Dhamma article 1: What Buddhists Believe

Introduction:
This Dhamma talk given by Sayadaw Dr. Nandamālābhivamsa at ITBM University in 20 December 2015. We are very inspired by this Dhamma talk, therefore we like to share this Dhamma with you all. 

This has not been checked by sayadaw. Please forgive us for any mistake found in this transcription and editing. 
Transcribed by Serena Ho, Edited by Sayalay Cālā Therī and Ng Pei Fuen. 
This is under our Aggācāra Dhamma Project.  Date: 31^st January 2016

          Buddhists believe in the Buddha, believe in kamma; believing that conditioned things are impermanent, unsatisfactory (sorrow) and have no soul. You can see clearly that the Buddhists believe in the Buddha. When we believe in the Buddha, we believe in the knowledge of the Buddha that is omniscient (sabbaññutañāṇa) which means the Buddha knows everything. The Buddha teaches universal truth. It can be divided into two: the wholesome state and the unwholesome state. It is different from other religions.

In other religions, people believe in God, or the Creator. This God creates everything. We are created by God, therefore God blesses the people. People pray to God and confess to him. Buddhists do not believe in God neither do they believe that God is the Creator. We are not created by God.

     According to the Buddhist texts, God is none other than Brahma: the Brahma god. In his past life, he successfully practiced samatha (concentration) meditation. Then he was reborn as the Brahma god. He is powerful because of his practice. He cannot create everything but he thinks “I’m a Creator. I created everything”.

     Actually, this world is created by Nature. Beings are created by their own kamma and mental defilements (kilesa). Action (kamma) and mental defilement (kilesa) together create the beings. Depending on these two, they are wandering from one life to another life.

      In Hinduism, people believe this God named Brahman[2] creates everything. Brahman is eternal and it is brahmatman (supreme soul). The other beings called atman (individual soul) are not eternal, they are created by Brahman.

      But Buddhists reject this creator. Therefore Buddhist people are known as atheists, meaning those who neither accept that God exists, nor accept God as the Creator. Buddhism is an atheism.

What do Buddhists Believe?

We believe in the knowledge of Buddha. The text said: Saddahati tathāgatassa bodhiṃ”[3] ―One believes the knowledge (bodhi) of Buddha. It is so important to know that we do not believe in the supreme power of the Buddha. We believe in only His knowledge. What is the difference? While one believes in knowledge, the other believes in power. What between the two is different? Those who believe in power, always pray and pay homage to the powerful beings.

They depend on the Creator. They have to act according to their God’s will. However, nobody can contact or communicate with God directly. Only the messenger talks about the Gods. But the Buddhists believe in the knowledge of Buddha. When we believe in the knowledge of Buddha, we think about the Buddha’s knowledge, whereby his teachings connect with us. We follow his advice and his teaching. We have no idea [of being] too dependent on the Buddha and we never think about the blessings from the Buddha.

Depending on the Buddha’s advice, we must try to know what should be done, what should not be done. That is important in our lives, we must realize what should be done, and what should not be done. If we do not realize thus, we might think in the opposite way. We may assume what is to be done, as that not to be done; or what is not to be done, as that which should be done.

It is because of ignorance. If one did what should not be done, the bad effect would come. If one neglects what should be done, the bad effect comes into being. So, it is important to realize what should be done and what should not be done. Firstly, we believe in the Buddha’s knowledge, then we believe in what the Buddha advised.

Then, what is the Buddha’s advice? In brief, for 20 years, the Buddha always advised monks, this was called ovādapaṭimokkha[4]. The Buddha advised monks always because it is so important.

‘ Sabbapāpassa akaraṇaṃ, kusalassa upasampadā;

 Sacittapariyodapanaṃ, etaṃ buddhānasāsanaṃ.[5]

 Not to do any evil,  To cultivate any good.
             To purify the mind. This is the teaching of the Buddha.

What is not to be done is evil, bad action or bad deeds. What should be done are good deeds. That is so important for beings. Actions accumulate within us. We have different views. Depending on different views, one who has good heart performs wholesome actions. Some people have unwise attention so they perform what should not be done, that is an evil action.

Kamma

According to their actions, a good deed leads to happiness. An evil deed leads to unhappy state, woeful state. So what is the belief of Buddhists? Buddhists believe in kamma and also saṃsāra (cycle of rebirth and death). Kamma means own action. Actually in an ultimate sense, kamma is cetanā, which actually means mental stimulation or mental motivation. Some translated it as volition. In the Nibbedhikasutta,[6] it is said “Cetanāhaṃ, bhikkhave, kammaṃ vadāmi.”―I declare, O monks, the cetanā is kamma.”

Kamma is own action. Here, cetanā is motivation, it motivates us to think, to speak or to act. Mental action, bodily action and physical action appeared because of cetanā. Therefore, cetanā is important. Good cetanā or good motivation leads to good action. An evil motivation leads to evil action. That becomes kamma or action. Kamma accumulates within us.

 Now we should think about where kamma remains. Some people may say kamma remained in the brain, or kamma remained in the heart. If there is a heart transplant, where does it remain? If the brain does not work, where will kamma remain? So, brain and heart are just 'matter'. When a being passes away, the brain or heart is lost. So, where does kamma remain? What is the correct answer?

Actually, kamma remains in the mental process (citta santati) which depends on the heart base. Only in the mental process, does kamma remain. When the preceding consciousness ceases, it gives the energy to the following consciousness. For example, if the first mind ceases, the second one succeeds its power.

 Sure, kamma becomes ‘online’, it never ceases. Whatever we have done, kamma remains in the mental process. The mental process never ceases but goes on and on as a process.

The Bodhisatta fulfilled perfections since the life of Sumedha. His perfections became kamma, and remained as a mental process in him. When Sumedha passed away, his last consciousness (cuti-citta) ceased; and rebirth-consciousness came to be in the next life. So kamma never ceases or stops. It continues together with the mental process.

 Therefore, the Buddha explained to us:

Kammassako kammadāyādo kammayoni kammabandhu kammappaṭisaraṇo

Kammaṃ satte vibhajati yadidaṃ – hīnappaṇītatāyāti

Kammassaka-“Kamma is our own property. All beings have kamma as their own property. ” Kammaṃ satte vibhajati ―Kamma classifies the beings into superior or inferior, senior and junior. So, kamma created everything.

As Buddhists, we believe in kamma. We need to have kammassakatasammādiṭṭhi- the Right understanding that kamma is our own property. That means we are responsible for what we have done. We have responsibility for what we have done.

Kamma creates our lives. Depending on kamma, we have to be in cycle of rebirths and death (saṃsāra). So kamma is divided into two: Good and bad, or wholesome and unwholesome.

There are 3 groups of unwholesome kamma i.e. lobha (craving), dosa (hatred) and moha (ignorance, delusion). As long as we have craving, and depending on craving, many evil mental states come into being. As long as we have hatred, depending on hatred, the evil mind consciousness comes into being. As long as we have delusion, we do not know, we do not understand what should be done, what should not be done. Therefore, we think wrongly that 'what should be done' is 'what should not be done'; and that 'what should not be done' is 'what should be done'. So, the resulting action turns out not correct. That is a big problem. Craving also creates problems, hatred also is a problem. Delusion mainly, is what creates problems within us.

Many people lost their peaceful states. Why? Because people are craving very strongly for material things. They want more and more. They are greedy and want to have more and more. Therefore, they are trying to have more. When others occupy these, hatred comes into being; Because of hatred, the destructive ideas come into being. Now it is because they lost their peaceful life, because of hatred, craving and moha.

Because of craving, they want more and more. If they cannot succeed in what they want, then hatred influences their minds. Therefore, they wish more things, or even killing others. Actually, these actions are all based on craving and hatred.

Because people cannot control craving, therefore people want more and more material things. To protect their property, they keep and use powerful weapons; to protect their own properties and to protect their rights. Because they’re always thinking: “that is my right”, “that is not your right.”

Human Dignity

In the world today, people search for human rights, but no one says we must have human dignity. Most people search for human rights, not dignity. Dignity is important. If we have human dignity, we have human right. Dignity is more important than right.

That is because people do not know what the truth is. Because of ignorance or delusion, people cannot differentiate between what should be done, or what should not be done. We practice in the wrong way. Ignorance influences the mind most. Therefore, people are not in a peaceful state.

Many people migrate from their home countries to other countries. The people in other countries are afraid to accept them although they are also human beings. Thus they are not able to live peacefully. Why? Because of craving, hatred and ignorance.

Wholesome state

So we believe in wholesome states. These wholesome states are opposite to unwholesome states. They are based on alobha (generosity, non-attachment), adosa (non-hatred, anti-hatred), and amoha (non-delusion, anti-delusion, knowledge). So, non-attachment, non-hatred and non-delusion are the roots of wholesome states. Because of generosity (non-greed) or non-hatred, people help others who suffer. They do not consider their own needs but consider more about other’s sufferings.

Non-hatred is none other than loving kindness, mettā. Mettā is an attitude of friendliness, the spirit of a friend, the mind of a friend. Everybody have friends, “What is your attitude to your friend?” This can clearly clarify the word ‘mettā’. Most translators translated it as loving-kindness. This loving-kindness deeply helps others; wants others to enjoy; wants others to have happiness.

Non-delusion, amoha, is the most important. It is called knowledge or insights. This knowledge is very important for us to know what should be done, and what should not be done. Because of knowledge, we can choose between the good or bad by means of knowledge. This knowledge is called sammādiṭṭhi – right understanding or right view. Right understanding is very important in the practice of Dhamma. To help others, right understanding or knowledge is most important.

The Buddha advised us and taught us is the truth. What the Buddha taught is the universal truth. The Buddha said they are two different natures, i.e. wholesome and unwholesome states. Unwholesome state, akusala, leads to a woeful state. Wholesome state, kusala, leads to a happy state. These two are very different.

We have to perform wholesome states. This wholesome state is produced by right understanding. Among the wholesome states, what is important as in Sankhāruppatti Sutta[7], saddhā (faith, confidence) is important. One believes in the Buddha’s knowledge. Then, sīla (morality) is important. Without sīla, no wholesome state can remain. In fact, sīla maintains wholesome state. Sīla depends on hiri (moral dread, moral shame) and moral fear (ottappa). Without hiri-ottappa, we cannot have morality. Then we must learn what the Buddha taught. We must realize the advice of the Buddha.

Learning and Practice

Without listening to the Buddha, without having the advice of the Buddha, without knowing the above, nobody can develop this knowledge. Nobody can live the right way of life. So, Buddha’s discourse (sutta) is important. Reading the suttas is listening to the Dhamma, studying the Dhamma. But just listening, or just studying is not enough. After that we must memorize what the Buddha taught. Then we must contemplate what the Buddha explained. Then we practice according to it. 
Listening to the Buddha’s teaching is the first step. 
Memorizing the teaching is the second step. 
Considering or contemplation of what the Buddha taught is the third step. 
Putting it into practice is the fourth step.

This is similar to taking medicine. We must know this medicine or prescription of what is needed. Then, we must be mindful to take regularly according to our physician. Without taking the medicine, we cannot cure our diseases. In the same way, if we cannot put into practice what the Buddha taught, then it will be useless. It is similar to the disease that cannot be removed without taking medicine. First we must accept what the Buddha taught.

First we believe in the Buddha’s knowledge; secondly we believe in what the Buddha taught, and then we believe in kamma. Whatever we do with intention, good or bad, is kamma. What we sow, we will reap. The Buddha also said: kaḷyānakāri papakāri, doing good and bad, we will experience whatever good or bad we have done. That is the nature.

However, one who rejects the effect of kamma has micchādiṭṭhi (wrong view). For one who rejects the effect of kamma, there is no good or bad kamma, there is no rebirth after death etc. It rejects the effect of kamma. The opposite of micchādiṭṭhi is sammā-ditthi that accepts kamma. There is kamma, good or bad, and there are the effects of kamma. For beings, there is another life after death, and kamma remain with them.

 Out of that, in the ultimate sense, we believe in more and more wholesome things.

All Buddhist must have kammassakatasammādiṭṭhi―Right understanding that kamma is our own property. Without the kammassakatasammādiṭṭhi, one cannot become a Buddhist. In the Vinaya text, the Buddha said: “Who holds kammavādī, kiriyavādī, believing in good and bad kamma, can be accepted as a monk immediately and can enter the order straight away. The Buddha did not accept those who reject kamma, nor allow them to become monks. These people had other religious beliefs. So, the belief in kamma is important. But that is not enough for a Buddhist because there is another sammā ditthi.

Vipassanā (Insight)

This is higher sammādiṭṭhi, higher understanding. That is called vipassanā sammā-diṭṭhi. The vipassanā sammā-diṭṭhi is higher than kammassakata sammā-diṭṭhi. Other religions also have kammassakata sammā-diṭṭhi. But only in Buddhism this insight right view (Vipassanā-sammā-diṭṭhi) exists. It is never known in the other religions’ teachings. This Insight meditation and technique cannot be found in other religions. Therefore, Insight right view (vipassanā sammā-diṭṭhi) is a unique lecture of the Buddha’s teachings.

So what do Buddhists believe in? According to vipassanā sammā-diṭṭhi, we believe that all conditioned things are subject to impermanence, subject to sorrow, subject to displeasure, and subject to non-self. Actually, we are composed of mind and matter. There is only mind and matter, and there are just phenomena. There is nothing that can be said as 'I' or my property (atta or attanīya). The mind and matter are neither soul (self, atta) nor property of atta. This is called suñña (emptiness). But this emptiness is different from Nagarjuna’s sabbaṃ suñña (all are empty).

The Buddha said cakkhuṃ suññaṃ attena vā attaniyena vā [8]– the eye is empty of self and is not the property of self. What we call “eye”, or what the people are used to calling “eye”, is actually just the whole eyeball. But according to the text, not the whole eyeball is the eye base.

According to Abhidhamma, this eye base is one material quality that is called cakkhupasāda, eye-sensitivity that also depends on other material qualities. We should do such contemplation. This eye sensitivity is not self or the property of self. It is created by kamma. It always changes. It is subject to impermanence, subject to decay, subject to non-self. As such, we cannot define this eye as an atta or the property of atta. Thus, it is said: cakkhuṃ attena vā attaniyena vā– Eye is empty because it is neither atta nor the property of atta.

In the Discourse of Emptiness of world (suññalokasutta), Venerable Ᾱnanda asked the Buddha: “Venerable sir, cakkhuṃ attaṃ vā attanīya vā”. The Buddha explained: “Eye is empty because it is neither atta nor the property of atta.”

 We must contemplate in this way. We are just composed of mind and matter. Apart from mind and matter, there’s nothing that can be seen as self (atta) or the property of self (atta). So this insight is a right understanding of higher knowledge, it is called vipassanā sammā-diṭṭhi. This vipassanā sammā-diṭṭhi is the unique teaching of the Buddha. Therefore, we believe in the right view of Vipassanā (vipassanā sammā-diṭṭhi).

In brief, what do Buddhists believe? I want to talk about this. Buddhists believe the knowledge of the Buddha. Buddhists believe what the Buddha advised us. That is kamma and the effect of kamma. What is the Buddhist belief? We believe in the universal truth of kamma. There is wholesome and unwholesome state. We also believe in insight right view (vipassanā sammā-diṭṭhi), which is impermanence, suffering and non-self. We see that we are composed of mind and matter. These mind and matter are ever-changing; which are subject to impermanence, subject to suffering, subject to non-self. We believe in that. That is the Buddhist belief.

By increasing Insight right view (vipassanā sammā-diṭṭhi), we can attain magga sammā-diṭṭhi (right view associated with path). There are four stages of the noble path. By the attainment of each noble path, corresponding mental defilements will be eradicated.

End of Defilements, Kammas and Sufferings

When mental defilements cease, whatever kamma that has been accumulated by us will no longer work. Kilese nirodhe, Kamma nirodhe―When mental defilement ceases, kamma also ceases. This is the end of suffering.

What is the end of suffering? The first Noble truth explains, that suffering means the five aggregates. These five aggregates, in brief, are mind and matter. Are these five aggregates or mind and matter pleasant or unpleasant? There is a lot of suffering due to the five aggregates. People have to face aging, illness, death, or people have to work, because of the five aggregates. The biggest problems are created by these.

Therefore, so long as the five aggregates remain, dukkha or suffering remains. When we eradicate the cause of dukkha, or the cause of the five aggregates, sufferings will not remain any more. The cessation of the five aggregates is nibbāna, the final cessation of suffering. The Buddhists believe nibbāna is their final goal. Therefore, we must try to attain nibbāna.

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[2]                  Supreme God, Highest God in Hinduism. Brahman is "world soul" or "cosmic soul." It is the eternal essence of the universe and the ultimate divine reality.         "Atman" - loosely translated, this means "soul" or "individual soul." Atman refers to the essence of each individual living thing - its soul or primary living energy. Each living thing - people, animals, plants - have an atman that forms each thing's eternal essence    (http://www.world-religions-professor.com/atman-brahman.html)

[3]                  This sentence exists in many texts such as Senāsanasutta  (AN 10.11) (Aṅguttaranikāya,dasakanipātapāḷi, 1. paṭhamapaṇṇāsaka,, 2. Nāthavagga)

[4]                  Pātimokkha is 'Disciplinary Code', is the name of the code of monk's rules, which on all full-moon and new moon days is recited before the assembled community of fully ordained monks (bhikkhu). (Buddhist Dictionary)Ovāda: advice; exhortation; instruction (Concise Pāḷi-English Dictionary)

[5]                  Exists in many texts such as Dīghanikāya, Mahāvaggapāḷi (2.42)

[6]                  Aṅguttaranikāya-II, 36 (Chakkanipātapāḷi,Nibbedhikasutta)

[7]                  Majjhimanikāya-III,14 (Uparipaṇṇāsapāḷi 10. Saṅkhārupapattisutta)

[8]                  Paṭisambhidāmaggapāḷi, 36