Rohan Lalith Jayetilleke
Continued from Part 01
Asoka hailed from the most militant Mauryan dynasty founded by Emperor Chardragupta but gave up his prestigious clannish identity and called himself ‘A son of the Sakyan Buddha.’ The Buddha never discoursed the abolition of the contemporary private wealth of society, because of the then existing social structure. However, the Buddha established the Sangha, as against the richly Brahmin priestly class and gave a model of a socialist structure for the bhikkhus. He advised the Sangha to be of bare possessors of essential requirements in that eight pieces of clothes, sanghate, uttarasangha, waistband, almsbowl, needle, water-sieve and razor.
The poet, writer and important organizer of the Dalit Literature Movement of modern times, Monohar Bishwas wrote, “It is the Buddha who found equality at first in the world. He brought religion, society, politics, economics and everything in his feelings for searching equality. He broke the caste system that is, castes and social order as a way for social equality.
He led the Sangha to investigate the economic equality. There is no private ownership of the wealth. All are equal in dress, fold and residence etc., Greeed is conquered through practice of morality and then be a socialist.”
Buddha through his first sermon, Dhammasakka-pavattana-sutta revealed to the world the Four Noble Truths, (suffering, cause of suffering, cessation of suffering and the Path leading to the cessation of suffering). The Noble Eightfold Path is universally applicable as it is a mode of living a harmonious and peaceful life. The Eightfold Noble Path could be divided into three sections: Moral Precepts that is sila, mind control and wisdom. Sila consists of Right Speech, Right Action, Right Livelihood.
This moral code ushers in a society secure and brings about harmony and good relations among the peoples. Mind control or concentration includes three other factors, Right Effort, Right Mindfulness and Right Concentration. Wisdom or Panna, consists of two factors: Right View and Right Thought. Concentration and wisdom are concerned with the discipline of the mind.
Inter racial and religious conflicts leading to disastrous wars emanate from not permitting freedom of speech and thought, that too on reasonable grounds. The Buddha endorsed freedom of expression and thought in the Kalama Sutta in the following manner: “When you know that the advice and things are bad and useless for you or others, then you will not accept and avoid these. If you see after testing by your own judgement and intelligence that the advice is good and useful for you or others and useful for welfare, then you will accept and follow this.” These are not commandments like the Ten Commandments of Jesus Christ in the sermon on the Mount. The Buddha’s advice is to examine it intelligently and accept it or reject it.
The Buddha taught the Sapta Aparihani Dhamma (Non-degenerative methodology of governance to the chiefs of the Vajji confederacy at Vaishali of Lichchavis, who had no monarch but a council of 7707 councillors. The Saptaaparihani Dhamma are. Assemble in concord, rise in concord, and do your duty as Vajjians in concord; Avoid enacting the unenacted or abolishing existing enactments and proceed in accordance with the ancient laws as enacted; Honour, respect, revere and venerate the Vajjian elders and think they should be heeded; live without molesting and abducting women and girls; Honour, respect, revere and venerate the Vajjian shrines both in town and country without allowing the lawful oblations, hitherto given and made, to lapse; provide lawful protection, defence and guarding among the Vajjians for Arahants; encourage Arahants to come to the realm and provide them with facilities to live happily. Herein ‘Arahant’ means a term used by Jainism meaning noble persons, which term Buddha too used.
In the Vajjian confederacy there was a large number of followers of Jainism, including Siha the Commander-in-Chief of the Vajjian army, who later embraced Buddhism.
A few hours prior to the Mahaparinirvana of the Buddha at Kusinara, a wandering ascetic named Subhadda, came there and pleaded with Ven. Ananda to permit him to venerate and see the Buddha and pose a question to him for an answer.
Ven. Ananda, declined the plea three times and the Buddha overhearing the altercation, asked Ananda to permit the ascetic to call on him. Subhadda having venerated the Buddha posed the question, “Master Gotama, monks and brahamans are with their community, with their group, leading groups.
Each group has a philosopher reckoned by many as a saint - I mean Purana Kassapa, Makkhali Gosala, Ajita Kesakambalin, Pakudha Kaccayana, Sanjaya Belathiputta and the Nigantha Nathaputta. Have they all had direct knowledge as they claim, or have none of them had direct knowledge, or have some of them had direct knowledge and some not.”
The Buddha replied: “Enough, Subhadda. Whether they all had direct knowledge, or some of them have had direct knowledge and some not, let that be. I shall teach you the Dhamma, Subhadda. Listen and attend carefully to what I shall say. Subhadda, in whatever Dhamma Noble Eightfold Path is not found, there are not the first monk (sotapanna), the second monk (sakurdagami), the third monk (anagami) the fourth monk (arahant).
In fact, the Buddha’s first discourse Dhammacakkapavattana-sutta deals with the Noble Eightfold Path. His advice to the first sixty disciples was to wander and teach the Dhamma for the welfare, prosperity and happiness of the people.
The Buddha, too told the first sixty disciples (Arahants). This Noble Truth must be penetrated to by realising the cessation of suffering: such was the insight, the knowledge, the understanding, the vision, the light, that arose in me about things not heard before. (gnanam udapadi, vijja udapadi, aloko udapadi etc.)
Thus to follow the Noble Eightfold Path and the teachings of the Buddha entirely built on it, to be practised by any person, he or she need not label himself as Buddhist, further to follow the footsteps of the Buddha (Buddham saranam gachchami).
There are no rituals and rites such as baptismal, upanayana (holy-thread), circumcision, as advocated by other religions. The teachings of the Buddha are universal in character, devoid of any grouping and classes or nomenclatures.
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