I do not believe in a fate that falls on men however they act; but I do believe in a fate that falls on them unless they act.
I never see what has been done; I only see what remains to be done.
In a controversy, the instant we feel anger, we have already ceased striving for the truth, and have begun striving for ourselves.
The world, indeed, is like a dream and the treasures of the world are an alluring mirage! Like the apparent distances in a picture, things have no reality in themselves, but they are like heat haze.
Every human being is the author of his own health or disease.
Hatred does not cease by hatred, but only by love; this is the eternal rule.
He is able who thinks he is able.
He who experiences the unity of life sees his own Self in all beings, and all beings in his own Self, and looks on everything with an impartial eye.
Health is the greatest gift, contentment the greatest wealth, faithfulness the best relationship.
Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one who gets burned."
The Shakya clansmen dwelt along the Rohini River which flows among the southern foothills of the Himalayas. Their king, Shuddhodana Gautama, established his capital at Kapilavastu and there had a great castle built and ruled wisely, winning the acclaim of his people. The Queen?s name was Maya. She was the daughter of the King?s uncle who was also the king of a neighboring district of the same Shakya clan. For twenty years they had no children. But one night Queen Maya had a strange dream, in which she saw a white elephant entering into her womb through the right ride of her chest, and she became pregnant. The King and the people looked forward with anticipation to the birth of the royal child. According to their custom, the Queen returned to her parents? home for the birth, and on her way, in the beautiful spring sunshine, she took a rest in the Lumbini Garden. All about her were Ashoka blossoms. In delight she reached her right arm out to pluck a branch as she did so, a prince was born. All expressed their heartfelt delight with the glory of the Queen and her princely child: Heaven and Earth rejoiced. This memorable day was the eights day of April. The joy of the King was extreme and he named the child, Siddhartha, which means ?Every wish Fulfilled.?
In the palace of the King, however, delight was followed quickly by sorrow, for after several days the lovely Queen Maya suddenly died. Her younger sister, Mahaprajapati, became the child?s foster mother and brought him up with loving care. A hermit, called Asita, who lived in the mountains not far away, noticed a radiance about the castle. Interpreting it as a good omen he came down to the palace and was shown the child. He predicted: ?This Prince, if he remains in the palace, when grown up will become a great king and subjugate the whole world. But if he forsakes the court life to embrace a religious life, he will become a Buddha, the Savior of the world.? At first the King was pleased to hear this prophecy, but later he started to worry about the possibility of his only son leaving the palace to become a homeless recluse. At the age of seven, the Prince began his lessons in the civil and military arts, but his thoughts more naturally tended to other things. One spring day he went out of the castle with his father. Together they were watching a farmer at his plowing when he noticed a bird descended to the ground and carried off a small worm which had been turned up by the farmer?s plough. He sat down in the shade of a tree and thought about it, whispering to himself: ?Alas! Do all living creatures kill each other?? The Prince, who had lost his mother so soon after his birth, was deeply affected by the tragedy of these little creatures. This spiritual wound deepened day by day as he grew up; like a little scar on a young tree, the suffering of human life became more and more deeply engrained in his mind. The King was increasingly worried as he recalled the hermit?s prophecy and tried in every possible way to cheer the Prince and to turn his thoughts in other directions. The King arranged the marriage of the Prince at the age of nineteen to the Princess Yashodhara. She was the daughter of Suprabuddha, the Lord of Devadaha Castle and a brother of the late Queen Maya. For ten years, in the different Pavilions of Spring, Autumn and the Rainy Season, the Prince was immersed in rounds of music, dancing and pleasure, but always his thoughts returned to the problem of suffering of human life. ?The luxuries of the palace, this healthy body, this rejoicing youth! What do they mean to me?? he thought. ?Some day we may be sick, we shall become aged; from death there is no escape. Pride of youth, pride of health, pride of existence ? all thoughtful people should cast they aside. If he looks in the right way he recognizes the true nature of sickness, old age and death, and he searches for meaning in that which transcends all human sufferings. In my life of pleasures I seem to be looking in the wrong way.? Thus the spiritual struggle went on in the mind of the Prince until his only child, Rahula, was born when he was 29. This seemed to bring things to a climax, for he then decided to leave the palace and look for the solution of his spiritual unrest in the homeless life of a mendicant. He left the castle one night with only his charioteer, Chandaka, and his favorite horse, the snow-white Kanthaka. His anguish did not end and many devils tempted him saying: ?You would do better to return to the castle for the whole world would soon be yours.? But he told the devil that he did not want the whole world. So he shaved his head and turned his steps toward the south, carrying a begging bowl in his hand. The Prince first visited the hermit Bhagava and watched the ascetic practices. He then went to Arada Kalama and Udraka Ramaputra to learn their methods of attaining Enlightenment through meditation; but after practicing them for a time he became convinced that they would not lead him to Enlightenment. Finally, he went to the land of Magadha and practiced asceticism in the forest of Uruvilva on the banks of the Nairanjana River, which flows by the Gaya Village. The methods of his practice where unbelievably rigorous. He spurred himself on with the though that ?no ascetic in the past, none in the present, and none in the future, ever has practiced or ever will practice more earnestly than I do.? Still the prince could not realize his goal. After six years in the forest, he gave up the practice of asceticism. He went bathing in the river and accepted a bowl of milk from the hand of Sujata, a maiden who lived in the neighboring village. The five companions who had living with the Prince during the six years of his ascetic practice were shocked that he should receive milk from the hand of a maiden; they thought him degraded and left him. Thus the Prince was life alone. He was still weak, but at the risk of losing his life he attempted yet another period of meditation, saying to himself, ?Blood my become exhausted, flesh may decay, bones may fall apart, but I will never leave this place until I find the way to Enlightenment.? It was an intense and incomparable struggle for him. He was desperate and filled with confusing thoughts, dark shadows overhung his spirit, and he was beleaguered by all the lures of the devils. Carefully and patiently he examined them one by one and rejected them all. It was a hard struggle indeed, making his blood run thin, his flesh fall away, and his bones crack. But when the morning star appeared in the eastern sky, the struggle was over and the Prince?s mind was as clear and bright as the breaking day. He had, at last, found the path to Enlightenment. It was December eighth, when the Prince became a Buddha at thirty-five years of age. From this time on the Prince was known by different names: some spoke of him as Buddha, the Perfectly Enlightened One, Tathagata; some spoke of him as Shakyamuni, the Sage of the Shakya clan; others called him the World-Honored One. He went first to Mrigadava in Varanasi where the five mendicants who had lived with him during the six years of his ascetic life were staying. At first they shunned him, but after they had talked with him, they believed in him and became his first followers. He then went to the Rajagriha Castle and won over King Bimbisara who had always been his friend. From there he went about the country living on alms and teaching men to accept his way of life. Men responded to him as the thirsty seek water and the hungry food. Two great disciples, Shariputra (Sariputra) and Maudgalyayana, and their two thousand followers, came to him. At first the Buddha?s father, King Shuddhodana, still inwardly suffering because of his son?s decision to leave the palace, remained aloof, but then became his faithful disciple. Mahaprajapati, the Buddha?s foster mother, and Princess Yashodhara, his wife, and all the members of the Shakya clan began to follow him. Multitudes of others also became his devoted and faithful followers. For forty-five years the Buddha went about the country preaching and persuading men to follow his way of life. But when he was eighty, at Vaisali and on his way from Rajagriha to Shrvasti, he became ill and predicted that after three months he would enter Nirvana. Still he journeyed on until he reached Pava where he fell seriously ill from some food offered by Chundra, a blacksmith. Eventually, in spite of great pain and weakness, he reached the forest that bordered Kusinagara. Lying between two large sala trees, he continued teaching his disciples until his last moment. Thus, he entered into perfect tranquility after he had completed his work as the world?s greatest teacher. Under the guidance of Ananda, the Buddha?s favorite disciple, the body was cremated by his friends in Kusinagara. Severn neighboring rulers as well as King Ajatasatru demanded that the relics be divided among them. The people of Kusinagara at first refused and the dispute even threatened to end in war; but under the advice of a wise man named Drona, the crisis passed and the relics where divided among the eight great countries. The ashes of the funeral pyre and the earthen jar that contained the relics were also given to two other rules to be likewise honored. Thus ten great towers commemorating the Buddha were built to enshrine his relics and ashes.
The Four Noble Truths... The four noble truths result from the application of the three basic laws to the human condition. The Buddha frequently asserted that he was interested in the problem of the alleviation of human suffering: "Only one thing do I teach, suffering, and how to end it." His approach to the problem of suffering was similar to that of the physician to his patient. He first diagnoses the malady, then seeks the cause of the malady, next finds out whether a cure is possible. Finally he prescribes the medicine. The four truths correspond to the four steps of this diagnostic-curative procedure.
(1) The Truth of Suffering. This truth affirms that the law of dukkha (suffering) is applicable to the human condition:
Birth is suffering, decay is suffering, death is suffering; sorrow, lamentation, pain, grief, and despair are suffering. To be separated from the pleasant is suffering; to be in contact with the unpleasant is suffering; in short the five aggregates of existence connected with attachment are all suffering." The validity of the truth of suffering need not be belaboured here; it is essentially a matter for personal verification. The truth of dukkha refers not to the on-existence of the pleasurable and the joyful, but to the very incompleteness and finitude of that enjoyment. The imputation of pessimism sometimes made of early Buddhism is without foundation; suffering in the Buddhist sense encompasses what is usually termed "evil" in other religo-philosophical systems, and the existence of evil, caused either by chance events or by deliberate ill-will is not seriously denied.
(2) The Truth of the Cause of Suffering. The proximate cause of suffering is craving (tanhâ), but the root cause of ignorance. The objects of craving are manifold: sensual pleasure, material possessions, glory, power, fame, ego, craving for re-birth, even craving for Nirvana. There are various degrees of craving from a mild wish to an acute grasping . Craving is the proximate cause of suffering and is itself caused by other conditioning factors. The full formula of causation is contained in the Buddhist formula of dependent origination, where the causes for existence and suffering are traced back through a chain of twelve links, back to ignorance.
(3) The Truth of the Cessation of Suffering. This growth constitutes the "good news" of Buddhism. The cause of suffering could be counteracted. This truth affirms that a way out of suffering exists, which if followed will lead the individual to a state of non-suffering called nibbâna, perhaps better known by the Sanskrit form of the term, Nirvâna. If the first truth could be considered to have a taint of "pessimism," this truth has the full flavour of "optimism."
(4) The Truth of the Path to Enlightenment. The Buddhist path to Enlightenment is that discovered by the Buddha through his own personal effort and practice. It has been called the Middle Path because it is a via media between the extremes of self-indulgence and self-mortification. Both extremes of practice were common in the Buddha's day (as indeed they are in our own). The Buddha calls such extremes vain, profitless and ignoble. The path of the Buddha avoids two kinds of activity usually considered essential for salvation by many religious systems. These are: (1) prayer to supra human powers and agencies, and (2) elaborate rites and rituals. On the contrary, these are considered as being positive impediments on the path to the cessation of suffering and the gaining of insight and wisdom.
While the Four Noble Truths contain the kernel of the Buddha's teaching, and were proclaimed by the Buddha in his very first discourse, there are many other doctrines that are central to a philosophical system which is as deep as that of Buddhism.
The Buddha's path of practice is called the Noble Eightfold path. The eight components of this path, as presented in traditional order, could be briefly described as follows:
1. Right View (Understanding). This is the right way of interpreting and viewing the world. It involves the realisation of the three signata in all phenomena, and of the Four Noble Truths as being applicable to the human condition. More generally it involves the abandonment of all dogmatically held wrong views.
2. Right Intention (Thought). The Buddha argued that all human thought and action spring from basic "intentions," "dispositions," or "roots," which are capable of deliberate cultivation, training and control. The three roots of wrong, unwholesome or "unskilful" action are: Greed, Aversion and Delusion. The right intention which the Buddhist path requires, is an intention which is free from these roots. The Buddha called the intention "that is free from greed and lust, free from ill-will, free from cruelty."
3. Right Speech. Since speech is the most powerful means of communication, the Buddha emphasises the cultivation of right modes of speech. These have been described as avoiding falsehood and adhering to the truth; abstaining from tale-bearing and instead promoting harmony; refraining from harsh language and cultivating gentle and courteous speech; avoiding vain, irresponsible and foolish talk, and speaking in reasoned terms on subjects of value. Naturally right speech includes in the modern context right ways of communication whatever the medium used.
4. Right Action. This refers to wilful acts done by a person, whether by body or mind. Under the former it involves such forms of ethical conduct as not killing (or harming) living beings, theft, sexual wrong-doing, etc. On the positive side right action, also called wholesome deeds, involves acts of loving-kindness (mettâ), compassion, sympathetic joy, generosity, etc.
5. Right Livelihood. This involves not choosing an occupation that brings suffering to others, e.g. trading in living beings (including humans), arms, drugs, poisons, etc.; slaughtering, fishing, soldiering, sooth-saying, trickery, usury, etc. This provides the economic blueprint for a truly Buddhist society.
6. Right Effort. This has been described as "the effort of avoiding or overcoming evil and unwholesome things, and of developing and maintaining wholesome things." Right effort enables an individual to cultivate the right frame of mind in order to accomplish the ethical requirements under right speech, right action and right livelihood. It is generally presented as a factor of mental training, enabling individuals to develop the sublime states of loving-kindness (mettâ) compassion, sympathetic joy, and equanimity. However it has a general applicability and the effort could be directed to all wholesome activities.
7. Right Mindfulness. This is the basic Buddhist technique of cultivating awareness. Although viewed as a meditation component in fact right awareness has a wider applicability.
8. Right Concentration. This is the concentration of mind associated with wholesome consciousness which could be achieved through the systematic cultivation of meditation. Progress along this line is indicated by the achievement of the different levels of "absorption."
Of these eight components of the Path, the first two have usually been grouped under wisdom, the next three under morality, and the last three under mental development. This classification is not quite satisfactory, but it does present a broad grouping that is useful in many contexts.
The first of these components (right view) is generally considered the most important, but there is no particular order of importance when it comes to the others. However different traditions and exponents have put different degrees of stress on the different components. It will be seen that there is no single component of the path that can be called "meditation." However, in the course of time the component of mental development came to be regarded as meditation.
He has cast away 'Lust;' he dwells with a heart free from lust; from lust he cleanses his heart.
He has cast away 'Ill-will;' he dwells with a heart free from ill-will; cherishing love and compassion toward all living beings, he cleanses his heart from ill-will.
He has cast away 'Torpor and Sloth;' he dwells free from torpor and sloth; loving the light, with watchful mind, with clear comprehension, he cleanses his mind from torpor and sloth.
He has cast away 'Restlessness and Mental Worry;' dwelling with mind undisturbed, with heart full of peace, he cleanses his mind from restlessness and mental worry.
He has cast away 'Doubt;' dwelling free from doubt, full of confidence in the good, he cleanses his heart from doubt.
Nirvana... And his heart becomes free from sensual passion, free from the passion for existence, free from the passion of ignorance). 'Freed am I!' This knowledge arises in the liberated one; and he knows: 'Exhausted is rebirth, fulfilled the Holy Life; what was to be done, has been done; naught remains more for this world to do.' For ever am I liberated. This is the last time that I'm born, no new existence waits for me. This is, indeed, the highest, holiest wisdom: to know that all suffering has passed away. This is, indeed, the highest, holiest peace: appeasement of greed, hatred and delusion. This, truly, is Peace, this is the Highest, namely the end of all Karma formations, the forsaking of every substratum of rebirth, the fading away of craving. detachment, extinction, Nirvana. Enraptured with lust, enraged with anger, blinded by delusion, overwhelmed, with mind ensnared, man aims at his own ruin, at the ruin of others, at the ruin of both, and he experiences mental pain and grief. But, if lust, anger, and delusion are given up, man aims neither at his own ruin, nor at the ruin of others, nor at the ruin of both and he experiences no mental pain and grief. Thus is Nirvana immediate, visible in this life, inviting, attractive, and comprehensible to the wise. The extinction of greed, the extinction of hate, the extinction of delusion: this, indeed, is called Nirvana.
And for a disciple thus freed, in whose heart dwells peace, there is nothing to be added to what has been done, and naught more remains for him to do. Just as a rock of one solid mass remains unshaken by the wind, even so neither forms, nor sounds, nor odors, nor tastes, nor contacts of any kind, neither the desired nor the undesired, can cause such a one to waver. Steadfast is his mind, gained is deliverance. And he who has considered all the contrasts on this earth, and is no more disturbed by anything whatever in the world, the peaceful One, freed from rage, from sorrow, and from longing, he has passed beyond birth and decay.
Hence, the purpose of the Holy Life does not consist in acquiring alms, honour, or fame, nor in gaining morality, concentration, or the eye of knowledge. That unshakable deliverance of the heart: that, indeed, is the object of the Holy Life, that is its essence, that is its goal. And those, who in the past were Holy and Enlightened Ones, those Blessed Ones also have pointed out to their disciples this self-same goal as has been pointed out by me to my disciples. And those who in the future will be Holy and Enlightened Ones, those Blessed Ones also will point out to their disciples this self-same goal as has been pointed out by me to my disciples. However, disciples, it may be that (after my passing away) you might think: 'Gone is the doctrine of our master. We have no Master more.' But thus you should not think; for the 'Law' (Dharma) and the 'Discipline' (vinaya) which I have taught you, will after my death be your master. The Law be your isle! The Law be your refuge! Look for no other refuge! Therefore, disciples, the doctrines which I taught you after having penetrated them myself, you should well preserve, well guard, so that this Holy life may take its course and continue for ages, for the weal and welfare of the many, as a consolation to the world, for the happiness, weal and welfare of heavenly beings and men.
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