Buddhism For Everyone

Buddhism For Everyone

There are two ways that Buddhist can practice the Dhamma:

By becoming a monk

The first is for those who are mentally, physically and spiritually prepared to renounce their world possession, embark on a lifelong commitment to serve the Sangha and to tread the Buddha's way.
It is the way of the Noble ones. For obvious reasons, very few Buddhst fall into this category

As a layperson
The other and more conventional way are to practise the Dhamma as a lay disciples. This is the common route and quite a crowded arena.
While the Sangha is well-regulated, in part through the Vinaya Pitaka, so that the objectives and goals are focused, lay Buddhist may have difficulties defining their roles when pratcising the dhamma in a fast changing world.

Lay Buddhist may find three major challenges when pratising the Dhamma:
Fitting into the World and Society at large:
Interacting with people they meet daily,
Set-fulfillment
Fitting into the World and Society at large:
For the larger involvement of Man with the world and society, the Buddha was well aware of the failings and advised man to avoid the Eight Worldly Winds:

The Eight Worldly Winds

Happiness Versus Suffering
Gain Versus Loss
Praise Versus Blame
Fame Versus Shame

Lay Buddhist will need to cultivate self-awareness and the Ten Perfections (Parami), in particular, generosity (Dana), wisdom (Panna), patience (Khanti), equanimity (Upekkha) to understand and avoid the pitfalls and vicissitudes of the World around them.

They must realized that the pleasant and unpleasant experiences are but fleeting natures that come and go, just like the tides that wax and wane, and so do not deserve attention.

Interacting with people they meet daily
As lay Buddhist go about their daily chores and works, they will encounter and interact with people who vex, irriatate , annoy or upset their mental states.

It is easy to become angry, impatient, and unhappy when meeting with unkind people who deliberately or unknowingly get into the way.

It takes great perseverance to remain calm, unmoved and in control. It is possible for a practicing Buddhists to intervene and change the course of their emotional states through Mindfulness and the application of Metta: loving kindness, Karuna: Compassion, Mudita: sympathetic joy and Upekkha: Equanimity.

The Buddhist who is mindful will not let external factors disturb the sanctity and calmness of their conscious and mental states.

Self-fulfillment
Finally, self-fulfillment comes from personal development, such as daily renewal of the Precepts, listening and discussing the Dhamma at opportune time, developing mindfulness through meditation and cultivating the habit of Doing Good and Not Doing Evil.

This will lead to Right Understanding and the other factors of the Noble Eightfold Path leading to Wisdom and eventually Enlightenment.

The wise and diligent lay Buddhists will meet and discharge their duties both in the role they take on in society and as practicing Buddhists.
Undoubtedly, there will be lots of challenges, but if viewed in the right perspective, these become tests and training grounds for the resolute Buddhists, and to walk the same way as Visakha, King Suddhodana, Anthapindika, and many others along the Path of Enlightenment.

Buddha's Teachings

The root of the Buddha's teaching is the Doctrine of the four noble truths:

The Four Noble Truth
1. Suffering exists

2. Suffering has an identifiable cause

3. The cause of the suffering can be terminated

4. There are specific ways in which the cause can be terminated (via 8 Fold path)

Freedom from suffering brings about the state of nirvana.
There are 2 kinds of nirvana :
It has residual basis-an example of this is the state of nirvana that the Buddha attained underneath the bodhi tree.

This one has no residual basis - for example the state the Buddha entered when he finally passed away.

As nirvana lies beyond our normal sphere of experience and is a state of being rather than a state of mind, it is impossible to describe in words.

But one record of the Buddha's teaching express it as neither earth, nor air, nor fire, nor water; "Their is neither the coming or going, neither a standing still nor falling away, without being fixed, nor without moving, nor without basis. It is the end of suffering"

The practical steps we can take to prepare ourself for nirvana can arise are explained in the doctrine of the Noble Eightfold Path.

The Noble Eightfold Path are:
1. Right understanding
2. Right Thought
3. Right Speech
4. Right Action
5. Right Livelihood
6. Right Effort
7. Right Mindfulness
8. Right Concentration

The 8 fold path is further subdivided into :
Wisdom
Morality
Mediation
WISDOM

Wisdom is inherent in Right understanding: n order to practice the teaching we need to be acquainted with the Four Noble Truths and to have started penetrate their meaning by testing them against experience.
Wisdom is also inherent in Right Thought - the motive of the practitioner must not be personal salvation but a self-les willingness to work in the interests of the well-being of others.

Further, devotion to the middle way requires that we change our attitude from self-centered orientation to one that is more altruistic, tolerant and benign.

Right Thought is also foundation of Right Action: Buddhist practice is not to disengage from the world, but rather about helping to create a better one.

MORALITY

Buddhist do not prescribe to fix moral code but it does offer guidelines. Morality is inherent in Right Speech, which is about not lying, gossiping or backbiting , and in general is about not using speech in wasteful or harmful ways ways. it is about open and truthful.

Morality is also inherent in Right Action, which concern decent behavior.
The Five Precept of Right Actions are:

1. To live a life free from harming any living beings
2. To live a life free from stealing or taking what is not ours
3. To live a life free from abusing the senses
4. To live a life free from telling any untruth
5. To live a life free from self-intoxication with alcohol or drug

Finally, morality is inherent in Right livelihood. This means bringing integrity to our working; the Buddhist practitioner does not work to get rich quick; rather, the emphasis is on working in a way that does not harm others or pollute the world.

This leads directly to Right Effort. Although Buddhism advocates tolerance, it also requires that we make the effort to stay mindful and alert and so be fully aware of their effect of our action. The term 'engage Buddhism' describes Buddhist morality in action - it is a way of extending compassion outside one's own personal sphere into a wider framework such as social or community work, or environmental; campaigning

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