Kurunegala “Daily News” Corr.
- The Buddha
S.M. Wijayaratne
All human beings face and share the same fate. Due to ignorance of the true nature of life, we often weep and wail and sometimes even smile and weep again. When once we realise the true nature of life, we can face the impermanence of all component things and seek liberation.
“Life is uncertain, death is certain”
- The Buddha
Everyday we hear of deaths all over the world. Many deaths are caused due to various reasons such as natural disasters, accidents, diseases, war and violence. Are we ready to face death fearlessly?
Once life is launched, like a bullet it must reach its destination which is death.
All of us have to face this inevitable, natural phenomenon whether we like it or not. The sooner this truth is accepted, the better we will be able to direct our lives for a good purpose. Actually, we are disturbed not so much by death itself, but by the wrong view we hold of it. Death in itself is not that terrible; what is terrible is the fear of death that prevails in the mind.
Biological clocks
Our lifespan is controlled by our biological clocks which are continuously ticking away. When they run out, sooner or later, there is little we can do to gain extra time.
Once our time is up, we must be prepared to go through the natural process of death. All human beings, irrespective of sex, or race, creed, will have to come to terms with death. There is no alternative escape. Death is an inevitable process of this world.
It is not often that we are brave enough to come face to face with the thought of our own mortality. Yet, man is not free in life unless he is also free from the fear of death.
Attachment
It is hard to bear the loss of people whom we love because of our attachment to them.
This happened to Visakha, a well-known lady devotee during the time of the Buddha. When she lost her beloved granddaughter, she visited the Fully-Awakened One to seek advice in her great sorrow. “Visakha, would you like to have as many sons, daughters grandsons and granddaughters as there are children in this town?” asked the Buddha.
“Yes, Sir, I would indeed!”
“But how many children die daily in this town?” The Buddha questioned “Several, Sir. The town is never free from children dying, Sir,” Visakha replied.
“Then, Visakha, in such a case, would you cry for all of them? Visakha, those who have a hundred things beloved, they have a hundred sorrows. He who has nothing beloved, has no sorrow.
Such persons are free from sorrow.” The Buddha mercifully enlightened Visakha over the death of human beings.
When we develop attachment, we also must be prepared to pay the price of sorrow when separation takes place.
The love of life can sometimes develop a morbid fear of death. We will not take any risks even for a rightful cause. We live in fear that illness or accident will put an end to our seemingly precious permanent worldly life.
Realizing that death is a certainty, we hope and pray for a survival of the soul in heaven for our own security and preservation. Such beliefs are based on strong craving for continued existence.
Mental stress
According to psychological studies, much mental stress is caused by our refusal to face facts and accept life’s realities. This stress, if not overcome can eventually lead to grave physical illness. Certainly, worry and despair over illness will make it worse.
We cannot pick and choose the kind of illness we desire, nor can we choose the suitable or auspicious time to die. But we can certainly choose to face illness and death without fear.
People are frightened of dead bodies, but in the true sense, the living are in fact far more dangerous and brutal than dead bodies.
Dead bodies do not harm us, but the living are capable of doing enormous harm and could even resort to murder. So, is it not a stupid belief, for people to be afraid or frightened of dead bodies?
Each and every individual should be aware of the role of death in his or her destiny.
Whether royalty or commoner, rich or poor, strong or weak, a man’s final resting place within this life is either in a coffin lying buried six feet underground or in an urn or strewn over the sea.
Fate
All human beings face and share the same fate. Due to ignorance of the true nature of life, we often weep and wail and sometimes even smile and weep again. When once we realise the true nature of life, we can face the impermanence of all component things and seek liberation.
Until and unless we achieve our liberation from worldly conditions, we will have to face death over and over again. And in this respect, too, the role of death is very clear. If a person finds death to be unbearable, then he should make every effort to overcome this cycle of birth and death.
May you have wisdom to realise the Four Noble Truths. May you be well and happy.
Ven. Mahanuwara
Sasanawanse Thera
Aramkele Monastery Kumbukwewa
A good deed never makes anyone repent. Therefore, the noblest of all is the service rendered towards the progress of mental and moral discipline in the conduct of life. The Buddha wanted to liberate man from the chimeras and myths, under whose mystification he is pining away.
“Excellent, O Venerable Gotama! Excellent! It is as if O Venerable Gotama, a man were to set upright that which was overturned or were to reveal that which was hidden, or were to point out the way to one who has gone astray, or were to hold a lamp amidst the darkness, so that whoever has eyes may see, even so has the Dhamma been expounded in various ways by the Venerable Gotama.”
An outcast is a person who is driven away from home friends or society or who has no place in society.
The following ethos is applicable to the whole field of moral science. Behaviour is a mirror in which every one displays his own image.
A good deed never makes anyone repent. Therefore, the noblest of all is the service rendered towards the progress of mental and moral discipline in the conduct of life. The Buddha wanted to liberate man from the chimeras and myths, under whose mystification he is pining away.
* A man who is irritable, rancorous, vicious, detractive perverted in views and deceitful know him as an outcast.
* Whoever in this world harms living beings - in whom there is no compassion for living beings - know him as an outcast.
Whoever destroys and besieges villages and hamlets, and is known as an oppressor - know him as an outcast.
* Whether in the village or in the forest whoever appropriates by theft what belongs to others, or what is not given - know him an an outcast.
* Whoever having really taken a debt, flees, when pressed, saying,” There is no debt to you.” - know him as an outcast.
*Whoever desiring some trifle, kills a man going along the road, and pillages something - know him as an outcast.
* Who for his own sake, or for the sake of others, or for the sake of wealth, utters lies, when asked as a witness - know him as an outcast.
* Whoever by force or with consent is seen transgressing with the wives of relatives or friends - know him as an outcast.
* Whoever being rich, does not support his aged mother and father who have passed their youth - know him as an outcast.
* whoever strikes, or by speech, annoys his mother, father, brother, sister or mother-in-law - know him as an outcast.
* Whoever, when questioned about what is good counsels what is wrong and teacher in a concealing way - know him as an outcast.
* whoever having done an evil deed wishes that it may not be known to others, and is concealed in actions - know him as an outcast.
* Whoever, having gone to another’s house and partaken a choice food, does not honour him in return when he comes - know him as an outcast.
* Whoever deceives by falsehood a Brahmana or an ascetic or any other mendicant - know him as an outcast.
* Whoever by speech annoys a Brahmana or ascetic when meal-time has came and does not give food - know him as an outcast.
* Whoever in this world shrouded in ignorance, predicts what is not, expecting something. - know him as an outcast.
* Whoever exalts himself and despises others and is debased by his pride. - know him as an outcast.
* Whoever is annoying, avaricious of base desires, selfish, deceitful, shameless and fearless in evil action - know him as an outcast.
* Whoever reviles the Buddha or a disciple of his, be he a recluse or a householder - know him as an outcast.
Whoever without being an arahant claims to be an arahant is a thief in the whole universe he is the lowest outcast.
Those whom I have described to you are indeed called outcasts.
* Not by birth is one an outcast, not by birth is one a Brahmana, by deeds is one a Brahmana.
* Know that by this: Just as this example given by me; Sopaka the son of an outcast was well known as Matanga: He reached the highest fame.
Know it as such by this illustration. There was a son of an outcast known as Matanga.
* This Matanga attained to the highest glory difficult to obtain. Many warriors and Brahmana’s came to minister unto him.
* Mounting the celestial vehicle along the passionless highway he soared the Brahma, realm having discarded sense-desires. Birth did not prevent him from being reborn in the Brahama realm.
* There are Brahmins born in the family of preceptors, kinsmen of (veda) hymns. They too are frequently seen addicted to evil deeds.
* In this life itself they are despised; in the next they get a woeful state. Birth does not preclude them either from a woeful state or from condemnation.
* By birth one is not an outcast. By birth one is not a Brahmana. By deeds is one an outcast, By deeds is one a Brahmana.
When this was spoken the Brahmana Aggika Bharadvaja addressed the blessed One as follows:
“Excellent, O Venerable Gotama! Excellent! It is as if O Venerable Gotama, a man were to set upright that which was overturned or were to reveal that which was hidden, or were to point out the way to one who has gone astray, or were to hold a lamp amidst the darkness, so that whoever has eyes may see, even so has the Dhamma been expounded in various ways by the Venerable Gotama.”
“And I seek refuge in the Venerable Gotama, the Dhamma, and the order of disciples. May the Venerable Gotama receive me as a follower who has taken refuge from this very day to life’s end.
S.M. Wijayaratne
Kurunegala Daily News Corr.
One will never reach the destination if one just looks at the map, enjoys its fine printing, but never determines the direction that leads to the destination; or after finding out which direction to go, never lets the car start moving. Buddha is a teacher. He uses His finger to point out the moon to us. But if one just looks at Buddha’s finger, one cannot see the moon. The finger serves simply to point us in the right direction. Once one follows that direction and sees the moon, the finger should be forgotten.
The most suitable way to pay tribute to the Fully-awakened One is to strive to realise his noble teachings and to put those teachings into practice. His noble message for the suffering humanity is an eye-opener and our prime duty should be to work with total dedication to achieve the wholesome results by following the path as shown by the Buddha to us summoning all our courage and might. It is natural that there may be a lot of obstacles and hindrances for us to undergo while we are treading on the path.
Our friends will sometimes laugh and ridicule at us saying that we are lunatics. But we should have complete confidence in ourselves and unshaken faith in Triple Gem if we are to achieve success at the end.
Truth
The truth that the Buddha realised is universal. In Buddhist terminology, it is known as Dharma, or Dhamma in Pali. The realisation of the Dharma was the result of a long and arduous spiritual quest. The Buddha attained supreme enlightenment through his own efforts, without any help from a teacher. His knowledge was full and complete, ultimate and perfect in all respect.
Buddhism teaches man to depend on himself, to be courageous and confident in his own ability. Buddhist philosophy places man at the centre of all things, it advises man to strive and work hard to achieve his goals, material or spiritual, through his own efforts, not through prayer or mere wishful thinking.
Because Buddhism is a religion of self-help, it is suitable for the strong-minded. Since it encourages free thinking, it enjoys a special place in the hearts of modern free thinkers.
As its teachings are scientific, it is highly respected by the intellectuals. The Buddhist emphasis on peace and loving-kindness makes
the religion appealing to peace loving men the world over.
Road map
The teachings of the Buddha that we find in printed books or magazines can serve only as a road map does for an automobile driver. One has to study the map, digest the information therein, and above all, start the engine and go.
One will never reach the destination if one just looks at the map, enjoys its fine printing, but never determines the direction that leads to the destination; or after finding out which direction to go, never lets the car start moving. Buddha is a teacher. He uses His finger to point out the moon to us. But if one just looks at Buddha’s finger, one cannot see the moon. The finger serves simply to point us in the right direction. Once one follows that direction and sees the moon, the finger should be forgotten.
Determination
A nice prayer is given below for you to recite everyday early in the morning.
”May we reaffirm the determination of our ancestors; we shall strive to sail across the vast ocean of hatred, discrimination, selfishness; and arrive on the other shore of loving-kindness, compassion, joy, and equanimity.
May we reaffirm our determination to extend our love of brotherhood to all people on earth and may we be guided by the collective wisdom of all world religions to save ourselves from self-destruction. Today our greatest fear is not of nature. Our greatest fear is of ourselves”.
We should constantly ponder over the following meaningful utterances by the Buddha.
”All the world’s phenomena and ideas.
Are unreal, like a dream,
Like magic, and like a reflected image.
All the world’s phenomena and ideas.
Are impermanent, like a water bubble,
Like dew and lightening,
Thus should one observe and understand
All the world’s phenomena and ideas.
“We human beings can send ourselves to the moon, but we still cannot eliminate the horrors of concentration camp or the need for prisons.
Motivations
We spend billions and billions of dollars to eliminate the diseases that kill us, but we pay little attention to routing out the motivations that cause us to kill each other.”
These are words that a very reputed scholar of Buddhism spoke addressing a large gathering of American Buddhist devotees in America.
For thousands of years, we human beings have been unable to liberate ourselves from fear! Why?. Because we cannot rid ourselves of hatred, discrimination, selfishness and desire. But why can we not eliminate these evils that almost everyone knows are destructive? The answer is that we human beings have such a great desire to possess.
Possession
The desire for possession creates attachment. Basically, attachment is due to the concepts of self and possession as when we say,” This is mine”.
This concept of self is strengthened by the belief that both “I” and the ‘world” are real; not only real but also permanent, although we know that is wishful thinking. Surely we realise that no one can live forever and that no one carries money, power or beauty with him or her at death.
Therefore, to recognise that all phenomena and ideas of the world are unreal like a dream , and impermanent like lightning, is to cause desire and the concept of ego to diminish. When ego is subdued, hatred, discrimination, selfishness, and desire are also diminished.
May all have faith and wisdom to see the Fully-Awakened One through His noble teachings.
Sunatha, Dharetha, Caratha Dhamme
Ven. Kumbuke Visuddhi Citta
Raddolugama
There are certain feelings of human beings that even a number of words may fail to express. Love, sympathy and happiness gained through either material pleasures or spiritual attainments are some of them. Negative feelings or evil states of mind like anger, hatred and revenge can also be inexplicable at times. However, a musician might be able to compose a melody, a song or set a rhythm; an artist might express it through a picture, a painting, a diagram or a graph; a writer might succeed in presenting a literary description or a story and a poet would create a poem to bring such feelings to light.
Contineud from 20.10. 2011
AAs a result of studying the function of the human mind and behaviour patterns, one might notice how either a particular picture, word, idea, view or opinion can be seen or interpreted from various angles by each individual. For instance, something which is good for one person might not be good for many others. At the same time, there are the less fortunate and helpless ones who are unable to communicate properly. The deaf, dumb, blind, disabled and the abnormal fall into this category. However, even among them you find those who are talented in certain fields like Music, Art and Literature.
Sympathy
There are certain feelings of human beings that even a number of words may fail to express. Love, sympathy and happiness gained through either material pleasures or spiritual attainments are some of them. Negative feelings or evil states of mind like anger, hatred and revenge can also be inexplicable at times. However, a musician might be able to compose a melody, a song or set a rhythm; an artist might express it through a picture, a painting, a diagram or a graph; a writer might succeed in presenting a literary description or a story and a poet would create a poem to bring such feelings to light. As such, the advances in music, art and literature have paved the way for people to think and look at life in a more creative and meaningful manner. It has also given vitality to one’s leisure time.
Now, let me narrate another story that took place during the Buddha’s time. It is with regard to a particular Brahmin named ‘Udaya’. One day, early in the morning, rising from His meditation the Blessed One happened to see through His Divine Eye that the Brahmin had already acquired the capacity to realise the sublime truth. So, wearing the robes and bowl in hand, the Buddha visited the Brahmin Udaya’s house in quest of alms.
Seeing the Buddha standing in front of his house the Brahmin welcomed Him and placed some delicious food in the Blessed One’s bowl. Having received the food in silence, the Enlightened One made His way back to the monastery. The following morning too, the Buddha visited Udaya Brahmin’s house on His alms-round. Then also the Brahmin served Him with some food. When the Buddha visited the same house on the third day, a particular unwholesome thought happened to occur in the Brahmin’s mind: ‘Having become attached to taste this recluse is coming again and again.’ The Blessed One could read his thought immediately.
Thereupon the Buddha addressed the Brahmin Udaya in this manner:
Again and again the farmers sow seeds,
Again and again showers the rain,
Again and again the country folk harvest cereal and grain.
Again and again the beggars beg,
Again and again the donors practise charity,
And thereby become born in heaven again and again.
Again and again the cows are milked,
Again and again the calf, the offspring approaches its mother,
Again and again living beings get terrified and frightened
(by decay, old age, illness and death),
The ever ignorant is conceived in a mother’s womb again and again.
Again and again revolve birth and death,
Again and again the carcass is carried away to the cemetery,
There’s no more rebirth to one who has realised the path,
Thus, the wise one is not subject to existence
Again and again
Accordingly, the Brahmin ‘Udaya’ grasped the essence of the Exalted One’s Words and became extremely happy and content over it along with the acquisition of a higher stage of mind. He happened to express his joy of realising the Truth to the Blessed One in the following manner:
Darkness
”It is excellent, Sir, as one might set upright what has been upside down, or disclose what has been covered, or show the way to one who had gone astray, or bring an oil lamp into the darkness so that those with vision might see visible shapes, even so in many a technique have the teachings been made clear by the Lord. Hereupon I seek refuge in the Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha.
May the Blessed One nominate me as an ‘Upasaka’ from today onwards right throughout”. (Sn 335)
the Brahmin Udaya’s conviction and the complete transformation attributing to the ‘Great Compassion’ of the Buddha are depicted in the story. It also reveals to us the power of words explicitly.
After all, we should pay heed to the advice, instructions and criticisms of other people as it would give us a clue to correct our own faults or mistakes and to broaden our knowledge little by little. And it is depicted in one of Sir William Shakespeare’s sayings ‘Give every man your ear, but few your voice’, So, let’s join hands to live up to this ideal from this moment itself.
‘Sunatha Dharetha caratha Dhamme’
Listen to, bear in mind and abide by the Dhamma’.