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All is fleeting and elusive
By U. Mapa
While the ferocious tsunami tides shattered the concrete structures, tossed the fishing trawlers, buses and railway carriages just like balloons in the hands of little children, the Buddha statues that were hit by the mighty waves remained undamaged. This somewhat unusual happening, interpreted by some as a marvel, is being over-publicised perhaps, to highlight the power of the Dhamma.

True spirit of Dhamma
What if someone picks up a damaged Buddha statue from the tsunami affected area that has been washed off? Will it diminish the sanctity of the Buddha dhamma?

No, it is not for the intelligent Buddhists to be carried away by miracles. The Noble One himself has condemned the performance of marvels to win confidence and for propagation of His teachings. The Blessed One was once living in Nalanda. Then the householder's son Kevadda went to Him and said, "Lord this Nalanda is successful, prosperous, populous, crowded with human beings, and it is confident in the Blessed One. Lord it would be good if the Blessed One appointed a bhikkhu to work a marvel of supernormal power higher than human state, so that this Nalanda might become much more confident in the Blessed One". The Blessed One declined at once to accede to Kevadda's request.

The Buddha said "Kevadda, I do not teach the dhamma to bhikkhus in that way: some Bhikkhus work a marvel of supernormal power higher than the human state for the white clothed laity."

The Buddha who is capable of performing miracles, including the twin miracles of causing simultaneously the appearance of jets of water and fire from His body, said if miracles are displayed in order to impress people, then it is not different from a magic show. The Buddha regarded such display of miracles by a bhikkhu, as a source of shame, humiliation and disgust. Of course the Buddha praised and approved one single miracle. That is, the miracle of instructing people, in brief or in detail, to guide them on the path of Dhamma.

Samsaric sojourn
We must therefore approach these natural disasters from a Buddhist perspective. The tsunami which we witnessed last December is yet another natural hazard, millions and billions of which we have experienced and suffered in our samsaric sojourn.

Once the Buddha said in answering Venerable Ananda's question with reference to a particular person who had fallen asleep while the Buddha was giving a dhamma sermon, that he had been born as a serpent in five hundred births in the past. Then Venerable Ananda asked the Buddha, whether he was born as a serpent in five hundred consecutive births or was it the total number of births he had been born as such in his samsara. The Buddha said that He had seen with his supernormal powers that this person had been born a serpent in consecutive births five hundred times; and that even a Buddha cannot see all the samsaric births of a being, for it is unfathomable.

Venerable Ananda next asked a very interesting question from the Buddha: "Why was it that he was not interested in the Dhamma sermon the Lord gave so well". (Ven. Ananda raised this question when he saw a few others who were also not attentive to the Buddha's sermon). The Buddha's reply was equally interesting. He said, "Do you think Ananda that these Dhamma discourses are pleasing to many of those who have been indulging in lust in countless births in the past. How can it be so? Only a very few will be pleased by this profound Dhamma which leads one towards deliverance from existence."

Tragedy for all
For us, who are proclaimed Buddhists, the recent devastation caused by the tsunami should be a fitting event for wise consideration - for the application of yoniso manasikara. Not only the poor, but even the rich who travelled many thousand miles from other countries to spend a holiday were robbed of their lives and their loved ones. Many of them would have taken all possible precautions (medical checks) before they left their motherland to make sure that they would not fall ill; perhaps they had come to spend a relaxed holiday as a means to live a healthier and a long life. They were caught up in a situation which they would never have dreamed of.

State of happiness
But this is reality. The tsunami eloquently demonstrated to us the fleeting and elusive nature of that 'state' which all of us yearn for: the so called 'state of happiness' which we seek in a pervading state of unhappiness. This is an aberration - vippllasa - caused by not seeing things in the correct perspective (yatha bhutha nana). We always see pleasant in the unpleasant, permanence in the impermanent and a self in the non-self (in other words, it is our eternal (wrong) belief: that we have 'mastery' over phenomena. Even in the highest realm of existence - say, the Brahma world - this is the stark reality. That is, everything is fleeting and elusive.

Avijja
It is our avijja (not knowing reality in terms of the Dhamma) that keeps us always yearning for this fleeting nature. Many examples are given in the texts to illustrate the point: like the crab that joyfully plays in the pot of water until it's boiled; like the grasshopper that is attracted by the glow of the flame.

The problem with us is that we cannot, rather we do not like to take the trouble to, even conceptually understand the samsaric danger. Our consciousness which is so much caught up in the aberrations referred to above, will do every trick to prevent us from pondering over matters that would eventually get ourselves disenchanted with the nature of existence through realisation.

To the young, the mind will prompt "don't be in a hurry, there's still time for you, just enjoy life'', to the old it will whisper "why have a pessimistic outlook, just be your normal self and enjoy life". However the tsunamis and other agents of nature that bring you sorrow and sadness will not patiently wait until you wear the safety belt.

Law of nature
No wonder the Buddha gave up practising any more under those meditation masters under whom He went initially, Alara Kalama and Uddakrama Putta. For, their goal ended in the formless Brahma realms which are conditioned. Whatever existence or thing that arises dependent on conditions is subject to cessation.

This is the most fundamental law that the Buddha realized (yan kinchi samudaya dhammam sabbantham niridha dhammam). This law of nature is equally applicable anywhere in the universe or multiverse, in all thirty one realms at all times. This nature of things (dhammatha) is the cause for dukka. That is why the Buddha compared "existence" in any form - be it as a human being or a deva or a brahma - to human excreta; no matter whether the quantity is little or big, it stinks!!!

The Buddha, realising the futility of following the path of the two meditation gurus resolved for Himself, to find the path that leads to deliverance from the conditioned existence. And, by re-discovering the 'Ancient Path' which the Buddhas previous to the Buddha Gothama had tread namely, the Noble Eightfold Path, and treading along it, He attained the goal He desired - nibbana.

So, while we help those affected ones to overcome their traumatic experience and untold suffering, let us take from the tsunami experience a sound lesson and make the best out of the situation following the path that Patachara who underwent a similar experience led.

No amount of miracles can save us from the samsaric suffering, unless we ourselves tread the path of Dhamma wisely. Even Venerable Maha Mogallana, one of the Buddha's chief disciples who was acclaimed by the Buddha as the foremost in performing miracles among His disciples, was beaten to death (as a result of a previous kamma) by hired criminals.

(The writer is a former Public Trustee)

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