BUDDHIST EDUCATION
Buddhist Principles
The Five Precepts
What are the Five Precepts? The five Precepts are commonly known as “Pancasila”. Pancasila are the five rules or qualities used by Buddhist lay people to control bodily and verbal actions and to refrain from doing and speaking what is unwholesome and not beneficial. There may be various interpretations of the Five Precepts. The precepts are as follows:
1. Abstention from killing or harming living beings,
2. Abstention from stealing,
3. Abstention from improper sexual conduct,
4. Abstention from telling lies, Abstention from impolite speech, Abstention from setting people against each other, Abstention from gossiping, Abstention from backbiting, and
5. Abstention from taking alcohol and harmful drugs.
Of the Five Precepts, the fifth is by far the most important. If a person disregards the fifth precept, he or she can commit many harmful deeds and break the other four precepts easily. A person who can control bodily and verbal actions can be called a person with Sila (virtue or humane living).
Steps to taking Sila There are two ways of taking Pancasila, or the Five Precepts. First, you take the precepts that are prescribed for each Sila. This method can be used wherever and whenever there is no monk. Second, you go and sit respectfully before a monk. Then you must pay respect to him with folded palms and request him to give you Sila. This is always done at ceremonies at the temple or at home.
The Four Noble Truths
Buddhists may be asked “What is the foundation of Buddhism?”
The foundation of Buddhism is the Four Noble Truths. These Truths were explained to the first group of the Buddha’s five disciples at Sarnath, near Banares City, in North-eastern India, about 2,575 years ago. We now shall study some details of the Four Noble Truths.
1. The Noble Truth of Suffering
Suffering or dissatisfaction, on the basic level, deals with the problems of daily life, such as birth, old age, disease, death, sorrow and frustrations of every kind. Getting an undesirable thing is painful, as well as not getting a desirable thing. These problems are unwanted. People try their best to avoid them and to be free from them. This truth treats the problems and problematic situations which are to be observed and comprehended. Without self-investigation, we can never know if these statements are really true. With more careful observation in life, we can see that all life is unstable.
2. The Noble Truth of the Origin of Suffering
In this Truth, the Buddha explained how suffering arises through various causes and conditions. Every kind of suffering has its origins in craving or selfish desire, which is the result of ignorance or delusion. Sometimes problems happen in your everyday situation. When you are disturbed in a certain way, you may feel unhappy, or you may suffer. In some cases, unjust or unfair events happen in your life situations, this may make you feel unhappy or suffer. In the contrary, at times of trouble, if you learn to pay attention to your feeling you will find the calmness, quietness, fair play, and peaceful feeling usually bring you happiness. There are three kinds of craving, namely:
Craving for pleasure
Craving for existence
Craving for non-existence
Our excessive wants and desires are the causes of our problems in daily life. For example, Mr. Smith wants to get a car. Then he works hard and saves his money to buy a car. The he wants a boat, and a house, and more cars. He must work long hours, sometimes 15 or 16 hours each day. He has no time to rest and enjoy his life. He becomes weak and ill. He is suffering. This illustrates that excessive wants and desires and the cause of problems. Therefore, a lay person should be happy with what he has. This does not mean a lay person should live in poverty, but rather to use moderation at all time.
3. The Noble Truth of Extinction of Suffering (problem solving)
The goal of Buddhism is to end suffering, greed, hatred and delusion. When craving or “thirst” to possess is completely destroyed, Nirvana, the state of perfect peace, will be realized. To end the problems of greed, hatred and delusion, a person needs to understand, practice and follow the Eight Fold Path, the Fourth Noble Truth.
4. The Noble Truth of the Path Leading to the Extinction of Suffering
This Truth defines the Buddhist way of life. It contains all the ethical teachings and practices of Buddhism. It provides the way and means to realize the goal set forth in the Third Truth.
This way is called the Noble Eight Fold Path since it consists of eight factors. It is also known as the Middle Way. They are as follows: Right Understanding, Right Thought, Right Speech, Right Action, Right Livelihood, Right Effort, Right Mindfulness and Right Concentration. This Path will be raised later.
In short, to solve any problem, we have to observe Sila (self- control, morality), Samadhi (mind control), and Panna (wisdom) by following the Eight Fold Path.
Teachers may explain three kinds of craving clearly by giving examples of what is craving for pleasure, craving for existence and craving for non-existence. Also, discuss how Buddhism teaches us about daily life problems, the causes of the problems and the problem solving techniques.
The Eight-fold Path or the Middle Path
1- Right Understanding (Samma Ditthi) – The Keynote of Buddhism
It is explained as the knowledge of the four Noble Truths – the understanding of oneself as one really is, also as the understanding of the Three Characteristics of Existence – Impermanence, Sufferings and No-Self.
2- Right Thoughts (the closer English word to the meaning of Samma Samkappa) – The lead from clear vision or right understanding
It is the important mental state that eliminates wrong ideas or notions. It is one’s thoughts that either defile or purify, debase or elevate a person. Sometimes a single thought can either destroy or save the world.
Right thinking serves the double purpose of eliminating evil thoughts and developing pure thoughts. Right thoughts in this particular connection are threefold:
Renunciation of worldly pleasures or selflessness which is opposed to attachment, selfishness and self-possessiveness.
Loving-kindness, goodwill, or benevolence, which is opposed to hatred, ill-will or aversion, and
Harmlessness or compassion, which is opposed to cruelty and callousness.
Attachment and hatred coupled with ignorance are the chief of all evil prevalent in the world. One is either attached to desirable external objects or is repulsed with aversion (strong dislike) in the case of undesirable objects.
Through attachment one clings to material pleasures and tries to gratify one’s desire by some means or other.
Through aversion one recoils from undesirable objects and even tries to destroy them, due to irritation from their presence or the thought of them.
With the extinguishing of egoism through one’s own intuitive insight, both attachment and hatred automatically disappear.
The enemy of the world is lust, which if obstructed by some case is transformed into extreme anger.
The Dhammapada (collection of Buddha’s saying) states:
“There is no fire like lust, no grip like hate,
There is no net like delusion, no river like craving.”
3- Right Speech – Following from Right Thoughts, Right Speech deals with refraining from falsehood, slandering, harsh words, and frivolous (petty) talk.
He who tries to eradicate selfish desires cannot indulge in uttering falsehood or slandering for any selfish end or purpose. A harmless mind that generates loving-kindness cannot give vent to harsh speech which first debases the speaker and then hurts another. What he utters is not only true, sweet and pleasant but also useful, fruitful and beneficial.
4- Right Action – Deals with abstinence from killing, stealing and sexual misconduct.
The three evil deeds are caused by craving and anger, coupled with ignorance. With the gradual elimination of these causes from the mind, there will be no tendencies for blameful actions. Under no pretence would one kill or steal. Being pure in mind, one would lead a pure life.
5- Purifying thoughts, words and deeds at the outset, a person tries to purify his Livelihood by refraining from the five forbidden kinds of trade:
1. Trading in arms, (satthavanijja),
2. Human beings (sattavanijja),
3. Flesh (mamsavanijja), i.e. breeding animals for slaughter,
4. Intoxicating substances (majjavanijja), and
5. Poison (visavanijja).
6- Right Effort – IS FOUR-FOLD – namely:
The endeavour to discard evil that has already arisen,
The endeavour to prevent the arising of unarisen evil,
The endeavour to develop unarisen good, and
The endeavour to promote the good which has already arisen.
Right Effort is important in the Noble Eightfold Path. It is by one’s own effort that one’s deliverance is obtained and not by merely seeking refuge in others or by offering prayers.