Buddha - The Supreme Enlightenment

The Soul in Buddhism_09

2010-02-01T17:30:00.002+08:00

“What, Nagasena, is the characteristic mark of virtue (sila)?”
“Supporting, O king, for it is the basis of all good qualities: the five controlling faculties and the five moral powers, the seven factors of enlightenment, the eight factors of the noble path, the four foundations of mindfulness, the four right efforts, the four bases of success, the four absorptions, the eight freedoms, the four modes of concentration and the eight great attainments.
Each of these has virtue as its support and in him who builds on it as the foundation all these good conditions will not decrease.”
“Give me an illustration.”
“Just, O king, as all forms of animal and plant life flourish with the earth as their support, so does the recluse, with virtue as the support, develop the five controlling faculties and so on. And this was said by the Blessed One:
“When a wise man, established well in virtue, Develops concentration and understanding, Then as a bhikkhu, ardent and sagacious, He succeeds in disentangling this tangle.”

### The five controlling faculties (also the five moral powers)
(1) Confidence
(2) energy
(3) mindfulness
(4) concentration and
(5) wisdom

### The seven factors of enlightenment
(1) Mindfulness
(2) investigation
(3) energy
(4) joy
(5) tranquility
(6) concentration and
(7) equanimity

### The eight factors of the noble path
(1) right view
(2) right thought
(3) right speech
(4) right action
(5) right livelihood
(6) right effort
(7) right mindfulness and
(8) right concentration

### The four foundations of mindfulness
(1) mindfulness of the body
(2) mindfulness of feelings
(3) mindfulness of thoughts and
(4) mindfulness of mind-objects

### The four right efforts
(1) Effort to prevent unwholesome states
(2) Effort to remove unwholesome states
(3) Effort to develop wholesome states and
(4) Effort to maintain wholesome states

### The four bases of success
(1) eagerness
(2) energy
(3) tenacity and
(4) wisdom

### The four modes of concentration
(1) meditations on love
(2) compassion
(3) sympathetic-joy and
(4) equanimity

The Soul in Buddhism_06 - 08

2010-02-01T16:56:00.003+08:00

The king said,
“Is there anyone who is not reborn after death?”
“Yes there is. The one who has no defilement is not reborn after death; the one who has defilement is reborn.”
“Will you be reborn?”
“If I die with attachment in my mind, yes; but if not, no.”

“Does one who escapes from rebirth do so by the power of wise attention?”
“He escapes both by wise attention and by wisdom, confidence, virtue, mindfulness, energy, and concentration.”
“Is wise attention the same as wisdom?”
“No. Animals have wise attention but they do not have wisdom.”

“What, Nāgasena, is the characteristic mark of wise attention (yoniso manasikaro); and what that of wisdom (panna)?”
“Taking hold is the mark of wise attention, cutting off is the mark of wisdom.”
“Give me an illustration.”
“How do barley reapers reap the barley?”
“They grasp the barley into a bunch with the left hand and, with a sickle in the right hand, they cut the barley.”
“Just so, O king, the recluse takes hold of his mind with wise attention and cuts of the defilement with wisdom.”

The Soul in Buddhism_05

2010-02-01T16:54:00.002+08:00

Then, after the monks had arrived at the palace and finished their meal, the king sat down on a low seat and asked,
“What shall we discuss?”
“Let our discussion be about the Dhamma.”
Then the king said,
“What is the purpose, your reverence, of your going forth and what is the final goal at which you aim?”
“Our going forth is for the purpose that this suffering may be extinguished and that no further suffering may arise; the complete extinction of grasping without remainder is our final goal.”
“Is it, venerable sir, for such noble reasons that everyone joins the Order?”
“No. Some enter to escape the tyranny of kings, some to be safe from robbers,
some to escape from debt and some perhaps to gain a livelihood. However, those
who enter rightly do so for the complete extinction of grasping.”

The Soul in Buddhism_04

2010-02-01T16:48:00.005+08:00

So, Devamantiya, Anantakaya and Mankura went to Nagasena’s hermitage to accompany the monks to the palace. As they were walking along together Anantakaya said to Nagasena, “When, your reverence, I say, ‘Nagasena’ what is that Nagasena?”
“What do you think that Nagasena is?”
“The soul, the inner breath, which comes and goes.”
“But if that breath, having gone out, should not return would that man still be alive?”
“Certainly not.”
“And when those trumpeters and the like have blown their trumpets does their breath return to them?”
“No venerable sir, it doesn’t.”
“Then why don’t they die?”
“I am not capable of arguing with you sir, pray tell me how it is.”
“There is no soul in the breath. These inhalations and exhalations are merely constituent powers of the bodily frame.”
Then the elder talked to him on the Abhidhamma and Anantakaya was satisfied with his explanation.
[Note: Thera (elder) is nowadays normally used only for bhikkhus of ten or more years standing but Nāgasena was only seven rains.]

The Soul in Buddhism_03

2010-02-01T16:43:00.006+08:00

Then the king said, “Venerable sir, will you discuss with me again?”
“If your majesty will discuss as a scholar, yes; but if you will discuss as a king, no.”
“How is it then that scholars discuss?”
“When scholars discuss there is a summing up and an unraveling; one or other is shown to be in error. He admits his mistake, yet he does not become angry.”
“Then how is it that kings discuss?”
“When a king discusses a matter and advances a point of view, if anyone differs from him on that point he is apt to punish him.”
“Very well then, it is as a scholar that I will discuss. Let your reverence talk without fear.”
“It is well your majesty.”
“Nagasena, I will ask a question,” said the king.
“Ask it sir.”
“I have asked it, your reverence.”
“Then I have answered.”
“What have you answered?”
“What have you asked?”
Thinking, “This monk is a great scholar, he is quite able to discuss things with me,” the king instructed his minister, Devamantiya, to invite him to the palace with a large company of monks and went away muttering, “Nagasena, Nagasena.”

The Soul in Buddhism_02

2009-12-11T13:37:00.005+08:00

King Milinda went up to Nagasena, exchanged polite and friendly greetings, and took his seat respectfully to one side. Then Milinda began by asking;
“How many ‘rains’ (A bhikkhu’s seniority is reckoned by the number of rainy seasons that have passed since his ordination.) do you have Nagasena?”
“Seven, your majesty.”
“How can you say it is your seven; is it you who are seven or the number that is seven?”
Then Nagasena said, “Your shadow is now on the ground. Are you the king, or is the shadow the king?”
“I am the king, Nagasena, but the shadow comes into being because of me.”
“Just so, O king, the number of the years is seven, I am not seven, but it is because of me that the number seven comes into being and it is mine in the same sense as the shadow is yours.”
“Most wonderful, Nagasena, and extraordinary. Well has this puzzle been solved by you, difficult as it was.”

The Soul in Buddhism_01

2009-10-13T17:24:00.007+08:00

King Milinda went up to Nagasena, exchanged polite and friendly greetings, and took his seat respectfully to one side. Then King Milinda began by asking:
“How is your reverence known, and what sir, is your name?”
“O king, I am known as Nagasena but that is only a designation in common use, for no permanent individual can be found.”
Then Milinda called upon the Bactrian Greeks and the monks to bear witness:
“This Nagasena says that no permanent individual is implied in his name. Is it possible to approve of that?”
Then he turned to Nagasena and said,
“If, most venerable Nagasena, that is true, who is it who gives you robes, food and shelter? Who lives the righteous life? Or again, who kills living beings, steals, commits adultery, tells lies or takes strong drink? If what you say is true then there is neither merit nor demerit, nor is there any doer of good or evil deeds and no result of kamma. If, venerable sir, a man were to kill you there would be no murder, and it follows that there are no masters or teachers in your Order. You say that you are called Nagasena; now what is that Nagasena? Is it the hair?”
“I don’t say that, great king.”
“Is it then the nails, teeth, skin or other parts of the body?”
“Certainly not.”
“Or is it the body, or feelings, or perceptions, or formations, or consciousness? Is it all of these combined? Or is it something outside of them that is Nagasena?”
Still Nagasena answered:
“It is none of these.”
“Then, ask as I may, I can discover no Nagasena. Nagasena is an empty sound. Who is it we see before us? It is a falsehood that your reverence has spoken.”
“You, sir, have been reared in great luxury as becomes your noble birth. How did you come here, by foot or in a chariot?”
“In a chariot, venerable sir.”
“Then, explain sir, what that is. Is it the axle? Or the wheels, or the chassis, or reins, or yoke that is the chariot? Is it all of these combined, or is it something apart from them?”
“It is none of these things, venerable sir.”
“Then, sir, this chariot is an empty sound. You spoke falsely when you said that you came here in a chariot. You are a great king of India. Who are you afraid of that you don’t speak the truth?”
Then he called upon the Bactrian Greeks and the monks to bear witness:
“This King Milinda has said that he came here in a chariot but when asked what it is, he is unable to show it. Is it possible to approve of that?”
Then the five hundred Bactrian Greeks shouted their approval and said to the king,
“Get out of that if you can!”
“Venerable sir, I have spoken the truth. It is because it has all these parts that it comes under the term chariot.”
“Very good, sir, your majesty has rightly grasped the meaning. Even so it is because of the thirty-two kinds of organic matter in a human body and the five aggregates of being that I come under the term ‘Nagasena’. As it was said by Sister Vajara in the presence of the Blessed One, ‘Just as it is by the existence of the various parts that the word “Chariot” is used, just so is it that when the aggregates of being are there we talk of a being’.”
“Most wonderful, Nagasena, most extraordinary that you have solved this puzzle, difficult though it was. If the Buddha himself were here he would approve of your reply.”

The Debate of King Milinda (00)

2009-09-02T20:48:00.006+08:00

source:

* "The Debate of King Milinda, an Abridgement of The Milinda Panha"
* Edited by “Bhikkhu Pesala”
* Previously Published by Inward Path, Penang, Malaysia

Prologue

Milinda was the king in the city of Sagala. He was learned in the arts and sciences and was of an inquiring disposition. He was skilled in debating and no one could resolve his doubts about religious matters. Though he questioned all the famous teachers none could satisfy him. Assagutta, one of a large number of arahants living in the Himalayas, knew of the king’s doubts by means of supernormal power. So he convened an assembly to ask if there was anyone who could answer the king. There was no one, so the whole assembly ascended to the heaven of the thirty-three and requested the god Maha-sena to take birth as a man in order to protect the religion. One of the monks, Rohaoa, agreed to go to Kajangala where Maha-sena had been reborn and wait for him to grow up.
The boy’s father, Brahman Sonuttara, had the boy educated in the three Vedas but the boy, Nagasena, declared:
“Empty are these three Vedas and as chaff. There is in them neither reality, worth nor essential truth.”
Realising that the boy was ready, Rohaoa appeared and the parents consented to their son becoming a novice. So, Nagasena studied the Abhidhamma. After gaining perfect knowledge of the seven books of the Abhidhamma, Nagasena was admitted to the Order of monks and Rohaoa sent him to Vattaniya Hermitage to study with Assagutta. While spending the rainy season there, Nagasena was asked to preach a sermon to the pious lady who was Assagutta’s supporter. As a result of the discourse both the lady and Nagasena attained the Eye of the Dhamma, the knowledge that whatsoever has a beginning also has the inherent quality of passing away. Assagutta then sent Nagasena to Dhammarakkhita at the Asoka Park in Panaliputta where, within the space of three months, he mastered the remainder of the Tipinaka. Dhammarakkhita admonished his pupil not to be content with mere book knowledge and the very same night the diligent pupil Nagasena gained “Arahantship”. He then went to join the other “Arahants” who were still staying in the Himalayas. Having completed his education Nagasena was ready to meet anyone in debate.

Meanwhile, King Milinda continued his spiritual quest by visiting the Bhikkhu Ayupala at the Saukheyya
Hermitage and asked him why the monks renounced the world. The elder replied,
“It is for the sake of being able to live in righteousness and in spiritual calm.”
Then the king asked,
“Is there, venerable sir, any layman who lives so?”
The elder admitted that there were many such laymen, and the king retorted:
“Then most venerable Ayupala, your going forth is of no use. It must be in consequence of sins committed in some former birth that recluses renounce the world and even subject themselves to the added constraints of one or other of the ascetic practices such as wearing only ragrobes, eating only one meal a day, or not lying down to sleep. There is no virtue therein, no meritorious abstinence, no righteousness of life!”
When the king had spoken thus the venerable Ayupala was silenced and had not a word to say. Then the five hundred Bactrian Greeks who accompanied the king said,
“The elder is learned but he is also diffident, so he makes no reply.”
To this the king replied by exclaiming:
“All India is an empty thing, it is like chaff. There is no one who is capable of debating with me and dispelling my doubts!”
However, the Bactrian Greeks were unmoved so the king asked,
“Is there then, my good men, any other learned sage who is able to discuss things with me and dispel my doubts?”
Then the minister Devamantiya said,
“There is, Great King, an elder named Nagasena who is learned, of subdued manners yet full of courage; he is capable of discussing with you. He is now staying at this Saukheyya Hermitage, you should go and put your questions to him.”
At the mere mention of the name ‘Nagasena’ the king became alarmed and the hairs of his body stood on end. Then the king sent a messenger to say that he was coming. Attended on by the five hundred Bactrian Greeks, the king mounted his royal chariot and went to the place where Nagasena was staying.
To be continued…………

Announcement

2009-09-02T20:26:00.001+08:00

Dear Readers,
I will post a new series of posts written about the philosophy of Buddha, soon.
It is really famous series in Buddhism.
It is called “The Debate of King Milinda” (in pali; Milinda Panha).
This Milinda Panha is an ancient and much venerated book of the Buddhists.
It is based on the conversations between King Milinda and Nagasena (the holy-educated monk) took place five hundred years after the Parinibbana of the Buddha (after the holy death of the Buddha).

Anatta

2009-06-26T17:45:00.000+08:00

Source: wikipedia

In Indian philosophy, the concept of a self is called ātman (that is, "soul" or metaphysical self), which refers to an unchanging, permanent essence conceived by virtue of existence. This concept and the related concept of Brahman, the Vedantic monistic ideal, which was regarded as an ultimate ātman for all beings, were indispensable for mainstream Indian metaphysics, logic, and science; for all apparent things there had to be an underlying and persistent reality, akin to a Platonic form. The Buddha rejected all concepts of ātman, emphasizing not permanence, but changeability. He taught that all concepts of a substantial personal self were incorrect, and formed in the realm of ignorance. The Buddha criticized conceiving theories even of a unitary soul or identity immanent in all things as unskillful in the Great Discourse on Causation. In fact, according to the Buddha's statement in Khandha Samyutta 47, all thoughts about self are necessarily, whether the thinker is aware of it or not, thoughts about the five aggregates or one of them.

In a number of major Mahayana sutras (e.g. the Mahaparinirvana Sutra, the Tathagatagarbha Sutra, the Srimala Sutra, among others), the Buddha is presented as clarifying this teaching by saying that, while the skandhas (constituents of the ordinary body and mind) are not the self, there does truly exist an eternal, unchanging, blissful Buddha-essence in all sentient beings, which is the uncreated and deathless Buddha-nature ("Buddha-dhatu") or "True Self" of the Buddha himself. The "tathagatagarbha"/Buddha nature does not represent a substantial self; rather, it is a positive language expression of "sunyata" (emptiness) and represents the potentiality to realize Buddhahood through Buddhist practices; the intention of the teaching of tathagatagarbha (Buddha nature) is soteriological rather than theoretical.[4]

This immaculate Buddhic Self (atman) is in no way to be construed as a mundane, impermanent, suffering "ego", of which it is the diametrical opposite. On the other hand, this Buddha-essence or Buddha-nature is also often explained as the potential for achieving Buddhahood, rather than an existing phenomenon one can grasp onto as being me or self.

Anatta is discussed in the Questions of King Milinda, composed during the period of the Hellenistic Indo-Greek kingdom of the 2nd and 1st centuries BCE. In this text, the monk Nagasena demonstrates the concept of absolute "non-Self" by likening human beings to a chariot and challenges the Greek king "Milinda" (Menander) to find the essence of the chariot. Nagasena states that just as a chariot is made up of a number of things, none of which are the essence of the chariot in isolation, without the other pieces, similarly no one part of a person is a permanent entity; we can be broken up into five constituents – body, sensations, ideation, mental formations and consciousness – the consciousness being closest to the permanent idea of "Self", but is ever-changing with each new thought according to this viewpoint.

According to some thinkers both in the East and the West, the doctrine of "non-Self", may imply that Buddhism is a form of nihilism or something similar. However, as thinkers like Nagarjuna have clearly pointed out, Buddhism is not simply a rejection of the concept of existence or meaning, but of the hard and fast distinction between existence and non-existence, or rather between being and no-thingness. Phenomena are not independent from causes and conditions and do not exist as isolated things as we perceive them to be. The lack of a permanent, unchanging, substantial Self in beings and things does not mean that they do not experience growth and decay on the relative level. But on the ultimate level of analysis, one cannot distinguish an object from its causes and conditions or even distinguish between object and subject (an idea appearing relatively recently in Western science). Buddhism thus has much more in common with Western empiricism, pragmatism, anti-foundationalism, and even poststructuralism than with nihilism.

In the Nikāyas, the Buddha and his disciples commonly question or declare "Is that which is impermanent, subject to change, subject to suffering fit to be considered thus: 'This I am, this is mine, this is my self'?" The question which the Buddha poses to his audience is whether compounded phenomena are fit to be considered as self, to which the audience agrees that it is unworthy to be considered so. And in relinquishing such an attachment to compounded phenomena, such a person gives up delight, desire and craving for compounded phenomena and is unbounded by its change. When completely free from attachments, craving or desire to the five aggregates, such a person experiences then transcends the very causes of suffering.

In this way, the insight wisdom or prajñā of non-Self gives rise to cessation of suffering, and not an intellectual debate over whether a self exists or not.

It is by realizing (not merely understanding intellectually, but making real in one's experience) the three marks of conditioned existence that one develops prajñā, which is the antidote to the ignorance that lies at the root of all suffering.

Dukkha (Suffering)

2009-06-26T17:39:00.001+08:00

Source: Wikipedia

Whatever is impermanent is subject to change. Whatever is subject to change is subject to suffering.

—The Buddha

Striving for what we desire, we may experience stress and suffering – dukkha. Getting what we desired, we may find delight and happiness. Soon after, the novelty may wear out and we may get bored with it. Boredom is a form of dissatisfaction (or suffering) and to escape from it, we divert ourselves from such boredom by indulging in a pursuit of new forms of pleasure. Sometimes not willing to relinquish objects that we are already uninterested in, we start to collect and amass possessions instead of sharing with others who may have better uses for them than we do. Boredom is a result of change: the change of our interest in that object of desire which so captivated us in the first place.

Change may also take place in the object of our desire as opposed to change from within. Silverware may become tarnished, a new dress worn thin or a gadget gone obsolete. Or it may become broken, causing us to grieve. In some cases it may get lost or stolen. In some cases, we may worry about such losses even before they happen. Husbands and wives worry about losing their spouses even though their partners are faithful. Unfortunately, sometimes our very worry and fear drives us to act irrationally, resulting in distrust and breaking up of the very relationship that we cherished so much.

While we like changes such as becoming an adult when we are in our teens, we dislike the change called aging. While we strive for change to become rich, we fear the change of retrenchment. We are selective in our attitude towards the transient nature of our very existence. Unfortunately, this transient nature is unselective. We can try to fight it, just as many have tried since beginningless time, only to have our efforts washed away through the passages of time. As a result, we continually experience dissatisfaction or suffering due to the very impermanence of compounded phenomena.

Only in the realm of Nirvana – so Buddhism insists — can true and lasting happiness be found. Nirvana is the opposite of the conditional, the transitory and the painful, so it does not result in disappointment or deterioration of the state of bliss. Nirvana is the refuge from the otherwise universal tyranny of change and suffering. In other schools of Buddhism, nirvana is not viewed as the goal, but merely as a projection from the state of samsara. According to these schools samsara (daily routine) and nirvana (perfection) are two sides of the same coin.

Anicca (Impermanent)

2009-06-26T17:35:00.001+08:00

source: wikipedia

All compounded phenomena (things and experiences) are inconstant, unsteady, and impermanent. Everything we can experience through our senses is made up of parts, and its existence is dependent on external conditions. Everything is in constant flux, and so conditions and the thing itself is constantly changing. Things are constantly coming into being, and ceasing to be. Nothing lasts.
The important point here is that phenomena arise and cease according to (complex) conditions and not according to our whims and fancy. While we have limited ability to effect change to our possessions and surroundings, experience tells us that our feeble attempts are no guarantee that the results of our efforts will be to our liking. More often than not, the results fall short of our expectations.
In Mahayana Buddhism, a caveat is added: one should indeed always meditate on the impermanence and transitory nature of compound structures and phenomena, but one must guard against extending this to the realm of Nirvana, where impermanence holds no sway. In this view, the ultimate nature of reality is free from the stains of dualistic thought, and should therefore not be labeled as 'one' or the 'other' (i.e. 'permanent' or 'impermanent').
Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche states that in the four seals of the Mahayana, Nirvana should be viewed as "beyond extremes". Furthermore, he states that "In many philosophies or religions, the final goal is something that you can hold on to and keep. The final goal is the only thing that truly exists. But nirvana is not fabricated, so it is not something to be held on to. It is referred to as 'beyond extremes.'
We somehow think that we can go somewhere where we’ll have a better sofa seat, a better shower system, a better sewer system, a nirvana where you don’t even have to have a remote control, where everything is there the moment you think of it. But as I said earlier, it’s not that we are adding something new that was not there before. Nirvana is achieved when you remove everything that was artificial and obscuring.”

Three marks of existence

2009-06-26T17:21:00.000+08:00

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

According to the Buddhist tradition, all phenomena other than Nirvana are marked by three characteristics, sometimes referred to as the Dharma seals: impermanence, suffering, and impersonality.
According to tradition, after much meditation, the Buddha concluded that everything in the physical world (and everything in the phenomenology of psychology) is marked by these three characteristics:

Anicca or "impermanence". This refers not only to the fact that all conditioned things (sankhara) eventually cease to exist, but also that all conditioned things are in a constant state of flux. (Visualize a leaf growing on a tree. It dies and falls off the tree but is soon replaced by a new leaf.)
Dukkha or "unsatisfactoriness" (or "dis-ease"; also often translated "suffering", though this is somewhat misleading). Nothing found in the physical world or even the psychological realm can bring lasting deep satisfaction.
Anatta or "no-self" is used in the suttas both as a noun and as a predicative adjective to denote that phenomena are not, or are without, a permanent self, to describe any and all composite, consubstantial, phenomenal and temporal things, from the macrocosmic to microcosmic, be it matter pertaining to the physical body or the cosmos at large, as well as any and all mental machinations, which are impermanent.

There is often a fourth Dharma Seal mentioned:

Nirvana is peace. Nirvana is the "other shore" from samsara.

Together the three characteristics of existence are called ti-lakkhana in Pali or tri-laksana in Sanskrit.
By bringing the three (or four) seals into moment-to-moment experience through concentrated awareness, we are said to achieve wisdom – the third of the three higher trainings – the way out of samsara. Thus the method for leaving samsara involves a deep-rooted change in world view.

Anatta and moral responsibility

2009-05-16T03:05:00.001+08:00

Source: wikipedia

While the Buddha attacked the assumptions of existence of an eternal Self, he would refer to the existence of a conventional self-subject to conditional phenomena and responsible, in the causal-moral sense, for karma.
“It can thus be said that, while an empirical self exists - or rather consists of a changing flow of mental and physical states which neither unchangingly exists nor does not exist - no metaphysical Self can be apprehended.”

There are many statements in the suttas to the effect that a person acts, and then reaps the consequences. These statements are made to rebut the various theories circulating among philosophers of the Buddha's time that denied the efficacy of moral action, attributing all change to fate; these were forms of determinism. The Buddha's statements are not metaphysical in nature, and do not imply an unchanging subject of experience. Instead, continuity is maintained not by positing an extra-empirical entity such as a Self, but by a theory of causality.

The Buddha criticized two main theories of moral responsibility; the doctrine that posited an unchanging Self as a subject, which came to be known as "atthikavaada", and the doctrine that did not do so, and instead denied moral responsibility, which came to be known as "natthikavaada". He rejected them both on empirical grounds. The following interaction of the Buddha pertains to the latter theory: The Buddha was silent to the questions of the paribbajako (wandering ascetic) Vacchagotta of “Is there a self?” or “Is there not a self?” [SN.5:44,10]. When Ananda later asked about his silence, the Buddha said that to affirm or deny the existence of an eternal self would have sided with sectarian theories and have disturbed Vacchagotta even more. The early Suttas see even Annihilationism, which the Buddha equated with denial of a Self, as tied up with belief in a Self. It is seen as arising due to conceiving a Self in some sort of relationship to the personality-factors. It is thus rooted in the 'I am' attitude; even the attitude 'I do not exist' arises from a preoccupation with 'I'. The Buddha appealed to experience in his refutation of natthikavaada, saying: "To one who sees, with proper understanding, the arising of the things in the world, the belief in nonexistence would not occur."

The Buddha was also careful not to allow an atthikavaadin interpretation of his doctrine of causality. In response to the question from a man named Acela Kassapa as to whether or not suffering is self-caused, the Buddha gave a negative reply; "A person acts and the same person experiences [the result] — this, Kassapa, which you emphatically call 'suffering self-wrought', amounts to the eternalist theory." In responding in this way, the Buddha indicated the connection between the problem of personal identity and moral responsibility.

This process-view of a person does not see personality as a chaotic flux, but as a law-governed moving pattern which only changes in so far as supporting conditions change. In spite of the changes taking place in a person, some character-patterns are repeated, even over many lives, before they are worn out or replaced by others in accordance with the law of dependent origination. The complex of conditions arises out of an interaction of those processes internal to a person's own stream of psychological processes, that is, past or present karma, with those from the external world. Some of the external conditions will in turn be influenced or generated by internal processes. Thus the person-process both changes and is changed by its environment.

The principles of causality are key to the Buddha's teachings; they provide a vital perspective on his doctrine as a whole and show how to see it integrated positively in the causal relationships of the mental-physical factors of the experience of life. Causal relationships were detailed in the Buddha’s analysis of dependent origination and idappaccayata (lit. “This is founded on that”).

All processes are impermanent … All processes are afflicted … All phenomena are not ‘Self’; when this is seen with knowledge, one is freed from the illusion of affliction. This is the pathway to purity.

– Dhp. 20. 277 – 279

This analysis is applied to knowing the interplay of senses within the mental-physical factors just as they are. It is a careful analysis of these realities in terms of their changefulness, instability or un-satisfactoriness and that these lack inherent personal identification. And this leads to wisdom (panna), cessation of craving (nirodha), and to liberation (nirvana) of the will/mind (citta).

The goal of the Buddhist contemplative is to develop freedom of the will/mind (citta) from entanglement with things as they seem; through the delusions of desire and consequential self-identity with events, resultant fear, aversion and projected hopes—to awaken to things as they are; coming home to a natural understanding of reality with one's given abilities at work in an ever changing evolution of experience. “The mind (citta) is cleansed of the five skandhas (pancakkhandha)” [Nettippakarana 44]

Anatta- "Not-self"

2009-05-16T03:00:00.001+08:00

Source: wikipedia

Definition of Anatta

In Buddhism, (Pali: Anatta) refers to the notion of "not-self". In the Pali suttas and the related Nikayas, the agglomeration of constantly changing physical and mental constituents ("Skandhas") comprising a human being is thoroughly analyzed and stated not to comprise an eternal, unchanging self (often denoted "Self"). In the Nikayas, the Buddha repeatedly emphasizes not only that the five skandhas of living being are "not-self", but that clinging to them as if they were an immutable self or soul (Atman) gives rise to unhappiness.

Anatta, along with Dukkha (suffering/unease) and Anicca (impermanence), is one of the three Dharma seals, which, according to Buddhism, characterize all conditioned phenomena.

Anatta in the Nikayas

The Buddhist term “Anatta” is used in the Suttas both as a noun and as a predicative adjective to denote that phenomena are not, or are without, a Self, to describe any and all composite, consubstantial, phenomenal and temporal things, from the macrocosmic to microcosmic, be it matter pertaining to the physical body or the cosmos at large, as well as any and all mental machinations, which are impermanent. Anatta is often used in conjunction with the terms Dukkha (imperfection) and Anicca (impermanence), and all three terms are often used in triplet in making a blanket statement as regards any and all compounded phenomena. “All these aggregates are Anicca, Dukkha and Anatta.”

Samyutta Nikaya

At one time in Savatthi, the venerable Radha seated himself and asked of the Blessed Lord Buddha: “Anatta, anatta I hear said venerable. What pray tell does Anatta mean?” The blessed one simply replied; “Just this, Radha, form is not the self (anatta), sensations are not the self (anatta), perceptions are not the self (anatta), assemblages are not the self (anatta), consciousness is not the self (anatta). Seeing thusly, this is the end of birth, the Brahman life has been fulfilled, what must be done has been done.”

The nikayas state that certain things (the five aggregates), with which the unlearned man identifies himself, do not constitute a personal essence and that is why one on the path to liberation should grow disgusted with them, become detached from them and be liberated.

“Whatever form, feelings, perceptions, experiences, or consciousness there is (the five aggregates), these he sees to be without permanence, as suffering, as ill, as a plague, a boil, a sting, a pain, an affliction, as foreign, as otherness, as empty (suññato), as Selfless (anattato). So he turns his mind away from these and gathers his mind/will within the realm of Immortality (amataya dhatuya). This is tranquility; this is that which is most excellent!”

In Samyutta Nikaya (SN) 4.400,

Gautama Buddha was asked if there was no soul (Natthatta), which it is conventionally considered to be equivalent to Nihilism (Ucchedavada). The Buddha himself has said: “Both formerly and now, I’ve never been a nihilist (Vinayika), never been one who teaches the annihilation of a being, rather taught only the source of suffering, and its ending.” The early Suttas see annihilationism, which the Buddha equated with denial of a Self, as tied up with belief in a Self. It is seen as arising due to conceiving a Self in some sort of relationship to the personality-factors. It is thus rooted in the 'I am' attitude; even the attitude 'I do not exist' arises from a preoccupation with 'I'.

The Buddha criticized conceiving theories even of a unitary soul or identity immanent in all things as unskillful. In fact, according to the Buddha's statement in Khandha Samyutta 47, all thoughts about self are necessarily, whether the thinker is aware of it or not, thoughts about the five aggregates or one of them.

At the time of the Buddha some philosophers and meditators posited a "root": an abstract principle out of which all things emanated and which was immanent in all things. When asked about this, instead of following this pattern of thinking, the Buddha attacks it at its very root: the notion of a principle in the abstract, superimposed on experience. In contrast, a person in training should look for a different kind of "root" — the root of dukkha experienced in the present. According to one Buddhist scholar, theories of this sort have most often originated among meditators who label a particular meditative experience as the ultimate goal, and identify with it in a subtle way.

Cause and Effect - Karma or Kamma

2009-05-16T02:27:00.004+08:00

Source: Internet & Books

Karma or Kamma is the very important concept of Buddhism as it is the source of Samsara (The cycles of death and rebirth). And this "Samsara" concept also is unique of Buddhism among the religious. So to understand Buddhism, one has to learn about Samsara and the source of Samsara, that is Karma.

Definition of Karma

Karma (Pali: Kamma) means "action" or "doing"; whatever one does, says, or thinks is a karma.

In Buddhism, the term karma is used specifically for those actions which rise from :
* mental intention (Pali: cetana)
* mental afflictions

which bring about a fruit (Pali: phala) or result (vipaka), either within the present life, or in the context of a future rebirth. Karma is the source which causes the uncontrollable cycle(s) of death and rebirth, called Saṃsara (opposite of Nirvana), for each being.

In the (Anguttara Nikaya also known as Nibbedhika Sutta) the Buddha said :

"Intention (cetana) is karma. Having willed, one acts through body, speech and mind".

Every time a person acts there is some quality of intention at the base of the mind and it is that quality rather than the outward appearance of the action that determines the effect. If a person professes piety and virtue but nonetheless acts with greed, anger or hatred (veiled behind an outward display of well-meaning intent) then the fruit of those actions will bear testimony to the fundamental intention that lay behind them and will be a cause for future unhappiness. The Buddha spoke of wholesome actions (kusala-kamma)—that result in happiness, and unwholesome actions (akusala-kamma)—that result in unhappiness.

The theory is not deterministic, as past karma is not viewed as the only causal mechanism causing the situations in the present; see below regarding others. Moreover, as M.3.203 indicates, karma provokes tendencies or conditions rather than consequences as such.

There is a further distinction between worldly, wholesome karma that leads to samsaric happiness (like birth in higher realms), and path-consciousness which leads to the truly peace, Nirvana. Therefore, there is samsaric good karma, which leads to absolutely happiness, and there is liberating (Nirvana) karma, which is supremely good, as it is the end of suffering forever. Once one has attained liberation one does not generate any further kamma, and the corresponding states of mind are called in Pali Kiriya. Nonetheless, the Buddha advocated the practice of wholesome actions: "Refrain from unwholesome actions/Perform only wholesome ones/Purify the mind/This is the teaching of the Enlightened Ones." Dhp v.183.

"I am the owner of my karma. I inherit my karma. I am born of my karma. I am related to my karma. I live supported by my karma. Whatever karma I create, whether good or evil, that I shall inherit."

In Buddhism, the term karma is often used to refer only to samsaric karma, as indicated by the twelve Nidanas of dependent origination.

Because of the inevitability of consequence, karma entails the notion of Buddhist rebirth. However, karma is not the sole basis of rebirth. The rebirths of eighth stage (and above) Bodhisattvas in the Mahayana tradition refers to those liberated beings who consciously choose to be reborn in a future life in order to help others still trapped in Saṃsara. However, this is not the uncontrolled rebirth.

The Buddha explains what having conviction in karma means:

* First, karma really is happening and it is not merely an illusion.
* Second, you really are responsible for your actions, karma. There is no outside force, like the god or stars or some good or evil being, acting through you. When you are conscious, you are the one and only one who decides what happens or what will happen.
* Third, your actions have results and those results can be good or bad depending on the quality of the intention behind the act.

The Buddha's theory of moral behavior was not strictly deterministic; it was conditional. His description of the workings of karma is not an all-inclusive one. The Buddha instead gave answers to various questions to specific people in specific contexts, and it is possible to find several causal explanations of behavior.

In the Buddhist theory of moral responsibility, the effect (phala) or a deed (kamma) is not determined solely by the deed itself, but also by the nature of the person who commits the deed and by the circumstances in which it is committed.

A discourse in the Anguttara Nikaya indicates this conditionality:

A certain person has not properly cultivated his body, behavior, thought and intelligence, is inferior and insignificant and his life is short and miserable; of such a person ... even a trifling evil action done leads him to hell. In the case of a person who has proper culture of the body, behavior, thought and intelligence, who is superior and not insignificant, and who is endowed with long life, the consequences of a similar evil action are to be experienced in this very life, and sometimes may not appear at all.

Incorrect understandings of karma

In Buddhism, the following ideas are designated as "wrong views" on Karma.

1. Pubbekatahetuvada:
The belief that all happiness and suffering, including all future happiness and suffering, arise from previous karma, and human beings can exercise no volition to affect future results or human beings are not able to control to affect future results.

2. Issaranimmanahetuvada:
The belief that all happiness and suffering are caused by the directives of a Supreme Being such as the God, Creator and etc.

3. Ahetu-apaccayavada:
The belief that all happiness and suffering are random, having no cause.

Karma is continually ripening, but it is also continually being generated by present actions, therefore it is possible to exercise free will to shape future karma. This is the enlightenment to liberate from Samsara.

Brahmavihara – four divine abodes, four divine emotions, four immeasurables, four sublime attitudes

2009-05-14T16:12:00.002+08:00

Source: wikipedia

The four Brahmaviharas are a series of virtues and Buddhist meditation practices designed to cultivate those virtues. Brahmavihara is a term in Pali and Sanskrit meaning “Brahma abidings”, or "Sublime attitudes." They are also known as the Four Immeasurables.

According to the Metta Sutta, Shakyamuni Buddha held that cultivation of the Brahmavihāras has the power to cause the practitioner to be re-born into a Brahma realm (Pali: Brahmaloka). The meditator is instructed to radiate out to all beings in all directions the mental states of:
1) loving-kindness or benevolence,
2) compassion,
3) sympathetic joy, and,
4) equanimity.

These virtues are also highly regarded by Buddhists as powerful antidotes to those negative mental states (non-virtues) like avarice, anger, pride and so on.

Brahmavihara may be parsed into "Brahma" and vihara; which is often rendered into English as "sublime" or "divine abodes". They are also called the "Four Immeasurables," or "the four sublime attitudes (loving-kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy and equanimity)", and are Buddhist virtues that followers can cultivate endlessly, that are without limits, as good qualities for any Buddhist to possess in good measure. They form a sequence of Buddhist virtues recommended in the Brahmavihara Sutta.

When developed to a high degree in meditation, they are said to make the mind "immeasurable" and like the mind of the loving Brahma gods.

Metta/Maitri:
loving-kindness towards all; the hope that a person will be well; loving kindness is "the wish that all sentient beings, without any exception, be happy."

Karuna:
compassion; the hope that a person's sufferings will diminish; compassion is the "wish for all sentient beings to be free from suffering."

Mudita:
altruistic joy in the accomplishments of a person, oneself or other; sympathetic joy, "is the wholesome attitude of rejoicing in the happiness and virtues of all sentient beings."

Upekkha/Upeksha:
equanimity, or learning to accept both loss and gain, praise and blame, success and failure with detachment, equally, for oneself and for others; equanimity means "not to distinguish between friend, enemy or stranger, but regard every sentient being as equal. It is a clear-minded tranquil state of mind - not being overpowered by delusions, mental dullness or agitation."

Metta and Karuna are both hopes for the future (leading, where possible, to action aimed at realizing those hopes), while Mudita and Upekkha are attitudes to what has already happened, but also having consequences for future action. While these four might be delineated as attitudes of the future or past, they contain the seed of the "present" within their core (as a living embodied practice). This is the essence of the spiritual laws of karma, self-responsibility, and samma sankkalpa - right thoughts. A dedicated intention that all beings are in the "here and now" tranquil, happy, in touch with their gifted talents/accomplishments, and feel interconnected by that synergy to eschew suffering by abdication.

(2009 May 9, Fullmoon day of Kason)- Vesak Day or Buddha Day

2009-05-09T00:13:00.008+08:00

Sources; From several data base.

What Vesak Day is

Vesak Day is the greatest day for Buddhists. It actually encompasses the birth, enlightenment, and passing-away (Parinirvana) of Gautama, the Buddha. But sometimes it is informally called "Buddha's birthday".

Vesak Day is an annual holiday observed traditionally by practicing Buddhists in many Asian countries like Nepal, Hong Kong, Singapore, Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Indonesia,Pakistan, India, and Taiwan.

What enlightenment Buddha got on Vesak Day

On fullmoon day of Kason, BC 103, Buddha got his great enlightenment which is totally different from other religions and is nobly true by all aspects. The Buddha's enlightenment in brief is as follow:

I. The four noble truths, namely
>>(1)suffering,
>>(2)original of suffering,
>>(3)cessation of suffering and
>>(4)the way to cessation of suffering

II. The eight-fold path comprised of three main parts, called

>>(1) moral conduct
>>>>a. Right Speech,
>>>>b. Right Action and
>>>>c. Right Livelihood

>>(2) concentration
>>>>a. Right Effort,
>>>>b. Right Mindfulness and
>>>>c. Right Concentration

>>(3) wisdom
>>>>a. Right View and
>>>>b. Right Intention

III. Buddha’s Middle Way – The Path of Moderation, including the two Extremes to avoid namely
>>(1) sensual indulgence and
>>(2) self-mortification

How Buddhists celebrate Vesak Day

On Vesak day, devout Buddhists and followers alike are expected and requested to assemble in their various temples before dawn for the ceremonial, and honorable, hoisting of the Buddhist flag and the singing of hymns in praise of the holy triple gem: The Buddha, The Dharma (his teachings), and The Sangha (his disciples). Devotees may bring simple offerings of flowers, candles and joss-sticks to lay at the feet of their teacher. These symbolic offerings are to remind followers that just as the beautiful flowers would wither away after a short while and the candles and joss-sticks would soon burn out, so too is life subject to decay and destruction. Devotees are enjoined to make a special effort to refrain from killing of any kind. They are encouraged to partake of vegetarian food for the day. In some countries, notably Sri Lanka, two days are set aside for the celebration of Vesak and all liquor shops and slaughter houses are closed by government decree during the two days. Also birds, insects and animals are released by the thousands in what is known as a 'symbolic act to liberation'; of giving freedom to those who are in captivity, imprisoned, or tortured against their will. Some devout Buddhists will wear a simple white dress and spend the whole day in temples with renewed determination to observe the observance of the Ten Precepts (Sila).

Devout Buddhists undertake to lead a noble life according to the teaching by making daily affirmations to observe the Five Precepts. However, on special days, notably new moon and full moon days, they observe the Ten Percepts to train themselves to practice morality, simplicity and humility.

Some temples also display a small image of the baby Buddha in front of the altar in a small basin filled with water and decorated with flowers, allowing devotees to pour water over the statue; it is symbolic of the cleansing of a practitioners bad karma, and to reenact the events following the Buddha's birth, when devas and spirits made heavenly offerings to him.

Devotees are expected to listen to talks given by monks. On this day monks will recite verses uttered by the Buddha twenty-five centuries ago, to invoke peace and happiness for the Government and the people. Buddhists are reminded to live in harmony with people of other faiths and to respect the beliefs of other people as the Buddha had taught.

Benefits of being a Buddhist

2009-05-08T12:52:00.005+08:00

Resource:

1. How to Live as a Good Buddhist, Vol 1, by Dept. for the Promotion and Propagation of the Sasana.
2. The article being edited.

In this post, I would like to discuss about what the benefits of being a Buddhist are. Also why we should follow Buddha's way of liberation and why Buddhism is a truly path for holy peace in both mind and body.

Evils of Wrong Faith and Benefits of Right Faith

The Buddha teaches how reliance on wrong things has evils and how Right Faith creates benefits, in the Dhammapada Verse189, as follow:

“Resorting to prayer and worship to forests, trees, shrines, etc. does not bring security and freedom from all suffering. Such worship and prayers are not noble and sacred. So sorrows and suffering continue to trouble mankind.”

These evil results include wanderings in repeated cycles of births and deaths called Samsara. Life’s limitations and troubles continue to tie a man who follows such a type of salvation. Thus births, old age, illness and death are evils of wrong faith.

On the contrary, the Buddha points out the benefits of professing right faith.

“By taking refuge in the Three Gems, the Buddha, the Dhamma and the Samgha, a man is freed from all suffering” (Dhammapada Verse 191-192)

The benefits include, among others, noble conduct and supreme peace, leading to highest freedom (Nibbana). Therefore, all human beings should realize that only Right Faith helps the attainments of human and divine bliss, Brahma State of Happiness, and finally to the Supramundane State of Magga, Phala and Nibbana, the complete cessation of dukka or final liberation.

Why Buddhism

2009-05-08T12:42:00.003+08:00

Source:
1. How to Live as a Good Buddhist, Vol 1, by Dept. for the Promotion and Propagation of the Sasana.
2. The article being edited.

Buddhism is not merely a religious. Differ from other religious, Buddhism is not only a religious but also a supreme enlightenment, a great philosophy. Buddhism is also not a "Believing-In" religious. It is practical and scientific in all aspects.
In this post, I would like to discuss why we should practise Buddhism and why not others.

Things Not to Rely On and Things to Rely On

When the Buddha, the All-Knowing One, appeared in the world, he made a sharp distinction between wrong worship and right worship (ie.; the Enlightenment). Thus in Dhammapada, Verse189, we learn the following Dhamma:

“But such are not safe refuges, not the most secure refuge. Not by resorting to any of these is a man freed from all suffering.”

Therefore wrong refuges or wrong worship must be avoided by a clear understanding of the true Dhamma.

To seek refuges rightly and beneficially, the Buddha points the right way as follows:

“Whosoever seeks refuge in the Buddha, the Dhamma and the Samgha, and with correct understanding visualizes the Four Noble Truths, namely, Suffering, the Origin of Suffering, the Cessation of Suffering, and the Noble Eightfold Path that leads to the Cessation of suffering – this is the secure resort, this is the safest refuge. By taking such refuge a man is freed from all suffering (Dhammapada190, 191, 192).”

What a Religious is

2009-05-07T19:39:00.008+08:00

Resource:

How to Live as a Good Buddhist, Vol 1, by Dept. for the Promotion and Propagation of the Sasana.
The article being edited.

Human beings are the most thoughtful and sociable creatures. For this reason, they are able to feel the loneliness, the fears, and the sufferings, such as illness, getting old, diseases and death. On the other hand, they have their own plenty of desires, wishes and eagerness. Consequently, once they know any of theirs will not be fulfil, they suffer sorrows, worries and disappointments. Therefore, they look for something that they can rely on or that they can refuge on. This is the origin of "Religious".

According to the historians dealing with human history, man started his existence in lonely family which gradually developed into groups or a society. Anyhow we know now that in the remote past man was dominated by fear and reward.

It is true that human life has been full of fearful events (situations) and things that create desire and longing. For example, overflowing of streams and rivers due to tides, storms and other natural dangers, the harm of snakes, leopards, tigers, wild elephants, enemies, etc. are called dangers of living being, and there exist troubles of human existence itself which are painful to life such as illness, old age, disease, death. Seeing and experiencing all kinds of dangers and troubles, men began to have a sense of fear. And, consequently, in order to overcome such troubles and pains, man sought some kind of religion. They wanted peace and security. Hence out of fear and desire, man sought refuge. In the Dhammapada, Verse 188, the Buddha declares;

“When threatened by fear, many people seek refuge in many places – mountains, forests, groves, trees or shrines; but such are not safe refuges, not the securest refuge. Not by resorting to any of these in a man freed from all suffering.”
It is clear that wrong worship, wrong religions will not bring peace and security from life’s dangers. Such false beliefs and deeds will create endless rounds of repeated births and deaths known as “Samsara”.

In the past, human history records that people worshipped gods of rivers and oceans because they had to rely on them for livelihood. Those who earned their livelihood seeking food near mountains, hills, gardens worshipped gods nearby. Agriculturists and farmers put their reliance on sky-gods, rain-gods and others. Some prayed for sons at the feet of huge trees because they believed prayer and worship would fulfil their wishes and desires.

Such cases were common in the past history of man in many places of the world. So religion began as fear and desire, and the term “religion” means “reliance” on the unknown or the mysterious.

The Precepts - Kinds of Sila those every Buddhist has to follow

2009-05-06T17:55:00.008+08:00

Source: From various websites from internet

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

The first five precepts are mandatory for every Buddhist. (Also known as the basic precepts.) Precepts no. six to ten are laid out for those in preparation for monastic life and for devoted lay people unattached to families. The eight precepts put together number eight and nine and omit the tenth. Lay people may observe the eight precepts on Buddhist festival days, such as Vesak Day.

I undertake to observe the precept to abstain from ...

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

Buddhism and Science

2009-05-04T12:11:00.011+08:00

Source: Youtube

This is the short video clip with the quotes of various scientists on Buddhism.
Mostly these scientists were not Buddhists but their sense in science made them to understand what Buddhism is.
So,this video is one of proofs that Buddhism is the scientific religious.

The Noble Eight-fold Path

2009-05-02T14:48:00.010+08:00

Sources from different websites and article being edited.

The Eightfold Path (Ariyo Attthangiko Maggo) is the means by which enlightenment may be realized. The historical Buddha first explained the Eightfold Path in his first sermon after his enlightenment, preserved in the Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta.

The Eightfold Path is:

1. Right View (Samma Ditthi)
2. Right Intention (Samma Sankappa)
3. Right Speech (Samma vaca)
4. Right Action (Samma Kammanta)
5. Right Livelihood (Samma Ajiva)
6. Right Effort (Samma vayama)
7. Right Mindfulness (Samma Sati)
8. Right Concentration (Samma Samadhi)

The Path is divided into three main sections: (1) wisdom (Panna), (2) ethical conduct (Sila) and (3) mental discipline (Samadhi).

1. Wisdom (Panna):
Right View and Right Intention are the wisdom path. Right View is not about believing in doctrine, but in perceiving the true nature of ourselves and the world around us. Right Intention refers to the energy and commitment one needs to be fully engaged in Buddhist practice.

2. Ethical Conduct (Sila):
Right Speech, Right Action and Right Livelihood are the ethical conduct path. This calls us to take care in our speech, our actions, and our daily lives to do no harm to others and to cultivate wholesomeness in ourselves. This part of the path ties into the Precepts.

3. Mental Discipline (Samadhi):
Through Right Effort, Right Mindfulness, and Right Concentration we develop the mental discipline to cut through delusion. Many schools of Buddhism encourage seekers to meditate to achieve clarity and focus of mind.

For More Detail

Eightfold Path

The Noble Eightfold Path describes the way to the end of suffering, as it was laid out by Siddhartha Gautama. It is a practical guideline to ethical and mental development with the goal of freeing the individual from attachments and delusions; and it finally leads to understanding the truth about all things. Together with the Four Noble Truths it constitutes the gist of Buddhism. Great emphasis is put on the practical aspect, because it is only through practice that one can attain a higher level of existence and finally reach Nirvana. The eight aspects of the path are not to be understood as a sequence of single steps, instead they are highly interdependent principles that have to be seen in relationship with each other.

1. Right View

Right view is the beginning and the end of the path, it simply means to see and to understand things as they really are and to realise the Four Noble Truth. As such, right view is the cognitive aspect of wisdom. It means to see things through, to grasp the impermanent and imperfect nature of worldly objects and ideas, and to understand the law of karma and karmic conditioning. Right view is not necessarily an intellectual capacity, just as wisdom is not just a matter of intelligence. Instead, right view is attained, sustained, and enhanced through all capacities of mind. It begins with the intuitive insight that all beings are subject to suffering and it ends with complete understanding of the true nature of all things. Since our view of the world forms our thoughts and our actions, right view yields right thoughts and right actions.

2. Right Intention

While right view refers to the cognitive aspect of wisdom, right intention refers to the volitional aspect, i.e. the kind of mental energy that controls our actions. Right intention can be described best as commitment to ethical and mental self-improvement. Buddha distinguishes three types of right intentions: 1. the intention of renunciation, which means resistance to the pull of desire, 2. the intention of good will, meaning resistance to feelings of anger and aversion, and 3. the intention of harmlessness, meaning not to think or act cruelly, violently, or aggressively, and to develop compassion.

3. Right Speech

Right speech is the first principle of ethical conduct in the eightfold path. Ethical conduct is viewed as a guideline to moral discipline, which supports the other principles of the path. This aspect is not self-sufficient, however, essential, because mental purification can only be achieved through the cultivation of ethical conduct. The importance of speech in the context of Buddhist ethics is obvious: words can break or save lives, make enemies or friends, start war or create peace. Buddha explained right speech as follows: 1. to abstain from false speech, especially not to tell deliberate lies and not to speak deceitfully, 2. to abstain from slanderous speech and not to use words maliciously against others, 3. to abstain from harsh words that offend or hurt others, and 4. to abstain from idle chatter that lacks purpose or depth. Positively phrased, this means to tell the truth, to speak friendly, warm, and gently and to talk only when necessary.

4. Right Action

The second ethical principle, right action, involves the body as natural means of expression, as it refers to deeds that involve bodily actions. Unwholesome actions lead to unsound states of mind, while wholesome actions lead to sound states of mind. Again, the principle is explained in terms of abstinence: right action means 1. to abstain from harming sentient beings, especially to abstain from taking life (including suicide) and doing harm intentionally or delinquently, 2. to abstain from taking what is not given, which includes stealing, robbery, fraud, deceitfulness, and dishonesty, and 3. to abstain from sexual misconduct. Positively formulated, right action means to act kindly and compassionately, to be honest, to respect the belongings of others, and to keep sexual relationships harmless to others. Further details regarding the concrete meaning of right action can be found in the Precepts.

5. Right Livelihood

Right livelihood means that one should earn one's living in a righteous way and that wealth should be gained legally and peacefully. The Buddha mentions four specific activities that harm other beings and that one should avoid for this reason: 1. dealing in weapons, 2. dealing in living beings (including raising animals for slaughter as well as slave trade and prostitution), 3. working in meat production and butchery, and 4. selling intoxicants and poisons, such as alcohol and drugs. Furthermore any other occupation that would violate the principles of right speech and right action should be avoided.

6. Right Effort

Right effort can be seen as a prerequisite for the other principles of the path. Without effort, which is in itself an act of will, nothing can be achieved, whereas misguided effort distracts the mind from its task, and confusion will be the consequence. Mental energy is the force behind right effort; it can occur in either wholesome or unwholesome states. The same type of energy that fuels desire, envy, aggression, and violence can on the other side fuel self-discipline, honesty, benevolence, and kindness. Right effort is detailed in four types of endeavours that rank in ascending order of perfection: 1. to prevent the arising of unarisen unwholesome states, 2. to abandon unwholesome states that have already arisen, 3. to arouse wholesome states that have not yet arisen, and 4. to maintain and perfect wholesome states already arisen.

7. Right Mindfulness

Right mindfulness is the controlled and perfected faculty of cognition. It is the mental ability to see things as they are, with clear consciousness. Usually, the cognitive process begins with an impression induced by perception, or by a thought, but then it does not stay with the mere impression. Instead, we almost always conceptualise sense impressions and thoughts immediately. We interpret them and set them in relation to other thoughts and experiences, which naturally go beyond the facticity of the original impression. The mind then posits concepts, joins concepts into constructs, and weaves those constructs into complex interpretative schemes. All this happens only half consciously, and as a result we often see things obscured. Right mindfulness is anchored in clear perception and it penetrates impressions without getting carried away. Right mindfulness enables us to be aware of the process of conceptualisation in a way that we actively observe and control the way our thoughts go. Buddha accounted for this as the four foundations of mindfulness: 1. contemplation of the body, 2. contemplation of feeling (repulsive, attractive, or neutral), 3. contemplation of the state of mind, and 4. contemplation of the phenomena.

8. Right Concentration

The eighth principle of the path, right concentration, refers to the development of a mental force that occurs in natural consciousness, although at a relatively low level of intensity, namely concentration. Concentration in this context is described as one-pointedness of mind, meaning a state where all mental faculties are unified and directed onto one particular object. Right concentration for the purpose of the eightfold path means wholesome concentration, i.e. concentration on wholesome thoughts and actions. The Buddhist method of choice to develop right concentration is through the practice of meditation. The meditating mind focuses on a selected object. It first directs itself onto it, then sustains concentration, and finally intensifies concentration step by step. Through this practice it becomes natural to apply elevated levels concentration also in everyday situations.

Four Noble Truths

2009-05-02T14:44:00.011+08:00

Sources from different websites and article being edited.

The Buddha's first sermon after his Enlightenment centered on the Four Noble Truths, which are the foundation of Buddhism. The truths are:

1. The truth of suffering (Dukkha)
2. The truth of the cause of suffering (Samudaya)
3. The truth of the end of suffering (Nirhodha)
4. The truth of the path that frees us from suffering (Magga)

1. The Truth of Suffering

The First Noble Truth often is translated as "Life is suffering." Many people new to Buddhism tune out as soon as they hear this. But the Pali word dukkha also refers to anything that is temporary, conditional, or compounded of other things. Even something precious and enjoyable is dukkha, because it will end.
Related to the nature of life is the nature of self. Are we not also temporary, conditional and compounded of many parts? We can understand that life is impermanent but are we, also, impermanent? The Buddha taught that before we can understand life and death we must understand the self.

2. The Truth of the Cause of Suffering

The Second Noble Truth teaches that the cause of suffering is craving or thirst (tanha). We continually search for something outside ourselves to make us happy. But no matter how successful we are, we never remain satisfied.
The Buddha taught that this thirst grows from ignorance of the self. We go through life grabbing one thing after another to get a sense of security about ourselves. We attach not only to physical things, but also to ideas and opinions about ourselves and the world around us. Then we grow frustrated when the world doesn't behave the way we think it should and our lives don't conform to our expectations.
The Buddha's teachings on karma and rebirth are closely related to the Second Noble Truth.

3. The Truth of the End of Suffering

The Buddha's teachings on the Four Noble Truths are sometimes compared to a physician diagnosing an illness and prescribing a treatment. The first truth tells us what the illness is, and the second truth tells us what causes the illness. The Third Noble Truth holds out hope for a cure.
The Buddha taught that through diligent practice, we can put an end to craving. Ending the hamster-wheel chase after satisfaction is enlightenment (bodhi, "awakened"). The enlightened being exists in a state called Nirvana.

4. The Truth of the Path That Frees Us From Suffering

Here the Buddha as physician prescribes the treatment for our illness: The Eightfold Path. Unlike in many other religions, in Buddhism there is no particular benefit to merely believing in a doctrine. Instead, the emphasis is on living the doctrine and walking the path.

For More Detail

The Four Noble Truths

1. Life means suffering.
2. The origin of suffering is attachment.
3. The cessation of suffering is attainable.
4. The path to the cessation of suffering.

1. Life means suffering.

To live means to suffer, because the human nature is not perfect and neither is the world we live in. During our lifetime, we inevitably have to endure physical suffering such as pain, sickness, injury, tiredness, old age, and eventually death; and we have to endure psychological suffering like sadness, fear, frustration, disappointment, and depression. Although there are different degrees of suffering and there are also positive experiences in life that we perceive as the opposite of suffering, such as ease, comfort and happiness, life in its totality is imperfect and incomplete, because our world is subject to impermanence. This means we are never able to keep permanently what we strive for, and just as happy moments pass by, we ourselves and our loved ones will pass away one day, too.

2. The origin of suffering is attachment.

The origin of suffering is attachment to transient things and the ignorance thereof. Transient things do not only include the physical objects that surround us, but also ideas, and -in a greater sense- all objects of our perception. Ignorance is the lack of understanding of how our mind is attached to impermanent things. The reasons for suffering are desire, passion, ardour, pursuit of wealth and prestige, striving for fame and popularity, or in short: craving and clinging. Because the objects of our attachment are transient, their loss is inevitable, thus suffering will necessarily follow. Objects of attachment also include the idea of a "self" which is a delusion, because there is no abiding self. What we call "self" is just an imagined entity, and we are merely a part of the ceaseless becoming of the universe.

3. The cessation of suffering is attainable.

The cessation of suffering can be attained through nirodha. Nirodha means the unmaking of sensual craving and conceptual attachment. The third noble truth expresses the idea that suffering can be ended by attaining dispassion. Nirodha extinguishes all forms of clinging and attachment. This means that suffering can be overcome through human activity, simply by removing the cause of suffering. Attaining and perfecting dispassion is a process of many levels that ultimately results in the state of Nirvana. Nirvana means freedom from all worries, troubles, complexes, fabrications and ideas. Nirvana is not comprehensible for those who have not attained it.

4. The path to the cessation of suffering.

There is a path to the end of suffering - a gradual path of self-improvement, which is described more detailed in the Eightfold Path. It is the middle way between the two extremes of excessive self-indulgence (hedonism) and excessive self-mortification (asceticism); and it leads to the end of the cycle of rebirth. The latter quality discerns it from other paths which are merely "wandering on the wheel of becoming", because these do not have a final object. The path to the end of suffering can extend over many lifetimes, throughout which every individual rebirth is subject to karmic conditioning. Craving, ignorance, delusions, and its effects will disappear gradually, as progress is made on the path.

What Is Nirvana?

2009-05-02T14:01:00.005+08:00

Alternate Spellings: Nibbana

Sources from different websites and article being edited.

The Buddha told his monks that Nirvana cannot be imagined, and so there is no point speculating what it is like. Even so, it is a word that Buddhists use, so it needs some kind of definition.

The word Nirvana means "to extinguish," such as extinguishing the flame of a candle. Nirvana can be defined as a state of bliss or peace which may be experienced in life, or it may be entered into at death. Nirvana is also understood to be liberation from the cycle of death and rebirth and freedom from the effects of karma.

What do Buddhists believe?

2009-05-02T13:58:00.005+08:00

Sources from different websites and article being edited.

Beginners to Buddhism are handed lists of doctrines -- the Four Noble Truths, the Five Skandhas, the Eightfold Path. "Believing in" doctrines about Buddhism is not the point of Buddhism because Buddhism is not a “believing in” one but one is told to understand the teachings and practice them.

What the historical Buddha taught was a method for understanding oneself and the world in a different way. The many lists of doctrines are not meant to be accepted on blind faith.

There is no point in believing in reincarnation/rebirth, for example. Rather, one practices Buddhism in order to realize a self not subject to birth and death.
Please refer to Kalama Sutta

The Life of Buddha- trailer (English)

2009-04-29T19:09:00.008+08:00

source: youtube
This is the cartoon trailer version.
This trailer was uploaded to youtube at the early 2009.
It was said that the full version will be out soon.

The full movie in Thai Version is also available at the same page.
There are 10 parts of Thai Version in youtube (Click here to watch).

Mangala Sutta - in Pali and English

2009-04-29T17:40:00.011+08:00

Source: Youtube
This is the Pali and English version of Mangala Sutta.
Mangala is defined as the Good omen or Auspices.

In English,

Thus have I heard:

Once while the Blessed One was staying in the vicinity of Saavatthi, in the Jeta Grove, in Anaathapi.n.dika's monastery, a certain deity, whose surpassing brilliance and beauty illumined the entire Jeta Grove, late one night came to the presence of the Blessed One; having come to him and offered profound salutations he stood on one side and spoke to him reverently in the following verse:

Many deities and human beings
Have pondered what are blessings,
Which they hope will bring them safety:
Declare to them, Sir, the Highest Blessing.

(To this the Blessed One replied):

With fools no company keeping.
With the wise ever consorting,
To the worthy homage paying:
This, the Highest Blessing.

III

Congenial place to dwell,
In the past merits making,
One's self directed well:
This, the Highest Blessing.

Ample learning, in crafts ability,
With a well-trained disciplining,
Well-spoken words, civility:
This, the Highest Blessing.

Mother, father well supporting,
Wife and children duly cherishing,
Types of work unconflicting:
This, the Highest Blessing.

Acts of giving, righteous living,
Relatives and kin supporting,
Actions blameless then pursuing:
This, the Highest Blessing.

VII

Avoiding evil and abstaining,
From besotting drinks refraining,
Diligence in Dhamma doing:
This, the Highest Blessing.

VIII

Right reverence and humility
Contentment and a grateful bearing,
Hearing Dhamma when it's timely:
This, the Highest Blessing.

Patience, meekness when corrected,
Seeing monks and then discussing
About the Dhamma when it's timely:
This, the Highest Blessing.

Self-restraint and holy life,
All the Noble Truths in-seeing,
Realization of Nibbaana:
This, the Highest Blessing.

Though touched by worldly circumstances,
Never his mind is wavering,
Sorrowless, stainless and secure:
This, the Highest Blessing.

XII

Since by acting in this way,
They are everywhere unvanquished,
And everywhere they go in safety:
Theirs, the Highest Blessings.

Here ends the Discourse on Blessings.

In Pali, it is as follow:

Bahuu devaa manussaa ca
ma"ngalaani acintayu.m /
aaka.mkhamaanaa sotthaana.m
bruuhi ma"ngalam-uttama.m /

II.

Asevanaa ca baalaana.m;
pa.n.ditaana~n ca sevanaa /
puujaa ca puujaniiyaana.m
etam ma"ngalam-uttama.m /

III.

Pa.tiruupadesavaaso ca,
pubbe ca kata-pu~n~nataa /
attasammaapa.nidhi ca
etam ma"ngalam-uttama.m /

IV.

Bahusacca~n ca sippa~n ca
vinayo ca susikkhito /
subhaasitaa ca yaa vaacaa
etam ma"ngalam-uttama.m /

Maataa-pitu upa.t.thaana.m
putta-daarassa sa"ngaho /
anaakulaa ca kammantaa
etam ma"ngalam-uttama.m /

VI.

Daana~n ca dhammacariyaa ca
~naatakaana~n ca sa"ngaho /
anavajjaani kammaani
etam ma"ngalam-uttama.m /

VII.

AArati viratii paapaa
majjapaanaa ca sa~n~namo /
appamaado ca dhammesu
etam ma"ngalam-uttama.m /

VIII.

Gaaravo ca nivaato ca
santu.t.thii ca kata~n~nutaa /
kaalena dhammasavana.m
etam ma"ngalam-uttama.m /

IX.

Khantii ca sovacassataa
sama.naana~n ca dassana.m /
kaalena dhammasaakacchaa
etam ma"ngalam-uttama.m /

Tapo ca brahmacariya~n ca,
ariyasaccaana dassana.m /
nibbaana-sacchikiriyaa ca
etam ma"ngalam-uttama.m /

XI.

Phu.t.thassa lokadhammehi
citta.m yassa na kampati /
asoka.m viraja.m khema.m
etam ma"ngalam-uttama.m /

XII.

Etaadisaani katvaana
sabbattham-aparaajitaa /
sabbattha sotthi.m gacchanti
ta.m tesa.m ma"ngalam-uttama.m /

(Mahaama"ngalasutta.m ni.t.thita.m)

Metta Sutta - Remix

2009-04-29T02:23:00.024+08:00

Source: Youtube [The DJ is a Burmese and one of my friends said he is DJ Jay.]

This is the remix version of Metta Sutta for youngsters.
The image of the Pagoda in this video is the Shwedagon Pagoda, the most famous one in Yangon, Myanmar.

There are a lot of arguments for this song in its original page in youtube (click here). As it is a remix or club-mix version, some may not like it.

But for my opinion, we should not be too conservative because the world is rapidly changing. So, let the youngsters to listen it. I believe it is better for us to let them to listen the Buddha's songs than the others. So, they will get familiar with Dhamma Songs. And then, they will eager to learn what the meanings of those song are.

The above comment is just my opinion. Someone, who has different opinions, are invited to give comments here. All comments are welcomed.

A Brife Life History of Gotama, the Buddha

2009-04-28T18:58:00.003+08:00

Before, we start to learn about the Buddhism, I would like to introduce the Buddha, who is very unique, noble, and holy. This is a brief biography of Gotama the Buddha.

The future Buddha, know as Bodhisatta in Pali, lived in the remote past and was reborn as Sumedha the Hermit, four Asankhyeyyas and one hundred thousand world-cycles (Kappa) ago.

At the time Dipankara the Buddha, the Omniscient One, existed and if the Bodhisatta decided to win Complete Freedom and Purity, he could win it under the feet of the Buddha Dipankara. Considering that he should teach the Four Noble Truths to the ignorant world, and having universal compassion (Maha Karuna), he renounced the chance of winning Nibbanic peace for the sake of the welfare and liberation of all living beings. Indeed, he decided to make all sentient beings free from the sufferings in the circles of births and deaths known as Samsara. He wanted to save all persons not only for himself alone in crossing over the ocean of Samsara.

So, the Budhisatta had to wander through countless lives, four Asankhyeyyas and hundred thousand world-cycles (Kappa) with the noble, determined performances of the Budhisatta virtues to win full Enlightenment of Sammasambuddha Nana (Supreme Enlightenment). Naturally all true Bodhisattas have to observe Tem Parami-Perfections to become Buddhas by their own efforts. The Tem Parami-Perfections or Great Liberating Virtues are;

1. Generosity/ Alms-giving/ Charity
2. Morality
3. Renunciation
4. Wisdom
5. Energy/ Effort
6. Patience/ Forbearance
7. Truthfulness
8. Determination/ Resolve
9. Loving-kindness and
10. Equanimity

Each Parami must be performed at three levels: Regarding generosity, these are;

1. Ordinary Level – giving away outward things such as gold, silver, horses, elephants, etc.
2. Secondary Level – giving away inner things such as eyes, ears, noses, hands, etc.
3. The Highest Level – giving away one’s own life, for the welfare of others.

As each Parami contains three levels of supreme performance, there are Thirty Paramis in the world of Bodhisattas.

And, most remarkably, all true Bodhisattas must renounce completely the following possessions or ownerships. In this way they become worthy of respect and ready to become the full Buddha.

1. Renunciation of high status and positions, such as kingship, universal rulership, wealth, power so that they are collectively known as “Dana Pariccaga”.
2. Renunciation/ offering of sons and daughters for other’s sake, persons who ask for them.
3. Renunciation/ offering of one’s own wife when someone makes a demand for her.
4. Renunciation of one’s own limbs such as hands, legs, ears, nose when someone asks for them.
5. Renunciation/ sacrifice of one’s own life (Jivita Pariccaga).

These unique self-sacrifices or rare virtues are collectively termed “Five Great Renunciations”, because only uniquely rare and noble persons, after receiving solemn prophecy from the mouth of the Buddha, can perform them with complete freedom and high aim.

As such the Bodhisatta, in countless lives, had to make supreme sacrifices for the sake of Supreme Enlightenment (Bodhi), and finally he was reborn in Turita Deva (Celestial) realm, as Setaketu Deva. While living as a deity in Tusita Adobe, all gods and brahmas living within a sphere of ten thousand Cakkavala worlds came near to him and made a solemn request, asking him to be reborn as a human being in the human world as the time for Buddha-hood was ripe at that moment.

In accordance with the solemn request of devas and brahmas of ten thousand Worlds, Bodhisatta Setaketu, having made his sacred decision, deeply considered the following points of great importance:

1. Kala – A correct time for attainment of Supreme Bodhi – Buddha-hood
2. Dipa – A suitable Island Continent for the Buddha
3. Desa – A suitable region for Buddha
4. Kula – A suitable race
5. Matuayupariccheda – Life-span and age of the Bidhisatta’s Holy Mother

After knowing these five factor requirements he passed from Devaloka to be conceived in Maya Devi’s womb, the chief queen of King Suddhodana of Kapilavatthu. This Scared Conception in Mother’s womb took place on the full-moon of Waso, 67 Maha Era (560 BCE), Thursday.

Then the Bodhisatta was born in 68 Maha Era (about 560 BCE) on Kason (equivalent to May) full-moon, Friday, at the Lumbini forest, between Devadaha Country and Kapilavatthu Country.

At the age of sixteen he was married to Princess Yasodhara, enjoying royal pleasures with great happiness.

But, at 29, when he saw the Four Fearful Holy Sights, or the Four Great Signs, namely, an old man, a sick man, a dead man (a corpse), and a mendicant, Bhikkhu, he at once renounced the world to practice and attain the Highest Truth of Life.

At a lonely forest, as a wanderer in search of supreme peace and greatest happiness, he preformed severest austerities know to mankind. He followed the path of self-torture, as it was the popular course at that time among holy men, to win enlightenment and liberation. Thus for six continuous years he tried self-mortification, all forms of austerities. These practices are called “Dukkaracariya”, Great Hard Practices.

After having tried the way of self-mortification, he went and sat under the Ajapala banyan tree. These, Sujata, a daughter of a millionaire, came and offered a very righ rice-gruel food (milk-food). He accepted and partook of the most special food to recover his health and strength, and then he left for the place where the Maha Bodhi Tree stood.

While at that sacred place a grass-cutter, Suddhiya, came and offered eight bundles of grass which he scattered them near the Sacred Bodhi Tree.

Wonderfully, due to the power of his countless Parami-Perfections, these bundles of grass turned into the “Seat of the Unconquerable”, or the “Throne of Supreme Victory”. The nature and shape of the grass had been transformed into “Aparajita Pallinka”, seat for the Bodhisatta.

Sitting on this Seat of Victory, the Bodhisatta won over Devaputta Mara, the Evil One at the beginning of the setting sun. At the first watch of the night he attained Pubbenivasa Nana Insight, which means Insight of recollection of past lives or the reminiscence of past births. At midnight he attained Dibbacakkhu Nana (the Divine Eye) by which he could see clearly the disappearing and reappearing of beings. With supernormal insight he saw the deaths of beings and where they were reborn at the same instant.

At dawn he won the Supreme Supramundane Insight (Lokuttara consciousness of arahattamagga citta), know as “Asavakkhaya Nana”, the noble insight that completely eradicated all ten defilements (kikesa=impurities, taints, passions) root and branch. The Bodhisatta became the Supreme Buddha, the Exalted One, at the age of thirty-five in 103 Maha Era, on full moon day of Kason (equivalent to May).

With the attainment of Supreme Insight, for forty-five years he preached the Noble Dhamma (The Enlightenment Philosophy) in many places to various types of people without discrimination. Thus he served the cause of welfare, peace and happiness of all sentient beings with greatest effort and noblest aim. Even deities, brahmas, animals got many benefits from hearing his Dhamma, putting them on the Right Path.

After teaching the Dhamma for forty-five years in many countries to various peoples, starting with the Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta, the essence of Buddha’s Teaching, the main Dhamma. Having performed his duties and responsibilities as the Buddha, he realized the complete cessation of all Khandha-Dukkhas, at Kusinara, in the forest of Malla Kings, on full moon of Kason (equilavent to May) in 148 Maha Era (about 485 BCE), Tuesday.

Source: How to live as a Good Buddhist Volume 1, by Dept for the Promotion and Propagation of the Sasana, Union of Myanmar
N.B: The article above has been edited and modified.

ကာလာမသုတ္ (ဗုဒၶ ၏ အယူအဆ လြတ္လပ္ပံုု)

2009-04-28T18:52:00.004+08:00

ၿမတ္စြာဘုရားရွင္သည္ရြာၾကီးတစ္ရြာျဖစ္ေသာ ေကသမုတၱိရြာၾကီးသုိ ့ေရာက္ရွိခဲ့စဥ္ ၎ရြာၾကီးတြင္ ဘုရားရွင္ အေရွးဦးစြာ တတၳိပုဂၢဳိလ္(၆)ဦးမွ ငါေဟာတာယုံသူမ်ားေျပာတာမယုံနဲ ့ဆုိျပီး မွားယြင္းေသာအယူဝါဒမ်ားစြာကုိ ေဟာၾကားခဲ့ျပီးျဖစ္လုိ႕ ့ရြာသားမ်ားအားလုံး အယူဝါဒနဲ ့ပတ္သက္ျပီး ေတြေဝေနၾကေသာအခ်ိန္တြင္ ဘုရားရွင္မွေကသမုတၱိသုတ္ကုိ ေဟာေတာ္မူခဲ့ၿခင္းၿဖစ္ေပသည္။ထိုေဟာၾကားခ်က္အၿပည့္အစံုမွာ........

၁/ အယူဝါဒတစ္ခုကို တဆင့္ၾကား႐ံုမွ်ျဖင့္ သို႕တည္းမဟုတ္ သူတပါး ေဟာၾကားသည္ကို ၾကား႐ံုမွ်ျဖင့္
ထိုအယူဝါဒကို မွန္သည္ ဟူ၍ ၎၊ မွားသည္ ဟူ၍၎ မဆံုးျဖတ္သင့္ေပ။

၂/ အယူဝါဒတစ္ခု၏ က်မ္းဂန္စာေပသည္ မိမိတို႕၏ ဘိုးေဘးစဥ္ဆက္ ဆင္းသက္လာေသာ မိ႐ိုးဖလာ အယူဝါဒျဖစ္သည္ဟူ၍လည္း
ထိုအယူဝါဒကို မွန္သည္ ဟူ၍ ၎၊ မွားသည္ ဟူ၍၎ မဆံုးျဖတ္သင့္ေပ။

၃/ အယူဝါဒတစ္ခု၏ က်မ္းဂန္စာေပသည္ ဤအရာသည္ ဤသို႔ျဖစ္သည္ ဟူေသာ ေကာလဟလျဖင့္လည္း သို႕တည္းမဟုတ္ ထိုအယူ၀ါဒကို ယံုၾကည္ကိုးကြယ္သူမ်ားသည္ ဟူ၍လည္း
ထိုအယူဝါဒကို မွန္သည္ ဟူ၍ ၎၊ မွားသည္ ဟူ၍၎ မဆံုးျဖတ္သင့္ေပ။

၄/ အယူဝါဒတစ္ခု၏ မိမိတို႔သင္ထားေသာ စာမ်ားႏွင့္ ညီညြတ္႐ံုမွ်ျဖင့္လည္း
ထိုအယူဝါဒကို မွန္သည္ ဟူ၍ ၎၊ မွားသည္ ဟူ၍၎ မဆံုးျဖတ္သင့္ေပ။

၅/ အယူဝါဒတစ္ခု၏ မိမိၾကံစည္ထားေသာအၾကံအစည္ အေတြးအေခၚႏွင့္ ကိုက္ညီသည္ သိုတည္းမဟုတ္ မိမိ အယူဝါဒျခင္း တူသည္ ဟူ၍ လည္း
ထိုအယူဝါဒကို မွန္သည္ ဟူ၍ ၎၊ မွားသည္ ဟူ၍၎ မဆံုးျဖတ္သင့္ေပ။

၆/ အယူဝါဒတစ္ခု၏ က်မ္းဂန္စာေပ သည္ သူတစ္ပါးတို႔ လုပ္နည္းကိုင္နည္းကို သေဘာၾက၍ သို႕တည္းမဟုတ္ ထိုအယူ၀ါဒကို သူတပါးတို႕ ကိုးကြယ္ယံုၾကည္ သည္ ဟူ၍လည္း
ထိုအယူဝါဒကို မွန္သည္ ဟူ၍ ၎၊ မွားသည္ ဟူ၍၎ မဆံုးျဖတ္သင့္ေပ။

၇/ အယူဝါဒတစ္ခု၏ က်မ္းဂန္စာေပသည္ မိမိတို႔ ယံုၾကည္ထိုက္ေသာပုဂၢိဳလ္၏ စကားျဖစ္သည္ဟု ပုဂၢိဳလ္စြဲအားျဖင့္လည္း
ထိုအယူဝါဒကို မွန္သည္ ဟူ၍ ၎၊ မွားသည္ ဟူ၍၎ မဆံုးျဖတ္သင့္ေပ။

၈/ အယူဝါဒတစ္ခု၏ က်မ္းဂန္စာေပသည္ ငါတို႔၏ ဆရာစကား ျဖစ္႐ံုမွ်ျဖင့္လည္း ထိုအယူဝါဒကို မွန္သည္ ဟူ၍ ၎၊ မွားသည္ ဟူ၍၎ မဆံုးျဖတ္သင့္ေပ။

အယူဝါဒတစ္ခုမွ လာေသာ အဆံုးအမ၊ လမ္းစဥ္ေတြသည္ ေကာင္းလည္းမေကာင္း၊ အျပစ္လည္းမကင္း၊ ပညာရွိတို႔ ကဲ့ရဲ႕စရာလည္းျဖစ္၏။ ထိုလမ္းစဥ္အတိုင္း က်င့္ႀကံလွ်င္ (မိမိအားလည္းေကာင္း၊ သူတပါးအားလည္းေကာင္း၊ ေလာကအားလည္းေကာင္း) စီးပြားမဲ့ဒုကၡေရာက္ဖုိ႔ျဖစ္၏- ဟု ကိုယ္တိုင္ နားလည္လာေသာအခါမွသာ ထိုအယူဝါဒကို စြန္႔လႊတ္သင့္ပါသည္။

အယူဝါဒတစ္ခုမွ လာေသာ အဆံုအမ၊ လမ္းစဥ္ေတြသည္ ေကာင္းလည္းေကာင္း၊ အျပစ္တို႔ မွလည္းကင္း၊ ပညာရွိတို႔ ခ်ီးမႊမ္းစရာလည္းျဖစ္၏။ ထိုလမ္းစဥ္အတိုင္း က်င့္ႀကံလွ်င္ (မိမိအားလည္းေကာင္း၊ သူတပါးအားလည္းေကာင္း၊ ေလာကအားလည္းေကာင္း) ေကာင္းေသာအက်ိဳးစီးပြားျဖစ္ဖုိ႔သာရွိ၏- ဟု ကိုယ္တိုင္နားလည္လက္ခံ ႏိုင္ေသာအခါမွသာ ထိုအယူဝါဒကို စြဲၿမဲစြာလက္ခံသင့္ပါသည္။

source: The citations of this article are from various web pages and blogs written on Buddhism in Burmese. This article needs to be rearranged or re-written.

ဓမၼစၾကာ

2009-04-28T18:48:00.001+08:00

မဟာသကၠရာဇ္ ၁၀၃ ခုႏွစ္၊ ဘီစီ ၅၈၈ ခုႏွစ္ ၀ါဆိုလျပည့္ေန႔ ညေနခ်မ္းတြင္ ဗာရာဏသီျပည္ မိဂဒါ၀ုန္ေတာအုပ္အတြင္းမွာ ေဂါတမဘုရားရွင္က ပဥၥ၀ဂၢီငါးဦးကို တရားဦး ေဟာေတာ္မူတဲ့ အထိမ္းအမွတ္ေန႔ျဖစ္ပါတယ္။ အဲဒီေန႔မွာ ေဟာၾကားေတာ္မူခဲ့တဲ့ တရားေတာ္ကေတာ့ သတၱ၀ါတို႔၏ ဉာဏ္ပညာ မ်က္လံုးတြင္ ကိေလသာတိမ္သလႅာ ဖံုးလႊမ္းေနေသာေၾကာင့္ အဆက္မျပတ္ အၿမဲျဖစ္ေနေသာ္လည္း မသိၾကသည့္ အမွန္တရားအား စတင္ေဖာ္ထုတ္ သိျမင္ေစခဲ့တဲ့ ဓမၼစကၠပ၀တၱနသုတ္ေတာ္ပဲ ျဖစ္ပါတယ္။ အဲဒီ တရားေတာ္မွာ အႏွစ္သာရအားျဖင့္ အခ်က္ ၃ ခ်က္ ပါ၀င္ပါတယ္။ (၁) ေရွာင္ရန္ အစြန္းႏွစ္ပါး၊ (၂) က်င့္ႀကံရန္ အလယ္လမ္း၊ (၃) ထိုးထြင္းသိျမင္ရန္ သစၥာေလးပါးတို႔ပဲ ျဖစ္ပါတယ္။

စိတ္ဓါတ္၊ အက်င့္ႏွင့္ အသိကို ပ်က္စီးေစေသာ ေရွာင္ရန္ အစြန္းႏွစ္ပါး - The Two Extremes to Avoid

* ကာမဂုဏ္မ်ားႏွင့္ေပ်ာ္ပါးျခင္းဟူေသာ အစြန္းေရာက္အက်င့္မ်ား (Sensual indulgence)
* မိမိကိုယ္ကို ႏွိပ္စက္ညႇည္းပန္းျခင္းဟူေသာ အစြန္းေရာက္အက်င့္မ်ား (Self-mortification)

လိုက္နာက်င့္သံုးရန္ မဇၩိမပဋိပဒါအလယ္လမ္း - Buddha’s Middle Way – The Path of Moderation

* ကိုယ္ႏႈတ္ႏွစ္ပါးအား လြန္က်ဴးမႈမရွိေအာင္ထိန္းေသာ ကိုယ္ႏႈတ္စည္းကမ္း - သီလ (Moral Conduct)
* စိတ္ေသာင္းက်န္းမႈ၊ လြန္က်ဴးမႈ၊ ျပစ္မွားမႈတို႔အား ထိန္းသည့္ စိတ္စည္းကမ္း - သမာဓိ (Concentration)
* စိတ္အတြင္းပိုင္းအထိ အျမစ္တြယ္ကပ္ေနေသာ ကိေလသာ အညစ္အေၾကးမ်ား ေဆးေၾကာသန္႔စင္သည့္နည္းလမ္း - ပညာ (Wisdom) ဟူေသာ အႏွစ္သာရ သံုးခုႏွင့္ နည္းလမ္း ရွစ္ခု ပါ၀င္ေပသည္။

ထိုးထြင္းသိျမင္ရန္ သစၥာအမွန္တရားေလးပါး - The Four Noble Truths

(၁) ခႏၶာငါးပါး၊ ႐ုပ္နာမ္ႏွစ္ပါးသည္ ဆင္းရဲျခင္းအမွန္ - ဒုကၡသစၥာ (Life Means Suffering)
ခႏၶာ၏ ျဖစ္ျခင္း၊ အိုမင္းရင့္ေရာ္ျခင္း၊ ေဖာက္ျပန္ျခင္း၊ ႏွိပ္စက္ျခင္း၊ အလိုမျပည့္ျခင္း၊ ခ်စ္ေသာသူႏွင့္ ကြဲကြာရျခင္း၊ မုန္းေသာသူႏွင့္ လက္တြဲရျခင္းစသည္တို႔သည္ ႐ုပ္နာမ္တို႔၏ ဆင္းရဲတတ္သည့္ သဘာ၀အမွန္ျဖစ္သည္။
Birth, aging, illness, death, sorrow, lamentation, pain, grief, despair, not to get what one wants, union with whatis dispeasing, separation from what is pleasing are the life’s true natures of suffering.
(၂) တဏွာသည္ ဆင္းရဲေၾကာင္းအမွန္ - သမုဒယသစၥာ (Origin of Suffering is Attachment)
ကာမ၊ ခႏၶာ၊ ဘ၀တို႔၌တပ္မက္ေသာ တဏွာႏွင့္ ဘ၀မရွိဟူေသာ ၀ါဒတို႔၌ စြဲလမ္းတက္မက္ေသာ တဏွာတို႔သည္ ဆင္းရဲျခင္းကို ျဖစ္ေစေသာ အေၾကာင္းသေဘာ အမွန္ျဖစ္သည္။
Craving for sensual pleasures, existence and for non-existence is the cause of renewed existence.
(၃) ထိုတဏွာခ်ဳပ္ျခင္းသည္ ဒုကၡခ်ဳပ္ၿငိမ္းေၾကာင္းအမွန္ - နိေျဂာဓသစၥာ (Suffering’s Cessation)
Cessation of suffering is the giving up, relinquishing of and nonreliance on the craving.
(၄) မဂၢင္ရွစ္ပါး အက်င့္တရားတို႔သည္ နိေရာဓသို႔ေရာက္ေၾကာင္းအမွန္ - မဂၢသစၥာ (Way to the Cessation of Suffering)
The Noble Eightfold Path is the way leading to the cessation of suffering.

မဂၢင္ရွစ္ပါး (The Noble Eightfold Path) ဆိုသည္မွာ…

(၁) သမၼာဒိ႒ိ - မွန္စြာသိျမင္မႈ (The Right Understanding)
အရွိကို အရွိအတိုင္းသိ၍ ငါစြဲေပ်ာက္သည့္အျမင္သည္ အျမင္မွန္အားလံုး၏ အေျခခံ ျဖစ္သည္။

(၂) သမၼာသကၤပၸ - မွန္စြာႀကံစည္မႈ (The Right Thinking)
ငါ့အတြက္ မႀကံ၊ ေကာင္းက်ဳိးသယ္ပိုးရန္၊ ဆင္းရဲသူတို႔အား ကူညီေစာင့္ေရွာက္ရန္ ႀကံစည္ျခင္းသည္ မွန္ေသာအႀကံ ျဖစ္ေပသည္။

(၃) သမၼာ၀ါစာ - မွန္စြာေျပာဆိုျခင္း (The Right Speech)
မွန္ကန္၊ ႐ိုးသား၊ ယဥ္ေက်း၍ ညီညြတ္မႈကိုအားေပးေသာ၊ အမ်ားလက္ခံႏိုင္ေသာစကားအား ေျပာျခင္းသည္ မွန္စြာေျပာျခင္း မည္ေပသည္။

(၄) သမၼာကမၼႏ ၱ- မွန္စြာလုပ္ေဆာင္ျခင္း (The Right Action)
သူတစ္ပါး၏ အသက္အိုးအိမ္အား ကာကြယ္ေစာင့္ေရွာက္ျခင္း၊ သူတစ္ပါးႀကီးပြားတိုးတက္ေရးအား ျပဳျခင္း၊ ကိေလသာ ကာမဂုဏ္တို႔အား လူမႈက်င့္၀တ္တို႔ျဖင့္ စနစ္တက် ထိန္းသိမ္းထားျခင္းတို႔သည္ မွန္ကန္ေသာ ကိုယ္အမူအရာ ျဖစ္ေပသည္။

(၅) သမၼာအာဇီ၀ - မွန္စြာအသက္ေမြးျခင္း (The Right Livelihood)
သူ႔အသက္အား သတ္ျဖတ္ညႇင္းပန္းျခင္း၊ အဆိပ္လက္နက္၊ အသားစားသတၱ၀ါ၊ မူးယစ္ေဆး၀ါး၊ လူ (ျပည့္တန္ဆာ၊ ကၽြန္) အေရာင္းအ၀ယ္ျပဳျခင္းဟူေသာ မမွန္ကန္သည့္ အသက္ေမြးျခင္းမ်ားအား ေရွာင္ၾကဥ္ျခင္းသည္ မွန္စြာအသက္ေမြးျခင္း မည္ပါသည္။

(၆) သမၼာ၀ါယာမ - မွန္စြာအားထုတ္ျခင္း (The Right Effort)
မျဖစ္ေသးသည့္ ကိေလသာမ်ားအား မျဖစ္လာေစရန္၊ ရွိေနေသာ ကိေလသာ အက်င့္ဆိုးမ်ားအား အႂကြင္းမဲ့ ပယ္ရွားႏိုင္ရန္ ႀကိဳးစား အားထုတ္ျခင္းသည္ မွန္ေသာအားထုတ္ျခင္း ျဖစ္သည္။

(၇) သမၼာသတိ - မွန္စြာမွတ္႐ႈျခင္း (The Right Mindfulness)
ကိေလသာရန္သူႏွင့္ ဒုစ႐ိုက္အက်င့္ဆိုးမ်ား ကိုယ္ႏႈတ္စိတ္အမႈအရာမ်ားသို႔ မ၀င္လာေစရန္ ကာကြယ္ေစာင့္ၾကည့္ထားျခင္းသည္ မွန္စြာ မွတ္႐ႈျခင္း ျဖစ္ေပသည္။

(၈) သမၼာသမာဓိ - မွန္စြာတည္ၾကည္ျခင္း (The Right Concentration)
ေတာေမ်ာက္ကဲ့သို႔ ပရမ္းပတာ ျပန္႔က်ဲေျပးလႊားေနသည့္စိတ္အား တည္ၿငိမ္ေစရန္ အာ႐ံုေကာင္းတစ္ခုအေပၚတြင္ စည္းကမ္းတက် ထိန္းထားႏိုင္ျခင္းသည္ မွန္ကန္စြာတည္ၾကည္ျခင္း ျဖစ္ပါသည္။

သီလ၊ သမာဓိႏွင့္ ပညာဟူေသာ မဇၩိမပဋိပဒါအလယ္လမ္း၏ အႏွစ္သာရသံုးပါးႏွင့္ မဂၢင္ရွစ္ပါးတို႔အၾကား ဆက္စပ္ပံုမွာ

သမၼာဒိ႒ိႏွင့္ သမၼာသကၤပၸတို႔သည္ ပညာမည္ေပသည္။ သမၼ၀ါစာ၊ သမၼာကမၼႏၱႏွင့္ သမၼာအာဇီ၀တို႔သည္ သီလပင္ျဖစ္ကာ သမၼာ၀ါယာမ၊ သမၼာသတိႏွင့္ သမၼာသမာဓိတို႔သည္ သမာဓိတရားမ်ား ျဖစ္ပါသည္။

မဂၢင္ရွစ္ပါး မဂၢသစၥာသည္ သီလ၊ သမာဓိ၊ ပညာပင္ ျဖစ္ပါသည္။ ထိုအလယ္လမ္း အက်င့္ျမတ္အား က်င့္ႀကံျခင္းျဖင့္ ဒုကၡသစၥာအား ထိုးထြင္းသိျမင္၊ သမုဒယသစၥာအား ပယ္ရွား၍ နိေျဂာဓသစၥာသို႔ စိုက္ေရာက္ မ်က္ေမွာက္ျပဳႏိုင္ၾကမည္ ျဖစ္ပါသည္။

Source: http://stanley.iblogger.org/?cat=94&paged=2

Acknowledgment

The original author, Stanley, claimed that he also referred to the booklet which was distributed free-of-charge on the full-moon day of Waso at Shwedagon pagoda, Yangon.

The distributors were U Chit Khin, Daw Aye Aye Sein and their family, the owner of Yinmar Music Recording and Putet Journal.

Kalama Sutta - Buddha's charter of free inquiry

2009-04-28T18:45:00.002+08:00

The Kesamutti Sutta, or better known as Kalama Sutta, is a Buddhist Sutta in the Anguttara Nikaya of the Tipitaka. In this Sutta, it is clearly seen how generous, practical and flexible Buddhism is.

Once, Gautama Buddha passed through the village of Kesaputta and was greeted by the people who lived there: the Kalamas. The Kalamas greeted the Buddha and asked for advice. According to the Kalamas, many wandering holy men and ascetics had passed through their village, expounding their teachings and criticizing others'. The Kalamas asked the Buddha whose teachings they should follow. In response, he delivered a sutta that serves as an entry-point to Buddhist tenets for those unconvinced by revelatory experiences.

The Buddha instructed the Kalama People on which basis one should decide which religious teaching to accept as true. The Buddha told the Kalamas to not just believe religious teachings because they were claimed to be true by various sources or through the application of various methods and techniques. He urged that direct knowledge from one's own experience should be called upon. He counseled that the words of the wise should be heeded and taken into account when deciding upon the value of a teaching. This was not a dogmatic acceptance but rather a constantly questioning and testing acceptance of those teachings which could be proven to reduce suffering.

Buddha preached:

Do not go upon what has been acquired by repeated hearing
nor upon tradition
nor upon rumor
nor upon what is in a scripture
nor upon surmise
nor upon an axiom
nor upon specious reasoning
nor upon a bias towards a notion that has been pondered over
nor upon another's seeming ability
nor upon the consideration, "The monk is our teacher."
Kalamas, when you yourselves know: "These things are good; these things are not blamable; these things are praised by the wise; undertaken and observed, these things lead to benefit and happiness," enter on and abide in them.

Buddha also instructed, the sources of wisdom to be avoided, as follow:

Oral history
Traditional
News or sources
Scriptures or other official texts
Logical reasoning
Philosophical reasoning
Common sense
One's own opinions
One's own teacher

Instead, he said, only when one personally knew that a certain teaching was skillful, blameless, praiseworthy and conducive to happness, and that it was praised by the wise, should one then accept it as true and practise it.

So, all Dhamma, what Buddha preached, are able to be practically tested, questioned or examined as it is really truthfulness. Comapred to other religious, Buddhism is the freedom of religious and it can be said the religious of wise.

Source: www.en.wikipedia.org

The Chant of Metta (Loving Kindness)

2009-04-27T23:40:00.017+08:00

Lyrics by Imee Ooi, Music by Woon Yoke Fun

Video Source: Youtube
Lyrics Source: http://www.buddhanet.net/chant-metta.htm

Acknowledgment:
I would like to show my gratitude for this post to my friend, Oakkyaw Za, who sent it to me.

Aham avero homi
May I be free from enmity and danger

abyapajjho homi
May I be free from mental suffering

anigha homi
May I be free from physical suffering

sukhi - attanam pariharami
May I take care of myself happily

Mama matapitu
May my parents

acariya ca natimitta ca
teacher relatives and friends

sabrahma - carino ca
fellow Dhamma farers

avera hontu
be free from enmity and danger

abyapajjha hontu
be free from mental suffering

anigha hontu
be free from physical suffering

sukhi - attanam pariharantu
may they take care of themselves happily

Imasmim arame sabbe yogino
May all meditators in this compound

avera hontu
be free from enmity and danger

abyapajjha hontu
be free from mental suffering

anigha hontu
be free from physical suffering

sukhi - attanam pariharantu
May they take care of themselves happily

Imasmim arame sabbe bhikkhu
May all monks in this compound

samanera ca
novice monks

upasaka - upasikaya ca
laymen and laywomen disciples

avera hontu
be free from enmity and danger

abyapajjha hontu
be free from mental suffering

anigha hontu
be free from physical suffering

sukhi - attanam pariharantu
May they take care of themselves happily

Amhakam catupaccaya - dayaka
May our donors of the four supports: clothing, food, medicine and lodging

avera hontu
be free from enmity and danger

abyapajjha hontu
be free from mental suffering

anigha hontu
be free from physical suffering

sukhi - attanam pariharantu
May they take care of themselves happily

Amhakam arakkha devata
May our guardian devas

Ismasmim vihare
in this monastery

Ismasmim avase
in this dwelling

Ismasmim arame
in this compound

arakkha devata
May the guardian devas

avera hontu
be free from enmity and danger

abyapajjha hontu
be free from mental suffering

anigha hontu
be free from physical suffering

sukhi - attanam pariharantu
may they take care of themselves happily

Sabbe satta
May all beings

sabbe pana
all breathing things

sabbe bhutta
all creatures

sabbe puggala
all individuals (all beings)

sabbe attabhava - pariyapanna
all personalities (all beings with mind and body)

sabbe itthoyo
may all females

sabbe purisa
all males

sabbe ariya
all noble ones (saints)

sabbe anariya
all worldlings (those yet to attain sainthood)

sabbe deva
all devas (deities)

sabbe manussa
all humans

sabbe vinipatika
all those in the four woeful planes

avera hontu
be free from enmity and dangers

abyapajjha hontu
be free from mental suffering

anigha hontu
be free from physical suffering

sukhi - attanam pariharantu
may they take care of themselves happily

Dukkha muccantu
May all being be free from suffering

Yattha-laddha-sampattito mavigacchantu
May whatever they have gained not be lost

Kammassaka
All beings are owners of their own Kamma

Purathimaya disaya
in the eastern direction

pacchimaya disaya
in the western direction

uttara disaya
in the northern direction

dakkhinaya disaya
in the southern direction

purathimaya anudisaya
in the southeast direction

pacchimaya anudisaya
in the northwest direction

uttara anudisaya
in the northeast direction

dakkhinaya anudisaya
in the southwest direction

hetthimaya disaya
in the direction below

uparimaya disaya
in the direction above

Sabbe satta
May all beings

sabbe pana
all breathing things

sabbe bhutta
all creatures

sabbe puggala
all individuals (all beings)

sabbe attabhava - pariyapanna
all personalities (all beings with mind and body)

sabbe itthoyo
may all females

sabbe purisa
all males

sabbe ariya
all noble ones (saints)

sabbe anariya
(those yet to attain sainthood)

sabbe deva
all devas (deities)

sabbe manussa
all humans

sabbe vinipatika
all those in the 4 woeful planes

avera hontu
be free from enmity and dangers

abyapajjha hontu
be free from mental suffering

anigha hontu
be free from physical suffering

sukhi - attanam pariharantu
may they take care of themselves happily

Dukkha muccantu
May all beings be free from suffering

Yattha-laddha-sampattito mavigacchantu
May whatever they have gained not be lost

Kammassaka
All beings are owners of their own kamma

Uddham yava bhavagga ca
As far as the highest plane of existence

adho yava aviccito
to as far down as the lowest plane

samanta cakkavalesu
in the entire universe

ye satta pathavicara
whatever beings that move on earth

abyapajjha nivera ca
may they are free of mental suffering and enmity

nidukkha ca nupaddava
and from physical suffering and danger

Uddham yava bhavagga ca
As far as the highest plane of existence

adho yava aviccito
to as far down as the lowest plane

samanta cakkavalesu
in the entire universe

ye satta udakecara
whatever beings that move on water

abyapajjha nivera ca
may they are free of mental suffering and enmity

nidukkha ca nupaddava
and from physical suffering and danger

Uddham yava bhavagga ca
As far as the highest plane of existence

adho yava aviccito
to as far down as the lowest plane

samanta cakkavalesu
in the entire universe

ye satta akasecara
whatever beings that move in air

abyapajjha nivera ca
may they are free of mental suffering and enmity

nidukkha ca nupaddava
and from physical suffering and danger.

Life!

2009-04-27T00:38:00.018+08:00

Important Notice:

This poem is written by the author and it is a copyrights property.
Any form of presentation without being credited to author is strictly prohibited.

Life!

When I was born,
It was just dawn.
People thought I was a clown,
Though I aimed to be a crown.

As the sun rose, I became in bond
Out of it, I was not that strong.
So for help, I longed and longed
But, no hand still could be found.

In the evening, I found
I'd done a lot of things wrong.
By night fall, the sun went down
Yet the truth still couldn't be found.

And finally, my age beats me down
As the world spins round and round.

Written by Henry Cheng
on 12th Mar 2009