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The Buddhist way of life is open to all, regardless of caste, sex,
or race. The Buddha |
| proclaimed
the equality of all persons. People are to be judged by action or
a character, by |
| what
they think and do, not by birth or color. Man is his own master.
He has the power to |
| improve
himself and reach the highest goal of life through his own
effort. I admire |
| Buddha's
philosophy, for it answers the following questions. |
| |
| Who
am I? |
| You are composed of 2 parts, your body and your mind. Body is the matter that can be |
| seen, such as feet, hands, etc. Mind is energy, so you can't see it, but the mind can know, |
| feel happy and unhappy, have memories, think and plan, and sense through vision, hear, |
| taste, smell, and touch.
What makes me happy or unhappy? What can I do about it? The |
| Lord Buddha discovered the following four noble truths? |
| |
| What is suffering and what causes
suffering? |
| |
| Since you were born, the body has been and will be subject to changes; you may feel |
| some discomfort, you may get sick, etc. If you don't accept these changes, certainly you |
| will be upset, unhappy and anxious for it to go away. The same thing is true for your
mind. |
| If you don't get what you want or get what you don't want, that will bring on your |
| suffering as well. So now you can see that most of your un-happiness or happiness stems |
| from the
condition of your mind. |
| |
| How do you care for your body? |
| |
| You eat the right food, exercise, sleep, use proper clothing and shelter, take medicine |
| when you are sick, etc. |
| |
| Does our mind need the same
care? |
| |
| Certainly! But we have tendencies to neglect it. We do not realize that we use our mind all |
| the time, even while asleep. We still dream. |
| |
| How do we exercise and rest our mind? |
| |
| The method used is generally called "Meditation or Mental Cultivation". It is the way we |
| slow our mind down and let it rest. Once it's rested, the mind will be more aware of what |
| you're future use. You will be more aware of what you're doing, can see things clearly, |
| understand it more readily and make more appropriate decisions. You will also experience |
| the happiness that comes from peaceful feeling. |
| |
| How to end Suffering |
| |
The Buddha laid down some guidelines that we can follow and practice. The way is entitled "The Noble
Eightfold Path" and needs to be experience by an individual.
Right view or understanding
Right intention
= Wisdom
Right speech
Right action
= Morality
Right livelihood
Right concentration
Right effort
= Mind development
Right mindfulness |
| |
| What is Wisdom? |
| |
| "Who am I?" To have the right view is first to understand that we are responsible for ourselves and not to blame others. This is the first step towards understanding the law of Karma, or cause and effect. Once you have the right view, the right intention can develop. |
| |
| What is Morality? |
| |
It is the set of rules that were laid down to help you live a life that is not harmful to
oneself and others. The five precepts are the basic rules for common people that state if one can follow will not only help himself or herself, but also keep society peaceful. They are:
1. not to kill others
2. not to steal
3. not to perform any sexual misconduct
4. not to lie or say anything that is hurtful to others
5. not to drink alcohol or use other intoxicating substances |
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| Why is mind development so important? |
| |
| Most of our suffering (not only pain, but irritation, frustration and anger) comes from delusion, attachment and desire. So, it is important to observe and understand them. If you can deal with these, happiness will occur. The ultimate goal of Buddhism is Nirvana which was experienced by the Buddha himself and his disciples who has followed in his footsteps. |
| |
| How can meditation help us? |
| |
There are four principles of benefits from meditation:
1. Relaxation both body and mind
2. To achieve supernatural mind power
3. To develop mindfulness
4. To develop insight of human beings |
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| What is mindfulness? |
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You can see that our minds go in different directions all the time. You are sitting here but you may think of the past or the future, so you don't hear or see the present. Mindfulness means to be here, your body and mind together, so you can see efficiently and clearly what you're doing.
Meditation is the formal way to develop
mindfulness. The method is to tie the mind with your action or to be aware of what you have done. Sitting and walking are the most formal methods. When sitting, you relax yourself and then only pay attention to your breathing. This is the most convenient way. You can think of any words along with your breathing. You train your mind just like they train animals so your mind will be tamer, will have more awareness and will become more peaceful. The real insight is to see that all conditioned things are impermanent, unsatisfactory, and cannot be totally under one's control, so one should not be attached to them. |
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Haak Pang Pea Nong Lao Tuk Kon! |
