Goals of Buddhist
The Buddha’s teachings are not only directed at those who were interested in becoming renunciants and working for Nibbana. As he has instructed the first sixty Arahants, the target group was “bahujana’ -many folk. (caratha bhikkhave carikam bahujana hitaya bahujana sukhaya).
The Buddha knew that the number of people who wanted to cross the ocean of samsara were few. Therefore he had to cater for as many as possible, in which case the people who are not crossing the samsara
soon. This, however, did not mean that he should preach a doctrine that would pacify and pamper the people who were running after sensual pleasures.
His main mission was to help people come out of suffering; hence he had helped many who were genuinely interested in liberation. Yet, he had to do it systematically and skilfully.
This, of course, was not very easy. The first few months of his career as a Buddha was a glaring success of attracting Nibbana oriented converts mainly young people. This had even created consternation among conservative citizens. They were worried about the disturbance created in the institution of family. But those were only teething problems. Gradually people get used to it.
And the Buddha also was a teacher with gradual methods. He would not start a sermon to an ordinary person with topics related to four fold truths. He would start with Dana katha and Sila katha (topics on charity and morality). When a householder came and asked whether the Buddha had a teaching good for busy man handling money, married with children and living in comfort, he offered a constructive set of advice on how to be a successful layman.
The Buddhist ethics, according to this variety of audience and flexibility of approach cannot claim for one single goal. One may identify happiness as the single goal as it is very clear from the statement “Bahujana hitaya Bahujana Sukhaya” that happiness for many people is the goal of mission.
However the definition of happiness is not very easy and sometimes it appears as a value term.
Happiness in Buddhism has several levels and the Buddha has defined such levels:
1. The level of sensual pleasures that the Buddha does not deny but considers very low. (Kama sukha). (Appassada kama bahu dukkha, bahupayasa adinavo ettha bhiyo)
2. The level of jhanic happiness (dittha dhamma sukha Vihara) that is higher that sensual pleasure yet there is a higher pleasure.
3. The level of Nibbana that is the highest and does not involve any feeling (avedayita sukha).
It is not possible for ordinary men to aspire the highest at the beginning itself. They have to be convinced of folly of running after sensual pleasure. They may in consequence to listening to Dhamma may have a general understanding but still may not be able to practice the necessary discipline to achieve that. They may keep on making aspirations yet live normal life.
For such people the Buddha has a practical set of teachings with interim goals. The layman can think of a better rebirth and wish for better company that help him to improve his progress in Dhamma.
Happiness (sukha) in Buddhism is divided accordingly:
1. Sukha
2. Dittha dhamma Sukha
3. Samparayika sukha
4. Lokiya sukha
5. Lokuttara sukha
Thus, laymen can think of both happiness here and happiness after death as Lokiya. Buddhism does not find fault with the layman’s wish of getting a rebirth at any heaven as a result of his moral living here. In fact the Buddha has advised monks to encourage laymen to aspire Sagga (heaven) as their interim goal. It is considered much better than being born in one of the hells. Even at Deva lokas certain amount of holy life is possible. There are mentions of Devas who visited the Buddha to get their dhamma knowledge strengthened. Some devas attain various stages of sanctity as well, but it is considered that they may not attain arahathood. The Buddha is generally called Sattha deva manussanam for the reason that gods can learn dhamma and practise it.
Brahma worlds are believed to be for people who attain various jhanas, Depending on the jhana one has cultivated there are respective Brahma worlds for them. Some brahmanic mediators aim at the birth at Brahma worlds.
Sense pleasures are not completely and unconditionally condemned by the Buddha, he admitted that there is pleasure in them. But wider visions have made him to classify them as inferior. And, getting enslaved to such sukha will prevent individuals from recognising more stable and secure kind of sukha. As against his contemporaries who shunned sukha altogether, the Buddha asked “Why should I fear such sukha which is apart from sensuous desires and evil and immoral status?” (M.I.247).There were times that the Buddha himself was in jhanic sukha stage (Samadhi sukha patisamvedi).
The Buddha recognised that there is harmless happiness in the world. He classified four fold life styles that people can live:
1. Involving unhappiness presently and producing unhappiness in future
2. Involving happiness presently and producing unhappiness in future.
3. Involving unhappiness presently and producing happiness in future.
4. Involving happiness presently and producing happiness in future
However the highest happiness recognized in Buddhism is Nibbana. Some people may argue that as Nibbana has nor feelings how can it be classified as happiness. Yet the definition of happiness in Buddhism is broader than they expect. As Mrs Rhys Davids has summed up: “The word ‘sukha’ in Buddhism covers in extension both the relatively static state which we name happiness or felicity and the conscious moments of such a state to which our
psychology refers as pleasurable or pleasant feelings.”
Extracted from
Postgraduate Institute of Pali and Buddhist Studies, University Of Kelaniya
Postgraduate Diploma in Buddhist Studies
DBSX - 02 Basic Doctrines of Early Buddhism
Professor Wijebandara Chandima
The Buddha knew that the number of people who wanted to cross the ocean of samsara were few. Therefore he had to cater for as many as possible, in which case the people who are not crossing the samsara
soon. This, however, did not mean that he should preach a doctrine that would pacify and pamper the people who were running after sensual pleasures.
His main mission was to help people come out of suffering; hence he had helped many who were genuinely interested in liberation. Yet, he had to do it systematically and skilfully.
This, of course, was not very easy. The first few months of his career as a Buddha was a glaring success of attracting Nibbana oriented converts mainly young people. This had even created consternation among conservative citizens. They were worried about the disturbance created in the institution of family. But those were only teething problems. Gradually people get used to it.
And the Buddha also was a teacher with gradual methods. He would not start a sermon to an ordinary person with topics related to four fold truths. He would start with Dana katha and Sila katha (topics on charity and morality). When a householder came and asked whether the Buddha had a teaching good for busy man handling money, married with children and living in comfort, he offered a constructive set of advice on how to be a successful layman.
The Buddhist ethics, according to this variety of audience and flexibility of approach cannot claim for one single goal. One may identify happiness as the single goal as it is very clear from the statement “Bahujana hitaya Bahujana Sukhaya” that happiness for many people is the goal of mission.
However the definition of happiness is not very easy and sometimes it appears as a value term.
Happiness in Buddhism has several levels and the Buddha has defined such levels:
1. The level of sensual pleasures that the Buddha does not deny but considers very low. (Kama sukha). (Appassada kama bahu dukkha, bahupayasa adinavo ettha bhiyo)
2. The level of jhanic happiness (dittha dhamma sukha Vihara) that is higher that sensual pleasure yet there is a higher pleasure.
3. The level of Nibbana that is the highest and does not involve any feeling (avedayita sukha).
It is not possible for ordinary men to aspire the highest at the beginning itself. They have to be convinced of folly of running after sensual pleasure. They may in consequence to listening to Dhamma may have a general understanding but still may not be able to practice the necessary discipline to achieve that. They may keep on making aspirations yet live normal life.
For such people the Buddha has a practical set of teachings with interim goals. The layman can think of a better rebirth and wish for better company that help him to improve his progress in Dhamma.
Happiness (sukha) in Buddhism is divided accordingly:
1. Sukha
2. Dittha dhamma Sukha
3. Samparayika sukha
4. Lokiya sukha
5. Lokuttara sukha
Thus, laymen can think of both happiness here and happiness after death as Lokiya. Buddhism does not find fault with the layman’s wish of getting a rebirth at any heaven as a result of his moral living here. In fact the Buddha has advised monks to encourage laymen to aspire Sagga (heaven) as their interim goal. It is considered much better than being born in one of the hells. Even at Deva lokas certain amount of holy life is possible. There are mentions of Devas who visited the Buddha to get their dhamma knowledge strengthened. Some devas attain various stages of sanctity as well, but it is considered that they may not attain arahathood. The Buddha is generally called Sattha deva manussanam for the reason that gods can learn dhamma and practise it.
Brahma worlds are believed to be for people who attain various jhanas, Depending on the jhana one has cultivated there are respective Brahma worlds for them. Some brahmanic mediators aim at the birth at Brahma worlds.
Sense pleasures are not completely and unconditionally condemned by the Buddha, he admitted that there is pleasure in them. But wider visions have made him to classify them as inferior. And, getting enslaved to such sukha will prevent individuals from recognising more stable and secure kind of sukha. As against his contemporaries who shunned sukha altogether, the Buddha asked “Why should I fear such sukha which is apart from sensuous desires and evil and immoral status?” (M.I.247).There were times that the Buddha himself was in jhanic sukha stage (Samadhi sukha patisamvedi).
The Buddha recognised that there is harmless happiness in the world. He classified four fold life styles that people can live:
1. Involving unhappiness presently and producing unhappiness in future
2. Involving happiness presently and producing unhappiness in future.
3. Involving unhappiness presently and producing happiness in future.
4. Involving happiness presently and producing happiness in future
However the highest happiness recognized in Buddhism is Nibbana. Some people may argue that as Nibbana has nor feelings how can it be classified as happiness. Yet the definition of happiness in Buddhism is broader than they expect. As Mrs Rhys Davids has summed up: “The word ‘sukha’ in Buddhism covers in extension both the relatively static state which we name happiness or felicity and the conscious moments of such a state to which our
psychology refers as pleasurable or pleasant feelings.”
Extracted from
Postgraduate Institute of Pali and Buddhist Studies, University Of Kelaniya
Postgraduate Diploma in Buddhist Studies
DBSX - 02 Basic Doctrines of Early Buddhism
Professor Wijebandara Chandima