The wisdom of the Buddha

I recently read a translation of the Dhammapada - a compilation of the teachings of the Buddha. It is, in a word, stunning. I am giving below quotations which struck me as being particularly brilliant: articulate, sophisticated, yet down to earth and practical, even contemporary. Worth reflecting on to extract the wisdom of one of the most illumined minds ever. I have prefaced the extracts with some comments and questions with the hope of inviting responses - nudge, nudge. If you find my ruminations painful just skip straight ahead to the quotations, Those are unmissable.

The startling conclusion I came to from reading the Dhammapada is that Buddhism is actually nothing but an attempt to reform Hinduism. The fact that Buddhism got driven out of India makes one think of it as an East Asian phenomenon - Burmese, Thai, Japanese, Chinese, not to mention Tibetans (the Dalai Lama!), mainly meant for chinky eyed people (kidding). It isnt. It is uniquely Indian. After all, even though Buddhism isnt accepted as part of Hinduism Buddha is paradoxically considered the ninth avatar of Vishnu!

The comparison in thought between the Dhammapada and the Upanishads is quite striking. For example, the first key to the Buddha's philosophy is contained in the opening of the very first verse:

"Our life is shaped by our mind; we become what we think." Mental discipline backed by meditation is the basis of the Buddha's philosophy of living.

In comparison the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad says:

'You are what your deep driving desire is.
As is your desire so is your will.
As is your will so is your deed.
As is your deed so is your destiny".

The other key to the Buddha's thought is equally vedantic, that you should act in accordance with the knowledge that all things are connected. He concludes that selfish desire can only lead to sorrow. As an aside he does not reject desire completely, he does say desire is useful if channeled towards seeking nirvana.

The bedrock of the Buddha's philosophy is uniquely Hindu: the vedantic concepts of karma, rebirth and moksha (he calls it nirvana). No other religion has these concepts. To that extent Buddhism is nothing but a reformation of Hinduism, which by the time the Buddha appeared on the scene was badly in need of reform. The Buddha saw this and sought to free the soaring concepts of Vedanta from the petty stranglehold of brahmins who had reduced the religion mainly to vedic rituals aimed at their own benefit rather than the benefit of the faithful - an assertion of economics that seems to be one of the key distinguishing factors between religion and faith. The Buddha perhaps sought to sever that relationship.

What is surprising is that the Buddha is silent about God (Brahman or the Self in the Upanishads), and only speaks of nirvana as release from the cycle of birth and death, a cycle which he sees as full of sorrow. The Upanishads go a step further and speak of the indescribable joy, the bliss of merging with the Self, a joy which far exceeds anything that can be experienced on earth. In the Dhammapada the whole philosophy comes across more as about escaping misery than about seeking greater joy. Even though the Buddha talks about joy it seems to come across as rather clinical and sterile. The question here is: how you can believe in karma and rebirth and moksha without a God? Beats me, and that is something I would love to get a viewpoint on from anyone. One viewpoint I have got is that the Buddha was silent on God as he wanted to do away with the hegemony brahmins had established on the basis of being interlocutors between man and God. However, while he succeeded in getting rid of the caste based stranglehold of brahmins, he wasnt able to do away with ritual. Buddhism seems to be pretty riddled with its own tedious rituals, though much calmer and less greedy/graspy than brahmanical ritual.

Where the vedas are clear that you cannot expect to reach God without the help of a God-realised soul, a guru, greatly exalted in hinduism (guru Brahma, guru Vishnu, guru Devamaheya), the Buddha emphatically states that there is no better guide for the journey to nirvana than yourself, holding up his personal example of not having a guru. Perhaps this was part of dismantling the hold of brahmins. On the other hand I have heard a seriously 'vidwan' yogi say that the Buddha fell short of true realisation. Whether that yogi's viewpoint represents the remnants of the backlash from brahmins against Buddhism, culminating with Shankaracharya who re-established the supremacy of hinduism in the subcontinent (I have only a foggy notion of this - any inputs?), or reflects a true limitation of not having a guru - I dont know. I can only say it is a little difficult to imagine a God realised soul not talking about a creator, or about the enormous hidden human potential in the possibility of realising God. Perhaps The Buddha's silence about God is why Buddhism never got accepted as a reformist branch of Hinduism, and couldnt resist the fightback by Brahmins, in a country so strongly theistic as India.

Be that as it may, there is great beauty and truth in these verses. The instruction they provide are beautifully detailed and expressed in a very articulate and communicative way. They are also very practical and aim to give insights into how to live your life. In that vein the Dhammapada is superior as a guide to living than the Upanishads, which are not really meant to be very practical or actionable, though they are unmatched in the transcendant, ethereal beauty of their metaphysical thought.


QUOTATIONS FROM THE DHAMMAPADA

"Our life is shaped by our mind; we become what we think. Verse 1.

More than those that hate you, more than
all your enemies, an undisciplined mind does
greater harm. More than your mother, more
than your father, more than all your family, a
well-disciplined mind does greater good. 42, 43.

But the wise live without injuring nature, as the
bee drinks nectar without harming the flower.
Do not give your attention to what others do
or fail to do; give it to what you do or fail to do. 49, 50

Like a lovely flower full of colour but lacking
in fragrance are the words of those who do
not practice what they preach. Like a lovely
flower full of colour and fragrance are the words
of those who practice what they preach. 51, 52.

If you see someone wise who can steer you
away from the wrong path follow that person
as you would one who can reveal hidden
treasures. Only good can come of it. 76

Better than a speech of a thousand vain words is
one thoughtful word which brings peace to the mind.
Better than a poem of a thousand vain verses is
one thoughtful line which brings peace to the mind.
Better than a hundred poems of vain stanzas is one
word of the dharma that brings peace to the mind. 100-102.

One who conquers himself is greater than another
who conquers a thousand times a thousand men
on the battlefield. Be victorious over yourself
and not over others. When you attain victory over
yourself not even the gods can turn victory into defeat. 103-105

Better than performing a thousand rituals month
by month for a hundred years is a moments homage
to one living in wisdom. Better than tending the
sacrificial fire in the forest for a thousand years is
a moments homage to one living in wisdom. 106, 107

Evildoers may be happy as long as they do
not reap what they have sown, but when they
do sorrow overcomes them. The good may
suffer as long as they do not reap what they have
sown but when they do joy overcomes them. 119, 120

As a rich merchant traveling alone avoids
dangerous roads, as a lover of life avoids poison
let everyone avoid dangerous deeds. 123

Speak quietly to everyone and they too will
be gentle in their speech. Harsh words hurt
and come back to the speaker. 133

Your own self is your master; who else could be?
With yourself well controlled you gain a master very
hard to find. 160

As a vine overpowers a tree, evil
overpowers those who do evil, trapping
them in a situation that only their enemies would
wish them to be in. Evil deeds which harm the
doer are easy to do; good deeds are not so easy. 161-163

By oneself is evil done; by oneself one is
injured. Do not do evil and suffering will
not come. Everyone has the choice to be pure
or impure. No one can purify another. 165

Let us live in joy, never hating those who hate us. 197

There is no fire like lust, no sickness like
hatred, no sorrow like separateness, no joy
like peace. No disease is worse than greed
no suffering worse than selfish passion. Know
this and seek nirvana with the highest joy. 202, 203

Health is the best gift, contentment the best
wealth, trust the best kinsman, nirvana the greatest
joy. 204

But avoid the company of the immature
if you want joy. 206

As your family and friends receive you with joy
when you return from a long journey so will your
good deeds receive you when you go from this life to
the next where they will be waiting for you with joy
like your kinsmen. 219,220

Use your body for doing good not for harm. Train
it to follow the dharma. Use your tongue for doing
good not for harm. Train it to speak kindly. Use
your mind for doing good not for harm. Train your
mind in love. The wise are disciplined in body
speech and mind. They are well controlled indeed.

As the rust consumes the iron which
breeds it, evil deeds consume those who do them 240

Life seems easy for those without shame, no better
than a crow, a mischief maker who is insolent and
dissolute. Life is hard for one who is humble,
gentle and detached, who tries to live in purity." 244, 245

There is no....jailer like hate... 251

It is easy to see the faults of others; we winnow
them like chaff. It is hard to see our own; we
hide them as a gambler hides a losing draw.
But when one keeps dwelling on the faults
of others his own compulsions grow worse
making it harder to overcome them. 252, 253.


Not by rituals and resolutions, nor by much
learning, nor by celibacy nor even by meditation
can you find the supreme immortal joy of nirvana
until you have extinguished your self will. 271, 272

Wealth harms the greedy but not those who
seek nirvana. 355

Bhikshu empty your boat! It will go faster.
Cast out greed and hatred and reach nirvana. 369

There can be no meditation for those who are not
wise and no wisdom for those who do not meditate." 372