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The Ultimate Truth
The unconventional Truth discovered by the Buddha is called the Ultimate Truth.
BUDDHISM recognises two kinds of Truth, the apparent conventional truth concerning mundane matters and the real or ultimate Truth concerning the supramundane. The ultimate Truth can be realized only by developing the mind through meditation, and not by theorising or speculation.
The Buddha’s Teaching is about the Ultimate Truth regarding the world. Buddhism, however, is not a revealed or an organised religion1. It is the first example of the purely scientific approach applied to questions concerning the ultimate nature of existence. This timeless Teaching was discovered by the Buddha Himself without the help of any divine agency. This same teaching is strong enough to face any challenge without changing the basic principles of the doctrine. Any religion that is forced to change or adjust its original Teachings to suit the modern world, is a religion that has no firm foundation and no ultimate truth in it. Buddhism can maintain the Truth of the original Teaching of the Master even under the difficult conditions prevailing in the modern world. It can face any challenge posed by the most rigorous method of scientific inquiry. The Buddha did not introduce certain personal or worldly practices which have no connection with morality or religious observances. To the Buddha, such practices have no religious value. We must make the distinction between what the Buddha taught and what people preach and practise in the name of Buddhism.
Every religion consists of not only the teachings of the founder of that religion but also the rites and ceremonies which have grown up around the basic core of the teachings. These rituals and ceremonies have their origins in the cultural practices of the people who accepted the religion. Usually the founders of the great religions do not lay down precise rules about the rituals to be observed. But religious leaders who come after them formalize the religion and set up exacting codes of behaviour which the followers are not allowed to deviate from. As we discussed earlier, this is one of the reasons why the Buddha did not appoint a successor.
Even the religion which we call ‘Buddhism’ today is very different in its external practices from what the Buddha and His early followers carried out. Centuries of cultural and environmental influence have made the Myanmar, Thai, Chinese, Tibetan, Sri Lankan, Japanese and Korean Buddhist way of life different. But these practices are not in conflict, because the Buddha taught that while the Truth remains absolute, the physical manifestation of this truth can differ according to the way of life of those who profess it.
Thus the modern religion we see in many countries is the product of normal human beings living in a country and adjusting to various social and cultural environments. However, Buddhism as a religion did not begin as a super-worldly system that came down from heaven. Rather it was born and evolved through a long historical process. In its process of evolution, many people slowly moved away from the original Teachings of the founder and started different new schools or sects. All the other existing religions also face the same situation.
A few hundred years after His passing away, the disciples of the Buddha organized a religion around the Teachings of the Master. While organising the religion, they incorporated, among other concepts and beliefs, various types of miracles, mysticism, fortunetelling, charms, talismans, mantras, prayers and many rites and rituals that were not found in the original Teaching. When these extraneous religious beliefs and practices were introduced, many people neglected to develop the most important practices found in the original Teaching: self-discipline, self-restraint, cultivation of morality and spiritual development. Instead of practising the original Teaching, they gave more of their attention and effort to protection from evil spirits and became more interested in discovering ways and means of getting rid of the so-called misfortunes or bad influences of stars, black magic, and sickness. In this manner, through time the religious practices and beliefs degenerated, being confined to worldly pursuits. Even today, many people believe that they can get rid of their difficulties through the influence of external powers. People still cling to these beliefs. Hence they neglect to cultivate the strength of their will-power, intelligence, understanding and other related humane qualities. In other words, people started to abuse their human intelligence by following those beliefs and practices in the name of Buddhism. They also polluted the purity of the sublime teaching of the Buddha.
One should therefore not come to a hasty conclusion either to judge the validity of a religion or to condemn it simply by observing what people perform in the name of that religion.
To understand and evaluate the real nature of a religion one must study and investigate the original Teachings of the founder of that religion. In the face of the profusion of ideas and practices which were later developments, it is useful for us to return to the positive and timeless Dharma taught by the Buddha. Whatever people believe and practise in the name of Buddhism, the basic Teachings of the Buddha still exist in the original Buddhist texts.
The Buddha's teaching is not a revelation from the presumed god….the Enlightenment and wisdom he obtained thereof came from self-realization after mental cultivation or meditation for so many lifetimes. The wisdom was not god given as other religious founders have proclaimed of their teachings- Prophet Mohamed, Jesus, Moses, etc. In terms of organized religion, Buddhism does not stress so much on the need for one to convert officially to Buddhism or wear a religious label or hold a membership card of religious organization, but rather seeks to encourage those who are interested in the Dhamma to practice the teachings for them to see for themselves (to realize) the Truth. It does not seek blind faith, or quantity, but rather focuses on the quality of life.
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<<Назад Вклад буддизма в прогресс человечества |
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Далее>> Две основные школы буддизма |
Редакция перевода от 01.07.2015 19:42