No 868 of Living Life Series 1
Buddha was born on 624 BC. The world is richer by the teachings of the fully enlightened one. He has stressed that his teachings will continue to be the teacher and the monks in saffron robes enable this. Thus there is The Three Refuges - the Refuge in the Buddha, the Refuge in the Doctrine and the Refuge in The Holy Order.
This Three Refuges echoes what is mentioned by other sages in history that Divinity is the Word and the Word is Divinity. God and saints guide us on the understanding of the truth in life. By fathoming this, Divinity through God and saints come to life in our lives. The clergy in religions as global institutions ensure the continuity of the Word.
But this is so long as they are living examples to glorify the Word. Likewise, the holy order of monks of the Buddha will continue to maintain the pristine and pure teachings of the Buddha so long as they are living examples of the Word of the Buddha.
But this is so long as they are living examples to glorify the Word. Likewise, the holy order of monks of the Buddha will continue to maintain the pristine and pure teachings of the Buddha so long as they are living examples of the Word of the Buddha.
Lord Bo Tien 武天菩萨 says that there is the oneness of teachings or the Word behind all cultures and global religious institutions. This is the Inner Truth of what life is all about.
.jpg)
This inner truth is presented to us through sages and saints in ways that best fit the cultures of the times. They appear different but are different out of necessity to fit the context of the times and the people that the sages must shepherd.
.jpg)
But if we take care to understand, the messages of the sages are one. They are about what is the true nature of life and how to harness understanding of this to bring meaning and purpose to life. It is about understanding of the calling of life - the true and higher calling as opposed to the worldly or lower calling.
The worldly calling is how every individual wants to live the worldly life and based on this, this will decide how he can meet the higher or eventual calling of life. The wrong approach to earthly or worldly calling may derail the individual from the true or higher calling. The worldly calling is just the means to the end but if overindulged, the individual may mistake the means as the end. Then he will be oblivious to the higher or true calling.
Gautama Buddha was born as a prince and heir apparent to a kingdom in north India in 624 BC. But his princely life was too indulgent and materially excessive. This was a greater contradiction and cover up of the realities of the ails of life - birth, disease, old age and death.
He wanted the answer and he left the palace. He followed the culture of the times by giving up and becoming ascetic - denying physical needs of the flesh. He was no where near to the answer he wanted as he became wasted and in poor health.
He decided that denial of worldly needs is as bad as indulgence in worldly life which also promotes more issues and problems we are too familiar today e.g. diabetes, heart disease and many more. He went for what was needed just to meet worldly and bodily needs but did not see the need to go further than that.
What he went for with good physical health was how not to go round and round and how to stop the need to be reborn, to suffer disease, decay and passing away - to end the need for rebirths.
Under a fig tree, he attained enlightenment and shared with us the Four Noble Truths.
There is the truth of imperfection of life. This is unsatisfactory. This leads to the second truth that there is the cause.
The third truth is that the cause is ignorance. Ignorance perpetuates more problems of ill-will and greed. People even fight and perpetuate ill-will in the name of God and saints. This is due to false views.
There is a wide range of false views with denial of life after death as one extreme and eternity of life in heaven or hell as the other extreme. This is in the classical texts of the teaching of the Buddha.
There is the truth of imperfection of life. This is unsatisfactory. This leads to the second truth that there is the cause.
The third truth is that the cause is ignorance. Ignorance perpetuates more problems of ill-will and greed. People even fight and perpetuate ill-will in the name of God and saints. This is due to false views.
There is a wide range of false views with denial of life after death as one extreme and eternity of life in heaven or hell as the other extreme. This is in the classical texts of the teaching of the Buddha.
The fourth truth is the solution which is how to overcome false views and rid ourselves of ill-will and greed. In short, it is how to overcome clinging or attachment due to our ignorance. The Buddha offered the same solution in many ways.
There is the Eight-fold Path - right understanding, right thoughts, right speech, right actions, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness and right concentration. To those who are not ready, he offered them the Five Precepts - no killing, not to be intoxicated, no lying, no stealing and no sexual misconduct to help them have less problems even in worldly life and to lead a meritorious life.
Then there will be more peace even in worldly life and one day hopefully they will have peace of the saints through cultivating the three positive roots of goodwill, no clinging and no false views as opposed to the three negative mental roots of ill-will, greed or clinging, and false views.
The writer is motivated by Ji Gong (济公) the Living Saint to write this feature article for Wesak. Have a Happy Wesak and may the blessings of the Triple Gem - Buddha, His Teachings and His Holy Order of monks be with all - not just followers and believers but for all including non-human beings and those in Hell - yes even those in Hell that they may be saved.
No wonder the bells are tolling and the saints in the heavens are chanting blessings round and round more so on Wesak Day. Listen and you will hear them in your heart. Omitofo 阿弥陀佛!.
