A time for reflection

Hard is it to be born a man; hard is the life of mortals. Hard is it to gain the opportunity of hearing the Sublime Truth, and hard to encounter is the arising of the Buddhas. (Buddhavagga, Dhammapada).

Indeed, the Birth of a Buddha is an extremely rare event. It was more than 2,600 years ago on a Vesak Day that Prince Siddhartha, later to become Gautama Buddha, was born in what is now Nepal. He was born to a somewhat dark world where superstitious beliefs held sway. Born and raised as a prince, he saw the vagaries of life and nature and sought emancipation.

Having given up his princely life, he went in search of the Truth. Eventually, he succeeded in finding the Four Noble Truths on how to achieve total emancipation from the cycle of birth and rebirth. This momentous event is called Enlightenment. After several decades of guiding the masses on the Noble Eightfold Path, the Buddha attained Parinibbana (Passing Away) also on a Vesak day.

The best of all paths is the Eightfold Path. The best of all truths are the Four Noble Truths. Non-attachment is the best of all states. The best of all men is the Seeing One (the Buddha). (The Dhammapada, Maggavagga).

This week, Buddhists in Sri Lanka and elsewhere celebrate these momentous events in the life of this extraordinary human being. His was a life that mere mortals cannot emulate, but there are plenty of lessons that we can draw. The world has changed drastically since the days of the Buddha, yet we still celebrate the life of this great Universal Teacher. We still listen to His immortal words which hold true to this day. But the crux of the matter is, how many of us are still listening to His immortal words and how many are actually following Him?

Philosophy

Most Buddhists have been veering away from the words of the Buddha. In a world based almost entirely on money, the pursuit of wealth has become the biggest priority for most people. The Buddha showed that there is another path to happiness, even for lay people. It is wrong to assume that Buddhism is a very complicated philosophy that offers little for our lives. The Buddha had plenty of advice to offer for lay persons who want to lead to pious lives. In the Singalovada Sutta, he outlined steps that lay people can take to live happier, healthier lives. He made it clear that inner peace or cleansing the mind was the first step. “The mind is hard to check.

It is swift and wanders at will. To control it is good. A controlled mind is conducive to happiness.” (Chitta Vagga, The Dhammapada).

The temple is the ideal place to go if you need to put your thoughts in order. It used to be the focal point of the village - it should once again be. The temple, and indeed all other places of worship, can play a major role in healing our collective wounds and achieving reconciliation.

This Vesak should be the starting point for such an endeavour. The Buddha’s words can heal the wounds of conflict and reaffirm the significance of peace everywhere in this nation. As the Dhammapada points out “Hate is not overcome by hate; by Love (Metta) alone is hate appeased. This is an eternal law”.

Today, we have opted for unity and peace instead of discord and rancour, with the Herculean task of rebuilding the Nation before us. The Buddha Dhamma offers ample guidance for such a process of healing and rebuilding of trust among all our peoples because His message of peace resonates to this day.

Even as we achieve peace, the spectre of commercialism is everywhere. The Vesak festival itself is commercialised to such an extent that many have forgotten its very purpose and foundation. We see the glitter and glamour in the illuminations and the pandals but fail to turn the light inwards to our inner selves with a view to purifying our thoughts, words and deeds.

“Wonderful, indeed, it is to subdue the mind, so difficult to subdue, ever swift, and seizing whatever it desires. A tamed mind brings happiness.” (Chittavagga, Dhammapada). We should thus literally see beyond the decorations and strive to understand the Buddha Dhamma and how it relates to our day-to-day lives.

Meritorious

This is also the time to think about those less fortunate than we are. Extending a helping hand to the poor and the needy is an essential part of the Buddhist way of life. There are plenty of ways in which we can help others practically every day, not just on an occasion such as Vesak. Even if you help a blind man cross the street, that is a meritorious act. We cannot take any material things with us when we pass away, it is only the good deeds that we have done that will ensure a less painful Samsaric journey.

We see a large number of acts of violence and cruelty in our society.

Again, the lack of moral values has led to a situation where many have forgotten values such as compassion towards fellow human beings. Following religious precepts will help us radiate compassion towards humans as well as animals. If the society as a whole becomes pious, there will be no place for crime and violence.

Vesak, the Holiest Day for Buddhists, gives another opportunity to begin life anew by adhering firmly to the Dhamma. “He who practices the Dhamma abides in happiness with mind pacified; the wise man ever delights in the Dhamma.” (Pandithavagga, The Dhammapada).

The Dhamma has shown us how to lead fulfilled, pious lives without contaminating our minds with evil thoughts. Our nation too is making a new start after three decades of bloodshed. Now, more than ever, there is a need to heal the wounds of conflict through love and compassion. There certainly is no better way than following the eternal words of the Buddha in this noble mission.