Dhammapada

"Better than a thousand hollow words
Is one word that brings peace.

Better than a thousand hollow verses
Is one verse that brings peace.

Better than a thousand hollow lines
Is one line of the law, bringing peace.

It is better to conquer yourself
Than to win a thousand battles.

Then the victory is yours."

The Goat who saved the priest

Once upon a time there was a very famous priest in a small village. He misguided the people of the village into false ways of worship. He believed in sacrificing animals as part of worship.

One day he decided to sacrifice a goat. He ordered his servants to take the goat to the river and wash him and decorate him with flowers.

At the river the goat understood that the time had come for him to die. He also became aware of his past births, deaths and future rebirths. Suddenly he started to laugh. The servants asked him the reason to laugh. Then it stopped laughing and started to cry. So the servants took him to the priest.

The priest asked him what made him laugh. The goat answered that the memory of his previous births came to him and in his previous birth he killed animals and as a result of that he is going to loose his head and with that he will be free from his past wrongful actions. So the joy of this freedom made him laugh.

Then the priest asked the reason to cry. The goat answered that the priest committing the same mistake the goat did in his previous birth and as a result of that the priest will be killed by someone else in his next birth and this made him sad and that was the reason to cry.

The priest was afraid and said that he will not kill the goat. But the goat replied that he will loose the head today for his past wrongful actions.

Suddenly a thunderstorm appeared and the goat died instantly. No one could understand how it happened.

A fairy who lived in a nearby tree appeared saying “Look what happened to this poor goat. This was the result of killing animals. All wish to live not to die. Not seeing that some kill other animals. This causes suffering to those who kill, both now and in future rebirths.

The Lord Buddha

The Buddha is the great teacher who teaches us to be good. He was blessed with many good qualities. He was kind and compassionate. He had a strong and a pure mind. He knew many things. He is famous because of his goodness. We salute the Buddha because we respect him. He teaches us to live in peace and harmony. He teaches us to be good and have a healthy mind. He teaches us to be wise.

We chant vandana to pay homage to the Buddha. This is to show our great respect for the Buddha.

Pali Verses

ITI PI SO BHAGAVA ARAHAM

SAMMA SAMBUDDHO VIJJA CHARARANA SAMPANNO

SUGATO LOKAVIDU ANUTTARO

PURISA DAMMA SARATHI

SATTHA DEVA MANUSSANAM

BUDDHO BHAGAVATI

Such indeed is the Blessed One, Exalted, omniscient, endowed with knowledge and virtue,

Well-gone, knower of the worlds,

A Guide incomparable for the training of individuals,

Teacher of gods and men,

Enlightened and Holy.

Sadhu ~ Sadhu ~ Sadhu

Bo maluwe mal suwandaka patalee..amma pewu kiri suwanda gala enne...

Let's make a Dhamma Wheel - craft

Dear Friends,

So, you're feeling a little crafty.

So let's make a Dhammacakka.

Take a square of plain or colored paper and fold it into quarters.

Now fold it diagonally. (through Original center of the paper)

Fold diagonally again as in figure.

Cut along the curved lines leaving the 'shaded' portion, as in figure.


Unfold the portion and you should have an eight-spoked wheel which you can decorate. You could hang it up or make it into a flag. Try making several and threading them on a string. You could give them away as presents.

Dhamma Wheel as a Buddhist Symbol

With eight spokes it is 'The Noble Eightfold Path'.

Sometimes the wheel has up to a thousand spokes, appearing like the sun; representing the bright clear teaching that dispels the darkness of ignorance.

These meanings refer to the teaching of the Buddha so the wheel is usually called the Dhammacakka.

Dhamma is a word in the Pali language meaning 'truth' or 'nature'; which is what the Buddha was teaching; the truth of our own human nature.

Story of Kisa Gotami

Kisa Gotami was the daughter of a family lived in the village. She was a weak, delicate girl, often ill, not fit for hard work. The neighbours thought that she would never find a husband. But the beauty of her long, dark hair and shining eyes won the heart of a stranger and Kisa Gotami left the village to join the family of her husband. They treated her harshly because she was poor and tired easily under burden of work, but all that changed when Kisa Gotami gave birth to her son. Kisa Gotami delighted in her child. He was the joy of her life. Motherhood, too, brought respect and care from her relatives. Kisa Gotami had never known such happiness.

The boy grew strong and attractive. Then one day, when he was playing in the forest, a snake bit him on the ankle. Within hours, Kisa Gotami and all her houshold were pushed into mourning. Her dearest son was dead. Kisa Gotami was out of mind with grief. She would not eat or sleep. She walked, round the houses of the village, holding the dead body and pleading at every door for medicine to make her child well again. Her cries frightened the villagers.

But Kisa Gotami's grief moved the heart of one person in the village. He was a follower of the Buddha. Gently, he adivised that the Buddha might be able to give her medicine for her dead child.

That evening, Kisa Gotami started on her journey to meet the Buddha. All night she walked, carrying the dead child. She arrived at midday to find a large crowd gathering round the Buddha. She pushed her way through and laid her child on the ground before him. A deep silence fell on the crowd.

She told him her sad story and pleaded him to cure the dead Child. The Buddha listened with patience and compassion. He said 'I shall cure him if you can bring me a grain of mustard seeds from a house where no one has died.' ' Go to the City' he told her. ' Visit every house. Bring me a grain of mustard seeds from a house where no one had died. I shall wait for you'.

Kisa Gotami was so happy. At last, someone is listening. Here was the one who would help. Through the city, she walked, knocking on every door, pleading for a grain of mustard seeds if death had not entered there. She found herself listening to countless stories of sadness, the death of wives and husbands, of parents and children, of old age and sickness. In every house the story was different but the grief was the same, like Kisa Gotami's own grief.

At last the truth struck her, 'No house is free from death'. She laid the body of her child in the cremation ground and returned to the Buddha, who comforted her and preached to her the truth. That was the truth of the suffering of life. Then she became a follower of the Buddha.

The Buddha taught us to recognize that suffering is a fact of lif and that no one can avoid it, as stated in the First Noble Truth.

Truth of Suffering

The Four Noble Truths

Four Noble Truths is the basis of the Buddha's teachings. They are

1. The Truth of Suffering
2. The Truth of the Cause of Suffering
3. The Truth of the End of Suffering
4. The Truth of the Path leading to the End of Suffering

The Buddha showed that there is suffering in the world. He explained the cause of this suffring. He taught that this suffering could be ended. Finally, he showed the way leading to the end of suffering.

Suffering

The Buddha's discovery of the solution to the problem of suffering began with the recognition that life is suffering. If people examine their own experiences or look at the world around them, they will see that life is full of suffering or unhappiness. Suffering may be mental of physical.

Physical suffering takes many forms. People must have observed at one time or another, how their aged relatives suffer. Most of them suffer aches and pains and many find it hard to move about by themselves. With advancing age, the elderly find life difficult because they cannot see, hear or eat properly. The pain of disease, which strikes young and old alike, can be unbearable. The pain of death brings much suffering. Even the moment of birth gives pain, both to the mother and the child who is born.

The truth is that the suffering of birh, old age, sickness and death are unavoidable. Some fortunate people may now be enjoying happy and carefree lives, but it is only a matter of time before they too will experience suffering. What is worse, nobody else can share this suffering with the one that suffers. For example, a man may be very concerned that his mother is growing old. Yet he cannot take her place and suffer the pains of aging on her behalf. Also, if a boy falls very ill, his mother cannot experience the discomfort of his illness from him. Finally, neither mother nor son can help each other when the moment of death comes.

Besides physical suffering, there are also various forms of mental suffering. People feel sad, lonely or depressed when they lose someone they love through separation or death. They become irritated or uncomfortable when they are forced to be in the company of those whom they dislike or those who are upleasant. People also suffer when they are unable to satisfy their needs and wants. People, for example, may be unhappy if they are unable to gain wealth, power and fame.

Natural disasters, such as earthquakes, floods or Tsunami can cause a lot of suffering to people. People also have to face hardship caused by war and social injustice.

Lets look at the story of Kisa Gotami which explains the truth of suffering in the next post.

The Four Sights

Old Age

Sickness

Death

The Holy Man

Although the Prince Siddhartha was protected from all the problems of life outside the palace gate, one day when he went out with Channa, his Charioteer he saw an old man. He was bent over. His hair was white and had no teeth. Prince Siddhartha was surprised and asked Channa if he was a man. He questioned Channa more, and learned that this would happen to him, if he lived long enough, as it happened to all.

Later he encountered a sick man and he witnessed the grief of mourners as they were carrying a dead body. These things made him think about the true nature of the things.

But then, he saw a man with shaved head and saffron robe, who looked serenely calm. The Holy Man, a Monk. Channa explained that this man was seeking a way out of suffering. The Prince decided to be like him to find the truth to overcome the suffering of the world.

Symbols in Buddhism

Buddhist Flag

Six Colours of the Buddhist Flag are as follows

Blue - Neela

Yellow- Peetha

Red- Lohitha

White - Odatha

Orange - Manjesta

Mixture of all five colours - Prabaswara

Meaning of the above colours are

Blue - Universal Compassion

Yellow - Middle Path

Red - Blessings of Practice

White - Purity of Dhamma

Orange - Lord Buddha's Teachings

Dhamma Wheel

Dhamma Wheel represents the Noble Eight Fold Path.

Right View - Samma Ditti

Right Thought - Samma Sankappa

Right Speech - Samma Vaca

Right Action - Samma Vayama

Right Livelihood - Samma Ajeewa

Right Effort - Samma Vayama

Right Mindfulness - Samma Sati

Right Concentration - Samma Samadhi

Lotus Flower

Lotus Flower represents purity.

Queen Mahamaya dreamt of a wild elephant holding a white lotus in his trunk entered into her body.

When the Bodhisatva Prince was born, seven red lotuses bloomed up from the ground to recive his feet

Bodhi Tree

The tree under which Lord Buddha attained enlightenment.

Bodhi Tree is used to represent the wisdom of the Buddha.

Stupa.

Stupa is a monument where the sacred remains of the Buddha or noble monks are kept.