GREETINGS

Ven. Sumedha bodhi with Honorable Minister

             My contribution to all sentient beings on the eve of Buddha jayanthi is ‘Dhamma soldier’ book. This was launched by Honorable Central Cabinet minister Mr.M.Venkiah Naidu garu Government of India, New Delhi.

Ven.Sumedha Bodhi

Email:dham.sol@gmail.com

DHAMMA ACTIVISM

       Dhamma activism of Dhamma soldier’s Association is to find suitable social, political, economic elements to practice Buddha Dhamma as Buddha asked to practice to eliminate suffering in order to attain Nirvana.  At the same time, we Dhamma soldiers are also working to remove challenges facing present day humanity and nature. 

        At this moment, we are finding teachings of the Buddha out of craving (i.e. Kama tanaha, Bhava tanaha, vibhava tanaha,) just to become a traditional Bhkkhu (Monk).   It doesn’t mean that we are deviating from actual traditional path, which coming from thousands of years.  It is really preparing oneself to go to secluded place after learning scriptures and meditation techniques to practice.

     To achieve this goal we have to educate and organize ourselves and agitate against injustice, it may arise from social, political, economic essentials, corruption, human rights violation, class war, caste war, religious fundamentalists, etc.

       The purpose of my writing blog is to bring all aspirants under the one umbrella to work together, I mean unity brings strength.  So the socially engaged Buddhism now transforming into applied Buddhism to reach traditional Buddhism.

   

        On 31st January and 1st February  Youth Buddhist Society of India organized His Holiness the Dalai Lama's lecture at sankassa a Buddhist Heritage site in India.  In his lecture his Holiness stressed the importance of the practicing Sila (five percepts).  Few important verses are given below

Mind agitated, wavering,
hard to guard and hard to check,
one of wisdom renders straight
as arrow-maker a shaft.

Explanation: In the Dhammapada there are several references to the craftsmanship of the Fletcher. The Buddha seems to have observed the process through which a Fletcher transforms an ordinary stick into an efficient arrow-shaft. The disciplining of the mind is seen as being a parallel process. In this stanza the Buddha says that the wise one straightens and steadies the vacillating mind that is difficult to guard, like a Fletcher straightening an arrow-shaft. 

Truly to his detriment
skill is born to the fool;
ruined is his better nature
and scattered are his wits.

Explanation: Whatever is learned by the ignorant is conducive to harm. It brings about his own downfall. Misplaced learning destroys whatever potential the learner possesses and renders him useless in terms of real knowledge.

If one some evil does
then do it not again and again.
Do not wish for it anew
for evil grows to dukkha.

Explanation: A person may do some evil things. But he should not keep on doing it over and over, repeatedly. He should not take delight in it. Accumulation of evil is painful.

BUDDHISM PHILOSOPHY OF CHANGE AND TRANSFORMATION

What was the cause of the rapid spread of Buddhism? On this point what Prof. Hopkins says:  The Aryan Community of his time was steeped in the worst kind of debauchery: social, religious and spiritual.

The Aryan society which we call ancient Indian society is highly filled with immorality such as gambling, consuming alcohol, sexual misconduct, polyandry, earning livelihood in wrong means,  in sacrificing the man for the blessings of the deity, etc,.

Bestiality was also prevalent among the Aryans.  Cohabitation is between men with female deer or mare etc.  But the most hideous instance is that of the woman having sexual intercourse with the horse.

The Lord Buddha proclaimed (i.e. the four noble TRUTHS) the highest standard for a moral life for an individual to follow.  Of these the most important one was the precept not to kill.  The Lord Buddha took care to make it clear that the precept did not merely mean abstention from taking life.  He insisted that the precept must be understood to mean positive sympathy, goodwill, and love for everything that breathes....  The Lord Buddha’s teachings were not merely negative.  They are positive and constructive

He wanted to mould the character of the ordinary men and women in society.  These precepts are known as Pancha Sila or the five precepts.  They are: (1) Not to kill. (2) Not to steal, (3) Not to lie, (4) Not to be unchaste, and (5) Not to consume intoxicants.  

This month we are discussing about Emptiness (Shunyata).

The wisdom of emptiness should be a direct remedy for our ignorance of the true nature of reality.  If this wisdom is not completely opposite to the ordinary way we view things, then it is not true wisdom at all.   Because our ignorance conceives of object in a distorted manner, our wisdom must be directly opposed to it in order to be effective.

            Our mind has been so accustomed to viewing things in a distorted manner that it is difficult to gain clear picture of reality.   Because our wisdom is so limited, it is hard enough to recognize our mistaken beliefs,  if we ask ourselves, “what exactly is this “I” that I am always talking about?”   We shall have great difficulty in formulating an answer.  This is so despite the fact that we think in terms of ‘I’ at all times, even our dreams.  Our delusions are so think that we cannot even explain what we are accustomed to seeing.

The non-existence or lack of such a false ‘I’ is what is meant by emptiness.  Because ignorance believes that we exit somehow as a truly independent ‘I’ and the wisdom of emptiness  see clearly that such am ‘I’ has never had even the slightest existence, these two views are said to be complete opposites.

(Dalai Lama as a DHARMA SOLDIER with Ven.Sumedha Bodhi, author)

     

Bodhi Citta

The purpose of our living is nothing other than to benefit others, to eliminate their sufferings and to bring them happiness. The purpose of our living is nothing other than this. Anything other than this is meaningless; anything other than this is a complicated life, a confused life. Nothing other than this gives you fulfillment in your heart. No activity that you can think of other than this is really worthwhile; nothing other than this is worth doing. This also brings the best satisfaction.
       Now, every one of us has responsibility for the happiness of every single living being, which wants happiness and does not want problems, or sufferings. If you have a good heart, your compassion does not produce actions that harm others; you only stop giving harm to others and benefit them. How to do these two things—stop giving harm to others and bring benefit to them—encapsulate the entire philosophy of Buddhism. 

Note: This is a speech of Lama Yeshe

According to Mahayana teaching, the three principle paths to liberation are renunciation, bodhi citta and the wisdom of the Shunyata.  These three called the principal, essential paths to liberation.  These are very important, because it contains the essence of the entire teachings of the Lord Buddha. 

RENUNCIATION:  One has to understand that renouncing sensory pleasure doesn't mean throughing nice things away.  Therefore renunciation means less craving; it means being more reasonable instead of putting too much psychological pressure on yourself and acting crazy. 

The important point to know is that we should have less grasping at sense pleasures because most of the time our grassing at and craving desire for worldly pleasure does not give us satisfaction. That is the main point.  It leads to more dissatisfaction and to psychologically crazier reaction.  That is the main point.

The other two paths i.e. Bodhi citta and wisdom of Shunyata will be discussed in the next month issue.

Ref: The essence of Tibetan Buddhism, by Lama Yeshe.

AT SHANTI STUPA, BIHAR, INDIA