000 years (Sarvastivada tradition).
The height of this world is 320 yojanas above the Earth.
chinabuddhismencyclopedia.com Svetaketu - Chinese Buddhist Encyclopedia Svetaketu
(Pali: Setaketu), who was reborn as Siddhartha, who would become the
Buddha Sakyamuni; since then the Bodhisattva has been Natha (or
Nathadeva) who will be reborn as Ajita and will become the Buddha…
Q 11. How many types of Bodhisattas are tere ? Elaborate on each of them.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_bodhisattvas List of bodhisattvas From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to navigation Jump to search Relief image of the bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara from Mount Jiuhua, Anhui, China
In
Mahayana and Vajrayana Buddhist thought, a bodhisattva (Chinese: 菩薩;
pinyin: púsà; Japanese pronunciation: bosatsu; Korean pronunciation:
bosal) is a being who is dedicated to achieving complete Buddhahood.
Conventionally, the term is applied to beings with a high degree of
enlightenment. Bodhisattva literally means a “bodhi (enlightenment)
being” in Sanskrit. Mahayana practitioners have historically lived in
many other countries that are now predominantly Hindu, Muslim or
Theravada Buddhist; remnants of reverence for bodhisattvas has continued
in some of these regions.
The following is a non-exhaustive list of bodhisattvas primarily respected in Indian, Tibetan Buddhism and East Asian Buddhism.
Primary Bodhisattvas
Ākāśagarbha
Chinese:
虛空藏; pinyin: Xūkōngzàng; Japanese pronunciation: Kokūzō; Korean: 허공장,
Tibetan: ནམ་མཁའི་སྙིང་པོ།, THL: Namkha’i Nyingpo) is a bodhisattva who
is associated with the great element (mahābhūta) of space (ākāśa).
Avalokiteśvara (Padmapani)
(Chinese:
觀音; pinyin: Guanyin; Japanese pronunciation: Kannon; Korean: 관음;
Vietnamese: Quán Thế Âm, Tibetan: སྤྱན་རས་གཟིགས་, THL: Chenrézik)
The
bodhisattva of compassion, the listener of the world’s cries who uses
skillful means to come to their aid; the most universally acknowledged
bodhisattva in Mahayana Buddhism and appears unofficially in Theravada
Buddhism in Cambodia under the name Lokeśvara. This bodhisattva
gradually became identified predominantly as female in East Asian
Buddhism and its name may originally have been Avalokitāśvara.
Kṣitigarbha
(Chinese:
地藏; pinyin: Dìzáng; Japanese pronunciation: Jizō; Korean: 지장;
Vietnamese: Địa Tạng, Tibetan: ས་ཡི་སྙིང་པོ, THL: Sayi Nyingpo).
Kṣitigarbha
is a bodhisattva primarily revered in East Asian Buddhism and usually
depicted as a Buddhist monk. His name may be translated as “Earth
Treasury”, “Earth Store”, “Earth Matrix”, or “Earth Womb”. Kṣitigarbha
is known for his vow to take responsibility for the instruction of all
beings in the six worlds between the death of Gautama Buddha and the
rise of Maitreya, as well as his vow not to achieve Buddhahood until all
hells are emptied. He is therefore often regarded as the bodhisattva of
hell-beings, as well as the guardian of children and patron deity of
deceased children and aborted fetuses in Japanese culture.
Mahāsthāmaprāpta
(Chinese: 大勢至; pinyin: Dàshìzhì; Japanese pronunciation: Daiseishi; Korean: 대세지; Vietnamese: Đại Thế Chí)
Mahāsthāmaprāpta
(Korean: Daeseji) is a mahāsattva representing the power of wisdom,
often depicted in a trinity with Amitābha and Avalokiteśvara, especially
in Pure Land Buddhism. His name literally means “arrival of the great
strength”.
Maitreya, Pali Metteyya
In some Buddhist texts
such as the Amitabha Sutra and the Lotus Sutra, he is referred to as
Ajita. Chinese: 彌勒; pinyin: Mílè; Japanese pronunciation: Miroku;
Korean: 미륵; Vietnamese: Di-lặc, Tibetan: བྱམས་པ་, THL: Jampa).
According
to both Mahayana and Theravada Buddhism, Maitreya is regarded as the
future buddha. Buddhist tradition, Maitreya is a bodhisattva who will
appear on Earth in the future, achieve complete enlightenment, and teach
the pure dharma. According to scriptures, Maitreya will be a successor
to the present Buddha, Gautama Buddha.[1][2] The prophecy of the arrival
of Maitreya refers to a time in the future when the dharma will have
been forgotten by most on the terrestrial world. This prophecy is found
in the canonical literature of all major schools of Buddhism. Maitreya
has also been adopted for his millenarian role by many non-Buddhist
religions in the past such as the White Lotus as well as by modern new
religious movements such as Yiguandao.
Mañjuśrī
(Chinese:
文殊; pinyin: Wénshū; Japanese pronunciation: Monju; Korean: 문수;
Vietnamese: Văn Thù, Tibetan: འཇམ་དཔལ་དབྱངས།, THL: Jampelyang)
Mañjuśrī
is a bodhisattva associated with prajñā (transcendent wisdom) in
Mahayana Buddhism. In Tibetan Buddhism, he is also a yidam. His name
means “Gentle Glory”.[3] Mañjuśrī is also known by the fuller Sanskrit
name of Mañjuśrīkumārabhūta,[4] literally “Mañjuśrī, Still a Youth” or,
less literally, “Prince Mañjuśrī”.
Samantabhadra Universal Worthy is
associated with practice and meditation. Together with the Buddha and
Mañjuśrī, he forms the Shakyamuni trinity in Buddhism. He is the patron
of the Lotus Sutra and, according to the Avatamsaka Sutra, made the ten
great vows which are the basis of a bodhisattva. In China, Samantabhadra
is associated with action, whereas Mañjuśrī is associated with prajñā.
In Japan, Samantabharda is often venerated by the Tendai and in Shingon
Buddhism, and as the protector of the Lotus Sutra by Nichiren Buddhism.
In the Nyingma school of Tibetan Buddhism, Samantabhadra is also the
name of the Adi-Buddha - in indivisible Yab-Yum union with his consort,
Samantabhadrī.
Vajrapāṇi
(Chinese: 金剛手; pinyin:
Jīngāngshǒu; Japanese pronunciation: Kongōshu; Korean: 금강수; Vietnamese:
Kim cương thủ, Tibetan: ཕྱག་ན་རྡོ་རྗེ་, THL: Chakna Dorjé)
Vajrapāṇi
(Sanskrit, “Vajra in [his] hand”) is one of the earliest-appearing
bodhisattvas in Mahayana Buddhism. He is the protector and guide of
Gautama Buddha and rose to symbolize the Buddha’s power.
Vajrapāṇi
is extensively represented in Buddhist iconography as one of the three
protective deities surrounding the Buddha. Each of them symbolizes one
of the Buddha’s virtues: Mañjuśrī manifests all the Buddhas’ wisdom,
Avalokiteśvara manifests all the Buddhas’ compassion and Vajrapāṇi
manifests all the Buddhas’ power as well as the power of all five
tathāgatas. Vajrapāṇi is one of the earliest dharmapalas and the only
Buddhist deity to be mentioned in the Pāli Canon as well as be worshiped
in the Shaolin Monastery, in Tibetan Buddhism and in Pure Land
Buddhism, where he is known as Mahasthamaprapta and forms a triad with
Amitābha and Avalokiteśvara.
Manifestations of Vajrapāṇi can also
be found in many Buddhist temples in Japan as dharma protectors called
the Niō (仁王) or “Two Kings”. The Niō are two wrathful and muscular
guardians of the Buddha standing today at the entrance of many Buddhist
temples in East Asian Buddhism. They are said to be dharmapala
manifestations of Vajrapāṇi. According to Japanese tradition, they
traveled with Gautama Buddha to protect him, reminiscent of Vajrapāṇi’s
role in the Ambaṭṭha Sutta of the Pali Canon. Within the generally
pacifist tradition of Buddhism, stories of dharmapalas justified the use
of physical force to protect cherished values and beliefs against evil.
The Niō are also seen as a manifestations of Mahasthamaprapta in Pure
Land Buddhism and as Vajrasattva in Tibetan Buddhism.[5]
Vajrapāṇi
is also associated with Acala, who is venerated as Fudō-Myō in Japan,
where he is serenaded as the holder of the vajra.[6] Classification Four Great Bodhisattvas
There are several lists of four Bodhisattvas according to scripture and local tradition.
Popular Chinese Buddhism generally lists the following, as they are associated with the Four Sacred Mountains:
Avalokiteśvara Kṣitigarbha Mañjuśrī Samantabhadra
The
Womb Realm Mandala of Esoteric Buddhism provides another enumeration.
These bodhisattvas are featured in the Eight Petal Hall in the center of
the mandala. They are as follows:
Samantabhadra Mañjuśrī Avalokiteśvara Maitreya
The
Avataṃsaka Sūtra mentions four bodhisattvas, each of whom expounds a
portion of the Fifty-two Stages of Bodhisattva Practice.
Dharmaprajñā Guṇavana Vajraketu Vajragarbha
The Lotus Sutra provides a list of bodhisattvas that are the leaders of the Bodhisattvas of the Earth.
Chapter
7 of the Humane King Sutra provides an enumeration of five
bodhisattvas, known as the “Five Bodhisattvas of Great Power (五大力菩薩).”
There are two Chinese translations of this text, each providing an
entirely different name to these figures. Their association with the
cardinal directions also differs between versions.[7] They are as
follows: Old translation (Kumaravija) Direction New translation (Amoghavajra) Direction 無量力吼 West Vajrapāramitā (剛波羅蜜多) Central 雷電吼 North Vajrayakṣa (金剛夜叉) North 無畏方吼 East Vajratīkṣṇa (金剛利) West 龍王吼 South Vajraratna (金剛宝) South 金剛吼 Central Vajrapāṇi (金剛手) East Sixteen Bodhisattvas
The
Niṣpannayogāvalī provides a list of bodhisattvas known as the “Sixteen
Honored Ones of the Auspicious Aeon.” They also appear in a Sutra with
the same title (賢劫十六尊). They are as follows, along with their respective
associated directions: East South West North
Another
set of sixteen are known as the “Sixteen Great Bodhisattvas” and make
up a portion of the Diamond Realm Mandala. They are associated with the
Buddhas of the cardinal directions. Akṣobhya (East) Ratnasaṃbhava (South) Amitābha (West) Amoghasiddhi (North)
Vajrasattva Vajrarāga Vajrarāja Vajrasādhu
Vajraratna Vajraketu Vajrateja Vajrahāsa
Vajradharma Vajrahetu Vajratīkṣṇa Vajrabhāṣa
Vajrakarma Vajrayakṣa Vajrarakṣa Vajrasaṃdhi
Twenty-five Bodhisattvas
According
to the Sūtra on Ten Methods of Rebirth in Amitābha Buddha’s Land
(十往生阿彌陀佛國經), those people who are devoted to attaining rebirth in the
Western Pure Land are protected by a great number of bodhisattvas.
Twenty-five of them are given by name:
en.wikipedia.org List of bodhisattvas - Wikipedia In
Mahayana and Vajrayana Buddhist thought, a bodhisattva (Chinese: 菩薩;
pinyin: púsà; Japanese pronunciation: bosatsu; Korean pronunciation:
bosal) is a being who is dedicated to achieving complete Buddhahood.
Conventionally, the term is applied to beings with a high degree of
enlightenment. B…
in Diploma in Theravada Buddhist Studies (DBS) Model Question Paper 2018-19
Q 11 How many types of Bodhisattas are there ? Elaborate on each of them.
Bodhisatta
refers to anyone who has made a resolution to become a Buddha and has
also received a confirmation or prediction from a living Buddha that
this will be so.
A Crowned Bodhisatta Head and its type
Three Bodhisatta Sakyamuni …
An Excerpt from The Bodhisatta Guide | Shambhala
Guanyin Bodhisatta.
Bodhisatta Avalokitesvara
Gandhara, bodhisatta assiso, II sec.
Seated Bodhisatta, c. 775, Japan
Bodhisatta statue at National Museum, New Delhi
best images about Tibetan Culture
Five Wisdom Buddhas and four Bodhisattas
Bodhisatta Maitreya (article) | Khan Academy
images about Bodhisattas
Bodhisatta
16-bodhisattva-siebold.jpg - Chinese Buddhist …
Powers & Abilities - Different types of Asura ?
The Buddha Amitabha with the eight great bodhisattas …
Chinese mural of a bodhisatta, ink and color
Amitabha with Eight Great Bodhisattvas (Jokyoji Kyoto …
Bodhisatta (Jp. = Bosatsu) - Japanese Buddhism …
Bodhisatta at Iimori-yama closeup
Amitabha Buddha and Bodhisattas.
Are you on your way to Bodhisatta?
Bodhisatta
Buddha and Bodhisattas Dunhuang Mogao Caves.png …
Difference Between Buddha and Bodhisatta - YouTube
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Kan iemand mij het Japans boeddhisme uitleggen …
Mural Worshipping Bodhisatta
Bodhisatta
A Crowned Bodhisatta Head and its type.
Buddhist Bodhisatta
Met, afghanistan (maybe bhadda), head of bodhisatta …
Ākāśagarbha Chinese:
虛空藏; pinyin: Xūkōngzàng; Japanese pronunciation: Kokūzō; Korean: 허공장,
Tibetan: ནམ་མཁའི་སྙིང་པོ།, THL: Namkha’i Nyingpo) is a bodhisattva who
is associated with the great element (mahābhūta) of space (ākāśa).
Avalokiteśvara (Padmapani) (Chinese:
觀音; pinyin: Guanyin; Japanese pronunciation: Kannon; Korean: 관음;
Vietnamese: Quán Thế Âm, Tibetan: སྤྱན་རས་གཟིགས་, THL: Chenrézik)
The
bodhisatta of compassion, the listener of the world’s cries who uses
skillful means to come to their aid; the most universally acknowledged
bodhisatta in Mahayana Buddhism and appears unofficially in Theravada
Buddhism in Cambodia under the name Lokeśvara. This bodhisatta gradually
became identified predominantly as female in East Asian Buddhism and
its name may originally have been Avalokitāśvara.
Kṣitigarbha (Chinese:
地藏; pinyin: Dìzáng; Japanese pronunciation: Jizō; Korean: 지장;
Vietnamese: Địa Tạng, Tibetan: ས་ཡི་སྙིང་པོ, THL: Sayi Nyingpo).
Kṣitigarbha
is a bodhisatta primarily revered in East Asian Buddhism and usually
depicted as a Buddhist monk. His name may be translated as “Earth
Treasury”, “Earth Store”, “Earth Matrix”, or “Earth Womb”. Kṣitigarbha
is known for his vow to take responsibility for the instruction of all
beings in the six worlds between the death of Gautama Buddha and the
rise of Maitreya, as well as his vow not to achieve Buddhahood until all
hells are emptied. He is therefore often regarded as the bodhisatta of
hell-beings, as well as the guardian of children and patron deity of
deceased children and aborted fetuses in Japanese culture.
Mahāsthāmaprāpta (Chinese: 大勢至; pinyin: Dàshìzhì; Japanese pronunciation: Daiseishi; Korean: 대세지; Vietnamese: Đại Thế Chí)
Mahāsthāmaprāpta
(Korean: Daeseji) is a mahāsattva representing the power of wisdom,
often depicted in a trinity with Amitābha and Avalokiteśvara, especially
in Pure Land Buddhism. His name literally means “arrival of the great
strength”.
Maitreya, Pali Metteyya In some Buddhist texts such
as the Amitabha Sutra and the Lotus Sutra, he is referred to as Ajita.
Chinese: 彌勒; pinyin: Mílè; Japanese pronunciation: Miroku; Korean: 미륵;
Vietnamese: Di-lặc, Tibetan: བྱམས་པ་, THL: Jampa).
According to
both Mahayana and Theravada Buddhism, Maitreya is regarded as the future
buddha. Buddhist tradition, Maitreya is a bodhisattva who will appear
on Earth in the future, achieve complete enlightenment, and teach the
pure dhamma. According to scriptures, Maitreya will be a successor to
the present Buddha, Gautama Buddha. The prophecy of the arrival of
Maitreya refers to a time in the future when the dharma will have been
forgotten by most on the terrestrial world. This prophecy is found in
the canonical literature of all major schools of Buddhism. Maitreya has
also been adopted for his millenarian role by many non-Buddhist
religions in the past such as the White Lotus as well as by modern new
religious movements such as Yiguandao.
Mañjuśrī (Chinese: 文殊;
pinyin: Wénshū; Japanese pronunciation: Monju; Korean: 문수; Vietnamese:
Văn Thù, Tibetan: འཇམ་དཔལ་དབྱངས།, THL: Jampelyang)
Mañjuśrī is a
bodhisattva associated with prajñā (transcendent wisdom) in Mahayana
Buddhism. In Tibetan Buddhism, he is also a yidam. His name means
“Gentle Glory” Mañjuśrī is also known by the fuller Sanskrit name of
Mañjuśrīkumārabhūta,[4] literally “Mañjuśrī, Still a Youth” or, less
literally, “Prince Mañjuśrī”.
Samantabhadra Universal Worthy is associated with practice
and meditation. Together with the Buddha and Mañjuśrī, he forms the
Shakyamuni trinity in Buddhism. He is the patron of the Lotus Sutra and,
according to the Avatamsaka Sutra, made the ten great vows which are
the basis of a bodhisatta. In China, Samantabhadra is associated with
action, whereas Mañjuśrī is associated with prajñā. In Japan,
Samantabharda is often venerated by the Tendai and in Shingon Buddhism,
and as the protector of the Lotus Sutra by Nichiren Buddhism. In the
Nyingma school of Tibetan Buddhism, Samantabhadra is also the name of
the Adi-Buddha - in indivisible Yab-Yum union with his consort,
Samantabhadrī.
Vajrapāṇi (Chinese: 金剛手; pinyin: Jīngāngshǒu;
Japanese pronunciation: Kongōshu; Korean: 금강수; Vietnamese: Kim cương
thủ, Tibetan: ཕྱག་ན་རྡོ་རྗེ་, THL: Chakna Dorjé)
Vajrapāṇi
(Sanskrit, “Vajra in [his] hand”) is one of the earliest-appearing
bodhisattvas in Mahayana Buddhism. He is the protector and guide of
Gautama Buddha and rose to symbolize the Buddha’s power.
Vajrapāṇi
is extensively represented in Buddhist iconography as one of the three
protective deities surrounding the Buddha. Each of them symbolizes one
of the Buddha’s virtues: Mañjuśrī manifests all the Buddhas’ wisdom,
Avalokiteśvara manifests all the Buddhas’ compassion and Vajrapāṇi
manifests all the Buddhas’ power as well as the power of all five
tathāgatas. Vajrapāṇi is one of the earliest dharmapalas and the only
Buddhist deity to be mentioned in the Pāli Canon as well as be worshiped
in the Shaolin Monastery, in Tibetan Buddhism and in Pure Land
Buddhism, where he is known as Mahasthamaprapta and forms a triad with
Amitābha and Avalokiteśvara.
Manifestations of Vajrapāṇi can
also be found in many Buddhist temples in Japan as dharma protectors
called the Niō (仁王) or “Two Kings”. The Niō are two wrathful and
muscular guardians of the Buddha standing today at the entrance of many
Buddhist temples in East Asian Buddhism. They are said to be dharmapala
manifestations of Vajrapāṇi. According to Japanese tradition, they
traveled with Gautama Buddha to protect him, reminiscent of Vajrapāṇi’s
role in the Ambaṭṭha Sutta of the Pali Canon. Within the generally
pacifist tradition of Buddhism, stories of dharmapalas justified the use
of physical force to protect cherished values and beliefs against evil.
The Niō are also seen as a manifestations of Mahasthamaprapta in Pure
Land Buddhism and as Vajrasattva in Tibetan Buddhism.[5]
Vajrapāṇi
is also associated with Acala, who is venerated as Fudō-Myō in Japan,
where he is serenaded as the holder of the vajra.
Classification
Four Great Bodhisattas
There are several lists of four Bodhisattas according to scripture and local tradition.
Popular Chinese Buddhism generally lists the following, as they are associated with the Four Sacred Mountains:
Avalokiteśvara Kṣitigarbha Mañjuśrī Samantabhadra The
Womb Realm Mandala of Esoteric Buddhism provides another enumeration.
These bodhisattvas are featured in the Eight Petal Hall in the center of
the mandala. They are as follows:
Samantabhadra Mañjuśrī Avalokiteśvara Maitreya The Avataṃsaka Sūtra mentions four bodhisattvas, each of whom expounds a portion of the Fifty-two Stages of Bodhisattv Practice.
Dharmaprajñā Guṇavana Vajraketu Vajragarbha The Lotus Sutta provides a list of bodhisattvas that are the leaders of the Bodhisattas of the Earth.
Viśiṣṭacāritra Anantacāritra Viśuddhacāritra Supratiṣṭhitacāritra Five Great Bodhisattas
Chapter
7 of the Humane King Sutra provides an enumeration of five
bodhisattvas, known as the “Five Bodhisattvas of Great Power (五大力菩薩).”
There are two Chinese translations of this text, each providing an
entirely different name to these figures. Their association with the
cardinal directions also differs between versions.[7] They are as
follows:
Old translation (Kumaravija) Direction New translation (Amoghavajra) Direction 無量力吼 West Vajrapāramitā (剛波羅蜜多) Central 雷電吼 North Vajrayakṣa (金剛夜叉) North 無畏方吼 East Vajratīkṣṇa (金剛利) West 龍王吼 South Vajraratna (金剛宝) South 金剛吼 Central Vajrapāṇi (金剛手) East Sixteen Bodhisattas
The
Niṣpannayogāvalī provides a list of bodhisattas known as the “Sixteen
Honored Ones of the Auspicious Aeon.” They also appear in a Sutra with
the same title (賢劫十六尊). They are as follows, along with their respective
associated directions:
East South West North Maitreya Amoghadarśana Sarvāpāyajaha Sarvaśokatamonirghātana Gandhahastin Śauraya Gaganagañja Jñānaketu Amitaprabha Bhadrapāla Jālinīprabha Candraprabha Akṣayamati Pratibhānakūṭa Vajragarbha Samantabhadra
Another
set of sixteen are known as the “Sixteen Great Bodhisattas” and make up
a portion of the Diamond Realm Mandala. They are associated with the
Buddhas of the cardinal directions.
According
to the Sūtta on Ten Methods of Rebirth in Amitābha Buddha’s Land
(十往生阿彌陀佛國經), those people who are devoted to attaining rebirth in the
Western Pure Land are protected by a great number of bodhisattvas.
Twenty-five of them are given by name:
Ākāśagarbha Chinese:
虛空藏; pinyin: Xūkōngzàng; Japanese pronunciation: Kokūzō; Korean: 허공장,
Tibetan: ནམ་མཁའི་སྙིང་པོ།, THL: Namkha’i Nyingpo) is a bodhisattva who
is associated with the great element (mahābhūta) of space (ākāśa).
Avalokiteśvara (Padmapani) (Chinese:
觀音; pinyin: Guanyin; Japanese pronunciation: Kannon; Korean: 관음;
Vietnamese: Quán Thế Âm, Tibetan: སྤྱན་རས་གཟིགས་, THL: Chenrézik)
The
bodhisatta of compassion, the listener of the world’s cries who uses
skillful means to come to their aid; the most universally acknowledged
bodhisatta in Mahayana Buddhism and appears unofficially in Theravada
Buddhism in Cambodia under the name Lokeśvara. This bodhisatta gradually
became identified predominantly as female in East Asian Buddhism and
its name may originally have been Avalokitāśvara.
Kṣitigarbha (Chinese:
地藏; pinyin: Dìzáng; Japanese pronunciation: Jizō; Korean: 지장;
Vietnamese: Địa Tạng, Tibetan: ས་ཡི་སྙིང་པོ, THL: Sayi Nyingpo).
Kṣitigarbha
is a bodhisatta primarily revered in East Asian Buddhism and usually
depicted as a Buddhist monk. His name may be translated as “Earth
Treasury”, “Earth Store”, “Earth Matrix”, or “Earth Womb”. Kṣitigarbha
is known for his vow to take responsibility for the instruction of all
beings in the six worlds between the death of Gautama Buddha and the
rise of Maitreya, as well as his vow not to achieve Buddhahood until all
hells are emptied. He is therefore often regarded as the bodhisatta of
hell-beings, as well as the guardian of children and patron deity of
deceased children and aborted fetuses in Japanese culture.
Mahāsthāmaprāpta (Chinese: 大勢至; pinyin: Dàshìzhì; Japanese pronunciation: Daiseishi; Korean: 대세지; Vietnamese: Đại Thế Chí)
Mahāsthāmaprāpta
(Korean: Daeseji) is a mahāsattva representing the power of wisdom,
often depicted in a trinity with Amitābha and Avalokiteśvara, especially
in Pure Land Buddhism. His name literally means “arrival of the great
strength”.
Maitreya, Pali Metteyya In some Buddhist texts such
as the Amitabha Sutra and the Lotus Sutra, he is referred to as Ajita.
Chinese: 彌勒; pinyin: Mílè; Japanese pronunciation: Miroku; Korean: 미륵;
Vietnamese: Di-lặc, Tibetan: བྱམས་པ་, THL: Jampa).
According to
both Mahayana and Theravada Buddhism, Maitreya is regarded as the future
buddha. Buddhist tradition, Maitreya is a bodhisattva who will appear
on Earth in the future, achieve complete enlightenment, and teach the
pure dhamma. According to scriptures, Maitreya will be a successor to
the present Buddha, Gautama Buddha. The prophecy of the arrival of
Maitreya refers to a time in the future when the dharma will have been
forgotten by most on the terrestrial world. This prophecy is found in
the canonical literature of all major schools of Buddhism. Maitreya has
also been adopted for his millenarian role by many non-Buddhist
religions in the past such as the White Lotus as well as by modern new
religious movements such as Yiguandao.
Mañjuśrī (Chinese: 文殊;
pinyin: Wénshū; Japanese pronunciation: Monju; Korean: 문수; Vietnamese:
Văn Thù, Tibetan: འཇམ་དཔལ་དབྱངས།, THL: Jampelyang)
Mañjuśrī is a
bodhisattva associated with prajñā (transcendent wisdom) in Mahayana
Buddhism. In Tibetan Buddhism, he is also a yidam. His name means
“Gentle Glory” Mañjuśrī is also known by the fuller Sanskrit name of
Mañjuśrīkumārabhūta,[4] literally “Mañjuśrī, Still a Youth” or, less
literally, “Prince Mañjuśrī”.
Samantabhadra Universal Worthy is associated with practice
and meditation. Together with the Buddha and Mañjuśrī, he forms the
Shakyamuni trinity in Buddhism. He is the patron of the Lotus Sutra and,
according to the Avatamsaka Sutra, made the ten great vows which are
the basis of a bodhisatta. In China, Samantabhadra is associated with
action, whereas Mañjuśrī is associated with prajñā. In Japan,
Samantabharda is often venerated by the Tendai and in Shingon Buddhism,
and as the protector of the Lotus Sutra by Nichiren Buddhism. In the
Nyingma school of Tibetan Buddhism, Samantabhadra is also the name of
the Adi-Buddha - in indivisible Yab-Yum union with his consort,
Samantabhadrī.
Vajrapāṇi (Chinese: 金剛手; pinyin: Jīngāngshǒu;
Japanese pronunciation: Kongōshu; Korean: 금강수; Vietnamese: Kim cương
thủ, Tibetan: ཕྱག་ན་རྡོ་རྗེ་, THL: Chakna Dorjé)
Vajrapāṇi
(Sanskrit, “Vajra in [his] hand”) is one of the earliest-appearing
bodhisattvas in Mahayana Buddhism. He is the protector and guide of
Gautama Buddha and rose to symbolize the Buddha’s power.
Vajrapāṇi
is extensively represented in Buddhist iconography as one of the three
protective deities surrounding the Buddha. Each of them symbolizes one
of the Buddha’s virtues: Mañjuśrī manifests all the Buddhas’ wisdom,
Avalokiteśvara manifests all the Buddhas’ compassion and Vajrapāṇi
manifests all the Buddhas’ power as well as the power of all five
tathāgatas. Vajrapāṇi is one of the earliest dharmapalas and the only
Buddhist deity to be mentioned in the Pāli Canon as well as be worshiped
in the Shaolin Monastery, in Tibetan Buddhism and in Pure Land
Buddhism, where he is known as Mahasthamaprapta and forms a triad with
Amitābha and Avalokiteśvara.
Manifestations of Vajrapāṇi can
also be found in many Buddhist temples in Japan as dharma protectors
called the Niō (仁王) or “Two Kings”. The Niō are two wrathful and
muscular guardians of the Buddha standing today at the entrance of many
Buddhist temples in East Asian Buddhism. They are said to be dharmapala
manifestations of Vajrapāṇi. According to Japanese tradition, they
traveled with Gautama Buddha to protect him, reminiscent of Vajrapāṇi’s
role in the Ambaṭṭha Sutta of the Pali Canon. Within the generally
pacifist tradition of Buddhism, stories of dharmapalas justified the use
of physical force to protect cherished values and beliefs against evil.
The Niō are also seen as a manifestations of Mahasthamaprapta in Pure
Land Buddhism and as Vajrasattva in Tibetan Buddhism.[5]
Vajrapāṇi
is also associated with Acala, who is venerated as Fudō-Myō in Japan,
where he is serenaded as the holder of the vajra.
Classification
Four Great Bodhisattas
There are several lists of four Bodhisattas according to scripture and local tradition.
Popular Chinese Buddhism generally lists the following, as they are associated with the Four Sacred Mountains:
Avalokiteśvara Kṣitigarbha Mañjuśrī Samantabhadra The
Womb Realm Mandala of Esoteric Buddhism provides another enumeration.
These bodhisattvas are featured in the Eight Petal Hall in the center of
the mandala. They are as follows:
Samantabhadra Mañjuśrī Avalokiteśvara Maitreya The Avataṃsaka Sūtra mentions four bodhisattvas, each of whom expounds a portion of the Fifty-two Stages of Bodhisattv Practice.
Dharmaprajñā Guṇavana Vajraketu Vajragarbha The Lotus Sutta provides a list of bodhisattvas that are the leaders of the Bodhisattas of the Earth.
Viśiṣṭacāritra Anantacāritra Viśuddhacāritra Supratiṣṭhitacāritra Five Great Bodhisattas
Chapter
7 of the Humane King Sutra provides an enumeration of five
bodhisattvas, known as the “Five Bodhisattvas of Great Power (五大力菩薩).”
There are two Chinese translations of this text, each providing an
entirely different name to these figures. Their association with the
cardinal directions also differs between versions.[7] They are as
follows:
Old translation (Kumaravija) Direction New translation (Amoghavajra) Direction 無量力吼 West Vajrapāramitā (剛波羅蜜多) Central 雷電吼 North Vajrayakṣa (金剛夜叉) North 無畏方吼 East Vajratīkṣṇa (金剛利) West 龍王吼 South Vajraratna (金剛宝) South 金剛吼 Central Vajrapāṇi (金剛手) East Sixteen Bodhisattas
The
Niṣpannayogāvalī provides a list of bodhisattas known as the “Sixteen
Honored Ones of the Auspicious Aeon.” They also appear in a Sutra with
the same title (賢劫十六尊). They are as follows, along with their respective
associated directions:
East South West North Maitreya Amoghadarśana Sarvāpāyajaha Sarvaśokatamonirghātana Gandhahastin Śauraya Gaganagañja Jñānaketu Amitaprabha Bhadrapāla Jālinīprabha Candraprabha Akṣayamati Pratibhānakūṭa Vajragarbha Samantabhadra
Another
set of sixteen are known as the “Sixteen Great Bodhisattas” and make up
a portion of the Diamond Realm Mandala. They are associated with the
Buddhas of the cardinal directions.
According
to the Sūtta on Ten Methods of Rebirth in Amitābha Buddha’s Land
(十往生阿彌陀佛國經), those people who are devoted to attaining rebirth in the
Western Pure Land are protected by a great number of bodhisattvas.
Twenty-five of them are given by name:
This
can be characterized by unattached and unconditional generosity, giving
and letting go. Giving leads to being reborn in happy states and
material wealth. Alternatively, lack of giving leads to unhappy states
and poverty. The exquisite paradox in Buddhism is that the more we give -
and the more we give without seeking something in return - the
wealthier (in the broadest sense of the word) we will become. By giving
we destroy those acquisitive impulses that ultimately lead to further
suffering.
Morality (sila)-virtue, integrity
It is an
action that is an intentional effort. It refers to moral purity of
thought, word, and deed. The four conditions of sila are chastity,
calmness, quiet, and extinguishment, i.e. no longer being susceptible to
perturbation by the passions like greed and selfishness, which are
common in the world today. Sila refers to overall (principles of)
ethical behaviour.
Renunciation (nekkhamma)
Nekkhamma is a
Pali word generally translated as “renunciation” while also conveying
more specifically “giving up the world and leading a holy life” or
“freedom from lust, craving and desires.” In Buddhism’s Noble Eightfold
Path, nekkhamma is the first practice associated with “Right Intention.”
In the Theravada list of ten perfections, nekkhamma is the third
practice of “perfection.”
Wisdom (pañña)
Prajña (Sanskrit)
or pañña (Pali) has been translated as “wisdom,” “understanding,”
“discernment,” “cognitive acuity,” or “know-how.” In some sects of
Buddhism, it especially refers to the wisdom that is based on the direct
realization of the Four Noble Truths, impermanence, interdependent
origination, non-self, emptiness, etc. Prajña is the wisdom that is able
to extinguish afflictions and bring about enlightenment.
Energy/Strength (viriya)- effort
It
stands for strenuous and sustained effort to overcome unskillful ways,
such as indulging in sensuality, ill will and harmfulness. It stands for
the right endeavour to attain dhyana. Virya does not stand for physical
strength. It signifies strength of character and the persistent effort
for the well-being of others. In the absence of sustained efforts in
practicing meditation, craving creeps in and the meditator comes under
its influence. Right effort known as viryabala is, thus, required to
overcome unskillful mental factors and deviation from dhyana.
Patience (khanti)
Khanti
(Pali) has been translated as patience, forbearance and forgiveness. It
is the practice of exercising patience toward behavior or situations
that might not necessarily deserve it. It is seen as a conscious choice
to actively give patience as if a gift, rather than being in a state of
oppression in which one feels obligated to act in such a way.
Truthfulness (sacca)
Sacca
is a Pali word meaning “real” or “true.” In early Buddhist literature,
sacca is often found in the context of the “Four Noble Truths,” a
crystallization of Buddhist wisdom. In addition, sacca is one of the ten
paramis or perfections that a bodhisatta must develop in order to
become a Buddha.
Resolution - determination (adhitthana)
Adhitthana
(Pali; from adhi meaning “higher” or “best” plus stha meaning
“standing”) has been translated as “decision,” “resolution,”
“self-determination,” “will” and “resolute determination.” In the late
canonical literature of Theravada Buddhism, adhitthana is one of the ten
“perfections” (dasa paramiyo), exemplified by the bodhisatta’s resolve
to become fully awakened.
Lovingkindness (metta)
Metta
(Pali) or maitri (Sanskrit) has been translated as “loving-kindness,”
“friendliness,” “benevolence,” “amity,” “friendship,” “good will,”
“kindness,” “love,” “sympathy,” and “active interest in others.” It is
one of the ten paramitas of the Theravada school of Buddhism, and the
first of the four Brahmaviharas. The metta bhavana (”cultivation of
metta”) is a popular form of meditation in Buddhism.
The object
of metta meditation is loving kindness (love without attachment).
Traditionally, the practice begins with the meditator cultivating loving
kindness towards themselves,then their loved ones, friends, teachers,
strangers, enemies, and finally towards all sentient beings. Commonly,
it can be used as a greeting or closing to a letter or note.
Buddhists
believe that those who cultivate metta will be at ease because they see
no need to harbour ill will or hostility. Buddhist teachers may even
recommend meditation on metta as an antidote to insomnia and nightmares.
It is generally felt that those around a metta-ful person will feel
more comfortable and happy too. Radiating metta is thought to contribute
to a world of love, peace and happiness.
Metta meditation is
considered a good way to calm down a distraught mind by people who
consider it to be an antidote to anger. According to them, someone who
has cultivated metta will not be easily angered and can quickly subdue
anger that arises, being more caring, more loving, and more likely to
love unconditionally.
Equanimity (upekkha)
American Buddhist monk Bhikkhu Bodhi wrote: “The
real meaning of upekkha is equanimity, not indifference in the sense of
unconcern for others. As a spiritual virtue, upekkha means equanimity
in the face of the fluctuations of worldly fortune. It is evenness of
mind, unshakeable freedom of mind, a state of inner equipoise that
cannot be upset by gain and loss, honor and dishonor, praise and blame,
pleasure and pain. Upekkha is freedom from all points of self-reference;
it is indifference only to the demands of the ego-self with its craving
for pleasure and position, not to the well-being of one’s fellow human
beings. True equanimity is the pinnacle of the four social attitudes
that the Buddhist texts call the ‘divine abodes’: boundless
loving-kindness, compassion, altruistic joy, and equanimity. The last
does not override and negate the preceding three, but perfects and
consummates them.”
Q 14 Explain the difference between an ordinary act of Dana (giving) and an act of dana parami (perfection of giving)
Giving
is essential to Buddhism. Giving includes charity, or giving material
help to people in want. It also includes giving spiritual guidance to
those who seek it and loving kindness to all who need it. However, one’s
motivation for giving to others is at least as important as what is
given.
Motivation
What is the right or wrong motivation?
In sutra 4:236 of the Anguttara Nikaya, a collection of texts in the
Sutta-Pitaka, lists a number of motivations for giving. These include
being shamed or intimidated into giving; giving to receive a favor;
giving to feel good about yourself. These are impure motivations.
The
Buddha taught that when we give to others, we give without expectation
of reward. We give without attaching to either the gift or the
recipient. We practice giving to release greed and self-clinging.
Some
teachers propose that giving is good because it accrues merit and
creates karma that will bring future happiness. Others say that even
this is self-clinging and an expectation of reward. In many schools,
people are encouraged to dedicate merit to the liberation of others.
Paramitas
Giving
with pure motivation is called dana paramita (Sanskrit), or dana parami
(Pali), which means “perfection of giving.” There are lists of
perfections that vary somewhat between Theravada and Mahayana Buddhism,
but dana, giving, is the first perfection on every list. The perfections
might be thought of as strengths or virtues that lead one to
enlightenment.
Theravadin monk and scholar Bhikkhu Bodhi said,
“The
practice of giving is universally recognized as one of the most basic
human virtues, a quality that testifies to the depth of one’s humanity
and one’s capacity for self-transcendence. In the teaching of the
Buddha, too, the practice of giving claims a place of special eminence,
one which singles it out as being in a sense the foundation and seed of
spiritual development.” The Importance of Receiving
It’s
important to remember that there is no giving without receiving, and no
givers without receivers. Therefore, giving and receiving arise
together; one is not possible without the other. Ultimately, giving and
receiving, giver and receiver, are one. Giving and receiving with this
understanding is the perfection of giving. As long as we are sorting
ourselves into givers and receivers, however, we are still falling short
of dana paramita.
Zen monk Shohaku Okumura wrote in Soto Zen
Journal that for a time he didn’t want to receive gifts from others,
thinking that he should be giving, not taking. “When we understand this
teaching in this way, we simply create another standard to measure
gaining and losing. We are still in the framework of gaining and
losing,” he wrote. When giving is perfect, there is no loss and no gain.
In
Japan, when monks carry out traditional alms begging, they wear huge
straw hats that partly obscure their faces. The hats also prevent them
from seeing the faces of those giving them alms. No giver, no receiver;
this is pure giving.
Give Without Attachment
We are advised to give without attaching to either the gift or the recipient. What does that mean?
In
Buddhism, to avoid attachment doesn’t mean we can’t have any friends.
Quite the opposite, actually. Attachment can only happen when there are
at least two separate things — an attacher, and something to attach to.
But, sorting the world into subjects and objects is a delusion.
Attachment,
then, comes from a habit of mind that sorts the world into “me” and
“everything else.” Attachment leads to possessiveness and a tendency to
manipulate everything, including people, to your own personal advantage.
To be non-attached is to recognize that nothing is really separate.
This
brings us back to the realization that the giver and the receiver are
one. And the gift isn’t separate, either. So, we give without
expectation of reward from the recipient — including a “thank you” —
and we place no conditions on the gift.
A Habit of Generosity
Dana
paramita is sometimes translated “perfection of generosity.” A generous
spirit is about more than just giving to charity. It is a spirit of
responding to the world and giving what is needed and appropriate at the
time.
This spirit of generosity is an important foundation of
practice. It helps tear down our ego-walls while it relieves some of the
sufferings of the world. And it also includes being grateful for the
generosity shown to you. This is the practice of dana paramita.
Q 15 Write clearly in Paliand English Dhamma Vandana Gatha. Explain the meaning, as ytou understand it. Svaakkhato Bhagavataa Dhamma, sandditthiko, akaaliko,
The
Teaching is perfectly enunciated by the Blessed One; it is verifiable
here and now, and bears immediate fruit; it invites all the test for
themselves, leads one onward to Nibbana and is to be experienced by the
wise for himself.
Reverential salutation to the Noble Teaching, leading
onwards to deliverance.
The Noble Teachings of the past (Buddhas),
The Noble Teachings of the future (Buddhas),
The Noble Teachings of the Buddhas of present (aeon),
Humbly do I ever worship.
There is no other refuge for me.
The Noble Teaching is my Supreme Refuge,
By this avowal of Truth,
May joyous victory be mine!
With my brow do I worship the most exce;;ent threefold
Dhamma: the characteristics of purity, radiance and peace which arise from morality, concentration and wisdom
Svakkhato bhagavata dhammo Dhammam namassami.
The Dhamma well-expounded by the Exalted One I bow low before the Dhamma.
To the Way to Awakenment I go for refuge
The Three Refuges
When
people ask, “Who is really a Buddhist?” the answer will be, “One who
has accepted the Three Refuges” — Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha, as his
shelter and guiding ideal.”
So now that we have paid our respects
to the Teacher, it is usual for Buddhists to continue by affirming
their Refuge in Awakenment (bodhi) in three aspects: the Buddha, the
rediscoverer of Awakenment; the Dhamma, the way to that Awakenment; and
the Sangha, those who are practicing that way have discovered Awakenment
for themselves. That which has the nature of the Unsurpassed Perfect
Awakenment, unconfused and brilliant with the qualities of Great
Compassion, Purity and Wisdom, that is a secure refuge. So we recite
this sure refuge as a reminder every day:
To the Awakened One I go for refuge. To the Way to Awakenment I go for refuge, To the Awakened Community I go for refuge.
For the second time to the Awakened One I go for refuge. For the second time to the Way Awakenment I go for refuge. For the second time to the Awakened Community I go for refuge.
For the third time to the Awakened One I go for refuge. For the third time to the Way to Awakenment I go for refuge. For the third tome to the Awakened Community I go for refuge.
There
is a reason for repeating each refuge three times. The mind is often
distracted and if words are spoken or chanted at that time then it is as
though they have not been spoken at all. There is no strong intention
behind them and one’s Going for Refuge will be like that of a parrot.
Repeating words three times is common in many Buddhist ceremonies (such
as ordination) and ensures that the mind is concentrated during at least
one repetition.
When one has gone for refuge and so affirmed
that one is following the way taught by the Buddha, then it is time to
remind oneself of the basic moral precepts for daily conduct.
Dhamma sadhu, kiyam cu dhamme ti? Apasinave, bahu kayane, daya, dane, sace, socaye. Dhamma is good, but what constitutes Dhamma? (It includes) little evil, much good, kindness, generosity, truthfulness and purity.
King Asoka
Q 16 Enumerate the qualities of the Dhamma and write the significance of each quality
Dhammam saranam gacchami: I go to the Dhamma for refuge.
There are three levels to the Dhamma, the teachings of the Buddha —
A. Pariyatti: studying the words of the Buddha as recorded in the Canon — the Discipline, the Discourses, and the Abhidhamma. B. Patipatti: following the practice of moral virtue, concentration, and discernment as derived from one’s study of the Canon.
C. Pativedha: Liberation.
A. The study of the Dhamma can be done in any of three ways —
1 Alagaddupama-pariyatti: studying like a water viper. 2 Nissaranattha-pariyatti: studying for the sake of emancipation.
3 Bhandagarika-pariyatti: studying to be a storehouse keeper.
Studying
like a water viper means to study the words of the Buddha without then
putting them into practice, having no sense of shame at doing evil,
disobeying the monastic code, making oneself like a poisonous
snake-head, full of the fires of greed, anger, and delusion.
Studying
for the sake of emancipation means to study the Buddha’s teachings out
of a desire for merit and wisdom, with a sense of conviction and high
regard for their worth — and then, once we have reached an
understanding, bringing our thoughts, words, and deeds into line with
those teachings with a high sense of reverence and respect. To try to
bring the Buddha’s teachings into line with ourselves is the wrong
approach — because, for the most part, we are full of defilements,
cravings, views, and conceits. If we act in this way we are bound to be
more at fault than those who try to bring themselves into line with the
teachings: Such people are very hard to find fault with.
Studying
to be a storehouse keeper refers to the education of people who no
longer have to be trained, i.e., of arahants, the highest level of the
Noble Ones. Some arahants, when they were still ordinary,
run-of-the-mill people, heard the Dhamma directly from the Buddha once
or twice and were able immediately to reach the highest attainment. This
being the case, they lacked a wide-ranging knowledge of worldly
conventions and traditions; and so, with an eye to the benefit of other
Buddhists, they were willing to undergo a certain amount of further
education. This way of studying the Dhamma is called ’sikkha-garavata’:
respect for the training.
B. The practice of the Dhamma means to conduct oneself in line with the words of the Buddha as gathered under three headings:
— Virtue: proper behavior, free from vice and harm, in terms of one’s words and deeds. — Concentration: intentness of mind, centered on one of the themes of meditation, such as the breath.
—
Discernment: insight and circumspection with regard to all fashioned
things, i.e., physical properties, aggregates, and sense media.
To
conduct oneself in this manner is termed practicing the Dhamma. By and
large, though, Buddhists tend to practice the Dhamma in a variety of
ways that aren’t in line with the true path of practice. If we were to
classify their ways of practice, there would be three:
1 Lokadhipateyya — putting the world first. 2 Attadhipateyya — putting the self first. 3 Dhammadhipateyya — putting the Dhamma first.
To
put the world first means to practice for the sake of such worldly
rewards as prestige, material gains, praise, and sensual pleasures. When
we practice this way, we are actually torturing ourselves, because
undesirable things are bound to occur: Having attained prestige, we can
lose it. Having acquired material gains, we can lose them. Having
received praise, we can receive censure. Having experienced pleasure, we
can see it disintegrate. Far from the paths, fruitions, and nibbana, we
torture ourselves by clinging to these things as our own.
To
put the self first means to practice in accordance with our own
opinions, acting in line with whatever those opinions may be. Most of us
tend to side with ourselves, getting stuck on our own views and
conceits because our study of the Dhamma hasn’t reached the truth of the
Dhamma, and so we take as our standard our own notions, composed of
four forms of personal bias —
a Chandagati: doing whatever we feel like doing. b
Bhayagati: fearing certain forms of power or authority, and thus not
daring to practice the Dhamma as we truly should. (We put certain
individuals first.)
c Dosagati: acting under the power of anger, defilement, craving, conceits, and views.
d
Mohagati: practicing misguidedly, not studying or searching for what is
truly good; assuming that we’re already smart enough, or else that
we’re too stupid to learn; staying buried in our habits with no thought
of extracting ourselves from our sensual pleasures.
All of these ways of practice are called ‘putting the self first.’
To put the Dhamma first means to follow the Noble Eightfold Path —
a.
Right View: seeing that there really is good, there really is evil,
there really is stress, that stress has a cause, that it disbands, and
that there is a cause for its disbanding. b. Right Resolve: thinking
of how to rid ourselves of whatever qualities we know to be wrong and
immoral, i.e., seeing the harm in sensual desires in that they bring on
suffering and stress.
c. Right Speech: speaking the truth; not
saying anything divisive or inciteful; not saying anything coarse or
vulgar in situations where such words would not be proper; not saying
anything useless. Even though what we say may be worthwhile, if our
listener isn’t interested then our words would still count as useless.
d. Right Action: being true to our duties, not acting in ways that would be corrupt or bring harm to ourselves or others.
e. Right Livelihood: obtaining wealth in ways that are honest, searching for it in a moral way and using it in a moral way.
f.
Right Effort: persisting in ridding ourselves of all that is wrong and
harmful in our thoughts, words, and deeds; persisting in giving rise to
what would be good and useful to ourselves and others in our thoughts,
words, and deeds, without a thought for the difficulty or weariness
involved; acting persistently so as to be a mainstay to others (except
in cases that are beyond our control).
g. Right Mindfulness:
being mindful and deliberate, making sure not to act or speak through
the power of inattention or forgetfulness, making sure to be constantly
mindful in our thoughts (being mindful of the four frames of reference).
h.
Right Concentration: keeping the mind centered and resilient. No matter
what we do or say, no matter what moods may strike the heart, the heart
keeps its poise, firm and unflinching in the four levels of jhana.
These
eight factors can be reduced to three — virtue, concentration, and
discernment — called the middle way, the heart of the Buddha’s
teachings. The ‘middleness’ of virtue means to be pure in thought, word,
and deed, acting out of compassion, seeing that the life of others is
like your own, that their possessions are like your own, feeling
benevolence, loving others as much as yourself. When ‘you’ and ‘they’
are equal in this way, you are bound to be upright in your behavior,
like a well-balanced burden that, when placed on your shoulders, doesn’t
cause you to tip to one side or the other. But even then you are still
in a position of having to shoulder a burden. So you are taught to focus
the mind on a single preoccupation: This can be called ‘holding in your
hands’ — i.e., holding the mind in the middle — or concentration.
The
middleness of concentration means focusing on the present, not sending
your thoughts into the past or future, holding fast to a single
preoccupation (anapanaka-jhana, absorption in the breath).
As
for the middleness of discernment: No matter what preoccupations may
come passing by, you are able to rid yourself of all feelings of liking
or disliking, approval or rejection. You don’t cling, even to the one
preoccupation that has arisen as a result of your own actions. You put
down what you have been holding in your hands; you don’t fasten onto the
past, present or future. This is release.
When our virtue,
concentration, and discernment are all in the middle this way, we’re
safe. Just as a boat going down the middle of a channel, or a car that
doesn’t run off the side of the road, can reach its destination without
beaching or running into a tree; so too, people who practice in this way
are bound to reach the qualities they aspire to, culminating in the
paths and fruitions leading to nibbana, which is the main point of the
Buddha’s teachings.
So in short, putting the Dhamma first means to search solely for purity of mind.
C.
The attainment of the Dhamma refers to the attainment of the highest
quality, nibbana. If we refer to the people who reach this attainment,
there are four sorts —
1 Sukha-vipassako: those who
develop just enough tranquillity and discernment to act as a basis for
advancing to liberating insight and who thus attain nibbana having
mastered only asavakkhaya-ñana, the knowledge that does away with the
fermentation of defilement. 2 Tevijjo: those who attain the three skills.
3 Chalabhiñño: those who attain the six intuitive powers.
4 Catuppatisambhidappatto: those who attain the four forms of acumen.
To
explain sukha-vipassako (those who develop insight more than
tranquillity): Vipassana (liberating insight) and asavakkhaya-ñana (the
awareness that does away with the fermentation of defilement) differ
only in name. In actuality they refer to the same thing, the only
difference being that vipassana refers to the beginning stage of
insight, and asavakkhaya-ñana to the final stage: clear and true
comprehension of the four Noble Truths.
To explain tevijjo: The three skills are —
a
Pubbenivasanussati-ñana: the ability to remember past lives — one, two,
three, four, five, ten, one hundred, one thousand, depending on one’s
powers of intuition. (This is a basis for proving whether death is
followed by rebirth or annihilation.) b Cutupapata-ñana: knowledge of where living beings are reborn — on refined levels or base — after they die.
c
Asavakkhaya-ñana: the awareness that enables one to do away with the
fermentations in one’s character (sensuality, states of being,
ignorance).
To explain chalabhiñño: The six intuitive powers are —
a
Iddhividhi: the ability to display miracles — becoming invisible,
walking on a dry path through a body of water, levitating, going through
rain without getting wet, going through fire without getting hot,
making a crowd of people appear to be only a few, making a few to appear
many, making oneself appear young or old as one likes, being able to
use the power of the mind to influence events in various ways. b Dibbasota: clairaudience; the ability to hear far distant sounds, beyond ordinary human powers.
c Cetopariya-ñana: the ability to know the thoughts of others.
d Pubbenivasanussati-ñana: the ability to remember previous lives.
e
Dibba-cakkhu: clairvoyance; the ability to see far distant objects,
beyond ordinary human powers. Some people can even see other levels of
being with their clairvoyant powers (one way of proving whether death is
followed by rebirth or annihilation, and whether or not there really
are other levels of being).
f Asavakkhaya-ñana: the awareness that does away with the fermentation of defilement.
To explain catuppatisambhidappatto: The four forms of acumen are —
a
Attha-patisambhida: acumen with regard to the sense of the Doctrine and
of matters in general, knowing how to explain various points in line
with their proper meaning. b Dhamma-patisambhida: acumen with regard to all mental qualities.
c
Nirutti-patisambhida: acumen with regard to linguistic conventions.
(This can include the ability to know the languages of living beings in
general.)
d Patibhana-patisambhida: acumen in speaking on the
spur of the moment, knowing how to answer any question so as to clear up
the doubts of the person asking (like the Venerable Nagasena).
This
ends the discussion of the virtues of the four classes of people —
called arahants — who have reached the ultimate quality, nibbana. As for
the essence of what it means to be an arahant, though, there is only
one point — freedom from defilement: This is what it means to attain the
Dhamma, the other virtues being simply adornment.
The three
levels of Dhamma we have discussed are, like the Buddha, compared to
jewels: There are many kinds of jewels to choose from, depending on how
much wealth — discernment — we have.
All of the qualities we
have mentioned so far, to put them briefly so as to be of use, come down
to this: Practice so as to give rise to virtue, concentration, and
discernment within yourself. Otherwise, you won’t have a refuge or
shelter. A person without the qualities that provide refuge and shelter
is like a person without a home — a delinquent or a vagrant — who is
bound to wander shiftlessly about. Such people are hollow inside, like a
clock without any workings: Even though it has a face and hands, it
can’t tell anyone where it is, what time it is, or whether it’s morning,
noon, or night (i.e., such people forget that they are going to die).
People
who aren’t acquainted with the Dhamma within themselves are like people
blind from birth: Even though they are born in the world of human
beings, they don’t know the light of the sun and moon that enables human
beings to see. They get no benefit from the light of the sun and moon
or the light of fire; and being blind, they then go about proclaiming to
those who can see, that there is no sun, no moon, and no brightness to
the world. As a result, they mislead those whose eyes are already a
little bleary. In other words, some groups say that the Buddha, Dhamma,
and Sangha don’t exist, that they were invented to fool the gullible.
Now,
the Dhamma is something subtle and fine, like the fire-potential
(tejas) that exists in the air or in various elements and that, if we
have enough common sense, can be drawn out and put to use. But if we’re
fools, we can sit staring at a bamboo tube [a device for starting fire
that works on the same principle as the diesel engine] from dawn to dusk
without ever seeing fire at all. Anyone who believes that there is no
Buddha, Dhamma, or Sangha, no series of paths or fruitions leading to
nibbana, no consciousness that experiences death and rebirth, is like
the fool sitting and staring at the bamboo tube.
Here I would
like to tell a story as an allegory of those who aren’t acquainted with
the Dhamma. There once was a man living in the woods who, with his five
sons, started growing crops in a clearing about a mile from their home
village. He built a small shack at the clearing and would often take his
sons to stay there. One morning he started a fire in the shack and told
his sons to look after the fire, for he was going out to hunt for food
in the forest. ‘If the fire goes out,’ he told them, ‘get some fire from
my bamboo tube and start it up again.’ Then he set out to search for
food for his sons.
After he had left, his sons got so wrapped
up in their play that when they finally took a look at the fire, they
found that it was completely out. So they had the first son go get some
fire to start it up again. The first son walked over and tried knocking
on the bamboo tube but didn’t see any fire. So they had the second son
get some fire from the tube: He opened it up but didn’t see any fire
inside. All he saw were two bamboo chips but he didn’t know what to do
with them. So the third son came over for a look and, since he didn’t
see any fire, he took a knife to cut the tube in half but still didn’t
see any fire. The fourth son went over and, seeing the two halves lying
there, shaved them down into thin strips to find the fire in them but
didn’t see any fire at all.
Finally the fifth son went over
to look for fire, but before he went he said to his brothers, ‘What’s
the matter with you guys that you can’t get any fire from the bamboo
tube? What a bunch of fools you are! I’ll go get it myself.’ With that,
he went to look at the bamboo tube and found it split into strips lying
in pile. Realizing what his brothers had done, and thinking, ‘What a
bunch of hare-brains,’ he reached for a mortar and pestle and ground up
the bamboo strips to find the fire in them. By the time he ran out of
strength, he had ground them into a powder, but he still hadn’t found
any fire. So he snuck off to play by himself.
Eventually,
toward noon, the father returned from the forest and found that the fire
had gone out. So he asked his sons about it, and they told him how they
had looked for fire in the bamboo tube without finding any. ‘Idiots,’
he thought, ‘they’ve taken my fire-starter and pounded it to bits. For
that, I won’t fix them any food. Let ‘em starve!’ As a result, the boys
didn’t get anything to eat the entire day.
Those of us who
aren’t acquainted with the brightness of the Dhamma — ‘Dhammo padipo’ —
lying within us, who don’t believe that the Dhamma has value for
ourselves and others, are lacking in discernment, like the boys looking
for fire in the bamboo tube. Thus we bring about our own ruin in various
ways, wasting our lives: born in darkness, living in darkness, dying in
darkness, and then reborn in more darkness all over again. Even though
the Dhamma lies within us, we can’t get any use from it and thus will
suffer for a long time to come, like the boys who ruined their father’s
fire-starter and so had to go without food.
The Dhamma lies
within us, but we don’t look for it. If we hope for goodness, whether on
a low or a high level, we’ll have to look here, inside, if we are to
find what is truly good. But before we can know ourselves in this way,
we first have to know — through study and practice — the principles
taught by the Buddha.
Recorded Dhamma (pariyatti dhamma) is
simply one of the symbols of the Buddha’s teachings. The important point
is to actualize the Dhamma through the complete practice of virtue,
concentration, and discernment. This is an essential part of the
religion, the part that forms the inner symbol of all those who practice
rightly and well. Whether the religion will be good or bad, whether it
will prosper or decline, depends on our practice, not on the recorded
doctrine, because the recorded doctrine is merely a symbol. So if we aim
at goodness, we should focus on developing our inner quality through
the Dhamma of practice (patipatti dhamma). As for the main point of
Buddhism, that’s the Dhamma of attainment (pativedha dhamma), the
transcendent quality: nibbana.
3. Can the Dhamma as
proclaimed by the Buddha be called a religious doctrine, or a
philosophy, or is it a spiritual path i.e., a way of life that each
seeker should adhere to at all times? If you think it is a way of life
to be lead every day, how have you tried doing it yourself? It would be
good to share your experience with others.
Is Buddhism a religion or a philosophy? The
Buddha referred to his teachings simply as Dhamma-vinaya — “the
doctrine and discipline” — but for centuries people have tried to
categorize the teachings in various ways, trying to fit them into the
prevailing molds of cultural, philosophical, and religious thought.
Buddhism is an ethical system — a way of life — that leads to a very
specific goal and that possesses some aspects of both religion and
philosophy:
It is a philosophy. Like most philosophies,
Buddhism attempts to frame the complexities of human existence in a way
that reassures us that there is, in fact, some underlying order to the
Universe. In the Four Noble Truths the Buddha crisply summarizes our
predicament: there is suffering, it has a cause, it has an end, and
there is a way to reach the end. The teachings on kamma provide a
thorough and logically self-consistent description of the nature of
cause-and-effect. And even the Buddhist view of cosmology, which some
may at first find farfetched, is a logical extension of the law of
kamma. According to the Dhamma, a deep and unshakable logic pervades the
world. It is not a philosophy. Unlike most philosophical
systems, which rely on speculation and the power of reason to arrive at
logical truths, Buddhism relies on the direct observation of one’s
personal experience and on honing certain skills in order to gain true
understanding and wisdom. Idle speculation has no place in Buddhist
practice. Although studying in the classroom, reading books, and
engaging in spirited debate can play a vital part in developing a
cognitive understanding of basic Buddhist concepts, the heart of
Buddhism can never be realized this way. The Dhamma is not an abstract
system of thought designed to delight the intellect; it is a roadmap to
be used, one whose essential purpose is to lead the practitioner to the
ultimate goal, nibbana. It is a religion. At the heart of each of
the world’s great religions lies a transcendent ideal around which its
doctrinal principles orbit. In Buddhism this truth is nibbana, the
hallmark of the cessation of suffering and stress, a truth of utter
transcendence that stands in singular distinction from anything we might
encounter in our ordinary sensory experience. Nibbana is the sine qua
non of Buddhism, the guiding star and ultimate goal towards which all
the Buddha’s teachings point. Because it aims at such a lofty
transcendent ideal, we might fairly call Buddhism a religion. It is not a religion. In
stark contrast to the world’s other major religions, however, Buddhism
invokes no divinity, no supreme Creator or supreme Self, no Holy Spirit
or omniscient loving God to whom we might appeal for salvation.1
Instead, Buddhism calls for us to hoist ourselves up by our own
bootstraps: to develop the discernment we need to distinguish between
those qualities within us that are unwholesome and those that are truly
noble and good, and to learn how to nourish the good ones and expunge
the bad. This is the path to Buddhism’s highest perfection, nibbana. Not
even the Buddha can take you to that goal; you alone must do the work
necessary to complete the journey: “Therefore, Ananda, be islands
unto yourselves, refuges unto yourselves, seeking no external refuge;
with the Dhamma as your island, the Dhamma as your refuge, seeking no
other refuge.”
Daily
training myself to practice of the Dhamma to conduct myself in line
with the words of the Buddha to be Virtuous with proper behavior, free
from vice and harm, in terms of my words and deeds.
To train my mind for Concentration: intentness of mind, centered on one of the themes of meditation, such as the breath.
To
train my mind for Discernment: insight and circumspection with regard
to all fashioned things, i.e., physical properties, aggregates, and
sense media.
To conduct myself in this manner I feel is termed practicing the Dhamma by putting the Dhamma first.
To put the Dhamma first means to follow the Noble Eightfold Path —
a.
Right View: seeing that there really is good, there really is evil,
there really is stress, that stress has a cause, that it disbands, and
that there is a cause for its disbanding. b. Right Resolve: thinking
of how to rid ourselves of whatever qualities we know to be wrong and
immoral, i.e., seeing the harm in sensual desires in that they bring on
suffering and stress.
c. Right Speech: speaking the truth; not
saying anything divisive or inciteful; not saying anything coarse or
vulgar in situations where such words would not be proper; not saying
anything useless. Even though what we say may be worthwhile, if our
listener isn’t interested then our words would still count as useless.
d. Right Action: being true to our duties, not acting in ways that would be corrupt or bring harm to ourselves or others.
e. Right Livelihood: obtaining wealth in ways that are honest, searching for it in a moral way and using it in a moral way.
f.
Right Effort: persisting in ridding ourselves of all that is wrong and
harmful in our thoughts, words, and deeds; persisting in giving rise to
what would be good and useful to ourselves and others in our thoughts,
words, and deeds, without a thought for the difficulty or weariness
involved; acting persistently so as to be a mainstay to others (except
in cases that are beyond our control).
g. Right Mindfulness:
being mindful and deliberate, making sure not to act or speak through
the power of inattention or forgetfulness, making sure to be constantly
mindful in our thoughts (being mindful of the four frames of reference).
h.
Right Concentration: keeping the mind centered and resilient. No matter
what we do or say, no matter what moods may strike the heart, the heart
keeps its poise, firm and unflinching in the four levels of jhana.
These
eight factors can be reduced to three — virtue, concentration, and
discernment — called the middle way, the heart of the Buddha’s
teachings. The ‘middleness’ of virtue means to be pure in thought, word,
and deed, acting out of compassion, seeing that the life of others is
like your own, that their possessions are like your own, feeling
benevolence, loving others as much as yourself. When ‘you’ and ‘they’
are equal in this way, you are bound to be upright in your behavior,
like a well-balanced burden that, when placed on your shoulders, doesn’t
cause you to tip to one side or the other. But even then you are still
in a position of having to shoulder a burden. So you are taught to focus
the mind on a single preoccupation: This can be called ‘holding in your
hands’ — i.e., holding the mind in the middle — or concentration.
The
middleness of concentration means focusing on the present, not sending
your thoughts into the past or future, holding fast to a single
preoccupation (anapanaka-jhana, absorption in the breath).
As
for the middleness of discernment: No matter what preoccupations may
come passing by, you are able to rid yourself of all feelings of liking
or disliking, approval or rejection. You don’t cling, even to the one
preoccupation that has arisen as a result of your own actions. You put
down what you have been holding in your hands; you don’t fasten onto the
past, present or future. This is release.
When our virtue,
concentration, and discernment are all in the middle this way, we’re
safe. Just as a boat going down the middle of a channel, or a car that
doesn’t run off the side of the road, can reach its destination without
beaching or running into a tree; so too, people who practice in this way
are bound to reach the qualities they aspire to, culminating in the
paths and fruitions leading to nibbana, which is the main point of the
Buddha’s teachings.
So in short, putting the Dhamma first means to search solely for purity of mind.
Q
17 What do you think of the five Buddhist precepts (Panca Sila) ?If you
are practicing, what are the benefits you derive? Please elaborate.
I take the precept to abstain from destroying living beings. I take the precept to abstain from taking things not given. I take the precept to abstain from sexual misconduct. I take the precept to abstain from false speech. I take the precept to abstain from taking anything that causes intoxication or heedlessness.
By my daily training of my mind to practice Panca Sila I have realised that they are
Five faultless gifts
“There
are these five gifts, five great gifts — original, long-standing,
traditional, ancient, unadulterated, unadulterated from the beginning —
that are not open to suspicion, will never be open to suspicion, and are
unfaulted by knowledgeable contemplatives & priests. Which five?
As
a disciple of the noble ones, abandoning the taking of life, abstains
from taking life. In doing so, I have dervived freedom from danger,
freedom from animosity, freedom from oppression to limitless numbers of
beings. In giving freedom from danger, freedom from animosity, freedom
from oppression to limitless numbers of beings,I gain a share in
limitless freedom from danger, freedom from animosity, and freedom from
oppression. This is the first gift, the first great gift — original,
long-standing, traditional, ancient, unadulterated, unadulterated from
the beginning — that is not open to suspicion, will never be open to
suspicion, and is unfaulted by knowledgeable contemplatives &
priests…
“Furthermore, abandoning taking what is not given
(stealing), as a true disciple of the noble ones I train my mind to
abstain from taking what is not given. In doing so, it gives freedom
from danger, freedom from animosity, freedom from oppression to
limitless numbers of beings. In giving freedom from danger, freedom from
animosity, freedom from oppression to limitless numbers of beings, I
gain a share in limitless freedom from danger, freedom from animosity,
and freedom from oppression. This is the second gift…
“Furthermore,
abandoning illicit sex, as a true disciple of the noble ones I train my
my mind to abstain from illicit sex. In doing so, it gives freedom from
danger, freedom from animosity, freedom from oppression to limitless
numbers of beings. In giving freedom from danger, freedom from
animosity, freedom from oppression to limitless numbers of beings, I
gain a share in limitless freedom from danger, freedom from animosity,
and freedom from oppression. This is the third gift…
“Furthermore,
abandoning lying, as a true disciple of the noble ones I train my mind
to abstain from lying. In doing so, it gives freedom from danger,
freedom from animosity, freedom from oppression to limitless numbers of
beings. In giving freedom from danger, freedom from animosity, freedom
from oppression to limitless numbers of beings,I gain a share in
limitless freedom from danger, freedom from animosity, and freedom from
oppression. This is the fourth gift…
“Furthermore, abandoning the
use of intoxicants, as a true disciple of the noble ones I train my
mind to abstain from taking intoxicants. In doing so, it gives freedom
from danger, freedom from animosity, freedom from oppression to
limitless numbers of beings. In giving freedom from danger, freedom from
animosity, freedom from oppression to limitless numbers of beings, he
gains a share in limitless freedom from danger, freedom from animosity,
and freedom from oppression. This is the fifth gift, the fifth great
gift — original, long-standing, traditional, ancient, unadulterated,
unadulterated from the beginning — that is not open to suspicion, will
never be open to suspicion, and is unfaulted by knowledgeable
contemplatives & priests. And this is the eighth reward of merit,
reward of skillfulness, nourishment of happiness, celestial, resulting
in happiness, leading to heaven, leading to what is desirable,
pleasurable, & appealing; to welfare & to happiness.”
Q 18 On the full moon day of Ashala (July), two months after awakenment, the Buddha walked all the way from
Bodhi
Mandapa (Bodhgaya) to Isipatana in Baranasi. Why did he chooser this
mode of travelling rather than using psychic abilities as in the case of
other Buddhas?
Wisdom Quotes 150 Buddha Quotes That Will Make You Wiser (Fast)
get the quote of the day click here by maxime lagacé
There is no fear for one whose mind is not filled with desires. Buddha Click to tweet
Work out your own salvation. Do not depend on others. Buddha Click to tweet
If anything is worth doing, do it with all your heart. Buddha Click to tweet
A
man is not called wise because he talks and talks again; but if he is
peaceful, loving and fearless then he is in truth called wise. Buddha
Click to tweet
Do not look for a sanctuary in anyone except your self. Buddha Click to tweet
No one saves us but ourselves. No one can and no one may. We ourselves must walk the path. Buddha Click to tweet
To live a pure unselfish life, one must count nothing as one’s own in the midst of abundance. Buddha Click to tweet
All that we are is the result of what we have thought. Buddha Click to tweet
If we fail to look after others when they need help, who will look after us? Buddha Click to tweet
One who acts on truth is happy in this world and beyond. Buddha Click to tweet
See also: zen quotes, Rumi quotes, gratitude quotes
The Best Buddha Quotes (aka Siddhartha Gautama)
Go to table of contents
Give, even if you only have a little.
Even death is not to be feared by one who has lived wisely.
Irrigators channel waters; fletchers straighten arrows; carpenters bend wood; the wise master themselves.
Drop by drop is the water pot filled. Likewise, the wise man, gathering it little by little, fills himself with good.
Better than a thousand hollow words, is one word that brings peace.
If you knew what I know about the power of giving, you would not let a single meal pass without sharing it in some way.
The root of suffering is attachment.
Silence
the angry man with love. Silence the ill-natured man with kindness.
Silence the miser with generosity. Silence the liar with truth.
People with opinions just go around bothering each other.
Even as a solid rock is unshaken by the wind, so are the wise unshaken by praise or blame. Click to tweet
You yourself must strive. The Buddhas only point the way. Click to tweet
Nothing can harm you as much as your own thoughts unguarded.
Meditate… do not delay, lest you later regret it.
Understanding is the heartwood of well-spoken words.
Ceasing to do evil, cultivating the good, purifying the heart: this is the teaching of the Buddhas.
Delight in meditation and solitude. Compose yourself, be happy. You are a seeker.
Ardently do today what must be done. Who knows? Tomorrow, death comes.
What you are is what you have been. What you’ll be is what you do now.
If you propose to speak always ask yourself, is it true, is it necessary, is it kind.
If
you find no one to support you on the spiritual path, walk alone. (This
is one of my favorite Buddha quote. Leave a reply and let me know
what’s yours!)
Part 2. Buddha Quotes That ARE…
Inspirational Buddha Quotes
Go to table of contents
Stop, stop. Do not speak. The ultimate truth is not even to think. Click to tweet
We are what we think. All that we are arises with our thoughts. With our thoughts, we make the world.
Just
as the great ocean has one taste, the taste of salt, so also this
teaching and discipline has one taste, the taste of liberation.
The
one in whom no longer exist the craving and thirst that perpetuate
becoming; how could you track that Awakened one, trackless, and of
limitless range.
Endurance is one of the most difficult disciplines, but it is to the one who endures that the final victory comes.
Long
is the night to him who is awake; long is a mile to him who is tired;
long is life to the foolish who do not know the true law.
Whatever precious jewel there is in the heavenly worlds, there is nothing comparable to one who is Awakened.
Our life is shaped by our mind; we become what we think. Joy follows a pure thought like a shadow that never leaves.
Like
a fine flower, beautiful to look at but without scent, fine words are
fruitless in a man who does not act in accordance with them.
Our
theories of the eternal are as valuable as are those which a chick which
has not broken its way through its shell might form of the outside
world.
An idea that is developed and put into action is more important than an idea that exists only as an idea.
However many holy words you read, however many you speak, what good will they do you if you do not act on upon them?
Chaos is inherent in all compounded things. Strive on with diligence.
See also: positive quote
Short Buddha Quotes
One
liners, thoughts and captions for your bio, social status, self-talk,
motto, mantra, signs, posters, wallpapers, backgrounds, tattoos, SMS,
Facebook, WhatsApp, Snapchat, Tumblr, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram,
etc.
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Attachment leads to suffering. Click to tweet
May all beings have happy minds.
Born out of concern for all beings.
I am the miracle.
A jug fills drop by drop.
Every human being is the author of his own health or disease.
The tongue like a sharp knife… Kills without drawing blood.
The way is not in the sky. The way is in the heart. Click to tweet
More short quotes
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Fake Buddha Quotes (Most Of Them Are Famous Too)
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The mind is everything. What you think you become.
Peace comes from within. Do not seek it without.
You can only lose what you cling to.
I never see what has been done; I only see what remains to be done.
As you walk and eat and travel, be where you are. Otherwise you will miss most of your life.
The only real failure in life is not to be true to the best one knows.
A
man asked Gautama Buddha, “I want happiness.” Buddha said, “First
remove “I,” that’s Ego, then remove “want,” that’s Desire. See now, you
are left with only “Happiness”.
A family is a place where minds come in contact with one another.
Believe
nothing, no matter where you read it, or who said it, no matter if I
have said it, unless it agrees with your own reason and your own common
sense.
If your compassion does not include yourself, it is incomplete.
In
the end, only three things matter: how much you loved, how gently you
lived, and how gracefully you let go of things not meant for you.
The foot feels the foot when it feels the ground.
A dog is not considered a good dog because he is a good barker. A man is not considered a good man because he is a good talker.
If we destroy something around us we destroy ourselves. If we cheat another, we cheat ourselves.
Every experience, no matter how bad it seems, holds within it a blessing of some kind. The goal is to find it.
Doubt everything. Find your own light.
A generous heart, kind speech, and a life of service and compassion are the things which renew humanity.
Just as a snake sheds its skin, we must shed our past over and over again.
When you realize how perfect everything is you will tilt your head back and laugh at the sky.
Meditate. Live purely. Be quiet. Do your work with mastery. Like the moon, come out from behind the clouds! Shine.
My doctrine is not a doctrine but just a vision. I have not given you any set rules, I have not given you a system.
In
the sky, there is no distinction of east and west; people create
distinctions out of their own minds and then believe them to be true.
Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one who gets burned.
What you think you create, what you feel you attract, what you imagine you become.
Your work is to discover your world and then with all your heart give yourself to it.
There has to be evil so that good can prove its purity above it.
When you like a flower, you just pluck it. But when you love a flower, you water it daily.
It is better to travel well than to arrive.
It
is better to conquer yourself than to win a thousand battles. Then the
victory is yours. It cannot be taken from you, not by angels or by
demons, heaven or hell.
If you truly loved yourself, you could never hurt another.
Every morning we are born again. What we do today is what matters most.
Life is so very hard. How can we be anything but kind?
Live every act fully, as if it were your last. Click to tweet
Virtue is persecuted more by the wicked than it is loved by the good.
Nothing ever exists entirely alone; everything is in relation to everything else.
Purity or impurity depends on oneself. No one can purify another.
To support mother and father, to cherish wife and child and to have a simple livelihood; this is the good luck.
One moment can change a day, one day can change a life and one life can change the world.
She who knows life flows, feels no wear or tear, needs no mending or repair.
An
insincere and evil friend is more to be feared than a wild beast; a
wild beast may wound your body, but an evil friend will wound your mind.
Whatever words we utter should be chosen with care for people will hear them and be influenced by them for good or ill.
To be idle is a short road to death and to be diligent is a way of life; foolish people are idle, wise people are diligent.
Should a seeker not find a companion who is better or equal, let them resolutely pursue a solitary course.
If we could see the miracle of a single flower clearly, our whole life would change.
See also: family quotes, friendship quotes
Buddha Quotes On Love And Gratitude
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True love is born from understanding. Click to tweet
Radiate boundless love towards the entire world.
You, yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection.
Ambition is like love, impatient both of delays and rivals.
Love is a gift of one’s inner most soul to another so both can be whole.
Let all-embracing thoughts for all beings be yours.
We
will develop and cultivate the liberation of mind by lovingkindness,
make it our vehicle, make it our basis, stabilize it, exercise ourselves
in it, and fully perfect it.
Hatred does not cease through hatred at any time. Hatred ceases through love. This is an unalterable law.
As rain falls equally on the just and the unjust, do not burden your heart with judgments but rain your kindness equally on all.
He who loves 50 people has 50 woes; he who loves no one has no woes.
Kindness should become the natural way of life, not the exception.
Speak only endearing speech, speech that is welcomed. Speech, when it brings no evil to others, is a pleasant thing.
One is not called noble who harms living beings. By not harming living beings one is called noble.
Being deeply learned and skilled, being well trained and using well spoken words: this is good luck.
Just as a mother would protect her only child with her life, even so let one cultivate a boundless love towards all beings.
In whom there is no sympathy for living beings: know him as an outcast.
Let
us rise up and be thankful, for if we didn’t learn a lot today, at
least we learned a little, and if we didn’t learn a little, at least we
didn’t get sick, and if we got sick, at least we didn’t die; so, let us
all be thankful.
Buddha Quotes On Fear
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Those attached to the notion ‘I am’ and to views roam the world offending people. Click to tweet
There
is nothing more dreadful than the habit of doubt. Doubt separates
people. It is a poison that disintegrates friendships and breaks up
pleasant relations. It is a thorn that irritates and hurts; it is a
sword that kills.
Men, driven on by thirst, run about like a
snared hare; let therefore mendicant drive out thirst, by striving after
passionlessness for himself.
When one has the feeling of dislike
for evil, when one feels tranquil, one finds pleasure in listening to
good teachings; when one has these feelings and appreciates them, one is
free of fear.
The instant we feel anger we have already ceased striving for the truth, and have begun striving for ourselves.
More fear quotes
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Buddha Quotes On Mind And Mastering Yourself
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He is able who thinks he is able. Click to tweet
It is a man’s own mind, not his enemy or foe, that lures him to evil ways.
Delight in heedfulness! Guard well your thoughts!
Everything
is based on mind, is led by mind, is fashioned by mind. If you speak
and act with a polluted mind, suffering will follow you, as the wheels
of the oxcart follow the footsteps of the ox.
There is nothing so disobedient as an undisciplined mind, and there is nothing so obedient as a disciplined mind.
A
mind unruffled by the vagaries of fortune, from sorrow freed, from
defilements cleansed, from fear liberated — this is the greatest
blessing.
Know from the rivers in clefts and in crevices: those
in small channels flow noisily, the great flow silent. Whatever’s not
full makes noise. Whatever is full is quiet.
You are a seeker. Delight in the mastery of your hands and your feet, of your words and your thoughts.
See
them, floundering in their sense of mine, like fish in the puddles of a
dried-up stream — and, seeing this, live with no mine, not forming
attachment for states of becoming.
‘As I am, so are these. As are these, so am I.’ Drawing the parallel to yourself, neither kill nor get others to kill.
All experiences are preceded by mind, having mind as their master, created by mind.
To
enjoy good health, to bring true happiness to one’s family, to bring
peace to all, one must first discipline and control one’s own mind. If a
man can control his mind he can find the way to Enlightenment, and all
wisdom and virtue will naturally come to him.
All wrong-doing arises because of mind. If mind is transformed can wrong-doing remain?
What
we are today comes from our thoughts of yesterday, and our present
thoughts build our life of tomorrow: Our life is the creation of our
mind.
The one who has conquered himself is a far greater hero than he who has defeated a thousand times a thousand men.
Transcendental
intelligence rises when the intellectual mind reaches its limit and if
things are to be realized in their true and essential nature, its
processes of thinking must be transcended by an appeal to some higher
faculty of cognition.
I will not look at another’s bowl intent on finding fault: a training to be observed.
The
external world is only a manifestation of the activities of the mind
itself, and the mind grasps it as an external world simply because of
its habit of discrimination and false-reasoning. The disciple must get
into the habit of looking at things truthfully.
Mind precedes all mental states. Mind is their chief; they are all mind-wrought.
If with a pure mind a person speaks or acts happiness follows him like his never-departing shadow.
Quotes By Buddha On Happiness And Joy
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There is no path to happiness: happiness is the path. Click to tweet
Happiness comes when your work and words are of benefit to yourself and others.
Thousands
of candles can be lighted from a single candle, and the life of the
candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared.
It is in the nature of things that joy arises in a person free from remorse.
The
enlightened one, intent on jhana, should find delight in the forest,
should practice jhana at the foot of a tree, attaining his own
satisfaction.
Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.
Set your heart on doing good. Do it over and over again, and you will be filled with joy.
Should a person do good, let him do it again and again. Let him find pleasure therein, for blissful is the accumulation of good.
We
are formed and molded by our thoughts. Those whose minds are shaped by
selfless thoughts give joy when they speak or act. Joy follows them like
a shadow that never leaves them.
See also: funny quotes
Quotes By Buddha On Peace, Forgiveness And Letting Go
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Resolutely train yourself to attain peace. Click to tweet
Indeed,
the sage who’s fully quenched rests at ease in every way; no sense
desire adheres to him whose fires have cooled, deprived of fuel. All
attachments have been severed, the heart’s been led away from pain;
tranquil, he rests with utmost ease. The mind has found its way to
peace.
Do not turn away what is given you, nor reach out for what is given to others, lest you disturb your quietness.
Those who are free of resentful thoughts surely find peace. Click to tweet
Quotes By Buddha On Meditation And Spirituality
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Just as a candle cannot burn without fire, men cannot live without a spiritual life. Click to tweet
Looking deeply at life as it is in this very moment, the meditator dwells in stability and freedom.
Meditation
brings wisdom; lack of mediation leaves ignorance. Know well what leads
you forward and what hold you back, and choose the path that leads to
wisdom.
Whatever a monk keeps pursuing with his thinking and pondering, that becomes the inclination of his awareness.
See also: introvert quotes
Quotes By Buddha On Wisdom And Virtues
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The fool who knows he is a fool is that much wiser.
Whatever has the nature of arising has the nature of ceasing.
Unity can only be manifested by the Binary. Unity itself and the idea of Unity are already two.
What
is the appropriate behavior for a man or a woman in the midst of this
world, where each person is clinging to his piece of debris? What’s the
proper salutation between people as they pass each other in this flood?
The greatest gift is to give people your enlightenment, to share it. It has to be the greatest. Click to tweet
When watching after yourself, you watch after others. When watching after others, you watch after yourself.
Let
none find fault with others; let none see the omissions and commissions
of others. But let one see one’s own acts, done and undone.
The true master lives in truth, in goodness and restraint, non-violence, moderation, and purity.
Offend
in neither word nor deed. Eat with moderation. Live in your heart. Seek
the highest consciousness. Master yourself according to the law. This
is the simple teaching of the awakened.
Life is like the harp
string, if it is strung too tight it won’t play, if it is too loose it
hangs, the tension that produces the beautiful sound lies in the middle.
Do
not believe in anything simply because you have heard it. Do not
believe in anything simply because it is spoken and rumored by many. Do
not believe in anything simply because it is found written in your
religious books. Do not believe in anything merely on the authority of
your teachers and elders. Do not believe in traditions because they have
been handed down for many generations. But after observation and
analysis, when you find that anything agrees with reason and is
conducive to the good and benefit of one and all, then accept it and
live up to it.
Just as treasures are uncovered from the earth, so
virtue appears from good deeds, and wisdom appears from a pure and
peaceful mind. To walk safely through the maze of human life, one needs
the light of wisdom and the guidance of virtue.
The wise ones fashioned speech with their thought, sifting it as grain is sifted through a sieve.
The virtues, like the Muses, are always seen in groups. A good principle was never found solitary in any breast.
More wisdom quotes
Quotes By Buddha On Karma And Nirvana
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Someone
who has set out in the vehicle of a Bodhisattva should decide that ‘I
must lead all the beings to nirvana, into that realm of nirvana which
leaves nothing behind’. What is this realm of nirvana which leaves
nothing behind ?
Quotes By Buddha On Change, Failure And Suffering
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Nothing is forever except change. Click to tweet
There is no fire like passion, there is no shark like hatred, there is no snare like folly, there is no torrent like greed.
Both formerly and now, it is only suffering that I describe, and the cessation of suffering.
He
who can curb his wrath as soon as it arises, as a timely antidote will
check snake’s venom that so quickly spreads, — such a monk gives up the
here and the beyond, just as a serpent sheds its worn-out skin.
May all that have life be delivered from suffering.
It
is easy to see the faults of others, but difficult to see one’s own
faults. One shows the faults of others like chaff winnowed in the wind,
but one conceals one’s own faults as a cunning gambler conceals his
dice.
Buddha Quotes On Anger And Jealousy
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You will not be punished for your anger, you will be punished by your anger. Click to tweet
Wear your ego like a loose fitting garment.
Some do not understand that we must die, but those who do realize this settle their quarrels.
Hatred is never appeased by hatred in this world. By non-hatred alone is hatred appeased. This is a law eternal.
All tremble at violence; all fear death. Putting oneself in the place of another, one should not kill nor cause another to kill.
I do not dispute with the world; rather it is the world that disputes with me.
They
blame those who remain silent, they blame those who speak much, they
blame those who speak in moderation. There is none in the world who is
not blamed.
Those who cling to perceptions and views wander the world offending people.
Whoever doesn’t flare up at someone who’s angry wins a battle hard to win.
Anger
will never disappear so long as thoughts of resentment are cherished in
the mind. Anger will disappear just as soon as thoughts of resentment
are forgotten.
Do not overrate what you have received, nor envy others. He who envies others does not obtain peace of mind.
See also: jealousy quotes
Buddha Quotes On Success, Patience And Strength
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Neither fire nor wind, birth nor death can erase our good deeds. Click to tweet
Should you find a wise critic to point out your faults, follow him as you would a guide to hidden treasure.
As an elephant in the battlefield withstands arrows shot from bows all around, even so shall I endure abuse.
Praise
and blame, gain and loss, pleasure and sorrow come and go like the
wind. To be happy, rest like a giant tree in the midst of them all.
In separateness lies the world’s greatest misery; in compassion lies the world’s true strength.
Be a lamp for yourselves. Be your own refuge. Seek for no other. All things must pass. Strive on diligently. Don’t give up.
Better
it is to live one day seeing the rise and fall of things than to live a
hundred years without ever seeing the rise and fall of things.
If you do not change direction, you may end up where you are heading.
More patience quotes, strength quotes
Buddha Quotes On Health
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Health is the greatest gift, contentment the greatest wealth, faithfulness the best relationship. Buddha
To keep the body in good health is a duty… otherwise we shall not be able to keep our mind strong and clear.
Without health life is not life; it is only a state of langour and suffering – an image of death.
The
secret of health for both mind and body is not to mourn for the past,
not to worry about the future, not to anticipate the future, but to live
the present moment wisely and earnestly.
More health quotes
Buddha Quotes On Truth
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Those who have failed to work toward the truth have missed the purpose of living. Click to tweet
Teach
this triple truth to all: A generous heart, kind speech, and a life of
service and compassion are the things which renew humanity.
There are two mistakes one can make along the road to truth…not going all the way, and not starting.
The
calmed say that what is well-spoken is best; second, that one should
say what is right, not unrighteous; third, what’s pleasing, not
displeasing; fourth, what is true, not false.
Conquer the angry
one by not getting angry; conquer the wicked by goodness; conquer the
stingy by generosity, and the liar by speaking the truth.
Three things cannot be long hidden: the sun, the moon, and the truth.
Part 4. Quotes About Buddha
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If you use your mind to look for a Buddha, you won’t see the Buddha. Bodhidharma Click to tweet
And the Buddha is the person who’s free: free of plans, free of cares. Bodhidharma
As long as you look for a Buddha somewhere else, you’ll never see that your own mind is the Buddha. Bodhidharma
Buddha means awareness, the awareness of body and mind that prevents evil from arising in either. Bodhidharma
Buddhas don’t practice nonsense. Bodhidharma
A Buddha is someone who finds freedom in good fortune and bad. Bodhidharma
Buddhas move freely through birth and death, appearing and disappearing at will. Bodhidharma
But deluded people don’t realize that their own mind is the Buddha. They keep searching outside. Bodhidharma
To find a Buddha all you have to do is see your nature. Bodhidharma
No
one can force us to transform our minds, not even Buddha. We must do so
voluntarily. Therefore Buddha stated, ‘You are your own master’. Dalai
Lama
The color of the mountains is Buddha’s body; the sound of running water is his great speech. Dogen
The Buddha and all sentient beings are nothing but expressions of the one mind. There is nothing else. Huang Po
To
awaken suddenly to the fact that your own Mind is the Buddha, that
there is nothing to be attained or a single action to be performed. This
is the Supreme Way. Huang Po
The words of the Buddha offer this truth: Hatred never ceases by hatred but by love alone is healed. Jack Kornfield
Respect Buddha and the gods without counting on their help. Miyamoto Musashi
Even
the buddha does not want anyone to follow him. Even the greatest
masters cannot give you a single commandment. They see you so uniquely
you, they see your freedom to be so uniquely for you. Osho
Just
two small things: meditation and let-go. Remember these two key words:
meditation and surrender. Meditation will take you in, and surrender
will take you into the whole. And this is the whole of religion. Within
these two words Buddha has condensed the whole essence of religion. Osho
There
is no need for God! If you want to meditate you can meditate without
God. Buddha meditated without God; he had no belief in God. Osho
A Buddha is a Buddha, a Krishna is a Krishna, and you are you. Osho
He
taught virtue, mindfulness, and wisdom. These are the three pillars of
Buddhist practice, as well as the wellsprings of everyday well-being,
psychological growth, and spiritual realization. Rick Hanson
If you cannot bow to Buddha, you cannot be a Buddha. It is arrogance. Shunryu Suzuki
Buddha
says there are two kinds of suffering: the kind that leads to more
suffering and the kind that brings an end to suffering. Terry Tempest
Williams
You need to have confidence that you have the capacity
to become a Buddha, the capacity of transformation and healing. Thich
Nhat Hanh
Part 5. Buddhism And Zen Quotes
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Man suffers only because he takes seriously what the gods made for fun. Alan Watts Click to tweet
The
only thing that is ultimately real about your journey is the step that
you are taking at this moment. That’s all there ever is. Alan Watts
Everything in moderation, including moderation. Buddhist saying
Learning
to let go should be learned before learning to get. Life should be
touched, not strangled. You’ve got to relax, let it happen at times, and
at others move forward with it. Ray Bradbury
Even if things
don’t unfold the way you expected, don’t be disheartened or give up. One
who continues to advance will win in the end. Daisaku Ikeda
If we learn to open our hearts, anyone, including the people who drive us crazy, can be our teacher. Pema Chödrön
Awareness is the greatest agent for change. Huang Po Click to tweet
Zen has no business with ideas. Suzuki Roshi
To understand everything is to forgive everything. Osho
We are not going in circles, we are going upwards. The path is a spiral; we have already climbed many steps. Hermann Hesse
The
secret of Buddhism is to remove all ideas, all concepts, in order for
the truth to have a chance to penetrate, to reveal itself. Thich Nhat
Hanh
If you want to change the world, start with the next person who comes to you in need. Maezumi Roshi
We are here to awaken from our illusion of separateness. Martin Luther King Jr
When you do something, you should burn yourself up completely, like a good bonfire, leaving no trace of yourself. Eckhart Tolle
Wherever you are, be there totally. Eckhart Tolle
Only the hand that erases can write the true thing. Meister Eckhart
Treat every moment as your last. It is not preparation for something else. Shunryu Suzuki
Q 20 What did the Buddha say regarding the nature of a Supreme Awakened One as given in the five verses ? https://zenstudiespodcast.com/buddhas-enlightenment/ Shakyamuni Buddha’s Awakenment with Awareness : What Did He Realize?
According
to tradition, Buddhism began with the Buddha’s awakenment. This was the
spiritual awakening of one man, Siddhartha Gautama, somewhere between
528 and 445 BCE, who afterwards was called the “Buddha,” or “awakened
one.” He then taught others what he realized, along with the methods he
used to achieve that realization, and those teachings have been passed
down to the present day. What exactly did Siddhartha comprehend in his
awakenment?
All
of the many teachings of the Buddha center on the Four Noble Truths
just as the rim and spokes of a wheel center on the hub. They are called
‘Four’ because there are four of them. They are called ‘Noble’ because
they ennoble one who understands them and they are called ‘Truths’
because, corresponding with reality, they are true.
What is the First Noble Truth?
The
First Noble Truth is that life is suffering. To live, you must suffer.
It is impossible to live without experiencing some kind of suffering. We
have to endure physical suffering like sickness, injury, tiredness, old
age and eventually death and we have to endure psychological suffering
like loneliness, frustrations, fear, embarrassment, disappointment,
anger, etc.
Isn’t this a bit pessimistic?
The
dictionary defines pessimism as ‘the habit of thinking that whatever
will happen will be bad,’ or ‘The belief that evil is more powerful than
good.’ Buddhism teaches neither of these ideas. Nor does it deny that
happiness exists. It simply says that to live is to experience physical
and psychological suffering which is a statement so true and so obvious
that it cannot be denied. The central concept of most religions is a
myth, a legend or a belief that is difficult or impossible to verify.
Buddhism starts with an experience, an irrefutable fact, a thing that
all know, that all have experienced and that all are striving to
overcome. Thus Buddhism is the only truly universal religion because it
goes right to the core of every individual human being’s concern -
suffering and how to avoid it.
What is the Second Noble truth?
The
Second Noble Truth is that all suffering is caused by craving. When we
look at psychological suffering, it is easy to see how it is caused by
craving. When we want something but are unable to get it, we feel
frustrated. When we expect someone to live up to our expectation and
they do not, we feel let down and disappointed. When we want others to
like us and they don’t, we feel hurt. Even when we want something and
are able to get it, this does not often lead to happiness either because
it is not long before we feel bored with that thing, lose interest in
it and commence to want something else. Put simply, the Second Noble
Truth says that getting what you want does not guarantee happiness.
Rather than constantly struggling to get what you want, try to modify
your wanting. Wanting deprives us of contentment and happiness.
But how does wanting and craving lead to physical suffering?
A
lifetime wanting and craving for this and that and especially the
craving to continue to exist creates a powerful energy that causes the
individual to be reborn. When we are reborn, we have a body and, as we
said before, the body is susceptible to injury and disease; it can be
exhausted by work; it ages and eventually dies. Thus, craving leads to
physical suffering because it causes us to be reborn.
That’s all very well. But if we stopped wanting altogether, we would never get or achieve anything.
True.
But what the Buddha says is that when our desires, our craving, our
constant discontent with what we have, and our continual longing for
more and more does cause us suffering, then we should stop doing it. He
asks us to make a difference between what we need and what we want and
to strive for our needs and modify our wants. He tells us that our needs
can be fulfilled but that our wants are endless - a bottomless pit.
There are needs that are essential, fundamental and that can be obtained
and this we should work towards. Desires beyond this should be
gradually lessened. After all, what is the purpose of life? To get or to
be content and happy.
You have talked about rebirth, but is there any proof that such a thing happens?
There is ample evidence that such a thing happens, but we will look at this in more detail later on.
What is the Third Noble Truth?
The
Third Noble Truth is that suffering can be overcome and happiness
attained. This is perhaps the most important of the Four Noble Truths
because in it the Buddha reassures us that true happiness and
contentment are possible. When we give up useless craving and learn to
live each day at a time, enjoying without restless wanting the
experiences that life offers us, patiently enduring the problems that
life involves without fear, hatred and anger, then we become happy and
free. Then, and only then, do we being to live fully. Because we are no
longer obsessed with satisfying our own selfish wants, we find we have
so much time to help others fulfil their needs. This state is called
Nirvana. We are free from all psychological suffering as well. This is
called Final Nirvana.
What or where is Nirvana?
It
is a dimension transcending time and space and thus is difficult to
talk about or even to think about. Words and thoughts being only suited
to describe the time-space dimension. But because Nirvana is beyond
time, there is no movement and so no aging or dying. Thus Nirvana is
eternal. Because it is beyond space, there is no causation, no boundary,
no concept of self and not-self and thus Nirvana is infinite. The
Buddha also assures us that Nirvana is an experience of profound
happiness. He says:
Nirvana is the highest happiness. Dp 204
But is there any proof that such a dimension exists?
No,
there is not. But its existence can be inferred. If there is a
dimension where time and space do operate and there is such a dimension -
the world we experience, then we can infer that there is a dimension
where time and space do not operate - Nirvana. Again, even though we
cannot prove Nirvana exists, we have the Buddha’s word that it does
exist. He tells us:
“There is an. Unborn, a Not-become, a
Not-made, a Not-compounded. If there were not, this Unborn, Not become,
Not-made, Not-compounded, there could not be made any escape from what
is born, become, made, and compounded. But since there is this Unborn,
Not become, Not-made, Not-compounded, therefore is there made known an
escape from what is born, become, made, and compounded.” Ud. 80
We will know it when we attain it. Until that time, we can still practice.
What is the Fourth Noble Truth?
The
Fourth Noble Truth is the Path leading to the overcoming of suffering.
This path is called the Noble Eightfold Path and consists of Perfect
Understanding, Perfect Thought, Perfect Speech, Perfect Action, Perfect
Livelihood, Perfect Effort, Perfect Mindfulness and Perfect
Concentration. Being a Buddhist practice consists of practicing these
eight things until they become more complete. You will notice that the
steps on the Noble Eightfold Path cover every aspect of life: the
intellectual, the ethical, the social and economic and the psychological
and therefore contain everything a person needs to lead a good life and
to develop spiritually.
Q 22 Who is the real conquer (Jino), and why so ? elaborate.
Q 23 On hearing the five gathas of the Buddha what did the other traveler say ?
“You will not be punished for your anger, you will be punished by your anger.” – Buddha
“You cannot travel the path until you have become the path itself – Buddha
“However many holy words you read, however many you speak, what good will they do you if you do not act on upon them? – Buddha
“When you realize how perfect everything is you will tilt your head back and laugh at the sky” – Buddha
“Peace comes from within. Do not seek it without.” – Buddha
“You only lose what you cling to.” – Buddha
“There
is nothing more dreadful than the habit of doubt. Doubt separates
people. It is a poison that disintegrates friendships and breaks up
pleasant relations. It is a thorn that irritates and hurts; it is a
sword that kills. – Buddha
“The mind is everything. What you think you become.” – Buddha
“Three things cannot be long hidden: the sun, the moon, and the truth.” – Buddha
“Holding
on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it
at someone else; you are the one who gets burned.” – Buddha
“Believe
nothing, no matter where you read it, or who said it, no matter if I
have said it, unless it agrees with your own reason and your own common
sense. – Buddha
“Have compassion for all beings, rich and poor alike; each has their suffering. Some suffer too much, others too little. – Buddha
“Thousands
of candles can be lit from a single candle, and the life of the candle
will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared.” – Buddha
“You yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection.” – Buddha
“All that we are is the result of what we have thought. The mind is everything. What we think we become. – Buddha
“Those who are free of resentful thoughts surely find peace.” – Buddha
“To understand everything is to forgive everything” – Buddha
“We are shaped by our thoughts; we become what we think. When the mind is pure, joy follows like a shadow that never leaves.” – Buddha
Like our Page if you like these Quotes “The only real failure in life is not to be true to the best one knows. – Buddha
“An idea that is developed and put into action is more important than an idea that exists only as an idea. – Buddha
“A jug fills drop by drop.” – Buddha
In
recent years the concept of Zen has gained a lot of popularity, which
is a buddhist Mahayana movement originated from China which emphasizes
enlightenment for its student in a direct possible way. Zen Buddism is a
ancestral tradition which has been passed on since the time of the
Buddha. We also have a selection sayings and proverbs in the form of zen
quotes which convey and describe the philosophy behind Zen.
“The tongue like a sharp knife… Kills without drawing blood. – Buddha
“Even death is not to be feared by one who has lived wisely. – Buddha
“A
dog is not considered a good dog because he is a good barker. A man is
not considered a good man because he is a good talker.” – Buddha
“The way is not in the sky. The way is in the heart. – Buddha
“Teach
this triple truth to all: A generous heart, kind speech, and a life of
service and compassion are the things which renew humanity. – Buddha
“The
whole secret of existence is to have no fear. Never fear what will
become of you, depend on no one. Only the moment you reject all help are
you freed. – Buddha
“No one saves us but ourselves. No one can and no one may. We ourselves must walk the path. – Buddha
“The secret of health for both mind and body is not to mourn for the past, worry about the future, or an
ticipate troubles, but to live in the present moment wisely and earnestly. – Buddha
“Your work is to discover your work and then with all your heart to give yourself to it. – Buddha
“Work out your own salvation. Do not depend on others. – Buddha
“What we think, we become. – Buddha
“To conquer oneself is a greater task than conquering others – Buddha
“Better than a thousand hollow words, is one word that brings peace. – Buddha
“He who loves 50 people has 50 woes; he who loves no one has no woes. – Buddha
“To keep the body in good health is a duty…otherwise we shall not be able to keep our mind strong and clear. – Buddha
“There has to be evil so that good can prove its purity above it. – Buddha
“Hatred does not cease through hatred at any time. Hatred ceases through love. This is an unalterable law. – Buddha
“Whatever words we utter should be chosen with care for people will hear them and be influenced by them for good or ill. – Buddha
“Every human being is the author of his own health or disease. – Buddha
“All that we are is the result of what we have thought. The mind is everything. What we think we become” – Buddha
“All wrong-doing arises because of mind. If mind is transformed can wrong-doing remain?” – Buddha
“Thousands
of candles can be lit from a single candle, and the life of the candle
will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared.” – Buddha
“Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.” – Buddha
“However many holy words you read, however many you speak, what good will they do you If you do not act on
upon them?” – Buddha
“Even death is not to be feared by one who has lived wisely.” – Buddha
“Peace comes from within. Do not seek it without.” – Buddha
“In
the sky, there is no distinction of east and west; people create
distinctions out of their own minds and then believe them to be true.” – Buddha
“If we could see the miracle of a single flower clearly, our whole life would change.” – Buddha
“The only real failure in life is not to be true to the best one knows.” – Buddha
“Doubt everything. Find your own light.” – Buddha
Q 24 Is it
possible to construe the Buddha either as a god or an incarnation,
prophet or messaiah of a god from what has been said about Boddhahood in
Buddha’s own words in the five gathas ?
I ) If your answer is no, write why do you think so. II) If your answer is yes, please explain why do you think so.
This one seems to be doing the rounds at the moment.
One of his students asked Buddha, “Are you the messiah?”
“No”, answered Buddha.
“Then are you a healer?”
“No”, Buddha replied.
“Then are you a teacher?” the student persisted.
“No, I am not a teacher.”
“Then what are you?” asked the student, exasperated.
“I am awake”, Buddha replied
This
is an awkward one, because nothing the Buddha says is actually
inaccurate. After all, he says “no” a lot and then says he’s awake. None
of those things is a misquote. And the dialogue kinda sorta happened,
but not in the terms used in the quote — but that’s what makes it
suspect, because the Buddha’s words have been put in a new, and
inconguous, context.
Waking up this morning, I smile. Twenty four brand new hours are before me. I vow to live fully in each moment and to look at all beings with eyes of compassion
Brushing Teeth
Brushing my teeth and rinsing my mouth, I vow to speak purely and lovingly. When my mouth is fragrant with right speech, a flower blooms in the garden of my heart.
Washing Your Feet
Peace and joy in each toe – my own peace and joy.
Beginning a Sitting
Sitting here is like sitting under the Bodhi Tree My body is mindfulness itself, entirely free from distraction.
Walking Meditation
The mind can go in a thousand directions. But on this beautiful path, I walk in peace. With each step, a gentle wind blows. With each step, a flower blooms.
Drinking Tea
This cup of tea in my two hands – Mindfulness is held uprightly My mind and body dwell in the very here and now.
Talking on the Telephone
Words can travel thousands of miles. May my words create mutual understanding and love. May they be as beautiful as gems, as lovely as flowers.
Driving a Car
Before starting the car I know where I am going. The car and I are one. If the car goes fast, I go fast. If the car goes slowly, I go slowly.
Smiling at Your Anger
Breathing in, I know that anger makes me ugly. Breathing out, I do not want to be contorted by anger. Breathing in, I know I must take care of myself. Breathing out, I know loving kindness is the only answer.
Starting a Meal: The Five Contemplations
This food is the gift of the whole universe – the earth the sky, and much hard work. May we eat in mindfulness so as to be worthy to receive it. May we transform our unskillful states of mind and learn to eat with moderation. May we take only foods that nourish us and prevent illness. We accept this food to realize the path of understanding and love and joy.
Washing the Dishes
Washing the dishes is like bathing a baby Buddha. The profane is the sacred. Everyday mind is Buddha’s mind.
Meditating or Walking
I have arrived. I am home. In the here, In the now. I am solid. – I am free. In the ultimate I dwell.
stillwatermpc.org Mindfulness Gathas by Thich Nhat Hanh | Still Water Mindfulness Practice Center Mindfulness
Gathas by Thich Nhat Hanh Waking Up Waking up this morning, I smile.
Twenty four brand new hours are before me. I vow to live fully in each…
Q 25 Write an essay on Buddha’s own definition of Buddhahood as given in the Dona Sutta Here’s a translation of portions of the original sutta:
On seeing him, [Dona] went to him and said, “Master, are you a deva [a god]?”
“No, brahman, I am not a deva.”
“Are you a gandhabba [a kind of low-grade god; a celestial musician]?”
“No…”
“… a yakkha [a kind of protector god, or sometimes a trickster spirit]?”
“No…”
“… a human being?”
“No, brahman, I am not a human being.”
…
“Then what sort of being are you?”
…
“Remember me, brahman, as ‘awakened.’”
I’ve
done a lot of truncating here, so that the relevant portions of the
sutta and the Fake Buddha Quote can be contrasted more easily.
First,
who is this “Dona” who is talking to the Buddha? It’s not a “student”
of the Buddha, as is stated in the Fake Buddha Quote. It’s a brahmin
priest who has seen the miraculous footprints of the Buddha, complete
with wheels of 1000 spokes, and who follows the Buddha to question him.
And
then there are the categories used in both the fake quote and the
sutta. In the fake quote the first category into which Dona tries to
pigeonhole the Buddha is “Messiah.” This is very inappropriate language,
and in fact it’s straight from the New Testament, Matthew 11:3.
Dona
of course doesn’t ask whether the Buddha is the long-awaited savior of
the Jews, or if we are to take the term Messiah in its more popular
sense, does he ask if the Buddha is a savior of any sort at all. He
merely asks if the Buddha is a divine being.
Dona, of course, is
not a Buddhist, so he wouldn’t have had a Buddhist understanding of the
term “deva.” Devas (gods) in Buddhism are not immortal or spiritually
awakened beings. They live mortal lives, although on a vastly longer
timescale than our own. And although they may have greater powers than
us, those powers are not in a Buddhist sense spiritual. They have no
insight. They are not awakened, as the Buddha is. Dona would not have
seen the gods this way. Presumably he would have seen them as immortal
and spiritually magnificent beings. So the Buddha rules this out. No, he
is not a god. I think we can safely assume that in Dona’s mind the
terms deva, gandabbha, yakkha, and human being represent progressively
less exalted kinds of beings.
Nor does Dona ask the Buddha if he
is a healer or a teacher. He’s simply concerned with whether the Buddha
is a divine being or a human being. He doesn’t ask about the Buddha in
terms of being a teacher or healer.
Dona finally tries asking the
Buddha if he could be described using a non-divine category — a human
being. The Buddha denies that he is this.
So while something like
this dialogue is recorded in the Buddhist scriptures, the terms have
been changed a lot, and so I’m going to regard this as a Fake Buddha
Quote.
But let’s take a moment to go back to the sutta. The
Buddha not only denies that he is a devine being, but he says in effect
that he is indefinable. He’s not even definable as a human being.
Brahman,
the āsavas [negative mental states] by which — if they were not
abandoned — I would be a deva: Those are abandoned by me, their root
destroyed, made like a palmyra stump, deprived of the conditions of
development, not destined for future arising. The āsavas by which — if
they were not abandoned — I would be a gandhabba… a yakkha… a human
being: Those are abandoned by me, their root destroyed, made like a
palmyra stump, deprived of the conditions of development, not destined
for future arising.
There are various ways to interpret this.
Here’s how I see it. The āsavas are the basis of our clinging and of,
therefore, our self-view, which is just one particular form of clinging.
The Buddha has no clinging, because the āsavas have been destroyed.
Therefore the Buddha does not identify anything (body, mind, etc.) as
being “his self.” The Buddha lacks any theory of or idea about his own
self, and lives without reference to a self. He doesn’t define himself.
In fact it’s because he’s a Buddha that he doesn’t define himself. And
so, the Buddha is essentially undefinable. Those of us who are not
Buddhas can certainly try to pigeonhole him into one of the categories
we use, but these categories don’t match up with how the Buddha sees
himself, which is certainly not in terms of any of those categories, or
indeed in terms of any category we could imagine.
The Buddha’s
view of himself is — and I step out of traditional language here — a
direct perception of an indefinable “flow” or “process.” This process is
not perceived as being separate from the world, or as being part of a
“oneness” with the world.
And so, in the words of another sutta,
“you can’t pin down the Tathagata as a truth or reality even in the
present life.” In fact this sutta, the Anuradha Sutta, leads us through a
socratic dialog in which it’s made clear that the Buddha has no view of
a self. In fact this sutta ends with one of the most misinterpreted
lines from the whole Buddhist canon:
“Both formerly and now, it is only suffering that I describe, and the cessation of suffering.”
This
is often taken to mean that the Buddha only has one purpose, which is
to teach suffering and how to end it, but it’s clear from other suttas
that what the Buddha is saying is that suffering and the end of
suffering can exist, without there being a “self” to experience either
suffering or its end.
This is a difficult thing for us to get our
heads around, and the Buddha admitted when talking about the same topic
to a wantered called Vacchagotta:
“Of course you’re befuddled,
Vaccha. Of course you’re confused. Deep, Vaccha, is this phenomenon,
hard to see, hard to realize, tranquil, refined, beyond the scope of
conjecture, subtle, to-be-experienced by the wise. For those with other
views, other practices, other satisfactions, other aims, other teachers,
it is difficult to know.”
Q 26 Why did the brahmin Dona put those four questions based on his knowledge of the footprint? Postscript
Those
footprints with thousand-spoked wheels! They surely didn’t exist. I
suppose some might say that Dona saw these by means of psychic powers,
but that’s not a world view that I buy into. I’d suggest that the
Buddha’s “footprints” here refer to his impact on those around him.
Perhaps Dona had met people who had been affected by the newly awakened
Buddha’s personality as he passed by on his wandering, and saw in the
reactions of those around him signs of something special. This
presentation in terms of the Buddha’s divine footprints is a reminder
that the Buddhist scriptures were edited for effect, and that reminds us
that there is no such thing as a definitive “Genuine Buddha Quote.”
Q 28 What do you understand by the word i) ‘canker’? ii) by lotus analogy?
image.png As
a lotus flower is born in water, grows in water and rises out of water
to stand above it unsoiled, so I, born in the world, raised in the world
having overcome the world, live unsoiled by the world
29.Whatdo you understand aboutThe Buddha-nature as compared with the lotus? Elaborateasclearlyasyoucan.
Q 29 What do you understand about the Buddha-nature as compared with the lotus ? Elaborate as clearly as you can.
https://buddhaweekly.com/buddha-nature-one-important-understandings-mahayana-buddhism-tathagatagarbha-buddha-nature-not-soul/ https://buddhaweekly.com/buddha-nature-one-important-under…/ Why
Buddha Nature is one of the most important understandings in Mahayana
Buddhism and why Tathagatagarbha Buddha Nature is not the soul “Buddha
nature is all-encompassing … This Buddha nature is present just as the
shining sun is present in the sky.” — Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche “In
Buddhism we don’t have a soul, we don’t have a concept of soul.” said
Venerable Zasep Rinpoche [in a soon to be released video on Buddha
Nature.] “To me, soul sounds like some sort of permanent thing, within
us. Nothing is permanent. Instead of soul, we have consciousness, mind
stream, and Buddha Nature.” [1] The two ways that both Buddha Nature
and soul are actually similar is in the concept of being both “natural”
and “luminous.” Where they absolutely differ is on the concept of ego
and self; soul implies permanent attachment to a “self” which, at its
core, is the opposite of the Buddhist ideal of Emptiness.
Also,
in most traditions, happiness of the soul rely on the blessings of God.
In Buddhism, you could say it is completely self-help — only you can
develop your Buddha Nature. (People, Yidams, Buddhas can help, but
ultimately you have to do it.)
If it is not the soul, what is Buddha Nature?
Buddha
Nature is a lofty concept, understood by Enlightened Beings, but in a
certain way unteachable to the unenlightened. In the Uttaratantra it
says:
“It is subtle, so it is not the object of learning. It is ultimate, so it is not the object of contemplation. The dharmata is profound, so it is not the object of mundane meditation…”
Realizing
it is there, as taught by infallible Buddhas, is uplifting and
wonderful. Understanding exactly what it is more difficult. It can be
discussed, to a certain extent taught or commented upon, but ultimately
it is “ultimate” wisdom, far beyond our current ability to fully grasp.
On that level, it requires faith. But, for those who accept the
infallible teachings of Buddha, it is not faith, but acceptance of truth
we don’t yet fully understand. Even though we can’t fully understand,
it is important to know we have Buddha Nature.
Save
Two Types of Buddha Nature: Natural and Developing
Zasep Rinpoche explains that there are actually two types of Buddha Nature (Tathagatagharba):
“Natural
Tathagatagarbha is something that is with us always, and developing
Tathagatagarbha means that we have to develop. So, in other words, the
consciousness, our consciousness, is developing Tathagatagarbha.
”
Our consciousness is perceiving and imputing labels on objects, seeing
things as subject and object, and relationship between subject and
object. The subject and object of consciousness is inter-dependent.
Dependent arising. There is no inherent existence. Therefore, the true
nature of the consciousness is Shunyata. The ultimate nature of the mind
is Empty, like it states in the Heart Sutra: “Likewise, consciousness
is Empty, and Emptiness is also consciousness.” Consciousness is
emptiness. So, natural Tathagatagarbha is the emptiness of the mind.”
buddhaweekly.com Why Buddha Nature is one of the most important understandings in Mahayana Buddhism and why…
Q
30 The message of the Buddha in this Sutta can be breifly expressed
thus: ” Though I am born in the world, I am above it. It cannot spoil
me.” How would you interpret it ?
Q 32 Please clarify: i. What is Bodhi and how many kinds of Bodhi are there ? ii Who is a Bodhisatta and how many typts of Bodhisattas are there ? https://buddhism.stackexchange.com/…/are-there-bodhisatta-p…
Bodhisatta
practices in Theravada are mentioned in Buddhavamsa, Jataka and Apadana
atthakatha, especially in Visuddhajanavilāsiniyā, Apadana Atthakatha,
the commentary of Apadana, which is believed to be a late addition to
the Pali Canon, added after the Second and Third Buddhist Councils. This
is probably why we hear that the notion of bodhisatta is a late
addition. However, in Theravada countries like Sri Lanka where I come
from, the bodhisattas are widely accepted. (See also the wikipedia
section on Theravada bodhisattas. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bodhisattva)
According
to Buddhavagga section in Apadana Atthakathaa, Theravada Buddhism has
ten perfections dasapāramitā (Giving, morality, renunciation, wisdom,
energy, patience, truthfulness, determination, loving kindness and
equanimity) and there are three types of bodhisattas, the ones aspiring
to be Sammāsambuddha, Pacceka Buddha (a private Buddha) and Savaka
Buddha (arahant).
According to the section Buddhavagga in Apadana
Atthakathaa, to become a Sammāsambuddha, one requires either 4×10^140
(cattāri asaṅkhyeyyāni), 8×10^140 (aṭṭha asaṅkhyeyyāni) or 16×10^140
(soḷasa asaṅkhyeyyāni) eons of pāramitā perfection
A bodhisatta aspiring to be a pacceka buddha requires 2×10^140 (dve asaṅkhyeyyāni) eons of practice.
paccekabuddho paccekabodhisattabhūmiṃ ogāhanto dve asaṅkhyeyyāni kappasatasahassañca pāramiyo pūretvā Apadana Atthakathaa
For an arahant a time limit is not given for the bodhisatta period.
buddhism.stackexchange.com Are there Bodhisatta practices within Theravada? In
the Majjhima Nikaya, there are mentions of Bodhisattvas. For instance,
Bhayabherava Sutta (4. Fear and Dread) says: “Before my awakenment,…
iii Who is a Buddha and how many types of Buddhas are there ? Types of Buddha
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This box: view talk edit In Buddhism, three types of Buddha are recognized.
Sammasambuddha, often simply referred to as Buddha Paccekabuddha Savakabuddha The
first two types of Buddha both achieve Nirvana through their own
efforts, without a teacher to point out the Dharma. The term
Savakabuddha does not occur in the Theravadin Pali Canon, but is
mentioned in three Theravadin commentarial works[dubious – discuss], in
Mahayana texts like Shantideva’s Bodhisattvacharlavadacrechlkyadifaeikyavatara[1] and in the Tibetan tradition[2], and refers to an enlightened disciple of the Buddha.
Contents
[show] Samyaksambuddha
Samyaksambuddhas
(Pali: Sammasambuddha) gain Nirvana by their own efforts, and discover
the Dhamma without having a teacher to point it out. They then lead
others to enlightenment by teaching the Dhamma in a time or world where
it has been forgotten or has not been taught before, because a
Samyaksambuddha does not depend upon a tradition that stretches back to a
previous Samyaksambuddha, but instead discovers the path anew. The
historical Buddha, Gautama Buddha, is considered a Samyaksambuddha. See
also the list of 28 sammasambuddhas.
Three variations can be
distinguished in the way of achieving Samyaksambuddha-hood. With more
wisdom (prajñādhika), with more effort (vīryādhika) or with more faith
(śraddhādhika). Śākyamuni was a Prajñādhika (through more wisdom)
Buddha. The next Buddha of this world, Maitreya (Pāli: Metteyya) will be
a Vīryādhika (through more effort) Buddha.
Pratyekabuddha
Pratyekabuddhas
(Pali: Pacceka Buddha) are similar to Samyaksambuddhas in that they
attain Nirvāṇa without having a teacher. Unlike the Samyaksambuddha
however, they do not teach the Dhamma that they have discovered. Thus,
they also do not form a Saṅgha of disciples to carry on the teaching,
since they do not teach in the first place.
In some works they
are referred to as “silent Buddhas”. Several comparatively new Buddhist
scriptures (of later origin; after the Buddha’s demise, like the
Jātakas), show Pratyekabuddhas giving teachings. A Paccekabuddha can
sometimes teach and admonish people, but these admonitions are only in
reference to good and proper conduct (abhisamācārikasikkhā), not
concerning Nirvana.
In some texts, they are described as ‘one who
understands the Dharma by his own efforts, but does not obtain
omniscience nor mastery over the Fruits’ (phalesu vasībhāvam).
Śrāvakabuddha
Śrāvaka
(Skt.; Pali: sāvaka; means “hearer” or “follower”) is a disciple of a
Sammasambuddha. An enlightened disciple is generally called an arahant
(Noble One) or ariya-sāvaka (Noble Disciple). (These terms have slightly
varied meanings but can both be used to describe the enlightened
disciple.) The Theravadin commentary to the Udana uses the term
sāvaka-buddha (Pali; Skt. śrāvakabuddha) to describe the enlightened
disciple[3] This third types of Buddha is also acknowledged in Mahayana
texts [4] and in Tibetan Buddhism.[2]
Enlightened disciples
attain Nirvana as do the two aforementioned types of Buddhas. After
attaining enlightenment, disciples may also lead others to
enlightenment. One can not become a disciple of a Buddha in a time or
world where the teaching of the Buddha has been forgotten or has not
been taught before, because this type of enlightenment is dependent on a
tradition that stretches back to a Samyaksambuddha.
A rarely
used word, anubuddha, was a term used by the Buddha in the
Khuddakapatha[5] for those who become buddhas after being given
instruction.
Teaching and Studying
The types of Buddha do
not correspond to a different Dharma or truth; the truth discovered by
them is one and the same. The distinctions are based solely on issues
concerning studying and teaching. If one has a teacher who points out
the Dharma and one realises this Dharma for oneself also, one is an
Arahant (Śrāvaka). If one discovers the Dharma without a teacher, and
subsequently chooses to teach, one is a Sammasambuddha. If one discovers
the Dharma without a teacher and chooses not to teach one is a
Paccekabuddha.
Also in Theravada Buddhism one is warned against
striving for the purpose of attaining some status, and it is further
taught that the same Dharma (truth or teaching) both attract, guides and
saves living beings. No distinction in truths or teachings is being
made (as is sometimes common in Mahayana), although not everyone is
taught in the same way (people have different characters and
inclinations).
“No God, no Brahma can be found No matter of this wheel of life Just bare phenomena roll Depend on conditions all.(Visuddhi Magga)”
The
Law of Dependent Origination is one of the most important teachings of
the Buddha, and it is also very profound. The Buddha has often expressed
His experience of Awakenment in one of two ways, either in terms of
having understood the Four Noble Truths, or in terms of having
understood the nature of the dependent origination. However, more people
have heard about the Four Noble Truths and can discuss it than the Law
of Dependent Origination, which is just as important.
Although
the actual insight into dependent origination arises with spiritual
maturity, it is still possible for us to understand the principle
involved. The basis of dependent origination is that life or the world
is built on a set of relations, in which the arising and cessation of
factors depend on some other factors which condition them. This
principle can be given in a short formula of four lines:
When this is, that is This arising, that arises When this is not, that is not This ceasing, that ceases.
On
this principle of interdependence and relativity rests the arising,
continuity and cessation of existence. This principle is known as the
Law of Dependent Origination in Pali, Paticca-samuppada. This law
emphasizes an important principle that all phenomena in this universe
are relative, conditioned states and do not arise independently of
supportive conditions. A phenomenon arises because of a combination of
conditions which are present to support its arising. And the phenomenon
will cease when the conditions and components supporting its arising
change and no longer sustain it. The presence of these supportive
conditions, in turn, depend on other factors for their arising,
sustenance and disappearance.
The Law of Dependence Origination
is a realistic way of understanding the universe and is the Buddhist
equivalent of Einstein’s Theory of Relativity. The fact that everything
is nothing more than a set of relations is consistent with the modern
scientific view of the material world. Since everything is conditioned,
relative, and interdependent, there is nothing in this world which could
be regarded as a permanent entity, variously regarded as an ego or an
eternal soul, which many people believe in.
The phenomenal world
is built on a set of relations, but is this the way we would normally
understand the world to be? We create fictions of its permanency in our
minds because of our desires. It is almost natural for human beings to
cling to what they consider as beautiful or desirable, and to reject
what is ugly or undesirable. Being subjected to the forces of greed and
hatred, they are misled by delusion, clouded by the illusion of the
permanency of the object they cling to or reject. Therefore, it is hard
for us to realize that the world is like a bubble or mirage, and is not
the kind of reality we believe it to be. We do not realize that it is
unreal in actuality. It is like a ball of fire, which when whirled
around rapidly, can for a time, create the illusion of a circle.
The
fundamental principle at work in dependent origination is that of cause
and effect. In dependent origination, what actually takes place in the
causal process is described in detail. To illustrate the nature of
dependent origination of the things around us, let us consider an oil
lamp. The flame in an oil lamp burns dependent upon the oil and the
wick. When the oil and the wick are present, the flame in an oil lamp
burns. If either of these is absent, the flame will cease to burn. This
example illustrates the principle of dependent origination with
respect to a flame in an oil lamp. Or in an example of a plant, it is
dependent upon the seed, earth, moisture, air and sunlight for the plant
to grow. All these phenomena arise dependent upon a number of causal
factors, and not independently. This is the principle of dependent
origination.
In the Dhamma, we are interested to know how the
principle of dependent origination is applied to the problem of
suffering and rebirth. The issue is how dependent origination can
explain why we are still going round in Samsara, or explain the problem
of suffering and how we can be free from suffering. It is not meant to
be a description of the origin or evolution of the universe. Therefore,
one must not be mistaken into assuming that ignorance, the first factor
mentioned in the dependent origination, is the first cause. Since
everything arises because of some preceding causes, there can be no
first cause.
According to the Law of Dependent Origination,
there are twelve factors which account for the continuity of existence
birth after birth. The factors are as follows:
Through ignorance are conditioned volitional actions or kamma-formations. Through volitional actions is conditioned consciousness. Through consciousness are conditioned mental and physical phenomena. Through mental and physical phenomena are conditioned the six faculties(i.e., five physical sense-organs and mind). Through the six faculties is conditioned (sensorial and mental) contact. Through (sensorial and mental)contact is conditioned sensation. Through sensation is conditioned desire, ‘thirst”. Through desire (’thirst’) is conditioned clinging. Through clinging is conditioned the process of becoming. Through the process of becoming is conditioned birth. Through birth are conditioned decay, death, sorrow, lamentation, pain, grief and despair.
This
is how life arises, exists and continues, and how suffering arises.
These factors may be understood as sequentially spanning over a period
of three life-times; the past life, the present life, and the future
life. In the dependent origination, ignorance and mental formation
belong to the past life, and represent the conditions that are
responsible for the occurrence of this life. The following factors,
namely, consciousness, mental and physical phenomena, the six senses,
contact, sensation, desire, clinging and becoming, are factors involved
in the present life. The last two factors, birth and decay and death,
belong to the future life.
In this law, the first factor of
Ignorance gives rise to Volitional Activities (or kamma). Ignorance
means not knowing or understanding the true nature of our existence.
Through Ignorance, good or evil deeds are performed which will lead a
person to be reborn. Rebirth can occur in various planes of existence:
the human world, the celestial or higher planes, or even suffering
planes depending of the quality of a person’s kamma. When a person dies,
his Volitional Activities will condition the arising of Consciousness,
in this case to mean the re-linking Consciousness which arises as the
first spark of a new life in the process of re-becoming.
Once
the re-linking Consciousness has taken place, life starts once again.
Dependent on the Consciousness, there arise Mind and Matter, that is, a
new ‘being’ is born. Because there are Mind and Matter, there arise the
six Sense-organs (the sixth sense is the mind itself). With the arising
of the Sense-organs, there arises Contact. Contact with what? Contact
with sights, sounds, smells, tastes, tactile objects, and mental
objects.
These sights, sounds, smells, tastes, tactile objects,
and mental objects can be beautiful, pleasing and enticing. On the other
hand, they can be ugly and distasteful. Therefore, dependent on Contact
arises Sensations: feelings that are pleasant, unpleasant or neutral.
Because of these feelings, the laws of attraction (greed)and repulsion
(aversion) are now set in motion. Beings are naturally attracted to
pleasant objects and repelled by unpleasant objects. As a result of
Sensation, Desire arises. A person desires and thirsts for forms that
are beautiful and enticing; sounds that are beautiful and enticing;
tastes, smells, touch, and objects which the mind regards as beautiful
and enticing. From these Desires, he develops very strong Clinging to
the beautiful object (or strongly rejects the repulsive object). Now
because of this Clinging and attachment, the next life is conditioned
and there arises Becoming. In other words, the processes of Becoming are
set in motion by Clinging.
The next link in this chain of
Dependent Origination is that Becoming conditions the arising of Birth.
And finally, dependence on Birth arise Decay and Death, followed by
Sorrow, Lamentation, Pain, Grief and Despair.
The process can be
ceased if the formula is taken in the reverse order: Through the
complete cessation of ignorance(through the cultivation of Insight),
volitional activities or kamma-formations cease; through the cessation
of volitional activities, consciousness ceases; °‚ through the cessation
of birth, the other factors of decay, death, sorrow, etc., cease.
Therefore, one can be free from the rounds of rebirth through the
eradication of ignorance.
To re-iterate what was mentioned
earlier, this doctrine of Dependent Origination merely explains the
processes of Birth and Death, and is not a theory of the evolution of
the world. It deals with the Cause of re-birth and Suffering, but in no
way attempts to show the absolute Origin of Life. Ignorance in Dependent
Origination is the ignorance of the Four Noble Truths. It is very
important for us to understand the Four Noble Truths because it is the
ignorance of these Truths that has trapped us all in the endless cycle
of birth and death.
According to the Buddha, while He was
speaking to Ananda: It is by their not being able to comprehend the
Dependent Origination, that people are entangled like a ball of cotton,
and not being able to see the Truth, are always afflicted by Sorrow,
–born often into conditions that are dismal and dreary, where confusion
and prolonged suffering prevail. And, they do not know how to
disentangle themselves to get out.
Theravada > glossary [P] [Paticcasamuppada in Theravada glossaries] « previous · next » Dependent
co arising; dependent origination. A map showing the way the aggregates
(khandha) and sense media (ayatana) interact with ignorance (avijja)
and craving (tanha) to bring about stress and suffering (dukkha). As the
interactions are complex, there are several different versions of
paticca samuppada given in the suttas. In the most common one, the map
starts with ignorance. In another common one, the map starts with the
interrelation between name (nama) and form (rupa) on the one hand, and
sensory consciousness (vinnana) on the other.
(Source): Access to Insight: A Glossary of Pali and Buddhist Terms Conditioned
production of the twelve interdependent causes. It is the explanation
of the anatta process, it rules over the appearance and disappearance of
each phenomenon.
See also: paticca samuppada
(Source): Dhamma Dana: Pali English Glossary ‘dependent
origination’, is the doctrine of the conditionality of all physical and
psychical phenomena, a doctrine which, together with that of
impersonality (anattā), forms the indispensable condition for the real
understanding and realization of the teaching of the Buddha. It shows
the conditionality and dependent nature of that uninterrupted flux of
manifold physical and psychical phenomena of existence conventionally
called the ego, or man, or animal, etc.
Whereas the doctrine of
impersonality, or anattā, proceeds analytically, by splitting existence
up into the ultimate constituent parts, into mere empty, unsubstantial
phenomena or elements, the doctrine of dependent origination, on the
other hand, proceeds synthetically, by showing that all these phenomena
are, in some way or other, conditionally related with each other. In
fact, the entire Abhidhamma Pitaka, as a whole, treats really of nothing
but just these two doctrines: phenomenality - implying impersonality
and conditionality of all existence. The former or analytical method is
applied in Dhammasangani, the first book of the Abhidhamma Pitaka; the
latter or synthetical method, in Patthāna, the last book of the
Abhidhamma Pitaka. For a synopsis of these two works, s. Guide I and
VII.
Though this subject has been very frequently treated by
Western authors, by far most of them have completely misunderstood the
true meaning and purpose of the doctrine of dependent origination, and
even the 12 terms themselves have often been rendered wrongly.
The formula of dependent origination runs as follows: 1.
Avijiā-paccayā sankhārā: “Through ignorance are conditioned the
sankhāras,” i.e. the rebirth-producing volitions (cetanā), or
‘karma-formations’ . 2. Sankhāra-paccayā viññānam: “Through the
karma-formations (in the past life) is conditioned consciousness (in the
present life).” 3. Viññāna-paccayā nāma-rūpam: “Through
consciousness are conditioned the mental and physical phenomena
(nāma-rūpa),” i.e. that which makes up our so-called individual
existence. 4. Nāma-rūpa-paccayā salāyatanam: “Through the mental and
physical phenomena are conditioned the 6 bases,” i.e. the 5 physical
sense-organs, and consciousness as the sixth. 5. Salāyatana-paccayā phasso: “Through the six bases is conditioned the (sensorial mental) impression.” 6. Phassa-paccayā vedanā: “Through the impression is conditioned feeling.” 7. Vedanā-paccayā tanhā: “Through feeling is conditioned craving.” 8. Tanhā-paccayā upādānam: “Through craving is conditioned clinging.” 9.
Upādāna-paccayā bhavo: “Through clinging is conditioned the process of
becoming,” consisting in the active and the passive life process, i.e.
the rebirth-producing karma-process (kamma-bhava) and, as its result,
the rebirth-process (upapatti-bhava). 10. Bhava-paccayā jāti: “Through the (rebirth-producing karma-) process of becoming is conditioned rebirth.” 11.
Jāti-paccayā jarāmaranam, etc.: “Through rebirth are conditioned old
age and death (sorrow, lamentation, pain, grief and despair). Thus
arises this whole mass of suffering again in the future.”
The following diagram shows the relationship of dependence between three successive lives:
3 Consciousness (viññāna) 4 Mind & Matter (nāma-rūpa) 5 Six Bases (āyatana) 6 Impression (phassa) 7 Feeling (vedanā) Rebirth-Process (upapattibhava)
5 results: 3-7
8 Craving (tanhā) 10 Process of Becoming (bhava) Karma-Process (kammabhava) 5 causes: 1,2,8,9,10 FUTURE
11 Rebirth (jāti) 12 Old Age and Death (jarā-marana) Rebirth-Process (upapattibhava) 5 results: 3-7 Before
taking up the study of the following exposition, it is suggested that
the reader first goes thoroughly through the article on the 24
conditions (s. paccaya). For a thorough understanding of the
paticcasamuppāda he should know the main modes of conditioning, as
decisive support, co-nascence, pre-nascence, etc.
For a closer study of the subject should be consulted:
Vis.M. XVII; Fund. III; Guide (Ch. VII and Appendix); Dependent Origination, by Piyadassi Thera (WHEEL 15); The Significance of Dependent Origination (WHEEL 140). (Source): Pali Kanon: Manual of Buddhist Terms and Doctrines Paticcasamuppada
is Pali language, a combination of three words, i.e. Patticca means
because” and “dependent upon.” Sam means well, Uppada means arising of
effect through cause, so dependent on cause there arises effect, hence
it is known in English as Law of Dependent Origination or Cycle of
Rebirth.
(Source): This is Myanmar: The Doctrine of Paticcasammupada Paticcasamuppada
is Pali language, a combination of three words, i.e. Patticca means
because” and “dependent upon.” Sam means well, Uppada means arising of
effect through cause, so dependent on cause there arises effect, hence
it is known in English as Law of Dependent Origination or Cycle of
Rebirth.
(Source): This is Myanmar: The Doctrine of Paticcasammupada context information Theravāda
is a major branch of Buddhism having the the Pali canon (tipitaka) as
their canonical literature, which includes the vinaya-pitaka (monastic
rules), the sutta-pitaka (Buddhist sermons) and the abhidhamma-pitaka
(philosophy and psychology).
Discover the meaning of paticcasamuppada in the context of Theravada from relevant books on Exotic India
Languages of India and abroad
Pali-English dictionary
Pali > glossary [P] [Paticcasamuppada in Pali glossaries] « previous · next » paṭiccasamuppāda : (m.) causal genesis; dependent origination.
(Source): BuddhaSasana: Concise Pali-English Dictionary Paṭicca-samuppāda,
(p. +samuppāda, BSk. prātītyasamutpāda, e.g. Divy 300, 547) “arising on
the grounds of (a preceding cause)” happening by way of cause, working
of cause & effect, causal chain of causation; causal genesis,
dependent origination, theory of the twelve causes.—See on this Mrs. Rh.
D. in Buddhism 90 f. , Ency. Rel. & Ethics, s. v. & KS. II, ,
preface. Cpd. p. 260 sq. with diagram of the “Wheel of Life”; Pts. of
Controversy, 390 f.—The general formula runs thus: Imasmiṃ sati, idaṃ
hoti, imass’uppādā, idaṃ uppajjati; imasmiṃ asati, idaṃ na hoti; imassa
nirodhā, idaṃ nirujjhati. This being, that becomes; from the arising of
this, that arises; this not becoming, that does not become: from the
ceasing of this, that ceases M. II, 32; S. II, 28 etc. The term usually
occurs applied to dukkha in a famous formula which expresses the
Buddhist doctrine of evolution, the respective stages of which are
conditioned by a preceding cause & constitute themselves the cause
of resulting effect, as working out the next state of the evolving
(shall we say) “individual” or “being, ” in short the bearer of
evolution. The respective links in this chain which to study & learn
is the first condition for a “Buddhist” to an understanding of life,
and the cause of life, and which to know forward and backward
(anuloma-paṭilomaṃ manas’âkāsi Vin. I, 1) is indispensable for the
student, are as follows. The root of all, primary cause of all
existence, is avijjā ignorance; this produces saṅkhārā: karma, dimly
conscious elements, capacity of impression or predisposition (will,
action, Cpd.; synergies Mrs. Rh. D.), which in their turn give rise to
viññāṇa thinking substance (consciousness, Cpd.; cognition Mrs. Rh. D.),
then follow in succession the foll. stages: nāmarūpa individuality
(mind & body, animated organism Cpd.; name & form Mrs. Rh. D.),
saḷāyatana the senses (6 organs of sense Cpd.; the sixfold sphere Mrs.
Rh. D.), phassa contact, vedanā feeling, taṇhā thirst for life
(craving), upādāna clinging to existence or attachment (dominant idea
Cpd.; grasping Mrs. Rh. D.), bhava (action or character Cpd.; renewed
existence Mrs. Rh. D.), jāti birth (rebirth conception Cpd.), jarāmaraṇa
(+soka-parideva-
dukkhadomanass’ûpayāsā) old age & death
(+tribulation, grief, sorrow, distress & despair). The BSk. form is
pratītya-samutpāda, e.g. at Divy 300, 547.
The Paṭicca-samuppāda
is also called the Nidāna (“basis, ” or “ground, ” i.e. cause)
doctrine, or the Paccay’ākāra (“related-condition”), and is referred to
in the Suttas as Ariya-ñāya (“the noble method or system”). The term
paccay’ākāra is late and occurs only in Abhidhamma-literature.—The
oldest account is found in the Mahāpadāna Suttanta of the Dīgha Nikāya
(D. II, 30 sq.; cp. Dial. II. 24 sq.), where 10 items form the
constituents of the chain, and are given in backward order, reasoning
from the appearance of dukkha in this world of old age and death towards
the original cause of it in viññāṇa. The same chain occurs again at S.
II, 104 sq.—A later development shows 12 links, viz. avijjā and saṅkhārā
added to precede viññāṇa (as above). Thus at S. II, 5 sq.—A detailed
exposition of the P. -s. in Abhidhamma literature is the exegesis given
by Bdhgh at Vism. XVII. (pp. 517—586, under the title of
Paññā-bhūmi-niddesa), and at VbhA. 130—213 under the title of
Paccayākāra-vibhaṅga. ‹-› Some passages selected for ref. : Vin. I, 1
sq.; M. I, 190, 257; S. I, 136; II, 1 sq. , 26 sq. , 42 sq. , 70, 92 sq.
, 113 sq.; AI. 177; V, 184; Sn. 653; Ud. 1 sq.; Ps. I, 50 sq.; 144;
Nett 22, 24, 32, 64 sq.; DA. I, 125, 126.
—kusala skilled in the (knowledge of the) chain of causation M. III, 63; Nd1 171; f. abstr. °kusalatā D. III, 212. (Page 394)
(Source): Sutta: The Pali Text Society’s Pali-English Dictionary
context information Pali
is the language of the Tipiṭaka, which is the sacred canon of Theravāda
Buddhism and contains much of the Buddha’s speech. Closeley related to
Sanskrit, both languages are used interchangeably between religions.
Discover the meaning of paticcasamuppada in the context of Pali from relevant books on Exotic India
King Ashoka was responsible for a number of Buddhist monuments
Emperor Ashoka (B.C. 304-239) Emperor Ashoka as a great ruler of India and as promoter of Buddhism holds an important role in the history of the world.
Asoka
and
the
spread
of
Dhamma
History
shows that during the time of the Buddha, the Kings Bimbisara,
Suddhodana, and Prasenajita received great benefit from their practice
of the Dhamma, and naturally wanted to share this benefit with others.
They enthusiastically supported the dissemination of the Buddha’s
teaching in their respective kingdoms. Yet the fact remains that the
Dhamma spread to the masses not only because of this royal patronage but
because of the efficacy of the technique itself. This technique enables
anyone who applies it to come out of misery by rooting out the mental
impurities of greed (lobha), hatred (dosa), and delusion (moha). A
simple and universal technique, it can be practised by men and women
from any class, any sect, any communal group, with the same results.
Suffering is universal: unwanted things happen and desired things may or
may not happen. A universal malady must have a universal remedy: Dhamma
is this remedy. The Buddha compassionately and freely distributed the
Dhamma throughout northern India, attracting a large number of people in
what was then called Majjhima Desa.
Similarly after the time of
the Buddha, during the time of Emperor Asoka in the third century B.C.,
the Dhamma spread widely. Again this was mainly because of the
practical, applied aspect of the teaching (Dhamma paṭipatti). Several
Asokan rock edicts prove this fact. Asoka must have himself experienced
the beneficial results of this technique, and he propagated the Dhamma
with great zeal. It was out of the volition to serve others, which
develops when the mind becomes purified, that he put forth so much
effort to help his subjects in both the mundane as well as the
supramundane spheres. On the Pillar Edict #7 he points out two reasons
why he succeeded in this. One was the rule of law and order in his
kingdom (Dhammaniyamani), but he gave more emphasis to the second reason
which was the practice of meditation (nijhatiya), the practical aspect
of the Dhamma. This shows that he appreciated the fact that the practice
of the Dhamma is the main reason for its spread.
It was after
the Third Council under Asoka’s patronage that fully liberated arahant
monks were sent out of northern India to nine different areas to make
the Dhamma available to more people. These monks were called Dhamma
dutas (Dhamma messengers). They naturally gave emphasis to the practical
aspect of the Dhamma by which they themselves had become free from
mental impurities. Filled with love and compassion, they attracted large
numbers of people to the path of liberation.
The following are the names of the elder monks (Theras) and the nine areas where they went to teach Dhamma:
Majjhantika Thera: Kasmira and Gandhara (Kashmir, Afghanistan, Peshawar and Rawalpindi in Northwest Pakistan)
Mahadeva Thera: Mahisamandala (Mysore)
Rakkhita Thera: Vanavasi (North Kanara in South India)
Mahinda Thera and others: Tambapannidipa (Sri Lanka)
Asoka
also sent teachers to as far away as present day Syria and Egypt. He
paved the way for coming generations to spread the sublime Dhamma to the
entire world.
His lead was followed by King Kanishka who sent
teachers such as the Theras Kumarajiva and Bodhidhamma to Central Asia
and China.
From there the Dhamma went to Korea in the early 4th
century A.D., and then to Japan. In India, Dhamma
Universities—Takkasila, Nalanda, Vikkamasila, and others—developed,
flourished, and attracted learned people from as far away as China.
Dhamma also spread throughout Southeast Asia. Large numbers of people
started practising in Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, and Indonesia.
Tibet also received the Dhamma, through the service of Santirakshita,
Padmasambhava, Atisha, and Kamalashila.
Today the technique which
the Buddha taught 2,500 years ago is once again flourishing, and is
giving the same results now as it did then. Thousands of people in India
and in countries around the world are learning Vipassana. What is
attracting so many different types of people to the Dhamma is the same
as what attracted them 2,500 years ago: the very practical nature of the
teaching which is vivid, tangible, wholesome, easily understood, giving
benefit here and now, leading one step-by-step to the goal.
As
many people start to practise Dhamma once again, we can begin to imagine
what life in the time of the Buddha, and later in the time of Asoka,
was like: a society full of peace and harmony as millions of people
became established in love, compassion, and wisdom through the practice
of Dhamma.
May all beings be happy. May peace and harmony prevail.
51WriteanessayontheAditapariyā
yasutaexplainingtheimportantfeatures?
Q 51 Write an essay on the Aditta Pariyaya sutta explaining the important features ?
Bhikkhus, all is burning. And what is the all that is burning? Several
months after his Awakening, the Buddha delivered this sermon to an
audience of 1,000 previously fire-worshipping ascetics. In his
characteristically brilliant teaching style, the Buddha uses a metaphor
that quickly penetrates to the heart of the audience – in this case, the
metaphor of fire. At the end of the discourse the thousand monks,
erstwhile jatilas, who had been listening, became Arahants.
included a PDF file of the Thera Gatha from Buddha Jayanthi Tripitaka Publication. Please click here to download the PDF file. To
listen directly: Please left click on the link to listen directly.
Once the link is clicked, you will be directed to a separate page
containing the talk. Usually the file starts to play in that window. If
it doesn’t, you could highlight the browser window and click ‘reload
this page’. It will start to play.
To download: You could download the file by right clicking on the link and then selecting “save as” from the drop down menu.
01 RET 72_ Adittapariyaya Sutta_QandA 01_08-05-2014 02 RET 72_Adittapariyaya Sutta_Dhamma Talk 01_08-05-2014 03 RET 72_Adittapariyaya Sutta_Dhamma Talk 02_09-05-2014 04 RET 72_Aditta Pariyaya Sutta_Interview 01_09-05-2014 05 RET 72_Aditta Pariyaya Sutta_QandA 02_10-05-2014 06 RET 72_Adittapariyaya Sutta_Dhamma Talk 03_10-05-2014 07 RET 72_Adittapariyaya Sutta_Dhamma Talk 04_11-05-2014 08 RET 72_Adittapariyaya Sutta_Interview 02_11-05-2014
The Dhammapada: Verses and Stories The Dhammapada: Verses and Stories
Translated by Daw Mya Tin, M.A.
Edited by Editorial Committee, Burma Tipitaka Association Rangoon, Burma, 1986
Courtesy of Nibbana.com For free distribution only, as a gift of dhamma.
Preface
Dhammapada is one of the best known books of the Pitaka. It is a
collection of the teachings of the Buddha expressed in clear, pithy
verses. These verses were culled from various discourses given by the
Buddha in the course of forty-five years of his teaching, as he
travelled in the valley of the Ganges (Ganga) and the sub-mountain tract
of the Himalayas. These verses are often terse, witty and convincing.
Whenever similes are used, they are those that are easily understood
even by a child, e.g., the cart’s wheel, a man’s shadow, a deep pool,
flowers. Through these verses, the Buddha exhorts one to achieve that
greatest of all conquests, the conquest of self; to escape from the
evils of passion, hatred and ignorance; and to strive hard to attain
freedom from craving and freedom from the round of rebirths. Each verse
contains a truth (dhamma), an exhortation, a piece of advice.
Dhammapada Verses
Dhammapada verses are often quoted by many in many countries of the
world and the book has been translated into many languages. One of the
earliest translations into English was made by Max Muller in 1870. Other
translations that followed are those by F.L. Woodward in 1921, by
Wagismara and Saunders in 1920, and by A.L. Edmunds (Hymns of the Faith)
in 1902. Of the recent translations, that by Narada Mahathera is the
most widely known. Dr. Walpola Rahula also has translated some selected
verses from the Dhammapada and has given them at the end of his book
“What the Buddha Taught,” revised edition. The Chinese translated the
Dhammapada from Sanskrit. The Chinese version of the Dhammapada was
translated into English by Samuel Beal (Texts from the Buddhist Canon
known as Dhammapada) in 1878.
In Burma, translations have
been made into Burmese, mostly in prose, some with paraphrases,
explanations and abridgements of stories relating to the verses. In
recent years, some books on Dhammapada with both Burmese and English
translations, together with Pali verses, have also been published.
The Dhammapada is the second book of the Khuddaka Nikaya of the
Suttanta Pitaka, consisting of four hundred and twenty-three verses in
twenty-six chapters arranged under various heads. In the Dhammapada are
enshrined the basic tenets of the Buddha’s Teaching.
Verse
(21) which begins with “Appamado amatapadam” meaning “Mindfulness is the
way to Nibbana, the Deathless,” is a very important and significant
verse. Mindfulness is the most important element in Tranquillity and
Insight Meditation. The last exhortation of the Buddha just before he
passed away was also to be mindful and to endeavour diligently (to
complete the task of attaining freedom from the round of rebirths
through Magga and Phala). It is generally accepted that it was on
account of this verse on mindfulness that the Emperor Asoka of India and
King Anawrahta of Burma became converts to Buddhism. Both kings had
helped greatly in the propagation of Buddhism in their respective
countries.
In verse (29) the Buddha has coupled his call for
mindfulness with a sense of urgency. The verse runs: “Mindful amongst
the negligent, highly vigilant amongst the drowsy, the wise man advances
like a race horse, leaving the jade behind.”
Verses (1) and
(2) illustrate the immutable law of Kamma, under which every deed, good
or bad, comes back to the doer. Here, the Buddha emphasizes the
importance of mind in all our actions and speaks of the inevitable
consequences of our deeds, words and thoughts.
Verses (153)
and (154) are expressions of sublime and intense joy uttered by the
Buddha at the very moment of his Enlightenment. These two verses give us
a graphic account of the culmination of the Buddha’s search for Truth.
They tell us about the Buddha finding the ‘house-builder,’ Craving, the
cause of repeated births in Samsara. Having rid of Craving, for him no
more houses (khandhas) shall be built by Craving, and there will be no
more rebirths.
Verses (277), (278) and (279) are also
important as they tell us about the impermanent, unsatisfactory and the
non-self nature of all conditioned things; it is very important that one
should perceive the true nature of all conditioned things and become
weary of the khandhas, for this is the Path to Purity.
Then
the Buddha shows us the Path leading to the liberation from round of
rebirths, i.e., the Path with eight constituents (Atthangiko Maggo) in
Verse (273). Further, the Buddha exhorts us to make our own effort in
Verse (276) saying, “You yourselves should make the effort, the
Tathagatas only show the way.” Verse (183) gives us the teaching of the
Buddhas. It says, “Do no evil, cultivate merit, purify one’s mind; this
is the teaching of the Buddhas.”
In Verse (24) the Buddha
shows us the way to success in life, thus: “If a person is energetic,
mindful, pure in thought, word and deed, if he does everything with care
and consideration, restrains his senses; earns his living according to
the Dhamma and is not unheedful, then, the fame and fortune of that
mindful person increase.”
These are some of the examples of
the gems to be found in the Dhammapada. Dhammapada is, indeed, a
philosopher, guide and friend to all.
This translation of
verses is from Pali into English. The Pali text used is the Dhammapada
Pali approved by the Sixth International Buddhist Synod. We have tried
to make the translation as close to the text as possible, but sometimes
it is very difficult, if not impossible, to find an English word that
would exactly correspond to a Pali word. For example, we cannot yet find
a single English word that can convey the real meaning of the word
“dukkha” used in the exposition of the Four Noble Truths. In this
translation, wherever the term “dukkha” carries the same meaning as it
does in the Four Noble Truths, it is left untranslated; but only
explained.
When there is any doubt in the interpretation of
the dhamma concept of the verses or when the literal meaning is vague or
unintelligible, we have referred to the Commentary (in Pali) and the
Burmese translation of the Commentary by the Nyaunglebin Sayadaw, a very
learned thera. On many occasions we have also consulted the teachers of
the Dhamma (Dhammacariyas) for elucidation of perplexing words and
sentences.
In addition we have also consulted Burmese
translations of the Dhammapada, especially the translation by the Union
Buddha Sasana Council, the translation by the Sangaja Sayadaw
(1805-1876), a leading Maha thera in the time of King Mindon and King
Thibaw, and also the translation by Sayadaw U Thittila, an Ovadacariya
Maha thera of the Burma Pitaka Association. The book by the Sangaja
Sayadaw also includes paraphrases and abridgements of the Dhammapada
stories.
Dhammapada Stories
Summaries of the
Dhammapada stories are given in the second part of the book as it is
generally believed that the Dhammapada Commentary written by Buddhaghosa
(5th century A.D.) is a great help towards a better understanding of
the Dhammapada. Three hundred and five stories are included in the
Commentary. Most of the incidents mentioned in the stories took place
during the life-time of the Buddha. In some stories, some facts about
some past existences were also retold.
In writing summaries
of stories we have not tried to translate the Commentary. We have simply
culled the facts of the stories and have rewritten them briefly: A
translation of the verses is given at the end of each story.
It only remains for me now to express my deep and sincere gratitude to
the members of the Editorial Committee, Burma Pitaka Association, for
having meticulously gone through the script; to Sayagyi Dhammacariya U
Aung Moe and to U Thein Maung, editor, Burma Pitaka Association, for
helping in the translation of the verses.
May the reader find the Path to Purity.
Daw Mya Tin 20th April, 1984
Burma Pitaka Association Editorial Committee
Doctrinal Adviser Sayadaw U Kumara, BA, Dhammcariya (Siromani, Vatamsaka).
Chairman U Shwe Mra, BA., I.C.S. Retd., Former Special Adviser, Public Administration Division, E.S.A., United Nations Secretariat.
Members U Chan Htoon, LL.B., Barrister-at-law; Former President, World Fellowship of Buddhists. U Nyun, B.A., I.C.S. Retd., Former Executive Secretary, United Nations Economic Commission for Asia and the Far East; Vice-President, World Fellowship of Buddhists. U Myint Too, B.Sc., B.L., Barrister-at-law, Vice-President, All Burma Buddhist Association. Daw Mya Tin, M.A., Former Head of Geography Department, Institute of Education, Rangoon.
Doctrinal Consultant U Kyaw Htut, Dhammacariya; Former Editor-in-chief of the Board for Burmese Translation of the Sixth Synod Pali Texts.
Editors U Myo Min, M.A., B.L., Former Professor of English, Rangoon University. U Thein Maung, B.A., B.L U Hla Maung, B.A., B.L.
53.Explain Dhpd.verse no.42 & Verse no 43 with back ground story and give your comments?
Q 53 Explain Dhpd. Verse no 42 & Verse no. 43 with back ground story and give your comments ?
Verse 42. All Wrong Issue Out Of Evil Mind
Whatever foe may do to foe, or haters those they hate the ill-directed mind indeed can do one greater harm.
Explanation:
When one bandit see another, he attacks the second bandit. In the same
way, one person sees someone he hates, he also does harm to the hated
person. But what the badly deployed mind does to the possessor of that
mind is far worse than what a bandit would do to another bandit or what
one hater will do to another hater.
Verse 43. Well-Trained Mind Excels People
What one’s mother, what one’s father, whatever other kin may do, the well directed mind indeed can do greater good.
Explanation: Well directed thoughts can help a person better than one’s father or one’s mother.
Q 54 Explain Dhpd. Verse no 127 and 128 with background story ?
Verse 127. Shelter Against Death
Neither in sky nor surrounding by sea, nor by dwelling in a mountain cave, nowhere is found that place in earth where one’s from evil kamma free.
Explanation:
There is not a single spot on Earth an evil-doer can take shelter in to
escape the results of evil actions. No such place is seen out there in
space, or in the middle of the ocean. Neither in an opening, a cleft or a
crevice in a rocky mountain can he shelter to escape the results of his
evil action.
Verse 128. No Escape From Death
Neither in sky nor surrounding by sea, nor by dwelling in a mountain cave, nowhere is found that place in earth where one’s by death not overcome.
Explanation:
Not in the sky, nor in the ocean midst, not even in a cave of a
mountain rock, is there a hiding place where one could escape death.
55.W rite down in pāliany 10 verses from citta vagga?
Q 55 Write down in Pali any 10 verses from citta vagga ?
Verse 33. The Wise Person Straightens The Mind
Mind agitated, wavering, hard to guard and hard to check, one of wisdom renders straight as arrow-maker a shaft.
Explanation:
In the Dhammapada there are several references to the craftsmanship of
the fletcher. The Buddha seems to have observed the process through
which a fletcher transforms an ordinary stick into an efficient
arrow-shaft. The disciplining of the mind is seen as being a parallel
process. In this stanza the Buddha says that the wise one straightens
and steadies the vacillating mind that is difficult to guard, like a
fletcher straightening an arrow-shaft.
Verse 34. The Fluttering Mind
As fish from watery home is drawn and cast upon the land, even so flounders this mind while Mara’s Realm abandoning.
Explanation:
When making an effort to abandon the realm of Mara (evil), the mind
begins to quiver like a fish taken out of the water and thrown on land.
Verse 35. Restrained Mind Leads To Happiness
The mind is very hard to check and swift, it falls on what it wants. The training of the mind is good, a mind so tamed brings happiness.
Explanation:
The mind is exceedingly subtle and is difficult to be seen. It attaches
on whatever target it wishes. The wise guard the mind. The guarded mind
brings bliss.
Verse 36. Protected Mind Leads To Happiness
The mind is very hard to see and find, it falls on what it wants. One who’s wise should guard the mind, a guarded mind brings happiness.
Explanation:
The mind moves about so fast it is difficult to get hold of it fully.
It is swift. It has a way of focusing upon whatever it likes. It is good
and of immense advantage to tame the mind. The tame mind brings bliss.
Verse 37. Death’s Snare Can Be Broken By Tamed Mind
Drifting far, straying all alone, formless, recumbent in a cave. They will be free from Mara’s bonds who restrain this mind.
Explanation:
The mind is capable of travelling vast distances - up or down, north or
south, east or west - in any direction. It can travel to the past or
the future. It roams about all alone. It is without any perceptible
forms. If an individual were to restrain the mind fully, he will achieve
freedom from the bonds of death.
Verse 38. Wisdom Does Not Grow If the Mind Wavers
One of unsteady mind, who doesn’t know True Dhamma, who is of wavering confidence wisdom fails to win.
Explanation:
If the mind of a person keeps on wavering, and if a person does not
know the doctrine, if one’s enthusiasm keeps on fluctuating or
flagging,, the wisdom of such a person does not grow.
Verse 39. The Wide-Awake Is Unfrightened
One of unflooded mind, a mind that is not battered, abandoning evil, merit too, no fear for One Awake.
Explanation:
For the person who’s mind is not dampened by passion, unaffected by
ill-will and who has risen above both good and evil, there is no fear
because he is wide-awake.
Verse 40. Weapons To Defeat Death
Having known this urn-like body, made firm this mind as fortress town, with wisdom-weapon one fights Mara while guarding booty, unattached.
Explanation:
It is realistic to think of the body as vulnerable, fragile, frail and
easily disintegrated. In fact, one must consider it as a
clay vessel. The mind should be thought of as a city. One has to be
perpetually mindful to protect the city. Forces of evil have to be
fought with the weapons of wisdom. After the battle, once you have
achieve victory, live without being attached to the mortal self.
Verse 41. Without The Mind, Body Is Worthless
Not long alas, and it will lie this body, here upon the earth. Discarded, void of consciousness, useless as a rotten log.
Explanation: Soon, this body, without consciousness, discarded like a decayed worthless log, will lie on the earth.
Verse 42. All Wrong Issue Out Of Evil Mind
Whatever foe may do to foe, or haters those they hate the ill-directed mind indeed can do one greater harm.
Explanation:
When one bandit see another, he attacks the second bandit. In the same
way, one person sees someone he hates, he also does harm to the hated
person. But what the badly deployed mind does to the possessor of that
mind is far worse than what a bandit would do to another bandit or what
one hater will do to another hater.
Verse 43. Well-Trained Mind Excels People
What one’s mother, what one’s father, whatever other kin may do, the well directed mind indeed can do greater good.
Explanation: Well directed thoughts can help a person better than one’s father or one’s mother.
56.Whatarethefourprotectivemediationsandhowdoesonecanpracticeindialylife? W rtie s h o rt N o te s o n e a c h A ra k k h ā b h a v a n a i.e . B u d d h a ā n u s s a ti, m e t tā , a s u b h ā a n d
Q
56 What are the four protective meditations and how does one can
practice in daily life ? Write short Notes on each Arakkha bhavana ie.,
Buddhaanusatti, metta, ashubha and maranussati?
BAUS Chuang Yen Monastery Published on Aug 29, 2016 The Four Protective Meditations:A Five-Week Course with Ven. Bhikkhu Bodhi
Week 1 July 23, 2016 Part 1-1 Recollection of the Buddha
The
four protective meditations are a group of meditation topics designed
to establish a firm foundation for growth in the Dhamma. The four are:
recollection of the Buddha, meditation on loving-kindness, mindfulness
of the bodily parts, and recollection of death. Over five Saturdays in
late July and August, Ven. Bhikkhu Bodhi will conduct a course of
day-long sessions on these subjects. Category Education THE FOUR PROTECTIVE MEDITATIONS
As
anyone who has done a retreat knows, the mind is a difficult beast to
tame. During the course of a session, it is inevitable that various
difficulties will arise. These can take many forms; boredom, pain,
desire and restlessness are among the most familiar. If the yogin
doesn’t have skillful means for dealing with these states, they can lead
to such discontent as to force an early end to the session. Leaving a
retreat early because of such mind states is to be defeated by the
defilements.
Meditation is a skill, and like any other skill part
of the learning process involves mastering various techniques. Dealing
with negative mind-states requires the judicious use of specific
preactises, just as medical skill requires the use of specific medicines
for various ailments of the body. To this end, a meditator should
develop a repertoire of secondary practises to supplement the primary
exercise. One special family of such meditations are called the “Four
Protective Meditations.”
They are given this name because they
guard the mind against the arising of negativity. To continue the
medical analogy, these are preventative medicine. In this regard, the
recommendation is to do some of each exercise on the first day of a
retreat, or before beginning a period of insight work. They plant seeds
in the mind that will help later on. A brief word about each; LOVING-KINDNESS
The
sign of this meditation is an emotional state, an open-hearted
acceptance and feeling of goodwill towards all sentient beings. The
traditional formula is the wish that “all beings be well and happy.” It
can be developed in a variety of ways, but the method most suitable in
the context of protective meditation is the method of general pervasion.
This refers to the spreading of loving-kindness out into the universe
in increasing circles, beginning with love extended towards yourself,
then out towards all beings in the room, in the locality, the province,
the country etc. through to all beings on the planet earth and then out
into the greater universe.
The initial stage of extending
loving-kindness toward yourself is absolutely crucial. Many people these
days have negative self-images and find it difficult to really love
themselves, so it may take work to raise the feeling. Don’t be concerned
that this may be “selfish.” It isn’t. You cannot love anyone else in
depth unless you love yourself, and conversely, if you do manage to
arouse genuine loving-kindness toward yourself, you will be unable to
withhold it from others. It will spontaneously overflow.
Remember
from the outset that the wish is “may this being (or all beings) be
well and happy.” It has nothing to do with approval or liking. This is
important because to be effective loving-kindness must be universal. The
meditator must learn to love all beings without discrimination between
the near and far, the liked and disliked, the good and evil or any other
pair of dualities. The liberating effect comes from the boundlessness
of the meditation. CONTEMPLATION OF THE BUDDHA
The second
protective meditation is the contemplation of the Buddha. This is both a
devotional and an inspirational practise. The meditator should make
himself familiar with the attributes of the Buddha and contemplate them.
This can be combined with a puja.
Some preliminary research to
gain knowledge of the Buddha’s attributes is essential. The traditional
method is to work through the list given in the “Mirror of the Dhamma,”
that is the chant beginning itipi so… For a full description of the
attributes, see my article on doing Buddhanusati But here is a
bare-bones translation;
Araham - Perfected One, Arahant Sammasambuddho - Perfectly Enlightened by His Own Effort Vijjacaranasampanno - Perfect in Knowledge and Conduct Sugato - The Fortunate One Lokavidu - Knower of the Worlds Anuttaro Purisadammasarathi - Unsurpassed Trainer of the Untrained Sattha Devamanussanam - The Teacher of Gods and Humans Buddho - Awake Bhagava - The Blessed One
The
meditator goes through the list, using creative imagination to
visualize what a Buddha would be like. This should be combined with
visualization of the Buddha. The idea is to imagine what it would mean
for someone to be completely purified and awake. The practise is best
done in front of a shrine, using a Buddha image as a point of reference. MEDITATION ON FOULNESS
The
third contemplation is one that is not as widely practised as it ought
to be. This is the meditation on the body, focussing on the “unlovely”
aspect. The traditional method is to visualize the corruption of a dead
body. In the East, real corpses are still occassionally used for this
purpose. The monk will sit by the corpse in the open air, preferably at
night. If a corpse in its natural state has been seen and contemplated,
it can be stored in the mind as a memory image for later use.
Photographs
can also be used, and often are. You do however, lose the effect of the
smell. It is also possible to simply use one’s imagination. One method
is to visualize a corpse decaying through stages. The suttas list the
following;
a corpse cast away in a charnel ground — one day, two days, three days dead — bloated, livid, and festering a corpse picked at by crows, vultures, and hawks, by dogs, hyenas, and various other creatures a skeleton smeared with flesh and blood, connected with tendons a fleshless skeleton smeared with blood, connected with tendons a skeleton without flesh or blood, connected with tendons bones
detached from their tendons, scattered in all directions; here a hand
bone, there a foot bone, here a shin bone, there a thigh bone, here a
hip bone, there a back bone, here a rib, there a chest bone, here a
shoulder bone, there a neck bone, here a jaw bone, there a tooth, here a
skull the bones whitened, somewhat like the color of shells the bones piled up, more than a year old the bones decomposed into a powder
One
very effective variation is to start with the image of your own body
freshly dead and to go through these stages, continuing the
decomposition until –poof– nothing at all is left. This is to go from a
shocking, almost violent image through increasing peacefulness to
emptiness. THE MEDITATION ON DEATH
This is not the same as the
above. This is a contemplation on impermanence. The meditator is trying
to face the stark reality that she will die. One method is to think of
beings known to one who have already died and to raise the thought;
“just as this one died and is no more, so I too will not escape that
fate.” If this method is used, the yogin should be very careful not to
dwell on the death of loved ones which will lead to sorrow or regret.
Instead, neutral beings should be used. Think of people you once knew
who are now gone and realize this is a universal fate.
The Visuddhimagga also gives a more detailed method with a list of eight separate aspects to contemplate.
These
meditations protect the mind of the meditator in a very profound way.
If these four contemplations, two joyful and two sobering, are taken
into the depth then many painful negativities can be avoided. The
meditation on loving-kindness opens the mind to a joyous acceptance and
prevents the arising of the painful states based on ill-will, such as
anger, self-criticism etc. The meditation on the qualities of the Buddha
fills the mind with light and bliss and overcomes a host of
negativities. The meditation on foulness allows a perception of the seed
of corruption inherent in all flesh, and thereby helps to prevent
discontent arising through sensual desire. Finally, the meditation on
death should arouse a sense of urgency and prevent the arising of sloth
and boredom.
These benefits, however, as important as they are,
are not the whole of the story. The paragraph above deals with the
protections strictly from a psychological viewpoint. There is another
side to the protections. It is taught that they will establish
harmonious relations with the unseen beings, protecting one from ghosts
and other malevolent entities, at the same time attracting the help and
protection of the devas. To this end, the first two are especially
powerful and in particular the meditator should not neglect to extend
loving-kindness to the devas of heaven and earth. This is the literally
protective aspect of these meditations.
youtube.com Four protective meditations - Part 1-1 Recollection of the Buddha The Four Protective Meditations:A Five-Week Course with Ven. Bhikkhu Bodhi Week 1 July 23, 2016 Part…
Cattāro Jhānā — The four jhānas — [cattāra jhāna] The
practice of the four jhānas plays he key role in the teaching of the
Buddha for practicioners. (He frequently urges the bhikkhus to pratice
meditation in order to gain the four jhānas at will. For example, at the
end of a discourse, he sometimes gives this exhortation (15
occurences): Etāni, bhikkhu, rukkhamūlāni, etāni suññāgārāni.{1}
Jhāyatha, bhikkhu, mā pamādattha.{2})
Note: info·bubbles on all words
First Jhāna | Second Jhāna | Third Jhāna | Fourth Jhāna
A
bhikkhu, detached from{1} sensuality, detached from unwholesome states,
having entered in the first jhāna, remains therein, with thoughts, with
thought processes, exaltation and well-being engendered by detachment.
Bhikkhu vivicc·eva kāmehi A bhikkhu, detached from{1} sensuality, vivicca akusalehi dhammehi detached from unwholesome states,
{having entered in the first jhāna, remains therein,} sa·vitakkaṃ sa·vicāraṃ with thoughts, with thought processes, viveka·jaṃ pīti·sukhaṃ exaltation and well-being engendered by detachment. {paṭhamaṃ jhānaṃ upasampajja viharati}
——————oooOooo——————
Bodhi leaf
First Jhāna | Second Jhāna | Third Jhāna | Fourth Jhāna
With
the stilling of thoughts and thought processes, having entered in the
second jhāna, he remains therein with inner tanquilization,{1}
unification of the mind,{2} without thoughts, without thought
processes, with exaltation and well-being engendered by concentration.
Vitakka·vicārānaṃ vūpasamā With the stilling of thoughts and thought processes,
{having entered in the second jhāna, he remains therein} ajjhattaṃ sampasādanaṃ cetaso ekodi·bhāvaṃ with inner tanquilization,{1} unification of the mind,{2} a·vitakkaṃ a·vicāraṃ without thoughts, without thought processes, samādhi·jaṃ pīti·sukhaṃ with exaltation and well-being engendered byconcentration. {dutiyaṃ jhānaṃ upasampajja viharati.}
——————oooOooo——————
First Jhāna | Second Jhāna | Third Jhāna | Fourth Jhāna
≈155 occurences
Pītiyā
ca virāgā upekkhako ca viharati sato ca sampajāno, sukhañ·ca kāyena
paṭisaṃvedeti yaṃ taṃ ariyā ācikkhanti: ‘upekkhako satimā
sukha·vihārī’ti tatiyaṃ jhānaṃ upasampajja viharati.
And
with the fading away{1} of exaltation, he remains equanimous, mindful
and endowed with thorough understanding, and he feels in the body the
well-being that the noble ones describe: ‘one who is equanimous and
mindful abides in well-being’, having entered in the third jhāna, he
remains therein.{2}
Pītiyā ca virāgā upekkhako ca viharati And with the fading away{1} of exaltation, he remains equanimous, sato ca sampajāno, mindful and endowed with thorough understanding, sukhañ·ca kāyena paṭisaṃvedeti and he feels in the body the well-being yaṃ taṃ ariyā ācikkhanti: that the noble ones describe: ‘upekkhako satimā sukha·vihārī’ti ‘one who is equanimous and mindful abides in well-being’, tatiyaṃ jhānaṃ upasampajja viharati. having entered in the third jhāna, he remains therein.{2}
——————oooOooo——————
First Jhāna | Second Jhāna | Third Jhāna | Fourth Jhāna
≈150 occurences
Sukhassa
ca pahānā dukkhassa ca pahānā pubb·eva somanassa·domanassānaṃ
atthaṅgamā a·dukkham·a·sukhaṃ upekkhā·sati·pārisuddhiṃ catutthaṃ jhānaṃ
upasampajja viharati.
Abandoning pleasantness and abandoning
unpleasantness, gladness and affliction having previously disappeared,
having entered in the fourth jhāna, which is without unpleasantness nor
pleasantness and is purified by mindfulness due to equanimity, he
remains therein.
Sukhassa ca pahānā dukkhassa ca pahānā Abandoning pleasantness and abandoning unpleasantness, pubb·eva somanassa·domanassānaṃ atthaṅgamā gladness and affliction having previously disappeared,
{having entered in the fourth jhāna,} a·dukkham·a·sukhaṃ which is without unpleasantness nor pleasantness upekkhā·sati·pārisuddhiṃ and is purified by mindfulness due to equanimity, {catutthaṃ jhānaṃ upasampajja} viharati. he remains therein.
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Please click on the titles, they direct you to the original sites where you will get all the information you need/want.
Wish you good luck!
George Mbiriri Nyambura says
Volunteering in NGO for many years, I am
starting a new organisation ‘Blue Flame International’ to directly
assist affected and needy communities all around Kenya. Would highly
appreciate any form of advice, guidance and any assistance while staring
my new NGO.
Cecilia Bona says
I am interested in Dubai cares funds for education please reply me and send you e-details
Regards
Gamala Luitel says
Hello Cecilia,
Please click ‘Dubai Cares’ in the article. You will be directed to where
you can browse to all relevant pages for your information and proceed
with application process.
Good Luck!
Cecilia Bona says
We have an organization called Mundri
Relief Development Association (MRDA) which is implementing four
different projects one of it is Education and we are interested in area
of helping girls in secondary and primary schools in one of the state in
South Sudan, but we are stuck of getting funds to proceed on with this
project. We tried on our organizational budget, but it’s hard of no fund
at hand now. Our hearts jumps when we see girls dropping out of the
school and walking on streets in every corner of South Sudan. In which
majority of those girls in villages are orphans of the longest war in
Africa history which took place in Sudan and not over yet. I would be
grateful if you would help us in funding this project so as to educate
our girls in south Sudan to move hand to hand with boys. best regards
N Thungdemo Kikon says
I run an orphanage exclusively for girls,
they are studying in reputed schools doing excellent in their studies.
we are looking for donor to set up permanent infrastructure.
DANIEL ASHITEY says
I base in Ghana, I have association which
is called help the child association .am supporting them in their
education.we are ready to welcome any body who is ready to help this
children. Please come to our aid.I need some one to join hends with me
to push this children forward.
Thank u.hope to hear from u soon.
Rose Rehan says
I have a project proposal of helping two
primary schools in one of the villages in South Sudan, but I am stuck of
getting funding to proceed on with this project. I tried on my personal
budget, but it’s heavy on my shoulder. My heart is bleeding when I see
children walking on streets in every corner of South Sudan. Majority of
those children in villages are orphans of the longest war in Africa
history which took place in Sudan and not over yet. I would be grateful
if you help me in carry on this project. stay well
Paul Omongin says
I am interest in UPS Foundation grants but
only physical address is availed. I am from Uganda and would easily
E-mail my request. P’se send E-mail details
Thanks
https://www.narayanseva.org/blog/tips-ngo-donation