ENLIGHTENING The Tree of Enlightenment

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PART ONE

FOUNDATION OF BUDDHA

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CHAPTER ONE 
BUDDHISM: A GREAT VISION

TIn Part One of this work, my intention is to present the things that I want to call the foundation of Buddhism, which are the basic teachings of Buddhism. This study includes the Life of the Buddha, the Four Noble Truths, the Noble Eightfold Path, Karma, Renunciation, Lý Nhân Duyên, the Three Dhammas, and the teachings on the Five Aggregates. Before going into these basic topics, I wanted to first present the Buddhist concept in perspective, and it is a modern vision. There are many ways in which people at different times, and different cultures understand Buddhism,

Buddhism has gained considerable attention in the West, and many people in Western society have been Buddhists or sympathetic to Buddhism. Typical of this is clearly the remark of Albert Einstein, the great scientist of the twentieth century that he was a non-religious man, but if he was a religious man, he must be a Taoist. Buddha. At first glance, this seems strange because such a comment is claimed by a man who is regarded as the father of western modern science. However, if we look closely at today's western society, we see an astrophysicist in France being a Buddhist, an Italian psychologist who is a Buddhist, and a judge. in the United Kingdom is also a Buddhist. Of course, it is not an implication that Buddhism has quickly become the preferred choice of westerners in the elite of the realms of science and art. I will look at these reasons right away, but before I practice, I want to compare this situation with other countries and Buddhist communities. Take, for example, the situation in traditional Buddhist communities in Southeast Asia.

In Europe and America, Buddhism is often believed to be more progressive, very logical and sophisticated. I did not have the intention to hide a fact that surprised me when I first came to Southeast Asia and saw many people consider Buddhism as old-fashioned, unreasonable and full of obsolete superstitions. This is one of two prevailing attitudes that obscure the value of Buddhism in these traditional Buddhist communities. Another common misconception that affects Buddhism in these Buddhist communities is that the Buddhist concept is so profound and abstract that no one can understand it. Perhaps the Western mastery of knowledge saved Europeans and Americans from this misconception. In short, when I look at the common attitude that spreads in the West and in the East for Buddhism, I see a fundamental contrast.

In the West, Buddhism has a certain image in the ordinary mind while in communities with a Buddhist tradition, Buddhism has a different image. This improper attitude spreads in such communities that must be overcome first, then the people there really begin to understand the Buddha's teachings properly. In this way people everywhere can obtain the necessary perceptual vision to understand Buddhism without prejudice and prejudice. Therefore the introduction of this Buddhism aimed at not only the Western people but also the people in the traditional Buddhist community, perhaps becoming alien to Buddhism for many social and cultural reasons. . It must be said, of course, that the image of Buddhism in the West may be limited in its own way, but I hope that, in the following chapters,

Now, to return to the western attitude towards Buddhism, one of the first highlights that they can appreciate is the fact that Buddhism is not bound to culture, in other words, it is not restricted to any society, like any special person or ethnic group. There are a number of culturally bound religions: Judaism is an example, and Hinduism is another example. However, Buddhism is not forced to be similar. It is historically that is why we have the development of Indian Buddhism, SriLankan Buddhism, Thai Buddhism, Burmese Buddhism, Chinese Buddhism, Japanese Buddhism, Western Buddhism. Tibet and so on ... In the near future, I am sure we will witness the emergence of British Buddhism, Dharma Buddhism, Italian Buddhism, American Buddhism, and similar Buddhism. All this can happen because Buddhism is not bound to culture. Buddhism integrates easily from one cultural context to another because of its importance as an internal practice rather than an external religious way. Its importance is how each person practices his or her mind, not what he or she wears, what kind of food, how his hair is made and so on ...

The second thing we want to note is the Buddhist pragmatism, its practical orientation. Buddhism aims at practical issues. Buddhism does not pay attention to academic problems or metaphysical theories. The solution of Buddhism is to identify practical problems and solve problems in a practical way. On the other hand, this attitude is very much in line with the western conception of utilitarianism and solving problems scientifically. Very briefly, we can say how to solve the Buddhist convergence in the maxim, "If it's good, use it". This attitude is an essential part of Western politics, economy, and modern science.

The practical pragmatism of Buddhism is manifested very clearly in the Chulamalunkya Sutta, a Buddha sermon himself, using the parable of an injured person. In this story, a person is injured by an arrow, wants to know who shot the arrow, the arrow shot from which side, the arrow is made of bone or steel, what kind of wood the bow is before he gives up arrow out. This attitude is like those who want to know whether the origin of the universe - the eternal or non-eternal universe, has the ultimate or not and so on ... before those people practice a religion.

This story illustrates the practical orientation of Buddha and Buddhism. It has shown us the whole question of priorities and how to solve problems scientifically. We will not make much progress in intellectual development if we ask the wrong questions. In essence it is a matter of priority. Our first priority is to minimize and lead to elimination of suffering. The Buddha saw this clearly, so he pointed out the frivolity of the prediction of the origin as well as the nature of the Universe, ï lẽ như because like the man in the parable, we all have arrows. crashed into it, it is an arrow of suffering.

So we have to ask the question directly to remove the miserable arrow and not to waste precious time on inappropriate demands. This idea can be explained in a simple way. We all see, in everyday life, we must always make choices based on priorities. For example, suppose you are cooking food, and you decide while waiting for the pot of boiling beans, you clean the furniture or clean the floor. But while you're doing the unfinished work, suddenly you smell a burning smell: you have to choose to continue the cleaning work, clean the house or go right to the stove to turn off the heat to save dinner. yours. Likewise, if we want to improve on our intellect, we must clearly recognize our priorities. This point is well described in the parable of the wounded.

The third point I want to discuss is the doctrine that teaches the importance of verifying the truth with personal experiences. This point was clearly taught by the Buddha in the advice of the Kalamas of Kesaputtiya. The Kalama are an urban community very much like the people in the world today, they reveal many differences and interpretations that contradict the truth. They came to the Buddha and asked him how to judge the truth because there were so many conflicts claimed by religious masters. The Buddha told them not to accept it only because it was based on authority, not accepting it because it was written in sacred scriptures, not accepting it only because it was based on the opinions of many people. , not accepting it just because it seems reasonable, not accepting it just because it pays homage to the master.

The Buddha suggested that the Kalamas try whatever they hear in the light of their own experience. Only when they know such harmful things should they give up. Instead, when they know those things have the benefit of providing peace and security, they should find ways to cultivate them. We, too, must consider the truth of whatever we are taught by the light of our own experience.

In the advice of the Buddha's Kalamas, I think that we can clearly see the Buddha's self-reliance theory in gathering knowledge. We must use our minds as a kind of test tube. We may find that when greed and anger exist in the mind they lead to insecurity and suffering. In the same way, we find that when the greed and the field are absent in the mind, there is a result of peace and happiness. It is just a very simple personal experience that we can all do. Verifying the value of the doctrine in the light of personal experience is very important. Because what the Buddha taught will only be effective, will only really succeed in changing our lives, if we do this kind of personal experience and turn our own teachings.

On the other hand, we can make a striking similarity between the Buddha's solution and the Science's solution to seeking knowledge. The Buddha emphasized the importance of objectively observing a certain meaning of the Buddhist method to gain knowledge. It is the objective observation that produces the First Noble Truth of the Four Noble Truths, the truth of suffering; It is also the observation that the practice ends completely suffering. So even at the beginning, in the middle and at the end of the Buddhist path to liberation, the role of observation is essential.

This is no different from the objective observation role in the western scientific tradition. The tradition of science teaches when we observe a problem, we must first form a general theory and then a specific hypothesis. This same procedure is used in the case of the Four Noble Truths. Here the general theory is that all things have a cause, while the typical assumption of the cause of suffering is craving and ignorance (Second God). This assumption can be verified by the test method expressed in the steps of the Eightfold Path. By the steps of the Eightfold Path the righteousness of the Second Noble Truth is verified. In addition, the reality of the Third Noble Truth, ending suffering, can be verified, because through practice, desire and ignorance are eliminated and the ultimate happiness of nirvana will be achieved. This experimental process goes on and on,

So when we look closely at the teachings of the Buddha, we see that His solution has many things in common with the solution of science. This naturally caused great attention on Buddhism among modern thinkers. We can begin to see why Einstein made such a remark in him. The general harmony between the Buddhist approach and the resolution of modern science becomes more and more obvious when we examine the attitude of Buddhism because of the practical experience like in science using equinox. .

According to the teachings of the Buddha, the empirical facts are divided into two components, the objective and the subjective; In other words, everything we see around us and, ourselves, subjective perceptions. Buddhism has long been recognized for its analysis of philosophy and psychology. That means the Buddha analyzes empirical facts into different components or elements. The most basic component of these ingredients is the five aggregates: materiality, feeling, perception, volition and consciousness. These five aggregates can be divided into 18 components and can be further analyzed into 72 elements.

The procedure applied here analyzes because it separates the empirical data into many components. The Buddha was dissatisfied with the vague concept of experience, rather, he analyzed the experience, investigated its core, and divided it into sections, like we could remove the car into wheels, axles. , slopes and so on ... The goal of this exercise is to understand more about the movement of phenomena. For example, when we look at a flower, listen to a piece of music, or meet a friend, all these experiences arise as a direct result of the coordination of the constituent elements.

This is called Buddhist analysis, moreover, it is completely alien to modern science and philosophy. We see how the analysis is widely applied in science, while the philosophical analysis is the ideological characteristic of many European philosophers, perhaps the most obvious and most recent, is the philosopher Bertrand Russell. The studies were completely successful when comparing the philosophy of studying his analysis with Buddhism in the early days.

Therefore, in western science and philosophy, we see a method of analysis that is very close to the analytical method taught in the Buddhist tradition. This is one of the familiar and recognizable traits that appeals to modern western intellectuals and scholars into Buddhist philosophy. Modern psychologists also pay close attention to the Buddhist analysis of various elements of consciousness, feeling, thought and action. More and more people come to the Buddha's ancient teachings to gain a deeper understanding of their own professions.

The increased attention to the Buddha's teachings is caused by many areas of relationship between Buddhist thought and the major trends in science, philosophy, and modern psychology that have reached its peak in the century. the twentieth by the shocking progressive proposals of relativity and quantum physics, representing the latest development in science and theory of science. Here, again, obviously not only does Buddha anticipate the basic methods of science (such as observation, experimentation and analysis), but also in some of the most characteristic conclusions about the nature of children. People and the universe, Buddhism and science really coincide.

For example, the importance of consciousness in the form of experience has long been overlooked in the West, now recognized. Not long ago, a famous physicist remarked that the universe was really something very similar to thought. This clearly follows the footsteps of the Buddha's teachings explained in the Dhammapada, in this sutra, the mind is the master, the mind creates everything. Likewise, the relativity of matter and energy - recognition without a fundamental division between mind and matter is now confirmed by the latest development in modern experimental science.

The great nature of all this is in the context of contemporary Western culture that scientists, psychologists, and philosophers have found in Buddhism a tradition that unites some of the most basic principles in Western thought. In addition, they see Buddhism as strange because, although the main methods and conclusions of western scientific tradition are often very similar to the methods and conclusions of Buddhism, but western science so far propose practical ways to achieve internal change, while in Buddhism this approach has been clearly instructed. While science teaches us better urban construction, highways, factories, farms, but does not teach us to build better people. So, people in the present world, return to Buddhism,

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CHAPTER TWO 
BACKGROUND BEFORE YOU HAVE BUDDHA

M ặc whether research on Buddhism often start life the Buddha, the enlightened Islam, I want to first observe the situation prevails in India before the Buddha, that is to say to set the time Buddhist money. I personally believe that this observation is especially useful because it helps us to understand the life and teachings of the Buddha in the vast historical and cultural process: This kind of observation of the past can help them. we understand more clearly the nature of Buddhism in particular, and perhaps both the Indian philosophical and religious nature in general.

I want to start our observations on the origin of Indian philosophical and religious development in terms of geographical analogies. In the northern Indian subcontinent, there are two large rivers, the Ganges and the Yamuna. These two large rivers are caused by two different sources from the Himalayas, and their flows flow separately near their length in the natural paradise. Gradually these two rivers met and eventually merged in the North Indian plains, near the town called Allahabad. From this confluence they flow and flow into the Bay of Bengal.

The geography of these two major rivers illustrates the origin and development of Indian philosophy and religion because in Indian culture as well as Indian geography, there are two streams of thought of different origins and distinct characteristics. count. For centuries, these two streams of thought have remained separate and different, but eventually they have come together, merging and continuing to flow almost indiscriminately until today. Perhaps when we proceed with the Indian cultural observation before the Buddha's time, we can remember these rivers, although of different origins, but at some point they were united to flow to the sea. .

When we look at the early history of India, we see in the third millennium BC, there is an extremely developed civilization in the Indian subcontinent. This civilization is very old, so it is called the cradle of human culture, an Egyptian civilization and Babylon. This civilization flourished between 2800 and 1800 BC and is known as the Indus Valley civilization or Harappan civilization. This civilization extends from present-day western Pakistan and south to near Bombay and east to near Shimla at the foot of the Himalayas.

When you look at the Asian map, you will immediately notice the vast development of the Indus Valley civilization. Not only has this civilization been stable for thousands of years, but it has also been very advanced both physically and mentally. In material terms, the Indus Valley civilization grew in cultivation and showed a high level of leadership in the city of water filling and construction. There is evidence that the people of this civilization are very advanced in the mathematical system based on the same type of binary used in modern computing. The educated Indus Valley civilization and the development of a script so far have not been read. (The meaning of the Indus Valley's Writing system is one of the unexplained secrets of linguistic archeology). In addition, there is much evidence that this civilization has an extremely developed spiritual culture.

The peaceful life spread on this great ancient civilization was interrupted between 1800 and 1500 BC or by natural disasters or invasion. It is certain that at the same time with the collapse of the Indus Valley civilization, the subcontinent was invaded from the northwest - as in the later centuries, those who invaded Islam came from this direction. Those who go invasion are Aryans. This term refers to people from a certain region in Eastern Europe, perhaps in the steppe regions of modern Poland and Ukraine. The Aryans are very different from the people of the Indus Valley civilization. While the people of the Indus Valley civilization are permanent cultivators, the Aryans nomadic living here and there. They are unfamiliar with city life. As a belligerent and expansive people, they live largely with the spoils won by the conquered people on their migration path. When the Aryans came to India, they soon became a dominant civilization, and by the middle of the second millennium BC, Indian society was largely dominated by the Aryans' standards.

Let us look at the religious attitude of the people in the Indus Valley civilization and the Aryans civilization. This is a remarkable point for us. As I said before, the Indus Valley civilization has written words that we cannot read. However, our understanding of this civilization stems from two credible origins: Archaeological discoveries at Mohenjodaro and Harappa, and the records of Aryans, describing religious activities. the teachings and beliefs of the people they dominate.

Archaeological excavations show some important symbols for the people of the Indus Valley civilization. These symbols have religious significance and are also sacred to Buddhism. They consist of banyan trees (later called bodhi or ficus religiosa) and animals like elephants and deer. Perhaps most significant is the image of a person being found sitting cross-legged, hands resting on his knees and eyes half-closed clearly as a meditation posture. With the help of archaeological discoveries and other evidence, famous scholars have concluded that the roots of yoga and meditation practice stem from the Indus Valley civilization. Moreover, when we study the description of the religious practice of the people in the Indus Valley civilization, recorded in the handwritten documents of the ancient Aryans, the Venus, we see images of wandering ascetics often mentioned. These ascetics are said to have trained the mind training method, who are unmarried, naked or wearing very modest clothes, have no place to live, and are taught how to overcome life and death

Combining the evidence gathered from archaeologists 'discoveries at the main locations of the Indus Valley civilization and the evidence found in ancient Aryans' documents, the striking picture of attitude religion and practice of the people of the Indus Valley civilization, but brief but clear enough of the essentials. The religion of the Indus Valley civilization naturally contains a number of important factors. The first is meditation, or clear, mindful training practice. Secondly, practicing renunciation means renouncing family life, living a life of asceticism, or begging for food - also very popular. Thirdly, there is clearly a certain conception of rebirth or reincarnation that takes place in the course of countless lifetimes, and fourth is the meaning of the spiritual responsibility that extends beyond this life, in other words , a form of karma concept. Final. there is a supreme goal in religious life called the goal of liberation, free from the endless cycle of birth and death. These are outstanding religious characteristics of the early Indian civilization.

Next we look at the early Aryans' religion, their religion as opposed to the religion of the Indus Valley civilization. Of course, it is difficult to detect the development of two different fundamental religions. Making a full picture of the Aryans' religious concepts and practices is simpler than creating a picture for the people of Indus Valley much. When the Aryans came to India, they brought with them a completely secular nature of religion. As I said, they are an expanding society, a pioneering society. Their origins lie in Eastern Europe, and their religion has many aspects like the ancient Greeks. If you look at the description of the gods included in the Greek Temple of the Gods, you will not be able to see the parallel of two religions. The Aryans worship some gods who are personified about natural phenomena, including Indra (unlike Zeus) the god of lightning; Agni, god of fire, and Varuna, god of water- (just a few).

In the religion of the Indus Valley civilization, ascetic monks are superior religious figures, in the religious mechanism of the Aryans, priests are the most important. In the religious value system of the Indus Valley civilization, renunciation is paramount, in the value system of early Aryans, the most valuable position is the married, or the head of the household. In the religious culture of the Indus Valley civilization, the value of family lineage is not important, with the early Aryans, the lineage of the family, especially the son, is the highest priority. The religion of the Indus Valley civilization emphasizes meditation practice, while the Aryan beliefs are based on the practice of sacrifice, which is the main way of communicating with gods, ensuring winning in war, having sons and possessions, and finally going to heaven. While the religion of the Indus Valley civilization includes concepts of rebirth and karma, the early Aryans did not have these concepts. The concept of long-term mental responsibility is not currently known to Aryans, the highest social value is their loyalty to the group, a virtue is said to contribute to strength and solidarity. tribe's. Finally, the ultimate goal in the religious life of the people of the Indus Valley civilization is liberation, a state of transcending birth and death, while with the early Aryans, the simple goal is heaven. and the fact that a heaven is very similar to the full version of this world. The concept of long-term mental responsibility is not currently known to Aryans, the highest social value is their loyalty to the group, a virtue is said to contribute to strength and solidarity. tribe's. Finally, the ultimate goal in the religious life of the people of the Indus Valley civilization is liberation, a state of transcending birth and death, while with the early Aryans, the simple goal is heaven. and the fact that a heaven is very similar to the full version of this world. The concept of long-term mental responsibility is not currently known to Aryans, the highest social value is their loyalty to the group, a virtue is said to contribute to strength and solidarity. tribe's. Finally, the ultimate goal in the religious life of the people of the Indus Valley civilization is liberation, a state of transcending birth and death, while with the early Aryans, the simple goal is heaven. and the fact that a heaven is very similar to the full version of this world.

In short, while the religion of the Indus Valley civilization emphasizes renunciation, meditation, rebirth, karma and the ultimate goal of liberation, the Aryans religion emphasizes this life, the hope birth with ritual, loyalty, wealth, lineage, power and heaven. Therefore, it is clear that the set of religious views and values ​​expressed by the two ancient Indian civilizations are completely opposite. And yet, in the process of living together for centuries, these two religious traditions have merged and in many cases become, irrespective of reality.

Before concluding our views on the particularities of the Indus Valley religion and the early Aryans 'religion, it must be noted that the Aryans' religious and cultural characteristics are still two elements. mentioned and not religious of the Indus Valley. These two elements follow me as class, in other words, the division of society into the social classes and belief in the power and righteousness of divine revelation, if so, the ancient sutras are known as Da The religious culture of the Indus Valley civilization does not accept this concept, and they still have unchanging discord that separates the two major religious traditions of India.

Indian religious history from 1500 to the sixth century BC (ie the time of Buddha) is the history of the reaction between the two opposing traditions from the beginning. The Aryans gradually moved down to the east and south, settling and spreading their influence mostly on the Indian subcontinent, applying a more settled form of life. Gradually, the opposite religious culture of the two peoples began to react, influence and unite. It is a phenomenon that I remember before I mentioned the unification of the two great rivers of India, the Ganges and the Yamuna.

At the time of the Buddha, the development of religion mixed in India. It is clear that just a quick look at some of the outstanding things about Buddha's life. For example, after he was born, two different types of people predicted his future greatness. The first prediction was made by Asita (A Doshu), an ascetic and recluse monk on the mountain, though the biography of Buddha emphasizes Asita as a Brahmin, of the monastic class of society. Aryan. This in itself is a clear evidence and the reaction of the two ancient religious traditions because it shows that in the sixth century BC, even Brahmins began to abandon family life. and applying the homeless ascetic life of the ascetic, which one did not know about a thousand years ago. Shortly after, We learned that 108 Brahminas were invited to celebrate the naming of the Buddha at a young age. Here these Brahmins also predicted the future greatness of this child. Of course these people were monks who did not give up their family life and thus still symbolized the original primitive practice accepted by the Aryans.

How can the two original traditions have so many differences that can merge? I think the answer can be found in the dramatic changes that take place in the life of Indian people between the second millennium BC and the time of Buddha. Aryans expansion ends when the Aryans reach the Indian plains. The end of expansion brings about social, economic and political changes. First of all the Aryans tribal lifestyle, now and then, has changed gradually into a lifestyle of settling, cultivating, and eventually into urban life. Before long, most people lived in urban settlements, where these people eliminated a bit of natural strength personified in the gods of early Aryans.

Second trade is increasingly important. While the monks and warriors were the dominant figures in the early Aryans society - the priests were communicators with the gods, and the warriors were the ones who launched war against their enemies lost to the spoils and now the merchants become influential from the time of the Buddha onwards, this movement shows the famous disciples in the business world - Mr. Grant, the Independent, an example.

Finally, the social organization along with the tribal conduct gradually became obsolete national territory began to evolve. Society no longer organized into tribes with very strict personal loyalty. The tribal model social organization is replaced by the national territory, in which many people of many different tribes live together. The Kingdom of Ma Kiet Da was ruled by King Binh Sa Vuong, the patron and famous disciple of the Buddha, is a good example of the unification of territory.

The social, economic and political changes that contribute to good will grow stronger as Aryans accept and apply the religious ideals of the Indus Valley civilization. Although materially the former Aryans dominated the indigenous civilization on the subcontinent, the next two thousand years showed that these people were increasingly influenced by religious conception and practice. and the religiously applied values ​​of the Indus Valley civilization. Thus, at the beginning of the era, the distinction between the Aryans tradition and the tradition of the Indus Valley civilization became increasingly difficult to recognize. In fact, this historical fact is responsible for a misconception that explains whether Buddhism is against or a branch of Hinduism.

Buddhism is a religion inspired by the religious development of the Indus Valley civilization. The elements of renunciation, meditation, rebirth, karma and liberation, are important components of the religious development of the Indus Valley people, which are also very important in Buddhism. The Buddha himself pointed out that his religious origins lie in the Indus Valley civilization when he says the path he teaches is the ancient path, and the target is the ancient goal. Buddhism still maintains a tradition of six prehistoric Buddhists believed to have flourished before Buddha Shakyamuni. All this, I believe, points to the continuation between the development of religion and the traditions of the Indus Valley civilization and the Buddha's teachings.

When we examine the two religious phenomena that we call Buddhism and Hinduism, we will see a large or little proportion or the majority of the elements inherited by one of the two ancient Indian religious traditions old. In Buddhism many components have a clear meaning inheriting from the Indus Valley civilization, and a relatively small percentage can be traced back to the religion of early Aryans. Certainly there are elements inherited from the Aryans' religion as well as the presence of gods in the Vedas, but their roles are secondary.

In contrast, many Hindu schools hold a large proportion of the components of religious culture inherited from the Aryans tradition and a much smaller proportion traceable from the Indus Valley religion. Many schools of Hinduism are still strong, the right to explore in the way of Venus, and the effectiveness of the practice of sacrifice. However, these obvious Aryans, there are still places in Hinduism because of the important elements of the culture of the Indus Valley civilization such as renunciation, meditation, rebirth, karma and liberation.

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CHAPTER THREE 
BUDDHA LIFE

K ế I want to return to the life of Buddha Shakyamuni. I do not intend to implement many aspects of this topic or include most of the biography of Shakyamuni. The descriptions of Buddha's life are largely narrative and have been presented somewhere by both ancient and modern authors. Instead, I just want to briefly consider the life of the Buddha who noticed some important values ​​that are illustrated in the stories of Buddha Shakyamuni.

In Chapter 2, I have discussed the origins and nature of two ancient Indian traditions, one rooted in the religious development of the Indus Valley civilization and one associated with the Aryans civilization. In addition, I have presented, these two ancient traditions, different origins, eventually began to interact interchangeably, until the first millennium BC, becoming indivisible. Can you please? Perhaps it is not a coincidence that the central area north of the Ganges and the Tarai region of Nepal becomes the "central nation" or Madhyadesha, one of the regions where the two traditions are actively exposed even to contradict.

The history of religion teaches that when two completely different traditions like the tradition of the Indus Valley civilization and the Aryans civilization collide and contradict each other, constitute a great potential for development. new conceptions and models of religious culture. The life and teachings of Buddha can be observed in a context of a historical phenomenon. Furthermore, as mentioned in Chapter 2, there are significant social, economic and political changes that affect the lives of people in the region in the sixth century BC. These things naturally contribute strongly to religious consciousness. It is always the same at times of great social, economic, and political changes, people tend to look inside to find safety and peace in a uncertain world. People instinctively seek religion and outward values ​​seem to be unchanged even in faith and religious practice for peace in the midst of uncertainty. Such times almost always produce great revolutions about religion and restore faith. It is almost certainly in the sixth century in India, just as in China in the sixth century, and so in the beginning of the Christian era in the Mediterranean world.

There are three very important values ​​that stand out in the life of Buddha: (1) renouncing the world, (2) compassion, and (3) wisdom. These three values ​​stand out very clearly in many stages throughout his life. It is not a coincidence that all these three values, combined together, are essential conditions for nirvana or enlightenment. According to the teachings of Buddhism, there are three yoke that cause us to be reborn again and again in the wildness of circulatory life, which is attachment, anger, and ignorance. These calamities will be eliminated by the revision of worldly renunciation, compassion and wisdom.

Due to cultivating these notions, true practitioners can escape these yoke and attain enlightenment. So it is no coincidence that these views are peculiar in the life of Buddha Shakyamuni.

Let us think one by one, starting with the perspective of worldly renunciation. Just as in the case of compassion, the first signs of worldly renunciation are immediately expressed at the time of the Buddha's lack of time. Basically, renouncing mundane is the recognition of life as suffering. When you are aware of this, it can lead you to what we might call a turning point, which is the realization that all common life is spread through suffering that leads us to find one. Live better or something different. This clearly shows why suffering has been mentioned as the First Noble Truth of the Four Noble Truths, and why the clear recognition of the truth and the common nature of suffering is at the core of worldly renunciation.

Incidentally, Crown Prince Siddhartha attended the lowering ceremony at a young age of 7 years old. At that time while observing the ceremony, the young prince noticed that the worm was swept up by the bird. Seeing this scene caused the Prince to contemplate the reality of life - to the inevitable reality of all beings killing each other to survive, and that is the source of suffering. From a young age, we see that the biography of Buddha begins with the recognition that the life we ​​know is overwhelmed by suffering.

If we look again at the biographical stories of the late Prince Tu at the time of adolescence, we will see the famous episode of the four scenes that made him renounce the worldly life and pursue the ascetic life to Find the truth. Seeing an old man, a sick person, and a corpse made him question why this is so. He felt frustrated by those scenes. It is clear that He himself is also unable to avoid these circumstances and will also suffer the inevitable chain of old age, illness, and death. This recognition led the prince to develop a sense of separation from the frivolous senses of life and motivate him to find the ultimate truth about life through worldly renunciation.

It is important to remember that at this stage the prince renounced the world is not due to the disappointment that occurred in his daily life. He lived the royal life of his time, but he realized the inherent suffering associated with their lives and understood how much we enjoy with the pleasures of our senses. Also, we still face the reality of old age, sickness and death. Understanding this - and encouraged by the fourth spectacle, an ascetic monk - Prince Siddhartha renounced his mundane life and sought the ultimate truth for the benefit of all beings.

Next let us look at the perspective of compassion that appeared very early in the life of Buddha. The best example is the situation where the swan is injured. The biographical story tells that the prince and his cousin, Thich Dat Da, were walking in the royal palace garden when the Grandmother used the bow and arrow to shoot down a swan. They both hurried to the falling swan, but Siddhartha, running faster, went to the swan first. The young prince hugged the injured swan in his hand and sought to make the swan less painful. The topic of the Daughter of Da was angry, insisting that the swan was his because it was he who hit the bird. The two young men brought the dispute to the court of a court judge,

In this simple story, we have a great example of expressing compassionate views, a concept that aims to cherish happiness and ease the pain of others. Later, when enlightened, he did not stop expressing this viewpoint in many excellent ways. For example, in a famous story the Buddha himself took care of the sick monk Tissa. The illness of this teacher caused all monks in the Sangha to stay away. Yet Buddha himself made an example to clean up and take care of Tissa's body of illness and ulcers in order to alleviate his pain.

After all, we must look beyond the intellectual qualities, the most important virtue of the three virtues, equivalent to enlightenment itself. It is wisdom that finally opens the door to freedom, and wisdom eradicates ignorance, the fundamental cause of suffering. It is said that cutting down the branches or even chopping the whole tree but does not uproot its roots, the tree still grows back. Same path, though one can eliminate attachment by renouncing mundane and hatred with compassion, but as long as ignorance has not been removed by intellect, then attachment and anger remain. may arise again.

Meditation is the main means of wisdom that can be achieved. In addition, there is an event that occurred at the time of the Buddha's lack of time, showing that the ability to concentrate on early development is obvious. According to stories about the life of Buddha Shakyamuni, shortly after witnessing the misfortune that happened to the worm and the bird in the filling ceremony, the prince sat down on a nearby roost, and where Here he began to meditate, attaining the meditation by concentrating on the breathing method. In this incident, we have evidence of meditation experience very early in the life of Buddha.

Later, when he renounced the world and sought the ultimate truth, one of the first precepts he developed was the discipline of meditation. The stories tell us that the Ascetic ascetic monk (known to have been striving for six years to attain enlightenment), studied meditation with two famous contemporary Zen masters, Alara Kalama and Uddaka Ramaputta. Under the guidance of these masters, he practiced and mastered many techniques for concentrating. In Chapter 2, we mentioned the evidence that the origin of meditation began from the dawn of Indian civilization, from the golden age of the Indus Valley civilization. Surely the two masters mentioned in the biographies of the Buddha are typical of the ancient meditative tradition or intellectual concentration.

And though the Ascetic ascetic monk left these two masters because he saw that meditation cannot stop forever suffering from suffering even though meditation can temporarily alleviate suffering. This event is very important, because although Buddha's teachings emphasize the practice of intellectual development, it is clear in the tradition of the Indus Valley Civilization, the Buddha has overcome its limited goal. of pure meditation, and has given a new dimension to religious skills. It distinguishes the Buddha's teachings from the teachings of many Indian schools, especially those who, in one form or another practice yoga or meditation.

In short, Buddhism differs from the thinking tradition of India and other religions because Buddhism considers meditation not only enough. We can say, with Buddhism, meditation is like a pencil sharpening. We sharpen the pencil for the purpose of writing. Similarly, by meditation we sharpen the mind for a certain purpose - this purpose is wisdom. The correlation between meditation and wisdom can also be described by means of a torch. For example, we burn torches to look at a picture on the wall in a dark room. If the light of the torch is too weak, and the flame is wavered by the wind, or the handle of the torch is not stable, we cannot see the picture clearly. Similarly, if we want to infiltrate the darkness of ignorance and see the true nature of life, we cannot see if our minds are weak, exaggerated, and unstable as a result of inherent laziness and emotional and spiritual disturbances. Buddha made this discovery in his enlightened night. Then as we are known, He attained one-pointedness, and purified his mind by meditation, focusing on understanding the nature of things, and understanding truth. Therefore, Buddha's enlightenment is the result of a combination of meditation and wisdom.

There are other intellectual aspects typical of Buddha's life. One of these aspects is understanding of the Middle School. The concept of the Middle Path is central to Buddhism and has many levels of meaning but cannot be considered all right here. However, it can be said immediately: the most basic meaning of the Middle School is to avoid the extreme indulgence of sensory pleasures or to torture the body to the extreme. The basic aspect of the Middle Path is expressed in the life of the Buddha by his own career and experience. Before he renounced his mundane life, Prince Siddhartha lived a life of luxury and lust. Later when he became an ascetic monk to seek the truth, he practiced for six years with all methods of pressing and practicing. Final,

Of course, in the removal of the Buddha, there were many important and noteworthy important points to discuss, but my point of view was to only select and focus on a few facts so that we could look at Buddha's life is like a moral and conceptual lesson, not simply a biography that includes names and landmarks. Then we can experience exemplary virtue in the career of Buddha Shakyamuni. In this respect, authentic insight into the meaning of Buddha's life becomes reasonable. END=NAM MO SAKYAMUNI BUDDHA.( 3 TIMES ).VIETNAMESE TRANSLATE ENGLISH BY=THICH CHAN TANH.VIETNAMESE BUDDHIST NUN=GOLDEN AMITABHA MONASTERY=AUSTRALIA,SYDNEY.27/12/2018.