On January 15, 2015, at the Dhammahadaya Retreat in Naula Lenadora, I had the opportunity to record this invaluable Dhamma sermon delivered by the Most Venerable Mankadawala Sudassana Thero. Later, I decided to prepare it as a written article, keeping his words exactly as they were spoken, without editing a single letter.
Discover the
rare opportunity of human life and the Buddha’s timeless teaching on overcoming
suffering. A Dhamma sermon by Ven. Mankadawala Sudassana Thero at Dhammahadaya
Retreat, Naula,
The Rarity of Buddhahood and Human Life
In fact, the time of Buddha hood is very rare. Human
life is very rare. Since we are born as humans, we do not understand its
importance. But when we look at the nature of samsara, the Tathagata preaches
that the inexhaustible nature of this samsara is not easy to explain even with
a parable. So that is why the Buddha always preaches in the Anavatagga Samyutta
Sutta that the sorrow of a mother's death, the sorrow of a father's death, the
sorrow of a brother's death, etc., is greater than the ocean of tears.
We have all built houses in the infinite samsara. We
have had children, we have ruled. But today we are still here. So, if we do not
have this environment today, do not limit your life to only fifty or sixty
years. Understand this Dharma well. I remind you to understand this Dharma and
somehow apply it to your life and benefit from it.
The Universal Desire to Escape Suffering
Because everyone should ask themselves what they are
doing to live. If you think about it carefully, not only us, but the whole
world, if you think about it, you will see that all of them are trying to
eliminate suffering and live happily. All this is done, money is collected,
buildings are built, countries are conquered, for what reason? To escape from
suffering and live happily. But the Buddha preached how to eliminate suffering
without looking for where suffering arises. This Dharma is very reasonable.
That is, it is not something that needs to be believed in even a little. This Dhamma is not about blind faith. It is a rational
truth, something to be tested and realized by oneself.
Sakuludayi Sutta: A Rational Teaching
In the Sakuludayi
Sutta, the Buddha told Sakuludayi:
"Udai, if you think I am trying to make you my disciple, that is not
so. Let your teacher be your teacher. Test my words for a day and a
night."
See more –
maha sakuludai sutta
https://www.bps.lk/tipitaka/2Sutta-Pitaka/2Majjhima-Nikaya/Majjhima2/077-mahasakuludayi-e1.html
That reminds me of a sutta called Sakuladai. In that
sutta, the Buddha says to Sakuladai, "Udai, if you think that I am trying
to make you my disciple, that is not the case. Let your teacher be your
teacher. Try this word that I am saying for a day and a night." That is
such a rational dharma. That is, it is not something that needs to be believed.
This is the dharma of an intelligent person who hates suffering, does not like
suffering, and wants to obtain happiness. Therefore, I remind you, the blessed ones,
that you have merit, not to run according to the social pattern of those who
run blindly, stop for a moment, ask yourself, talk to yourself, and ask
yourself, why am I looking for so many things, finding them, and doing these
things? With what hope? Analyze that in more depth. The meaning of all this is
to bring happiness and joy to life, right?
You will get the answer. Not only humans, but also all
animals do that. So, in this world, everyone has always tried to achieve that.
But the way they do it is wrong. Lord Buddha saw that if this world tries to
eliminate suffering, it will only cause suffering. He came to the world with
the idea of finding a way to eliminate suffering for this world. This
demonstrates the rational and practical nature of Buddhism—it is the path of
the intelligent who dislike suffering and desire happiness.
Meditation with Purpose
When we say meditation, why do we do it? What should
we do and to what extent? How do we know when we do it? These details should
have been done before. We should do it with those details in our possession.
Many of us are used to meditating. But what to do and how to do it is not a
question of what to do and to what extent. When we do it for a while, the
question is now what to do after this. But that is not the case. Before we set
out on the path, we should set a goal that we want to go to the heavens. When
we set a goal in advance, the path is understood according to that goal and the
path is obtained. So is Nibbana. Therefore, there are some things that we need
to understand before we ask about meditation. I will briefly remind you of them
beforehand.
Whether it is the “Ditta Dhamma”
or the “Samparaya”, that is, whether it is in this world or the next, if there
is any suffering, the problem we have is suffering, right? The problem everyone
has is the desire to not suffer. Suffering. The real problem we have is
suffering. That means we can be healthy today. But in this world, the Buddha
preaches that Buddhism exists because of three dharmas.
See more – Sinhala article
https://punaragamanaya.blogspot.com/2022/12/01-21.html#more
The Core Problem: Birth, Aging, and Death
The Buddha
identified three inescapable truths that bind us to suffering:
- Birth
- Aging
- Death
That means only Buddhism has the answer to those three
dharmas. There are also answers to other headaches and stomachaches. In the
world, there are medicines to take, such as Panadol or something. But there is
no medicine for birth, old age, and death. So, no matter what other happiness
there is, in the presence of those dharmas, all of it is transformed into
suffering. The only thing that is unique here is that there is no liberation
after death, or liberation after death. I don't believe in it either.
Buddhism teaches the elimination of
suffering. Will there be any benefit in suffering and then liberation after
death?
More in the next article-
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Photo credit to
2 https://www.facebook.com/msudassana/photos
3 https://ictb.org.au/about-us/
4 https://www.pinterest.com/
5 https://www.pinterest.com/
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