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Buddha Dharma Education Association Inc.

Ven. Narada, Thera

Buddhism in a Nutshell

Narada Mahathera

Buddhist Publication Society

P.O. Box 61

54, Sangharaja Mawatha

Kandy, Sri Lanka

For free distribution only.

You may print copies of this work for your personal use.

You may re-format and redistribute this work for use on computers and computer networks,

provided that you charge no fees for its distribution or use.

This edition was transcribed from the print edition in 1995 by Bradford Griffith under the auspices of the

DharmaNet Dharma Book Transcription Project, with the kind permission of the Buddhist Publication Society.

Contents

• Preface

• Chapter I. The Buddha

• Chapter II. The Dhamma: Is it a Philosophy?

• Chapter III. Is it a Religion?

• Chapter IV. Is Buddhism an Ethical System?

• Chapter V. Some Salient Features of Buddhism

• Chapter VI. Kamma or the Law of Moral Causation

• Chapter VII. Re-birth

• Chapter VIII. Paticca Samuppada

• Chapter IX. Anatta or Soul-lessness

• Chapter X. Nibbana

• Chapter XI. The Path to Nibbana

• Appendix:

• Concentration on Respiration (Anapana Sati)

• Meditation on Loving-kindness (Metta)

• Perfections (Parami)

Preface

Buddhism in a Nutshell first appeared in 1933. Since then several editions were published by various philanthropic

gentlemen for free distribution.

For a fuller exposition of the subjects dealt with here, readers are kindly requested to read the revised and enlarged

edition of The Buddha and His Teachings published in 1980.

Permission may freely be obtained to reprint or to translate this book. Narada

Vajirarama

Colombo, Sri Lanka.

7th May 1982.

Namo Tassa Bhagavato Arahato Samma-Sambuddhassa

Chapter I

The Buddha

On the fullmoon day of May, in the year 623 B.C., there was born in the district of Nepal an Indian Sakya Prince

named Siddhattha Gotama, who was destined to be the greatest religious teacher in the world. Brought up in the lap

of luxury, receiving an education befitting a prince, he married and had a son.

His contemplative nature and boundless compassion did not permit him to enjoy the fleeting material pleasures of a

Royal household. He knew no woe, but he felt a deep pity for sorrowing humanity. Amidst comfort and prosperity,

he realized the universality of sorrow. The palace, with all its worldly amusements, was no longer a congenial place

for the compassionate prince. The time was ripe for him to depart. Realizing the vanity of sensual enjoyments, in his

twenty-ninth year, he renounced all worldly pleasures and donning the simple yellow garb of an ascetic, alone,

penniless, wandered forth in search of Truth and Peace.

It was an unprecedented historic renunciation; for he renounced not in his old age but in the prime of manhood, not

in poverty but in plenty. As it was the belief in the ancient days that no deliverance could be gained unless one leads

a life of strict asceticism, he strenuously practiced all forms of severe austerities. "Adding vigil after vigil, and

penance after penance," he made a superhuman effort for six long years.

His body was reduced to almost a skeleton. The more he tormented his body, the farther his goal receded from him.

The painful, unsuccessful austerities which he strenuously practiced proved absolutely futile. He was now fully

convinced, through personal experience, of the utter futility of self-mortification which weakened his body and

resulted in lassitude of spirit.

Benefiting by this invaluable experience of his, he finally decided to follow an independent course, avoiding the two

extremes of self-indulgence and self-mortification. The former retards one's spiritual progress, and the latter

weakens one's intellect. The new way which he himself discovered was the Middle Path, Majjhima Patipada, which

subsequently became one of the salient characteristics of his teaching.

One happy morning, while He was deeply absorbed in meditation, unaided and unguided by any supernatural power

and solely relying on His efforts and wisdom, He eradicated all defilements, purified Himself, and, realizing things

as they truly are, attained Enlightenment (Buddhahood) at the age of 35. He was not born a Buddha,[1] but He

became a Buddha by His own striving. As the perfect embodiment of all the virtues He preached, endowed with

deep wisdom commensurate with His boundless compassion. He devoted the remainder of His precious life to serve

humanity both by example and precept, dominated by no personal motive whatever.

After a very successful ministry of 45 long years the Buddha, as every other human being, succumbed to the

inexorable law of change, and finally passed away in His 80th year, exhorting His disciples to regard His doctrine as

their teacher.

The Buddha was a human being. As a man He was born, as a man He lived, and as a man His life came to an end.

Though a human being, He became an extraordinary man (Acchariya Manussa), but He never arrogated to Himself

divinity. The Buddha laid stress on this important point and left no room whatever for anyone to fall into the error of

thinking that He was an immortal divine being. Fortunately there is no deification in the case of the Buddha. It

should, however, be remarked that there was no Teacher, "ever so godless as the Buddha, yet none so god-like."

The Buddha is neither an incarnation of the Hindu God Vishnu, as is believed by some, nor is He a savior who

freely saves others by His personal salvation. The Buddha exhorts His disciples to depend on themselves for their

deliverance, for both purity and defilement depend on oneself. Clarifying His relationship with His followers and

emphasizing the importance of self-reliance and individual striving, the Buddha plainly states: "You should exert

yourselves, the Tathagatas[2] are only teachers."

The Buddhas point out the path, and it is left for us to follow that path to obtain our purification.

"To depend on others for salvation is negative, but to depend on oneself is positive." Dependence on others means a

surrender of one's effort.

In exhorting His disciples to be self-dependent the Buddha says in the Parinibbana Sutta: "Be ye islands unto

yourselves, be ye a refuge unto yourselves, seek not for refuge in others." These significant words are self-elevating.

They reveal how vital is self-exertion to accomplish one's object and, how superficial and futile it is to seek

redemption through benignant saviors and to crave for illusory happiness in an after life through the propitiation of

imaginary Gods or by irresponsive prayers and meaningless sacrifices.

Furthermore, the Buddha does not claim the monopoly of Buddhahood which, as a matter of fact, is not the

prerogative of any specially graced person. He reached the highest possible state of perfection any person could

aspire to, and without the close-fist of a teacher he revealed the only straight path that leads thereto. According to

the Teaching of the Buddha anybody may aspire to that supreme state of perfection if he makes the necessary

exertion. The Buddha does not condemn men by calling they wretched sinners, but, on the contrary, He gladdens

them by saying that they are pure in heart at conception. In His opinion the world is not wicked but is deluded by

ignorance. Instead of disheartening His followers and reserving that exalted state only to Himself, He encourages

and induces them to emulate Him, for Buddhahood is latent in all. In one sense all are potential Buddhas.

One who aspires to become a Buddha is called a Bodhisatta, which, literally, means a wisdom-being. This

Bodhisatta ideal is the most beautiful and the most refined course of life that has ever been presented to this ego-

centric world, for what is nobler than a life of service and purity?

As a Man He attained Buddhahood and proclaimed to the world the latent inconceivable possibilities and the

creative power of man. Instead of placing an unseen Almighty God over man who arbitrarily controls the destinies

of mankind, and making him subservient to a supreme power, He raised the worth of mankind. It was He who taught

that man can gain his deliverance and purification by his own exertion without depending on an external God or

mediating priests. It was he who taught the ego-centric world the noble ideal of selfless service. It was He who

revolted against the degrading caste system and taught equality of mankind and gave equal opportunities for all to

distinguish themselves in every walk of life.

He declared that the gates of success and prosperity were open to all in every condition of life, high or low, saint or

criminal, who would care to turn a new leaf and aspire to perfection.

Irrespective of caste, color or rank He established for both deserving men and women a democratically constituted

celibate Order. He did not force His followers to be slaves either to His Teachings or to Himself but granted

complete freedom of thought.

He comforted the bereaved by His consoling words. He ministered to the sick that were deserted. He helped the poor

that were neglected. He ennobled the lives of the deluded, purified the corrupted lives of criminals. He encouraged

the feeble, united the divided, enlightened the ignorant, clarified the mystic, guided the benighted, elevated the base,

dignified the noble. Both rich and poor, saints and criminals loved Him alike. Despotic and righteous kings, famous

and obscure princes and nobles, generous and stingy millionaires, haughty and humble scholars, destitute paupers,

down-trodden scavengers, wicked murderers, despised courtesans -- all benefited by His words of wisdom and

compassion.

His noble example was a source of inspiration to all. His serene and peaceful countenance was a soothing sight to

the pious eyes. His message of Peace and Tolerance was welcomed by all with indescribable joy and was of eternal

benefit to every one who had the fortune to hear and practice it.

Wherever His teachings penetrated it left an indelible impression upon the character of the respective peoples. The

cultural advancement of all the Buddhist nations was mainly due to His sublime Teachings. In fact all Buddhist

countries like Ceylon, Burma, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, Nepal, Tibet, China, Mongolia, Korea, Japan,

etc., grew up in the cradle of Buddhism. Though more than 2500 years have elapsed since the passing away of this

greatest Teacher, yet his unique personality exerts a great influence on all who come to know Him.

His iron will, profound wisdom, universal love, boundless compassion, selfless service, historic renunciation, perfect

purity, magnetic personality, exemplary methods employed to propagate the Teachings, and his final success -- all

these factors have compelled about one-fifth of the population of the world today to hail the Buddha as their

supreme Teacher.

Paying a glowing tribute to the Buddha Sri Radhakrishnan states: "In Gautama the Buddha we have a master-mind

from the East second to none so far as the influence on the thought and life of the human race is concerned, and,

sacred to all as the founder of a religious tradition whose hold is hardly less wide and deep than any other. He

belongs to the history of the world's thought, to the general inheritance of all cultivated men, for, judged by

intellectual integrity, moral earnestness, and spiritual insight, He is undoubtedly one of the greatest figures in

history.

In The Three Greatest Men in History H.G. Wells writes: "In the Buddha you see clearly a man, simple, devout,

lonely, battling for light -- a vivid human personality, not a myth. He too gave a message to mankind universal in

character. Many of our best modern ideas are in closest harmony with it. All the miseries and discontents are due, he

taught, to selfishness. Before a man can become serene he must cease to live for his senses or himself. Then he

merges into a great being. Buddha in different language called men to self-forgetfulness 500 years before Christ. In

some ways he is nearer to us and our needs. He was more lucid upon our individual importance and service than

Christ and less ambiguous upon the question of personal immortality."

St. Hilaire remarks "The perfect model of all the virtues He preaches. His life has not a stain upon it."

Fausboll says -- "The more I know of Him, the more I love Him."

A humble follower of his would say -- "The more I know Him, the more I love Him; the more I love Him, the more

I know Him."

Chapter II

The Dhamma: Is it a Philosophy?

The non-aggressive, moral and philosophical system expounded by the Buddha, which demands no blind faith from

its adherents, expounds no dogmatic creeds, encourages no superstitious rites and ceremonies, but advocates a

golden mean that guides a disciple through pure living and pure thinking to the gain of supreme wisdom and

deliverance from all evil, is called the Dhamma and is popularly known as Buddhism.

The all-merciful Buddha has passed away, but the sublime Dhamma which He unreservedly bequeathed to

humanity, still exists in its pristine purity.

Although the Master has left no written records of His Teachings, His distinguished disciples preserved them by

committing to memory and transmitting them orally from generation to generation.

Immediately after His demise 500 chief Arahats[3] versed in the Dhamma[4] and Vinaya,[5] held a convocation to

rehearse the Doctrine as was originally taught by the Buddha. Venerable Ananda Thera, who enjoyed the special

privilege of hearing all the discourses, recited the Dhamma, while the Venerable Upali recited the Vinaya.

The Tipitaka was compiled and arranged in its present form by those Arahats of old.

During the reign of the pious Sinhala King Vattagamani Abhaya, about 83 B.C., the Tipitaka was, for the first time

in the history of Buddhism, committed to writing on palm leaves (ola) in Ceylon.

This voluminous Tipitaka, which contains the essence of the Buddha's Teaching, is estimated to be about eleven

times the size of the Bible. A striking contrast between the Tipitaka and the Bible is that the former is not a gradual

development like the latter.

As the word itself implies, the Tipitaka consists of three baskets. They are the Basket of Discipline (Vinaya Pitaka),

the Basket of Discourses (Sutta Pitaka), and the Basket of Ultimate Doctrine (Abhidhamma Pitaka).

The Vinaya Pitaka which is regarded as the sheet anchor to the oldest historic celibate order -- the Sangha -- mainly

deals with rules and regulations which the Buddha promulgated, as occasion arose, for the future discipline of the

Order of monks (Bhikkhus) and nuns (Bhikkunis). It described in detail the gradual development of the Sasana

(Dispensation). An account of the life and ministry of the Buddha is also given. Indirectly it reveals some important

and interesting information about ancient history, Indian customs, arts, science, etc.

The Vinaya Pitaka consists of the five following books:

(Vibhanga):

1. Parajika Pali -- Major Offenses

2. Pacittiya Pali -- Minor Offenses

(Khandaka):

3. Mahavagga Pali -- Greater Section

4. Cullavagga Pali -- Shorter Section

5. Parivara Pali -- Epitome of the Vinaya

The Sutta Pitaka consists chiefly of discourses, delivered by the Buddha himself on various occasions. There are

also a few discourses delivered by some of His distinguished disciples such as the Venerable Sariputta, Ananda,

Moggallana, etc., included in it. It is like a book of prescriptions, as the sermons embodied therein were expounded

to suit the different occasions and the temperaments of various persons. There may be seemingly contradictory

statements, but they should not be misconstrued as they were opportunely uttered by the Buddha to suit a particular

purpose: for instance, to the self-same question He would maintain silence (when the inquirer is merely foolishly

inquisitive), or give a detailed reply when He knew the inquirer to be an earnest seeker. Most of the sermons were

intended mainly for the benefit of Bhikkhus and they deal with the Holy life and with the expositions of the doctrine.

There are also several other discourses which deal with both the material and moral progress of His lay followers.

This Pitaka is divided into five Nikayas or collections, viz:

1. Digha Nikaya (Collection of Long Discourses).

2. Majjhima Nikaya (Collection of Middle-Length Discourses).

3. Samyutta Nikaya (Collection of Kindred Sayings).

4. Anguttara Nikaya (Collection of Discourses arranged in accordance with numbers).

5. Khuddaka Nikaya (Smaller Collection).

The fifth is subdivided into fifteen books:

1. Khuddaka Patha (Shorter texts)

2. Dhammapada (Way of Truth)

3. Udana (Paeans of Joy)

4. Iti Vuttaka ("Thus said" Discourses)

5. Sutta Nipata (Collected Discourses)

6. Vimana Vatthu (Stories of Celestial Mansions)

7. Peta Vatthu (Stories of Petas)

8. Theragatha (Psalms of the Brethren)

9. Therigatha (Psalms of the Sisters)

10. Jataka (Birth Stories)

11. Niddesa (Expositions)

12. Patisambhida Magga (Analytical Knowledge)

13. Apadana (Lives of Arahats)

14. Buddhavamsa (The History of the Buddha)

15. Cariya Pitaka (Modes of Conduct)

The Abhidhamma Pitaka is the most important and the most interesting of the three, containing as it does the

profound philosophy of the Buddha's Teaching in contrast to the illuminating and simpler discourses in the Sutta

Pitaka.

In the Sutta Pitaka is found the conventional teaching (vohara desana) while in the Abhidhamma Pitaka is found the

ultimate teaching (paramattha-desana).

To the wise, Abhidhamma is an indispensable guide; to the spiritually evolved, an intellectual treat; and to research

scholars, food for thought. Consciousness is defined. Thoughts are analyzed and classified chiefly from an ethical

standpoint. Mental states are enumerated. The composition of each type of consciousness is set forth in detail. How

thoughts arise, is minutely described. Irrelevant problems that interest mankind but having no relation to one's

purification, are deliberately set aside.

Matter is summarily discussed; fundamental units of matter, properties of matter, sources of matter, relationship

between mind and matter, are explained.

The Abhidhamma investigates mind and matter, the two composite factors of the so-called being, to help the

understanding of things as they truly are, and a philosophy has been developed on those lines. Based on that

philosophy, an ethical system has been evolved, to realize the ultimate goal, Nibbana.

The Abhidhamma Pitaka consists of seven books:

1. Dhammasangani (Classification of Dhammas)

2. Vibhanga (The book of Divisions)

3. Katha-Vatthu (Points of Controversy)

4. Puggala-Paññatti (Descriptions of Individuals)

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