"...develop the mind by restraining from evil and observing morality..." (page 102)*
Thus Dr. K. Sri Dhammananda remarks in his book What Buddhists Believe.
If you'll recall from Burning Quest - Part 4, this Eight-Fold Path, also known as "The Middle Way", is the 'cure' to eliminate craving and desires, allowing a person to attain Nirvana. We learned of the problem that led to discovering the cause of suffering and from thence to this cure on towards Nirvana.
Sri Dhammananda asserts that this Eight-Fold Path is the most important of Gautama Buddha's teachings (pages 108-109)* as it helps one to identify the unsatisfactoriness of our selfish greed and craving. However with the "right effort...and right mindfulness" a person can achieve the end of their personal suffering.
This Middle Path has been broken down into three main aspects that of Sila (morality), Samadhi (mental culture) and Panna (wisdom)" (page 103)*. These need to be developed simultaneously starting with morality.
Much of the morality aspect reads a lot like the Ten Commandments given to the children of Israel more than a millennium before Siddhartha Gautama arrived on the scene that we can read about in Exodus 20:1-7 in God's Word; the dilemma was the same back then as in Gautama's time and as it is today. According to Sila,
"we must bring good to other (living beings) by abstaining from killing, slandering, stealing, becoming intoxicated or being lustful."
In a nutshell, a person needs to have right speech, action and livelihood for righteous living (pages 103-104)*.
The idea of this Way starting with morality is that it can in turn develop the mental culture. The mind becomes more easily controlled and concentration increases. So with right effort, mindfulness and concentration one gains good Samadhi for righteous living (pages 103-104)*.
Progression in those first two aspects of the Middle Way gains one wisdom. It follows that the more the concentration, the more wisdom can be acquired and give right understanding and thoughts to the individual disciplining themselves with this regimen. That is the Panna for righteous living; the good moral conduct and so the cycle can continue (pages 103-104)*.
So one needs right effort to live the right way and earns one merits or "wholesome karma", moving one along the path to Nirvana. "Unwholesome karma" (demerits), of course, head one in the opposite direction. It is vital to keep the body, speech and mind under control and in time will benefit a person with...
"One, "mental and physical well-being: comfort, joy, calm, tranquility.Two, turn the mind into an instrument capable of seeing things as they truly are and Three, prepares the mind to attain wisdom." (page 109)*.
This formula for living trains one to be
"detached from worldly pleasures, to think of others' welfare,...maintain loving kindness, good will, benevolence in the mind (as opposed to hatred and ill will...) and to act with harmlessness and compassion to all beings." (page 105)*.
This sounds very much like a plausible prescription for eradicating suffering and bringing a person to a very good and satisfactory life and end result. And, yes, there are those who are said to have been able to succeed in this, obviously, Gautama Buddha, for one. No doubt many have had good success, but has it been enough?
There have been many over the millennia of time who have tried "good works"; just read through the Old Testament of the Bible. They too had a prescribed way to live. The Law of God revealed the human heart and mind for what it was/is, always bent on sin. Yet, the trouble does not lie with The Law, rather with the individual and his/her struggle with sin, or as the Buddhist would say, with the cravings and desires as manufactured in ones' mind (See also Romans 7:7-24).
Again, some did wondrously but when you look at individuals such as King David; Solomon; Jeremiah, Isaiah and other Old Testament characters, who did live according to those rules and regulations delineated by God our Heavenly Father and Creator, we see they still grappled with being righteous. They failed miserably and/or took to mourning for the failures of others such as did the prophet Jeremiah.
Abraham and Moses who lived/began living, pre-Ten Commandment days, also failed despite their more righteous living. Both those men had to learn hard lessons. Eventually they learned to trust God and it was their faith, not their works, that was accounted to them for righteousness (Galatians 3:6; Hebrews 11).
Take a look at Philippians 3:9 NIV...
"...and be found in Him (God), not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Jesus Christ-the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith."
Romans 9:30 NIV is of help too...
"What shall we say? That the Gentiles [as opposed to being Jews], who did not pursue righteousness, [as the Israelites did], have obtained it, a righteousness that is by faith."
Faith in Jesus Christ is of essence to securing the righteousness and the righteous living God requires and desires of us human beings. It is more than that too. He desires relationship with Him. Abraham was called a friend of God (James 2:23 NIV). Moses had a very close relationship with God and could speak "face to face with God as one speaks with a friend" (Exodus 33:11). In the New Testament we see the apostle John leaning on Jesus' bosom. Pastor Nick Bibile explains that the bosom represents,
"the center of your affections, passions, inmost intimate feelings".
That is the relationship which God desires with each and every one of His children; with every human being He has created, in fact. Yet He will not force anyone to it. He wants the genuine desire of our hearts; therefore, relationship, not de-tachment. His love for His human creatures longs for us to reciprocate and our love for Him spurs us on to that righteous living. Do we love Him? He first loved us (1 John 4:19).
Because of God's great love for us, He doesn't leave us to our own devices. He gives His children the empowering help of His Holy Spirit. Once we belong to Him through Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit teaches and guides to do what is righteous in God's sight.
This will definitely lead us to the correct speech, actions and mindfulness, etc.
"When we walk by the Spirit we will not gratify the desires of the flesh" (Romans 5:17 NIV).
Please pause, find a Bible and read Romans 5:13-26. This will show you life with and without the Holy Spirit. Yes, there will still be that 'tug-of-war' of the cravings and desires "of the flesh", the human will, till we get to Heaven but there is hope and righteousness through Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit of God who indwells each believer who has attained salvation through Jesus Christ, to live a progression of sanctification (subsequent entries will deal with this) aiming for perfection and a conforming to the image of Christ (Romans 8:29).
Our problem and cause of suffering is sin. Faith in Jesus Christ and His death and resurrection is the cure. As we live out our lives in Christian living--walking by His Spirit--we will please God. However we do not have to earn that salvation ourselves--Jesus paid for it all. All we have to do is accept His salvation by faith. It is a gift. Receive it. We owe it to Him.
To finish off this entry here's another hymn I'd like to share about God's righteousness. I couldn't find a YouTube rendition of it so musical score included.
~ERC 2018~
References:
Page numbers marked with * come from the book What Buddhists Believe by author Dr. K. Sri Dhammananda.
Scripture references are as marked above.
Other quotations, click on link provided.
I like the hymn after reading of the lyrics. However, I don't know how to sing it. Thks for sharing this hymn.
ReplyDeleteYou are welcome. The words are very meaningful, for sure.
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