Unit Six: The four immeasurables

 

Everyone wants to be happy, but happiness cannot be achieved in isolation. The happiness of one depends upon the happiness of all and the happiness of all depends upon the happiness of one. This is because all life is interdependent. In order to be happy, one needs to cultivate wholesome attitudes towards others in society and towards all sentient beings.
The best way of cultivating wholesome attitudes towards all sentient beings is through meditation. Among the many topics of meditation taught by the Buddha, there are four specifically concerned with the cultivation of loving-kindness, compassion, appreciative joy and equanimity. These four are called the Four Immeasurables because they are directed to an immeasurable number of sentient beings, and because the wholesome karma produced through practising them is immeasurable. The four are also called the sublime states of mind because they are like the extraordinary states of mind of the gods.

Unit Five: Experiencing buddhism

Buddhism, put simply, is a system designed to bring knowledge and understanding of the true nature of things. According to Buddhism, it is our ignorance of the true nature of things that leads to suffering, so the aim of the Buddhist system is to alleviate ignorance by revealing things as they really are. The goal is to achieve perfect clarity, called Nirvana, through stages of awareness, understanding, compassion and freedom from craving and desire.

Buddhism is not described as a religion, nor a philosophy or a law. The compassionate, moral and philosophical way of life told by the Buddha is called the Dharma or Dhamma and is the word used in Buddhism to mean Universal Truth. Dharma demands no blind faith, has no dogma, no ceremonies and has remained perfectly preserved for humanity in the written teachings and oral lessons passed from generation to generation by Buddha and His disciples. Ananda was the disciple specially gifted in hearing and preserving the Dharma, and it is through him that the Buddha's teachings have been spread throughout the world.

Unit Three: Buddha's wisdom & compassion

The Qualities of the Buddha

As a child, Prince Siddhartha was extraordinarily thoughtful and was able to meditate even at the age of seven. The saving of the wounded swan was evidence of another quality, compassion. Now that He had attained Enlightenment, perfect wisdom and great compassion could be seen in all His words and actions. Many unhappy and unfortunate people came to the Buddha in order to find solutions to the problems of life and recover their confidence. The Buddha helped them to distinguish between what was useful and what was not, and encouraged them to think for themselves. He also showed them how to comfort

Unit Seven: Family and society

 

The Buddha delivered many discourses on the life of lay followers. In one of these discourses, which is called the Sigalovada Sutta, the Buddha talked about the roles and responsibilities of members within the family and within the society. He defined the ideal relationships that the lay follower should develop with respect to his family and the society at large. These relationships are based on the acceptance of reciprocal responsibilities between people.

One day, according to the Sigalovada Sutta, the Buddha saw Sigala bowing to the six directions, that is, east, south, west, north, above and below, immediately after his morning bath. Sigala had promised at his father's deathbed to observe this ritual faithfully. It was then believed that when people practised this ritual, they were honouring the gods residing in the six directions. As a result, these gods would be pleased and would bestow good luck, happiness and prosperity on them.
The Buddha, however, explained to Sigala the meaning of paying respect to the six directions. He said that the east represents the parent; the south, teacher; the west, spouse; the north, friends; above, religious teacher; and below, employee. The six directions represent the six types of human relationships, namely those between parent and child, teacher and pupil, husband and wife, friends, religious teacher and disciple, as well as employer and employee. Thus honouring the six directions means fulfilling one's reciprocal responsibilities in each of these relationships. As every person assumes several roles in life whether as a parent, a child, a friend or employer, he has to be aware of and fulfil his responsibilities in each of these roles.

The Buddha explained to Sigala that honouring the six directions really means fulfilling one's reciprocal responsibilities in six social relationships. The six types of human relationships are those between parents and children, husband and wife, teacher and pupil, friends, employer and employee, and religious teacher and his disciples. Through fulfilling one's responsibilities, one can achieve harmony, security and prosperity both within the family and in the society as a whole.


Source: www.buddhanet.net

Unit Four: Becoming a buddhist

When a person wishes to become a Buddhist, the first step he or she takes is to go to the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha for refuge. Since the time of the Buddha, taking this Threefold Refuge has identified a person as a Buddhist.
Reasons for Taking Refuge
If people observe the world around them carefully, they are bound to notice the pain, suffering and frustrations experienced by sentient beings. A Buddhist will look for a way to end such distressing conditions in life just as a traveller caught in a storm will seek shelter. If the traveller is able to find shelter inside a building that is strong and safe, he will call out to others who are still struggling in the storm outdoors to join him in this safe refuge. Similarly, a person chooses to become a Buddhist when he understands who the Buddha is, and how the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha can provide him the way to end suffering. Out of compassion, he will also encourage others to take the same refuge.

The Buddha, Dharma and Sangha are called the Triple Gem because they represent qualities which are excellent and precious like a gem. Once a person recognises these unique qualities after careful consideration and is confident that the Triple Gem can help lead him towards happiness and Enlightenment, he takes refuge. It is, therefore, not out of mere faith, but with an open-minded attitude and enquiring spirit that he begins to practise the Buddha's Teaching. In a way, he resembles the scientist who decides to carry out a research project once he is confident that it will bring positive results.
The Buddha
The word Buddha means the "Fully Enlightened One" or "Awakened One". It is the title given to those who have attained supreme and perfect Enlightenment. Buddhists acknowledge the Buddha as the embodiment of the highest morality, deepest concentration and perfect wisdom. His followers also know the Buddha as the "Perfected One" because He has wiped out desire, ill will and ignorance, and has overcome all unwholesome actions. He has put an end to suffering and is no longer bound to the cycle of birth and death.
The Buddha is the Fully Enlightened One because He has realised the Truth and sees things as they really are. He knows through his perfect wisdom, what is good and what is not good for all beings. Out of great compassion, He shows people the path leading to the end of suffering.
The Buddha's exemplary conduct, perfect wisdom and great compassion make Him an excellent teacher. By His use of skilful means, He is able to reach out to all His followers so that they can understand His Teaching.
The Dharma
The Buddha taught the Dharma solely out of compassion for sentient beings who suffer in the cycle of birth and death. The Dharma is therefore taught without any selfish motives. It is well-taught and completely good. It is by nature pure and bright like a light that destroys the darkness of ignorance. When the Dharma is studied and practised, it brings many benefits now and in the future.
The Dharma is the Teaching about the nature of life. This Teaching of the Buddha is contained in the three collections of scriptures called the Tripitaka or the "Three Baskets". These consist of the discourses (Sutra Pitaka) said to have been taught by the Buddha, the rules governing the discipline of the monastic community (Vinaya Pitaka) and the philosophy and psychology of Buddhism (Abhidharma Pitaka).
A Buddhist gets to know about the Dharma by reading the scriptures. He also learns from the writings and explanations of qualified teachers of Buddhism. Once he has familiarised himself with the Dharma through reading and listening, he has to realise its truth for himself by putting it into practice. This means purifying his conduct and cultivating Mental Development until the Teaching becomes part of his own experience.
The Sangha
The Sangha that a Buddhist takes refuge in is the community of Noble Ones who have led exemplary lives and attained extraordinary insight into the true nature of things. Their lives and achievements show others that it is possible to progress on the path to Enlightenment.
However, the Sangha also generally refers to the fourfold community of monks, nuns, men and women lay followers. Monks and nuns are respected for their good conduct and for their experience in meditation. They are also respected for their diligence, mindfulness and calmness. Wise and learned, they are able teachers of the Dharma. They can also be like trusted friends inspiring the lay followers along the path of Good Conduct.
The lay followers accept the Four Noble Truths and the other teachings of the Buddha and seek happiness and Enlightenment as their common goal in life. They also uphold common moral values such as avoiding injury to others in any way. Thus a Buddhist can look to other members of the lay community for help and advice in times of need.
Analogy of a Journey
To understand better the idea of taking refuge, one might take the example of a traveller who wants to visit a distant city where he has never been to before. He will surely need a guide to lead him towards his destination. He will need a path to follow. He may also wish to have travelling companions on the journey. A Buddhist working towards attaining happiness and Enlightenment is like the traveller trying to reach that distant city. The Buddha is his "guide", the Dharma his "path" and the Sangha are his travelling companions".
A Buddhist takes refuge in the Buddha as his guide because he believes that the Buddha, having attained Enlightenment Himself, is able to guide him towards that goal. The Dharma that he takes as his refuge is like a path that has been well laid out. Such a path may include signposts to show directions, bridges for crossing rivers and steps for climbing mountains. Similarly, the Dharma includes the rules of Good Conduct to help him avoid unwholesome actions and the techniques of Mental Development to help him overcome distractions. It also teaches him how to overcome ignorance and gain Enlightenment.
Taking refuge in the Sangha is like having good travelling companions who keep a traveller company, care for him when he is sick and encourage him along when he is tired. The members of the Sangha, like ideal travelling companions, help the lay follower to purify his unwholesome ideas and correct his behaviour through sound advice and instruction, and encourage him to continue his journey to Enlightenment.
The Act of Taking Refuge
A Buddhist expresses his intention of taking the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha as his refuge by repeating the following lines thrice:

"I go to the Buddha for refuge.
I go to the Dharma for refuge.
I go to the Sangha for refuge."

These lines can be recited by the person alone before the image of a Buddha or repeated line by line after a monk or master. A Buddhist may repeat the Threefold Refuge daily to remind himself that he has made a commitment to attain the goal of happiness and Enlightenment through the guidance and inspiration of the Triple Gem.
The Benefits of Taking Refuge
A Buddhist performs the act of taking refuge as the first step on the path to Enlightenment. Thereafter, through Good Conduct and Mental Development, he tries to achieve contentment, self-control, a calm and clear mind, and wisdom. Even if Enlightenment is not achieved in this life, a Buddhist who takes refuge in the Triple Gem is more likely to have favourable conditions for attaining Enlightenment in a future life.

A person takes refuge when he fears the suffering of the world and develops confidence in the Triple Gem which can lead him to happiness and Enlightenment. The Buddha, Dharma and Sangha are called the Triple Gem because they represent qualities that are precious like a gem. A Buddhist who wishes to attain Enlightenment regards the Buddha as his guide, the Dharma as his path and the Sangha as his travelling companions. He repeats the formula of taking refuge before an image of the Buddha or a monk. Taking refuge is the first step on the path to Enlightenment.

Unit Two: The Four Noble Truths

The first teaching ever given by the Buddha was to five student monks in a deer park. The Buddha spoke of the Four Noble Truths he had discovered while struggling for enlightenment, these are the central teachings of Buddhism. It was the Buddha's first awareness that life brings with it illness, age, misery and death that lead him to search for a deeper understanding of how we live, and ways to end suffering.

Each of these lessons explains the key Buddhist steps in understanding the truth about life, the reasons behind those truths, the possibility of change and the way of life that can lead to a life free of suffering.
All Buddhists study, meditate, think and act in ways that are designed to help them come to a full understanding of each of these Four Noble Truths and to stay on the path the Buddha says will lead them to peace and happiness.

Source: www.buddhanet.net

Unit One: The buddhist way

It's a strange fact that those who live closest to wonders of the world, like the Great Barrier Reef of Australia or the Taj Mahal of India, often take no notice of them at all. These incredible places become too familiar; they seem too accessible and their magic is somehow lost. People seem to think they can learn about the wonders so close to them at any time, but so often never get around to making a start.

It's this habit we sometimes have — of missing out on the wonders that are with us in life all the time, simply because we ignore them or just don't notice them at all — that Buddhists are hoping to avoid. Perhaps this is also the reason that Buddhism is still popular and interesting to people all over the world today, even though the Buddha first taught His ideas more than 2,500 years ago.

All around the world, many people have heard of Buddhism. You might have heard the name of Buddha, perhaps you've even visited a Buddhist temple or met people who call themselves Buddhists — but what is Buddhism really all about?