Why
we believe in teachings of Buddha and what we believe in Buddhism?
ၿမိဳ ႔မ ျမင့္ၾကြယ္
“No one
saves us but ourselves, no one can and no one may.
We ourselves must walk the path but Buddha clearly shows the way.”
We ourselves must walk the path but Buddha clearly shows the way.”
The Buddha (BC 623- BC 543)
Lord Buddha has never destroyed and
killed to others. Buddha neither punished nor helped others to punishment.
Buddhism is a religion of tolerance and peaceful because it preaches a life of
self-restraint. Buddhism teaches a life based not on rules but on peaceful
principles. WE LIVE in a world of staggering religious diversity. All religions
are GOOD. Mahatma Gandhi said: "I believe in the fundamental truth of all
great religions of the world". We agree it. But most
of researchers pretty much show that Buddhism is the most peaceful
religion. Then Buddhism has no holy war. (No holy war concept in Buddhism.)
Buddhists do not pray to the Buddha thinking that He is a God
who will reward them or punish or curse them.
Buddhism has never persecuted or
maltreated those whose beliefs are different. Today the follows of the most
compassionate Buddha have a special duty to work for the establishment of peace
in the world and to show an example to others by following their Master's
advice: 'All tremble at punishment, all fear death; comparing others with
oneself, one should neither kill nor cause to kill.' (Dhammapada 129)
Mercy and killing can never go together. Some people kill their pets on the grounds that they do not like to see the pets suffer. However, if mercy killing is the correct method to be practised on pets and other animals, then why are people so reluctant to do the same to their beloved ones?
The
Buddha has advised everyone to abstain from killing. If everybody accepts this
advice, human beings would not kill each other. In the case where a person's
life is threatened, the Buddha says even then it is not advisable to kill out
of self-protection. The weapon for self-protection is loving-kindness.
When
some people see their dogs or cats suffer from some skin disease, they arrange
to kill those poor animals. They call this action, mercy killing. Actually it
is not that they have mercy towards those animals, but they kill them for their
own precaution and to get rid of an awful sight. And even if they do have real
mercy towards a suffering animal, they still have no right to take away its
life.
No
matter how sincere one may be, mercy killing is not the correct approach. The
consequences of this killing, however, are different from killing with hatred
towards the animal. Buddhists have no grounds to say that any kind of killing
is justified.
The Five Precepts in Buddhism are not
given in the form of commands, but are training guidelines to help one live a
life in which one is happy, without worries, and able to meditate well.
First of all, we must maintain the Five Precepts (Panca- Sila). Thus it is seen that the observance of the Five Precepts (virtuous living) is basic Principal of Buddhism, and to the whole, will contribute to make the world a pleasant place to live in.
Breaking
one's SILA as pertains to sexual conduct introduces harmfulness towards one's
practice or the practice of another person if it involves uncommitted
relationship. They are:
1.
I undertake the training rule to abstain from
killing ;
2.
I undertake the training rule to abstain from taking what
is not given;
3.
I undertake the training rule to abstain from sensual
misconduct;
4.
I undertake the training rule to abstain from false
speech; and
5.
I undertake the training rule to abstain from liquors,
wines, and other intoxicants, which are the basis for heedlessness.
Buddhism
since BC 588 has a “code of conduct” known as the Five Precepts.
In
recent years many scientists and some religionists have used the expressions
like 'humane killing', 'mercy killing', 'gentle killing', and 'painless
killing' to justify the ending of a life. They argue that if the victim feels
no pain, if the knife is sharp, killing is justified. Buddhism can never accept
these arguments because it is not how the killing occurs that is important, but
the fact that a life of one being is terminated by another. No one has any
right to do that for whatever reason.
An
ancient maxim found in the Dhammapada sums up the practice of the
Buddha's teaching in three simple guidelines to training: to abstain
from all evil, to cultivate good, and to purify one's mind. These three
principles form a graded sequence of steps progressing from the outward and
preparatory to the inward and essential.
To
cease from evil, to do good, and to purify the mind yourself, this is the
teaching of all the Buddha.
The Buddha provided us with five precepts
to guide us on our way to individual liberation. The Five Precepts are
the basis of Buddhist morality. The first precept is to avoid killing or
harming living beings. The second is to avoid stealing, the third is to avoid
sexual misconduct, the fourth is to avoid lying and the fifth is to avoid
alcohol and other intoxicating drugs. Not just for
Buddhists, these precepts are basic to the major spiritual traditions and
ethical teachings in our world today. Five precepts are one of the best
Common Ethical Values.
In
Buddhism, a person's another duty is to cleanse himself of the mental defilements
of greed, hatred and ignorance.
Source: Buddhist Study and Practice Group, http://www.sinc.sunysb.edu/Clubs/buddhism/
http://www.budsas.org/ebud/whatbudbeliev/292.htm
