Buddhism As Education

All phenomena are manifested by the mind. Our environment changes according to our mind. "Environment" here means mountains, rivers, earth, trees, flowers and grass. They all can be changed by our minds and we have to remember this sentence.. If we can be persons with pure, virtuous, sincere, compassionate mind, then the mountains, rivers, earth, trees, flowers and grass will become strong and wonderful. If our mind are full of greed, anger, ignorance and arrogance and our thoughts are constantly taking advantage over others to benefit ourselves, then the outer world will turn fragile. The true nature is of the utmost purity and virtuousness, it is perfect and radiant. Habits are the bad thoughts and views that one acquired after birth. Simply put, the conflict between the true nature and acquired habits are the conflict between altruism and self benefit. Compassion, loving kindness and all virtues are innate in the true nature of all beings, while selfishness and all

When we observe all the worries, pain, bitterness, anger, good fortune, misfortune, good, evil, conflicts, confrontations and natural disasters around worldwide, we see that they are due to wrong understanding of the truth about life and the universe. From this misunderstanding, we erroneously generate emotional attachments, differentiate between others and ourselves, expand the conflicts and confrontations within ourselves to all beings, affairs, objects and the natural environment outside ourselves. This is why we are making disasters worsening everywhere. In reality, natural disasters are caused by human minds. The Buddha said, "greed is the cause of flood, anger is the cause of fire, ignorance is the cause of wind, arrogance and inequality are the cause of earthquakes". Once we understand the fundamental principles, we will understand that everything in this world and beyond arises from the mind and changes according to our perceptions. If we seek to become Buddh

Cultivation may be favourable or adverse. When an adverse condition appears, one should know that it results from a bad cause planted in the past. If a person displeases one or goes against one, then one should just laugh it off as this will cancel out the karmic debt incurred in the past. If one becomes angry, one will incur another debt on top of the old debt. Instead of cancelling out the old debt, one will have even more problems. As it said, "If one owes money, one will repay with money. If one owes life, one will repay with life. Reprisal breeds reprisal. It is cyclical and never ending". This principle, "to cultivate one is to cultivate all" was explained in the Avatamsaka Sutra. It is the learning and cultivation of non-hindrance. Everything arise from our true nature. If the cultivation is in accordance with the true nature, then it can be regarded as cultivating all. If we do good deeds that are not from our true nature and because we are seeking,

What is exactly no wandering thoughts? What is correct thoughts? Having no wandering thoughts is being free from wandering thoughts, all discrimination and all attachment. Correct thought is a clear and correct understanding of all principles and matters, causes and results and the condition of anything and its phenomenal expressions. Therefore, in correct thought, these is wisdom, there are virtues and capabilities and auspicious marks. In correct thought, there are no wandering thoughts, discrimination and attachments. According to the Diamond Sutra, "Even the Dharma has to be laid aside, let alone worldly teachings". The "Dharma" refers to the Buddhadharma. One should not be attached to the Buddhadharma either. Any attachment would be a mistake. The Buddhadharma is like a boat, something we use for crossing a river. Upon reaching our destination, we should let go of the tool that got us there. The Buddhadharma is to help us overcome obstacles. When we ha

Needless worrying is also an indication of karmic obstacles. The past is past, what is the use of dwelling on it? Tomorrow is yet to come. To worry bout it is to have wandering thoughts. Some people are extremely good at worrying and wondering about the past and the future. The can do so all day long. This is to make a mountain out of a molehill and this is  karmic obstacle. What kind of mind are we using now? The deluded mind, it is not a true mind. There is no hindrance in the true mind With the deluded mind, when we try to see something with our naked eyes, we cannot see it clearly. It is like looking through  distorted glasses, seeing the external environment through a layer of delusion. This delusion is the Eight Consciousnesses and Fifty-One mind objects. With the glasses heavily contaminated, we then interact with the external environment through these consciousnesses and mind objects. Therefore, the environment has changed to that of the Six dusts. When these conscious

What if we can truly put down all the wandering thoughts, discrimination and attachments? The world will change immediately. What will it become then? The world will become a Land of Ultimate Bliss. What is the difference between our land and the Land of Ultimate Bliss? Sakyamuni Buddha introduced us to the Land of Ultimate Bliss where people of superior virtues assemble. when people's minds are virtuous, the land will be stable and secure. Everything will be wonderful, without the least defect. When people's minds are vicious, the land and everything in it will be vicious too. People with true aspiration and profound insight need to know that seeking rebirth into the Pure Land wholeheartedly and meeting Amitabha Buddha is the perfect and complete accomplishment of life. We should let go of attachments to worldly activities, both physical and mental and rid ourselves of differentiating thoughts. There is nothing worthy of worry and nothing worthy of greed. We accord wit

Men are disturbed not by external things, but by beliefs and imaginations they conjure up in their minds with regard to the form of their future lives. For example, death is not by itself that dreadful: the dread or terror exists only in our minds. It is not often that we are brave enough to come facing with the thought of our own mortality. Insistence upon the truth of suffering may seem horrible and unacceptable to the mind which is unable to face realities, but it surely helps to reduce or eliminate the dread of fear realities by knowing how to actually face death. Once life is launched, like a bullet, it rushes to its destination i.e. death. Realising thus, we must bravely face that natural occurrence. To be considered free in life, we must also be free from fearing death. Fear only comes to those who are not able to comprehend the laws of Nature. "Wherever fear appears, it appears in the fool, not in the wise man", says the Buddha in the Anguttara Nikaya. Fears ar

The parami are then inclinations and potentials that we develop into clear intentions. Their development comes in three stages, the initiating, the gathering and the completion. Initially, one brings the subject to mind. Even this much is useful; it means that parami get built-in as a frame of reference, when other values such as fun, convenience, style, worldly performance and success can be taking over the mind. The "gathering" stage is when you apply the perfection in the face of opposition. Something in you does not want to bother, other people do not see the point, it is not convenient, etc, etc and etc. The third stage of completion, is when you know your fullness in that perfection will bring you through any obstacles, you can give up your life for it. You realise: "Why not? Life is going to end anyway, why not establish a mind in a position of strength while there is time?" So, when we establish our minds on one of these parami, we can put aside incli

"Our practice here is not to grasp anything", a chief monk told a young monk. "But isn't it necessary to hold onto things sometimes?", the younger monk protested. "With the hands, yes, but not with the heart", the chief monk replied. "When the heart grasp what is painful, it is like being bitten by a snake and when through desire, it grasp what is pleasant, it is just grasping the tail of the snake. It only takes a little while longer for the head of the snake to come around to bite you. "Make this non grasping and mindfulness the guardian of your heart, like a parent. Then your likes and dislikes will come calling like children. 'I don't like that, mummy. I want more of that, Daddy'. Just smile and say, 'Sure, kid'. 'But mummy, I really want an elephant'. 'Sure, kid'. 'I want candy, can we go for an airplane ride?' There is no problem if you can let them come and go without grasping".

Many people, particularly the educated, professional people are moving out of the big cities and metropolitans in order to seek a quiet live and simpler livelihood in the small town and rural areas. This is natural. If you grab a handful of mud and squeeze it, it will ooze through your fingers. People under pressure likewise seek a way out. Many people ask about the problems of our world, about a coming apocalypse. What does it mean to be worldly? What is the world? You do not know? This is very unknowingly, this very darkness, this very place of ignorance, is what is meant by worldly. Caught in the six sense, our knowledge develops as a part of this darkness. To come to an answer to the problems of the world, we must know its nature completely and realize the wisdom that shines above the darkness of the world. These days, it seems that our culture is deteriorating, lost in greed, hatred and delusion. But the culture of the Buddha never changes, never diminishes. It says, &quo

We do not examine ourselves; we just follow desire, caught in endless rounds of grasping and fearing, wanting to do just as we please. whatever we do, we want it to be at our ease. If we are not able to have comfort and pleasure any longer, we are unhappy, anger and aversion arise and we suffer, trapped by our mind. For the most part, our thinking follows sense objects and wherever thought lead us, we follow. However, thinking and wisdom are different; in wisdom, the mind becomes still, unmoving and we are simply aware, simply acknowledging. normally, when sense objects come, we think about, dwell about, discourse over and worry about them. Yet, none of those objects is substantial; all are impermanent, unsatisfactory and empty. Just cut them short and dissect them into these three common characteristics. When you sit again, they will rise again, but just keep observing them, keep checking them out. This practice is like caring for a buffalo and a rice field. The mind is like th

A wandering ascetic, having heard of the Buddha, travelled everywhere looking for him. One night, he came to stay in a house where the Buddha was also residing but not knowing the Buddha's physical appearance, the ascetic was clearly unaware of the Buddha's presence. The next morning, he arose and continued his journey to search for the Buddha no knowing that he was in his neighbourhood the whole night. To search for peace and enlightenment without correct understanding is like this. Due to lack of understanding of the truth of suffering and its elimination, all subsequent factors on the path will be wrong i.e. wrong intentions, wrong speech, wrong actions and wrong practice of concentration and tranquillity. You likes and dislikes are not a trustworthy guide in this matter either, although foolish people may take them for their ultimate reference. Alas, it is like travelling to a certain town, you unknowingly start out on the wrong road and since it is a convenient on

What can we do when we have hurt people and now they cannot consider us to be their enemy? These people might be those in our family, in our community or in another country. We think you know the answer. There are few things to do. The first thing is to take the time to say, "I am sorry, I hurt you out of my ignorance, out of my lack of mindfulness, out of my lack of skillfulness. I will try my best to change myself. I don't dare to say anything more onto you". Sometimes, we do not have the intention to hurt, but because we are not mindful or skillful enough, we hurt someone. Being mindful in our daily life is important, speaking in a way that will not hurt anyone. The second thing to do is to try bring out the best part in ourselves, the part of the flower, to transform ourselves. That is the only way to demonstrate what you have just said. when you have become fresh and pleasant, the other person will notice very soon. Then, when there is a chance to approach t

Millions of people follow sports. If you love to watch soccer or baseball, you probably look for one team and identify yourself with them. You may watch the games with despair and elation. Perhaps, you will give a little kick or swing to help the ball along. If you do not take sides, the fun is certainly missing. In wars, we also pick sides, usually the side that is being threatened. Peace movements are born of this feeling. We get angry, we shout, but rarely do we rise above all this to look at a conflict the way a mother would, who is watching her two children fighting. She seeks only for their reconciliation. In order to fight each other, the chicks born from the same mother hen put colours on their faces. Putting colours on our own face is to make ourselves stranger to our own brothers and sisters. We can only shoot each other when they are strangers. Real efforts for reconciliation arise when we see with the eyes of compassion and that ability comes when we clearly see that

For the next prison, we want to mention being deceived by the thing known as "saiyasatr". All superstitious formalities and beliefs are saiyasatr. The more ignorance there is, the more one lacks correct knowledge, then the more trapped one is in superstitious prison. Now, education and science (vidayasatr) has improved, which has led to a better understanding of natural truths and of all things. Still there remains too much entrapment in superstitious prisons, It is a personal thing. Some people are caught in different degrees and ways, but we can say that there are still people caught in the prison of saiyasatr, trapped by superstition. Although, in general, superstition has diminished greatly due to the progress of science, there is still quite a bit of saiyasatr left in the temples and churches. Please forgive us for saying so, but the place we can find superstition the most are in churches and temples and in those kind of places. Although superstition has lessene

You must recall the words "salvation" or "liberation" used in all religions. The final goal of all religions is salvation or emancipation, or whatever word most suitable in each language. But all these words have the same meaning, getting saved. All religions teach salvation. Then, from what are we saved? We are saved from spiritual prison. The thing that all of you want and need - even right at this moment - is the thing called "freedom" or "liberty", which is simply escape from prison. Whether a physical, material prison or a mental, spiritual prison, the meaning is the same. In all cases, we want freedom. Those who lack of wisdom can see and fear only physical, material prisons. But those who have wisdom to look deeper will see how much more terrifying and dangerous the spiritual prison is. Really, we can see that hardly anybody is locked up in ordinary jails, while everyone in the world is caught in the spiritual prison. For instance