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Buddhism For You Lesson04
Buddhism For You Lesson04
Triple Gem
A devotee takes refuge in the Triple Gem not for material gain nor out of fear nor for love of fame nor gaining worldly powers.
He is drawn by the power of boundless love of the Buddha and the peerless and all embracing Dhamma and Sangha to guide him across the vast sea of suffering (Samsara).
The Buddha
A unique Being, an extraordinary man arises in this world for the benefit and happiness of the many, out of compassion for the world, for the good, benefit and happiness of gods and men. Who is this Unique Being? It is the Tathagata, the Exalted, Fully Enlightened One. (Anguttara Nikaya)
The Buddha
The Buddha arose at a time when the world was undergoing spiritual and philosophical changes.
The Enlightenment
It was a full-moon night in the month of May, 588 B.C. The ascetic Gotama was thirty-five years old. He sat under a Bodhi tree and started to meditate. His mind was so clear, like a polished mirror.
He saw His previous births first one, then two, then five, then hundreds, and thousands. And he saw the cycles of birth of others.
He had become the Enlightened One, the Fully Awakened One, the Samma Sambuddha.
He wondered How infinite was this samsara? Was there no beginning of time? He gazed in wonder as world cycles unfolded before His eyes.
First sermon
Parinirvanna of Buddha
Morality
Renunciation Wisdom Energy
Truthfulness
Determination Loving-kindness Equanimity
Transformed the lives of criminals like Angulimala who was about to kill his own mother for his onethousandth victim.
The gift of Dhamma excels all gifts the taste of Dhamma excels all taste, the delight in dhamma excels all delights, The Craving-Freed vanquishes all suffering. - Dhammapada verse 354
End of Lesson 4