The Envoy of Belly – An interesting story from Jatak Story Collections

The prince of Varanasi went to Taxila for his education and training, while he return to place his father had died and he succeeded him as the king on the throne of Varanasi. As he was a dainty eater people called him King Dainty, he was so excessive in eating that he spent one hundred thousand pieces on one dish. He also had the habit to invite the people and made them look at what he ate. For this he had a pavilion built in front of his palace door and in its middle he got one golden dais constructed, where he sat and ate. Such that, when he ate, the people could watch him.

One day, when he was sitting and eating in front of the people, a man suddenly jumped on the dais and shouted that I am an envoy! I am an envoy!! As he introduced himself as an envoy, no body could dare to stop him. The man then scooped at one of the dishes, much to offend by standers considering his act to be rude, the soldiers drew out their sword to slay him. But the king stopped them and allowed the man to eat to his satisfaction. The man enjoyed all the luxurious dishes. When the man finished his meals, the king himself offered him water to drink and betel nut. Next, he asked him, whose envoy was he; and what message was he carrying.

The man said,

O king! I am the envoy and messenger of Belly

So, O lord of chariots don’t be angry

For the bellies sake men go very far

Even approaching an enemy they find no bar.

The king was satisfied with this reply. King admitted the truth of the statement and gave him hundred of cows in reward and retired to his chamber.

Theory of Karma according to Buddhism Religion

The Pali word kamma or the Sanskrit word karma literally means ‘action’, ‘doing’, but in the Buddhist theory of karma it has a specific meaning: it means only ‘volitional action’ not all action. Nor does it mean the result of karma as many people wrongly and freely use it. In Buddhist terminology karma in no way means its effect; its effect is known as the ‘fruit’ or the ‘result’ of karma.

Volition may comparatively be good or bad, just as desire may comparatively be good or bad. So karma may be good or bad where good karma produces good effects and bad karma bad effects. ‘Thirst’, volition, karma, whether good or bad, has one power as its effect: force to continue- to continue in a good or bad direction. Whether good or bad it is comparative, and is within the cycle of continuity (samsara). An Arahant, though he acts, does not accumulate karma, because he is free from the fake idea of self, free from the ‘thirst’ for continuity and becoming, free from all other defilements and impurities so they don’t have rebirth.

The theory of karma should not be mystified with so-called ‘moral justice’ or ‘reward and punishment’. The idea of moral justice, or reward and punishment, arises out of the origin of a supreme being, a God, who sits in judgment, who is a law-giver and who decides what is right and wrong. The term ‘justice’ is uncertain and dangerous, and in its name more harm than good is done to humanity.

The theory of karma is the theory of cause and effect, of action and reaction; it is a accepted law, which has nothing to do with the idea of justice or reward and punishment. Every volitional action inturn produces its effects or results. If a good action produces good effects, it is not justice, or reward, meted out by anybody or any power sitting in judgment of your action, but this is in virtue of its own nature, its own law.

This is easy to understand but, what is difficult is that, according to karma theory, the effects of a volitional action may continue to manifest themselves even in a life after death.

Jatak Stories – An interesting story of Ruru deer and his braveness

Once upon a time there lived a deer in a dense forest called Ruru. He had a golden body glittering with the spots of varied hues like that of the rubies, sapphires and emeralds. His hair was extremely soft and silky, eyes were sky-blue, hooves and horns looked like the chiselled precious stones. So, when he darted in the forest every one was charmed, he was endowed with wisdom; and evinced the power to converse in the human language owing to the memory of his past existences. Further, knowing the cruel and horrible mentality of the human beings, which is prone to all kinds of evil deeds, he avoided any meet with them and was compassionate to all alike.

Once, rambling in a thick forest he heard a painful cry so, he looked at the direction and saw a man being carried away by a gushing stream. The sight of the man in his complete pain filled his heart with compassion. In order to rescue the man he jumped into the water and asked the man to cling fast to him but instead of clinging to him man climbed on his delicate back in his panic. Even so, the deer bore the heavy load of the man and brought him safely on the river-bank. Rura then comforted the shivering man with his warm caresses until he regained consciousness. When the man was back to his senses Ruru dismissed him by saying, you may go back to your own fellow beings!

The man thanked him and expressed his gratefulness by saying,
No friend from childhood; or a kinsman has ever done
What thou hast done to me.
This life of mine is now thine
Gratefully, I shall always be at your service,
Command me to do something for thee.

Then said Rura,
If this be so
Then tell this to none
That thou art saved by one
Who surpasses beauty
And is the most desirable prey for any man -
As the hearts of men have little mercy and no control.

The man promised to keep his pledge; and protect the life of his sponsor before he departed.
One day, the queen of that country had a dream where a golden deer appeared standing on a throne and preaching dhamma in an articulate human voice. So, she had requested the king to catch the deer for her and the king, who trusted in the veracity of her dreams acted according to her wish by the royal proclamation of the reward of a rich village and ten lovely women for one who would help find out the deer. The man, who was once rescued by the deer, when heard of the rich rewards, went to the king and said the secret abode of Ruru.The king and his men to the grove, where the deer dwelt but surprisingly, when he raised his hand to show the deer his hand fell off like a chopped limb.

At that time, the king had seen the deer and his eyes were wide-open at the wonderful sight of the deer. Ruru noticed the king’s arrow pointing at him; and the people surrounding him from all directions and there was no place to escape, he spoke to the king in an articulate human voice, Sir! Please first satisfy my curiosity before you kill me, can you tell me, how do you reach here because I never step the path of a man. The king, charmed by his cheerfulness pointed the man by turning the arrow towards him in reply.

Ruru then recited,
Better is to lift a log of wood out of water
Than to save an ungrateful one!

This word of the deer aroused the curiosity of the king, who in turn asked the deer to explain the context. The deer then narrated the story of the man, who he had rescued and the king was moved by the story and commended his compassion and bravery; but at the same time was terribly furious at the ungrateful man. So, to punish the man when he pulled the string of the bow to shoot him, Ruru requested king to forgive the man. Then the king forgave the man but invited the deer to visit his kingdom as a royal guest. Ruru accepted the invitation; and reached the palace, the king’s court, he perched the throne and delivered several discourses to the king, queen, princes and the courtiers for some days. He then returned to his habitat for good.

Bodhisatta -- The Pali Tradition

The protagonist of every Jataka story is the Bodhisatta, which means a being who aspires to attain the bodhi or Enlightenment to become a Buddha. Further, resolving without declaring his objective to others, i.e., manopanidhi he makes a solemn resolution before a Buddha ( abhiniharakarana or mulanidhana ) for the welfare and liberation of all creatures. As regard to Gotama Buddha his abhinihara was made before Dipankara Buddha; and at that instance his name was Sumedha. The Buddha then approves of the abhinihara by the declaration ( vyakarana ) that the Bodhisatta can become a Buddha. Then the Bodhisatta tend to achieve the Buddhakarakadhamma .

Thus he discovers in ten perfections , namely, dana, sila, nekkhama, panna, viriya, khanti , saccha, aditthana, metta, upekkha. In the case of Sumedha Bodhisatta, who became Gotama Buddha, these perfections were most excellent exemplified in Ekaraja, Khantivadi, Chulla Sankhapala, Maha Janaka, Mahasutasoma, Mugapakkha, Lomahamsa, Sattubhattaka, Sasa and Sutasoma Jatakas.

In additional, a Bodhisatta has to develop four bhumis, namely, ussaha or viriya, ummagga or panna, avatthana or adhitthana and hitachariya or metta. Then he has to practice six ajjhasayas or the factors conducive to the maturing of the Bodhi.

Budhaghosa: The greatest scholar of the Pali literature was born in Bodh Gaya in the fifth century AD. He had written commentaries on most of the texts of the Tipitaka. He translated many Singhalese commentaries into Pali and his mangnum opus is the Visuddhimagga, which is regarded as the Encyclopedia of Buddhism.

Some Facts about BUDDHAS

Thirty facts are common to all the Buddhas. For example, he is mindful of his conception in his last birth as a Bodhisatta and he is seated cross-legged in the womb of his mother. His mother delivers him in standing position in a forest. When he was born, he immediately takes seven steps; and roars like a lion. There are thirty-two specially visible marks on the body of the Buddha, which are, for example, the signs of the wheels with spokes on his soles; projected heels; long digits; soft hands and feet; straight fingers and toes; shell-like round ankles; antelope-like legs and the length of the hands to touch the knee without bending; smooth golden hued stainless skin; black eyes; lion-like chaste; long tongue; forty-teeth and so on.

There are eight particular characteristics, which differentiate one Buddha from the other. These are the height of his body; his social rank; the area of his aura; the passage used to renounce the worldly life; the tree under which he attains Enlightenment; the size of his seat under the Bodhi tree (palanka); the length of his austerities; and his longevity.

Furthermore, one Buddha appears only once and more than one Buddha may be born in one aeon (kappa). The aeon having only one Buddha born is called Sarakakappa, when its two Buddhas are born in an aeon the Kappa is called Mandakappa , if its three in an aeon the Kappa is called Varakappa. When four are born in an aeon is called Saramandakappa; and if five Buddhas are born in an aeon, which is an extremely rare phenomenon, the Kappa is called Bhaddakappa.

But further, no Buddha is born until the order or the teaching of the previous Buddha completely vanishes from the earth. According to the tradition teachings of Gotama Buddha shall vanish after five thousand years.

BUDDHA & IT'S CATEGORIES

Literally, the Buddha means the one who has attained Enlightenment. But such an interpretation, with every due respect to a linguists query, is not of much effect to a reader or an audience interested in the stories of the Buddha or the Buddhas. As the meaning of the word lies in its use, we must, therefore, try to discover the original meaning of the term as is specifically and contextually used in the Buddhist corpus for its definite connotative comprehension.

The Pali commentaries state that there are four categories of the Buddha.

The first category is designative to the Sammasambuddhas or Sabbannu Buddhas. A Sabbannu Buddha is gifted with the ten powers and has the mission to proclaim the saving truth to all beings for their Nibbana. He is therefore known the Sattharo by way of the above characteristic. Further, because a Buddha plays the most important role of a pre-eminent person he is styled as the Bhagava. He is compared with the Universal Emperor; and a lion (simha ). He is called a physician because he diagnoses the cause of suffering and prescribes the medicine; a Kinsman of the Sun (Adiccha-Bandhu) as he dissipates the darkness of ignorance; aBuddha Vira as he gives protection to all; an Anuttara, as he excels all; a Brahmana (though born in a Khattiya/Chatriya family) because he carries on the blessed tradition and excels in wisdom; self-control; and virtue. In brief, a Buddha is superior to all other beings - human or divine - by his knowledge of the truth.

The second category of the Buddha is that of the Paccheka Buddha, which is designative of the progressive ones but not bound by the pledge to preach the Way of Deliverance to the world.

The third category of the Buddhas is referent to the Chatusaccha Buddha, who has damaged the mental defilements or asavas .

At last, we also come across the category of the Bahussuta Buddha designating a learned person.

The Abhidhamma Pitaka

It deals with the philosophy and psychology of the Theravada school of Buddhism. The Theravada, however, refers to that school of Buddhism which, supposedly adhere to the most original and purest form of the Buddhist teachings, advocated by those theras (monks) who obtained the erudition directly through the Master. Further, they used the bhasa Magadhika or the mula bhasa (the original language) [1] to record the original text or the pariyaya, (the text of the canons). The term pariyaya, however, when abbreviated became pari or Pali; and in course of time was applied to denote the language of the entire gamut of the canons; and the exegeses and other compositions on those texts having the same language.

Aggam bahusuttadinam, kosarakkham mahesino

Sammannitvana attanam thero dhammam apucchi so

Tatha sammanniyattanam dhammasanagato sayam

Visajjesi tam Ananda-thero dhamm asesato. (Mahavamsa 34-35)

The other two Pitakas or the collection of the Buddhist canons are the Vinaya Pitaka (Collection of the codes and conducts for the monks and nuns) and Sutta Pitaka (the collection of the discourses of the Buddha).

Buddha - Practices Of Buddhism - Who was Buddha and what is Buddhism

Buddha_Buddhism

Who was Buddha and what is Buddhism?

Who practices Buddhism and what are its core values?

How can Buddhism help me in my daily life?

Seekers can find answers to these questions and much more in the books on this list, compiled by Special Services Librarian Elizabeth Lang.

Advice on Dying and Living a Better Life by The Dalai Lama.
The Dalai Lama draws upon a seventeenth-century poem, credited to the First Panchen Lama, to explore the eight stages of death. For each stage he discusses how to enrich life on earth, prepare for death, and die without fear. Translated and edited by Buddhist scholar Jeffrey Hopkins. RC 56568.

The Art of Happiness at Work by The Dalai Lama and Howard C. Cutler.
In this sequel to The Art of Happiness (RC 47827, BR 13301), a psychiatrist questions the Dalai Lama about applying Buddhist principles in the workplace. The Tibetan spiritual leader advises that career satisfaction is related to staying motivated, having a realistic "sense of self," and maintaining "basic human values" such as kindness and compassion. Art of Happiness series. RC 57386, BR 15725.

Buddha in Your Backpack: Everyday Buddhism for Teens by Franz Metcalf.
Provides information on Buddha and his teachings, applying Buddhist philosophy to issues facing teenagers, such as family relations, school, body changes, sexual attraction, friendship, and personal ethics--without preaching religious conversion. Includes introductions to meditation and further study. Some descriptions of sex. For junior and senior high readers. RC 56665.

The Buddha in Your Mirror: Practical Buddhism and the Search for Self by Woody Hochswender, Greg Martin, Ted Morino.
Introduction to this eastern Asian religion by followers of Nichiren Buddhism. Contends that everyone can become a Buddha, or enlightened one, by understanding life’s profound truths. Explains basic Buddhist principles and describes ways, including chanting, to access one’s "Buddha nature" and apply it to overcome obstacles and attain happiness. RC 61168.

Buddha, the Quest for Serenity: A Biography by George N. Marshall.
A popular biography of Siddhartha Gautama, the oriental prince who became the Buddha and who more than any other man influenced the religion and philosophy of the far East. Also serves as a layman’s introduction to Buddhism and contains a glossary of Buddhist theological terms. RC 14221.

Buddhism: A Concise Introduction by Huston Smith and Philip Novak.
Describes the history, fundamental teachings, and practices of this Eastern religion. The first half of the book explores the life of the Buddha (born circa 563 B.C.E.), explains the core tenets, and distinguishes between various sects. The final chapters discuss the Western expansion and adaptations of Buddhism, particularly in America. RC 56816.

Buddhism: A Very Short Introduction by Damien Keown.
Concise guide to Buddhism as a religion and a way of life. Examines the life and teachings of Buddha, the development of Buddhist thought and practice, and the relevance of the faith to contemporary issues. Explores key topics of karma, rebirth, meditation, ethics, Buddhism in the West, and more. RC 59971.

An End to Suffering: The Buddha in the World by Pankaj Mishra.
Indian author of the novel The Romantics (RC 52514) presents his autobiographical journey on the subcontinent exploring Buddhist philosophy. Describes his search to understand Buddha’s relevance in the modern world by discussing the personal and social issues that Buddha addressed and their impact on twentieth-century politicians. RC 61617.

Ethics for the New Millennium by The Dalai Lama.
Appeals to all human beings to practice a "positive ethical conduct" towards others based on universal principles. Expounds on the necessity for love and compassion as guiding forces in behavior that will lead to happier, fulfilled lives. RC 48810.

Insight Meditation: The Practice of Freedom by Joseph Goldstein.
In Buddhist teaching, wisdom is knowing that whatever arises has the nature to cease. This knowledge stops clinging which in turn stops suffering. Meditation retreat leader Goldstein asserts that practicing meditation and selfless nonharming behavior leads to enlightenment or freedom from suffering. He then discusses how to meditate with this goal in mind and points out the traps to avoid along the way. RC 37540.

An Introduction to Buddhism: Teachings, History, and Practices by Peter Harvey.
Harvey’s account of the 2,500-year history of Buddhism describes its development from origins in India, its expansion throughout Asia, and its introduction into Europe and America. He discusses the practices of ethics, devotion, monasticism, and meditation, pointing out the diversity within Buddhist traditions as well as the beliefs and rites common throughout the Buddhist world. RC 34538.

The Miracle of Mindfulness: A Manual on Meditation by Thich Nhat Hanh.
Although this guide to engaged Buddhism was written by a Vietnamese monk for his students, it recommends exercises that can be performed anywhere. The practice of mindfulness can transform an everyday activity such as washing dishes, taking a bath, lying in bed, or breathing into a meditation. Translated by Mobi Ho. RC 44957.

The Teachings of the Compassionate Buddha edited by Edwin A. Burtt.
The Oriental religion of Buddhism, founded twenty-five centuries ago by Siddhartha Gautama of India, is now practiced by millions. This book includes the early scriptures of Buddhism, as well as Buddhist thought in later centuries. BR 7899, RC 58027.

The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying by Sogyal Rinpoche.
Buddhist spiritual leader Rinpoche maintains that most westerners need a fundamental change in attitude towards death and dying--they need to understand the truth of impermanence. He discusses practicing to prepare for death and helping others with death. He stresses his belief in the importance of the dying person’s last thoughts being filled with positive emotions and sacred feeling while the person lets go of grasping, yearning, and attachment. Edited by Patrick Gaffney and Andrew Harvey. RC 36890, BR 9358.

When Things Fall Apart: Heart Advice for Difficult Times by Pema Chödrön.
American Buddhist nun describes how to apply her religion’s philosophy to achieve happiness. Explains how to communicate, experience difficult emotions, and become compassionate using eight worldly dharma or basic Buddhist beliefs. RC 53374.