The Buddha called His Teachings The Dhamma. It encompasses nature’s laws and the phenomena of impermanence, suffering and soullessness.
A Buddha must realize the Dhamma and then it must be propounded.
Dhamma Teaching :
Topics of fundamental importance:
1. The Four Noble Truths.
2. The Noble Eight-Fold Path.
3. Kamma and Re-birth.
4. Wheel of Life.
The Aim:
To unravel the problem of suffering, which is at the heart of human existence, and a Path of deliverance as expounded by the Buddha.
The beginning point of His path is about the conditioned mind in bondage and subject to suffering; the end point is the enlightened mind, completely purified and liberated from suffering. The whole teaching unfolds between these two points, taking the most direct route.
Methodology:
The Dhamma has two main parts; one is Doctrine and the other, path or practice, which are inter-dependent.
The Doctrine :
Explanation of the four noble truths (Arya Satya) and their significance in understanding the origin and destruction of suffering (Dukkha), in its entirety.
1. The Noble Truth of Suffering,
2. The Noble Truth of the origin of suffering,
3. The Noble Truth of the cessation of suffering,
4. The Noble Truth of the path to the cessation of suffering.
The first two Noble Truths cover the cause and effect in relation to suffering and bondage.
The next two covers the cessation of suffering (Nibbana) and the means for attaining Nibbana, the Noble Eight fold Path.
Explanation of the Noble eight-fold path:
1) Right View- to understand wholesome deeds, unwholesome deeds and
comprehend the law of Kamma.
2) Right Intention- The intention of non-greed, non-hatred and non-delusion.
3) Right Speech- abstaining from false speech, malicious speech, harsh speech and idle
chatter.
4) Right Action- abstaining from killing, stealing and sexual misconduct.
5) Right Livelihood- abstaining from wrong and corrupt means of livelihood.
6) Right Effort- Awakening zeal for abandoning of unwholesome states and arising &
sustaining of wholesome states.
7) Right Mindfulness- The four foundations of mindfulness (satipattana) namely
contemplation on body, contemplation on feelings, contemplation on mind and
contemplation on mind-objects.
8) Right Concentration- Abandoning of five hindrances namely lust, ill-will, sloth-torpor,
worry-agitation and doubt through Dyanas.
The Doctrine and the Path are closely interwoven, for the Noble eight-fold path is the fourth Noble Truth while the first Noble path, Right view, is understanding the four Noble Truths.
Kamma and Re-birth (The wheel of life)
Kamma (Karma) is the law of moral causation. Re-birth is its corollary.
Both these are interrelated fundamental doctrines in Buddhism.
The Buddhist aims at the final destruction of all suffering (dukkha).
Like attracts like, good begets good, evil begets evil. This is the law of Kamma.
Unwholesome kamma:
| Source |
Body |
Speech |
Mind |
| Unwholesome
Deeds |
1.
Killing
2. Stealing
3. Sexual-Misconduct |
4.
False Speech
5. Slandering
6. Harsh
7. Frivolous |
8. Covetousness
9. Ill will
10. Wrong view |
The first seven actions, including 9 and 10, are identified with the volition to execute. Hence known as unwholesome kamma regardless of whether or not it completes the action to achieve its aim, it is the full course of action constituting a kamma, which would play a re-birth generating role.
Wholesome Kamma:
Abstinence from unwholesome actions is the passive wholesome course of action. Acts of generosity, loving kindness, and compassion is the active wholesome course of action. It is purely mental action / thoughts that has the potential to direct the death-consciousness and generate re-birth, corresponding to its own level. All sentient beings are experiencing the results of their past wholesome and unwholesome kamma during conscious life. The kammic forces involved in the process of dying and re-birth are thus interactive and complex.
The Wheel of Life: (Dependent origination)
Because of A arises B. Because of B arises C. In the absence of A there can be no B and hence C. In other words, this being so that is; this not being so, that is not. It is the simple occurring of a state dependent on its antecedent state.
Ignorance of the Four Noble Truths is the chief cause that sets the wheel of life in motion. This process of cause and effect continues endlessly, the beginning of which cannot be conceived. However, when this ignorance ceases with the onset of Wisdom, as a result of proper understanding and practicing Dhamma, the process or the wheel of life grinds to a halt. The whole formula may be summed up thus:
Dependent on ignorance arise conditioning activities
Dependent on conditioning activities arises consciousness
Dependent on consciousness arise mind and matter
Dependent on mind and matter arise the six spheres of sense
Dependent on six spheres of sense arise contact
Dependent on contact arises feeling
Dependent on feeling arises craving
Dependent on craving arises grasping
Dependent on grasping arises actions
Dependent on actions arises birth
Dependent on birth arise decay, death, sorrow, pain and despair, which are suffering.
The Buddhist Awareness :
Awareness is to be able to observe things, from moment to moment, as they are and not as we want them to be. Awareness is mindfulness of changing perceptions of the mind with respect to those of the surroundings from moment to moment; in other words it is the understanding of the impermanence or the changing phenomena, bit by bit, both internally and externally.
“ A Buddhist disciple is fully aware of his/her going forwards or backwards, in looking ahead or around, movements of all body parts and their functions, sleeping, keeping awake, speaking and keeping silence”
Thus one lives contemplating on feelings, on states of mind and on the Dhamma.
Thus awareness leads to concentration and eventually to insight.
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