Let Buddhism heal the world

Many people who came to see the Buddha asked him several questions:

“Who are you?”
“What are you?”
“Are you a god?”
The Buddha told them, “I am the Awakened One.”

Julius Caesar and Napoleon Bonaparte conquered a part of the world. But the Buddha conquered the whole world. However, He did not claim to be God or a superhuman being.

As a philosopher, the Exalted One has put all the other philosophers such as Socrates, Plato, Aristotle and Bertrand Russell in the shade. As a psychologist the Buddha has no rival in the East or West. In fact, western psychologists have borrowed many ideas from Buddhist psychology.

When great people were born there had been many supernatural events in the world. When Prince Siddhartha was born, the whole world had been flooded with light. The blind regained their sight.

The deaf and dumb got rid of their disabilities. Lame people started walking without crutches. The fires in hell were extinguished. The beasts stood still without making any noise.

Only Mara - the Evil One - remained unhappy because the Buddha was the antithesis of Evil.

The birth of Prince Siddhartha in Nepal near the Indian border in 563 BC marks an important landmark in the history of mankind. He was a prince born to the Sakya. His father Suddhodana was a king or a feudal lord in the Indian subcontinent. Having lived a life of luxury Prince Siddhartha married Princess Yasodara at the age of 16. Eventually she gave birth to a son called Rahula.

While Prince Siddhartha remained an extremely handsome model husband, his wife Yasodara was a paragon of virtue. Buddhists still talk about her grace and dignity.

Although both of them had all the allurements, the Prince wanted to break away from human bonds. In fact, astrologers had already predicted that the Prince would become the greatest conqueror of India or he would conquer the whole world and become famous.

To prevent him from leaving the palace, the prince was given every conceivable comfort including three luxurious palaces named Ramya, Suramya and Subha. However, when the Prince saw an old man, a sick person a dead body and a monk, he decided to renounce all worldly pleasures to seek the path of emancipation.

After an arduous period of suffering Prince Siddhartha attained Enlightenment on a Vesak Full Moon Day. Instead of resting on his laurels, the Enlightened One trudged the dusty roads of India preaching His ego-shattering, life redeeming message. He founded an Order of Monks and challenged some of the tenets of Hinduism.

He preached His doctrine to those who could understand it. He advised and showed the right way to the perplexed and encouraged the faithful followers to put an end to their suffering. His words of wisdom came as a blessing to thousands of people who flocked to places he frequented.

To understand the Great Sage, you have to study his Dhamma. He encouraged His followers to question His doctrine before accepting it. The Exalted One was considered a great rationalist because He believed in the cause and effect theory. As a result, His detractors did not succeed in throwing Him to confusion or embarrassment.

Buddhism is a religion of infinite compassion. Although some modern thinkers dismiss the Jathaka stories as post facto accounts or legends, they stand testimony to the Buddha’s boundless kindness and tenderness.

Even at the height of His reputation the Buddha went along the streets carrying the begging bowl. Although the Buddha could have led a life of luxury at any one of the temples put up by His ardent devotees, He preferred to lead a simple life minimising His physical needs.

After the Enlightenment, the Exalted One was convinced that He had a mission to fulfil. He did not claim to liberate all human beings from suffering. But He showed them the way. However, some people did not understand Him. For them the Buddha remained a mysterious figure. So, they called Him ‘Sakyamuni,’ meaning “Silent sage of the Sakya clan.”

Unlike Hinduism which evolved through many centuries, Buddhism appeared fully formed almost overnight. The Buddha’s doctrine was devoid of authority. He did not encourage rituals and rejected speculation of any kind. There is no place for the supernatural in Buddhism.

Buddhism, as I see it, is empirical because each person has to understand it. It is scientific because the Buddha believed in the cause and effect theory. It is on par with psychology as Buddhism begins with man and his mind.

Let Buddhism heal man and the world.