Episode 01 - Buddhism - A Brief Presentation.
BUDDHISM – A BRIEF PRESENTATION
Sri Chandramouliswaran of the Sri Vaishnavism Group wrote – in February 2022:
Quote: In response to the repeated appeals of Shri Parthasarathy to the Group to come up with some spiritual subject for interactions in the Group, may I suggest that the teachings of Buddha could be the subject. It is said that Buddha had not referred to God in his teachings and had not accepted the existence of soul. On the basis of my very limited knowledge, there was emphasis on ethics and ethical conduct in his teachings. I have heard that Buddhism did not flourish and grow in India because Buddha did not recognise vedas as the ultimate source of knowledge. Nevertheless, there can be no two opinions that Buddha was a realised soul and every word which came out from him is a gem. I have only mentioned this subject as a possible subject for discussion but I am NOT qualified at all to even initiate the subject in any great detail in this group. Shri Parthasarathy himself could take up the task as I am sure his knowledge of spiritual subjects would include core teachings of Buddha and how (if at all) they differed from Vedas.
Unquote.
Buddhism (or Boudham) it shall be, for us to delve into. Sri Chandramouliswaran has provided a tentative roadmap for this enquiry, and we shall adhere to it as far as possible.
We are thus at the threshold of another major platform for comprehending, analysing and discussing a major religio-spiritual corpus that sprang out of India, that seemingly rejected some of the well-worn tenets from the past, imparted a scientific and ‘here and now’ tenor to both religion and spiritualism and at one point in time, seemed to overwhelm much of this planet with its appeal and attractiveness – Buddhism. This religio-spiritual thought even today has found affiliation and adherence with nearly 400 million people all over the world – Buddhism (or Bouddham as the Thamizh country would call it).
The word “Buddhism” comes from the word “buddha”, which in turn comes from the word “buddhi” and “bodhi”. These words literally mean “intellect”, “intelligence”, “wisdom” or “supreme knowledge”. They refer more specifically to the intelligence and supreme knowledge that a Buddha possesses due to the understanding of the four noble truths. But metaphorically they are usually translated as “enlightenment” or “awakening”, and the word “Buddha” as “enlightened” or “awakened”.
Buddhism arose in the valley of the great river Ganges, dating from the lifetime of
its founder, Siddhattha Gotama (“The Buddha”), somewhere around 600—500 BCE.
As with all major religious movements/denominations, Buddhism aka Boudham was, I think, the product of serious questions or disquiet coming up with the state of religion and spirituality at the time these came into being. When Siddhartha (Gautama the Buddha) came on the scene, the Hindu religious architecture had swerved precipitously towards material life and its rewards – as exemplified by the single-minded pursuit of the ritualistic part of the Vedhic corpus – the Karma Khanda. The much earlier quest in the same direction: is the Karma Khanda the end-all, or is there something that is loftier, that is more universal, that is more encompassing? resulted in the Upanishadic corpus, the Brahma Sutra, the Gita and other ascetically enhanced efforts to lift the mind above the material content of religion. But, highly illuminating these great treatises were, these apparently just went past the minds of ordinary people, became the rather reward less preserve of the intellectual cream that found delectable repast in those stunning proclamations that elevated man right to the portals of the Supreme Being; because this science could not evolve a bridge that would connect it with the day-to-day life of ordinary people, their lives and their aspirations and tribulations. And, provide answers to the questions that well up in the minds of these ordinary people – about the purpose of life, the cause of grief and suffering, etc.
At the societal level, there were rumblings of discontent and dissent – as the priest class and the ruling class were dominating the Karma Khanda and the rest of the society felt cut off and deprived. Indeed, amongst some of Buddha’s rare criticisms of what lay before him was finding fault with the priest class which he observed was putting a price on their privilege of studying and teaching the vedhas and also the exclusive executors of the rituals prescribed in the vedhas.
The ”Dhammapada” the main Buddhist scripture, invests quite a bit in defining a Brahmin (a Brahmana as Hindu scriptures note), and the above critique is evident in those definitions:
- Not by matted hair not by lineage not by caste, does one become a
Brahmin. He is a Brahmin in whom there are truth and righteousness.
He is blessed.
- Because he has put aside (bahishkrta) evil, he is called a Brahmin;
because he lives in serenity is called a Samana.
- Him I call a Brahmin who is meditative, free from passions, settled,
whose work is accomplished, who is free from taints and who has
attained the highest end.
- Him I call a Brahmin, who knows his former existences, who perceives
heaven and hell, has reached the end of existences, is a sage (whose
knowledge is perfect and has accomplished all that is to he accomplished).
Brahmana both in the Upanishadic thought and Buddhism is
accepted as a term for a saint, one who has attained final sanctification.
- The Brahmin is one who casts off belief in happy worldly
existences, the basis of desire (trshna). Not by ritual and sacrifices, not
by isolation and trance but by self concentration and exercise of Maitri
and Karuna does one transcend I-ness and become a Brahmin, who
knows the highest truth (paramartha satya). Buddha says "cut off
the stream of existence with energy (virya)”.
Let us look at the meaty issues – not go meandering through countless issues that Buddhism (Boudham) could throw up for endless discussion – let us go with the lead given by the initiator of this discussion, Sri Chandramouliswaran:
Buddhism or Buddha on God, Supreme Being, God, Creator;
On Soul;
On Death and Rebirth;
Dīghā jāgarato ratti, dīghaṁ santassa yojanaṁ,
dīgho bālānaṁ saṁsāro Saddhammaṁ avijānataṁ. (Verse 60. Dhamma Pada)
Long is the night for one awake,
long is a league for one tired,
long is the round of births and deaths
for fools who know not True Dhamma.
Appakā te manussesu ye janā pāragāmino,
athāyaṁ itarā pajā tīram-evānudhāvati,
ye ca kho sammad-akkhāte Dhamme dhammānuvattino,
te janā pāram-essanti, maccudheyyaṁ suduttaraṁ. (Dhamma Pada Verses 85, 86)
Amongst humans a few people go beyond,
the rest of the people run down the bank,
but those who live righteously, conforming
with this well-taught Dhamma, they go beyond,
overcoming death, which is hard to cross.
Paṭhavisamo no virujjhati,
indakhīlūpamŏ tādi subbato,
rahado va apetakaddamo –
saṁsārā na bhavanti tādino. (Dhamma Pada Verse 95)
One untroubled just like the earth,
steadfast just like a city-post,
like a lake mud-free – such a one
continues not in births and deaths.
Assaddho akataññū ca sandhicchedo ca yo naro,
hatāvakāso vantāso, sa ve uttamaporiso. (Dhamma Pada Verse 97)
The one who is beyond mere faith,
who knows that which is unmade,
who has cut off rebirth-linking,
who has destroyed the occasion,
who has thrown out hope and desire,
is surely the person supreme.
Gabbham-eke ’papajjanti, nirayaṁ pāpakammino,
saggaṁ sugatino yanti, parinibbanti anāsavā. (Dhamma Pada Verse 126)
Some are reborn in the womb, but those who
are wicked in the underworld,
the righteous go to heaven, those who are
pollutant-free are emancipated.
(Rebirth is indicated; and ‘Hell’ for the wicked and ‘Heaven’ for the meritorious are spoken of in this verse.)
Dhammaṁ care sucaritaṁ, na naṁ duccaritaṁ care,
Dhammacārī sukhaṁ seti asmiṁ loke paramhi ca. (Dhamma Pada Verse 169)
One should live by Dhamma, with good
conduct and not with bad conduct,
living by Dhamma one will live
at ease in this world and the next.
Saccaṁ bhaṇe, na kujjheyya, dajjāppasmim-pi yācito,
etehi tīhi ṭhānehi gacche devāna’ santike. (Dhamma Pada Verse 224)
One should speak out the truth,
one should not get angry,
when requested then give,
if only a little,
through these three conditions
one can go to the gods.
On Karma;
. Tatheva katapuññam-pi asmā lokā paraṁ gataṁ,
puññāni paṭigaṇhanti piyaṁ ñātīva āgataṁ. (Dhamma Pada Verse 220)
Just so, when one who has merit
goes from this world unto the next,
his merits are received just as
relatives come to their loved one.
NIRVANA (NIBBANA)
Ahiṁsakā ye munayo, niccaṁ kāyena saṁvutā,
te yanti accutaṁ ṭhānaṁ, yattha gantvā na socare. (Dhamma Pada Verse 225)
Those sages without violence,
constantly restrained in body,
go to the deathless Nibbāna,
having gone there they do not grieve
Buddha on Creation (predicated by a Creator):
There is, it would seem, no direct evidence of Buddha talking about a Supreme Being or a Creator at all – for us to deduce a positive or negative attitude on his part towards that proposition. Here are some excerpts:
Did the Buddha say “There is no God,” directly? Let’s ask the experts. Thanissaro Bhikkhu, an American Theravadan monk, suggests it might not be wise to even guess about the existence of God, pointing out that in the Acintita Sutta “…conjecture about the origin of the world…is not to be conjectured about, that would bring madness and vexation to anyone who conjectured about it.” Other scholars on Buddhism, such as Nyanaponika Thera, echo the fruitlessness of the search for God, saying that, anyway, Buddhism denies the existence of God – and most especially a godhead who is a creator or who is omnipotent. But, where do they get their proof that the Buddha said this?
I’m sure there is a scholastic answer to this question, and I tried to do a little scholarly research on the topic. Most of what I found were quotes from sutras that discussed what the Buddha did not believe about the nature of existence, etc. For instance, from the Cula-Malunkyovada Sutta:
“So, Malunkyaputta, remember what is undeclared by me as undeclared, and what is declared by me as declared. And what is undeclared by me? ‘The cosmos is eternal,’ is undeclared by me. ‘The cosmos is not eternal,’ is undeclared by me. ‘The cosmos is finite’… ‘The cosmos is infinite’… ‘The soul & the body are the same’… ‘The soul is one thing and the body another’… ‘After death a Tathagata exists’… ‘After death a Tathagata does not exist’… ‘After death a Tathagata both exists & does not exist’… ‘After death a Tathagata neither exists nor does not exist,’ is undeclared by me.
And why are they undeclared by me? Because they are not connected with the goal, are not fundamental to the holy life. They do not lead to disenchantment, dispassion, cessation, calming, direct knowledge, self-awakening, Unbinding. That’s why they are undeclared by me.”
So, it would seem that searching for a Creator or Supreme Being or Almighty was not on Buddha’s menu at all. He did not have to dwell on that issue. He seems to have been clear in his mind about the nature of what he saw in front of him – the universe was always changing and impermanent, lives were changing and impermanent, sense objects and sense perceptions were changing and impermanent – all governed by an undefined Law of Nature. There was thus no room for conceding or denying the existence of a Creator or a Supreme Being insofar as Buddha’s journeys into his inner self and studies about life and the universe as he saw them were concerned.
The impermanence, the constantly changing nature of everything in this Universe jives with Hindu philosophy.
Kathopanishad – 1.2.10 avers:
jānāmyaham̐ śevadhirityanityaṃ na hyadhruvaiḥ prāpyate hi dhruvaṃ tat
I know that the treasure is uncertain; for, that which is constant is never reached by things which change
Bhagavad Gita –
Chapter 9 – Verse 33
kiṁ punar brāhmaṇāḥ puṇyā bhaktā rājarṣhayas tathā
anityam asukhaṁ lokam imaṁ prāpya bhajasva mām
What then to speak about kings and sages with meritorious deeds? Therefore, having come to this transient and joyless world, engage in devotion unto Me.
Chapter 2, Verse 14
matra-sparsas tu kaunteya
sitosna-sukha-duhkha-dah
agamapayino 'nityas
tams titiksasva bharata
the nonpermanent appearance of happiness and distress, and their disappearance in due course, are like the appearance and disappearance of winter and summer seasons. They arise from sense perception, O scion of Bharata, and one must learn to tolerate them without being disturbed.
The Hindu philosophical evolution had also produced a near-clone to Buddhism, approximately preceding the advent of the Buddha – the Sankhya philosophy which is accepted as a valid member of the vedhic philosophical schools. Like Buddha did, the Sankhaya philosophy too did not invest too much quest on whether there was or wasn’t a Supreme Being.
Samkhya believes that the puruṣa i.e. a Supreme Being, cannot be regarded as the source of inanimate world, i.e. the Creator, because an intelligent principle cannot transform itself into the unconscious world i.e. the Prakriti. It is a pluralistic spiritualism, atheistic realism and uncompromising dualism
Like Buddhism does, Sankhya also accepted transmigration of lives (rebirth cycles) and an ultimate deliverance (Moksha in Sankhya or Nirvana in Buddhism).
Jainism and Jean Paul Sartre’s existentialism of the west join this club that refutes a body, force or energy that creates, administers and dissolves this universe, guides humans from within, etc.
RESONANCE/DISSONANCE WITH ‘VEDANTIC’ HINDU PHILOSOPHY:
Buddhist philosophy has extensive resonance with Hindu philosophy. Its emphasis on ‘samsara’ being the core objective of humans to get delivered from the cycle of births and the associated grief and suffering (‘Moksha’ in Hindu philosophy; ‘Nibbana’ (Nirvana) in Buddhism); its belief that one’s own ‘kamma’ (karma) – the good ones and the bad ones, aggregately or netted out , is what defines the destiny of that being; and that destiny need not be during one life time but could be apportioned and dispersed over several births. The resonance is actually striking when one considers the philosophy and instructions propounded in the Gita and the upanishadic tenets. But the sastras and the ‘poorva’ meemamsa (the karma khanda) of the vedhas may not find much merit in Buddhism.
Max Mueller would capture this resonance in these rather over-simplified terms:: "that buddhism is the highest brahminism popularised, everything esoteric being abolished, the priesthood replaced by monks and these monks being in their true character the successors and representatives of the enlightened dwellers in the forest of former ages (rishis/sages)."
The dissonance is chiefly in rejecting ritualistic dharma (dhamma) and negating a creator.
The Gita commends both the ritualistic component of karma (action) (‘ niyataṁ kuru karma tvaṁ - Chapter 3, Verse 8) as well as the fruitive actions (Karmanye vadhikaraste Ma Phaleshu Kadachana, - Chapter 2, Verse 47). But the Buddha commends only the latter but superscribed by ‘sila’ – morals and ethics that he dictates in those actions.
Like the Gita commending action being evaluated in thought, speech and physical action – as in ‘arjavam’, the Buddha also emphasizes all the three being in consonance in an action
Verse 231 to 234 Dhammapada
Guard against evil deeds, control your body. Giving up evil deeds, cultivate good deeds. (231)
Guard against evil speech, control your speech. Giving up evil speech, cultivate good speech. (232)
Guard against evil thoughts, control your mind. Giving up evil thoughts, cultivate good thoughts. (233)
The wise are controlled in deed, they are controlled in speech, they are controlled in thought. Indeed, they are perfectly self-controlled. (234)
The Gita should appeal to the universal audience for its commendations and solutions for life in the mundane, material world as well as goals set for the yonder –
loke 'smin dvi-vidha nistha pura prokta mayanagha
jnana-yogena sankhyanam karma-yogena yoginam
“the two paths leading to enlightenment were long back explained by me: the path of knowledge, for those inclined toward contemplation, and the path of work for those inclined toward action.”,
The Buddha, though seems to be clear in his conviction that the mundane world only provides distress and grief and the goal should invariably be to gain deliverance from it.
The core philosophy of Buddhism could thus be seen in what is famously called the “Four Noble Truths”: (Pāli: cattāri ariyasaccāni)”
They are called “Noble Truths” because, as the Buddha says, they are real (tathāni), infallible (avitathāni), and do not change (anaññathāni).
These are:
1. All beings experience pain and misery (dukkha) during their lifetime:
“Birth is pain, old age is pain, sickness is pain, death is pain; sorrow, grief, sorrow, grief, and anxiety is pain. Contact with the unpleasant is pain. Separating from the pleasant is pain. Not getting what one wants is pain. In short, the five assemblies of mind** and matter that are subject to attachment are pain“.
** Pancha Skhandas – Rupa (form – the human body of compounds); Vedana – Sensations (feelings received from form – rupa); Samjna – Cognitives, aggregate of perceptions through smell, touch, sight, taste and hearing; Samskara – aggregate of volitional formations – desires, wishes, tendencies (or mental activity); Vinjana – aggregate of consciousness.
2. The origin (samudaya) of pain and misery is due to a specific cause:
“It is the desire that leads to rebirth, accompanied by pleasure and passion, seeking pleasure here and there; that is, the desire for pleasures, the desire for existence, the desire for non-existence“.
3. The cessation (nirodha) of pain and misery can be achieved as follows:
“With the complete non-passion and cessation of this very desire, with its abandonment and renunciation, with its liberation and detachment from it“.
(The Third Noble Truth, the truth of the end of suffering, has dual meaning, suggesting either the end of suffering in this life, on earth, or in the spiritual life, through achieving Nirvana. When one has achieved Nirvana, which is a transcendent state free from suffering and our worldly cycle of birth and rebirth, spiritual enlightenment has been reached. The Fourth Noble truth charts the method for attaining the end of suffering, known to Buddhists as the Noble Eightfold Path. The steps of the Noble Eightfold Path are Right Understanding, Right Thought, Right Speech, Right Action, Right Livelihood, Right Effort, Right Mindfulness and Right Concentration. Moreover, there are three themes into which the Path is divided: good moral conduct (Understanding, Thought, Speech); meditation and mental development (Action, Livelihood, Effort), and wisdom or insight (Mindfulness and Concentration).
4. The method we must follow to stop pain and misery is that of the Noble Eightfold Path.
These truths do not exist in external things; they do exist though, in ourselves, composed as we are of material elements and mental elements, such as consciousness and perception.
As the Buddha says, “In this body with its perception and consciousness I declare the world of pain, the origin, the cessation, and the practice that leads to its cessation“.
And, what is the ‘Eight-fold Path’?
1. PERFECT VISION or right view - samyag drsti, samma ditthi
Dhammapada – verse 111
“Better than a hundred years in the life of an ignorant person, who has no control over his senses, is one day in the life of a wise man who cultivates Tranquillity and Insight.”
2. PERFECT EMOTION or right intention - samyag samkalpa, samma samkappa
For most of us the central problem of the spiritual life is to find emotional equivalents for
our intellectual understanding.
3. PERFECT SPEECH - samma vaca
Dhammapada – verse 100
“Better than a thousand words that are senseless and unconnected with the realization of Nibbana, is a single word of sense, if on hearing it one is calmed and gets peace and tranquility.”
4. PERFECT ACTION - samma kammanta
Dhammapada verse 122
“One should not think lightly of doing good, imagining 'A little will not affect me'; just as a water-jar is filled up by falling drops of rain, so also, the wise one is filled up with merit, by accumulating it little by little.”
5. PERFECT LIVELIHOOD - samma ajiva
Our work takes up a large part of our life. Perfect livelihood is about making this
time part of our practice rather than a hindrance to it – finding a way of working
that carries our awareness and kindness from our meditation deeper into our
lives. It is also about practicing our ideals in our social life – becoming more
responsible and creative with the effect we have on the wider world.
Traditionally this is seen in terms of how we earn our living. The Buddha
dissuaded people from trading in weapons, ‘breathing things’, meat, alcohol and
poisons. In our complex, informed modern world we can see the implications of
right livelihood in our effects on the world’s economy and environment, (is
driving a big fuel guzzling vehicle ethical?) and on the effects of our purchasing
through fair trade, ecologically friendly products, etc..
Dhammapada verse 49
“As the bee collects nectar and flies away without damaging the flower or its colour or its scent, so also, let the bhikkhu dwell and act in the village (without affecting the faith and generosity or the wealth of the villagers).”
6. PERFECT EFFORT - samma vayama
The Buddhist path is active; practicing the Dharma takes consistent effort. The Buddha constantly exhorted his followers to strive in overcoming what was holding them back from fulfilment – the following were famously the Buddha’s last words:
‘Now, bhikkhus, I declare to you: all conditioned things are of a nature to decay - strive on untiringly.’
Effort is involved in the whole path; energy is required to practice any of the
eight limbs. It is also conserved and generated by their practice - for example
deepening our positive emotions stirs us to act for the good and stops our
energy leaking away in empty craving and hate.
7. PERFECT MINDFULNESS - samma sati
Attentiveness or mindfulness is a core virtue upheld by the whole Buddhist
tradition, from the anapanasati (mindfulness of breathing) of the Theravada to
the tea ceremony of Japanese Zen. The development of mindfulness is the basic
meditation practice - gathering and focussing our attention until we become fully
present and actually experience our life and what is actually going on in it. It is
this state that is called the deathless - unmindfulness is being dead to life.
Mindfulness has an ethical quality in that it is about knowing what is skilful and
what is unskilful and recollecting the consequencies of actions. It also has an
aesthetic quality - we can be aware of our world and appreciate it just for its
own sake, taking it in on a level beyond the petty, grasping mind that sees
things in terms of self- centered usefulness.
Dhammapada – verses 21and 22
Verse 21: Mindfulness is the way to the Deathless (Nibbana); unmindfulness is the way to Death. Those who are mindful do not die; those who are not mindful are as if already dead.
Verse 22: Fully comprehending this, the wise, who are mindful, rejoice in being mindful and find delight in the domain of the Noble Ones (Aryas).
8. PERFECT MEDITATION - samma samadhi
The word ‘samadhi’ means being firmly fixed or established, in this case the
mind wholeheartedly fixed or established in meditation. There are different
levels of samadhi; either mundane concentration on an object or establishment
in an enlightened state of awareness. There are terms for these differing depths.
Samatha - the experience of calm, where the mind becomes increasingly
settled, integrated and absorbed in the object of concentration. This increasing
integration is described in the four jhanas of form and the four formless jhanas
(dhyanas in Sanskrit). Dhyanic states are characterised by the factors of
concentration –
1. Initial thought - clear thought related to the meditation
2. Sustained thought - thinking consecutively in a directed manner
3. Rapture - energy release in the form of pleasant physical thrills coursing
through the meditator’s body.
4. Bliss - an expansive experience of refined pleasure growing out of
Contentment.
5. One-pointedness - the main quality of integration in our meditation, being
wholly focussed.
Dhammapada verse 371
“O Bhikkhu, mediate, and do not be unmindful; do not let your mind rejoice in sensual pleasures. Do not be unmindful and swallow the (hot) lump of iron; as you burn (in niraya) do not cry, "This, indeed, is suffering."
(It is noteworthy that Patanjali in his yoga sutra prescribes FIVE levels of mindfulness – focus and concentration – precedent to his version of ‘samadhi’ –
Asana (Yoga Positions or Yogic Postures)
A stable and comfortable posture which helps attain mental equilibrium.
Pranayama (Yogic Breathing)
Extension and control of breath.
Pratyahara (Withdrawal of Senses)
A mental preparation to increase the power of mind.
Dharana (Concentration on Object)
Concentration of mind on one object and its field.
Dhyana (Meditation)
Withdrawing mind from all external objects and Focusing it on one point and meditating on it.
(Patanjali also commends an eight-fold path to deliverance – Yama, Niyama, Asana, Pranayama, Pratyahara, Dharana, Dhyana and Samadhi. We could see some convergences in the architecture, but the Buddhist path prescription would look more easily comprehensible for the average aspirant and mostly relatable to the life circumstances in the material world.)
SEEKER’S INITIATION, PREPARATORY TRAITS:
Like Patanjali’s ashtanga yoga does, Buddhism emphasizes the basic traits to be assiduously cultivated before qualifying for the next stage of spiritual evolution. Yoga sutra’s yama lists -
ahimsa
satya
asteya
brahmacharya
aparigraha '
i.e. ahimsa – non-harming (in thought, speech and action); satya – truthfulness; asteya – non-coveting; brahmacharya – abstinence; aprigraha – greed (non-accumulation selfishly);
the Dhammapada also lists five ‘silas’ for the initiation stage:
Dhammapadam Verses 246. 247 and 248
“He who destroys life, tells lies, takes what is not given him, commits adultery and takes intoxicating drinks, digs up his own roots even in this very life.” (verses 246 and 247)
“Know this, O man! Not restraining oneself is evil; do not let greed and ill will subject you to prolonged misery.” (verse 248).
The Buddha provides the means – the mental mechanics – for handling non-virtues that continuously drag a person downhill e.g.
The true conquest of hatred is achieved by non-hatred, by forbearance, by love –
Dhammapada – verse 4
"’He abused me, he ill-treated me, he got the better of me, he stole my belongings;’... those who do not harbour such thoughts, still their hatred.”
Consider what the Gita commends here – ‘ adveṣhṭā sarva-bhūtānāṁ maitraḥ karuṇa eva cha ‘ - Those devotees are very dear to Me who are free from malice toward all living beings, who are friendly, and compassionate. – Chapter 12, verse 13.
The Buddha further commends ‘ One should not respond to bitter speech but maintain silence’ –
Dhammapada – Verse 134
“If you can keep yourself calm and quiet like a broken gong which is no longer resonant, you are sure to realize Nibbana, there will be no harshness in you.”
A parable from the Buddha’s own life epitomizes this:
Since the day Kondadhana was admitted to the Order, the image of a female was always following him. This image was seen by others, but Kondadhana himself did not see it and so did not know about it.
When he was out on an alms-round, people would offer two spoonfuls to him, saying, "This is for you, Venerable Sir, and this is for your female companion." Seeing the bhikkhu going about with a woman, people went to King Pasenadi of Kosala and reported about the bhikkhu and the woman. They said to the king, "O king! Drive out the bhikkhu, who is lacking in moral virtues, from your kingdom." So the king went to the monastery where that bhikkhu was staying and surrounded it with his men.
Hearing noises and voices, the bhikkhus came out and stood at the door, and the image also was there not far from the bhikkhu. Knowing that the king had come, the bhikkhu went into the room to wait for him. When the king entered the room, the image was not there. The king asked the bhikkhu where the woman was and he replied that he saw no woman. The king wanted to make sure and he asked the bhikkhu to leave the room for a while. The bhikkhu left the room, but when the king looked out, again he saw the woman near the bhikkhu. But when the bhikkhu came back to the room the woman was nowhere to be found. The king concluded that the woman was not real and so the bhikkhu must be innocent. He therefore invited the bhikkhu to come to the palace every day for alms-food.
When other bhikkhus heard about this, they were puzzled and said to the bhikkhu, "O bhikkhu with no morals! Now that the king, instead of driving you out of his kingdom, has invited you for alms-food, you are doomed!" The bhikkhu on his part retorted, "Only you are the ones without morals; only you are doomed because you are the ones who go about with women!"
The bhikkhus then reported the matter to the Buddha. The Buddha sent for Kodadadhana and said to him, "My son, did you see any woman with the other bhikkhus that you have talked to them thus? You have not seen any woman with them as they have seen one with you. I see that you do not realize that you have been cursed on account of an evil deed done by you in a past existence. Now listen, I shall explain to you why you have an image of a woman following you about.
"You were a deva in your last existence. During that time, there were two bhikkhus who were very much attached to each other. But you tried to create trouble between the two, by assuming the appearance of a woman and following one of the bhikkhus. For that evil deed you are now being followed by the image of a woman. So, my son, in future do not argue with other bhikkhus anymore; keep silent like a gong with the rim broken off and you will realize Nibbana."
One should not yield to anger but control it as a driver controls a chariot –
Dhammapada verse 222
“He who restrains his rising anger as a skillful charioteer checks a speeding chariot, — him I call a true charioteer; other charioteers only hold the reins.”
Instead of keeping watch for the faults of others, the seeker is admonished to examine his own faults and to make a continual effort to remove his imperfections just as a silversmith purifies silver –
Dhammapada verses 50 and 239
“One should not consider the faults of others, nor their doing or not doing good or bad deeds. One should consider only whether one has done or not done good or bad deeds.”
Gita commends this virtue as ‘apaishunam’.
Indeed, most of the virtues commended in chapter 16, verses 1 to 3, find resonance in the Buddha’s teachings regarding the attributes a keen seeker should acquire/cultivate on his road to the ultimate deliverance (nibbana):
abhayaṁ sattva-sanśhuddhir jñāna-yoga-vyavasthitiḥ
dānaṁ damaśh cha yajñaśh cha svādhyāyas tapa ārjavam
ahinsā satyam akrodhas tyāgaḥ śhāntir apaiśhunam
dayā bhūteṣhv aloluptvaṁ mārdavaṁ hrīr achāpalam
tejaḥ kṣhamā dhṛitiḥ śhaucham adroho nāti-mānitā
bhavanti sampadaṁ daivīm abhijātasya bhārata
Fearlessness, being established in goodness (satva guna), being aware of njana yoga’s value, giving, controlling one’s senses, sincere affiliation to prescribed rituals, self-learning, asceticism, being straight forward in thought speech and action, non-violence, truth, non-hatred, sacrifice, peace, not finding fault in others, compassion towards all beings, not coveting, being gentle, modesty, avoiding fickle desires, vigour, forgiveness, fortitude, cleanliness (of mind, speech and body), bearing enmity towards none, absence of vanity – these (23) attributes are known to be of those endowed with goodness (divine – ‘daivIm’).
BUDDHISM COMMENDS ‘RENUNCIATION’, AS AFFILIATION WITH WORLDLY LIFE IS THE CENTRAL CAUSE OF DISTRESS, GRIEF AND SUFFERING:
For conduct to be completely purified, for sustained contemplation and penetrating wisdom to unfold without impediments, adoption of a different style of life becomes imperative, one which minimizes distractions and stimulants to craving and orders all activities around the aim of liberation.
Thus, the Buddha established the Sangha, the forum to dedicate their lives to the practice of his path, and in the Dhammapada the call to the monastic life resounds throughout.
The entryway to the monastic life is an act of radical renunciation. The thoughtful, who have seen the transience and hidden misery of worldly life, break the ties of family and social bonds, abandon their homes and mundane pleasures, and enter upon the state of homelessness
Dhammapada verses 83, 87-89, 91
Verse 83: Indeed, the virtuous give up all (i.e., attachment to the five khandhas, etc.); the virtuous (lit., the tranquil) do not talk with sensual desire; when faced with joy or sorrow, the wise do not show elation or depression.
Verses 87 & 88: The man of wisdom, leaving the home of craving and having Nibbana as his goal, should give up dark, evil ways and cultivate pure, good ones. He should seek great delight in solitude, detachment and Nibbana, which an ordinary man finds so difficult to enjoy. He should also give up sensual pleasures, and clinging to nothing, should cleanse himself of all impurities of the mind.
Verse 89: Those, with mind well-developed in the seven Factors of Enlightenment (bojjhanga), having rid themselves of all craving, rejoice in their abandonment of attachment. Such men, with all moral intoxicants eradicated, and powerful, have realized Nibbana in this world. (while still in their elemental existence).**
‘Tanha’ – (from ‘trsna’ – thirst – in Sanskrit) is considered in Buddhism to be an unquenchable desire or attachment that is the cause of all grief.
** ‘Jeevan Mukta’ status in Hindu philosophical perspective.
This closely resonates with the Upanishadic proclamations:
yadā sarve pramucyante kāmā ye'sya hṛdi śritāḥ |
atha martyo'mṛto bhavatyatra brahma samaśnute |
… Kathopanishad 2.3.14
When all desires clinging to the heart of one fall off, then the mortal becomes immortal and here attains Brahman.
yathā sarve prabhidyante hṛdayasyeha granthayaḥ |
atha martyo'mṛto bhavatyetāvaddhyanuśāsanam ||
Kathopanishad 2.3.15
When here all the knots of the heart are sundered, (all worldly attachments severed), then the mortal becomes immortal.
BUDDHISM’S CONTRIBUTIONS TO SCIENCES OF LIVING:
Among the major and remarkable contributions that Buddhism has made to modern life would be ‘MINDFULNESS’ (one being intently, consciously aware, as a stand aside witness, to one’s own thoughts and actions – imparting course corrections when needed), that has found very wide use in modern wellness perspectives and practices as well as in modern management. The ‘Vipaasana’ mode of meditation that enables ‘mindfulness’ is also widely commended.
SWEEP OF BUDDHISM THROUGH THE WORLD:
In its initial years of impact, Buddhism nearly overwhelmed all of India. Even the south that was insulated from the religio-political influences that the north of the country had to face, endure, assimilate, was not spared by Buddhism. Some of the main Thamizh rulers converted themselves to this faith – and then got reconverted through the later sweep of Saivism and Vaishnavism. In its spread in the south, Buddhism blended itself well with the prevailing Hindu culture thus enhancing its ground-level appeal – evident from the vast treatment given to Hindu religious values and practices in an epic composed by a Buddhist monk – Elango Adigal – the grand ‘Silappadhikaram’ –
வடவரையை மத்தாக்கி வாசுகியை நாணாக்கிக்
கடல்வண்ணன் பண்டொருநாள் கடல்வயிறு கலக்கினையே
கலக்கியகை அசோதையார் கடைகயிற்றாற் கட்டுண்கை
மலர்க்கமல உந்தியாய் மாயமோ மருட்கைத்தே
அறுபொருள் இவனென்றே அமரர்கணந் தொழுதேத்த
உறுபசியொன் றின்றியே உலகடைய உண்டனையே
உண்டவாய் களவினான் உறிவெண்ணெ யுண்டவாய்
வண்டுழாய் மாலையாய் மாயமோ மருட்கைத்தே
திரண்டமரர் தொழுதேத்தும் திருமால்நின் செங்கமல
இரண்டடியான் மூவுலகும் இருள்தீர நடந்தனையே
நடந்தஅடி பஞ்சவர்க்குத் தூதாக நடந்தஅடி
மடங்கலாய் மாறட்டாய் மாயமோ மருட்கைத்தே
மூவுலகும் ஈரடியான் முறைநிரம்பா வகைமுடியத்
தாவியசே வடிசேப்பத் தம்பியொடுங் கான்போந்து
சோவரணும் போர்மடியத் தொல்லிலங்கை கட்டழித்த
சேவகன்சீர் கேளாத செவி என்ன செவியே
திருமால்சீர் கேளாத செவி என்ன செவியே
பெரியவனை மாயவனைப் பேருலக மெல்லாம்
விரிகமல உந்தியுடை விண்ணவனைக் கண்ணும்
திருவடியும் கையும் திருவாயும் செய்ய
கரியவனைக் காணாத கண்ணென்ண கண்ணே
கண்ணிமைத்துக் காண்பார்தம் கண்ணென்ண கண்ணே
One of the chief missions of Adi Sankara was to redeem India – specifically the South – from the sweep of Buddhism and reestablish the Hindu faith – particularly the Vedantic version – and he succeeded in that mission remarkably thoroughly. He walked the length and breadth of India in that mission of his and established institutions that would carry forth his teachings and prescriptions through centuries to follow.
But Buddhism had its allure and appeal for the rest of Asia. It spread to Tibet, Mongolia, China, Japan, Korea, Cambodia, Laos, Viet Nam, Thailand, Burma and Sri Lanka and despite Chinese dictatorship of the communist proletariat for over seventy years, Buddhist faith still lingers strongly in China.
There are two main groups of Buddhism: Mahayana** Buddhism and Theravada@ Buddhism. Mahayana Buddhism is common in Tibet, China, Taiwan, Japan, Korea, and Mongolia. It emphasizes the role models of bodhisattvas (beings that have achieved enlightenment but are reborn to teach humans). Theravada Buddhism is common in Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Thailand, Laos, and Burma (Myanmar). It emphasizes a monastic lifestyle and meditation as the way to enlightenment.
Mahayana * - the great knowledge (maha njana); Theravada @ - the instructions of the elders.
What could be puzzling a lay observer would be: why would all these countries that took to Buddhism as a faith, give up so abysmally on the most important tenet preached by this faith – ahimsa – not killing? Most of these societies did not take to vegetarianism in pursuance of this important persuasion of the Buddha. But much of India, though it spurned the faith and went back to the Hindu faith, was influenced by this tenet of ahimsa – due chiefly to the royal patronage from Asoka the benevolent emperor – and the redefined systems of Saivsm and Vaishnavism that saw merit in that virtue and propagated ‘not-killing’ – either for rituals or for food.
The Buddha who lived right in our midst, is a remarkable – nay, outstanding – entity. Born as a prince, he was carefully protected from even seeing grief or distress. Just an accidental momentary sight of a sick person and a dead person, invoked in the Buddha the deep and irresistible quest to find the cause of ‘dukha’ and the remedy - a quest that led to his walking out of that palatial cocoon of comfort and impose on himself severe ascetic disciplines.
The Buddha lived for all of eighty years despite the extreme severity of the ascetic disciplines he put himself through (and prescribed as ‘non-negotiable’ for his followers). And his end came in quiet – in glaring contrast to the end of other spiritual peers like Socrates or Jesus. The latter two had to pay a bloody price for their efforts to alleviate society from the deleterious clutches of orthodoxy – for Socrates this was the State Religion of Athens; for Jesus, it was Judiaism. The Buddha too had staunchly opposed the vedhic precepts and the corresponding spiritual tenets.
Why did not the Buddha then not have to pay with his blood for his life-long crusading?
The answer lies here: the Hindu philosophical and spiritual space was so vast and so all-encompassing, that it accommodated, not just tolerated, the ‘unorthodoxies’. The other reason possibly is that the Buddha’s Truths and teachings resonate so very closely to the Upanishadic messages: there was correspondences (1) in identifying the cause of all suffering as ‘attachment’; the path to deliverance lying only in eradicating that cause. (2) in projecting the “karma’ as one that cannot be all played out in one life and therefore humans came back to live and expend that ‘karma’ – cycle of births; and (3) deliverance (from suffering ‘dukha’) can be had by strict adherence to ‘dharma’ and life codes that purify the person at all levels. (The deliverance in Buddhism is ‘Nibbanna’ aka ‘Nirvana; in the Hindu faith, it is ‘Moksha’ or ‘Mukti’; both terms connoting liberation.
It is for these and other resonances Sri Radhakrishnan argued: "Early Buddhisim, we venture to hazard a conjecture, is only a restatement of the thought of the Upanisads
from a new standpoint. ... Buddha himself was not aware of any incongruity
between his theory and that of the Upanisads. He felt that he had the support
and sympathy of the Upanisads and their followers." "the dharma which he has discovered by an effort of self-culture is the ancient way, the Aryan path, the eternal dharma."
Of course, Sri Radhakrishnan’s assertions are strongly contested by scholars – Buddhist and academic.
Much of Buddhist literature is in Pali. Pali is a language that developed from out of Sanskrit – as a ‘prakrit’ version. One could easily relate with the phonetics of the two – ‘dharma’ in Sanskrit and ‘dhamma’ in Pali. ‘Anitya’ in Sanskrit and ‘Anitta’ in Pali. The Sinhalese, Burmese, Thai, Viet Namese, Cambodian and Laotian scripts have a close resemblance to Pali.
Now, to the specific queries that we started this discussion with –
Did the Buddha endorse the concept of ‘Atman’?
The only vedantic proposition that the Buddha chose to controvert, deny, was the ‘Atman’. In his enlightenment, he did not see any unchanging, divine, inner core that would not be affected by death and would continue to transmigrate. According to Buddhist thought, the human as an entity, was the aggregate of the’Pancha Skandas’ (the five aggregates explained earlier) and at death, all but the last one, the ‘vinjanan’ or ‘consciousness’ would fall off and end. It was the consciousness that would survive death and transmigrate. The Buddha underscores his assertive denial of the ‘Atman’, by describing the living entity – the human – as ‘Anatma’ (‘Anatta’ in Pali.).
Some denominations of post-Buddha Buddhism would seem to veer away from this assertion and accommodate the concept of ‘Atman’.
Did the Buddha accommodate the assumption that this world had a ‘Creator”?
The Buddha did not see a ‘Creation’ - The Buddha clearly taught that all phenomena are "created" by means of cause and effect determined by natural law. Further, the course of our lives is determined by karma, which we create. Karma is not being directed by a supernatural intelligence but is its own natural law.
There are references made by the Buddha to ‘Brahma’ as well as gods, but these are not contextually placed to mean that he saw these entities as ‘god heads’. Those references seem to be rather a hangover from the vedantic platform on which he was perched most of the time in his spiritual quest. More evidence of this comes when he takes on the responsibility of defining who a true “Brahmin’ would be.
So,he did not specifically say there is no creator god. in Buddhism, though, there is nothing for a creator god to do. God has no function, no role to play, either as an original source or as an instigator of current events. Every task that God does in the Abrahamic religions was assigned to various systems of natural law by the Buddha.
One needs also to place the Buddha’s teachings against the overall design he set for himself – construct a way of life on the basis of ethical values and ethics of life. He seems to have avoided possible barricades to understanding his teachings by inducting doctrines – ‘tatvas’. For, the Buddha wanted to, and succeeded in, setting forth a way of life for humans, a path that led to ultimate liberation from grief; and he thought, presumably and truly, that dogmas and doctrines would mar that message grievously. It was thus the Buddha succeeded in creating a clearly defined path of ethical life; he did not create a religion or creed.
I will rest this presentation here.
It is impossible to lend a fair and comprehensive treatment to a complex philosophy in two or three instalments. What is attempted here is to lend some familiarity – if needed – and induce some thought processes; for, Buddhism is not all about a religion which is complex and unworldly (as it commends renunciation); it is about peace, peaceful social conduct, it is about happiness being the Centre of our lives, it is about comprehending the sources of our ‘dukkha’ as it were; all of universal importance to all of humanity – regardless of the countless religious, spiritual, agnostic or other affiliations.
Buddham Saranam Gacchaami
Dhammam Saranam Gacchaami
Sangam Saranam Gaccaami