Buddhism -- Burma; Burma -- Religion; Burma -- Social life and customs
But Buddhism acknowledges only one life--an existence that has come from
the forever, that may extend to the forever. If this life is evil, then
is all life evil, and happiness can live but in peace, in surcease from
the troubles of this weary world. If, then, a man desire happiness--and
in all faiths that is the desired end--he must strive to attain peace.
This, again, is not a difficult idea to understand. It seems to me so
simple that, when once it has been listened to, it may be understood by
a child. I do not say believed and followed, but understood. Belief is a
different matter. 'The law is deep; it is difficult to know and to
believe it. It is very sublime, and can be comprehended only by means of
earnest meditation,' for Buddhism is not a religion of children, but of
men.
This is the doctrine that has caused Buddhism to be called pessimism.
Taught, as we have been taught, to believe that life and death are
antagonistic, that life in the world to come is beautiful, that death
is a horror, it seems to us terrible to think that it is indeed our very
life itself that is the evil to be eradicated, and that life and death
are the same. But to those that have seen the truth, and believed it, it
is not terrible, but beautiful. When you have cleansed your eyes from
the falseness of the flesh, and come face to face with truth, it is
beautiful. 'The law is sweet, filling the heart with joy.'
To the Buddhist, then, the end to be obtained is the Great Peace, the
mighty deliverance from all sorrow. He must strive after peace; on his
own efforts depends success or failure.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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