It is so easy for us to think of our duties to ourselves and also of our rights. It is quite true that we have duties to ourselves and we also have rights. But if we allow ourselves to centre our thoughts on self, then we have overlooked something that is very important in the Buddhist way of life, and that is our duty to others. No one can ever be truly happy who thinks only of himself, of his own needs and wants, his own likes and dislikes and his own pleasures. Each of us has duties towards our friends, associates, and to all living beings everywhere. In modern times we hear a great deal about co-operation. The Chinese have a very expressive way of stating the idea of co-operation. It is “pulling together”. To be self-centred is to pull away from others. Most of the good things in life can be had more easily by all of us if there is more and more pulling together.

Ques. 1 What is your religion? Ans. I am a Buddhist. Ques. 2 What is Buddhism? Ans. Buddhism is the teaching of all the Buddhas. Ques. 3 What is a Buddha? Ans. A Buddha is a very wise man who has freed himself from all ignorance. Ques. 4 Is Buddha a God? Ans. No, He is far greater than any God or ordinary man. Ques. 5 Why is He greater than any God or ordinary man? Ans. Because of His own efforts He found the Truth.

Sometimes these three evils are known as “the Three Poisons” and that is quite a good name for them. The three are – craving, hatred and delusion. In very many books these three poisons are called by either their Sanskrit or Pali names. In Sanskrit they are lobha, dvesa and moha. The only difference when they are given in Pali is that dvesa becomes dosa. But, no matter how we may call these three evils, they are sources of sorrow to all who allow such poisons to come into their minds.

Sometimes these three evils are known as “the Three Poisons” and that is quite a good name for them. The three are – craving, hatred and delusion. In very many books these three poisons are called by either their Sanskrit or Pali names. In Sanskrit they are lobha, dvesa and moha. The only difference when they are given in Pali is that dvesa becomes dosa. But, no matter how we may call these three evils, they are sources of sorrow to all who allow such poisons to come into their minds.

The Lord Buddha taught us that there are three signs or marks that go along with everything in this world. Most grown-ups know them either by their Pali or Sanskrit names. In Sanskrit they are, Duhkha, Anitya, Anatman and these words mean Sorrow, Never-ending change, Lack of an unchanging soul. In Pali the words are similar to the Sanskrit and are: Dukkha, Anicca and Anatta. Some people claim that these three ideas are very hard for a child to understand. This cannot be true. Even an infant, barely able to walk, has already learned about pain and disappointment. The baby often wants what it cannot have and sometimes shows strong dislike for what it can have. That is not all there is to the Buddha’s teaching about sorrow, but at least this way of putting it gives us a fair idea of the teaching.

A person’s karma, good or bad, is actually that person and it is the karma that is reborn in some other life, either in a heaven or a hell, or again in this world. In some cases, a person with extremely bad karma might be reborn as an animal. Let us imagine a man so cruel and bloodthirsty that he is like a tiger in all his thought and action. It is quite possible that such a person might be reborn as a tiger. Or to imagine another case – a person whose habits make him seem very much like a pig. How could we expect such a person to be reborn as a heavenly being, or even as a good, normal, decent human being? All of us know the ancient saying: “Straws show which way the wind is blowing.” It is the same with our own lives. Our habits show what kind of people we really are. Those whose habits in this life show that they are very closely akin to pigs, will probably be reborn in the animal world – as pigs. Everything connected with rebirth depends on karma.

Karma is a Sanskrit word meaning action. As we Buddhists use the term, the meaning is clearer if we describe it as action and reaction, or act and result. Another way to describe Karma is cause and effect. When we plant rice, we do not expect a harvest of pepper. We do not make a fire in order to produce coolness. In everything in life we find that if we know all the causes, then we can reliably predict the effects. For example, we know that if we are careless with matches, a fire is likely to result and may even destroy the house. But we also know that we can never burn down the house with ice. It is the nature of fire to burn and destroy. Ice has a different nature and produces entirely different effects. Let us think of producing something else. Let us pretend we want to bake a cake for someone’s birthday. We know we must have flour, salt, milk, flavouring, etc., and must mix all these ingredients carefully. Then, when we have put the batter in the pan, we must have the oven at

Right Meditation is often called Right Concentration, because it is shutting out of the mind of all but one thought. Real meditation usually comes about only after long practice. But boys and girls can practise some of the various forms of meditation and really ought to try to meditate at least a little every day. Many Buddhist families have either morning or evening devotions, or both, and it is a good custom to use the meditation on goodwill as part of the devotions. Here is the formula that is used for the sending forth of thoughts of goodwill to all beings:

This point is often called Right Recollectedness or Right Attention. Actually it means keeping one’s mind on what one is doing. As an example of how important it is to have this Right Mindfulness, or Right Attention, let us imagine a boy is riding his bicycle down a busy city-street. He is not paying attention to what he is doing and absent-mindedly goes through a stop-light. Another vehicle strikes his bike and the boy gets badly hurt. All this happens as a result of not using this important point seven of the Noble Path.

None of the points of the Noble Path has any real meaning if it is not joined to effort. Even the finest motor-car is useless if there is no petrol in the tank. The petrol is the energy that makes the car run. Another name for Right Effort is Right Energy. If this sixth point is missing, then the other points of the path have no life in them. When Right Effort is missing in anyone’s life, we use an unpleasant word to describe that condition. The word is Laziness. If we do not overcome laziness, we cannot make any real progress on the road to happiness.