What do the sutras about holding Simsapa leaves or want to end suffering?VIETNAMESE TRANSLATE ENGLISH BY=THICH CHAN TANH.

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Through the lesson about holding Simsap leaves, the Buddha wanted to preach to his disciples and we learned about suffering, the cause of suffering and how to end suffering ... this is the way leads to the cessation of suffering.

One day the Exalted is in Kosambi in a forest of Simsapa trees. He picked up a handful of Simsapa leaves and asked his disciples the following:

- Hey monks, leaves in my hand more or less leaves in this forest?

The monks responded:

- Leaves in the hands of Religion are few, leaves in this forest more.

Leaves in the hands of Religion are few, leaves in this forest more.

Buddha again said:

- “The monks, likewise, what we directly feel is more than what we preached. But why don't we preach these things? It is not because these things have nothing to do with the purpose of [desire], nor is it necessary for holy life, there is no benefit, no return of consciousness (turning away / disenchantment / affair) disillusionment) (dispassion), abolition (cessation / suspension), peace, direct knowledge (direct knowledge / enlightenment), enlightenment ( self-awakening) and Liberation (Unbiding). That's why I don't preach these things.

" So what did we preach?

'This is suffering ... this is the cause of suffering ... this is the cessation of suffering ... this is the way to the end of suffering'. Those are the things we preached. And why do we preach these things? Because these things are related to the purpose [of desire], necessary for holy life, bringing about awakening, serenity, abolition, peace, understanding by intuition, perception enlightenment and Liberation. That's why I preached those things.

"So the duty of our monks is to always reflect: 'This is suffering ... this is the cause of suffering ... this is the cessation of suffering ... this is the way leads to the cessation of suffering ".

The short sermon, does not raise or explain a concept that belongs to the doctrine, but only reminds or rather warns His disciples - and for us today - not to go out the most basic and practical in His Teaching.

The sutta clearly shows the Buddha's advice to look at His Teaching through what is really practical, but through countless generations we do not look at the leaves in His hands but go on want to hug all leaves of forest trees. Thus the Teachings of the Buddha became more and more complex and complex, so that after the stages of stumbling, stability and development became weakened.

What motivations motivate, govern and control human activities lead to the extremely complex state of society today, which we often assimilate to this complexity with your evolution. people? The most important motive is survival instincts that lead to competition for food and wealth; the second motive is the instinct of propagation that leads to love and art; the third motive is the instinctive fear of death leading to philosophy, belief ...

The consequences of these things are very diverse: from the forms of conflict, conflict, "art" activities of all kinds, to finding an exit after death. Anyway, all the consequences are directly or indirectly leading to conflict and war: economic war, racial war and religious war.

More than two thousand and five hundred years ago, the Buddha went to the ground to hug the alms bowl, eat one meal a day, do not need luxurious restaurants, porcelain bowls, fussy food, that is how He turned Good survival engine. While he looks at our bodies full of illness and panic with all mercy and compassion to help us resolve our instincts, we see that body again. through lipstick, clothes, and that mind through its ignorance.

While the Buddha sat quietly under a tree to return to himself, learn the cause of his existence, of man, in order to find a solution to resolve the cause of binding existence. That is, we find all kinds of ways to cling to this world on the one hand, and on the one hand find a lasting existence in another world.

"This is suffering ..., this is the cause of suffering ... this is the end of suffering, this is the way to the end of suffering" . When we realize these facts, it means that we have discovered the torch in the darkest corner of our minds. That is the meaning of the Buddha's teachings.

Let's light that torch to illuminate our place of rest, our island and the path we must follow. That path is within my mind, my own, it can be very long or very short, all depends on me. Or maybe I am taking the last steps on the road and also about to throw away the torch, but I do not know?

Let's light that torch to illuminate our place of rest, our island and the path we must follow.

Anyway, the return to myself, watching the Dharma as the Teacher, the Path that helps each person take their own steps, is the Buddha's final and greatest decision. Each person has to light his own torch to enlighten himself, to help him find a place to rest for himself, without having to go through the intermediaries of any person on behalf of or represent his teacher. But we can also wonder what past lineages, sects, sects, masters are?

Under the impetus of instincts, people are becoming more complex, demanding and constantly questioning. The inner path of consciousness and social life outside becomes more complicated, which we often consider to be progress, and of course the torch that enlightens us must also adapt to the "progress". there. That is the reason that gave rise to different sects and sects, different philosophies and practices, and especially the need for great teachers like Long Thu, Vo Tru, The Than, and Tran na. Bodhidharma Dat-ma, Hue Nang, Dao Nguyen ... and today the Dalai Lama helps us light up the torch in our minds.

There is no such thing as a great monk who dared to claim to be smarter than Buddha to criticize and modify his teachings.

Anyway, there was no master who dared to claim to be smarter than Buddha to criticize and modify his teachings. In fact, although some great masters have more profound interpretations of the Buddha's pragmatic Dharma, even the creation of many more practices that the Buddha never mentioned, but not Because of that, many people today are more enlightened than the Buddha's era.

His disciples as well as many other simple and simple people living in the Ganges valley more than twenty-five centuries ago have also attained enlightenment in their lifetimes. Scripture also recounts that many followers of other teachers advocated other teachings, but after hearing the Buddha preaching also achieved enlightenment soon after. So I thought that just a handful of leaves in his hand was enough to light the torch in my mind.

Although Buddhism after the golden age became "poor", no major sect or sect was formed, but in the late twentieth century, the seed of Dharma was suddenly planted in the land The West, an extremely favorable and adaptive land, has attracted the most elite components in European societies.

The Dhammapada was first translated into Western languages ​​in the nineteenth century, first in German in 1862, and now there are at least a few dozen different translations in French. Buddhism began to spread and become deeply rooted in Western life and culture. Just look at the number of Buddhist books in French published every month by Western scholars, philosophers, scientists and monks, enough to envision the development of Buddhism in the West. How fast and solid.

People often envision Buddhism through two aspects: "mass" Buddhism carries a heavy sense of compassion and beliefs and "intellectual" Buddhism is directed toward understanding. But these are just two extreme aspects of Buddhism, the Enlightenment needs both of these aspects, but at the same time it transcends both. Through the history of Buddhism in all of Asia, after each occurrence of the Dharma, Buddhism revived thanks to the vitality that was deeply embedded in the national culture and traditions of each nation, but the forms This revivaled Buddhism is only "mass Buddhism".

For a typical example, after the Third Chinese Crusade in the Tang Dynasty, Buddhism revived, but these are only forms of mass Buddhism, Zen Buddhism and Vajrayana - in general is the Buddhist wisdom - almost disappeared, Taoism prevails in this role. The second example is when the Islamic army entered India at the end of the 12th century, the intellectual religion of the golden age disappeared, only popular and folk Hinduism was resurrected. .

A torch of their own will have to be lit, to pave the way for them, to adapt to their long society and culture.

Western Buddhism is a special case, not only has it never experienced a Dharma but also inherited a modern cultural, philosophical and scientific heritage, so it has become a very refined Buddhism. pure and most are very intellectual. Buddhism of some Asian countries needs to learn Western Buddhism to re-establish a certain balance for their popular Buddhism.

In fact, Westerners now practice stereotyping according to major sects such as Vajrayana, Zen Buddhism and Theravada Buddhism, but their biggest challenge is how to build a Buddhist foundation for they. It is very obvious that they will have to light a torch for themselves, to enlighten them, to adapt to their long society and culture. This is how they will elevate the Dharma torch to open a new stage of development for the Buddha's Teaching in the West, and according to the signs that it is certain that the period will be very helpful for Long-lasting Dharma. After all, the question that many people can raise is through how many Dharma challenges still remain honest? Do we still follow the path that the Buddha has outlined for us today? Indeed,

But in fact, that diversity only reflects the efforts of past masters to express what is so sublime in the Teachings of the Buddha, and on the other hand despite the practice It is more complicated than the time of the Buddha, it is all just dependent or "skillful means" with the purpose of adapting to the talents and trends of the practitioner to help them approach. more with the Buddha's teachings. If we return to the typical model of the Great Bowl Nirvana Sutra in Pali and the Mahayana Mahayana scriptures in Sanskrit and Chinese, then we will be able to visualize more easily the The above aspect.

In other words, if you want to learn the core - extremely practical and practical - of the Dharma, you should return to the scriptures in Pali, and if you want to go further and admire the transcendent aspects of The Dharma, helping me to integrate more deeply with the Buddha's teachings, should learn more scriptures in Sanskrit and follow the great masters of Mahayana in the past, they will help me embrace more simsapa leaves in the immense forest of Dharma.

Those are two very specific Buddhist nuances: one truly treasures the teachings given by the Buddha, and one adapts to what is transcendent in that teaching with the evolution of mankind in all areas, from philosophy, science to tradition and tradition of human societies.

Although there are two different aspects or nuances, Buddhism is always Buddhism, the Dharma of the Buddha is not divided into seven years to generate other religions. Is Buddhism not one of the oldest and most intact beliefs of humanity? There is no religion - besides Buddhism - it is possible to create both of them. Is the Buddha's teachings always kept intact thanks to His decision not to give the Dharma to anyone, including His disciples, but only to advise each of us to light ourselves Torch enlightens yourself.

That super-superior decision not only shows the far-sighted view of the Buddha but also speaks of His love and trust for each of us today, without forcing us to ask and depend on anyone If we understand that, we should not depend on His love and trust for us, but be courageous and confident to light the torch to guide us, because it is a way to help us know. love yourself, love sentient beings and love the Buddha, and it will also be a way to help the Dharma be lasting.

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This simsapa gives you a kind of red precious wood called "Indian redwood" used to close furniture and wooden furniture.

The simsapa tree gives a red precious wood called "Indian redwood" (Indian redwood) used to close furniture and wooden items. The author of this article has consulted an expert friend on plants, and learned that Dalbergia sissoo tree is not available in Vietnam, but the same is the same as Trac and Cam Lai. END=NAM MO SAKYAMUNI BUDDHA.( 3 TIMES ).VIETNAMESE BUDDHIST NUN=THICH CHAN TANH.GOLDEN AMITABHA MONASTERY=AUSTRALIA,SYDNEY.24/6/2019.