The Spiritual Teachings of Buddha

     Buddhism has attracted a large following from all walks of people because of its basic tenet: Dharma stands for the greatest good of the greatest number of people. Its simple philosophy appeals to many people, regardless of the faith they may be following.
     Swami Vivekananda said, “Buddha, the great one… never thought of a thought and never performed a deed, except for the good of others.”

      Buddha taught not only of behavior (aarti) away from sin and vice, but he also taught the transformation of the mind, or viriti, so that there is no inclination toward sin and vice. The ancient method of meditation and change of the inner heart, or antah-karan, became more strongly pronounced in Buddha’s doctrine. At the same time, he also stressed right association (satsanga) as the preliminary step. Buddha strongly believed in the influence of companionship. The company of holy and virtuous persons has a tremendous effect on our lives. He therefore advocated affiliation with the spiritual congregation (the sangha). Both Jainism and Buddhism discarded the classical language of Sanskrit in favor of the local common languages of the masses. The language used in the ancient Buddhist scriptures is Pali, which is a modified form of Prakrit.

Buddha taught four Noble Truths:
1. The Existence of Sorrow
Sorrow is part of life. We cannot totally avoid it. We must learn to accept it.
2. The Cause of Sorrow.
Whatever happens has a cause. The cause may be in the immediate past, or it may be the result of earlier births.
3. The Cessation of Sorrow.
Not all but most sorrow can be overcome.
4. There is a way, which leads to the cessation of sorrow.
Buddha then taught the Five Precepts (rules of conduct):
1 Abstain from killing and hurting.
2 Abstain from stealing.
3 Abstain from adultery.
4 Abstain from lying.
5 Abstain from liquor.
Buddha also taught the Eightfold Path:
1 Right Understanding (Free from superstition and delusion, accept both good and bad.)
2 Right Thought (Worthy and intelligent thoughts determine our acts. Avoid harm to others and to self.)
3 Right Speech (Be kind and truthful. Avoid idle talk.)
4 Right Actions (Be peaceful and pure. Avoid killing, stealing, and illicit sexual intercourse.)
5 Right Livelihood (Do not hurt any living beings. Avoid hunting, selling of weapons, liquor, and livestock for slaughtering.)
6 Right Effort (Practice self-training and self-control. Overcome malevolent and harmful thoughts.)
7 Right Mindfulness (Develop an active, watchful mind, and be a witness to all activities.)
8 Right Concentration (Practice deep meditation—dhyana.)
In the Buddhist scripture, the Bhante Henepola Gunaratana, there is special instruction regarding speech:
Skillful speech not only means that we pay attention to the words we speak and to their tone but also requires that our words reflect compassion and concern for others and that they help and heal, rather than wound and destroy.
Buddhism later announced certain Acts of Merit:
• Give charity to the deserving.
• Observe the precepts of morality.
• Render service and attend to others.
• Honor and care for parents and elders.
• Give a share of your merit to others.
• Rectify your faults.
Buddha’s sermons included the following:
• Observe the middle path.
• Anger, drunkenness, obstinacy, bigotry, deception, envy, self-praise, disparaging others, superciliousness, and evil intentions constitute inappropriate behavior.

• The sensual man is a slave to his passions, and pleasure seeking is degrading and vulgar.
• To satisfy the necessities of life is not evil. To keep the body in good health is a duty, for otherwise we shall not be able to light the lamp of wisdom and keep our minds strong and clear.
• Happy is he who has overcome all selfishness; happy is he who has attained peace; and happy is he who has found the truth.
• I seek the welfare of all men, to bring back those who have gone astray, to enlighten those who live in the night of error, and to banish all pain and suffering from the world.
• Whatever may be the cause of your suffering, do not wound another.
• Goodwill toward all beings is the true religion; cherish in your heart boundless goodwill to all that live.
• All beings long for happiness; therefore, extend your compassion to all.
• Hatred never ceases by hatred. By love alone does hatred cease. This is an ancient law.
• Forbearance and patience is the highest asceticism. For he is not a recluse who harms another, nor is he an ascetic who molests others.
• As a mother, even at the risk of her life, protects her son, her only son, so let him who has recognized the truth cultivate goodwill among all beings without measure.
• All love the charitable man; his friendship is prized highly; in death his heart is at rest and full of joy, for he does not suffer from repentance.
• By giving away our food, we get more strength; by bestowing clothing on others, we gain more beauty; by founding abodes of purity and truth, we acquire great treasures.
• Continued actions of kindness and perfection are accomplished by compassion and charity.
• That which is most needed is a loving heart.
• First is the meditation of love, in which you must so adjust your heart that you long for the health and welfare of all beings, including your enemies.
• Second is the meditation of pity, in which you think of all beings in distress, vividly, representing their sorrows and anxieties in your imagination so as to arouse a deep compassion for them in your soul.
• Third is the meditation of joy, in which you think of the prosperity of others and rejoice at their rejoicings.
• The fourth meditation is the meditation on impurity, in which you consider the evil consequences of corruption, the effects of sin. How trivial often is the pleasure of the moment and how fatal the consequences!
• Fifth is the meditation on serenity, in which you rise above love and hate, tyranny and oppression, wealth and want, and regard your own fate with impartial calmness and perfect tranquility.
• He who has attained mastery over himself is indeed a greater conqueror than one who has vanquished a thousand enemies, a thousand times more powerful than he, but who remains a slave to his sensory self.
• By oneself alone is evil done.
• By oneself alone is evil avoided.
• Oneself alone purifies the self.
• No one can purify another.
• Desire is the root of evil; hatred is the root of evil; illusion is the root of evil.
• A fault of others is easily perceived, but that of one’s own self is difficult to perceive.
• There never was, nor will there ever be, nor is there now a person who is wholly to be blamed or wholly to be praised.
Buddhist Prayer
May all beings everywhere plagued
With sufferings of body and mind
Quickly be freed from their illnesses.
May those frightened cease to be afraid
And those bound be free.
May the powerless find power
And may people think of befriending
One another.
May those who find themselves in trackless,
Fearful wilderness—
The children, the aged, the unprotected—
Be guarded by beneficent celestials
And swiftly attain Buddha-hood.
It’s not good,
The doing of the deed that
Once it’s done,
Whose result you reap crying,
Your face is in tears.
It’s good,
The doing of the deed
That once it’s done,
You don’t regret,
Whose results you reap gratified,
And you are happy at heart.

      The teachings of Buddha spread far beyond the boundaries of India. Emperor Ashoka (272–231 BCE), who became a Buddhist after the fierce battle of Kalinga, served not only the people of his own kingdom but even those of the neighboring countries. He conquered the hearts of these people without fighting any war on their soil. In India, a tradition of non-invasion was thus established, which has never been broken. Buddha’s teachings continued unabated; introspection, or adhya atma—the jewel of the ancient spiritual wisdom of India—became the hallmark of Buddhist philosophy. Said Acharya Shantideva, “Delusions such as hatred, anger, attachment and jealousy, which reside within our own minds, are our true enemies.”84

    The influence of Buddhism in India, on the other hand, lessened over centuries. This is partly attributed to the renaissance efforts of Hinduism by a series of highly spiritual seers, such as Sri Sankara. But it is also believed that there was a genuine accommodation, by both the Hindus and the Buddhists, to live in harmony and accept the viewpoints of one another. Indeed, the relationship of Hinduism to other faiths and sects, which sprang as its offshoots, has always remained conciliatory to a large extent.

NOTE: All quotes are adapted from “Thus Spake Lord Buddha,”
Sri Ramakrishna Math, Mylapore, Chenai India, 1998

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