Buddha’s Teaching for A Better Person

Raymond T. & Beatrice C. Lee Foundation for Better Persons

                                       

                                                     

Before I came to U.S.A. my family in China practices Buddhism as a religion, so I don't know much of it. After I retired. I start to visit Buddha's institutes. Then I begin to learn Buddha's principle. I realized it is not a religion, rather a philosophy or a moral code to teach people to be a better person.   However I still lack of ways to tell the full beauty of the Buddhism. The best I can do is write a summary from the "Practical Buddhism." by K. Sri Dhammananda - Kuala Lumpur 1987.
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Introduction
Everyone in itself has three types of nature: animal nature, human nature, and divine nature. We adopt one of these nature to satisfy our needs and desires. When our minds are not guided by religious discipline. Our “animal nature” often dominate. Many of these characteristics may not be so obvious when conditions are favorable and the surroundings congenial. However, when situations change, these characteristics are exposed by deep-seated emotions and craving, flared up like a volcano.
There is one main characteristic which separates human beings from animals, that is, they have a mind to think and reflect about their existence and the life, and phenomena around them. People unable to use their minds to the fullest because of delusion. A religion can be used as a means to remove that delusion, subdue the animal nature and cultivate “human nature”. When that mind is cultivated beyond humanism and constantly dwells in kindness and compassion, consideration to others, providing services to relieve others of their suffering, that mind has realized its “divine nature”.
From the Buddhist point of view, there is no necessity for some external divine inspiration to influence and ennoble the mind. This is something, a person has to do by itself. Who has to ennobles whose mind by eliminating negative characteristics such as ignorance, hatred, jealousy, and selfishness, while cultivating positive virtues such as friendliness, love and compassion. Through cultivating our virtues, we can transcend our divine nature and achieve one more level, namely, the fourth and most important nature, the “Enlightened Nature”, which is the state of self-awakening and realization into the nature of life as it really is.
What is Buddhism?
Generally, for practical purposes, we can describe Buddhism as a religion. Here, religion is taken to mean a method or way of life which was introduced for people to be righteous and noble, for them to attain final liberation through mental purity. Religion helps people to develop their mental processes and lead them to experience happiness and peace. Buddhism is a philosophy to the extent that Buddha wants us to lead a rational, noble way of life and use our human intelligence for the benefit of all. Hence, the Buddhist way of life is reasonable and practical for all times and in any society and country. It promotes harmony and does not create hostility or disturb the followers of other religions. From the Buddhist viewpoint, a religion is not something that has come down from heaven but a way of life which has developed on earth to satisfy the intellectual and spiritual yearning of mankind. Buddhism is a method for those who sincerely want to understand the reality of life. It is righteous way of life for people to do good, be good and lead a happy life.
Three Aspects to Understanding Buddhism
Three aspects in the understanding and realization of Buddhism, namely, the intellectual, spiritual, and practical aspects.

  1. 1. Dona is charity or sacrificing something for the welfare of others in order to reduce selfish desire or greed.
  2. 2. Sila is upholding morality through self-discipline by leading a harmless and respectable life and by training the mind and senses not to become slaves of sensual pleasures.
  3. 3. Bhavana is mental culture for the purpose of cultivating the mind in order to maintain peace and happiness.
In leading mankind to a religious way of life, the Buddha did not impose any religious laws or commandments for people to obey, nor did he introduce a set of punishments for those who violate religious principles. In stead, Buddha advised people to practice Buddha’s doctrine by realizing the value of good conduct and to give up evil practices after understanding the bad effects of such conduct.
The way of spiritual transformation rests on the three pillars of Sila-Samadhi-Panna, that is, morality, mental development and wisdom. Without developing these qualities, one will have difficulties in leading a happy and peaceful life.
Doctrinal Content of Buddhism
The best source of information on the Buddhist doctrine and the practice of Sila- Samadhi-Panna is the Tripitaka. The Tripitaka is divided into the Sutta,Vinaya and Adhidhamma The Sutta Pitaka contains the conventional of simple teaching on how to lead a noble life. The Vinaya Pitaka contains the disciplinary code for those who have renounced the worldly life to lead a pure, monastic life, while moral psychology and in-depth analysis of the mind and elements is contained in the Abhidhamma Pitaka. The Buddha’s teaching may be summarized in the following words.
......Not to do evil . .............. To do good. .................. To purify the mind.
Buddha’s Five Moral Principles are: abstaining from killing, stealing, sexual misconduct, telling lies, and taking intoxicating drugs and liquor. These do not encompass all evil deeds, but it is good to try not to violate these precepts to start with. The precepts are training rules voluntarily undertaken by the individual to help person lead a harmless life, a life filled with compassion, generosity, contentment, truthfulness and mindfulness. These are qualities important for maintaining peace and security. In order to remain in performing good and avoiding evil, we will have to constantly watch the mind and remove from it mental impurities. When impure thoughts and motivations are extinguished, the mind is always good and pure, and we will reach the “Enlightened Nature”.
The Noble Truths
A clear understanding of the Four Truths is fundamental to the practice of the Buddhism. These truths consist of 1) the realization of the nature of suffering, 2) the cause of suffering, 3) the freedom from suffering, and 4) the method to bring in end to the suffering. The Buddha explained that we realize that suffering is nothing more than the unsatisfactoriness regarding our lives and feelings. The causes of unsatisfactoriness are natural and are not created by anybody or any power. In every element and form of energy, friction, clashes, imbalances or changes take place continually. All visible objects exist as a result of friction which causes change, and change is the characteristic of life. When this state of flux which we experience physically and mentally at every moment is compounded with different human emotions and cravings, therefore each individual has different reflection from same state of flux. Buddha’s teaching is to deal human emotion and craving for avoiding unsatisfactoriness or suffering and achieving peace and happiness. Buddha’s teaching is to realize that people experience suffering when they give in to ignorance and try to satisfy their insatiable sense desires, which can only lead to worries, fear, and disappointments. Therefore, when a person realizes the Four Noble Truths, he takes steps to overcome his unhappiness by reducing his craving and aversion, which are the roots of all evil actions.
The Noble Path
The noble path consists of the following eight factors: Right Understanding, Right Speech, Right Action, Right Livelihood, Right Effort, Right Mindfulness, and Right Concentration. A person strengthens whose Silo or moral discipline by practicing Right Speech, Right Action and Right Livelihood. Samadhi or mental culture is developed through the application of Right Effort, Right Mindfulness and Right concentration. The development of Sila and Samdhi will give rise to Panna or wisdom which comprises Right Understanding and Right Thought. When people practiced these Rights, it is possible for a person to purify whose mind and undergo spiritual development to become more perfect and noble.
Nibbana
We may go around the world in search of the truth, but we will not find it until we search within ourselves using insight meditation as taught by the Buddha. Through insight meditation, we can penetrate into reality and gain freedom from decay, worries, miseries and unsatisfactoriness. We attain the peace, happiness and tranquillity known as Nibbana, the fruit obtained by ones who has developed whose mind to the apex of purity and perfection. Buddhist do not believe that a person will have to face the rewards of and punishments for the deeds because of whose fate or through the judgment of some divine being, instead, it is the operation of the natural law of moral causation or kamma that brings happiness or suffering to a person.
Kamma
The kammic law helps us understand the cause of inequalities among mankind. We are all conditioned by our wholesome or unwholesome thoughts, words and actions. Whatever actions we perform intentionally are motivated by wholesome or unwholesome thoughts. Based on these motivations, we create accordingly good or bad kamma. Good kamma bring good results, while bad kamma bring bad results. The results of our good and bad kamma can ripen either within this lifetime or hereafter. The kammic law is a natural , universal law. Everyone has to experience the good and bad effects of his or her actions regardless of whether he or she believes in kamma or not.
Rebirth
Rebirth rather than reincarnation is taught in Buddhism. The difference is that in reincarnation it is believed that a soul undergoes repeated births, while rebirth does not subscribe to the idea of a soul. The Buddha has explained that people are reborn continually in Samsara through the effort made by the people to cultivate wholesome thoughts, words, and actions. Until a person fully understands his or her moral responsibilities, suddenly he or she is raised from a piteous state of helplessness to someone filled with inspiration, responsibility and self-respect.
PRACTICE OF BUDDHISM IN MODERN SOCIETY
Culture, Rites and Rituals
Although religious rites, rituals and ceremonies are not favored by intellectuals, some harmless and reasonable practices are important for people to express their devotion and spiritual feelings. Many of the Buddhist ceremonies help to cultivate good habits and positive emotions in the followers so that they become kind, considerate and cultured people. When performed with understanding and earnestness, these practices strengthen one’s qualities and avoid an over-intellectualization of Buddhism which could make it seem rather cold, detached and academic.
We should also be aware of some so-called Buddhist leaders who try to reinforce their own Buddhist labels by incorporating many forms of charms, divine powers, mystical and supernatural concepts to hoodwink the masses.
Confidence and a Religious Life
We must develop confidence in the Buddhism which shows the way to cultivate ourselves to the highest level by practicing all the good qualities and avoiding human weakness. Buddhism teaches that a truly religious life is one based on moral discipline and mental training and not through mere faith or praying to external power. A religious man is one who contributes to the peaceful co-existence among beings and practices goodwill, compassion, harmony, and understanding. The duty of a religion is to train the human mind to achieve this end and to guide humanity towards spiritual development, a noble attainment sadly lacking among humankind today.
We should not practice our religion in such a way that it disrupts and destroys the potential for material growth. Conversely, a religious person should try to achieve material aims without in any way violating the peace and happiness of others.
Tolerance in Buddhism
The spirit of tolerance in Buddhism is remarkable. It has contributed to the maintenance of a peaceful, healthy religious atmosphere amongst different religious groups and various Buddhist denominations without any bloodshed for the last 2,500 years. As Buddhists we need not become slaves either to sense pleasures or to any supernatural power. But by cultivating human dignity, virtue and intelligence, we can gain true wisdom which will conquer all ignorance.
Concept of God and Sin
According to Buddhism, the belief in the forgiveness of sins by a supernatural being is not justifiable, the effects of certain evil deeds that we have committed can only be overcome by increasing our meritorious deeds and maintaining healthy, pure minds. This cannot be done by merely praying to anybody. This is a religion for people to practice on the basis of their own convictions and understanding and not out of the fear of eternal hell fire.
The concept of God in Buddhism is entirely different from that in the other religions. Buddhists work for their salvation by leading a noble, religious life and through mental purification without depending on any God. Yet, they do accept the existence of many gods. To Buddhists, gods can help materially but they are not all powerful and cannot help us to achieve mental purification and final salvation. We must do that ourselves.
For more information, contact
Foundation for Better Persons at
homepage site: www.betterperson.org ; e-mail: rlee@betterperson
Address: 9 Grove St. W. Medford MA. 02155 ; Tel. 617-483-8069 ; Fax 617-483-3589