Buddhist spectrum

Buddhism and wealth

W. L. Wijeyawansa

Buddhism is the teachings of the Buddha during the 6th century BC. All the teachings of the Buddha has but one taste that is the taste of freedom. The Buddha, as a teacher, has shown us the way to free ourselves from suffering that necessarily leads to peace and happiness. He delivered this same message to different people in various ways to suit varied intelligent status of his audience. Buddhism as a result is endowed with philosophy, which covers ethical aspects of many important fields such as political, economic and social.

Definitions

Buddhism is not a religion in the strictest meaning of religion. There are many definitions, not one, for religion. According to one such definition "A religion is a system of human thought which usually includes a set of narratives, symbols, beliefs and practices that give meaning to the practitioner's experiences of life through reference to a higher power, deity or deities, or ultimate truth." Another definition says a religion is a "belief in and reverence for a supernatural power or powers regarded as creator and governor of the universe". "A religion is a repetition of prayers and incantations" (Cicero)

All these definitions talk about a deity, supernatural power, faith, and belief, which are not taught or believed in Buddhism. The Buddha taught that believing in gods was not useful for those seeking enlightenment. Buddhism is not revealed by a God. It is not a system of faith and worship. "Buddhism is a path of practice and spiritual development leading to insight into the true nature of life. Buddhist practices are means of changing oneself in order to develop the qualities of awareness, kindness, and wisdom."

Cessation

The essence of Buddhism is expressed in the four noble truths: Dukka (suffering), Samudaya (cause for suffering), Nirodha (cessation of suffering) and Marga (path to cessation of suffering). Further he preached three characteristics inherent in everything: Anicca (impermanency), Dukkha (conflict and suffering) and Anatta (soullessness or not permanent entity). Since the main teaching of Buddhism revolves around Dukkha (suffering) many people think Buddhism as being pessimistic, cynical and is all about suffering, and is an enemy of harmless pleasure. Buddhism is only to gain mental tranquillity and deliverance from physical and mental suffering. To achieve this, one has to leave the worldly life and become an ascetic.

This is far from truth. The Buddha quite correctly understood that everyone could not become an ascetic. Everyone could not leave their kith and kin and devote his full time to make an end to suffering. Therefore he preached Dhamma to those who wanted to live a mundane life, to make it a happier one. He realized that wealth is an essential thing among others, to a layman to live a happy life. So earning money, accumulating wealth and live happily is accepted in Buddhism for laymen.

In the Buddhist teaching, poverty is condemned and its causes are sought and examined from different positions. The Buddha said in the Anguttara Nikaya that for householders poverty is suffering. It is also mentioned in the Cakkavattisihanada sutta of the Digha Nikaya that poverty is the cause of immorality and crimes such as theft, falsehood, violence, corruption, short life span, deteriorated environment, ill-health and declined family value. Poverty alone is sufficient to kill off ambition, destroy self confidence, and hope, and add to it the burden of debt.

Arguments

Therefore whatever the arguments against wealth, it is an important requirement for a layman's life. A wealthy person is one, as most people think, who is well off possessing various things that contribute to material welfare, or physical well-being. In economics these are called economic goods. Buddha did not reject or condemn acquiring wealth. In Kuddakapatha four types of Nidhanas (wealth) are described.

1. Angasama Nidhana (gold, money, jewellery etc.).

2. Jangama Nidhana (portable wealth such as cattle, vehicles).

3. Thavara Nidhana (immovable property - land, buildings).

4. Anugamika Nidhana (good or bad kamma).

The Buddha only rejected the greed to accumulate wealth, total slavery to materialism, and treating wealth as the ultimate goal.

Ethics

Although the Buddha did not reject possessing wealth, he taught ethics of acquiring wealth and moral development of the man - manussa. The man is called manussa because of his highly developed state of mind compared to animals. Manassa-ussannathaya = manussa. The wealth is called Artha which means success. It relates to the various aspects of man's socil economic development such as the economy, politics, education, health and morality of a society. In modern economics morality and ethics in earning wealth is ignored. Hence is the deterioration of human values. But in Buddhist economics inner development of man is an important factor in the growth of society. Therefore acquiring wealth should not deteriorate human values and the values of a society.

The ethics of Buddhist Economics consists of 1. Mindfulness, 2. Impartiality, 3. Generosity, 4. Perspective, 5. Patience, 6. Compassion and 7. Perseverance. Morality and ethics in acquiring wealth is taught in Samma Ajeewa (right livelihood) in the middle path to emancipation of suffering (fourth Noble Truth). For lay people, Right Livelihood is something that is developed as you come to know your intentions for what you do. You can try to avoid deliberately harming other creatures or earning a living in a harmful, unkind way. You can also try to avoid livelihood which may cause other people to become addicted to drugs or alcohol or which might endanger the ecological balance of the planet.

Righteous

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

The recommended ways to earn wealth are from: 1. Kasi (agriculture), 2. Vanijja (trading), 3. Gorakkha (rearing animals - not for slaughter), 4. Issaththa (security service), 5. Raja Porisa (service to the king, Government service). In Anguttara Nikaya Buddha said "a householder has justly and lawfully won and with it he does many good deeds and experiences worldly pleasure in a respectable way. When he thinks of this he gains happiness and satisfaction."

The Buddha not only taught how to earn wealth but taught how to protect the wealth so earned. In Wyagghapajja Sutta he preached Arakkha Sampada and Samajeevikatha. Arakkha sampada is to protect wealth from thieves and natural disasters. Samajeevikatha is spending reasonably and within ones means. In Sigalovada Sutta Buddha explains 6 causes of dissipating wealth.

Happiness

The Buddha taught four types of happiness. Viz. Aththi sukha (happiness of ownership by just means), Bhoga sukha (experiencing of worldly pleasures), Anana sukha (happiness of free from debts), Anawajja sukha (happiness of blamelessness). A man who has earned by foul means will not have these four types of happiness. Some day he will repent for his foul deeds, and suffer even in his last hours.

A person who has earned and accumulated wealth must use that wealth in a proper way. Buddha not only taught the correct way to earn money and experience happiness, but taught how to use that wealth.

1. He contrives to make himself happy along with his kith and kin.

2. He secures his wealth against all misfortunes

3. He performs his duties to relatives, guests, deceased relatives, and

4. Make offerings to Brahmins and priests to purify and calm his mind.

- (Anguttara Nikaya)

Viharadhipathi honoured

Ven. Sivuralumulle Sumanarathana Thero

The Chief monk of the Ragama, Batuwatte, Narangodapaluwa, Ratna Sri Ghanarama Pothgul Viharaya Ven. Sivuralumulle Sumanarathana Thero has been awarded with the most venerable status of Special Judiciary Sangha Nayake (Secondary) titled "Sri Saddharmakeerthi Sri Pemarathana" by Malwatu Mahanayake Thibbotuwawe Sumangalabhidana.

The presentation of "Sannasa" to this effect will take place ceremonially on November 27, 2009 at Kandy Malwatu Vihara.

Buddhist analysis of the element

Bhikkhu BODHIPALA

An element obviously and necessarily should have the quality corporality, thus quantity arises and ultimately will be an entity. According to modern scientific approach an element means aggregation of electrons, protons and neutrons making atoms and molecules eventually a heap of mass. But this not the case for two basic elements according to Buddhism "space and fire". In Buddhist point of view the fire element and space do not posers an ultimate irreducible particles called Kalaba. Buddhism does not approve space as an element as it does not have corporal character and it cannot be perceived by senses but it can be only perceived through mind (pannati). But in the case of fire, it doesn't have a material substance and it has only a character which is perceived through the sense of touching.

Shortly speaking the fire element can only be sensed and identified. This element can not be named as electron, proton, neutron, atom and molecule,we can not say "one atom of the Element fire" scientifically it will be untenable. The following terms only will help caloricity (tejo) which is the elementary material unit of the fire element and according to the variation of caloricity the name of the fire element changes as cold (seta-tejo) warm or heat (unha-tejo). Then the name of variation is called as temperature, thermal, heat and so on.

As far as human body is concerned 50 degrees C is unbearable so it is warm (unhatejo) but at the same time some viruses are living in the lava of the volcano which has a high temperature of 6000 degrees C. When lava erupts and approaches the outer surface of the earth, for those viruses it would be cold (Seta-tejo). So a 50 degrees C atmosphere makes two types of fire is cold and heat.

So the scientific approach deals with thermal concept of the fire element. But how does the human mind conceives the concept of fire? First it concerns with "flame" as already mentioned only the touching sense can identify the presence of fire element. The flame what is perceived through the sense "eye" is nothing but just earth character endowed in the fire as such any odour also coming out of the flame. For example if a heap of plastic garbage is burnt we can observe different colours of the flame as well as different kinds of smell, these are earth elements not fire element.

So the following terms should be deeply analyzed for clear understanding of the element both in Buddhist point of view as well scientific view.

Calory, latent heat, thermal power, temperature, spark, flame, light, brightness, brilliance, splendours and the spiritual quality of the fire, the radiance.

So the Buddhist concept of fire element primarily concerned with its spiritual quality rather than its other material characters as mentioned above.

A flame necessarily and obviously irrespective of its size and colour should have the characters of heat and light. Here light is a revelation of earth element endorsed in the flame or the material which causes the flame. For example the candle flame is revelation of wax but at the same time heat and brilliance of the flame are the characteristics of the fire element. But for producing heat just fiction of object is enough. When two objects surface slide over each other there arises the heat first, then spark, flame eventually so-called the fire element is manifested. Even when slide your two palms in a high frequency you may feel warm sensation on the both palms.

So a flame is nothing but ultimate revelation fire element or the physical form of the fire. Flame or different colours of the flame and heat are two separate entities or qualities of the fire element.

We, when directly exposes ourselves to the sun we feel the heat and light, when the rays of the sun reflected through moon we feel light but not heat. The moon's surface has absorbed the heat but it cannot the light.

For differentiating the qualities of fire, the Buddha has different terminologies in Anguttara Nikaya, Abavagga.

The birth of a Buddha

Bhikkhu SILACARA

In times long past, fully twenty-five hundred years ago, where are now the border-lands between Nepal and the northern parts of the provinces of Oudh and North Bihar, there were a number of little kingdoms inhabited by different races of people, each ruled over by its own Raja or King. One of these little kingdoms which lay some distance north of the present-day town of Gorakhpore, on the north side of the river Rapti, was the land of a race called the Sakyas, the king who ruled over them at that time being called Suddhodana.

The family to which King Suddhodana of the Sakyas belonged was called the Gotama family, so that his full name was King Suddhodana Gotama; and the name of the chief city in his kingdom where he had his chief palace, was Kapilavatthu.

Child

This King Suddhodana had a chief queen whose name was Mahamaya. And after they had lived together for some time in married happiness, the Queen became aware that the day was drawing near when she should bring forth a child. So, before time came upon her, she asked her husband to give her leave to go and pay a visit to her own people who belonged to a city not very far away called Devadaha. King Suddhodana very willingly granted his chief Queen her wish, and sent out his men with orders to prepare the way for her, and do everything needed to make the journey to her father's house a pleasant and comfortable one for her.

Forest

Now halfway between Kapilavatthu and the town of Devadaha there was a very fine forest garden called Lumbini where the people of both places used to go in the hot weather to enjoy the cool shade of the great Sal trees of which there were many in the grove. Here in the month of May, these great trees were covered from top to bottom with lovely blossoms. In among their long branches flew many kinds of birds singing their sweetest songs so that the whole air was full of the sound of their warbling. And over and through the myriads of flowers, swarms of bees went cheerfully humming, busily gathering honey on every hand.

Pleasant

When, as her bearers carried her along the road to Devadaha in her royal litter, Queen Mahamaya came to this pleasant place, she thought she would like to rest there a while in the cool shade for it was a hot day, and so she told her bearers to carry her in among the trees. But she had not been there long, walking about and enjoying the pleasing sights and sounds all round her, when suddenly and unexpectedly the pangs of child-birth came upon her, and in a little while, there in the Lumbini Grove, under the Sal trees, among the birds and bees and flowers, she brought forth a son.

The place where this Lumbini Grove stood at that far off time can still be seen to-day. For a great king called Asoka, who ruled over a large part of India about three or four hundred years after King Suddhodana's time, caused a tall pillar to be set up in the forest-garden where thus was born the son of King Suddhodana and Queen Maya of Kapilavatthu, in order to mark the place; and on it he had a writing carved in deep-cut letters which can still be read, saying that he had put it there in order that men in the future should know where the great event had taken place. And although in the course of the two thousand and more years that have passed since King Asoka set up this pillar, the upper half of it has been broken off, and the half that is left leans all on one side, it still stands to this day in the place where King Asoka put it with his inscription on it for any one to see. And many people go to see it every day.

Goodness

Now on the hills outside Kapilavatthu there lived many hermits; and among them there was one old hermit whom every one in Kapilavatthu admired and esteemed for his goodness, King Suddhodana himself being especially fond of him and showing his esteem and affection for him in many ways. This old hermit, when he heard that his great friend the King now had a little son, came down to the King's palace in the city to see the babe; and when he had come, the King asked him to give the babe his blessing, and, as he made his request, he held the infant out toward the hermit in a posture of doing homage to the old man. But the hermit said:

"Nay, Maharaja, it is not your son who should bow his head to me, but I who ought to bow my head before your son. For I see well that he is no ordinary child. I see well that as he grows up to manhood's years he will become a very great religious teacher. Yes, I believe he will become the greatest religious teacher the world has yet seen."

Having said this, the old man sat silent for a little while smiling to himself with a pleased and happy look. Then his eyes slowly filled with tears and he began to weep, the tears trickling down his cheeks.