Since
time immemorial Indian religious persuasions were
dependent on Scriptal Authoritarianism (Veda
pramamanayam) based in the earliest times on Rg Veda
datable to 1500 - 900 BC, with 1028 stanzas in Sanskrit,
to be followed by the Arya nobles and chanting them
exclusively the duty of the Brahamin caste members, and
the brahmin recluses considered as inter-mediaries
between man and god.
Around two centuries later Yajur Veda to be chanted by
Advaru brahamins who exert themselves in the
performances of oblations (yaga) to gods, and Sama and
Athrvan Veda too were composed giving a different form
of conducting oblations. Thereafter emerged the Vedic
literary work a large composition, Brahmana, and its
commentaries known as Aranyaka and Upanisadhs. These
religious persuasions created a belief in a God -
creator (Katruvada), Soul - Theory (Atmavada) Holu-Dip (Snane-dharmeccha)
Self-mortification to overcome evil (Santaparambha
Papahanya) and animism.
This animistic oblations were performed in the belief
that the dead relatives have been reborn as spirits and
their permanent abodes were large Peepal trees of no
economic value and in green roves. These sites were
called �cetiya� meaning wish, in that beseeching these
spirits to redeem the faithfuls from external and
internal distress. This word �cetiya� came to be used by
the Buddhists as �cetiya� or �Chaitya�.
The Buddha in his long walks, of 45 years, rested
himself at such Vedic cetiyas too, as recorded in the
Digha Nikaya.
The Indian Vedic life circle had four stages, that was
open only to kshatriyas, rulers and noble warriors and
brahamins.
These four stages were brahmacariya (studentship),
gruhastha (household life, married and engaged in a an
employment), vanapravastha (entry to forests or
meditative life, having renounced permanently household
life and finally sannyasi (wandering ascetic without any
fixed abode.
Additionally there were followers of pre Buddhistic
Janism, founded by Niganthanathaputta the 24th
Thirankara, naked ascetic who through self mortification
tried to redeem their jiva (life) from ajiva (sensual
pleasures etc).
This was the society in which the Buddha was born as
Prince Siddhartha at Kapilavastu as the son of Sakyan
ruler. Suddhodana and his queen Maha Maya Devi in the
6th century BC (563 BC).
Prince Siddhartha followed the first two stages of
bramachariya and gruhastha and at the age of 29, entered
upon Vanapravastha having renounced worldly life. As
this was the accepted tradition there was no opposition
to it from any quarters of his or his wife�s family
circles.
The general acceptance, Prince Siddhartha, renounced
worldly life having seen an old man, sick man, a corpse,
and a recluse is not tenable. These circumstances are
stated to be constant for all Bodhisatvas in their last
existence (Digha Nikaya 14). But it is only of the
former Buddha Vipassi (Digha Nikaya 14 not of the Buddha
Gotama, that the stiry of the four messengers - the old
man, the sick man the corpse, and the monk is told in
the Tripitaka itself.
Later accounts ascribe this to the Buddha too. Buddha
Gotama as Bodhisatva was in the pursuit of Buddhahood,
after he met the Dipankara Buddha many aeons ago.
Hence there is no need for four messengers to renounce
worldly life.
Amidst these Vedic rites and rituals, the Buddha having
attained supra-mundane attainment of wisdom, preached
his first sermon, Dhammacakkapavatta-Sutta to his former
erstwhile recluses, Kondanna, Bhaddhiya, Vappa, Mahanama
and Assaji at the Deer Park, Isipatana Varanasi. This
was the teaching on which the subsequent teachings were
based on devotees to attain the supreme bliss of
deathlessness.
The Buddha discoursed the four Noble Truths, namely, the
Truth of Suffering; the Truth of the Origin of
Suffering; the Truth of Cessation of Suffering and the
Truth of the Way.
The Truth of the Way is embodied in the Noble Eightfold
Path. Namely, Right View, Right Intention, Right Speech,
Right Action, Right Livelihood, Right Effort, Right
Mindfulness and Right Concentration. Presently many
writers, speakers and even monks, try to create their
own idioms, nuances, similes and metaphors to explain
each one of these. Therefore, this effort is to record
what the Buddha said about each of these, with reference
to the Digha Nikaya Majjhima Nikaya, Samyutta Nikaya and
Anguttara Nikaya.
�What is right speech?� As explained by the Buddha, it
is abstaining from lying, slander, abuse, and gossip;
this is called right speech (Samyutta Nikaya 45:8 Digha
Nikaya 22)
Therefore, those who pose as saviours of Buddhism and
abuse other religions, both verbally and in writing if
enmity continues in them, they would be born as venomous
serpents, with no opportunity to be born a human being
again. Right Action, is dealt as follows, �What is right
action? Abstention from killing living beings, stealing,
misconduct in sensual desires; this is called right
action� (Samyutta nikaya 45:8 Digha Nikaya 22) Right
Effort is elaborated as, �What is right effort? Here a
bhikkhu awakens desire for the non-arising of unrisen
evil unwholesome states, for which he makes efforts,
arouses energy, exerts his mind and endeavours.
He awakens desire for the abandoning of arisen evil
unwholesome states, for which he makes efforts.... He
awakens desire for the arising of unrisen wholesome
states, for which he makes efforts.... He awakens desire
for the continuance, non-corruption, strengthening,
maintenance in being, and perfecting, of arisen
wholesome states, for which he makes efforts, arouses
energy, exerts his mind, and endeavours; this is called
right effort� (Samyutta Nikaya 45:8, Digha Nikaya 22).
Though addressed to bhikkhus, this is valid and could be
easily perfected by Upasaka and Upasika.
පසෙලාස්වක
අව
අටවක
අමාවක
පුර අටවක