Vol. X No. 2 2

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The LIGHT of the DHAMMA

VOL. X No. 2

2507 B.E.

July 1963 C.E. 4

THE LIGHT OF THE DHAMMA

1. Please regard this not just as a quarterly magazine but as a continuing service for Buddhism. Your frank criticism will be welcomed in a Buddhist spirit and if there are any questions pertaining to Buddhism that we can answer or help to answer, we are yours to command. 2. Any articles herein may be quoted, copied, reprinted and translated free of charge without further reference to us. Should you care to acknowledge the source we would be highly appreciative. 3 Foreign subscription. (including postage to any part of the world) is but the equivalent of sh 9/- (Nine Shillings) sterling per annum.

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In any country subscribing to the International Postal Union, International Postal Certificates are obtainable from the post office. TRADING BANKS can usually advise, in other cases, how small remittances may be made. THE EDITOR, “THE LIGHT OF THE DHAMMA” Union Buddha Sasana Council 16, Hermitage Road, Kokine Rangoon, Union 0f Burma 5

Vol. X 2507 B.E. July 1963 C.E. No. 2

CONTENTS ARTICLE PAGE

Editorial ... What Rebirth Is 6 The Way to World Peace, by the Ven. Sayadaw U Thittila, Agga Mahā Paṇḍita 11 What Buddhism Is, Lecture No. 1, by Thray Sithu U Ba Khin 14 What Buddhism Is, Lecture No. 2, by Thray Sithu U Ba Khin 20 What Buddhism Is, Lecture No. 3, by Thray Sithu U Ba Khin 26 Early Western Buddhists, selected and presented by Francis Story 32 Elementatary Practical Buddhism, by U Thein Nyu 40 Holism and the Scientist, by T.M. Artingstoll, Melbourne University, Australia 47 The Basic Responsibilities or Buddhists, by Miss Pitt Chin Hui 52 Nalanda University Library, by Dipak Kumar Barua, M.A., Dip. Lib. 53 Dhammasaṅgaṇi (English Translation) Reprinted 54 Also in this issue The Story of Nanda the Herdsman, translated from the Dhammapada by the Department of Pāḷi, University of Rangoon The Untamed, translated from Aṅguttara Nikāya, by the Editors of the Light of the Dhamma (The Mind ) Well-directed translated from Aṅguttara Nikāya, by the Editors of the Light of the Dhamma

6 EDITORIAL What Rebirth Is. With regard to the question of Rebirth When I knew that the criminal was dead I there can be two views; one, that life continues ordered the servants to take out the jar in some form or other after death; the other, and to unbind its mouth. I watched that life ends with death, and that there is carefully for the soul to come out. But nothing left after death. There are many people no soul appeared. From this evidence I in the world today who hold the latter view and concluded that there is no life after reject the former for the simple reason that death. there is no direct proof or that it is impossible Thera: Permit me to question you. Do you to demonstrate that life ends in one place, and remember ever to have dreamt during then manifests itself or is re-born in some other your siesta that you were enjoying place. Experiments have been made, and are yourself in gardens or in groves? still being made, but scientists have not been able to understand the mysteries in the working Brahmin: Yes, Venerable Sir, I can of the life-force within the body that is before remember such a dream. them. Here some say that animals, which are Thera: During your siesta were you not the victims of their experiments, have no life- surrounded by your attendants? force which can continue after death. But what Brahmin: Yes, Venerable Sir, they were of human beings? Methods of observation attending me. have been vastly improved within recent years by medical men and biologists. Yet no light Thera: Did they see your soul leaving your has been thrown on this question of Rebirth. body to go to these gardens or re- entering on its return? Turning now the other view, namely, that life ends up with death, and that there is no Brahmin: They have notr said so, rebirth, is there any direct proof of this? Has Venerable Sir. this been demonstrated? There is no such Thera: Then, Sir, if they cannot see your proof, and this has not been demonstrated. This soul either leaving or entering your body important fact is too often forgotten or while you are still alive, how can you overlooked by seekers after truth, by honest see any other soul at its departure for materialists and those who, owing to their another life? habit of arguing against the doctrine of Brahmin: Venerable Sir, I shall have Rebirth, casually assume that there is no reason to retain my view. rebirth. They have no valid proof which would warrant them in coming to such a conclusion. Thera: What reason? To explain this fact the following dialogue Brahmin: Once, Venerable Sir, a felon was from Piyāsi Sutta—III, Dīgha Nikāya, is cited brought to me by my ministers. I here:— ordered them first to weigh him, then to strangle him with a sting and afterwards Brahmin: Venerable Sir, one day my to weigh him again. They did so. While servants brought a criminal to me and I he was alive he was light and supple, had him put alive into a big jar. When after his death he became stiffer and its mouth had been closed with a piece heavier. This too concerns my view. of wet leather and sealed with clay, it was put into the furnace and the fire was Thera: Suppose, Sir that you weigh an iron- kindled. ball when it is red-hot and again weigh 7 it when it is cool. Tell me when it will three other things, a man, his effort and be lighter and more plastic. the air. In the same way this body in Brahmin: Venerable Sir, when it is red-hot union with heat, vitality and it will be lighter and more plastic. consciousness can walk and sit and talk. But without these three it can do Thera: In the same way, Sir, this body, nothing. The possibility of the when it has heat, vitality and continuance of life in other bodies does consciousness, is lighter and suppler not seem to me to be disproved by your than when it is in any other state. You arguments. have still no reason to deny the continuance of life after death. Brahmin: But still it seems to me, Venerable Sir, that this continuance is Brahmin: But still I cannot believe that it is impossible. possible. Theta: What other reason have you for your Thera: Have you any other reason for your view? disbelief? Brahmin: Once, Venerable Sir, I had a Brahmin: Yes, Venerable Sir, I have. Once certain felon flayed alive that I might when a criminal was caught and brought see his soul pass out. But I did not see it to me I ordered my men to kill him by when I had his skin, flesh, and nerves stripping off his skin, flesh and sinews, stripped off, his bones broken and their and even to separate the marrow from marrow extracted. But although he was the bones. They did so. I watched now certainly dead still I had not seen intently for his soul to leave him but it his soul pass out of his body. was of no avail. But now that body had eyes but could not see, it had ears but Thera: Sir, I will tell you a parable. A fire- could not hear, a nose but could not worshipper who had to go out on smell, a tongue but could not taste, a business, asked his pupil, a little boy, to body but could not touch. This proves keep up the fire or to rekindle it if it that the soul neither issues nor remains should go out, and he showed him some at death, but is destroyed, and with it the sticks, a hatchet and the fire drill. possibility of future birth. Presently the fire went out. Wishing to rekindle it the boy took the hatchet and Thera: Well Sir, I will tell you a parable. chopped the sticks at the fire-drill into Once, a trumpeter, taking with him his very small pieces. At last even he conch-shell trumpet, went into the powdered them and scattered their dust country. In the middle of the village, in the wind, but he got no fire. having sounded it three times, he laid it Meanwhile the fire-worshipper returned on the ground and seated himself close and with great surprise saw what had by. The villagers, who had never heard a happened. He told the boy that by this trumpet before, came and asked what method he would never get fire and sound that was. He said it was the sound showed him how to make it. Like that of the conch-shell trumpet. Then, foolish boy, Sir, you are searching for standing the trumpet first on one end future in vain by means of wrong views and then on the other end, turning it on which can only bring you suffering and this side and on that, they struck it and ruin. cried, “Speak Sir, trumpet! Speak!” The trumpeter watched their foolish efforts What is death? and at last he took it up and blew it According to Buddhism death is “the thrice. Then they understood that it temporary end of a temporary phenomenon.” It made sound only in conjunction with is not the complete annihilation of the being, 8 for although the organic life has ceased, the of such rapid transmission of energy in Kammic force which hitherto actuated it is not wireless telegraphy and telephony. Solid walls destroyed. Our forms are only the outward do not prevent the radio waves from reaching manifestations of the invisible Kammic force. an appropriate receiving set within a room. This force carries with it all characteristics The transmission of the life-force from one which usually lie latent but may rise to the existence to another may be compared to a surface at any moment. When the present form receiving set that responds to the particular perishes another form takes its place according wave-length sent out from a distance of to a good or bad volitional impulse (Kamma thousands of miles. It is more like the tuning- that was the most powerful) at the moment just fork which vibrates in response to a particular before death. note of a particular wavelength in the musical At death the Kammic force remains entirely scale. So long as a musical note sets up undisturbed by the disintegration of the vibrations in the air, so long will some tuning- physical body and the passing away of the fork that is responsive to that particular note, present consciousness conditions, the coming vibrate in unison. into being of a fresh one in another birth. The When the vibrations of the musical note stream of consciousness flows on. “Life, then, cease the tuning-fork will cease to vibrate to in the Buddhist view of things, is like an ever- that note. And so it is with that restless changing river, having its source in birth, it Kammic force or life-force which continues to goal in death receiving from the tributary bring about births through appropriate germ- streams of senses constant accretions to its plasms or other life-conditions till that restless flood, and ever dispensing to the world around Kammic force ceases to exist in the peace of it the thought-stuff it has gathered up by the Nibbāna. way.” (Compendium of Philosophy, p. 12) The Is the new being the same as the previous continuity of flux at death is unbroken in point one? of time, and there is no breach in the stream of consciousness and so there is no room In the words of the late Bhikkhu Silācāra, whatever for an intermediate stage between “This new being which is the present this life and the next or between any two lives. manifestation of the stream of Kamma-energy The only difference between the passing of one is not the same as, and has no identity with the ordinary thought-moment (and one unit of previous one in its line: the aggregate that consciousness) to another and of dying makes up its composition being different from, thought-moment (consciousness) to the and having no identity with, those that make rebirth-consciousness is that in the former case up the being of its predecessor. And yet it is the change is invisible and in the latter case a not an entirely different being, since it has the marked perceptible death is visible. Rebirth same stream of Kamma-energy, though takes place immediately. modified perchance just by having shown itself in that last manifestation, which is now making It may be asked: Is the place always ready its presence known in the sense perceptible to receive their rebirth? The answer is: As a world as the new being.” point in the ground is always ready to receive the falling stone, so there is always an If we were to obtain a quick motion picture appropriate place to receive the rebirth which of any particular individual’s life from his birth is conditioned by the natural law of Kamma. to his death, the most striking fact that would attract our attention would be the Death being a momentary incident, rebirth changefullness that we should find running is immediate. Some years ago it might have right through the series of pictures. The infant been doubtful about such rapidity in the changes to the child, the child to the adult, and transmission of the life-force; but in these days the adult to the decrepit old person who of scientific methods of investigation we know 9 collapses to death. This change goes on in go on to the last phase of his self- every part of the individual’s body; and not consciousness.” only that but in the mind also. So that any adult Asked for another illustration, Arahatta individual who surveys his existence will Nāgasena gives that of milk which, once it is realize that the child that was, is now no more. taken from the cow, after a lapse of time, turns That child had a different body, in size as well first to curds, and then from curds to butter, as in form, different likes and dislikes, and and then from butter to ghee. Just as it would different aspirations. That child is almost a not be correct to say that the milk was the stranger to the present adult individual. And same thing as the curds, or the butter, or the yet the adult individual is responsible for ghee, but that they are produced out of it, so, whatever he has done in his childhood because he points out, continuity of a person or a thing there is continuity or identity in the process of is maintained in the same way. life-force from childhood to manhood as a There is also the illustration of the wave of child becomes a man. water in the lake or the ocean. A certain mass In exactly the same way the new being has of water is raised up as a wave. As the wave the same stream of Kammic energy or life- passes on, or seems to pass on, a moment or so force as its predecessor, so it is responsible for later it is not the same mass of water that forms whatever its predecessor has done. This new the wave, but a different mass altogether. And being has as much identity with the previous yet we speak of the wave “passing on.” one as the adult individual of to-day has with The present being, present existence, is the child that was; nothing less and nothing continued by how one faced circumstances in more. the last, and in all past existences. One’s present position in character and circumstances This is well expressed in the Milinda is the result of all that one has been up to the Pañha. King Milinda asked Arahant Nāgasena present; but what one will be in the future if he who is reborn remains the same or depends on what one does now in the present. becomes another “Neither the same nor The true Buddhist regards death as a another”, was the answer he received. momentary incident between one life and its “Suppose, O King, that a man were to light successor, and views its approach with a lamp, would it burn the night through?” calmness. His only concern is that his future “Yes, it might do so, Venerable Sir.” should be such that the conditions of that life “Now is it the same flame that burns in the may provide him with better opportunities for first watch of the night, Sir, and in the perfecting himself. Holding, as he does, the second?” great doctrine of Kamma, he perceives that it is “No, Venerable Sir.” within the power to alter or modify the quality “Or the same that burns in the second watch of the life-force that continues in the next birth, and in the third?” and that his future environment will depend “No, Venerable Sir.” entirely on what he does, upon how he “Then is there one lamp, in the first watch, behaves, in this and in his previous lives. and another in the second, and another in the Memory of Past Lives. third?” Buddhism teaches that with the practice of “No, the light comes from the same lamp concentration and meditation, memory can be all the night through.” trained. By meditation and mind-culture one “Just so, O King is the continuity of a can acquire the power to see the rebirth as a person or a thing maintained. One passes link or a succession of links, in a chain of away, another comes into being; and the births; one also can acquire the power of rebirth is, as it were, simultaneous. Thus, looking back into one’s previous lives. Not neither as the same nor as another does a man only this, but further Buddhism teaches that 10 through enlightenment or true wisdom, one can To students of Buddhism this seems a very see the end of this chain of births. foolish position, for they are taught neither to There are on record instances of people accept nor reject any teaching until they have who have possessed wonderful memories, examined all the evidence for it, and have some for what they had once read, others for experimented with it themselves to see if it music and so on. Still others there are who true. Having proved by these means that it is have remembered their past lives. The average true or untrue, a Buddhists should live person’s memory is very poor indeed. There accordingly as if he believes or disbelieves; but are not many, who can recount the day’s he must never judge others or be impatient if activities correctly and in details. How then they cannot see things as he sees. He must be can they remember their youth, childhood, tolerant to all, even to the intolerant, and he infancy, foetal life, and their past life before must always remember that what is proof to this present one? The fact that they do not one person may not be proof to another. What remember their past activities, is no proof that each needs is experience to see, to hear, to feel they did not exist in the past. We hear of for himself; and, having done so, he has no Australian aborigines who can never learn to right to ask others to believe before they also count more than two; they say “one, two, have experienced. more”, and some of them cannot remember It is common to read in the Buddhist things from one day to another. literature of the Buddha and many of his What would you think if one of these men disciples speaking not only of their own past were to come to you and say: “There never lives but those of others also, and often, too, of was a yesterday, for I cannot remember it; and their future lives. Having attained his final there can be no tomorrow or some of us would enlightenment and developed higher spiritual have seen one.” You would think him very powers, the Buddha declares “I recalled my foolish indeed for imagining he could have varied lot in former existences as follows: first grown to manhood in one day, and you would one life, then two lives, then three, four, five, probably wonder how he explained the fact ten, twenty up to fifty lives; then a hundred, a that he knows certain things belong to him, and thousand, a hundred thousand, and so forth.” recognises his relatives, his friends and his He also says; “With clairvoyant vision, I enemies at sight if he has not seen and known perceived beings disappearing from one state them before today. of existence and reappearing in another. I beheld the base and the noble, the beautiful It would seem so clear that he brought over and the ugly, the happy and the miserable the knowledge from the yesterday he cannot passing according to their deeds.” (Sutta No. remember, and it would seem strange to you 36, Majjhima Nikāya I, 248). that he did not notice how babies grow into children, and children info men and women, There are several discourses in which the since no baby grows into a man or woman in Buddha clearly states that the beings who have one day. done evil are born in woeful states; and those who have done good are born in blissful states. Now there are people among us, who are All the Jātaka stories which are not only very wise in many ways, yet they treat the interesting but of psychological importance, theory of Rebirth in exactly the same way that deal with the Buddha’s previous lives. By the Australian aboriginal treats the, to him, following his instructions the Buddha’s theory of past yesterday. Merely because they disciples also developed certain spiritual cannot remember their past lives, they deny powers and were able to remember their past that there can have been any past lives. lives to a great extent.

11 The Way To World Peace By The Ven. Sayadaw U Thittila, Agga Mahā Paṇḍita. In the world as a whole there is enough inspire men to noble conduct if only they come money and material and there is no lack of together. A powerful spiritual influence, intellect. Yet something is lacking. What is it? helping all men to make the world a happier The answer is the spirit of world fellowship. place, could be given by every religion, if all The lack of the spirit is the major cause of war. the various religions were to act together as Apart from military conflicts there are many members of one family. other conflicts, such as racial, political, Since the end of the First World War there economic and even religious. The chief cause have been many organisations called of nearly all of them is the lack of the spirit of “international”. Many authors have written on world fellowship. this subject of internationalism. Idealistic In a conflict each side has its own conceit, workers, hoping for a better future, have but to hide it both parties have their own started many international movements. As you nicely-written labels such as “New World know, we had the league of Nations, founded Order”. “Co-prosperity in East Asia”, and in 1920, but the League failed to maintain “Civilising the Backward Peoples”. In almost peace. Why? Because most of the nations have every conflict each side blames the other, both dealt with mere external end material parties claiming that they are right. They use adjustments. Too much attention has been paid even the name of religion to justify their to the material, and too little to the spiritual actions. They will try to persuade God to take side of life. their side, but they do not seem to make any Then came the Second World War, which attempt to be on God’s side. They claim that is unparalleled in history for destruction. The there is only one God, but they forget that if world is still in a state of chaos. There is no there is only one God there must be only one peace or happiness. Again idealistic workers, family of men. They treat one another not only lecturers and writers produce books and have as strangers, but as enemies. re-started international organisations, such as Taking all nations as one whole there is in U.N.O. Do you think they will be successful in the world today sufficient wealth and ability of maintaining peace? You can predict whether brain and organisation to abolish poverty, they will be successful or not. They will be unemployment, hardship and cruelty of any successful if the leaders and workers can carry kind from all countries. It is possible for all through their plans in a spirit of world men to do what work is necessary, if only they fellowship. Otherwise they can never be would learn to understand each other better by successful. There will be another war—more drawing closer. The world possesses all the wars—even worse than the last. wealth that it needs, and no one needs be poor The peace which we all desire—peace in in a single country if it were only realised by our hearts and in our minds, peace between the various countries that they are all one neighbours and peace among nations—is not a family. miracle which it is God’s task to perform. It The discovery of power and energy could can only come about as the result of a be of great service to humanity if all the reconstruction of thought, feeling and action scientific workers were united in the by means of the spirit of fellowship, and that is fellowship of the commonwealth of science. the duty of a mankind. The poets and artists of all countries could 12 In attempting to discover a form of appeal high ideas and concepts into practice is on which to base morality, Buddhism does not religion in the best sense. Religion is not appeal to any external authority, such as a confined to any one country or to any Deity, but to the natural desire of the human particular nation or race. It is universal. It is heart. We know that certain actions, such as not nationalism, which in other words is selfishness, violence and laziness tend to merely another form of caste system, founded disorganise society and to cause unhappiness on a wider basis. to its members. A man will try to avoid The world has found itself as one body; yet injuring others if he sees clearly that his the fact of physical unity and economic inter- interests are bound up with those of others. dependence, though of very great value, is not Buddhism teaches that misery and suffering by itself sufficient to create a united family. are not the result of the wrath of God or Gods, For this we require a human consciousness of but are the consequences of man’s ignorance community, a sense of personal inter- of his own nature and of his surroundings. The relationship among men, the spirit of world chief defect of our economic system is the fellowship. existence of useless luxury on one side and To have the spirit of world fellowship, we unnecessary burdens on the other. The problem must realise the oneness of the world and is to devise some scheme of production and understand that we are one family. If we harm distribution which will make human life less any person, we shall be paid back in the same burdened on one side and less full of useless coin. When we throw a stone into a pond, the luxury on the other. By this I do not mean the resultant movement reaches to the edge; socialism that takes, but I do mean the around the spot where the stone hits the socialism that gives. The socialism of love surface, a number of rings arise. They grow which it would only be possible to establish by wider and wider until they dash against the the proclamation and realisation of World edge of the pond, and then the water moves Fellowship. back till it reaches the stone which has The real spirit of world fellowship which is disturbed it. In the same way, the effects of our lacking in the world today can be promoted actions come back to us, and if our actions are through religion. Religion is an education of good we shall have good effects, likewise bad the heart with a view to refining our nature and actions will produce bad effects. elevating us in the scale of human beings. Life is like a mighty wheel of perpetual Religion is nor merely theory, but practice. motion. This great wheel contains within it The heart, like the body, becomes healthy and numberless smaller wheels, corresponding to strong by practical exercise. No doctrine the lives of individual men, each of which has merely held in the mind as an intellectual a pattern of its own. The great wheel and the belief has any driving force. No doctrine is of smaller wheels, the whole world and individual any value unless and until it is applied. men, are intimately and indissolubly linked. The Buddha said: “A beautiful thought or The whole human family is so closely knit word, which is not followed by a together that every unit is dependent upon all corresponding action, is like a bright flower others for its growth and development. that has no scent that will bear no fruit.” To bring out the goodness in us, each one Practice of the moral life is the very core and of us has to try to reproduce in his own wheel essence of religion. It is action and not of life that pattern which is in harmony with speculation; it is practice and not theory that the pattern of the great universal wheel. For all counts in life. The will-to-do, followed by the the wheels to revolve in harmony the highest doing, is the actual virtue. The will does not good in each must be developed. This is count much unless it is fulfilled. To put one’s possible by the performance of daily duties 13 with kindness, courtesy and truthfulness. The Science proves that the fundamental ideal that is placed before us is that of mutual structure of the human mind is uniform in all service and practical brotherhood. In all our races. What differences there are, are due to thoughts, our emotions, our words and our historical circumstances and stages of deeds, we act and react upon each other. In a development. Without recognition of the very real sense each one of us is responsible oneness of the world of today in all its aspects, for the whole community. Men, being in need spiritual as well as social, economic as well as of each other should learn to love each other political, there will never be peace. The spirit and bear each other’s burden. Mutual service is of world fellowship is the only logical basis of a perpetual call on humanity, for we are bound all true and high civilisation, and real world alike by the bonds of humanity. peace.

******** BUDDHISM Over great areas of the world it still survives: it is possible that in contact with western science, and inspired by the spirit of history, the original teaching of Gautama, revived and purified, may yet play a large part in the direction of human destiny. H. G. WELLS (The Outline of History) 14 What Buddhism Is (The following are a series of lectures given by Thray Sithu U Ba Khin, President of the Vipassanā Association which founded the International Meditation Centre. He was then the Accountant-General of Burma and the lectures were given in the premises of the Methodist Church, Signal Pagoda Pond, Rangoon, at the request of a religious study group headed by Messrs. Gerald F. Winfield, Information Officer and Roger C. Thorpe, Economic & Finance Officer of the Special Technical and Economic Division of the United States of America—Editor.) 23rd September 1951—Lecture No.1 I consider it a great privilege to be in your many; do not believe merely because a midst to-day and to have this opportunity of written statement of some old sage is addressing you on the subject of “What produced; do not believe in conjectures; Buddhism Is.” At the outset, I must be very do not believe in that as truth to which frank with you. I have not been to a University you have become attached by habit; do and I have no knowledge of science except as a not believe merely the authority of your man in the street. Nor am I a scholar in the teachers and elders. After observation theory of Buddhism with any knowledge of and analysis, when it agrees with reason Pāḷi, the language in which the Tipiṭakas and is conducive to the good and gain of (literally known as the Three Baskets of one and all, then accept it and live up to Buddha Dhamma) are maintained. I may say, it.” however, that I have read in Burmese to some Pray, do not, therefore, believe me when I extent the treatises of Buddhism by well- come to the philosophical issues until and known and learned Buddhist Monks. As my unless you are convinced of what I say either approach to Buddhism is more by practical as a sequel to proper reasoning or by means of than by theoretical means, I hope to be able to a practical approach. give you something of Buddhism which is not easily available elsewhere. I must admit, “To abstain from evil however, that for the time being I am just a To do good student of practical Buddhism as also an To purify the Mind experimentalist trying to learn through These are the teachings of all the Buddhas” Buddhism the truth of the nature of forces. As This extract taken from “Dhammapada,” this has to be done as a house-holder and gives in brief the essence of Buddhism. It within a limited time available in between the sounds simple but is so difficult to practise. multifarious duties of a responsible officer of One cannot be a true Buddhist unless he puts Government, the progress is rather slow and I the doctrines of Buddha to practice. Buddha do not claim for a moment that what I am had said: going to say is absolutely correct. I may be right or wrong. But when I say a thing, I assure “Ye, to whom the truths I have perceived you that it is with a sincerity of purpose, with have been made known by me, make the best of intentions and with conviction. them surely your own, practise them, meditate upon them, spread them Lord Buddha said in “Kālāma Sutta”: abroad: in order that the pure religion “Do not believe in what ye have heard; do may last long and be perpetuated for the not believe in traditions, because they good and the gain and the weal of gods had been handed down for many and men.” generations; do not believe in anything, 2. Before I take up the teachings of Buddha because it is rumoured and spoken by which form the basic foundation of Buddhism 15 I propose to acquaint you, first of all, with the of our World-system but all of the ten life story of Gotama Buddha. For this purpose, thousand World-systems were present to listen I feel it my duty to give you a background of to the teachings of Buddha. Lord Buddha can certain Buddhist concepts which may be also send his thought waves charged with foreign to most of you. I propose, therefore, to boundless love and compassion to the sentient give you a short and descriptive explanation of beings of a hundred crores of such World- such concepts in Buddhism, as to the Universe, systems Within the Ānākhetta ( or the Field of the World system, the planes of existence, etc. Influence). The remainder of the World- These will, no doubt give you some food for systems are in the Visaya Khetta ( or Infinite thought. I would however, appeal to you to space) beyond the reach of Buddha’s effective give a patient hearing and to pass over these thought waves. You can very well imagine matters for the time being, i.e., until we come from these concepts of Buddhism the size of to the question time for discussion. the Universe as a whole. The material insignificance of our World in the Okāsa Loka Universe (the Universe of Space) is simply terrifying. 3. The Buddhist concepts of the Universe The Human World, as a whole, must be just a may be summed up as follows: speck in space. There is the Okāsa Loka (the Universe of Now I will give you an idea of the thirty- Space) which accommodates, Nāma & Rūpa one planes of existence in our World-system (Mind & Matter). In this mundane world, it is which, of course is the same as in any of the Nāma & Rūpa (Mind & Matter) which other World-systems. Broadly they are: predominates under the influence of the law of (i) Arūpa Loka .. Immaterial World of Cause and Effect. The next is the Saṅkhāra Brahmas Loka (the Universe of Mental forces), creative (ii) Rūpa Loka .. Fine Material World of or created. This is a mental plane arising out of Brahmas the creative energies of Mind through the (iii) Kāma Loka .. Sensuous World of medium of bodily actions, words and thoughts. Devas, Mankind and Lower beings. The third and the last is the Satta Loka (the Universe of sentient beings) visible or invisible The Arūpa Loka comprises of four Brahma which are the products of these mental forces; Worlds of immaterial state, i.e., without Rūpa we may rather call these three as ‘Three in or Matter. The Rūpa Loka comprises of sixteen One’ universe, because one is inseparable from Brahma Worlds of fine material state. The another. They are, so to say, interwoven and Kāma Loka comprises of:— interpenetrating. (a) Six Deva Lokas (Celestial Worlds) What will interest you most are the viz:— Cakkavālas or World-systems, each with its (i) Catumahārājika thirty-one planes of existence. Each World- (ii) Tāvatiṃsa system corresponds to the Human World with (iii) Yāmā its solar system and other planes of existence. (iv) Tusitā There are millions and millions of such World- (v) Nimmānarati systems, simply innumerable. Ten thousand (vi) Paranimmita-vasavattī such World-system closest to us are within the (b) The Human World Jāti-Khetta (or the field of Origin) of a Buddha. In fact when the renowned Sutta (or (c) The four Lower Worlds, viz:— Sermon) “Mahā Samaya” meaning the “Great (i) Niraya (Hell) Occasion” was preached by Buddha in the (ii) Tiriccihāna (Animal World) Mahāvana (Forest) near the town of (iii) Peta (Ghost World) Kapilavatthu, not only the Brahmas and Devas (iv) Asurā (Demon World) 16 These planes of existence are pure or time. Buddha Dīpaṅkara gave him His impure, cool or hot, luminous or dark, light or blessings and prophesied that he would heavy, pleasant or wretched— according to the become a Buddha by the name of Gotama after character of the mental forces generated by the a lapse of four Asaṅkheyyas and a lac Kappas. Mind on the volition (cetanā) of series of From then onwards, existence after existence, actions, words and thoughts. For example, take the Bodhisatta (i.e., would-be-Buddha) the case of a religious man who suffuses the conserved mental energies of the highest order whole universe of beings with boundless love through the practices of ten Pāramitās (or and compassion. He must be generating such Virtues towards Perfection) viz:— mental forces as are pure, cooling, luminous, (i) Dāna Pāramī .. Virtue in Alms-giving light and pleasant, forces which normally settle (ii) Sīla .. Morality down in the Brahma Worlds. Let us now take (iii) Nekkhamma .. Renunciation the reverse case of a man who is dissatisfied or (iv) Paññā .. Wisdom angry. As the saying “Face is the indication of (v) Viriya .. Perseverance mind” goes, impurity, heat, darkness, (vi) Khanti .. Forbearance heaviness and wretchedness of his mind are (vii) Sacca .. Truthfulness immediately reflected in that person— visible (viii) Addhiṭṭhāna .. Determination even to the naked eye. This is due, I may say, (ix) Mettā .. All-embracing Love to the generation of the evil mental forces of (x) Upekkhā .. Equanimity. Dosa (Anger) which go down to the lower World of Existence. So also is the case with It is, therefore, a most enduring task to the mental forces arising out of Lobha (Greed) become a Buddha. Utmost strength of Will or Moha (Delusion). In the case of meritorious Power is necessary even to think of it. The deeds such as devotion, morality and charity Bodhisatta’s preparatory period came to an end which have, at their base attachment to future with the life of King Vessantarā who excelled well-being, the mental forces generated are any living being in Alms-giving. He gave such as will normally be located in the away his kingdom, his wife and his children sensuous planes of Devas (Celestial beings) and all his worldly possessions, for the and of Mankind. These, Ladies and consummation of his solemn vow taken before Gentleman, are some of the concepts in the Dīpaṅkara Buddha. The next existence was Buddhism relevant to the life story of Gotama in Tusitā (of the celestial Planes) as glorious Buddha which I will presently begin. Setaketu Deva, until he got his release from that plane and took conception in the womb of Preparation Māyā Devī, the Queen of King Suddhodana of 4. Gotama Buddha is the fourth of the five Kapilavatthu, a place near modern Nepal. Buddhas to rise in the World cycle which is When time was drawing nigh for confinement, known as Bhadda Kappa. His predecessors the Queen expressed her desire to go to the were Buddhas Kakusanda, Konāgamana and place of her own parents for the event. King Kassapa. There were also innumerable Suddhodana accordingly sent her there with Buddhas who had arisen in earlier Kappas and befitting retinues and guards. On the way, a who had preached the self-same Dhamma halt was made at the Lumbīni Sal forest. She which gives deliverance from suffering and got down from the palanquin and enjoyed the death to all matured beings. Buddhas are all cool breeze and fragrance of Sal flowers. compassionate, glorious and enlightened. While holding out her right hand to a branch of the nearby Sal tree for a flower, all of a sudden A hermit by the name of Sumedā was and unexpectedly, she gave birth to a son who inspired by Buddha Dīpaṅkara, so much so, was to become the All-Enlightened Buddha. that he, took the vow to make all the necessary Simultaneously, the natural order of things in preparations to become a Buddha in course of the Cosmos was revolutionised in many 17 respects and 32 wonderful phenomena were watchful that his son should be in such vivified. All material worlds were shaken from environment as will give him no chance of the foundation. There were unusual higher philosophical ideas. In order to make illuminations in the Solar system. All the sure that the thought of the Prince would never beings of material planes could see each other. turn into this direction, he ordered that nobody Deaf and dumb were cured. Celestial music serving him or in his association was ever to was heard everywhere and so on. At that speak a single word about such things as old moment, Kāla Devīla, the hermit teacher of age, sickness or death. They were to act as if King Suddhodana, was having a discourse with there were no unpleasant things in this world. celestial beings of Tāvatimsā. He was a hermit Servants and attendants who showed the least of fame who had mastery over the eight sign of getting old, weak or sickly were Samāpattis which gave him super-normal replaced. On the other hand, there were powers. Knowing the birth of a son to the King dancing, music and enjoyable parties right in the midst of rejoicing in all Rūpa and Kāma through, to keep him under a complete shade Worlds, he hurried back to the palace and of sensuality. desired the baby to be brought before him for The Great Renunciation blessings. As the King was about to place the baby before his teacher for the occasion, a 5. As days, months and years passed, miracle happened. The baby rose into the air however, the monotony of the sensual and got himself rested with his tiny feet on the surroundings gradually lost hold of the mind of head of Devīla who at once understood that the Prince Siddhattha. The mental energies of baby was no other than the Embryo Buddha. virtue conserved in all his earlier innumerable He smiled at this knowledge but cried almost lives for the great goal of Buddha-hood were immediately thereafter, because he foresaw automatically aroused. At times, when the that he would not live to hear his teachings and world of sensuality lost control over his mind, that even after his death he would be in Arūpa his inner-self worked its way up and raised his Brahma Loka (Immaterial plane of Brahmas) mind to a state of purity and tranquillity with whence he would have no relationship with the strength of Sāmadhi such as had raised his any of the material planes. He missed the baby form into space and onto the head of Kāla Buddha and his teachings miserably. Devīla. The war of nerves began. An escape from sensuality and passion was his first On the fifth day, the child was named consideration. He wanted to know what existed Siddhattha in the presence of renowned outside the walls of the palace beyond which Astrologer-Palmists who agreed that the child he had not visited even once. He wished to see has all the characteristics of a Buddha to come. Nature as it is and not as Man has made it. The mother Queen, however, died a week after Accordingly he decided to see the Royal Park, confinement and the child was taken care of by outside the Palace walls. On the way to the his maternal aunt, Pajāpati Gotamī. Park, in spite of precautions taken by the King Siddhattha spent his earlier years of life in to get the roads clear of unpleasant sights, he ease, luxury and culture. He was acclaimed to saw an old man bent with age in the very first be a prodigy both in intellect and strength. The visit. Next he saw a sick person in agony of a King spared no pains to make the course of his fatal malady. Thereafter he met with a human life smooth. Three separate palaces were built corpse. On the last trip he came across a monk. to suit three seasons with all the necessities All these set his mind into serious thinking. that would make the Prince sink in sensuality. His mental attitude was changed. The mind got That was because the King, out of paternal clear of impurities and tuned up with the forces affection, desired his son to remain in worldly of his own virtues conserved in the Saṅkhāra life as a King rather than as an Enlightened Loka (plane of mental forces). By then his Buddha. The King Suddhodana was over- mind had become freed from hindrances, was 18 tranquil, pure and strong. It all happened on Astrologer-Palmist who definitely foretold on the night when a son was born to his queen, a the fifth day of his birth that he would surely new fetter to bind him down. He was, become a Buddha. These ascetics served him however, immune from anything which would well throughout the six years, during which he tend to upset the equilibrium of his Mind. The was engaged in fasting and meditation, virtues of Determination worked their way for subjecting himself to various forms of rigorous a strong resolve and he made up his mind to austerities and discipline till he was reduced to seek the way of escape from birth, old age, almost a skeleton. In fact, one day he fell down suffering and death. It was midnight when the in a swoon through exhaustion. When he solemn Determination was made. He asked his survived this condition, he changed his method attendant Channa to keep his Stallion followed a middle course and found that the Khandhika ready. After a parting look at his way for his Enlightenment was clearer. wife and the newly born babe, Prince Attainment of Buddha-hood Siddhattha broke away from all the ties of family and of the world and made the Great 7. It was on the eve of Wesak (Full moon of Renunciation. He rode across the town to the Kason) just 2540 years ago, that Prince river Anomā which he crossed, never to return Siddhattha, wandering Ascetic, sat cross- until his Mission had been achieved. legged beneath a Bodhi tree on the bank of river Nerañjarā in the forest of Uruveḷā (near The Search for Truth present Buddha Gāyā)—with the strongest of 6. After this Great Renunciation, Prince determinations—not to rise from that posture Siddhattha went around in search of possible on any account until he gained the Truth and teachers in the garb of a wandering ascetic Enlightenment, the Buddha-hood, even if the with a begging bowl in his hand. He placed attempt might mean the loss of his very life. himself under the spiritual guidance of two The great Event was approaching. The renowned Brahmin Teachers, Āḷara and Prince Ascetic mustered up all his strength of Uddaka. Āḷāra laid stress on the belief in mind to secure that one-pointedness of mind Atman (soul) and taught that the soul attained which is so essential for the discovery of the perfect release when freed from material Truth. The balancing of the mind, the Prince limitations. This did not satisfy the Prince. He found on this occasion, was not so easy as next went to Uddaka who emphasised too hitherto. There was not only the combination much on the effect of Kamma and the of the mental forces of the Lower Planes with transmigration of soul. Both could not get out those of the Higher Planes all around him but of the conception of “Soul” and the Prince also interferences strong enough to upset, off ascetic felt that there is something else to learn. and on, the equilibrium of his mind. The He, therefore, left both of them to work out the resistance of the impenetrable masses of forces way for emancipation on his own. By that against the radiation of the light normally time, of course, he had learned the eight secured by him was unusual. Perhaps, because samāpattis and had become an adept in the it was a final bid for Buddha-hood; and Māra, exercise of all supernormal powers including the supreme controller of evil forces, was the ability to read events of many Kappas to behind the scene. The Prince, however, worked come and a similar period of the past. These his way through slowly but surely, backed up were all in the mundane field and they did not by the mental forces of virtues which must much concern the Prince Ascetic, whose inevitably come back to him at the right ambition had been an escape from this moment. He made a vow and called upon all mundane field of birth, suffering and death. the Brahmas and Devas who had witnessed the He was joined later by 5 ascetics, one of fulfilment of his ten great Perfections to join whom, Koṇḍañña by name, was the hands with him in the struggle for supremacy. 19 This done, the association with the in Buddhism, call “Paññatti” and coming to a transcendingly pure mental forces of the state of “Paramattha”, or nature of forces, or Brahmas and Devas had salutary effect. The in other words “Ultimate reality.” thick masses of forces, which seemed Accordingly he came to a realisation of the impenetrable at the time, broke away and with perpetual change of Mind and Matter in a steady improvement in the control over the himself (Anicca) and as a sequel thereto the Mind, they were wiped out once and for all. Truth of Suffering (Dukkha). It was then that All the hindrances having been overcome, the the ego-centralism in him broke down into the Prince was able to raise his power of void and he got over to a stage beyond concentration and put the Mind to a state of “Suffering”, i.e. (Dukkha Nirodha) with no complete purity, tranquillity and equanimity. more traces of “Atta” or attachment to Self left Gradually the consciousness of true insight behind. “Mind and Matter” were to him but possessed him. The solution of the vital empty phenomena which roll on forever, problems which confronted him made its within the range of the law of Cause and Effect appearance in his consciousness as an and the law of Dependent Origination. The inspiration. By introspective meditation on the Truth was realised. The inherent qualities of realities of nature in his own self, it came Embryo Buddha then developed, and complete vividly to him that there is no substantiality, as Enlightenment came to him by the dawn of the it seems to be, in the human body and that it is Wesak Day. “Verily, Prince Siddhatta attained nothing but the sum total of innumerable Sammā Sambodhi and became the Buddha, the millions of Kalāpas each about 1/ th part of a 46656 Awakened One, the Enlightened One—the All particle of dust from the wheel of a chariot in Knowing One. He was awake in a way summer. On further investigation, he realised compared with which all others were asleep that this Kalāpa also is matter in constant and dreaming. He was enlightened in a way change or flux. So also with the mind which is compared with which all other men were a representation of the mental forces (creative) stumbling and groping in the dark. He knew going out and the mental forces (created) with the knowledge compared with which all coming into the system of an individual that other men knew was but a kind of continually and throughout eternity. Ignorance. Buddha then proclaimed that his eye of

Wisdom had arisen when he got over the Ladies & Gentlemen, substantiality of his own self and he saw by I have taken so much of your time today. I means of the lens of Samādhi, the Kalāpas on thank you all for the patient hearing. I must which he next applied the law of Anicca also thank the Clergy of the Church for the (impermanence) and reduced them to non- kind permission given me for this address. entity or behaviour, doing away with what, we,

Hunger is the greatest ill and this body the greatest source of sorrow; when one knows this, Nibbāna becomes the highest happiness. Dhammapada

20 What Buddhism Is 30th September 1951—Lecture No. 2 Last Sunday I gave you a brief outline—a man of such high intellectual and mental very brief one too—of the life of our Lord development as the Buddha, this is a Buddha, up to the moment of his attainment of possibility. Buddha-hood. I am going to tell you today It was the day break of the 50th day of his what his teachings are. Buddhist teachings are Buddhahood when he arose from this long preserved in what we call the Tipiṭakas, spell of meditation. Not that he was tired or consisting of the Suttas (Discourses), the exhausted, but, as he was no longer in the Vinaya (Laws of discipline for Saṅghas, or mental plane, he felt a longing for food. At that monks ) and the Abhidhamma ( Philosophical time, two traders of a foreign land were Teachings). We have the Tipiṭakas in Pāḷi in travelling in several carts loaded with several volumes which will require an merchandise through the Uruveḷā forest. A intelligent Pāḷi scholar some months just to deva of the forest who was their relative in one read through. I propose, therefore, to confine of their previous existences advised them to myself today only to essentials, that is to say, take the opportunity of paying homage to the the fundamental Truths of Buddhism. Before All-Enlightened Buddha who had just arisen Lord Buddha took upon himself the task of from his meditation. They accordingly went to spreading his Dhamma (Teachings), he the place where the Buddha was seated, remained in silent meditation for a continuous illumined by the halo of six coloured rays. period of 49 days, viz., seven days under the They could not resist their feelings. They lay Bo tree and seven days each in six other spots prostrate in worship and adoration before the nearby, enjoying at times the peace of Buddha and later offered preserved rice cakes Supreme Nibbāna and at another going deeper with honey for the first meal of the Buddha. in investigation into the most delicate They were accepted as His lay disciples. On problems of Paramattha-Dhamma (Ultimate their request that they might be given some Realities). On his complete mastery of the law tokens for their worship, the Buddha presented of Paṭṭhāna (the Law of Relations), in which them with eight strands of hair from His head. the infinite modes of relations between thought You will be surprised to know that these two moments are also dealt with, there emerged traders were Taphussa and Bhallika of from his body brilliant rays of six colours, Okkalapa, which today is known as Rangoon, which eventually settled down as a halo of six- where you are at this moment. And the coloured rays around his head. He passed renowned Shwedagon, which you all probably through this seven times seven days meditation have visited, is the Pagoda in which were without food. It is all beyond us to be without enshrined all the eight hair-relics of the food for 49 days. The fact remains that he was Buddha under the personal direction of the throughout the period on a mental plane as then ruler of Okkalapa, 2540 years ago. It has distinct from a physical plane, in which been preserved and renovated till now by mankind normally is. It is not material food successive Buddhist kings and devout laymen. that maintains the fine-material existence and Unfortunately, however, these two traders of life-continuum of beings in the Fine-material Okkalapa, who had the privilege of becoming Worlds of the Brahmas, but the Jhānic Pīti, the first lay disciples of the Buddha, were which in itself is a nutriment. So also was the disciples only by faith, without a taste of the case with the Buddha, whose existence during Buddha-Dhamma in actual practice, which this long period was on a mental rather than alone would give them deliverance from physical plane. Our experiments in this line of suffering and death. Faith is, no doubt, a research have firmly convinced us that for a 21 preliminary requisite, but it is the practice of Firstly, by a process of reasoning. He made the Teachings which really counts. The his disciples feel that life is a struggle, life is Buddha therefore said, “The Path must be suffering; birth is suffering; old age is trodden by each individual; Buddhas do but suffering; illness is suffering; death is point the Way.” suffering. The influence of sensuality is, however, so strong in mankind that they are The Teachings of the Buddha normally apt to forget this themselves, to 2. “Buddhism” is not a religion according forget what they have to pay therefor. Just to its dictionary meaning because it has no think for a moment how life exists in the pre- centre in God, as is the case in all other natal period; how from the moment of birth the religions. Strictly speaking, Buddhism is a child has to struggle for existence; what system of philosophy co-ordinated with a code preparations he has to make to face Life; what, of morality, physical and mental. The goal in as a man, he has to be struggling till he view is the “Extinction of Suffering and breathes his last. You can very well imagine Death.” what life is. Life is indeed suffering. The more one is attached to self, the greater is the The Four Noble Truths taught by the suffering. In fact, what pains and sufferings a Buddha in his first sermon, known as the man has to undergo are suppressed in favour of Dhamma Cakka Pavattana Sutta (viz., the momentary sensual pleasures which are but Discourse to set in motion the Wheel of Dhamma) form the basis on which is founded occasional spotlights in the darkness. But for the Moha (delusion) which keeps him away this system of philosophy. In fact, the first from the Truth, he would surely have worked three of the Four Noble Truths expound the out his way to emancipation from the rounds philosophy of the Buddha, while the fourth of “Life, Suffering and Death.” (the Eightfold Noble Path which is a code of morality-cum-philosophy) serves as a means Secondly, the Buddha made it known to his for the end. This first sermon was given to the disciples that the human body is composed of five ascetics led by Koṇḍañña, who were his Kalāpas (atomic units), each dying out early companions in search of the Truth. simultaneously as it becomes. Each Kalāpa is a Koṇḍañña was the first disciple of the Buddha mass formed of the following nature elements: in practice to become an Arahat (i.e., Holy One (i) Pathavī : Extension (literally, earth) who got beyond the limitations of all fetters). (ii) Āpo : Cohesion (lit., water) Now we come to the Four Noble Truths. (iii) Tejo : Radiation (lit., heat and cold) They are: (iv) Vāyo : Motion (lit., air) (v) Vaṇṇa : Colour (i) Dukkha Saccā: The Truth of (vi) Gandha: Smell Suffering (ii) Samudaya Saccā: The Truth of the (vii) Rasa : Taste (viii) Ojā : Nutritive essence Origin of Suffering (iii) Nirodha Saccā: The Truth of the The first four are called Mahā-Bhūtas, i.e., Extinction of Suffering essential material qualities which are pre- (iv) Magga Saccā: The Truth of the Path dominant in a Kalāpa. The other four are leading to the Extinction of Suffering merely subsidiaries which are dependent upon and born out of the former. A Kalāpa is the To come to a complete understanding of the fundamental concepts in the philosophy of the minutest particle noticeable in the physical Buddha, emphasis is laid on the need for the plane. It is only when the eight nature elements merely the characteristic of realisation of the Truth of Suffering. To bring (which have behaviour) are together that the entity of a home this point, Lord Buddha tackled the Kalāpa is formed. In other words, the co- problem from two different angles. 22 existence of these eight nature elements of on, but in their heart of hearts they are not behaviour makes a mass which, in Buddhism, happy concerning what has happened, what is is known as a Kalāpa. These Kalāpas, happening and what may happen next. Why? according to the Buddha, are in a state of This is because, while man has mastery over perpetual change or flux. They are nothing but matter, he is still lacking in mastery over his a stream of energies, just like the light of a mind. candle or an electric bulb. The body, as we call Pleasure born of sensuality is nothing it, is not an entity as it seems to be, but a compared with the Pīti (or rapture) born of the continuum of matter with life force coexisting. inner peace of mind which can be secured To a casual observer, a piece of iron is through a process of Buddhist meditation. motionless. The scientist knows that it is Sense pleasures are preceded and followed by composed of electrons, etc., all in a state of troubles and pains, as in the case of a rustic perpetual change or flux. If it is so with a piece who finds pleasure in cautiously scratching the of iron, what will be the case for a living itches over his body, whereas Pīti is free from organism, say a human being? The changes such troubles and pains either way. It will be that are taking place inside the human body difficult for you, looking from a sensuous must be more violent. Does man feel the field, to appreciate what that Pīti is like. But I rocking vibrations within himself? Does the know you can enjoy it and have a taste of it for scientist who knows that all is in a state of comparative evaluation. There is therefore change or flux ever feel that his own body is nothing to the supposition that Buddhism but energy and vibration? What will be the teaches something that will make you feel repercussion on the mental attitude of the man miserable with the nightmare of suffering. But who introspectively sees that his own body is please take it from me that it will give you an mere energy and vibration? To quench thirst escape from the normal conditions of life, a one may just easily drink a glass of water from lotus as it were in a pond of crystal water a village well. Supposing his eyes are as immune from its fiery surroundings. It will powerful as microscopes, he would surely give you that “Peace Within” which will hesitate to drink the very same water in which satisfy you that you are getting not only he must see the magnified microbes. So also, beyond the day-to-day troubles of life, but when one comes to a realization of the slowly and surely beyond the limitation of perpetual change within himself (i.e., Anicca “Life, Suffering and Death.” or Impermanence), he must necessarily come What then is the Origin of Suffering? The to the understanding as a sequel thereto of the origin of it, the Buddha said, is Taṇhā or Truth of Suffering in consequence of the sharp Craving. Once the seed of desire is sown, it sense of feeling of the radiation, vibration and grows into greed and multiplies into craving or friction of the atomic units within. Indeed, Life lust, either for power or for material gains. The is Suffering, both within and without, to all man in whom this seed is sown becomes a appearances and in ultimate reality. slave to these cravings and he is automatically When I say, Life is Suffering, as the driven to strenuous labours of mind and body Buddha taught, please be so good as not to run to keep pace with them till the end comes. The away with the idea that, if that is so, life is final result must surely be the accumulation of miserable, life is not worth living, and that the the evil mental forces generated by his own Buddhist concept of suffering is a terrible actions, words and thoughts which are concept which will give you no chance of a motivated by Loba (desire) and Dosa (anger) reasonably happy life. What is happiness? For inherent in him. all that science has achieved in the field of Philosophically again, it is the mental materialism, are the peoples of the world forces of actions (Sankhārā) which react in the happy? They may find sensual pleasure off and 23 course of time on the person originating them, These represent generally the Code of and which are responsible for this stream of Morality as initially pronounced by the mind and matter, the origin of suffering within. Buddha in his very first sermon. Later, however, he amplified it and introduced The Path Leading to the Extinction of separate Codes for the Monks and Lay Suffering disciples. What then is the Path leading to the I need not worry you with what has been Extinction of Suffering? The Path is none other prescribed for monks. I will just let you know than the Noble Eightfold Path taught by the what the code of morality, or the precepts, for Buddha in his first sermon. This Eightfold Path a Buddhist Lay Disciple is. This is called is divided into three main stages, namely, Sīla, Pañca Sīla, or the Five Precepts, which are: Samādhi and Paññā. (i) Pāṇātipātā: Abstaining from killing Sīla any sentient being. (Life is the most precious (The Precepts) thing for all beings and in prescribing this 1. Right Speech precept the Buddha’s compassion extends to 2. Right Action all beings.) 3. Right Livelihood (ii) Adinnādāna: Abstaining from taking Samādhi what is not given. (This serves as a check against improper desires for possessions.) (Tranquillity of Mind) (iii) Kāmesu-micchācāra: Abstaining from 4. Right Exertion sexual misconduct. (Sexual desire is latent in 5. Right Attentiveness man. This is irresistible to almost all. Unlawful 6. Right Concentration sexual indulgence is therefore something Paññā which the Buddha prohibited.) (Wisdom, Insight) (iv) Musāvāda: Abstaining from telling 7. Right Aspiration lies. (This precept is included to fulfil by way 8. Right Understanding of speech the essence of Truth.) (1) Sīla. The three characteristic aspects of (v) Surāmeraya: Abstaining from Sīla are:— intoxication. (Intoxication causes a man to lose (i) Sammā Vācā: Right Speech his steadfastness of mind and the reasoning (ii) Sammā Kammanta: Right Action power so essential for the realization of Truth.) (iii) Sammā Ājīva: Right Livelihood The Pañca Sīla therefore is intended to By Right Speech is meant: Speech which control actions and words and to serve as a must be true, beneficial and neither foul nor foundation for Samādhi (Equanimity of Mind). malicious. (2) Samādhi. Ladies and gentlemen, we By Right Action is meant: The funda- now come to the mental aspect of Buddhism, mentals of morality, which are opposed to which I am sure will greatly interest you. In killing, stealing, sexual misconduct and the second stage of the Eightfold Noble Path, drunkenness. viz., (Samādhi) are included:— By Right Livelihood is meant: A way of (i) Sammā Vāyāma: Right Exertion living by trades other than those which (ii) Sammā Sati: Right Attentiveness increase the suffering of all beings—such as (iii) Sammā Samādhi: Right Concentration slave trading, the manufacture of weapons and Right Exertion is, of course, a prerequisite traffic in intoxicating drugs. for Right Attentiveness. Unless one makes a 24 determined effort to narrow down the range of Believe it or not, it is our experience that thoughts of one’s wavering and unsteady mind, under a proper guide, this Inner Peace and one cannot expect to secure that attentiveness Purity of Mind with light can be secured by of mind which in turn helps one to bring the one and all irrespective of their religion or mind by Right Concentration to a state of One- creed, provided they have sincerity of purpose pointedness and Tranquillity (or Samādhi). It is and are prepared to submit to the guide for the here that the mind becomes freed from period of trial. hindrances—pure and tranquil, illumined When by continued practice one has within and without. The mind in such a state complete mastery over one’s mind, one can becomes powerful and bright. Outside, it is enter into Jhānic states (trances) and gradually represented by light which is just a mental develop himself to acquire the attainments reflex, with the light varying in degrees from (Samāpattis) which will give one supernormal that of a star to that of the sun. To be plain, this powers like those exercised by Kāla-Devīla, light which is reflected before the mind’s eye the hermit teacher of King Suddhodana. This, in complete darkness is a manifestation of the of course, must be tried in penance and away purity, tranquillity and serenity of the mind. from human habitations, but it is rather The Hindus work for it. To go from light dangerous for those who still have traces of into the void and to come back to light is truly passion in them. Anyway, such a practice, Brahmanic. The New Testament, in Matthew, which gives supernormal powers in this speaks of “a body full of light.” We hear also mundane field, was not encouraged by the of Roman Catholic priests meditating regularly Buddha, whose sole object of developing for this very miraculous light. The Koran, too, Samādhi was to have the purity and strength of gives prominence to the “Manifestation of mind essential for the realization of Truth. Divine Light.” We have in Buddhism forty methods of This mental reflex of light denotes the concentration, of which the most outstanding is purity of mind within, and the purity of mind Ānāpāna, that is, concentration on the forms the essence of a religious life, whether incoming and outgoing breath, the method he be Buddhist, Hindu, Christian or Muslim. followed by all the Buddhas. Indeed, Purity of Mind is the greatest common (3) Paññā. Ladies and Gentlemen, I will denominator of all religions. Love, which now take up the philosophical aspect of alone is a means for the unity of mankind, Buddhism in the third stage of the Noble must be supreme, and it cannot be so unless Eightfold Path, viz., Paññā or Insight. The two the mind is transcendentally pure. A balanced characteristic aspects of Paññā are:— mind is necessary to balance the unbalanced minds of others. “As a fletcher makes straight (i) Sammā-Sankappa: Right Aspiration his arrow, a wise man makes straight his (ii) Sammā-Diṭṭhi: Right Understanding trembling and unsteady thought, which is Right Understanding of the Truth is the aim difficult to guard, difficult to hold back.” and object of Buddhism, and Right Aspiration So said the Buddha. Exercise of the mind is (or Right Thought) is the analytical study of just as necessary as exercise of the physical mind and matter, both within and without, in body. Why not, then, give exercise to the mind order to come to a realization of Truth. and make it pure and strong so that you may You have heard of Nāma and Rūpa (mind enjoy the “Jhānic Peace Within.” and matter) so many times. I owe you a further When Inner Peace begins to permeate the explanation. mind, you will surely progress in the Nāma is so called because of its tendency to knowledge of Truth. incline towards an object of sense. Rūpa is so 25 called because of its impermanence due to becomes free from (i) ego, (ii) doubts and (iii) perpetual change. The nearest terms in English attachment to rules and rituals. The second to Nāma and Rūpa therefore are mind and stage is Sakadāgāmi (Once-Returner), on matter. I say “nearest” because the meaning is coming to which sensuous craving and ill-will not exact. become attenuated. He ceases to have any passion or anger when he attains the third stage Nāma, strictly speaking, is the term applied of Anāgāmi (Non-Returner). Arahatship is the to the following: final goal. Each of the Ariyas can feel what (i) Consciousness: (Viññāna) Nibbāna is like, even as a man, as often as he (ii) Feeling: (Vedanā) may choose by going into the fruition stage of (iii) Perception: (Saññā) Sotapanna, etc., which gives him the Nibbānic (iv) Volitional Energies: (Saṅkhārā). Peace Within. These, together with Rūpa in the material This “Peace Within”, which is identified state, make what we call the Pañca-Khandhās with Nibbāna, has no parallel because it is or Five Aggregates. It is in these five supramundane. Compared to this, the “Jhānic aggregates that the Buddha has summed up all Peace Within”, which I mentioned earlier in the mental and physical phenomena of dealing with Samādhi, is negligible because existence, which in reality is a continuum of while the “Nibbānic Peace Within” takes one mind and matter coexisting, but which to a beyond the limits of the thirty-one planes of layman is his personality or ego. existence, the “Jhānic Peace Within” will still keep one within these planes—that is to say, in In Sammā-sankappa (Right Aspiration), the the fine-material world of the Brahmas. disciple, who by then has developed the powerful lens of Samādhi, focuses his attention Ladies and gentlemen, just a word more. into his own self and by introspective What I have said includes only some of the meditation makes an analytical study of the fundamental aspects of Buddhism. With the nature, first of Rūpa (Matter) and then of time at my disposal, I hope I have given you Nāma (mind and the mental properties). He my best: feels—and at times he also sees—the Kalāpas To come to a state of Purity of Mind with in their true state. He begins to realize that a light before you; both Rūpa and Nāma are in constant change— impermanent and fleeting. As his power of To go into a Jhānic state at will; concentration increases, the nature of the To experience for yourselves Nibbānic forces in him becomes more and more vivid. Peace Within. He can no longer get out of the impression that the Pañca-Khandhās, or Five Aggregates, are These are all within your reach. suffering, within the law of Cause and Effect. Why not, then, try for the first two at least, He is now convinced that, in reality, all is which are within the confines of your own suffering within and without and there is no religion? I am prepared to give you any help such thing as an ego. He longs for a state that you may require. beyond suffering. So eventually going beyond the bounds of suffering, he moves from the May I again express my gratitude to you all mundane to the supramundane state and enters for your patient listening. My thanks are also the stream of Sotāpanna, the first of the four due to the Clergy of the Church for their kind stages of the Ariyas (Noble Ones). Then he permission.

26 What Buddhism Is 14th October 1951—Lecture No. 3 My talks on “What Buddhism Is” will not Old age, Illness, Death, Anxiety, Agony, be complete without a reference, though in Pains, etc., all of which denote “Suffering”. In brief, to the Law of Paṭicca-samuppāda (the this way the Buddha traced the origin of Law of Dependent Origination) and the Law of Suffering to Ignorance. Paṭṭhāna (the Law of Relations, or Cause and So the Buddha said:— Effect). Ignorance is the origin of Mental forces; It will be recalled that in summing up my Mental forces, the origin of the Life- first lecture, I mentioned how Prince continuum; Siddhattha, the wandering ascetic, realised the The Life-continuum, the origin of Mind & truth and became a Buddha. Lest you forget, I Matter; will repeat that portion again. Mind & Matter, the origin of the Sense- Verily, Prince Siddhattha attained Sammā- centres; sambodhi and became the Buddha, the The Sense-centres, the origin of Contact; Awakened One, the Enlightened One, Contact, the origin of Impression; the All-Knowing One. He was awake in Impression, the origin of Desire; a way compared with which all others Desire, the origin of Attachment; were asleep and dreaming. He was Attachment, the origin of Becoming enlightened in a way compared with (Existence); which all other men were stumbling and Becoming (Existence), the origin of Birth; groping in the dark. He knew with a Birth, the origin of Old age, Illness, Death, knowledge compared with which all that Anxiety, Agony, Pains, etc. (which are other men knew was but a kind of all Suffering). ignorance. This chain of origination is called the Law All religions, no doubt, claim to show the of Dependent Origination and the root cause of way to Truth. In Buddhism, for so long as one all these is therefore Avijjā, Ignorance—i.e., has not realized the truth (i.e., the Four Noble ignorance of the Truth. It is true that Truths), he is in Ignorance. It is this Ignorance superficially desire is the origin of Suffering. (Avijjā) that is responsible for the generation This is so simple. When you want a thing, of mental forces (Saṅkhārā) which regulate the desire is aroused. You have to work for it or Life continuum (Viññāna) in all sentient you suffer for it. But this is not enough. The beings. Just as the Life continuum is Buddha said, “The Five Aggregates, which are established in a new existence, Mind and nothing but Mind and Matter, also are Matter (Nāma and Rūpa) appear automatically Suffering.” The Truth of Suffering in and correlatively. These, in turn, are developed Buddhism is complete only when one realizes into a vehicle or body with Sense-centres by seeing Mind and Matter as they really are (Salāyatana). These Sense-centres give rise to (both within and without) and not as they seem Contact (Phassa) and Contact of these Sense- to be. centres with sense objects gives rise to Sense- The “Truth of Suffering” is therefore impressions (Vedanā) which have the effect of something which must be experienced before it arousing Desire (Tanhā) followed closely by can be understood. For example, we all know Attachment or Clinging to Desire (Upādāna). It from science that everything that exists is is this Attachment, or Clinging to Desire, nothing but vibration caused by the whirling which is the cause of “Becoming” (Bhāva) or movement of infinite numbers of sub-atomic of “Existence” with the attendant Birth (Jati), 27 particles, but how many of us can persuade 23/8/51. My Guru asked me to concentrate ourselves to believe that our own bodies are on my breast without the radiation of subject to the same Law? Why not then try to light and added that we are reaching the feel things as they really are in so far as they stage of philosophy of our body. I did relate to your goodself? One must be above accordingly and came to the conclusion physical conditions for this purpose. One must that our body is full of Sufferings. develop mental energy powerful enough to see In reality, this Suffering Within is a sequel things in their true state. With developed to the keen sense of feeling of the vibration, mental power, one can see through and radiation and friction of the atomic units through; one can see more than what one can experienced through a process of introspective see with the help of the latest scientific meditation called Vipassana with the aid of the instruments. If that be so, why should one not powerful lens of Samādhi. Not knowing this see what exactly is happening in one’s own Truth is indeed ignorance. Knowing this Truth self—the atoms, the electrons and what not, all in its Ultimate Reality means destruction of the changing fast and yet never ending. It is, of root cause of suffering, that is, ignorance with course, by no means easy. all the links in the chain of causation ending Here is an extract from a diary of one of my with what we call “life” with its characteristics disciples which will give you an idea of what of old age, illness, anxiety, agony, pains, etc. Suffering Within is: So much for the Law of Dependent 21/8/51. As soon as I began to meditate I Origination and the root cause of suffering. felt as if someone were boring a hole Let us now turn our attention to the Causal through my head and I felt the sensation Law of Relations as expounded by the Buddha of crawling ants all over my head. I in the Law of Paṭṭhāna in the Abhidhamma wanted to scratch, but my Guru forbade Piṭaka. This is the Law in the course of the me from doing it. Within an hour I saw analytical study of which six coloured rays the sparkling radium of blue light tinged emerged from the person of the Buddha during with violet colour entering inside my his non-stop meditation for 49 days soon after body gradually. When I lay in my room the attainment of Buddha-hood. We have five continuously for three hours I became volumes of about 500 pages each of Pāḷi text almost senseless and I felt a terrible on this very delicate subject. I will just give shock in my body. I was about to be here only an idea of the Law. frightened but my Guru encouraged me There are 24 types of Relations on which to proceed on. I felt my whole body the fundamental principles of Cause and Effect heated up and I also felt the induction of in Buddhism are based. They are: the electronic needle at every part of my body. 1. Condition .. Hetu 2. Object .. Ārammana 22/8/51. Today also I lay down meditating 3. Dominance .. Adhipati for nearly three hours. I had the 4. Contiguity .. Anantara sensation that my whole body was in 5. Immediate flames and I also saw sparkles of blue Contiguity .. Samanantara and violet rays of light moving from top 6. Coexistence .. Sahajāta to bottom aimlessly. Then my Guru told 7. Reciprocity .. Aññāmañña me that the changing in the body is 8. Dependence .. Nissaya Anicca (impermanence) and the pain 9. Sufficing and suffer ing following it is Dukkha Condition .. Upanissaya and that one must get to a state beyond 10. Antecedence .. Purejāta Dukkha or Suffering. 11. Consequence .. Pacchājāta 28 12. Succession .. Āsevana is ever changing. To him, the whole 13. Action .. Kamma framework of the body is but an ever-changing 14. Effect .. Vipāka mass and any impression thereon automatically 15. Support .. Āhara breaks away with the mass. 16. Control .. Indriya Let us now adjust the moral and immoral 17. Ecstasy .. Jhāna forces generated by conditioned actions with 18. Means .. Magga the planes of existence. For this purpose, I will 19. Association .. Sampayutta classify the planes of existence roughly as 20. Dissociation .. Vippayutta follows: 21. Presence .. Atthi 22. Absence .. Natthi (1) Arūpa- and Rūpa-Brāhma planes. 23. Abeyance .. Vigata These are beyond the range of sensuality. 24. Continuance .. Avigata Supreme Love, Supreme Compassion, Supreme Joy at others’ success or greatness I will explain to you now about the co- and Supreme Equanimity of Mind are the four relation of Hetu (condition) and Kamma qualities of mind which generate (action) and the effect produced by their transcendentally pure, brilliant and extremely causes, as I understand them. pleasing, cool, and light mental forces which Hetu is the condition of the mind at one find their location in the highest of the planes conscious moment of each Kamma (action) of existence. This is the reason that in these whether physical, vocal or mental. Each planes matter is superfine and there is nothing Kamma therefore produces a condition of but radiance, and the vehicles or bodies of the mind which is either moral, immoral or Brahmas cannot be identified with matter but neutral. This is what in Buddhism we call with radiation or light. Kusalā Dhammā, Akusalā Dhammā and (2) The Sensuous planes which are Abyākātā Dhammā. These Dhammas are mere composed of: forces—i.e., mental forces—which collectively (i) Planes of Celestial Beings create the Universe of Mental Forces as (ii) Human World explained in my first lecture. (iii) Planes of the Lower Forms of Moral (Kusala) forces are positive forces Existence generated from Kammas (actions, words and Planes of Celestial Beings. All good or thoughts) motivated by such good deeds as meritorious deeds, words or thoughts which alms-giving, welfare work, devotion, have a taint of desire for future well-being purification of mind, etc. create moral mental forces which are very Immoral (Akusala) forces are negative pure, luminous, pleasant and light. These find forces generated from Kammas (actions, their location in the higher planes of celestial words, and thoughts) motivated by desire, beings where matter is fine, luminous, pleasant greed, lust, anger, hatred, dissatisfaction, and light. These celestial beings therefore have delusion, etc. astral bodies varying in fineness, luminosity and colour according to the planes to which Neutral (Abyākata) forces are neither moral they belong. Ordinarily they live in heavenly nor immoral. This is the case, for example, of bliss till their own moral mental forces are an Arahat who has got rid of all traces of consumed, when they revert to the lower ignorance (Avijjā). In the case of an Arahat, planes of existence. contact (Phassa) of sense objects with the sense centres produces no reaction to sense I will now pass on to (iii) the Planes of the impressions (Vedanā) whatsoever, just as no Lower Forms of Existence. I will come to our impression is possible on flowing water which Human World last. 29 Planes of the Lower Forms of Existence. gravitational pull and if he dies with the mental All malicious, evil, demeritorious actions, attitude tuned up with mental forces of a plane words and thoughts create mental forces which of lower existence at the last moment of his by nature are impure, dark, fiery, heavy and life, at the moment of death, the next existence hard. The most impure, dark, fiery, heavy and is automatically in that plane, in order to clear, hard mental forces should therefore find their in a manner of speaking, his debit account of place in Hell, the lowest of the four planes of mental forces there. On the other hand, if at the existence. The matter in all these planes must, moment of death his mental attitude is therefore, be hard, crude, unpleasant and hot. associated with forces in the human world, the The human world is just above the next existence can be in the human world concentration of these forces, which are meant again. If, however, his mental attitude at the for consumption by those beings destined for last moment of death is associated with the these lower forms of existence. These beings, reminiscence of his good deeds, etc., the next with the exception of those in the animal existence will normally be in the celestial world, are invisible to the ordinary human eye world, in order to enjoy the credit balance of but visible to those only who have developed his own mental forces there. One goes to the the higher powers of Samādhi and secured the Brahma world if, at the moment of death, Divine Eye. Here, suffering, both physical and one’s mind is not sensual, but is pure and mental, predominates. This is just the reverse tranquil. This is how Kamma plays its role in of what happens in the planes of celestial Buddhism, with mathematical precision. beings. These, Ladies and Gentlemen, are the Human World. Now I come to the human essential teachings of the Buddha. The way in world. This is a half-way house between which these teachings will affect the individual heaven and hell. We experience pleasure and depends on how one takes it. The same applies pain mixed together, in degrees as determined to the family, the community or people in by our own past Kamma. From here, we can, general. We have Buddhists in Faith and by developing our mental attitude, draw in our Buddhists in Practice. Yet there is another own mental forces that are in the higher planes. class of Buddhists who are just labelled It is also from here that we can go down to the Buddhists by Birth. Only Buddhists in actual depths of depravity and tune up with the forces practice can secure the change in mental of the Lower Order. There is no such attitude and outlook. Let them only observe the constancy as in other planes of existence. One five precepts. They are the followers of the may be a saint today but one can be a rogue teachings of the Buddha. If this were followed thereafter. One may be rich today but one may by all the Buddhists in Burma, there would be soon become poor. The vicissitudes of life here no internecine strife such as we have here in are very conspicuous. There is no man who is Burma. But there is another disturbing factor: stable, no family which is stable, no bodily requirements. One must have the bare community which is stable, no nation which is necessities of life. Life is more precious to a stable. All are subject to the Law of Kamma. person than anything else. The tendency, therefore, is for one to break laws of discipline, As this Kamma comes out of Mind, which whether religious or governmental, for his self- is ever-changing, the effects of Kamma must preservation and for others depending on him. necessarily also be changing. What is most essential is the generation of It is the condition of the evil mental forces pure and good mental forces to combat the evil submerged in the Earth just under our feet mental forces which dominate mankind. This which gives rise to the Law of Gravitation. For is by no means easy. One cannot rise to a level as long as man has inherent impurities in him of pure mental attitude without the help of a which, prima facie, exist, he is subject to this Teacher. If we want effective power to combat 30 these forces, we must work for it At least Mr. H.A. Overstreet, author of The Dhammically, i.e., according to the Dhamma. Mature Mind (New York: W.W. Norton) is Modern science has given us for what it is optimistic about what is in store for mature worth the atomic bomb, the most wonderful minds. and at the same time the most dreadful product He said:— of man’s intelligence. Is man using his intelligence in the right way? Is he creating “The characteristic knowledge of our good or bad mental forces, according to the century is psychological. Even the most spirit of Buddhism? It is our will that decides dramatic advances in physics and chemistry how and upon what subject we shall use are chiefly the application of known methods intelligence. Instead of using intelligence only of research. But the attitude toward human for the conquest of atomic energy in matter nature and human experience that has come in without, why not use it also for the conquest of our time is new. atomic energy within. This will give us the “This attitude could not have come earlier. Peace Within and will enable us to share it Before it came, there had to be long with all others. We will then radiate such preparation. Physiology had to be a developed powerful and purified mental forces as will science; for the psychological person is also successfully counteract the evil forces which physiological. His mind, among other things, is are all around us. Just as the light of a single a matter of brain tissue, of nerves, of glands, or candle has the power to dispel darkness in a organs of touch, smell and sight. It was not room, so also the light developed in one man until about seventy years ago that physiology can help dispel darkness in several others. was sufficiently developed to make psycho- To imagine that “good” can be done by physical research possible, as in the means of an “evil” is an illusion, a nightmare. laboratories of the distinguished German The case in point is that of Korea. For all the psychologist, William Wundt. loss of lives on both sides, now over a million, “But before physiology there had to be a are we nearer to or further away from Peace? developed science of biology. Since brain, These are the lessons which we have learnt. A nerves, glands and the rest all depend upon change of the mental attitude of mankind processes, the science of the living cell had to through religion alone is the solution. What is have its maturing before a competent necessary at the moment is mastery over mind physiology could emerge. and not only mastery over matter. “But before biology there had to be In Buddhism we differentiate Loka Dhātu chemistry; and before chemistry, physics; and from Dhamma Dhātu. By Dhātu is meant the before physics, mathematics. So the long nature elements or forces. Loka Dhātu is preparation goes back into the centuries. therefore matter (with its nature elements) within the range of the physical plane. “There is, in short, a time clock of science. Dhamma Dhātu, however, comprises mind, Each science has to wait until its hour strikes. mental properties and some aspects of the Today, at least, the time clock of science nature elements which are not in the physical strikes the hour of psychology, and a new but in the mental plane. Modern science deals enlightenment begins. with what we call Loka Dhātu. It is just a base “To be sure, the interests explored by this for Dhamma Dhātu in the mental plane. A step latest of the sciences are themselves old; but further and we come to the mental plane; not the accuracy of research is new. There is, in with the knowledge of modern science but brief, a kind of iron logic that is in control. with the knowledge of Buddha- Dhamma in Each science has to wait for its peculiar practice. accuracy until its predecessor has supplied the 31 data and tools out of which its accuracy can be What is man? Man is after all mental forces made. personified. What is matter? Matter is nothing but mental forces materialized, a result of the “The time clock of science has struck a new reaction of moral (positive) and immoral hour: a new insight begins to be at our (negative) forces. The Buddha said, “Cittena service.” niyyati loko,” “The World is mind-made.” May I say that it is the Buddha-Dhamma Mind, therefore, predominates over everything. which should be studied by one and all for a Let us then study the mind and its peculiar new insight into the realities of human nature. characteristics and solve the problem that is In Buddhism we have the cure for all the now facing the world. mental ills that affect mankind. It is the evil There is a great field for practical research forces of the mind (past and present) that are in Buddhism. Buddhists in Burma will always responsible for the present state of affairs all welcome whoever is anxious to have the over the world. By inspiring a strong sense of benefit of their experience. Buddhism in the minds of the people during the most critical days of Burma some two Ladies and gentlemen, I have made an years ago, we have been able to get over the attempt to give you the best of what I know crisis. about Buddhism. I shall be glad to give any interested person such further explanation on Nowadays, there is dissatisfaction almost any point that he may wish to discuss. I am everywhere. Dissatisfaction creates ill-feeling. grateful to you for your kind attendance and Ill-feeling creates hatred. Hatred creates the interest taken in my lectures. May I again enmity. Enmity creates war. War creates thank the clergy of the church for the enemies. Enemies create war. War creates permission so kindly given for this series of enemies and so on. It is now becoming a lectures on their premises. vicious circle. Why? Certainly because there is lack of proper control over the mind. Peace to all beings.

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32 Early Western Buddhists Extracts from articles published in “THE BUDDHIST REVIEW”, 1909-1914 Selected and presented by Francis Story Buddhism made its first real impact on the fulfillment. If this concept could find Western mind in the early years of the some sanction in the mysterious and present century. The way had been romantic religions of the past, so much prepared for it by the Pāḷi and Sanskrit the better, no matter what contradictions translations of Max Müller, Fausböll, might be involved. Man, as perhaps Warren, Rhys Davids and a number of never before, was becoming conscious other oriental scholars. In Europe, some of himself as part of the pattern of an familiarity with the broad outlines of evolving cosmos. The prevailing mood Buddhist thought had been created by was reflected in the theosophical Schopenhauer; and in England, leanings of such dissimilar writers as particularly, Sir Edwin Arnold’s fine August Strindberg and Pierre Loti, as poem, ‘The Light of Asia’, had given well as in several of the English poets. thoughtful readers an insight into the Among the philosophers there were beauty at the heart of the Buddhist ideal. some who, like MacTaggart of For the first time there was an interest in Cambridge, were in the groove of neo- Eastern philosophy that was more than Pythagorean thought to the extent of academic. It came about partly as a accepting reincarnation as a law of life. reaction against the constricting Everywhere the old shackles were being materialism of nineteenth-century cast aside; the currents of a fresh scientific views, and partly in revolt movement were making themselves felt against traditional religious teachings not only on the intellectual level but also which science had shown to be in aesthetics. It was the era of new inadequate, where they were not experiments in painting, sculpture, altogether false. music and poetry. The art of the Fauves, Many people found an escape from the the Dadaists and the Cubists competed clash between two equally rigid modes with the music of the new composers, of thought, the religious and the Stravinsky, Bartok and Honegger, as to scientific, in the mysteries of theosophy, which could make the most decisive with its loosely syncretic structure and break with tradition in the shortest time. the liberty it allowed for semi-scientific In every sphere the idols of the past speculation. At that time the ferment were being asked, in not very respectful caused by the new scientific ideas was at terms, to show their credentials. its height, and the popular construction Amidst this upsurge of creativity and placed on Darwin’s theory of evolution intellectual vigour there was at the same had not yet sunk down to the level of time a growing feeling of political general acceptance it occupies today. A insecurity; not so much in respect of the need was felt for some religious or internal structure of society, which in philosophic view that would reconcile most of the European nations at that the material and spiritual aspects,—a time presented a deceptive appearance theory that would embody the idea of a of stability, but in international relations. progressive evolution, of life straining The mounting tensions which were to upwards from the primeval slime break in the First World War were towards a glorious and godlike 33 already making themselves felt, and as between the laws of kamma and that of we shall see, the anxiety they caused biological evolution grasped the truth found an individual expression in the that every law, whether physical or writings of some of the first European psychological, must be capable of Buddhists. working to the detriment, as well as the advantage, of the beings subject to it. In This was the mise en scene against which this they were more realistic than those the ideas of Theravada Buddhism were among their contemporaries who had first presented to the West, in the that once human state had been attained language of the West. It may seem in the course of evolution there could be inappropriate to speak of the articles in no falling back to inferior conditions. such periodicals as the Buddhist Review Comforting as that ‘esoteric’ theory may as ‘early’ writings on Buddhism by be, it is no more in accord with the ‘early’ Western Buddhists, but historical principles of evolution than it is with the perspectives sometimes bear little real teaching of the Buddha. relation to the actual length of the periods they cover. Since the time when In these early writings there is, in fact, these writings first appeared, close surprisingly little attempt to tamper with though it is to the present, great and the Pāḷi texts and their meaning. The radical changes have taken place in the writers seemed happy to accept life and thought of mankind. A Buddhism as they found it. It was as considerable amount of history has been well for the continued validity of their telescoped into a brief half century, and ideas that they did so, for since they it has brought about a great deal of re- wrote the world has witnessed events thinking on some of the fundamental which leave little room for supposing issues. Many of the most adventurous that man, collectively, is on the path to ideas of those days have become the perfection by virtue of a law that permits commonplaces of our time. What is of him only to advance. Truth is angular interest to us today is the manner in and non-conformist; it does not obey which the early Western Buddhists popular fashions. applied the new ideas to their own That there were, among the first Western situation, the characteristic colouring Buddhists, minds fearless and in a sense they gave to Buddhist thought, and the revolutionary, cannot be doubted by degree to which they had assimilated the anyone who goes through the pages of principles of their adopted creed. the early Buddhist publications. These It is interesting, for example, to note the were people who were not afraid to label resistance many of them put up to the themselves with the name of a religion romantic theories of theosophical which was still looked upon with syncretism. Sometimes their distrust by the majority. It is not easy in interpretation of Buddhism leaned, if these days when some knowledge of anything, rather too heavily on its purely Buddhism has become part of the rationalistic side; but at all events they equipment of every educated man, and avoided that most seductive of all the when books on the subject are easily conceits that the pseudoscientific accessible to all, for us to reconstruct the religious eclecticism of the time attitude compounded of ignorance and favored: the optimistic belief that man’s not a little fear of ‘heathenish spiritual course is an inevitable upward superstitions,’ which was that of the progression. Those of them who ordinary man towards Buddhism at that correctly understood the parallel time. The present writer well 34 remembers, even so late as the nineteen- which introduced the first issue of the twenties, a serial story, ‘False Gods,’ Buddhist Review in 1909. He wrote: published by a London evening The most striking phenomenon of our time, newspaper which purported to be based a process which has been going on for more on the Buddhism of Tibet. It was an than a decade, is the growing confusion in the example of the most lurid and religious thought of the West. With the improbable fiction, in which sinister weakening of theological dicta has proceeded Lamas moved and had their being an indifference to the higher, more spiritual enshrouded in Gothic-Himalayan aspects of life, together with tendencies mystery, and worked out their evil towards gross superstitions which find their designs to the peril and distress of expression in diverse and most unhealthy respectable upper-class English families. forms of heterodoxy. It is not necessary to That was the era when the editors of specify these, indeed, it would be against the British Sunday newspapers, taking time Buddhist spirit to do so. The Buddhist method off from their lucrative task of crime- is now, as it has ever been, to refrain from the reporting, varied by frequent orgies of condemnation of other modes of thought, but moral indignation, every so often lashed simply, gently yet with emphasis, to set forth out at this new menace, Buddhism, its own teachings, and to leave them to plead which according to their mood, was their own cause at the bar of human reason and either a species of black magic or else experience. In psychology, in the sphere of the (to quote one of them from memory) an mind, in the realms of the spiritual, Buddhism ‘attractive cult for blasé Londoners in moves at ease, confident of its knowledge, search of a new thrill.’ confident of its logic, to state clearly, fully and It cannot be denied that there were some conclusively its solutions of those problems questionable personalities vaguely which have vexed the minds of men from time associated in the public mind with the immemorial, solutions which were presented early Buddhist movements, but the satisfactorily to the acute mind of the Orient dabblers in the occult, make-believe two thousand five hundred years ago, and magicians and other picturesque poseurs which finding a mentality, an intellectual were not Buddhists in any sense, and standard, in the West only now capable of most of them were not even on the adequately grasping them, are about to be fringe of any genuine Buddhist presented, as we think to the great benefit of activities. Had the self-appointed this and coming generations.... And those who journalistic guardians of public morality are helping in this great work will, in the taken the trouble to glance at the articles future, come to be regarded with the same in the Buddhist Review; and noted the feelings of gratitude, with the same reverence, names of the contributors, they would which we accord to those who stimulated the have found it difficult to sustain their Renaissance from the dark ages of Medieval prejudice. Even the most bigoted could Europe. There is, thus, no hostility, or even not fail to recognise the earnestness, rivalry between the Buddhist Movement and sincerity and intellectual integrity of the conventional forms of religion in the West. these pioneer Western Buddhists, to Buddhism is the friend of all, the enemy of whom the later progress of Buddhism in none. Animosity, if such there be, can only the West owes so much. proceed from one side, but it is certain that it will never be returned in kind. For those who We cannot begin our symposium of extracts are uneasy in their doubts and questionings, from these Western writings better than who lack a sure guide to peace of mind, who by quoting some passages from the are bereft of the consolations of Faith in the editorial, signed J. E. E. (J. E. ELLAM.) 35 higher sense, Buddhism has a Message, strong, the ancient mind of India anticipated a sure, convincing. For those who are satisfied standpoint slowly and painfully won to by the with any other belief, creed, philosophy—call intellect of Europe.... it what they will—Buddhism has no other The fact that early Buddhism and modern feelings save of sympathy, of kindliness, of Science express belief in a universal law of fellowship, united with a desire for helpful co- Causation in terms so similar, leads inevitably operation, provided only that their efforts are to the further inquiry, as to how far there is for the benefit, the well-being, for the uplifting historical evidence that the evolution of this of humanity to higher ideals of life, of thought, belief among early Buddhists was parallel to of action, and of the duties of Common the corresponding evolution in Europe. The Brotherhood throughout the world. lack of continuity and of chronological * * * * * certainty in the literatures of ancient India hinder and complicate such an inquiry. But In the same issue, the essentially tolerant there does survive a body of Brahmanical and progressive spirit of Buddhism is literature, an accretion of various dates, known also stressed by Mrs. C.A.F. Rhys as the Sixty Upanishads of the Veda, in which Davids in an article, “Buddhism and a form of Pantheism called Atmanism or Ethics:” Vedantism is set forth, with mainly archaic Here is a doctrine that takes us back as far views on what we term First, Final, and as the days of the very beginnings of Hellenic Occasional Cause. And we have the Pāḷi Science. For this doctrine it is claimed that it Canon of the Buddhists, coinciding, it is might have served, not to check or to ignore thought, in date, with the middle period of the discoveries of Copernicus and Bruno, these sixty books, and repudiating this Galileo and Newton, Darwin and Spencer but Atmanism, whether macrocosmically or to stimulate and inspire them. Not a guide that microcosmically conceived. they might have adhered to from convention To what extent Buddhism, as a lay, anti- only, or appealed to now and again to reconcile Brahmanic anti-sacerdotal movement, the lay world with their discoveries and originated the rejection of Atmanism, or conclusions but an oracle that would have carried on a wider and older tradition of spurred them on in their quest for Truth.... rejection, it is not possible to say. But the fact Well, it is one thing to talk about that the founders of Buddhism did, in leaving achievements of modern science and advance the world for the religious life, take up this of modern thought, and another thing to claim protestant position on the one hand, and on the for this age in general that it is imbued with the other make a law of natural causation their scientific spirit, or that the views and conduct chief doctrine, suggests at all events a of the average man or woman are governed profound psychological crisis. thereby. This state of things is but in its In such passages as these we see Mrs. Rhys infancy. But it is born, and is growing. Hence Davids at the height of her powers, any movement of thought will have, more and when she was contributing the best of more, to cope with the scientific spirit, and will her scholarship to the Buddhist cause. stand or fall largely by its sanction. And hence The profound psychological crisis to all who call themselves Buddhist, or who are which she refers is a recurring condition. interested in spreading a knowledge of Perhaps, indeed, every major change in Buddhist doctrine or, at least, the spirit of that the human situation is brought about by doctrine, should look into this claim that is an insupportable paroxysm of the mind. made for it. Those, again, whose interest lies in Progress is the name we give to a tracing the growth of human ideas, can in no wise feel indifferent to the real extent to which 36 collective crisis that has taken the right eternal; and while all things are subject turn. to retrogression and degeneration there is still always hope, amounting to * * * * * certainty, of a future opportunity to In the same issue an article, ‘Buddhism and recover the lost ground. The eternal Science’, by E. J. Mills, D. Sc., F.R.S. damnation threatened by theistic deals with the still-disputed subject of religion, and believed in literally for so Anattā (Egolessness), in connection with many centuries, had by its inherent rebirth. It contains the following brutality become so discredited that passage: many people still professing theistic creeds had abandoned it. In deference to Now, nothing is more clear than that the more enlightened and humane view evolution is an essential constituent of the pulpits no longer thundered out the Buddhism. It is necessarily a part of its horrors and terrors of the life to come. doctrine of rebirth and heredity. A qualitative Yet what is the meaning of salvation, if result—character—alone survives death; and damnation is no longer believed in? The this is reborn with a new set of skandhas, in 1 progressive weakening of religion as a accordance with the Karma of that instant. moral influence was bound to follow on There may be but very little distinction the removal of its punitive aspect, for between the old “character” and the new; on relatively few people, even amongst the the other hand, there may be a very great deal. most civilised of mankind, are It is within our power, as Buddha and Huxley sufficiently advanced to choose the good both say, to influence our environment and for its own sake, and in all ourselves very greatly; and it is clear that the circumstances, on purely humanistic and next link in the pedigree may be so different, ethical grounds. And this is so even on occasion, as to be to all intents and when—which is rarely the case—they purposes a new species. This gets rid of much can be positively certain as to what of the difficulty about time in Darwin’s theory. constitutes the right course of action But we must not forget the instruction of the without guidance from religion. Aside Buddha that the new link may, if we so from this, there is no discernible justice condition it, be worse than before; there is a in a system that offers rewards for “way up” as well as a “way down” as doing, without exacting some kind of Heraclites says. The new species may be a new retribution for wrong-doing. The early reversion. This is a horrible thing to Western Buddhists were quick to see contemplate; but of its truth there can be no that Buddhism saved the moral order by doubt whatever. A modification of this substituting for eternal punishment a doctrine was adopted, I need not say—and system of automatic causal balance probably from Buddhism—into the Christian between good and ill, in which the scriptures. measure of suffering resulting from * * * * * wrong action is exactly equal to the The reference here is of course to the force of the deed that produced it, Christian doctrine of eternal damnation, neither more nor less. the state of torment or eternal This theme is the subject of an article by deprivation. But Buddhism teaches that another scientific writer, Ernest R. nothing in the sphere of causality can be Carlos, M.A., B. Sc., who, under the heading, ‘Transmigration in East and 1 Death-proximate Kamma, the last thought-moment that West’, wrote: precedes rebirth-consciousness—Ed.

37 If, as many believe, one single life decides What answer can be given to the criminal, the whole course of the future, why is one life who, in reply to our exhortation to love here for a few weeks, and another for seventy justice and kindness says, “How can I or eighty years? For one thing, there is in the help being so? Blame him who has put first case less risk of eternal loss, but the me in bad surroundings. I was born in a question is, “Does this life matter or does it slum brought up by drunkards, heard not?” If it does not, why are we here at all? If it little more than curses and filthy does, then evidently the child who took his language in my youth, and was taught departure after three weeks did not reap the nothing that was noble. Can you wonder full benefit of life, and if life has value, if we that I am wicked? I was not so fortunate are to learn therefrom, where is the logic in as you, who, through no merit of your sending into eternal bliss a life which scarcely own, were placed among refined people deserves it? Moreover, if we are to strive for full of tenderness, giving you everything perfection as enjoined by our Teacher, it seems you wanted, and offering you no daily utterly unthinkable that one could arrive at temptations to steal; I had not your perfection in a single life. Again, it would be education, why blame me? Blame my unjust for one to have a greater opportunity environment.” Justice demands that than another, and if we consider the wide gulf every man should have an equal existing between the primitive savage and the opportunity, and Reincarnation gives enlightened civilised man, we must admit that this opportunity. It furnishes the answer it would be to the great advantage of the to problems which religious dogma former, were he to return a few more times cannot deal with, and which material instead of shooting off straightway into science is not ready to face. eternity “with all his imperfections on his Hume states that this theory “is the only head.”1 system of immortality that philosophy The idea first occurred to man partly from can hearken to” and many people are the desire for justice, and partly from the deep startled at the statement that the belief in and overwhelming feeling of pain, which the Immortality demands a belief in Rebirth. manifest transience of earthly life produces in What begins in time must necessarily the human breast. That the idea did arise is not end in time, and it is impossible to strange. The final law of creation is said to be conceive of anything eternal in its Love; but the sin and suffering bequeathed to onward duration, and at the same time, our race, through no apparent fault, makes us having a beginning. There can be no regard life as a ceaseless struggle in which the “beginning” to eternity. If the soul was strongest win and the weakest go to the wall. specially created for this body, why Why are some born rich and others poor? Why should it continue to live when this body are some endowed with the seeds of dies? Its purpose is fulfilled and the intelligence and high mental qualities, while materialists who hold that the “I” arose others have minds that the best education can with the body, and will end in death are make nothing of? We see royal souls, men in certainly the more rational. Life eternal whose faces we may read high sentiments of must be life for ever, and it is love and self-sacrifice, whose characters are unthinkable that, from an infinite history pictures for admiration, and others whose very in the past, the soul enters this world for countenances are strange, criminal and even its first and only physical experience, inhuman. and then shoots off into an endless spiritual existence.

1 One may question the advantages of civilisation without The Christian holds to the belief in original weakening the argument.—Ed. sin and future punishment, and it is 38 difficult to conceive how one man can lives must return doubly reinforced with be responsible for a sin in which he had that spirit of self-surrender which makes no share. If however we are indeed for moral growth. those who, in their first contact with In heredity it is hard to explain why a good matter did sin, then we can understand father should have a wild and immoral how man is born in sin. As to future son, why a genius is born of mediocre punishment, it is not difficult to look parents, or why there should be but one thereon as a punishment in a future genius in a family, if character is bodily existence, especially as it is now determined merely by physical forces. becoming very unfashionable to believe Science gives us no definite explanation in Hell. Isaac Disraeli says: “If we of this and other matters. Professor accept the belief of a future Weissmann’s theory, that moral and remuneration beyond this life for intellectual qualities acquired during life suffering virtue, and retribution of are not transmitted to the offspring, is successful crimes, there is no system so held by the majority of scientific men. If simple, so little repugnant to our all the high qualities of a man are not understanding, as that of handed down from father to son, Metempsychosis. The pains and through the body, how are we to explain pleasures of this life are, by this system, human progress, unless, side by side considered as the recompense or with the continuity of protoplasm, we punishment of our actions in another have a continuity in the development state.” and unfolding of spirit? It seems strange To say that Science requires Reincarnation first to imagine that Nature should end to complete the theory of evolution is to her masterpiece Man with total make a very bold statement, yet she annihilation at death, and even then could with advantage add this one to her should not devise some means whereby other hypotheses. The Struggle for he can transmit to his offspring the Existence is not a complete explanation qualities he has acquired. If such of the nature of Man. Professor Huxley qualities were transmitted by the body once remarked, “It seems that man, a we should have a material basis for fragment of the cosmos, has set himself progress but as they are not, we must against the law of the cosmos. He presume that the bond of union between advances by self-surrender and not by the various stages lies something else. the survival of the fittest, he develops by Kant recognised the difficulty when he self-sacrifice.” If we look upon those said:— whom humanity has always regarded as “All the natural qualities of a creature are the blossoms of the race, we find their intended to unfold themselves completely and lives are one long self-sacrifice. But suitably, and it would take an immeasurably self-sacrifice, charity, love, sympathy long life for a man to learn how to make a and the surrender of all one has do not perfect use of all his natural qualities.... It conduce to the struggle for existence. would take an unending series of generations Man advances by self-sacrifice—that is for the one to hand over its enlightenment to the True Law. Such people, however, the other, in order that the germ of our species die out. One who risks his all must may at last arrive at that degree of eventually perish, and the social virtues development which shall be perfectly adapted and more human attributes tend to kill to the fulfillment of its design. How it may be out their owners, and leave the more with the dwellers on other planets and their selfish and the more brutal to live. Such nature, we know not. Perhaps in these every 39 individual may attain his appointed design in body which confines the Eternal Man. life. With us is otherwise, and only the species The doctrine rightly understood can hope for it.” brightens life, in that we look upon this body as a garment and the world as a Kant saw the hopeless nature of the school. Sorrows and troubles are question, and took refuge in the abstract brushed off as only touching the idea of species. He had only to lift the accidental and the eternal. The heresy of veil and see how a man might make separateness must disappear, and we more and more perfect use of all his must look on all as brothers.... natural powers sooner than he expected, if each personality added its experience Progress is the Law of Life. Man is not to a reborn “Intelligent Character.”... Man as yet,” and Emerson was right when he said, “We wake and find Reincarnation is no doctrine of pessimism. ourselves on a stair. There are other Selfishness is necessary for pessimism stairs below us which we seem to have and has produced it, but where there is a ascended; there are stairs above, many a certainty of progress, of the possibility one, which go upward and out of sight.” of perfection there can be no pessimism. To say with the Buddhist, “Painful is the * * * * * wheel of rebirth,” is no more pessimistic (To be continued) than the Christian desire for union with God. Both wish for liberation from the

******************** “Through worldly round of many births I ran my course unceasingly, Seeking the maker of the house: Painful is birth again and again, House-builder! I behold thee now, Again a house thou shalt not build; All thy rafters are broken now, The ridge-pole also is destroyed; My mind, its elements dissolved, The end of cravings has attained.” Dhammapada.

40 Elementary Practical Buddhism By U Thein Nyun I hope you will agree with me—that the slow and steady winning the race. Thus a man elementary portions of a subject must be well- of knowledge bides his time. He works on the mastered in order to attain proficiency in it. causes, slowly works his way up, and does not For it is here that the fundamental principles of bother about results for he knows they will the subject are to be found, and which must be come in time. The ignorant man only bothers well grasped, before the advanced portions are about results, rushes to get results but never taken up for study. Although this is the normal gets them. procedure for the proper study of a subject we A subject is studied with one of these two are always in a hurry—especially in this objectives namely:— (1) to gather as much satellite age—to learn about as many subjects information as we can about it from books, i.e., as possible in the shortest period of time and to just to know what it is all about. This is the be up-to-date on them. Human nature, being only objective in the case of theoretical what it is, we are eager and greedy to learn, or subjects such as history (2) to achieve practical possess as many things as we can, all at once, results. This is possible only with practical and in the quickest time. For instance, we want subjects such as chemistry and Buddhism and to be rich tomorrow. We don’t want to start this should be the objective. But the theorist from the bottom, strive hard, make sacrifices to takes up a practical subject with the first save part of our earnings and wait patiently to objective, i.e., just gathering information about become rich. It is the same with practical it, it is only the one, who is gifted with the trait Buddhism. We are too eager to practice the for practical application, who will look out for advanced portions in order to become Ariyas practical instructions, follow them and acquire as quickly as possible. I compare this to the practical knowledge of the subject. Here we running up of a very steep ladder. Owing to the must be clear as to what is meant by a practical disturbance of the ladder, it topples over and person or a person who is practically minded we fall back to earth, the place from where we or one who has the trait for practical started. It would be preferable to start slowly application. A practical man is not one who is rung by rung. This is the safe and sure method ready to work with his hands mechanically, for there is no possibility of the ladder toppling i.e., to saw, to carry out experiments and so on. over. We remain safe at the particular rung A practical person or a practically-minded from which we can gradually rise, higher and person is one who knows how to apply facts in higher, till the top is reached. It is just like a order to make them his own. He also carries fifth standard boy who is very keen to get to out physical work but this forms only part of college as soon as possible. He takes private the procedure for realisation of facts. For tuition for a year and sits for the Matriculation example, a scientist thinks out a theory, and Examination. Without the proper foundation, then proves the theory is correct by his however, he does not succeed in passing even experiments. The theory then becomes a fact after several attempts are made. Thus he loses which is his own. In passing, it may be hope of ever getting to college. Another boy of mentioned that every scientist is not a practical the same standard gradually works his way up, person. He has only been trained, in the standard by standard, and passes the methods of practical application in his Matriculation at the first attempt. So he particular field of science but if he does not succeeds in getting to college and, of course, adopt the same methods in other fields of earlier than the first boy. It is the case of the study, he is not practically-minded. 41 In the case of a practical subject it is most available in the books. And what I have been essential to know whether the facts that a stressing all along is that we have all the facts person speaks about are his own or not. A in the Buddhist Texts. It is the method of theorist has no means of judging this. For he practical application to make the essential facts mistakenly believes that the facts he learns our own that, somehow or other, has been from books are his own. This is “Just overlooked, lost sight of, and so far nobody theoretical acceptance of facts and conclusions has pointed it out to us. For I am sure that if that were arrived at in a practical way by this method becomes generally known and someone else.” So he has to place sole reliance applied there would be a far larger number on books in support of his arguments. On the achieving results in Buddhism. These results other hand, the practically-minded person may just be the intermediate results but it knows that the facts he learns from books are would still be beneficial to mankind and the borrowed facts and that he has to make them world. It may be compared to reaching the his own. He can distinguish a theorist from a middle rung of the ladder. practical man. For he will not be led away by The principles of practical application all that the theorist says. Since it is not what a consist of these 4 stages:— person speaks that counts but his action, (1) Why is it necessary to achieve practical attention will be paid to the character of the result? (One has to come to a personal person and not to the fine words that anybody decision so that action will be taken to can utter. A practical man, therefore, makes it achieve the result.) a point to preach what he has practised or is practising. (2) What has to be done to achieve the result. (Know what to do, i.e., the theory If one is not gifted with this trait for of the practice—one comes to know the practical application is there-any way of practical knowledge of another— acquiring this trait? This brings me to the sutamayañāṇa.) principles about practical application, i.e., to the method that must be followed for making (3) How it has to be done. (Learn how to another’s practical knowledge one’s own or do, i.e., reasoning or reflection and the practical realisation of facts. These are experimental practice to carry out the general principles which are applicable to all method in the right way—cintāmāya practical subjects though their subject matter ñāṇa) may be poles apart. For instance, it can be (4) Repeatedly doing it (Practise to know applied to games, the practical arts and how to do. The right method is practised sciences, and Buddhism. One must be well- till one comes to know how to do it, i.e., versed with these principles before going on to this is one’s practical knowledge— the actual practice. It is for this reason that I bhāvanāmaya ñāṇa). will deal with these principles first before Before going into details about these stages, showing how they are to be applied to let me briefly illustrate in a general way what I Buddhism. It is my belief that if a person is mean, taking a worldly subject like soap ignorant of these principles he will not be in a making and Buddhism as examples. position to judge which is the correct method Soap making or practice. Since he will be reluctant to take up any kind of practice for fear that it might be (1) A person must have deeply reflected wrong, he will end up by not practising at all. upon the usefulness of knowing how to But if a person is acquainted with these make soap in order to arrive at a principles he is sure to get practical results personal decision. because the facts to be realised by himself, (2) He will then find out about the method facts which he has to make his own, are all of soap making from books or a soap 42 maker. The knowledge that he has now not correspond with his views fully and gained is not his. It is the practical therefore he has to practise towards that end. It knowledge of another that he has come is just like having the right view of a bad habit to know. and then the continual practice to overcome (3) He then carries out the instructions for entirely that bad habit. The Sotāpanna has only making soap. He reflects on what he has found the Truth to the extent of his stage and to do, the ways of remedying faults and has to practise to attain Truth fully. It is just so on, till he gets a good soap. like first finding a treasure and then taking entire possession of it. (4) Now that he has got the right method he will go on practising till he gains exper- I will now go on to the details about the 4 ience. Only now he comes to have a successive stages for acquiring practical practical knowledge of soapmaking. The knowledge. facts about soap making are his own. (1) Why is it necessary to ‘achieve a Buddhism practical result? (1) A person will not seriously take up the We must get a personal answer to this so practice of Buddhism unless he has that we will make our own decision to take come to a personal decision, i.e., he is action in the matter. Although others may coax thoroughly convinced that the worldly us to do a thing we seldom do it unless we, happiness he enjoys is not the true ourselves, are personally convinced that the happiness and that there is a better kind; result will bring us some reward. As a matter that he theoretically accepts the fact that of fact, in this revolutionary age, we do just existence is suffering and desires to opposite of what we are told to do. How, then, attain release from suffering, from the can we arrive at a personal decision? It comes rounds of existence. through meditation. We reflect on the pros and cons of the matter and when we are convinced (2) He will find out what are the practices to of the great advantages that will be gained be carried out to achieve this objective from a practical result we make a decision of deliverance. He will seek which leads to action. Meditation is thinking explanations for what he has to do and round a subject, i.e., dwelling on the ideas the results that he should attain. related to that subject. In this case it is a (3) He will learn to carry out the elementary debate, with oneself speaking both for and practice of Buddhism. He will know for against. But unless this is done earnestly and himself the purpose of the practice and repeatedly no decision is made and the matter the right method of carrying it out. is forgotten. But if it is done properly a deci- (4) Once the method of practice is known, sion is reached and we have a clear objective he will go on practicing mechanically before us. This objective should then be in the since he has already acquired knowledge forefront of our minds till it is achieved. about the practice in the third stage. We do meditate and make personal It will be seen that these are the stages decisions which lead to actions with regard to which must be followed in succession. None of worldly things such as pleasures, wealth, fame these stages must be skipped over or neglected. and honour, the results that we constantly In my opinion, it is at the end of the 4th stage crave for. But we seldom, if ever, meditate on that one becomes Sotāpanna. He has a right what are called dry subjects which lead to view of things which includes right view of the actions for the acquisition of knowledge and practice to be carried out to attain Nibbāna. He other abstract results. It is said (1) that if we has attained the right result, i.e., taking repeatedly meditate on an idea we come to Nibbāna as object, for the first time. Although understand it and (2) that the subject of the Sotāpanna has right views his actions do meditation distinguishes the saint from the 43 sinner. When meditation is first practised it Sometimes we are compelled to meditate takes a long time before an original idea occurs by force of circumstances and arrive at to us. But when experience is gained by steady personal decisions which result in good or evil practice, such ideas arise in a very short time. actions. For example, when a person is down In many cases we have to make efforts at and out he is compelled to come to a personal meditation. For instance, when an intelligent decision to earn a living. If he honestly tries student is about to join the university he makes and fails in his attempts he is compelled to efforts to reflect on the purpose of going there. meditate again and arrive at other decisions He comes to the personal decision that it is for which would lead to stealing and murder. the acquisition of knowledge. So he keeps this Ordinarily, the majority of us are mentally lazy objective in mind very often. No one has to ask and so we do not meditate deeply and him to study for he does it by himself seriously repeatedly on any idea. The kind of thinking and steadily. And he is not easily led astray by we do is very superficial. No decisions are others. On the other hand, the ordinary student made and therefore no action is taken to bring makes no such efforts and so he has no clear about practical results. For instance, everybody objective before him. Therefore he does not wants to be rich and we occasionally think take interest in his studies even if he is forced about the ways to get rich and what we will do to do so. with all that money. But since we do not reflect deeply enough in order to arrive at There are times, however, when external personal decisions the objective is not strong circumstances force us to meditate and lead us enough to lead to action. This is what is wrong to action. Advertisements are good examples. with most of us. We have no fixed objectives A boy, who has sufficient freedom to do as he at all and so we wander aimlessly through life. likes, comes across a newspaper advertisement of a film to be shown in the local cinema. At It is true, however, that the kind of life we the first time he does not pay much attention to have to lead gives us very little time for sober it. But seeing the advertisement daily he comes reflection. There are so many things to be to reflect upon it and finally decides to see the done, so many social calls to make, etc., that film. Once this personal decision is made, no we can seldom spare the time. We are now so one can prevent him from going to that used to this kind of life that we are not particular cinema. As another example, boy accustomed to be alone with ourselves. As a and girl meet for the first time and they are matter of fact we dislike solitude. We must be attracted to each other. Somehow or other they doing something all the time, either talking to have many opportunities for seeing each other. someone, reading some book or carrying out The boy begins to think of the girl in her some physical deed. We now fight shy of absence, takes a fancy to the girl’s image solitude which is essential for proper which is recalled many times. The girl does meditation. To sum up:— We must repeatedly likewise. Then as time goes by, each desires to meditate on the advantages of a practical be with the other all the time and so they objective we wish to achieve and do it long decide to marry. No one can prevent them enough in order to arrive at a personal from changing their minds and if the parents decision, one way or the other. Persuasion and are not agreeable they find other means. We coaxing by others generally fail. For a can recall many such instances these days Buddhist whose primary duty is to take action because boys and girls see each other so often so that he will never come back to a worldly either in the house, office, as neighbours and existence, he has to meditate and convince so on. I have given these examples just to himself of the unsatisfactory nature of worldly show that when the mind dwells repeatedly on existence. I shall deal more fully with this an idea for a long time, some definite action when I come to its application in practical always results. Buddhism. 44 (2) What has to be done to achieve the lose interest in it and later give it up for good. result. The best course to adopt is to seek a practical After a personal decision has been made to teacher, i.e., one who has a good practical achieve a practical result, the next step is to knowledge of the subject. We know of find out what has to be done to achieve that scientific discoverers who adopted the same result. In other words we must know what to course and served their apprenticeships under do, i.e., the theory regarding the practice. Here eminent scientists of their time. But it is we have to learn the basic principles important that we avoid the teacher who only concerning the practice, the directions that knows the theoretical aspects of the subject. have to be followed, the reasons for carrying For we will be asked to carry out some practice out these directions and the result that is to be without telling us what the result should be. Of explained. This means that we must have a course it must be admitted that some sort of theoretical knowledge of the practical result must come from a practice but whether it knowledge acquired by the discoverer or is the desired result or not is an entirely rediscoverer. For instance, take the case of the different matter. discoverer of a gas. He has a practical It is, indeed, most difficult to know who is knowledge of the preparation and properties of the true teacher. In my opinion he is one who the gas. He then makes known his discovery so does not care for rewards, followers and fame. that others may rediscover the gas themselves. He looks solely to the benefit of the pupils he It will include the substances used in the has accepted. And why select pupils? Because preparation, the method of preparation, the he is not going to waste his time and effort on precautions to be taken, the chemical reaction those who will not carry out his instructions that takes place, the proper collection, testing and who start arguing and contradicting him. and properties of the gas. It will be noted that At the present time there are no proper the properties of the gas are given, properties selections of pupils—besides the examination which are found by testing the result, which is marks gained by them—who are really fired the gas. And why are they given? Because for the professions especially school teachers anyone who prepares the gas will know that he and doctors who look after the nations’ has employed the correct method when it is education and health. Recently it came out in found that the results of testing the gas he the papers that a tennis coach for the Davis cup prepared are in entire agreement with those players refused to accompany them unless they properties. Of course, the person who is going promised to do as they were told. Incidentally, to carry out the experiment must have acquired the value of having coaches and experts to a knowledge of elementary chemistry and the train people, instead of learning by trial and ways of carrying out chemical experiments. error, has come to be realised. The true teacher The same applies to all practical subjects. So would be able to explain matters in detail as I we see how essential it is to learn the have mentioned above. To stress my point by elementary principles and practice of a subject. an analogy it wouldn’t be right for a teacher to Since the objective is to achieve practical ask a person to ride a bicycle when that person results, we will have to concentrate on those has never seen one and does not know the use theories which relate to practice. From where of it. If a teacher asks a pupil to do a thing can we get these theories? We can seek for without explaining and giving instructions and them, alone and unaided, from books. This is the pupil does not carry it out, the teacher what is generally done. However, this takes up blames the pupil. But the latter is not at fault. a lot of time in order to grasp the essential If a teacher first explains and gives instructions ideas of practice. Moreover, there is always the and asks a pupil to do it and the pupil does not chance that some of these may be overlooked. carry it out, it is now the pupil’s fault, not the The result will be that we gradually come to teacher’s. 45 We now come to consider the pupil. We with others, and so we try to learn about things must be pupil-minded. This does not mean that by ourselves without assistance from others. we must overdo our respects or flatter the Even in such worldly matters as seeking teacher. This is not what the true teacher wealth, we go our own way about it. The wise wants. The main thing is to do exactly as we thing would be to serve as a pupil to one who are told. We will have to leave aside all our old has acquired riches (honestly, of course), learn beliefs, prejudices etc. for the time being and from him and consult him in such matters. And have implicit confidence in the teacher. If we this is most important in practical Buddhism. don’t understand or cannot accept what he tells The great difficulty is that there are no us we should not argue with him but humbly concrete ways, such as in the case of the ask for explanations so as to clear up all doubts wealthy man, to judge who is the true teacher. and be quite sure that we have rightly The next best thing, therefore, is to select a interpreted them. For the teacher has to express teacher, serve under him for several years, then his ideas in words which can easily be do the same with other teachers that are misinterpreted. This will result in reflection on selected. To sum up:—We don’t need to know wrong ideas and carrying out wrong practices a practical subject entirely but only that and we will fail to achieve the proper result. relevant portion concerning the theory and Therefore it is necessary to let the teacher instructions that are needed to achieve know how we have interpreted his words. This practical results. This is the practical is the real purpose of discussion with the knowledge acquired by others. We now go on teacher. It is not meant for the purpose of to the next two stages by which that practical arguing or contradicting him of for showing knowledge is made our own. off our knowledge. But you will find that there (3) How it has to be done. are very few who are pupil-minded. We stick This requires meditation or reflection on the to our own views and beliefs and can never instructions and on how to carry them out. leave them aside for a while. In fact we try to Then comes experimental practice and force our views on others, instead of simply meditation to remedy defects in the practice so presenting them for consideration. Others have as to get the right result. For in practical work the freedom to hold views and beliefs of their we seldom succeed at the first attempt. Of own and if these are wrong, it’s their concern, course, the information in books or those given not ours. There is the pride in us from giving by the practical teacher is always correct but up our views and condescending to learn from when we get down to the practice, we make others whoever they may be. There is an mistakes in the practical details which we account of two persons each of whom had ourselves have to overcome. The practical man been carrying a bundle of rags for a long knows he is liable to make mistakes, he is not distance. Then they came to a village where afraid of making mistakes and when he does, they found some cloth which was better than he overcomes them and gets his practice right. the rags. One, of course, gave up the rags and The theorist, on the other hand, gets his took the cloth. But the other would not, saying information from authoritative books which that he had expended so much effort carrying it are always right. He is afraid of making for such a long distance he was not prepared to mistakes and he thereby loses truth. give up the rags. They went on from village to village, one always exchanging his goods for a Here more time is spent on meditation on better one each time and the other sticking to practice. We must remember, however, that the his old rags. Who has profited? It is the same meditation is done with a practical result in with our views and beliefs, The pupil-minded view. We have to rely on ourselves alone from discards old ones for better ones. We always now on. We can get advice and guidance from think in terms of superiority over, or equality the teacher and from books but to get our own result we have to carry out the meditation and 46 the experimental practices by ourselves. We experimental practice and this comes only by cannot get the right view of the method of steady and persistent efforts at meditation and practice simply by accepting what the teacher practice. It becomes very interesting because and the books tell us. This is just theoretical we have to find solutions for the practical acceptance of the practical conclusions arrived problems that are encountered. We become at by others. We have to carry out trial active in mind—and therefore active in body— experiments and arrive at the practical when we know we have some problem to solve conclusions ourselves. As an example to and we try to find the solution. We now clearly illustrate my point, we Buddhists learn from comprehend, in a practical way, how the the Texts that everything in this world is practice has to be carried out, why we have to Anicca, Dukkha and Anattā and this view is carry out the various steps and the result accepted by us. If this were sufficient then all attained from practice. So this is a right view Buddhists would be Ariyas. But we are not, which has been confirmed by practice, i.e., a simply because we have not found this out practically realised right view of our own. practically for ourselves. The view has not (4) Repeatedly doing it. been confirmed by experiment. Since we have clearly comprehended The things that have to be done at this stage everything about the method of practice in the are (1) to meditate over what we have to do (2) preceding stage, the method is now repeated to clearly comprehend why they have to be just consciously till it can be carried out done, (3) to recall results that are to be mechanically. We can now say that we know obtained at the different stages and (4) to draw how to carry out the practices because the right up a procedure for trying out the experiment or result is obtained every time. There is nothing method of practice. After that we carry out the more to do about it for we have acquired practical work. It will be found that the result practical knowledge of the method, i.e., it is expected at intermediate stage is not obtained. our own method. The practical knowledge of We then reflect and find out where we went another has been made one’s own. wrong and the ways of putting it right. Then To sum up:— It is only at the end of this the method must be repeated from the final stage that we practically realise the facts beginning and carried on till we again find that found in books or given by the teacher. The the result at another intermediate stage is conclusions that we arrive at are our very own wrong. Again we must reflect to find means to and are based on practical experiments. Our overcome the defects. These practical mistakes objective to achieve a practical result has been can only be remedied by ourselves to get the realised. right result. When, in the above manner, we find that the final result is correct, we have a We often go through these successive right view of the experiment. But if we do not stages in order to achieve some practical get the right ideas of the practice or make no objective although we are never conscious of attempts to find solutions to the practical these stages. If therefore, a person clearly problems that we come across, we lose interest understands the principles explained above and and give up the experiment. lt is therefore very repeatedly applies them he will acquire the necessary that we proceed steadily and with trait for practical application of facts and so perseverance so as to grasp the essential ideas make them his own. He will never forget the in order to create interest. Because it is only facts although he makes no effort to memorize when we become interested that we find time them. The reason is that he had meditated on to continue with the trials till success is them so often in the various stages and applied achieved. them in practice. One seldom forgets things that one comes to know in a practical way. To sum up:— At this stage we have to get Off-hand answers can be given on it at any a good grasp of the essential ideas of the time. 47 Holism And The Scientist By T.M. Artingstoll, Melbourne University, Australia (This article was written by an English Buddhist and is an attempt to apply Buddhist principles to modern Science.—Ed.) The traditional methodology of Western Science has been Analytic and has tended to subsume events under standards or ideals. Holism looks to the events themselves, and makes no attempt to set the observer apart front the system being studied. The Holistic observer attempts to attain an understanding of the event rather than to formulate laws which may explain the activity of the system.

“FIRST and above all, an explanation must well understood in the Eastern Hemisphere, do justice to the thing that is to be explained, which is that effective thinking may only must not devaluate it, interpret it away, belittle operate in the same area as that in which action it, or garble it, in order to make it easier to operates, and that this area is defined by understand. The question is not ‘At what view whatever are recognised to be events. Events of the phenomenon must we arrive in order to are prior in experience to facts, and need not explain it in accordance with one or another be facts at all. Consequently scientists who philosophy?’ but precisely the reverse: ‘What deal only in facts run a risk of ending up with a philosophy is requisite if we are to live up to collection of world-pictures, instead of gaining the subject, be on a level with it? The question a grasp of Nature, the totality of events, which is not how the phenomenon must be turned, they set our originally to get. twisted, narrowed, crippled so as to be The conflict over the relative importance of explicable, at all costs, upon principles that we Reason and Events in regard to possible action have once and for all resolved not to go emerges typically in Science as a method- beyond. The question is: ‘To what point must logical dispute. Those who say that events we enlarge our thought so that it shall be in should be given, an equal voice with reason in proportion to the phenomenon..’” (Schelling, deciding proper scientific methods, are often ‘Philosophic der Mythologie’.) called Holists; whilst those who would As in all thought, the thought expressed in subordinate events to laws, principles and the foregoing quotation, is worth rather less classes whose abstract, rational form is than the paper on which it is printed, unless frequently cloaked under some ill-understood and until it is given expression as action. notion of “high probability”, are called by me Without action, thoughts, no matter how the Analysts. rational and sophisticated and pious they may In what follows I shall introduce them more be, are merely rational and sophisticated and fully to the reader, provide a brief sketch of pious. This is not to say that thought is useless, their historical position and origin, and finally but it is to say that, it has no position superior examine three main arguments often advanced to action, and must travel with it as equal against Holism. I would assume a point at partner, if it is to travel at all. issue if I claimed to do this objectively, for Those of us raised in the Rationalistic Holism rejects the Analysts contention that societies of the Western Hemisphere may find man is, or must be, capable of being impartial it simple to agree that action must always to whatever he studies as a scientist. I shall, consult thought, before it attacks its end; then, reject the disputed role of impartial significantly fewer of us understand what is recorders, and, like a French judge does, 48 declare myself biased, in this case towards will not, develop into another distinguishable Holism. My readers run no risk therefore of class. Present in some areas of the system is having their minds covertly made up for them the possibility of promoting or inhibiting this by me assuming an objectivity that may not development by the simple exercise of man’s exist. will. Nature would thus appear exactly like a huge machine, the operation of which men To predict and control Nature to the fullest could predict and control with varying degrees possible extent, Science must seek an intimate of success. understanding of it. This intimacy presupposes an effective methodology. Methods are Technically, for brevity, this is the same as adopted for use in one of three ways. The first saying that the event-system is postulated as way is by haphazard fumbling around some being a complete, or static, structured object, problem which has suddenly put the correct and that this assumption underlies the method into the experimenter’s hand. This is expectations and methods with which the hardly Science, and is certainly not effective. Analysts approach events. (a) The word The Analysts choose the second way, which is “complete” is used to indicate the eternal to make a minimum assumption that any stability which the Analysts believe to underlie scientific problem must be analyzable; as the surface froth of processing phenomena. events are always at the core of scientific “Indeterminate errors” are due to the problems, this entails that events are capable of contingency of events, and are not sign-posts being understood by splitting them up in a to the constant novelty of Nature, as the methodical manner. The third way is the Holists believe. (b) The term “structured” I typical modus operandi of the East, and makes have used to signify what is sometimes his no assumptions whatever; events are simply conscious assumption, but often his observed until some understanding of their unconscious prejudice, that the Universe is activity is gained, which is immediately built, and therefore has parts which are capable experimented upon, after which the operator of being entirely separated from the whole, and observes, and so on. which, in toto, exactly equal the whole. To claim, as the Holists will do, that a whole can The distinction between the consequent be more than its parts because of the pattern methodologies is that the first isn’t one, the any part of such wholes must follow so as to second is assumptive, and the third is dictated be a part of such particular wholes, is, to the by the way things allegedly are. As I am Analyst, merely to claim that any organised arguing that our methods must arise either whole always has one more part than any from our assumptions about the world, and the unorganised whole—that is, its, organicity, or Analysts represent this view, or from the ‘blueprint”. (c) “Object” is used to underline perceptions we have in the world, and the the Analysts’ belief that Nature is in front of us Holists stand for this, it follows that I must where we are independent observers, or is proceed by examining their respective attitudes capable of being brought in front of us by towards the world, in a context supplied by some process which invariably leans heavily Science. on the assumption that logical arguments can The Analysts have tended to view the end apply validly to events. of Science, as perhaps Zoology used to be If I were attempting to be “logical”, I would regarded, as a closed or completed science. now go on to assume the truth of the Analyst Nature would be seen as analysed into position by presenting the opposed Holistic exhaustive classes, each one resting on logical view, and then compare and contrast their proofs for its being a class, and containing positions as “objectively” as I could, utilizing within its definition the practical possibility of objective techniques to do so. But Holism predicting accurately that each class will, or rejects all words like “logical” and 49 “systematic” and “objective” and also their potentially fruitful sexual union, and the one logical opposites such as “illogical”, suddenly seeks to kill the other. Of course this “unsystematic” and “subjective” because they view of eternal conflict is not accepted by the rest upon purely rational operations of the Analysts, who resort to a certain body of rules mind, and can therefore have nothing to do the ancient Greeks used to use for deciding with events. Events, however, have histories, who had won a debate, and which are and as I am avowedly taking the Holist side nowadays often called Formal Logic. here, and as their conflict with the Analysts is But the Holists refuse to be bound by them, an event, I shall proceed to develop the arguing that either these rules will dictate the Holistic thesis by examining their theory of proper settlement of the argument (which is an history. event like any other), or they will not. If the To Holists history is conflict. This struggle latter, they are useless; but if the former they has taken place between events, including men must assume the point to be proved, which is with their varied desires, and what men have whether events can be subordinated to rules often claimed events ought, or ought not, to be, and standard. When the Analysts argue that by standards other than those erected on scientists cannot know anything unless they personal desire. Each force in this apparently follow rules, and select and analyse events in endless struggle is known by a great variety of terms of them, the Holists counter by saying it names, because in order to avoid undesirable is the primary aim of the scientist to associations drawn out of their meanings by understand events, and this is a whole, or the opposition, each disputant has frequently unified process, which has no connection with changed or modified its distinguishing label. abstract laws and rules. A child knows that two So, for instance, those who say that events are and two make four, but does he understand the the proper study for man, have sometimes process which develops four out of two twos? called themselves Materialists; and those who It is important to note that the Analysts, like believe that events are, or can be, arranged their ancestral Idealists, are seeking to under idealistic standards which have the only subordinate Holism to their methodological authority over them, including man’s wants approach; but the Holists represent a and needs, are still often called Idealists. But progression on the ancient Materialists, for as the first term has often been confused by its they do not want to overcome their opponents, antagonists with sensualism, sometimes but want simply to co-exist with them in deliberately, and the second confused with fruitful union. impractical dreaming, just as deliberately, quite often, we now find names which seek to Within the context supplied by the avoid these associations. Thus Materialists foregoing exposition of that conflict of events have been known to call themselves Realists, which the Holists say is the story behind all and Idealists to call themselves Rationalists, events, and each event, it is now possible to and even Empiricists. see their thesis emerging. It is far older, probably, than recorded history, for its roots lie Apart from name changing and name for all to see in the Upanishads and Vedic calling the dispute remains unmodified, hymns of ancient India. In them, Nature is said because, the Holists say, it is simply an to be a continually developing process of instance of the eternal conflict which keeps events, of which man is always an integral Nature going. Idealists and Materialists are part. This view is not a bare assumption; for it both right, in the way that any natural struggle is describing what is clearly the case, namely is right, and the only danger to man has been that Nature, and natural events, are always when either of these antagonists threatened to altering and modifying, and man is a part of get the upper hand. The exact parallel is when Nature. male and female are struggling together in 50 Any methodological interferences in they are truly such, we are at one with the Science, if scientists wish to deal with what is process, and can be said to understand it. the case, i.e. events, must be drawn therefore (2) Science can only come to know what from this fundamental declaration, often made any event is by examining the way it is built. by Buddha as “All that is constant is change”. In order to do this it must assume an analytical Against the Analyst assumption that Nature method, which is the same as assuming that will turn out to be a completely structured every event is a logical structure which object, and that therefore scientific methods therefore must have parts. The reply of the should aim at proving this true, the Holists Holists is that events are illogical structures. present their observation that Nature is Therefore to seek always and essentially to continuously developing as a whole, with analyse them will result either in failing to scientific observers consequently unable to understand events, or in understanding divorce themselves from what it is that they something quite different from them. Any study, and that therefore all scientific methods event is illogical because it is that-which- are unitary, and ecological, and synthetic in happens. As “that” it is an entity, and is operation. It is this practical inability of the therefore a mass, and intransitive. As “hap- scientist to divorce himself from what he seeks pening”, however, it is therefore a velocity, to understand that is the very condition of his and transitive; it is merely using synonyms to understanding, and his realisation of this, in say it is therefore a process, and represents a connection with each particular problem he history. It follows, and unless we wish to seeks to solve, is his understanding. ignore events and live in some analytical There are three common moves made dream-world, that the understanding of events against Holism, and I shall conclude this presupposes the abandonment of logical outline by sketching them in, along with their assumptions about them, and consequently, the rebuttals. sole use of analytical methodologies as the only “respectable” activity of Science. (1) Nature is cyclic. Summer follows summer, assorted crystals exhibit the same (3) We can regard the world objectively, for pattern, and so on. This is the ground for events are at the receptors of our sense-organs, assuming Analytical methods, and it is in order and we must so regard the world with to lay this basic completeness bare. The impartiality if we are to gain a clear picture of Holists rebut this by saying that Nature, either it, and the events that make it up. Thus as a whole of event, or in aspect as single methodology must always assume the analysis- event, is not cyclic, but is instead spirited. One possibility of events. Holists, however, deny summer is not exactly like another, one crystal that we view the world impartially, for our is not identical with another. Events represent sense-organs, nervous systems, and brains are a continual unfolding on themselves, which is events in it, and of it. But this is a case for therefore a whole of development. We cannot scientific joy, not despair. This circumstance approach the ever-renewed-yet-new, symbol- will help, not hinder, the scientist to achieve ised by a spiral, with methods based upon his end, which is not to look at pictures of assumptions of a fixed and inviolable nature. events, but to grasp them in his understanding. For rest assured the use of such methods will Understanding is essentially an enlight- confirm our assumptions, or else they will be ening, insightful experience, which I term discarded, and we will wind up eventually with “pattern-grasp”. The practice of objective a picture of the world, a knowing of it, instead techniques removes us from any possibility of of a grasp of the world, an understanding of it. gaining this grasp of events, by opposing us to Our methods must be as flexible and events. Pattern-grasp arises, and can only arise, unprejudiced as is the process we study; when from the many pulls and pushes, tugs and 51 shoves, which we give to events, amid events. as follows. If you look at Nature, and each This is not a logical procedure, for it has no event, like a machine set in front of you, and possibility of being ultimately abstracted from Nature were not a machine in front of you, this events, and made formal and objective; but assumption would lead you away from what neither is it illogical in the sense of being Nature actually is, to what you, personally, haphazardly insane, for it is not utterly think it to be. If you happen to belong to a rich subjective, being continuously responsive to and powerful organization, such as modern other events. Pattern-grasping involves, if you Science is, and I happen to be a natural event, like, a totality of object and subject, and this is and a discrepancy appears between what you Holism for Scientists. think I must be, and what I happen to be, I can be exposed to physical, mental, moral and If I were asked to sum up the argument spiritual damage. ‘Potent sirs, take care. advanced by Holism I would speak, or write,

52

THE BASIC RESPONSIBILITIES OF BUDDHISTS By Miss Pitt Chin Hui, President of the Singapore Regional Centre of the W.F.B. Many people think that Buddhism is a life, but it is also an excellent path to a lasting Doctrine of pessimism and, for this reason, world peace. If we try our utmost to propagate keep themselves far away from the Buddhist the Teachings of the Buddha today, we shall be world. They care very little to investigate and able to convert those who love war to rather study Buddhism, the Science of Deliverance. searching for peace and harmony instead. But, in fact, to study Buddhism is to seek the Since Buddhism is an excellent way of way to understand the Truth of the world and leading humanity to deliverance, we should of human life. The excellent way of life spare no effort to search for all means to preached by the Buddha is the result of His propagate the Noble Teachings of the Buddha, personal experiences, and His teachings are to promote Culture, Education and Charity. practical and within the reach of every one. Through -the medium of Culture, we can The ethical Teachings of the Buddha appeal propagate Buddhism far and wide. With not only to people of all classes but also to Buddhist education, we can train Buddhist people of different thoughts, in different times missionaries. When young people are taught and under different circumstances. The the ethical teachings of the Buddha in schools doctrine of the Buddha is the only excellent and Universities they will bring peace and way of leading the world to perfect peace and happiness to the world. And finally we can win happiness. Selfishness, greed, hatred, injustice the hearts of men through infinite loving- and intolerance have caused many a quarrel kindness. Promoting cultural, educational and among individuals and these same evils have charitable activities is the basic responsibility led to wars among nations. of all followers of the Buddha. The main Teachings of the Buddha are I earnestly hope that we followers of the based upon cause and effect, and these truths Buddha will try to find ways and means to are well contained in the philosophy and moral propagate Buddhism to every corner of the Teachings of the Buddha. When people world so that the Truth of the Buddhadhamma understand the principle of cause and effect, will enlighten the world, and enable all to live they will try their very best to do good and to in peace, liberty and happiness. avoid evil. Buddhism is not only the science of May this Vesak Day bring you all good deliverance, leading people to live a righteous health and prosperity.

53 Nalanda University Library By Dipak Kumar Barua, M.A., Dip. Lib. “A true University is a collection of books”, According to further observations of I-Tsing Carlyle remarks such while he commends when a Bhikkhu expired at Nalanda, his sacred highly of the library or a collection of books. books were added to the library and other Indeed no University whether of old or of properties including non-Buddhistic works today can be an effective instrument of were sold or distributed. This precious imparting instructions to the inquisitive information shows how gradually through learners without a well-planned library. The peaceful acquisition of dead one’s careful celebrated Universities of India, thus collections the Nalanda University Library maintained well-organised libraries for the ultimately became a grand store-house of convenience of both teachers and students. invaluable manuscripts.3 Detailed particulars Nalanda, the magic name in the domain of about the Nalanda University Library can be learning, too flashes a good deal of light on the gathered from the Tibetan sources. The library organisation of libraries in Indian Universities was situated in a special area known as the of old. Dharmaganja (Mart of Religion)4 which About 55 miles south-east of Patna, comprised three monumental edifices, called Nalanda became gradually a famous Buddhist Ratnasagara, Ratnadadhi and Ratnaranjaka, of centre which was the place of the birth and which Ratnasagara, which was a nine-storeyed death of Sariputta, one of the dearest disciples building5 was specialized in the collection of of the Buddha. Asoka is said to have built a rare and sacred works like “Prajna- temple there. But its rise as a centre of learning paramitasutra” and Tantrika books like has to be placed at about 450 A.D., as Fa-Hien “Samajaguhya” and others.6 in C. 410 A.D., did not mention its educational There are epigraphic records which show eminence. It was under the active support and definitely that financial arrangements were patronage of the Gupta emperors who were made for the preservation of the rich little orthodox, that Nalanda steadily rose into collections of the Nalanda Library. An prominence. Sakraditya (probably Kumara inscription relates how the famous king of Java Gupta I) of 414-455 A.D., laid the foundation and Sumatra, Balaputradeva by name, had a of the greatness of Nalanda by establishing and monastery built at Nalanda, and also requested endowing a monastery there. his friend, King Devapala of Bengal, to make a But the “Nalanda authorities could feel that grant of five villages for the maintenance of a monastery without a library was like a castle this newly built monastery and expenditure of without an armoury”.1 The Nalanda University adding to its library manuscripts copied for the was maintaining a splendid library to meet the purpose (Dharmaratnasya lekhanartham)7. needs of the numerous teachers and students. I- But it is sad to note that this celebrated Tsing, the Chinese traveller, got copied at Library which grew up step by step and which Nalanda 400 Sanskrit works amounting to respected accurately the Fifth Law of Library 5,00,000 verses and stayed for his studies there Science, viz., “Library is a growing organism”, for the long period of ten years (675-685 A.D.)2 This refers to the fact that the 3 Indian Librarian, Vol. 9 No. 2, Sept. 1954, p. 54 University possessed a very rich collection— (Chekravorti, S. N. Libraries in Ancient Times with both Buddhistic and non-Buddhistic. special reference to India.) 4 Pag-Sam-Jon-Zang, ed., Das. S.C. p. 92. 5 Mazumdar. N.N. A History of Education in Ancient India, p-93. 1 Altekar, A.S. Education in Ancient India p. 121. 6 Sankalia. H.D. The University of Nalanda, p. 63. 2 Mookerjee, R.L, Ancient Indian Education, p. 574. 7 Epigraphia Indica, Vol. XVII; p.310. 54 as propounded by Dr. S.R. Ranganathan, could DHAMMA SAṄGAṆĪ (ENGLISH not survive long as the surging waves of invaders came from the West. It was at the TRANSLATION) REPRINTED merciless hands of these bloody intruders that (The following is the series of Nalanda passed into oblivion and now has correspondence leading to the re-print of become almost a sacred name for the scholars SCO copies of the English Translation of world over. The Tibetan text Pag-Sam-Jon- Dhamma-Saṅgaṇī by the Union of Zang presents a vivid account of the Burma Buddha Sāsana Council, in 1963, with the kind permission of the Pali Text destruction of the Library thus: “After the Society, London.—Ed.) Turusha raiders had made incursions in Nalanda, the temples and chaityas there were Buddha Sāsana Council Inquiry Committee, repaired by a sage named Mudita Bhadra. Kaba-Aye, Rangoon, Burma. Soon after this, Kukutasiddha, Minister of the No. Sa. Sa. 62/(295) King of Magadha, erected a temple at Nalanda, 22nd December, 1962 and while a religious sermon was being Dear Madam, delivered there, two very indigent Tirthika As the interest in the study of Buddhist mendicants appeared. Some naughty young literature, especially the Abhidhamma, is novice monks in disdain threw washing water growing day by day all over the world, the on them. This made them very angry. After members of the Inquiry Committee of the propitiating the Sun for twelve years, they Buddha Sāsana Council feel that the English performed a yajna, fire-sacrifice, and threw translation of Dhamma Saṅgaṇī, the first book living embers and ashes from the sacrificial pit of Abhidhamma, should be reprinted as soon into the Buddhist temples, etc. This produced a as possible. great conflagration which consumed The Buddha Sāsana Council is fortunate Ratnadadhi”.1 enough to own a very modern Litho-press, Thus ended “most insignificantly the most which can reprint the Dhamma Saṅgaṇī within magnificient temple of learning in one month’s time at the longest. If ever it is Jambudripa” or the premier and pioneer reprinted, it should be not less than two National University of India.2 It was the thousand copies, otherwise the cost of each University which offered to us the first well- copy will be very high. organised University Library consisting of Our main object is to place the book within manuscripts of different curricula that were the easy reach of interested scholars and followed there. It not only helped the scholars students. Our purpose is not to make money and aided the ordinary common people by out of the publication, but at the same time we answering simple reference questions, but also do not want to deprive the original printers and actually found out appropriate answers for the the people who owned the copyright of their inquirers. The visitors were struck dumb by monetary benefits. observing its magnificent buildings and grand We like to know the terms for the libraries of encyclopaedic knowledge. It may publication of this book as soon as possible, be that in the subsequent periods numerous i.e., commercially. academic and institutional libraries grew up, Even if the original printers do not agree to but none could surpass the Nalanda Library our idea of reprinting the book on commercial which being pre-eminent scattered its rays to scale, we like to print the book for our all directions and made the cultural conquest of domestic use only. That means, we like to print India easy and convenient. about 500 copies only. Therefore, can you enlighten us as to the following two points:— 1 Vidyabhushana, S.C. Mediaeval School of Indian Logic, p. 146. (1) The terms for the publication of the 2 Sankalia, H.D. The University of Nalanda, p. 241. book up to 2000 copies. 55 (2) Publication of the book up to 500 copies * * * * * only for domestic use, i.e., just for the Buddha Sāsana Council Inquiry Committee, interested scholars and the students in Kaba-Aye, Rangoon, Burma. the country. In this case, each copy will No. Sa.Sa. 63/ (8) not cost more than ten Kyats only (i.e., 10th January 1963. about 12 Shillings) for scholars in Burma only. This is just the bare cost. Dear Madam, The book consists of about 500 pages. Thank you very much for your kind letter You know very well that there is no of 1st January 1963. We are writing direct to money-making enterprise in this. It is the Secretary of the Royal Asiatic Society in purely a dissemination of Dhamma. London in connection with the reprint of the Kindly note that if we reprint the book, we Dhamma Saṅgaṇī. We hope, you will also can give royalty, if any, in terms of books remind either the secretary or the members of only, as we are faced with the Foreign the Royal Asiatic Society whenever there is Exchange problems. any chance for you to contact them. An early reply is solicited. We also like to have a Book List published Sincerely Yours, by the Pali Text Society. U Hla Maung, M.A., M.S., B.L., Thanking you again for your kind reply. Secretary, Yours Sincerely, Buddha Sāsana Council Inquiry Committee, U Hla Maung, M.A., M.S., B.L., Kaba-Aye, Rangoon, Burma. Secretary Buddha Sāsana Council Inquiry Committee, Miss I.B.Horner, M.A., Kaba-Aye, Rangoon, Burma. Associate of Newnhan College, Cambridge, ENGLAND. Miss I.B. Horner, M.A., * * * * * President, Pali Text Society, Pali Text Society 30 Dawson Place, London, W.2, 30 Dawson Place, London, W.2 ENGLAND. 1-1-63. * * * * * The Secretary, Buddha Sāsana Council Inquiry Committee, Buddha Sāsana Council, Kaba-Aye, Rangoon, Burma. Inquiry Committee, No. Sa.Sa. 63/ (9) Kaba-Aye, Rangoon. th 10 January 1963. Dear Sir, Your Ref. No. Sa. Sa 62/(295) Dear Sir, I have safely received the two copies of the We believe that you have already received letter you sent me dated December 22nd a copy of our letter addressing to Miss I.B. concerning a reprint of the English Translation Horner, who was kind enough to forward it to of the Dhamma Saṅgaṇī. Today I am you. forwarding one of these copies to the Secretary In this letter, we want to repeat our request of the Royal Asiatic Society in London, as this that we may be given permission to reprint the Society, and not the Pali Text Society, is the English translation of the Dhamma Saṅgaṇī, publisher of this book, and presumably owns which is one of the most important treatises on the copyright. You will doubtless hear from Abhidhamna. the Secretary in due course. Our main purpose is for the wider Thanking you for waiting, I am, publication and dissemination of the Dhamma Yours Sincerely, only, and not for monetary profit at all. Sd. I.B. Horner Buddha Sāsana Council owns a very good (President) Litho Press, which can reprint the book well. 56 Therefore, we like to know the following wonder if you know anyone in Burma who points:— could buy one? (1) The terms for the publication of the Thanking you very much for your kindness book up to 2000 copies, and which is much appreciated. (2) Publication of the book up to 500 copies Yours Sincerely. only for domestic use. Sd. I.B. Horner If we are to give any royalty, we can give in (President) terms of books only, as we are faced with the The Secretary, very strict foreign exchange problems. Buddha Sāsana Council, An early reply is solicited. Inquiry Committee, Sincerely Yours, Kaba-Aye, Rangoon. U Hla Maung, M.A., M.S., B.L., * * * * * Secretary, Buddha Sāsana Council Inquiry Committee, Buddha Sāsana Council Inquiry Committee, Kaba-Aye, Rangoon, Burma. Kaba-Aye, Rangoon, Burma. No. Sa. Sa. 63/(50) The Secretary. 14th February, 1963. Royal Asiatic Society (in London), Dear Madam, Miss I.B. Horner, M.A I thank you very much for your letter dated President, Pali Text Society, the 9th February 1963 and the Catalogue of 30 Dawson Place, London, W.2., Books published by the Pali Text Society, ENGLAND. which had reached me safely. * * * * * As for the book “Introduction to Pali”, we Pali Text Society, will order it through either Ava House, a book 30 Dawson Place, London, W.2. depot, or Peoples’ Literature House. I believe 9-2-63. that it will be very useful for the students of Your ref. No. Sa. Sa. 63 (8) Pāḷi. of January 10th, 1963. As for reprinting the “Dhamma Saṅgaṇī” Dear U Hla Maung, we will be grateful if you can advise us as to Since I received your letter, for which I how many copies we should publish. Locally, thank you, I have been trying to find out who we can have an immediate sale of about 150 is the owner of the copyright of Mrs. Rhys copies, and the rest will be sold out gradually Davids’s translation of the Dhammasaṅgaṇī, and slowly. Anyway, we are ready to print the “Buddhist Psychological Ethics”. I now book up to 1000 copies. discover that the Pali Text Society has the We hope, our request will meet a copyright invested in it. For any question of a favourable consideration. reprint being made I must refer the matter to Yours Sincerely, my Council at their next meeting in the middle U Hla Maung, M.A., M.S., B.L., of March and will let you know if they come to Secretary, any decision. Buddha Sāsana Council Inquiry Committee, I sent you a catalogue of books published Kaba-Aye, Rangoon, Burma. by the Pali Text Society on January 17th, by surface mail, so am afraid it cannot have Miss I.B. Horner, M.A., reached you yet. It is rather heavy for air mail. President, Pali Text Society, Since I sent it, the book “Introduction to Pali”, 30 Dawson Place, London, W.2, a primer and reader, teaching one how to read ENGLAND. and understand canonical Pāḷi, has been * * * * * published. It is priced at £ 4.15.0 a copy. I 57 Pāḷi Text Society being fully aware of the importance, and 30 Dawson Place, London, W.2. scarcity in English translation, of Abhidhamma 20-3-63 books. I now have my Council’s permission to Your ref. No. Sa. Sa. 63/ (50) of 14.2-63. put a reprint in hand. This will be on sale to all countries except Burma where it would not be Dear U Hla Maung, possible for us to sell it because of the Foreign I put the matter of a possible reprint of the Exchange problem. translation of the Dhammasaṅgaṇī to be made This copyright permission we are now by the Buddha Sāsana Council before the giving you for reprinting an edition of up to Council of this Society at its Meeting this 500 copies naturally covers these five hundred week. This refers to the translation made by copies only. If any subsequent reprinting were Mrs Rhys Davids, under the title “Buddhist desired to be made, the copyright permission Psychological Ethics”, 1st edition 1900, 2nd would have to be sought from the Pali Text edition 1923. The copyright is vested in the Society again. Pali Text Society. I hope you will find we have tried to meet I am glad to be able to tell you that my your wishes. Like you, we too feel the Council fully agreed that an edition of up to, dissemination of Buddhism is a matter of great but not exceeding, 500 (five hundred) copies importance. might be printed in Burma for, as you say, Sincerely Yours, your “domestic use only”, and this edition Sd. I.B. Horner should not be sold to overseas countries; and (President) copies to be sold only in Burma. In fact, my The Secretary, Council was inclined to think that each copy Buddha Sāsana Council, should have printed in it “Not for Export”. Inquiry Committee, The Pali Text Society had for some years Kaba-Aye, Rangoon. been contemplating re-printing this work,