Buddhism As Education

If we see someone in need and we unreservedly give him a dollar or more, then the merit of this accords with our true nature because at that time we did not discriminate between others and us. We did not distinguish between the receiver and the donor. We were not attached. In this way, the merits from giving a dollar or more are infinite for they are the uncovering of our virtuous natures. Jealousy and hatred are indeed thoughts of stealing. Why is that so? Because one does not like seeing others doing better. This mindset is abnormal. Wishing others would be worse off or becoming displeased, critical or slanderous when seeing virtuous people or good deeds being carried out - these are all thoughts of stealing. A virtuous person delights upon seeing other virtuous people or good deeds and will wholeheartedly assist these good people and help them accomplish their good deeds. A virtuous person will set a good example for whatever community he is in and his good deeds will certa...

The first flood to note is he current that accompanies the senses of emotional impressions of their desirability or interest. This is the flood of sensuality (kamogha), a torrent under whose trance sense objects seem to offer pleasant sights, sounds, tastes, fragrances and touches. With some experience and considered attention, we can note that some of these, once seen, heard, etc, actually induce the kind of feeling that the current promises in any but the most fleeting way In the gentle or pulsing waves of this flood however, the objects of the sense seem irresistible, charming and productive of real satisfaction. And yet the manifest truth of our lives is that we are not blissed-out or even satisfied for long in any sense of contact. It happens all day long and with luck it is mostly okay. Sometimes it is pleasant for a little while and sometimes it is unpleasant, but the pleasant, once established, gets to be normal and then became boring after some time. So, desire for newe...

The reason why this set was put together, some years after the Buddha passed away, seems to have been that Buddhists speculated on why this one person arose in the world who surpassed all toehr in the depth and range of his wisdom. Many of his disciples developed qualities that the Buddha had manifested and also crossed over to the Other Shore but none came close to the Buddha in terms of depth, range and versatility in presenting the Dhamma. And unlike his disciples, he realized the path without a teacher. So people reckoned that this unique person must have interited a huge stock of strengths and virtues in the process of many lifetimes. Stories and fables were created to describe this process whereby the Future Buddha (Bodhisatta or Bodhisattva) developed parami as foundation for his future enlightenment (or awakening). Different schools of Buddhism selected different qualities to be parami, but in the school that came to be called Threvada, then were so designated. Theravada...