The Path To True Happiness Given by Ven. Master Chin Kung 1. What is Buddhism?
Buddhism is the most profound and wholesome education directed by the Buddha toward all people.
The content in Buddha Shakyamuni's forty-nine years of teaching describes the true reality of life and the universe. Life refers to oneself, universe refers to our living environment. The teachings directly relate to our own lives and surroundings.
Those who possess a complete and proper understanding of life and the universe are called Buddhas or Bodhisattvas. Those who lack the understanding are called ordinary people.
Cultivation is changing the way we think, speak and act toward people and matters from an erroneous way to a proper way.
The guideline for cultivation is understanding/awakening, proper views and purity. Understanding/awakening is without delusion, proper views is without deviation, and purity is without pollution. This can be achieved by practicing the Three Learnings of self-discipline, concentration and wisdom.
The Three Basic Conditions are the foundation of cultivation and study. When interacting with people, accord with the Six Harmonies and when dealing with society, practice the Six Principles.
Follow the ten lessons taught by Universal Worthy Bodhisattva and dedicate one's mind to everlasting purity and brightness. These complete the purpose of the Buddha's teachings. Buddhism is an Education, Not A Religion Webster's Dictionary defines religion as,"An organized system of beliefs, rites and celebrations centered on a supernatural being power; belief pursued with devotion." Buddhism is not a religion because, first, the Buddha is not a"supernatural being power." The Buddha is simply a person who has reached Complete Understanding of the reality of life and the universe. Life refers to us and universe refers to our living environment.
The Buddha taught that all beings possess the same ability within to reach Complete Understanding of themselves and their environment and to free themselves from all sufferings, thus attaining utmost happiness. All beings can become Buddhas and all beings and the Buddha are equal in nature.
The Buddha is not a God, but a teacher, who teaches us the way to restore Wisdom and Understanding by conquering the greed, anger and ignorance which blind us at the present moment.
Buddha is a Sanskrit word meaning,"Wisdom, Awareness/Understanding." We call the founder of Buddhism, Buddha Shakyamuni, the"Original Teacher." He has attained Complete Understanding and Wisdom of life and the universe. Buddhism is his education to us; it is his teaching that shines the way to Buddhahood.
Second, Buddhism is not a religion because "belief" in the Buddha's teachings is not blind belief, blind faith and far from superstition. Buddha Shakyamuni taught us not to blindly believe what he told us, he wants us to try the teachings and prove them for ourselves. The Buddha wants us to know not merely believe. The Buddha's teachings flow from his own experience of the way to understand the true reality of life and the universe, and show us a path of our own to experience the truth for ourselves. This is much like a good friend telling us of his trip to Europe, the sights he has seen, and the way to go there to see for ourselves. The Buddha uses a perfectly scientific way of showing us reality in its true form.
Third, Buddhism is not a religion because all the"rites and celebrations" are not centered on a supernatural being, but rather on the people attending the assemblies. The ceremonies and celebrations in Buddhism all serve an educational purpose, a reminder of the Buddha's teachings and encouragement to all students who practice them. For example, the Thousand Buddhas Repentance Ceremony practiced during Chinese New Year is to help the participants cultivate a humble heart and respect for others. The point of all"ceremonies" is to help others awaken from delusion and return to Wisdom and Understanding. Finally, Buddhism is not a religion because the"devotion" used in Buddhism is not one based on emotion, but one based on reason. Students of the Buddha are dedicated to their practice of maintaining Purity of Mind because this practice brings true happiness and to helping others and society attain complete understanding and wisdom. Only through complete understanding and wisdom can we realize our true selves and living environment. The Buddha's education is truly not a religion but an education, teaching us the way to break through ignorance and arrive at a perfect understanding of ourselves and everything around us. Our goal is True Happiness.
The Teachings of Venerable Master Chin Kung Buddhism is an education, not a religion. We do not worship the Buddha, we respect him as a teacher. His teachings enable us to escape from suffering and attain happiness.
What does Buddha mean? "Buddha" means enlightenment/understanding. Complete understanding is when one realizes the truth about life and the universe. It is when one is apart from all delusions.
Cultivation is practiced in our everyday life. We should not see it as something unusual, it is simply changing our-selves for the better.
To keep our mind pure and at peace is like keeping a pond clean and undisturbed. When the water is clear and still, it can reflect the sky, sun and trees just as they are, without distortion. Our mind is the same. When we are polluted by greed, anger, ignorance and disturbed by discriminations and attachments, we distort our picture of reality and fail to see things as they are. Wrong perceptions of reality can prevent us from enjoying a clear and happy life.
We can learn to turn the light around, reflect upon ourselves and smooth our mind-pond still. Everything outside of us is non-discriminatory. The garbage does not feel it is unclean and the flower does not know it is fragrant. We must let our mind be at peace and without attachments, this is true happiness.
There is a lot of music in our society now that promotes violence, greed and hatred. To maintain a peaceful mind, we should refrain from listening to these the best we can.
Anyone who still harbors arrogance, a self, deters oneself from receiving the true benefits of the Buddha's teachings. What is purity? Purity is apart from defilement. Defilement is the greed, anger and ignorance present in our minds. Cultivation is cleansing these impurities from our hearts.
Cultivation is not something unusual, but part of our everyday life. Whenever we recognize and correct our faults, we are cultivating.
How do we know when our cultivation has improved? The time comes when we begin to understand the sutras more deeply, when we can read between the lines and realize the true meaning of the Buddha's teachings. This is when our cultivation has improved.
"What goes around comes around. ""Treat others the way we would like to be treated." If we want world peace for future generations and ourselves we should refrain from erroneous acts and cultivate kindness.
To be mindful of the Buddha is to dwell in true wisdom.
The ultimate goal to which all methods of cultivation lead is the complete pure and non-discriminatory mind. It is our original nature, our Buddha-nature.
Success is reached only after over-coming great obstacles.
The Buddha's teachings should be introduced as an education, not a religion. Using spiritual penetrations and psychic abilities to attract people to believe in Buddhism is not the proper teaching and only serves to mislead others.
We should not be afraid to see our faults and mistakes because only then can they be corrected. People who fail to see their own mistakes will not be able to change for the better.
A student of the Buddha does not just read Buddhist texts, but studies them to reach a deeper understanding of life and the universe and puts the teachings into practice in everyday life.
Seeing another's fault is the greatest fault in itself. In putting the teachings into practice, the first thing we should cultivate is the Pure Heart. The Pure Heart is a mind without discrimination or attachments. We must also develop proper understanding by listening to lectures on the Buddha's teachings. We should treat all people with respect and sincerity and be responsible for our actions and careful when handling other's property. Be conservative with speech and actions to avoid harming others.
Listen more: speak less.
Filial piety and respect are the roots of good conduct.
It is best to be considerate and kind in our speech. To put down another person is only proving our own arrogance and lack of self-confidence to others.
The root of people's sufferings and sicknesses is discrimination and attachment to unrealistic things. The Buddha's teachings tell us how to detach ourselves and not to discriminate. If we listen and practice according to the teachings, we will be at great ease in this world of confusion.
The difference between the success and failure of cultivation lies in our learning attitude. We need to be humble, sincere, and respectful and not think we are better than others.
To often criticize others is not a good matter. We should instead try to see their good points.
Practicing virtue is to keep a kind heart, speak kind words and do kind acts to benefit others.
Cultivating a sincere, pure, non-discriminatory, great compassionate heart enables one to attain enlightenment.
At a place of proper cultivation, everyone is equally important as the Teacher provides guidance and fellow students support each other along the path.
We would do well to rely upon fellow cultivators to correct our faults. If we cannot accept criticism from others, we will never reach attainment in our cultivation.
Learn to use time wisely. When dealing with people and matters, be clear of what we are going to do from beginning to end and not waste time dawdling around. If time is used wisely, there will be plenty of time left to practice diligence.
