Vesak Day Feature 2013

Learning Point No 316

Many do not think insightfully why the Buddha said on day of enlightenment that there will be many who might not benefit from the doctrine he knew but he was persuaded by Lord Sakra to have second thoughts. 

Then towards his final days, he said that what he had taught "are like the leaves in his hand but what he had not taught are like the leaves of the forest." 

Lord Gautama Buddha

He was just stressing the point that men must know the basics and not be lost by the many leaves of the forest of spiritual or divine knowledge and issues. 

This very simplicity strikes a chord in the heart of inner truth netizen 2 as similar to what Lord Bo Tien said that there are many religions and sects which do present vast perspectives and countless leaves of the forest of spiritual knowledge to attract the attention of as many men and beings in every corner of the world as well as those in various dimensions of existence. 

But having attracted them, some or even many may fail to take cognizance of the basic values that the Buddha said are like the leaves in his hand. These are the values that will lead to enlightenment and to divine peace of saints and pure ones. 

Men, being men somehow or other may like to be awed by academic abundance of religious literature and to champion what they think is better in their own thinking or in their specific religious or sectarian preference. 

Religions and sects are doing awesome good work to bring men to divinity.  But not infrequently in their zest, they may end up doing what the founders and Buddha Gautama won't do, which is to deal and talk about the countless leaves in the forest of religious perspectives and knowledge. Men may thus be derailed and lost in the forest of knowledge. 

They deny the simplicity of truth values and overindulge and swarm themselves with the leaves of the forest rather than the handful leaves of truth handed out by the saints and prophets. They end up finding no time to live life because they are sidetracked to the forest of knowledge. 

They thus mortify and deny their life. They live less of life. Instead they indulge in the buffet of forest of leaves and never seem to complete reading and learning, let alone grasp, practice and cultivate. They forget that what matters is to practice the basics and that alone will do.

Truth dear friends is profound but still simple. We need to stick to basics and simplicity. That is all that we need. This is why our Lord Bo Tien has  spearheaded the mission to let men realise and grasp the basic truth common to and behind all religions and sects. This he refers to as the Inner Truth. 

Amitabha and Kuanyin go even to more simple level than Gautama, so much so some find it too simple to accept. Call on their names and just see through life and be at peace with issues without running away from them. 

If you can see through life,  you will be buddha or at least be with them in the Pure Abodes which were specially created for beings to accommodate them to cultivate sainthood. It is as simple as that. Just believe and see through life. That's all. 

Ji Gong even say what matters is commitment and this must come from the heart. It is not what one does, follow or eat, not even the need for devotion and rituals. Have heart and be simple and wise. 

Ji Gong

He even burnt the Buddha image to keep his followers warm in winter. This raised objections though. But this is simplicity and compassion from the heart.

The Lord Jesus

Jesus goes to the limit of simplicity and and says that we will be saved by Grace and not by being self-righteous. 

But, of course, be it in name of Amitabha, Kuanyin or Ji Gong, men in their passion and indulgence may get carried away and may still make that which is simple look complex, awesome and terrifically complicated. 

Goddess Kuanyin

Some, though infrequent, even heck care and make no effort and lift no finger, for they are awed, very much overwhelmed and lost by religious academia. They may infrequently though not that common end up making mockery of matters and do exactly what the saints and founders won't want them to do. 

Saints themselves before sainthood did make the same mistakes as these men. by their being lost in propensity for complex and elaborate scriptures, in fact volumes of them. But they gave them up preferring simplicity and the heart to attain enlightenment. They make it to sainthood. 

They started and gathered around them religious following. Over time, religions evolved but not the exactly the same as in the pioneering days. Yes they have progressed and adapted. But religions may end up as archaeological departments where the basic or inner truth is buried and perhaps fossilized.

There is need to go for the fundamentals. There is need to go upstream for clear water in any religion or sect. Lord Bo Tien is not here to start a new sect or religion but simply hope we could do that - to get to the clear water - the inner truth behind. 

Lord Bo Tien

Go for basics - the inner truth common as starting point for all. Be simple and have heart. That will do. 

But we accept this is not the view of the many. That will always be. May all still make it one day and be well and happy. 

Have a Happy Vesak 

The Buddhist Flag on Vesak Day
The basic truth behind all religions
is also in the flag

The six vertical bands of the flag represent the six colors of the aura which Buddhists believe emanated from the body of the Buddha when he attained Enlightenment:

Blue (Nīla): Loving kindness, peace and universal compassion
Yellow (Pīta): The Middle Path – avoiding extremes, emptiness
Red (Lohita): The blessings of practice – achievement, wisdom, virtue, fortune and dignity
White (Odāta): The purity of Dharma – leading to liberation, outside of time or space
Orange (Manjesta): The Buddha's teachings – wisdom

The sixth vertical band, on the fly, is made up of a combination of rectangular bands of the five other colours, and represents a compound of the other five colours in the aura's spectrum. This compound colour is referred to asPabbhassara ('essence of light').Source Wikipedia