Lesson Three: What Buddhism Is

"You yourself should walk the path”
“Buddha merelyshows the way."
Confidence

No blind faith is necessary to understand the
Dhamma. The Buddha Dhamma is built on a bed
rock of facts and realizations. The truths that
arc expounded can be tested and verified by
personal experience.

Faith in the theistic sense is not found in
Buddhism. Referring to the 'blind' nature of
faith, Voltaire said, "Faith is to believe in
something which your reasons tells you cannot
be true; for if your reason approved of it, there
is no question of blind faith."

Confidence is the product of reason, knowledge
and experience. When it is developed, confidence
can never be blind.

Confidence born of knowledge need not
necessarily be confidence born of one's
personal experience only. That is why people
pay big fees to doctors, to people who have
acquired specialized medical knowledge.

We need not undergo a medical and a
pharmaceutical course before accepting the
doctor's prescription. He has made it his
business to acquire the necessary experience
and knowledge to cure others. Being confident
of his competence, we accept and act on his
advice.

To the Buddhist, the Buddha is the greatest
instructor of all time. In the Dhamma, there is
nothing that is impractical or irrational. The
Buddha practiced what he taught, and he
taught what he practiced.

4.Come and See

The teaching of the Buddha is qualified as ehi-

passiko, inviting you to 'come and see' but not

to come and believe. The question of belief

arises when there is no seeing. The moment

you see, the question of belief disappears.

If I tell you that I have a gem hidden in the

folded palm of my hand the question of belief

arises. As you do not see the gem yourself, your

belief will be based on how well I am able to

convince you. But if I unclench my fist, the

question of belief does not arise as you can

judge for yourself whether the gem is there.

A phrase in the Buddhist texts read: "Realizing,

as one sees a gem in the palm."

Practice the Dhamma

The Buddha's teaching shows a unique path of

enlightenment and is not a subject to be

studied from a mere academic standpoint. The

doctrine must be studied first, then practiced

and finally realized.

Mere learning is of no avail without practice.

According to the Buddha, the learned man who

does not practice the Dhamma, is like a colorful

flower without scent.

Even if a person is located far away from the

Buddha but if he practices the Dhamma, is calm,

composed and restrained then that person is

close to the Master. He who sees the Dhamma,

said the Buddha, sees him. This is the advice the

Buddha gave to a monk who followed the

Blessed One like a shadow but did not practice

the Dhamma.

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