Dhammananda_The_Aim_and_Way_of_Life.pdf

THE AIM AND WAY OF LIFE

Ven. Dr K Sri Dhammananda

As human beings we must have an aim in our life. A person not observing a righteous way of

life will never find the aim of life and if he does not uphold some noble principles he can even

become a danger to society. No doubt scientists and psychologists have widened our

intellectual horizon, but they have not likewise been able to give us a purpose in life, which only

noble principles could do.

Religion also originally developed as humanism to uphold humane qualities. Later, it was

introduced as a divine law. However, a noble way of life is needed to maintain our human

values and dignity. The noble way of life to be discussed here is a proven method wherein by

cultivating the mind one could gain supreme wisdom.

Countries in which attempts were made to supplant the noble principles of religion with

socialism or materialism have been proved to be modern day failures. It is apparent that human

beings must have some noble principles to gain confidence in life.

Human beings must choose a rational and meaningful way of life based on their firm conviction

and not one founded on mere mythological beliefs, traditional practices and theories. One

should not force anyone to accept any particular religious laws nor exploit his or her state of

poverty, illiteracy or emotions to induce that person to accept their beliefs.

A person should be free to choose a reasonable way of life according to his or her

understanding capacity. Following a religion blindly only abuses human intelligence and dignity.

Human beings have common sense to distinguish between right and wrong. They can adapt

themselves to changing circumstances. They should therefore choose a respectable way of life

that is suitable and one that measures up to their expectations. They must be properly guided in

this respect and then given a chance to decide for themselves without recourse to any fore of

coercion.

The Middle-Way

The noble way of life that is being introduced here is a practical educational system of mental

culture known to the world some twenty five centuries ago. The founder of this way of life was a

most enlightened and compassionate teacher. This method is also variously known as the

Middle-Path, a righteous way of life, an ethico-philosophical system, a do-it-yourself method

and also can be introduced as a path of freedom and reason. It teaches us to do three things;

namely, to refrain from doing bad deeds, to be of some service to others and to maintain a

healthy pure mind.

This message is very meaningful and practical. Yet, people experience difficulties when they try

to put them into practice. The reason for this is due to their own inherent human weaknesses.

The moral conduct of human beings plays a most important part in this way of life. Its great

teacher once said, “My teaching is not to come and believe but to practise.” It encourages

people to study the teachings fully to allow them to judge for themselves whether they should

accept the teachings or not. No one is asked to come and accept this way of life without first

having had an understanding of its teachings.

Superfluous rites and rituals, and animal sacrifices have no significance in this noble way of life.

Superstitious beliefs, fear of supernatural beings and secret doctrines are not encouraged.

People have the liberty to investigate for themselves the teachings and to ask questions so as

to clear their doubts. According to the teacher of this way of life, one should not believe help one

to bear anything merely because the founder of this noble method happened to be a great sage

or because it had all along been traditionally accepted by many; but only by reasoning and

common sense can one decide to accept it. This teacher also advises any one not to accept nor

to reject anything hastily on impulse but to investigate it thoroughly before coming to a final

decision.

Noble Path

The noble eight-fold path taught in this way of life is Perfect-understanding, Perfect-thought,

Perfect-speech, Perfect-action, Perfect-livelihood, Perfect-effort, Perfect-mindfulness and

Perfect-concentration. This unique middle path is a code of morality which paves the way for

people to lead a noble and peaceful life.

The middle path is neither a metaphysical nor a ritualistic path; it is neither dogmatism nor

scepticism; neither self-indulgence nor self-torture; neither eternalism nor nihilism; neither a law

given by some divine authority nor a mere imagination of man. It is a path of Enlightenment, a

means of deliverance from suffering or unsatisfactoriness. This way of life rejects the idea that

human beings are suffering today because of their original sins. Every living thing, including

plant life, experiences suffering. Every person carries his or her merits and demerits individually.

Human beings are solely responsible for their own pain or pleasure.

One who follows the middle path should find real peace and happiness. One should be able to

lead a respectable life without being a slave to any form of belief, thus contributing to one’s

peace and happiness by living in complete harmony with others and the environment.

Reap What You Sow

This way of life satisfies humanity’s most profound and lofty aspirations. Yet it is able to the

stress and strain of everyday life, besides giving a purpose to life. It does not instil fear in

people. Good begets good and bad begets bad. Every action has its reaction. These are

universal laws. This way of life fully agrees with these fundamental laws and people have to

abide by them and ‘reap what they sow’.

People perpetrate evil deeds out of greed, anger and ignorance. Such weaknesses can only be

overcome through self-realisation. The fortunes and misfortunes people experience in this world

are not due to some external influences but to the good and bad actions, words and deeds they

themselves had previously committed. For this very reason, this teaching says: “We are the

results of what we were, and we will be the results of what we are.” That means we are

responsible for everything in our life.

Forgiveness of sin is not acknowledged in this way of life. One is solely responsible for one’s

own actions, good or bad. If one has committed evil, one has to face up to the consequences.

The only way to purge the mind of evil is to do only good. It is only through a long process of

mental training that the mind could become purified.

This way of life teaches that death is not the end of life. A living being just a bundle of energies

holding the elements together. The physical death of a being is just an interlude in the repeated

cycle of birth and death. Therefore, a being ‘not the same and not different’ continues to live, life

after life, until the aim of life is finally attained.

According to this teaching, cause and effect play a very important part in our lives. In a cycle of

cause and effect, a first cause is inconceivable for the cause ever becomes the effect, and the

effect in turn becomes the cause. Everything that exists is interdependent.

A Great Teacher

The founder of this unique method is not a myth but a Great Teacher who actually lived in this

world. He never tried to present himself as a supernatural being but as a human being who had

himself realised the absolute truth: the cosmic or universal law, the secret of life and the real

cause of suffering and happiness. He makes no claim to divinity.

Today, this teacher is not only honoured by hundreds of millions of his followers but also by the

cultured people and intellectuals throughout the world. Although this Noble Man, this Liberator,

this Social Reformer, this Democrat and Inspirer had passed away, he left behind a noble

message for humanity to follow in order to eliminate human suffering, misery, fear, worry and

unsatisfactoriness. From his message one can gain happiness in this life and in the life

hereafter: the ultimate liberation of all human suffering.

This great teacher comforted the bereaved. He helped the poor who were neglected. He

ennobled the lives of the deluded and purified the lives of criminals. He consoled the weak,

united the divided, enlightened the ignorant, clarified the doubts of mystics, elevated those

debased and dignified the noble. Both the rich and the poor, the saintly and the criminal loved

him. Despotic or righteous Kings, famous or obscure princes and nobles, generous or stingy

millionaires, haughty or intelligent scholars, and destitutes, paupers, down-trodden scavengers,

wicked murderers, cannibals, despised courtesans – all benefited by his noble way of life,

wisdom and compassion.

His noble example was a source of inspiration to all. His serene and peaceful countenance was

indeed soothing to the troubled. His message of peace and tolerance was welcomed by all with

indescribable joy and was of lasting benefit to everyone who had the good fortune to hear and

to practise it. His iron will, profound wisdom, universal love, boundless compassion, selfless

service, brave renunciation, perfect purity, magnetic personality, exemplary methods employed

to introduce his teachings and his final success all these factors have inspired about one fifth of

the population of the world today to hail and honour this teacher as their supreme master.

This noble teacher sacrificed his worldly pleasures for the sake of suffering humanity to seek the

Truth and to show the path of deliverance from suffering. He visited the poor people whilst kings

and ministers had to visit him. After his enlightenment he had dedicated 45 years of his life for

guiding deluded human beings to lead meaningful, respectable and peaceful lives.

This great teacher feared none nor did he instil fear in others. This is one quality that should be

cultivated by all in this war-torn world of ours where the most precious thing – life – is sacrificed

at the altar of brute force and where armaments are creating fear, tension and hatred. He also

did not create temptations of sensual pleasure as a means to introduce his noble way of life.

He was the perfect scientist in the study of life; the perfect psychologist who analysed the nature

of the mind to the extent that his teaching was acclaimed as a scientific method. Modern

scientific discoveries never come in conflict with his teaching.

To great philosophers and unbiased thinkers, he is a teacher who understood worldly conditions

in its proper perspective. To moralists his teaching was the highest code of discipline. He

symbolizes perfection. ‘He was the perfect model of all the virtues he preached.’ To rationalists,

he is the most liberal-minded noble teacher. To free-thinkers, he is a teacher who encouraged

people to think independently to find out the truth. To agnostics, he is a very gentle and

understanding teacher who guided humanity.

He was no doubt the most persuasive of all the great teachers. He never used compulsion or

fear as a means of gaining converts. He has introduced a noble way of life without even

attaching a religious label to it. What he wanted was to see people living in harmony as cultured,

harmless and contented human beings by upholding his noble advice.

He was the humble servant of humanity, unperturbed by either praise or blame. He did not ask

people to come and worship him or pray to him in order to gain salvation. He did not introduce

his message by means of charismatic techniques or so called miraculous powers but by

educating and convincing the public.

Peace, Happiness and Salvation

Today, the message of peace of this Great Universal Teacher is more important than ever

before particularly at a time when human beings are intoxicated with power, greed, jealousy,

pride and craving for world domination.

This teacher was born to this world to dispel the darkness of ignorance, and to save the world

from its ills. It is common knowledge that throughout the world many people continue to live

without practising any form of noble life. However, if they would only make an effort to study and

understand what this Great Teacher had taught, they could clarify their doubts, and be

convinced of his teaching that could best contribute to find the aim of life.

Whether one believes in him or not, his teaching had a profound effect on all people. His

message was spread without any violence. It is a significant fact that not a single drop of blood

had ever been shed in its name. This is indeed a most remarkable record in world history which

could be written in letters of gold. This teaching illuminates the way by which humanity could

cross from a world of unsatisfactoriness to a world of light, love, peace and happiness.

The twenty five century old teaching of this great teacher is strong enough to face any challenge

without flinching or having the need to reinterpret its original doctrines; because the doctrine he

preached is for all time and is the absolute truth.

The teaching considers virtue as one of the prerequisites for the attainment of liberation from

worldly suffering. The other prerequisite is wisdom. Virtue is like a vehicle that brings one up to

the gate of liberation, but the actual key that opens the gate is wisdom.

Heavenly Bliss

The followers of this way of life do not regard themselves as the chosen people to gain heavenly

bliss. They believe that a person creates his or her own hell and heaven depending on that

person’s conduct and way of life. Sufferings in hell or heavenly bliss also can be experienced in

this earthly life itself instead of in the life hereafter, as is commonly believed.

This noble teacher never preached by frightening people with hell fire or with alluring everlasting

heavenly life, but only by revealing the true nature of life and the universe. According to his

teaching, anyone can enjoy heavenly bliss so long as one leads a righteous way of life. Heaven

is not reserved for any one particular group in a religious community. It is open to all – anyone

who leads a noble life.

Tolerance, patience and understanding are considered virtues in his teaching. In addition, loving

kindness, compassion and sympathy towards others are not confined to human beings but also

extended to all living beings – since destruction of life, be it human or animal, is cruel and

unjust, and is against the teaching of this great teacher.

For harmony’s sake this teacher also advises his followers to respect other people’s views and

to accept the truth wherever it may be. He advocated tolerance towards traditions and cultural

practices of others if they are harmless.

Way of Life

This way of life is clear, reasonable and gives complete answers to all important questions and

problems about life. It provides a solid foundation for helping humanity towards building a

positive and better way of life.

This method does not divide humanity into two groups, the “saved” and the “lost”. As a civilised

and understanding system, it teaches us how to tame the wild and to refine the tamed.

Followers of this way of life do not indulge in petitional prayer. They believe in the importance of

self-exertion and in the efficacy of meditation for self-conquest, self-control, self-purification, and

enlightenment. Meditation serves as a tonic for the body as well as the mind.

One Can Mould One’s Life

This method contends that mind is the all powerful force – the creator and destroyer of

humankind as well as the architect of humanity’s fate. Therefore, one should be capable of

moulding anything if only one knows how to develop and make proper use of the mind.

In fact, this way of life has been an admirable beacon of light radiating on the hill for guiding

humanity to fulfil the aim of life. Through this method people can dispel the darkness of

ignorance. By following the guidance given in this way of life, people learn how to use their life

to the fullest to be meaningful. It is true that the world today is riddled with racial, political,

religious, communal and ideological differences. To solve these complex problems, people must

exercise the spirit of benevolence and tolerance towards each other. This noble method

inculcates ethical-moral co-operation for the universal good. Humanity must realise that spiritual

development is more important than material development for human happiness. Truth, service,

charity and love must be practised if this world is to be turned into a better place for us to live in.

Actuality

This liberal teacher through his enlightenment, declared that:-

• The greatest virtue is that gained in the cultivation of universal love;

• The supreme happiness is the happiness derived from mental calmness;

• The absolute truth is acquired through the understanding of the causes of human

suffering;

• The highest religion is one that teaches supreme wisdom, morality and mental

purification; and

• The greatest philosophy is the philosophy that introduces analytical knowledge and a

practical way of life without depending on theories and mere beliefs.

This way of life does not obstruct anyone from reading and learning the teachings of other

religions. It has no place for fanaticism. A fanatic cannot be guided by reason or even by the

scientific principle of observation and analysis. Therefore, the followers of this method are

endowed with an open mind and are not subservient to anyone for spiritual development.

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