SANGHA

SANGHA

By Buddhadasa Bhikkhu

Now we shall consider the word "Sangha." In everyday language, the word "Sangha" refers to the community of monks who wear the yellow robe and wander from place to place. This is the Sangha as it is understood in everyday language, the language of the unenlightened person who has not yet seen the Truth. In Dhamma language, the word "Sangha" refers once again to the Truth, to the Dhamma itself. It refers to the high qualities, of whatever kind and degree, that exist in the mind of the monk, the man of virtue. There are certain high mental qualities that make a man a monk. The totality of these high qualities existing in the mind of the monk is what is called the Sangha.

The Sangha of everyday language is the assembly of monks themselves. The Sangha of Dhamma  language are those high qualities in the minds of the monks. The Sangha proper consists of these four levels: the stream-enterer (sota-panna), the once-returner (sakadagami), the non-returner (anagami), and the fully perfected being (arahant, worthy one, undefiled by any egoism), These terms, too, refer to mental rather than physical qualities, because the physical frames of these people are in no way different from those of anyone else. Where they do differ is in mental or spiritual qualities. This is what make a person a stream-enterer, once-returner, non-returner, or arahant. This is how the word "Sangha" is to be understood in Dhamma language.

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DHAMMA

DHAMMA

By Buddhadasa Bhikkhu

The second word to consider is "Dhamma" (Dharma in Sanskrit). At the childish level of everyday language, the word is understood as referring to the actual books that contain the scriptures, the "Dhamma" in the bookcase. Or it may be understood as referring to the spoken word used in expounding the Teaching. This is the meaning of the word "Dhamma" in everyday language., the language of deluded people who has not yet seen the true Dhamma.
In term of Dhamma language, the Dhamma is one and the same as the Enlightened One. "One who see the Dhamma sees the Tathagata. One who sees the Tathagata see the Dhamma." This is the real Dhamma. In the original Pali language, the word "Dhamma" was used to refer to all of the intricate and involved things that go to make up what we call Nature. Time will not permit us to discuss this point in detail here, so we shall mention just the main points. The word "Dhamma" embraces:
1. Nature itself;
2. The law of Nature;
3. The duty of each human being to act in accordance with the Law of Nature;
4. The benefits to be derived from this acting in accordance with the Law of Nature.
This is the wide range of meaning covered by the word "Dhamma." It does not refer simply to books, palm-leaf manuscripts, or the voices of preachers. The word "Dhamma," as used in Dhamma laungage, refers to non-material things. Dhamma is all-embracing; it is profound; it includes all things, some difficult to understand and some not so difficult.

 

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Vesak Day The Victory Day of Lord Buddha (ํYou too)

"Visakhapuja Day"
Vesak Day

 The Victory Day of Lord Buddha

The Buddha’s Birth

In the sixth century B.C., in the prosperous city of Kapilavatthu in northern India (modern Nepal), lived Queen Sirimahamaya, wife of King Suddhodana. The Queen was faithfully observing Buddhist vows (precepts). One day, she dreamed of a beautiful white elephant carrying a lotus came encircled her and entered her body from the right hand side. Perplexed by this dream, the King summoned some wise brahmins to analyse it. They predicted a beautiful son would be born to the royal couple. If the child remained in the palace, he would become a Universal Monarch; if he renounced from royal life he would become a Buddha, a fully-enlightened Awakened One.

The Buddha’s Enlightenment

When Prince Siddhattha was 29 years old, Princess Yasodharā gave birth to their son Rāhula. Great was his love for the two dearest, greater was his compassion for the suffering humanity. He was not worried about the future worldly happiness and comfort of the mother and child as they had everything in abundance and were well protected. Time was ripe to depart. Leaving all behind, the prince with his loyal charioteer Channa left the palace on the royal steed Kanthaka. Thus did he renounce the world in search of ways to eliminate sufferings so as to liberate all sentient beings from the Samsara.

The Buddha’s Parinibbana

Lord Buddha was a most energetic and active teacher, His daily routine was fully occupied with religious activities. They were divided into five parts, (i) the Morning Session, Alms Round; (ii) the Afternoon Session, Deliver Discourses to the Laities; (iii) the Night Session, Coaching the Monastic Disciples; (iv) the Mid-Night Session, Answer Queries from the Celestial Beings; and (v) the Dawn Session, Survey the World with His Divine Eyes for Potential Person to Receive His Transcendental Aid. The Great Teacher provided guidance with magnificent determination without any discrepancies, leading to an exponential increase in the number of followers.

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