Buddhist Philosophy

A mirror in ancient time

Long time ago, in a period of no scientific development, people lived an old fashion lifestyle. There was no television, telephone, electricity, photography invented but pieces of mirror were used in some part of development places. In such a contemporary village, there was an old couple living in a village. They were about seventy (70) years old. One day, when the old women was alone she saw a piece of mirror by accident. She picked it up and looked at it. She was extremely surprised when looking at it and said “Oh! This is my grand mother's picture. I must keep it in a safe place” So she kept it under her mattress. A few day later her husband found it and asked “Why do you keep my grandfather's picture?” She replied “It is not your grandfather” It is my grandmother” In this way, they continued having a debate and finally they agreed to go and ask a chief monk in the temple to settle their debate. When the chief monk looked at the mirror, he called out in a surprise “Oh! Where did you get my old teacher’s picture?” and the chief monk also started to argue with them. Actually none of them would have known that it was a mirror unless they had met a scientist. They would never have known that it was human nature to become old unless they looked and saw their spiritual inside.

By Thaw Ma

A greedy foolish man

A long time ago a man owned an unusual swan. It laid a golden egg each day. One day the man realised he was not content with just one egg. He was greedy and wanted a lot of eggs and quickly. He thought there were many eggs in the swan and to get them all quickly he cut her stomach open. When he learnt there was only one egg in the swan he was very sad and sighted with regret

By Thawma

The ants and a grasshopper.

One upon a time, there was a grasshopper searching for food in a field. He had a large and good looking body. He enjoyed searching food by jumping, cheeping, and singing in the way that made his heart happy around the field. Suddenly he saw a group of ants carrying a grain of corn to their nest. They were sweating because carrying the corn was too heavy.

The grasshopper said to them “why not come and talk with me instead of working so hard and tiring yourselves out.”

The ants said “We are collecting food for the coming winder” and asked “Why don’t you collect some like us too?”

“Why worry” said the grass hopper “There is plenty of food at the present.”

When the winder came, there was no food in the field and nowhere for the grasshopper to find food. He became weaker and weaker day by day for he had no food to eat but the ants were enjoying eating their food: corn, grains of rice they had collected.

By seeing the ants enjoying eating food in their nest, he realised and said, “It is best to prepare for the day of need.” But, it was too late. Finally he died of hunger.

Written by Thawmamoonstars. Please give a comment.

Striving towards

We all have a goal which means the final position of to where we are leading. Those who don’t have a goal are like a boat without a rudder which can float on the water anywhere and no one knows where it is leading and wandering around till they have to surrender themselves to this beautiful world. According to religious terms, there are two kinds of goal that we desire to reach. Both goals are to improve our own life. The first one is an ordinary state and another extra-ordinary state. What an ordinary state’s goal and an extra-ordinary state’s goal?An ordinary state’s goal is the goal which most people manage to eagerly reach such as getting a good professional job to earn more money so that they can build a very beautiful life and have very happy families.

An extra-ordinary state’s goal is the goal which most people ignore because they enjoy this human life through ease or difficulty but sometimes they can dream of it. Which is it? It would depend on their concepts, beliefs etc. What are their concepts? Their concepts depend on what they believe. For example, Christians believe in God. So they believe that God will carry them to reach the final goal of real happiness in their next life. Muslims believe in Allah. Allah will carry them to reach the final goal of real happiness in their next life. Non-believers believe that if they are doing good job, they will be also good or happy in their next life etc. Buddhists believe in the Buddha but they don’t believe that The Buddha will carry them reach the final goal (Nibbarna) which is the destruction of lust, the destruction of hatred, the destruction of delusion and the last word of the Buddha were “Strive on with diligence”. No emancipation or purification can be gained without personal striving. As such petition or intercessory prayers are denounced in Buddhism and in their stead is meditation which leads to self-control, purification, and enlightenment. Both meditation and service form salient characteristics of Buddhism. In fact, all Buddhist nations grew up in the cradle of Buddhism.

“Do no evil” that is, be not a curse to oneself and others, was the Buddha’s first advice. This was followed by His second admonition-“Do good”, that is, be a blessing to oneself and others. His final exhortation was “purify one’s mind”- which was the most important and the most essential.

Can such a religion be termed inactive and passive?

It may be mentioned that amongst the thirty-seven factors that lead to enlightenment (Bodhipakkhiya-Dhamma), Viriya or energy occurs nine times.

Clarifying His relationship with His followers, the Buddha states:

“You yourselves should make the exertion.

The Buddhas ( Tathargatas) are mere teachers.”

The Buddhas indicate the path and it is left for us to follow that path to obtain our purification. Self-exertion plays an important part in Buddhism. “ By oneself is one purified; by oneself is on defiled” ( from the Buddha and His teaching by Narada) Nibbarna is the ultimate truth of Buddhist goal.

In my short conclusion, whatever we do, we need a teacher to guide us. Even in learning English, we do need a teacher. So by thinking through our wisdom; let’s lead to the most important extra-ordinary goal of our life.

Religion is a field of the teaching on which people try to find how to gain real happiness or how to escape from suffering and try to find truth. People need a religion because they want to escape from sufferings such as age, sickness, death and they want to live in a happy state where no age, sickness and death exist.

How do we choose a religion? We choose a religion in global, not in local sense. Religion is not in our village, not in our township, not in our state, nor in our country but in the Universe and in ourselves.

True religious teaching is not in people but in a true teaching among people. People do things such as killing, stealing, becoming intoxicated, sexual misconduct, telling lies, inventing things what is harmful for the destroying of beings. But others again do excellent things such as walking on the moon, inventing electricity which is useful for the benefit of the people. No! A strong animal or a god can overcome people’s brain. So, people are stupid as well as intelligent. The true religious teaching as well as false religious teaching can find in people. But no two truths can exist in this world but only one. Which one? The one which can save all life and bring real happiness and can solve the problems of age, sickness, and death is the only truth.

Let's look at the election of a president in the United States. The ordinary people don't know how to elect a right one. They just know the one who can do well for the economy. But the senators know who has the real ability to govern the country for benefit of it's citizens. For example, children would love someone who gives them those cakes, toys, etc. But they don't like the one who admonishes them or punishes them.

In North Korea and Africa, there are a lot of people who don't have enough food, clothes, shelter. So, If Jesus Christ or Allah, or any other God give them what they need, they would love and follow the one who can help them and give them what they need. But when these people have enough things in their life, they still have the problem of age, sickness, death and try to escape from these sufferings and try to find the answer to sufferings and eternal happiness. At this time, they would love and follow a teaching which can explain or solve these natural unavoidable problems.

For instance there are three doctors who try to cure a sick man. The first doctor says to the sick man that there are no medicines and nothing could be done to heal his sickness. Then the sick man is disappointed by the doctor's words and might die.

The second doctor says to the sick man that the symptom of the sick is not a serious one. It would be healed soon. Actually, the doctor isn't aware of the symptom of the sickness. He is just comforting the sick man. Finally the sick man might die.

The final doctor knows both the symptom of sickness and the mental condition of the sick man. So he says to the sick man that the disease will be healed soon and not to worry. Then he cures the sick man and the disease is no longer there. So, the moral of this story is; it is best to elect and follow what the final doctor instructs so that the disease would be very soon healed.

Only Buddhist teaching can explain about Nibbāna which is ultimate peace without sickness, age and death. A great scientist ALBERT EINSTIN said, “If there is any religion that could cope with modern scientific needs it would be Buddhism.

Written By Thaw Ma