Introduce. Today we begin a series of lectures on the Basic Dharma. It is called the Basic Dharma because this series only covers the basic parts of the Buddha Dharma, so we will not go into the Buddha's teachings. First, we will learn about the Three Jewels, the Three Jewels, etc. The topics we will learn are the ones that many of you have learned, but we hope there are some topics that you need to understand clearly. clearer and more thorough. Thus, there are many things you have already understood and also new things you have not noticed for a long time. There are things you already know, but please also be patient because listening to what you already know will help your understanding to be clearer and more sure. The basics of Buddhism we first need to know are: who Buddha is, what Buddha is, what Buddha taught. We also need to know who has preserved and propagated the Dharma from generation to generation and passed it down to this day. In short, We will also learn to know what Buddha, Dharma, Sangha etc. BUDDHA (BUDDHA) Buddha is a historical figure. He is a prince who left the secular life at the age of twenty-nine, ordained as a monk to find the way to end suffering. He saw sentient beings suffering and he wanted to save sentient beings. The word of salvation here means that He wants to help sentient beings save themselves. In order to find the way to end suffering, He had to renounce the throne, parents, wife and children. Thus, he gave up the secular life, dressed in a monastic robe, and became a hermit. For six years, he practiced all the methods including the ascetic method, but still could not see the truth. In the end, he practiced according to the method found by himself and achieved the best result in practice, which is to become an Omniscient Buddha. After Enlightenment, the Buddha taught sentient beings for forty-five years; daily He teaches dhamma to all who come to Him. At the age of eighty, he passed away. According to documents handed down from generation to generation in Buddhist countries, the Buddha passed away on the full moon day of the fifth calendar year in 544 BC. If you want to know how to find out the years when the Buddha was born, enlightened, etc. you can take the 1956 calendar year. In 1956, the whole world celebrated the 2500 year anniversary of Buddha Nirvana. This year is 2006 calendar year, Buddhist calendar is 2550. Thus, Buddha was born in 624 BC. Twenty-nine years later, that is, in 595 BC He ordained as a monk. Six years later, that is, in 589 BC He became enlightened, and in 544 BC Buddha Nirvana. One thing to remember here is that the Buddhist calendar is calculated from the date of Nirvana Buddha and not from the date of birth. Now we need to know some of the characteristics of Buddha. The Buddha is not a God, a creator of all things like other religions, neither a god, nor a god, a prophet, a messiah, nor is a messenger of God like other religions. Buddha is only a human being; and by the effort of a human being he became a man of transcendent wisdom. Everyone, if they want to, can become a Buddha like him. Occasionally meet people in other religions asking you: "Can Buddha Save Us?" and we say "no". Hearing the answer "no" may discourage them, because they think: The Buddha cannot save them. In fact, no one can save others. The word salvation in Buddhism means helping others to save themselves. Salvation in Buddhism does not mean turning a secular being into an Enlightened person, a saint, but teaching them, guiding them on the path to Enlightenment or helping them to save themselves. me. The Enlightened person is the one who has eliminated mental defilements. Nobody can go into other people's minds, help them take defilements out of their minds. No one can do this even if it is the Buddha. That is why in Buddhism it says firmly: "No one can save sentient beings" or "It is impossible to ask someone to get rid of their defilements". What the Buddha can do is help sentient beings save themselves by teaching them how to eliminate defilements. Thus, the Buddha is just a teacher. Because the Buddha is only a teacher to guide us, and cannot save us, we must practice His teachings with our own efforts. The Buddha is a fully competent and capable teacher who shows us the right path, the path of holiness, the true path to liberation, or the way that truly eliminates all mental defilements, leading to tranquility of liberation. To become a Buddha, a Bodhisattva or someone who wishes to become a Buddha must have great effort. Even in the last life, which is the life of becoming a Buddha, the Bodhisattva has to put in effort, an extraordinary effort. Before this life, The Bodhisattva has also strived for an endless, four earthly times and one hundred thousand earthly lives. During this time he tried to complete the Thirteen Mantras. (The Brahmin are the perfect characteristics that a person wanting Enlightenment of Buddhahood needs to practice.) When it comes to the word Buddha, we must understand Buddha as a fully Enlightened One. The Buddha is the Omniscient. One of the meanings of Enlightenment here is to Enlightenment by one's own effort, by one's own ability, without the support of a person, a god. This is the great characteristic of a Buddha. The Buddha is a completely pure man. His complete purity of mind is also a great trait of His Holiness. Our mind is always defiled by attachment, attachment, anger, delusion, egoism, etc. The Buddha's mind has eliminated all these defilements. Because his mind is completely pure, defilements such as greed, hatred, delusion, conceit, etc. cannot arise in him. This utter purity is a transcendent ability of the Buddha. When we hear the word "utterly pure" we might think: that characteristic is not great, but if we compare our mind with the perfectly pure mind of the Buddha we will understand the greatness. Great Buddha. For us, we often get attached to things that we love. Seeing something beautiful or lovely, we are Greedy, attached to that thing or person. Encountering something bad, something that is not pleasing, even a little, also makes us angry. Even though we don't want to be angry at that time, the angry mind automatically arises. There are times when we cannot stop attachment, anger. But for Buddha, Because His mind was completely pure and pure, no longer attached to anything in this world, he never had a dissatisfied mind, angry with everything whether it was physical or human. For example, in the case of Devadatta - his cousin and student of the Buddha - tried three times to kill him, but the Buddha was not angry at all. The Buddha was compassionate towards Devadatta. The Buddha's compassion for Devadatta, for his children, or for all sentient beings is equal. A completely clean mind without any deterrence is a great trait, which is very difficult to achieve. This characteristic is obtained as a result of His own great efforts. In other words, He was a human being like any ordinary human being, but thanks to great effort, He achieved that great compassion. Another characteristic of the Buddha is Right Samsara, means knowing all things. In order to achieve this characteristic, the Buddha also spent countless times in practice. Indeed, seeing the endless amount of time the Buddha spent in practice is no longer surprising, no longer wondering why the Buddha possessed this characteristic. To become a doctor, you have to spend eight years in college, but before that you have to spend twelve years in elementary and high school. Thus, to become a doctor you have to spend twenty years studying. When a man has become a doctor we will not be surprised, wondering why this man can become a doctor; because before that this man spent twenty years studying the Buddha did not go to school, why did he achieve the same results? Although not going to school, but he spent billions of lives practicing the Thirteen Mantras, or ten conditions necessary to become a Buddha. It is not surprising, therefore, that the Buddha possessed the characteristic of Right Samsara - knowing everything. It was not this characteristic of knowing all that made the Buddha proud. This characteristic is his means to teach sentient beings. Thanks to the characteristic of Right Samsara, the Buddha knows exactly what to teach, how to teach, and when to teach. That is why His teachings always yielded good results. Today the Buddha is no more, Bhikkhus, his disciples, do not know exactly what needs to be taught; Because His disciples, even though Enlightened, did not fully know the characteristics of others, it was difficult for them to make a decision about what to teach the student. I don't know how much you know the Dharma, whether you have a good understanding of the basic teachings or not, whether or not you are highly qualified meditators. I don't know, so I don't know for sure what to teach, but now I teach the basic series of Dharma so I have to start teaching you the basics. The Buddha was a great intellectual, so he knew what to teach each listener. The Buddha also knew how to teach. He knew who should teach how, so the Buddha taught sentient beings in many different ways. He uses the best method suitable for each person and individual to teach. Thus, the Buddha knew for sure how to teach. The Buddha also knew exactly when to teach. Sometimes there are people who are not ready to accept His teachings, not ready to understand, not ready to practice, then He will not teach. Buddha knows when to teach listeners, know when his mind is ripe to be able to hear, understand, and practice according to His teachings. With three characteristics: Knowing what to teach, how to teach, and when to teach, the Buddha always succeeds in teaching. If you have read the scriptures, you have seen that: in the end of the discourse there is often a mention of such people, such as the Enlightenment of the Path or of many sentient beings including the gods who have seen the truth Enlightenment etc. The Buddha possesses the characteristic of Right Samsara, not to show oneself but to help sentient beings out of suffering. A Buddha has many characteristics. In the sutras it is recorded that: if a Buddha spends all of his life talking about the characteristics of another Buddha it is not enough time to say it all. Thus, it is impossible to say all the qualities or qualities of a Buddha. FRANCE (DHAMMA) What is Dhamma? We often translate Dhamma as the teachings and teachings of the Buddha. In fact Dhamma means what the Enlightened Buddha, understood, understood at the time of Enlightenment. Dhamma also means what the Buddha taught sentient beings. Thus Dhamma not only means what we find in books but also what a yogi experiences while meditating. In other words, Dhamma means Path, Fruition, Nirvana and the teachings of the Buddha. There are four Paths, four Fruits, Nirvana, and the teachings of the Buddha. Thus, when it comes to Dhamma we speak of ten characteristics. The word Dhamma has many meanings, it is a very difficult word to translate, it is difficult to use a word but only all the characteristics of Dhamma. Therefore, depending on each case, depending on the scriptures that we understand the word Dhamma exactly the meaning of each case, each of those sutras. When we say Buddha, Dharma, Sangha, this word Dhamma means Path, Fruition, Nirvana, and the teachings of the Buddha. In other words, Dhamma was what Buddha realized at the time of Enlightenment and what He taught the world. Sutras record that Buddha gave a very quick sermon. There are also many people who speak very quickly these days; Although they speak very quickly, we understand. During the forty-five years the Buddha gave his daily sermons, the number of his teachings was numerous. Only the main points of His teaching included forty books, each three to four hundred pages long. What a great amount! Seeing the vast amount of Dhamma taught by the Buddha, we might think: with so many teachings we cannot hope to understand. But once the Buddha summarized his teachings in just one verse. I think we need to know this poem. Many of you here already know what that poem is like. This simple verse summarizes all the teachings of the Buddha: Do not do any evil deeds Cultivate good deeds Purify the mind That is what the Buddhas teach. Thus, there are only three things that are very simple to learn, but very difficult to practice. Not doing any evil: It means not doing bad things. Some people do bad things sometimes, others don't do bad deeds sometimes, and others do bad deeds. Cultivating good works: Sometimes we don't want to do good works, do not want to cultivate kindness When the Buddha says doing good deeds, good deeds mean practicing almsgiving, morality, and contemplation. Purifying the mind: Our mind is always defiled by defilements and defilements. The Buddha has always taught us to purify our mind. When the mind has been purified, it experiences ultimate happiness. Thus, if we can practice these three teachings of the Buddha, we will become the happiest person in the world. The Buddha not only said to clear our minds, but he also taught us how to purify the mind. The Buddha taught us three steps of sequential practice to attain purification of mind. That is gender, concentration, and wisdom. The first step is precepts (sla), the pure precepts that are the basis of all spiritual progress. Chastity means purity of body and speech. Our body does not make mistakes, speech does not say wrong. This means that the body of the student does not kill, steal, adultery, drink alcohol and intoxicants; speech does not lie, does not say stabbing words, does not say bad words, does not speak useless words. The second step is concentration (sāmadhi). Concentration is to keep the mind clean. Keep your mind clean by concentrating through Meditation. There are many topics for meditation practice. We will talk about it later. The third step is Hue (pañña). Hue or Wisdom here means understanding the nature of things, clearly seeing the reality of Matter and Mind. Wisdom here also means wisdom that clearly sees the Four Noble Truths. The third step (Hue) is based on the second step (Định). And the second step (concentration) is based on the first step (Precepts). If you want to achieve the highest level of spiritual progress, you must practice these three steps sequentially. Failure to achieve the first step, purification (Morality), cannot achieve the second step of purification (concentration). Failure to attain the second step of purification (concentration) cannot attain the third step wisdom (Wisdom) that clearly sees the true nature of things, and therefore cannot understand the Four Noble Truths. Thus, the Buddha gave us a detailed map of the path of spiritual development. Those who follow the three steps of this map are sure to achieve the ultimate goal. SAGHA (SAṄGHA) Saṅgha in the first sense is a group, a community of many individuals "practice according to the teachings of the Buddha to reach Enlightenment and have Enlightenment Path". Thus the Enlightened disciples of the Buddha are called the Enlightened People or Sagha community. Sangha in the second sense is that the community of monks, nuns and novices "practice according to the teachings of the Buddha to come to Enlightenment". This community is also called Increase. In the second sense of Saṅgha, the community of monks, nuns and novices may include both those who have Enlightened and who have not yet Enlightened, but in the first sense, "Sangha is a community of Enlightened individuals" then The Sangha here only includes the eight saints of Enlightenment. All eight saints that Saṅgha. Buddhists were encouraged to take refuge in the Buddha Dharma. Refugees here, especially the second rank of Increase. This second rank, though not yet Enlightenment Path Results, but has kept the teachings of the Buddha and passed down to the next generations to this day. The monks here are the monks and nuns, who have maintained, preserved the teachings and passed down through the generations to this day. Therefore, we must be grateful to this Sangha community for preserving the Buddha's teachings to this day. Without this second kind Sangha, today we cannot sit here meditating or discussing the teachings of the Buddha. Thus, the Sangha are the ones who keep the Buddha's teachings and pass it down from generation to generation. The members of Saṅgha were also not monks or meditators mediating between the Buddha and the people. Everyone can go directly to the Buddha. They are not required to go through the mediation of monks. Thus, the Sangha is not the monks or meditators mediating between the Buddha and the people. They are just spiritual guides for lay people. Monks and nuns who have left their jobs outside of their fields, have more time than lay people, so they devote more of their time to studying and practicing Dharma. . Increase, She has many more favorable conditions than lay people in studying, learning, practicing and maintaining Dharma. That is why we must Refuge Monk. Out of gratitude, we Refuge the Sangha because the Sangha carried the Buddha's teachings. The teachings of Buddha or Buddhism have been passed down from generation to generation for over 2500 years. During the 2,500 long lineage period, Buddhism divided into many sects. This sectarian division is a sad one. I just wanted a single sect, Buddhism, but there was nothing I could do about it. Currently in the world there are two main Buddhist sects are Theravāda (Theravada Buddhism) and Mahāyāna (Mahayana Buddhism). I am a Theravada monk, we call each other Theravada Buddhists. The word Theravāda means the teachings of the elders or vows. Theravada Buddhism maintained the Buddha's teachings in the Theravada form. It can be understood that: the original teachings of the Buddha are fully found in Theravada Buddhism. Mahayana Buddhism is different. The Mahayana sutras added other parts to the Buddha's teachings, so some new sutras were added. Currently, Buddhism has two main sects: Theravada Buddhism was spread in Burma, Ceylon, Thailand, Cambodia, and Laos. These five lands are also known as Theravada Buddhist lands. Theravada Buddhism is also found in Nepal and Vietnam. Vietnam is the only land where Mahayana Buddhism and Theravada Buddhism both developed. We can find Mahayana Buddhism in Tibet, Butane, Mongolia, China, Korea, and Japan. Theravada Buddhism is also known as Theravada Buddhism because it was propagated southward. From central India passed down to south India and then down to Sri Lanka. From Sri Lanka transmitted to the east such as Burma, Thailand, etc. Mahayana Buddhism is also known as Northern Buddhism because from the center of India passed to the northern countries such as Butane, Tibet, Mongolia, and Korea. National, Japanese, etc. So now there are two sects of Theravāda and Mahayāna. Since I am a Theravada monk, I only know Theravada Buddhism, please do not ask me questions about Mahayana Buddhism, I do not have the authority and ability to talk about Theravada Buddhism. I do not want to create misunderstandings and do not want to misrepresent Mahayana Buddhism as another religion, so please ask me about Theravada Buddhism, and I will answer according to my ability. . This lecture is intended to show you the basics of Dharma. The talks on Tam Bao, Buddha Bao, Phap Bao, and Sang Bao were briefly presented. Now I will spend more time talking about Dhamma, because we are more interested in learning what the Buddha taught than knowing about His life. This does not mean that we are not grateful to the Buddha. We must always be wholeheartedly grateful to the Buddha for leaving us with the inheritance of the Dharma, but we always think of the benefits we have gained from understanding and practicing the Buddha's teachings. Therefore, the teachings of the Buddha to us are more important than the life of Him or the Sangha. Therefore, we will spend more time studying and studying the important teachings of the Buddha.END=NAM MO SHAKYAMUNI BUDDHA.( 3 TIMES ).GOLDEN AMITABHA MONASTERY=VIETNAMESE BUDDHIST NUN=THICH CHAN TANH.AUSTRALIA,SYDNEY.3/5/2021.VIETNAMESE TRANSLATE ENGLISH BY=VIETNAMESE BUDDHIST NUN=THICH CHAN TANH.