How meditation has changed me
Andy - A practising Buddhist at the Tara Centre
Andy is a Buddhist. He has been learning how to meditate over a period of three years. Now he is sharing his skill by becoming a meditation teacher. Find out what being a Buddhist means to him.
Andy, who moved to Derby from Brighton to study at Derby Uni, is now training to be a meditation teacher at the Tara Buddhist Centre in Etwall, Derbyshire.
起初，参与禅修只是想知道是否能协助自己更快乐，减低压力。
I originally went along to a meditation class to see if I could help myself to feel happier, less stressed and as a way to deal with negativity.
起头难。努力后开始受益
I found the meditation quite hard to begin with as my mind didn't want to keep still, but the teachings were very inspiring so I kept going along. It made all the hard work worth it when it started to make me feel calm and I did begin to feel much happier.
Peaceful meditation
I then started to try to do it on my own, I would do a breathing meditation which would make my mind very still and peaceful and then a meditation such as loving kindness or compassion, from a cycle of 21 meditations I was given.
三年的禅修带来很大的转变：安乐，慈悲心的发展
I have been meditating now for about three years and have certainly seen great changes in my life. I feel much more peaceful, content and able to maintain a good heart towards others. The purpose of meditation is to make us peaceful This has a knock on effect and you can't help but feel good. It is important to familiarise yourselves with states of mind that are by nature satisfying and happy.
This familiarity comes through hearing teachings or reading books, contemplating or thinking about the meaning and meditating on it.
Meditation works on a very deep level, changing your intentions and feelings, not just on the surface or at an intellectual level, but in your heart. When you've thought about the meaning or when you arise from meditation you then try to carry the feeling with you and put it into practice in your daily life.
Since 'getting on with your day-to-day life' takes up the majority of your time, I find that the meditation actually does its work after I've physically done it.
For example, if you've been meditating on loving, kindness or patience, then when you are with your friends or at work you try to put it into practice. The more I've put this into practice the happier I've become and the more I find I can help others.
I think Buddhism and meditation can be taken on many different levels according to peoples' wishes and inclinations. For some people it is to lead a happier life, for others it is to follow the Spiritual path to Full Enlightenment.
使生命更尊贵，更有意义
I feel like I am making my life very precious and meaningful, as I am using it to improve my good qualities. In this way I can attain a lasting happiness and share this with others.
I am now living at Tara centre, a Buddhist centre in Etwall, near Derby. I've been living here nearly two years. I would say the main advantages of living here would be, being part of a growing spiritual community that provides support and friendship, and an opportunity to follow a systematic study programme.
I am also training to be a meditation teacher and currently teach two classes a week, in Ashbourne and Stratford.
一个慈爱友善快乐的法团：原因？大家都训练自己的意识，奉习慈爱，智慧等等。
It is a very kind and happy community, I think because everyone is trying to train their mind and practice love, wisdom and so forth.
I find these teachings are invaluable personal advice for inner peace and happiness.
您并不需住在修持中心或自称佛教徒才能修习和获得利益。
You don't have to be living in a centre or call yourself a Buddhist to practice and benefit from them.
您只需要希望更快乐！
All you need is a wish to be happy.
Eskdalemuir, Scotland (UK) -- When one encountersanyone born in the west who is a Buddhist, the likelihood is that they were notborn into the faith, but have come to it in later life as a result of theirindividual, spiritual journey rather than because of their upbringing. And soit was with me.
file:///C:/Users/albert/AppData/Local/Temp/moz-screenshot.jpg<< Ani RinchenKhandro 出生于一个犹太和天主教家庭
Having been born in Manchesterto parents of Jewish and Catholic origins I was brought up in a Jewishhousehold and even attended a Jewish school where Hebrew was part of thecurriculum.
As with many young people my teenage years were a time of rebellion,searching for and asserting my identity. In a state of confusion anduncertainty Agnosticism seemed to be the only honest position to take.
我的工作性质使我游历不同的地方，接触不同的文化和信仰。在印尼巴厘岛生活的八年里，巴厘人的宗教信仰唤醒了沉睡的灵性
（这一段是否翻译正确？）
In adulthood my work as a writer and designer led to extensive travel andexposure to many different cultures and belief systems. The eight years I spentliving in Bali, Indonesia were particularlyinfluential in awakening my dormant spirituality. Balinese religion is aneclectic mix of Hinduism, Buddhism and Animism.
巴厘人的宗教信仰融入他们生活的每个层面。（你我是否是“初一十五佛教徒”，“卫赛佛教徒呢？）
What attracted me was the way in which the religion pervadedevery aspect of Balinese life. It isn’t something practiced predominantly onthe Sabbath but rather the essence of everyday activity manifesting ineverything from daily flower offerings distributed to a multitude of shrines inand around the home, to joyfully elaborate music and dance accompanying endlessceremonies and rites of passage.
这段期间，我阅读了很多各宗教，各信仰源流的灵修/灵性书籍。慢慢的，我阅读的佛教书籍（尤其是藏传佛教）超越了其他信仰的书籍。西藏伟大的圣人，密勒日巴尊者的事迹特别地启发我。
During this period of my life I was also a voracious reader of spiritualbooks of many traditions. It was a time of ‘spiritual shopping’. Gradually theBuddhist books began to outnumber the others with Tibetan Buddhism becomingparticularly prevalent. The story of Tibet’s great Saint, the YogiMilarepa, was especially inspiring as it demonstrated how it was possible toovercome even the most adverse circumstances and still become a Buddha in onelifetime. More contemporary inspiration came from His Holiness the Dalai Lamawhose books I devoured avidly.
On returning to the west and hearing that His Holiness the Dalai Lama wasgiving a public talk at Kagyu Samye Ling, a Tibetan Buddhist Monastery in Scotland,I lost no time in driving to this Tibetan outpost in the unlikely environs ofEskdalemuir near Lockerbie.
五月不寻常的下起雪来，似乎在欢迎尊者的来临。几千名不同年龄，国籍的听众挤满了这座寺院。不同的语言在我周遭此起彼落。突然，现场一片肃静。尊者步向讲台，慈视台下的每一个人。在几个月内，我以这座寺院出家为尼师，以这座寺院为家。
Although it was May there had been an unseasonable snowfall as if to welcomeHis Holiness and make him feel at home. Thousands of people had converged onthe Monastery, far too many to be seated in the considerable temple, so a hugemarquis had been erected in the grounds.
Taking my seat amongst a motley throng of people of all ages andnationalities, drawn together by the spiritual magnetism of this Tibetan holyman of peace, I happily waited whilst people watching, lulled by the rise andfall of multi-lingual conversations that rippled around me. Suddenly there wassilence.
His Holiness stepped onto the stage beaming at everyone with eyes of utterlove and compassion. It was a life changing occasion accompanied by anunmistakable sense of having at last come home. Little did I know that within afew months I would literally make my home at Samye Ling, much less that I wouldbe ordained as a Buddhist nun.
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Ani Rinchen Khandro is a life ordained nun in the Kagyu lineage of TibetanBuddhism. She is based at Kagyu Samye Ling Monastery and Tibetan Centre in Scotland where she has lived for the pastfourteen years, apart from the three and a half years she spent in closedretreat on Holy Island. She recently wrote abook in honour of the Centre’s fortieth anniversary, entitled Kagyu Samye Ling- The Story, which is available for purchase online.
(Jacques is a very special friend of and volunteer to the Temple.Although still at the age where most young people are finding out aboutlife, Jacques chose at an early age to become involved in helpingothers. He started learning basic First Aid when he was 15 years oldand soon thereafter began volunteering at the provincial hospital andambulance service near Volksrust.
Although so young, there was no doubt about his competence anddedication, which increased rapidly, due to the shortage of staff inthis field. He delivered 5 babies before he was sixteen!! He continuedlearning and taking all examinations relating to emergency services andafter completing school, started working at a pharmaceutical supplierand continued with his studies and volunteer work in the paramedicfield.
When an opportunity became available he took a position with a privateambulance service and is currently also a qualified instructor for theRed Cross. He was born in Ladysmith, Natal, 21 years ago. Here is hisstory….)
It's about life.
When I was asked how Buddhism changed my life, it reminded me of the question I had asked, ‘What is life?’
Coming from a strict western background, I was fortunate at the age offourteen to start looking into Eastern philosophy. Buddhism, inparticular had great appeal for me, as it’s compassion and wisdomrevealed a totally different way of looking at how everything functions.
Many years later, my first visit to Nan Hua Temple finally provided mewith access to the Great Treasury of the Dharma. Being in the emergencymedical services since the age of fifteen, I have found that theteachings of Buddhism has aided in the treatment of my patients and incoping with the demands of saving sentient beings lives.
Buddhism is to me all about life. What I love about Buddhism is that itteaches us that we are responsible for ourselves. This alone hasenabled me to change my destiny and allowed me to rise above mysituation. Buddhas and Bodhisattvas are unsurpassed Doctors, teachingus the nature of things as they really are. They give us the treatmentto remove and heal the things that cause us suffering. Anything can beachieved, as long as One has the will to continue and one applies theright amount of effort.
Buddhism has taught me that life is most wonderful and precious andthat it resides in everything. Though easily neglected, one should beaware of it's presence in every breath and thought. Even when one issuffering, one should be mindful of life in all it's forms and realizethat we are not alone in Samsara.
Nothing arises outside of Dependant Origination and nothing lastsforever. This realization alone, has changed me from being egocentricto being mindful and humble.
It has changed me from being stressed to being contemplative and has changed my anger to compassion.
Although applying Buddhism will be a life long endeavor, realizing even a small amount of Truth will be well worth it.
So how did Buddhism change my life? It is giving me the freedom to live and serve others, by teaching me how to live. http://www.nanhua.co.za/nanhua/S ... %20life_Jacques.htm
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成长于基督教家庭
I grew up in a family that had freedom of religious choice, but ourmain view of life was predominantly Christian. This was due to myfather’s faith in Christianity. All the family discipline relied onChristian teachings.
I came across Buddhism at school through my friend whose mother isoriginally from Sri Lanka and who married in Tanzania. He introduced meto the Sri Lankan temple in Tanzania, Dar es Salaam, where I metVenerable Master Hui Lee. r,It sounded crazy to my parents, when, atthe end of 1997,I told them I wanted to join the Buddhist monastery asa novice monk. It was a joke until March 1998 when I sent them a photoof me in monastic attire.
My curiosity to learn new things in life, has never ended up to today.
Life in the seminary was like a movie or day-dream, as in the beginningI felt lost in a world I did not know. The monastic outfit lookedstrange and life in general was hard. One of the brothers in theseminary joked, saying that we looked like “penguins”. I missed my lifeat home; I wanted to go home. Thanks to the right guidance fromteachers and senior novices, the days went on. Gradually the seeds weregrowing inside me unconsciously - the teachings I despised at first,became mine, and eventually I started to forget some of my previousincorrect habits and behaviors.
与大师相会
By then I was desperate to become a monk, but unfortunately there werestill some attachments inside me. Some things I was not able to let go.My conclusion was not to become a monk if I could not be a pure monk.Therefore after completing my 3 years as a novice monk, I went toTaiwan to the Main Order. Meeting the Grand Master was a wonderfulexperience that made me want to learn more by staying in the monastery.Staying in the monastery as a volunteer worker has been tremendousopportunity. I have learned a lot from different people, in sharingviews, translating, and meeting different people. I have met all sortsof people, some of whom have become important to me.
我的家庭---全世界
悲哀时，兄弟姐妹支持我
We are eight in our family but I have expanded to make the whole worldmy family. The practitioners in the temple are the family I happen tobe living with temporarily. This is the feeling inside me; in factwords cannot express this experience. When my father passed away lastyear in November, I was very shocked and my practice was not enough toabsorb the pain. But my Nan Hua temple family was there for me. I havekept this appreciation since then and it will always be in my eighthconsciousness. Through this path of my life, I have learned andexperienced things that can not be put into words. I have realized thatthe Dharma has been my transportation to a new life. Patience,compassion, acceptance, gratitude, wisdom and perseverance are tools tomy process of purification.
Patience is path to accomplishment. Patience made three years in theseminary become like three days in the garden of Pureland, it felt liketime should be extended. Practicing patience is like walking - eachstep of your walk should be a full step, with the whole sole of thefoot touching the ground, otherwise a half step will not take youanywhere.
慈悲
True Compassion/loving kindness, is what I call unlimited orunconditional love - this kind of love is so enjoyable. Doing somethingfor the benefit of others without any expectations, brings truehappiness. When you do something for the benefit of othersunconditionally with a successful outcome, it brings true joy andpositive energy to being a better person.
Acceptance is a seed of daily happiness, accepting any kind of outcome,which when combined with gratitude makes daily life full of joy andmore interesting. It brings the tool of positive energy that canovercome regret, grief, and suffering. One’s heart is ready to acceptany circumstances with gratitude. With acceptance and appreciation,even adverse circumstances are a turning point leading to a new chapterin life.
Wisdom is a tool for effective outcomes. It is a foundation with a goalof self-observation. In order to practice fully, you need wisdom toachieve effective results.
Be PATIENT when going through life’s circumstances, no matter if theyare favourable or adverse. With COMPASSION you are able to ACCEPT them,while GRATITUDE/ APPRECIATION should be the reaction whatever theoutcome. WISDOM is what we seek to attain for our spiritual growth.Before and during the process of self-observation, it’s important toestablish the concept of PERSEVERANCE, which should bring peace ofmind. Realize peace of the world from within to bring peace to theuniverse. Your inner world projects the external world. Right action,Right speech, and Right thought are nourishment to other people’sworlds from your peaceful world.
印度宪法之父和300,000 ‘贱民’归佛：自由，平等，智信
Ambedkar's attraction to Buddhist philosophy
“贱民”的救主：Dr.Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar
Seoul, South Korea -- Dr. Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar, the savior ofuntouchables, was born on April 14, 1891, at Mhow (now in the state ofMadhyapradesh) in India. He belonged to the lowest caste among Hindus;he was an outcast.
<< B.R. Ambedkar
“贱民”受到不平等对待
The untouchables had to sit separately in schools. They were not taughtwell in schools. They were not allowed entry into temples or theresidences of upper caste Hindus. Higher education was denied tountouchables. Yet with the help of the king, Gaekwad of Baroda, he wentto Columbia University, in New York, and earned his Ph.D. in Economicsin 1917. His thesis: "The Evolution of Provincial Finance in BritishIndia."
After returning to India, he could not serve the king as agreed uponbecause the other Hindus ill-treated him. Hence, he took a job teachingat Sydenham College in Bombay and later studied law at Gray's Inn inLondon. At last, due to many humiliating experiences he decided todefend the poor and illiterate untouchables against the atrocities ofupper-caste Hindus.
He researched the origin of untouchability and dug out from history thefact that they were the broken men, the first followers of Buddha. Theylived in ghettoes outside the cities because they were broken men fromother tribes who were not allowed into Hindu settlements. The Buddhapreached them his religion, ate with them, and lived among them. Theycalled themselves Nagas because they worshipped snakes. The Hinduscalled them Dravidas, Dasas, Dasyus, and Rakshas, among other names.
“贱民”先祖是佛陀的护持者
Ambedkar was proud that his ancestors were the first supporters ofBuddhist philosophy. He thought that Hindu philosophy had weakened thehuman mind through its restrictions, superstitions, caste system, anduntouchability, whereas Buddha's philosophy was rationalist andencouraged free thinking and practicality. Naturally, it strengthenedthe human mind and there arose kingdoms of Nagas out of the broken men.Naga kings patronized Buddhism. It spread far and wide. Later, in thethird century B.C., during the reign of Ashoka, the popularity ofBuddhism reached its zenith.
宪法之父 和 300,000 “贱民”共同归依佛陀！
Ambedkar appreciated and loved Buddhism so much that he converted toBuddhism in 1951 along with his followers, who were nearly three lakh(300,000) in number.
佛陀为唯一的最崇高的导师
He openly accepted that his highest teacher was Buddha. Why did hethink so? What attracted him to Buddhism? The answer may lie in thefollowing facts.
佛教是“贱民”的祖传宗教
佛陀的教导---最高的智慧
Buddhism was the ancestral religion of untouchables as explained in hisbook, The Untouchables. Buddha's philosophy was so simple and sopractical that the simplest layman could gain results by followingthem. At the same time, Buddha's teachings contained the highestwisdom, which the wisest rejoice in understanding.
佛教徒有真正的自由
Buddha never insisted that his philosophy was the best. He was boldenough to let his followers freely leave the fold of Buddhism as soonas they felt that it was wrong and of no use. No other founder ofanother religion ever dared to do that.
佛陀不教导迷信，奇迹。
Buddha never employed superstition, magic, or miracles. He followed thepath of rational discussion and persuasion to preach to his followers.
佛陀是人！他从来期望其他人尊称他为神，先知，神子。
Buddha never claimed divinity for himself in any form. He remained aman in the beginning, in the middle, and in the end. He never desiredto be called God, God's messenger, or God's son.
佛陀是人类追求知识的榜样。
Buddha's effort in his quest for knowledge is a model to us all. Heleft no great teacher of his time un-consulted. Yet, they could notgive a satisfactory answer to his problem. He decided to seek theanswer on his own. For this, he followed the path of meditation,self-torture, and self-denial, but in vain. At last, he realized themiddle path to enlightenment.
佛陀的出离：为了人类的幸福
And what was his quest for? His problem was not selfish. He wanted toknow why dukkha existed on earth. To find the solution to the universalsuffering of mankind, he renounced his happiness, family life, andkingdom.
Maybe all these aspects of the life of Buddha attracted Ambedkar.
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“贱民”归佛22誓言：
1) I shall have no faith in Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesh nor shall I worship them.
2) I shall have no faith in Rama and Krishna who are believed to be incarnation of God nor shall I worship them.
3) I shall have no faith in ‘Gauri’, Ganapati and other gods and goddesses of Hindus nor shall I worship them.
4) I do not believe in the incarnation of God.
5) I do not and shall not believe that Lord Buddha was the incarnationof Vishnu. I believe this to be sheer madness and false propaganda.
6) I shall not perform ‘Shraddha’ nor shall I give ‘pind-dan’.
7) I shall not act in a manner violating the principles and teachings of the Buddha.
8) I shall not allow any ceremonies to be performed by Brahmins.
9) I shall believe in the equality of man.
10) I shall endeavor to establish equality.
11) I shall follow the ‘noble eightfold path’ of the Buddha.
12) I shall follow the ten ‘paramitas’ prescribed by the Buddha.
13) I shall have compassion and loving kindness for all living beings and protect them.
14) I shall not steal.
15) I shall not tell lies.
16) I shall not commit carnal sins.
17) I shall not take intoxicants like liquor, drugs etc.
18) I shall endeavor to follow the noble eightfold path and practice compassion and loving kindness in every day life.
19) I renounce Hinduism, which is harmful for humanity and impedes theadvancement and development of humanity because it is based oninequality, and adopt Buddhism as my religion.
20) I firmly believe the Dhamma of the Buddha is the only true religion.
21) I believe that I am having a re-birth.
22) I solemnly declare and affirm that I shall hereafter lead my lifeaccording to the principles and teachings of the Buddha and his Dhamma.
导演的亲身经历，闻后感动哭泣
…..He (Bernardo Bertolucci) spoke about the Tibetan lamas he had metand how he had come from a non-religious background himself, anon-believer, like me. But when he met these lamas, they sort of“infected” him, you know? And as he told the story, I started crying,and realized I wanted very much to be there.
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I started to have Dharma books shipped out to me whilst I was doingMuch Ado About Nothing, and began reading, practicing posture and doingsitting meditation. The first things I learnt were the Four NobleTruths: suffering, the cause of suffering, the end of suffering, andthe path that leads to the end of suffering. The Buddhists believe inno “self”. The “I”—what we call the “ego” in the West—does not exist.
When I was in Nepal to do the costume fittings, I met a “master”, aRinpoche (Buddhist adept), who was working with Bernardo. I had somesessions with him doing personal training.
He gave me a couple of meditations and he spoke to me about basicallyworking on the notion of “self”. He told me to come to terms with that,then move onto the more subtler aspects, and basically come tocompassion and wisdom– and you will experience real happiness!
非靠信仰，应如验金般验证
The I began working with the Rinpoche who taught me how to deal withthe sense of self. I also learnt many Buddhist practices from him. ButRinpoche also told me not to take what he said on faith! “Taste it,bite it, test it like gold.” I think that is Buddhism’s strength. It’snot proselytizing. A Buddhist will not make you say 14 Hail Marysbefore they give you food. It’s not about that. The principle that haskept me interested in Buddhism is that Buddhist are interested in thetruth. The bottom line in Buddhism is love and compassion and kindnessand happiness for all beings.
500 dalits convert to Buddhism 五百“贱民”归佛
by Muzaffarnagar, Press Trust of India, June 3, 2006
Uttar Pradesh, India -- As many as 500 Hindu dalits reportedlyconverted to Buddhism at a ceremony supervised by the Buddhist Societyof India in Saharanpur district.
According to Acharya Pragya, divisional incharge of the Society, 500Hindu dalits were converted to Buddhism at a religious gathering inAmbola village on Friday.
He claimed close to 5000 dalits have converted to Buddhism in the past couple of months in western Uttar Pradesh.
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Why Dr. Ambedkar renounced Hinduism?
Dr. Ambedkar's role as a prominent constitution maker of India is quitewell known. However, his views on religion, particularly his reasonsfor renouncing Hinduism, the religion of his birth, are not as widelyknown. Ambedkar who was born in an "untouchable" family carried on arelentless battle against untouchability throughout his adult life. Inthe last part of his life, he renounced Hinduism and became a Buddhist.What were his reasons for doing so?
A detailed answer to this question can be obtained by studying his TheBuddha and His Dhamma, Annihilation of Caste, Philosophy of Hinduism,Riddles in Hinduism etc. Nonetheless, some of his articles, speechesand interviews before and after his conversion to Buddhism throw somelight on this question.
Ambedkar’s statement in 1935 at Yeola Conference is quite instructivein this regard. Ambedkar believed that the untouchables occupied a"weak and lowly status" only because they were a part of the Hindusociety. When attempts to gain equal status and "ordinary rights ashuman beings" within the Hindu society started failing, Ambedkarthought it was essential to embrace a religion which will give "equalstatus, equal rights and fair treatment" to untouchables. He clearlysaid to his supporters "select only that religion in which you will getequal status, equal opportunity and equal treatment…"
Evidently, after a comparative study of different religions, Ambedkarconcluded that Buddhism was the best religion from this point of view.
In his article "Buddha and the Future of his Religion" published in1950 in the Mahabodhi Society Journal, Ambedkar has summarized hisviews on religion and on Buddhism in the following manner:
1. The society must have either the sanction of law or the sanction of morality to hold it
together. Without either, the society is sure to go to pieces. 2.Religion, if it is to survive, it must be in consonance with reason,which is another name for science.
3. It is not enough for religion to consist of moral code, but itsmoral code must recognize the fundamental tenets of liberty, equalityand fraternity.
4. Religion must not sanctify or make a virtue out of poverty.
According to Ambedkar, Buddhism fulfilled these requirements and soamong the existing religions it was the only suitable religion for theworld. He felt that the propagation of Buddhism needed a Bible.Apparently, Ambedkar wrote The Buddha and his Dhamma to fulfill thisneed.
In the same article, Ambedkar has enumerated the evils of Hinduism in the following manner:
1. It has deprived moral life of freedom.
2. It has only emphasized conformity to commands.
3. The laws are unjust because they are not the same for one class as of another. Besides, the code is treated as final.
According to Ambedkar, "what is called religion by Hindus is nothing but a multitude of commands and prohibitions."
In the same year, Ambedkar delivered a speech on Buddha Jayanti day inDelhi, in which he attacked Hindu gods and goddess and praised Buddhismbecause it was a religion based on moral principles. Besides, hepointed out, unlike the founders of other religions who consideredthemselves emissaries of god; the Buddha regarded himself only as aguide and gave a revolutionary meaning to the concept of religion. Hesaid that Hinduism stood for inequality, whereas Buddhism stood forequality.
In May 1956, a talk by Ambedkar titled "Why I like Buddhism and how itis useful to the world in its present circumstances" was broadcast fromthe British Broadcasting Corporation, London. In his talk Ambedkar said:
I prefer Buddhism because it gives three principles in combination,which no other religion does. Buddhism teaches prajna智慧 (understandingas against superstition and supernaturalism), karuna 大悲(love), andsamata平等 (equality). This is what man wants for a good and happy life.Neither god nor soul can save society.
神或灵魂并不能救我们的社会
In his last speech delivered in Bombay in May 24 1956, in which he declared his resolve to embrace Buddhism, Ambedkar observed:
Hinduism believes in God. Buddhism has no God. Hinduism believes insoul. According to Buddhism, there is no soul. Hinduism believes inChaturvarnya and the caste system. Buddhism has no place for the castesystem and Chaturvarnya.
佛教不相信神和灵魂。
It is obvious that Ambedkar regarded Buddhism as a much more rationalreligion compared to Hinduism, rather the most rational religion. Hismain objection to Hinduism was that it sanctified inequality anduntouchability through its doctrine of Chaturvarnya. Buddhism, on theother hand, rejected Chaturvarnya and supported equality. He commendsBuddhism for rejecting god and soul and for emphasizing morality.According to him, prajna (understanding as against superstition andsupernaturalism), karuna (love), and samata (equality), which Buddhismalone teaches, is all that human beings need for a "good and happylife".
Ambedkar’s final religious act was to embrace Buddhism. His work TheBuddha and his Dhamma contains his own understanding and interpretationof Buddhism. We may say that Buddhism as expounded in this book is whatAmbedkar embraced and recommended. In this book Ambedkar has tried tointerpret Buddhism in a rationalistic manner. Ambedkar did not believein the existence of god and soul. This is obvious from the reasons hehas given for embracing Buddhism as well as from his interpretation ofBuddhism in Buddha and His Dhamma. In Buddhism, as interpreted byAmbedkar, there is no place for god and soul. Further, according toAmbedkar, Buddha did not believe in rebirth, karma and moksha astraditionally conceived. Besides, Buddha rejected the varna vyavastha.
It is widely recognized by scholars of Buddhism that Buddha did notbelieve in god and soul and also that he rejected varna-vyavastha.However, according to the traditional interpretation of Buddhism,Buddha did believe in rebirth and the related doctrine of "bondage" andliberation (nirvana). Ambedkar's interpretation of Buddhism differsfrom the traditional interpretation on this point. But regrettablyAmbedkar has not documented his book Buddha and his Dhamma. Thereforeit is not possible to say how he arrived at his alternativeinterpretation of Buddhism. From a rationalist and humanist point ofview, one may say that Buddhism is a better religion than Hinduism andthat it is closer to rationalism-humanism compared to any otherreligion. Still, it cannot be denied that Buddhism is a religion andcertain elements like faith, worship and other-worldliness orsupernaturalism, which are common to all religions, are also found inBuddhism. Therefore the best thing is to give up all religions andadopt rational humanism as a philosophy of life.
Dr. Ramendra
Reader, Department of Philosophy
Patna College, Patna University
Award winning writer to embrace buddhism
Hidustan Times, Sept 24, 2006
Mumbai, India -- Nomadic author Laxman Mane, whose autobiography Upara (Outsider) is revered in Marathi Dalit literature, will embrace Buddhism along with lakhs of his supporters next month.
The move is expected to create ripples across Maharashtra’s religious structure and comes half a century after the framer of the Indian Constitution, Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar, called on the lowest Hindu castes to abandon their religion and become Buddhists.
“It’s my small effort to realise Dr Ambedkar’s dream,” Mane said.
Asked why he chose Buddhism, Mane (55), the youngest winner of the Sahitya Academy Award, said that tribals were “unknowingly” following Lord Buddha’s teachings. “But now we’ve realised that our practices are pretty close to Buddhism.” Mane, now associated with the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), said the conversions would protest “government apathy”. He said: “Forget a decent standard of living, most of us don’t even get shelter and proper food. Our literacy percentage is a mere 0.06.” There are around 350 million Buddhists worldwide, a growing number in the West. Maharashtra has 5.8 million Buddhists, according to the 2001 census, the highest in India, followed by Uttar Pradesh and Karnataka.
Mane expects a “sizeable number” from Maharashtra’s 42 nomadic tribes to embrace the new faith.
“We’ll organise a mass diksha (ritual of initiation) rally in Mumbai on December 16,” he said. Initially, 100 representatives will convert on October 2. The two-month conversion movement will start on October 16 at Chandrapur, a tribal district in eastern Maharashtra.
However, Mane refused to term the move ‘conversions’. He said: “We (tribals) have never followed Hinduism and its social norms. So there’s no question of relinquishing any religion.” While Mane denied any political agenda, experts said his conversion would benefit the NCP. He was recently appointed as chief of the Nomadic Tribal Welfare Board, a government undertaking. A close friend of NCP boss Sharad Pawar, Mane works in tandem with Pawar’s daughter and Member of Parliament Supriya Sule for tribal welfare.
Mane’s conversion will be held on Dhamma Parivartan Din, the day of conversion traditionally celebrated on Dussehra, in Nagpur’s Diksha Bhoomi on October 2 this year.
Ambedkar embraced Buddhism on the same day, which fell on October 14 in 1956. But he died the same year, before he could give diksha to his followers on December 16.
十万印度“贱民”将会在星云大师见证下归佛
100,000 to Become Buddhists in Hydrabad on 14th October
by Vishvapani, http://www.ambedkar2006.blogspot.com/, The Buddhist Channel, Oct 9, 2006
Hydrabad , India -- A hundred thousand people will become Buddhists inHydrabad on 14th October in a huge meeting in the East Indian state ofAndra Preadesh, that will include up to 400,000 people. The chieforganizer is KSR Murthy, a former member of India’s parliament, the LokSabha.
<< Dr. Ambedkar's call for emancipation from the oppressivecaste system still resonates in the minds of his new followers.
The event will take place at Dr. Ambedkar Statue on the Tank Bund: thespiritual center for Hydrabad’s Ambedkarites. Every year a very largegathering marks the anniversary of Dr Ambedkar’s conversion on 14October; this year Murthi expects 3-400,000 to attend with 100,000converting for the first time. Many similar ceremonies will take placearound India on the same date, but this will probably be the largestconversion ceremony. The wave of conversions will culminate in a muchlarger ceremony in Bombay on 16 December.
Presiding over the ceremony will be Ven. Hsing Yun President of theBuddha Light organization, which is based in Taiwan and has 120 centersaround the world. The presence of a senior figure in Chinese Buddhismis a significant development for the conversion movement, which hasmainly made connections with the Theravadin Buddhism of South East Asiaand Sri Lanka. Ven.Hsing Yun will administer the Buddhist refuges inChinese (the ceremony through which one becomes a Buddhist) and theVen.Vinayarakkhitha will translate them into Telugu, the local language.
Murthy, who was born in a small village a day’s journey from Hydrabadbut has become a prominent spokesman for his community will be becominga Buddhist himself on that day. He has prepared by studying works onBuddhism including Dr Ambedkar’s book, ‘The Buddha and Dhamma andtaking up meditation. He comments:
‘The dalits situation is still dismal. No political party is committedto making them equal partners in building modern India and though hugesums are said to devoted to their welfare, in reality the money isgoing down the drain. Untouchability continues to be practiced in thevillages and even senior officers from our community encounterdiscrimination. ‘Though we feel that conversion can't eradicate all ofthese problems we do believe that it can lead us to a better future inthe form of Buddhist practice. I feel my whole life started to changewhen I first leant vipassana meditation and now that is my path ofservice to humanity.’
佛陀和好莱坞的相遇
Buddha Meets HollywoodBy Susanne Weingarten, Spiegel Online, Dec 20,2006Los Angeles, USA -- When Richard Gere meditates in India, even theDalai Lama makes time for his famous acolyte. Religion has become theopiate of choice for the U.S. acting profession. Some stars need it tomassage their egos. But for a heart-throb like Gere, meditation may bethe path to overcoming his narcissism.
<< Dalai Lama, acolyte Gere: "You have no idea how much monkey stuff is going on in your mind, how cluttered it is" (DPA)
失丧的过去：忧郁，自杀倾向
When Richard Gere reflects on his youth, he pictures a depressive,brooding, lost young man with a leather jacket and long hair. Someonetoting around a copy of Jean-Paul Sartre's existentialist tome Beingand Nothingness. Someone harboring thoughts of suicide who checkedhimself into a New York psychiatric clinic at the age of 21.
When others recall the young Richard Gere, sex comes more readily tomind than existentialism. In his home city of Syracuse he had girls"diving at him from across the street," Gere's sister Joanne recalls.He was a "gorgeous hunk," gushes one theater director who had shared adressing room with Gere at the Provincetown Players in the late 1960s.Like the rest of the troupe, he looks back with gloomy nostalgia at thesupple ex-gymnast with the irresistible erotic aura. That's how easilyself-image and external perceptions can diverge.
The erotic aura no doubt helped make Gere a movie star in the firstplace. His 1980 breakthrough - American Gigolo - featuring the actorplaying a high-class Beverly Hills toy boy, is basically about Gere'sphenomenal sexual impact on his environment.
佛陀的真理使他找回生命的意义，给予他希望
But it was a glimpse of his inner self that made Richard Gere aBuddhist. The depressed young man had sought meaning in life and a wayout of despair. He finally found both - not in the writings of Sartrebut in Eastern religion. "Back then doubts were eating away at me,"Gere noted a few years ago. "And Buddhism as a religion seemed like thetherapeutic way to deal with that. I know it was the right decision.For the first time, I felt I had really found myself."
After the Dalai Lama, the 57-year-old Gere is the Western world's bestknown Buddhist. Nevertheless, to this day many find it hard toreconcile his Hollywood success with his faith. "Monk or macho?" askedPlayboy, displaying characteristic subtlety.
When Hollywood greats discover their spirituality and begin extollingthe virtues of introspection in a world that rewards superficialitywith dizzying fees, skepticism toward professed piety comes easy. Manystars indulge in faith-hopping, desperately chasing the latest trend(and the promise of everlasting youth, perpetual success and eternallife). The winds of psychospirituality blow constantly throughHollywood. First it was Buddhism, then came Scientology, followed bythe New Age guru Deepak Chopra. And for the past few years stars haveembraced the questionable merits of the Kabbalah movement, the currentdoctrine du jour of the cinema city.
Most popular of all are the guilt-free spiritual fads that survivewithout taboos or a stern, vengeful God, and refrain from preaching therenunciation of all worldly pleasures. Piety has no place here, nordoes submitting to the commandments of a higher being, as in theJudeo-Christian tradition. Instead, it fulfills a largely therapeuticfunction, as Gere's case illustrates. It focuses on the individual,emphasizing high self-esteem and well-being. Religion can then becomean active lifestyle component, alongside the psychotherapist, the Yogainstructor, the nutrition adviser and the personal trainer. InHollywood, fulfillment is viewed solely through the prism of commercialsuccess. And success means staying mentally and physically fit.
Scientology and Kabbalah in particular have repositioned their brand ofreligion as a training camp for the spirit. These two movements promisedisciples total wish-fulfillment, even in the most profane of realms.They pledge to deliver better sex, bigger fees and greater professionalsuccess. Both appeal to the ambition - not to mention megalomania - ofmany Hollywood stars.
In an industry that espouses "Nobody knows anything" as its soleprecept, these prospects of fulfillment satisfy a need - something Gerealso understood. They offer stability in a world where success and famehinge wholly on intangible factors, and everyone is only as good astheir last film. And they are empowering: the individual gains theability to influence his or her own development, no doubt a persuasivenotion to these high-strung artists.
The story goes that Gere took to his bed fully clothed after he wasfired as the lead actor in The Lords of Flatbush in the mid-1970s. Thenhe experimented with meditation for the first time.
禅修带来没有压力的生活
Now he sets aside at least three-quarters of an hour a day for hisritual, rising at 4:30 a.m. if necessary because, he says, thisintrospective interval ensures him "a relaxed, stress-free life,"adding that "Almost all forms of meditation are a form of looking atthe mind. At the start you are almost amazed how much noise is going onthere. You have no idea how much monkey stuff is going on, howcluttered it is. You look at that and you're acknowledging what themind is, you're taming it, and when you have done that you have learnedthe power of concentration."
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Gere has never exploited his belief system to serve his career, unlike, say, the L. Ron Hubbard adepts Tom Cruise and John Travolta. Instead he comes across as a man who has used religion as a deliverance from his egocentricity, rather than as a tool for spiritual justification and selfaggrandizement. Gere is a narcissist seeking to overcome his infatuation with his own image.
Gere has always been fascinated by the "idea of emptiness" in Eastern religions. "That I was going to disappear was a positive thing to me", he has said. "I would be negated and there would be no more pain because there would be no me. And, I think I'm still hoping that will happen, but I see it in a slightly different way now."
In a city of inflated egos Richard Gere has spent decades cutting himself down to size. This forceful renunciation of self may merely be narcissism in its purest form, in which modesty conceals vanity. On the other hand, Gere's attitude is a whole lot more palatable than the messianic complexes of many Hollywood A-listers.
Apparently Gere's disappearing act has been successful. Journalists who meet him are wont to describe the man as "elusive as smoke," even as a "great big nobody." He is notorious for avoiding interviews, particularly when the questions probe his private life. (Following his divorce from the model Cindy Crawford, he has remarried and has a young son). He prefers turning the conversation toward politics and Buddhism. "You are free when you are no longer at the center of your own life," he professes.
Which does not mean he feels the urge to abandon his Hollywood career. "In this lifetime" his job happens to be acting. "In other lifetimes there are other jobs," he says. Richard Gere, reincarnated as an accountant?
And the fame? All Hollywood stars claim they have little interest in being a celebrity, and are committed only to their craft. Very few sound credible - not even other Hollywood Buddhists like Sharon Stone, Tina Turner, Orlando Bloom, Steven Seagal and even Oliver Stone. But coming from Gere, this assertion rings true: his celebrity status might really be a source of discomfort. He seems keenly aware of his limited role in the big picture. A few years ago, he said he felt more comfortable now that he could put his fame to a good cause.
His private therapeutic journey has taken the American Gigolo on a sociopolitical crusade; now he can demonstrate that life no longer revolves solely around him. As a disciple of the Gelugpa School of Buddhism that holds sway predominantly in Tibet, Gere has embraced the cause of the repressed Tibetans. Several times a year he visits Dharamsala in northern India, the seat of the Tibetan government in exile, where he practices his faith under the tutelage of the Dalai Lama himself - such are the perks of global stardom. But he's also a political activist.
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In 1987 he helped found the "Tibet House," a cultural institute in New York City. Later he set up the Gere Foundation, which aids Tibetan refugees and promotes an autonomous Tibet. Gere comes across as a knowledgeable lobbyist when he attends conferences, makes speeches and writes op-ed pieces. He is unwelcome in China after repeatedly condemning the ongoing Chinese occupation - once even during the Oscar awards in the early 1990s.
Gere is "an amazing man," says director David Siegel, who shot the religious family drama Bee Season with the actor in 2005. "He spends a huge amount of time at the service of helping others."
为什么是佛教？为什么不是基督教？
Why, of all faiths, was it Buddhism that helped Gere to the enlightenment and wisdom that his friends believe he's attained today? Why not Christianity, the religion he was raised with? The son of an insurance agent and homemaker in upstate New York, Gere grew up in a middle-class family. He was one of five children whose parents sang in the choir of the Methodist Church they attended every Sunday. That's light years from Dharamsala.
认为教会腐败，远离基督教导
But Gere considered Christian institutions "corrupt." His religious upbringing seemed far removed from the teachings of Jesus Christ, more concerned with preserving the Methodist establishment. Discovering meditation was tantamount to finding his "real life." He said, "Every time I sit down and wrap my legs over my knees, I see this image of myself and I say, 'Where the f*ck did this come from?' I have no idea." But Gere believes in karma, a deep inner bond that led him to Tibetan Buddhism.
Switching religions is more commonplace in the United States than in Europe. California, the "Coast of Dreams," which draws those who feel constrained in other, more religiously claustrophobic parts of the country, has demonstrated a great tolerance for all forms of spiritual adventure. The first commandment in the Golden State is to seek out the belief system that suits you best. If the appeal of your parents' religion has faded, California offers an alternative.
The insurgent Beat Generation writers of the 1950s were responsible for introducing Buddhism onto the American religious scene. It suited their antiauthoritarian, revolutionary streak that Buddhism had no patriarchal God presiding over all things; so did its doctrine that everything is part of a grand order of things.
Of course, the Beats could never have foreseen the sway that Buddhism would hold over hierarchical and strictly conservative Hollywood. But at least the Dalai Lama seems to have grasped the involuntary absurdity of the film industry. When he first met Gere in the early 1980s, he asked the star whether he actually felt the emotions he portrayed on screen. Gere replied that this made them appear more credible. His holiness burst out laughing. Evidently the acolyte is still mystified by his master's amusement.
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