Sri Lankan Buddhist Cultural Society  e.V.

Buddhism as psychology, we find the third part of the Tipitaka, where the nature of the human mind is described in considerable detail. Even today is Buddhist psychology subject of great interest to those who study the meschliche psyche. It is much more detailed and more profound than the common general knowledge of orthodox psychology.

 

Another aspect is Buddhism as a philosophy. Philosophical ideas and knowledge is a result of the logical mind and can not be clearly illustrated by experiments. It differs from science, which is made of clear recognition by our senses or physical experiment with probative value or the inner eye of intuition. Profound knowledge, as the knowledge of the "void" is only philosophy for someone who has not yet reached the ultimate truth as it is science for those who had the ultimate insight into how an Arahant (enlightened one), the "emptiness" has clearly recognized and intuitive. Many aspects of Buddhism, including, particularly "The four noble truths" (* 5), are science, for they may be proved by clear experimentally. Someone who is interested in meeting to study and to do research, will find the well-known from the scientific principle of cause and effect. Buddhism is nothing hidden or vague and not just philosophy.

 

Some see Buddhism as a culture. Anyone with respect for culture, will find many aspects of Buddhist practice that match all cultures. Buddhism as culture is considered from the sociological point of view as attractive behavior.

 

Buddhism as a religion is the aspect where the true Buddhists should be most interested in , because we are dealing with the direct practical method for recognizing the true nature of things. The realization that develops it, give up clinging to stupidity and infatuation and be completely independent of the things possible. Implementing the means to penetrate to the core of Buddhism.

 

To understand Buddhism as a religion and practice is far more useful, than to see him only as a moral or a truth, for truth is nothing practical but profound knowledge. Buddhism as a philosophy is something that becomes the subject of speculation and arguments and is worthless when it comes to overcoming the geitigen impurities.

 

The last thing we want to look at Buddhism as an art, as the art of living, in other words, as skill and competence in humanity in which we lead an exemplary life, the other impressed and automatically leads to want to imitate it. As a Buddhist life artists, we must form the three "pillars" (* 6) :

• Development of our morality and thus the refinement of our behavior - Síla,

• train the mind to be quiet, stable and concentrated. so that he is able to work - Samadhi, and

• a wealth of wisdom and insight into the true nature of things entwickels - Panna,

so they can not be the cause of our suffering longer. If there is someone able to design these three " pillars " can be said of him that he has mastered the art of living. So far penetrate to the true essence of Buddhism is that we make it the instructions in our lives, leads to good mental mood ( joy) and destroyed depression. We need have no fear that the complete overcoming of all defilements can be dry and colorless life or makes the complete freedom of thought and desire all Hendeln impossible. On the contrary, the man who makes the Buddhist principles for livelihood, is the real winner of all things in himself and around him. No matter whether it is people, possessions, or whatever is, and no matter whether they are perceived in the way the eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body or mind and penetrate into consciousness, they come as a loser, unable to seduce us or destroy. To stand above is true bliss.

 

The human mind, is the taste of the Dhamma, is delighted with it. Dhamma can be regarded as an essential type of food. A person who is controlled by spiritual impurity, desires for food for the eyes, ears, nose, tongue and touch the body and look for it, as it corresponds to his nature. But there is yet another, deeper part of him who is not looking Dierse type of food. This is the free pure element of his mind that seeks the pleasure and delight of the " spiritual food " as the joy that comes from moralicher purity. It is a source of satisfaction of the enlightened man whose spirit, filled with mellow peace can not be disturbed by pollution, because he has a clear insight into the true nature of things, and therefore no more ambitions. The enlightened man so to speak, to be able to sit quietly without constantly having to run back and forth, like the people, of which Buddha said: "They are like smoke in the night and fire on the day.".

 

"Smoke in the Night" refers to the people who are tormented because of their turbulent and restless spirit of insomnia. Who suffers from it, lies awake at night thinking about how he will do this or that, is planning how he comes to money and rich is to buy the many things that he desires. His mind is full of "smoke". All he can do is to lie up in the morning and then get up to the "smoke" in obedience to fulfill all his wishes. The feverish activity of the slave of his desires is the "fire in the day ". These are the symptoms of a mind that finds no rest and the lack of spiritual food. Here the morbid hunger expresses, which is caused by the spiritual impurity of desire. The whole night suppresses the victim's smoke to the heat that be for a fire in the morning and hot burn all day in it. How can someone like " Smoke in the Night" and "Fire on the Day " lives his life, ever be calm and collected? Imagine only its constitution. Up in the coffin he endures his life from birth suffering and torment, just because he lacks the insight that can clear the smoke and the fire.

 

To cure such complaints, we must apply the wisdom, the Buddha has left us. Then the smoke and the fire gradually disappear in relation to the growing understanding of the true nature of things.

 

As we have noted, Buddhism has different aspects.  Just as a mountain, seen from different sides, looks different, Buddhism shows respectively how you look at it. Even Buddhism has its origins in fear, not the foolish fear of the ignorant man who kneels down before idols or incomprehensible phenomena and reverence shows, but a higher kind of fear, the fear may never from the oppression of birth, aging , pain and death, as well as other diverse forms of suffering that we experience, to be free. The real Buddhism is not books or manuals or word-over-word recitation of the Tipitaka, or rituals or ceremonies. The real Buddhism is the practice, which only partially and then completely removes the impurities of the mind, which is what we do, say and think to express. You do not need books or manuals. Man should not rely on rituals and ceremonies or things as spirits or heavenly beings. Rather then focus directly with what one thinks, says and does, that is, consider one's own mind and observe its contents in order to identify and control with clear insight the spiritual impurities. One is then automatically able to behave appropriately and remains free from suffering .

 

We need to understand that this is the real Buddhism, and may not foolishly the "tumor", which hides the Buddhism, hold for the real thing.