The Four Dharma Indies.VIETNAMESE TRANSLATE ENGLISH BY=VIETNAMESE BUDDHIST NUN=THICH CHAN TANH.

 

The Four Dharma Indies.

 

     This article will be presented as follows:

       I.-Introduction: Definition of the Four Dhamma Indies.
         II.-The content of the Four Noble Truths:
                1. Unusual.
                2.Satisfaction, which means Unsatisfied Things.
                3.Do Fall.
                4.Nirvana
        III.-Conclusion.

I.-Introduction:

        In 45 years of sermon, Shakyamuni Buddha left no writing at all. After the historical Buddha entered nirvana (c. 483 B.C.), having had three Sutras Gathering Conferences, the Elders and Masters followed the way of "committing the scriptures to the head. " the Tripitaka to memory) to record the Buddha's teachings.
          Around the 1st century BC. Sun, King Vattagamani, of Sri Lanka (Ceylon), supported the Fourth Classics Gathering Conference. In India, Emperor Kaniska wholeheartedly supported the Fourth Gathering Conference around the 1st century AD. Both Conference of the fourth class are reviewing, collecting and supplementing the three organs : Sutra Pitaka, Vinaya and Abhidharma. From here, the elders and the Grand Master has changed by way of word of mouth, " notes the Tripitaka in writing " (committing the Tripitaka to writing).

        Over a history of about 2,500 years, the scriptures and commentaries collected in the Sutra Pitaka are a huge volume, containing many rich and sublime ideas and teachings. Many places in Buddhist scriptures say that there were 84,000 sermons of the historical Shakyamuni Buddha. In fact, this number is only to exaggerate that the Buddha had a lot of sermons but the number of sermons was not up to 84,000.
         The  researchers Buddhism  (Buddhologist) commented that in the voluminous number of sermons and scriptures are largely due to the Buddha preached, but also a lot of post Sutra not by the Buddha himself said out. In other words, the sutras do not come from the mouth of the Buddha (not from Buddha's mouth). There are  Wei Sutras (Apocrypha) are the sutras that are completely not preached by the Buddha, but borrow the name of the Buddha to increase the persuasion and respect of the readers.

            Even today, there are many articles and lectures that the author often references with the note that it is the Buddha's words like this, or the Buddha said that. Even  adduce impersonate words of the Buddha ( fake Buddha's quotes ) , of course with the aim to increase weight or persuasive to your posts or your presentations.

         In order to help ordinary readers to distinguish the Dhamma Sutra from the Sutras spoken by the Buddha, the Elders, the masters, and Buddhist researchers gave characteristics of the thought. Buddhist philosophy as a criterion to illuminate the Suttas to doubt whether the Buddha's words or not?
         These features are called  French Press  (法印, Sa. Dharma Mudra, Av. Dharma Seals) means  imprint of Dharma . Imprint is the sign, pattern, and criteria for confirming the Dharma. These sutras have philosophical ideological contents  consistent with Dharma India it is considered the sutras spoken by the Buddha, while the opposite is considered the sutra not taught by the Buddha. There are texts or scriptures in accordance with the spirit of the Buddha's teachings, or not contrary to the Buddha's teaching, but it is not certain that it was directly spoken by the Buddha, but possibly by the monks, scholars. As profoundly written by the Buddha Dharma, these sutras can also be said to be true to the Dharma.

         It is worth noting that the Dharma Seals (Dharma Seals) were given after the death of Shakyamuni Buddha, not by the Buddha himself . 

         According to  Theravada Buddhism / Theravada / Thuong To Bo  , there are 3 Dharma Indies:
           1.-Impermanence
           2.-Suffering (Unsatisfied Things)
           3.-Self

       According to  Tonkin Buddhism / Mahayana Buddhism / Development Buddhism   ,  there are  3 Dharma Indies:
           1.-Impermanence
           2.-Self
           - Self 3.-Nirvana

We combine this with the point of view of the  four French Indies  (Four Dharma Seals / Four Dharma Characteristics) as follows:
            1.-Impermanence (Impermanence)
            2.-suffering (Things are not satisfied / Dissatisfactoriness)
            3.- Vo Nga (non-Self)
            4.-Nirvana (Chinese transcription 涅槃, Pa. Nibbana, Sa. Nirvana)

 

II.-The content of the Four Noble Truths:

           Four French Indies  (Four Dharma Seals) is  four Features  (Four Characteristics) of Buddhist philosophical ideas will be presented as follows:

 

             1.-Impermanence (無常, Sa. anitya, Pa. Anicca, Av. Impermanence):

                     This is the first mark, the first characteristic of the Four Dhamma Bodies .                      a.-Definition :  Impermanence  means no constancy, ie change, constant change in the universe of things. In "Consciousness of the three decades of recitation" has written: " Constantly transforming as eminent " means " often changing like a waterfall" . According to Buddhism, the stages of change of an object are " becoming, staying, dying, passing " or " birth, aging, sickness, death ". Things in life change every second, every minute, the Buddha also said the change in each  moment                     
                    
 (Sa.Ksana), the moment is a very short unit of time, according to the Buddhist scriptures, a fleeting idea in the mind has 90 seconds, an extension and contraction of the arm has 60 -na passed.

The Buddhist concept of impermanence is often applied to the following objects:
   - The body is impermanent : the human body changes constantly, our body continuously ages and then goes to death: birth, old age, illness, death.
   The mind is impermanent : the psychological state of the person changes constantly, changing every second, every minute. 
    - Irregular circumstances : life, things also change constantly, weather is constantly changing:  things change.; The situation and status of people in life and life also change constantly: city, pillar, decay, destruction.

All phenomena are impermanent, continuously arising and declining, continuously coming and going, because all phenomena are combined by many factors. All phenomena are combined by many factors, then after all, they are partially exposed, but cannot remain the same forever. According to the theory of Dependent Origination of the Buddha, everything, everything arises, arises and falls away, changes without ceasing; everything, everything rotates like a wheel: that is  impermanent reason . But in this impermanence, there is one thing that does not change, one that is eternal is the continuity of change. For example, the water of the Ganges (Ganges) is always flowing, but having the Ganges in general does not change, so it helps us to realize that it is the Ganges River.

Everything is combined including two elements  space  and  time . The combined space, so the form of everything is constantly changing / impermanence (impermanence). And the time that is the associated factor is also constantly changing / impermanent; indeed,  if there is no past and no future there is no present.  But if the present moment is permanent then we will have no future because present is here. All things pass through city, abolition, decay and cessation. In other words, everything goes through the beginning, middle and end stages (beginning, middle and end).

    The Brahmana Bible is a religious thought dating back to the time of the historical Buddha, having the following concept of time:
"In the Brahmana Bible, there is the god Prajapati, the god who created the universe of things. Things are born and destroyed, and then reborn again, there is a cycle that moves forever and never stops. Everything is long lasting, there must be another factor that is " time " (kala). can not be varied, being born chemical chemical. that's why god created the universe Prajati get new water line as the time line, the water flows down and then flow back up endlessly and never stop. " time space "  is the material to be born, to transform all things in the universe.

" Time " is indeed a miracle. Timeline includes past, present and future. The past as well as the future are the movements of the present. If present and past mysterious mystery and also the future even more mysterious. "
(See article:"  Thought of Philosophy and Religion before the historical Buddha was born "  of NVT)

                   b.-Impermanence is not a bad idea :
                        Many people think that Buddhist philosophical thought is pessimistic when it comes to the idea of ​​impermanence: birth, old age, sickness, death; prosperity in life, with assets that can be dissipated. But in fact, this is just a glimpse, in a positive aspect, Buddhist philosophy is optimistic: by understanding impermanence, we will be confident and calm with every change of life. , before all changes of the body, body and mind will be at peace and enjoy what is happening, we will lessen our discontent with the uncertainties that happen. The notion of impermanence does not make us suffer before the prosperity of life; The notion of constant makes us suffer because when we think that everything, everything is permanent, but everything, everything is impermanent. Without constant / impermanent change, life cannot exist. Without impermanence our children cannot grow up, cannot go to school. . . Without the constant / impermanent change, a dictatorship, the evil of plunder would never change, never decline and end.

                        The notion of impermanence helps us to love what we have, what is. When we think that love is impermanent, let us love, enjoy our existing love, we cherish and cherish what is good that we have, and vice versa endure what is not good. which we have because then this bad thing will change.

                         In short, understanding the impermanent concept has enabled us to fully enjoy what is good, and when it changes, we have no regrets. Understanding the impermanence of impermanence enables us to convert current dissatisfaction, suffering to life, to alleviate suffering.

                    c) Impermanent notions in Ly literature :

                        In Ly literature, the Zen masters often used nature as the subject of philosophical thinking that they learned from Zen Buddhism thought. Seeing the trees change with the seasons, seeing the lightning flashes, the Zen masters thought of the fragility of human life, the ups and downs of life:

-The original Chinese characters:

Shows the first sub- body, such as movies have also not all things Chunrong autumn and dry Ren Yunsheng bad no Fearful Sheng decline dewy grass head shop -Phiên âm hán Việt :  





 

Thi disciple

Than is like the perfect movie of
Van Moc in spring glory, dry autumn autumn, when
Nham prospered and lost his father, Mrs.
Thinh was like revealing the first draft.

Poetry of poetry:

Bao disciples

Body like lightning in the afternoon,
Spring grass is lush, falling through the fall.
Chi chi failure to die,
Thanh fell down like a dewdrop on a branch.

 

Translation :

Teach students

The body is like lightning, with and without, in
Spring, the plants are lush, and withered when autumn comes.
In spite of the barrenness or failure of life, do not be afraid of the sea
.

         According to the Zen master Van Hanh, life is impermanent, so is up and down. He wanted to warn people not to frantically squeeze in order not to be fascinated by the circle of fame and fame, to seek liberation so that the soul would be purified.

   "[...] through the poem" Thi Disciple "of Van Hanh, we see the concept of the universe translated very clearly. The first sentence" Body as an infinite movie "means that the teacher has surpassed on life and death, there is nothing in the visible world, with an optimistic spirit that loves life, not a little cynicism, so the Zen master hastens to continue " Van carp in the spring glory, dried pomegranates" that  means the visible world changes non-stop, no thing, something that exists by itself in the blink of an eye, all appears and disappears like a virtual reality. at, but on the whole, that one organism is associated with the other, but changes but still lies in the birth, it is still a source of life " instant birth "full of the universe "cycle store continental nowhere . "That was the service, a source of eternal life" where students spend your Translations " . And Van Hanh has sympathy homogenization his mind with the source of life wordy it, so new there are the believers the threshold is strong in the eternal destiny of the four-season weather cycle: " Spring birth, Ha Truong, Thu Liem, Dong die ". What more are you afraid of, just how to live according to the rhythm of the weather of the universe, the source of life manifest bias manifold, there is the sense of "taking transport":
            "Ren Wansheng failure aimless Captain,
             Thinh distress as revealed draft head cheese!"
Already taking operation means it is Especially with the operation of the eternal source of life, there will be no worries, prosperity, and loss, because it is necessary to know how to communicate well.
      Knowing from time to time is very difficult, must be calm, carefree, clear, must have intelligence. Translate both virtues and minds, like Confucius, different Lao. "

     Meanwhile, the poets have more feelings about the change of life, the change of the owner, the trade of the land (the beach of the bride), the ups and downs, humiliation, elephants and dogs made great poet Nguyen Du heartbreaking:
                 Through a break,
             Seeing things that hurt.
                       

      Before the scene of changing stars, poet Tran Te Xuong still has the impression of the past. He looks for old memories, old silhouettes, deep resonances still in his mind: The
                  river has become a field,
               a place to build a house, a place to grow corn and potatoes.
                    At night, I heard the frog in my ear.
                 Startled, I still thought someone was calling.
                         

        More recently, more romantically, the great poet Xuan Dieu has expressed the feelings of the prewar young generation who are nostalgic about the moments that pass so quickly:
                    Oh short are meeting hours!
                    Oh rush is the minutes of love!
                    The morning sun has come to the evening dew ...
                                    

         Comparing the attitudes of the poets just quoted above, we find that the attitude of the Ly meditators was indeed a natural peace in the face of impermanence, the change of world and natural circumstances. . The Zen masters have been in harmony with nature, with the biochemistry of the universe and they have found the eternal law which is the impermanence of the universal universe.

                    d.-The notions of impermanence of other philosophers:
                            
                            1.  Heraclitus  (Greek, Herakleitos; France, Héraclite; c. 535 B.C. - 475 BC) advocates that all things are constantly changing, that is the result of internal conflicts and oppositions in things. Héraclite likened everything to change like a stream through the famous saying:
     You can not step twice into the same river, for fresh waters are ever flowing in upon you. The sun is new every day.
      
     ( You cannot step in twice in the same river, because cool water is always flowing through you. Every day the sun changes.)

The water of the river is always flowing, always flowing. But the only thing that doesn't change is the river itself, through which we define the river. This concept is similar to the Buddha's view of impermanence. 

                            2. Confucius  (孔子, 551 p. CN - 479 p. CN): the book Analects (論語) stated:
     子在川上曰:         逝者如斯夫,      不舍晝夜 (from South 子罕)
 Death at the upper pier writes: Oaths like a self-made, real resident in mind.
      
   Translation: (One day)  Confucius stood on the bank of a river and lamented: It was flowing like this forever! day and night without stopping. Time goes by like flowing water all day and night without stopping. 


 The universal universe is always changing, constantly changing. This one is over, the other continues nonstop. This is the natural Tao of heaven and earth. The most noticeable phenomenon is flowing water, passing time like water flowing day and night without stopping.

    Life prospered, then declined, then prospered according to the principle of impermanence. For example, the Ly dynasty (1009-1225) was the most prosperous dynasty in Vietnamese history but then also went to a decline: the Ly dynasty underwent 9 kings, a total of 216 years of reign. Then the Tran dynasty (1225 - 1400) occupied the Ly house and then went to decline, spent 12 kings, reigned 175 years. Qin Shihuang (259 BC - 210 BC) was the king of the Qin state in China, the king who burned books, buried his students alive, and also inevitably became sick and died at the age of 49.

                    e.-The attitude of the Gentlemen and the One who attained the religion before the prosperity of life : always optimistic. So the ups and downs are the norm of life.
                             - The attitude of the Gentlemen before the prosperity of life :
                              " It (the philosophy of the I Ching) knows that there is positive, then negative, if there is a prosperity, there is failure, life becomes a failure, a failure and a success. now at the end of the job is the time when the new thing begins, birth is the beginning of death, death is the beginning of birth: it knows that, but it is not discouraged, if you see the right thing to do, follow the righteous religion. how serious
         it is, but it is not like Confucius "is impossible" ( ^*1), it is finite, moderate, if you see the time you can do, then do it, otherwise please wait for time, wait without giving up, do not give up your will. He knows the value of the noble, for something that cannot be expected in life is like a pink bird flying in the clouds. How beautiful a life like that, but who said it was in vain?
         - Most of all it's optimistic.
         It should in fact realize that in society there are more adversities than the pros, and at first glance, we think so is pessimistic. Not that it comforts us that in the disaster of happiness, failure will flourish, so the hexagrams with the worst meanings are often the best, as I said above. In the art of hiding happiness, the happiness is also hiding, so it advises us to be in good times so we should be careful to take precautions, to avoid future disaster, but it does not tell us not to enjoy happiness.
       That optimistic spirit is evident even in the way gentlemen fight with the young people.
       Translations do not hate the common people, because there are sub's new gentleman, with new sounds have positive, good faith, the evil is not so fighting off evil, the struggle with evil, with the sub's never ending. "
    ( Nguyen Hien Le, I Ching: The Dao of the Gentlemen,  California (USA): Văn Nghệ, 1991, p. 200)
       A Gentleman who understands the philosophy of I Ching will not waver, be discouraged by prosperity, loss, and loss in life and life.
----------
( ^* 1) In Chinese philosophy, there are two meanings of two thinkers:
     -The son said: "Tri is incapable" (知其 不可 而 為) = I know I can't do it, but I still do it. This means that when you do something, put aside the thought of success or failure, just persevere in trying to do it.
     -Lao Tu says: "Immortal child" (為 而不 有) = doing something without being rewarded, owning it. It means doing it because of wanting to do, without the need to exchange any benefits.

Both of them share the same philosophical and moral sense, but the expression is two different.

                           
                          -The attitude of the One who attained before life:
                                    Despite his serious illness, the Zen master Man Giac (1051 - 1096) still has an unusually optimistic attitude because he knows that after birth and death there is no birth. everlasting:

- Original Chinese characters:

 

Inform the public

花落百去春
春開到百花
事逐眼前過
老從頭上來
莫謂春殘花落盡
庭前昨夜一枝梅-The Vietnamese pronunciations Chinese: Report disabilities marketing them Xuan Hoa Lac history department Xuan Bach flower opening the axis labels money too Lao head upstream spare hybrid Mac brutal spring flowers're optimistic take Dinh most cherish spending money tomorrow












      

Poetry of poetry:

Sick fox, tell everyone

Spring flowers fall away hundred
spring to hundreds of flowers smiling
immediate travel forever
On top, old come
Do not tell brutal spring flowers fall off,
last night, the front yard is a spike tomorrow.
     

-Translate:

Spring passes and a hundred flowers fall.
In Spring, hundreds of flowers bloom.
The life passed before my eyes,
Old scene appeared overhead.
Do not tell spring flowers to fall off.
Last night, a branch of apricot blossom bloomed in the yard.

 

        The Zen master's heart has naturally settled in before the biochemical scene, and has maintained an optimistic attitude towards prosperity, impermanence of human life and life.
        Man Giac Zen teacher has taught us that the universal universe is always changing, constantly changing. But behind the changes, that biochemistry is something immovable, immovable, transcendent; it is the truth-like being invariably valid before the relatively changing things of time and space. When the spring is over, hundreds of flowers have fallen, the image of an apricot branch blossoming in the midst of the dying spring is a beautiful, fresh image that evokes the Truth as, the absolute principle of everlasting, makes the teacher peaceful nature at the time of heaven and earth changes.

 

              2. Suffering [Han 苦, Sa. duhkha, Pa.dukkha translated literally  Things are not satisfied  (Dissatisfactoriness)]

               This is the mark Monday / Monday characteristic of Tu Phap.

The noble truth of duhkha "(Sa. duhkha, Pa. Dukkha, Av. The noble truth of duhkha), often called the noble truth of Suffering. The Chinese masters have translated duhkha as  suffering  (Han. 苦, Av. Suffering) thousands of years ago Consequently, the general public considers the central concept of the Buddha's teaching as " Life is suffering" . This concept has influenced the literature and the life of the people. them:        

        "When we were born, we cried,
           Chen was happy, why didn't he laugh."
             

So life is seen through a pair of stained glasses full of horrible and pessimistic experiences. This is a misunderstanding of "the teachings of Buddha ", about  the philosophical focus of Buddhism . Therefore, many Buddhist researchers believe that Buddhism is nihilism, cynicism.

Duhkha  (Pa. Dukkha), the Buddha used in the Dharma Wheel, has a very broad meaning which includes such concepts as suffering, pain, sorrow, separation (social). alienation), anxiety, stress, dissatisfaction. . . For example sickness, old age, death, separation, loss of a loved one, forced to live with someone we do not like ... We suggest that we use the word  dissatisfactoriness  to replace the Sino-Vietnamese  suffering.

The antonym of  dukkha  (Pa.) Is  sukha  (Pa.). According to the extraction,  su  = good,  kha  = the hole of the wheel shaft; If the hole is good, the carriage will move easily and the horse will pull at high speed without any problems. The sukha is often translated as obstacle-free, as happiness.

The concepts of dukkha and sukha are related. If we have not experienced dukkha (dissatisfaction, suffering ...), it is difficult to deeply perceive and appreciate the experience of sukha (no hindrance, happiness). Sukha  is defined as the state of freedom apart from craving, aversion and delusion; while  dukkha  is defined as depending on the five aggregates, the five aggregates change continuously. The  Buddha did not tell us to give up sukha. In other words, life is not only miserable but there are times when people are happy (joyful) are happy (happy). For example: passing exams, getting a scholarship to study abroad, working for a promotion, getting married to someone you love, even during sexual intercourse, I feel happy. . . But the Buddha said that happiness, happiness does not last long, changes forever, so then dukkha, unsatisfied things, come again.

The Buddha said:  everything changes,  every thing is impermanent, not only Sukha is changed, but dukkha also changes. In Vietnamese literature, we also see the description of these changes:
                "The numbers are good, then the times go back to the Thai times
                  .
                ( Nguyen Cong Tru , Bay of poverty)

or in an idiom: " Through a terrible storm to return to the future"  (Gone through a period of hardship and the start of a period of enjoyment).

Biblical turning of the wheel, the Buddha said  , "dukkha " appeared in normal life through the following circumstances:
1. What conditions were not happy about the change in character and physiology as elderly, sick and died.
Unsatisfied conditions of psychological emotions such as sadness, grief over great loss such as death of a loved one, a love affair, a difficult relationship, loss of property, a job loss, or a loss function. . .
3) Unsatisfying things like living with people you don't like, or living in situations you don't like.
Unsatisfactory things like wishing for something that cannot be achieved, disappointment at the bad reputation, grief over losing a gamble or in a political game ...
5) People often cling to happiness and happiness because they think it will last, but in fact they rely on changing physical conditions and changing psychological conditions. in everyday life. The physical, physiological and psychological conditions are made up of "the five aggregates ", but the five aggregates are interdependent and constantly changing, so people will experience things they are not content with. When you are happy or happy (sukha), pain or anxiety (duhkha) is like hiding; and vice versa, just like that the mix continues without stopping.

Lao Tzu (老子, China, lived around the 4th century BC), in the book Dao Duc Kinh  (道德 經) had a similar idea: 祸 兮 福 之 所 倚, 福 兮 祸 之 所 伏 ( The Clown of the Blessed One; The Clown, The Art of Subjugation )  Chapter 58 , means " Painting is a place based on happiness, happiness is the  refuge of danger ". Such a disaster, then happiness, happiness, and then continue to mix continuously and continuously. In other words, when having luck, you must prevent the risk that the luck brings, or vice versa; in glory there will be humiliation, and vice versa. Therefore, Nguyen Cong Tru, in his poem " Bay of Pine ", wrote  "When you want to cry / be sad, you laugh" .

Héraclite has a similar idea: " Big wins are defeats" (Les plus grandes victoires sont les plus grandes defaites ).

In short, duhkha is not an abstract concept, we all experience duhkha in our life, sometimes light, sometimes heavy. So the Buddha explained the cause of duhkha / dissatisfaction.

When we learn about the life of Shakyamuni Buddha, we know that when he was Prince Siddhartha Gautama, he lived in secret in his father's castle, so he did not know the actual life of ordinary people like sickness, death, and suffering until He went out into the suburbs and saw the reality of life as old age, sickness, death and ascetic monks. Through these 4 experiences, He began to understand life around Him. Therefore, He decided to leave home to find a way to save life. After His enlightenment, he immediately taught his teachings at Deer Park:

"Hey Bhikkhus! Until Tathagata  insight Four Truths / Four Noble Truths  (insight and understanding of the Four Noble Truths / Four Holy Truths), on  3 aspects  (three stages) and e incubated twelve methods (twelve aspects) in a completely clear way, until then did the Tathagata pre-confirm this world including gods (Gods), Maou (Maras), Brahmas, Taoists (Recluses), The Brahmans (Brahmans), Humans and other non-human beings (Some-One) that the Tathagata attained the  Supreme Righteousness,  and that at that time, knowledge and vision when arising, the  mind  of the Tathagata is liberated and can no longer be moved. This is the last life of the Tathagata, the Tathagata will never be born again. "

 

              3.-Self-Self  (無 我, Sa.  anātman , Pi.  Anattā , Av. No-self )
                          
                          This is the third imprint / third characteristic in the Four Dhamma Indies.                       

                         The concept of Self in philosophical and religious thought before the birth of the historical Buddha:
                               Before understanding   what Selflessness is according to the Buddhist conception, we will learn what Self is in thought. Religion predates the birth of the historical Buddha.
            Atman  in Sanskrit, synonymous with Pali is  Atta,  meaning  Self  (我, self) or  Soul  (soul) within us. Self or Soul is unchanging, eternal and identity. In the history of Indian philosophy, especially the Vedas, the  Atman  is the first principle, the  true Self. of an individual is beyond the phenomenon, the being of an individual. To attain liberation (moksha Sa, Av. Liberation), man must possess knowledge of Self (Atma Jnana) ie aware that the  Sub-Self  (Atman) with the super sociable Great Falls (Brahman, the Highest Universal Principal / the Ultimate Reality in the Universe).
             Six orthodox schools of philosophy in the history of Indian philosophy believes that there is a  Primary Self  (Atman, Self / Soul) in all organisms, this is a major difference with Buddhism. Buddhism  does not believe  that there is Self (Atman), that is, it does not believe  that there is  a Soul or Self.
            -  Philosophical thought in the Upanishads (c. 800 BC), or Pre-Buddhist Upanishads (Pre-Buddhist Upanishads):
" The Upanishads (VH, A-sense-letter) are sutras that record lectures and philosophical discussions on the meaning of the rituals, the philosophy of the discourses in the "four Vedas". We can find the doctrinal foundation of Hinduism and other religions in India such as: karma or action (Karma, Av. Action), reincarnation (Samsara, Av reincarnation) ), liberation  (Moksha / nirvana, Av. Liberation / release) soul, individual or sub-self (atman, Av. soul / self) and universal soul, great self (Brahman, Av. Absolute almighty or ultimate reality )

The word "Upanishad" can be extracted from itself: Upa means near, Ni means solemn, Shad means sitting. Concerning these 3 words, Upanishad literally means "sitting down near" or "sitting close to" the master to listen to the teaching. Then gradually, the Upanishads became more broadly, the lessons of the master's mystic doctrines.

The Upanishad is not a religious sutra but it is a sutra focused on philosophy. Contrary to the "Bramana Rite" that focuses on the Brahmin religious rites.

      Atman and Brahman.

Atman means the individual soul, the quintessence of each living being. Every living being: human, animal, plant has a sub-self. This sub-self is an immortal soul of the being. Atman is not the body, for the body is not eternal. The body is the refuge of the sub-self until the body dies. Thus, the sub-self is an immortal soul and eternal or eternal or unchanging (eternal soul, or identity).

Brahman ( the highest Universal Principal / the Ultimate Reality in the Universe) is the cosmic soul, the ultimate divine reality is the great cosmic spirit that exists forever. vaguely, the first being. The universe of things is born from the Brahman (cosmic soul. Brahman dominates the universe. expand (expand).

The Upanishads philosophy advocates that Atman can be identified with the Brahman (cosmic soul) not by making external sacrifices, by sacrifices of creatures, called sacrifices or sacrifices. , which must by introspective, crazy i  from the inner path made by pure knowledge to see Brahman intuitively. Later Buddhism called this method "quality" is "knowledge nature".

Atman means Brahman, the individual soul is the universal soul . In other words, the spirits of all sentient beings are identical with the universal soul. Brahman is the Supreme Soul, is the principle of the universe, is the absolute entity should not be seen and learned, " Impossible p i ", with the senses but through the process of spiritual experiences. 

At the heart of the Upanishads philosophy is  that the only supreme being / Brahman  created the universal universe, then dominated the universal universe. The Brahma creates the form, the Brahman that produces it returns to the Brahma. In other words, when the minor self (Atman) has not merged with the great self (Brahman), the minor self still has to reincarnate in the cycle of birth and death. When the small self is merged with the great self, the human being, sentient beings, will be liberated from samsara: " Atman-Brahman" is identical , the little self is in harmony with the great self in a state of eternal immutability. , people are freed. Thus,  the individual soul is identified with the universal soul, that is the Advaita philosophy of the Upanishad. "

   
     Professor Walpola Rahula explained  Nga (Atman)  as follows:
" What in general is suggested by  Soul, Self, Ego, or to use the  Sanskrit expression Ātman, is that in man there is a permanent, everlasting and absolute entity, which is the unchanging substance behind the changing phenomenal world. According to some religions, each individual has such a separate soul which is created by God, and which, finally after death, lives eternally either in hell or heaven, its destiny depending on the judgment of its creator. According to others, it goes through many lives till it is completely purified and becomes finally united with God or Brahman, Universal Soul or Ātman, from which it originally emanated. This soul or self in man is the thinker of thoughts, feeler of sensations, and receiver of rewards and punishments for all its actions good and bad. Such a conception is called the idea of self."


Dịch:
" What people often call  Soul, Self, Self or to use Sanskrit as Atman, is to say that within man there is an eternal, absolute entity, the unchanging being behind the ever-changing world of phenomena. According to some religions, each individual has such a special soul created by God, and after death will live forever either in hell or in heaven, its fate depends. into the judgment of the Creator of the soul. According to some other religions, the soul goes through many lives until it is completely pure and eventually becomes identified with God or the Brahman, Universal Soul or Small Self (Universal Soul. or Atman) from which it was born. Soul or Self in man is thought, feeling, and the reward and punishment of all virtuous actions, good and evil. Such a concept is called the idea of ​​Self.
b.-View of No-Self (無 我, Sa.  anātman , Pi.  anattā , Av. no -s elf / the absence of separate Self) )  in Buddhist philosophical thought:               Anatman is Sanskrit meaning  no there is  a Self, that is, there is  no  soul - no-change-, no-permanent, non-permanent, that resides in our body or in our lives. 

                           

According to the extract, in Sanskrit, Anatman consists of two words: An + atman; (An = no, no; Av. No, not, without) means there is no Self, there is no soul. In Pali, Anatta consists of two words: An + atta; (An = no, no; Av. No, not, without) also means that there is no Self, no Soul.

         The notion of  No-Self  states that there is no Ego or soul that is everlasting, unchanging and homogeneous in man, because everything, everything is due to many factors of the five aggregates of the five aggregates. conditions to arise and then go to destruction.
  

            For example:
                  -What you are thinking is not the same as what you thought in the past moments.
               -You can watch the stream of your thoughts go through every moment, but you cannot make it stop at any point. Similarly Héraclite said that you cannot step twice into the same river because river water is always flowing.
              Thus, your flow of thought does not have an inherent existence, meaning that you do not exist independently, you are the result of energies that are constantly changing in space and time.
            According to Nagarjuna, the Buddha has explained in the text that not only sentient beings have the attribute of  non-self but all objects and phenomena (dhammas, Av. phenomena)  are selfless and have no nature. Thus, all (beings + phenomena) are  Emptiness  of a being. Exists no independence, because everything, everything arises an interdependent: not by the capacity of it, but by depending on  conditions, on the coast  (phụ thuộc on conditions lead to their existence. Thus it is not an  ontological  (being) but what  is not (emptiness).
      

             Professor Walpola Rahula explains about " Selflessness " as follows:

     " Buddhism stands unique in the history of human thought in denying the   existence of such a Soul, Self, or Atman. According to the teaching of the Buddha, the idea of self is an imaginary, false belief which has no corresponding, reality, and it produces harmful thoughts of 'me' and 'mine', selfish desire, craving, attachment, hatred, ill-will, conceit, pride, egoism, and other defilements, impurities and problems. It is the source of all the troubles in the world from personal conflicts to wars between nations. In short, to this view can be traced all the evil in the world."

   

Translate:

  " Buddhism is the only religion in human history that has  denied the existence of the Soul, Self or Atman.  According to the Buddha's teachings, the idea of ​​Self is an imagination, a false belief. is not in reality, and Self arises from harmful thoughts of "I" and "mine", selfish lust, desire for attachment, enmity, cruelty, pride, pride, self and other evils, impurities, and other problems: Self is the source of all the crises in life from personal disputes to wars between nations. The cruelty in this world is all caused by this misconception of Self. "

Conclusion:
     In summary,  the  Hindu concept of Self (Atman, Soul / self) is very different from the Buddhist  concept of No-Self  (Anatman, no-soul / no-self). At that time, the fact that the Buddha Shakyamuni (c. 563 BC - c. 483 BC) denied the concept of Atman to introduce the concept of Selflessness (Anatman) shocked the thinking of philosophers and Taoists.

 

              4.-Nirvana  (Sino-Vietnamese transcription, Sa.nirvāṇa, Pa. Nibbāna)

 

                         This is the fourth mark / fourth characteristic of the Four Noble Truths.

                        Nirvana,  according to ancient Sanskrit, means " blowing out the fire " (blowing out the flame),  extinguished the fire  (to extinguish a flame) before leaving the house to prevent fires. Nirvana  is a Buddhist term meaning  liberation from samsara  (輪迴, Sa. Pa., Samsara, Av. Rebirth), that is, the state of extinguishing the three unwholesome flames of  greed  (Sa. Raga, Av.greed),  pitch  (Sa. Dvesha, Av. Aversion / hate) and  si  (Sa. Avidya, Av. Ignorance / Delusion). Nirvana is a state of tranquility (寂静), which means a state of tranquility, peace (Nirvana is peace).

                       In the Buddhist tradition it is believed that the Buddha was aware of two types of Nirvana: one at his enlightenment, the other at his death (another at his death). Therefore, the Buddhists distinguish two types of Nirvana:
       1. Excessive Nirvana  (有餘 涅槃; Sa. Sopadhiśeṣa-nirvāṇa, Pa. Savupadisesa-nibbāna, Av. , the solitude of the saint has removed the three poisons: greed, hatred and delusion, has been freed from all suffering / all the discomfort of life, and has ceased to create karma while still alive. This saint though enlightened but still alive on earth should remain Aggregates, there's the so-called state of " organic residue"; Nirvana is called Huu residual Nirvana.

        2. Nirvana's  infinite (無餘 涅槃, Sa.  nirupadhiśeṣa-nirvāṇa , Pi.  Anupadisesa-nibbāna , Av. die. Nirvana This type is also called  PARINIRVANA  (Sa. Parinirvana) or  Nirvana final  (final Nirvana).

 

     Nirvana  is not a place (Nirvana is not a place). Nirvana is a state that one discovers and realizes upon enlightenment.

     Nirvana  does not exist outside of  Impermanence, Suffering  (Dukkha, literally, Disappings) and  No Self.  If we understand  Impermanence ,  Selflessness  and cease the reality of  Suffering (Disagreements)  , they will discover and realize  Nirvana  right in this world.

 

III.-Conclusion:

 

         We have just looked at the Four Characteristics / Four Dharma Seals in the Buddha's teachings. Do these Characteristics / Seals help us to choose the scriptures spoken by the Buddha?
          Researchers of Buddhism have recognized that the Nikaya Buddhist Sutras of Theravada / Theravada / Thuong Bo has undergone four Gathering Councils, so far it is still intact so that we can learn from it. Ask the Buddha to practice teaching history. However, the scriptures of Theravada Buddhism / Mahayana Buddhism / Development Buddhism, there are many sutras appeared long after the texts of Buddhism of Upper Toads. This has caused many Buddhist researchers to question the origin of the Theravada / Mahayana Buddhist scriptures, especially when these Buddhists are based on linguistic disciplines, archeology, history, etc. to study these texts.
           Like other disciplines, Buddhist Studies requires understanding Buddhist terms. Therefore, readers need to use the books " Buddhist dictionaries " (Vietnamese, Chinese, English, French, etc.) and  Sino-Vietnamese Dictionary . The professors and scholars who have compiled these dictionaries all have profound knowledge of Dharma, but they also have certain limitations and the inevitable errors, so we do not. It is possible to put full confidence in a Dictionary, in only one source of information that needs to be consulted and compared with other dictionaries of many other authors.
           When the readers have understood the Four Seals clearly, they can understand more easily the words of the historical Buddha. In addition, when we read translations of the Buddhist scriptures, can we assess whether the translator correctly understood the Buddha's meaning in the Sutras?END=NAM MO AMITABHA BUDDHA.( 3 TIMES ).GOLDEN AMITABHA MONASTERY=VIETNAMESE BUDDHIST NUN=THICH CHAN TANH.AUSTRALIA,SYDNEY.13/10/2020.