Buddhist Spectram
Purifying your mind
Venerable Nawalapitiye Ariyawansa Thera
As long as our minds are impure we will have to suffer a lot. If we
manage to purify our minds we will be able to enjoy a great pleasure
with that purified mind. So we must try hard to relieve our minds from
impurity and make it a pure mind.
If somebody manages to purify his mind, no doubt he will be able to
enjoy a pleasant life. The person who likes to enjoy happiness must try
to develop purity in his mind.
Dhamma
Friends, Raga is an impediment that stands on our way to Nibbana.
At the same time Dwesha is another thing that makes our minds impure.
And Moha also does the same.
Powerful mind
The Buddha shows that Raga is like a fire. Likewise Dwesha also is
like a fire. Moha also is like a fire. If a fire breaks out, it burns up
everything in the vicinity. Raga is also same as fire. When Rage comes
to the mind and becomes powerful that mind will be burnt up. That mind
is burnt up by the fire of Raga. When Dwesha comes to the mind and
become powerful it burns up the mind. When Moha comes to the mind and
become powerful it also burns up the mind.
When Raga, Dwesha and Moha burn one’s mind, he feels an uneasiness in
his body. He has to suffer physically. When these Raga, Dwesha and Moha
pressing the mind, in a powerful manner, he can’t generate a pleasure at
all.
If we learn the Buddha’s Dhamma and educate ourselves about the great
oppression generated by the Raga, Dwesha and Moha, we won’t be desirous
to burn ourselves with the fire of that Raga, Dwesha and Moha.
The person who learnt the Dhamma and understood the nature of Raga,
Dwesha and Moha is inspired to extinguish the fire of Raga, Dwesha and
Moha. So, let us learn the noble Dhamma which shows how to enjoy the
comfort and rest. Let us be highly desirous of doing away with Raga,
Dwesha and Moha.
Enjoying pleasure
If someone likes to do away with Raga, Dwesha and Moha, he likes to
liberate himself from sufferings and enjoy pleasure. One who wishes to
enjoy pleasure that way won’t like Raga, won’t like Dwesha and won’t
like Moha.
One who detest and extinguish the fire of Raga, Dwesha and Moha will
get a chance of leading a happy life. To dawn that fortune, we must
learn the nature of Dhamma that teaches us about Raga, Dwesha and Moha.
We must know about the Buddha who taught us Noble Dhamma that brings us
pleasure by doing away with Raga, Dwesha and Moha. If we learn more
about the Buddha we can be pleased. One who is pleased with the Buddha
is also pleased with the Noble Dhamma shown by the Buddha. At the same
time, he will be pleased with Buddha’s disciples who endeavor to
extinguish the fire of Raga, Dwesha and Moha by learning Noble Dhamma of
Buddha. If someone is pleased with the Buddha he will be pleased with
Noble Dhamma that shows the way to extinguish the fire of Raga, Dwesha
and Moha.
He is also pleased with Buddha’s disciples who endeavor to extinguish
the fire of Raga, Dwesha and Moha and some day he will be able to
extinguish the fire of Raga, Dwesha and Moha and will be completely free
from the nature of burning from Raga, Dwesha and Moha.
If someone is pleased with and grateful to the Noble Triple Gems and
make his own mind purified he will be sure to be a person who enjoys
happiness in his life and he will enjoy the complete happiness.
A happiness of this kind will be owned only by one who is pleased
with the Noble Triple Gems. May you all be pleased with and grateful to
the Noble Triple Gem and have the chance to enjoy a happy life.
(Translated by M.A Samarsinghe)
Theravada - Mahayana Buddhism
Ven. Dr. W. Rahula Thera
Let us discuss a question often asked by many people: What is the
difference between Mahayana and Theravada Buddhism? To see things in
their proper perspective, let us turn to the history of Buddhism and
trace the emergence and development of Mahayana and Theravada Buddhism.
The Buddha was born in the 6th Century B.C. After attaining
Enlightenment at the age of 35 until his Mahaparinibbana at the age of
80, he spent his life preaching and teaching. He was certainly one of
the most energetic man who ever lived: for forty-five years he taught
and preached day and night, sleeping for only about two hours a day.
The Buddha spoke to all kinds of people: kings and princes, Brahmins,
farmers, beggars, learned men and ordinary people. His teachings were
tailored to the experiences, levels of understanding and mental capacity
of his audience. What he taught was called Buddha Vacana, i.e. word of
the Buddha. There was nothing called Theravada or Mahayana at that time.
After establishing the Order of monks and nuns, the Buddha laid down
certain disciplinary rules called the Vinaya for the guidance of the
Order. The rest of his teachings were called the Dhamma which included
his discourses, sermons to monks, nuns and lay people.
The First Council
Three months after the Buddha's Mahaparinibbana, his immediate
disciples convened a council at Rajagaha. Maha Kassapa, the most
respected and elderly monk, presided at the Council. Two very important
personalities who specialised in the two different areas - the Dhamma
and the Vinaya - were present. One was Ananda, the closest constant
companion and disciple of the Buddha for 25 years. Endowed with a
remarkable memory, Ananda was able to recite what was spoken by the
Buddha.
The other personality was Upali who remembered all the Vinaya rules.
Only these two sections - the Dhamma and the Vinaya - were recited at
the First Council. Though there were no differences of opinion on the
Dhamma (no mention of the Abhidhamma) there was some discussion about
the Vinaya rules. Before the Buddha's Parinibbana, he had told Ananda
that if the Sangha wished to amend or modify some minor rules, they
could do so. But on that occasion Ananda was so overpowered with grief
because the Buddha was about to die that it did not occur to him to ask
the Master what the minor rules were. As the members of the Council were
unable to agree as to what constituted the minor rules, Maha Kassapa
finally ruled that no disciplinary rule laid down by the Buddha should
be changed, and no new ones should be introduced. No intrinsic reason
was given. Maha Kassapa did say one thing, however: “If we changed the
rules, people will say that Ven. Gotama's disciples changed the rules
even before his funeral fire has ceased burning.”
At the Council, the Dhamma was divided into various parts and each
part was assigned to an Elder and his pupils to commit to memory. The
Dhamma was then passed on from teacher to pupil orally. The Dhamma was
recited daily by groups of people who often cross check with each other
to ensure that no omissions or additions were made. Historians agree
that the oral tradition is more reliable than a report written by one
person from his memory several years after the event.
The Second Council
One hundred years later, the Second Council was held to discuss some
Vinaya rules. There was no need to change the rules three months after
the Parinibbana of the Buddha because little or no political, economic
or social changes took place during that short interval. But 100 years
later, some monks saw the need to change certain minor rules. The
orthodox monks said that nothing should be changed while the others
insisted on modifying some rules, Finally, a group of monks left the
Council and formed the Mahasanghika - the Great Community. Even though
it was called the Mahasanghika, it was not known as Mahayana, And in the
Second Council, only matters pertaining to the Vinaya were discussed and
no controversy about the Dhamma is reported,
The Third Council
In the 3rd Century B.C. during the time of Emperor Asoka, the Third
Council was held to discuss the differences of opinion among the
bhikkhus of different sects. At this Council the differences were not
confined to the Vinaya but were also connected with the Dhamma. At the
end of this Council, the President of the Council, Moggaliputta Tissa,
compiled a book called the Kathavatthu refuting the heretical, false
views and theories held by some sects. The teaching approved and
accepted by this Council was known as Theravada. The Abhidhamma Pitaka
was included at this Council.
After the Third Council, Asoka's son, Ven. Mahinda, brought the
Tripitaka to Sri Lanka, along with the commentaries that were recited at
the Third Council.
The texts brought to Sri Lanka were preserved until today without
losing a page. The texts were written in Pali which was based on the
Magadhi language spoken by the Buddha. There was nothing known as
Mahayana at that time.
Coming of Mahayana
Between the 1st Century B.C. to the 1st Century A.D., the two terms
Mahayana and Hinayana appeared in the Saddharma Pundarika Sutra or the
Sutra of the Lotus of the Good Law.
About the 2nd Century A.D. Mahayana became clearly defined. Nagarjuna
developed the Mahayana philosophy of Sunyata and proved that everything
is Void in a small text called Madhyamika-karika. About the 4th Century,
there were Asanga and Vasubandhu who wrote enormous amount of works on
Mahayana. After the 1st Century AD., the Mahayanists took a definite
stand and only then the terms of Mahayana and Hinayana were introduced.
We must not confuse Hinayana with Theravada because the terms are not
synonymous. Theravada Buddhism went to Sri Lanka during the 3rd Century
B.C. when there was no Mahayana at all. Hinayana sects developed in
India and had an existence independent from the form of Buddhism
existing in Sri Lanka. Today there is no Hinayana sect in existence
anywhere in the world. Therefore, in 1950 the World Fellowship of
Buddhists inaugurated in Colombo unanimously decided that the term
Hinayana should be dropped when referring to Buddhism existing today in
Sri Lanka, Thailand, Burma, Cambodia, Laos, etc. This is the brief
history of Theravada, Mahayana and Hinayana.
Mahayana and Theravada
Now, what is the difference between Mahayana and Theravada?
I have studied Mahayana for many years and the more I study it, the
more I find there is hardly any difference between Theravada and
Mahayana with regard to the fundamental teachings.
- Both accept Sakyamuni Buddha as the Teacher.
- The Four Noble Truths are exactly the same in both schools.
- The Eightfold Path is exactly the same in both schools.
- The Paticca-samuppada or the Dependent Origination is the same in both
schools.
- Both rejected the idea of a supreme being who created and governed
this world.
- Both accept Anicca, Dukkha, Anatta and Sila, Samadhi, Panna without
any difference. These are the most important teachings of the Buddha and
they are all accepted by both schools without question.
There are also some points where they differ. An obvious one is the
Bodhisattva ideal. Many people say that Mahayana is for the
Bodhisattvahood which leads to Buddhahood while Theravada is for
Arahantship. I must point out that the Buddha was also an Arahant.
Pacceka Buddha is also an Arahant. A disciple can also be an Arahant.
The Mahayana texts never use the term Arahant-yana, Arahant Vehicle.
They used three terms: Bodhisattvayana, Prateka-Buddhayana, and
Sravakayana. In the Theravada tradition these three are called Bodhis.
Some people imagine that Theravada is selfish because it teaches that
people should seek their own salvation. But how can a selfish person
gain Enlightenment? Both schools accept the three Yanas or Bodhis but
consider the Bodhisattva ideal as the highest. The Mahayana has created
many mystical Bodhisattvas while the Theravada considers a Bodhisattva
as a man amongst us who devotes his entire life for the attainment of
perfection, ultimately becoming a fully Enlightened Buddha for the
welfare of the world, for the happiness of the world.
Types of Buddhahood
There are three types of Buddhahood: the Samma Sambuddha who gains
full Enlightenment by his own effort, the Pacceka Buddha who has lesser
qualities than the Samma Sambuddha, and the Savaka Buddha who is an
Arahant disciple. The attainment of Nibbana between the three types of
Buddhahood is exactly the same. The only difference is that the Samma
Sambuddha has many more qualities and capacities than the other two.
Some people think that Voidness or Sunyata discussed by Nagarjuna is
purely a Mahayana teaching. It is based on the idea of Anatta or
non-self, on the Paticcasamuppada or the Dependent Origination, found in
the original Theravada Pali texts. Once Ananda asked the Buddha, “People
say the word Sunya. What is Sunya?” The Buddha replied, “Ananda, there
is no self, nor anything pertaining to self in this world. Therefore,
the world is empty.” This idea was taken by Nagarjuna when he wrote his
remarkable book, “Madhyamika Karika”. Besides the idea of Sunyata is the
concept of the store-consciousness in Mahayana Buddhism which has its
seed in the Theravada texts. The Mahayanists have developed it into a
deep psychology and philosophy. (From: “Gems of Buddhist Wisdom”,
Buddhist Missionary Society, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 1996)
Depth of Buddhist meditation
Douglas M Burns
Mind is the forerunner of all (evil) conditions.
Mind is their chief, and they are mind-made.
If, with an impure mind, one speaks or acts,
Then suffering follows one
Even as the cart wheel follows the hoof of the ox.
Mind is the forerunner of all (good) conditions.
Mind is their chief, and they are mind-made.
If, with a pure mind, one speaks or acts,
Then happiness follows one
Like a never-departing shadow.
These words, which are the opening lines of the Dhammapada, were
spoken by Gotama Buddha 2500 years ago. They illustrate the central
theme of Buddhist teaching, the human mind.
Buddhism is probably the least understood of all major religions.
Indeed, from an Occidental viewpoint we might well question whether it
warrants the title of religion. In the West we are accustomed to
thinking of theology in terms of God, revelation, obedience, punishment,
and redemption. The themes of creation, worship, judgment, and
immortality have been major concerns in the Christian heritage and are
virtually inseparable from our concept of religion. Against such a
cultural background Western man views Buddhism and in so doing
unconsciously projects his own concepts, values and expectations.
Erroneously he perceives ceremonies and bowing as examples of worship or
even idolatry.
Reality escape
He may extol its scientific world view or abhor and condemn its
“atheism.” The Buddha is vaguely equated with God or Jesus, and
meditation is suspected of being a hypnotic approach to mysticism or an
escape from reality.
However, such erroneous notions of the Dhamma, the teaching of the
Buddha, are not entirely the result of Western ignorance and
ethnocentrism.
Before his demise the Buddha predicted that within a thousand years
his doctrine would fall into the hands of men of lesser understanding
and would thereby become corrupted and distorted. Such has been the case
throughout much, if not most, of the Orient. Ritual has replaced
self-discipline, faith has replaced insight, and prayer has replaced
understanding. If the basis of Christianity is God, the basis of
Buddhism is mind.
From the Buddhist viewpoint, mind or consciousness is the core of our
existence. Pleasure and pain, good and evil, time and space, life and
death have no meaning to us apart from our awareness of them or thoughts
about them.
Whether God exists or does not exist, whether existence is primarily
spiritual or primarily material, whether we live for a few decades or
live forever — all these matters are, in the Buddhist view, secondary to
the one empirical fact of which we do have certainty: the existence of
conscious experience as it proceeds through the course of daily living.
Therefore Buddhism focuses on the mind; for happiness and sorrow,
pleasure and pain are psychological experiences. Even such notions as
purpose, value, virtue, goodness, and worth have meaning only as the
results of our attitudes and feelings.
Buddhism does not deny the reality of material existence, nor does it
ignore the very great effect that the physical world has upon us. On the
contrary, it refutes the mind-body dichotomy of the Brahmans and says
that mind and body are interdependent. But since the fundamental reality
of human existence is the ever-changing sequence of thoughts, feelings,
emotions, and perceptions which comprise conscious experience, then,
from the viewpoint of early Buddhism, the primary concern of religion
must be these very experiences which make up our daily lives. Most
significant of these are love and hate, fear and sorrow, pride and
passion, struggle and defeat. Conversely, such concepts as vicarious
atonement, Cosmic Consciousness, Ultimate Reality, Buddha Nature, and
redemption of sins are metaphysical and hypothetical matters of
secondary importance to the realities of daily existence.
Embracing displeasure
Therefore, in Buddhism the most significant fact of life is the first
noble truth, the inevitable existence of dukkha. Dukkha is a Pali word
embracing all types of displeasurable experience — sorrow, fear, worry,
pain, despair, discord, frustration, agitation, irritation, etc. The
second noble truth states that the cause of dukkha is desire or craving.
In various texts this cause is further explained as being threefold —
greed, hatred, and delusion. Again, on other occasions the Buddha
divided the cause of suffering into five components — sensual lust,
anger, sloth or torpor, agitation or worry, and doubt. On still other
occasions he listed ten causes of dukkha — belief that oneself is an
unchanging entity; scepticism; belief in salvation through rites, rules
and ceremonies; sensual lust; hatred; craving for fine-material
existence; craving for immaterial existence; conceit; restlessness; and
ignorance. The Third Noble Truth states that dukkha can be overcome, and
the Fourth Truth prescribes the means by which this is achieved. Thus,
with the Fourth Noble Truth, Buddhism becomes a technique, a discipline,
a way of life designed to free people from sorrow and improve the nature
of human existence. This aspect of the Dhamma is called the Noble
Eightfold Path, and includes moral teachings, self-discipline,
development of wisdom and understanding, and improvement of one's
environment on both a personal and social level. These have been dealt
with in previous writings and for the sake of brevity will not be
repeated here. Suffice it to remind the reader that this essay is
concerned with only one aspect of Buddhism, the practice of meditation.
The ethical, practical, and logical facets of the Teaching are covered
in other publications. If the cause of suffering is primarily
psychological, then it must follow that the cure, also, is
psychological. Therefore, we find in Buddhism a series of “mental
exercises” or meditations designed to uncover and cure our psychic
aberrations.
Mistaken meditation
Mistakenly, Buddhist meditation is frequently confused with yogic
meditation, which often includes physical contortions, autohypnosis,
quests for occult powers, and an attempted union with God. None of these
are concerns or practices of the Eightfold Path. There are in Buddhism
no drugs or stimulants, no secret teachings, and no mystical formulae.
Buddhist meditation deals exclusively with the everyday phenomena of
human consciousness. In the words of the Venerable Nyanaponika Thera, a
renowned Buddhist scholar and monk:
In its spirit of self-reliance, Satipatthana does not require any
elaborate technique or external devices. The daily life is its working
material. It has nothing to do with any exotic cults or rites nor does
it confer “initiations” or “esoteric knowledge” in any way other than by
self-enlightenment.
Using just the conditions of life it finds, Satipatthana does not
require complete seclusion or monastic life, though in some who
undertake the practice, the desire and need for these may grow.
Lest the reader suspect that some peculiarity of the “Western mind”
precludes Occidentals from the successful practice of meditation, we
should note also the words of Rear Admiral E.H. Shattock, a British
naval officer, who spent three weeks of diligent meditation practice in
a Theravada monastery near Rangoon:
Western mind
Meditation, therefore, is a really practical occupation: it is in no
sense necessarily a religious one, though it is usually thought of as
such. It is itself basically academic, practical, and profitable. It is,
I think, necessary to emphasize this point, because so many only
associate meditation with holy or saintly people, and regard it as an
advanced form of the pious life... This is not the tale of a conversion,
but of an attempt to test the reaction of a well-tried Eastern system on
a typical Western mind.
Reading about meditation is like reading about swimming; only by
getting into the water does the aspiring swimmer begin to progress. So
it is with meditation and Buddhism in general. The Dhamma must be lived,
not merely thought. Study and contemplation are valuable tools, but life
itself is the training ground.
The following passages are attempts to put into words what must be
experienced within oneself. Or in the words of the Dhammapada: “Buddhas
only point the way. Each one must work out his own salvation with
diligence.” Meditation is a personal experience, a subjective
experience, and consequently each of us must tread his or her own path
towards the summit of Enlightenment. By words we can instruct and
encourage but words are only symbols for reality.
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