By Graeme Lyall
Although the Teaching of the Buddha has been with us for the last 2,500 years,
it has taken a long time for it to spread throughout the entire world. As you
are aware, it wasn't until the Koryo dynasty, from 936 to 1392 that the glorious
teachings really blossomed in Korea. As far as western counties are concerned,
a period of another 600 years had to pass before serious study and practice
of' the Dharma began in Europe. One of the earliest Europeans to declare himself
a Buddhist was the German philosopher, Schopenhauer, in the 1820's, his book,
"Die Welt als Wille und Vorstellung" - "The World as Will and
Idea", had a profound Influence on popularising Buddhism in the 19th century.
Actually, it was to the German mind that Buddhism had its greatest appeal in
the west. Max Muller, another German, edited two series of books based on translations
of portions of the Tripitaka, "'Sacred Books of tile East" and "Sacred
Books of the Buddhists", both of which are still in print. In England,
the writer Sir Edwin Arnold published his poem based on the life of Sakyamuni
Buddha, "The Light of Asia", which, until recently was very popular
with English speaking readers. Its popularity waned, however, as a better understanding
of the teachings in the west, exposed the inaccuracies in Sir Edwin's understanding.
One important impact of the publication of "The Light of Asia", however,
was that it profoundly influenced a young Englishman named Allan Bennett, who
journeyed to Sri Lanka and Burma to study Buddhism and, in 1901, ordained as
Venerable Ananda Metteya, the first Westerner to become a Buddhist monk. The
first German born Buddhist monk was Anton Guerth, a world famous violin virtuoso,
who ordained in Rangoon in 1903 as Venerable Nyanatiloka. He spent most of his
monastic life in Sri Lanka but, being a German and Sri Lanka then being a British
colony, he was sent to Australia in 1915, for imprisonment as an enemy alien.
Although he was unable to do much teaching during his internment in Australia,
he was a prolific writer and much of his time was spent in preparing Dharma
books.
The early practise of Buddhism in England and Europe was according to the Theravada
or Hinayana tradition. In 1922, a British expedition set out for Tibet in order
to study Tibetan Buddhism. They reached the southern Tibetan city of Shigatse
but were refused permission to proceed to the capital Lhasa where they had hoped
to meet the Thirteenth Dalai Lama. However, one of their number, Frederic Fletcher,
ordained in the Gelugpa or Yellow Hat tradition under the name of Lama Dorje
Prajnananda. he later also received Theravada ordination in Sri Lanka and therefore
had dual loyalties to both the Theravada and Vajrayana traditions. It wasn't
until 1937, however, that a German refugee scholar, Edward Conze, who was living
in England, dedicated his life to the study and translation of the Mahayana
scriptures, with the result that it stimulated an interest in the practise of
the Mahayana with the formation in the 1950's of the Mahayana Study Group. The
Korean Seon Master, Seung Sahn Sunim, has, more recently, had quite a profound
influence in Europe, especially in Poland, where he has established a branch
of the Kwan Eum School of Zen. In fact, on my first visit to Korea nine years
ago, I was staying at Hwagye Sa and nine Polish monks were also there at that
time. Perhaps, largely due to the late arrival of an interest in the Mahayana
in England and Europe, the predominant teaching followed in those western countries
remains the Theravada or Southern Buddhism. Across the Atlantic in North America,
Buddhism took a very different turn. The first American Buddhists were mainly
of Chinese and Japanese origin. In the late 1900's many Chinese came to California
to work the gold fields. Their Buddhism was a syncretic blend of Confucianism,
Taoism, Buddhism and traditional Chinese deities. However, the most popular
form of Buddhism among the Chinese then as it is now was Pure Land although
there was a small group practising Cha'an.
Many Japanese had settled in Hawaii and when it became one of the States of
the U.S.A., many of them moved to the mainland. They, too, tended to follow
the Pure Land (Jodo Shinshu) school of Buddhism. However, as a result of the
very successful World Parliament of Religions held in Chicago in 1893, one of
the main speakers, Rinzai Zen Master Soyen Shaku, invited one of his students,
who was fluent in English to join him in America. This student was D.T.Suzuki
whose profound understanding of Zen, has done much to popularise it in the West,
especially among Westerners in North America. Korean Seon was introduced to
the United States in 1967 by Samu Sunim who founded the Zen Lotus Society. Samu
Sunirn later moved to Canada and the Zen Lotus Society is now based in Toronto.
Perhaps, the greatest pioneer or Korean Zen in the West, though, has been Seung
Sahn Sunim who went to the States in 1972 and established the Kwan Eum School
of Zen in Providence, Rhode Island. He has since then established branches of
the Kwan Eum School of Zen in many countries throughout the world including
Australia, where it is represented by the Dae Kwang Sa Zen Society in Queensland.
As a result of the 1959 occupation of Tibet by the Chinese Communist Government
and the devastation that they have wreaked on that small Himalayan country,
many of the monks fled to India and some of them later settled in North America.
Two of the most notable and influential Tibetan teachers who settled in the
United States were the late Chogyam Trungpa Ripoche and Tarthung Rinpoche. Both
of them, as well as establishing Dharma Centres, have founded publishing companies
to print and distribute Dharma books. Tibetan Centres in the West are extremely
popular with young people who are attracted by the elaborate rituals, the mystical
teachings and the emphasis on the psychological aspects of the Dharma. The Theravada
has remained an insignificant part of the American Buddhist scene. The main
interest in Theravadin practice from Westerners is in meditation practice, especially
Vipassana or insight meditation but this is mainly taught by lay teachers, such
as Jack Cornfield, Joseph Goldstein and Sharon Salzberg, most of whom have trained
in Burma and Thailand. The few Theravadin monks resident in the United States
are mainly serving migrant and refugee communities. It is possibly due to the
British colonisation of Sri Lanka and Burma, that these countries have had such
a profound influence on the direction that British Buddhism has taken, whereas
North American Buddhism has mainly been influenced by migration, especially
from China and Japan.
No serious study or practise of Buddhism began in Australia until the early
1950`s. Leo Berkeley, a Dutchman by birth, who had spent the war years in England,
later migrated, with his family, to Australia. Early in 1952, whilst on a ship
returning to England for a visit, he met Sir Lalita Rajapakse, the then Sri
Lankan Minister of Justice. Sir Lalita was returning to Colombo after attending
a Commonwealth Conference in New Zealand. The two became acquainted and, as
Sir Lalita was a very devout Buddhist, it seemed inevitable that their daily
conversation would turn to Buddhism. Sir Lalita recited to Leo the Dharmapada
verse:
"By ourselves is evil done; by ourselves we pain endure. By ourselves we
cease from ill; by ourselves become we pure. No one can save us but ourselves,
no one can and no one may. We ourselves must walk the Path, Buddhas only point
the way."
Which caused Leo Berkeley to observe: 'I was very much impressed by this wisdom
because I always had believed that we ourselves create our life and our destiny.
I said: "Sir, please tell me a little more about the Teaching of the Buddha".
His answer was: "My good friend, Id like you to meet a learned monk. Come
and see me tomorrow when we arrive in Colombo". The learned monk turned
out to be the late Venerable Narada Maha Thera from the Vajirarama Vihara in
Colombo. Venerable Narada instructed Leo Berkeley in the Dhamma. Venerable Narada
suggested to Leo Berkeley that, on his return to Australia, he should establish
a Buddhist society. Leo Berkeley, after making some enquiries, was put in touch
with Marie Byles. It was during the 1940's in Sydney, whilst studying books
on non-Christian religions, that Marie Byles became intensely interested in
Buddhism, and no account of its development would be complete if her contribution
were ignored. She was a pacifist, naming her home 'Ahimsa', meaning 'harmlessness'
and her meditation hut, 'The Hut of Happy Omen'. Since her death, the home and
garden have been given to the people of Sydney as a quiet retreat. It is currently
administered by the National Trust. Marie Beuzevllle Byles was born in 1900
into a Christian family in England. At the age of eleven years, she migrated
with her family to Australia. She wrote at least six books, four of which were
on Buddhist topics. 'World Buddhism', vol.5, No. 1, 1956, a publication of the
World Fellowship of Buddhists, reported: 'Miss Marie Byles, who spent a short
holiday and study tour in Ceylon after a trip to the Himalayas for meditation
purposes, is now writing a book on "The Human Aspect of the Buddha's Life
" for publication shortly.' She spent the year 1954 in North India researching
this book which was eventually published under the title of "Footprints
of Gautama the Buddha". Marie gave many talks to the Theosophical Society
in Sydney, as well as broadcasting on their regular Sunday night programme on
a local radio station. She also preached Dharma at the Unitarian Church in Sydney.
Marie disliked participation in organised groups, preferring to study and meditate
in a hut in the garden of her Cheltenham (a Sydney suburb) home...Leo Berkeley
told her of his intention to form a Buddhist Association. "Oh, Mr.Berkeley",
she said, "the Australians are not yet ready for the teaching of the Buddha."
Leo Berkeley replied- "Miss Byles, if you are ready and I am ready, we
can start together an association." Hence the embryo Buddhist Society of
New South Wales was born. Additional members were recruited following an advertisement
placed in the newspaper, "Sydney Morning Herald". It was not a formally
constituted society, but a loosely formed group of people gathering together
to study the Dhamma. Soon after this group was formed, a seventy year old, American
born, Buddhist nun, Dhammadinna, arrived in Sydney. She had been living in Sri
Lanka for nearly thirty years.
Sister Dhammadinna arrived in Australia in 1952, with little money and only
one address of a person to contact. She arrived at the home of her contact,
Marie Byles, requesting shelter. It was eventually Leo Berkeley, who invited
Sister Dhammadinna to live in his home where she was able to conduct regular
Dharma teaching and meditation classes. Usually fifteen to twenty people attended
her lectures. She did not accept all of those who attended these meetings for
personal instruction, however. She chose eight persons whom she considered were
'ready for the Dhamma'. She referred to them as "my Buddhists". I
was fortunate in being one of those eight. She administered the Three Refuges
and Eight Precepts to this group on the Holy Day of Vesak, the Buddha's Birthday,
29th of May, 1953.
At this juncture, you may be interested to know how I first became interested
in Buddhism. Following the Second World War, with the fall of colonialism, the
newly independent countries, especially those in Asia, tried to establish an
infrastructure to enable them to take their place in the modern world. A scheme
was implemented, known as the Colombo Plan, which was to select the brightest
students from the newly independent countries and send them to universities
in some of the more established countries such as Great Britain, the United
States and Australia so that they could fill the vacuum left with the departure
of their former colonial masters. A great number of these students chose Australian
universities, partly due to their highly rated international reputation and
also due to their close proximity to their homelands. Regrettably, Australia,
at that time, was into its half century of the notorious "White Australia
Policy", so there were few people of Asian background living in Australia
to provide support and friendship to these lonely students. A few friends and
I decided to try to alleviate some of the misery suffered by these students
by arranging weekend outings and picnics so that we could offer the hand of
friendship. I was brought up in a Christian family but in my mid-teens decided
to disassociate with my church connections as, I felt, it failed to offer me
satisfactory answers to the problems of life. The Christian church offered only
dogma and many of its doctrines were impossible for me to accept. I questioned
one of my Colombo Plan student friends about the religions of Asia, especially
Hinduism and Buddhism. When I heard about the teachings of the Buddha, it struck
a chord. This teaching seemed to coincide with the views I already held. It
made a lot or sense, so I decided to investigate it further. This was when I
discovered that the Buddhist nun, Dhammadinna, was conducting classes so I asked
permission to join them. So it is now 49 years since I first went to the Buddha,
the Dharma and the Sangha as my refuge. It was in May 1953 that the first Buddhist
society, the Buddhist Society of New South Wales was formed by Leo Berkeley,
who was its first President. I served for three years, at the tender age of
22, as its first Secretary. Sister Dhammadinna stayed for only one year in Australia.
For the next few years it was quite difficult to keep our newly formed society
alive. None of us in Australia had a profound knowledge or experience in the
Dharma and no Buddhist monks, even if our Immigration authorities at that time
would have allowed it, were prepared to come and teach in Australia. We had
the occasional visit from Buddhist monks, perhaps staying for one or two months,
every two or three years. This made the development of Buddhism in Australia
very difficult indeed. One of the main problems was that there were very few
monks in the world at that time who were fluent in English and, those that were,
were also in demand in other Western countries such as England and the United
States of America. Australia, with its mere handful of Buddhists, was not considered
significant enough to warrant a resident teacher. It was not until the 9th or
May, 1971 that Venerable Ratmalane Somaloka arrived in Sydney to become the
first resident monk. His devotees and supporters in Malacca had paid his fare
and expenses to enable him to undertake this mission to Australia. He was followed
a year later by two monks from Thailand, one of whom was an Englishman, Venerable
Khantipalo, who was already well known to us through the many Dharma books that
he had written. The monks from Thailand established Wat Buddharangsee, the first
temple in Sydney, which, until this day, is the focal point of Theravada Buddhism
in Sydney. Sydney's first Mahayana temple was also established in 1972 by an
Australian Chinese businessman, Eric Liao. Following the tragic Communist takeover
of many South East Asian countries in the mid 1970's, many refugees arrived
to seek the safe refuge of Australia. As an essential ingredient of their settlement
into their new home, they established Buddhist temples and invited monks to
come to serve their communities. The Vietnamese community, by far the largest
group of newcomers, followed the Mahayana tradition, whereas the Lao and Cambodian
communities established Theravadin temples. . Early in the 1980's, the Korean
Dharmakaya Society was formed at Summer Hill, a western suburb of Sydney. In
1984, a monk, Venerable Jin Sang Sunim, arrived from Korea and premises were
leased at Earlwood to serve as a residence and temporary temple, known originally
as Hong Boep Sa and later renamed Dharma Sa. Venerable Jin Sang left Australia
early in 1985 and was replaced by Venerable Jang San Sunim, who arrived on the
first of April, 1985. Venerable Jang San Sunim has since returned to Korea where
he heads a large temple in Pusan. Sydney now has four Korean temples serving
our very small Korean Buddhist community. Over 75% of the Koreans who are living
in Australia, reside in New South Wales. The last census from which figures
are available shows that some 16,137 Koreans had chosen New South Wales as their
home, but very few of these are Buddhists. The Korean Christian churches in
Australia engage in an aggressive recruiting campaign and, supported by the
wealth of the established Christian churches, have been able to supply material
support to the newly arrived Korean migrants. The Korean Buddhist temples, being
under-resourced, are not in a position to match this social support offered
by the Christians and, therefore, are attended only by committed Buddhists.
Korean Buddhism has had little or no impact on the Western followers of Buddhism
in New South Wales. This is due to our Korean Buddhist Sangha having little
or no English and therefore being unable to share the Seon teachings with Westerners.
Queensland, as mentioned earlier, is fortunate in having a branch of Master
Seong Sahn's Kwan Eum School of Zen, so, at least one of our States is making
progress in benefiting from the rich Korean Buddhist heritage and, hopefully,
it will soon spread to other States.
Although the Mahayana tradition is that followed by the majority of Australian
Buddhists, the largest ethnic grouping being that of the Vietnamese and Chinese,
regrettably, Mahayana Buddhism has had little impact on Western Buddhists. As
with the Korean Sangha, few Mahayana monks are sufficiently fluent in English
to undertake Dharma teaching in languages other than that of the specific ethnic
group that they are serving. This situation is gradually changing since the
Taiwan based Fo Kwang Shan organisation recently opened the largest Buddhist
temple in the Southern Hemisphere at Wollongong, an hour's drive south of Sydney.
Its mere size has attracted many visitors and engendered an interest in investigating
this ancient religion. Many of the Sangha at this temple are fluent enough in
English to offer teachings in English as well as in Chinese. As in North America,
many of our young people are attracted to Tibetan Buddhism for much the same
reasons as their American counterparts. The most dominant teaching followed
by most Anglo-European Australians is the Theravada tradition. This is partly
due to its being the earliest tradition of Buddhism to become established in
Australia. Many English speaking monks from this tradition are resident in Australia
and they offer meditation instruction, especially Vipassana, which is most attractive
to Australian Buddhists.
What is it about Buddhism that is attracting so many Westerners to practise
its teachings? More and more Westerners are leaving Christianity, their traditional
religion. Many churches in Australia are closing their doors due to lack of
support, whilst others are limiting the number of religious services due to
small congregations. Although 75% of Australians claim Christianity as their
religion, fewer than 26% ever attend church services. Christianity is merely
a convenient label that they wear should anyone ask them about their religious
adherence. One of the main problems in dealing with Christian doctrine is that
it demands blind faith and places the responsibility for one's salvation on
something external to one's self As you may have observed from the Dhammapada
verse quoted earlier when I was speaking about Leo Berkeley, the founder of
the Buddhist Society of New South Wales that Buddhism teaches self reliance.
We are responsible for our own happiness and our own suffering. To put the responsibility
for our actions onto another is shirking our responsibility. Rather than blind
faith, the Buddha encourages us to examine his teaching and test its efficacy
for ourselves. One of the most attractive sutras that has had a profound influence
on and encouraged many Westerners to study and practice Buddhism is the Kalama
Sutra. This Sutra comes from the Anguttara Nikaya which is found in the Pali
canon, the earliest collection of Buddhist teachings. This Sutra is known as
the "Buddhist Charter of Free Enquiry". Times have not changed all
that much since the Buddha's day. The Kalamas, a tribal group living in the
Kingdom of Kosala, experienced religious teachers who came to them claiming
that what they taught was the true religion and all other religious teachers
taught false religion. Due to their confusion, they wanted advice on how to
test the truth of a religion - hence the Buddha gave them the following advice:
It is not surprising, Kalamas, that you are confused. Don't accept ideas just
because others have believed them for a long time or because others say that
it is true. Don't accept these ideas just because they are written in ancient
books or scriptures. Don't accept these ideas just because the teacher offers
a convincing argument. Don't accept these ideas just because you have great
respect for the teacher. Kalamas! You should examine these ideas for yourself
and ask yourself if they are of benefit to your life, are not a source of sorrow
or regrets or likely to bring blame from the wise. If these ideas are profitable
to your life and are unlikely to cause suffering to yourself or any living creature
and are praised by intelligent people and are likely to produce happiness, then,
and only then, should you accept them and live according to these principles.
This was a tremendous and courageous challenge that no other religious teacher
has dared to make. The Buddha has asked us not to even accept what he has taught
unless we examine it and put it into practice to prove that it really works.
He freed mankind from dogma and showed them how, by practising his teachings,
that we can overcome life's frustrations.
Many Westerners are willing to consider accepting any theory that conforms to
scientific method such as that used by a medical practitioner when examining
a patient, that is to identify the problem, examine its cause, prescribe a remedy
and then test the remedy to see if it has been effective in removing the problem.
The core teaching of the Buddha, the Four Noble Truths, certainly fits this
framework of scientific method. Perhaps, we can look at the Four Noble Truths.
The first Truth is that life is subject to Dukkha. Dukkha is a Pali word which
is often translated or, rather, mistranslated into English as 'suffering' but
it is much more than that. It certainly means physical and mental suffering
but it also means that life is full of frustrations - we would always prefer
that things be other than the way they are. As we grow old, we wish we could
remain young. If we are poor, we wish we could be rich. When we are separated
from our friends and loved ones, we are saddened. Dukkha is birth, sickness,
old age, pain and despair, separation from those whom we like and association
with those whom we dislike. All of these are examples of Dukkha and that is
the First Noble Truth. So we have identified the problem - Dukkha.
The Second Noble Truth states that the Cause of Dukkha can be attributed to
three things - greed, anger and a deluded mind. We tend to be attached to people
and material things and when we are separated from them, we suffer regret. We
cling to these things as if they will last forever and we find it hard to accept
the fact that they don't. We get angry or have aversions to those things that
we do not like. Buddhism teaches that anger harms the one who is angry more
than the object to which this anger is aimed. The more we get angry with someone
and they react to our anger the more this anger increases. The next time you
see someone who is angry, look at their face and see how ugly they appear. Anger
is unproductive - it doesn't solve the problem. Our minds are deluded because
we do not see things as they really are - that is, subject to impermanence or
constant change, known in the Pali language as anicca, , frustrating, known
in Pali as dukkha, and devoid of a permanent self or substance, empty or void
also known as Sunnyata. Everything, material or immaterial, is subject to change
or impermanence. Perhaps you are sitting in a comfortable chair listening to
this talk. If you remain in that chair for the next three hours, without moving,
do you still think you could regard the chair as comfortable? Believe me, I
do not intend to keep you here for the next three hours. If you remained fixed
in that chair for a month, you would probably find that you are crippled and
unable to move. If you remain in that chair for a hundred years, you will probably
be a skeleton and the chair will be the worse for wear too. When coming to Korea
from Australia, I sat in a very comfortable seat but, after flying for several
hours, the seat ceased to be comfortable and I couldn't wait until we landed
in Seoul to stretch my legs. What starts as being regarded as comfortable can
soon change to being uncomfortable. Everything is relative. The way we see things
depends on the time, place and current situation. We, ourselves, are subject
to this change. Every cell in our body is constantly ageing and dying and being
replaced. Our thoughts and ideas are constantly changing or being modified.
Your thoughts and ideas, since you arrived here today, are different from when
you left home to come to Chogye Sa. They have changed considerably. Is there
anything in you which is not subject to change? All that we are is a collection
of five constantly changing components, known as the five skhandas. They are
body, feelings or sensations, perceptions, volitions and consciousness. Let
us use a car as an illustration. What is a car? Is it the body, the engine,
the wheels, the steering mechanism? It is none of these individually. The term
"car" has no existence in itself. It is dependent on all of its components
and is a combination of all of these. We are dependent on the five skhandas
before we can use the term "I". "I" has no independent existence
in itself. This is why Buddhism teaches that, in the ultimate sense, there is
no 'I' or 'you' or unchanging self entity. This concept of change and non self
is difficult to accept and is, therefore, Dukkha - frustrating or unsatisfying.
The third Noble Truth concerns the overcoming of Dukkha, that is, overcoming
the greed anger and delusion, also known as the Three Poisons, which are the
source of Dukkha. Accepting change as a characteristic of life and not becoming
angry or frustrated about it is part of the way to overcoming Dukkha. The complete
overcoming of Dukka is termed "Nirvana". Nirvana is not a place but
a state of mind - a mind that sees things as they really are and not clouded
by delusion. It is not something that we have to wait until death to experience.
We can experience it here and now if we follow the method taught by the Buddha.
This is the proof of the effectiveness of the Dharma in that, if we follow his
teaching, we will not be in any doubt that it really works. It is the medicine
that cures all ills.
The Fourth Noble Truth is the method taught by the Buddha for attaining the
state of Nirvana, in other words, the medicine or remedy that he has prescribed
to overcome our problems. It is known as the Noble Eightfold Path. You may be
wondering why the term 'Noble' is used for the Path. One who walks the Path
is considered to be a noble person. The eight steps of the Path are:
Right Understanding is knowledge that the Four Noble Truths lead to the overcoming
of Dukkha. It does not imply a total understanding of these Truths but a confidence
that, by following the Path, the desired result will be attained. Right Thought
is to be constantly aware of one's thoughts and actions and thereby avoiding
harm to oneself or any living creature. Before one speaks or acts, one should
'wear the other person's shoes'. One should visualise oneself as the recipient
of that speech or action and be aware of the effect of that speech or action.
If the effect is negative and likely to cause hurt to the recipient, then one
should neither act nor speak. Mindfulness of one's actions avoids conflict and
leads to a peaceful existence. Right Speech is awareness of one's speech so
that, what one says, is beneficial to the hearer. It is the avoidance of lying
and deceiving, slander and gossip which ruins somebody's reputation.
Right Action is to be aware of one's actions and observe the five precepts so
that one does not cause harm to oneself or any other living creature. These
five precepts, which are an essential starting point for any Dharma practice
are:
To undertake the training to avoid the taking of the life of any living beings.
This precept applies to all living beings not just to humans. All beings have
a right to their lives and that right should be respected. This is why many
Buddhists are vegetarian. They don't want to contribute, even indirectly, to
the taking of life.
To undertake the training to avoid taking things not given. This precept goes
further than merely avoiding stealing. One should avoid taking anything unless
one can be sure that is intended for you.
To undertake the training to avoid sensual misconduct. This precept is often
mistranslated or misinterpreted as relating only to sexual misconduct but it
covers any overindulgence in any sensual pleasure such as gluttony as well as
misconduct of a sexual nature. A Buddhist should be mindful of the possible
effects on themselves and on others of improper sexual activity. This precept
would include adultery because this also breaches the precept of not taking
what is not freely given. A relationship with someone who is committed to another
is stealing. Similarly in cases of rape and child abuse, one is stealing the
dignity and self respect of another. One is also causing mental pain, not to
mention physical pain so one is, therefore, causing harm to another living being.
Such behavior is, in effect, breaking several precepts.
To undertake the training to refrain from false speech. As well as avoiding
lying and deceiving, this precept covers slander as well as speech that is not
beneficial to the hearer or to the welfare of others. A Buddhist should be mindful
that what is spoken should benefit the hearer. If what one says is likely to
harm a person's reputation then one should, preferably, remain silent.
To undertake the. training to abstain from substances which cause intoxication
and heedlessness. This precept is in a special category as it does not infer
any intrinsic evil in, say, alcohol itself, but indulgence in such a substance
could lead to heedlessness and be the cause of breaking the other four precepts.
These are the basic precepts expected as a day to day training of any lay Buddhist.
Indeed, aren't these the basic moral principles that should govern any harmonious
society?
Right Livelihood is to earn one's living in a way that does not cause harm or
suffering to oneself or any living creature. Such occupations as the selling
of intoxicants, firearms or animals for slaughter would be considered inappropriate
for Buddhists.
Right Effort is the avoiding of evil which has not already arisen, rejecting
evil which has already arisen, the acquiring of wholesome things which have
not yet been acquired and the stabilising of those wholesome characteristics
that have already been acquired.
Right Mindfulness is training in constant awareness of the effects of one's
actions, whether of body, speech or mind, and thus avoiding harmful actions.
Right Concentration is cultivating the mind through concentration and meditation
so that one attains intuitive insight. This intuitive insight is gained through
the regular practise of Seon.
By practising the Noble Eightfold Path, letting it be our blueprint for living,
we will observe for ourselves that our life has undergone a great change. We
learn to respect all living creatures and cultivate compassion for their suffering.
As we cultivate compassion for all creatures, we overcome our anger as we realise
the futility of being angry and nurturing hatred. As we practise Seon and cultivate
insight, we understand the nature of life and we become unmoved by life's frustrations.
We are able to see through our problems and they cease to be problems. A problem
is only a problem when we don't see a solution. Through intuitive insight we
can understand their nature and they no longer disturb us. I hope that I have
been able to show you, with the all too brief explanation of the Four Noble
Truths, that the Buddha's teaching is a scientific teaching - one that can stand
the closest scrutiny and the test of time. It, therefore, has great appeal to
Westerners who are seeking a more realistic teaching on which to base their
spiritual life.
What role will Buddhism play in the future development of our world? With modern
communications and the ease of travel from one corner of the globe to another,
this world has shrunk to the status of a village. We can no longer see each
other as strangers from some far off place. We are gaining a better understanding
of each other's culture and points of view. Nowhere is this more evident than
in my country, Australia. We are a diverse society with citizens originating
from almost every country in the world. We are a country where every religion,
no matter how obscure, is practised by someone. We are trying to set an example
to the world that we truly can have unity in diversity and that all races, religions
and viewpoints can share a country and live together in harmony. Not all people
in Australia share this point of view but it has been welcomed by the majority
and we have progressed so far along the multicultural road that there can be
no turning back. Through this diversity in our culture, more and more Australians
are becoming aware of the many religions practised by our Australian community.
Buddhism is well accepted and respected by many Australians regardless of their
own particular spiritual path. They are now aware that Buddhism poses no threat.
Buddhism, traditionally, is a non proselytising religion which teaches peace
and harmony and respect for the points of view of others. It is this reputation,
that Buddhism has earned, that makes it so appealing to more and more Australians.
Buddhism is Australia's fastest growing religion having increased its numbers
by 300% in the ten years from 1981 to 1991. Although immigration accounts for
a large portion of this increase, more than 30,000 Australians of European background
claimed Buddhism as their religion in the last census. More than 200,000 people
in Australia, or 1.1% of the population are Buddhists
As the number of European Buddhists is on the increase, it appears that Buddhism
in Asian countries seems to be on the decrease. As consumerism and other less
desirable practices, such as globalisation which is a new name for colonialism
have been adopted from Western countries, people are tending to become more
materialistic and greedy with the consequent decline in spiritual values. It
seems that many people in Asia are forsaking the values that have served them
so well for centuries and are adopting some of the less desirable practices
from the West. Respect for parents, the aged, the treasure of close family relationships
and concern for neighbours is gradually being replaced by the selfish attitudes
that are destroying Western culture. Not everything in the West is good. One
should be discerning and adopt only those things that are of benefit to society.
We can show the West that, by making spiritual values a guide to every facet
of our lives, it is possible for society to progress but with compassion. The
values of Buddhism can permeate the world like the perfume of incense permeates
this temple and we, together can create a world free of greed and hatred. The
suffering of the world, whether it be through war, famine or other natural disasters,
must become our concern. We must look for inspiration to the Bodhisattva Kwan
Se Eum Bosal, and vow not to rest until we have offered ourselves to serve humanity
and relieve its suffering. This is known as Engaged Buddhism. Buddhism is often
seen as passive - unconcerned with feeding the poor, establishing hospitals
and schools and taking a stand on injustice and suppression of human rights.
Not only must we cultivate ourselves spiritually but we must dedicate ourselves
to actively serving humanity at large. This, I see, as the most important contribution
that Buddhism can make to the future of this world.