The
foundations
of Buddhism are the four Noble Truths -- namely, Suffering
(the raison
d'etre of Buddhism), its cause (i.e., Craving), its end
(i.e.,
Nibbana, the Summum Bonum of Buddhism), and the Middle Way.
What is
the Noble
Truth of Suffering?
"Birth
is
suffering, old age is suffering, disease is suffering, death
is suffering,
to be united with the unpleasant is suffering, to be
separated from
the pleasant is suffering, not to receive what one craves
for is suffering,
in brief the five Aggregates of Attachment are suffering."
What is
the Noble
Truth of the Cause of Suffering?
"It is
the
craving which leads from rebirth to rebirth accompanied by
lust or
passion, which delights now here now there; it is the
craving for
sensual pleasures (Kamatanha), for existence (Bhavatanha)[7]
and for annihilation (Vibhavatanha)."[8]
What is
the Noble
Truth of the Annihilation of Suffering?
"It is
the
remainderless, total annihilation of this very craving, the
forsaking
of it, the breaking loose, fleeing, deliverance from it."
What is
the Noble
Truth of the Path leading to the Annihilation of Suffering?
"It is
the
Noble Eightfold Path which consists of right understanding,
right
thoughts, right speech, right action, right livelihood,
right endeavor,
right mindfulness, and right concentration."
Whether
the Buddhas
arise or not these four Truths exist in the universe. The
Buddhas
only reveal these Truths which lay hidden in the dark abyss
of time.
Scientifically
interpreted, the Dhamma may be called the law of cause and
effect.
These two embrace the entire body of the Buddha's Teachings.
The
first three
truths represent the philosophy of Buddhism; the fourth
represents
the ethics of Buddhism, based on that philosophy. All these
four truths
are dependent on this body itself. The Buddha states: "In
this
very one-fathom long body along with perceptions and
thoughts, do
I proclaim the world, the origin of the world, the end of
the world
and the path leading to the end of the world." Here the term
world is applied to suffering.
Buddhism
rests
on the pivot of sorrow. But it does not thereby follow that
Buddhism
is pessimistic. It is neither totally pessimistic nor
totally optimistic,
but, on the contrary, it teaches a truth that lies midway
between
them. One would be justified in calling the Buddha a
pessimist if
he had only enunciated the truth of suffering without
suggesting a
means to put an end to it. The Buddha perceived the
universality of
sorrow and did prescribe a panacea for this universal
sickness of
humanity. The highest conceivable happiness, according to
the Buddha,
is Nibbana, which is the total extinction of suffering.
The
author of
the article on Pessimism in the Encyclopedia Britannica
writes: "Pessimism
denotes an attitude of hopelessness towards life, a vague
general
opinion that pain and evil predominate in human affairs. The
original
doctrine of the Buddha is in fact as optimistic as any
optimism of
the West. To call it pessimism is merely to apply to it a
characteristically
Western principle to which happiness is impossible without
personality.
The true Buddhist looks forward with enthusiasm to
absorption into
eternal bliss."
Ordinarily
the
enjoyment of sensual pleasures is the highest and only
happiness of
the average man. There is no doubt a kind of momentary
happiness in
the anticipation, gratification and retrospection of such
fleeting
material pleasures, but they are illusive and temporary.
According
to the Buddha non-attachment is a greater bliss.
The
Buddha does
not expect his followers to be constantly pondering on
suffering and
lead a miserable unhappy life. He exhorts them to be always
happy
and cheerful, for zest (piti) is one of the factors
of Enlightenment.
Real
happiness
is found within, and is not to be defined in terms of
wealth, children,
honor or fame. If such possessions are misdirected, forcibly
or unjustly
obtained, misappropriated or even viewed with attachment,
they will
be a source of pain and sorrow to the possessors.
Instead
of trying
to rationalize suffering, Buddhism takes suffering for
granted and
seeks the cause to eradicate it. Suffering exists as long as
there
is craving. It can only be annihilated by treading the Noble
Eightfold
Path and attaining the supreme bliss of Nibbana.
These
four truths
can be verified by experience. Hence the Buddha Dhamma is
not based
on the fear of the unknown, but is founded on the bedrock of
facts
which can be tested by ourselves and verified by experience.
Buddhism
is, therefore, rational and intensely practical.
Such a
rational
and practical system cannot contain mysteries or esoteric
doctrines.
Blind faith, therefore, is foreign to Buddhism. Where there
is no
blind faith there cannot be any coercion or persecution or
fanaticism.
To the unique credit of Buddhism it must be said that
throughout its
peaceful march of 2500 years no drop of blood was shed in
the name
of the Buddha, no mighty monarch wielded his powerful sword
to propagate
the Dhamma, and no conversion was made either by force or by
repulsive
methods. Yet, the Buddha was the first and the greatest
missionary
that lived on earth.
Aldous
Huxley
writes: "Alone of all the great world religions Buddhism
made
its way without persecution, censorship or inquisition."
Lord
Russell remarks:
"Of the great religions of history, I prefer Buddhism,
especially
in its earliest forms; because it has had the smallest
element of
persecution."
In the
name of
Buddhism no altar was reddened with the blood of a Hypatia,
no Bruno
was burnt alive. Buddhism appeals more to the intellect than
to the
emotion. It is concerned more with the character of the
devotees than
with their numerical strength.
On one
occasion
Upali, a follower of Nigantha Nataputta, approached the
Buddha and
was so pleased with the Buddha's exposition of the Dhamma
that he
instantly expressed his desire to become a follower of the
Buddha.
But the Buddha cautioned him, saying:
"Of a
verity,
O householder, make a thorough investigation. It is well for
a distinguished
man like you to make (first) a thorough investigation."
Upali,
who was
overjoyed at this unexpected remark of the Buddha, said:
"Lord,
had I been a follower of another religion, its adherents
would have
taken me round the streets in a procession proclaiming that
such and
such a millionaire had renounced his former faith and
embraced theirs.
But, Lord, Your Reverence advises me to investigate further.
The more
pleased am I with this remark of yours. For the second time,
Lord,
I seek refuge in the Buddha, Dhamma and the Sangha."
Buddhism
is saturated
with this spirit of free enquiry and complete tolerance. It
is the
teaching of the open mind and the sympathetic heart, which,
lighting
and warming the whole universe with its twin rays of wisdom
and compassion,
sheds its genial glow on every being struggling in the ocean
of birth
and death.
The
Buddha was
so tolerant that he did not even exercise his power to give
commandments
to his lay followers. Instead of using the imperative, he
said: "It
behooves you to do this -- It behooves you not to do this."
He
commands not but does exhort.
This
tolerance
the Buddha extended to men, women and all living beings.
It was
the Buddha
who first attempted to abolish slavery and vehemently
protested against
the degrading caste system which was firmly rooted in the
soil of
India. In the Word of the Buddha it is not by mere birth one
becomes
an outcast or a noble, but by one's actions. Caste or colour
does
not preclude one from becoming a Buddhist or from entering
the Order.
Fishermen, scavengers, courtesans, together with warriors
and Brahmins,
were freely admitted to the Order and enjoyed equal
privileges and
were also given positions of rank. Upali, the barber, for
instance,
was made, in preference to all others, the chief in matters
pertaining
to Vinaya discipline. The timid Sunita, the scavenger, who
attained
arahatship was admitted by the Buddha himself into the
Order. Angulimala,
the robber and criminal, was converted to a compassionate
saint. The
fierce Alavaka sought refuge in the Buddha and became a
saint. The
courtesan Ambapali entered the Order and attained
arahatship. Such
instances could easily be multiplied from the Tipitaka to
show that
the portals of Buddhism were wide open to all, irrespective
of caste,
colour or rank.
It was
also the
Buddha who raised the status of downtrodden women and not
only brought
them to a realization of their importance to society but
also founded
the first celibate religious order for women with rules and
regulations.
The
Buddha did
not humiliate women, but only regarded them as feeble by
nature. He
saw the innate good of both men and women and assigned to
them their
due places in his teaching. Sex is no barrier to attaining
sainthood.
Sometimes
the
Pali term used to denote women is matugama, which
means "mother-folk"
or "society of mothers." As a mother, woman holds an
honorable
place in Buddhism. Even the wife is regarded as "best
friend"
(parama sakha) of the husband.
Hasty
critics
are only making ex parte statements when they
reproach Buddhism
with being inimical to women. Although at first the Buddha
refused
to admit women into the Order on reasonable grounds, yet
later he
yielded to the entreaties of his foster-mother, Pajapati
Gotami, and
founded the Bhikkhuni Order. Just as the Arahats Sariputta
and Moggallana
were made the two chief disciples in the Order of monks,
even so he
appointed Arahats Khema and Uppalavanna as the two chief
female disciples.
Many other female disciples too were named by the Buddha
himself as
his distinguished and pious followers.
On one
occasion
the Buddha said to King Kosala who was displeased on hearing
that
a daughter was born to him: "A
woman child, O Lord of men; may prove even a better
offspring than
a male."
Many
women, who
otherwise would have fallen into oblivion, distinguished
themselves
in various ways, and gained their emancipation by following
the Dhamma
and entering the Order. In this new Order, which later
proved to be
a great blessing to many women, queens, princesses,
daughters of noble
families, widows, bereaved mothers, destitute women,
pitiable courtesans
-- all, despite their caste or rank, met on a common
platform, enjoyed
perfect consolation and peace, and breathed that free
atmosphere which
is denied to those cloistered in cottages and palatial
mansions.
It was
also the
Buddha who banned the sacrifice of poor beasts and
admonished his
followers to extend their loving-kindness (metta) to
all living
beings -- even to the tiniest creature that crawls at one's
feet.
No man has the power or the right to destroy the life of
another as
life is precious to all.
A
genuine Buddhist
would exercise this loving-kindness towards every living
being and
identify himself with all, making no distinction whatsoever
with regard
to caste, colour or sex.
It is
this Buddhist
metta that attempts to break all the barriers which separate
one from
another. There is no reason to keep aloof from others merely
because
they belong to another persuasion or another nationality. In
that
noble Toleration Edict which is based on Culla-Vyuha and
Maha-Vyuha
Suttas, Asoka says: "Concourse alone is best, that is, all
should
harken willingly to the doctrine professed by others."
Buddhism
is not
confined to any country or any particular nation. It is
universal.
It is not nationalism which, in other words, is another form
of caste
system founded on a wider basis. Buddhism, if it be
permitted to say
so, is supernationalism.
To a
Buddhist
there is no far or near, no enemy or foreigner, no renegade
or untouchable,
since universal love realized through understanding has
established
the brotherhood of all living beings. A real Buddhist is a
citizen
of the world. He regards the whole world as his motherland
and all
as his brothers and sisters.
Buddhism
is, therefore,
unique, mainly owing to its tolerance, non-aggressiveness,
rationality,
practicability, efficacy and universality. It is the noblest
of all
unifying influences and the only lever that can uplift the
world.
These
are some
of the salient features of Buddhism, and amongst some of the
fundamental
doctrines may be said: Kamma or the Law of Moral Causation,
the Doctrine
of Rebirth, Anatta and Nibbana.