Who am I? And I am not alone here. There are others. Who are the closest to me as my own family members? The Mother and Father, into their middle, I came, and felt content and confident.
And the others, who are just next. Who are we? At first, I am alone, just me in a ring and then when I look around, I see that I am not alone, in the same ring that has become larger, and in some way, they are also connected. Then, we can’t help it, but see that they are also connected in some form. Pondering further, we see that they are also similar. They have their parents, siblings, friends and those may just happen to be around.
Then, without making any special efforts, I feel ‘me’ and so many aspects I see and feel. You have hands and those have fingers and each of those has finger nails. Look around, and I can see that others also have. We are a collection of wonderful things which have self generating energy. We call ourselves ‘Living Beings’. And almost all of them also existed just like I did. And I have noticed ourselves changing and those changes keep in. We are special. We are called human and a kind of a ‘living being.’ We are a ‘special’ kind of a living being as we are different from other living beings.
‘Special’ beings
We are the most developed living beings, body-wise as well as brain-wise. Body-wise, we are different from other living beings, because we can do things using our limbs that others cannot do. I can hold a nail, place it on a piece of wood, holding that nail between two of my fingers while my other hand can hold a hammer, raise the hand with the hammer, bring it down on the Nail Head with force, driving it down, deep into the wood, piercing it and entering another piece of wood, thereby keeping the pieces together.
In the end, I might have done something special, what all the others may not be able to do. When we look around us we will see many things we, human beings have done. That is why we are special. We are the most advanced living beings in this world.
We can make sounds using our mouth and the tongue and the throat, nose as well as the lips and make similar sounds again and again and also make entirely different ones that make others understand by listening. We call it speaking and the collection of those sounds become words in our language. We are different, and we are very special.
Human capacity to think
I have shown only some of the most special features to make you understand what I have been trying to do all the time. All those have become possible because we have something special that other Living Beings do not have.
All those have become possible because of our capacity to think. This is not something all the other living beings shall not have.
Now, stop for a while and start looking for one, single example that can be shown to prove what I have said is not true. Now let us try to understand where we can be found. We can be found everywhere, because of that same ability. Isn’t that the simplified, but analytical position – an individual, several together, or many more until we even make ourselves in larger numbers. The conceptual ‘Good Person,’ I can become but be disturbed as it is something that happens voluntarily.
It is determined by the ‘mindset’. It is the ‘Mind’ that decides everything. Let us look at the simple saying, “Manopubbanggama dhamma.….Mano Setta Manomaya, Manasathe Paduttena….Basathiwa …Karothiwa …” It is larger than a book as it expresses everything. It reminds us that it is the mind that takes the initiative. We are human beings and we are special because we can think and what may happen without thinking is just reflex action and that happens without our being conscious.
The core truth that has to be mastered for anyone to be a Good Buddhist is the respect one must develop towards that simple truth that if we can develop the habit of training our thinking first, all the other things we expect shall fall in place, and definitely be better Buddhists.
I started thinking like this because, the best mind training is to ensure nothing impure will ever try to take charge of our values which shall be only to respect each other. That is the beginning. As a bhikkhu who was guided by a Great Teacher like, Ven.Naradha Thera, I believe in being simple in presenting the deep and the highest concentration demanding matters discussed, the knowledge one would/shall not be and also, should not be used to impress others. Simplicity is the best path. As Buddhism is a Way of Life, before everything else, it needs to be a way that should be easily understood. It is the inadequate understanding that makes a person suffer more and it is the suffering that makes life more painful. Better thinking and more realistic approaches to reality shall make life lighter. That is why a more realistic understanding shall make life better. That is ensured by prompt and better comprehension of the rigours of life. The most educative reality, a Buddhist will be compelled to become clearer is the impermanence and therefore the readiness to accept the feeling of loss. This is felt more, especially when the dear ones are affected.
In Buddhism, a person is conditioned to understand such eventualities, and the readiness to accept loss and suffering, the impact of such a painful experience shall always be lighter on a person who understands the pain.
Considering the changes that have affected the society and the confusion that has been created, what a current member of the society has been compelled to face, are factors that have made the living patterns getting more and more complicated and confusing have affected the social responsibilities of a bhikkhu also more and more complicated. But, a Buddhist Monk today has to be more updated, and also aware of other conflicting developments.
It is true that the needs are more and in an economy with ever rising costs of living and the complicated issues that come connected, shall show us the way.
Great service
The great service , Ven. NaradhaThera then could have a more direct approach but now the bringing of Buddhists, closer to the Buddha, the Dhamma and the teachings of the Buddha have to be understood before everything else as that difference has to be understood more realistically.
The feeling that it is just another religion, indicates how deeply the present Buddhists have understood the fact that Buddhism is not a Religion, but a logical path to salvation, or less suffering.
All those are issues that have come up as the presence of other religions. The deeper aspects such as ‘Karma’ are issues. Rebirth, the status of impermanence and Nirvana are issues that have to be very skilfully presented, in more appropriate presentations so that the principles can be preserved .
