VIHAARA DHAMMA PRAJNA DAANA ABOUT

Dhamma

Dhamma (Dharma in Sanskrit and Dhamma in Pali) is widely recognised as the teachings of the Buddha and the right way of living based on the Four Noble Truths (Cattāri Ariyasaccāni or Chatva Arya Satyani) and the Eight Fold Path (Arya Ashtanga Marga).

There is no single or simple definition except following the Dhamma means following the path of righteousness. But, how should a common lay person what is right when faced with ambiguity? This can give rise to many questions and contradictions about the Buddha, the Dhamma and the Sangha. Some questions and contradictions have been addressed in the teachings of the Venerable Ananda, texts such as "Questions of Milinda to Acharya Nagarjuna" and in other similar works.

His Holiness the Dalai Lama in one of his discourses at the Buddha Vihara had said that people should follow any path the brings peace to them. The Buddha Vihara in Gulbarga has been established to promote peace, tolerance and understanding. It is open to everyone who believes in peace and tolerance. While there can be many paths to the state of Nirvana, every path that leads to nirvana would only be based on Dhamma or Dharma or righteousness, Prajna or Wisdom and Karuna or Compassion.

 

The Story of the Enlightened Butcher from the Mahabharata

Kaushika was his parents' only son. He was devoted to his parents, yet restless and ambitious in seeking a higher plane of spirituality. Since he was young, devotion and ego both were blended in him.
"Mother, father," he said one day, " I want to go off into the jungle and devote myself to spiritual studies."
His parents were distraught.
His mother said with concern, "But son, your father and I are very old. Your father is so sick he can hardly move. If you go away, what will happen to us? Who will attend to our needs?"
Kaushika was in no mood to listen as his mind was fixed on his spiritual goals. He was determined to study the Vedas.
His mother cried in vain as she watched her son turn his back on her and leave for the jungle.
Eventually, through great austerity and severe penance, Kaushika acquired great mystical powers.
One afternoon, as he was meditating under a tree, a crane flew up, and perched herself on a branch above Kaushika. Some bird droppings fell on Kaushika's head. Kaushika was furious and threw a fiery gaze at the crane.
The crane immediately fell dead.
The sage immediately was filled with remorse over what he had done. "How could I have allowed my anger to take over me that way?" He mourned. But, he was also proud of the powers he had acquired.

Later in the day, he went to a village to beg for alms. The lady of the house asked him to wait and went to get some food. Right then her husband arrived. She immediately set aside the pot of food she was taking to the sage and went to attend her husband.
After washing his feet, giving him food, and attending to his needs, she came back out to give the alms to the sage. The sage who had waited for a long time by now felt insulted. "You put your husband before a pious sage? Do you know the power of a Brahmin?"
She calmly replied, "Yes, a true Brahmin is he who has mastered his anger. Please do not threaten me, I am not a crane that will die by your fiery gaze."
The sage was stunned. "How does she know about the crane?" he wondered.
The lady continued, "Oh holy one! You are a learned Brahmin but you have not understood the truth about virtue. If you want to be enlightened, go to Dharmavyadha who lives in Mathura. Any one will tell you where he lives."

The sage thanked the lady and hurried to Mathura. "He must be a great and learned sage indeed," Kaushika thought to himself.
But when he finally reached Dharmavyadaha's place, he found it to be a butcher shop!
A very ordinary looking man came out and said, "Welcome holy one. I am Dharmavyadaha, the man you seek."
"How can a butcher be spiritually enlightened?" Kaushika wondered in amazement.
Dharmavyadaha smiled and said with compassion, "I know the story of the crane and of the woman who sent you here. Come, let us go to my house. "
The sage could not contain himself and blurted out, "But butchering animals is such a sinful profession! Are you not ashamed?"
"I am not," the butcher calmly said. "I am engaged in my family trade. I work hard and honestly at it. There is no reason for me to be ashamed of my work!"
"Holy one," continued the butcher. "If I do injury to other creatures, so do you and others. "
"As we walk on the soil, we are trampling on numerous creatures. Nor is the air devoid of creatures."
"You see that farmer tilling the land? He is killing so many animals that thrive under the soil."
They reached the butcher's house. The butcher's wife was doing her house hold chores and his two boys were playing.
The butcher introduced the sage to his wife and boys.
Then the butcher entered the house and touched his parents' feet and introduced Kaushika to them.

Before leaving the room, the butcher remarked, "My parents are my Gods. My wife and my children attend to them with devotion and love. We consider caring for them to be our greatest duty. That is our dharma."
"In doing one's duty cheerfully, lies true virtue. This is what the dutiful wife sent you to learn."
"Oh learned one!" the butcher continued, "You have run away from your responsibilities and deserted your aged father and mother. Spiritual achievement is useless if one has neglected one's Dharma, or duties."
The sage remembered his mother crying, "Who will look after us when you are gone my son?"
The sage apologized, "You have shown me the path of true virtue, the true meaning of Dharma, Oh pious one. I am deeply indebted to you."
Kaushika immediately returned to his parents and served them with devotion till the end of their days.