FUNDAMENTALS OF THERAVADA BUDDHISM

Happiness and sorrow exist in this world. Happiness means lucky, successful, possessing or enjoying pleasure or good. Every human being likes to be happy. But in some form or other sorrow is inevitable in every aspect of life. Man, weak as he is, is subjected to sickness, old age and death. Contact with unpleasant things, separation, from pleasant things and not getting what one wants are all painful. From all that he loves man must part. Nothing is permanent.
Buddhists believe in the conception of the world as samara, a stream without end, where the law of Karma functions. All beings are subject to rebirth, decay, disease, death, and agair rebirth. The process is continous. The doctrine of the Chain of Dependent origination or the Chain or Causation (Patticca -samuppada), a series of twelve causes and effects, explain this chain of rebirths the wheel of existence.
Avijja-paccaya sankhara : "Through ignorance conditioned are the sankharas,"i.e.
the rebirth-producing volitions (cetana) or karma for
mations.
Sankhara-paccaya vinnam : "Through the karma formations (in past life) is condi-
tioned conscionsness (in the present life).
Vinnana-paccaya namarupam : "Through conciousness are conditioned the metaland physical phenomena (nama-rupa), " I,e that which makes up oursoxalledindivedual existence.
Namarupa-paccaya salayatana, : " Through the mental and physical phenomena are-
ditioned the 6 bases. " i.e. the 5 physical sense org-
ans and conciousness as the sixth.
Salayatana-paccay phasso : "Through the 6 bases is conditioned the (sensorial and
mental) imprssion.
Phassa-paccaya vedana : "Through the impression is conditioned feeling."
Vedana-paccaya tanha :"Through feeling is conditioned craving; "s
Tanha-paccaya upadanam : "Through craving is conditioned clinging."
Upadana-paccaya bhavo : "Through clinging is conditioned the process of bec-
ing," consisting in the active and the passive life pro
i.e. rebirth producing karma-process(kamma bhava)
and, as its results, the rebirth process (Uppathibhava).
Bhava-paccaya jati :" Through the (rebirth producing karma) process of b
coming is conditioned rebirth."
Jati-paccaya jara- maranama :Through rebirth are conditioned old age and death
(sorrow, lamentation, pain grief and despair. Thus ari
arises, this whole mass of suffering again in the futu
re.)
The highest goal of a man should, thorefore, he the state in which there is neither birth, nor disease, or fear, nor anxieties, nor old age, nor death and in which there is no continous renewal of activity.
Buddha meditated for six years, on the human suffering, its causes and the means by which it could be overcome. He had found the secret of sorrow, and understood at last why the world is full of suffering and unhappiness of all kinds, and what man must do to overcome them. He pointed a way from the world of suffering to a beyond, the undying, and those who is to attain Nirvana which is a state when one becomes free from sensual passion, free from the passion of ignorance, free the passion of existence, free from Samsara.
The sermon of the Turing of the wheel of the law, which Buddha preached to his first disciples, the five ascetics at Varanasi, is the kernel of Buddhism. This contains the "Four Noble Truths, " and the "Noble Eight fold Path" which are accepted as basic categories by all Buddhist sects.
The voluminous wrtings of Pali Canon which consists of three sections called tipitakasor three pitakas., known as Vinya (Rules of the order), Sutta (the Teachings or Sermons)and Abhidhamma (a complex mixture of metaphysic, psyxhology and mind development), in the final analyses, all lead to four Noble Truths.
The last of the Four Noble Truths is Noble Eight Fold which is the Path leading to the cessation of Pain and sorrow. Now, we are shown the Path. How shall traverse this path? From where shall we start? The following is the method ususally practiced by Theravada Buddhists.
Out of the three pitakas the largest is the sutta pitaka, which is divided into five "groups" (Nikaya). They are:- 1. Digha Nikaya,2.. Majjhima Nikaya, 3. Samyutta Nikaya, 4.Anguttara Nikaya and 5. Khuddaka Nikaya.
The Dhamapada, a part of the khuddaka Nikaya of the Nikaya of the Sutta Pitakam has in the Pali from very early times, i.e. from the period of the First Council which settled the Canon, to Verse 183 of the Dhamapada states
"Sabbapapassa akaranam
Kusalassa upasampada
Etam buddhana sasanam"
We may translate the verse as follows.
"To abstain from all evil,
to do good deeds,
to purify one's own mind,
these are teachings of all the Buddhas."
To abstain from all evil
All evil mean evil courses of action (akusalakammapattha). They are ten in number and are called ten duccaritas. They are:--
Kaya Kamma 1. Panatipata (destruction of living beings)
(bodily action) 2. Adinnadana(stealing)
3.Kamesumicchacara (unlawful sexual intercourse)
Vaci kamma 4. Musavada (lying)
(verbal action) 5.Pisunavaca(tale-bearing)(salander)
6.Pharusaavaca (harsh language)
7.Samphappalapa (frivolus talk)
Mano kamma 8. Abhijjha (covetousness)
(mental action) 9. Vyapada (ill-will)
10.Miccha ditthi (Wrong views)
All these actions are unwholesome. They all cause to unfvourable kamma results and contain the seed to unhappy destiny or rebirth. He who does these actions, if reborn as man, will beshort livid, afflicted with deseases, ugly looking, poor and needy and born of parents of inferior or mean lineage, i.e. of low descent.
To do good deeds
Good deeds mean ten sucaritas or ten good courses of action (kusala kamma patha) and ten punnya-kariya or ten domains of meritorious actions.
Ten sucaritas are nothing but the courses of action opposite to ten duccaritas. They are-
1. To abstain from killing
2. " " " stealing
3. " " " unlawful sexual intercourse
4. " " " Lying
5. " " " harsh bearing
6. " " " harsh language
7. " " " frivolous talks
8. Absence of covetousness
9. Absence of ill-will
10. Right understanding

Ten punnya-kariya are -
1. dana -alms giving or charity
2. sila -morality or precept
3. bhavana - mental development
4. apacayana -to honor or worship teachers, parents and tri-ratana.
5. veyyavacca - to do service or to attend to above
6. pattidana - sharing of one's merit or transference of merit.
7. pattanumodana - to approve, to express gratitude to other people doing meritorios
deeds
8. dhammasavan -to listen to dhamma discourse
9. dhammadesana -to lecture dhamma discourses
10. ditthijukamma - to have right view

Ten sucaritas as the courses of action practiced to avoid the ten duccaritas. These actions prevent one from going to four lower courses of existence, i.e. the nether or infernal world mostly translated with hell, in future births. Ten punnyakariya are the ten domains of meritorious actions which will provide kusala-kamma (favourable results) and will follow in future births as one's pure and real property.
People following these actions will be reborn in heaven; or reborn as man he will be long-lived, possessed of beauty, influence, noble descent and knowledge.
To purify one's mind
When one's mind is defied one is tempted to do evil deeds and talk evil words- When one's mind is pure one does good deeds and talk good words. For that reason one should control one's won mind from being defiled. "Defilements" are called the mind-defiling passions. They are ten in number and are known in Pali as tenkilesas. They are :-
1. Lobh ( greed)
2. Dosa (anger)
3. Moha (delusion)
4. Mana(conceit)
5. Ditthi ( speculative views)
6. Vicikiccha (sceptical doubt)
7. Thina (mental torpor)
8. Uddhacca (restlessness)
9. Ahirika (shamelesness)
10. Anottappa (lack of moral dread or unconcientiousness)
All these kilesas sprang from the three basic kilesas namely, lobha, Dosa and Moha.
With these three Kilesas as roots other kileasas formed in the mind. In order that they do not occur in mind or to purify the mind one should control with Bhavana or mental development. Some interpret Bhavana as meditation. Actually it the mental development and not emeditation. This mental development may be distingushed into two kinds: Development of Tranquillity (Samatha- bhavana), i.e. concentration(Samadhi), and Development of clear sight (Vipassana- bhavana), i.e. wisdom (Panna).
Tranquility (samatha) is the unshaken, peaceful and, therefore, undefiled state of mind. It bestows a threefold blessing: favourable rebirth, a present happy life, and purity of mind which is the condition to insight. This samatha bhavana, if practiced, can send a person only upto Brahma's abode as the highest award. So a person should not be satisfied with samatha bhavana alone.
Insight (vipassana) in the intutive insight into the Impermanency, Misery and Impersonality ( Annicca, Dukkha, anatta) of all bodily and mental phenomena of existence, included in the five khandha. A main is actually a compound of five psychosomatic elements, the five khandha, namely corporeality group or form, conciousness, feeling, perception and mental formation. Only vipassan bhavana can open a person to supermundane insight (lokuttara). So, one should give more attention to this vipassana bhavana.
In addition to suppressing Lobha, Dosa Maha with Bhavana, one should develop the foru sublime states, i.e, all embracing kindness, Compassion, Altruistic Joy and Equanimity called brama-vihara.
In conclusion, sorrow (sukkha) is inherent in human life. It is due to craving for individual satisfaction. The craving is the cause of human misery. It is ultimately due to ignorance which leads to the delusion of selfhood. Ignorance concern primarily with the fundamental nature of all bodily and mental phenomena of existence included in the five khandha, which has three striking characteristics. They are impermanency (anicca) misery or sorrow (dukkha) and impersonality (anatta).
Sorrow can only be stopped by stopping that craving which is the cause. This can only be done by taking a middle course between self-indulgence and extreme asceticism and leading a moral and well ordered life. This can be done by observing and practising the rules mentioned in dhamapada verse 183.
If one observes these rules, which are nothing but the essence of Buddhism, he is a person who believes in Theravada Buddhism or to state simply, he is a Buddhist.
If he strives diligently by practicing Bhavana, especially vipassana bhavana, he attained attain a state of perfect inward peace, accompanied by the conviction of having attained spiritual freedom, a state in which words cannot describe. Only he who has experienced it knows what it is. Finally, he can attain nirvana.
(The article is taken from U San Tha Aung's " The Buddhist art of Ancient Arakan).