Aloka
JOURNAL - Page 4
ARTICLES INDEX - PAGE 4
- Buddha's analysis of King Kosala's dreams - King Kosala who had sixteen unusual dreams sought an explanation..
- The Buddhist Way of Life - Report of the Sinhala Commission (Part - II) Chapter 8
- The Real Buddhism - If we open any recent book on the origins of religion, we find that there is one point on...
- Buddhism and Marriage - Marriage seems to be written about now more frequently and honestly...
- How rebirth takes place - How is rebirth possible without something to be reborn, without an ego, or a soul?...
- A real Buddhist is a Citizen of the World - Buddhism, the Dhamma, breaks all the barriers which separate one another...
- Trinity of Buddhism - The main theories of Buddhism are four noble truths, eight fold path...
- Eight excellent and wonderful things in the great ocean and the Sasana - The simile method of teaching in the Dhamma...
- Buddha’s visits to Sri Lanka - For over two thousand years we Sinhalese...
- Nibbana theory for a Dhamma millennium - The Buddha’s Doctrine of Deliverance designated as...
Buddha's analysis of King Kosala's dreams
King Kosala who had sixteen unusual dreams sought an explanation from the Buddha
Here are a selected few.
Q: I dreamt of four black bulls coming from four different directions to the royal courtyard preparing for a fight, drawing a crowd who were subsequently disappointed by the quiet departure of the bulls.
Buddha: It will come to pass when kings and their subjects backslide and become perverse and unrighteous. There shall be drought and famine in the land. At the sign of an imminent storm, women folk would rush to carry sun-dried rice and crops indoors and the men will go forth to raise the embankments. Just like the bulls in your dream fought not, there shall be only thunder and lightening but no rain.
Q: I dreamt of men unyoking strong and sturdy oxen and replacing them with young steers unequal to the task, which refused to pull the cart-load and so stood quite still.
Buddha: It will come to pass when unrighteous kings disrespectful of the elderly, wise and learned advisors well experienced in state matters and worldly affairs, appoint young and incompetent fools instead to enforce the rule of law of government. The state's business will get muddled and the fools incapable of shouldering the burden will throw off the office. The elderly and the worldly wise having being ignored become indignant for being passed over, remain aloof and disinterested while the kings face ruin - just like the ox-cart in your dream not moving anywhere.
Q: I dreamtt of a horse with a mouth on either side and eating fodder when fed from both ends.
Buddha: It will come to pass when foolish and unrighteous kings shall appoint greedy judges to preside at judgement. Bribery and corruption shall be the order of the day; just like the horse in your dream eating fodder with two mouths at the same time.
Q: I dreamt of rice boiling in a pot without getting cooked. It was part sodden, part hard and raw and part cooked.
Buddha: It will come to pass when kings become unrighteous all the people including the pious ones around them become likewise. The degeneration will even infect the air and affect the tree spirits, to whom the people make offerings. The ill winds that blow recklessly across the kingdom, will even shake the heavenly abodes and anger the spirits dwelling there. Rain shall not fall. Even if it should fall, it will fall unevenly and at wrong places. Just so the life giving rain is like the pot of unevenly cooked rice in your dream.
Q: I dreamt of a village crow known for its great mischief being escorted by many birds of golden plumage.
Buddha: It will come to pass in the reign of kings who are weak, ignorant, cowardly and afraid of being deposed, that they will appoint henchmen to positions of power and downgrade the nobles to 'yes men' of the upstarts, just like the crow in your dream having royal escorts.
(Maha Supina Jataka).
The Buddhist Way of Life
Report of the Sinhala Commission (Part - II) Chapter 8
The Buddhist way of life is based on the Dhamma. The Dhamma takes its stance on a self-evident truth, which any person can see, through direct experiential knowledge. That is, that in this world everything is impermanent. Whether it be material or immaterial, inanimate or animate, from the nucleus of the atom (with its subatomic particles and quarks in the physical universe) to the mighty galaxies in space, everything is subject to change and is in a state of flux. The vegetation and trees and shrubs of this planet and psychophysical complex of living beings are all subject to this law of change. Nothing is permanent.
The human being which is a psycho-physical complex is subject to this natural law of impermanence or change. The Buddhist term for this is Anicca and the process is Sansara. The human being clinging to the wrong belief he has a permanent entity called variously a soul or ego or identity or self or atta, placed in this changing environment and subject to it, finds life unsatisfactory and suffers in consequence. This Truth (unsatisfactoriness or suffering) Dukkha which the Buddha realised, he formulated as a Noble truth, because it can be seen by direct knowledge by anyone so minded. He formulated three other Noble Truths known as the cause of unsatisfactoriness or suffering, that this suffering can be overcome and the means or method adapted to overcome it. We do not intend to go in to all this here. Those interested can do so by studying Buddha's teachings.
"Some prefer to call the teaching of the Buddha a religion, others call it a philosophy, still others think of it as both religion and philosophy. It may, however, be more correct to call it a Righteous way of life leading to Transcendence and ultimate Nirvana. But that does not mean that Buddhism is nothing more than an ethical code. Far from it, it is a way of moral, spiritual and intellectual training leading to complete freedom of mind. The Buddha himself called his teaching 'Dhamma-Vinaya', the Doctrine and the Discipline. But Buddhism in the strictest sense of the word, cannot be called a religion, for if by religion is meant action or conduct indicating belief in, reverence for, and desire to please, a divine ruling power, the exercise or practice of rites or observances implying this recognition on the part of man of some higher unseen power as having control of his destiny, as being entitled to obedience, reverence and worship "Buddhism is certainly not such a religion" (1) In the Buddhist way of life there is no place for a divine ruling power to whom obedience or reverence is due.
"In Buddhist thought, there is no awareness or conviction of the existence of a Creator of any form who rewards and punishes the good and ill deeds of the creatures of his "creation". A Buddhist takes refuge in the Buddha but not in the hope that he will be saved by the Master. There is no such guarantor. The Buddha is only a teacher who points out the way and guides the followers to their individual deliverance (2)
Buddhism which draws attention to anicca and dukkha (impermanence and suffering- unsatisfactoriness) was not new to the people of India. Great English poets, like Shakespeare and Shelley have drawn attention to impermanence and the unsatisfactory nature of human life. But what baffled Indian thinkers and all Westerners who believe in a unchanging self or soul or ego is the Buddha's doctrine of anatta (No self). They are so steeped in the belief of a self that when Buddha denied it and discoursed against it, it was a real shock to them, and they were up in arms to safeguard the long standing and central conception of their religion and philosophy-Self Atman. Theistic religions refuse to accept the doctrine of Anatta (No Self). To do so would result in a paradigmatic shift in their world view and a collapse of the religious beliefs of their followers. Modern day existential philosophers are in the same predicament and can find no suitable answers to the problem. As Walpola Rahula explains Anatta...."there is no permanent 'I' or 'Mine' in the form of a self or soul in this psycho-physical process. There is a seeing, a feeling, an experiencing but not an unchanging never-ending self or soul behind the scene. That is all". There is no observer only, observation.
"The distinguishing characteristic of Buddhism was that it started a new line, that it looked at the deepest questions men have to solve from an entirely different standpoint. It swept away from the field of its vision the whole of the great Soul-Theory which had so completely filled and dominated the minds of the superstitious and of the thoughtful alike. For the first time in the history of the world, it proclaimed a salvation which each man could gain for himself, and by himself, in this world during this life, without any the least reference to God, or to Gods, either great or small.
"Like the Upanishads, it placed the first importance on knowledge; but it was no longer a knowledge of God, it was a clear perception of the real nature, as they supposed it to be, of men and things. And it added to the necessity of knowledge, the necessity of purity, of courtesy, of uprightness,of peace, and a universal law, far reaching, grown, and beyond measure," Prof. T. W. Rhys David. The Hibbert Lectures 1881 p.28.(3)
What is meant by the Buddhist way of life could not have been expressed better than by Prof. Rhys Davids in this lecture. It is this way of life that has to be fostered and protected by the State under our Constitution-Article 9.
It lays stress, as he says on knowledge leading to a clear perception of the real nature of men and things, and the necessity of purity, courtesy, of uprightness of peace and the universal law.
The Buddhist way is not for Monks only but laymen too
The Buddhist way of life as some (who have read a few books written especially by Westerners) seem to think, is not meant only for monks in monasteries or temples but specially for ordinary men and women living at home with their families. The Noble Eightfold Path, which is the Buddhist way of life, is meant for all, without distinction of any kind.
The vast majority of people in the world cannot turn monk or retire into caves or forests. However, noble and pure Buddhism may be, it would be useless to the masses of mankind if they could not follow it in their daily life in the world of today. But if you understand the spirit of Buddhism correctly (and not only its letter) you can surely follow and practice it while living the life of an ordinary man.
There are no external rites or ceremonies which a Buddhist has to perform. Buddhism is a way of life, and what is essential is following the Noble Eightfold Path.
Those who think that Buddhism is interested only in lofty ideals, high moral and philosophical thought, and that it ignores the social and economic welfare of people, are wrong. The Buddha was interested in the happiness of men. To him happiness was not possible without leading a pure life based on moral and spiritual principles. But he knew that leading such a life was hard in unfavourable material and social conditions.
Buddhism does not consider material welfare as an end in itself: it is only a means to an end - higher and noble end.
But it is a means which is indispensable, indispensable in achieving a higher purpose for man's happiness. So Buddhism recognises the need of certain minimum material conditions favourable to spiritual success".
'Buddhism aims at creating a society where the struggle for power is renounced; where calm and peace prevail away from conquest and defeat; where the persecution of the innocent is vehemently denounced, where one who conquers oneself is more respected than those who conquer millions by military and economic warfare; where hatred is conquered by kindness, and evil by goodness; where enmity, jealousy, ill-will and greed do not infect man's minds; where compassion is the driving force of action; where all including the least of living things, are treated with fairness, consideration and care; where life in peace and harmony in a world of material contentment, is directed towards the highest and noblest aim, the realization of the ultimate truth Nibbana".
This is the kind of society the Buddhist way of life leads to. But those who have adopted this way of life are obstructed by people who have greed and lust for power. It is thus the duty of all Buddhists and the State to neutralize such obstruction and protect the Buddhist Public.
The Need for Right Views
To follow the Buddhist way of life as Rev. Walpola Rahula says is to follow the Noble Eightfold Path. The first and most important step in this path is to have Right Understanding or Right View (Samma Ditti) and not wrong views (Michcha Ditti). All creeds that accept the belief the world and man was created by a God or Creator do not have right views but indeed wrong views. But there could be degrees of wrong views but still they are all wrong views. Buddhism does not accept a first Cause but according to it phenomena are without beginning and arise due to many causes and conditions. Belief in God is a mere belief and a blind unquestioning faith is necessary to accept it. These are wrong views as they cannot be tested or experientially known or realised. But are accepted because some one said so and is now in 'Sacred books'.
'One who seeks the truth is not satisfied with surface knowledge, with a mere external appearance of things, but wants to delve deep and see what is beyond the reach of the naked eye. That is the sort of search encouraged in Buddhism, for it leads to right understanding. The man of analysis starts a thing after resolving it into various qualities, which he puts in proper order, making everything plain. He does not state things unitarily, looking at them as a whole, but divides them up according to their outstanding features so that the conventional and highest truth can be understood unmixed.
It is through right understanding and realisation that one sees cause and effect, the arising and ceasing of all conditioned things. The truth of the Dhamma can only be grasped in that way, and not through blind belief, wrong view, speculation or even by abstract philosophy.
The Buddhist way of life is unique among the religions of the world in that it has no place in it for blind faith or devotion. Such blind faith will only lead one astray and the only beneficiary is the one who wants one to follow such guide. Such guides comein various forms and make use of various blandishments with the wealth in their hands.
Right understanding is of two kinds, mundane and supramundane. That is the ordinary worldling's knowledge and the supramundane knowledge of the wise ones.
Ditthi is view or belief, the attachment to a certain way of thinking. The type of personal gain or power and influence aspired to are decided by ways of thinking. When there is the view that a certain condition is desirable and will provide true happiness, craving for personal gain is biased toward that end.
The direction of society is decided by ditthi. A sense of value of any given thing, either on an individual or social basis, is ditthi. With this ditthi as a basis, there follow the actions to realise the object of desire. Peoples' behaviour will be influenced accordingly. For example, with the belief that happiness is to be found in the abundance of material goods, our action and understandings will tend to this end. This is a wrong view, thus the understandings resulting from it will also be wrong. All attempts at so called progress will be misguided and problem ridden. Material progress thus brings problems in its wake. It is founded on three basically wrong and harmful views.
1. The object of human life is the pursuit of happiness - vide the U. S. Constitution,
2. That humanity must conquer nature in order to achieve well being and find true happiness,
3. That happiness is dependent on material wealth. These three views are the directors of the modern surge for progress.(10)
Guided by wrong view, everything else will be wrong. With right view, actions are guided in the right direction. This is why the Buddhist way of life stresses the need for right view and rejects wrong view. People have to be educated to find the right view and not be misled by wrong views such as that some external agency or God can be of assistance or help to overcome life's travails. One has to depend solely on oneself.
"Buddhist or non Buddhist, I have examined everyone of the great religious systems of the world, and in none of them have I found anything to surpass in beauty and comprehension, the Noble Eightfold Path of the Buddha. I am content to shape my life according to that Path." These are the sentiments of Professor T. W. Rhys Davids, a Westerner. We wholeheartedly agree with them. Why should born Buddhists, heirs to a great heritage therefore give up their way of life and spiritual inheritance and accept something spurious, just because it comes from the West?
It is our view, therefore, to sustain and protect the Buddhist way of life modern knowledge must be available to the people at all levels. A knowledgeable and enlightened people will never be misled by obscurantism. The State must make facilities available to the Maha Sangha to encourage its members, especially, its younger members to acquire modern scientific knowledge and ways of thought. They should also be encouraged to study comparative religion and be able to see the difference between Buddhism and the other religions and to be able to explain the difference to their sravakas and followers. We also suggest that as in ancient times and even recently the message of the Buddha be carried abroad by competent monks especially to the West so that some corrective understanding of the Dhamma will also prevail in those countries from which Christian evangelists make forays.
The New Role of the Catholic Church
The Catholic Church which had not engaged officially in conversion in the East during the last century is now poised to resume its mission of conversion that it had embarked upon in the Middle Ages. This is the result of the recent visit of the Pope to India. According to a report appearing in the "Daily News" of 9.11.99, during this visit the Pope called for the conversion of Asia to Christianity during the course of the next millennium. He is reported to have told a public mass:
"Just as the first millennium saw the Cross firmly planted in the soil of Europe, and the second in that of America and Africa, so may the third Christian millennium witness a great harvest of faith on this vast and vital continent."
He is also reported to have "outlined evangelical guidelines that unequivocally laid down conversion as the cornerstone of the Church's future activity in Asia."
While such statements would have been deplorable if made anywhere else in the world we find them particularly obnoxious when made after being welcomed as an honoured guest in an Asian country. For they display a complete disregard of and an insensitivity to the feelings of the vast number of Asians who are followers of three of the world's greatest religions, Buddhism, Hinduism and Islam.
The Pope has assumed there is a spiritual desert in Asia by this call. On the contrary Asia is a luxuriant spiritual field and has been so over two millennia. Asia has during this period produced great religious leaders like the Buddha, Mahavira, Nagarjuna and Sankaracharya of India and Kungfu Tse (Confucius) and Lao Tse of China. Asians have during these millennia been more than satisfied to be guided by these bright lights to lighten the darkness of ignorance around them. The Pope's call in India to plant another Cross is not to have another light to dispel the darkness of ignorance but to extinguish the prevailing lights and gather another harvest of blind faithful followers and thus increase the secular power of the Church.
These statements and this open call for conversion can only serve to fuel the fires of religious controversy. They are to be particularly deplored at a time in the world's history when what is necessary above all is religious tolerance and not religious aggression.
To openly advocate undermining the faith of adherents of other religions, which is what the Pope has done, is hardly a good augury for the maintenance of religious concord in the new millennium. We had thought that the era of religious wars was long past. Clearly we were mistaken. For what the Pope is proposing is another religious war, this time not with bullets and bayonets but by more insidious and therefore dangerous means.
In this country Buddhists have complained of the unethical conversions of Buddhists to Christianity. We now fear that, with the Pope's open call to his followers to engage in conversions "as the cornerstone of the Church's future activity in Asia," attempts will be made to convert Buddhists in this country to Christianity with increasing vigour since conversion has been declared by the Head of the Catholic Church to be the most important task of the Church in the new millennium. The Catholic Church here will have to decide whether it will attempt to implement the Papal direction and start a confrontation with the adherents of other religions and begin religious wars and conflicts here where there is today religious peace and co-existence. We therefore, call upon the Catholic hierarchy in this country to allay our fears by making a clear and unequivocal declaration that it will not attempt in any way to implement the Papal directive to convert Buddhists to Christianity. It is only in this way that the religious harmony that has so far existed in this country can continue to be maintained and fostered.
We also call upon the Government which has a duty under Article 9 of the Constitution to "protect and foster the Buddha Sasana" to take steps to ensure that Buddhism is not undermined as a result of attempts by the Catholic Church to "garner a great harvest of faith" in this country as directed by the Pope.
We demand that legislation be enacted to prohibit conversions of Buddhists by unethical and improper means like corruption, treating, bribery by offer of money, material things, jobs, educational, health and other facilities with a view to induce conversions. In particular we demand the prohibition of the conversion of any minor (persons below age of 18) or the requirement of their attendance at Church and any alleged unlawful conversion of such a nature must be subjected to an official inquiry to ensure its validity. Being alive to the danger of unethical conversions other Asian countries have already taken steps to make such conversions criminal offences. Examples are Malaysia, Nepal, the Provinces of Bihar, Orissa, Madyapradesh and Gujarat in India. We must follow suit.
The Roman Catholic Church's apology for past wrongs committed during two millennia to Jews and Muslims has been made by the Pope recently.
The history of various religions, the report in 'The Island' of 9th March 2000, states, is marked by "intolerance, superstition, complicity with unjust powers, and assaults on the dignity and freedom of conscience, and Christians have been no exception and they are aware that all are sinners before God." Buddhism, Hinduism or Taoism are certainly not guilty of this kind of intolerance to force their belief on others.
The Church's mea culpa is it seems confined to wrongs done to Jews through the centuries and upto the holocaust and to Muslims in the Crusades and Inquisition and other Christian sects but excludes wrongs done to Buddhists, Hindus and Confucianists. We have in our Part I of the Report referred to some of the worst cruelties done to Sinhala Buddhists by Portuguese Missionaries and British Anglicans in attempting to convert them to Christianity.
Christians, Jews and Muslims all accept that God created Adam and Eve and as stated in the Old Testament Prophets have appeared on Earth from time to time to chastise and convert human beings when they stray away from God's way and commit sin. But Jews do no accept Jesus as the Son of God or God himself but regard him as a Messiah only. Muslims too do not regard Jesus as the Son of God but only as a Prophet and that Mohamed was the last Prophet. So the intolerance and cruelties committed by Christians against Jews and Muslims are due to the attempts made during these centuries to force Jews and Muslims to accept the Christian belief that Jesus was the Son of God and the Christian way of life. But they have failed to convert Jews and Muslims to their view and in spite of all intolerance never will. Accepting this fact an apology or mea culpa seems, therefore, very much in order in this more enlightened age.
But this apology or mea culpa is not being extended to Asian Non-Christians. They do not believe in a God who created the first man and woman Adam and Eve or Jesus as the Son of God.
In the circumstances, the call by the Pope to plant the Cross in Asia seems to us to be a signal to revive the spiritual aggression of nearly five centuries and once again attempt to forcibly convert Asians to Christianity and make them accept the dogmas of Christianity that Jesus was the son of God or God himself and the Messiah of the Virgin Birth. To keep the Asian masses in ignorance of the Truth makes it easier to exploit them for the benefit of predatory Western exploiters who have become wealthy at their expense. It is duty of the people of Asia and especially we here in this country to be alert and resist the new Evangelism of the Catholic Church and the Protestant Church in whatever form it comes.
We recommend therefore -
(1) that conversions by means other than preaching or expounding the truth of any religion to native born Buddhists be prohibited and banned and visited with criminal penalties.
(2) that facilities be made available in the Dhamma Schools or Pirivenas for pupil monks and lay pupils to be given a modern scientific education and knowledge of comparative religions and the history of this country.
(3) as far as it is possible for the State to encourage the dissemination of the Dhamma abroad, especially in the West.
The Real Buddhism
By Bhikkhu Buddhadasa (Thailand)
If we open any recent book on the origins of religion, we find that there is one point on which all authors are in agreement. They agree that religion arose in the world out of fear. Primitive man feared thunder and lightning, darkness and storm, and various things about him that he was unable to understand or control. His method of avoiding the danger he saw in these phenomena was to demonstrate either humility and submission or homage and reverence, depending on which he felt was most appropriate.
Fear of nature
Later, as man's knowledge and understanding developed, this fear of the forces of nature changed into a fear of phenomena more difficult to apprehend. Religions based on deference to objects of fear such as natural phenomena, spirits and celestial beings, came to be looked down upon as unreasonable and ridiculous. And then man's fear became still more refined into a fear of suffering, suffering of the sort that cannot be alleviated by any material means. He came to fear the suffering inherent in birth, aging, pain, and death, the disappointment and hopelessness which arise out of desire, anger, and stupidity, which no amount of power or wealth can relieve. Long ago in India, a country well provided with thinkers and investigators, intelligent people dispensed with all paying of homage to supernatural beings. They started seeking instead the means of conquering birth, aging, pain, and death, the means of eliminating greed, hatred, and delusion. Out of this search arose Buddhism, a higher religion based on insight, a means of conquering birth, aging, pain, and death, a method for destroying the mental defilements. Buddhism has its origins in fear of this last kind, just as do all religions based on intelligence. The Buddha discovered how to conquer absolutely what man fears: He discovered a practical method, now called Buddhism, for eliminating suffering.
Teaching of the Enlightened One
"Buddhism" means "the Teaching of the Enlightened One." A Buddha is an enlightened invididual, one who knows the truth about all things, one who knows just "what is what," (knows things just as they are) and so is capable of behaving appropriately with respect to all things. Buddhism is a religion based on intelligence, science, and knowledge, whose purpose is the destruction of suffering and the source of suffering. All paying of homage to sacred objects by means of performing rites and rituals, making offerings, or praying is not Buddhism. The Buddha rejected the celestial beings, then considered by certain groups to be the creators of things, and the deities supposed to dwell, one in each star, in the sky.
Thus we find that the Buddha made such statements as these:
"Knowledge, skill, and ability are conducive to success and benefit and are auspicious omens, good in their own right, regardless of the movements of the heavenly bodies. With the benefits gained from these qualities, one will completely outstrip those foolish people who just sit making their astrological calculations." and: "If the water in rivers (such as the Ganges) could really wash away sins and suffering, then the turtles, crabs, fish and shellfish living in those sacred rivers ought by now to be freed of their sins and sufferings too." And:
"If a man could eliminate suffering by making offerings, paying homage, and praying, there would be no one subject to suffering left in the world, because anyone at all can pay homage and pray. But since people are still subject to suffering while in the very act of making obeisances, paying homage and performing rites, this is clearly not the way to gain liberation."
Understand true nature
To attain liberation, we first have to examine things closely in order to come to know and understand their true nature. Then we have to behave in a way appropriate to that true nature. This is the Buddhist teaching; this we must know and bear in mind. Buddhism has nothing to do with prostrating oneself and deferring to awesome things. It sets no store by rites and ceremonies such as making libations of holy water, or any externals whatsoever, spirits and celestial beings included. On the contrary, it depends on reason and insight. Buddhism does not demand conjecture or supposition; it demands that we act in accordance with what our own insight reveals and not take anyone else's word for anything. If someone comes and tells us something, we must not believe him without question. We must listen to his statement and examine it. Then if we find it reasonable, we may accept it provisionally and set about trying to verify it for ourselves. This is a key feature of Buddhism, which distinguishes it sharply from other world religions.
Now a religion is a many sided thing. Seen from one angle it has a certain appearance; seen from another angle, it has another. Many people look at religion from the wrong angle, and Buddhism is no exception. Different individuals looking at Buddhism with different mental attitudes are bound to get different views of it. Because each of us naturally has confidence in his own opinions, the truth for each of us coincides with our own particular understanding and point of view. Consequently, "the Truth' is not quite the same thing for different people. They all penetrate questions to varying depths, by varying methods, and with varying degrees of intelligence. A person does not recognize as true, according to his own ideas of the Truth, anything that lies beyond his own intelligence, knowledge, and understanding. And even though he may outwardly go along with other people's ideas as to what is the truth, he knows in himself that it is not the truth as he himself sees it. Each person's conception of the truth may change and develop with the day by day increase in his degree of intelligence, knowledge, and understanding, until such time as he arrives at the ultimate truth; and each of us has different ways of examining and testing before believing. So if Buddhism is viewed with differing degrees of intelligence, differing pictures of it will be seen, simply because it can be viewed from any aspect.
Practical method to liberate oneself from suffering
As we have said, Buddhism is a practical method for liberating oneself from suffering by means of coming to realize, as did the Buddha himself, the true nature of things. Now any religious text is bound to contain material which later people have found occasion to add to it, and our Tipitaka is no exception. People in later ages have added sections based on then current ideas, either in order to boost people's confidence, or out of excessive religious zeal. Regrettably even the rites and rituals which have developed and become mixed in with the religion are now accepted and recognized as Buddhism proper. Ceremonies, such as setting up trays of sweets and fruit as offerings to the "soul of the Buddha in the same way as alms-food is offered to a monk just do not fit in which Buddhist principles. Yet some groups consider this to be genuine Buddhist practice, teaching it as such and keeping to it very strictly.
Rites and ceremonies of this kind have become so numerous that they now completely obscure the real Buddhism and its original purpose. Take for example the procedure of becoming ordained a monk. There has come into existence the ceremony of making gifts to the newly ordained bhikkhu. Guests are invited to bring food and to watch proceedings, and as a result, there is much drunkenness and noise. Ceremonies are performed both at the temple and in the home. The new bhikkhu leaves the Order only a few days after having been ordained, and may become an even stronger temple hater than he was before. It must be borne in mind that there was none of this at the time of the Buddha.
It is a later development. Ordination at the time of the Buddha meant simply at that some individual, who had obtained his parent's consent, renounced home and family. He was a person who was able to close accounts at home and go off to join the Buddha and the Order of bhikkhus. On some convenient occasion he would go and be ordained, and perhaps not see his parents or family again for the rest of his life. Though some bhikkhus might go back to visit their parents again on suitable occasions, this was rare. There does exist a rule permitting a bhikkhu to go home when there is a good reason for doing so, but at the time of the Buddha this was not observed. Bhikkhus did not receive ordination with their parents in attendance, nor did they celebrate the event as a great occasion, only to leave the Sangha after just a few days, no better off than before, as commonly happens in the present day.
Not Buddhism
All this presenting of gifts to newly ordained bhikkhus, this performing of ceremonies, including all sorts of celebration, these we are foolish enough to call Buddhism! Furthermore we choose to make much of them, thinking nothing of spending all our own money, or other people's on account of them. This "Neo-Buddhism" is so widespread as to be almost universal. The Dhamma, the genuine teaching that once was paramount, has become so overlaid by ceremony that the whole objective of Buddhism has been obscured, falsified and changed. Ordination, for instance, has become a face saving gambit for young men whom people have been pointing at for never having been ordained, or a prerequisite to finding a wife (as having been a monk is considered a sign of maturity), or is done with some other kind of ulterior motive. In some places an ordination is regarded as an opportunity for collecting money, for which job there are always people on hand to help. It is one way of getting rich. Even this they call Buddhism and anyone who goes and criticizes this is considered to be ignorant of Buddhism or opposed to it.
Another example is the presentation of Kathina cloth. The Buddha's original intention was to have cloth for robes given to all the bhikkus simultaneously so that they could sew it together themselves with a minimum loss of time. If there was only one robe, it was allocated to some bhikkhu, not necessarily the most senior one, whom the group considered worthy of using that robe or in need of it, and was presented to him in the name of the entire order. The Buddha's intention was to avoid any bhikkhu having a high opinion to himself. On that day everyone, regardless of Seniority, had to humble himself and be one of the crowd. Everyone had to lend a hand cutting and sewing the cloth, boiling tree pith to make the dye, and doing whatever else was involved in getting the robes ready and finished the same day. Making the cloth into robes was a co-operative effort. That is how the Buddha intended it to be, an event not necessarily involving lay people at all. But nowadays it has become an affair involving ceremony, fun and games, loud laughter and money seeking. It is just a picnic and is devoid of all the desirable results originally intended.
Tumor in Buddhism
This sort of thing is a tumour which has developed in Buddhism and thrived. The tumour takes hundreds of different forms too numerous to name. It is a dangerous, malignant growth which by degrees has completely overlaid and obscured the good material, the real pith of Buddhism and quite disfigured it. One result of this has been the arising of many sects, some large, some insignificant, as offshoots from the original religion. Some sects have even become involved in sensuality. It is essential that we should discriminate in order to recognize what is the real, original Buddhism. We must not foolishly grasp at the outer shell, or become so attached to the various rituals and ceremonies that the real objective becomes quite lost to view. The real practice of Buddhism is based on purification of conduct by way of body and speech, followed by purification of the mind, which in its turn leads to insight and right understanding. Don't go thinking that such and such is Buddhism just because everyone says it is. The tumour has been spreading constantly since the day the Buddha passed away, expanding in all directions right up to the present day, so that it is now quite sizeable. The tumour in Buddhism must not be misidentified as Buddhism itself. It is also a wrong for people of other religions to come and point at these shameful and disgraceful growths as being Buddhism. It is unjust, because these things are not Buddhism at all; they are excrescences. Those of us interested in furthering Buddhism, whether as a foothold for all people, or for our own private well being, must know how to get hold of the true essence of Buddhism and not just grab at some worthless outgrowth.
Now even the genuine Buddhism is many sided, a fact which may lead to a false grasp of true meaning. For instance, if looked at from the point of view of a moral philosopher, Buddhism is seen to be a religion of morality. There is talk of merit and demerit, good and evil, honesty, gratitude, harmony, open-heatedness, and much more besides. The Tripitaka is full of moral teachings. Many newcomers to Buddhism approach it from this angle and are attracted to it on this account.
A more profound aspect is Buddhism as Truth, as the deep hidden truth lying below the surface and invisible to the ordinary man. To see this truth is to know intellectually the emptiness of all things; the transience, unsatisfactoriness, and non-selfhood of all things; to know intellectually the nature of suffering, of the complete elimination of suffering and of the way to attain the complete elimination of suffering; to perceive these in terms of absolute truth, the kind that never changes and which everyone ought to know. This is Buddhism as Truth.
Buddhism as a system of practice
Buddhism as Religion is Buddhism as a system of practice based on morality, concentration, and insight, and culminating in liberating insight; a system which when practised to completion enables one to break free from suffering. This is Buddhism as Religion.
Then there is Buddhism as Psychology, as it is presented to us in the third section of the Tripitaka, where the nature of the mind is described in remarkable detail. Buddhist psychology is a source of interest and astonishment to students of the mind even in the present day. It is far more detailed and profound than present day psychological knowledge.
Another aspect is Buddhism as Philosophy. Philosophical knowledge can be clearly seen by means of reasoned logical proofs but cannot be demonstrated experimentally. It contrasts with science, which is knowledge resulting from seeing something clearly, with our eyes, or through physical experimentation and proof, or even with the "inner eye" of intuition. Profound knowledge such as that of "emptiness" (impermanence) is just philosophy for a person who has not yet penetrated to the truth, and science for another who has done so, such as a fully enlightened individual, or arahant, who has seen it clearly, intuitively. Many aspects of Buddhism, in particular the Four Noble Truths, are scientific in so far as they can be verified by clear experimental proof using introspection. For anyone equipped with awareness and interested in studying and carrying out research, the cause-effect relationships are there just as in science. Buddhism is not just something obscure and vague, not just philosophy, as man made subjects are.
Some look on Buddhism as Culture. Anyone with a high regard for culture finds many aspects of Buddhist practice which are common to all cultures and also many that are characteristically Buddhist and far better and higher than anything in other cultures.
Of all these various aspects, the one a real Buddhist ought to take most interest in is Buddhism as Religion. We ought to look on Buddhism as a direct practical method for gaining knowledge of the true nature of things, knowledge which makes it possible to give up every form of grasping and clinging, of stupidity and infatuation, and become completely independent of things. To do this is to penetrate to the essence of Buddhism. Buddhism considered in this aspect is far more useful than Buddhism considered as mere morality, or as truth which is simply profound knowledge and not really practical; and more useful than Buddhism considered as philosophy, as something to be enjoyed as an object of speculation and argument, but of no value in the giving up of the mental defilements; and certainly more useful than Buddhism considered simply as culture, as attractive behaviour, noteworthy from the sociological viewpoint.
Buddhism as an art
At the very least, everyone ought to consider Buddhism as Art, as the Art of Living - in other words, as skill and competence in being a human being, living in a way that is exemplary and praiseworthy, which so impresses others that they automatically wish to emulate it. What we have to do is to cultivate the "Three Lustres", firstly developing moral purity, then training the mind to be tranquil and steady and fit to do its job, and finally developing such an abundance of wisdom and clear insight into the nature of all things that those things are no longer able to give rise to suffering. When anyone's life has these Three Lustres, he can be considered to have fully mastered the art of living. Westerners are extremely interested in Buddhism as the Art of Living, and discuss this aspect more than any other. Penetrating so far into the real essence of Buddhism that we are able to take it as our guide to living induces spiritual good cheer and joy, dispersing depression and disillusionment. It also dispels fears, such as the fear that the complete giving up of spiritual defilements would make life dry and dreary and utterly devoid of flavour, or the fear that complete freedom from craving would make all thought and action impossible, whereas in reality a person who organizes his life in accordance with the Buddhist Art of Living is the victor over all the things about him. Regardless of whether these things be animals, people, possessions, or anything else, and regardless of whether they enter that person's consciousness by way of the eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, or mind, they will enter as losers, unable to becloud, defile, or perturb him. The victory over all these things is genuine bliss.
"Buddha-Dhamma will enrapture a mind that has developed a taste for it. It can be considered an indispensable form of nourishment too. True, a person still controlled by the defilements continues to desire nourishment by way of the eye, ear, nose, tongue, and body and goes in search of its as suits his nature. But there is another part of him, something deeper, that does not demand that sort of nourishment. It is the free or pure element in his mind. It wishes the joy and delight of spiritual nourishment, starting with the delight that results from moral purity. It is the source of contentment for fully enlightened individuals, who possess such tranquillity of mind that defilements cannot disturb them, who possess clear insight into the true nature of all things and have no ambitions with regard to any of them. They are, so to speak, able to said down without being obliged to run here and there like those people to whom the Buddha applied the simile "smoke by night, fire by day."
"Smoke by night" refers to sleeplessness, restlessness. A sufferer from this complaint lies all night with hand on brow, planning on going after this and that, working out how to get money, how to get rich quickly and get the various things he desires. His mind is full of "smoke." All he can do is lie there until morning, when he can get up and go running off in obedience to the wishes of "smoke" he has been holding back all night. This fervent activity is what the Buddha referred to as "fire by day". These are the symptoms of a mind that has not achieved tranquillity, a mind that has been deprived of spiritual nourishment. It is a pathological hunger and thirst induced by the defilement called craving. All night long the victim represses the smoke and heat, which in the morning becomes fire, and then blazes hot inside him all day. If a person is obliged, throughout his entire life, to suppress the "smoke by night," which then becomes "fire by day", how can he ever find peace and coolness? Just visualize his condition. He endures suffering and torment all his life, from birth up until he is placed in the coffin, simply for lack of the insight that could completely extinguish that fire and smoke. To treat such a complaint one has to make use of the knowledge provided by the Buddha. The smoke and fire diminish in proportion to one's degree of understanding of the true nature of things.
Different aspects
As we have said, Buddhism has a number of different aspects or sides. Just as the same mountain when viewed from a different direction presents a different appearance, so different benefits are derived from Buddhism according to how one looks at it. Even Buddhism has its origins in fear - not the foolish fear of an ignorant person who kneels and makes obeisance to idols or strange phenomena, but a higher kind of fear, the fear of perhaps never attaining liberation from the oppression of birth, aging, pain, and death, from the various forms of suffering we experience. The real Buddhism is not books, not manuals, not word for word repetition from the Tipitaka, nor is it rites and rituals. These are not the real Buddhism. The real Buddhism is the practice by way of body, speech, and mind that will destroy the defilements, in part of completely. One need not have anything to do with books or manuals. One ought not to rely on rites and rituals, nor anything else external, including spirits and celestial beings. Rather one must be directly concerned with bodily action, speech and thought. That is, one must persevere in one's efforts to control and eliminate the defilements so that clear insight can arise. One will then be automatically capable of acting appropriately, and will be free from suffering from that moment right up to the end.
This is the real Buddhism. This is what we have to understand. Let us not go foolishly grasping at the tumour that is obscuring Buddhism, taking it for the real thing.
Daily News - 23 Oct 99
Buddhism and Marriage
by Nan
Marriage seems to be written about now more frequently and honestly. I suppose a bulk of the world’s literature, in any and all languages is about love and, in the majority, singing hossanas to it, celebrating the devouring emotion that often is more lust than an enobling emotion. From love, writing seems to be moving to marriage.
Eddie Fisher has enraged his two children and his second wife Liz Taylor by publishing his autobiography I Was There.... In it he admits to being a greater lover than an actor or singer since women and what he did with them was more important and mind and time engaging than his singing.
The complete journals of Sylvia Plath are soon to be out; tormented American poet married to Ted Hughes, committing suicide in her 30s in 1963. It was assumed his infidelity drove her to put her head in the oven and turn the gas on, but his final book of poems put paid to the accusations hurled at him which he never attempted to refute. Hughes however, admitted destroying the entries she made in the months before her suicide. Maybe they were too damningly revelatory of her twisted, tortured emotions and unbalanced mind.
Buddhism and Marriage - The panel discussion at the YMBA, Borella, Sri Lanka on Sunday 17 October with Rajah Kuruppu as moderator, was on the subject Buddhism and marriage, with two panelists - a woman and a man.
The woman panelist made it out that Buddhism does play a major role in married life, or rather that it should, and if it played an important role, then a happy, harmonious marriage would result with children growing up in a healthy home environment. Thus the combination of the healthy growing environment and inherited genes would help them develop to good human beings.
She said that though the Buddha had advised on every aspect of a layman’s life, the layman had full autonomy to interpret, accept and implement the Dhamma as he saw fit. What were we expected to do and be at the least? Keep the five precepts and move further from "I will abstain from " to " I will do/be ..."
Keeping the third precept is the bedrock of a sound marriage, eliminating from the marriage all doubt, consuming jealousy, accusations and argument. She threw in the fact that refraining from adultery and indiscriminate indulgence in sex would prevent STDs and HIV AIDS, the scourge that has put paid to a certain extent sexual musical chairs and one night stands.
The fifth precept "I will refrain from mind and behaviour altering alcoholic drinks and drugs" is totally relevant to married life, in Sri Lanka particularly, where the most amount of alcohol drinking takes place. Many a man in this country imbibes too much at ill affordable expense, abuses the wife both physically and emotionally and causes havoc in the lives of the children, often scaring them psychologically for life.
A point of general discussion arose here. Did it mean we are permitted moderate intake of alcoholic drinks? Rajah Kuruppu said it could not be interpreted thus, convenient to most but not to be. The word ‘majja’ refers to an alcoholic drink of the Buddha’s time and in no way could be misused as ‘madyama’. Thus it is teetotalism to Buddhists - no middle way.
The woman panelist, Nanda Wanasundera, pointed out also that if the four Brahma Viharas (noble virtues) that the Buddha advocated are cultivated and are nurtured by both spouses in themselves, then a harmonious, happy marriage would result. Metta - loving kindness; muditha - joy in another’s good fortune; karuna - compassion and upekkha- equanimity; would definitely make for committed marriage partners and children growing up well in the correct atmosphere. Equanimity she said, should not be equated to dulling the senses. Sex, love, passion, even lust play their part admittedly very importantly, in marriage, specially in the early years, but with the cultivation of the four noble qualities, and avoidance of lobha (greed), dhosha (anger, hate) and moha (foolishness, egoism and egocentricity), the fires would die in time giving way to contentment and deep sincere affection, mutual respect and consequent growing old together.
The first precept too is relevant to marriage, since Buddhism advocates mindfulness at all times. Even in the grip of consuming desire, mindfulness would prevent unwanted pregnancy within or without marriage and thus necessitate no abortion.
Divorce was not anti-Buddhistic. The Buddha advocated moving away from the unwise, the unwholesome, the detrimental to one’s progress to the Path. Hence we deduce that incompatibles had best separate. The general looking down on divorce and the divorced is social and cultural.
Even the death of one partner in a Buddhist marriage did not shatter the other to devastation. The realization from childhood that the one certainty in life was death helped, so also the fact that all is impermanent and this life merely one in a long cycle of births and deaths.
Fire vs Cool Balm
Asoka Devendra startled all by juxtaposing marriage and the Dhamma as totally antithetical, as totally opposed to each other. While Dhamma was cool, even ice-cold, marriage was hot with fire. Thus while Buddhism was calming and a balm, marriage was an evil that inflamed one, arousing lust.
He proved his point but his proposition was not accepted by the participants. Devendra somewhat shocked and provoked discussion, achieving the objective he clearly had in mind. He said that since the one opposed the other so strongly - Dhamma and marriage - if one wanted to be a good Buddhist one had to avoid marriage. If one wanted to get to Nibbana, then marriage was taboo since it aroused passion and was a vehicle for going deeper into the kama world, thus prolonging the cycle of samsaric births. General protest had him qualifying his statement. If one wanted to get on the Path, aim wholeheartedly at attaining Nibbana, then marriage had to be avoided since it aroused passion.
In this too there was debunking . What about Visakha of Buddha’s time who lead a lay life and achieved sottapanna status. So also Anatapindika, the money man.
What about procreation of the race, of Buddhist children? Devendre pointed out no child at birth was a Buddhist, it was not a label one damped on an infant at birth.
What about the beauty, sanctity and acceptance of the institution of marriage? What about the growing old together of a man and his wife, the mutual sacrifice and grateful receiving? Passion was short lived, lust even shorter lived.
Anyone for Nibbana here and Now?
The convenor at this point stopped all in their mental tracks by posing the question "Would you accept Nibbana if it were offered you at this momenta?" Many a mundane mind and bundle of human frailty drew back in alarm. "Not now" we seemed to say. "I have so much more to do, to see, to enjoy, even to suffer."
It was decided consensually that if the Buddha Dhamma was abided by, if the advice given by the Buddha was accepted and followed, marriages would, in the majority be happy, fulfilling and produce children who would grow up useful, well balanced persons.
Sunday Island - 24 Oct 99
How rebirth takes place
by D. Weeraratna
How is rebirth possible without something to be reborn, without an ego, or a soul? The word 'rebirth' in this connection, is really not quite correct, but is used as a mere makeshift. What the Buddha teaches is, correctly speaking the Law of Cause and Effect working in the psychical domain. If every physical state is presided by another state as its cause, so also must this present physico-mental life be dependent upon causes anterior to our birth. This, according to Buddhism, the present life-process is the result of the craving for life in a former birth, and the craving for life in this birth is the cause of the life process that continues after death.
But, as there is nothing that persists from one moment of consciousness to the next so also no abiding element in this ever changing life process exists that can pass over from one life to another.
Nothing transmigrates from this moment to the next, nothing from one life to another. This process of continually producing and being produced may best be compared with a wave on the ocean. In the case of a wave there is not the smallest quantity of water that actually travels over the surface of the sea. The wave-structure that seems to hasten over the surface of the water though creating the appearance of one and the same mass of water, is in reality nothing but a continued rising and falling of masses of water.
Force
And the rising and falling is produced by the transmission of force originally generated by wind. Just so the Buddha did not teach that it is an Ego-entity, or a soul that hastens through the ocean of rebirth, but that it is really merely a life wave which, according to its nature and activities, appears here as man, there as animal, and elsewhere as an invisible being. According to the Buddha's teaching, our so-called individual existence is in reality nothing but a mere process of physical and mental phenomena, a process which since time immemorial was already going on before one's apparent birth, and which also after death will continue for immemorial periods of time. In the following we shall see that the 5 Khandas, or Groups or existence, in no way constitute any real Ego-entity, or Atta, and that no Ego-entity exists apart from them, and hence that the belief in an Ego-entity is merely an illusion.
That which we call our physical body is merely a name for a combination of manifold component parts, and in reality constitutes no Entity, no personality. This is clear to everyone without argument. Everybody knows that the body is changing from moment to moment, that the old cells are continually breaking down and new ones arising, in brief, that the body will be quite another body after a few years, that nothing will have remained of the former flesh, bones, blood, etc.
Consequently, the body of the babe is not the body of the school boy, and the body of the young man is not the body of the grey-haired old man. Hence, the body is not a persisting something, but rather a continually changing process of arising and passing away, consisting of a perpetual dying out and new arising of cells.
Reality
That, however, which we call the mental life of man, is a continually changing process of feeling, perceptions, mental formations and states of consciousness. At this moment a pleasant feeling arises, the next moment a painful feeling; this moment one state of consciousness, the next moment another.
That which we call a being, an individual, a person, does not in itself, as such possess any independent abiding reality. In the absolute sense (paramattha) no individual, no person, is there to be found, but merely perpetually changing combinations of physical states of feelings, volitions and states of consciousness. What we call chariot has no existence apart from an independent of axle, wheels shaft, etc. What we call 'house' is merely a convenient name for brick, cement, wood, iron, etc., put together after a certain fashion, so as to enclose a portion of space, but there is no separate house entity as such in existence.
In exactly the same way, that which we call a 'being' or an 'individual', or 'person' or by the name 'I' or 'He' etc, is nothing but a changing combination of physical and mental phenomena, and has no real existence in itself.
The words 'I' 'You' 'He' etc., are merely terms found useful in conventional or current (vohara) speech, but do not designate realities (paramattha-dhamma). For neither do these physical and mental phenomena constitute a reality, an absolute Ego-entity, nor yet does there exist, outside these phenomena, any Ego-entity, self, or soul, who is the possessor or owner of the same. Thus when Buddhist scriptures speak of persons, or even the rebirth of persons, this is done only for the sake of easier understanding, and is not to be taken in a sense of ultimate truth. This so-called 'being' or 'I' is in the absolute sense nothing but a perpetually changing person.
Phenomena
Therefore, also, to speak of suffering of a 'person', or 'being' is in the absolute sense incorrect. For it is not a 'person' but a physio-mental process that is subject to transiency and suffering.
In the absolute sense there are only numberless processes, countless life-waves, in this vast ever-surging ocean of bodily states, of feelings, perceptions, volitions and states of consciousness. Within these phenomena there exists nothing that is persistent, not even for a brief span of two consecutive moments.
These phenomena have merely momentary duration. They die every moment, and every moment new phenomena are born, a perpetual dying and coming to birth, a ceaseless heaving of waves up and down. All is in a state of perpetual dying and coming to birth, a ceaseless heaving of waves up and down. All is in a state of perpetual flux; 'panta rhei' all things are flowing - says therefore the Greek philosopher Heraclitus. The old forms fall to pieces, and new ones are born. One feeling disappears, another appears in its place.
One state of consciousness exists this moment, another the following moment. Everywhere is found a perpetual change of material and mental phenomena. In this way, moment follows upon moment, day upon day, year upon year, life upon life. And so this ceaselessly changing process goes on for thousands, and aeons of years. An eternally surging sea of feelings, perceptions, volitions and states of consciousness; such is existence, such is Samsara, the world of arising and passing away, of growing and decaying, a world of sorrows, misery lamentation and despair.
Insight
Without a real insight into this phenomenality, or egolessness (anatta or Impersonality of all existence) it will be impossible to understand the Four Noble Truths of suffering rightly.
According to Buddhism, there are three factors necessary for the rebirth of a human being, that is, for the formation of the embryo in the mother's womb. They are: the female ovum, the male sperm, and the karma-energy, kamma-vega, which in the Sutta is metaphorically 'gandhabba', i.e. 'ghost', or 'soul'. This karmic-energy is sent forth by a dying individual at the moment of his death. Father and mother only provide the necessary physical material for the formation of the embryonic body.
With regard to the characteristic features, the tendencies and faculties lying latent in the embryo, in the Buddha's teaching may be explained in the following way: The dying individual, with his whole being convulsively clinging to life, at the very moment of his death, sends forth karmic energies which, like a flash of lightning, hit at a new mother's womb ready for conception. Thus, through the impinging of the Karma-energies on ovum and sperm, there arises just as a precipitate, the so-called primary cell.
This process may be compared with the functioning of the so-called air-vibrations produced through speech, which, by the impinging on the acoustic organ of another man, produce a sound, which is purely a subjective sensation. At this occasion no transmigration of a sound-sensation takes place, but simply a transference of energy, called air-vibrations.
The phenomenon of rebirth is analogous to the transmission of sounds and images by radio and television respectively. No sound or image is sent from the broad-casting station to the receiving sets, the broadcasting station by inducing waves of a particular length through the other is able to reproduce the sounds and images in the receiving sets turned to that particular wave length. In a similar way, the karma-energies, sent out by the dying individual, produce from the material furnished by the parents to new embryonal being. But no transmigration of a real being, or a soul-entity takes place at that occasion, but the transmission of karma-energy.
Reflection
Take for instance the reflection of one's face in the mirror, or with the calling forth of an echo by one's voice. Now just as the image in the mirror or the echo are produced by one's face or voice, without any passing over of face or voice, just so it is with the arising of rebirth-consciousness. Should there exist a full identity or sameness between the former and the later birth, in that case milk never would turn into curd; and should there exist an entire otherness, curd never could be conditioned through milk. Therefore, one should admit neither a full identity, nor an entire otherness of the different stages of existence. Hence na ca so, na ca anno: 'neither it is the same, nor is it another.'
At all times many great thinkers have taught a continuation of life after death. The East has known the law of karma-Rebirth from time immemorial the West accepted it until and for a long time after the birth of Christianity. Greek and Roman, Egypt and Jew, in one form or another knew the law, and chapters of books and books themselves have been written to show its prevalence in the days of Jesus, and the Master's adoption without question of the law in which he had been bred.
On Rebirth Jesus said, when asked about the man born blind, that it was neither he that had sinned nor his parents. Clearly it was he in a previous life. And hence the widely current rumours that John the Baptist was Elias, 'which was for to come again'?
Many writers, in prose and verse, have apparently seen the inevitability of the doctrine. Among them are Shakespeare, Tennyson, Rossetti, Thomas Moore, John Masefield, Pythagoras, Empedocles, Plato, Plotinus, Pindaros, and Virgil.
Sunday Observer - 31 Oct 99
A real Buddhist is a Citizen of the World
by Bhikkhu Seelananda
Parama Dhamma Cetiya Pirivena, Ratmalana
Buddhism, the Dhamma, breaks all the barriers which separate one another. According to the teachings of the Master, the Buddha, there is no reason to keep aloof from others merely because they belong to another persuasion or another Nationality. The Dhamma is excellent in many ways. It is to be practised in daily life. It is neither a religion nor a philosophy. There is nothing miraculous, mythical, or dogmatic in it. But mere reading the Dhamma does not help one to understand the interdependence of the world or the existence of beings and truth.
The Buddha said, "a man is not versed in Dhamma because he speaks much of the Dhamma. He who, after hearing even a little Dhamma, realizes its truth directly and is not heedless of it, is truly versed in the Dhamma." The base of the Dhamma is morality and wisdom is its apex. There are no divine revelations or prophets in the Dhamma.
Whether Buddhas arise or not this Dhamma exists in the world. The Dhamma is unique. In one sense it is not a philosophy, in another sense it is the philosophy of philosophies. In one sense it is not a religion, in another sense it is the religion of religions. It is neither a metaphysical path nor a ritualistic path. It is neither sceptical nor dogmatic. It is neither self-mortification nor self-indulgence. It is neither pessimism nor optimism. It is neither externalism nor nihilism. It is neither pluralism nor monism. It is neither absolutely this worldly nor other worldly. It is a unique Path of Enlightenment.
The Dhamma helps man to keep a good relationship with his fellow beings and other living forms as well. It is not confined to any country or any particular Nation. It is through the concept of Metta or loving kindness and the teaching of Dependent Origination (Paticcasamuppada), that all beings may be seen to cooperate and intermingle in the world. According to the Discourse on loving kindness (Karaniyametta Sutta), the real Buddhists by suffusing with metta all beings in the world say "may all beings be happy and safe (sabbe satta bhavantu sukhitatta). When one says "sabbe satta" it means all types of beings in the World. Just to illustrate how these truths are manifest in life, let us take a little poem by an American poet, Mark Van Doren.
"Once there was a fence here
And the grass came and tried,
Leaning from the pasture to get inside
But colt feet trampled it turning it brown
Till the farmer moved and the fence fell down.
Then any bird saw under the wire
The grass growing inward like green fire."
Even that poor life loving grass, lowly weed, struggle to live in a farm in which colt feet trample it brown. Isn't this poet aware of a universal struggle thought he is not a Buddhist. The Dhamma's truths are there in the world and some who have not even heard of metta and the Dhamma see them.
In the Dhammapada it is said, "Putting oneself in the place of another, one should not kill nor cause another to kill" (130.vr). This friendly attitude extended towards the environment and all beings certainly provides a fertile ground for peace and unity among all life. This boundless loving kindness is to be radiated towards all beings in the world in the world-above, below, across, and in all the direction - It is to be practised while one is standing, walking, sitting or reclining, even as long as one is awake. If one leads life in this manner it may be called "Noble living" (brahmaviharam idam aahu). In the whole world there will be no enemies for such as him, nor a nearest and nor a dearest as well. Buddhists in this way extend loving kindness even towards the tiniest creature that crawls at one's feet. Noble sentiments expressed by people regularly near plants and fruit-trees are said to produce better yields. As life is precious to all no man has the power or right to destroy the life of another.
Obviously it is a marvellous teaching of the Buddha. In many of his discourses the Buddha has stated how loving kindness may be practised. By eating flesh and meat (carcasses) and harbouring anger and hatred one cannot extend loving kindness. Whatever anger or hatred, there is never appeasement by hatred, but only by loving kindness. It is a universal teaching.
Dependent Origination is the doctrine through which one can easily understand the relationship between one and another and the environment as well. It teaches us how we all are interconnected and interdependent. If one is mindful and wise this reality can be comprehended even through a piece of paper, a grain of rice or a piece of cake. According to this teaching of Dependent Origination one exists because of the other. There are causes and effects. There is nothing, in this world, that happens by blind chance or accident but everything is from a concatenation of causes. We must emphasize that there is never a single cause.
There are cluster of causes and cluster of effects for the arising, existence and perishing of things in the world. The Buddha first realized that there is something called suffering (dukkha). And then he explored the cause of it and then the remedy for the cause. As the result, he enunciated the Eight-fold Path as the path leading to the cessation of suffering, the emancipation, Nibbana. Of course, He referred to one cause for suffering-craving, but though it is stated as a single phenomenon it has a "cluster" of events.
Once the Ven. Ananda said "It is wonderful, Lord, it is marvellous how profound this Dependent Origination is, and how profound it appears! And yet it appears to me as clear as clear!" Then the Buddha said "Do not say that Ananda, do not say that! This Dependent Origination is profound and appears profound. It is through not understanding, not penetrating this doctrine that this generation has become like a tangled ball of string, matted like a bird's nest, tangled like coarse grass, unable to pass beyond states of woe, the ill destiny, ruin and the round of birth-and-death".
According to this teaching everything in the world is dependent on other things. So we all are dependent on things or beings in the world. It means without the assistance of other things and other beings in the world we cannot live in the world. Ecological balance is a very significant fact in the universe for us. As we are interdependent we need each and everyone's help to live in society. Then only can we lead a righteous and a successful life. The real Buddhists never look down upon others. Never harm others.
They treat others as their own brothers and sisters. Ven. Narada in his work "Buddhism in a nutshell" states "To a Buddhist there is no far or near, no enemy or foreigner, no renegade or untouchable, since universal love realized through understanding has established the brotherhood of all living beings. A real Buddhist is a citizen of the world. He regards the whole world as his motherland and all as his brothers and sisters."
May all beings be well an happy!
Daily News - 30 Oct 99
Trinity of Buddhism
by Sripali Vaiamon
Sri Lanka is predominently a Buddhist country. Out of the entire populatioon of 17.8 million, 73 per cent are Buddhists. Most of them who profess Buddhism are familiar with one theory out of the main three theories embodied in the philosophy of Buddhism, or rather Buddha Dhamma as Col. Olcott preferred to address. The main theories of Buddhism are four noble truths, eight fold path and five precepts. These are the Trinity of Buddhism discovered by the Buddha. The significance of the Trinity is more deeper and differ from the original meaning of the English word.
The four fundamental truths with regard to the existence of lives are the four noble truths. The Buddha preached this at the very first sermon, the Dhammachakkapavattana Sutta, delivered to five monks at the Deer Park, in Saranath.
What are the Four Noble Truths?
The Noble Truth of Dukka
The Noble Truth of the cause of Dukka
The Noble Truth of the end of Dukka
and the path leading to the end of Dukka.
The normal English translation for Dukka is suffering. But this is somewhat controversial. The late Ven. Walpola Rahula Thera, referring to this translation opined that both translation and interpretation are highly unsatisfactory and misleading. It is because of this limited, free and easy translation and its superficial interpretation, that many people have been misled to regard Buddhism as pessimistic.
Buddhism is neither pessimistic nor optimistic. If anything at all, it is realistic, for it takes a realistic view of life and of the world. It looks at things objectively. It is admitted that the term Dukka as the first Noble Truth contains quite obviously the ordinary meaning of suffering, but in addition it also includes deeper ideas such as ‘imperfection’, ‘impermanence’, ‘emptiness’ and ‘insubstantiality’.
Dr. K. Sri Dhammananda says, even though Dukka is a Noble Truth, it does not mean that there is no happiness, enjoyment and pleasure in life. There is and the Buddha has taught various methods with which we can gain more happiness in our daily life. However, in the final analysis, the fact remains that the pleasure or happiness which we experience in life is impermanent.
The other noble theory that the Buddha has expounded is the Noble Eight Fold Path, namely Right view, Right intention, Right speech, Right action, Right livelihood, Right effort, Right mindfulness and Right concentration. This is also known as the middle path.
The late Rev. Piyadassi Maha Thera, referring to the Eight Fold Path said, all life’s solutions can be reduced to one problem, that of Dukka unsatisfactoriness and the solution put forward by the Buddha or Enlightened One of all ages is the Noble Eight Fold Path. He quotes, Professor T. W. Rhys Davids who said, Buddhist or no Buddhist, I have examined every one of the great religious systems of the world and in none of them have I found anything to surpass in beauty and comprehensiveness, the Noble Eight Fold Path of the Buddha. I am contend to shape my life according to that path.
These two theories discovered by the Buddha are extremely profound, but an average Buddhist or even a person of lower stratum need not go deep into it, they must endeavour to gain at least a faint knowledge to call oneself a Buddhist.
Five precepts
The third theory is the Five Precepts. Buddhist monks from ancient times have trained all categories of those who profess Buddhism to observe five precepts in every Buddhist religious occasion. We must be thankful to them, but most of them who observe, particularly less knowledgeable people just repeat like parrots and immediately it is over, the whole thing erazed from their mind. It has become just a ritual.
Lay Buddhists should attempt to fully grasph the meaning of it and make a point to practice it. Gurulugomi, our celebrated author of the Amavathura, depicted the adverse effects of five indulgences referring to several Jathaka stories. Killing, Mathaka baktha and Donasava Jathaka;
Stealing in the third and fifth Silavimansa Jathaka; Adultery, in Loha Kumbhi and Maha Narada
Kassapa jathaka; Falsehood in Chetiya and Kakkaru jathaka; Intoxicants in Kumbha and
Bhadragata Jathaka. Some reasons or other Buddha has eliminated the last one in several instances.
Without any intention to denigrate or belittle, the acknowledged beliefs we must openly discuss pros and cons logically to enable an average lay Buddhist to come to an intelligent conclusion how the respected five precepts should be practised. The gravity and the magnitude of each should be argued, so that clergies and lay-intelligentsia who are well conversant with Tri-Pitaka (Tri-Pitakachari) will quote relevant Suttas and elaborate our lay opinion highlighted here. The blessed one has advocated in Kalama Sutta to investigate and accept his exhortations.
In the Sigalowada Sutta, Diganikaya (p. 110) only the first four precepts have been taken. Patama Chtuddamma Samanthagata in the Anguttara Nikaya and Panaghathadi Sutta in the Pariyasohana Vagga (Anguttara Nikaya p. 737) also have deleted fifth precept. Perhaps it could be surmised that alcohol was necessary for the preparation of certain medicines. Asava, Aristha needs it. Even present day doctors advise patients who are subject to cardio vascular diseases to take little whisky. In our daily rice meal, there is a nominal per centage of alcohol. Physicians advocate it is no harm to take little alcohol for the purpose of digestion. Taking limitless, so as to majjapama datthana, create devastating results.
Killing is concerned, if a mosquito who infuses malaria, filaria, dengu, Japanese Encephalitis settle on your body or your healthy baby’s face you may have to destroy it. Killing a mosquito is not same as killing a cow, dog or a peacock. Killing a wicked murderer is not same as killing a righteous person. In this world there is none so great as man and if someone kills him, there is a greater sin according to Buddhism. Human beings are being killed in the North as rats. The most devastational gigantic holocoust in the century was the dropping of inhuman atomic bombs over millions of innocent human beings in Japan. Five decades have elapsed? But so far, Amaricans have not got any tangible retaliation. May be because it was a war.
Jivaka Sutta, in Majjima Nikaya, 1.368-gives in abstract form that meat should not be eaten if it has been seen, heard or suspected that it was intended for the person. Here, suspected is a saline word, where any intelligent person could be suspected if any one offers meat for consumption, it has been obtained by breaking the first precept. Because meat will not fall from the sky. The sin involved, therefore cannot be eleminated.
In Parinirvana Sutta ch. 18-19, it refers to Sukara Maddava, as flesh of wild boar, offered to the Blessed One by the Cunda Kammakara and as it was somewhat poisonous, blessed one does not want others to consume. Sukara Maddava was a kind of mushroom, a truffles, much sought by pigs, so it earns the name according to Mrs. Rhys Davids and Burnof. It gives in a botanical dictionary of Indian origin. It is a fallacy to say Buddha consumed meat.
Adultery is a sin which is a sexual unfaithfulness of a husband or wife. But sexual indulgence in any other form should come under this precept, in the same potency? The essential requirements for bare living as we learnt earlier was food, shelter and clothing but now sex also has been added as a prime requirement in Europe. During Buddha’s time there were famous Nagarasobhinis such as Ambapali, to get fulfilled man’s sexual urge.
Falsehood
In the case of legal profession, to win a case at times, falsehood would be an essential ingredient. Winning an election in our country is not that easy without uttering diabolical lies. It is abundantly available in politicians’ dictionary. A businessman never flourish if he sticks to the truth alone.
If a wicked person chases an innocent hare and he runs and hid in a bush near you. You clearly saw that but if the chaser comes and ask you what would be your answer?
Adinnadana is stealing others’ belongings. It is an unpardonable robbery. Even if a public servant or a public representative of a governing body accept a project or purchase some material for the utility of public and in that process he obtains a commission or santhosam for his individual benefit it comes under Adinnadana. because it belongs to public and he must deposit that in a public ‘fund’ controlled by the government and let the government use it for public benefits.
In Mahanama Sutta, the Buddha described, Panathipatha Pativarato, Adinnadana Pativarato etc. and that a person will become righteous if he adhere to five precepts. Our Tripitakacaris should well elaborate the pros and cons underlined in precepts with examples to enable lay Buddhists to well understand the depth of this theory and then they will intelligently practice it.
Thevijja and Chakkavatti Sihanada Sutta further elaborate, even a country will be developed and flourished if the leaders of a government follow the precepts. They must become righteous enough so that their followers follow them. Kutadanta Sutta describes if governing people are not righteous enough and do not heed for the five precepts the government, country and people all will be deteriorated and face for a disaster.
The Island - 9 Nov 99
Eight excellent and wonderful things in the great ocean and the Sasana
By Bhikkhu Seelananda
Paramita International Buddhist Society
The simile method of teaching in the Dhamma is one of the most influential methods of communicating the Dhamma adopted by the Buddha. This method has been used in many discourses. The discourse of the simile of the Ocean ( A. N. ii. 47. Paharada Sutta) is one such a discourse. Here the Buddha expounded eight characteristics in the Order in parallel with the Ocean. According to the Sutta once Paharada, a chief of the Asura (demi-gods "titans" who are hostile towards the gods and often engage in battle with them) came to the Buddha and having saluted the Buddha sat down at aside. After their courteous greetings the Buddha inquired about how many excellent and wonderful things do they perceive in the great Ocean. So Paharada pointed out eight excellent and wonderful things in the great Ocean. He said " There are Ven. Sir, eight excellent and wonderful things which we again and again perceive in the great Ocean and therefore take delight in it."
These are the eight:
1.The great Ocean, slopes away gradually, falls gradually, inclines gradually, and not in an abrupt way like a precipice.
2.The great Ocean is stable and does not overflow its boundaries.
3.The great Ocean does not tolerate a dead body, a corpse. If there is a dead body in it the great Ocean will quickly carry it to the shore cast it on to the land.
4.When these mighty rivers, like the Ganga, the Yamuna, the Aciravati and the Sarabhu, etc. reach the great Ocean, they lose their former names and designations, and are reckoned just as the great Ocean.
5. Though all the streams of the world flow into the great Ocean and rains falls into it from the sky, yet there appears neither a decrease nor an increase in the great Ocean.
6.The great Ocean has only one taste, that of salt.
7.In the great Ocean there are many and variegated precious things: There are pearls, gems, lapis, lazuli, shells, quartz, corals, silver, gold, rubies and cats-eyes.
8.The great Ocean is the abode of vast creatures, the timi, the timingala, the timirapingala, Asuras, Nagas and Gandhabba. There are, in the great Ocean beings one hundred yojanas a long or two, three, four, five hundred yojanas long.
When the chief of Asura, Paharada said so, explaining the nature of the Order the Buddha said that there were eight excellent and wonderful things in the Order (Teaching and discipline) which the monks again and again perceive and therefore find delight in it. They are as follows:
The Buddha said
1"Just as the great Ocean slopes away gradually, falls gradually, inclines gradually, and not in an abrupt way like a precipice, even so Paharada, is this teaching and discipline: there is a gradual training (anupubbasikkha), gradual practice (anupubbakiriya), gradual progress (anupubbapatipada); there is no penetration to highest knowledge in an abrupt way. (It means like the hop of a frog, without practicing from the very beginning i.e. the fulfilment of morality (sila) concentration (samadhi) and wisdom (panna) respectively, there is no attainment of Arahantship. One has to practice the Dhamma in due order, No concentration can be gained without morality and there is no cultivation of wisdom without concentration of mind).
2.Just as the great Ocean is stable and does not overflow its boundaries, even so when I have made known a rule of training to my disciples, they will not transgress it even for life’s sake.
3.Just as the great Ocean will not tolerate a dead body, a corpse, but quickly carries it to the shore and casts it on to the land; even so the Order will not tolerate a person who is immoral, of bad character, of impure and suspicious conduct, secretive in his actions, not a true recluse but rather a sham-recluse, not chaste but pretending chastity, rotten to the core, lustful and of vile behaviour. (in such a case) ,the order quickly assembles and expels such a person. Even if seated in the midst of monks’ assembly, yet he is far from the assembly, yet he is far from the Order and the order is far from him. (Regarding this, in this period of decadence of the Sasana we all can see, and have to accept that there are certain bad elements in the order today. They really are impediments to the order. They commit even grave offences. But there is no immediate assemble of the community of monks and expulsion. Undoubtedly stern actions are to be taken by the Head of the monks and the regime in power in order to purify the Sasana).
4.Just as the mighy rivers like Ganga and Yamuna, on reaching the great Ocean lose their former names and designations and are just reckoned as the great ocean; even so when members of the four castes &emdash; nobbles, brahmins, burghers, and menials go forth from home into homelessness life in this teaching and discipline proclaimed by the Buddha, they lose their former names and lineage and are reckoned only as recluses of the Son of the Sakyas (samana sakyaputtiya).
5.Just as in the great ocean neither a decrease nor an increase will appear thought all the streams of the world flow into it and rains fall into it from the sky; even so in the Nibbana element that is without a remainder of substrata of existence; there is no decrease nor increase even if many monks enter it.
6.Just as the great ocean has only one taste, that of salt; even so has this teaching and discipline only one taste, the taste of liberation.
7.Just as in the great ocean, there are many and variegated precious things as pearls, gems, etc, even so, there is in this teaching and discipline much that is precious; and there are the precious things in it; the four foundations of mindfulness, the four right efforts, the five spiritual powers, the seven factors of enlightenment, the noble Eightfold Path.
8.Just as the great ocean is the abode of vast creatures the timingalaÉ etc; even so is this teaching and discipline the domain of great beings; the stream-enterer (sotapanna), and he who practices for the realization of the fruition of stream entry (sotapattiphala), the once-returner (sakadagami), and he who practices for the realization of the fruition of once returner (sakadagamiphala), the Non-returner (Anagami) and he who practices for the realization of the fruition of Non-returner (Anagamiphala); the Arahant and he who practices for Arahatship.
According to this discourse in the Dhamma, it is crystal clear that there is a gradual training, gradual practice and gradual progress in the Sasana. This is very important in the context of practicing the Dhamma. One should be wise enough to understand the nature of the Dhamma. It is impossible to realize the Dhamma in a hasty manner.
There are three aspects to be followed namely, Sila (morality) samadhi (concentration) and wisdom (panna). In keeping with the practical side of them, the Buddha had explained the significance of practicing all three simultaneously, which means that all three mutually support each other. There is little or no possible of reaching the goal (Nibbana) by developing only one aspect of the triad. Therefore, let us strive to understand the Dhamma properly and practice it gradually in our daily life.
The Island - 11 Jan 00
Buddha’s visits to Sri Lanka
by D. Amarasiri Weeraratne
For over two thousand years we Sinhalese have been brought in a tradition which says that the Buddha visited this island on three occasions during his life-time. Scholars and historians like Sir D. B. Jayatillaka in the 1921 October issue of "The Buddhist", and Dr. G. P. Malalasekera in his "Pali Literature of Ceylon", his PhD thesis, Dr. G. C. Mendis the first Ceylonese to undertake a scientifically minded history of our country, as well as Dr. S. Paranavithana, the doyen of Archeology in our days have all held that the legends of the visits is not historically true. Many Buddhists found it difficult to accept a verdict against a tradition accepted without hesitation for such a long period in our literature, poetry and entrenched in the religious ceremonies of the Durutu Full Moon Day, as well as the pilgrimages to Kelaniya and Sri Pada. Therefore to discredit this belief would go against the grain of Sinhalese Buddhism, and all its claims to be the chosen people of the Buddha, as stout defenders of the faith.
Many Buddhists who accept the Buddha’s visits are intelligent men. They are aware of the Buddha’s exhortations in the Kalama Sutra against beliefs that are not reasonable, and not founded on reliable sources. They also must have some reasons which at least to them appear to be tenable and sound.
Beliefs of such visits of the Buddha to this country are not peculiar to Sri Lanka. According to Sarvastivadin scriptures the Buddha had visited Kashmir. This too like the visits to Lanka are not mentioned in the Pali Canon. According to Burmese Buddhist works The Buddha had visited Burma. English Christians once believed that Jesus Christ had visited England. This belief had died out with the expansion of education and improvement in peoples standard of knowledge.
However this belief is said to prevail among a minor Christian sect. Similarly there are other Christian beliefs that are not supported by historical evidence. But the faithful orthodox believers do not abandon them. When these beliefs are discredited or shown to be historically untenable, they rush to a controversy to defend their beliefs.
Thus we see that religious beliefs are not necessarily based on what is historically verifiable. The historian ask the question "Did this actually happen" and examines the evidence. He eliminates myth and legend which are not verifiable from reliable sources. That is why the leading Buddhist intellectuals of their day like sir D. B. Jayetillaka, Dr. Malalasekera, Dr. Paranavithana and objective authorities on the ancient history of Sri Lanka were not able to endorse this belief. With the rank and file of the followers of a religious enthusiasm and national sentiment override the dictates of reason and impede their impartial judgement. For instance, the orthodox Buddhist believes that the Buddha had supranormal powers. He could travel by air: He could subdue non human beings like Yakshas and Nagas.
Therefore, holding such beliefs it would not be unreasonable if they think that the Buddha could have visited Sri Lanka and had performed all the miraculous feats attributed to him in the Mahavamsa legend.
It is well known that during the time of King Valagamba the Abhayagiri Vihara became the rival of the Mahavihara &emdash; the headquarters if Theravada Buddhism, after its decline in India. The Abhayagiri drifted further and further away towards Mahayana and finally became the headquarters of Mahayanism in Sri Lanka. The Mahayanists had made many innovations and captured the popular mind. They resorted to the use of images for worship, relic-worship, talismans and charms. They resorted to protective pirith chantings with concocted Sutras not found in the Tripitaka. They had also cooked up a Sutra called Lankavatara according to which the Buddha had visited Lanka at the invitation of King Ravana and preached this discourse here.
This had caught the popular mind along with other apostasies of the Mahayanists. Nowhere in the Pali Canon do we find reference to a visit of the Buddha to Lanka or preaching any sermon here.
However not to be outdone by the Mahayanists in popularity, the Theravada Elders at the Mahavihara innovated the legend that the Buddha visited Lanka not once but three times. And details of the Buddha’s visit later became incorporated as history when the Mahavihara Elder Mahanama compiled his Mahavamsa. He took the legend from the earlier record called Dipawamsa. After that commentarial works to the Tripitaka, and literary works by Sinhalese authors all took these visits as facts and recorded them. Thus our literature, songs, poetry, and ceremonies connected with the Kelaniya temple and the Sri Pada shrine came to uphold the Buddha’s fictitious visits as sacred facts.
Tankavatara Sutra
In this connection, it should be remembered that the Dipawamsa and Mahavamsa - the sources from which we get this legend were compiled about 500 years after the Buddha in Sri Lanka. So the authors of these books were merely drawing on legends accepted and passed over to them by their ancestors. They could not have checked on the facts and verify them, as there were no literary sources or even reference to these visits in the life of the Buddha and his ministry as given in the Pali Canon. However, they had the Sutra called Saddharma-Lankavatara (arrival of the good Doctrine in Lanka) cooked up by the Mahayanists among their many apocryphal scriptures.
It teaches that the Buddha visited Sri Lanka at the invitation of (the mythical king) Ravana. Ravana is the villain of the Ramayana who abducted Princess Sita to Sri Lanka. There is absolutely no evidence that prior to the arrival of the Sinhalese here there were civilised people with cities, kings, and the use of metals and iron. All archeological findings indicate that the people who lived here prior to the arrival of the Sinhala Aryans from North India were men in the tribal stage using only stone implements. They were hunters and did not know the arts, crafts, writing, and agriculture. Moreover the mythical Ravana lived some 1,000 years before the Buddha. Therefore the Lankavatara Sutra of the Mahayanists is pure fiction with regard to its historical setting. The compulsory vegetarianism it teaches is an attempt to make an option given by the Buddha a compulsory practice.
Sinhalese Buddhism
Sinhalese Buddhism is not pure Theravada Buddhism taught in the Canonical texts. It is an admixture of the original teachings of the Buddha, with Mahayanist beliefs, and practices and elements taken from Popular Hinduism, e.g. worship of Hindu gods, observing caste in the Sangha, and debarring women from holy orders as Bhikkhunis. Thus it is not at all surprising that among the numerous adoptions from Mahayana popular beliefs and practices. The idea that the Buddha visited Lanka was freely and enthusiastically taken over by the early Sinhalese Buddhists.
The Island - 18 Jan 00
Nibbana theory for a Dhamma millennium
by Piyasiri M.L.Hettige
Dhamma Vivarana Movement
The Buddha’s Doctrine of Deliverance designated as Dhamma outlining the Sansaric Suffering Eradication Pathways for all intelligent beings without discrimination of Language, Religion, Nationality, Colour, Status or Wealth, could be described as delightful in the beginning, delightful in practice and delightful in its fruitage, which is the attainment of Nibbana.
The Late Venerable Piyadassi Nayaka Thera, the eminent scholar monk in his book ‘The Buddha’s Ancient Path’ clearly out lines the Buddha’s point of view regarding Rebirth : ‘The conflux of mind and body or mental and physical energy is not lost at death, for no energy or force is ever lost. It undergoes change. It resets, reforms in new conditions. The Being who passes away here and takes birth elsewhere is, neither the same person nor a totally different one. There is the last moment consciousness (Cutti Citta or Vinnana) belonging to the immediately previous life, immediately next upon the cessation of that consciousness, but conditioned by it, there arises the first moment consciousness. Similarly the last thought moment in this life, conditions the first thought moment in the next’.
Therefore it would be most appropriate for all followers of the Buddha Dhamma to be fully informed of what Sansaric benefits would accrue to those who possess the Priceless Wisdom of the Dhamma in their Vinnana during their Sansaric Manifestations in the process leading them to ultimate Deliverance or Nibbana, for which purpose an extract from my research paper ‘Theory of Nibbana’ is outlined below...
....... Based on Dhamma, the Vinnana Energy Complex or Cutti Citta, could be sub-divided into its basic components thus: VIN-NANA <=> KARMA-NANA + SANSARA-NANA.... Where NANA is Mental Energy (M Energy). Thus, the above regenerating equation could be written scientifically as follows: V~M ENERGY<=>K~M ENERGY + S~M ENERGY In a never ending sequence, since energy cannot be created or destroyed, only altered within set parameters. Where: V-M Energy = Variable Vin-nana (Trans-Sansaric Consciousness) K~M Energy = Variable Karma-nana (Sansaric Volitional Activity) & S~M EnergyÉ = Variable Sansara-nana (Sansara Aspiring Synergy)
The Buddhas explained how one could change ones Vinnana by infusing the Dhamma and altering the Karma probably as illustrated below and yielding similar results:
K~M Energy S~M Energy Resultant V~M Energy
Categories Categories Manifestations
Neutral K-E * Neutral S-E Dispersed V-E (Nibbana)
Dhamma K-E Progressive S-E Elite Human/Deva
Good K-E Progressive S-E Deva or Human
Evil K-E Retrogressive S-E Other Worlds
(*Neutral Karma or Nibbana Karma Gives rise to Neutral K~M E which Neutralize S-M E and Disperse the V~M E.)
Here it must be stressed that only those who have attained Arahantship or Higher stages in the Enlightenment options Will be able to perform neutral Karma which are based on Non benefit accumulative, purified thought process which can be performed by persons devoid of Craving (Thanha) and are purely de-accumulative actions void of any selfish motives performed only for the good of all living beings. After the attainment of Arahantship even the attachment to the Dhamma is abandoned in the performance of the Neutral Karma.
The above scientific explanation will dispel any doubts as to the fact that ones Dhamma Vinnana holds the Key to ones progress through elite Sansaras irreversibly towards Nibbana. Hence, if you want to dispel any doubts about your next Sansara the only option available is to make to the new millennium a Dhamma Millennium for yourself through Dhamma Vivarana Mindful Practice of Dhamma in a language understood by you.
The Island - 18 Jan 00