Bodhi Seed
What Buddhists Must Know
Sakyamuni Buddha
He was born in Lumbini garden, underneath a Sal-tree, when His mother Queen Mahamaya-devi was on her way to her parents' home. The Queen passed away one week after His birth. As a prince, he was named Siddhartha Gautama. He lived from 566 to 486 BC. His teachings were passed down orally and they were only consecrated to writing, on ola leaves, in Sri Lanka around the middle of the firstborn century BC. The Buddha taught for a amount of time of forty five years. They consisted of three baskets or segmentations called Pitaka, which are the Discourses, the Monastic regulations, and the Abhidhamma. In all they consisted of 84 000 chapters, with regards to 5000 of them are the Discourses (Suttas). It has been approximated by scholars that if all the main points of the three baskets were listed in book form, that set of books would be equivalent to 360 volumes of our intermediate encyclopedia today.
If a person wishes to become a Buddhist, no initiation ceremony is needed. There is no need for baptism. If a person comprehends the Buddha's teaching, is convinced that His instructing is the right Path, and does his best to follow it. Then he is a Buddhist.
The four sacred Buddhist places are: Lumbini, Bodh Gaya, Sarnath and Kusinara. Lumbini is now in Nepal, was the birthplace of Sakyamuni Buddha. Bodh Gaya, Sarnath and Kusinara are in India. Bodh Gaya was the place where Sakyamuni was enlightened, after He moved from place to place in India practicing meditation for seven years. At Deer Park, Sarnath , near Benares, He carried out His original teaching, (turning of the Dharma Wheel) to the five ascetics, with these discourses : Dhammacakkapavattana Sutta, (Four Noble Truths & The Eightfold Path); and Anattalakkhana Sutta, ( Soulless). Kusinara was the place of His final Nibbana. The Buddha personally said that Buddhists who visit these four places would travel to higher states. He was born as an intermediate person. This was a good sign because it means you and I may likewise become a Buddha. You don't need to be the most intellectual ones in the nation like the top 0.000001% of the population to be capable to perceive the Dharma to become a Buddha. If He was very intelligent, He would have attained Nibbana earlier, because as a child (aged 7) He sat under a rose-apple tree (Bodhi Tree, Botanical name: ficus religiosa) observing His father carrying out the opening ceremony for the annual ploughing festival, He crossed legs and went on meditation and was believed to have reached the dissimilar levels of the Jhanas. He could have continued and practised harder and with great success attain Buddhahood without spending the six years which He did later on. It was said that as the child sat beneath the tree, the tree-shade remained protecting him even even though the position of the sun on the sky had changed. So you see, the devas protect the good people. As a young prince, the turning point in his life was when he observed a frog being swallowed by a snake, and at that moment, a hawk swooped down and carried both the snake and the frog away. How could an almighty creator concede his creatures to be preyed upon by others, and to live in continuous fear? All creatures either hunt or are hunted by others. Herbivorous animals are likewise the victims of other animals, including humane beings.
During one of his outings, Prince Siddhartha came all over a recluse, dressed in yellow rope, keeping a bowl in his hand, looking very calm and perfect. The Prince stopped the chariot and asked Channa, with curiosity: "What is this man? I like very much to recognise him." That recluse neared the Prince and said: "Prince, I am a holy man, a recluse. Seeing the world full of miseries, I have left it, wandering in search of Truth and Peace."
The recluse without delay retired and was out of sight.
In the evening, as usual, a party of dancing girls came to entertain the Prince. Prince Siddhartha heard them and saw them but could not compensate attention to them. He sat on the couch and was soon asleep. The entertainers stopped to rest. As night advanced, they too were asleep.
Later that night, the Prince woke up and looked around. The dancing girls laid scattered all over the floor like dead bodies. Some had their eyes completely shut, and a great deal of half-shut, appearing repulsive. Saliva flew from their mouths. The noses were blowing. Many of them were snoring, with their saree neglectfully disordered. Some were biting their teeth, or muttering in their dreams. The whole scene looked more like a cemetery ground.
The Prince walked out of the hall to wake up the horse-groom Channa, and said: "Get my horse ready. I will go out."
The Prince galloped on and on, crossing the river Anoma, left his jewels, sword and garments, cut his hair, took the yellow rope and a begging bowl, to enter the forests searching for Truth and Peace. His horse Kanthaka, and all the other items He discarded were brought back to the palace by Channa. He remained seven days at Anupiya Mango Groove near River Anoma, and then proceeded to Rajagaha, the capital of Magadha kingdom, ruled by king Bimbisara. King Bimbisara came personally to see this mysterious recluse and also wanted to offer half the kingdom to this recluse. The Prince rejected the offer but promised the king that when he find the Truth and Peace he would come back to visit the king.
During his search, Siddhartha received training from a good deal of teachers, the most great ones were: Asita, Alara and Uddaka, but did not find the Truth and Peace. Near Uruvela, he came throughout five ascetics who were practising asceticism. Siddhartha joined them, fasting for months continuously, burning the body underneath midday sun for the duration of summer and spending cold and frosty winter nights, dipped in water. They employed very rough clothings, and pricked thorns in their own body to conquer the temptation of touch, believing that could annihilate the physical and gain the real blissful nature of the soul. He gradually scaled down His intake of feed each day. His body was scaled down to skeleton, and his hair all fell off. The skin shrank until he looked like a very old man.
One day, he got fainted and yet could not find the Truth. It was then clear to him that asceticism was a faulty method. He then remembered the string tension of the Sitar which ought to be neither low nor high to invent the rectify pitch. He begun to take feed and gradually gained strength. The other five ascetics: Kondanna, Bhaddiya, Vappa, Mahanama, and Assaji, were unhappy with him and left him.
Then the Prince was alone. He sat underneath a Bodhi tree, by the side of River Neranjara (now Phalgu) to proceed meditation, with one posture for one week. A village girl, Sujata, offered him galore milk-rice. After this meal he continued to meditate under the Bodhi tree. Mara came and tried to frighten him with storms and armies of demons. It was not successful. Mara then sent his three pretty daughters to seduce him. It failed again. Siddhartha continued to meditate and within the same night, the Great Enlightenment dawned on him. He came upon ignorance was the root of all evils, and that with the cessation of ignorance, emancipation would be obtained, and one would be free from Samsara. He traced the world of miseries, and found twelve links called Nidanas. He called them "Paticca Samuppada" which means "Dependent Origination", i.e., depending on this, that originates. The routine may be traced back and there was no beginning, or a firstborn cause.
Buddhism does not instruct the following: that everything crops up without a cause, that good deed and bad deed create no effect that there is no after-life that there is an almighty God that the world was flat
The Buddha said : "Blessed are they who earn their livelihood without harming others." I don't know what his almighty god was then. But it was my mother who told me according to the Chinese, it was Panku. Panku even claimed that he was the one who invited all the Buddhas to this universe, and that all the Buddhas receive commands from him. During the Buddha's time, a deva who believed he was the almighty god, and a creator, came down to world to challenge the Buddha. The deva wanted to kill the Buddha unless the Buddha kowtow to him. The Buddha refused but invited the deva to play a game. The loser would kowtow to the winner. The deva was glad to receive this game. He suggested the Buddha will have to find out where he was when he vanish from thin air. The deva all of a sudden vanished, but the Buddha found him. It was then the Buddha's turn to decrease rapidly from thin air. The Buddha attained Nibbana. Obviously, the deva which was a mutual being could not find him. The deva kowtowed to the Buddha and departed. Another tipping point in his life was caused by the following incidents: seeing an old man : the pride in youth left him seeing a sick man : the pride in health left him seeing a dead man : the pride in life left him His most learned disciple was Ananda (Buddha's cousin) and Ananda was the last of the 1250 disciples to attain Arahanthood. Ananda expended a lot of him time serving the Buddha and the guests of the Buddha. After the Great Decease of the Buddha, Ananda was less busy and he concentrated on meditation, attaining Arahanthood while lying down. Before this, he neared Mahakashyapa for three times seeking assistance to attain enlightenment but was always turned down by Mahakashyapa. These words were from Mahashyapa to Adanda: " Only you may support yourself". Only then did Ananda realize that he had to depend on himself if he wanted to attain enlightenment. He went to a secluded and solitary place to meditate and attained enlightenment. The fact was at that moment, he relied on no one and hence there was no more attachment. This attainment qualified him to participate in the original convocation of the Sangha with the intention of resolving questions of system of belief and fixing the text of the scriptures. This Meeting was carried out, three months after the Buddha's final Nibbana, by five hundred monks who were Arahants. An Arahant has perfective memory. They met at Sattapanni Cave (at Rajagaha) to recite the Dharma and the Vinaya so that it could be passed on to future generations. The Buddhist teachings were memorized by these five hundred monks, each monk was responsible for a sure subdivisions of the teachings. These monks passed on the teachings to younger monks and that was why we still have the Dharma today.
The First Council Meeting, sponsored by King Ajatasatta, (carried out long before King Asoka was born) was presided by Mahakashyapa, with 499 Arahants, to settle the questions of doctrines and repair the text of the Scriptures, by reciting and memorizing, in Satiapanni Cave, located outside Rajagaha, three months after the Pari-Nibbana of the Buddha. Ananda attained Arahantship on that day, before the meetng started and was qualified to attend that meeting. With his presence, there were five hundred monks. Thus the Tripitaka was recorded and has been studied and practised until today. The 2nd Council Meeting was carried out 100 years later at Vesali, to review the determinations of the basi meeting.
The 3rd Council Meeting was done at Pataliputta, 200 years later, at 253 BC, underneath the patronage of King Asoka, to finalize the conclusions of the Second Meeting. This third Council meeting was attended by one thousand monks, the main aim was to rid the Sangha of corruption and bogus monks who kept heretical views. Later, from 444 to 100 BC, because of famine and schisms in the Sangha, it was necessary to preserve the Buddhist religion. King Vattagamani convened the 4th Council where 500 monks recited the Buddha's teachings and wrote them on palm leaves for the firstborn time. The written records were named the Pali Tipitaka, (Pali Canon). Manjusri was the brightest of the 1250 disciples but he was not the introductory one to attain Arahanthood. A person can not attain Nibbana by academic cognition or intellectual reasoning. Cula-panthaka was not competent to learn by heart, a Pali verse which consisted of four stanzas with eleven characters in each, and forty-four characters all together, even altho he had expended four months attempting to do it. However, later on, the Buddha told him to contemplate on a piece of white cloth, mashing or squashing it, reciting "rajo-haranam, rajo haranam", which means : " bringing with regards to dust, bringing when it comes to dust". Cula-panthaka became an Arahant within a single morning. The Buddha never claimed there was a royal road to Nibbana. However, He did instruct that if a person ought to fabricate sincerely (The Noble Eightfold Path ) in the way He described, for seven days, he or she would attain full Enlightenment or the state of non-returner. The Buddha said: " ehi-passiko" which means come and see. He did not demand blind faith, and also He never condemn the instructing of His opponents as sacrilege or heretics. It is out of the question to become a Sotapanna plainly by appreciating what the Buddha teaches. You need to exercise Samatha or Vipassana meditation. The beauty of religious exercise is that, at the least, a person is not affrighted for the duration of the time of death, and remains mindful and self-possessed. Even if one fails to attain Nibbana upon the dissolution of the body, one is bound for a happy destiny. Anyone wishing to experience the bliss of Nibbana has to fulfill three conditions: 1) Find a teacher who may give the proper instruction in the technique of meditation and to associate only with men of integrity and wisdom. 2) Need to gain an intellectual understanding of the teaching, example: hearing the true Dhamma because by studying and listening to discourses one gains the proper framework to grasp the experiences in meditation 3) Need to exercise what one has been taught. One of Buddha's disciples was an elderly monk called Pottila, who was bright and was reputed of being an expert at expanding in details whatsoever teachings the Buddha had given in brief. Despite his popularity and reputation, the Buddha called him "empty Pottila", and the truth dawned on him that he had no wisdom because he did not exercise the Dhamma. Pottila looked for a quiet place to meditate and realized he had to find a well-qualified teacher. He went to a forest where there were thirty monks, all of them were Arahants. He neared the senior monk and asked him for instruction. This monk politely declined fearing that his simple technique would not be accepted by Pottila. Pottila went to look for the other twenty-nine monks and asked for the same thing. All of them refused, except the young monk who was still doubtful of Pottila's sincerity. He asked Pottila to cross a little stream. Pottila did so. This young monk was then convinced that Pottila would follow his advice. He went on: "Here is an anthill with six holes and beneath it lives a lizard. Someone would have to close five of the holes and leave just one of them open and then he would be capable to capture the lizard easily." Pottila respectfully saluted the young monk and said: "What a outstanding teacher you are; I to the full or entire extent understood, you need instruct me not one thing further." The young monk asked what it was that he had understood. Pottila said: "Great teacher, I comprehend that there are six sense doors; I have to close five of them, and open only the mind door. This is how you want me to practice." Pottila found a solitary place, meditated for three days and attained Arahanthood. The Buddha was not an eternalist, nor was He an annihilationist, (a person who denies the survival of the personality in any form after death). According to Him, there were only events which arise because of former conditions. But when asked if the person who was reborn was the same as the former one who died, the Buddha said it was neither the same nor another person. The self, which other religions named as soul, jiva, atma or purusa is not constant, everlasting or eternal. It is subject to change, and will not endure as long as eternity. Buddhism does not completely deny the existence of a personality. It denies an identical being or a permanent entity. Buddhist term for an person is santati, i.e. a flux or continuity. This santati was not devised by an almighty god, and had no perceptible source from the past.
The Buddha did not say Anatta meant voidness of the self or nothingness. According to Him the self consisted of the physical and mental components constituting the so called five aggregates. They are there but there is not one thing which is permanent. The five aggregates are: body, feeling, ideation, volitional actions and consciousness, which are likewise the same as: eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body consciousness. According to Buddhism, it is wrong to say: I have no self, ( which is the annihilationist theory). It is also defective to say that I have a self, (the eternalist theory). In the Alayaddupama Sutta, the Buddha says: " O bhikku, when neither self nor anything pertaining to self may veritably and genuinely be found, the speculative view : The universe is that Atman (Soul); I shall be that after death, permanent, abiding, ever-lasting, unchanging, and I shall subsist as such for eternity," is it not wholly and exclusively foolish?" The self is most difficult for us to portion with. Upon death, when we leave the physical body, we still cling to the self. This self leads us to rebirth in respective spheres.
There are 31 planes of existence, and our humane world is the fifth one. This is the only plane where, we the people may see the things around us with our naked eyes. From level 6 to level 31 are all heavenly realms. From level 1 to 4 are the realms of the ghosts. The ghosts are only capable to frighten the humans but are not competent to physically injure us. Otherwise, a great deal of persons would have been dead, taking into considerateness that the ghosts may see us but we can not see them. The access to those 26 heavenly realms are within the reach of persons who are performing good deeds on this earth. No god holds the keys to those heavens and no god decides who goes there and who goes to hells.
Buddhists believe there are with regards to 1000000 planetary systems in the Milky Way galaxy alone that life exists, and that world systems are infinite in numbers. If science can not proof there are innumerable other galaxies, it does not mean they do not exist. Our world is 1.3 million times littler than the sun. For more info on astronomy, go to the internet site of Institute of Astronomy, University of Cambridge.
Once the Buddha was asked when it comes to the beginning of the world, He said, "It is as if a man had been wounded by a poisoned arrow and when attended to by a physician were to say, ‘I will not grant you to remove this arrow until I have learned the caste, the age, the occupation, the birthplace, and the motivation of the person who wounded me.' That man would die before having learned all this. In precisely the same way, any individual who will have to say, ‘I will not follow the instructing of the Blessed One until the Blessed One has explained all the multiform truths of the world'-that person would die before the Buddha had explained all this."
According to the Aggañña Sutta, found in the Pali Canon, the Buddha was speaking to the monk Vasettha, a former Brahmin, on the formation of the earth:
"There comes a time, Vasettha, when, after the lapse of a long, long period, this world died. And when this happens, beings have for the most part been reborn into the Realm of Radiance [as devas]; and there they dwell, made of mind, feeding on rapture, self-luminous, traversing the air, continuing in glory; and therefore they stay for a long, long amount of time of time. There comes likewise a time, Vasettha, when sooner or later this world begins to re-evolve. When this happens, beings who had deceased from the World of Radiance commonly come to life as humans...now at that time, all had become one world of water, dark, and of darkness that maketh blind. No moon nor sun appeared, no stars were seen, nor constellations, neither was night manifest nor day, neither months nor half-months, neither years nor seasons, neither female nor male. Beings were reckoned just as beings only. And to those beings, Vasettha, sooner or later after a long time, world with it is savours was disseminate out in the waters, even as a scum forms on the surface of boiled milky rice that is cooling, so did the world appear."
This description is consistent with the expanding universe model and Big Bang. The Buddha seems to be saying here that the universe elaborates outward, reaches a stabilizing point, and then reverts it is motion back toward a central point resulting in it is destruction, this routine again to be repeated infinitely. Throughout this expanding and contracting process, the objects found within the universe undergo periods of development and modify over a long stretch of time, according to the environs in which they find themselves. The Buddha goes on to say that the "beings" he described in this paragraph become attached to an earthlike planet, get reborn there, and stay there for the duration of the life. As a result, physical characteristics modify and evolutionary changes takes place. This is a very rough theory of evolution. The Aggañña Sutta presents water as pre-existent to earthlike planets, with the planet forming with water and the life moving from the water onto the earth. The Buddha was talking in regards to earthlike planets in general, and that was also how our ancestors arrived on this planet.
Depending on his deeds, a person may be reborn as a hell being, an animal, a hungry ghost, a humane being, a frighted ghost, a god of the sensuous heaven, an embodied brahma, or a bodiless brahma. The people and animals have gross physical bodies, while the ghosts and devas have subtle nonphysical bodies. The beings in the Brahma realms, if they have the prospect to listen to Vipassana Dharma, will attain Nibbana from these realms. One example was Dhananjhani, who practiced metta to attain the jhanas, and ended up in the Brahma realm, underneath the supervision of Sariputta. As advised by the Buddha, Sariputa visited Dhananjhani, at the Brahma realm and gave a Vipassana Dhamma talk to Dehananjhani, who attained Nibbana directly from the Brhama realm. Buddhist Meditation involves no religious rites or rituals. It may be mastered by all, except the mentally sick and the drug addicts, disregarding of their cultural or religious backgrounds, if they are more than willing to make the necessary efforts. While practicing meditation and living a virtuous life, you may appear to others, like a useless, mad, and discomfited person. In reality, it is just the opposite. When the five Precepts are well established, meditation will yield great results and benefits. There is not one thing religious with regards to the Five Precepts: To refrain from demolishing beings To refrain from taking things not given To refrain from sexual misconduct To refrain from untrue speech To refrain from distilled and fermented liquors that cause intoxication & heedlessness Is there any religion or person who does not agree to the five clauses? When you observe these clauses daily, you protect yourself and others. Won't our planet world then be a better place? However, if you are a Buddhist, meditation will beef up your faith on the religion. It is a mental discipline that finally leads the mind to it is purified state. It is a form of energetic endeavoring leading to self-elevation, self-discipline, self control, and self-illumination. It is a tonic for your heart. As you mediate, you breathe in cosmic energy and genuinely breathe out your defilements. This will help to weaken your past bad kamma, which you gathered since uncountable ages from the past. You need to carry out good kamma to neutralize your bad kamma. No one may undo your former bad kamma.
For those who have devoted severe crimes like killing, for the duration of the meditation practice, they may disseminate the thought of loving benignancy and dedicate the merits of this action to those they have killed in the past. It may support to fetch in regards to forgiveness so that the bad kamma would become ineffective. If the victims do not pardon them and return to kill their former killers, at least the former killers will now recognise they are merely paying an old debt. When the debt is paid willingly, the mind is not thinking of payback which will proceed the kammic retribution. People with hateful mind fall into hell. When they get out of hell, they carry on the revenge and the retribution goes on indefinitely and the debts go on endlessly. That was why the Buddha said: "Hatred is not appeased by hatred but by love is hatred appeased." Those who passed from physical life while the mind was in good state would be reborn into blissful state of existence. Those who passed away while the mind was in the neutral state would be born as spirits seeking rebirth. Whenever these spirits remembered the kamma they had done, they would be born into the existence suitable to their kamma.
The Buddha never taught meditation to lay persons for the duration of his forty five years ministry. During His time, the persons had to work 365 days a year.
From the Human plane, there are eight levels of spiritual realms of existences which an accomplished meditator with the right calibers through the exercise of Vipassana meditation, may experience and verify. Those realms are: Dibbakaya : without delay above the humane realm Rupabrahmakaya Arupabrahmakaya Dharmmakaya Sotapannakaya Sakadagamikaya Anagamikaya: Anagamis are born here. They later attain Arahanship and live at Arahattakaya realm until their live-term ends Arahattakaya The accomplished mediators may also experience the four lower realms which are: Asurayoni Petayoni Tiracchanayoni & Niraya Niraya comprises of eight major levels of hell. The lowest rung being the most painful one. We may call them B1, B2 until B8, the lowest. The beings in hells cannot die. They only become unconscious, will wake up again and suffer the same pains for millions of humane years. Loving-kindness (not carnal love or affection) is Metta in Pali. This Metta possesses a mystic power, and is a miraculous ointment. A person with a pure heart may radiate this beneficent force, which is competent of transforming wild beasts into tame ones, and murderers into saints. You don't believe it? Why do you think the insects and beasts in the jungle may live peacefully with the monks, side by side? The Buddhists were the basi humans to introduce forest reserves for animals. Buddhist Metta embraces all living beings, seen or unseen, animals included. Metta repels darkness, and therefore keeps evils away. Nimittas are the lights you see for the duration of meditation. These are mental signs. For most people, they are gorgeous lights of respective colours, e.g. white blue, purple, grey, yellow, orange etc. Sometimes they are bright and unstable, vibrating or flashing and altering shapes, like the clouds.
Some persons likewise see eyes or faces vividly before their mental eyes, when their eyes are closed. These are very normal and we must not be attached to them for our own safety. Please tell yourself that these are your own creations and are accordingly not real. Sakyamuni Buddha said it very without doubt or question that He would not be competent to return to this earth, knowing that after His era a great deal of fakes would appear. The next Buddha will be born as a person when Buddhism no longer exists on this earth. He will practise on his own as a mutual being and in the long run attain Buddhahood and will be capable to shed light on others. Sakyamuni named that being as Metteyya, who is now in Tusita Heaven. Tusita is a realm for beings who have perfected the requisites of Buddhahood, waiting for an opportune moment to appear in the humane realm to attain Buddhahood. The life span of beings in this heaven is equivalent to 576 million world years. The devas in Paranimmitavasavati Realm live up to 9216 million humane years. In this realm, the devas do not develop objects for themselves, but they control the objects of enjoyment devised for their use by their attendants. Beings in Nimmanrati heaven live up to 2304 million world years. They have the power to create objects of sensual enjoyment by thought, for whatsoever they want. For more advance practitioner, within next few minutes after the nimitta, perchance few hours, days, months, or years, (depending on how well you have practised so far) Jhana will take place by themselves later on.
According the the Buddha : for one who indulges in Jhana, four results are to be expected : Stream-Winner, Once-Returner, Non-Returner, or Arahant. When the mind attains a state of absorption, which is serene contemplation, it is the attainment of "Jhana".
When Sakyamuni attained Buddhahood underneath the Bohdi tree, the Dharma He encountered was very hard to perceive and He was thinking of leaving this Earth at that moment. Fortunately, Brahma Sahampati came down from heaven to invite the Buddha to expound the Dharma. Quote: "Those Enlightened ones of the past, those of the future, and those of the present age, who dispel the grief of galore – all of them lived, will live, and are living respecting the noble Dharma. This is the characteristic of the Buddhas." Unquote. Perhaps for the duration of His former life He made a wish that for His final birth as a man, He would be an standard being, grow up, get married and have children to show the public that they need not shave off the hair to attain Nibbana, just like one couple did for the duration of the Buddha's time. They were both acrobats, earning a living around each percentage of India. But this incident happened at Rajagaha, the innovative name is Rajgir. As the Buddha was coming to another emplacement nearby, the crowd left the acrobats to see the Buddha. The Buddha knew this was causing Uggasena problems, which would prevent his development, as he had trained very hard on that act and no one was seeing it. The Buddha told Moggallana to invite Uggansena to carry out for the Buddha.
When Uggansena neared the Buddha, the Buddha taught him for a while and told him to come down from the top of the bamboo pole, as a monk. Uggansena in truth attained Arahanthood while he was on top of the pole performing summersault. He came down and was admitted as a monk on the spot because when a person attains Arahanthood that person will leave this world mechanically within seven days unless he or she becomes a monk or nun. Due to the exercises done in a lot of former lives, a person may have gathered sufficient inherent quality of intelligence and may attain Nibbana even just by listening to a sutta. His wife soon was also admitted to the Nunnery and attained Arahanthood. When an Arahant leaves this world, his physical body can not be consumed by our earthly fire. The fire that consumes the physical body will have to come from the Arahant himself. There will be no residue. The Buddha also encouraged His followers to proceed earning money. People will have to be rich sufficient to give their surplus without inconveniencing themselves. He said each body ought to put detached one fourth of the profits for the rainy days (our CPF or Pension Funds today), and spend another one fourth of the remaining amount for family maintenance, for doing Dharma, and invest the remaining portions to keep the business or economy growing. The Buddha was not a vegetarian. The Buddhists need not be vegetarians. There was one fisherman who invited the Buddha to a dinner of curry fish. The Buddha personally went to the fisherman's hut to receive the meal because He wanted that poor fisherman to have the prospect to receive the merit. The Buddha did not tell the fisherman to modify the profession even though the Buddhists were and still are advised to refrain from killing. The Buddha likewise without doubt or question stated it was the citizens' duties to take up arms to defend their country. During the Buddha's time, poor fishermen had to use the nets and boats of other people. When these fishermen returned to shore each afternoon, the boat owners would be on the shore to gather the catch for the day, and they trade the fish at the local market before sunset. The fishermen were remunerated by the weight of the catch and all the fish ought to be sold to the boat owner. In the case of the fisherman brought up above, he had to hide the red fish by burying it in the sand until the proprietor of the boat went away. The Buddha's attitude when it comes to fishing as a profession was made distinctly for the duration of the following discourse: Quote: Do you see that fisherman, monks, who having slaughtered a haul of fish, is syndication fishnets? I have never seen, monks, nor have I heard of such a fisherman who, as a result of his action, as a result of his mode of living, goes when it comes to on an elephant or horse in a chariot or vehicle, or who feasts or who lives in the abundance of outstanding wealth. Why is this? It is because he gloats evilly on fish being slaughtered or brought to the slaughter. It is the same with butcher who kills and sells cattle or sheep or shine or game or forest beasts. It is because he gloats evilly on their being slaughtered or brought to the slaughter that he does not go in regards to on an elephant nor lives in abundance of great wealth. Indeed, monks, he who gloats evilly on animals being slaughtered or brought to the slaughter shall become neither one who goes in regards to on an elephant…. nor one who lives in abundance of great wealth. But he who gloats evilly on a humane being slaughtered or brought to the slaughter – for this there will be woe and sorrow for him for a long time; at the breaking–up of the body after dying he will arise in the Waste, in the Bad Bourn, in the Downfall, in Niraya Hell. Unquote There were cases which non-Buddhists who wished to show that their religions were superior to Buddhism, purposely questioned the monks regarding how Buddhism, that was introduced 2600 years ago could be still valid today. They pointed the examples of Buddhists today who have to cull animals. In these cases, the culling is worthy of acceptance or satisfactory because we have to save the lives of millions of other lives. For example, if you come throughout a man who is going to shoot another person, and you kill the attacker on the spot, you do not commit the bad Kamma of killing because you are saving another person. This example was given by the Buddha. However, if a country attacks another country for selfish reason, and a citizen joins the armed forces, in the routine he kills a good deal of of the so-called enemies, he produces the personal Kamma of killing. Fixed Kamma is consecrated with speech, mind and body. The example would be a premeditated crime. Every thought, utterance, and deed is a seed that ripens over time. Every one has the potential at each moment to modify the course of the future Kamma, by doing good deeds. The Buddha personally said "If there is no way out, I will not be instructing you today". Collective Kamma is produced when a group of people, for example, go and set fires to destruct properties and living beings. The resulting Kamma will be regarding the same for the future of this group. They will be burned to death in their future live and their properties will be destroyed by others. Kamma means the payback or reward, in current or future life. How do we account for the unevenness in this ill-balanced world? Why will have to identical twins, inheriting like genes, enjoying the same privileges, be intellectually and morally wholly different? Poverty and want are the results of miserly thoughts and activenesses in past lives. Deformity is due to past evil Kamma. Human birth is due to a past good Kamma. Cunda, a butcher, who was living in the vicinity of the Buddha's monastery, passed from physical life squealing like a pig because he slaughtered pigs to earn a living. There are mutual Kamma, fixed Kamma and Collective Kamma. It is the law of nature. Every good action will result in good Kamma and each bad action will result in bad Kamma. No one may escape it except the Buddhas and the Arahants, whose activenesses will invent no further Kamma. However, Arahants and Buddhas are not immune from the effects of indefinitely effective kamma, for example, Arahant Moggalana was slaughtered and cut to pieces by thugs. Kamma is not stored anywhere. Just as mangoes are not stored in the mango tree. But when the conditions are right the fruits spring up for the duration of the season.The kammic energy formulated by sentient beings does not dissipate until it has given it is effects, or until it becomes defunct. For example when the doers become Arahants or Buddhas, and they have attained Parinibbana, whatsoever kammic energy which has been left will mechanically become defunct. Wholesome activenesses develop good results, which will lead to pleasure here and hereafter. The ten Kammically wholesome deeds are: generosity, morality, meditation, reverence, service, commitment of merits, rejoicing in the merits of others, hearing the doctrine with respect, instructing the doctrine, and correcting the faulty views of others. Unwholesome actions have evil aftermaths which may result in this life or hereafter, sooner or later, when suitable conditions are present for maturation to take place. Thus whatsoever actions you have performed, good or evil, they will inevitably reward you with either pleasure or suffering. The retributory kamma may be strengthened or weakened by current efforts, e.g. the good or bad deeds you are doing now. The ten unwholesome actions are: killing, stealing, sexual misconduct, lying, slander, harsh speech, gossip, covetousness, ill will, and wrong view. There are three types of kammic energy, one is that which will fabricate prompt effects. The next is the one that will invent subsequent effects. The last one is one that has indefinite effects. The five kinds of weighty kamma are : The creation of a schism in the Sangha. The wounding of a Buddha. The wounding of an Arahant. Matricide Parricide The above five acts will unquestionably fabricate their effects in the subsequent life. One example was King Ajatasattu who would have attained the initial stage of Sainthood if he had not committed parricide. The other example was Moggalana, who killed his own father and mother for the duration of a former life. Moggalana was killed by thugs even though he was an Arahant and possessed psychic powers. Moggalana tried to use his psychic power to keep away from the thugs who were coming to kill him, not because he was scared of death. He did not want the thugs to suffer the bad Kamma of killing an Arahant. King Ajatasattu will become a Pacceka Buddha in future, when he has paid off his bad kamma. The weighty kamma gets foremost priority in formulating rebirth, followed by near-death kamma, habitual kamma and reserve kamma. All of us came according to our kamma and have to go according to our kamma. Life is the energy, mental, kammic and cosmic, all joined together. When one life ends, the mental energy will build another house. This body is not life. It is a house built by energy, with four cosmic elements, earth, fire, water and air. We are here because of causes and effects. Our past has given us the present, but the future is in our hand. Each of the atom in our body comprises of 90% empty space. Therefore 90% of a person's physical body is made up of empty space. Volition or desire, which is exceedingly strong for the duration of life time becomes predominant at the moment of death and conditions the subsequent birth. This last thought-moment presents a special potentiality. The stream of cognizance within this house flows on from birth till death and from death to new birth, in conformity with the natural law, until that person attains Nibbana. These natural laws operate unerringly and inexorably. The rebirth-consciousness of a dying man flows into another body according to his Kamma, because this life-stream is not annihilated. The kammic strength that propels it still exists. A thought-process that conditions the future existence occurs for the duration of the dying moment. This last thought is called generative kamma. Death is plainly the temporary end of a phenomenon. As the dying person assumes another form, which is neither the same nor perfectly different, rebirth takes place according to the potential thought-vibration generated at the death moment. This kammic strength propels the life-flux, as the dying person reaches bhavanga, a subconsciousness level. From this level the life-flux, which conserves the past kamma, enters the new cell, forming the beginning of another life, which is the moment when a sperm cell meets with an ovum. This foetus gives rise to each day through four principle causes: kamma, consciousness, temperature and nutrition. The past evil kamma will result deformity. So if we don't want to be born with deformity, we must stop doing evils now.
A dying person may see a Kamma action which he had performed in the course of his past life. He may recollect the deed as if it has been renewed, being done at that very moment. This is a recurring of the cognizance which one has experienced while performing the action. He may see characteristic symbol of the place in which he is bound to be reborn. This gati-nimitta ( a sign or symbol ), e.g. fire, lighted lamps, weapons, flesh, blood, celestial mansions etc will appear as without doubt or question as any object you see in wide daylight.
This consciousness is not the unchanging soul. It is Tanha (attachment) which leads the life-process to go on. During a being's conception in it is mother's womb, the primary consciousness that arises at that moment is called re-linking consciousness. This links the preceding life to the present life. Obviously, the distinguishable reputation of an person is stamped on the cell structure at conception. The transposed calibers and natural abilities and qualities from the former life, may lie dormant or concealed to varied degrees, and are not evident. With each new body, we start out anew, which means our past abilities don't merely drop down from the sky. However, when suitable condition appears, these calibers and endowments will take effect. We will readily and effortlessly learn them in this life. Some good examples are musical prodigies like Mozart, Beethoven, Brahms, Dvorak, and Richard Strauss. Other prodigies are: Handel, Schubert, Chopin, Samuel Wesley and Christian Heinrich Heineken. Heineken , at aged three, was competent to speak French and Latin, and at aged four, started to study religion and church history.
Four kinds of Birth: Egg-born beings (andaya) Worm-born beings (jalabuja) Moisture-born beings (samsedaya) Spontaneous births (opapatika) Birds and oviparous snakes belong to the primary group. The next group belongs to all humane beings, numerous devas inhabiting the earth, and animals that take conception in a mother's worm. The third group belong to embryos that take moisture as nidus for their growth. The last group belongs to Petas, Devas and Brahmas. Spontaneously born beings are not visible to the physical eye, and when they die there is no residue left. A person's life span on this planet may be equated to an oil lamp which may be extinguished owing to any one of the following: Exhaustion of the wick (expiration of age limit) Exhaustion of the oil (expiration of Kammic force) Exhaustion of both wick and oil (expiration of both age limit and Kammic force) External cause like a gust of wind. (gust of wind: accident)
Let us assume the wick is the life span of the humane beings now, and that 80 years is the limit. By age 80, a person ought to be dead. However, if he had very good and powerful Kammic strength from former lives, he will not die at age 80, since a very powerful good Kammic strength is capable of nullifying the energy of the last thought-process and may change the course of an event. For a person with very bad and powerful Kammic strength from former lives, death is definite. The accidental deaths are comparable to the light being blown out by a gust of strong wind, and consequently is untimely death.
According to Buddhism, the sphere of light inside the humane body is located at two finger-breadths above the navel. It is the seat of life which we call consciousness, spirit or soul. It leaves the body after death, and proceeds life after life, reborn at respective levels according to the Kammic destiny, in the 31 planes of existence, until release is received by following the Noble-Eight-fold Path of the Buddha's teaching. This consciousness (Citta in Pali, consisting of mind, heart and consciousness) being nonentity, faceless, and formless, will proceed to search for it is true identity which will only be attainable when all calibers of perfection are produced in his character, to mature into a perfective being called Arahant or Buddha. When Buddhism talks with regards to the heart, it does not refer to the unit that pumps blood around your body. If one is convinced that one is entangled in a Kammic web that may notwithstanding be unraveled, one will naturally try to learn from the example of the Buddha or His disciples. We will have to confess that our drawbacks and under-development prevent us from realizing the Truth.
When you experience disappointment, frustrations, miseries and other suffering in respective forms, please confess it that it is you who produces the fate by your own thoughts, words, and deeds. You are the builder of your own life because sooner or later, what you have given to life you will receive.
The effects of Kamma will not be unchanging forever, like eternal suffering which is alien to Buddhism. Our past actions, from time immemorial for innumerable lives, coupled by other factors, cause the good and bad we experience now. We ought to accordingly win a victory over our unfavourable fate by dandier attempts in doing good deeds today.
There are three methods of making merits: charity, morality and meditation. During meditation, merit arises mechanically because of the clear mind, as you radiate loving benignity and your mind does not think of bad thoughts or bad intentions. Loving benignity is a miraculous ointment. The merit arising from exercise of meditation could be transposed or shared by beings in other realms, both those who are still alive and those who had passed away.
The merits arising from making material offerings may only be committed to beings who have been reborn as petas or hungry ghosts. If they are reborn as humans, animals, hell beings, or celestial beings, they can not receive those merits.
We are lucky that not each bad deed we consecrated must be repaid. If each bad deed must be repaid, the entire cosmos would be wholly deterministic and there is not one thing we may do to free ourselves. The Buddha was one example of a person who did not have to wait for all his former bad deeds or bad Kamma to work itself out. The same principle applies to all those Arahants.
All of us possess the mental calibers necessitated for the task of awakening, if we want to formulate them. When we succeed, we become Arahants or Buddhas. Whatever bad Kamma we have not yet repaid would be there to haunt us unless we attain Parinibbana. That was why Sakyamuni Buddha and some Arahants were physically hurt as long as they still possess the humane bodies.
Yasa Kulaputta, from Benares, was the son of a rich merchant. When he visited the Buddha, the Buddha converted him and made him a disciple. Then, Yasa's four friends: Vimala, Subahu, Purnajina and Gavampati, all from rich families, also left home and became disciples of the Buddha. Later on another fifty friends of the above five disciples joined them, making a total of fifty-five disciples. Before these fifty-five monks there was another group of five monks who were in truth practising austerities with the Buddha to be at a emplacement near Uruvela. One of them was Kondanna who was likewise the initial to attain Arahanhood amid the five ascetics, after the Buddha preached Anattalakkhana Sutta to them. The Sangha was formed with these sixty disciples, all of them were Arahants, led by the Buddha.
The Buddha addressed them:
" Go ye, Bhikkhus, and wander forth for the gain of the many, for the welfare of the many, in compassionateness for the world, for the good, for the gain, for the welfare of gods and men. Proclaim O Bhikkhus, the Doctrine glorious, preach ye a life of holiness, perfective and pure."
The Buddha's father, King Suddhodana, sent his chief minister with a thousand men, to invite the Buddha to Kapilavatthu. These men arrived at Rajagaha, a capital of another kingdom, but after listening to the Doctrine of the Buddha, all were converted and ordained as Bhikkhus and forgot to convey the king's invitation. One party after another were sent to invite the Buddha to Kapilavatthu, all of them failed to convey the message. It was until the tenth similar party came that the Buddha was told with regards to King Suddhodanna's invitation.
The Buddha, with all His disciples of Bhikkhus, all Arahants, started from Rajagaha for Kapilavatthu. When He reached the Palace at Kapilavatthu, King Suddhodanana bowed down at His feet, with tears in his eyes. To remove the suspicion and disbelief in the mind of His relatives, the Buddha levitated into thin air from the ground and invented jets of water and fire from all over His body. Only after this performance did the uncles, aunties, and other relatives believe He was without doubt a Buddha, because this act was unseen of before and only a Buddha had the capability to do it.
Abhidhamma (Higher Doctrine)
The Buddha expounded the Abhidhamma, not in the humane world, but to the assemblage of devas in Tavatimsa heaven (where life span is 36 million world years), for the duration of His seventh annual rains retreat. He ascended to the Tavatimsa heaven, seated on the Pandukkambala stone at the foot of Paricchattka tree, for three months to instruct the Abhidhamma to the devas who had assembled from the thousand world systems. The chief recipient was His mother Mahamaya-devi, who was reborn there. The only reason He did not preach the Abhidhamma in the humane world was that the discourse required three months of unbroken continuity, which no humans were capable of on this planet. Only devas and Brahmas could stay in one posture for such a duration.
According to the Abhidhamma, there are eighty-nine classes of consciousness.
During the three months, the Buddha descended to the humane world each day to go on almsround in the northern region of Uttarakuru. After gathering the almsfood, He went to the shore of Lake Anotakka to have His meal. Sariputta would meet the Buddha there and receive a summary of the instructing given that day in the deva world. Having learned the Dhamma, Sariputta in turn taught it to his own 500 pupils, and thence the textual recension of the Abhidhamma was established.
It is believed that the numbers who attained Nibbana were lager amid the devas than among men. The area covered by the Buddha when He was instructing was with regards to 250 miles from East to West and in regards to 150 miles from North to South, roughly covered modern Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, and the Tarai of Nepal. He was competent to fly into the air unassisted but very few humans ever saw him flying. He walked from place to place most of the time, and He neared persons who were ready to gain from his instructing as the following story indicates:
An ascetic met the Buddha
An ascetic, Pukkusati, not a Buddhist, was journeying from one part of India to another part, looking for the Buddha, whom he only heard of but had never met. He came to Rajagaha. At dusk, he neared a potter Bhaggava, and requested permission to spend the night in his shed. The potter agreed. Later on the Buddha too came to that hut, and likewise requested permission to spend the night in the same shed. The potter had no objection provided the other wanderer did not object. The Buddha was offered the permission to stay there by that wanderer. They did not know one another. The Buddha asked the ascetic who his teacher was. He said he had no teacher, but have heard of a Buddha and was on his way to look for Him, and even if he were to meet the Buddha he would not be capable to recognize him. The Buddha talked in regards to Dhatu-Vibhanga Sutta (an Analysis of the Properties ) to the ascetic and the ascetic realized that the person in front of him was the Buddha. He immediately kowtowed him a lot of times and asked for permission to be admitted as a monk. The Buddha accorded and told the ascetic to look for a robe and a bowl so that He could ordain him. The ascetic went out the same night to look for the two things. Before he received them, a bull charged at him killing him on the spot. But he attained Arahanthood, as confirmed by the Buddha when the other monks, who came to the hut later, asked where Pukkusati would be as a result of the incident.
Kisagotami and her dead child
Kisagotami was the daughter of a rich man from Savatthi; she was known as Kisagotami because of her slim body. Kisagotami was married to a rich young man and a son was born to them. The boy passed away when he was just a toddler and Kisagotami was stricken with grief. Carrying the dead body of her son, she went when it comes to asking for medicine that would restore her son to life from everyone she happened to meet. People begun to think that she had gone mad. But a wise man seeing her condition thought that he ought to be of numerous support to her. So, he told her to approach the Buddha.
She went to the Buddha and asked for the medicine that would restore her dead son to life. The Buddha told her to get some mustard seeds from a house where there had been no death. Carrying her dead child in her bosom, Kisagotami went from house to house, with the request for a good deal of mustard seeds. Everyone was more than willing to support her, but she could not find a single house where death had not occurred. Then, she realized that hers was not the only family that had faced death and that there were more humans dead than living. As soon as she realized this, her attitude towards her dead son changed. She was no longer attached to the dead body of her son. She left the corpse in the jungle and returned to the Buddha and reported that she could find no house where death had not occurred.
Then the Buddha said, "Gotami, you thought that you were the only one who had lost a son. As you have now realized, death comes to all beings; before their desires are satiated death takes them away." On hearing this, Kisagotami entirely realized the impermanence, unsatisfactoriness and insubstantiality of the aggregates and attained Sotapanna. Soon afterwards, Kisagotami became a bhikkhuni. One day, as she was lighting the lamps she saw the flames flaring up and dying out, and abruptly she without doubt or question sensed the arising and the perishing of beings. The Buddha, through supernormal power, saw her from his monastery, and sent forth his radiance and appeared to her in person. Kisagotami was told to proceed meditating on the impermanent nature of all beings and to strive hard to realize Nirvana.
Women's place in Buddhism Before Sakyamuni became a Buddha, the main role of women in India was to look after the house according to the wishes of the husbands. Education was not indispensable to them and they were not permitted to remarry. They were told to jump into the funeral pyre of their husband. The Buddha said both men and women were utile to society. In the Buddhist family both husbands and wives portion equivalent obligation and discharge their duties with equivalent dedication. The husband considers the wife a friend, a companion, a partner. The wife will be a alternate for the husband when the husband happens to be unable to work. A wife is expected even to acquaint herself with the trade, business or industries in which the husband engaged, so that she would be capable to manage his affairs in his absence. Doesn't this show in the Buddhist society the wife occupies an equivalent position with the husband? The Buddha's counsel to the King Pasenadi of Kosala, distinctly shows that Buddhism does not consider the birth of a daughter as a disadvantage. The Buddha confirmed that women were competent of realizing the Truth, just as men were. He permitted the admittance of women into the Order, though he was not in favour of it at the beginning as he thought their admittance would create difficulties in the Sasana. Once women proved their capability of managing their affairs in the Order, the Buddha recognised their abilities and talents, and gave them responsible positions in the Bhikkhuni Sangha. Dhammadinna, Khema and Uppalavanna were Bhikkhunis, who attained Arahanthood, and who were capable to preach the Dhamma. Dharmadinna was outstanding with the capacity to teach, Khema was great on wisdom, and Upplavanna was great on miracles. More than 500 of those bhikkhunis attained Arahanthood for the duration of the Buddha's time.
Some people who disliked the Buddha even said He was poisoned by Chunda. This was most improbable because a Buddha or an Arahant could see what was in the food, just like they could see the viruses in the cup of water. There was no way a person could poison him. A Buddha can not be killed. He could nonetheless be physically injure because His bad Kamma devoted eons ago has not expired. After eating that meal the Buddha became ill but he recovered later on. During that time He was 80 years old. Naturally, He passed away of failing health later on. The Buddha actually told Ananda to visit Cunda (so that Cunda would not be plagued by remorse) to tell him that it was a most auspicious act to offer a Buddha's last meal. The Buddha said if Cunda was blamed, Ananda must stop it by saying : " This is good to thee, Cunda, and gain to thee, in that when the Tathagata had eaten His last meal from thy provision, then He died. From the very mouth of the Exalted One, Cunda, have I heard, from His very mouth have I received this saying : These two offerings of feed are of equivalent fruit, and of equivalent profit, and of much dandier fruit, and of much more outstanding earnings than any other, and which are the two? The supplying of feed which when a Tathagata has eaten He attains supreme and perfective insight, and the supplying of feed which when a Tathagatta has taken He passes away by that utter cessation in which not one thing whatsoever remains behind – these two offerings of feed are of equivalent fruit and of equivalent earnings and of much dandier fruit, and of much dandier net profit than any other. There has been laid up by Cunda the smith a Kamma redounding to length of life, redounding to good birth, redounding to good fortune, redounding to good fame, redounding to the inheritance of heaven and of sovereign power. In this way, Ananda, will have to be checked any remorse in Cunda the smith."
The Buddha passed away (attained Pari-Nibbana) at a little town called Kusinara, in the open air, amongst two Sala-trees, surrounded by his disciples. It was mistakenly reported he passed away of feed poisoning after eating a meal of rice and mushrooms donated by a lay follower, Cunda who was a smith. In a good deal of parts of India, for the duration of the Buddha's time, it was a habit of the poor people to gather mushrooms, arid them, and keep them to use as vegetables for the rainy season. Sometimes, these mushrooms turned poisonous. Even today there are cases of persons dying because of mushrooms poisoning. The Buddha knew the feed contained poison but He did not want Cunda to be offended as Cunda did not have the least intention to poison the Buddha. The mushrooms were exceedingly bitter but the Buddha ate them all without saying anything, thanked Cunda and left. The Buddha later confirmed that it was totally unlikely for him to reject the feed because Cunda invited the Buddha with passion and love as not a single soul had ever done it before. Before attaining Parinibbana, the Buddha asked His disciples and all the lay followers if there was any question they wanted to raise. No one raised any question. This proved that He had taught us each thing we need to recognise to attain Buddhahood. When Ananda wanted to recognise if there ought to be a successor, the Buddha said the Dharma must be the guide after He was gone. The Buddha's last words were: "Decay is inherent in all things be sure to strive with clarity of mind for Nibbana. " (unquote) After the Parinibbana of Sakyamuni Buddha, galore non-Buddhist monks put on the robes, pretended to be Buddhist monks, and changed or deliberately mistranslated a good deal of of the Scriptures which were recorded in Sanskrit. That was why King Asoka, crowned in 273 BC, called the Third Council Meeting for the Sangha, presided by Venerable Moggalliputta Tissa Thera, at Pataliputta (Patna) and galore other monks who were Arahants. During this meeting, schismatic monks and nuns were expelled from the Sangha. Between 100 and 200 years after the Parinibbana of the Buddha, a controversy over some monastic rules had been decisive by a committee of for the most part Arahants, against the views of the majority. The majority group introduced the Bodhisattua ideals, and calling themselves the Maha Sangha, which later became the Mahayana. The split into two opposing groups was genuinely started by Devadattha who plotted to kill the Buddha by asking his cronies to roll off a huge boulder over the Buddha's head when the Buddha was walking along a hillside with a cliff. The boulder hit another rock and landed near the Buddha, only a rock splinter hurt the Buddha's toe. The enmity of the schism devised by Devadattha lasted a great deal of centuries. However, today we have to respect all the monks irrespective of from which sects they are because they are the ones who are badly doing their best to rid themselves of greed, hatred and delusion. Their duties are: to study, practise and instruct the Dhamma. The monks have to follow the 227 precepts laid down by the Buddha. The nuns have to detect 311 precepts. The lay people may observe 5, 8 or only 10 of these precepts.
However, this group of faked monks were not going to be annihilated at all. They managed to carry on even until the later centuries when Nalanda International University was established. They even infiltrated this university, as lecturers, and professors. This university existed for seven centuries. And by 1193 CE, when the monks at this university were slaughtered and the university burned down by Muhammad Bakhtyar and his army, Brahminical ritual and magic were already included in the curriculums of the Nalanda Colleges, resulting in a new type of Buddhism which was indistinguishable from Hinduism. The Bhiksuni order in India ceased to subsist when Muhammad Bakhtyar invaded India in the 12th century CE. In Sri Lanka the Bhiksuni order ceased to subsist with the fall of Anuradhapura in 1017 CE. The Order of Monks met the same fate there but was later revived by King Vijayabahu after he drove away the Tamil invaders. King Vijayabahu invited monks from Burma to revive the Order of Monks in Sri Lanka. For a lot of reason, he did not revive the Bhikkhuni (Nuns) Order.
It was said that Buddhism would last only 5000 years. Now we have only 2400 years left. As we go nearer and nearer to this sasana, more and more people would come forward to ruin Buddhism. It was said the number would actually multiply. The Buddhists do not extinguish sufferings by lighting incense and candles, and making pledges to supposedly supernatural things. One quality of being one of a kind of Buddhism is that it teaches moral behaviour without reference to heaven and hell. Buddhism advocates an impermanence of all exist
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What are bodhi seed prayer beads? My yoga teacher talks with regards to it a lot. Is it a Buddhist thing? Yes, it is a Buddhist/Hindu tradition- they are called Mala beads. The bodhi tree is the tree beneath which Buddha attained enlightenment, and the seeds are an allegory to the seed of enlightenment (which is in us all). There are 108 beads, applied to count the number of times the user has said a mantra/prayer (108 is a good number to get the mind focused), and commonly Buddhist ones are joined by three threads, representing the 3 gems (Buddha, Dharma and Sangha). The Catholic rosary is a very similar concept. |
