By Chandra Edirisuriya,
Buddhism is classed as a philosophy and is not a religion in the conventional sense of the term. It is rather a logical religious teaching with a rich philosophical content. It was propagated by the Buddha and the followers and declared that by destroying greed (lobha), hatred (dwesha) and moha (delusion) which are the causes of suffering one can attain perfect enlightenment.
The three evil forces mentioned above that defile the mind beget evil. Their eradication cleanses the mind, dispenses with the longing for the perpetuation of Samsaric existence paving the way to Nirvana. This is the core teaching of the Buddha which conforms to scientific law. The Buddha ranks very high among the handful of philosophers who span the history of mankind.
All philosophers have striven to reform society so that all will lead a good life. A comfortable material life is a precursor to a good moral and spiritual life. Jesus Christ fought against social injustice. Prophet Mohammed was also a social reformer. So were Confucius and Lao Tse of China and Zoroaster of Persia. Hinduism is a philosophy of life and after life based on the collective wisdom of ages.
Jathaka stories
Buddha’s previous lives are recounted in the five hundred and fifty Jathaka stories. Buddha exhibited unequalled sagacity in the previous lives whether born as human or animal. In the Nala Pana Jathaka the Bodhisathva or Potential Buddha, born as a monkey saved his life as well as the lives of those whom he led, defeating the evil design of a water devil or Jala Raksha, by drinking water from a pond, by using reeds as straws. In the Ummagga Jathaka, the Bodhisathva born as Mahaushada Panditha displays extraordinary intelligence and judiciousness in solving crimes etc. In the Puthra Prashnaya he asks the woman who stole a child at a bathing spot and the real mother of the child to pull the child apart holding it by its limbs. The real mother gives it up unable to harm her own child while the woman who in fact stole the child pulls mercilessly. In the case of the theft of a bullock he asks the thief as to with what he fed it and the thief says that he fed its with rich fodder and gingelly, poonac etc. But when he asks the real owner as to with what he fed the animal he says he fed it with grass only. The Mahanshada Panditha orders that the juice of Puvamga or Rakattana leaves be given to the bullock and it vomits out only grass.
Unique opportunity
The Buddha prepared himself for Enlightenment as Prince Siddhartha in his previous lives. The followers of the Buddha also have the unique opportunity to follow in the footsteps of the Great Master by improving themselves during their present existence and preparing themselves for the final attaintment of the Supreme Bliss of Nibbana.
Difficult to be born as a human being
It is said in Buddhism that it is difficult to be born as a human being – manussattam dullabo. In real life we find that it is still more difficult to live as a true human being. It is a rare opportunity that should not be missed. It is unworthy of a human being to play with his own life and the lives of others in whatever capacity he is in. The Buddha treated the rich and the poor alike. He accepted alms even from the most lowly. He treated the sick. He never neglected to see about the welfare of any helpless person who was in need. This should be the attitude of our rulers and members of society. In a just society there cannot be the helpless suffering for want of food, clothing and shelter and the physically and mentally sick in need of care and medical attention. There cannot be the homeless and the destitute who roam about the streets during day time and sleep on pavements under trees, not having a proper roof over their heads, not to mention the basic sanitary facilities and those who have not bathed or washed their clothes for months as living caricatures of human beings who have become an eyesore. The mentally sick with blackened bodies and clothes and dirty hair and beards look like beings from another planet.
It is the bounden duty of rulers and leaders of society to see that the people are adequately fed, clothed and sheltered without giving various excuses for ever. When people were living in the jungles they had enough for their needs because they were not greedy. Greed and acquisitiveness have become concommitants of civilisation. Some have amassed wealth while the vast majority are in want. Buddha never preached to a hungry man. The alms halls or ‘dan sela’ during Vesak and Poson season are manifestations of this Buddhistic attitude to life. To ensure that the poor are at the least adequately fed, clothed and sheltered is a sine qua non in a Buddhist society. In my childhood days I joined in the meritorious act of even feeding dogs and crows with rice and gravy made of dried fish bones on Vesak Poya day. This practice of balu-kaputu dana has ceased today.Plato said in very positive terms that one must do good because it is good to do so, not anticipating reward profit or benefit. It is also the accepted principle in Buddhism that one must perform merit not expecting a good life in the next birth but to end suffering and attain Nibbana.
Altruism
Altruism is part and parcel of the life of a good Buddhist. A good Buddhist cannot enjoy life while millions suffer. China a principally Confucian, Buddhist and Taoist country has reduced the number of the poor in that country who did not have enough food to eat and enough clothes to wear from a staggering 900 million in 1978 to 250 million in 2000.”In 1979 China embarked on reforms that changed the face of the country. These began with the most massive agricultural reform in human history, reforms which effectively ended food poverty in China in 5 years.
After that policies that welcomed long-term direct investment that fostered townships and village enterprises, joint ventures and private enterprises, put into place a vast and continuing improvement in human living standards. Over twenty years average living standards more than quadrupled; indeed growth has been so rapid that many people can perceive the improvement in their standard of living from month to month.China’s case demonstrates the potential effectiveness of sustained development policies – of policies that emphasise the priority of steady improvement over long periods of time.”The Crisis of Globalisation by James K. Galbraith, Daily News, April 22, 2002 The self-seeking profit motive is the very opposite of the condition of mind of a true Buddhist. The greed for unlimited riches is unBuddhistic.
Dhammachakkappavattana Sutta
The Buddha in the first discourse, Dhammachakkappavattana Sutta delivered at the Deer Park in Isipathana near Benares (Varanasi) expounded the doctrine most lucidly thus: There are two extremes which should be avoided by a recluse – constant attachment to Sensual pleasures or kamasukhallikanuyoga which is base, vulgar, ignoble and profitless and constant addition to self-mortification or attakilamathanuyoga which is painful, ignoble and profitless. Avoiding these two extremes the Buddha discovered the middle path which promotes sight, knowledge, peace or vupasamaya, higher wisdom or abinnana, enlightenment or Sambodhaya and nibbana.
Noble Eightfold Path
The Noble Eightfold Path is Right Understanding or Samma Ditthi, Right Thoughts or Samma Sankappa, Right Speech or Samma Vaca, Right Action or Samma Kammantha, Right Livelihood or samma Ajeeva, Right Effort or Samma Vayama, Right Mindfulness or Samma Sati and Right Concentration or Samma Samadhi.
Four Noble Truths
The Four Noble Truths are the Noble Truth of Suffering or Dukkha Satya, the Noble Truth of the cause of suffering or Samudaya Satya, the Noble Truth of the Cessation of Suffering or Dukkha Niroda Satya and the Noble Truth of the Path Leading to the Cessation of Suffering or Dukkha Nirodha Gamini Patipada Magga Satya.
Suffering
According to the Noble Truth of Suffering birth is suffering, decay is suffering, disease is suffering, death is suffering, to be united with the unpleasant is suffering, to be separated from the pleasant is suffering, not to receive what one desires is suffering and in brief the five Aggregates of Attachment are suffering.
Cause of suffering
The Noble Truth of the Cause of Suffering: it is craving which produces rebirth, accompanied by passionate clinging, welcoming this and that (life). It is the craving for sensual pleasures or kamathanha, craving for becoming or bhavathanha and craving for annihilation or vibhavathanha.
Cessation of Suffering
The Noble Truth of the Cessation of Suffering: it is the complete separation from and destruction of this very craving, its forsaking, renunciation, liberation and detachment.
Path leading to the Cessation of Suffering
The Noble Truth of the Path Leading to the Cessation of Suffering in the Noble Eightfold Path.
A philosophy of life and life after death
What the Buddha preached is a philosophy of life and life after death leading to Nibbana. If one leads of a life in this world, consonant with this philosophy such a life would indeed be virtuous. One who leads a virtuous life need not fear about this life or life after death. But if one commits sins he will have to suffer the consequences, sometimes in this life itself as Dittha Dhamma Vedaniya Kamma. In the Loweda Sangarawa of Ven. Veedagama Maitreya Thera a famous verse that is at the tip of the tongue of every Buddhist reads: when one commits sins it is as sweet as honey but when one suffers the consequences of such sins it is as painful as fire to bear. (Karana Kalata pavu mihiriya mee se vindina kalata duk dedivei gini se)
Sojourn through Samsara
Buddhism says that one could improve himself in sojourn through Samsara. A virtuous person is one who has improved himself in his previous births. He also has the opportunity of improving himself, still more, in future births until finally attaining the state of Nibbana.
Buddha a unique being
The Buddha was a unique being. He was the profoundest of thinkers, the most persuasive of speakers, the most energetic of workers, the most successful of reformers, the most compassionate and tolerant of teachers and the most efficient of administrators. His will, wisdom, compassion, service renunciation, perfect purity, exemplary personal life, the blameless methods that were adopted to propagate the Dhamma – all these factors have contributed to hail the Buddha as the greatest religious teacher of all time.
Hindus honour Him as an incarnation of Vishnu. Christians have canonised Him as St. Joshaphat (a corruption of the Pali term Bodhisatta). Muslims regard Him as a spiritual teacher. Rationalists treat Him as a great free-thinker. H. G. Wells, the distinguished thinker, assigned to Him the first place amongst the seven great men in the world. The poet Tagore calls Him the greatest man ever born. Lord Bertrand Russel, the greatest philosopher of the 20th century said that he had the highest esteem for Gauthama Buddha as a philosopher. Sri Jawaharlal Nehru who said that he did not have time to think of the other world and that all that he was concerned with was the scientific advancement of mankind kept a Samadhi Buddha statue in his office room for inspiration.
Tri Pitaka
The Buddha’s teaching is divided into three parts, the Sutta Pitaka, the Abhidhamma Pitaka and the Vinaya Pitaka.The Dhammachakkappavattana Sutta that set the wheel of the Dhamma in motion and the Communist manifesto (1848) of Karl Marx and Freidrich Engels are considered by intellectuals, the two great discourses of mankind, one addressing the fulfilment of the spiritual needs and the other the material needs of the whole of humanity.The chakkavattisihanada Sutta offers guidance for good governance. The famed Buddhist Emperor of India Dharmasoka ruled according to Dassarajadharma. He even fed animals in the jungle and set up hospitals for animals. The present rulers of the world should emulate Emperor Dharmasoka.
Alpechchatha and Samajeevikatha
Alpechchatha and Samajeevikatha or simple living and balanced living form the core of Buddhist livelihood whether of the medicant or of the layman. This concept was enunciated in the Western world in the classic work of Thorstein Veblan ‘The Theory of the Leisure Class’. Veblen was also called the American Marx because of his criticism of snobbery, ostentatious living, conspicuous consumption, pecuniary emulation etc. Maha Mangala Sutta and Parabhava SuttaAmong the other Sutta discourses of the Buddha the Maha Mangala Sutta, the Parabhava Sutta, the Sigalovada Sutta, the Karaneeya Metta Sutta and the Vyaggapajja Sutta stand out.
The Maha Mangala Sutta states that not to associate with fools, to associate with the wise, to honour those who are worthy of honour, to reside in a suitable locality, to have done meritorious actions in the past, to set oneself in the right course, much learning, perfect handicraft, a highly trained discipline, pleasant speech, the support of father and mother, the cherishing of wife and children, peaceful occupation, liberality, righteous conduct, the helping of relatives, blameless actions, to cease and abstain from evil, forbearance with respect to intoxicants, steadfastness, in virtue, reverence, humility, contentment, gratitude and opportune hearing of the Dhamma, patience, obedience, sight of the Samanas, religious discussion in due season, self-control, the holy life, perception of the Noble Truths, the realisation of Nibbana, not be fluttered by worldly contingencies, being sorrowless, stainless and secure and invincible are the highest blessings.In the Parabhava Sutta it is mentioned that a cover of the Dhamma is the progressive one; a hate of the Dhamma is the declining one – the vicious are dear to him, in the virtuous he finds nothing pleasing, he favours the creeds of the vicious.
Abhidhamma pitaka
The man who is drowsy, fond of society, not industrious, indolent and who manifests anger; whoever being rich does not support his aged mother and father who have passed their youth; he who by falsehood deceives a Brahmana or an ascetic or any other mendicant, the man who owns much property who has good food but alone enjoys his delicacies, the man who takes pride in his birth or wealth or clan and despises his own kinsmen causes his own downfall.In the Vasala Sutta it is said that one who externally shows that he is blameless while internally being impure is an outcast or Vasala.The very first two stanzas of Dhammapada of Abhidhamma Pitaka are ample proof to the soundness of Buddhist philosophy.
mano pubban gama dhamma, mano settha mano maya manasache pasannena, bhasathi va karohti va, Thatho nan sukkhamanvethi chayava anapayine
The mind is supreme. Acts done and words spoken with a pure mind will follow one like one’s own shadow.
mano pubban gama dhamma
mano settha mano maya
manasache padutthena
bhasathi va karothi va
Thatho nan dukkhamanvethi chakkanva vahathopadan
The mind is supreme. Acts done and words spoken with an impure mind will follow one like the cart wheel follows the bull.
Vinaya Pitaka
The Vinaya pitaka although a set of comprehensive rules for the recluses nevertheless contains rich and valuable facts of life.
Unique guidance
Buddhism offers unique guidance to human beings to fashion their lives, improving in the legacy they have been bestowed with, throughout Samsara and in anticipation of their future existence in Samsara until they attain the Supreme Bliss of Nibbana. To Buddhists death is only a stepping stone to another life. Hence Buddhism fulfils the yearning of all human beings if I had my life to live again.
Postscript
The Buddha’s comprehension of the universe is scientific as elucidated by D. C. Ranasinghe a former teacher of my alma mater Ananda College, Colombo in his masterly work “Buddha’s Explanation of the Universe”. The Laws of Nature Scientifically explained by Aristotle and Charles Darwin and all those who did so before and after them have been attributed to the design of a god by deistic religions. Enlightened men of all time have preferred the scientific explanation of the universe. So much so American historian Henry S. Lucas has said the earth god is supposed to have created and to which he sent his son is only a transitory speak in the phantasmajoria of space”