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   

27. The Teaching of all Buddha

11/06/202009:11(Xem: 2370)
27. The Teaching of all Buddha

dharma wheel

THE TEACHING OF ALL BUDDHAS

Venerable Sumangalo


“Cease to do evil, do good; purify the heart and mind; this is the teaching of all the Buddhas”.

 

(1)   “Cease to do evil”.

All of us know the difference between right and wrong. We must not do anything we know will be hurtful to anyone, including ourselves. Birds and animals, too, must not harmed.

When we speak of not hurting anyone or anything, we mean far more than just not causing physical pain. We must not speak unkind words or invent untrue stories about anyone. We must not do anything wrong even by neglect or carelessness. For example, we forget to fill the dog’s water-bowl and the poor dog suffers from thirst. There are many ways to cause suffering simply by carelessness. When we have caused unhappiness to others by any act or word of ours, or by failing to do what we know is right, then we are guilty of doing evil. It is not a good excuse that something wrong we have done is only a “small evil”. When Lord Buddha advised us “Cease to do evil”, he did not mean only big mis-deeds, but also all evil.

Ceasing to do all that we know to be wrong is like cleaning a house. Just as we throw away old, broken furniture, we must also clear away wrong thinking and wrong acting. But, if we merely cease to do evil, then we are like a person who has only an empty room in which to live. When we throw away wrong thinking and wrong acting, we must then use right thinking and right acting and this is what is meant by:

(2)   “Do good”.

Point one is negative, it is “do not”. Point two is positive and “do”. There is an old Indian story about a man who was always very unhappy. Many people could not understand why he was not happy. Everyone said he was “a very good man”. But that was not at all true. He was merely not a bad man. He did nothing evil, but also he did nothing good. His life was a negative “do not” life. Happiness comes from a life of right balanced between negative and positive. If we have only the “do not” part of right living, then we have the minus sign (-) we use in arithmetic. When we add the “do” part of right living then we have the plus sign (+) in our lives.

When we do good we bring happiness to ourselves and others. Doing wrong often brings excitement or some degree of false joy, but true happiness never comes from doing wrong. Therefore, at the very beginning of the time when we start to think for ourselves, we must try to get correct balance in our lives by clearing away all wrong thinking, wrong talking and wrong actions and replacing them with good thoughts, good speech and good actions.

Everyone wants to be happy, but no one can succeed in being really and truly happy until, first of all, he ceases to do evil and tries hard to do actual good.

(3)   “Purify heart and mind”.

This point three is very important. When the heart is pure then there is no desire to do evil. When the mind is pure we do not even think of evil, and doing good becomes easier because we actually wish to do good.

Once, a long time ago in China, there was a very famous monk who was known all over the country for his goodness and wisdom. In fact this monk was so well known that even the Emperor wanted a chance to talk with him. A messenger was sent from the imperial palace to the monastery on a distant mountain top where the famous monk lived, asking him to come to the capital and give a lecture to the Emperor on Buddhism.

A month or so later the monk arrived at the Emperor’s palace and was received with great honour. That same day the Emperor was celebrating his sixty-fifth birthday and he wanted to do something holy in honour of the occasion. So he decided to visit the famous monk and listen to a sermon. The Emperor and Empress and all the members of the imperial household went into a large hail of the palace and invited the monk to speak to them. The monk asked them the subject on which they would like him to speak. The Emperor replied, “Please tell us what is the deepest teaching of Buddhism”. The old monk bowed to the Emperor and answered, “Cease to do evil, do good, purify heart and mind; this is the teaching of all the Buddhas”. The Emperor was not pleased with this answer and said, “This is not a deep teaching – even a child of five years can understand it”. “Ah, yes”, replied the monk – “a child of five years can certainly understand this teaching, but even an old man of sixty-five years may find it hard to put into practice”.

 

THE AGELESS TRUTH

Commit no wrong, but good deeds do
And let your hearts be pure;
All Buddhas teach this doctrine true
That will fore’er endure.

Hate is not overcome by hate
By love alone ‘tis quelled;
This is a truth of ancient date,
Today still unexcelled.

                           -Paul Carus.

 

QUESTIONS

1.     Can you recite the little verse that gives the teaching of all the Buddhas?

2.     Getting rid of bad thought and bad action (evil) is like cleaning a …? It is like throwing away broken…?

3.     Getting good thoughts and good actions in our lives is like brining new… into a house that has been cleaned.

4.     Must we be kind to people only? What about pets and all animals and birds?

5.     Is evil plus (+) or minus (-)?

6.     Evil is a minus (-) because

  1. It takes away happiness.
  2. It adds happiness.

            Which of these two statements is true?

7.     What do we mean by “purify heart and mind”?

8.     Can a child understand our Buddhist religion?

9.     What did the old monk say to the Emperor about a child of five years and a man of sixty-five years?

10.  Try to memorize the famous verse about the teaching of all the Buddhas.

 
Gửi ý kiến của bạn
Tắt
Telex
VNI
Tên của bạn
Email của bạn
26/10/2016(Xem: 26831)
In India in the 6th century BC, Sakyamuni, "a wise man of the Sakya tribe", had been meditating under a tree when, suddenly, he was struck with the comprehension of all things. He became Buddha, meaning the « Illuminated ». His message, based on a pragmatic philosophy, taught how to free oneself from all needs in order to achieve illumination. After the death of the Enlightened One, his disciples – a few monks – began to spread his teachings all over India, from Ceylon to the Himalayan. Fearing man’s penc
04/06/2016(Xem: 4234)
Here are a series of questions that I was recently asked as part of a Casey Multifaith Network presentation for the local Star Newspaper, with the intention to create peace, understanding and harmony within the community. I thought the answers may be of some benefit for practising Buddhists and Non-Buddhists alike. Happy Vesak. May all beings be well and happy. 1) What is your name and where do you live? Andrew Williams. I live at Phillip Island & Endeavour Hills. 2) What religion do you believe in and/or follow and what is your involvement? Buddhism. I have studied & practised Buddhism since I was quite young. I have been teaching Buddhism since 1998, initially in the USA & now back home in Australia.
04/06/2016(Xem: 4363)
Buddhism has taken firm roots in Australia during the last few decades, due in part to people migrating to Australia from various Buddhist cultures and their 2nd generation, who either moved here as children or were born here. It is also due in part to the genuine interest in these precious teachings and way of life shown by Australian's of all backgrounds. Some of whom have deep virtuous roots from practising the Dhamma in previous lives and others who are totally new to the Dhamma, having a strong attraction to the peace, harmony and understanding that results from the Buddhist practises of morality, meditation and wisdom. Therefore it is essential that the Dhamma be taught in the English language, using terminology and expression that can be clearly understood.
20/01/2016(Xem: 6465)
Shakyamuni Buddha appeared on the stage of this world with four great noble tasks to perform, namely to open up the treasury of truth, to indicate its meaning, to cause men to apprehend it, and to lead them to it,(1) which can be achieved by the penetrative power of Buddha’s wisdom or vision, i.e., Buddha a, Buddha nature.
01/10/2015(Xem: 6973)
Mindfulness Practice for Youths
24/05/2015(Xem: 9185)
Bhikkhu Bodhi is an American Buddhist monk from New York City. Born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1944, he obtained a BA in philosophy from Brooklyn College (1966) and a PhD in philosophy from Claremont Graduate School (1972).
24/05/2015(Xem: 9254)
Bhikkhu Bodhi - The Essence of Buddhism - YouTube
22/05/2015(Xem: 38499)
Audio: Thập Bát La Hán, bài giảng của Thầy Nguyên Tạng tại Chùa Linh Sơn, Detroid, Michigan, USA
01/04/2015(Xem: 8813)
Vesak festival at Melbourne city, 23-4-2015
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
Senior 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 , tvquangduc@bigpond.com
VISITOR
110,220,567