Namo Buddhaya Sidthani.
Homage to the Buddha, Success!
The genius of the Buddha's teaching is that inner peace is a transformative power in the world. We need inner peace to create social peace, and we must use Buddhist meditation to reach this inner peace. Personal transformation is the key for social transformation. Inner peace is the key to world peace.
Buddha's teachings are very easy. There is no need to make them complicated. You must do three things only: to refrain from evil; to do what is good; and to purify the mind. That is all.
We must silence our minds, and listen inwardly until we can hear our own peaceful nature. When we hear our own inner peace, we will hear the peaceful nature of others as well. Wisdom comes from listening.
The Dharma teaches us to know, shape, and free the mind. When the mind is mastered, all the dharma is mastered. What is the key for mastering the mind? It is mindfulness.
All proceeds from mind, all we are arises from the mind. We are what we think. With the mind we create the world. Disorder and confusion in the world follows disorder and confusion in individual minds.
Only with a change of within will there be a change without. Even if it is slow in following, it win never fail to arrive.
Consciousness is the source of ethics. Our mind generates thoughts, speech, and actions. When we have a peaceful mind, we have peaceful words and deeds. We unfailingly start and return to one's mental states. Some people see meditation as opposed to action, but the Buddha said meditation is the source of action.
If you are mindful, you are a Buddha.
Peace is like water flowing everywhere. Peace making the proper response to violence. Non-violence brings peace. Peace is the highest happiness.
Peace will triumph over war when people can walk down the streets with peace in their minds. That is the only step-by-step process that will bring an end to the great suffering of the people of the world.
We must develop personal compassion as a gift to share, a gift of peace, a gift of healing.
The act of walking itself must be made peaceful,then we will peacefully affect those we encounter. The Buddha called mindfulness 'the only way.'Always in the present. At this very moment. From moment to moment. In all activity. In this very step.
Slowly, slowly, step by step. Each step is a meditation. Each step is a prayer. Each step builds a bridge to peace.
It is the contemplative state of beings that we offer as a gift to the world. Our peace-offering can take the form of meditation, having tea with a refugee, being a peaceful person during business meetings, establishing an altruistic organization, or walking together in a peace vigil. The line between activism and other activities is erased with the correct mind-state.
Responding to the present moment with loving-kindness, compassion, joy, and serenity is making peace. We must live in the present moment. This. Here. Now. Every moment is a special moment. The present moment is the mother of the future. If we take care of the mother, the mother will take care of the child.
So we must develop the right mind state, and respond to the present circumstances of our lives. We change the world primarily by our presence and our example.
We are non-confrontational, non partisan. We simply tell the people to take care, be careful, be caring, be mindful and aware. It is difficult for people to see the harm they cause if they are not mindful.
The most important action of a peacemaker is the be peaceful. We cannot be angry peacemakers. We pray for peace all over the world.
Ajahn Tawatchai, my friend, asked me to write this little book to share the Buddha's teachings with English speaker audiences. I respectfully wrote these ideas to share with all, free of charge, without any expectations, in order to share peace and happiness with all. Please excuse any mistakes I have made in this publication.
Venerable Santidhammo
Seattle, U.S.A.
Note on Romanization and Translation
l. The translations of Thai names and Pali words in this book uses mixed method between the Romanization standard of the Royal Institute of Thailand and popular spelling - with the former system considered first. Some examples are: Buddhadasa (the standard spelling), Panyananda (the popular spelling, instead of Pannananda). The main consideration is to provide the actual pronunciation with the common lettering, thus avoiding the use of special letterings which are not accustomed to common readers - unless where necessary.
2. The first time a Pali or Thai term is mentioned, it appears in italics; after that, it is in plain type.
3. This book uses the Pali words such as: Dhamma, nibbana, Tipitaka, and arahant instead of their Sanskrit equivalents; Dharma, nirvana, Tripitaka, and arhat.
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BUDDHADASA
SERVANT OF THE BUDDHA
"I hold on to the fact that I am speaking one kind of truth, and I speak with the aim to drag all of us back to the good, special and excellent old values of the old days of our forefathers.
"We are about to step out of our path and get crazy over things that are demonic - things which can make mankind destroy and lose their humanity rendering this world with no peace in sight."
Buddhadasa