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--taken from THE TEACHING OF BUDDHA,
copyright 1966 by the Society for the Promotion of Buddhism (BUKKYO DENDO
KYOKAI).
p.38 Chapter 1
The cause of human suffering is undoubtedly found in the thirsts of the physical body and in the illusions of worldly passion. If these thirsts and illusions are traced to their source, they are found to be rooted in the intense desires of physical instincts. Thus, desire, having a strong will-to-live as its basis, seeks that which it feels desirable, even if it is sometimes death. This is called the Truth of the Cause of Suffering. If the desire, which lies at the root of all human passion, can be removed, then passion will die out and all human suffering will be ended. This is called the Truth of the Cessation of Suffering. In order to enter into a state where there is no desire and no suffering, one must follow a certain Path. The stages of this Noble Eightfold Path are: Right View, Right Thought, Right Speech, Right Behavior, Right Livelihood, Right Effort, Right Mindfulness and Right Concentration. This is called the Truth of the Noble Path to the Cessation of the Cause of Suffering. People should keep these Truths clearly in mind, for the world is filled with suffering and if anyone wishes to escape from suffering, he must sever the ties of worldly passion which is the sole cause of suffering. The way of life which is free from all worldly passion and suffering can only been known through Enlightenment, and Enlightenment can only be attained through the discipline of the Noble Eightfold Path. 2. All those who are seeking Enlightenment must understand the Fourfold Noble Truth. Without understanding this, they will wonder about interminably in life's bewildering maze of life's illusions. Those who understand this Fourfold Noble Truth called "the people who have acquired the eyes of Enlightenment." Therefore, those who wish to follow the Buddha's teachings should concentrate their minds on this Fourfold Noble Truth and seek to make the understanding of its meaning clear. In all ages, a saint, if he is a true saint, is one who understands it and teaches it to others. When a man clearly understand the Fourfold Noble Truth, then the Noble Eightfold Path will lead him away from greed; and if he is free from greed, he will not quarrel with the world, he will not kill, nor steal, nor commit adultery' nor cheat, nor abuse, nor flatter, nor envy, nor lose his temper, nor forget the transiency of life nor will he be unjust. 3. Following the Noble Path is like entering a dark room with a light in the hand: the darkness will be cleared away and the room will be filled with light. People who understand the meaning of the Noble Truths and have learned to follow the Noble Path are in possession of light of wisdom that will clear away the darkness of ignorance. Buddha leads people, merely by indicating to them the Fourfold Noble Truth. Those who understand it properly will attain Enlightenment; they will be able to guide and support others in this bewildering world, and they will be worthy of trust. When the Fourfold Noble Truth is clearly understood, all of sources of worldly passion are dried up. Advancing from this Fourfold Noble Truth, the disciples of Buddha will attain all other precious truths; they will gain the wisdom and insight to understand all meanings, and will become capable of preaching the Dharma to all the peoples of the world. ------------ p.42 Where is the source of human grief, lamentation, pain and agony? Is it not to be found in the fact that people are generally desirous? They cling obstinately to lives of wealth and honor, comfort and pleasure, excitement and self-indulgence, ignorant of the fact that the desire for these very things is the source of human suffering. ------------ p.46-47 Impermanency and Egolessness
If the body were an ego-personality, it could do this and that as it would determine. A king has the power to praise or punish as he wishes, but he becomes ill despite his intent or desire, he comes to old age unwillingly, and his fortune and his wishes often have little to do with each other. Neither is the mind the ego-personality. The human mind is an aggregate of causes and conditions. It is in constant change. If the mind were an ego-personality, it could do this and that as it would determine; but the mind often flies from what it knows his right and chases after evil reluctantly. Still, nothing seems to happen exactly as its ego desires. 2. If one is asked whether the body is constant or impermanent, he will be obliged to answer "impermanent." If one is asked whether impermanent existence is happiness or suffering, he will generally have to answer "suffering." If a man believes that such an impermanent thing, so changeable and filled with suffering, is the ego-personality, it is a serious mistake. The human mind is also impermanent and suffering; it has nothing that can be called an ego-personality. Our true body and mind, which make up an individual life, and the external world surrounding it, are far apart from both the conceptions of "me" and "mine." It is simply the mind clouded over by impure desires, and impervious to wisdom, that obstinately persists in thinking of "me" and "mine." . . . . ------------
People grasp at things for their own imagined convenience and comfort; they grasp at wealth and treasure and honors; they cling desperately to mortal life. They make arbitrary distinctions between existence and non-existence, good and bad, right and wrong. For people, life is a succession of graspings and attachments, and then, because of this, they must assume the illusions of pain and suffering. Once there was a man on a long journey who came to a river. He said to himself: "This side of the river is very difficult and dangers to walk on, and the other side seems easier and safer, but how shall I get across?" So he built a raft out of branches and reeds and safely crossed the river. Then he thought to himself: "This raft has been very useful to me in crossing the river; I will not abandoned it to rot on the bank, but will carry it along with me." And thus he voluntarily assumed an unnecessary burden. Can this man be called a wise man? This parable teaches that even a good thing, when it becomes an unnecessary burden, should be thrown away; much more so if it is a bad thing. Buddha's made the rule of his life to avoid useless and unnecessary discussions. ------------
Behind the desires and worldly passions which the mind entertains, there abides, clear and undefiled, the fundamental and true essense of mind. Water is round in a round receptacle and square in a square one, but water itself has no particular shape. People often forget this fact." ------------
Once there was a young woman named Kisagotami, the wife of a wealthy man, who lost her mind because of the death of her child. She took the dead child in her arms and went from house to house begging people to heal the child. Of course, they could do nothing for, but finally a follower of Buddha advised her to see the Blessed One who was then staying at Jetavana, and so she carried the dead child to Buddha. The Blessed One look upon her with sympathy and said: "To heal the child I need some poppy seeds; go and a four or five poppy seeds from some home where death has never entered." So the demented woman went out and sought a house where death had never
entered, but in vain. At last, she was obliged to return to Buddha.
In his quiet presence her mind cleared and she understood the meaning of
his words. She took the body away and buried it, and then returned
to Buddha and became one of his disciples.
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As to the suitability of words to be used there are five pairs of antonyms: words that are suitable to their occasions and those not so suitable to theirs; words that fit the facts and those that don't fit; words that sound pleasant and those that sound rude; words that are beneficial and those that are harmful; and words that are sympathetic and those that are hateful. Whenever words we utter should be chosen with care for people will hear them and be influenced by them for good or ill. If our minds are filled with sympathy and compassion, they will be resistant to the evil words we hear. We must not let wild words pass our lips lest they arouse feelings of anger and hatred. The words and we speak should always be words of sympathy and wisdom. Suppose there is a man who wants to remove all the dirt from the ground. He uses a spade and a winnow and works perseveringly scattering the dirt all about, but it is an impossible task. Like this foolish man we cannot hope to eliminate all words. We must train our mind and fill hearts with sympathy so that will be undisturbed by the words spoken by others. One might try to paint a picture with watercolors on the blue sky, but it is impossible. And it is also impossible to dry up a great river by the heat of the torch made of hay, or to produce a crackling noise by rubbing together to pieces of well-tanned leather. Like these examples, people should train their minds so that they would not be disturbed by whatever kind of words they might hear. They should train their minds and keep them broad as the earth, unlimited as the sky, deep as a big river and soft as well-tanned leather. Even if your enemy catches and tortures you, if you feel resentment, you are not following the Buddha's teachings. Under every circumstance you should learn to think: "My mind is unshakable. Words of hatred and anger shall not pass my lips. I will surround my enemy with thoughts of sympathy and pity that flow out from a mind filled with compassion for all sentient life." ------------- p.139 In a thicket at the foot of the Himalayan Mountains there once lived a parrot together with many other animals and birds. One day a fire started in the thicket from the friction of bamboos in a strong wind and the birds and animals were in frightened confusion. The parrot, feeling compassion for their fright and suffering, and wishing to repay the kindness he had received in the bamboo thicket where he could shelter himself, tried to do all he could to save them. He dipped himself in a pond nearby and flew over the fire and shook off the drops of water to extinguished the fire. He repeated this diligently with a heart of compassion out of gratitude to the thicket. This spirit of kindness and self-sacrifice was noticed by a heavenly god who came down from the sky and said to the parrot, "You have a gallant mind, but what do you expect to accomplish by a few drops of water against this great fire?" The parrot answered, "There is nothing that cannot be accomplished by the spirit of gratitude and self-sacrifice. I will try over and over again and then over in the next life." The great god was impressed by the parrot's spirit and together they extinguished the fire. ------------ p.150 In the search for truth there are certain questions that are unimportant. Of what material is the universe constructed? Is the universe eternal? Are there limits or not to the universe? In what way is the human society together? What is the ideal form of organization for the human society? If a man were to postpone his searching and practicing for Enlightenment until such questions were solve, he would die before he found the path. Suppose a man were pierced by a poisoned arrow, and his relatives and friends got together to call a surgeon to have the arrow pulled out and the wound treated. If the wounded man objects, saying, "Wait a little. Before you pull it out, I want to know who shot this arrow. Was a man or a woman? Was it's someone of noble birth, or was it peasant? What was the bow made of? Was it a big bow, or a small bow, that shot the arrow? Was it made of wood or bamboo? What was the bow-string made of? Was it made of fiber, or of gut? Was the arrow made of rattan, or of reed? What feathers were used? Before you extract the arrow, I want to know all about these things." Then what will happen? Before all this information can be secured, no doubt, the poison will have time to circulate all through the system and the man may die. The first duty is to remove the arrow, and prevent the poison from spreading. When a fire of passion is endangering the world, the composition of the universe matters little; what is the ideal form of the human community is not so important to deal with. The question of whether the universe has limits or is eternal can wait until some way is found to extinguish the fires of birth, old age, sickness and death; in the presence of misery, sorrow, suffering an agony, one should first search for a way to solve these problems and devote oneself to the practice of that way. The Buddha's teaching contains what is important to know and what is unimportant. That is, it teaches people that they must learn what they should learn, remove what they should remove, train for what they should become enlightened about. Therefore, people should first discern what is the most important, what problem should be solved first and what is the most pressing issue for them. To do all this, they must first undertake to train their minds; that is, they must first seek mind-control. ------------ p.156 Thus, those who really seek the path to Enlightenment dictate terms to their mind. Then they proceed with strong determination. Even though they are abused by some and scorned by others, they go forward undisturbed. They do not become angry if they are beaten by fists, or hit by stones, or gashed by swords. Even if enemies cut their head from the body, the mind must not be disturbed. If they let their mind become darkened by the things they suffer, they are not following the teaching of Buddha. They must be determined, no matter what happens to them, to remain steadfast, unmovable, ever radiating thoughts of compassion and good-will. Let abuse come, let misfortune come, and yet one should resolve to remain unmoved and tranquil in mind, filled with Buddha's teaching. For the sake of attaining Enlightenment, one should try to accomplish the impossible and one should endure the unendurable. One must give what he has to the last of it. If he is told that to gain Enlightenment he must limit his food to a single grain of rice a day, he will eat only that. If the path to Enlightenment leads him through fire, he will go forward. But one must not do these things for any ulterior purpose. Once should do them because it is the wise thing, the right thing, to do. One should do them out of a spirit of compassion, as a mother does things for her little child, for her sick child, with no thought of her own strength or comfort. ------------ p. 172 An evil mind is as hard to get rid of as a watchdog and a right
mind is as easy to lose as a deer in a forest; or an evil mind is as hard
to remove as letters carved in stone, and a right mind it is as easy to
lose as words written in water. Indeed, it is the most difficult
thing in life to train oneself for Enlightenment.
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The blessed One pitied him and said, "Srona my boy, did you ever study the harp at your home? You know that a harp does not make music if the strings are stretched too tight or too loose. It makes music only when the strings are stretched just right. "The training for Enlightenment is just like adjusting the harp strings. You cannot attain Enlightenment if you stretch the strings of your mind tool loosely or too tightly. You must be considerate and act wisely." Srona Found these words very profitable and finally gained what he sought.
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