Tu Viện Quảng Đức105 Lynch Rd, Fawkner, Vic 3060. Australia. Tel: 9357 3544. quangduc@quangduc.com* Viện Chủ: HT Tâm Phương, Trụ Trì: TT Nguyên Tạng   

The Buddha's Chain of Conditions: Leading Us Towards Peace

03/12/201016:07(Xem: 3185)
The Buddha's Chain of Conditions: Leading Us Towards Peace
Buddha_7
Written by Ava (Phuong-Thao) Nguyen
Dharma Name: Quang Thanh
* Written in reference to materials presented in lecture by Dr. James Manseau Sauceda, professor at California State University, Long Beach


With the Jade Buddha now touring the world, many communities are now taking the time to reflect upon peace. However, such reflection requires us to systematically think about what peace means to each of us individually. How can we attain peace? Where can we find it? What are the steps to peace? The largest obstacle to peace is suffering - in particular the acknowledgement of suffering.

The Buddha called for disciples to be of service to revealing the amount of suffering that not only they are subject to, but that all people are subject to. At times, we are not given the true level of suffering in the world. For example, many people are not aware of the alarming amount of violence in cities like Los Angeles, where gang activity has taken the lives of 10,000 youth in the last few years. There are 90 active gangs in the city of Long Beach alone. Long Beach is also the 4th highest in poverty in the state. Did we, as a community, know this? When we ourselves are unaware and in denial of the suffering around us, there is no possible way to attain peace. Below is an excerpt from the Buddha's teachings about the progression to peace, called his "Chain of Conditions."

Buddha’s Chain of Conditions: Heading Us Towards Peace

In nurturing
our own ability to see suffering as it really is, we nurture the abandoning of denial -
In nurturing the
abandoning of denial, we nurture the opening of positive intervention -
In nurturing the opening of positive interventions, we nurture
our own empowerment-
In nurturing our own empowerment, we nurture effective action plans for change -
In nurturing effective action plans for change, we
become freed from our sorrow, lamentation, pain, and despair.


The first element deals with nurturing our own ability to see suffering in others. This is the first and most crucial step to peace. We have to be able to see that our opponents are suffering as well. Once we are able to see that, we can look inwards and see that we share the same suffering. We become less dogmatic and are free to open our hearts to others, even those we once called our enemies. Many times, we see only our own suffering, which leads us to become angry and our hearts become cemented. We must nurture our ability to see the suffering of every human being.

In the second element, the key to intervention is that it must be positive. Simply trying to stop a problem at its roots is not positive - followingits roots and understanding its growth is positive. In this way, you come to understand the sourceof another person's suffering.


The third and fourth elements are about the process of nurturing positive action. We have to take right action that pinpoints the source of the suffering of all parties. In this way, we are led to the final element, where our actions free us from our sufferings.

Just as The Buddha spoke of a Chain of Conditions leading to Peace, he also spoke of conditions that can lead to violence. Below is an excerpt.

Buddha’s Chain of Conditions: Leading To Violence

In nurturing denial, we nurture resentment -
In nurturing resentment, we nurture anger -
In nurturing anger, we nurture violence -
In nurturing violence, we nurture suffering -
In nurturing suffering, we are not freed from our sorrow, lamentation, pain, and despair.


Like the elements of the chain of conditions leading towards peace, these chains of conditions issue a domino effect, one leading inevitably to the other. The first step, nurturing denial, stems from our own unwillingness to see that others are suffering in addition to ourselves. That step is the hardest to take, yet the most crucial.
Gửi ý kiến của bạn
Tắt
Telex
VNI
Tên của bạn
Email của bạn
14/10/2023(Xem: 4434)
Our immense pleasure is to present to you this remarkable conference book – Buddhism: A Historical and Practical Vision. Inside these pages lies a stunning tapestry of wisdom created by the joint dedication and hard work of young Vietnamese Buddhist monks and nuns scholars who have explored the legacy of Buddhism in depth. From exploring the compatibility and integration of Mahāyāna Buddhism’s teachings with realistic political theory on leadership and the introduction Buddhist philosophy and the establishment and significance of Buddhist universities in the United States, each paper stands as a testament to the vibrant diversity and enduring relevance of Buddhist thought. Among the thought-provoking papers, you will discover insightful investigations into the practical theory of impermanence as a means to enhance one’s own living experience. Additionally, a critical interpretation of Nibbāna from Dr. Ambedkar’s perspective in the Indian Engaged Buddhist Movement sheds light
14/10/2023(Xem: 2649)
On a summer afternoon in 2023, on the Kandy plateau in Sri Lanka, renowned for its veneration of the sacred Tooth Relic of the Buddha, on the lush green grounds of the University of Peradeniya, Kandy, the Departments of Education and Buddhist Studies held a Buddhist Seminar on July 14, 2023, with the patronage of Maha Mahinda International Dharmadutha Society, Colombo, Sri Lanka, and Huong Sen Buddhist Temple, California, USA.
05/10/2023(Xem: 1613)
pa-auk-tawya-sayadawThis is the second Sutta the Buddha taught to human beings after His enlightenment. It was taught five days after the full-moon day of the first rains retreat, that is, the fifth day after the expounding of the Dhammacakkapavatana Sutta. Đây là bài Kinh (Sutta) thứ hai mà Đức Phật thuyết giảng cho nhân loại sau khi Ngài giác ngộ. Nó được giảng năm ngày sau ngày trăng tròn của tháng mùa mưa đầu tiên, ngày thứ năm sau khi thuyết giảng Kinh Chuyển Pháp Luân (Dhammacakkapavatana Sutta).
05/10/2023(Xem: 1432)
The Buddha was careful to classify questions according to how they should be answered, based on how helpful they were to gaining awakening. Some questions deserved a categorical answer, that is, one that holds true across the board. Some he answered analytically, redefining or refining the terms before answering. Some required counter-questioning, to clarify the issue in the questioner’s mind. But if the question was an obstacle on the path, the Buddha put it aside.
05/10/2023(Xem: 1867)
Buddhist traditions – Theravada, Zen, and Tibetan Buddhism. A personal account of how anatta and meditation are related in the experience of the author follows. The twin approach of contemporary textual study and personal phenomenological investigation may prove to be a helpful methodology in the elucidation of this most enigmatic, and perhaps, most controversial teaching of the historical Buddha
12/09/2023(Xem: 1219)
Master Tue Sy's poetry domain is extensive and immense. His lyrics ascend to infinity and beyond. Its profundity is bottomless. How can one fathom it in pursuit of meaning? To the writer of this article, it would probably be better to sit down, staring at the rest symbols in the Master’s Choruses for the Piano, to hear, maybe “all Greek to him”, some soundless notes of surreal melodies.
25/07/2023(Xem: 4938)
Dealing with the chosen work, I observe that a puggala has been present in the world because of dependent origination (paṭiccasamuppāda) or continuity of change (santāna). The five masses of elements (pañcakkhandhā), which constitute the puggala and the world around him, are without any substance (anattā), impermanent (anicca) and they are really causes of grief (dukkha)...
07/02/2022(Xem: 6200)
Andy Le, a 10-year-old monk at the Ventura Buddhist Center,is believed to be on a spiritual path that will help bring peace to humanity in the 21st century. “This is an amazing little boy,” said Venerable Thich Thong Hai, founder of the Ventura Buddhist Center. “We are very happy and honored he was born in this county. It’s a great blessing.” Reincarnation is part of the Buddhist tradition, leading spiritual leaders to believe the boy’s birth in Oxnard is part of a greater plan, Hai said. “In a previous life, he was a high ranking monk in Thailand,” he said. “That’s why his parents and the monks and nuns here are trying to help … keep him on the right track. That’s why we protect him.”
facebook youtube google-plus linkedin twitter blog
Nguyện đem công đức này, trang nghiêm Phật Tịnh Độ, trên đền bốn ơn nặng, dưới cứu khổ ba đường,
nếu có người thấy nghe, đều phát lòng Bồ Đề, hết một báo thân này, sinh qua cõi Cực Lạc.

May the Merit and virtue,accrued from this work, adorn the Buddhas pureland,
Repay the four great kindnesses above, andrelieve the suffering of those on the three paths below,
may those who see or hear of these efforts generates Bodhi Mind, spend their lives devoted to the Buddha Dharma,
the Land of Ultimate Bliss.

Quang Duc Buddhist Welfare Association of Victoria
Tu Viện Quảng Đức | Quang Duc Monastery
Most Venerable Thich Tam Phuong | Senior Venerable Thich Nguyen Tang
Address: Quang Duc Monastery, 105 Lynch Road, Fawkner, Vic.3060 Australia
Tel: 61.03.9357 3544 ; Fax: 61.03.9357 3600
Website: http://www.quangduc.com
http://www.tuvienquangduc.com.au (old)
Xin gửi Xin gửi bài mới và ý kiến đóng góp đến Ban Biên Tập qua địa chỉ:
quangduc@quangduc.com