Happy Vesak Day 2017

minx SG

Happy Vesak Day to buddhists and all.

Though I am not a buddhist I have respect for Budhha. Through knowing a little about buddhism changed my perception on Buddhism. Respect.

Hope the experts here can briefly let us know about is Vesak Day also the Enlightenment day of Buddha and what is enlightenment.

<Precious> SG

Happy Vesak Day to all!

sweetcreation SG

Happy Wesak Day !!!

Aik TC SG

Vesak Vesak is a celebration that commemorates the Buddha's birth, enlightenment, and death, and his passing into nirvana.

A Happy Vesak Day to all!

May those beings who suffer be free from suffering.

May those beings who are in fear be free from fear.

May those beings who are in grief be free from grief.

May all blessings be upon you.

May all devas (deities) protect you.

Aik TC SG

Sutta SN 35.152 Atthinukhopariyaayo Sutta: Is There a Criterion?

[1] "Is there, monks, any criterion whereby a monk, apart from faith, apart from persuasion,[2] apart from inclination, apart from rational speculation, apart from delight in views and theories, could affirm the attainment of enlightenment:[3] 'Birth is destroyed, the holy life has been accomplished, what was to be done is done, there is no further living in this world'?"

"For us, Lord, all things have the Blessed One as their root, their guide, their refuge. It would be well, Lord, if the meaning of these words were to be made clear by the Blessed One.[4] Hearing it from the Blessed One, the monks will remember it."

"There is such a criterion, monks, whereby a monk... could affirm the attainment of enlightenment... What is that method?

"In this, monks, a monk seeing an object with the eye recognizes within himself the presence of lust, hatred or delusion, knowing 'Lust, hatred or delusion is present in me,' or he recognizes the absence of these things, knowing 'There is no lust, hatred or delusion present in me.' Now, monks, as regards that recognition of the presence or absence of these things within him, are these matters to be perceived by faith, by persuasion, by inclination, by rational speculation, by delight in views and theories?"

"No, indeed, Lord."

"Are not these matters to be perceived by the eye of wisdom?"[5]

"Indeed, Lord."

"Then, monks, this is the criterion whereby a monk, apart from faith, apart from persuasion, apart from inclination, apart from rational speculation, apart from delight in views and theories, could affirm the attainment of enlightenment: 'Birth is destroyed, the holy life has been accomplished, what was to be done is done, there is no further living in this world.'"

[Similarly for ear, nose, tongue, body (touch), mind.]

Notes

1.Pariyaaya: a word with several meanings, lit. "going around," hence "succession," "mode," "procedure," etc. This short sutta deals with the very basic question of how, objectively, one can be sure that the declared goal of the Buddha's practice has been achieved: thus the rendering "criterion" is appropriate. It may be compared with the frequently-quoted Kaalaama Sutta (AN 3.65: translated in WH 8).

2.Not influenced by anybody else.

3.Añña.m vyaakareyya. Woodward's rendering "could affirm insight" is inadequate, because aññaa definitely means the highest insight of enlightenment. The declaration takes the form shown below: "Birth is destroyed... etc."

4.The formula is abbreviated in the text here. It is found in full elsewhere.

5.I follow Woodward's rendering for paññaaya (lit. "with wisdom"). The actual expression paññaacakkhu "eye of wisdom" occurs elsewhere.

Aik TC SG

The above Sutta highlighted on what an enlightened person would experience in himself rather than what the term enlightenment means.

Buddhist enlightenment is a reference to an inner ‘awakening’ in us leading to the realisation into what the reality of our existence is all about. That it is impermanence, non-self, unsatisfactoriness or suffering. It is term the Three Marks of Existence. These three terms may sound simple enough to understand. But in reality, it can take one a whole lifetime of practice to come to the realisation of the true meaning of what it is all about. By practice it means here, the cultivation of good virtues, constant meditation and deep contemplation of the Buddha’s teachings leading to eventually gaining the wisdoms needed for such realisation. Such teachings as The Four Noble Truths, The Eightfold Noble Paths, The Dependent Co-arising Doctrine are worth re-reading all the time. This is so, because as one advance in our practice, new meanings and truths will emerge all the time adding to our depth of understanding of the Buddha’s teaching. This is the perspectives of the Theravada tradition.

In the Mahayana tradition, the emphasis is more on the teaching of Non-Duality and the doctrine of Emptiness. The teaching is not so much concentrated on individual liberation alone, but salvation is extended to all that is living with and around us. The teaching of non-duality brings us closer to all that exist on this earth. It is a teaching that would make us more capable to empathize with our fellow beings, their needs, their suffering and understanding them better. It is a teaching of oneness of all that lives. I still remember reading the case of a Christian living in the earlier century in Europe who proclaimed that he was “God’. He was either deranged or one who has realised non-duality. Poor guy, he lost his life then.

The teaching of Emptiness emphasis the connectivity of all beings that exist. It gives added meaning to the Co-arising dependent teaching of the earlier Buddha’s teaching. At its ultimate level of realisation, all clinging tendency would be abandoned as whatever subtle remnant of the ‘Self’ who have vanished.

Sg.btcopys SG

Happy Vesak day~~