Sacred Text of Buddha

Albert Einstein, the greatest scientist of the twentieth century said of Buddhism:
�The religion of the future will be a cosmic religion. It should transcend a personal God and avoid dogmas and theology.
Covering both the natural and the spiritual, it should be based on a religious sense arising from the experience of all things, natural and spiritual and a meaningful unity.
Buddhism answers this description.
If there is any religion that would cope with modern scientific needs, it would be Buddhism.�

Buddhism started more than 2500 years ago.
The original texts on these teachings were in ancient eastern texts which have been translated to various modern languages mainly in the eastern/asian languages.
Around the last century with more westerner adopting these teachings, these texts were translated into various western languages.
Since the original texts were in ancient languages, care were taken to keep these translation as close to the original meaning as possible, however in so doing, at times it is rather difficult to understand the meaning of these texts which may require several readings before one can fully comprehend the true meaning of these teachings.
Incidentally, the advertisements by Google which are inserted among these texts provide links to other buddhist sites which can be accessed for more information on buddhism.
Beside buddhist sites, these links by Google also point to other religious sites which provide for cross references as well as for comparison with other religions.
As the Buddha have said, one should study and understand what he teaches, compare with what one can find elsewhere before deciding if what he teaches is true.
Happy reading !

Buddha Speaks

"Through many births I sought in vain
The Builder of this House of Pain.
Now, Builder, You are plain to see,
And from this House at last I'm free;
I burst the rafters, roof and wall,
And dwell in the Peace beyond them all."
"How sure his pathway in this wood,
Who follows truth's unchanging call!
How blessed, to be kind and good,
And practice self-restraint in all!
How light, from passion to be free,
And sensual joys to let go by!
And yet his greatest bliss will be
When he has quelled the pride of 'I'."

The Wheel Law

"The spokes of the wheel
are the rules of pure conduct:
justice is the uniformity of their length;
wisdom is the tire;
modesty and thoughtfulness
are the hub in which the
immovable axle of truth is fixed.
He who recognizes the existence of suffering,
its cause, its remedy,
and its cessation has fathomed
The Four Noble Truths
He will walk in the right path.

Buddha, the enlightened one said:

It is through not understanding, not realizing four things, that I, Disciples, as well as you, had to wander so long through this round of rebirths.
They are the Noble Truth of Suffering,
the Noble Truth of the Origin of Suffering,
the Noble Truth of the Extinction of Suffering,
the Noble Truth of the Path that leads to the Extinction of Suffering.

Truth concerning suffering

Birth is attended with pain, decay is painful,
disease is painful, death is painful.
Union with the unpleasant is painful,
painful is separation from the pleasant;
and any craving that is unsatisfied, that too is painful.
In brief, bodily conditions
which spring from attachment are painful.
Origin of suffering

Verily, it is that craving
which causes the renewal of existence,
accompanied by sensual delight,
seeking satisfaction now here, now there,
the craving for the gratification of the passions,
the craving for a future life,
and the craving for happiness in this life.

Destruction of suffering

Verily, it is the destruction,
in which no passion remains,
of this very thirst;
it is the laying aside of,
the being free from,
the dwelling no longer upon this thirst.
Destruction of sorrow

Verily, it is this noble eightfold path;
that is to say:
Right views; right aspirations;
right speech; right behavior;
right livelihood; right effort;
right thoughts; and right contemplation.

"I have recognized the deepest truth, which is sublime and peace-giving' but difficult to understand; for most men move in a sphere of worldly interests and find their delight in worldly desires."
"The worldling will not understand the doctrine, for to him there is happiness in selfhood only, and the bliss that lies in a complete surrender to truth is unintelligible to him."
"He will call resignation what to the enlightened mind is the purest joy. He will see annihilation where the perfected one finds immortality. He will regard as death what the conqueror of self knows to be life everlasting."
"The truth remains hidden from him who is in the bondage of hate and desire. Nirvana remains incomprehensible and mysterious to the vulgar whose minds are beclouded with worldly interests. Should I preach the doctrine and mankind not comprehend it, it would bring me only fatigue and trouble."
"Be merciful to those that struggle; have compassion upon the sufferers; pity the creatures who are hopelessly entangled in the snares of sorrow. There are some beings that are almost free from the dust of worldliness. If they hear not the doctrine preached, they will be lost. But if they hear it, they will believe and be saved."
"He who fills his lamp with water will not dispel the darkness, and he who tries to light a fire with rotten wood will fail. And how can any one be free from self by leading a wretched life, if he does not succeed in quenching the fires of lust, if he still hankers after either worldly or heavenly pleasures? But he in whom self has become extinct is free from lust; he will desire neither worldly nor heavenly pleasures, and the satisfaction of his natural wants will not defile him. However, let him be moderate, let him eat and drink according to the need of the body."
"Sensuality is enervating; the self-indulgent man is a slave to his passions, and pleasure-seeking is degrading and vulgar. But to satisfy the necessities of life is not evil. To keep the body in good health is a duty, for otherwise we shall not be able to trim the lamp of wisdom, and keep our minds strong and clear. Water surrounds the lotus flower, but does not wet its petals. This is the middle path, that keeps aloof from both extremes."

[ Back to Top ]