Breaking Myths: Religion, yanas

and lineages.

The student of the Dhamma will read that the
Buddha challenged the cherished beliefs of the
established "religions" of his time.

He would had been seen clearly as a "Rebel"
or a "Trouble maker".

Sitting at the apex of the Spiritual Order of his
times were the Brahmins, who claim that they
were ‘born from Brahmā’s mouth’, with secret
knowledge of Scripts, Mantras and Language,
giving the lesser mortals the impression that they
alone have the ability and power to communicate
with the "Gods", to mediate for the suffering
masses with an All Powerful Divine set of Beings.
The prevailing religion in India during the
Buddha's time was Brahminism. Brahminism
believed in a supreme creator god named
Brahma and many lesser gods. Rejected

These gods were propitiated with sacrifices

thrown into the ritual fire. Ordinary folk might
make small sacrifices of grain or ghee, but the
wealthy or royalty would sometimes sacrifice
large numbers of animals, usually cows but
occasionally even human beings. Rejected
Sacrifices were complex and it was believed that
they would bring down blessings from the gods
only if they were performed correctly by the
Brahmins, the hereditary priests who knew how
to perform these rituals. Rejected

Another important practice in Brahminism was

ritual bathing. It was believed that if a person did
evil it could be cleansed or washed away by
bathing in sacred rivers, the most popular of
which was the Ganges. Rejected

The Buddha in contrast, in his teachings, used
rational logic and empirical experience in
what is directly seen by everyone in the world.

The Buddha's teachings have no rituals,
secrets or magical formulas,
he insisted that his teachings be communicated
in the common language of the locality,

and the ONLY Miracle that he endorses is
that of Education Transforming a Mundane
Mind to a Noble One.

The Buddha-Dhamma is basically the Science
of the Mind, what he taught is consistent with
modern science and psychology, or rather
Modern Science and Psychology is consistent
with the Dhamma.

Subsequent generations of students however
invented Many "Religions" in his name,
many 'yanas' and lineages that so many are
attached to like superglue.

"Only my tradition or lineage is TRUE or
Correct" is a claim we hear ad nauseum.

"Buddhism" the organised religion today may
not even be recognisable to the Buddha.

Many do Not realise that the Buddha is Not
even ‘a Buddhist’, he taught teachings to
make people Better human beings, Not start
another new religion!

He insisted that All his students must verify the
Dhamma for themselves before accepting it, to
EXPERIENCE it first.

The concept of 'Ehipassiko' is the scientific
basis to approach the teachings.
At the turn of millennium, I read an interview with
Archbishop Desmond Tutu. He was recently
diagnosed with Prostate cancer and it was
thought at that time that it could possibly be his
last interview.

He was asked about what he would say when
he finally met his god:
"What would you ask God?"
‘A great deal,’ he says, earnestly.
‘Why, God, did you make suffering so
central to everything?
Why? Why? Why?’
Indeed this part of the interview stirred much of
my thoughts.
Here was a respected morally upright man who
devoted his entire life to his faith, and he has the
very same questions that challenged generations
of thinkers and philosophers unanswered even at
the dusk of his life;
Why So Much Suffering?

Saddha is
Not the same as “Faith”

The reality is that the Buddha's Teachings is
NOT another belief system,
certainly the fiercely devotional clinging to any
beliefs is NOT accepted by the Buddha.


In contrast, the human tendency to strongly
hold onto concepts is something we train to let
go of.

The four types of attachment we train to
relinquish are: 1) sense objects; 2) Wrong
Views; 3) rites and rituals; and 4) Concept of
self.

Beliefs are an important part of what we see in
our mental image of our "Self"; 'My Beliefs", 'My
Religion', etc.


We grow and relish in this conceit “I am”,
forgetting that conceit and "I" are the very
aspects we train to see as it is, a mere
construct of the Ego.
NO Dogma
Are you a
Freed
Thinker?
We train to see

1. the Emptiness of the mental image of the
"Self"

2. the Emptiness of all the phenomena that
we experience

3. the Emptiness of all concepts

“When you understand that the Dhamma is like
a raft, and that you should let go even of
positive things (Dhamma), then how much more
so should you let go of negative things
(adhamma).” [MN 22]
Not to be worshipped but certainly
worthy of our deepest respect.
The realities of life stare at us in our faces.
Whether we chose to live in denial or see reality is
up to us.
Truth is truth. It is universal and is unchanged
by locality or culture or nation.
Whenever a child is born, he will die one day.
That is the truth no matter what we chose to
believe in. Or to disbelieve.
Truth is impersonal. It does not favour anyone or
forgive or is bent by prayers or offerings. It is
inevitable in its outcome and in timeless.
The Buddha would not have become the Buddha
if not for him seeing the truths of life, the
Dhamma.

We take refuge in these same Truths.

We depend on our own senses and mind to
perceive the truth.

No god that a human being worship or praise

will make that human a god.
But one need not worship or praise the
Buddha to be enlightened. One only needs
to see with open unprejudiced eyes.
The Buddha does not need us to pray to him
or to worship him or to seek his forgiveness.

The power to change is with us. He wants us to

live a noble life in harmony with the Truths of
life, the Dhamma.
And he wants us to confirm its truthfulness by
ourselves.
The Visiting Monk said "Please teach me".
He is still looking for another guru.
Another short cut.

But do we not have more than enough already?

Had he (and us) not Read volumes?
Listened to innumerable talks? Done!

The great master asked "HAVE YOU EATEN?"

"Yes!"
We are all Full! 吃饱 了
The teacher tried so hard to help. Such
Compassion!
"Yes I had eaten!"
"NOW GO WASH THE PLATES, BOWLS,
ETC!" 去洗 碗

Enough theory! Use it now.

PRACTICE it in daily mundane life.
WASH THE BOWLS!
Such a compassionate teacher.