..续本文上一页witzerland, Italy, Australia, New Zealand and America. In these countries Buddhism is already having a considerable influence upon the social matrix, especially in the areas of conservation and medicine.

　　Here in Thailand, the disciples of Ajahn Puth Thaniyo number in the thousands. He has given Teachings to the royal family and almost all the important and high-ranking ministers, senators, and district representatives. Even now in his 70”s, he gives Teachings everyday in every part of the country.

　　As this is the first teaching of his to be translated into English, the translator has selected a particularly detailed, refined and comprehensive talk. If the meditator reads this talk carefully, he/she will find before them an easily accessible path of practice which can be entered into immediately and with utter confidence. As you develop the foundation for practice and the practice itself, you will soon find an extraordinary transformation beginning to occur.. an opening; a flowering, a spaciousness; a spontaneity. These are qualities which can only come into being through spiritual practice. Those who can appreciate these noble qualities won”t need any further encouragement.

　　_________________

　　Following Nature

　　Now I will take this occasion to enrich your understanding of the Dhamma, the Teaching of the Buddha. In studying Buddhism, our intention is to know the Truth - the true nature of all conditions. The Buddhist religion, which is the teaching of the Buddha, is the teaching that points to the actual truth of all conditions within nature.

　　In order to help you to understand this teaching, I will pide the word Dhamma into two categories.

　　The first category we call sabhava dhamma[1]. The second category is the conventional Dhamma; the Dhamma that is taught.

　　The sabhava dhamma was already in existence before the birth of the Buddha. We attribute sabhava dhamma as belonging to the Buddha in so far as he was the one who penetrated to the truth of all natural conditions. For example, he was the one who realized the Four Noble Truths:

　　1) Dukkha, which is the truth of suffering

　　2) Samudaya, which is the truth of the cause of suffering clinging and desire

　　3) Nirodha, which is the truth of the cessation of suffering

　　4) Magga, which is the truth of the path to the end of suffering the Eight-fold Path

　　The Buddha was the only one to realize all of this fully. Although others before him had partially realized these truths, they hadn”t come to understand cause and effect, nor did they know, as the Buddha knew, the truth of impermanence, suffering and not self[2], which are the characteristics of all conditions.

　　Prior to the birth of the Buddha these characteristics certainly existed, and there were those who had come to some understanding of the changing action involved within Nature, but they didn”t know this reality in such a deep and refined way as the Buddha; they were not able to reach to the heartwood. The Buddha was able to penetrate to the real heart of inconstancy, imperfection and not self. After he fully realized this Truth, he went out to teach it to others.

　　What is sabhava dhamma

　　 What do these words mean

　　 Actually we all have reality within us. What is that reality

　　 It is the body and mind. In addition to the body and the mind, the external environment and events around us are also sabhava dhamma. Even learning and sciences are sabhava dhamma. It is these conditions of Nature, and in particular the body and the mind, which the Buddha came to understand and to realize. In addition to realizing the truth of these things, the Buddha also knew the causes for their arising.

　　For instance, he understood the causes for rebirth as a human being. The underlying cause which supports a human birth comes from a resolve to live with…

《Following Nature》全文未完，请进入下页继续阅读…