The quality of our lives is conditioned by
the quality of our actions. Buddhism teaches us to have a firm conviction in
human potential. It says that we are creatures that possess the wonderful
ability to take responsibility for what we think, do, and say, and to make our
lives expressions of wisdom and compassion, rather than selfishness, fear, and
greed.
We can develop the power and skill to
refrain from acts of body, speech, and mind that cause ourselves and others
pain. We can learn to perform those acts of body, speech, and mind that lead to
happiness and peace. We can purify our minds. Thus Buddhism is concerned with
the nature of our lives and the means by which we can eradicate the discontent
and hollowness which so afflicts them. Consequently the teachings of Buddhism
are not to be seen as dogmas to be adhered to, but tools to be used to develop
our inherent potential.
Buddhism is a religion that considers
wisdom, rather than faith, to be the single most important virtue. The Buddha
said that if we look at ourselves very closely and honestly, we find a well of
disease and conflict within our mind. He said that the underlying root of that
pain is our ignorance of and the fundamental misconceptions that we cherish
about the true nature of our existence. The way to true happiness thus lies in
remedying our wrong ideas about the way things are, and for this task we need a
wisdom founded on generosity and morality and fortified by a calm clarity of
mind. In Buddhist perspective our lives have dignity and meaning to the extent
that they incline towards and testify to truth.
GENEROSITY
On its most basic level, our wrong
understanding of life, characterised by a tenacious clinging to the sense of
"me" and "mine", manifests externally as selfishness and
possessiveness. The first level of Buddhist practice entails undermining our
foolishness by countering its expressions. We develop a generous heart. The
Buddha encouraged us to give, wisely and selflessly, not seeking for any kind
of reward.
He spoke of three kinds of giving: the
giving of material things to those deserving of it, e.g., food to mendicant
monks, alms to the poor; the giving of forgiveness to those that have wronged
us; and lastly and most excellently, the giving of truth, gladly sharing any
worldly knowledge or spiritual understanding that we have acquired.
Generosity, apart from eroding selfish
concern, gives a joy and lightness to the mind and creates bonds of love and
friendship within a society. The less grasping at things we have, the more we
can open up to the world around us and contribute positively to it.
MORALITY
Morality, the second aspect of Buddhist
training, is also deeply concerned with the things we do and the things we say.
Action and speech that proceeds from unwholesome mental states harms both
ourselves and others. In Buddhism, morality is defined as the will to refrain
from all such words and deeds. By not reinforcing the power of ne.g.ative
emotions through internal repression or outward expression, but by simply
observing and calmly enduring through them, the hold of the afflictions over us
is weakened, and we be.g.in to free ourselves from them.
The training in morality consists of a
commitment to certain precepts as guiding principles in one's daily life. For
lay Buddhists these precepts are five in number, namely:
1. to refrain from taking life
2. to refrain from stealing
3. to refrain from sexual misconduct
4. to refrain from false speech
5. to refrain from use of intoxicants.
These precepts are not commandments or to
be blindly obeyed but are tools to be skilfully used to harmonise the way we
live with spiritual truths.
Although framed ne.g.atively the precepts
naturally engender virtues of kindness, honesty, contentment, truthfulness, and
heedfulness. One who keeps the precepts purely finds feelings of guilt and
self-reproach supplanted by those of well-being and self-respect. One's mind
inclines toward peace and clarity. Morality is thus the firm basis for all
spiritual endeavour and can be seen to provide the indispensable foundation for
an intelligent and caring society.
MEDITATION
The third aspect of Buddhism is
meditation, the development of mental calm and insight. In their normal state,
our minds are scattered and out of control. We find it hard to stop thinking
even for a moment. The tremendous energy of the mind is thus never harnessed
and put to good use. Meditation is a way to focus the mind, so as to enable it
to withdraw from its usual preoccupations, and penetrate the truth of our
existence.
Meditation is not merely a means of
relaxation, nor is it a technique to escape from stressful responsibility into
blissful trance. It is rather a precise means for sharpening, strengthening,
and ultimately purifying the mental faculties. Initially one concentrates the
mind on a particular object, just as to tame a wild animal, one might tie it to
a post. There are many possible objects to use for this purpose. One that many
people find useful is the sensation of the breath at the tip of the nostrils,
but whatever object is employed, the important point is to maintain a close,
alert, and continual awareness of it.
At first, of course, we can't.
Concentration is difficult. It goes against the grain of our distraction. But
with patience, perseverance, and good humour, it is not impossible. When the
mind strays away from the object one gently but firmly brings it back again -
again and again and again.
Eventually the concentration becomes more
or less effortless and the mind bright and firm. Here, fore.g.oing the initial
object, one merely maintains a sharp, bare awareness of whatever is arising
consciousness - be it a physical sensation, a feeling, a thought, a perception,
or whatever - staying with the changing nature of each phenomenon rather than
its content.
If the mind has been sufficiently
stabilised by concentration one is able to maintain an equanimous gaze on the
present reality and a direct non-conceptual appreciation of the true nature of
our existence be.g.ins to grow. As we come to realise the changing, unstable,
and inconsequential nature of all that goes to make up our lives, our wrong
ideas and assumptions about ourselves fall away and our grasping attachment to
things is completely undermined. It is here that true peace and liberation, the
highest achievement of human beings and the goal of Buddhism, is finally
achieved.