Teaching of KARMA

This story cum teaching  is taken from the text of WISE AND FOOL of the Buddha teaching. the main purpose of the story is to show the KARMA (action and it result). the Buddha often told past life of himself and others, related to the listener. though most of the incident were in previous life. He was telling the real incident as a story, so even ordinary being and uneducated man also easily understand it and practice good actions.

for ordinary people, it is difficult to know the previous life as a result, most people are not believe in KARMA and always indulge in bad action, at the end they experience suffering. the Buddha has skillfully one and well method to transform and purify other mind. this text is the one of his teaching to believe in KARMA (action and it result )

he compassionately telling this teaching so that even ordinary person also practice it and liberate their self from the suffering of birth, aging, illness and death.

the story was always told by ananda. because it was ananda, who was always there while the Buddha was teaching. he spent time with the Buddha more then others.

it is said that during the time of Buddha. all the monks were sharp minded and could remember exactly what the Buddha told. there was no requirement of any text to study separately, but after the death of the Buddha. all the monks were concerned about existence of the Buddha teaching for future generations. so they gathered and restored in text by their memories. they spoke one by one what they heard from the Buddha, mostly by ananda. they had written all the teachings as sutra.

The text of wise and unwise is one of them told by ananda.

Ananda was telling, what he heard, during he was serving the Buddha

Once I heard this by Buddha. said ananda.That time Buddha was staying in "Anatpinda Jitvana" at sravasti . one evening two gods came towards where Buddha was staying, the jatvana garden was illuminated with gold color by the light of that two god's body.

Buddha gave teaching for them on their requesting . after listening to the teaching, they got fruit of wisdom and liberate their mind. After that they paid respect by putting their head before Buddha's feet and they returned to heaven.

on following day, Early in the morning, Ananda came to the Buddha and asked like this- Buddha! Two gods came here yesterday and they paid respect for you. A light was came from their body and made surrounding beautiful. What types of action they did for this light.

Then the Buddha said to Ananda.

Early at the time of Buddha Kasyap time. (sangas Otsun) when his teaching was nearly finished from the world. Two Brahmans took vow of a day. Then one Brahman wished for reborn as a god by practicing the vow. Another one wished for reborn as a king and they both returned.

After reacing at home, one Brahman was called by his wife for dinner. Then the Brahman replied “ I have taken a day vow form Buddha’s dharma. I cannot take dinner, I don’t want” and the wife said again “you are Brahman, we have already our dharma to practice, why are you practice other dharma? If you are not going to eat dinner with me then I will tell other Brahmans exactly what you just said and I will not talk with you any more” then the husband could not tolerate and afraidly taken food on untime.

The two Brahmans spent their life and passed away. The Brahman who had wished for reborn as a king was born in a kingdom. The other Brahman which had prayed for god life, reborn in a snake due to breaking the vow.

At that time, the king had a gardener who daily carrying different types of fruit for the king. One evening he had got a colored and nutritional apple in a stream and he thought like this, I was always stop by the gatekeeper when I carry fruit for the king, if I gave this apple to the gatekeeper he allow me to go inside without interrupting. So he gave the apple to the gatekeeper.

Then the gatekeeper took the apple and he also thought like that I was always stop by the queen service man, when I go for deliver messages. If I gave this apple to the service man, he allow me to go without interrupting. The service man accepted the apple and gave to the queen. Then the queen gave to the king. After eaten the apple the king found that the apple was extraordinary. The apple was delicious and well odor. Then the king asked the source of the apple to the queen. Then the queen told the king that how she got it from the service man.

The question passed from one by one. Finally they came to the gardener.

Then the gardener was called by the king and ordered him like this, “if such apple was available in our garden, why did you gave it to other instead of me. Then the gardener told the king that the apple was not ripen by the tree, It source is in the stream.I would not find it again. The king ordered him that if he would not find, then his body will cut down into pieces.

Then the gardener returned and crying sadly. The high sound of crying was heard by a snake. The snake then came before him as a human appearance and asked reason for crying. The gardener told all incidents clearly to the snake.

Then the snake disappeared for sometimes and returned with a gold tray filled by delicious apples and gave it to gardener and said “take these apples and give it to the king with this message, tell him that we were friend in previous life time. At that time we are Brahman. We had taken vows of a day and wished respectively. The king could practice the vow and he reborn in a kingdom, I could not practice the vow so I reborn as a snake. I still want to practice the vow and liberate myself form this body. Tell him to give me the eight vow of a day. If the king could not give me, then I will submerge the kingdom in water. Then the gardener went to the king and gave the apple with the snake message.

The king become anxious because of at that time Buddha was not exist, dharma was also not exist and there as not even any text of a day vows. If the king could not satisfy the snake, the kingdom would not remain any more. So the king thinking for long time. Then the king has a minister, he said to the minister. A snake demand me eight vows of a day, you must find for me. Don’t say, you could not find it. Then the minister said If Dharma is not exist in the world, how can I find . the king replied as order to the minister. I will kill you if you will not find.

Then the minister sadly returned to his house. The minister had an old father. The father thought that earlier my son talk with smile and happily when he return. Why his son is talking sadly. Then the minister told his father all the incident, the father said “there is a pillar in our house from which a light is always appearing. Look inside what was exist there.” Then the minister cut the pillar and found the sutra of twelve interdependence and a text of eight vows of a day. The minister gave it to the king. The king was become happy. He put the text of daily eight vows into gold box and sent for the snake.

After hearing the text the snake become very happy and offered many precious things for the great king. Then the snake practiced the daily eight vows and also appealed other to practice the vow. As a result he born in a god. The king also born in a god by practicing the vows. They came here yesterday evening and listened to the dharma. After listening dharma they both got a fruit of steamer and free themselves forever from the three lover realms and Experiencing the pleasure of god and human. gradually they free themselves from the suffering of the world.

The all followers became happy and devotionally appreciated what Buddha said

FIRST STEP TOWARDS FOUR NOBLE TRUTH

In our daily life we wake up and try to spend our day with joy and happiness. Though it is not a cup of tea to have happiness, but sometimes we experience a spark of joy which rapidly grows within our heart and spreads towards others. I was also fortunate to get this experience when I opened my eyes one morning


One day when I woke up early in the morning, I found the weather was pleasant. I took my reading book and began to ride my bike toward Sarnath. It took me almost fifteen minutes to reach Mulagandha Kuti Vihar[i] at Sarnath from the Tibetan University where I have been studying for almost four years.

I circumambulated three times at Mulagandha Kuti Vihar and slowly and peacefully moved towards the statues of the Buddha and his five disciples. It is said that The Buddha preached Four Noble Truths to his five disciples at the same place where his statue was erected as a gesture of dharma teaching.




While I was moving nearer, paying my respects to the statues of the Buddha and his five disciples, I was wondering how fortunate those five disciples and people of those times were that they could see the Buddha and listen to his teaching. However, I was very happy that though I could not see the Buddha now, his teachings are still available. I can study and practise them according to my ability.

At that time I was very enthusiastic to learn more and more of his teaching, especially the Four Noble Truths which is the essence of his teaching. Buddha's teaching of the Four Noble Truths is translated in many languages and I could see texts in different languages engraved on flattened stones round the statues of the Buddha and his five disciples. I tried to read few of them as I was moving round the statues.
At last I reached before the inscription of Four Noble Truths in Tibetan language, which was translated from Sanskrit[ii] into Tibetan around 8th century AD. I read it very attentively and carefully. While I was reading sutra from the stone, spontaneously I remembered my class at the university where my teacher told about The Buddha and his teaching; the Four Noble Truths. In the class, my teacher took a holy book from his bag, read the sutra of Four Noble Truths and compassionately explained it.


The four noble truths are the way to attain enlightenment. It means that we can make ourselves completely free from suffering of the world if we learned the Four Noble Truths and practice it.
Gautama Buddha, when he used to be an ordinary person as prince Siddhartha, he used to live in his father’s palace, unaware of the suffering of the world. One day while he was visiting around the palace on horse chariot, he saw an old man, a sick man, a dead body and a monk. After consulting his driver, he knew that all have to become sick, old, and finally to die. His mind was disturbed by what he saw during his visit around the palace. He was very sorry and said ‘‘everybody in the world has lots of suffering and must some day die. No one has found out how to stop it. I must find it and help the whole world".

After that incident he immediately left the palace and his family to search for a way to stop all types of suffering. He went to many teachers, learned what they taught, but he was still dissatisfied. Finally he discovered the middle way[iii] of practice and under the Bodhi tree at Bodhgaya he attained enlightenment. He became Buddha, Enlightenment One. He made himself free from all suffering and possessed Ultimate happiness.

Later he went to Sarnath and preached the Dharma Chakra Pravartana Sutra[iv]. This Sutra contains the doctrine of Four Noble Truths.
They are-

1. Dukkha (suffering or misery)

Suffering is a feeling of pain. Life is full of miserly. Birth is misery. Death is misery. Sickness is misery. Old age is misery. Getting what one does not want is misery. Failure is misery. Not getting what one wants is misery.

2. Dukkha samudaya (Origin of suffering)
Misery is out come of attachment. Misery remains as long as attachment remains.
3. Dukkha nirodha (Cessation of suffering)

Suffering can be remove completely when it causes are remove. Removing the conditions leading to misery puts an end to misery and one possesses ultimate happiness. That is Nirvana. (Liberation)

4. Dukkha nirodha gamine marga (The path leading to that cessation)
There is a way, how to remove the cause of suffering. Which are shown detail in Eight Fold Noble Path. They are-

1. Right view -it is the pure wisdom. One sees things as they are, for example one sees that all things are impermanent.

2. Right determination- means one explains to others through pure speech, the things in exactly the way one has realized them.

3. Right speech- means one use always right and accurate speech towards other.

4. Right action-means one has to completely abandon all non-virtues conduct.

5. Right livelihood - means one income and profession must be pure. Occupation of butcher and other non-virtues livelihood must avoid.

6. Right effort- means that use one energies towards right action. Effort to refrain from misery action.

7. Right mindfulness- means one mind must be in attentiveness. In these ways, one mind does not forget the objective of right action.
8. Right meditation- means one mind has to remain single pointed ness.

Buddha’s teaching on Four Noble Truths are example as a physician diagnosing an illness and prescribing a treatment. The first Noble Truth example as what the illness is? The second Truth tells what cause the illness? The third Truth is like cure of the illness, then the forth Truth describes a way of treatment to cure that illness. Here the Buddha tells us the way of eliminating suffering as physician prescribes the treatment for illness.

The Sun had just arisen as my mind came back from past and I could hear different sounds of birds, which had been chirping there on trees around the area. I thought that even birds were encouraging me to learn more about the Four Noble Truths. I felt more respect for Buddha; I prostrated before the statue of the Buddha and his five disciples. As I was ready to return, my joy had no bound. I rode back towards the Tibetan University expecting that I could uproot all my suffering which has been secretly pursuing me...

[i] A temple where Gautama Buddha used to stay during his visit at Sarnath.

[ii] All teachings of the Buddha were written in Sanskrit and Pali languages, later around 8th century AD. Buddhism was spread in Tibet, since then all the Buddha’s teachings have been translating from Sanskrit in to Tibetan language by Indian scholars and Tibetan translators sponsored by kings in Tibet.

[iii] Middle way is a practice which is refraining from extremes of sensual indulgence and self mortification.

[iv] Sutra is a Sanskrit word for teaching of Buddha which is written in text.
experience with dharma.
Four noble truth which is very profound and could not understand by merely reading it. we have to read it time to time and try to make it practically in life. for example we hunam being in this world are already captured by mainly four thing ; Birth, Aging, illness and lastly Death. they are part of suffering if we really need to liberate from those suffering. we must study four noble truth time to time. i have written this small article with four noble truth. but sometime i think i do not know any thing of four noble truth, continously study it,,, really people like me as a beginer in Buddha Dharma cannot explain dharma but mare a pile of words. however i m still happy to write it because i could spend more time with it, and and atleast awareness for Four Noble Truths might arise in people mind.