The Life and the Fundamental Teachings of the Buddha

·期刊原文
The Life and the Fundamental Teachings of the Buddha
Pitt Chin Hui
貝葉
第七期
pp. A26-A33

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p.A26

There are, as we all know, different kinds of religions. To be a good citizen of the country, one should embrace one of the religions because all religions are royal roads to righteousness. As I am a follower of the Exalted Buddha, it is my duty to tell you something about the life of the Buddha and the fundamental principles of His noble teachings.

The Buddha was born on a Vesak Full Moon Day, B.C. 623, on the borders of Nepal at Lumbini Garden as the son of Queen Mana Maya and King Suddhodana of Kapilavasthu. The city was situated at the banks of the Rohini River about 130 miles due north of Benares in northern India at the foot of the snow capped peaks of the Himalayas. To mark the spot of His Birth, Emperor Asoka, some centuries later, erected a pillar bearing the inscription --- "Here Was the Enlightened One born." His Birth was accompanied by various kinds of miracles and good omens. The infant Buddha could walk seven steps as soon as He was born and at each step there was a lotus flower.

King Suddhadana was exceedingly happy when such an excellent, handsome and intelligent Prince was born to him and he named his son Siddhartha, which means "having accomplished" or "wish fulfilled". At the age of seven, the king engaged the best teachers in the country to teach his son both cultural and physical training. The Prince was extraordinarily intelligent and very soon He mastered all the subjects. He was made Upa Raja at the age of fifteen to assist His father to rule the country. When He came of age. He was married to the beautiful Princess Yasodhara. Very early in life, Prince Siddhartha was given to deep contemplation on the great problem of suffering. His beloved father took every care to keep Him in the midst of sensual pleasures, away from the sight of the miseries of the world. This arrangement of the

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anxious father was not appearing successful for day and night the great problem of suffering kept on revolving in His mind'.

In His 29th year, realising the fleeting nature of life and the vanity of material pleasure, He resolved to leave the palace of luxury in search of Truth and Peace, more from sympathy with the sufferings of others than from any personal sorrow which He had no occasion to experience.

He went from teacher to teacher for the solution of the great problem, but none could offer Him a satisfactory solution. Failing all other methods, He resorted to the path of asceticism. For six long years，He practised the severest of austerities. After making that supreme endeavour, He realised the folly and futility of asceticism and the necessity of a healthy mind in a healthy body for achieving the great object He was after. So He avoided the two extremes of self-indulgence and self-mortification. He took the Middle-Path.

After passing through a long and arduous course of sacrifice, discipline, renunciation, understanding, service, endeavour, truthfulness, iron-will, boundless goodwill and perfect equilibrium, He made a super human struggle for six strenuous years. One day, seated on a couch of grass under the famous Bodhi Tree at Buddha Gaya, He vowed to Himself ---

"In this very seat let my skin, my veins and bones waste away; let all the flesh and blood in my body dry up, but never from the seat will I stir until I have attained the Supreme Buddhahood."

On a glorious Vesak Full Moon Day, B.C. 588, that this ascetic Prince, unaided and unguided by any supernatural agency, but solely relying on His own efforts and wisdom, eradicated all defilements and comprehending things as they truly are, attained perfect Enlightenment, SAMMA SAMBODHI, in His 25th year. Thereafter, He was known as Gautama Buddha.

Being enlightened, He came forward to enlighten others. Being delivered, He plunged into the world to deliver others by expounding His unique Middle Way.

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Now for seven weeks the Buddha enjoyed the bliss of emancipation and made up His mind to give the new message to the world. First of all，He went to the deer-park, near Benares, to set Dharmacakra, the wheel of law, in motion. He gave His first sermon to the five disciples and thus laid the foundation of the Kingdom of righteousness. Within a short time, He had sixty enlightened disciples and unto them He said:

"Go ye, O Bhikkhus'. and wander forth for the gain of the many, for the welfare of the many, in compassion for the world, for the welfare of gods and men. Proclaim, O Bhikkhus'. doctrine glorious, preach ye a life of holiness perfect and pure."

Thus the Buddha started the great ministry of Humanity. Sacred scriptures recorded vivid accounts of how He travelled from village to village and town to town giving the sublime message of truth, love and peace. So great was His compassion that He would walk at a stretch for the sake of one person. Hence, He was known as the great Compassionate one. His love was boundless. Maitri or universal love was one of His favourite themes. He would often instruct His audiences in the following words:

"Just as a mother would protect her only child even at the risk of her own life, so should one practise loving kindness towards all living beings." A better simile of pure love than this cannot be found.

He was like an affectionate mother and father unto all. He made no distinction between man and woman. All were equal in His sight.

Thus the Lord of compassion looked upon all as His children. No life was too insignificant for His attention. From child to aged man, from beggar to king, from man of piety to man of wicked ways -- all received His love and compassion. He led them all on the path of righteousness.

After serving the world for a full forty five years the Blessed One reached the ripe age of eighty. He had fulfilled His mission on earth. The last days of the Buddha, as recorded in the

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Mahaparinibbana sutta, were very busy. In anticipation of the great end He was making His last journey visiting assemblies of His disciples and instructed them in the fundamentals of His teachings. At last. He was lying between the twin Sala trees at Kusinara surrounded by His disciples.

"Be a lamp unto yourself, be a refuge unto yourself, seek not refuge outside. Hold fast to the lamp of truth, take refuge in truth along, seek no external refuge. Impermanent are all conditioned things. Be diligent and work out your SALVATION'."

With these words the teacher of "gods of men" entered into Mahaparinibbana on the Vesak Full Moon Day in May B.C. 543.

Soon after the Mahaparinibbana of the Buddha, His gospel spread far and wide only in India but also beyond the borders of India. The great missionaries crossed big oceans, vast deserts and mighty mountains, taking His message to far-off lands. His mission developed into a great movement, a mighty cultural and spiritual force which influenced and moulded millions and millions of lives throughout the world. It welded many nations, with different manners, customs and languages, into one human family. Wherever the message of the Enlightened one was taken people received it with rejoicings. It gave them light and life, peace and happiness. Thus Lord Buddha brought into existence of cultural empire through the conquest of hearts with the invincible weapon of universal love.

In order to preserve His Doctrine after the Great Demise of the Buddha, His disciples congregated and formed a council at Rajagaha to compile the Enlightened One's various sermons into twelve collections, called the Tripitaka.

The concept of the Right Awakening as taught by Him is profound beyond our grasp. However, I shall try to elucidate a few points in regard to this concept.

(1) THE AWAKENING TO EQUALITY AMONG MEN
Before His Birth, education in India was in the hands of the

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Brahmans，who upheld the caste system.There were four different castes during that time such as the Brahman,Kshatriyas,Vaisyas and lastly，the under-caste slaves, Sudras.

The Buddha, from His own sense of experience, realised that all creatures have a Buddha nature and are entitled to attain Buddhahood. This is the equality in Buddhism. Differences in wealth and intellect are due to previous deeds by virtue of the law of cause and effect. These differences are not the expression of any divine will. It is up to everybody to change his own destiny in future lives by his own efforts at the present. Therefore, in a Buddhist community there is no importance attached to wealth or intelligence; all that matters whether any individual would purify his mind or not.

(2) THE AWAKENING TO CAUSATION
Causation is an importance part of the Buddha's doctrine, being His own discovery. Prior to the Buddha's right awakening, there was no causation theory comparable to this one among the Indian thinkers. The several theories which were in vague were heavily tainted with divine right.

It was not until Prince Siddhartha attained right awakening after having renounced the world that the truth about reality was first known to mankind. All reality, indeed, originated from causation.

(3) THE AWAKENING TO INFINITE LOVING KINDNESS
Human beings are more sensitive to their sensation than to utilize their wisdom. Pity arises in us when we see people suffering from sickness, sympathy arises in us when we see people suffering from loss or worry. Yet, such sentiments of mercy or sympathy are merely incidentally aroused and are therefore limited. The Buddha teaches us to have infinite loving kindness for all mankind and all sentient beings. It was because of the great compassion and boundless love which sprang from the very core of His heart that the Buddha preached excellent ways of life to mankind so that all might tread the noble path of righteousness.

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Buddhism exists in all cultures, although this fact is not recognised by the world. Let us now proceed to the following ---

(a) PHILOSOPHY

Philosophy is known as the love for wisdom in the West. Philosophy is the study of the causes or laws of that which happens or is seen. The principle of philosophy is based on reasoning. The Anuttara Samyak Sambodhi in Buddhism is literally Transcendental Wisdom which teaches us to discard the illusion of existence, and to free our minds and bodies from all worries. It shows and leads the way to real salvation. That is why Buddhism is an intrinsic philosophy.

(b) RELIGION

Religion is based on faith, wisdom and compassion. The implicit faith, the intellectual comprehension, the extraordinary practice of benevolence and the attainment of Supreme Buddhahood in Buddhism are all the substance of true religion. From this, we can certainly conclude that Buddhism is a lofty religion.

(c) SCIENCE

Science is the systematic formulative knowledge of general laws, such as the study of astronomy, physics and geography, etc. The principle of science is based on systematic analysis. In Buddhism, all laws are analyzed into either things within the Myriad Worlds or things beyond the Myriad Worlds. The former can easily be understood and performed by all humans, but the latter are so incomprehensible and inexpressible, that they can only be perceived by intuition. This is the proof that Buddhism is an eminent science.

(d) POLITICAL SCIENCE

Political science can only lead a family, a society or a country on the path of improvement, but is is unable to purify a person's mind. Buddhism is the loftiest political science, because Buddhist Scriptures have the strongest power of guiding people's minds.

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Laws are rules of conduct. Whether the country is either in a proper social condition or not, depends on its laws. The precepts in Buddhism are just as the laws of a country. The precepts of the Buddha are strictly and meritoriously observed by people under all circumstances of their own free will. If a person can observe the five precepts of the Buddha, he will never act against the laws of his country. That is why disciplinary laws and rules founded by the Buddha are the best laws.

(f) CRIMINAL LAWS

Criminal laws are made by the country to prevent people from doing bad deeds. These laws can only defend the country by force, but they cannot guide the minds of the citizens. Buddhist disciplinary instructions have the strongest power of guiding people's minds from committing sins. Criminal laws are not so influential as Buddhist laws.

(g) MORAL SCIENCE

Moral science is the study and discourse on morality. It instructs people in the rules of leading a righteous life. The ten Prerequisites for Buddhahood are the best rules for the most honourable behaviour. That is why the Ten Paramites can be considered the most excellent moral science.

(h) LOGIC

Logic is the science or art of exact correct reasoning of the laws of pure thought. To speak reasonably in accordance with facts is enough to win an oratories contest. The logic in Buddhism is excellently distinctive. That is why Buddhist logic is the unsurpassed logic.

(i) PSYCHOLOGY

Psychology is the study of the human mind, its thoughts and desires. Buddhism surpasses all psychology, for it teaches that

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the mind is the centre of all Phenomena. That is why Buddhism the most influential value for it is an asset more than psychology.

(j) SOCIAL SCIENCE

Social science is the study of the development of the history and nature of human society. In Buddhism, the foundation of social organisation is based on co-operation, and the improvement of the people is based on the understanding of the illusion of worldly objects. That is why Buddhism is also a social science.

All the branches of learning mentioned above are the most important requisites of human life. We cannot lead a righteous life if we are lacking in any one of these. As Buddhism comprises all branches of learning, we should all earnestly endeavour to attain the unlimited treasures of the Tri-pitaka.

At present, one fifth of the population of the world of different nationalities embrace Buddhism for the reason that Buddhism is indispensable to them in their daily lives.