BUDDHISM The Religion of Thailand by Richard Burns We live in the eternal Now, and it is Now that we create our destiny. It follows, that to grieve over the past is useless and to make plans for the future is a waste of time. There is only one ambition that is good, and that is: so to live Now that none may weary of life's emptiness and none may have to do the task we leave undone. From the Book of Sayings of Tsiang Samdup - We pay homage to the Buddha for revealing to us the eternal truths of liberation. - We pay homage to the Dhamma (the teaching of the Buddha) for making known to us the nature of existence. - We pay homage to the Sangha (the order of monks) for preserving the Teaching and practicing its precepts. INTRODUCTON In recent years Western visitors to Thailand have displayed an increasing interest in our national religion, Buddhism. "Who was the Buddha?" "What do Buddhists believe about life after death, good and evil and the beginning of the world?" To answer these and similar questions the present writing is intended. The Buddha's teachings can be understood on two distinct levels. One is logical and conceptual and is concerned with an intellectual comprehension of man and the external universe. It is on this level that the above questions are more easily answered. The second level is empirical, experiential and psychological. It concerns the ever-present and inescapable phenomena of everyday human experience -- love and hate, fear and sorrow, pride and passion, frustration and elation. And most important, it explains the origins of such states of mind and prescribes the means for cultivating those states which are rewarding and wholesome. It was to this second level that the Buddha gave greater emphasis and importance, for its truth is demonstrable within the realm of everyday human existence, and its validity is independent of any world view or belief about life after death. However, as a means of introducing Buddhisms to those who have little or no previous knowledge of the religion, this writing will give greater emphasis to the former level. The experiential and psychological aspects of the Teaching are outlined at the end. THE BUDDHA AND HIS TEACHINGS In this pamphlet we shall focus ourattention on the teachings of the Buddha as preserved in the Pali language. These scriptural writings form the basis of the Theravada school of Buddhism which predominates in Burma, Laos, Cambodia and Ceylon. About the year 543 B.C., in a region which is now the land of Nepal, a son was born to King Suddhodana, ruler of the Sakiya clan. The child was named Siddhatta Gotama, and his father surrounded him with vast stores of material wealth and luxury. Although the young prince was given an excellent education, King Suddhodana took measures to prevent the boy from learning of the misery and suffering which prevailed throughout the world. However, we are told that on a certain occasion young Siddhattha rode through the village streets and beheld a man old and decrepit, then he saw a man severely stricken with illness, a dead man, and finally an ascetic or holy man. Shocked by the cruel realities of life and moved by a deep compassion for the sufferings of humanity, the young prince abandoned the pleasures of his aristocratic heritage and went forth alone in search of truth and salvation. First, he sought out the great spiritual teachers of his day and mastered their meditative exercises. He soon realized, however, that trance states and myusticism are not the paths to salvation. Next, he undertook the disciplines of rig orous self-mortification, as was commonly practiced in ancient India. But asceticism proved to do little more than produce a weak and fragile body. Finally, after six long and strenuous years he sat in quiet meditation beneath the now- famous Bodhi Tree. There looking deep into the nature of his own being, he achieved a level of insight which few men have known. This he called Nirvana, and from that time forth he became known as "The Buddha" or "The Enlightened One". The remaining 45 years of his life were dedicated to the service and instruction of his fellow beings. FIVE FUNDAMENTAL CONCEPTS The Buddhist world view can best be under stood if we see it as being based upon five major assumptions: I. Mutability or Change All objects, conditions and creations are regarded as being in a continuous state of change. Nothing finite is eternally fixed or unchanging. Birth, growth, decay and death are inevitable for all material objects, men, societies and states of mind. Herein lies the answer to the mystery of creation: new forms arise out of the old; each new condition is determined by that which preceded it. II. Cause and Effect This process of change, however, is not con sidered to be chaotic but rather is regulated by a universal Law of cause and effect. The laws of cause and effect are impersonal, impartial and unchanging. The only things which do not change are thÿe laws of change. III. Selfishness and Suffering The Law of cause and effect includes not only the laws of physics and chemistry so familiar to the Western world, but also includes laws of moral or psychological cause and effect known as karma-vipaka, or more commonly, karma. Karma acts through time, and thus the full effects of one's thoughts and deeds may not become manifest until some years later. Karma is ines capable, for the Buddha said: Not in the sky, not in the midst of the sea, nor if we enter into the clefts of the mountains, is there known a spot in the whole world where a man might be freed from an evil deed. Not in the sky, not in the midst of the sea, nor if we enter into the clefts of the mountains, is there known a spot in the whole world where death could not overcome a mortal. (Dhammapada 127-8) One important aspect of the law of Karma is that selfishness results in suffering for the selfish party in proportion to the amount of wrong that has been committed. Conversely, love, com passion and other virtuous states of mind create proportionate amounts of happiness and emotional well- being. Often this is stated as "Desire is the cause of suffering". And in this context the word which has been translated into English as "suffering" is the Pali word dukkha. Dukkha is a term which includes all types of unpleasant exper iences such as worry, fear, sorrow, dissatisfac tion, disharmony, etc. When the mind is craving pleasures or is strongly motivated by greed, hatred or egotism, it becomes predsposed to dukkha. A paradox is noted in that happiness is best found by those who are not preoccupied with looking for it. Thus we find in Buddhism no eternal punishment or eternal reward, but rather happiness and sorrow in proportion to one's own thoughts and actions. Karma operates independently of any social mores or cultural standards of good and evil. Also, it does not account for all pleasure and displeasure, for the Buddha said that many of one's pleasures and painful experiences are not the result of ones previous actions. (Anguttara-Nikaya I, 173) IV. Nirvana (Nibbana) Since all which is born must die, since all which is finite must change, the only thing immor tal, infinite and unchanging is that which was never born and is not compounded. This is Nir vana. But the Buddha talked relatively little about Nirvana, for since it is neither matter nor energy, and since it does not exist within space and time, it is completely unrelated to anything with which we are familiar. Thus, it cannot be described, conceptualized nor understood by the normal human mind. It is known only by direct experience beyond sense preception and is the end of all dukkha. When Nirvana is experienced, ego tism has died, for Nirvana comes only with the abolition of all selfishness and craving. Yet one does not vegetate bu continues to act and work as long as the body remains alive. This is Buddhist salvation, and it is found by the training of one's mind and a maturing of the personalilty. Since it can never be known or comprehended except by direct experience, one should not concern one self with looking for Nirvana per se, but rather one should seek to abolish selfishness from his own personality, and this is a rewarding endeavour regardless of whether or not the highest goal is reached. Said the Buddha; "Liberated, the wise are indifferent to the senses, and have no heed to seek anything; pass ionless they are beyond pleasure and displeasure." (Sutta-Nipata IV) V. Verifiability Finally, it is stated that the above four premises can be verified by one's own reasoning and experience with no dependence on external authority. In a Tibetan text the Buddha is quoted; "Just as people test the purity of gold by burning it in fire, by cutting it, by examining it on a touchstone, so exactly should you, my disci ples, accept my words after subjecting them to a critical test and not out of reverence to me." (Self Mastery, by Soma Thera. Kandy, Ceylon: Buddhist Publication Society.) SOME FURTHER ASPECTS OF THE DOCTRINE On the basis of the above five postulates there develop a number of important ramifications: 1. Universality -- Truth is universal and unchang ing, and thus depends upon no one revelation or institution. The facts discovered by the Buddha are available for all to discover, and in this sense a man can be a Buddhist and never hear about the religion of Buddhism nor the teachings of the Buddha. The Buddha is quoted as saying: "It is certainly hard to change one's set opinions, but a man should let him self feely test all philosophical sys tems, adopting and rejecting them as he sees fit. But the man who is wise no longer concerns himself with this or that system (of philosophy), he neither prides nor decieves himself. He goes along his independent way." (Sutta-Nipata 785-786) 2. Unsupernatural -- To one who accepts the teach ings of the Buddha, rituals, offerings, prayer wheels and similar attempts to bring forth super natural help are of virtually no value. The only value of rituals, chanting and homage to Buddha images is the humble and earnest state of mind which may be produced, for such a state of mind has great karmic value. In the final stages of the path to Nirvana one must rely solely on one's own efforts and not seek the aid of gods or men. The Buddha's dying words were : "Decay is inherent in all compounded things. Strive on with mindfulness." (Digha- Nikaya II, 156)