2006-05-13

BE 2550 VESAK

What makes a True Buddhist?

Bhikku Narada

Light of Truth: Any person who formally seeks refuge in 'The Triple Gem' - the Buddha, the Dhamma, and the Sangha - is called a Buddhist. In Pali the term Upasaka is applied to males, and Upasika to females. Upasaka means one who associates with the Triple Gem.

As Buddhist monks lead a purer life than laymen, they are called Bhikkus - Mendicants.

Race, colour, caste, class or any such external difference does not prevent one from becoming a Buddhist. The beggar or the outcast has as equal claims as the king or the noble to be a Buddhist.

No special rites or ceremonies are also required to become a Buddhist.

A follower of the Buddha does not seek refuge in Him with the foolish hope that he will be saved by His personal salvation. The Buddha gives no such guarantee. One's salvation depends on oneself. Neither could one defile nor purify another. The Dhammapada says:-

By self is evil done; by self is one defiled;

Ill deeds not done by self to self bring purity;

Each for himself is pure; each for himself is impure;

Thou canst not cleanse another man's impurity.

However fervently we may pray to the Buddha, He has no power to take us to Nibbana by His personal effort. He cannot wash away our impurities by His purification.

Light of Truth

But it is a Buddha who could show us the Path of Deliverance. It is He who holds the Light of Truth to us benighted travellers. We grope in the dark, not finding a way of escape. Then to our delight a kind person comes with a light in hand and holds it aloft so that we may see clearly. Instead of admiring the bright light and keep on constantly thanking him for his kindness we must seek our escape with its aid.

We are sick men suffering from an acute but a curable disease. Then an experienced physician comes, diagnoses the case and prescribes an effective remedy. However efficient the physician may be, we cannot be cured unless we take the remedy ourselves.

The Buddha is the bearer of the Light of Truth who makes us open our eyes. The Buddha is the kind physician who discovered this panacea for the ills of life and gave it free to all.

With confidence based on knowledge (saddha) a Buddhist seeks refuge in the Buddha because it is such an All-seeing, Enlightened One who could show him the path of Deliverance, and who could help to destroy the passions, the cause of all sorrow.

The confidence placed by a Buddhist on the Buddha is like that of a sick man towards the physician or that of a student towards his teacher.

Blind faith denounced

Blind faith is denounced by the Buddha. He does not ask anyone to follow Him blindly. Even to those who express their willingness to be His followers, He says: "be more patient and make further investigations."

Well, then, what does an image signify?

It is merely a representation to focus our attention. Buddhists do not worship an image expecting any worldly favours, but pay their homage to what it represents. A Buddhist goes before an image and offers flowers or incense not to the model but to the Buddha.

As a mark of gratitude, he does so and reflects on the virtues of the Buddha and meditates on the transiency of the fading flowers. An understanding Buddhist feels that he is in the presence of the living Buddha, gains inspiration from His noble personality and breathes deep his boundless compassion. He tries to emulate his noble example.

An image or some such symbol is useful particularly to the ordinary man, as it tends to concentrate his attention. An intellectual could dispense with it since he could easily control his thoughts and visualise the Buddha. Although a Buddhist seeks refuge in the Buddha he does not thereby become a slave of His, for no one, according to the Buddha, is a slave to another. He disparages slavish mentality.

Neither does a Buddhist sacrifice his freedom of thought by becoming a follower of the Buddha. He can exercise his own free-will and develop his knowledge even to the extent of becoming a Buddha himself. For Buddhahood is not the prerogative of any specially graced chosen person. Anybody may aspire to this supreme state of Perfection.

The second refuge is the Dhamma, which is the Teaching discoverd by Him.

Dhamma literally means that which uplifts or supports.

In its widest sense it means that which supports him who acts accordingly from letting himself fall into woeful states.

The Teaching constitutes the Four Paths, the Four Fruits of Saintship, viz: Sotapatti, Sakadagami, Anagami, and Arahat-Magga and Phala and Nibbana.

These nine supramundane (Lokuttara) states exist whether the Buddhas arises or not. It is a Buddha who discovers and reveals them to others.

Four Paths

Sothapatti is the first Path and Fruit of Saintship. It is at this state one realises Nibbana for the first time in his life and thereafter called a Sotapanna - a Stream-Winner - i.e. one who has entered the stream that leads to Nibbana. He no longer seeks birth in states of woe but is destined to progress on the upward path. He will not fall, but rise ever and ever on the spiritual plane. He will be reborn only seven times at the most.

Sakadagami is the second Path and Fruit of Saintship. He who attains to this stage is reborn in this world only once.

Anagami is the third Path and Fruit of Saintship. It is so called because he who attains to this third stage of Sainthood never come to this world again but is reborn in the 'Pure Abodes' where he resides until he finally attains Parinibbana. The last Path and Fruit is the Arahatta - exalted stage when one destroys all passions and roots out all forms of the will-to-live.

The ultimate Goal is called Nibbana, which means extinction of lust, hatred and ignorance or the departure from craving.

The Word of the Buddha found in the books -Tripitaka - (the Three Baskets) is also called the Dhamma because it enables one to realise those Paths and Fruits of Saintship.

As such, the Dhamma is compared to a raft meant for the sake of crossing the ocean of birth and death. It is not merely to be recited and admired, but to be studied and practised in the course of one's daily life. Practice is essential. Mere recital of the Sutras or mere listening to discourses without actual practice does not lead one to Nibbana. It is better to learn one stanza and act accordingly than study the whole Tripitaka without any practice.

Eating fills our stomach, but what we eat is of no use unless it is digested: Digestion of the food is like the practice of the Teaching.

The Dhammapada says:

"Though reciting many verses, if they do not what they preach,

(Like a herd that counts, but owns not, cattle of another man)

Foolish, idle fellows share not in the life of the recluse

"One who lives the Norm he preaches, though reciting verses few,

Quit of malice, seeing clearly through bewilderment,

He with heart that's well released,

Unattached to this or that world, shares the life of the recluse."

It is not necessary to know the whole Tripitaka and read all Buddhist books to gain salvation. Knowledge of the Dhamma is certainly essential and is no doubt a very valuable asset, but at times even one single stanza would be sufficient to see things as they truly are and realise our ultimate goal.

There are many instances in the Books to show that many a person realised the Truth by learning only one stanza, nay only one line.

Instances

The wandering ascetic Upatissa who subsequently became the venerable Sariputta, the First Chief Disciple of the Buddha, attained to the First Stage of Sainthood after hearing only the first two lines of the stanza

Of all things that proceed

from a cause

Of these cause the

Thathagata hath told,

And also how they cease to be,

This too the mighty monk

hath told.

A certain zealous Bhikku, embarrassed by the large number of rules and regulations that pertain to the life of a monk, decided to leave the Order. The Buddha was informed of this by the other Bhikkus. He summoned him to His presence and asked him whether he could observe one rule.

"Certainly, lord!" the Bhikku replied.

"Well, then, go and guard your thoughts."

The delighted Bhikku accepted the advice of the Buddha and before long entered the first stage of Sainthood.

The Thirty-two Bhaddavaggiya princess went with their wives to a certain forest to enjoy themselves. One of them who had no wife was accompanied by a courtesan.

In the absence of others she stole some ornaments and absconded. The princess who went in search of her saw the Buddha seated at the foot of a tree and inquired of Him whether he saw a woman.

The Buddha asked them whether it was better to seek others or to seek themselves. They replied that it was better to seek themselves.

Thereupon the Buddha said -

Attanan gaveseyyatha. Go and seek yourselves.

The princess meditated on the words and attained Sainthood.

Such instances could easily be multiplied from the books.

The Dhamma is therefore to be studied, more to be practised, and above all to be realised. Self-realisation is the ultimate object of the Buddha's Teaching. Hence the Buddha's advice - "Be ye islands unto yourselves, be ye a refuge unto yourselves, seek not for refuge in others."

A teacher acts as a refuge or a guide to his pupil inasmuch as he gives him the necessary instructions, but the latter's progress depends on himself. In just the same way does the Triple Gem acts as a refuge to the Buddhists.

Third Refuge

The Third Refuge is the Sangha.

The term Sangha means grouped together. Those noble Saints who are grouped together on account of their views, virtues, wisdom, etc. are called the Sangha. They are the eight kinds of Saints who have attained to the above mentioned four Paths and Fruits. They are the saints who have realised the Truth, and are the visible manifestations of the Teaching.

In a conventional sense, the ordinary Bhikkhus who have not attained to Sainthood are also called the Sangha, because they represent them. But a Buddhist seeks refuge only in the Ariya Sangha, the Noble Saints, as they have realised the Truths and could teach others from their personal experience.

The Bhikkhus, it should be understood, are not 'priests' who act as mediators between God and man. They lead the holy Life and try to teach others both by example and precept, expecting no remuneration from any man. Purity, voluntary poverty, selflessness, and service are some of their leading characteristics.

It must be mentioned in this connection that Emancipation could be obtained by becoming a Samma Sambuddha, or a Pacceka Buddha, or an Arahant.

A Samma Sambuddha is a Fully Enlightened One who comprehends the Truth by his own intuitive knowledge, without the help of others and who could preach and make others also understand the Truth.

A Pacceka Buddha also comprehends the Truth independently by his own intuitive knowledge, but is unable to preach and make others understand the Truth He has realised. An Arhant, on the contrary, hears at first the Teaching from another and then realising which by himself could preach and make others understand the Dhamma. The Sangha constitutes such Arahants and the Saints of the three other lower stages.

(Ceylon Daily News Vesak Number 1936)