English Dharma Talk

Discussion I

Theme: Buddhism and Mind

Date: 08/10/2010

Venue: Theravada Samadhi Education Association

Presented by

Rev. Wadinagala Pannaloka

Sub-themes to discuss

• 01. Buddha as a Human Being

• 02. Freedom of Thought

• 03. Tolerance to other teachings

• 04. Buddhist attitude to truth

Discussion I

Buddha as a human being

Freedom of thought

Buddha as a Human Being

• How he differs from other teachers?

• One is one’s own refuge

• Stand on your own foot!!!

02. Freedom of Thought

• i. Emancipation depends on his/her realization of truth

• ii. No use of divine grace or any external power

iii. The Kalama Sutta

• Dialogue betw’n Buddha and Kalamas

• K: Other recluses and brahmins illumine only their own doctrines;

• Despise, condemn and spurn others’• We have doubt and perplexity

concerning who speaks truth and who speaks falsehood.

Unique advice of the Buddha:

• B: Your doubt and perplexity is reasonable!!!

• Doubt has arisen in a matter which is doubtful.

Ten Points to Avoid

• i. Do not be led by reports (ma anussavena)

• ii. Tradition (ma paramparaya)• iii. Hearsay (ma itikiraya)• iv. Authority of religious texts

(ma pitakasampadanena)• v. logic (ma takkahetu)

• vi. Inference (ma nayahetu)• vii. Considering appearances (ma akaraparivitakkena)• viii. Speculative opinions (ma ditthi-nijjhanakkhantiya)• ix. Seeming possibilities (ma

bhabbarupataya)• x. By the idea : ‘ This is my teacher’ (eso me acariyoti)

How to decide?

• Give up unwholesome (akusala)

• Accept what is wholesome and follow them!

(kusala)

Examine the teacher

• The Buddha asked to his disciples to examine himself (Buddha/Tathagata)

Is doubt a sin?

• i. Buddhism has no such a concept.

• ii. Doubt is not a sin.

• iii. Doubt (vicikiccha) is a hindrance (nivarana) to the spiritual path.

• All evils come from ignorance and wrong views

• Resolving doubts is the way to proceed

Buddha on doubt

• Just before his death, the Buddha emphatically requested his disciples to raise questions if they have any doubts about his teaching and not to feel sorry later!

• Disciples were silent.

A touching statement

• “If it is due to respect for the teacher

that you do not ask anything,

then inform your friend to ask the question on behalf of you”!!!

Lesson II

Points of discussion

Tolerance shown to other religions

Buddhist attitude to truth

Tolerance shown to other religions

Tolerance – 安忍、包容

Claim:

Textual evidence: ( 經典證據 )

• Householder Upali - the lay disciple of

Nigantha Nathaputta

• To defeat the Buddha in argument

( 辯論 ) concerning theory of karma,

Upali was sent.

Householder- 居士、家主

At the end of the discussion,

Upali was convinced ( 確信 ) that the Buddha’s position is right ( 佛陀的立場 ).

He begged the Buddha to accept him as a lay disciple (Upasaka).

Buddha’s response:

“ considering carefully is good for well- known men like you”

As Upali was insisting , the Buddha accepted his request ( 請求 ).

Finally , the Buddha asked him to continue his support to the former religious teacher.

Former- 從前的

• Historical evidence : Emperor Asoka

300 B.C.

• Followed the noble example of tolerance and understanding set by the Buddha.

While a devout Buddhist himself,King Asoka wrote to his subjects:

On the contrary, he injures his own religion gravely.Concord is good:

No violence was ever used to propagate Buddhism!

Violence-暴力propagate- 傳播

Buddhist attitude to truth

• Truth has no label: neither Buddhist nor Christian

• It is not the monopoly of anybody

• Labeling causes issues: cannot see even a human as a human

In order to understand the truth, not necessary to know even its source.

What is essential is to see and understand.

source- 來源 essential- 必要

The Dialogue between Buddha and Pukkusati

The Buddha once spent a night in a potter’s shed.A young recluse had arrived there earlier. Seeing the pleasant mannerism in the person, the

Buddha decided to talk to him.

Dialogue- 對話 mannerism- 習性

• B: O, bhikkhu, in whose name have you left home? who is your master? whose doctrine do you like?

• P: In the name of the recluse Gotama, an Arahant, a fully-Enlightened One.

• B: Where is that Blessed One at this time?

• P: In the city of Savatthi, he is living now.

Buddha did not reveal his identity and said:

I will teach you the doctrine.

Listen and pay attention. I will speak. ‘Very well, friend’, said the young man in

assent.

Reveal- 告訴 doctrine- 教義 Identity- 身份 Assent- 同意

After the sermon, Pukkusati realized that it was the Buddha himself who spoke.

Then he apologized to the Buddha for calling him ‘friend’ unknowingly.

Apologize- 道歉

Lesson:

• Pukkusati when listened to the truth, he did not know who was telling it.

• If the medicine is good, disease will be cured.

cure- 治癒

Role of Saddha (信 )

Almost all religions are built on faith. Definition of faith:

Secure belief in God and a trusting acceptance of God’s will.

It is acceptance of what we cannot see but feel deep within our hearts.

• Popular buddhism: saddha has the element of faith which means devotion to the Buddha, dhamma and sangha.

Building Vocabulary

• Among the founders of religions the Buddha (if we are permitted to call him the founder of a religion in the popular sense of the term) was only teacher who did not claim to be other than a human being, pure and simple.

• i. Founder- 創始人 • Ii. Popular sense – 通俗意義

• Other teachers were either God, or his incarnations in different forms, or inspired by him. The Buddha was not only a human being; he claimed no inspiration from any god or external power either.

• i. incarnations - 化身 • ii. Inspire-- 啟發

• Iii. external power

• He attributed all his realization, attainments and achievements to human endeavour and intelligence. A man and only a man can become a Buddha.

• i. attributed… to… - 歸因… …於

• Ii. Realization- 覺悟• Iii. Attainments- 証悟• Iv. Achievements- 成就

• V. endeavour- 努力

• Every man has within himself the potentiality of becoming a Buddha, if he so wills it and endeavours.

• We can call the Buddha a man par excellence. He was so perfect in his “human-ness “that he came to be regarded later in popular religion almost as “super-human ".

• i. potentiality- 潛力 • Ii.super-human- 超人

• Man's position, according to Buddhism, is supreme. Man is his own master, and there is no higher being or power that sits in judgment over his destiny.

i. judgment- 評判• ii. Destiny- 命運

• One is one's refuge, who else could be the refuge?" said the Buddha.

He admonished his disciples to " be a refuge to themselves ", and never to seek refuge in or help from anybody else.

i. Refuge- 庇護ii. admonished- 勸勉

• He taught, encouraged and stimulated each person to develop himself and to work out his own emancipation, for man has the power to liberate himself from all bondage through his own personal effort and intelligence.

• i. encouraged 鼓勵

• Ii. Stimulated 激勵

• Iii. bondage - 束縛

• If the Buddha is to be called a " SAVIOUR " at all, it is only in the sense that he discovered and showed the Path to Liberation, Nirvana. But we must tread the Path ourselves.

i. Saviour - 救世主ii. Liberation- 解脫iii. Tread – 踐履

• It is on this principle of individual responsibility that the Buddha allows freedom to his disciples.

• i. on this principle 依此原則 • Ii. individual responsibility - 個人責任 • Iii. allows - 允許

• He said that there was no esoteric doctrine in his teaching, nothing hidden in the “closed-fist of teacher", or to put it in other words, there never was anything " up his sleeve ".

• i. esoteric doctrine - 深奧的教理• Ii. closed-fist of teacher – 導師的握拳• Iii. up his sleeve – 祂袖子裡（未藏秘密）

• The freedom of thought allowed by the Buddha is unheard of elsewhere in the history of religions.

• i. unheard- 未曾聽聞的

• This Freedom is necessary because, according to the Buddha, man's emancipation depends on his own realization of Truth, and not on the benevolent grace of a god or any external power as a reward for his obedient good behaviour.

• i. emancipation – 解脫

• Ii. benevolent grace -- 仁慈的恩典

• Iii. Reward- 報酬

• Iv. Obedient - 順從的