[ebook.nsO] [buddhism] Good Question, Good Answer - S Dhammika [www.NorthShare.tk].pdf

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E-mail: bdea@buddhanet.net

Web site: www.buddhanet.net

Buddha Dharma Education Association Inc.

Ven. S. Dhammika

Good Question,

Good Answer

Good Question,

Good Answer

Ven. S. Dhammika

Contents

1. What is Buddhism? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

2. Basic Buddhist Concepts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

3. Buddhism and the God-idea . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

4. The Five Precepts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

5. Rebirth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

6. Meditation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

7. Wisdom and Compassion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50

8. Vegetarianism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54

9. Good Luck and Fate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56

10. Becoming a Buddhist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59

1. What is Buddhism?

QUESTION: What is Buddhism?

ANSWER: The name Buddhism comes from the word

‘budhi’ which means ‘to wake up’ and thus Buddhism is the

philosophy of awakening. This philosophy has its origins

in the experience of the man Siddhata Gotama, known as

the Buddha, who was himself awakened at the age of 36.

Buddhism is now 2,500 years old and has about 300 million

followers world-wide. Until a hundred years ago, Buddhism

was mainly an Asian philosophy but increasingly it is gaining

adherents in Europe and America.

QUESTION: So Buddhism is just a philosophy?

ANSWER: The word philosophy comes from two words

‘philo’ which means ‘love’ and ‘sophia’ which means ‘wisdom’.

So philosophy is the love of wisdom or love and wisdom, both

meanings describing Buddhism perfectly. Buddhism teaches

that we should try to develop our intellectual capacity to the

fullest so that we can understand clearly. It also teaches us to

develop love and kindness so that we can be like a true friend

to all beings. Thus Buddhism is a philosophy but not just a

philosophy. It is the supreme philosophy.

QUESTION: Who was the Buddha?

ANSWER: In the year 563 B.C. a baby was born into a royal

family in northern India. He grew up in wealth and luxury

but eventually found that worldly comfort and security do

not guarantee happiness. He was deeply moved by the suffer-

ing he saw all around and resolved to nd the key to human

happiness. When he was 29 he left his wife and child and set

off to sit at the feet of the great religious teachers of the day

to learn from them. They taught him much but none really

knew the cause of human suffering or how it could be over-

come. Eventually, after six years study and meditation he had

an experience in which all ignorance fell away and he sud-

denly understood. From that day onwards he was called the

Buddha, the Awakened One. He lived for another 45 years

in which time he traveled all over northern India teaching

others what he had discovered. His compassion and patience

were legendary and he made thousands of followers. In his

eightieth year, old and sick, but still happy and at peace, he

nally died.

QUESTION: Wasn’t it irresponsible for the Buddha to

walk out on his wife and child?

ANSWER: It couldn’t have been an easy thing for the

Buddha to leave his family. He must have worried and

hesitated for a long time before nally leaving. But he had a

choice, dedicating himself to his family or dedicating himself

to the whole world. In the end, his great compassion made

him give himself to the whole world. And the whole world

still benets from his sacrice. This was not irresponsible. It

was perhaps the most signicant sacrice ever made.

QUESTION: The Buddha is dead so how can he help us?

ANSWER: Faraday, who discovered electricity, is dead but

what he discovered still helps us. Luis Pasteur who discov-

ered the cures for so many diseases is dead but his medical

discoveries still save lives. The great artist Leonardo da

Vinci is dead but what he created can still uplift and give joy.

Noble men and heroes may have been dead for centuries but

when we read of their deeds and achievements we can still be

inspired to act as they did. Yes, the Buddha is dead but 2500

years later his teachings still help people, his example still

inspires people, his words still change lives. Only a Buddha

could have such power centuries after his death.

QUESTION: Was the Buddha a god?

ANSWER: No, he was not. He did not claim that he was a

god, the child of a god or even the messenger from a god. He

was a human being who perfected himself and taught that if

we followed his example, we could perfect ourselves also.

QUESTION: If the Buddha is not a god, then why do

people worship him?

ANSWER: There are different types of worship. When

someone worships a god, they praise and honor him or her,

make offerings and ask for favors, believing that the god will

hear their praise, receive their offerings and answer their

prayers. Buddhists do not indulge in this kind of worship.

The other kind of worship is when we show respect to some-

one or something we admire. When a teacher walks into the

room we stand up, when we meet a dignitary we shake their

hand, when the national anthem is played we salute. These are

all gestures of respect and worship and indicate our admira-

tion for certain persons or things. This is the type of worship

Buddhists practice. A statue of the Buddha with its hands

rested gently in its lap and its compassionate smile reminds

us to strive to develop peace and love within ourselves. The

perfume of incense reminds us of the pervading inuence of

virtue, the lamp reminds us of the light of knowledge and the

owers which soon fade and die, remind us of impermanence.

When we bow, we express outwardly what we feel inwardly;

our gratitude to the Buddha for what his teachings have given

us. This is the nature of Buddhist worship.

QUESTION: But I have heard people say that

Buddhists worship idols.

ANSWER: Such statements only reect the misunderstand-

ing of the persons who make them. The dictionary denes

an idol as “an image or statue worshipped as a god”. As we

have seen, Buddhists do not believe that the Buddha was a

god, so how could they possibly believe that a piece of wood

or metal is a god? All religions use symbols to express vari-

ous concepts. In Taoism, the ying-yang is used to symbol-

ize the harmony between opposites. In Sikhism, the sword

is used to symbolize spiritual struggle. In Christianity, the

sh is used to symbolize Christ’s presence while the cross is

used to symbolize his sacrice. And in Buddhism, the statue

of the Buddha is used to symbolize human perfection. The

statue of the Buddha also reminds us of the human dimension

in Buddhist teaching, the fact that Buddhism is human-cen-

tered, rather than god-centered, that we must look within not

without to nd perfection and understanding. So to say that

Buddhists worship idols is not correct.

QUESTION: Why do people do all kinds of strange

things in Buddhist temples?

ANSWER: Many things seem strange to us when we don’t

understand them. Rather than dismiss such things as strange,

we should try to nd out what they mean. However, it is

true that Buddhist practices sometimes have their origins in

popular superstition and misunderstanding rather than the

teachings of the Buddha. And such misunderstandings are

not found in Buddhism alone but arise in all religions from

time to time. The Buddha taught with clarity and in detail

and if some fail to understand fully, the Buddha cannot be

blamed. There is a saying;

If a person suffering from a disease does not seek treatment

even when there is a physician at hand, it is not the fault of

that physician. In the same way, if a person is oppressed and

tormented by the disease of the delements but does not seek

the help of the Buddha, that is not the Buddha’s fault.

JN 28–9

Nor should Buddhism or any religion be judged by those who

don’t practice it properly. If you wish to know the true teach-

ings of Buddhism, read the Buddha’s words or speak to those

who understand them properly.

QUESTION: If Buddhism is so good why are some

Buddhist countries poor?

ANSWER: If by poor you mean economically poor, then it

is true that some Buddhist countries are poor. But if by poor

you mean a poor quality of life, then perhaps some Buddhist

countries are quite rich. America for example, is an economi-

cally rich and powerful country but the crime rate is one of

the highest in the world, millions of old people are neglected

by their children and die of loneliness in old people’s homes,

domestic violence and child abuse are major problems. One

in three marriages end in divorce and pornography is a

major industry. Rich in terms of money but perhaps poor in

terms of the quality of life. Now take traditional Buddhist

countries. Some are economically backward but parents are

honored and respected by their children, their crime rates

are relatively low, divorce and suicide are almost unheard of,

domestic violence and child abuse, pornography and sexual

license are not common. Economically backward but perhaps

a higher quality of life than in a country like America. But

even if we judge Buddhist countries in terms of economics

alone, one of the wealthiest and most economically dynamic

countries in the world today is Japan where a large percent-

age of the population call themselves Buddhists.

QUESTION: Why is it that you don’t often hear of

charitable work being done by Buddhists?

ANSWER: Perhaps it is because Buddhists don’t feel the

need to advertise about the good they do. Several years ago

the Japanese Buddhist leader Nikkho Niwano received the

Templeton Prize for his work in promoting inter-religious har-

mony. Likewise a Thai Buddhist monk was recently awarded

the prestigious Magsaysay Prize for his excellent work among

drug addicts. In 1987 another Thai monk, Ven. Kantayapiwat

was awarded the Norwegian Children’s Peace Prize for his

many years of work helping homeless children in rural areas.

And what about the large scale social work being done among

the poor in India by the Western Buddhist Order? They have

built schools, child minding centres, dispensaries and small

scale industries for selfsufciency. Buddhists see help given

to others as an expression of their religious practice just as

other religions do but they believe that it should be done qui-

etly and without self-promotion. Thus you don’t hear so much

about their charitable work.

QUESTION: Why are there so many different types of

Buddhism?

ANSWER: There are many different types of sugar: brown

sugar, white sugar, granulated sugar, rock sugar, syrup and

icing sugar but it is all sugar and it all tastes sweet. It is pro-

duced in different forms so that it can be used in different

ways. Buddhism is the same. There is Theravada Buddhism,

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eBUDDHANET'SBOOKLIBRARYE-mail:bdea@buddhanet.netWebsite:www.buddhanet.netBuddhaDharmaEducationAssociationInc.Ven.S.DhammikaGoodQuestion,GoodAnswerGoodQuestion,GoodAnswer6i˜°Ê-°Ê…>““ˆŽ>XContents1.WhatisBuddhism?..........................................42.BasicBuddhistConcepts.........................

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