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Continue Last Page Buddhism preaches the truth of suffering together with its cause. Buddhists are taught to dis- tinguish the condition of suffering from its origin. Furthermore, they are told of the condition in which suffering causes to exist and then are exhorted to follow the Path leading to the condition. This is the presentation of the doctrine in a highly systematic method. 24. TO ERR IS HUMAN : Buddhism never approves of the practice of repeated condeming a person who has done wrong. Buddhists are advised to make him realize his mistake and then stop doing it again. Even the Buddha had also done some wrongs in his past lives. Thus we all make mistakes some time or other. But afterbeing convinced of error, we must not do it again. 25. LOVING SYMPATHY : Buddhism forbids its disciples to look down upon others because of either birth, wealth, rank or any other attribute. The objective here is loving sympathy with all. 26. REPAYMENT IN KIND : Buddhism formulates a doctrine that those who do good are to receive good, while those who do evil are similarly to receive evil. In other words, everybody is to reap whatever he has sown. This is a tacit warning against doing evil, the fruits of which inevitably belong to the doer. 27. DEIFYING QUALITIES : Buddhism seeks to promote the virtues of shame of evil and fear of its results. This pair is called the world-protector or deifying qualities. 28. NEW TACTICS : Buddhism introduces new tactics of fighting evil with good, counteracting hatred with love and neutralizing anger with forgiveness. These may be difficult at first, but after sincere attempts they will give amazing reasults. 29. ASSOCIATION WITH GOOD PEOPLE: Buddhism always reminds its disciples of the importance of associating with good people, for a man is known by the company he keeps. The Venerable Annada submitted his opinion that good friends are half of the chaste life, but the Buddha added that they are the chaste life itself. 30. THREE GRADES OF PRACTICE : Buddhism instructs its disciples to control their words and deeds with Precepts, to safeguard their minds by Concentration and to formulate their views through the development of Wisdom. Thus Precepts, Concentration and Wisdom are the three successive steps of practice in Buddhism. 
31. NO SELF - CENTRED DISIRES : Buddism rules that the more we cling to the idea of self, the more we shall troubled and restless. The way to avoid this unpleasant experience is for Buddhists to eradicate all self-centred disires. 32. NON-ATTACCHMENT : Buddhism points out the Three Conmon Characteristics to be borne in mind by everybody. They are: Impermanence, Instability and Soullessness. This analysis weakens the power of attachment, which is the cause of desire and aversion. 33. OVERALL PRACTICE: MIND-CONTROL Buddhism makes it clear to its disciples that, if they cannot decide what practice from the whole body of the Buddha,s teachings is best to choose, they should control their minds. This is an overall practice encompassing all other methods. With the mind well-controlled, the actions words and deeds are automatically guareded against slips and errors. 34. THE MIDDLE WAY : Buddhism proclaims the Middle Way between the two extremes of practice, i,e. self indulgence and self-mortification. This also signifies the Middle Way between the two extremes of religious be- liefs: the one holding that the world and the soul are eternal, called Eternalism, and the other, called Annihilationism, maintaining that there is nothing spiritual lieft after the body,s death. This doctrine of Middle Way is in fact the law of balance which can applied to other matters and questions of daily life. For naturally there is no merit in what is too much or too little and what is too strict or too lax. 35. BROAD -MINDEDNESS : Buddhism never refuses to listen to others, suggestions or viewpoints. Buddhists are advised not to cling stubbornly to their own ideas. For onlytolerating criticism can a man rectify himself. 36. ENCOURACGEMENT OF ANALYSIS: Buddhism always favours the process of analysis a systematic method of going into details. For instance, when a question once arose as to whether the truth should be spoken at all times, the Buddha replied that many elements must be taken into account before a definite answer could be given. This approach necessitates analysis or the breaking of the question into various points, from each of which could be drawn an answer. Thus the benefit to be derived from truth-speaking, the time of speaking that truth and the manner of speaking it were the elements to be considered cereful ly. Speaking the truth will be justified only by its possible advantages to other people. 
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SELF - CORRECTION:
Buddhism distinguishes the fool from the wisdom. The former can known through his habit of trying to find others faults, whereas the latter through his trying to seek out those of his own. Accor- dingly Buddhists are strongly warned against over looking their own faults. 38. SOURCE OF DECORUM AND CULTURE: Buddhism promotes decorum, which is required by polite society, and also the world,s culture. 39. SUGAR -COATED POISON: Buddhism emphasizes a detached and intelligent attitude of mind in the presence of worldly phenomena. For wealth and fame can be poision to a mind uneducated and uncontrolled. 40. HELPERS IN DISGUISE : The Buddha once said to his disciples that without birth, old age, illness and death he would never have become the Buddha. Like a clever physician able to bring every kind of plant to medical use, a wise man can draw a lesson from everything, the unpleasant as well as the pleasant, and failures as well as successes. The famous picture of the Buddha attacked by the army of Mara the Evil One, in which all the weapons aimed at him have been turned into offerings of worship, may be the best illustration of this fact. Metaphorically the picture teaches that obstacles and sufferings, faced with a right attitude of mind, can be the means by which strength of character is developed and spiritual growth attained. Indeed these obstacles are nothing but various stepping stones leading to higher qualities. 41. THE SPIRIT OF SACRIFICE : Buddhism leads people from a smaller sacrifice to a greater one. This is to give up the lower pleasures for the sake of gains in higher things. First of all, they are taught to give up property for the sake of preserving limbs, then to sacrifice the limbs for the sake of life and finally to part with property, limbs, life and all for the sake of Righteousness. 42. THE ART OF PREVENTION : Buddhism trains its disciples to suffer a smaller loss, if need be, in order to prevent a greater one. For it is better to endure some temporary, inevitable troubles in the beginning than to be afflicted with a host of invincible hardships and difficulties in the long run. 43. THE TASTE OF BUDDHISM : Budhism establishes the following steps of practice, each creating a basis for nex in gradually progressive importance and all leading to the same goal. The first step of Precepts, well-observed, is conducive to Concentration. Now Concentration, well-developed, is of great help to Wisdom, which well-cultivated, is in turn the cause of Deliverance, the essence and core and "taste" of Buddhism. 44. AN AXE IN THE MOUTH : The power of speech according to a Buddhism metaphor is like being born with an axe in your mouth. Used unwisely, it could bring about your own destruction. 45. EPITOME OF THE BUDDHA,S TEACHING : The core of Buddhist teaching is the virtue APPAMADA (literally, absence of carelessness: thus earnestnessm heedfulness and enthusiasm), which is said to be part of Immortality wthereas lack of it is the way leading to death, This concept entails being wary of over-confidence, heedlessness and absorption in sensual pleasures. The watchword for every Buddhist on all occasions should be this virtue, which is called in Pali APPAMADA. An Outline of Buddhist Tenets have Only. |
Wat Chai
