The Buddhist Hour Radio Broadcast Archives
Buddhist
Hour
Radio Broadcast on Hillside 88.0 FM
Broadcast 315 for
Sunday 8 February 2004
This script is entitled:
How to
apply Buddha Dhamma to your life
Last week we discussed the fourth noble truth, the way
leading to the cessation of suffering by following the noble eight
fold path.
Today we will look at how you can follow the noble
eightfold path, the practical actions you can apply.
To begin
you must know about the noble eight fold path, be able to recite it
and understand it intellectually.
The Noble Eight Fold Path
is:
1. Right Understanding ( in the Pali Language, Samma
Ditthi)
2. Right Aspiration (in the Pali Language, Samma
Sankappa)
3. Right Speech (in the Pali Language, Samma Vaca)
4.
Right Action (in the Pali Language, Samma Kammanta)
5. Right
livelihood (in the Pali Language, Samma Ajiva)
6. Right Effort (in
the Pali Language, Samma Vayama)
7. Right Mindfullness (in the
Pali Language, Samma Sati)
8. Right Concentration (in the Pali
Language, Samma Samadhi)
You can then realise the truth about
the noble eight fold path for yourself by reflecting and meditating
on the four noble truths and the noble eight fold path in order to
apply them to your life.
We begin with the story of the Buddha
when he expounded the Four Noble Truths and the Noble Eightfold Path
as told in the Samyutta Nikaya:
"The Blessed One was once
living at Kosambi in a wood of simsapa trees. He picked up a few
leaves in his hand, and he asked the bhikkhus, 'How do you conceive
this, bhikkhus, which is more, the few leaves that I have picked up
in my hand or those on the trees in the wood?
'The leaves that
the Blessed One has picked up in his hand are few, Lord; those in the
wood are far more.' 'So too, bhikkhus, the things that I have known
by direct knowledge are more; the things that I have told you are
only a few.
Why have I not told them? Because they bring no
benefit, no advancement in the Holy Life, and because they do not
lead to dispassion, to fading, to ceasing, to stilling, to direct
knowledge, to enlightenment, to Nibbana. That is why I have not told
them.
And what have I told you? This is suffering; this is
the origin of suffering; this is the cessation of suffering; this is
the way leading to the cessation of suffering. That is what I have
told you.
Why have I told it? Because it brings benefit, and
advancement in the Holy Life, and because it leads to dispassion, to
fading, to ceasing, to stilling, to direct knowledge, to
enlightenment, to Nibbana.
So bhikkhus, let your task be this:
This is suffering; this is the origin of suffering; this is the
cessation of suffering; this is the way leading to the cessation of
suffering.'
Ajahn Sumedho gives a clear process of how one
can reflect and come to realising the noble eight fold path for one's
self.
Ajahn Sumedho's book "The Four Noble Truths"
is accessible online at http://www.buddhanet.net/4noble.htm.
Ajahn
Sumedho says in the chapter "The Eightfold Path as a Reflective
Teaching":
"In this Eightfold Path, the eight
elements work like eight legs supporting you. It is not like: 1, 2,
3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 on a linear scale; it is more of a working together.
It is not that you develop panna [wisdom] first and then when you
have panna, you can develop your sila [morality]; and once your sila
is developed, then you will have samadhi [concentration].
That
is how we think, isn’t it: ‘You have to have one, then two
and then three.’
As an actual realisation, developing
the Eightfold Path is an experience in a moment, it is all one.
All
the parts are working as one strong development; it is not a linear
process - we might think that way because we can only have one
thought at a time."
"Everything I have said about
the Eightfold Path and the Four Noble Truths is only a reflection.
What is really important is for you to realise what I am
actually doing as I reflect rather than to grasp the things that I am
saying.
It is a process of bringing the Eightfold Path into
your mind, using it as a reflective teaching so that you can consider
what it really means.
Don’t just think you know it
because you can say, ‘Samma ditthi means Right Understanding and
Samma sankappa means Right Thought.’ This is intellectual
understanding. Someone might say, ‘No, I think samma sankappa
means....’ And you answer, ‘No, in the book it says Right
Thought. You’ve got it wrong.’ This is not
reflection."
"We can translate samma sankappa as
Right Thought or Attitude or Intention; we try things out.
We
can use these tools for contemplation rather than thinking that they
are absolutely fixed, and that we have to accept them in an orthodox
style; any kind of variation from the exact interpretation is heresy.
Sometimes our minds do think in that rigid way, but we are
trying to transcend that way of thinking by developing a mind that
moves around, watches, investigates, considers, wonders and
reflects."
"I am trying to encourage each one of you
to be brave enough to wisely consider the way things are rather than
have someone tell you whether you are ready or not for enlightenment.
But actually, the Buddhist teaching is one of being
enlightened now rather than doing anything to become enlightened. The
idea that you must do something to become enlightened can only come
from wrong understanding.
Then enlightenment is merely
another condition dependent upon something else - so it is not really
enlightenment. It is only a perception of enlightenment.
However,
I am not talking about any kind of perception but about being alert
to the way things are. The present moment is what we can actually
observe: we can’t observe tomorrow yet, and we can only remember
yesterday.
But Buddhist practice is very immediate to the
here and now, looking at the way things are."
"Now
how do we do that?
Well, first we have to look at our doubts
and fears - because we get so attached to our views and opinions that
these take us into doubt about what we are doing.
Someone
might develop a false confidence believing that they are enlightened.
But believing that you are enlightened or believing that you are not
enlightened are both delusions.
What I am pointing to is
being enlightened rather than believing in it. And for this, we need
to be open to the way things are."
"We start with
the way things are as they happen to be right now - such as the
breathing of our bodies. What has that to do with Truth, with
enlightenment?
Does watching my breath mean that I am
enlightened? But the more you try to think about it and figure out
what it is, the more uncertain and insecure you’ll feel. All we
can do in this conventional form is to let go of delusion.
That
is the practice of the Four Noble Truths and the development of the
Eightfold Path."
To help you understand how to follow the
path out of suffering by applying the noble eightfold path to your
life, we have asked some lay Buddhist practitioners to share their
experience in applying the fundamental teaching of the Noble
Eightfold Path to their own life.
The Buddha Dhamma is to be
known, realized and practiced each for himself or herself but we hope
the experience of some of our Members may provide some suggestions
that you may find applicable to your own life.
One Member
wrote:
“Following the eightfold path is about finding
balance in your life. Of course, this balance is always changing and
has to be checked. Like the weighted scales, regular calibration is
necessary.
For me, Buddha Dhamma practice means less suffering
because I am no longer fighting the way things are, or wishing them
to be different.
I now understand that the past is gone, I
cannot change that. I can only make the future better by my present
action. The way to have good present action is to follow the
eightfold path.
The eightfold path is interrelated. The middle
way is not just getting one part right but the eight aspects
together. By improving bit by bit I can notice the benefits in my
life right now and know that it leads to a better future.
To
give an example, by learning that having right speech means you can
stop harming others and actually help them brings joy and
happiness.”
Another Member wrote the following poem
while in retreat:
"I want to get out of suffering this
life
I want to wake up today.
I don’t want to continue
making pain for myself
I want to stop the cycle of birth death
birth death
I want to become enlightened
There is no I, me,
my.
There is no self.
Everything is impermanent.
Wake up.
I
will be generous with my life everyday.
Practice dana with my life
everyday"
The first noble truth - life is suffering,
can be more clearly understood by looking at the causes we make that
bring about the suffering.
The Buddha taught that there are
ten types of moral and skillful action that will bring about a
pleasant or wholesome result and ten types of immoral or unskillful
action that bring about an unwholesome result. All actions are made
through body, speech and mind.
The ten unskillful actions
are:
1. killing
2. stealing
3. sexual misconduct
4.
lying
5. slandering
6. rude speech
7. frivolous talk
8.
covetousness
9. ill will
10. wrong view
From these ten
unskillful actions, we make our suffering for the future.
The
Buddha taught the ten skillful actions which are:
1.
generosity
2. restraint (from lying, killing, intoxicants that
cloud the mind)
3. mental development (tranquility and insight)
4.
respect (for teachers, parents, the Buddha, etc)
5. service (being
helpful)
6. sharing of merits (with beings in other realms)
7.
rejoicing in others' merits
8. listening to Dhamma
9. teaching
Dhamma
10. straightening one's views (understanding)
I have
understood that in order to practice the noble eightfold path, I must
keep five precepts as a minimum. The five precepts are:
I
undertake to abide by the precept to abstain from killing
I
undertake to abide by the precept to abstain from stealing
I
undertake to abide by the precept to abstain from sexual misconduct
I
undertake to abide by the precept to abstain from lying
I
undertake to abide by the precept to abstain from fermented liquor
that clouds the mind.
One of our Members wrote about how
she applies the precepts to her daily life:
"I try to
apply the precepts every day whether at home or work and concentrate
on very simple things. For example, when I am at work and need to
make a personal phone call, I use my mobile phone instead of the
company telephone. This is an example of how I try to keep the
precept of no stealing.
"If I am gardening, I try not to
kill or harm any animals. I have found that I can practice Buddha
Dhamma every day, no matter where I am, because I am trying to change
my actions in body, speech and mind."
Another
experienced Member wrote:
"Once we have a good grounding
in what is Buddha Dhamma practice the effectiveness of our practice
becomes very important because we have a limited amount of free time
available to us.
"I have found I needed to construct a
suitable life which will support and be the stable platform on which
Buddha Dhamma practice can flourish.
"Some practical
guidelines I follow and can recommend are:
1. Write a Life
Plan
Identify the key areas of your life; write medium and long
term goals in each key area that supports Dhamma practice, then
develop a wholesome strategy to achieve each goal.
An
allocation of how much time per week needs to spend on each key area
should be incorporated in the plan.
2. Increase your leisure
time which you can then use to practice Buddha Dhamma.
Within
your Life Plan have a work plan based on making regular improvements
to worthwhile employment to provide you with sufficient income at
less than 40 hours per week work time.
The aim of regular
improvement is to increase your leisure time available for practice
each year without sacrificing income to do it.
3. Time
Planning
Time planning not only helps efficient use of time, a
time plan is a written document unaffected by the changing mental
states and levels of motivation which are the normal drivers of
activity when time planning and routine are not used.
It is
possible to operate above motivation, above whether you are feeling
happy or unhappy whether you feel tired or energetic, lazy or bored.
Many of the usual hindrances to high productivity are short-circuited
by time planning.
4. Increase your Accumulation of
Merit.
Target this knowledge. Find out that if you make vast merit
your Dhamma Practice will benefit greatly; your mind can realise the
Dhamma at an increasing rate in accordance with your increased merit
production.
This assumes you know that you can't improve for
real without first having a base of morality through holding 5
precepts.
Once you have a sense of urgency about making merit
then find out how to propel your merit production faster than your
merit consumption.
You can't avoid consuming merit at an
enormous rate merely through living but there is a lot to find out
about how to make sufficient merit to fuel learning and practicing
Buddha Dhamma over a life long period and more.
5. Apply
restraint over your unwholesome body, speech and mind actions. At
times you may not be able to prevent unwholesome minds arising
however what happens next is something you can influence.
Our
Founder, John David Hughes taught a code of conduct to all Members
and students to help them follow the noble eight fold path, that we
still use today.
The Code of Conduct for Members and Students
of the Buddhist Discussion Centre (Upwey) Ltd. as recommended by our
Founder, Master John D. Hughes is:
1. Practice and develop
morality, in the pali language, sila. Morality is the starting point
of practice. Morality is the basis of all Buddha Dhamma practice.
Each person must take five precepts and monitor themselves at all
times to make sure they are keeping them. Should they break a
precept, retake it immediately. You will gain peace because when you
keep five precepts you are blameless.
2. Practice and develop
generosity, in the pali language, Dana. Give whatever you can - even
if it is one stick on incense. Give to others regularly. Take flowers
or gifts when ever you visit any person or organisation, even your
doctor or dentist. Offer food regularly to Sangha members, other
persons, birds and animals - do whatever you can. Remember Dhamma
Dana is the highest gift.
3. Practice kindness, in the pali
language metta. Be kind to others, even strangers- lend a helping
hand. Be kind to your Mother and Father, offer them cups of tea and
give them your support as much as you can. Help persons at your
work.
4. Practice and develop refuge in the Triple Gem. Build
a Buddha Altar at your home. Chant homage to the Buddha and Triple
Gem refuge every morning and evening. Offer flowers, water, incense
and light and Buddha Dhamma texts on your altar. Visit other Temples
and do the same. Attend to the Sangha. Visit the Sangha regularly,
offer food, robes, gifts and help the Monks and Nuns however you can.
5. Practice and develop Buddhist meditation. Samantha and
Vipassana meditation. Attend regular meditation sessions to learn to
sit daily at your home. Attend regular meditation courses at the
Centre or other authentic Buddhist organizations.
6. Practice
and develop merit making. Make merit every day. Keeping precepts,
practicing generosity and lending a helping hand makes merit. Seek
out merit making activities. Helping in Buddha Dhamma activities,
anywhere is high merit. Make more merit than you consume each day.
Learn how to dedicate and share your merits.
7. Develop your
scholarship. Develop your scholarship in worldly subjects and in
Buddha Dhamma. Read from the Tipitika and other Buddha Dhamma texts
daily. Peruse your professional development. Remember you need to
make many causes to continue learning in future lives.
8.
Whenever you take food or liquid, do "Five Reflections on Food"
. Reflect on who provided the food to you. Practice mindfulness on
your body when eating. Remember you need to generate many causes for
receiving food in future times. Offer food to others every day. Offer
food to the Sangha regularly as much as you can.
9. Support
Buddhist Organisations locally, nationally and internationally.
Assist wherever you can. Attend to the Sangha. Offer your assistance
to Monks and Nuns however you can.
10. Practice and develop
our five styles of friendliness, cultural adaptability,
professionalism, scholarship, and practicality. Develop these five
styles, each for himself or herself to work in and generate harmony
no matter where you are. Always dress in a modest and professional
style. Business suits for functions and white clothing for meditation
and teachings is the general rule.
11. Plan to become
debtless. Become financially stable. You can help more persons when
you are asset rich. You can then gain more leisure time for your
Buddha Dhamma practice.
12. Write a life plan. Incorporate all
the above and review regularly. Be careful what you wish for, it will
come true.
Our Members and students successfully live their
lives according to Buddha Dhamma by following the above
recommendations. Their lives improve and they become happier.
We
will explore and explain these recommendations over the coming
weeks.
May you find the path leading out of suffering.
May
all beings, in the ten directions, seen and unseen, receive blessings
from this script.
May all beings in the ten directions, seen
and unseen know, realise and follow the path out of suffering.
We
thank the Devas and Devatas of Learning for their help in and
guidance with the writing of this script.
May you be well and
happy.
This script was written and edited by the Buddhist
Hour Radio team: Julian Bamford, Frank Carter, Evelin Halls, Anita
Hughes, Julie O'Donnell and Pennie White.
References
Samyutta
Nikaya, LVI, 31 cited in THE FOUR NOBLE TRUTHS - from various talks
given by Ajahn Sumedho, available at URL
http://www.bodhinyanarama.net.nz/noble2.htm accessed on 5 February
2003. This story can also be read in Woodward, F.L. (1990) Kindred
Sayings V, Pali Text Society, Oxford, Chapet IV, i, p 370.
Sumedho,
Ajahn, The Four Noble Truths available at URL
http://www.buddhanet.net/4noble.htm accessed on 5 February
2003.
Counts
Words: 3024
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14452
Paragraphs: 143
Sentences: 175
Averages
Sentences
per paragraph: 1.9
Words per Sentence: 15.2
Characters per
word: 4.5
Readability Statistics
Passive Sentences:
4%
Flesch Reading Ease score: 65.9
Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level
score: 7.5
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