Good Question, Good Answer
By Venerable Shravasti Dhammika
What is Buddhism?
The name Buddhism comes from the word 'budhi' which means 'to wake up' and thus
Buddhism is the philosophy of awakening. This philosophy has its origins in
the experience of the man Siddhartha Gotama, known as the Buddha, who was himself
awakened at the age of 35. Buddhism is now 2,500 years old and has about 300
million followers worldwide. Until a hundred years ago Buddhism was mainly an
Asian philosophy but increasingly it is gaining adherents in Europe, Australia
and America.
So Buddhism is just a philosophy?
The word philosophy comes from two words 'philo' which means 'love' and 'sophia'
which means 'wisdom'. So philosophy is the love of wisdom or love and wisdom,
both meanings describe Buddhism perfectly. Buddhism teaches that we should try
to develop our intellectual capacity to the fullest so that we can understand
clearly. It also teaches us to develop love and kindness so that we can be like
a true friend to all beings. So Buddhism is a philosophy but not just a philosophy.
It is the supreme philosophy.
Who was the Buddha?
In the year 563 B.C. a baby was born into a royal family in northern India.
He grew up in wealth and luxury but eventually found that worldly comforts and
security do not guarantee happiness. He was deeply moved by the suffering he
saw all around and resolved to find the key to human happiness. When he was
29 he left his wife and child and set off to sit at the feet of the great religious
teachers of the day to learn from them. They taught him much but none really
knew the cause of human suffering and how it could be overcome. Eventually,
after six years study and meditation he had an experience in which all ignorance
fell away and he suddenly understood. From that day onwards, he was called the
Buddha, the Awakened One. He lived for another 45 years in which time he travelled
all over the northern India teaching others what he had discovered. His compassion
and patience were legendary and he had thousands of followers. In his eightieth
year, old and sick, but still happy and at peace, he finally died.
Wasn't it irresponsible for the Buddha to walk out on his wife and child?
It couldn't have been an easy thing for the Buddha to leave his family. He must
have worried and hesitated for a long time before he finally left. But he had
a choice, dedicating himself to his family or dedicating himself to the whole
world. In the end, his great compassion made him give himself to the whole world.
And the whole world still benefits from his sacrifice. This was not irresponsible.
It was perhaps the most significant sacrifice ever made.
The Buddha is dead so how can he help us?
Faraday, who discovered electricity, is dead, but what he discovered still helps
us. Luis Pasteur who discovered the cures for so many diseases is dead, but
his medical discoveries still save lives. Leonardo da Vinci who created masterpieces
of art is dead, but what he created can still uplift and give joy. Noble men
and heroes may have been dead for centuries but when we read of their deeds
and achievements, we can still be inspired to act as they did. Yes, the Buddha
is dead but 2500 years later his teachings still help people, his example still
inspires people, his words still change lives. Only a Buddha could have such
power centuries after his death.
Was the Buddha a god?
No, he was not. He did not claim that he was a god, the child of a god or even
the messenger from a god. He was a man who perfected himself and taught that
if we follow his example, we could perfect ourselves also.
If the Buddha is not a god, then why do people worship him?
There are different types of worship. When someone worships a god, they praise
him or her, making offerings and ask for favours, believing that the god will
hear their praise, receive their offerings and answer their prayers. Buddhists
do not indulge in this kind of worship. The other kind of worship is when we
show respect to someone or something we admire. When a teacher walks into a
room we stand up, when we meet a dignitary we shake hands,when the national
anthem is played we salute. These are all gestures of respect and worship and
indicate our admiration for persons and things. This is the type of worship
Buddhist practise. A statue of the Buddha with its hands rested gently in its
lap and its compassionate smile reminds us to strive to develop peace and love
within ourselves. The perfume of incense reminds us of the pervading influence
of virtue, the lamp reminds us of light of knowledge and the flowers which soon
fade and die, reminds us of impermanence. When we bow, we express our gratitude
to the Buddha for what his teachings have given us. This is the nature of Buddhist
worship.
But I have heard people say that Buddhists worship idols.
Such statements only reflect the misunderstanding of the persons who make them.
The dictionary defines an idol as "an image or statue worshipped as a god".
As we have seen, Buddhist do not believe that the Buddha was a god, so how could
they possibly believe that a piece of wood or metal is a god? All religions
use symbols to express various concepts. In Taoism, the ying-yang is used to
symbolise the harmony between opposites. In Sikhism, the sword is used to symbolise
spiritual struggle. In Christianity, the fish is used to symbolise his sacrifice.
And in Buddhism, the statue of the Buddha also reminds us of the human dimension
in Buddhist teaching, the fact that Buddhism is man-centred, not god-centred,
that we must look within not without to find perfection and understanding. So
to say that Buddhist worship idols is not correct.
Why do people burn paper money and do all kinds of strange things in Buddhist
temples?
Many things seem strange to us when we don't understand them. Rather than dismiss
such things as strange, we should strive to find their meaning. However, it
is true that Buddhist practice sometimes has its origin in popular superstition
and misunderstanding rather than the teaching of the Buddha. And such misunderstandings
are not found in Buddhism alone, but arise in all religions from time to time.
The Buddha taught with clarity and in detail and if some fail to understand
fully, the Buddha cannot be blamed. There is a saying: If a man suffering from
a disease does not seek treatment even when there is a physician at hand, it
is not the fault of the physician. In the same way, if a man is oppressed and
tormented by the disease of defilements but does not seek the help of the Buddha,
that is not the Buddha's fault. -- Nor should Buddhism or any religion be judged
by those who don't practise it properly. If you wish to know the true teachings
of Buddhism, read the Buddha's words or speak to those who understand them properly.
If Buddhism is so good why are some Buddhist countries poor?
If by poor you mean economically poor, then it is true that some Buddhist countries
are poor. But if by poor you mean a poor quality of life, then perhaps some
Buddhist countries are quite rich. America, for example, is an economically
rich and powerful country but the crime rate is one of the highest in the world,
millions of old people are neglected by their children and die of loneliness
in old people's homes, domestic violence and child abuse are major problems.
One in three marriages end in divorce, pornography is easily available. Rich
in terms of money but perhaps poor in terms of the quality of life. Now if you
look at some traditional Buddhist countries you find a very different situation.
Parents are honoured and respected by their children, the crime rates are relatively
low, divorce and suicide are rare and traditional values like gentleness, generosity,
hospitality to strangers, tolerance and respect for others are still strong.
Economically backward, but perhaps a higher quality of life than a country like
America. But even if we judge Buddhist countries in terms of economics alone,
one of the wealthiest and most economically dynamic countries in the world today
is Japan where 93% of the population call themselves Buddhist.
Why is it that you don't often hear of charitable work being done by Buddhists?
Perhaps it is because Buddhists don't feel the need to boast about the good
they do. Several years ago the Japanese Buddhist leader Nikkho Nirwano received
the Templeton Prize for his work in promoting inter-religious harmony. Likewise
a Thai Buddhist monk was recently awarded the prestigious Magsaysay Prize for
his excellent work among drug addicts. In 1987 another Thai monk, Ven.Kantayapiwat
was awarded the Norwegian Children's Peace Prize for his many years work helping
homeless children in rural areas. And what about the large scale social work
being done among the poor in India by the Western Buddhist Order? They have
built schools, child minding-centres, dispensaries and small scale industries
for self-sufficiency. Buddhist see help given to others as an expression of
their religious practice just as other religions do but they believe that it
should be done quietly and without self-promotion. Thus you don't hear so much
about their charitable work.
Why are there so many different types of Buddhism?
There are many different types of sugar: brown sugar, white sugar, rock sugar,
syrup and icing sugar but it is all sugar and it all tastes sweet. It is produced
in different forms so that it can be used in different ways. Buddhism is the
same: there is Theravada Buddhism, Zen Buddhism, Pure Land Buddhism, Yogacara
Buddhism and Vajrayana Buddhism but it is all Buddhism and it all has the same
taste - the taste of freedom. Buddhism has evolved into different forms so that
it can be relevant to the different cultures in which it exists. It has been
reinterpreted over the centuries so that it can remain relevant to each new
generation. Outwardly, the types of Buddhism may seem very different but at
the centre of all of them is the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path. All
major religions, Buddhism included, have split into schools and sects. But the
different sects of Buddhism have never gone to war with each other and to this
day, they go to each other's temples and worship together. Such tolerance and
understanding is certainly rare.
You certainly think highly of Buddhism. I suppose you think your religion is
right and all the others are wrong.
No Buddhist who understands the Buddha's teaching thinks that other religions
are wrong. No one who, has made a genuine effort to examine other religions
with an open mind could think like that either. The first thing you notice when
you study the different religions is just how much they have in common. All
religions acknowledge that man's present state is unsatisfactory. All believe
that a change of attitude and behaviours is needed if man's situation is to
improve. All teach an ethics that includes love, kindness, patience, generosity
and social responsibility and all accept the existence of some form of Absolute.
They use different languages, different names and different symbols to describe
and explain these things; and it is only when they narrowmindedly cling
to their one way of seeing things that religious intolerance, pride and selfrighteousness
arise. Imagine an Englishman, a Frenchman, a Chinese and an Indonesian all looking
at a cup. The Englishman says, "That's a cup". The Frenchman answers,
"No it's not. It's a tasse". The Chinese comments, You're both wrong.
It's a pet". And the Indonesian laughs at the others and says "What
fools you are. It's a cawan." The Englishman gets a dictionary and shows
it to the others saying, "I can prove that it is a cup. My dictionary says
so". "Then your dictionary is wrong", says the Frenchman
"because my dictionary clearly says it is a tasse". The Chinese scoffs
at them. "My dictionary is thousands of years older than yours, so my dictionary
must be right. And besides, more people speak Chinese than any other language,
so it must be a pet". While they are squabbling and arguing with each other,
a Buddhist comes up and drinks from the cup. After he has drunk, he says to
the others, "Whether you call it a cup, a tasse, a pet or a cawan, the
purpose of the cup is to be used. Stop arguing and drink, stop squabbling and
refresh your thirst". This is the Buddhist attitude to other religions.
Is Buddhism scientific?
Before we answer that question it would be best to define the word 'science'.
Science, according to the dictionary is: "knowledge which can be made into
a system, which depends upon seeing and testing facts and stating general natural
laws, a branch of such knowledge, anything that can be studied exactly".
There are aspects of Buddhism that would not fit into this definition but the
central teachings of Buddhism, the Four Noble Truths, most certainly would.
Suffering, the First Noble Truth, is an experience that can be defined, experienced
and measured. The Second Noble Truth states that suffering has a natural cause,
craving,which likewise can be defined, experienced and measured. No attempted
is made to explain suffering in terms of a metaphysical concept or myths. Suffering
is ended, according to the Third Noble Truth, not by relying on upon a supreme
being, by faith or by prayers but simply by removing its cause. This is axiomatic.
The Fourth Noble Truth, the way to end suffering, once again, has nothing to
do with metaphysics but depends on behaving in specific ways. And once again
behaviour is open to testing. Buddhism dispenses with the concept of a supreme
being, as does science, and explains the origins and workings of the universe
in terms of natural law. All of this certainly exhibits a scientific spirit.
Once again, the Buddha's constant advice that we should not blindly believe
but rather question, examine, inquire and rely on our own experience, has a
definite scientific ring to it. He says:
"Do not go by revelation or tradition,do not go by rumour, or the sacred
scriptures, do not go by hearsay or mere logic, do not go by bias towards a
notion or by another person's seeming ability and do not go by the idea 'He
is our teacher'. But when you yourself know that a thing is good, that it is
not blameble, that it is praised by the wise and when practised and observed
that it leads to happiness, then follow that thing."
So we could say that although Buddhism in not entirely scientific, it certainly
has a strong overtone and is certainly more scientific than any other religion.
It is significant that Albert Einstein, the greatest scientist of the twentieth
century said of Buddhism:
"The religion of the future will be a cosmic religion. It should transcend
a personal God and avoid dogmas and theology. Covering both natural and spiritual,
it should be based on a religious sense arising from the experience of all things,
natural and spiritual and a meaningful unity. Buddhism answers this description.
If there is any religion that would cope with modern scientific needs, it would
be Buddhism."
What are the main teachings of the Buddha?
All of the many teachings of the Buddha centre on the Four Noble Truths, just
as the rim and spokes of a wheel centres on the hub. They are called 'Four'
because there are four of them. They are called 'Noble' because they ennoble
one who understands them and they are called 'Truths' because, corresponding
with reality, they are true. What is the First Noble Truth? The First Noble
Truth is that life is suffering. To live, you must suffer. It is impossible
to live without experiencing some kind of suffering. We have to endure physical
suffering like sickness, injury, tiredness, old age and eventually death and
we have to endure psychological suffering like loneliness, frustrations, fear,
embarrassment, disappointment, anger, etc.
Isn't this a bit pessimistic?
The dictionary defines pessimism as 'the habit of thinking that whatever will
happen will be bad,' or 'The belief that evil is more powerful than good.' Buddhism
teaches neither of these ideas. Nor does it deny that happiness exists. It simply
says that to live is to experience physical and psychological suffering which
is a statement that is so obvious that it cannot be denied. The central concept
of most religions is a myth, a legend or a belief that is difficult or impossible
to verify. Buddhism starts with an experience, an irrefutable fact, a thing
that all know, that all have experienced and that all are striving to overcome.
Thus Buddhism is truly a universal religion because it goes right to the core
of every individual human being's concern with suffering and how to avoid it.
What is the Second Noble Truth?
The Second Noble Truth is that all suffering is caused by craving. When we look
at psychological suffering, it is easy to see how it is caused by craving. When
we want something but are unable to get it, we feel frustrated. When we expect
someone to live up to our expectation and they do not, we feel let down and
disappointed. When we want others to like us and they don't, we feel hurt. Even
when we want something and are able to get it, this does not often lead to happiness
either because it is not long before we feel bored with that thing, lose interest
in it and commence to want something else. Put simply, the Second Noble Truth
says that getting what you want does not guarantee happiness. Rather than constantly
struggling to get what you want, try to modify your wanting. Wanting deprives
us of contentment and happiness.
But how does wanting and craving lead to physical suffering?
A lifetime wanting and craving for this and that and especially the craving
to continue to exist creates a powerful energy that causes the individual to
be reborn. When we are reborn, we have a body and, as we said before, the body
is susceptible to injury and disease; it can be exhausted by work; it ages and
eventually dies. Thus, craving leads to physical suffering because it causes
us to be reborn. If we stop wanting altogether, we would never achieve anything.
True. But what the Buddha says is that when our desires, our craving, our constant
discontent with what we have and our continual longing for more and more does
cause us suffering,then we should stop doing it. He asks us to make a difference
between what we need and what we want and to strive for our needs and modify
our wants. He tells us that our needs can be fulfilled but that our wants are
endless - a bottomless pit. There are needs that are essential, fundamental
and can be obtained and this we should work towards. Desires beyond this should
be gradually lessened. After all, what is the purpose of life? To get or be
content and happy.
What or where is Nirvana?
It is a dimension transcending time and space and thus is difficult to talk
about or even think about. Words and thoughts being only suited to describe
the time-space dimension. But because Nirvana is beyond time, there is no movement
and so no aging or dying. Thus Nirvana is eternal because it is beyond space,
there is no causation, no boundary, no concept of self and not-self and thus
Nirvana is infinite. The Buddha also assures us that Nirvana is an experience
of great happiness. He says: "Nirvana is the highest happiness". (Dhammapada
204 )
But is there proof that such a dimension exists?
No, there is not. But its existence can be inferred. If there is a dimension
where time and space do operate and there is such a dimension - the world we
experience, then we can infer that there is a dimension where time and space
do not operate - Nirvana. Again, even though we cannot prove Nirvana exists,
we have the Buddha's word that is does exist. He tells us: "There is an
unborn, a not-become, a not- made, a not-compounded. If there were not, this
unborn, not-made, not-compounded, there could not be made any escape from what
is born, become, made, and compounded. Therefore is there made known an escape
from what is born, made, and compounded." -- Ud 80 We will know it when
we attain it. Until that time, we can practise.
What is the Fourth Noble Truth?
The Fourth Noble Truth is the Path leading to the overcoming of suffering. This
path is called the Noble Eightfold Path and consists of Perfect Understanding,
Perfect Thought, Perfect Speech, Perfect Action, Perfect Livelihood, Perfect
Effort, Perfect Mindfulness, and Perfect Concentration. Buddhist practice consist
of practising these eight things until they become more complete. You will notice
that the steps on the Noble Eightfold Path cover every aspect of life: the intellectual,
the ethical and economic and the psychological and therefore contains everything
a person needs to lead a good life and to develop spiritually.
Do Buddhist believe in god?
No, we do not. There are several reasons for this. The Buddha, like modern sociologists
and psychologists, believed that religious ideas and especially the god idea
have their origin in fear. The Buddha says: "Gripped by fear men go to
the sacred mountains, sacred groves, sacred trees and shrines". -- Dp 188
Primitive man found himself in a dangerous and hostile world, the fear of wild
animals, of not being able to find enough food, of injury or disease, and of
natural phenomena like thunder, lightning and volcanoes was constantly with
him. Finding no security, he created the idea of gods in order to give him comfort
in good times, courage in times of danger and consolation when things went wrong.
To this day, you will notice that people become more religious at times of crises,
you will hear them say that the belief in a god or gods gives them the strength
they need to deal with life. You will hear them explain that they believe in
a particular god because they prayed in time of need and their prayer was answered.
All this seems to support the Buddha's teaching that the god-idea is a response
to fear and frustration. The Buddha taught us to try to understand our fears,
to lessen our desires and to calmly and courageously accept the things we cannot
change. He replaced fear, not with irrational belief but with rational understanding.
The second reason the Buddha did not believe in a god is because there does
not seem to be any evidence to support this idea. There are numerous religions,
all claiming that they alone have god's words preserved in their holy book,
that they alone understand god's nature, that their god exists and that the
gods of other religions do not. Some claim that god is masculine, some that
she is feminine and others that it is neuter. They are all satisfied that there
is ample evidence to prove the existence of their god but they laugh in disbelief
at the evidence other religions use to prove the existence of another god. It
is not surprising that with so many different religions spending so many centuries
trying to prove the existence of their gods that still no real, concrete, substantial
or irrefutable evidence has been found. Buddhists suspend judgement until such
evidence is forthcoming. The third reason the Buddha did not believe in a god
is that the belief is not necessary. Some claim that the belief in a god is
necessary in order to explain the origin on the universe. But this is not so.
Science has very convincingly explained how the universe came into being without
having to introduce the god-idea. Some claim that belief in god is necessary
to have a happy, meaningful life. Again we can see that this is not so. There
are millions of atheists and free-thinkers, not to mention many Buddhists, who
live useful, happy and meaningful lives without belief in a god. Some claim
that belief in god's power is necessary because humans, being weak, do not have
the strength to help themselves. Once again, the evidence indicates the opposite.
One often hears of people who have overcome great disabilities and handicaps,
enormous odds and difficulties, through their own inner resources, through their
own efforts and without belief in a god. Some claim that god is necessary in
order to give man salvation. But this argument only holds good if you accept
the theological concept of salvation and Buddhists do not accept such a concept.
Based on his own experience, the Buddha saw that each human being had the capacity
to purify the mind, develop infinite love and compassion and perfect understanding.
He shifted attention from the heavens to the heart and encouraged us to find
solutions to our problems through self-understanding.
But if there are no gods how did the universe get here?
All religions have myths and stories which attempt to answer this question.
In ancient times, when many simply did not know, such myths were adequate, but
in the 20th century, in the age of physics, astronomy and geology, such myths
have been superseded by scientific fact. Science has explained the origin of
the universe without recourse to the god-idea. What does the Buddha say about
the origin of the universe? It is interesting that the Buddha's explanation
of the origin of the universe corresponds very closely to the scientific view.
In the Aganna Sutta, the Buddha described the universe being destroyed and then
re-evolving into its present form over a period of countless millions of years.
The first life formed on the surface of the water and again, over countless
millions of years, evolved from simple into complex organisms. All these processes
are without beginning or end, and are set in motion by natural causes.
You say there is no evidence for the existence of a god. But what about miracles?
There are many who believe that miracles are proof of god's existence. We hear
wild claims that a healing has taken place but we never get an independent testimony
from a medical office or a surgeon. We hear second-hand reports that someone
was miraculously saved from disaster but we never get an eye-witness account
of what is supposed to have happened. We hear rumours that prayer straightened
a diseased body or strengthened a withered limb, but we never see X-rays or
get comments from doctors or nurses. Wild claims, second-hand reports and rumours
are no substitute for solid evidence and solid evidence of miracles is very
rare. However, sometimes unexplained things do happen, unexpected events do
occur. But our inability to explain such things does not prove the existence
of gods. It only proves that our knowledge is as yet incomplete. Before the
development of modern medicine, when people didn't know what caused sickness
people believed that god or the gods sent diseases as a punishment. Now we know
what causes such things and when we get sick, we take medicine. In time when
our knowledge of the world is more complete, we will be able to understand what
causes unexplained phenomena, just as we can now understand what causes disease.
But so many people believe in some form of god, it must be true.
Not so. There was a time when everyone believed that the world was flat, but
they were all wrong. The number of people who believe in an idea is no measure
of the truth or falsehood of that idea. The only way we can tell whether an
idea is true or not is by looking at the facts and examining the evidence.
So if Buddhists don't believe in gods, what do you believe in?
We don't believe in a god because we believe in man. We believe that each human
being is precious and important, that all have the potential to develop into
a Buddha - a perfected human being. We believe that human beings can outgrow
ignorance and irrationality and see things as they really are. We believe that
hatred, anger, spite and jealousy can be replaced by love, patience, generosity
and kindness. We believe that all this is within the grasp of each person if
they make the effort, guided and supported by fellow Buddhists and inspired
by the example of the Buddha. As the Buddha says: "No one saves us but
ourselves, No one can and no one may. We ourselves must walk the path, But Buddhas
clearly show the way". -- Dp 165
Other religions derive their ideas of right and wrong from the commandments
of their god or gods. You Buddhists don't believe in a god, so how do you know
right from wrong?
Any thoughts, speech or actions that are rooted in greed, hatred and delusion
and thus lead us away from Nirvana are bad and any thoughts, speech or actions
that are rooted in giving, love and wisdom and thus help clear the way to Nirvana
are good. To know what is right and wrong in god-centred religions, all that
is needed is to do as you are told. But in a man-centred religion like Buddhism,
to know what is right and wrong, you have to develop a deep self-awareness and
self understanding. And ethics based on understanding are always stronger than
those that are a response to a command. So to know what is right and wrong,
the Buddhist looks at three things - the intention, the effect the act will
have upon oneself and the effect it will upon others. If the intention is good
(rooted in giving, loving and wisdom), if it helps myself (helps me to be more
giving, more loving and wiser), then my deeds and actions are wholesome, good
and moral. Of course, there are many variations of this. Sometimes I act with
the best of intentions but they may not benefit either myself or others. Sometimes
my intentions are far from good, but my actions helps others nonetheless. Sometimes
I act out of good intentions and my acts help me but perhaps cause some distress
to others. In such cases, my actions are mixed - a mixture of good and not-so-good.
When intentions are bad and the action helps neither myself nor others, such
an action is bad. And when my intention is good and my action benefits both
myself and others, then the deed is wholly good.
So does Buddhism have a code of morality?
Yes it does. The five precepts are the basis of Buddhist morality. The first
precept is to avoid killing or harming living beings. The second is to avoid
stealing, the third is to avoid sexual misconduct, the fourth is to avoid lying
and the fifth is to avoid alcohol and other intoxicating drugs.
But surely it is good to kill sometimes. To kill disease-spreading insects,
for example, or someone who is going to kill you?
It might be good for you. But what about that thing or that person? They wish
to live, just as you do. When you decide to kill a disease-spreading insect,
your intention is perhaps a mixture of self-concern (good) and revulsion (bad).
The act will benefit yourself (good) but obviously it will not benefit that
creature (bad). So at times it may be necessary to kill but it is never totally
good. You Buddhists are too concerned about ants and bugs. Buddhists strive
to develop a compassion that is undiscriminating and all-embracing. They see
the world as a unified whole where each thing and creature has its place and
function. They believe that before we destroy or upset nature's delicate balance,
we should be very careful. Just look at those cultures where emphasis is on
exploiting nature to the full, squeezing every last drop out of it without putting
anything back, conquering and subduing it. Nature has revolted. The very air
is becoming poisoned, the rivers are polluted and dead, so many beautiful animal
species are extinct, the slopes of the mountains are barren and eroded. Even
the climate is changing. If people were a little less anxious to crush, destroy
and kill, this terrible situation may have not arisen. We should all strive
to develop a little more respect for life. And this is what the first precept
is saying.
The Third Precept says we should avoid sexual misconduct. What is "sexual
misconduct"?
If we use trickery, emotioal blackmail or force to compel someone to have sex
with us, then this is sexual misconduct. Adultery is also a form of sexual misconduct
because when we marry we promise our spouse that we will be loyal to them. When
we commit adultery we break that promise and betray that trust. Sex should be
an expression of love and intimicy between two people and when it is it contributes
to our mental and emotional well-being.
Is sex before marriage a type of sexual misconduct?
Not if there is love and mutual agreement between two people. However, it should
never be forgotten that the biological function of sex is to reproduce and if
an unmarried woman becomes pregnant it can cause a great deal of problems. Many
mature and thoughtful people think it is far better to leave sex until after
marriage.
But what about lying? Is it possible to live without telling lies?
If it is really impossible to get by in society or business without lying, such
a shocking and corrupt state of affairs should be changed. The Buddhist is someone
who resolves to do something practical about the problem by trying to be more
truthful and honest.
Well, what about alcohol? Surely a little drink doesn't hurt!
People don't drink for the taste. When they drink alone it is in order to seek
release from tension and when they drink socially, it is usually to conform.
Even a small amount of alcohol distorts consciousness and disrupts self-awareness.
Taken in large quantities, its effects can be devastating.
Drinking a small amount wouldn't be really breaking the precept, would it? It's
only a small thing.
Yes, it is only a small thing and if you can't practise even a small thing,
your commitment and resolution isn't very strong, is it?
The five precepts are negative. They tell you what not to do. They don't tell
you what to do.
The Five Precepts are the basis of Buddhist morality. They are not all of it.
We start by recognizing our bad behaviour and striving to stop doing it. That
is what the Five Precepts are for. After we have stopped doing bad, we then
commence to do good. Take for example, speech. The Buddha says we should start
by refraining from telling lies. After that, we should speak the truth, speak
gently and politely and speak at the right time. He says: "Giving up false
speech he becomes a speaker of truth, reliable, trustworthy, dependable, he
does not deceive the world. Giving up malicious speech he does not repeat there
what he has heard here what he has heard there in order to cause variance between
people. He reconciles those who are divided and brings closer together those
who are already friends. Harmony is his joy, harmony is his delight, harmony
is his love; it is the motive of his speech. Giving up harsh speech his speech
is blameless, pleasing to the ear, agreeable, going to the heart, urbane, liked
by most. Giving up idle chatter he speaks at the right time, what is correct
to the point, about Dhamma and about discipline. He speaks words worth being
treasured up, seasonable, reasonable, well defined and to the point".
Where do beings come from and where are they going?
There are three possible answers to this question. Those who believe in a god
or gods usually claim that before an individual is created, he/she does not
exist, then he/she comes into being through the will of a god. He/she lives
their life and then, according to what they believe or do in their life, they
either go to eternal heaven or hell. There are others, humanists and scientists,
who claim that the individual comes into being at conception due to natural
causes, lives and then at death, ceases to exist. Buddhism does not accept either
of these explanations. The first gives rise to many ethical problems If a good
god really creates each of us, it is difficult to explain why so many people
are born with the most dreadful deformities, or why so many children are miscarried
just before birth or are still-born. Another problem with the theistic explanation
is that it seems very unjust that a person should suffer eternal pain in hell
for 60 or 70 years of non-belief or immoral living. Likewise, 60 or 70 years
of good living seems a very small outlay for eternal bliss in heaven. for what
he/she did in those years on Earth The second explanation is better than the
first and has more scientific evidence to support it but still leaves several
important questions unanswered. How can a phenomenon so amazingly complex as
consciousness develop from the simple meeting of two cells, the sperm and the
egg? And now that parapsychology is a recognised branch of science, phenomena
like telepathy are increasingly difficult to fit into the materialistic model
of the mind.
How does the mind go from one body to another?
Think of it being like radio waves. The radio waves, which are not made up of
words and music but energy at different frequencies, are transmitted, travel
through space, and attracted to and picked up by the receiver from where they
are broadcast as words and music. It is the same with the mind. At death, mental
energy travels through space, is attracted to and picked up by the fertilised
egg. As the embryo grows, it centres itself in the brain from where it later
broadcasts itself as the new personality.
Is one always reborn as a human being?
No, there are several realms in which one can be reborn. Some people are reborn
in heaven, some are reborn in hell, some are reborn as hungry ghosts and so
on. Heaven is not a place but a state of existence where one has a subtle body
and where the mind experiences mainly pleasure. Some religions strive very hard
to be reborn in a heavenly existence mistakenly believing it to be a permanent
state. But it is not. Like all conditioned states, heaven is impermanent and
when one's life span there is finished, one could well be reborn again as a
human. Hell, likewise, is not a place but a state of existence where one has
a subtle body and where the mind experiences mainly anxiety and distress. Being
a hungry ghost, again, is a state of existence where the body is subtle and
where the mind is continually plagued by longing and dissatisfaction. So heavenly
beings experience mainly pleasure, hell beings and ghosts experience mainly
pain and human beings experience usually a mixture of both. So the main difference
between the human realm and other realms is the body type and the quality of
experience. Buddhism offers the most satisfactory explanation of where beings
come from and where they are going. When we die, the mind, with all the tendencies,
preferences, abilities and characteristics that have been developed and conditioned
in this life, re-establishes itself in a fertilised egg. Thus the individual
grows, is re-born and develops a personality conditioned both by the mental
characteristics that have been carried over. And by the new environment, the
personality will change and be modified by conscious effort ;and conditioning
factors like education, parental influence and society and once again at death,
re-establishing itself in a new fertilised egg. This process of dying and being
reborn will continue until the conditions that cause it, craving and ignorance,
cease. When they do, instead of being reborn, the mind attains a state called
Nirvana and this is the ultimate goal of Buddhism and the purpose of life.
What decides where we will be reborn?
The most important factor, but not the only one, influencing where we will be
reborn and what sort of life we shall have, is karma. The word karma means action
and refers to our intentional mental actions. In other words, what we are is
determined very much by how we have thought and acted in the past. Likewise,
how we think and act now will influence how we will be in the future. The gentle,
loving type of person tends to be reborn in a heaven realm or as a human being
who has a predominance of pleasant experiences. The anxious, worried or extremely
cruel type of person tends to be reborn in a hell realm or as a human being
who has a predominance of painful experiences. The person who develops obsessive
craving, fierce longings, and burning ambitions that can never be satisfied
tends to be reborn as a hungry ghost or as a human being frustrated by longing
and wanting. Whatever mental habits are strongly developed in this life will
continue in the next life. Most people, however, are reborn as human beings.
So if our lives are determined by our karma, can we change it?
Of course we can. That is why one of the steps on the Eightfold Path is Right
Effort. It depends on our sincerity, how much energy we exert and how strong
the habit is. But it is true that some people singly go through life under the
influence of their past habits, without making an effort to change them and
falling victim to these unpleasant results. Such people will continue to suffer
unless they change their negative habits. The longer the negative habits remain,
the more difficult they are to change. The Buddhist understands this and takes
advantage of each and every opportunity to break mental habits that have unpleasant
results and to develop mental habits that have pleasant and happy results. Meditation
is one of the techniques used to modify the habit patterns of the mind as does
speaking or refraining to speak in certain ways, and acting or refraining to
act in certain ways. The whole of the Buddhist life is a training to purify
and free the mind. For example, if being patient and kind was a pronounced part
of your character in your last life, such tendencies will re-emerge in the present
life. If they are strengthened and developed in the present life, they will
re-emerge even stronger and more pronounced in the future life. This is based
upon the simple and observable fact that long established habits tend to be
difficult to break. Now, when you are patient and kind, it tends to happen that
you are not so easily ruffled by others, you don't hold grudges, people like
you and thus your experiences tends to be happier. Now, let us take another
example. Let us say that you come into life with a tendency to be patient and
kind due to your mental habits in the past life. But in the present life, you
neglect to strengthen and develop such tendencies. They would gradually weaken
and die out and perhaps be completely absent in the future life. Patience and
kindness being weak in this case, there is a possibility that in either this
life or in the next life, a short temper, anger and cruelty could grow and develop,
bringing with them all the unpleasant experiences that such attitudes create.
We will take one last example. Let us say that due to your mental habits in
the last life, you came into the present life with the tendency to be short-tempered
and angry, and you realise that such habits only cause you unpleasantness and
so you make an effort to change them. You replace them with positive emotions.
If you are able to eliminate them completely, which is possible if you make
an effort, you become free from the unpleasantness caused by being short tempered
and angry. If you are only able to weaken such tendencies, they would re-emerge
in the next life where with a bit more effort, they could be eliminated completely
and you could be free from their unpleasant effects.
You have talked a lot about rebirth but is there any proof that we will be reborn
when we die?
Not only is there scientific evidence to support Buddhist belief in rebirth,
it is the only after-life theory that has any evidence to support it. There
is not a scrap of evidence to prove the existence of heaven and of course evidence
of annihilation at death must be lacking. But during the last 30 years parapsychologists
have been studying reports that some people have vivid memories of their former
lives. For example, in England, a 5 year old girl said she could remember her
other mother and father and she talked vividly about what sounded like the events
in the life of another person. Parapsychologists were called in and asked her
hundreds of questions to which she gave answers. She spoke of living in a particular
village, in what appeared to be Spain. She gave the name of the village, the
name of the street she lived in, her neighbours' names and details about her
everyday life there. she also tearfully spoke of how she had been struck by
a car and died of her injuries two days later. When these details were checked,
they were found to be accurate. There was a village in Spain with the name the
child had given. There was a house of the type she had described in the street
she had named. What is more, it was found that a 23 year old woman living in
the house had been killed in a car accident five years before. Now how is it
possible for a five year old living in England who had never been to Spain to
know all these details? And of course, this is not the only case of this type.
Professor Ian Stevenson of the University of Virginia's Department of Psychology
has described dozens of cases of this type in his books. He is an accredited
scientist whose 25 year study of people who remember former lives is very strong
evidence for the Buddhist teaching of rebirth. (See "Twenty Cases Suggestive
of Reincarnation and Cases of Reincarnation Type", University Press of
Virginia, Charlotteville, USA, 1975). Some people might say that the socalled
ability to remember former lives is the work of devils. You simply cannot dismiss
everything that doesn't fit into your belief as being the work of devils. When
cold, hard facts are produced to support an idea, you must use rational and
logical arguments if you wish to counter them -- not irrational and superstitious
talk about devils.
You say that talk about devils is superstitious. Isn't talk about rebirth a
bit superstitious too?
The dictionary defines superstition as a belief which is not based on reason
or fact but on an association of ideas, as in magic. If you can show me a careful
study of the existence of devils written by a scientist I will concede that
belief in devils is not superstition. But I have never heard of any research
into devils; scientists simply wouldn't bother to study such things, so I say
there is no evidence for the existence of devils. But as we have just seen,
there is evidence which seems to suggest that rebirth does take place. So if
belief in rebirth is based on at least some facts, it cannot be a superstition.
Well, have there ever been any scientists who believe in rebirth?
Yes. Thomas Huxley, who was responsible for having science introduced into the
19th century British school system and who was the first scientist to defend
Darwin's theories, believed that reincarnation was a very plausible idea. In
his famous book "Evolution and Ethics and other Essays", he says:
"In the doctrine of transmigration, whatever its origin, Brahmanical and
Buddhist speculation found, ready to hand, the means of constructing a plausible
vindication of the ways of the Cosmos to man....yet this plea of justification
is not less plausible than others; and none but very hasty thinkers will reject
it on the ground of inherent absurdity. Like the doctrine of evolution itself,
that of transmigration has its roots in the world of reality; and it may claim
such support as the great argument from analogy is capable of supplying".
Then, Professor Gust Stromberg, the famous Swedish astronomer, physicist and
friend of Einstein also found the idea of rebirth appealing: "Opinions
differ whether human souls can be reincarnated on the earth or not. In 1936
a very interesting case was thoroughly investigated and reported by the government
authorities in India. A girl (Shanti Devi from Delhi) could accurately describe
her previous life (at Muttra, five hundred miles from Delhi) which ended about
a year before her 'second birth'. She gave the name of her husband and child
and described her home and life history. The investigating commission brought
her to her former relatives, who verified all her statements. Among the people
of India reincarnations are regarded as commonplace; the astonishing thing for
them in this case was the great number of facts the girl remembered. This and
similar cases can be regarded as additional evidence for the theory of the indestructibility
of memory". Professor Julian Huxley, the distinguished British scientist
who was Director General of UNESCO believed that rebirth was quite in harmony
with scientific thinking: "There is nothing against a permanently surviving
spirit-individuality being in some way given off at death, as a definite wireless
message is given off by a sending apparatus working in a particular ways. But
it must be remembered that the wireless message only becomes a message again
when it comes in contact with a new, material structure - the receiver. So with
our possible spirit-emanation. It would never think or feel unless again "embodied"
in some way. our personalities are so based on body that it is really impossible
to think of survival which would be in any true sense personal without a body
of sorts. I can think of something being given off which could bear the same
relation to men and women as a wireless message to the transmitting apparatus
for mind". Even very practical and down-to-earth people like the American
industrialist Henry Ford found the idea of rebirth acceptable. Ford was attracted
to the idea of rebirth because, unlike the theistic idea or the materialistic
idea, rebirth gives you a second chance to develop yourself. Henry Ford says:
"I adopted the theory of Reincarnation when I was twenty six. Religion
offered nothing to the point. Even work could not give me complete satisfaction.
Work is futile if we cannot utilise the experience we collect in one life in
the next. When I discovered Reincarnation it was as if I had found a universal
plan I realised that there was a chance to work out my ideas. Time was no longer
limited. I was no longer a slave to the hands of the clock. Genius is experience.
Some seem to think that it is a gift or talent, but it is the fruit of long
experience in many lives. Some are older souls than others, and so they know
more. The discovery of Reincarnation put my mind at ease. If you preserve a
record of this conversation, write it so that it puts men's minds at ease. I
would like to communicate to others the calmness that the long view of life
gives to us". So the Buddhist teachings of rebirth does have some scientific
evidence to support it. It is logically consistent and it goes a long way in
answering questions what the theistic and the materialistic theories fail to
. It is also very comforting. What can be worse than a theory of life that gives
you no second chance, no opportunity to amend the mistakes you have made in
this life and no time to further develop the skills and abilities you have nurtured
in this life. But according to the Buddha, if you fail to attain Nirvana in
this life, you will have the opportunity to try again next time. If you have
made mistakes in this life, you will be able to correct yourself in the next
life. You will truly be able to learn from your mistakes. Things you were unable
to do or achieve in this life may well become possible in the next life. What
a wonderful teaching!
What is meditation?
Meditation is a conscious effort to change how the mind works. The Pali word
for meditation is 'bhavana' which means 'to make grow' or 'to develop'.
Is meditation important?
Yes, it is. No matter how much we may wish to be good, if we cannot change the
desires that make us act the way we do, change will be difficult. For example,
a person may realise that he is impatient with his wife and he may promise himself,
"From now on I am not going to be so impatient" But an hour later
he may be shouting at his wife simply because, not being aware of himself, impatience
has arisen without him knowing it. Meditation helps to develop the awareness
and the energy needed to transform ingrained mental habit patterns.
I have heard that meditation can be dangerous. Is this true?
To live, we need salt. But if you were to eat a kilogram of salt ;it would kill
you. To live in the modern world you need a car but if you don't follow the
traffic rules or if you drive while you are drunk, a car becomes a dangerous
machine. Meditation is like this, it is essential for our mental health and
well-being but if you practise in stupid ways it could cause problems. Some
people have problems like depression, irrational fears or schizophrenia, they
think meditation is an instant cure for their problem. They start meditating
and sometimes their problem gets worse. If you have such a problem, you should
seek professional help and after you are better then take up meditation. Other
people over reach themselves, they take up meditation. and instead of going
gradually, step by step, they meditate with too much energy for too long and
soon they are exhausted. But perhaps most problems in meditation are caused
by 'kangaroo meditation'. Some people go to one teacher and do his meditation
technique for a while, then they read something in a book and decide to try
that technique, then a week later a famous meditation teacher visits town and
so they decide to incorporate some of his ideas into their practise and before
long they are hopelessly confused. Jumping like a kangaroo from one meditation
technique to another is a mistake. But if you don't have any severe mental problems
and you take up meditation and practise sensibly it is one of the best things
you can do for yourself.
How many types of meditation are there?
The Buddha taught many different types of meditation, each designed to overcome
a particular problem or to develop a particular psychological state. But the
two most common and useful types of meditation are Mindfulness of Breathing
(anapana sati) and Loving-kindness Meditation (metta bhavana).
How do you practise Mindfulness of Breathing?
You would follow this easy steps: the four Ps: place, posture, practice and
problems. First, find a suitable place, perhaps a room that is not too noisy
and where you are not likely to be disturbed. Second, sit in a comfortable posture.
A good posture is to sit with your legs folded, a pillow under your buttocks,
your back straight, the hands nestled in the lap and the eyes closed. Alternatively,
you can sit in a chair as long as you keep your back straight. Next comes the
actual practice itself. As you sit quietly with your eyes closed you focus your
attention on the in and out movement of the breath. This can be done by counting
the breaths or watching the rise and fall of the abdomen. When this is done,
certain problems and difficulties will arise. You might experience irritating
itches on the body or discomfort in the knees. If this happens, try to keep
the body relaxed without moving and keep focusing on the breath. You will probably
have many intruding thoughts coming into your mind and distracting your attention
from the breath. The only way you can deal with this problem is to patiently
keep returning your attention to the breath. If you keep doing this, eventually
thoughts will weaken, your concentration will become stronger and you will have
moments of deep mental calm and inner peace.
How long should I meditate for?
It is good to do meditation for 15 minutes every day for a week and then extend
the time by 5 minutes each week until you are meditating for 45 minutes. After
a few weeks of regular daily meditation you will start to notice that your concentration
gets better, there are less thoughts, and you have moments of real peace and
stillness.
What about Loving Kindness Meditation? How is that practised?
Once you are familiar with Mindfulness of Breathing and are practising it regularly
you can start practising Loving Kindness Meditation. It should be done two or
three times each week after you have done Mindfulness of Breathing. First, you
turn your attention to yourself and say to yourself words like "May I be
well and happy. May I be peaceful and calm. May I be protected from dangers.
May my mind be free from hatred. May my heart be filled with love. May I be
well and happy." Then one by one you think of a loved person, a neutral
person, that is , someone you neither like nor dislike, and finally a disliked
person, wishing each of them well as you do so.
What is the benefit of doing this type of meditation?
If you do Loving Kindness Meditation regularly and with the right attitude,
you will find very positive changes taking place within yourself. You will find
that you are able to be more accepting and forgiving towards yourself. You will
find that the feelings you have towards your loved ones will increase. You will
find yourself making friends with people you used to be indifferent and uncaring
towards, and you will find the ill-will or resentment you have towards some
people will lessen and eventually be dissolved. Sometimes if you know of someone
who is sick, unhappy or encountering difficulties you can include them in your
meditation and very often you will find their situation improving.
How is that possible?
The mind, when properly developed, is a very powerful instrument. If we can
learn to focus our mental energy and project it towards others, it can have
an effect upon them. You may have had an experience like this. Perhaps you are
in a crowded room and you get this feeling that someone is watching you. You
turn around and, sure enough, someone is staring at you. What has happened is
that you have picked up that other person's mental energy. Loving Kindness Meditation
is like that. We project positive mental energy towards and it gradually transforms
them.
Do I need a teacher to teach me meditation?
A teacher is not absolutely necessary but personal guidance from someone who
is familiar with mediation is certainly helpful. Unfortunately, some monks and
laymen set themselves up as meditation teachers when they simply don't know
what they are doing. Try to pick a teacher who has a good reputation, a balanced
personality and one who adheres closely to the Buddha's teachings.
I have heard that meditation is widely used today by psychiatrists and psychologists.
Is this true?
Yes, it is. Meditation is now accepted as having a highly therapeutic effect
upon the mind and is used by many professional mental health workers to help
induce relaxation, overcome phobias and bring about self-awareness. The Buddha's
insights into the human mind are helping people as much today as they did in
ancient times.
What do the terms wisdom and compassion mean in Buddhism?
Some religions believe that compassion or love (the two are very similar) is
the most important spiritual quality but they fail to develop any wisdom. The
result is that you end up being a good-hearted fool, a very kind person but
with little or no understanding. Other systems of thought, like science, believe
that wisdom can best be developed when all emotions, including compassion, are
kept out of the way. The outcome of this is that science has tended to become
preoccupied with results and has forgotten that science is to serve man, not
to control and dominate him. How, otherwise could scientists have lent their
skills to develop the nuclear bomb, germ warfare, and the like. Religion has
always seen reason and wisdom as the enemy of emotions like love and faith.
Science has always seen emotions like love and faith as being enemies of reason
and objectivity. And of course, as science progresses, religion declines. Buddhism,
on the other hand, teaches that to be a truly balanced and complete individual,
you must develop both wisdom and compassion. And because it is not dogmatic
but based on experience, Buddhism has nothing to fear from science.
So what, according to Buddhism, is wisdom?
The highest wisdom is seeing that in reality all phenomena are incomplete, impermanent,
and not self. This understanding is totally freeing and leads to the great security
and happiness which is called Nirvana. However, the Buddha doesn't speak too
much about this level of wisdom. It is not wisdom if we simply believe what
we are told. True wisdom is to directly see and understand for ourselves. At
this level then, wisdom is to keep an open mind rather than being closed-minded,
listening to other points of view rather than being bigoted; to carefully examine
facts that contradict our beliefs, rather than burying our heads in the sand;
to be objective rather than prejudiced and partisan; to take time about forming
our opinions and beliefs rather than just accepting the first or most emotional
thing that is offered to us; and to always be ready to change our beliefs when
facts that contradict them are presented to us. A person who does this is certainly
wise and is certain to eventually arrive at true understanding. The path of
just believing what you are told is easy. The Buddhist path requires courage,
patience, flexibility and intelligence.
What is the point of Buddhism if only a few can practice it?
It is true that not everyone is ready for Buddhism yet. But to say therefore
that we should teach a religion that is false but easily understandable so everyone
can practise it is ridiculous. Buddhism aims at the truth and if not everyone
has the capacity to understand it yet, they perhaps will be ready for it in
their next life. However, there are many who, with just the right words or encouragement,
are able to increases their understanding. And it is for this reason that Buddhists
gently and quietly strive to share the insights of Buddhism with others. The
Buddha taught us out of compassion and we teach others out of compassion.
What, according to Buddhism, is compassion?
Just as wisdom covers the intellectual or comprehending side of our nature.
Like wisdom, compassion is uniquely human quality. Compassion is made up of
two words. 'co' meaning together and 'passion' meaning a strong feeling. And
this is what compassion is. When we see someone is in distress and we feel their
pain as if it were our own, and strive to eliminate or lessen their pain, then
this is compassion. So all the best in human beings, all the Buddha-like qualities
like sharing, readiness to give comfort, sympathy, concern and caring - all
are manifestations of compassion. You will notice also that in the compassionate
person, care and love towards others has its origins in care and love for oneself.
We can really understand others when we really understand ourselves. We will
know what's best for others when we know what's best for ourselves. We can feel
for others when we feel for ourselves. So in Buddhism, ones own spiritual development
blossoms quite naturally into concern for the welfare of others. The Buddha's
life illustrates this very well. He spent six years struggling for his own welfare,
after which, he was able to be of benefit to the whole of mankind.
Isn't it selfish to say that we are best able to help others after we have helped
ourselves?
We usually see altruism, concern for others before oneself, as being the opposite
of selfishness, concern for oneself before others,. Buddhism does no see it
as either one or the other but rather as a blending of the two. Genuine self-concern
will gradually mature into concern for others as one sees that others are really
the same as oneself. This is genuine compassion. Compassion is the most beautiful
jewel in the crown of the Buddha's teaching.
Buddhists should be vegetarians, shouldn't they?
Not necessarily. The Buddha was not a vegetarian. He did not teach his disciples
to be vegetarians and even today, there are many good Buddhists who are not
vegetarians. If you eat meat you are indirectly responsible the death of a creature.
Isn't that breaking the first precept?
It is true that when you eat meat, you are indirectly and partially responsible
for killing a creature but the same is true when you eat vegetables. The farmer
has to spray his crop with insecticides and poisons so that the vegetables arrive
on your dinner plates without holes in them. And once again, animals have been
used to provide the leather for your belt or handbag, oil for the soap you use
and a thousand other products as well. It is impossible to live without, in
some way, being indirectly responsible for the death of some other beings. This
is just another example of the First Noble Truth, ordinary existence is suffering
and unsatisfactory. When you take the First Precept, you try to avoid being
directly responsible for killing beings.
Mahayana Buddhists don't eat meat ...
That is not correct. Mahayana Buddhism in China laid great stress on being vegetarian
but both the monks, laymen and women of the Mahayana tradition in Japan and
Tibet usually eat meat.
But I still think that a Buddhist should be vegetarian.
If there was a man who was a very strict vegetarian but who was selfish, dishonest
and mean, and another man who was not a vegetarian but who was thoughtful of
others, honest, generous and kind, which of these two people would be the better
Buddhist? The person who was honest and kind. Why? Because such a person obviously
has a good heart. Exactly. One who eats meat can have a pure heart just as one
who does not eat meat can have an impure heart. In the Buddha's teachings, the
important thing is the quality of your heart, not the contents of your diet.
Many Buddhists take great care never to eat meat but they are not concerned
about being selfish, dishonest, cruel or jealous. They change their diet which
is easy to do, while neglecting to change their hearts, which is a difficult
thing to do. So whether you are a vegetarian or not, remember that the purification
of the mind is the most important thing in Buddhism.
What did the Buddha teach about magic and fortune telling?
The Buddha considered such practices as fortune telling, wearing magic charms
for protection, finding lucky sites for buildings, prophesising and fixing lucky
days to be useless superstitions and he expressly forbade his disciples to practise
such things. He called all these things 'low arts'. "Whereas some religious
men, while living off food provided by the faithful make their living by such
low arts, such wrong means of livelihood as palmistry, divining by signs, interpreting
dreams, bringing about good or bad luck, picking the lucky site for a building,
the monk Gotama refrains from such low arts, such wrong means of livelihood".
Then why do people sometimes practise such things and believe in them?
Because of greed, fear and ignorance. As soon as people understand the Buddha's
teachings, they realise that a pure heart can protect them much better than
bits of paper, bits of metal and a few chanted words and they no longer rely
on such things. In the teachings of the Buddha, it is honesty, kindness, understanding,
patience, forgiveness, generosity, loyalty and other good qualities that truly
protect you and give you true prosperity.
But some lucky charms do work, don't they? I know a person who makes a living
selling lucky charms. He claims that his charms can give good luck, prosperity
and he guarantees that you will be able to pick three numbers.
But if what he says is true then why isn't he himself a multi-millionaire? If
his lucky charms really work, then why doesn't he win the lottery week after
week? The only luck he has is that there are people silly enough to buy his
magic charms.
Then is there such a thing as luck?
The dictionary defines luck as 'believing that whatever happens, either good
or bad, to a person in the course of events is due to chance, fate or fortune'.
The Buddha denied this belief completely. Everything that happens has a specific
cause or causes and there must be some relationships between the cause and the
effect. Becoming sick, for example, has specific causes. One must come into
contact with germs and one's body must be weak enough for the germs to establish
themselves. There is a definite relationship between the cause (germs and a
weakened body) and the effect (sickness) because we know that germs attack the
organisms and give rise to sickness. But no relationship can be found between
wearing a piece of paper with words written on it and being rich or passing
examinations. Buddhism teaches that whatever happens does so because of a cause
or causes and not due to luck, chance or fate. People who are interested in
luck are always trying to get something,usually more money and wealth. The Buddha
teaches us that it is far more important to develop our hearts and minds. He
says: Being deeply learned and skilled; being well-trained and using well-spoken
words - this is the best good luck. To support mother and father, to cherish
wife and child and to have a simple livelihood - this is the best good luck.
What you say so far is very interesting to me. How do I become a Buddhist?
Once there was a man called Upali. He was the follower of another religion and
he went to the Buddha in order to argue with him and try to convert him. But
after talking to the Buddha, he was so impressed that he decided to become a
follower of the Buddha. But the Buddha said: "Make a proper investigation
first. Proper investigation is good for a well-known person like yourself."
"Now I am even more pleased and satisfied when the Lord says to me: 'Make
a proper investigation first.' For if members of another religion had secured
me as a disciple they would have paraded a banner all around the town saying:
'Upali has joined our religion.' But the Lord says to me: Make a proper investigation
first. Proper investigation is good for a well-known person like yourself."
In Buddhism, understanding is the most important thing and understanding takes
time. So do not impulsively rush into Buddhism. Take your time, ask questions,
consider carefully, and then make your decision. The Buddha was not interested
in having a large number of disciples. He was concerned that people should follow
his teachings as a result of a careful investigation and consideration of the
facts.
If I have done this and find the Buddha's teaching acceptable, what would I
do then if I wanted to become a Buddhist?
It would be best to join a good temple or Buddhist group, support them, be supported
by them and continue to learn more about the Buddha's teachings. Then, when
you are ready, you would formally become a Buddhist by taking the Three Refuges.
What are the Three Refuges?
A refuge is a place where people go when they are distressed or when they need
safety and security. There are many types of refuges. When people are unhappy,
they take refuge with their friends, when they are worried and frightened, they
may take refuge in false hopes and beliefs. As they approach death, they might
take refuge in the belief in an eternal heaven. But, as the Buddha says, none
of these are true refuges because they do not give comfort and security based
on reality. Truly these are not safe refuges, not the refuge supreme. Not the
refuge whereby one is freed from all sorrow. But to take refuge in the Buddha,
the Dhamma and the Sangha and to see with real understanding the Four Noble
Truths. Suffering, the cause of suffering, the transcending of suffering and
the Noble Eightfold Path that leads to the transcending of suffering. This indeed
is a safe refuge, it is the refuge supreme. It is the refuge whereby one is
freed from all suffering. Taking Refuge in the Buddha is a confident acceptance
of the fact that one can become fully enlightened of the fact that one can become
fully enlightened and perfected just as the Buddha was. Taking Refuge in the
Dhamma means understanding the Four Noble Truths and basing one's life on the
Noble Eightfold Path. Taking Refuge in the Sangha means looking for support,
inspiration and guidance from all who walk the Noble Eightfold Path. Doing this
one becomes a Buddhist and thus takes the first step on the path towards Nirvana.
What changes have taken place in your life since you first took the three refuges?
Like countless millions of others over the last 2500 years, I have found that
the Buddha's teachings have made sense out of a difficult world, they have given
meaning to what was a senseless life, they have given me a humane and compassionate
ethics with which to lead my life and they have shown me how I can attain a
state of purity and perfection in the next life. A poet in ancient India once
wrote of the Buddha: To go to him for refuge, to sing his praise, to do him
honour and to abide in his Dhamma is to act with understanding. I agree with
these words completely.
I have a friend who is always trying to convert me to his religion. I am not
really interested in his religion and I have told him so but he won't leave
me alone. What can I do?
The first thing you must understand is that this person is not really your friend.
A true friend accepts you as you are and respects your wishes. I suspect that
this person is merely pretending to be your friend so he can convert you. When
people are trying to impose their will on you they are certainly not friends.
But he says he wants to share his religion with me. Sharing your religion with
others is a good thing. But I suggest that your friend doesn't know the difference
between sharing and imposing. If I have an apple, I offer you half and you accept
my offer, then I have shared with you. But if you say to me "Thank you,
but I have already eaten" and I keep insisting that you take half the apple
until you finally give in to my pressure, this can hardly be called sharing.
People like your 'friend' try to disguise their bad behaviour by calling it
'sharing', 'love', or 'generosity', but by whatever name they call it, their
behaviour is still just rude, bad manners and selfish.
So how can I stop him?
It is simple. Firstly, be clear in your mind what you want. Secondly, clearly
and briefly tell him so. Thirdly, when he asks you questions like "What
is your belief on this matter?" or "Why don't you wish to come to
the meeting with me?", clearly, politely and persistently repeat your first
statement. "Thank you for your invitation but I would rather not come".
"Why not?" "That is really my business. I would rather not come."
"But there will be many interesting people there." "I am sure
there will be but I would rather not come." "I am inviting you because
I care about you." "I am glad you care about me but I would rather
not come." If you clearly, patiently and persistently repeat yourself and
refuse to allow him to get you involved in a discussion he will eventually give
up. It is a shame that you have to do this, but it is very important for people
to learn that they cannot impose their beliefs or wishes upon others.
Should Buddhists try to share the Dhamma with others?
Yes, they should. And I think most Buddhists understand the difference between
sharing and imposing. If people ask you about Buddhism, tell them. You can even
tell them about the Buddha's teachings without their asking. But if, by either
their words or actions, they let you know that they are not interested, accept
that and respect their wishes. It is also important to remember that you let
people know about the Dhamma far more effectively through your actions than
through preaching to them. Show people the Dhamma by always being considerate,
kind, tolerant, upright and honest. Let the Dhamma shine forth through your
speech and actions. If each of us, you and I, know the Dhamma thoroughly, practise
it fully and share it generously with others, we can be of great benefit to
ourselves and others also.