..续本文上一页undation stone of this pagoda was being laid, someone asked me, “Sir, why did you choose this place
”
I replied, “I did not choose the place. The place chose me.”
The entire picture is revealing itself. The greatness of this land! The purity of this land! Somewhere nearby there used to be a large port known as Suppārakapattana. It was a huge centre of business activity in ancient India, as Mumbai is today. And near this place many ascetics used to perform penances. When Vipassana started spreading, people started practicing it in large numbers.
The same is happening today. Not only in India but around the world, people are accepting Vipassana, they are accepting the words of the Buddha. In doing so, they have not joined a sect. What matters is not to call oneself a Buddhist but to practice Vipassana, to practice the Noble Eightfold Path taught by the Enlightened One, to practice sīla, samādhi, paññā, and to really benefit from the teaching of the Buddha.
The teaching of the Enlightened One does not belong to any particular caste, creed, race or sect; it is universal. And everyone accepts it. Today, there is not a single religious group whose followers do not come to join Vipassana courses. And not only that, their leaders and their teachers come to learn Vipassana.
I am dreaming of a day when as many as ten thousand people will gather here in this dome to meditate. Some will call themselves Hindus, some Buddhists, some Jains, some Muslims, but all will practice Vipassana. All will practise sīla, samādhi, paññā. This is the greatness of the Buddha”s teaching. It is universal, for one and all.
This magnificent pagoda is a symbol of the deep gratitude we feel, a symbol stretching toward the sky. My mind feels infinite devotion, infinite gratitude toward those who preserved the words of the Buddha in their pure form, as well as the practice in its pristine purity.
This pagoda is not intended for prayers or rites and rituals; it is meant for meditation. This is a land for meditation. Even in the past, how many saints have meditated on this land! Again people will meditate, for centuries they will meditate. And all humanity will benefit.
Meditators of this generation carry a great responsibility. Practice Dhamma not just for your own benefit, your own liberation, but for the benefit of suffering people around the world—for their liberation. Ripen yourselves to help others ripen. When Dhamma arises, it brings great benefit to one and all.
The Enlightened One explained that when one helps others with proper volition, no other wish arises but the urge to help, to serve. One thinks, “How can others be helped
How can others get this teaching
How can others receive benefit
How can they become liberated from misery
”
Every meditator must realize, “The way to serve is without expecting anything in return. How can I help for the benefit of many
How can I serve
What can I do so that more and more people benefit
” That is the proper volition for serving.
And along with the wish to help others is a feeling of gratitude.
Gratitude to Gotama the Buddha, who rediscovered the teaching and used it not simply for his own benefit but for the liberation of so many other people.
Gratitude to Emperor Asoka, who preserved the teaching by sending it to neighboring lands, so that it stayed alive after it was lost in India.
Gratitude toward those neighboring countries, which carefully kept the teaching in its pristine purity.
Gratitude to the saints of those countries, the chain of teachers, who kept the living practice of the Buddha”s teaching down to the present day.
Because of them, the Dhamma has returned to India and has started spreading around the world for the benefit of many.
To those who came before, let us feel gratitude. And to those still waiting for the Dhamma, let us develop mettā, the wish to serve without expecting anything in return.
May all beings be happy!
《Realizing the Dream of Dhamma》全文阅读结束。