eBUDDHANET'S

BOOK LIBRARY

E-mail: bdea@buddhanet.netWeb site: www.buddhanet.net

Buddha Dharma Education Association Inc.

Ven. Dr K. Sri Dhammanada

Buddhism as a ReligionBuddhism as a Religion

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Publication of the

Sasana Abhiwurdhi Wardhana SocietyBuddhist Maha Vihara,

123 Jalan Berhala,50470 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

1994 by the authorAll rights reserved

Malaysian First Edition 1994Published for Free Distribution

Cover design byChong Hong Choo

Typeset byInfortrans Sdn. Bhd. P. J., Malaysia.

Printed bySyarikat Percetakan & Perniagaan Acme,

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

ISBN 983-99523-2-3

An Appreciation

In conjunction with the Centenary Celebration of the Sasana AbhiwurdhiWardhana Society the Management Committee feels honoured to be able topublish this book which is based on a Dhamma talk entitled “What isBuddhism?”, delivered at the Buddhist Maha Vihara by the MostVenerable Dr. K. Sri Dhammananda Nayake Thera as part of a ten weekcourse on World Religions.

In brief the contents of this publication are a simple exposition ofBuddhism as a modern way of life by this highly qualif ied scholar who hasa special gift to interpret the Dhamma to people from every walk of life.The Sasana Abhiwurdhi Wardhana Society most humbly expresses itsgratitude and pays tr ibute to the most Venerable for his indefatigableservices in his exposition of the Dhamma and for rendering invaluableservices to the cause of Buddhism for more than 42 years in this country aswell as worldwide.

We are indeed proud to have been associated with someone of his calibre.

In conclusion, the Society wishes to express its sincere thanks to the ChiefVenerable, Mr Vijaya Samarawickrama for the editor) al work and to MrOoi Chooi Seng for transcribing the talk from tape. Grateful thanks are alsodue to Ms Chong Hong Choo, Messrs. Jimmy C. S Lim, Alex Perera, QuahSwee Kheng, Eddy Yu Chen Lim and Bobby Sai for the invaluable servicesrendered in the publication of this book.

May they be well and happy!

Manoris H. AlbertPresidentSasana Abhiwurdhi Wardhana SocietyBuddhist Maha Vihara Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia25th August 1994

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Since there are already so many religions inthis world, why is it necessary for us to haveanother religion called Buddhism? Is there anyextraordinary characteristic or contribution orsignificant feature that Buddhism has which otherreligions do not have? There is a school of thoughtwhich says that all religions are essentially thesame. There are no significant differences. The onlydifference is in the interpretation and practice. Afterall, in the final analysis, all of us end in one place,either heaven or hell. That is the common belief ofmost religions. Does Buddhism share thisviewpoint? To answer this question we have toexamine what is meant by religion.

DefinitionIn the academic study of religion as a

phenomenon in history the term ‘religion ’ can beconsidered in its different aspects: as an innerexperience, as theology, or intellectual formulationof doctrine, as a basis or source of ethics and as anelement in culture.

Different scholars have given different viewsand opinions of its nature and meaning. According

to Aldous Huxley, religion is, among other things, asystem of education, by means of which humanbeings may train themselves, first to make desirablechanges in their own personalities and in society,and second, to heighten consciousness and so estab-lish more adequate relations between themselvesand the universe of which they are parts. ModernIndian philosophers like Dr. Radhakrishnan, haveexpounded the theme that religion is not a set ofdoctrines but that it is experience. And religiousexperience is based on the realisation of the‘presence of the divine in man . ‘H.G. Wells says‘religion is the central part of our education thatdetermines our moral conduct’. The Germanphilosopher, Kant, stated that ‘religion is therecognition of our moral principles as laws thatmust not be transgressed.’

The Buddha’s message as a religious way oflife: “Keeping away from all evil deeds, cultivationof life by doing good deeds and purification of mindfrom mental impurities.” For our purposes, religionmay be defined in a very broad sense as a body ofmoral and philosophical teachings and theacceptance with confidence of such teachings. Inthis sense, Buddhism is a religion.

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Buddhism however does not neatly fit intothe general categories outlined earlier because itdoes not share common features with other existingreligions in many ways. To consider this matterfurther let us first of all briefly examine howreligion could have come into being.

BeginningsWhy did religion originate? You might have

heard that the origins of religion lie in man’s fear,suspicion and insecurity. In the days beforeorganised religions began, people did not haveadequate knowledge and they could not understandthe real nature of this life and what would happen tothem after their deaths. They could not understandeven the causes of natural phenomena or naturaloccurrences. According to their ‘limitedunderstanding, they suspected there must be certainunknown forces which created all these pleasant orunpleasant things. Eventually, they began to noticethat there is an energy behind the forces of naturewhich they called ‘shakti’. They experienced aninexplicable sense of awe and dread towards thesepowers which they felt could harm them in someway. They therefore felt that these powers must be

placated and used to protect or at least to leave themalone. Not trusting their ability to “talk” to theseforces in ordinary language, they thought it wouldbe more effective to mime their messages. Finallythe actions to enlist the favour of these forcesbecame ritualized into forms of worship. Somepeople were identified as having special powers tocommunicate with these forces and they enjoyedgreat power in the group.

After worshipping and praying, early menthought they could control the undesirableoccurrences and at the same time ensure a degree ofprotection as reward from these unseen forces orenergies. To help them better visualize what theywere trying to communicate with, they gave eachforce a name and a form — either conceiving it inhuman or in grotesque non-human form, but alwaysevoking a sense of awe and fear. As time went by,they forgot the original significance of theserepresentations and took them for real andeventually accepted them as deities.

Different cultures translated ideas andconcepts into physical form and developedparticular rituals to honour and worship theseimages as gods. Later as early urban settlementsbegan and social control became necessary certain

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practices were used as the bases to develop moralbehaviour and to guide citizens in the correct pathto ensure the well being of the community. Thusdeveloped concepts such as humanism, humanresponsibilities and human values such as honesty,kindness, compassion, patience, tolerance, devotion,unity and harmony. To ensure that these qualitieswould be further enhanced, the leaders instilled fearin the believers, threatening them with punishmentby the gods in the life hereafter if they did notbehave in an accepted manner. Religion was theresult of the fusion of moral behaviour and belief inthe supernatural. We will discuss Morality ingreater detail later.

Concept of GodThis is how imagination and humanism

eventually fused together to become religion. Somepeople say that it is difficult to believe that any godcreated religion. Perhaps we could say that mancreated religion and later introduced the concept ofa god into religion. An American philosopher, Prof.Whitehead, once stated that originally man createdgod and later god created man. What he meant wasthat the concept of god was created by man and

later this concept was transformed into divinity. Onthe other hand, a French philosopher, AnatoleFrance said that if the concept of god did not exist,some how or other, man would have created onebecause it is very important for his psyche. A divinepower is necessary to allay our innate fear,suspicion, worries, disturbances, anxiety, craving.To avoid problems we depend on an external forceto give us solace. Knowing the nature of the humanmind, therefore, Anatole France said that if a goddid not exist we would have to create one.

In this sense we are just like children. Whena small baby is crying and the mother is too busy tocarry it, what she does is to put a teat in its mouth tocomfort it. That will stop the baby from crying. Theconcept of god helps many people in this manner,To stop their worries and dry their tears theydevelop various pacifiers in the form of religiousbeliefs and practices.

The BuddhaIt was in a religious climate such as this that

the Buddha appeared. As a prince living in the lapof luxury he started to think very deeply on whyliving beings suffer in this world. What is the cause

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of this suffering? he asked. One day while he wassitting under a tree as a young boy, he saw a snakesuddenly appear and catch a frog. As the snake andthe frog were struggling, an eagle swooped downfrom the sky and took away the snake with the frogstill in its mouth. That incident was the turningpoint for the young prince to renounce the worldlylife. He began to think about how living beings onthe earth and in the water survive by preying oneach other. One life form tries to grab and the othertries to escape and this eternal battle will continueas long as the world exists. This never-endingprocess of hunting, and self preservation is the basisof our unhappiness. It is the source of all suffering.The Prince decided that he would discover themeans to end this suffering.

RenunciationHe studied under various religious teachers

and learnt everything they had to teach but wasunable to discover how to end suffering. He spentmany years pondering this question. Finally at theage of 29 he seriously contemplated on old age,sickness, death and freedom through renunciation,and decided that without giving up his worldly

preoccupations and his responsibilities andpleasures it would be impossible for him to find theanswer. That is why he had to leave the palace inwhat is known as “The Great Renunciation”.After struggling for six years, which represented theculmination of endless life cycles of cultivation andstruggle for spiritual development, he finally gainedenlightenment and understood the secret of oursuffering. This was the beginning of another‘religious system’. But it was a religion like nothinganyone had known in the past. In fact many peopletoday do not even like to call Buddhism a religion,because the word ‘religion’ evokes a great manynegative emotions in their minds.

Beliefs and Practices in Ancient IndiaThere was no reason at all for the Buddha to

introduce another religion because at that time 2600years ago there were already 62 religious cults in Indiaalone. Since the existing religions during his timecould not provide the answers to his questions hedecided not to use the ingredients or concepts of thesereligions to introduce what he himself had realised.

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What was the religious thinking in India atthe time? “God created everybody; god isresponsible for everything; god will reward; godcan forgive all our sins; and god is responsible forour lives after our death; god will send us to heavenor he will send us to hell”.

These are the basic ingredients of allreligions even today. At the same time there werecertain other religions also in India which taughtthat it was necessary for believers to torture theirphysical bodies, thinking that they could wash awayall their sins during their lifetimes so they could goto heaven after death. Another religious groupencouraged religious rites and rituals andceremonies and animal sacrifices to please theirgods. This group believed that through thesepractices they could go to heaven. Some othersagain introduced prayer and worship and askedforgiveness for the sins committed. The Buddha didnot recognise the efficacy of all these practices.

Did The Buddha Make Any Promise?The Buddha did not promise heavenly bliss

and rewards to those who called themselves hisfollowers nor did he promise salvation to those who

had faith in him. To him religion was not a bargainbut a noble way of life to gain enlightenment andsalvation. The Buddha did not want followers withblind faith; he wanted human beings to think andunderstand. Buddhism is a noble path for livingwhere humanism, equality, justice and peace reignsupreme. Revengefulness, animosity, condemnationand resentment are alien to the Teaching.

The world is indebted to the Buddha for therise of rationalism as a protest against thesuperstitions of religion. It is he who emancipatedman from the thraldom of the priests. It is he whofirst showed the way to free man from the coils ofhypocrisy and religious dictatorship.

During the Buddha’s time no religiouspractice was considered higher than the rites, ritualsand sacrifice of living beings to the gods; but to theBuddha no practice could be more humiliating ordegrading to man. A sacrifice is nothing more thanbribery; and salvation won by bribery andcorruption is not a salvation which any self-respecting man would care to get.

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Religious TerminologyBut in introducing his doctrine, the Buddha

did use the existing religious terms current in Indiaat the time because in this way he would be onfamiliar ground with his listeners. They wouldgrasp what he was alluding to and then he couldproceed to develop his original ideas from thiscommon ground.

Dharma, Karma, Nirvana , Moksha, Niraya,Samsara, Atma are some words which werecommon to all religious groups during his time. Butin his teaching the Buddha gave very rational andunique meanings and interpretations to thoseexisting religious terms.

DharmaLet us take a look at the word dharma (or

dhamma). for example. The ancient interpretationgiven to the word dharma is that it is a law given bythe god. According to ancient belief the godpromised to appear from time to time to protect thisdharma by taking different incarnations. TheBuddha did not accept that any god could havegiven doctrines and commandments and religiouslaws. The Buddha used the word dharma to describe

his entire teaching. Dharma means that which holdsup, upholds, supports.

The Buddha taught the dharma to help usescape the suffering caused by existence and toprevent us from degrading human dignity anddescending into lower states such as hell, animal,the spirit or ghost or devil realms. The dharmaintroduced by the Buddha holds and supports us,and frees us from the misery of these realms. It alsomeans that if we follow the methods he advocateswe will never get into such unfortunate circum-stances as being born blind, crippled, deaf, dumb ormad. So in the Buddha’s usage, dharma is theadvice given to support us in our struggle to be freefrom suffering and also to upgrade human values.Western philosophers describe Buddhism as a nobleway of life or as ‘a religion of freedom and reason’.

The Dharma is not an extraordinary lawcreated by or given by anyone. Our body itself isDharma. Our mind itself is Dharma; the wholeuniverse is Dharma. By understanding the nature ofthe physical body and the nature of the mind andworldly conditions we realize the Dharma. TheBuddha taught us to understand the nature of ourexistence rationally in a realistic way. It concerns

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the life, here and now, of each sentient being andthus interrelatedly of all existence.

Usually when people talk about religion theyask, “What is your faith?” They use the word“faith.” The Buddha was not interested in thedevelopment of “faith” in an absolute sense,although it can be useful in the preliminary stagesof one’s religious development. The danger ofrelying on faith alone without analytical knowledgeis that it can make us into religious fanatics. Thosewho allow faith to crystallize in their minds cannotsee other peoples’ point of view because they havealready established in their minds that what theybelieve is alone the truth. The Buddha insisted thatone must not accept even his own Teachings on thebasis of faith alone. One must gain knowledge andthen develop understanding through study,discussion, meditation and finally contemplation.Knowledge is one thing, understanding is another.If there is understanding one can adjust one’s lifeaccording to changing circumstances based on theknowledge one has. We may have met learnedpeople who know many things but are not realisticbecause their egoism, their selfishness, their anger,their hatred do not allow them to gain unbiasedmental attitudes and peace of mind. When it is

necessary to compromise, we must know how tocompromise. When it is necessary to tolerate, wemust know how to tolerate. When it is necessary tostand firm we must stand firm, with dignity.

KarmaLet us take another example, the word karma

(or kamma). It simply means action. If a personcommits a bad karma it will be impossible for thatperson to escape from its bad effect. Somehow orother he or she must face the consequences that willfollow. According to ancient belief there is a god tooperate the effect of this karma. God punishesaccording to one’s bad karma; god rewardsaccording to one’s good karma. The Buddha did notaccept this belief. He said there is no being or forcewhich handles the operation of the effects of karma.Karma itself will yield the result, as a neutraloperation of the law of cause and effect. He said wecan avoid and, in some cases, even overcome theeffect of karma if we act wisely. He said we mustnever surrender ourselves fatalistically thinking thatonce we have done bad action there can be no morehope. Other religions teach that god can negate theeffect of karma through forgiveness if the followers

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worship and pray and sacrifice. But the Buddhateaches that we have to effect our salvation by ourown effort and mental purity.

“The Buddha can tell you what to do but hecan not do the work for you.” You have to do thework of salvation yourself. The Buddha has clearlystated that no one can do any thing for another forsalvation except show the way. Therefore we mustnot depend on god, and not even depend on theBuddha. We must know what are the qualities, duties,and responsibilities of being a human being. He saidthat if we have committed certain bad karma, weshould not waste precious energy by being frustratedor disappointed in our effort to put it right.

The first thing to do is to firmly resolve tostop repeating such bad karma by realising the harmit can do. The second thing is to cultivate more andmore good karma. Thirdly, we must try to reduceevil thought, selfishness, hatred, anger, jealousy,grudges, and ill-will. In this way we can reduce thebad effect of the bad karma that we commit. This isthe Buddha’s method for overcoming the badeffects. He did not say we must pray to and worshiphim and that he would forgive all our sins.

Purity and impurity of our mind depend onourselves. Neither god, Buddha, nor human beingcan pollute or purify one’s mind. I cannot createimpurity in your mind, I cannot purify your mind.But by taking my word or my action you createeither purity or impurity within yourself. Outsiderscannot do anything for your mind if your mind isstrong enough to resist it. That is why knowledgeand understanding are important.

The Buddha taught that what man needs forhis happiness is not a religion or a mass of theoriesbut an understanding of the cosmic nature of theuniverse and its complete operation according to thelaws of cause and effect. Until this fact is fullyunderstood, man’s understanding of life andexistence will remain imperfect and faulty. ‘The paththat the Buddha showed us is, I believe, the only pathhumanity must tread if it is to escape disaster’

Jawaharlal Nehru

NirvanaThe Buddha never claimed to have created

the Dharma. What he discovered was the universaltruth of the real nature of existence. In fact some

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religious terms were already well known in India atthat time. But the Buddha’s uniqueness is that hetook existing concepts and gave them very refinedmeanings and much deeper significance.

For example, before the Buddha’s time,“Nirvana” (or Nibbana) simply meant peace orextinction. But he gave it entirely new dimensions ofmeaning. NI means “no” and VANA means“craving”: No more craving, no more attachmentand no more selfishness. We cannot experienceNirvana because we have craving, attachment andselfishness. When we get rid of these defilements wecan experience Nirvanic bliss. It is difficult toexperience true bliss because we have emotions andwe crave for sensual gratification. So long as we liveentangled in this world of sensual pleasures we willnever experience true happiness. Of course it is truethat we experience some kind of happiness in life butit cannot be termed “happiness” in the absolute senseof the word because it is not permanent.

We cannot gain bliss by harbouring anger orhatred, selfishness or delusion. Occasionally, we doexperience certain degrees of emotional satisfaction,but the nature of this happiness is just like lightning,it is fleeting. It appears for a moment and disappearsthe next. True bliss is not like this. If there is true

bliss we will experience a permanent sense ofcalmness, satisfaction and tranquillity. So the realpurpose of our lives should be to purify ourclouded, deluded, misled minds and free ourselvesfrom worries and disturbances. So long as we spendour time constantly solving problems, alwayslooking over our shoulders, always wondering whatto do next, we can never be at peace.

Develop the MindThe Buddha’s advice is that we should be

free from these distractions if we want to experiencebliss. This release must however be obtained by ourown effort and come from within ourselves. Wecannot gain salvation from a god or the Buddha orfrom heaven. We cannot get ultimate freedomthrough external agents. Supernatural beings cannothelp us to gain wisdom and final liberation nomatter how much we worship them or praise themthrough penances, charms, mantras, incantationsand invocations and animal sacrifices.

“We are the results of what we were and wewill be the results of what we are.” Actionscondition our happiness or unhappiness and finallysecure our salvation. Salvation or deliverance is an

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individual affair, just as each human being has toeat, drink and digest and sleep for himself. Allkarmic actions are maintained as part of our mentalformations and remain there submerged. We remainoblivious of these past actions because the othermental activities cloud the mind which thereforecannot recall actions in the past. When we developour minds through meditation we arrest thedistractions provided by the five senses. When themind is clear it reduces anxiety, craving, anger,jealousy and delusion. The mind that is clearbecomes energetic and alert. This is when we caninfluence the mental activities and release enormouslatent power. This is psychic power. It is present inall of us: we only have to learn to release it throughmeditation. Another way of reaching the depositedmental activities is by hypnotism. Throughhypnotism some people have developed a degree ofpsychic power, but it is not recommended becausehypnotism depends on another agent and does noteffect purification of the mind.

The Buddha advised his followers tocultivate and develop the latent power within themand showed them how to make the best use of theirwill-power and intelligence without being slaves toan unknown being to find eternal happiness.

Without blaming anybody else, Buddhism alsoteaches that man is responsible for his own action.Man should face the facts of life, and shoulder theresponsibilities of life by fulfilling his duties andobligations to himself as well as to others. His painand pleasure are created by himself and he has theability to get rid of his sufferings and maintainpeace and happiness by under-standing hisweaknesses and using his own effort to overcomethem. Man’s untrained mind is responsible for allthe troubles, calamities, disturbances, unfavourablecircumstances and even the changes of elementsand matter. Conversely man’s mind can changeunfortunate situations in the world and also canmake it a peaceful, prosperous and happy place forall to live. This can be done only through thepurification of mental energy.

The Buddha’s MethodThe Buddha’s technique of teaching was

different from that of the others. He never gaveprepared “public talks” or “lectures.” He alwaysdecided on a topic based on an immediate incidentor observation. One of the marks of the Buddha’sgenius and his skill as a teacher was his well-tried

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pedagogical practice of proceeding from the“known to the unknown.” For example on oneoccasion as he and his followers were walkingalong a river bank he noticed a piece of woodfloating downstream. He stopped and asked, “Whatdo you think of that piece of wood? What willhappen to it?” One disciple answered, “It may landon an island in the middle of the river”; others said,“It may get saturated with water and sink”; “Peoplewill take it and cut it up for firewood” and “It willcomplete its journey to the sea.” Now who iscorrect? Who can accurately predict the fate of thepiece of wood? The Buddha then explained that ourlife is just like a piece of wood floatingdownstream, full of uncertainty. No one can saywhat will happen to us the next day or the nextmonth. His method was to take lessons fromeveryday life so that his teachings were alwaysrooted in the here and now and totally relevant tohuman experience.

In this way, he gave due credit to humanbeings to think freely, by using their common sense.He did not introduce a religion to be practised slav-ishly out of fear and craving for any worldly gain.

According to the Buddha a beautiful thoughtand word which is not followed by corresponding

action is like a bright flower that has no scent andwill bear no fruit.

The eightfold path introduced by the Buddhais a planned course of inward culture and progress.By merely resorting to external worship, cere-monies and prayers, one can never make progress inrighteous-ness and inner development. Mere prayerfor salvation, the Buddha says, is like “asking thefarther bank of a river to come over so that one mayget to the other side without personal effort.”

Self-DiscoveryMany religions claim that messages were

revealed to mankind by a god. However somerationalists ask, if there is only one god, and he hadgiven his message for the benefit of all mankind,why are there so many different beliefs in theworld? If the message was meant for the whole ofthe human race what was the difficulty for the godto announce his message publicly so that therewould be no room for doubt or misinterpretation?Everybody would accept the message and therewould be no religious friction and the whole worldcould just follow the one message of the god.

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Many years ago, there was a religiousseminar at the University of Malaya. There werefive speakers, one from each religion. After theyhad talked, one student asked, “When we study ourreligion we get some information about this worldand the universe and life. When we study science weget entirely different information. This informationcontradicts our religious concepts. So 1 do notknow what to accept, the teaching of my religion orthe teaching of science.”

One of the speakers replied, “Well I believethat god gave his doctrines in’ the form of amessage to one man who then spread it to others, sowe must believe the word of god.”

But the student persisted, “How do you knowthat the people to whom this message was conveyedunderstood it correctly? Could it not have beendistorted and misinterpreted in their minds and thenpassed on to posterity?”

The Buddha on the other hand never claimedanything like receiving knowledge from outsidesources. Throughout his ministry he always assertedthat his listeners were free to question him andchallenge his teachings so that they could person-ally realize the truth. He said, “Come and see”(Ehipassiko). He did not say “Come and believe.”

Whenever he spoke anything, it was becausehe had personally tested the validity of the sayingfor himself as an ordinary human being. He claimedno divinity. He understood everything because heknew how he had to suffer during so many previousbirths for all the bad deeds he had committedthrough ignorance. He had learned the hard way. Headvised his followers through his own experience.He had done tremendous service to mankind bypractising and observing the great (perfections)PARAMIS over countless lifetimes and finallyexperienced the supreme bliss. We have to askourselves which is more reliable, the testimony ofone who speaks from personal experience or that ofone who claims to have heard it from someone elsewho is always invisible.

Freedom of ThoughtThe Buddha’s advice was not to depend on

theories, on cults and gurus. In fact, at all times wemust remain masters of ourselves through self-reliance. We must never surrender our dignity orfreewill. The Buddha strongly advocated thedoctrine of self-reliance, purity, courtesy,enlightenment, peace and universal love. He

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stressed the need for understanding because withoutit, psychic insight leading to wisdom cannot beobtained. He says “If you wish to see the end ofyour suffering and fear, develop discipline,compassion and wisdom.” We must always allowour minds the freedom to think and understandwithout depending on external influence. Thosewho depend on others are like small children. Wemust follow the example of the Buddha who saidthat when he was meditating to gain enlightenmentno gods came to whisper in his ear to reveal hiddensecrets of spiritual power. No one gave him anycommandments or religious laws to introduce. Hesaid, “I never had any teacher or divinity to teachme or tell me how to gain enlightenment. What Iachieved I did by my own effort energy, knowledgeand purity to gain supreme wisdom.”

That is why he said that wisdom ‘arose’ inhim at his enlightenment. Wisdom is latent in all ofus. We only need to provide the right conditions forit to arise.

From the intellectual and philosophical con-tent of Buddhism has arisen the freedom of thought,freedom of inquiry. This has no parallel in any ofthe established world religions. There is no obligat-ion, no compulsion to believe or accept any doctrine.

The approach of Buddhism is one of seeingand understanding — it is a scientific attitude ofmind. Fundamental philosophical doctrines taughtin Buddhism are being more and more corroboratedby new scientific discoveries. Buddhism advocatesself-confidence, self restraint, self-reliance and self-purification to the individual in society.

A strong feature of Buddhism is the import-ance it attaches to democratic ideals. Unhindereddiscussions are encouraged, where even contraryviews are aired and lead to broadening and enrich-ing of the mind. The orders of monks and nuns areconstituted entirely on these democratic principles.

This is in accordance with the Dharmarevealed by the Supreme Buddha, who had theopenness and courage to exhort his followers noteven to accept what he himself had pronounced,without prior examination and conviction In fact,the Buddha had stated that the Dharma was histeacher and all he did was to reveal the truth of thisuniversal Dharma, which had lain hidden from thepeople wallowing in their ignorance. We must giveour minds the freedom to think without bias and tothink independently.

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Before his passing away the Buddha’s finalwords were “Be a refuge unto yourselves. Why is itthat after 45 years of preaching he uttered suchwords? Why did he not advise everyone to find sal-vation through him? What he meant was that wemust not seek salvation by depending on others. Wemust develop our own confidence in ourselves.What wonderful and noble advice! You may per-haps now ask, ‘Why do we say “Buddham saranamgaccami?” (I go to the Buddha for refuge?)

When we say this we do not mean that wedepend on the Buddha. We mean that if we followthe Method taught by the Buddha we will developthe confidence to work out our own salvation. Wecertainly do not think that the Buddha will come oneday and take us up to “heaven” in a glorious flight.

Some people say that the Buddha was only ahuman and not a god. Why should people followhim? They cannot understand that Buddhists do notexpect their salvation directly from the Buddha butby practising the noble method taught by him. TheBuddha’s Method from the very beginning was totrain us how to work for the development of selfreliance by training our minds. Self effort andself-realisation is the only path to salvation.

Any one can stand before the Buddha withdignity and not be like a slave. With hope andconfidence one can determine one’s own fate. TheBuddha will welcome you if you stand as adignified human being. But you must be prepared tobe reasonable and listen to sensible argumentswhich are contradictory to your beliefs and haveright observation. This should be the attitude ofunderstanding people. When he was about to passaway, many great people, princes, ministers andeven divine beings came to pay homage to him withflowers, but the Buddha instructed his attendantAnanda to tell them that if anyone wanted to honourtheir master, they had to follow his teachings. Thisshows that he did not want personal glory forhimself or demand total submission to his power.

ImpartialityAfter realising the truth, understanding people

try to cultivate their minds to guard and protectthemselves. They neither accept nor reject what issaid by someone. Krishnamurti says that those whoalways depend on others’ ideas are second classhuman beings. Don’t accept or believe anything thatis taught as religious practice and at the same time

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don’t reject it outright either. Certain things that weaccept as true, we may later discover to be untrueafter all. Conversely, we may be forced to admit thatcertain things that we rejected at first may be trueafter all. That is why the Buddha has advised us towait for a time and study, think, observe, investigatebefore we decide whether there is any truth insomething we hear and whether to accept or to rejectit. By relying on our emotions or blind faith oranxiety, we may accept certain things or even besceptical. As a result of laziness or confusion of themind we may reject or disbelieve something wehear. But we must give a chance for the mind tothink and understand whether it is true or not.

FaithMere faith is meaningless because faith must

be tempered with the understanding that comesfrom training the mind. The main purpose of areligion must be to show a follower how to use hisknowledge with critical understanding to maximizehis sense of well-being and self fulfilment. Nomatter how much knowledge we have, if we do notuproot defilements and doubt in our minds, we willremain in an unhappy state. When we attain the

highest state of purity (arahantahood) wecompletely uproot our cravings, anger, delusion andestablish total equanimity of the mind. It is then thatthe “pure ones” arrive at a state when they cannotcreate any bad thoughts. They cannot utter harshwords or commit evil actions. One who has purifiedhis mind is a hundred times superior to those whoare powerful or those who have mere faith orknowledge and wallow in the impurities of themind. We claim to be “civilized”, but how can weclaim this when our minds show impure traits to thesame extent as our “primitive” ancestors didthousands of years ago?

All over the world people crowd in temples,churches, mosques and other places of worship topray, do sacrifice, perform penance. But when theycome out they have the same anger, craving,jealousy, grudges and enmity that they had before.People claim to be ‘religious’ when they pray andworship and perform religious ceremonies, but theirMINDS remain selfish, and devious. If they aretruly religious they will not discriminate againstothers, or hurt and ridicule others in their religiouspractices. The Buddha tried to open our minds tounderstand things perfectly without developingfanatical religious beliefs and discrimination.

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HeresyAnother reason why the teaching of the

Buddha does not fall into the category of anestablished religion is that there is no room for“heresy” in its system. A heresy is something thatchallenges the “word of god.” The Buddha freelyinvited both his followers and his opponents tochallenge his teachings from every possible angleso that there would be no room for any kind ofdoubt, True to his injunctions his followers haveargued about his doctrines and even foundeddifferent schools of Buddhism according to theirunderstanding, without violence or bloodshed. Infact at the famous Buddhist University of Nalanda(which was destroyed at the fanatical hands of otherreligionists), followers of Theravada and Mahayanaschools of Buddhism lived together and studied anddebated their different points of view in perfectharmony. The Buddha taught that if anyone reallybelieved that he knew the truth, then he should notbe afraid to have it challenged, because the truthwill always win. Moreover, he actively encouragedanyone to challenge his teachings. His replies tonumerous questions enriched the doctrine into a

vast religious field which was faithfully recorded byhis disciples. We are today able to answer anyquestions about Buddhism, simply by referring tothe Buddha’s explanations. Rational thinking andthe importance of inviting criticism are paramountin Buddhism.

ScienceThe test of a religious teaching is in its

conformity with the findings of science and theattraction it casts on the minds of persons possessedof acute intelligence. Some religions haveexperienced a measure of discomfort, as scienceunfolds its discoveries. As a result certain modifica-tions or re-interpretations of their scriptures havebecome necessary. In this respect Buddhism, therational teaching of the Enlightened One, faces nosuch embarrassment, as its basic principles are inclose harmony with the findings of science. Let usstudy just one example.

In the light of the latest studies of the atom,the old concept of the world is radically changing,just as the concept of the atom itself is changing.There is no more matter as it was believed in thepast: it has been reduced to energy, and even con-

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cept of energy is disappearing gradually and thescientists themselves do not know what to call it.They are now coming to the conclusion that the atomis only a concept and by extension, that the worldtoo is nothing but a conception. The more they makeresearches into the structure of the atom the morethey seem to be convinced of this conclusion.

In Buddhism this theory was expoundedsixteen centuries ago, if not earlier. In the 4thcentury A.C. the Buddhist philosopher, Asanga,developed a theory known as Vijnapti-matra orCitta-matra, based on the original Canonical textswhich enunciate that this world is just a conception,just a thought, just an idea. In order to prove thistheory, Asanga had to define the atom, and hisdefinition, made sixteen hundred years ago, is stillvalid up to this day. The atom (paramanu) shouldbe understood as not having a physical body(nissarira). The determination of the nature of theatom is done by the intellect through the ultimateanalysis of the mass of matter. Of course, Asanga’sinterest was not in physics, but in the metaphysicaland the philosophical. His interest was to show thatthis world, which ordinary people take as substance,was nothing real, but only a concept. According toAlbert Einstein, when the universe is analysed there

is nothing which remains as substance but onlyvibrations or waves.

The doctrine of Buddha Dharma standstoday, as unaffected by the march of time and theexpansion of knowledge as when it was first enun-ciated. No matter to what lengths increased scientif-ic knowledge can extend man’s mental horizon,within the framework of the Dharma there is roomfor the acceptance and assimilation of further dis-covery. This is because Buddhism does not rely forits appeal upon limited concepts of primitive mindsnor for its power upon the negation of thought.

MiraclesScience today does not deny the possibility

of miracles, as it once did, but is beginning toaccept that what were known as miracles were butmanifestations of phenomena as yet unknown. TheBuddha himself expounded this view: to himmiracles were not in themselves to be regarded asdemonstration of truth, but showed only a masteryof little-known powers that may be developed bysome people. It did not necessarily follow that theirpossessor was an enlightened or divine being.

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This being so, the Buddha not only taught hisfollowers to be wary in the exercise of anymiraculous powers they might acquire, but alsowarned others not to be unduly impressed by suchexhibitions. Thus, whereas other religions exploittheir miraculous elements to the greatest possibleextent in order to convince the masses, Buddhismtreats all such things as of very minor importanceand irrelevant to the real task of spiritualdevelopment and emancipation. According to theBuddha the highest miracle is the conversion of anignorant man to become a wise man.

In this connection, Swami Vivekananda says,“The idea of supernatural beings may arouse to acertain extent, the power of action in man, but italso brings dependence; it brings fear; it bringssuperstition. It degenerates into a horrible belief inthe natural weakness of the man.”

The scientific attitude and content ofBuddhism has led Albert Einstein to say that “ifthere is any religion that would cope with modernscientific needs it would be Buddhism.”

Ethics and SocietyThe other important aspect of Buddhism as a

world religion is its attitude to social, economic andpolitical problems. Uninformed people havegenerally tended to consider this religion as anescape or withdrawal from active life, retiring into atemple, or into a cave or into a forest and leading alife cut off from society. This however, is due to alack of understanding, for the Buddha himself wasone of the hardest working persons that ever livedin this world. He slept only two and a half hourseach night and the rest of the time he worked. Hewalked the length and breadth of India met peoplefrom all walks of life, talked to them and taughtthem. He did not talk about Nirvana all the time andto everybody he met. He spoke according to theirway of life and levels of understanding. TheBuddha said that he would not expect a beginner torealise the highest noble Truth at once. He said thathis was a gradual path. Therefore helping people invarious ways according to their standard orevolution and progress, is part of this religion. Anactive social, economic and political life cannot beseparated from true religious life.

In the religion of the Buddha is to be found acomprehensive system of ethics, and a

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transcendental metaphysics embracing a sublimepsychology. It satisfies all temperaments. To thesimple minded it offers a code of morality, agorgeous worship and even a hope of life in heaven;to the earnest devotee, a system of pure thoughts, alofty philosophy and moral teachings that lead toenlightenment and liberation from all sufferings.But the basic doctrine is the self-purification ofman. Spiritual progress is impossible for him whodoes not lead a life of purity and compassion.

In its organised form, as a popularly practisedreligion of the masses, with the many ceremonies,processions and festivals incorporating variouscustoms and traditions, Buddhism provides forample motivation, experience and material foreducation. Family functions, village ceremonies,cultural performances and events like births,weddings, deaths and memorial services provideeducation in an informal way. Children learn mostof their customs, manners, cultural, values and evenaspirations by observing or participating in thesenon-formal educational activities. Youths and adultstoo gain from them.

Beyond the personal level and theemancipation of the individual, Buddhismrecognises the family as a unit of society and nation.

Thus to the ordinary house-holder whose highestaim consists in gaining material satisfaction hereand going to heaven hereafter, Buddhism provides asimple code of morality — as contained in theSigalovada Sutra — the practice of which willstrengthen the solidarity of a community. Itmaintains the right relations between its familymembers, employers and employees.

In another discourse the Buddha has giventen kinds of advice for people to respect and tofulfil1 their duties and responsibilities towards theirparents, children, husbands and wives, relatives,elders, their departed ones, devas (deities) and tolive in harmony in society without becomingnuisances to the public and to lead blameless lives.

Such a teaching has the well-being of allmembers of a society as its aim and provides fordiligent practice of friendly action which is themark of a truly social being. On the other hand, theadvanced person who realises the hindrances of thehousehold life (a path defiled by passions), canresort to a higher code of morals and ethics, ascontained in the rules of the Holy Order, known asthe Vinaya. They will enable him to lead a life ofpurity, holiness and renunciation unfettered bymundane distractions.

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MoralityBuddhist morality is based on freedom and

understanding. Because morality grew out ofsociety’s need for self-preservation, it mustnecessarily adapt itself to changing times andcircumstances. Morality is therefore relative. In factthere cannot be any morality or ethical concept if itis grounded in compulsion or interference from anyagent outside the individual himself. The individualmust agree freely to any restriction placed on himfor morality to be truly effective.

Compassionate Love (Metta) is the basis ofall moral and ethical conduct in Buddhism. Out ofthis compassion arises all ethical and moralprecepts, social service, social justice, socialwelfare. Equality, brotherhood, tolerance, under-standing, respect for life, respect for others’ views,respect for others’ religions, all these have theirroots in Compassionate Love. Based on this greatnoble principle, Buddhism has always been areligion of peace. Its long history is free from thetaints of religious wars, religious persecutions andinquisi- tions. Buddhism in this respect standsunique in the history of religions. Of the Buddha’snoble example in this matter, Swami Vivekanandasays in his lectures on karmayoga: “The whole

human race has produced but one such person,such high philosophy, such wide sympathy. Thegreat philosopher, preaching the highestphilosophy, yet has the deepest sympathy for thelowest animals, and never puts forward a claim forhimself. He is the ideal Karma Yogi, acting entirelywithout motive, and the history of humanity showshim to have been the greatest man ever born,beyond compare, the greatest combination of heartand brain that ever existed.”

In respect to its social and moral code, theGerman philosopher, Prof. Max Muller has said,“The Buddhist moral code taken by itself is one ofthe most perfect which the world has ever known .”

On this point all testimonies from hostile andfriendly quarters agree; philosophers there mayhave been, religious preachers, subtle metaphysic-ists, disputants there may have been, but where shallwe find such an incarnation of love, love that knowsno distinction of caste and creed or colour, a lovethat overflowed even the bounds of humanity, thatembraced the whole of sentient beings in its sweep,a love that embodied the gospel of universal loving-kindness (Metta) and non-injury (Ahimsa) ?

Albert Schweitzer says, “In this sphere, theBuddha gave expression to truths of everlasting value

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and advanced the ethics not of India alone but ofhumanity. The Buddha was one of the greatest ethicalmen of genius ever bestowed upon the world.”

Furthermore, Prof. Rhys Davids observedthat the study of Buddhism should be considered anecessary part of any ethical course and should notbe dismissed in a page or two but receive its duerecognition in the historical perspective of ethicalevolution.

Economic DevelopmentWithin a Buddhist framework, the possibility

of economic development on a dynamic andmeaningful basis is receiving greater attention in themore affluent as well as in the developing countries.Modern development theory has failed to grapplewith the increasing environmental and socialproblems in most developed societies andBuddhism offers a way out of this impasse.

The Cakkavatti Sihanada Sutra in the DighaNikaya clearly states that poverty is the cause ofcrime and immorality. The Buddha and his disciplestaught the people the value of earning wealth andthe importance of economic development for their

well-being and happiness. In the Kutadanta Sutra(in the Digha Nikaya) the Buddha also expoundedthat crimes such as stealing could not be stopped bypunishment. For such crimes to be adequately andproperly controlled and stopped, opportunitiesshould be provided for the people to be happilyengaged in their occupations to enable them to leadcomfortable lives.

• Economic security (atthi-sukha)

• enjoyment of wealth (bhoga-sukha)

• freedom from debts (anana-sukha)

• leading a faultless life (anavajja-sukha):

these are four kinds of happiness for alayman. Ability in one’s occupation (utthanasampada), protection of wealth (arakkha sampada),association with good friends (kalyana mittata),expenditure in proportion to income (samajivikata): these four are said to be conducive to thewell-being of people in this world.

Many ideas for the advancement of society,as well as duties and obligations both by the familyand the society for their mutual benefit, arementioned in the discourses such as the Sigalovada,Parabhava and Vasala Sutras.

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It is evident from the Dhammapadacommentary that the Buddha directed his attentioneven towards the serious problem of governmentthrough compassion (karuna), with a view topromoting a form of justice that would not harmand hurt the people. Justice should prevent sufferingunder the tyranny and the heavy taxes imposed onthem by unrighteous rulers.

Buddhism teaches that a country should begoverned in accordance with the Ten Duties of theKing (dasa raja dharma), namely:

• liberality (dana)

• morality (sila)

• giving everything for the good of thepeople (pariccaga)

• honesty and integrity (ajjava)

• kindness and gentleness (madduva)

• austerity in habits (tapa)

• freedom from hatred, ill-will, enmity(akkodha)

• non-violence (avihimsa)

• patience, forbearance, tolerance,understanding (khanti), and non-opposition, non-obstruction, i.e. not toobstruct any measures conducive to thewelfare of the people (avirodha).

In this way the Buddha and his disciplestaught such important ideas pertaining to health,sanitation, earning wealth, mutual relationships,well-being of society, and righteous government —all for the good of the people.

Madame H.P. Blavatsky, President of theTheosophical Society at the end of 18th centurysaid, “The Buddha was the first to embody theselofty ethics in his public teachings and to make themthe foundation and the very essence of his publicsystem. It is herein that lies the immense differencebetween exoteric Buddhism and every otherreligion. For while in other religions ritualism anddogma hold the first and most important place, inBuddhism it is the ethics which have always beenthe most insisted upon.”

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GovernmentEven the parliamentary system of today bears

strong resemblance to the practices known inBuddhism. As the Marquess of Zetland, a formerViceroy of India, reveals: “It is indeed to theBuddhist books that we have to turn for an accountof the manner in which the affairs of the early ex-amples of representative self-governing institutionswere conducted. And it may come us a surprise tomany to learn that in the assemblies of Buddhists inIndia 2500 years and more ago are to be found therudiments of our own parliamentary practice of thepresent day. The dignity of the assembly was pre-served by the appointment of a special officer — theembryo of Mr. Speaker in our house of commons. Asecond officer was appointed to see that whennecessary a quorum was secured — the prototype ofthe Parliamentary Chief Whip in our own system. Amember initiating business did so in the form of amotion which was then open to discussion. In somecases, this was done once only, in others threetimes, thus anticipating the practice of Parliamentin requiring that a bill be read a third time before itbecomes law. If discussion disclosed a difference ofopinion the matter was decided upon by the vote ofthe majority, the voting being by ballot.”

HappinessThis is not a religion for people just to follow

but to learn, understand, and to practise to gainexperience and bliss.

One day while the Buddha was walking inthe forest, he took a handful of leaves and declaredthat what he had taught was like those leaves in hishand. The Dhamma in its entirety was like all theleaves in the whole forest. The Dhamma is sounimaginably vast that the Buddha taught only theessentials that were necessary for the immediatetask at hand, namely, to end suffering and gainliberation. The Buddha told us how to rid ourselvesof this suffering. The rest of worldly knowledge isnot important. Due to ignorance, we spend wholelifetimes trying to cope with suffering, worries,grievances and conflicts. This is because we do notunderstand the true nature of existence and thecauses of suffering. For example, let us take thethree characteristics of Impermanence (Anicca),Unsatisfactoriness (Dukkha), and Insubstantiality(Anatta). The whole of the Universe shares thesecharacteristics. No power can arrest the process ofchange which is present from the moment we areborn, and therein lies the cause of suffering. We

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need little else to convince us about the rootproblems of suffering.

What do we want out of life? How can wegain happiness? Unsatisfactoriness andconsequently unhappiness comes from our notrealizing that everything is changeable and subjectto decay. This is the universal law. But due to ourignorance and erroneous belief in a self we want tokeep living in a permanent state without everchanging. This can never happen. We want to keepour wealth, our property, our health, our youth. Butone day all of these can be swept away just like theflame of a candle being snuffed out by the wind.When we notice that our beautiful good looks arebeing replaced by wrinkles and white hair we worryand become unhappy because we refuse to acceptthe changing nature of things.

The Buddha teaches us to contemplate onthese matters so that we will understand and removethe source of our unhappiness. The teaching of theBuddha has illuminated the way for mankind tocross from a world blinded by superstition, hatredand fear and reach a new world of light, love,happiness and dignity. Sir Edwin Arnold describedthe Buddha in this way, in his poem “Light of Asia.”

“ This is the blossom on our human treeWhich opens in many a myriad yearsBut opened, fills the worldwith wisdom’s scentand love’s dropped honey.”

Impermanence and DeathWhen we are young we must consider that

although we are young, in time we will grow old.When we are healthy we must think that in time wecan fall sick. Health is not permanent. When weprepare ourselves wisely for decay, ageing, sicknessand finally death, it will not be nearly as difficult tobear. Understanding that these are worldlyconditions which everyone has to face, we can bearany suffering with fortitude. This is the strength, the‘refuge’ that the Buddha promises. There are thosewho grumble and cry when misfortune hits them.This is nothing but lack of understanding. Moaningabout it will not make the suffering go away.

To avoid the pain that misfortune can bring wemust strengthen our minds through understanding.

There is nothing or nobody who has comeinto existence who can escape the natural process of

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“coming to an end.” There has to be an end.Otherwise things cannot exist. We need not beafraid of this perfectly natural phenomenon. We canall consider that even at death it is not the end of lifebut only the beginning of another. We know withthe poet Wordsworth that, “The soul that rises withus, our life’s star, has elsewhere had its setting,cometh from afar.” When we disappear from thisworld physically, the life appears elsewhere — sowhy worry? Aren’t we simply getting a newpassport in our journey through Samsara?

Nations grow and die out; empires arise andfall apart; mighty palaces are built and crumble inthe dust — such is the way of the world. Beautifulflowers blossom and attract all who pass by; but thenext day they fade and dry up. Their petals all dropone by one and soon they are forgotten altogether.All enjoyments and high attainments of the worldare only a momentary show. One who takespleasure in them has to lament and weep when theyare lost, and undergoes much suffering. Sincenothing lasts in this world one should not hope toget ultimate happiness from it. The Buddha’s adviceis to contemplate on this transitoriness of the worldand the various forms of unsatisfactoriness latent inall existing worldly phenomena.

This world, the sun, the moon, galaxies, theuniverse itself are all subject to the same inexorablelaw of impermanence.

If we follow the teachings of the Buddha wewill not be upset at the prospect of separating fromloved ones, property and wealth. This does notmean Buddhists must not experience worldlypleasure. We must follow the Middle Path. We cangain pleasures in moderation, without violatingmoral principles, without becoming slaves to thembut with the understanding that this must not hinderspiritual development.

Husbands and wives, parents and childrendevelop strong attachments to each other, This isperfectly natural. It is important for them in order tolead a worldly life. At the same time however, wemust face the fact that this same attachment is thesource of enormous pain and suffering. It can evenlead to suicide. To eradicate problems, attachmentmust be allowed to develop with understanding. It isone’s duty to develop affections by knowing thatone day there will be separation. Under thatcondition one will know how to cope with separ-ation when it happens. One will avoid madness andsuicide simply because one has trained one’s mind.

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What the Buddha contributed to mankindwas to console us by helping us to realize how allour problems arise and how to face them. Praying toexternal forces may lead to temporary solutions andprovide transient moments of peace. But it is justlike taking two painkillers when you have aheadache. After three hours the pain will come backbecause the headache is not the sickness but merelyits symptom. Painkillers are not the medicine forsickness. Those who understand are in a position toremove the cause of suffering. The Buddha’steaching gives us that understanding.

Conclusion1 hope this introduction has shown you how

Buddhism stands alone as a system of religiouspractice. The Buddha was a great and effectiveTeacher and Physician. He constantly reminded hisfollowers that his only aim was to teach people howto understand the nature of suffering orunsatisfactoriness and how to eradicate it. Hepromised happiness in this very life for those whofollow his noble method with determination andright understanding.

It is very unfortunate that in many existingreligions the followers are not encouraged to respectthe leaders of another religion. They are warned thatif they do so they would be committing a sin andeven worse, they would go to hell for it. TheBuddha clearly tells us that we must respect thosewho are worthy of respect. Although we may notagree with certain religious points of view theyhold, if they are sincere in their efforts to servehumanity and uplift it, we must respect them for it.There are noble people in every religion.

The Buddha did not advise his disciples to goand convert people who would otherwise go to hell.Rather he advised them to show the world what isright and what is wrong and to be good and to dogood, to encourage men to come and see forthemselves the truth that he taught.

He and his followers do not condemn thefollowers of other religionists as “sinners” who aredoomed to spend an eternity in hell. According toBuddhists, even those who have no “religion” butwho live in dignity, with compassion and goodwillcan “go to heaven”, that is, experience happiness.

When we are happy and contented we are in“heaven.” When we suffer physically or mentally

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we are in “hell.” There is no need to wait to die toexperience either of these states.

Buddhism is unique because we can talkabout this “religion” even without any reference toheaven or hell. I am sure that others cannot talkabout religion in this way.

The Buddha’s message of goodwill andunderstanding to all beings is a universal message.The world today needs this noble message morethan ever before in the history of humankind.

Buddhism as a religion is the uniqueexposition of the absolute truth which will showman how to live in peace and harmony with hisfellow beings.