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| Buddha image under the Bodhi tree |
Vesak is day of the birth, enlightenment and the departure of Lord Buddha from the world of flesh and blood. It is the thrice sacred day for Buddhists.
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| Lord Buddha |
One should know more of why Siddharta Gautama found no peace in being a prince. He wanted to know why others are suffering, why even the royalty too must suffer not from lack of wealth but from pangs of birth, the illnesses that spare no one, ageing and death. He left the palace even as he was married and had a child with the aspiration of finding the answer to unsatisfactoriness of life so that one day he could help not only those close to him but others as well.
It was said that he had in previous births been in countless lives and was in the heavens before he came down to be Prince. He had been an aspirant to buddhahood and was referred to as the bodhisatva, one who cultivates the way to be eventually a buddha, a fully enlightened one. He is like what some may refer to as a messiah of sorts.
After finding no peace in royalty and in wealth and destined to kingship, he became an ascetic and renounced the needs of flesh and blood. He learnt from two great masters, acquired spiritual heights but was nowhere near the peace he set out to have. All the spiritual magical or psychic prowess like miracles never bring him closer to the answer he wants. He was not at peace. Instead of having material wealth and status, he had psychic wealth with abilities of the two greatest teachers at that time. Giving up material wealth and being reduced to skin and bones like a beggar did yield psychic and spiritual wealth but these are no better and as bad as the material wealth he knew though in another form.
Both worldly and psychic wealth only meant one form of wealth or other but they bring him no closer to peace. Under the Bodhi or fig tree, he found the answer of the "Middle Way". The solution is simple. He should neither give up the needs of the body nor indulge in the needs. He should neither go for psychic prowess of the priests of his time nor stay away from them if they come his way.
The goal is to have balance --- not going for all or none but having enough to have the health and resources for something more lofty that transcends annihilation at one extreme and grabbing for all at the other. For both ways are due to false views that denying life be it worldly or spiritual life is good as well as the opposite which is to go for abundance of wealth be it worldly or spiritual (psychic abilities like that of the gods). One can control a worldly kingdom or one can fly to the heavens and control nature but one is merely rich in worldly resources or supernatural abilities but these only distract and one will be further from being at peace
The boddhisatta found out that the solution is not to go for broke or to be buried under wealth of material or spiritual, but to have just enough so as to be healthy in body and spirit. He developed mindfulness that the underlying problems in life lie either in greed for more or false view that going for broke is the answer. Both fester impure or restless state of mind. There is need to purify the mind.
He realised that he needed to free the mind, that is, to purify the mind. He achieved the state of peace when the mind is pure and not swayed by life contingencies like pride and hatred, honour and dishonour, gain and loss, life and death.
By not having false views, one will not have roots like greed for life to extent of denying others from having life. One must neither have hatred for others (denial of others right to live) nor hatred of one's own life (self denial or torture.)
By not having false views, one will not have roots like greed for life to extent of denying others from having life. One must neither have hatred for others (denial of others right to live) nor hatred of one's own life (self denial or torture.)
Enlightenment is simple and it means how to be pure. There is no need to be able to astral travel, walk on water or walk through a wall. Magicians can do that but are they at peace? It is difficult for those blinded by false views to perceive that ultimate peace lies in being pure, neither denying life nor clinging more to life. In short, we should neither go for broke or for all. We should be pure and peaceful by staying atop and balancing life as portrayed by the seated image of Lord Bo Tien with feet on top of and balancing the polarities.
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| Lord Bo Tien |
Thus this article is titled thus. "A second look at Vesak. Be pure. Don't go for all or for broke." Let there be no anger, ill will or false views. That way we can have peace come what may. If we can see through life that way, we can be a buddha of sorts here and now.
The path to purity requires one to tread through the yin and yang of life, the polarities or the
vicissitudes or contingencies of life.
There should neither be denial
or running away nor clinging on to
life but balance as portrayed by the feet of the lord saint balancing the
elements.This is the inner truth that
enables one and all to be pure to be
with God through any religion or sect of his or their choice.
To step onto the path of sainthood, one must practise not just being focused (often alluded as concentration) on how to be more pure but how to be ever more mindful of what is pure and good and to be able to effect this in life.
The first stage is to understand life and to begin to progressively know what are right and what are wrong. There is need to be progressively clear and to be progressively ever more confident that one is on the right direction.
The next stage is to minimise or attenuate greed (often referred to as lust), ill will and have more wisdom on what are right (that is eradicate wrong views to life). There is still the occasional or even the baseline background desire and ill will.
The third stage is to do away with the faint background of desire and ill will and to have not even the occasional desires (or attachment) and the occasional ill will. There is that ability to have not denying nor having. Then there will be balance that promotes inner peace.
The first stage is to understand life and to begin to progressively know what are right and what are wrong. There is need to be progressively clear and to be progressively ever more confident that one is on the right direction.
The next stage is to minimise or attenuate greed (often referred to as lust), ill will and have more wisdom on what are right (that is eradicate wrong views to life). There is still the occasional or even the baseline background desire and ill will.
The third stage is to do away with the faint background of desire and ill will and to have not even the occasional desires (or attachment) and the occasional ill will. There is that ability to have not denying nor having. Then there will be balance that promotes inner peace.
Then one has reached the zenith of purity of enlightenment and is worthy and wholesome to be with God and His saints like Ji Gong Posat and all the pure ones, buddhas, posats and the prophets.
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| Ji Gong Posat |
Bear in mind that what goes through the heart (mind) is more important than what goes through the gut. This was one of the many pointers by Ji Gong Posat. Fasting and abstinence from meat i.e. vegetarianism do have their limited place in cultivation of purity but are only means or useful tools to the end but not the end in themselves. They are useful supplements but not must-have --- only good-to-have in moderation for some but not all.
Better to be at times fasting, at times vegetarianism than to go for all ---adopting all time fasting or vegetarianism. Also, do not go for broke --- not a care in the world for purity of mind and killing to eat meat and vegetables. Be pure at heart (mind). Do not go for all or for broke. Be moderate. We must learn to moderate all aspects of our life. Do not go for the limit or all. Do not go for broke that is for none whatsoever. Moderate to find the optimum and then there will be no strife but peace and ease
Siddharta Gautama on verge of buddhahood was provided with a three string musical instrument. One string was too tight and broke. One string too loose and came off when strummed. The middle was just nice and when strummed provided pleasant musical note. Thus the term Middle Way came to be for all who wants to cultivate purity and be enlightened like the Buddha Gautama.
Do not kill, steal, tell lies, do not have adultery / sexual misconduct and do not be intoxicated are the five precepts introduced by Lord Buddha to help all to be beginners to be on the path to purity of enlightenment even if they do not understand or grasp the dharma, the teachings of Lord Buddha. They provide the out-of bound markers to help even the ignorant to have less defilements that lead to bad actions. Admittedly however, five precepts are no guarantee for pure heart and mind but at least they guide many to stay in line as far as possible till such times they know and understand better on need to be pure at heart and not just in outward show or actions
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