Buddha: His birth enlightenment and passing away
According to Buddhas teaching a man must be mindful of attaining perfect state of mental happiness. This can be achieved by purifying the mind of all defilements
Tarun Kanti Barua
In Buddhism the Buddha Purnima is one of the most sacred events commemorating the three significant events of Lord Buddha: his birth, enlightenment and passing away or Mahaparinirvana. The Buddha, the enlightened one is the embodiment of all noble and great virtues. Buddhists all over the world recite, meditate and worship all the sublime virtues attained and preached by the Buddha. Buddha Purnima or the Vesak day has now been formally acknowledged and recognized internationally pursuant to declaration as the United Nations Day of Vasek. This is a recognition of Buddhism as a religion of peace, harmony and humanity.
According to Buddhas teaching a man must be mindful of attaining perfect state of mental happiness. This can be achieved by purifying the mind of all defilements such as attachment (raga); ill-will (dosa) and ignorance (moha). Basically the higher teaching of Buddha denotes scientific thinking of mind and matter (Nama rupa). This teaching ultimately shows the way for the avoidance of evil, cultivation of noble thinking and the purification of mind. Buddhas preaching, message and thoughts are the sources and basis of Buddhist philosophy. The noble thinking of Buddhism is free but unbiased thinking and this trend of free thinking is vividly reflected variously in the Buddhist way of life. Religious superstitions and blind attachments of faith devoid of virtues relating to humanity defile and demean the true aspect of the philosophy of Buddhism. That means that Buddhas teaching is free from supernatural thoughts and ideas or form of any mysterious dogma or faith. So, Buddha said Ehipassika which is an open invitation to all To come and see, to inspect and examine before accepting it because there is nothing mythical or mysterious about Buddhism.
Buddha is known to be a peerless physician to his followers. His method of identifying the Four Noble Truth i.e. (i) suffering (ii) cause of suffering (iii) cessation of suffering and (iv) path to the cessation of suffering is comparable to that of a physician. As a physician primarily detects the disease, secondly diagnoses the cause of the disease, thirdly thinks of its treatment or management and finally he succeeds in finding out remedy, which resembles Eight fold path or Aryaastangicmargya. Buddhas teaching is scientifically practical and adaptable to men irrespective of any other separate identification involving only disharmony. Albert Einstein endorsed the truth If there is any religion that could cope with modern scientific needs, it would be Buddhism. The Buddhas sublime teaching has been spread rightly since Buddhas attainment of Buddhahood. Different nations have experienced the rise and fall of civilization, faced its decay and destruction only for the absence of pure mind and human values but the domain of religion founded by Tathagata Buddha with the instinct of Metta (loving Kindness) Karuna (compassion), Mudita (Joy in the happiness of others) and Upekkha (mindful equanimity) continues to flourish to foster unity, peace and fraternity in mankind. These virtues are the proper manifestation of love that according to the Buddha denotes the love of a mother who loves her child with the supreme sacrifice of her own life. Moreover, Buddhism teaches its followers to refrain from evil deeds and to do well for the welfare of mankind as well as for all living beings even towards foes. But it is a matter of great regret that most of us have never assimilated the true spirit of Buddhism. i. e. the cause of humanity. In many ways, we have become selfish when we try to seek all the possible ways to get everything for our own benefit instead of society, community, country and the world at large. Furthermore, we have to give emphasis on the concept of Sila (morality), Samadi (concentration) and Panna (wisdom) which uphold their intrinsic worth, the greatest qualities unsurpassed and unparalleled in the history of humanity. These three virtues help attain good conduct of life. But in todays world human beings are far away from these noble virtues. We have been failing to free ourselves from the octopus- grip of hatred, violence, enmity and terrorism. To live and let live- a high sounding expression without practice does not cope with the speeches of our social, political or religious leaders.
The moral concept of true religion and spiritual values are now venomously clouded by the materialistic values. The people including the religious leaders seek power, fame and other material gain for their personal benefit. This abuse and inequality naturally however disturbs and destabilizes the normal peace of mankind in the world. The poisonous activities like, brutality, killing, cruelty, prejudice and discriminations are now marring the sanctity of all religions and these unfortunate religious intolerances have definitely left a stigma on all religions. Real religious values are rapidly disappearing from the minds of leaders of any discipline in particular and people in general around the globe. To counter this unfortunate trend people of all faith and religions must make concerted effort in order to bring about better understanding and awareness of the true spiritual values of religions irrespective of caste, color, creed and religion. On this day, it is an appeal to the followers of all religions to work hand in hand for a common humanitarian cause and try honestly to develop a deep bond of friendship transcending religious differences and creating a spirit of love, compassion leading to inter- religious peace and harmony. Finally, let us love and care each other as a mother who cares, loves and nurses up her only child even at the cost of her life. May all living beings be happy.
The writer is the Rector, Banophool Adibashi Green Heart College and Ex. Principal Rangunia College, Chittagong
