BY PETER
I will have to talk about Buddhism to put everything in perspective. I am not trying to prove other religions are wrong.
WHY I BECAME A BUDDHIST
I attended a Christian Missionary school and attended scripture classes. I was a Christian until after I was 40 years old.
I LOST FAITH
The pastor at the church my brothers and myself attended was the assistant principal at a seminary school. So I went to attend classes at the school when I was in college and at one time took a class and was taught the old testament.
God destroyed the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah as punishment for their wickedness and lack of repentance. In Genesis 19, God sends two angels disguised as men to Sodom, where the men of Sodom threaten to rape them. God then destroys the city with fire and brimstone. The Lord rained on Sodom and Gomorrah sulfur and fire from the Lord out of heaven, and overthrew those cities, and all the valley, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground.
Jeremiah 25:8 NIV
8 Therefore the Lord Almighty says this: “Because you have not listened to my words, 9 I will summon all the peoples of the north and my servant Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon,” declares the Lord, “and I will bring them against this land and its inhabitants and against all the surrounding nations. I will completely destroy[a] them and make them an object of horror and scorn, and an everlasting ruin.
But later God seems to punish Babylon for the very thing that he had ordained
Jeremiah 25:12 NIV
12 “But when the seventy years are fulfilled, I will punish the king of Babylon and his nation, the land of the Babylonians,[b] for their guilt,” declares the Lord, “and will make it desolate forever.
It really destroyed my faith in God. Why would God kill the people he created and loved? Why just change them or show them or teach them how to become nice people?
In addition, I noticed since I was young that every part of our bodies was amazingly working well. All the things in the world were so surprisingly wonderful that it was impossible to believe they developed by chance or by themselves. There must be an entity that created them to be so perfect. It must be God. However, where and how did this wonderfully powerful God come into being? Some entity greater than God must have to create God. There is no answer to this. I lost my faith. There are other things I could not explain.
For example, when someone was in trouble, he/she would pray to God but nothing came to rescue him/her. I could not understand why God, who loves all the subjects he created, would let the person suffer greatly. Some people are born with considerable disabilities but we cannot explain under Christianity or Islam. If God loves all, why would he discriminately punish these people who have done nothing wrong? Why would a person born blind or deaf or without hands or legs? They have to suffer the whole life without having done anything wrong to make God angry and all the while some people are enjoying all the good life as billionaires or as elites or as kings and queens.
I GAINED FAITH
BUDDHA
Buddha was born in Nepal about 2600 years ago as a prince named Siddhartha. He left the kingdom to meditate for six years and became enlightened. He knew everything by himself without teachers. Buddhism is the teachings of Buddha. He lived for about 45 more years after enlightenment and his teachings are called Dhamma. He did not ask people to worship him or believe him to get any favors. He told people to practice meditation according to his instructions and they would attain peace like him.
THREE BASIC FACTS OF BUDDHISM
- The most basic theme of Buddhism is the Let-kha-na-ye-thone-paa (Three Basic Facts) :
Buddha says everything is (in Burmese or Pali language):
အနိစ္စ (A-nait-sa) ။ ဒုက္ခ (Doke-kha) ။ အနတ္တ (A-nat-ta)
They are 1) Impermanence 2) Sufferings 3) Uncontrollable (Non-self). After the following explanations, one would see that he/she could not say even this basic theme of Buddha is not true.
IMPERMANENCE
Buddha said that everything was impermanent. We feel we will not die (so the body is permanent) and things around us are permanent. Our bodies, minds, buildings around us, the earth, the sun and the universe are permanent, at least to an extent. There were some religions believing that their souls which would return to their God after death were permanent.
The earth, the sun, the moon and all the things are not permanent. They will erode slowly or be destroyed or damaged or will explode or change. All the living things will certainly die. The most powerful dictators, kings, queens, presidents were all gone. Impermanence (A-nait-sa) is everywhere.
(A-nait-sa)
Everyone will grow old and certainly die. Only the good deeds and the bad deeds (causes) they have accumulated in life will have effects on them during the later part of this life or the next life.
SUFFERINGS
We think we suffer only when we are hurt or we get into trouble or we cannot eat good food or drink what we want. We think we don’t have sufferings when we are rich and can eat anything and buy anything.
However, Buddha said everything was suffering. We just don’t know or notice it. When you eat good food, you want the taste to last but it’s gone in a few moments. You cannot eat more good food because you are full. You cannot eat too much because you would be obese or sick. You cannot eat more than three meals a day. It’s the same with wonderful sights, pleasant feelings, hit songs and successes. You want them to last but they will be gone in a moment. You will have to experience it again and again and still they will be gone in a fleeting moment. After you eat good food and if you cannot afford it anymore or cannot get it, sufferings become distinct. Eventually, you will not be able to enjoy them anymore.
A rich lady I knew suffered when she was young because she was poor. She worked hard and when she became rich, she had high blood pressure and diabetes. So she could not eat good food even though she had plenty of money. She was overweight and it was difficult to even move around. Rich people have to suffer the same diseases and hurt and pain like others.
They will be sick and old one day and will have to leave everything they own when they die. Their sufferings (Doke-kha) must be greater than poor people because they are attached to the material things they own and have to leave everything.
UNCONTROLLABLE (NON-SELF)
Before Buddha, some religions believed in “A-ta” which is the opposite of “A-nat-ta.”
A-ta would mean the body is yours and the mind is yours to control. You can control or you have control over them. They are yours. If you buy a car, it is yours. You own it and you can control it. You can drive it or stop it or park it for as long as you want. You have a lot of control over it.
A-nat-ta says you have no control or cannot control over your body and mind. You cannot control over things in the world. I think you will not agree. Let me prove it.
BODY
You may think your body is yours and you can control it or have control over it.
Can you ask your hair or nail not to grow or to grow twice as fast? Or can you order them to stop?
Can you ask your body to stop breathing for 5 or 10 minutes?
Can you ask it not to eat or drink for an extended period?
Can you raise your hands and keep them up for an hour or two?
Can you ask yourself not to sleep or not to wake up or not to get older?
Can you ask your ears not to hear the loud music that is going on?
Can you ask your blood and heart to stop? It goes on and on. Now you see you have no control.
YOUR MIND
You may think your mind is yours and you can control it.
Can you ask your mind to stop thinking for 5 minutes? Don’t think about anything. Stay blank.
Can you ask your mind to stay thinking only about drinking water and nothing else for 5 minutes?
If you eat sugar, your mind knows it is sweet. Can you ask your mind to register it as sour?
When you feel sleepy, can you ask your mind not to feel sleepy for two or three days straight?
Your mind wanders and goes from one thing to another. You cannot stop it.
Think of the happiest time in your life. Can you keep the thought in your mind for the whole day?
If I recite 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5, then ask you to continue to 10. You remember to do so. Can you erase that memory of 6, 7, 8, and 9? If it is your mind that you can control, you would be able to erase whatever you want.
Now you see you have no total control over your mind.
THINGS AND MATERIALS
You may think some or all of the things around you will last forever. But they will be destroyed or damaged or changed. You might even see the World Trade Center buildings collapsed and disappeared from your view. One day the sun, the moon and the earth may change in form, explode or disappear. You have no control. The car you own will get rusted, damaged or broken down and finally become useless.
After thinking about these three basic principles, I gained faith in what Buddha said. I cannot add or deduct from the lists that Buddha mentioned about a lot of things.
FOUR NOBLE TRUTHS
(Summarized from the translation by Sayardaw U Asabhacara.)
Buddha said, “There are 4 noble truths or Four Truths”: The Dhammacakka-pavattana Sutta is a Buddhist scripture that recounts the first discourse given by the Buddha after he attained enlightenment. In this discourse, Buddha explains the Four Noble Truths and the Noble Eightfold Path, which lay the foundation for the Buddhist teachings.
- “Now this, bhikkhus [monks], is the noble truth of suffering: birth is suffering, aging is suffering, illness is suffering, death is suffering; association with what is displeasing is suffering; separation from what is pleasing is suffering…”
This is the Buddha’s recognition that suffering is an inevitable part of life. (Dukkha Truth).
- “Now this, bhikkhus, is the noble truth of the origin of suffering: it is this craving (desires or love) that leads to renewed existence, accompanied by delight and lust, seeking delight here and there; that is, craving for sensual pleasures, craving for existence, craving for extermination…” (Samudaya Truth).
Here, Buddha explains the truth of the origin of suffering. He states that the cause of sufferings is Samudaya- craving (desire, love, or attachment). Craving arises from our desires and attachments, leading to the cycle of rebirth and the perpetuation of suffering.
The Buddha identifies three types of craving: craving for sensual pleasures, craving for existence (or becoming), and craving for extermination (or non-existence). These cravings stem from our constant seeking of pleasure, our desire for continuous existence, and our aversion towards suffering.
- “Now this, bhikkhus, is the noble truth of the cessation of suffering: it is the remainderless fading away and cessation of that same craving, the giving up and relinquishing of it, freedom from it, non-reliance on it…”
The Buddha emphasizes that this cessation of suffering is not a temporary relief from suffering but a complete liberation from it. It is the ultimate goal of the Buddhists. (Nirawda Truth).
- “Now this, bhikkhus, is the noble truth of the way leading to the cessation of suffering: it is this Noble Eightfold Path; that is, right view, right intention, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, right concentration…” (Makka Truth).
In essence, Buddha says that there are Sufferings in life. (Dukkha Truth). And Sufferings originate from Cravings (Desires). (Samudaya Truth). However, there is a state called Nirvana where Sufferings cease to exist. (Nirawda Truth). He points out that you can get there through the Noble Eightfold Path. (Makka Truth). What good would it be if one can point out that there is a peaceful state away from all the sufferings but cannot tell us how to get there? Buddha points out the Noble Eightfold Path. If you meditate in accordance with the Eightfold Path, you can attain Nirvana.
CAUSE AND EFFECT (PA-DAIK-SA-THA-MOKE-PAT)
Buddha said that every cause (action) had an effect. It is similar to what Newton said, “for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.” This was why all the living beings had to have rebirth as they must have done something (cause) that produced an effect, that they would have to suffer later in their lives or in their next lives. Buddha explains that whoever suffers painful or awful things this life (effect or reaction) did some awful things (actions or causes) in the past lives. If you do awful things or hurt other people intentionally, you will gain similar sufferings in this life or in next lives. That is Karma.
Pa-daik-sa-tha-moke-pat is a major tenet of Buddhism. It may be defined as “Cause and Effect.” If you hit a gong or a drum, you will hear a sound. The sound is the effect of the cause of the vibration of the gong or drum. If you put your finger on an open flame, your finger will get a burn. The burn is the effect of the cause – finger on fire. Being born blind or deaf or with other disability is an effect of a cause (bad deed) in a past life. If you do good deeds, it will produce good things later in this life or in the next lives.
If a person does bad deeds in this life, there will be bad effects later in this life or in the next life. The cause of the Tiger children’s cruelty will have an effect we would not like. We have a lot to think what cause it was when Diana had to get a major surgery at age 22.
This is one of the core teachings of Buddhism. The Buddha’s teachings aim to help individuals understand the nature of suffering, its causes, and the path towards liberation and the cessation of sufferings. We cannot disprove what Buddha says. But with Christianity, it is different.
At least we can understand it is logical and could be true. Since what Buddha has pointed out things we cannot refute, when he says things that we cannot see, we can deduce that they must be true too. His teachings are called Dhamma. I would like to call them “Laws of Nature.” I believe most of his teachings can be proved scientifically.
SOME EXAMPLES OF BUDDHA’S TEACHINGS
Buddha did not ask people to believe him or what he said. He asked people to practice meditation in the same way as he did and believe him and his words when they achieved what he himself did.
Buddha said about 2,600 years ago, that there were countless universes. Actually, at that time, people would see only the sun, the moon and the blinking stars in the sky. How would Buddha know there were countless universes? Only now, with the help of telescopes and space-based telescopes such as Hubble, scientists say there are countless or multiple universes. I gained faith in Buddha.
About 2,600 years ago, Buddha said about 50,000 million pieces of our bodies were breaking off or discarded and about 1,000,000 million pieces of our mind appeared and immediately disappeared (discarded) in about a second. Up until recently, this could not be proven and one would think parts of the bodies and minds are permanently attached to us and only a small number of things may break off such as a few strands of hair. If we add up the molecules or atoms in the nails, hairs, skin cells, blood cells, all the cells in the body, carbon dioxide, urine and stool that are discarded by the body, they would amount to millions of little things. If we want, we can count under microscopes the number of cells or atoms or molecules broken off or discarded from kidneys, livers and our bodies. Even brain also discards microscopic things. The draining of cerebrospinal fluid is also thought to be important for brain health.
Before movies were shown by films, we thought our sight was continuous. When 24 frames of individual still pictures (each one a little different) per second are shown on a screen in quick succession, we think the pictures are in motion or continuous. So, 24 frames of picture are formed and discarded in the mind in a second and a person thinks it is moving continuously. Your mind register one picture for a fleeting moment, discard that picture, and then go to register the next one. Let’s assume your mind is like a television screen and data of pictures, colors and sounds are fed on to it through a wire. How many bits and bytes of information would come in and be gone (discarded) or break off in a second? Mind takes in the bits and bytes of information from sights, smells, noises, tastes and sensations and also wanders to other things at the same time. They come in quick succession and will be gone immediately. It is not continuous as we thought before. The bits of information are taken in (felt, seen, smelled, heard, touch, etc.) and then discarded by the mind all the time in succession. Buddha knew about it 2,600 years ago.
NIVARNA
Nivarna (Nibbana) is the ultimate step that we can attain in Buddhism.
Nivarna is a state where there is no more return to the next life. One would want to attain Nirvana because Buddha said that all the living beings will certainly die and go to the next lives. It will never end. And everything that happens, whether it is good or bad, is just fleeting. It will be gone in a moment. In the next life, one would find someone to love or attach to (Samudaya). It will initiate sufferings (Dukkha). This cycle will never end. If one meditates and attains Nivarna, all the sufferings will end. When I was in high school, I was still a Christian. The ultimate prize for living according to the teachings of the bible or Jesus is for one to go to heaven and have an eternal life. I asked the pastor what those people would be doing living forever. He said there would be angels and songs and fun to live. I thought I would feel bored living like that forever. I did not want eternal life. I wanted Nirvana as I had heard it described by my high school Burmese language teacher. It is just peace and no more sufferings and no more experiencing things that will disappear in a fleeting moment.