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Home: About: Canon Wisdom Part I
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"MORALITY
The first of these three ways of practice is morality. Morality forms the foundation of further progress on the path, of further personal development. It is said that, just as earth is the basis of all animate and inanimate things, so morality is the basis of all positive qualities. When we look around us, we can see that everything rests on the earth, from building to bridges, animals to hums beings. The earth supports all these things; in the same way, morality is the foundation of all qualities; all virtues, all attainments, ranging from the mundane to the super mundane, from success and good fortune to skill in meditation and, ultimately, wisdom and enlightenment. By means of this analogy, we can easily understand the importance of good conduct as a fundamental prerequisite for following the path and achieving results on it. Why do we take the trouble to stress the importance of good conduct as the foundation of progress on the path? The reason is that there is a tendency to think of good conduct as rather dull and boring. Meditation sounds more exciting and interesting, and philosophy and wisdom, too, have a kind of fascination about them. There is a dangerous temptation to neglect the importance of morality and want to go straight on the more exciting parts of the path. But if we do not create this foundation of good conduct, we will not succeed in the following the other steps of the path.
It is necessary to understand how the rules of good conduct, or the precepts, are established in Buddhism, because there are different ways in which moral or ethical codes can be presented. If you look at the moral teachings of the major religions of the world, you will find that there is a surprising degree of agreement among them. If you look, for instance, at the moral teachings of Confucius or Lao Tzu, at those of the Buddha and Hindu teachers.
To Students
These days many people like to talk about studying enlightenment and finally comprehending birth and death. They do not realize that in this world complete enlightenment is extremely difficult. They think of it as [direct, sudden] "vertical" transcendence of the Triple World [of desire, form, and formless states].
But even [someone who has overcome desire and reached the stage of] a "once-returnee" still has to go [to his death] and come back once more [through rebirth]: how much the more so, for an ordinary person! Most of the sentient beings in this world will have to be reborn in the West [in the Pure Land] first before they can be completely enlightened. The [Pure Land] gate to the West is called "horizontal" transcendence: not one in ten thousand misses it.
Belief (Faith)
Of the essential gates for entering the Path, belief (faith) is number one. Without belief, the essential things will not get accomplished, nor will anything good at all be accomplished.
Here is a worldly metaphor. When robbers are denounced and apprehended, the government always punishes them severely. If these robbers were let go and pardoned after their arrest, they would continue as before and not repent. Why? Because they would then believe that they did not have to pay back a cent for their nefarious conduct, and would get to keep for themselves profits beyond reckoning. Therefore they are made to suffer pain, so they will definitely not go back on their repentance.
These days’ people recite the Buddha-name, but they are unwilling to get serious and really exert themselves at it. This is because they have not deeply pondered [the Buddhist teaching] and come to believe in it truly.
I don't want to say that you do not believe in the Pure Land. [But remember], the World Honored One said, "Human life [may only last] from one breath to the next." The meaning of this sentence is not hard to understand. You have personally seen and heard [of the fragility of human life] with your eyes and ears, and you have experienced many examples of it. But right now when I demand that you believe in this statement, you are unable to do so. If you really and truly believed in this statement, I would not have to spend all my energy warning you a thousand times to practice the method of Buddha-remembrance.
But the natural course of impermanence is like water flowing into a gully: no force can hold it back. The day before yesterday when we had a funeral for a dead monk, you saw an example, of the impermanence of life that Buddha was talking about, and you were sad and unhappy.
Let me warn you all and urge you on by telling you this: Today we hold a funeral for one monk, tomorrow a funeral for another. Before you know it, it will be your turn, and then it will be too late for regrets.
You must get busy with Buddha-remembrance. Don't waste any time.
I see you saying to yourselves that time is precious, and saying to other people that time is precious; but when you are in the monks' hall chattering, you are talking and laughing and taking it easy as usual. In fact you don not [act as if you genuinely] believe that human life [can end] from one breath to the next. |
"You are born to this world to do some good and not to pass your days in idleness. If you are useles then you are a burden to this world. You must always think of rising higher in goodness and wisdom. Man is the noblest living being. |
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You will be abusing the privilege you have attained if you are not worthy of the cause for which your merits have given you this high place." Ghotama (DAH-MO) |
"In life, When we're thirsty - we drink; When we're hungry - we eat; When the body is itching - we move; When you seek - you find a healer or physician; When you're depressed - you find a friend to talk to; and When your mind is needed of food - you must seek refuge in the word of wisdom and in the lecture given to us by Prophets, teachers, spiritual leaders who came in the name of Divine power and divine light (love). Here is some suggestions, I Shifu Taho, recommend to all mankind in the time of distress or need. Please put your ego to the side and pray. Those prayers are not words I've created, but they existed before my existence. I am just a reminder."
Sharring Wisdom Prayers Here is some ideology of good virtue from the book of Peter Della Santina
“Read The tree of enlightenment"
And at those of the Jews and Christians, and Muslims you will find that basic rules of good conduct are almost identical. However although the rules in most cases correspond almost exactly, the attitudes toward these codes and the ways they are presented, understood, and interpreted differ considerably from faith to faith. In general, there are two ways moral codes can be established- what we might call the authoritarian way and the democratic way. A good example of the former is God handing down the tablets of the Ten Commandments to Moses on the mountain. By contrast, in Buddhism we have what I Think we can call a democratic way of establishing the basic rules of good conduct. You may wonder why I say this when; after all, we do have rules of good conduct- namely, the principles of equality and reciprocity. The principles of equality holds that all living beings are the same in their basic orientation and outlook. In other words, all living beings want to be happy, to enjoy life, and to avoid suffering and death. This is just as true of other living beings as it is of us. The principle of equality is at the heart of the University of the Buddha’s vision. Understanding the principle of equality, we are encouraged to act in light of the additional awareness of the principle of reciprocity.
Reciprocity mean that, just as we would not like to be abused, robbed, injured, or killed, so all other living beings are unwilling to have such things happen to them. We can put this principle of reciprocity quite simply by saying, “Do not act toward others in a way you would not want them to act toward you.’ Once we are aware of these principles of equality and reciprocity, it is not hard to see how they form the foundation of the rules of good conduct in Buddhism.Let us now look specifically at the contents of morality in Buddhism. The way of practice of good conduct includes three parts of the Noble Eightfold Path: (a) right speech. (b) right action (c) right livelihood.
Right speech constitutes an extremely important aspect of the path. We often underestimate the power of speech. As a consequence, we sometimes exercise very little control over our faculty of speech. This should not be so. We have all been very greatly hurt by someone’s words at some time or other in our lives, and similarity, we have sometimes been greatly encouraged by the words someone has said. In there are public life, we can clearly see how those who are able to communicate effectively are able to influence people tremendously, for better or for worse. Hitler, Churchill, Kennedy, and Martin Luther King were all accomplished speakers who were able to influence millions with their words. It is said that a harsh word can wound more deeply than a weapon, whereas a gentle word can change the heart and mind of even the most hardened criminal. Perhaps more than anything else, the faculty of speech differentiates humans from animals, so if we wish to create a society in which communication, cooperation, harmony, and well-being are goals to be attained, we must control, cultivate, and use out speech in helpful ways.
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