11/8/2022 0 Comments Buddha ways of life![]() The essay ends with a section briefly describing what is expected of an ideal lay Buddhist in daily life. The remaining sections of the essay show how to apply the basic principles of Buddhism to the other major areas of a Buddhist householder's life. As the Five Precepts are thus of such fundamental importance to a Buddhist lay follower, a separate section is devoted to discussing them. These rules are summed up in the Five Precepts of virtue, the minimum code of ethics to be followed by a Buddhist householder. He did not deter them from seeking mundane happiness, but he stressed that in pursuing mundane goals, the lay Buddhist should take great care to avoid breaking the basic rules of morality. Because some degree of economic security is essential to growth in the Dhamma, the Buddha was concerned with the material welfare of his lay disciples as much as with their spiritual development. This problem can be solved by organizing one's life as a lay Buddhist within the framework of the Noble Eightfold Path, which represents the Master's teaching in practice. The central problem of a Buddhist lay follower is to combine a successful lay life with Buddhist moral and spiritual principles. The next two sections discuss respectively the need to draw up an individual life plan and the obstacles likely to impede the successful implementation of that plan. We here examine the visible benefits of accepting the Buddha-Dhamma as a way of thinking and living in this section we will also throw a sidelong glance at what happens to a society when spiritual values are abandoned in favor of an exclusive stress on material development. The second section is concerned with the practical implications of adopting the understanding of existence sketched in the first section. ![]() The lack of a clear philosophy of life, so widespread today, is largely responsible for the steady decline in ethical standards, both individually and socially, in Sri Lanka and in the world as a whole. These principles will enable the lay Buddhist to understand his or her place in the larger scheme of things, to order priorities, and to devise a proper way to achieve them. The principles discussed here should serve as a clear-cut philosophy of life, a framework which illuminates the meaning and purpose of the Buddhist life. It attempts to fix in the reader's mind the essential principles of the Buddha's teaching, without complicated and sophisticated explanations. The first section is theoretical in emphasis. The present essay attempts to fill that gap by providing exactly what its title offers: A Simple Guide to Life.įor easy reference the essay has been divided into short, convenient sections. A short, clear, and simple handbook on how to live a proper Buddhist lay life was therefore a much felt need. By that definition, combined with the sociological and historical realities, we come down on the side that Buddhism is a religion-and all those other things too.Innumerable books have been written about Buddhism, but most of these are far too exhaustive, too specialized, or too scholarly to be of much practical help to the busy lay Buddhist in search of concise guidance. ![]() We would like to offer a third definition: religion is that which posits a nonmaterial spiritual reality (whether God or mind) and asserts we continue in some way after death. They consider the concept of “nontheistic religion” a contradiction in terms, so they label Buddhism as a philosophy, way of life, or science of mind (and many Buddhists in the West agree). On the other hand, most people define religion as believing in some sort of God or Creator, which Buddhism does not. So by the “if it quacks like a duck” sociological definition, it’s a religion. On one hand, Buddhism looks a lot like every other religion, with monastics, temples, sacred texts, rituals, congregations, etc. ![]() The answer is really about how you define religion. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |