ETHICS IN BUDDHIST LIFE.VIETNAMESE TRANSLATE ENGLISH BY=VIETNAMESE BUDDHIST NUN=THE WOMEN OF THE SAKYA CLAN CHAN TANH. On the occasion of this year's Buddha's Birthday, we would like to present the topic: "Buddhist Life", a topic that Shakyamuni Buddha himself preached many times, but specifically and clearly in the Suttas. The Buddha taught his son, Rahula, after he left home. These suttas are available in translations in the II, 61st and 62nd Middle Schools and in the III and 147th Middle Schools. This sutra was engraved on the Bhàbrà inscription by King Asoka, fourth century BC, calling on all monastics and lay Buddhists to recite and read this sutra. We are not Buddha's sons like Rahula, but we are all spiritual children of the Buddha. The loving and wise words of the Buddha. The sincere and wise teachings of the Buddha to Rahula, nearly three thousand years ago in India, are also the teachings for all of us, Vietnamese Buddhists, monastics as well as in Vietnam. family, male and female, young and old. Today, on the occasion of the solemn Vesak Day, let's reflect on the Buddha's teachings on the Buddhist way of life. The Buddha said: "Hey, Rahula, what do you think? What is the purpose of the mirror?". Rahula replied: "World Honored One, the purpose is to reflect." "In the same way, the Buddha said: 'Rahula, after reflecting many times, practice bodily karma, after reflecting many times, practice verbal action, after reflecting many times, practice mental karma. . The religious lifestyle is a way of life that is always reflective, not drifting, not liberal. The mirror that the Buddha said is not a mirror to look at his face, but a mirror of his soul that reflects whether his thoughts, words and deeds are compatible with his religious lifestyle; Buddhist lifestyle, ie as the Buddha taught Rahula, is harmful or not harmful to you; for others, beneficial or unprofitable, for oneself and for others, to bring happiness or cause suffering and unhappiness for oneself and others. Why does the Buddha advise us to reflect again and again? This is due to the process of karmic development, which can be divided into three stages: the first stage is the stage of using the mind, also called volition. Usually, we call it will. For example, today is Buddha's Birthday. But right from yesterday and before, someone had the intention to go to the temple today to pay homage to the Buddha, listen to the lecture, do many Buddha works and other good deeds. But there are also those who are probably only a very few on the occasion of Buddha's Birthday, who want to go to see fortune-telling, see math, hope to "enter the bridge" for a trip to develop wealth and fortune. Even at this stage of the will, we also have to reflect, have to consider whether it is right or wrong, suitable or not in accordance with the religious life, the Buddhist way of life, beneficial for ourselves and others. no, bring happiness or cause suffering, for yourself and for others or for both. If during the period of your will, you reflect and think that on Buddha's birthday, it is inappropriate to go to the fortune-tellers to see maths, to set a bad example of superstition for your wife, children, relatives, friends and other people, then Please resolutely give up that desire. On the contrary, for the desire to go to the temple, worship the Buddha, listen to lectures, do many Buddha works and other good deeds. If you think that that will is good and brings peace to yourself and others, now and in the future, you should resolutely carry out that will, but also for the sake of the vast majority. You had such good intentions, so today we have the good fortune to preach in such a large and enthusiastic assembly. If everything we do, every word we say, every thought we think is carefully considered right from the volition stage, as the Buddha taught Rahula, how many mistakes, Crime and misfortune did not happen in this world full of pain. The Buddha said, "Rahula, if, while reflecting, you know, 'This body action I want to do, this body karma of mine can lead to self-harm, can lead to harm to others, can lead to both. This bodily karma is unwholesome, leading to suffering. Such a bodily karma, Rahula, you definitely should not do it. If, after reflection, you know, Rahula, 'This bodily action I want to do, this bodily action of mine cannot lead to self-harm, cannot lead to harm to others, cannot lead to harm at all. second, this bodily karma is good, leads to happiness, brings happy retribution. Such a bodily karma is good, Rahula, you should do it." Stage two is the stage one has started to do, is doing. Even at this stage, the work phase is happening, we still continue to reflect: whether this is right or wrong with our religious and Buddhist lifestyles, will it cause damage to ourselves or to others? Does the other person, for both, or vice versa, bring peace to yourself, to others, to both? If, through reflection, we find that it is not harmful to ourselves, to others, or to both, then let us resolutely continue to do so, despite difficulties and obstacles. Just like today, you joyfully come here to worship the Buddha, listen to the Dharma lecture, do many good deeds and Buddha activities, in your heart you will feel peaceful, happy, and their wisdom will increase. If you think it's worth it, then feel free to continue doing it, on this Buddha's birthday as well as on other Buddha holidays, or whenever possible. On the contrary, there are things that you are doing, in progress, but in the process of doing, you consider that it is not beneficial for you, for others, or for both, even if the initial intention is good. Also, you should stop doing it right away. The Buddha taught Rahula that: "Rahula, when you are doing a bodily karma, you should reflect on that body karma as follows: This body action I am doing, this body karma of mine leads to self-harm. , causing harm to others, causing harm to both, then this bodily kamma is unwholesome, leads to suffering, brings the retribution of suffering. If, in your reflection, you know thus: the bodily karma I am doing now does not lead to self-harm, no When it comes to harming others, it does not harm both, at that time this bodily kamma is good, leads to happiness, brings peaceful retribution, such bodily karma, Rahula, you should continue to do." Stage three is the stage when something has been done. We also need to reflect on whether or not what we have done is in accordance with the religious and Buddhist way of life, causing damage or not to ourselves and others, whether it causes damage or not to both of us. , bring peace and happiness or not for yourself and for others or for both. If we reflect and realize that what we have done has caused harm to ourselves and to others or to both, then we must sincerely repent, honestly confess our mistakes to the guru or to the others. fellow practitioners, fellow believers. After that, make up your mind not to do such a harmful deed from now on. But if, through reflection, we realize that what we have done is in accordance with our religious and Buddhist lifestyles, bringing happiness and peace to ourselves and others, or to both, The Buddha himself also advised Rahula to do the same, after each of his actions: "O Rahula, after you have done a body karma, you need to reflect on that body karma as follows: "This bodily action I have done, this bodily action of mine, which leads to self-harm, to harm others, to harm both, then this bodily kamma is unwholesome, leads to suffering, brings painful retribution, If, while reflecting, Rahula, you know as follows: This bodily action I have done, leading to self-harm, to harming others, to harming both, then this bodily kamma is unwholesome and causes pain. suffering, brings suffering retribution. Such a bodily kamma, Rahula, you must speak up, reveal, present to your masters, or to wise fellow Brahmans. Having said, revealed, presented, "Again, if, while reflecting, Rahula, you would know the following: This bodily action I have done, does not lead to self-harm, does not lead to harm to others, does not lead to harm to both, in the time of personal karma. This is good, leads to happiness, brings happy retribution. Therefore, Rahula, your family must dwell in joy, cultivating by yourself day and night in good deeds." For each action of the body, that is, bodily karma, whether it is still a will, or while doing it, or after it has been done, the Buddha advised Rahula as well as all of us Buddhists to do the same. should be alert to consider, is it good or bad, if it is good, then practice day and night to increase those good deeds. And if it is unwholesome, then also try day and night to give up, eliminate, guard against, repent, repent, so that those unwholesome dhammas are never committed again. Not only with regard to deeds in the body, but also with words, for every thought that sprouts in our mind, the Buddha also advises us to reflect and consider whether it is good or bad. If it is wholesome, then learn to promote growth; if it is unwholesome, then strive tirelessly to eliminate and eliminate. And only after so many reflections on our deeds, words, and thoughts can we gradually come to a place where all our three karmas, bodily karma, verbal karma, and mental karma are gradually achieved. clean and bright, completely in accordance with the religious lifestyle, the Buddhist way of life. We, gradually, follow the teachings of the Buddha, as stated in the Dhammapada: "Do not do all evil, Accomplish good deeds, Keep the mind pure, It is the teachings of the Buddhas." Keeping the mind clean should be the constant and top concern of all of us Buddhists, monastic or layperson. Why? Ladies and gentlemen, this is because, normally, people think first, then speak, then act, we all have in mind the first verse of the Dhammapada: "Mind leads the Dharma, Mind dominates, mind creates, If with impure mind, Speaks or acts, Suffering follows, Like a wheel of a cart." Meaning: If the mind is unwholesome, dirty, full of greed, hatred, and delusion, then speaking and acting with such a mind will also be unwholesome, dirty, full of greed, hatred, and delusion, and bring painful results. On the contrary, as the Dhammapada says: "If with pure mind, Speak or act, Peace follows, Like a shadow that does not leave the image". The religious life, the Buddhist way of life, is a way of life with a pure mind. That is the way to live a happy life. A happiness that I created for myself, brought to myself, not anyone else, even my parents, relatives could not do it. That is the meaning of verse 43 in the Dhammapada: "What parents, relatives, relatives cannot do, Eight main directions can do, Do better!". The main direction is the good mind, the good mind, the pure mind. On the contrary, a person with an unwholesome mind is also the most unhappy person in the world, a misfortune even greater, more frightening than the evil that beasts bring to them. The Dhammapada says: "A wrongful family harms an unjust family, Enemies harm an enemy, Not equal to an evil mind, Causing evil to oneself". Why does the Dhammapada say so? This is because the unwholesome mind is the enemy within, the enemy that harms insidiously, so it is also the most feared enemy. Someone asked the question: How to keep the mind always pure and wholesome? How to keep the mind from thinking evil, thinking unwholesome? How can we not be greedy for hatred and delusion, less greedy for anger and delusion, even though we still know that greed, hatred and delusion is wrong and suffering? It is a very legitimate question, the Buddha once said: "Trouble for mankind!" (Kandakara Sutra, Central Division II Sutra 51). Some people know that smoking is harmful but still smoke, know that drinking alcohol is harmful but still drink. That is the power of habit, a terrifying force. Just like a person walking forever in the morning dew, the shirt will always absorb the dew. How many days do I have to dry my shirt to dry? The same goes for the human mind. People who think evil or think good also become a habit. If it has become a habit, especially a bad habit, it must also take time and effort to get rid of it. First of all, you have to create a good environment for yourself with good environments and good intellectuals, as the Buddha's books often say. In the Manchurian Minor Sutra (Mediterranean Sutra No. 110), the Buddha clearly introduced us to what it means to live an unwholesome person's life. An unwholesome person is a person who is full of unwholesome qualities, such as no faith, no shame, no fear, little hearing, laziness, lack of mindfulness, and lack of wisdom. An inconvenient person thinks like an unrighteous person, thinking harms himself, thinking harms others, thinking harms both. An unwholesome person speaks like an unrighteous person: Lying, speaking with two tongues, speaking cruelly, speaking frivolously. An unwholesome person acts like an unrighteous person, killing living beings, taking what is not given, and engaging in sexual misconduct. So, Buddhists often come here to worship Buddha, listen to sutras, read the Fa books, talk about morality together, do Buddhist works and good deeds, that is to create for themselves a good environment to eliminate bad thoughts and arise. good thoughts, good thoughts. It is difficult for one person to do, or it is difficult for a beginner to do it. But if there is an organization, many people work together and do it many times, get used to it, then the hard work will be completed well. We have a good environment, we have good friends, we still have to work on ourselves. The Sutra of An Abode (Sutta 20, Central Sutra 1), teaches us how to make the right effort to cultivate good thoughts and eliminate bad thoughts. The Sutra says there are five measures in all: The first measure is to use good thoughts to drive away evil thoughts. For example, using the concept of compassion to drive away thoughts of anger, the Buddha used the example of a skillful carpenter who uses a good wedge (good thought) to knock another wedge (evil thought). -- The second measure: is to reflect on the harmful consequences of bad thoughts that will lead to crime and punishment. Just like a person who observes that he is wearing a dead dog's body around his neck, he is scared and throws it away. Just like today, smokers think that smoking can cause them and their children (smells the smoke) to get cancer, get scared, and quit smoking. -- The third measure: is to try, forget evil thoughts, don't think about it anymore. The Buddha took the example of a person who closes his eyes to avoid seeing something that can motivate him to do evil. -- The fourth measure: is to stop the flow of evil thoughts, to let it reduce its strength. The Buddha used the example of a person running, turning to walk, then standing, then sitting, then lying down. I can use the example of smoking to illustrate the Buddha's words. An addict, seeing a pack of cigarettes, immediately took it, drew a match, lit it, and took two or three breaths. Now that you see a pack of cigarettes, don't take it, and when you have it, don't pull out a cigarette, don't light a match, or light a match, don't take a breath, etc.. Because, every time Stop like that, we can all reflect, remember the doctor's advice about how tobacco causes cancer, how much money is left by the wife's message, etc.. Thanks to that, maybe stop smoking. -- The fifth measure: is to use the will and energy to control evil thoughts, prevent it from arising, the Buddha for example a strong person falls a weak person. The above are five measures to control and eliminate evil thoughts, taught by the Buddha in the Sutra "Abiding in Search". Those are practical and concrete teachings that everyone can apply in their daily lives. One thing we need to keep in mind is that all thoughts are impermanent, whether good or bad, if it is not nourished by the corresponding thoughts and especially the corresponding deeds. I take the example of a smoker's concept of smoking. That smoking thought is nourished by thoughts such as that smoking is harmless, smoking is more innovative, smoking one cigarette can shorten life by a few seconds, but laughing once can increase life by seven seconds, and so on. If we don't nurture the concept of smoking with such thoughts, on the contrary, we oppose it and eliminate it with such thoughts as smoking causes cancer, smoking harms the lungs, smoking costs money, etc. then the thought of smoking may gradually no longer dominate us as before. And we can proceed to quit smoking without difficulty. One more thing, we also need to keep in mind that good thoughts are generally stronger than bad thoughts, just as light is stronger than darkness. Evil thoughts can influence us because we do not know it is ac. If it can be recognized as evil, it will naturally disappear. That is why, the Buddhist scriptures advise us to always be mindful and alert, knowing clearly what we are thinking, saying, and doing, and whether those thoughts, words, and deeds are good or bad. peace or suffering for themselves and for others. Some people think evil without knowing they are evil. It is very difficult for such a person to practice abandoning evil and doing good. Just as there are people who do good without knowing that they are doing good, it is very difficult to develop good. The life of a Buddhist must be a sober life, knowing that good is good in order to promote the inherent good, learn the good things that you do not have. At the same time, we must also know that evil is evil to eliminate the evil we have committed and guard against evil that has not yet arisen. In short, increasing the inherent good, learning the good things that are not there, giving up the inherent evil, avoiding the evil that is not yet: that must be the diligent lifestyle of all of us Buddhists. That is also the definition of the word "Right Effort", Sammà andyama, in the Eightfold Path that the Buddha advised all of us Buddhists to practice. "The noble disciple lives diligently, giving up unwholesome dharmas, accomplishing kusala dhammas, striving with perseverance and diligence, not relinquishing the burden of wholesome dhammas." (Tang Chi II, page 18). Above, we said that using good old thoughts to chase away evil thoughts. You may ask what kind of good thought it is? The Buddhist sutras often teach the practice of the "Eight Right Paths" by means of Right View, Right Thought, Right Speech, Right Action, Right Livelihood, Right Effort, Right Mindfulness, Right Concentration, and Eight Dharma Doors to create a perfect human being. Eight methods of building a perfect Buddhist lifestyle, practical application in real life. A person of good will, of course, must be a person with right views, right thoughts, right language, right three karmas, right livelihood, right thoughts, and right meditation. chief. How wrong it is for someone to accuse us of Buddhism as destroying all human emotions, as inhumane! On the contrary, it can be said that Buddhism is the most humane religion because it helps people strive to become perfect human beings, saints in this world, fully and completely self-assembled people. most beautiful virtues of compassion and wisdom. Humans have great wisdom and love (compassion): that must be the striving direction of all of us, because that is the model, of a perfect human from the Buddhist point of view. It is a specific direction of striving, nothing is far-fetched, the Buddha and his many generations of enlightened disciples prove that perfect human being is not a utopian structure that has already been achieved. are, are, will be living, real people if they know how to strive for the path. The Eightfold Path that the Buddha outlined. The immortal value of Buddhism is that it outlines a specific path to help each of us become a perfect human being, a person who lives happily and freely, an exemplary human being of wisdom and love. wide. That is also the message that the Buddha left us: the message calling on all of us to strive to become perfect human beings, liberated from the three poisons of greed, hatred and delusion, people with liberated minds and liberated wisdom, worthy of being Buddha's disciples, the spiritual offspring of the Buddha. In this world full of hatred, let us live without hatred, let's set a shining example of a life full of love. In this world filled with darkness, the darkness of the threat of war, and the immoral way of life, let us light the lamp of wisdom, understanding and sympathy. Society does not look at us, judge us by Buddha books and Buddha statues, but look at us, judge us by our specific person, by our concrete actions and words, can present allegiance to or contrast with the Buddhist ideas of compassion and wisdom. Buddha too, he looks at us and evaluates us not by statues or paintings of Buddha, by whether Buddha's books record his words as true or not, but by the specific daily lives of Buddhist monks and nuns we have. It's really a religious life, a Buddhist life or not. If indeed, we live, behave, and act according to the Buddha's teachings, then even though the Buddha passed into Nirvana three thousand years ago, he is always by our side, following the instructions. , encourage us. On this solemn Vesak day, we hope that is the belief of all of us, and that we will all live by it. Wishing you all a full Buddha's birthday full of Compassion and Wisdom.END=NAM MO SHAKYAMUNI BUDDHA.( 3 TIMES ).WORLD VIETNAMESE BUDDHIST ORDER=BUDDHIST DHARMA WHEEL GOLDEN MONASTERY=VIETNAMESE BUDDHIST DHARMA WHEEL GOLDEN MONASTERY=VIETNAMESE BUDDHIST NUN=THE WOMEN OF THE SAKYA CLAN CHAN TANH.AUSTRALIA,SYDNEY.7/12/2021.