"What Buddhist Believe
Expanded 4th Edition
Dr. K. Sri Dhammanada
e
DHANET ' UD
BO
B
O K LIB R A R
E-mail: bdea@buddhanet.net Web site: www.buddhanet.net
Buddha Dharma Education Association Inc.
S
Y
Published by
BUDDHIST MISSIONARY SOCIETY MALAYSIA 123, Jalan Berhala, 50470 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Tel: (603) 2274 1889 / 1886 Fax: (603) 2273 3835 Email: bmsm@po.jaring.my
1st Edition 1964 2nd Edition 1973 3rd Edition 1982 This Expanded Edition 2002
© 2002 K Sri Dhammananda All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. Cover design and layout Sukhi Hotu ISBN 983-40071-2-7
What Buddhists Believe
Expanded 4th Edition
K Sri Dhammananda
BUDDHIST MISSIONARY SOCIETY MALAYSIA
This 4th edition of What Buddhists Believe is specially published in conjunction with Venerable Dr K Sri Dhammananda’s 50 Years of Dhammaduta Service in Malaysia and Singapore 1952-2002 (BE 2495-2545)
Photo taken three months after his arrival in Malaysia from Sri Lanka, 1952.
Contents
Foreword Preface
xi xiii
1
LIFE AND MESSAGE OF THE BUDDHA
CHAPTER 1
Life and Nature of the Buddha Gautama, The Buddha His Renunciation Nature of the Buddha Was Buddha an Incarnation of God? The Buddha’s Service Historical Evidences of the Buddha Salvation Through Arahantahood Who is a Bodhisatva? Attainment of Buddhahood Trikaya — The Three Bodies of the Buddha His Message Message for All Miraculous Power The Buddha’s Silence How to Answer Questions The Buddha’s Attitude towards Worldly Knowledge The Last Message of the Buddha
8 24 27 32 35 38 41 43 47 49 53 57 61 63 65 67 70 74 75
CHAPTER 2
CHAPTER 3
After the Buddha Does the Buddha Exist after His Death? A Successor to the Buddha The Future Buddha
VI !
WHAT BUDDHISTS BELIEVE
2
BUDDHISM: ESSENCE AND COMPARATIVE APPROACHES
CHAPTER 4
Timeless Truth of the Buddha The Lion’s Roar What is Buddhism? Impact of Buddhism on Civilization Buddhist Contribution to Humanity The Ultimate Truth Two Main Schools of Buddhism
64 67 70 72 74 77
CHAPTER 5
Basic Doctrines Tri-Pitaka (or Tipitaka) Sutra Pitaka Abhidharma Pitaka What is Abhidharma? Mind and Matter (Nama-Rupa) Four Noble Truths The Danger of Selfish Desire The Noble Eightfold Path — The Middle Way Gradual Development Righteous Life Everything is Changeable What is Karma? Misconceptions Regarding Karma Our Own Experience Other Factors which Support Karma Can Karma be Changed? Impartial Energy Classification of Karma Is Everything Due to Karma? Why Some Wicked People Enjoy While Some Good People Suffer Rebirth How Does Rebirth Take Place? Is Rebirth Simultaneous? Dying Moment Nirvana Nirvana and Samsara
82 85 86 89 95 97 100 102 103 104 110 113 115 117 119 120 122 124 126 127 129 133 135 136 137 139
Contents
! VII
Law of Dependent Origination Eternalism and Nihilism Can the First Cause be Known? Is there an Eternal Soul? Soul-Theories Anatta: The Teaching of No-Soul
CHAPTER 6
157 164 166 168 168 171 175 177 181 184
Buddhism Vis-a-vis Other Approaches Is Buddhism Similar to Other Contemporary Teachings in India? Is Buddhism a Theory or a Philosophy? Is Buddhism Pessimistic? Is Buddhism Atheistic?
3
LEADING A BUDDHIST LIFE
CHAPTER 7
Moral Foundation for Humanity What is the Purpose of Life? Understanding the Nature of Human Beings Understanding the Nature of Life The Need for a Religion Searching for a Purpose in Life Realisation Buddhism for Human Beings in Society The Buddhist Way of Life for Householders Buddhist Morality and Practice Buddhist Ethics Buddhist Morals are Based on Intention or Volition What is Vinaya? Development of Sangha Community Changing Society Dharma and Vinaya Characteristics of a Monk Ten Meritorious and Ten Evil Actions Ten Evil Deeds Precepts Five Precepts Eight Precepts
188 189 190 191 193 194 197 201 204 207 208 211 213 215 216 218 221 224 226 227
CHAPTER 8
VIII !
WHAT BUDDHISTS BELIEVE
Loving-Kindness Real Charity Buddhist Attitude Towards Human Organ Donation The Buddhist Attitude to Animal Life The Need for Tolerance Today Buddhist Funeral Rites
CHAPTER 9
230 234 237 239 243 245
Dharma and Ourselves as Refuge Why We Take Refuge in the Buddha No Self Surrender No Sinners Do It Yourself Human Beings are Responsible for Everything Human Beings are their own Jailors You Protect Yourself You Have to Save Yourself Prayer, Meditation and Religious Practices Faith, Confidence and Devotion The Meaning of Prayer Meditation Nature of Modern Life The Significance of Paritta Chanting Are Buddhists Idol Worshippers? Religious Significance of Fasting Vegetarianism The Moon and Religious Observances
248 253 254 257 259 260 263 266
CHAPTER 10
274 276 278 281 285 290 296 297 300
4
HUMAN LIFE IN SOCIETY
CHAPTER 11
Life and Culture Traditions, Customs and Festivals Rites and Rituals Festivals Status of Women in Buddhism Buddhism and Politics
306 307 308 309 311
Contents
! IX
CHAPTER 12
Marriage, Birth Control and Death Buddhist Views on Marriage Divorce Birth Control, Abortion and Suicide Committing Suicide Why Does the World Population Increase? Sex and Religion
321 323 324 326 327 329
5
A RELIGION FOR HUMAN PROGRESS
CHAPTER 13
Nature, Value and Choice of Religious Beliefs Human Beings and Religion Misconceptions on Religion Which is the Proper Religion? Moral and Spiritual Development The God-Idea The Development of the God-idea The God-idea and Creation Human Weakness and the Concept of God Changing a Religious Label before Death Short-cut to Paradise and End of the World Promoter of True Human Culture Modern Religion Religion in a Scientific Age Buddhism and Science Limitations of Science Learned Ignorance Beyond Science Science Without Religion Tribute to Buddhism Religion of Freedom Buddhist Missionaries War and Peace Why is there no Peace? Can We Justify War? The Buddhist Attitude
334 339 342 345 347 347 349 350 354 356 358 360 361 363 365 366 367 368 369 374 378 381 383
CHAPTER 14
CHAPTER 15
Can Buddhists Join the Army? Mercy Killing Killing for Self-Protection The Buddhist Stand on the Death Sentence
385 388 389 390
6
THIS WORLD AND OTHER WORLDS
CHAPTER 16
Realms of Existence The Origin of the World Other World Systems The Buddhist Concept of Heaven and Hell Belief in Deities (Devas) Existence of Spirits The Significance of Transference of Merits to the Departed Highest Gift to the Departed Divination and Dreams Astrology and Astronomy Buddhist Attitude towards Astrology Fortune-Telling and Charms Consulting Mediums Dreams and their Significance Faith Healing Superstitions and Dogmas
396 400 403 406 408 409 411 414 418 422 424 425 431 433
CHAPTER 17
Dr. K. Sri Dhammananda
Foreword
V
EN. DR. K. SRI DHAMMANANDA is a renowned Buddhist scholar
of noble character and profound knowledge. For nearly fifty years, he has devoted himself to disseminating Buddhism in Malaysia. His activities have been extensive and diverse, including writing, teaching, supporting the activities of many Buddhist groups, promoting education, welfare, cultural activities and so forth. The Venerable was present at the First World Buddhist Conference, the Buddhist Summit, which was held in Kyoto, Japan in 1998. He wholeheartedly agreed with the summit’s purpose saying: “Let us, the Buddhists of the world, overcome the barriers among our denominations and return to the original teachings of Lord Buddha”. As one of the initiators of the Conference, he has been striving to realize peace and serenity for humankind, the ideal of Lord Buddha. There are many religions in the world today but from the past to the present people of different faiths have continued to fight one another, each group believing that their belief alone is true. Taking revenge because of a grudge has incurred another grudge and the misunderstanding has kept growing. While preaching love and peace, these warring groups continue fierce conflicts by force and arms. It will be impossible to attain true world peace and human
happiness through such self-righteous and discriminatory attitudes. In this chaotic world of ours, Buddhism is the religion that can lead the modern world into peace. Through the tireless efforts of Venerable Dhammananda, I hope the Buddhist Summit will develop further and the light of Buddhism will shine over the entire world. This book, written by Venerable Dhammananda mainly from the Theravada perspective, is a good introduction to Buddhism. It explains basic principles of Buddhism in detail and is suitable for helping beginners obtain a general view on the religion. There are various Buddhist denominations, which can be categorized into three Theravada, Mahayana and Vajirayana. Although they share the same origin, the teachings of Lord Buddha, each has characteristics of its own. I sincerely hope that readers of this book will make a positive effort to also learn the teachings of different denominations , return to the fundamental teachings of Lord Buddha, the origin of all the denominations, and then proceed hand in hand toward Nirvana, that perfect and everlasting peace for all people and the final common goal for every Buddhist denomination. May the Triple Gem bless you all.
MOST VEN. DR. KYUSE ENSHINJOH
President WORLD BUDDHIST CONFERENCE Founder Priest NENBUTSUSHU BUDDHIST SECT OF JAPAN
Preface
W
hen Ven. Dr K. Sri Dhammananda first came to this country fifty years ago, on January 2 1952, Malaya had barely emerged from the devastation of the Second World War and was embroiled in the communist emergency, which had begun some years earlier. The economic and social conditions were far from satisfactory and the practice of Buddhism was practically non-existent, although large numbers of Chinese professed to be Buddhists. The Thai and Burmese communities in the north, the Singhalese in Taiping, Kuala Lumpur and Melaka practiced their religion in almost exactly the same way as was done in their respective countries of origin but they did not encourage locals to join their activities. There were however, small numbers of western educated Chinese who were aware that what was passed for Buddhism within their community was largely a hodge podge of debased Taoism, folk religion and elementary Confucianism. There was a need and a desire among them to discover what the Buddha really taught. In the past this need had been satisfied by a very small number of English educated Theravadian monks in Malaya. The names that immediately come to mind are Ven. K. Gunaratana, Ven. Narada, Ven. Mahaveera, Ven. Ananda Mangala all from Sri Lanka and two
XIV !
WHAT BUDDHISTS BELIEVE
Englishmen, Ven. Anoma Mahinda and Ven. Sumangala. The Chinese educated Buddhists, had to rely on well-known Chinese monks like Ven. Chuk Mor, Ven. Kim Beng and others. In 1952 Ven. K Sri Dhammananda, then only 34 years old, was invited to become the chief incumbent of the Buddhist Temple in Brickfields, Kuala Lumpur. He immediately recognized the enormous potential that existed for the propagation of the Dharma among the Chinese in the country. He embarked on a teaching and writing career which has now spanned half a century and has transformed the image of Buddhism so effectively that today it is practiced by growing numbers of Malaysians. This is because he has steadfastly stood his ground in declaring that Buddhism can only be correctly practiced if one returns to the original teachings of the Buddha. At the same time he has supported the spread not only of Theravada Buddhism, but also of Mahayana and of Vajrayana because he maintained that all these schools are a part of the ekayana, the One Way. While serving the spiritual and cultural needs of the members of the Sasana Abhiwurdhi Wardhana Society, Ven. Dhammananda also founded the Buddhist Missionary Society Malaysia which continues to publish and distribute his numerous writings as well as other books all over the world. One of the Venerable’s books, WHAT BUDDHISTS BELIEVE, was first published in 1962 as a collection of down to earth responses to questions regarding how the Buddha’s teachings can help people cope with contemporary problems. The book immediately gained a wide readership which amply proved that it satisfied a long felt need among Buddhists. It was revised in
Preface
! XV
1973 and again in 1982 after which it began to be translated into other languages. Today it is available in Spanish, Dutch, Singhalese, Nepali, Parshi, Burmese, Korean, Chinese, Vietnamese and Indonesian. On one occasion a Christian delegation visited Ven Dhammananda to have a dialogue. A member of the delegation saw the book on his desk and asked, “Venerable, What do Buddhists believe?” He replied, “Buddhists do not believe anything!” Puzzled, the man asked, “ Then why did you write this book?” Ven Dhammananda smiled and said, “Well, read the book and see for yourself whether there is anything in Buddhism simply to believe.” The man then asked “Alright then, what do Buddhists do?” Ven Dhammananda replied, “Well, first they study, then they practice and finally they experience” (pariyatti, patipatti, pativedha). Yes, WHAT BUDDHISTS BELIEVE does not tell you what to believe. It is a book that opens up our eyes to see for ourselves the reality of life. The book, written in simple English, in a rather non-conventional manner, has proven to be very effective in clearing the doubts of many readers, who are not able to comprehend textual, academic works written by scholars. Ever since its publication, many English educated people have come to know what Buddhism is all about after reading this book. This fourth expanded edition of WHAT BUDDHISTS BELIEVE is an expanded version published to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Dhammaduta service in Malaysia by Ven. Dr K Sri Dhammananda. The two societies found that the best way to express our gratitude and appreciation to the Ven. Dr K Sri Dhammananda for
XVI !
WHAT BUDDHISTS BELIEVE
his yeoman service, is to support him in bringing the message of the Buddha to the masses, i.e. by publishing this edition, it is our hope that all readers, Buddhists and non-Buddhists, will lead a more enriching life after reading this book. We wish to express our sincere thanks and appreciation to Mr Vijaya Samarawickrama, Dr Victor Wee Eng Lye, Mr Goh Seng Chai, Miss Foo Pau Lin and Miss Than Lai Har for editing, typing, proofreading and for their useful suggestions which helped to bring this book to its present form. We also like to thank Mr Hor Tuck Loon for the cover design and the layout of this book. Without their assistance and cooperation the book would not have been possible.
IR. ANG CHOO HONG, KSD, PPT President BUDDHIST MISSIONARY SOCIETY MALAYSIA SARATH W. SURENDRE President SASANA ABHIWURDHI WARDHANA SOCIETY
March 15, 2002
PART ONE
LIFE AND MESSAGE OF THE BUDDHA
1
LIFE AND NATURE OF THE BUDDHA
Gautama, The Buddha
The Founder of Buddhism.
G
AUTAMA BUDDHA, the founder of Buddhism, lived in Northern India in the 6th century B.C. His personal name was Siddhartha, and his family name was Gautama. He was called the ‘Buddha’ after He attained Enlightenment and realized the ultimate Truth. ‘Buddha’ means the ‘Awakened’ or the ‘Enlightened One’. He generally called Himself the Tathagata, while His followers called Him Bhagava, the Blessed One. Others spoke of Him as Gautama or Sakyamuni.
Life and Message of the Buddha
!
19
He was born a prince who seemed to have everything. He had a luxurious upbringing and His family was of pure descent on both sides. He was the heir to the throne, extremely handsome, inspiring trust, stately and gifted with great beauty of complexion and a fine presence. At sixteen He married His cousin named Yasodhara. She was majestic, serene and full of dignity and grace. Despite all this, Prince Siddhartha felt trapped amidst the luxury like a bird in a golden cage. During His visits outside the palace, He saw what was known as the ‘Four Sights’, that is, an old man, a sick man, a dead man, and a holy recluse. When He saw the sights, one after another, the realization came to Him that, ‘Life is subject to old age and death’. He asked, ‘Where is the realm of life in which there is neither old age nor death?’ The sight of the recluse, who was calm after having given up the craving for material life, gave Him the clue that the first step in His search for Truth was Renunciation. This means realizing that worldly possessions cannot bring the ultimate happiness people crave for. Determined to find the way out of these universal sufferings, He decided to leave home to find the cure not for Himself only, but for all mankind. One night in His twenty-ninth year, He bade His sleeping wife and son a silent farewell, saddled His great white horse, and rode off toward the forest. His renunciation is unprecedented in history. He left at the height of youth, from pleasures to difficulties; from certainty of material security to austerities; from a position of wealth and power to that of a wandering ascetic who took shelter in caves and forests, with His ragged robe as the only protection against the
20 ! WHAT BUDDHISTS BELIEVE
blazing sun, rain and winter winds. He renounced His position, wealth, promise of prestige and power, and a life filled with love and hope in exchange for the difficult search for Truth which no one had found although many in India had sought for thousands of years. For six long years, He laboured to find this Truth. What was the truth He sought? It was to understand truly the nature of existence and to find the ultimate, unchanging happiness. He studied under the foremost masters of the day, and learned everything these religious teachers could teach Him. When He found that they could not teach Him what He was seeking for, He decided to find the Truth through His own efforts. A band of five ascetics joined Him and together they practised severe austerities in the belief that if the body was tortured then the soul would be released from suffering. Siddhartha was a man of energy and will power and He outdid other ascetics in every austerity they practised. While fasting, He ate so little that when He took hold of the skin of His stomach, He actually touched His spine. He pushed Himself to do superhuman feats of self-torture so that He would have certainly died. But He realised the futility of self-mortification, and decided to practise moderation instead. On the full moon night of the month of Vesakha, He sat under the Bodhi tree at Gaya, wrapped in deep meditation. It was then that His mind burst the bubble of the material universe and realised the true nature of all life and all things. At the age of 35 years, He was transformed from an earnest truth seeker into the Buddha, the Enlightened One.
Life and Message of the Buddha
!
21
For nearly half a century following the Enlightenment, the Buddha walked on the dusty paths of India teaching the Dharma so that those who heard and practised could be ennobled and free. He founded an order of monks and nuns, challenged the caste system, raised the status of women, encouraged religious freedom and free inquiry, opened the gates of deliverance to all, in every condition of life, high or low, saint or sinner, and ennobled the lives of criminals like Angulimala and courtesans like Ambapali. He freed humanity from religious slavery, religious dogma and blind faith. He towered in wisdom and intellect. Every problem was analysed into component parts and then reassembled in logical order with the meaning made clear. None could defeat Him in dialogue. He is an unequalled teacher even until today. He still is the foremost analyst of the mind and phenomena. For the first time in history, He gave human beings the power to think for thems..."
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