The Dharma of the Dharma: The first sutta of the Buddha.VIETNAMESE TRANSLATE ENGLISH BY=THICH CHAN TANH.AUSTRALIA,SYDNEY.

Enlightenment - The doctrine of the Four Noble Truths with four truths that transcends all the effects of external conditions, discusses the nature of human life and the ability to overcome all suffering of human pain has become a driving force and the belief of mankind, before every ups and downs of life still believe in a bright future of humanity in general and people in particular.

Introductions

Buddhism was born more than 25 centuries, but the teachings of the Buddha still contain the breath of time and seem not to be dependent on the change of space and time.

One of the basic and important teachings of Buddhism is the Eightfold Path (the eight-way pathway), contained in the Sutra of the Dharma, the first sermon of the Buddha. The sermon becomes the focus of attention, in which the sense of tolerance, tolerance, away from extremes or excesses (anta), is shared by Lao Tzu and Confucius in the "middle" concept. or "neutral", and far away from Greece, this idea is also shared by Aristote through the concept of "harmony". This still seems to be a topical issue, helping us to awaken to the temptations of contemporary life, in search of a peaceful and peaceful life.

The doctrine of the Four Noble Truths with four truths surpasses all the effects of external conditions, discussing the nature of human life and the ability to overcome all suffering of human pain has become the driving force and belief. of humanity, before every ups and downs of life still believe in a bright future of humanity in general and people in particular.

The Middle Way and the Four Noble Truths are even more meaningful when it is the first sermon spoken by the Buddha right after enlightenment The Supreme Bodhi, demonstrating an unparalleled wisdom that has just awakened after a long time dreaminess drifted in the realms of birth.

Therefore, studying the doctrine of the Middle Way and the Four Noble Truths, and the birth of the Zhuan Falun is not only in terms of theory but also in the practice of each of the Buddha's children, and the word determine the path and purpose for clarity before finding the original nature of your own.

The context of thought activities leads to the birth of the sutta

Researchers look at the situation of scholarly activities during the Buddha's time, often divided into two separate movements: the mainstream and the unorthodox movement. The mainstream movement took the Vedas and the Upanishads as the main scriptures; trends that are different or against the Vedas and the Upanishads are considered fundamentalist or anti-orthodox currents.

Another, more detailed classification, divides these ideological currents into four main categories: the fundamentalist Brahminism, the tradition of religious beliefs, the movement of Veda and the Upanishads as the main thought, but growing. more like Old Man, Number of Comment, Politics ... and finally the unorthodox movement.

In addition, a number of researchers, based on the Buddhist scriptures, namely economic Sa gift , it comes in the classic six sects which are often called "pagan sect clerk":

1. Phu-lan-na Ca-lettuce (Kassapa Purana): think that doing good and evil is due to customs, not a corresponding karma, so do not believe anything or doubt all.

2. The Mahayana-la-la-la (Makkholi Gosala): only natural, all acts of good and evil, even liberation, follow a natural law, people cannot decide or something.

3. Arahant Ke-sa-khâm-bà-la (Ajita Kesakambali): the policy of the only argument. The people of the four great cities, and then die, are finished, so enjoy the pleasures, reject the morality.

4. The Lamb of the Lamb (Pukudha Kaccayana): the doctrine of idealism, asserting that the mind is immortal, the life and death of man are just the gathering of the elements that make up man, and the That element is never destroyed.

5. Canopy-skin-skin-monk-bhikkhu (monkyaya bellatthyputta): according to inspirationalism, if you feel like it, say so to the phenomenal world, whether or not it is true or not. or wrong.

6. Ni-kien-da Love-death (Nigandhà netaptta): advocates the fate of the argument, taking it as a basis to explain everything. As for the practice, taking extreme asceticism and strictly observing the precepts makes it special.

In general, about the scholarly activity of the Buddha's birth, the philosophy of Indian philosophy has strong, varied developments on the subject, rich in school, and not united in the Vedas or the Upanishads. formerly. The schools that were born during this period can be compared to the blooming flowers in the middle of spring, each school has different ways of explaining, sometimes opposing each other in explaining the nature of the world as well as the awake in order to lead to the final liberation. This outstanding development not only created a premise for Buddhism in the quintessence of other schools but also as a basis for Buddhism to supplement, correct and correct the pros and cons of other sects. , forming a new religion - Buddhism, both inheriting tradition and new things, creating a fundamental turning point in the general flow of Indian philosophy.

Content: Zhuan Falun

a) Critique of the wrong view of the school

At the beginning of the sutta, the Buddha said: "O bhikkhus, there are two extremes (anta) that monastic goods (pabbajitena) must avoid ..."

The concept of extremism (anta) is the concept of an extreme, extreme or extreme attitude; and the concept of the monk (pabbajitena) is only those who renounce the worldly path, cut from the body and seek the path of liberation.

As soon as he started preaching to the 5 brothers, Mr. Kieu Tran As in particular and those who seek the path of liberation in general, the Buddha told immediately that the monks need to give up two extreme or excessive paths. ; In other words, the Buddha criticizes these two paths as the wrong path, which does not lead to ultimate liberation. These two roads are:

1. The ease of relaxation in sensual pleasures - is vile, vulgar, mundane, unworthy of the virtue of a saint, and in vain.

2. Enthusiastic attachment in austerity - is suffering, not worthy of the virtue of a saint, and in vain.

The first road is the path of being immersed in sexual pleasure or excessive happiness and the second path is the path of immersion in asceticism, excessive suffering. These are the two paths the Buddha warned will not give the renunciation of liberation.

It should be added that, at the time of the Buddha Shakyamuni's existence and even before the birth of Shakyamuni Buddha, India existed many different schools or teachings in order to find the way to liberation. But in the middle, the attitude towards life is often centered around two main paths: one is passion for pleasure and the other is to reject all desires.

One of the undertakings of enjoying all the pleasures in the world is the Lokayata - the noun Pali and Sanskrit - referring to the materialism or materialism founded by Carvakas. From the point of view of this doctrine, the dead are all gone, leaving all their energies in life and only the present life is real, so these doctrines argue: " Eat , drink and enjoy every pleasure, because death comes to all ", and that: "Morality is an illusion, only pleasure is reality. Death is the final level of life. Religion is a madness, a neurological disorder. There is doubt all good. , noble, clean, and compassionate, their theory advocates satisfying desire, selfishness and coarseness, confirming the will of the will, without having to control aspirations and instincts because it is a part. natural product of man ".

Meanwhile, some schools emphasize rigorous hardship life. They think that only austerity can bring people to liberation. This theory is accepted by the majority of practitioners of many different schools. Even Sakyamuni Buddha and his 5 brothers, Kieu Tran Nhu, used to practice like this for 6 years but still failed to achieve the ultimate liberation result.

Criticizing these two policies, the Buddha said that both are useless and useless, not worthy of the virtues of the saint.

b) The main teachings taught by the Buddha in the first sermon.
Doctrine on the Middle Way or the Eight-Branch Path

Immediately after criticizing the two undertakings is outrageous pleasure and excessive austerity, the Buddha offers the third path of the Middle Way (Majjhima Patipada). "Abandoning both of these extremes, the Tathagata realized the" Middle Way "(Majjhima Patipada), the way to bring the eye (cakkhu) and the view (nana) and to the peace (vupasamaya), wisdom superior (abhinnaya), enlightenment (sambhodhaya), and nirvana "

The middle way is not the path between the two extremes but the way to rise above the two extremes. Buddhist Dictionary of Conception: "China means non-duality, it is great to treat, is a non-dual war, a neutral religion is not biased to one side", which means that the middle path is the child. the road ends all dualistic treatment as usual; yes-no; right left…

In the later stages of development of Buddhism, the way to understand the Middle Way also has many different opinions, such as the Dharma General for Duy consciousness, the Middle Way, the Three Commentaries for the Eight Realms of the Middle Way, the Thien Thai for the Real Minister. Middle Way , Hua Nghiem for the Dharma Realm is the Middle Way ... However, in Zhuan Falun , Buddha confirmed that the Middle Path is the Eightfold Path or the eight branch path.

In the sutra says:

"O bhikkhus, the Middle Way that Tathagata has realized, the way to bring about vision, knowledge and lead to tranquility, what is supreme wisdom, enlightenment and Nirvana?

It is the Noble Eightfold Path (Samma ditthi), Right Thought (samma samkappa), Right speech (samma vaca), Right mind (samma kammanta), Right mind (samma ajiva), Right concentration (samma vayama) ), Mindfulness (samma sati), and Right concentration (samma samadhi). O bhikkhus, it is "Middle Way" that Tathagata has realized ".

The first element in the Noble Eightfold Path is Right View, true understanding, to destroy all the skepticism of old practitioners about the Buddha's teachings, and at the same time want to raise a key judgment in Buddha's teachings are: need to see the object in a true way, that is, seeing the object as itself can lead to later judgments. There is no right seeing, that is, looking at the subject with subjective, biased or emotional eyes can lead to mistakes in assessments. In order to have a good or true understanding, it is necessary to eliminate the wrong views, thoughts, traditions, customs, habits, power, position of the speaker ... and look at them as they are. That is the first factor and also a prerequisite for the Buddhist Middle Way teachings.

After having the right knowledge, as true about the object, the second branch is the Right Thought, which means to meditate on righteous thoughts. Reflecting on righteousness in Buddhism requires the object of thinking to be objective with the thinking object, meaning that the subject of thinking must eliminate the mind, selfish and malevolent attitude. To do this, the subject needs to nurture the mind, the peaceful attitude towards the object being thought.

The third branch in the doctrine of the Middle Way is the right speech - the true word. Righteous words come from true thinking, as is true about the object being thought of and, of course, true words are for the purpose of not only saying the truth about the object but also the object to the more perfect than just talking to say.

Following Right Speech is Right Business - creating true karma or righteous action and Right livelihood - true life. All three elements: Right Speech, Right Business and Right Livelihood are ways to express true thinking to improve morality and develop a healthy lifestyle.

The sixth branch is Right Effort - an effort to practice in the righteousness to eradicate bad seeds and to develop kusala cittas. Liberation and enlightenment are not one-sided but achievement, so, knowing, thinking, having practice but lacking effort, elaborately practice is quickly eroded. In the process of diligence, relentless effort, the seventh factor - Mindfulness - always be aware of each act, gesture, and speech to become an essential pair. Efforts but not awareness can lead to a reversal of the original intent. From the relentless effort in awareness that leads to Right concentration - that is, staying at a single object, especially that object is one's own mind which will lead to a result - our mind is increasingly decaying clear in, impure elements, negativity, More and more ignorance is removed, instead, the seeds of good, intellectual, and pure are increasingly sprouting. When the mind, in the awareness of Mindfulness and Right Concentration, with the relentless effort of the Chief Justice, with the regular practice of right speech, righteousness and righteousness, the common invisible leads to a conclusion. fruit, the natural knowledge will be right, thinking clear and clear. Thus, the Noble Eightfold Path with the above-mentioned eight basic branches is both a cause and a result, mutual support for a goal of liberation and enlightenment. Right karma and righteousness are unseen, leading to a result, natural awareness will be right, thinking clearly and clearly. Thus, the Noble Eightfold Path with the above-mentioned eight basic branches is both a cause and a result, mutual support for a goal of liberation and enlightenment. Right karma and righteousness are unseen, leading to a result, natural awareness will be right, thinking clearly and clearly. Thus, the Noble Eightfold Path with the above-mentioned eight basic branches is both a cause and a result, mutual support for a goal of liberation and enlightenment.

In short, the Middle Path - the Noble Eightfold Path is said by the Buddha in Zhuan Falun , both as a basis for criticizing the two extremes that dominate contemporary Indian society, while establishing one of the basic principles. The first version of Buddhism, religion has influenced not only India but now has spread to the whole world.
The doctrine of the Four Noble Truths

At the beginning of the sutta by exhorting the monk to renounce the two extremes, establish the Middle Way, the Buddha continues to speak of the Four Noble Truths as the most basic lesson of the whole Buddha's teachings and also is the only goal of Buddhism when present in this world.

The four noble truths (the four miraculous truths) include: Noble Truths, Noble Truths, Destroying the Noble Truths and Paths. Sacca's sanskrit, is the truth, what really is. The Sanskrit word is equivalent to Satya, an event no longer debated. The Pali noun calls these truths Ariya Saccani (holy truths, or holy emperors), because these are the truths discovered by the Buddha, the greatest saint (Ariya), completely pure. and thoroughly filter all defilements.

(1) "This is the Noble Truth of Suffering"