Harmony and Progress – Following Buddha’s teachings.

Harmony and Progress – Following Buddha’s teachings.

Harmony in the society starts with the harmony within the individual and extends to the entire society. Self and the surrounding are both very interconnected. After all one cannot sleep while one’s neighbor is screaming! Isn't it?

Buddha found out that however happy a person may seem, it is not permanent and there is suffering that he can’t escape. He toiled and discovered that there is path for everlasting happiness and has explained the path in detail. Today we shall discuss only the issues regarding the harmony and progress. Buddha has shown the path for  the internal harmony( self)  and also how we can achieve the societal harmony through that .Last but not the least he has also emphasized on the progress of the individual which is a majorly misunderstood concept. Asaye dukkake muula (Desire the root cause for the suffering) is what we hear people telling the moment they hear the word Buddha! But friends let us dig today all of these issues and look deep inside the message of the Humble Awakened who walked on the earth revealing what he saw, expecting  to end the suffering of the conscientious human kind.

Looking into the theme of what Buddha has told about, how we can bring societal harmony and progress, we find out that he said everything should start from our own mind and its control. He emphasized on the three issues of an Individual. The three issues are Seela(Morality), Samadhi( Right Concentration) and Panya( Wisdom).Let us further go deep and see how we can learn , follow and progress in all spheres of life whether it is spiritual or material realms and change ourselves and may be later  plan about changing the world. If we look at the current scenario,it it like people are only worried about changing the world first and then give themselves the last place in  an assumption that they are perfect. Looking within ourselves about the each issue let us take SEELA first!

Seela. The nearest word that suits  Seela in english is morality;-Buddha prescribes Panchseela(Five moralities).Here he talks about not stealing something that doesn’t belong to you, not killing, not in taking intoxicants that may make you loose control and do actions in semiconscious state , not conducting sexual misconduct and most importantly not telling a lie. Imagine what would have stopped this country  or the whole world from progress if at all each of us , together as a whole country had walked this path.

Friends, let us understand one thing first, peace, happiness and harmony starts with you first and then moves to the person next to you .The first important person Buddha says for the change to happen is you and not the person sitting next to you. That is why he says it is easy to win over 1000 enemies but the real winner is the one who wins over himself. The one who can successfully follow the five Seelas, he considers to be the one who wins at the first instance. It looks simple, because  most of you will be following at least  1or  more Seela’s .You may have to first ask yourself  which is that and pat yourself because you are already on the right path of peace, happiness  and progress on your own self!

Take a serious look at the other Seelas you are not following and work towards following the same. Yes, it is not difficult also to follow all the five. First comes the determination that yes there is truth in what Buddha has told and then saying you shall follow the Seelas. If you can successfully tell this to yourself, then it will happen by itself, because you shall be reminded every time you break the same. It is OK to break accidentally as you are in the old pattern of thinking  all along till now. Again there shall be nobody to question you but you yourself. You may confess that you have broken the morality promise you made to yourself   and promise yourself again that next time you shall see to that you shall not break the same. Looks simple right! But be sure, it produces remarkable results

The basic thing that happens when you just follow Seela or morality is  that  you are leading a plain and simple life without any blemishes! Which in turn lets you be peaceful to yourself. You shall be clam with everybody at home and office and people around you will like you for the qualities of not lying, not stealing and talking uselessly. In fact they will help in your progress and learn from you how to be calm at all instances!

It is like you are asked to run while the  your eyes is clear and you are sure. Only when there is dust in your eyes due to telling lies, killing and indulging in intoxicants! you can’t run . Wouldn’t you like the world around you, right from your family members, your neighbours, your office staff and all other people in your the surroundings wherever you  go to be in the right way? Or would you like them to tell lies and engage in stealing or drinking liquor!  Same with the others!

Next thing that he suggested that we have to do is meditate .Once you follow the Seelas( Moralities as suggested above) meditation is easy.

First let us see what is the use of meditation?

“Meditation changes your character by a process of sensitization, by making you deeply aware of your own thoughts, words, and deeds.” As told by Bhante Gunaratana from Mindfulness in Plain English

How to do it?

You may simply have to observe your breath. The person who has perfect Seelas will not  have to bother much and one shall be successful in doing so. You only become mindful about the breathing. That is you are very much aware about the breath you in hale and exhale. This makes your mind be concentrated on the issue you like. The concentrated mind is a stronger and sharper mind which you can use to analyse whatever issues you like. Whether it is business or office work or household work .You will become perfect in that because you shall be calm and concentrated while you are looking and studying any problems. If you are a student then you can understand the subjects easily. The reason for not scoring good marks  being the diversion of mind in today’s chaos full world . Meditation will alert you do what you wish to do and not what the ignorant world wishes you to do. Tell me wouldn’t you like to be perfect in whatever you are doing? Wouldn’t others like the same in you. Imagine you are starting to play shuttle cock, if you are able to concentrate cant you play it better! Or can you play it very well while your mind is wavering. Try to do anything today and you can make out the difference yourself. This is further perfected in Vipassana (Insight meditation) where you will  be looking into yourself  deeply and being aware of your mind, its formations, your body and its continuous changing phenomena.  I shall take you further into the usefulness of the meditation process a little later here.

Once you are able to achieve a sublime state by doing the meditation , you can do metta(Loving and kindness meditation). This is another simple method where you just wish yourself first. Assuming   how you  look if you are seeing in a mirror. Then  keep seeing each person in your life as if he or she is standing  in front of you with a smile. Keep wishing everybody around you like your family members starting from your parents, neighbours , staff in office, and relatives near and far and then it goes on across the globe including people who you presume might have hurt or going to hurt- I mean your perceived or real enemies!

This is a very powerful technique where you will learn how to live peacefully with everybody who so ever, whether they love you or hate you. You will feel it is ok to live among anybody and feel happy where ever you are! Isn’t this what we expect!? I have used this extensively and found people who hate me become my friends, I will tell you the secret, the moment I have compassion for them , they could not get angry on me because they always saw my smiling face wishing good to them and automatically doing good deeds to them and then they  came to conclusion that it is beneficial for them if they behave well with me and so it happened!

Morality being of first importance, Let us look at the advantages of meditation in detail.

Here I have touched a few issues in detail and the benefits of the same that helps each individual in achieving the same!

The Buddha once said: Bhikkus, this sweet concentration by awareness of breathing , when it is developed and cultivated, is peaceful and sublime, an ambrosial pleasant dwelling in itself and it disperses and quells right on the spot all evil detrimental mental states, whenever and wherever they arise..!

Meditation helps your sense of awareness, one you are aware that your mood is not permanent, it various, so with all of your feelings, it is just they way you react that alters the future of both you and the environment around, then the thinking process changes and the idea of selfish will change to selflessness and impersonal. This relieves a human not  to be greedy and hatred towards others, hence amount to societal harmony.

This ability of awareness can be achieved by meditation. Both Anapana sati( Inhaling and exhaling mindful awareness) and Insight awareness and Metta meditation.

"Two things are conducive to knowledge: tranquillity and insight. This brings calmness to mind and clarity in decisions. With which we can abandon lust, greed, hatred and ignorance.”

Mind itself is an ever changing cyclic sequence of these 5 phenomena continuously. If there is calmness in mind , then we can observe this 5 phenomena. That is a contact leads to feelings which leads to perception which leads to intention and that in turn leads to attention. and when there is a new contact which removes this attention and the above cycle of feelings and perception and intention and finally attention will continue until another contact breaks the attention. So to say we should learn that we are in a cycle of phenomena. otherwise a person if he happy once, he would be happy forever. is that so?,No next moment his contact changes to something new and different, so does his feelings, and the perception and the intention follows. Nothing either happiness or sadness is permanent. It is out of ignorance that we presume that if we do that and go there , we shall be happy forever. Having this clarity in mind , we can go ahead towards  permanent happiness that is nibbana! Also most importantly be happy meanwhile our existence until we reach there right from the next immediate moment, whatever may be the circumstance!

I have taken from various sources the benefits of meditation!

Advantages of mindfulness ( Mindfulness arises because of meditation)

Buddha once said, Bhikkhus, for one in whom mindfulness focused on the body as just a form of matter is cultivated, developed, practiced, given a means of transport, given a grounding, steadied, consolidated, & well undertaken, these advantages can be expected. Which are they?

1. Painless:

One conquers pain & pleasure & pain – whether mental or physical . He knows how to control while he is very happy and feel it is very much OK while he in the midst of pain.

GoodHealth:
One is resistant to cold, heat, hunger, thirst. We consider this is heaven , hence your body is fit and mind is at peace. Calming Bodily Construction” here means calming all movement of muscles, thereby also breathing.
Calming bodily construction also includes reducing all biochemical metabolism of sugar, protein, lipids & all other compounds. It also means slowing the heartbeat & the deceleration of the blood flow.
It signifies the stilling of all physical or chemical processes taking place in thebody. 
One remains victoriously aware of the origin of changes in the body and mind. Let us take a simple example, If you are sensitive, you will be aware when a mosquito sits on you, if you are not you will let quite a few to bite you so that it will cause you ill health!

Fearless:  
One remains victoriously triumphant over any fear, anxiety & panic that have  arisen

Concentration: One can attain at will, easily without trouble or difficulty, the four jhanas, heightened mental states providing a pleasant abiding right here and now.

Mindreading:
One knows the Awareness of other beings, other individuals, having encompassed it with his own awareness. One recognizes a mind with passion as an impassioned mind & a mind without passion as a dispassionate mind. One recognizes a mind with aversion as an aversive mind & a mind without aversion as a mind without aversion. One recognizes a mind with delusion as a confused mind & an un deluded mind as a mind without confusion.

Some of the advantages are beyond our grasp as we find few people  who clearly say they have attained these alive today , if alive , few who are able to explain like the great Buddha. But It remains an open challenge for anybody who is willing to achieve them, attaining a very high level perfection in meditation. It may be upto the person to believe or not , but as Buddha says come and see, I think we  should do the experiment absolutely and flawlessly and then deicide about the following results, rather condemning them because we do not have anybody successfully done the experiment and got a result other than these. Then that would be like not doing the experiment at all but still expecting a different result other that some great teachers like  Buddha and his  sangha( Monks who were his Followers ) have done. Because they all have got the same result!

Some of such results are as follows

Remembranceof previous lives:
One recollects his manifold past lives (lit: previous homes), i.e., one birth, two births, three births, four, five and so on. Such was my food, such my experience of pleasure & pain & such the end of my life. Passing away from that state, I re-arose there.  

DivineEye:
One sees -- by means of the divine eye, purified & surpassing the human -- beings passing away & re-appearing & he discerns how they are inferior & superior, beautiful & ugly, fortunate & unfortunate in accordance with their kamma, their behavior: 'These beings -- who were endowed with bad conduct of body, speech, & mind, who reviled the Noble Ones, held wrong views and undertook actions under the influence of wrong views -- with the break-up of the body, after death, have re-appeared in the plane of deprivation, the bad destination, the lower realms, in hell. But these beings -- who were endowed with good conduct of body, speech, & mind, who did not revile the Noble Ones, who held right views and undertook actions under the influence of right views -- with the break-up of the body, after death, have re-appeared in the good destinations, in the heavenly world.' Thus -- by means of the Divine eye, purified & surpassing the human -- he sees beings passing away & re-appearing & he discerns how they are inferior & superior, beautiful & ugly, fortunate & unfortunate in accordance with their kamma (actions).

Wake up , do the experiment! And share the results whether it is same or different, All are waiting!

As for as the progress is concerned, Buddha has told clearly that poverty is bad! So we have to have sufficient necessities to lead a peaceful and happy life and keep growing better and better, day by day! And mind you here we speak of permanent progress. And not coming down at any point on any of the other issues. You cannot say I have earned a lot of money so I don’t have peace at home or I am peace and happy that is why I am poor! It won’t work that way as there is no logic in that. You have to be intelligent if you follow Buddha and that is the first criteria. You should have the right combination of money and peace wherever you go. Not very rich one day and shameful next day! This happens when you are following somebody who gives only money and not wisdom! Yes you may see some people who  but become rich suddenly. The reason is they will be working towards it. Following Buddha we have to look into the way we achieve the prosperity because, we want to be sure we shall be good, capable of enjoying the affluence we created ourselves. The logic is simple, If one achieves his goal and repents later what is the use? Had Buddha seen while he could see his past life, that if someone cheats, he would is still happy and peaceful, he would have suggested us to do that. But what he found was that if any person was greedy or hatred or lustful, he suffered a lot. May be not until the time ripened, but it never left any person without getting back what he deserved. So he said, if you do good it will come back to you or if you intend to cheat and succeed, then today or tomorrow it is unavoidable to suffer. So even logically irrespective of the time or place, one has to be good! And only then they can enjoy good health and be successful too!

Let us dig deeper! How can someone prosper following Buddha? Buddha says out of how much ever you earn in the righteous way, save 25% for future in the ways that will protect you. So you should think carefully and invest so that the funds are available in your bad days and not cause pain by themselves (for example you may invest in solid assets and not have immediate cash when needed. So think properly while investing!).  He says give alms to others so that the same shall take care of you .But give to only those who are really worthy and needy! Think twice, you should look hard and not simply give it to people who are not worthy or those who doesn’t need! Or they may use it for the purpose you regret and cause you more harm.

Once you help the needy, it not only helps you come out of your selfish attitude, the lets you have both control and confidence about the issue called money matters. You will think wholesomely and generate ideas of making money righteously.(Beware, most of the people who are helping others are thinking that making money in any route is ok until you help others, that is false, because, you are hurting one person to help the other. So you are nullifying your action or creating worse as the person you are helping may not be worthy and the person you are hurting may be really in need. So it is OK if you are helping less, but it should be in the right path only.) This helping and generating idea of yours delight the people who are in touch with you. The people you helped will be wishing for your happiness. They shall rush to your help when you are in need. Hence you have built a harmonious surrounding both in terms of money and peace! The strength that you gave dana by itself will give you the sense of pride and honor .It is confidence, even when they were poor, if you see the life of rich that gave them the power in achieving all the opulence they wish!

To progress further, on the continuation of the practicing in Seela(morality) and Samadhi( Concentration and right thinking) One automatically  develops  wisdom(Panya).

Let us see how one can develop wisdom.

Once your mind is clear and concentrated, you calm mind will look into the problems in an undisturbed way. The decisions you take will be of high quality and hence you will have to be successful. Simple, you are single pointedly thinking of whatever you do and hence take the best decision. You can think of alternatives where others who haven’t developed the calmness will not have hassle –free way of looking at the choices. They will be hasty due to the stress. All of this because you think with a cool head. Obviously you have to be successful in analysing and solving any problem. By doing the exercise of meditation and being strong in morality, you shall see the correct solution to the problem and the perfect effect of the cause.

Most of the failures happen,- if you can look into- will happen because people have taken a hasty decision due to the tension in that particular moment. Ask any person in the jail serving the term, he would say he would avoid that moment of hasty decision if given another chance. What happened was he lost his control of mind for a spur of a moment and he committed the crime for which he is repenting. A person who meditates will always be calm and will never take a regrettable decision as he is able to comprehend the consequence of each and every thought and action he takes.  Hence he has to progress which ever areas he chooses in. Hence, there is Success in all fronts whether it is financial or spiritual. Mind you it all begins with harmony within self. Once you are in harmony and you progress, people around you are watchful. They assume there must be something in you that they lack. Once they find that you are faultless in action and peaceful in thoughts, they will share their pleasures and problems .When you understand your neighbour’s situation and respond, They in turn help you irrespective of caste, creed or religion. You can create a heaven right here on this earth rather waiting to die to see how it is there!?

Violence seems to be the one epidemic that has taken a huge toll in today’s world. It is not only in our capital but world over. In fact people are so fed up of violence they are looking for what is the way out.

People who create violence are in assumption that nothing happens to them even if they indulge in such violent acts on others!

Some get into violence to see to that there is peace later! Some think it is only if they are violent others will be scared and let them live peaceful. Alas! they are ignorant but Buddha’s dhamma(truth) has not reached them. Look at the rape and violence that is happening across the country and also across the world. If you beat or kill a teenager or anybody indulged in what he/she wishes to do, and imagine you can be at peace! Friends you are wrong! Please wake up to the science Buddha discovered.

Buddha has clearly explained what happens to those who indulge in violence.

“Whoever is violent against the harmless; Whoever offends the innocent: Such fool quite quickly experiences one of these states: The fool may suffer acute pain, disaster, injures of body, severe sickness, insanity, lawsuits from police, accusations, loss of wealth, fire burns his house & right after death, he re-arises in the painful worlds or the niraya hells”. Dhammapada 137

This is the CONSEQUENCES OF ILL ACTION which is most important   while we aim to create harmony among the nitty-gritty’s of a diverse society.

If this can be explained to the mass giving convincing examples ( As told by Buddha in jataka tales where each of the stories teaches morals so that we are well prepared in the future course of life )then the violence would reduce drastically! Instead of truth reaching them first, weapons are reaching and making them restless! Ask them simple question, Has any nation which preached hatred and violence, ever lived peaceful? If you read history ,there are so many glaring examples! But yes we may have to dig deeper and see!

While we learn a lot about morality in our schools, it is while we are in our adolescence and adult hood we are in need and I do not know how governments are assuming the colleges and universities do not need moral education. Because it is then we meet with the challenges of life. Exchange dialogue with opposite sex, engage in money dealings and work on huge projects. While we concentrate on succeeding, the morality takes a back seat and see what kind of leaders we are producing in all fields. Selfishness needs to be addressed at the time when it arises and displays in its action.

While what we read is continuously replaced by what we see and what we hear, we do not have any school that teaches morality the way it is suppose d to be learnt. That is why we try to dictate the kind of dress the opposite sex has to wear while we assume all nonsense in our minds. If we can stop the reaction in the minds at the point where there is contact or sensation, then we can produce better results. We can then be happy with a happy teenager in whatever dress they wear and see that as the happy atmosphere we have created for them and they can do whatever they like. On the other hand we try to control them and dictate them. Neither they are happy with, nor are we, as we continuously see whether they are wearing right dress or whether they are smiling or indulging in what we feel is wrong. While doing so, nobody is happy. Is this the world we created for them our future generation? Are we ultimately happy and peaceful with the dirty things we think that they do even before they do! Some are acting like world policemen and harm them too! Then there is the violence on harmless!

The best way of control is found to happen at the level of perception which is  internal within the person rather  than being external  which is contact and sensation. It is something like this. You go outside and you are supposed to see, meet and talk to people , I mean everybody around you who are in their own world. The more you see things are uncomfortable, the more it becomes so. On the other hand you cannot sit at home doing nothing at all because you are supposed to work , earn and feed yourself and your family! So if you are able to exercise control over your perception  rather than asking the opposite gender to dress differently, it would be a great gift to the world that your mom and your dad  give to this planet, otherwise you will have to keep looking who has dressed right or wrong , who is talking to who and what do they have on mind. You, being a failure to control your mind are now hell bent on controlling others mind and want to dictate them what you want them to do. But hasn’t it proved with enough evidence that all parties involved in such control over others are growing restless and are not peaceful within them.If you cant change your own mind, how can you think of changing other’s mind and the whole world out there. Hence the best way to live is to first control our own senses and let others do what they wish! If at all you wish to change others for good, you can only try giving love and compassion the way a mother gives it to her own little child. Otherwise world shall be full of people with weapons waiting to kill, imagining wrongly, being ignorant of consequences which nobody can save them from! Look in what direction the world is heading to!

If you can be healthy and be calm by following morality (Seela) and Samadhi(Meditation). If you can be very wise and take successful decisions and become prosperous, if you can judge whether the other person is good or bad and then have  relation with him or her? If you can be fearless at all times ? What else do you need in life? Don’t you think that it is heaven here on this earth?

 This can happen now and here and not long time later. Once you take charge of your life and live the way as told by the Buddha.

Buddha always answered the questions asked to him in righteous way, He never concealed or gave an irrational answer long time back while our great scientists hadn’t invented any of the lab equipments for cross checking and re-examination. His answer is relevant in all ages, at all times.

Some one asked me what is the use of following morality?

Tell me Would you like to give work or enjoy the company of a person who tells lies, or drinks or who swindles your money or who, you doubt his chastity  or someone who talks lengthy discussions on useless topics!

So, if you don’t follow morality , why do you expect other people to like you , be your friend or give what you want!

On the other hand Wouldn’t  you like  children or your brother/sister or parents or neighbours  to follow morality.

wouldn’t you like some one who always tells truth or whose discussion brings you fortune or who is chaste or who doesn’t take your money but has enough to give you when you are badly in need !

Wouldn’t you like to give such a person all that you have and sleep peacefully!

Some one asked Buddha What is it that you gain by doing meditation?

He said” Nothing! nothing, but ask me what I LOST!, I Lost anger, depression, anxiety, fear, lust, jealousy, greediness and hatred”

Look at the world, don’t you think world is full of what he said we must loose. People with money are depressed, and they live in anxiety and fear what happens to themselves and the money they have. And those who are very poor and hungry are forced to be lustful, jealous, hatred and greedy to have enough. Some great people have all the bad characteristics but still bless others claiming to be gurus while they don’t know why they suffer with ill health or die unwilling!.Are people happy with this kind of existence?

Do you know the reason why has world become so?

 It is so because they do not know what the right path is. They are under presumption that the path they go is the right path and wake up only when they suffer. But it is fag end by then and they decide it is the game of somebody called God! They want to be peaceful putting the blame on somebody! While they are unaware of the answer!

People are assuming if somehow they make money, they can be happy and meanwhile  making money in the wrong path, they are adding anger, lust, hatred and greediness.

They assume if they do not add all these things they can progress materially and hence they cannot be happy!. Show me any person who has grown rich who looks like he is very happy and peaceful even though he got this sumptuousness through the wrong means. They do not know what they are sacrificing. They are falling prey to Sugar, BP and other psychosomatic diseases because they are not letting go of their anger, hatred, jealousy, depression, fear and greediness. Earning money without knowing that they have to meet the financial bill of the above diseases which they assume helped them to earn. Earning money not knowing who will use? for what purpose ?or whether the person for who he did all of this for will ever be happy , healthy and peaceful or will be lazy, diseased  and useless because of the same luxury they acquired by ill means!

People imagine and with ignorance, assume it is right and believe that is the truth. They keep following the same path without asking questions or letting others to question about.

 Buddha said

“Come and see, don’t accept anything just because your elders said so, scriptures said so, not even if I have said so. Don’t believe without questioning and clarifying everything for you yourself!”

 He said so because, If you assume wrongly and act, then later expect everything to be truthful and under control, isn’t it like planting a neem tree and expecting mangoes!

Guys what does it take for a man to be successful, If he is losing all of the above negative things told and gain all the positive things we discussed so far. If you work with a positive attitude for both , yourself and the whole of the world! You can have both, health and happiness and the same can happen to the ones who are in your family. Isn’t this the real gift you want to offer to your children?

You have plenty of jataka tales to prove this and that is why Buddha said stories to make it easy for you to understand that if you intend to do good and do good, only good will follow or else you shall reap what you sow!

  Following morality today it is important  that we should not talk useless things or involved in disrespecting any person, what so ever is his way of practising .Followers of Buddha doesn’t involve in lengthy discussions about existence of god or hate a person because he prays a particular god with a different name. In-fact He is not supposed to be angry at any person at any instance. He should only be interested in  happiness ,peace and progress first for himself and then for others near him and then for people far and  for beings everywhere. Isn’t this is the only way one can bring harmony for themselves and the whole society,

Imagine what we can achieve! How much we can progress, if we can walk this awakened one’s talk! The wisest of all who was walked on the earth, who out of love and compassion shared the truth so that you can grow wise and be happy!

Let Follow the wise and live wise and nothing other than that!

Kindly note

I am hereby confirming that I have taken references from website www.whatbuddhasaid.net and thank them for the resource that they made available free on the internet.

Wish you all harmony and progress walking in the path of peace and happiness!

All the best!