Lord Buddha, his teachings, philosophy
This is a collection of articles archived for the excellence of their content. Readers will be able to edit existing articles and post new articles directly |
Causation and Dharma Chakra
Ashok Vohra, The Theory Of Causation & Dharma Chakra, April 30, 2018: The Times of India
The Buddha, in his teachings, was primarily concerned with questions like: ‘Why do we suffer misery, pain, old age and death?’ He answered these questions and showed a path to his disciples that could lead them to get rid of all sufferings.
The Buddha regarded metaphysical questions concerning nature of the universe, nature of ultimate reality, nature of the soul, and life after death, as ethically useless, indeterminate questions. They have no bearing on the lived life. Whenever he was asked metaphysical questions, he responded with silence.
His silence does not mean that the Buddha did not know the answers of these metaphysical questions. In Majjhimannikaya Sutta, 63, he says, “Surely do I know much more than what I have told you. And wherefore, my disciples, have I not told you that? Because my disciples, it brings you no profit, it does not conduce to progress in holiness, because it does not lead to the turning from the earthly, to the subjection of all desire, to the cessation of the transitory, to peace, to knowledge, to illumination, to Nirvana.”
Like existentialists, the Buddha argued that questions relating to suffering and sorrows, their origin, cause and the path leading to their cessation, are the most significant of all philosophical questions. These questions, he argued, are profitable in leading a happy and contented life. They deal with ‘fundamentals of religion’. By bringing an end to hate, they usher a life of ‘absence of passion, quiescence, knowledge, supreme wisdom and nirvana’. He argued, “Philosophy purifies none, peace alone does.”
The Buddha firmly believed in ‘pratityasamutpada’, the causality principle – namely, that everything has a cause. ‘Nothing comes out of nothing – ex nihilo nihil fit.’ Following this principle, he argues that the fact of suffering has to have a cause. It must depend on some antecedent conditions.
Through the 12-linked chain for the cause of the existence of suffering called Dwadash Nidan, Janam-maran chakra, Samsara-chakra, Dharma-chakra, or Bhava-chakra, the Buddha shows that the root cause of pain and suffering is desire and ignorance.
According to the 12-spoked wheel, there is suffering because of birth. Birth is because of the will to be born, which in turn is because of clinging to worldly objects due to desire for enjoyment of earthly objects. Craving is because of sense-experience that comes with contact with the objects. Contact is possible because of six sense organs. Sense organs cannot exist without the mind-body organism. Mind-body organism would not function without consciousness. Primordial consciousness is due to impressions of our karma. Finally, impressions are there because of ignorance.
Removal of ignorance leads to cessation of suffering, desire and attachment. Buddha not only finds the cause of suffering but also tells us about the eightfold path with which we can attain nirvana, liberation from suffering.
The Dharma Chakra forms the core of the Buddha’s teachings. His other teachings like law of karma, momentariness, no-soul doctrine, eightfold path, and unreality of matter can be deduced as its corollaries.
The Dharma Chakra is precursor of the biological Darwinian as well as anti-Darwinian evolutionary theories. Modern evolutionary theories uphold that past present and future evolution of the animate organism is an internal response of the species to the external, inherited or environmental material conditions. The theory of causation proves that the internal conditions like conscious or unconscious desire and will, are responsible for the external phenomenon of suffering.
Buddha, Sangha And Dharma
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
On the spiritual path there are three factors: Buddha, the master or the presence of the enlightened, sangha, the commune or group, and dharma, your true nature. Life blossoms naturally when there is a balance between the three.
The Buddha is a doorway, and the doorway needs to be more charming than what lies beyond so that people come to the doorway.
Similarly, the closer you get to the master, the more charm, newness and love you feel. Nothing in the world could give that much peace, joy and pleasure. It's like depth without a bottom. This is a sign that you have come to the master.
Once you enter the door, you see the world from there, from the eyes of the master. Then in any situation you will think: “How would the master handle this?” See the world from the eyes of the master and the world looks so much more beautiful as a place filled with love, joy, cooperation and compassion.
Looking through the doorway there is no fear. From inside your home, you can look at the storm and the bright sun too; yet you can be relaxed as you are in the shelter. Such a sense of security, fullness and joy comes. That is the purpose of having a master.
Sangha is charming from a distance, but the closer you get, it pushes all your buttons and brings out all the unwanted things from within you. If you think a group is good it means you are not yet completely with the group. When you are totally part of that group, you will find that some bickering will come up. But you are the one who makes the group – so if you are good, your group will also be good.
Sangha has a reverse nature to Buddha. Buddha makes your mind one-pointed; sangha, because it is of so many people, can scatter your mind, fragment it. Once you are used to a sangha, it loses its charm. This is the nature of sangha. Still, it is very supportive. If it were repulsive all the time, then nobody would be part of sangha.
Buddha uplifts with Grace, love and knowledge, Buddha pulls you up from above, and sangha pushes you up from below.
Dharma is to be in the middle. Avoiding extremes is your nature –to be in balance, to smile from the depth of your heart, to accept entire existence totally as it is. Often you crave for Buddha and are averse to sangha, and you try to change; but by changing sangha or Buddha, you are not going to change. The main purpose is to come to the centre deep within you, which means to find your dharma. A sense of deep acceptance for this moment, for every moment, is dharma. All problems and negativity are generated from our mind.
The world is not bad; we make our world ugly or beautiful. So when you are in your dharma, your nature, you will blame neither the world nor the Divine.
Dharma is that which puts you in the middle and makes you comfortable with the world. It allows you to contribute to the world, be at ease with the Divine, to feel part of the Divine.
