Venerable Bhaddanta Dr. Kumara Gives Dharma Lecture on What Theravada Means for Our Time
Dharma Master Hsin Tao, Founding Abbot of the LJM, was born in a village near the Burma-China border and had Myanmar as his homeland. The Master returned to Myanmar to receive the Arhat Precept in 1994. He was honored with the highest degree of Buddhist recognition conferred by the government of Myanmar two decades later in 2014. Besides giving back to the community and the country that nurtured his childhood, Master Hsin Tao has spared no efforts in promoting the Dharma of Theravada for its tightly knitted structure, profundity of canon, and authenticity to Buddha’s lifetime. The two lecturers for the recent online studies shared their take on the significance of Theravada in times of the modern chaotic era and expanded on the view of employing technology to connect Dharma and the future.
Holding precepts to protect your body, mouth and mind, endeavoring to attain nirvana by learning from Buddha’s wisdom
Venerable Bhaddanta Dr.Kumara pointed out that the fundamental doctrine of Theravada Buddhism includes vinayapiṭaka, sūtrapiṭaka, and abhidharmapiṭaka. Vinayapiṭaka spelt out the precepts for Bhikkhus and Bhikkhunis to refrain from and to abide by. Sūtrapiṭaka recorded Buddhas’ teachings on how sentient beings can remove afflictions while describing the benefits that Dharma practice can bring about. Abhidharmapiṭaka are scholastic presentation of Buddhist doctrinal materials on discourses that analyze karma, the body and the mind, the reincarnation of life and death to the level of Paramattha Dhamma (Ultimate Reality). Vinayapiṭaka are about the canon of precepts. Sūtrapiṭaka are about the canon of concentration (samadhi), and abhidharmapiṭaka are about the study of wisdom. The basic teachings of Theravada Buddhism, put succinctly, are about cultivating precepts, samadhi, and wisdom.
Holding precepts can help protect one’s body and mind, said the Venerable. The world will be free of evils if people create positive karma in deeds and in words. The practice of samadhi will cease sadness and sorrows within, along with all sorts of ill-intended conducts. The study of wisdom, in line with abhidharmapiṭaka, help Dharma practitioners to realize the reality of mind and body(form) to come up with mindfulness, which lay the foundation for attaining the wisdom of “path”(magga) and the wisdom of “fruit” (phala). The attainment, said the Venerable, leads to ultimate removal of pain and possession of happiness and, therefore, it is quintessentially what Theravada Buddhism is all about. The principle of Theravada Buddhism, the Master reiterated, is to achieve nirvana by way of learning the wisdom of Buddhas.
Materialism is the hallmark of our time, and the plethora of information can cause confusion because fake news abounds and people have no peace of mind in chaotic times. Venerable Bhaddanta Dr.Kumara remarked that “solutions to the chaos of our time would be attainable if everyone holds precepts. Otherwise, the chaos will run its course and come full circle. That is exactly why Theravada Buddhism prioritizes the promotion of precepts in the hope to eradicate all bad behaviors and evil doings.”
Bring about world peace by practicing precepts, samadhi, and wisdom in our daily life
Venerable Bhaddanta Dr.Kumara added that the doctrines of Theravada Buddhism did not come from thin air. The practitioner should practice in daily life to generate confidence in the teachings to keep at bay all sorrows and fears and enjoy peace and bliss. To practice Dharma in daily life is to uphold precepts in life, to refrain from improper deeds, to maintain an agreeable atmosphere for all contacts and interactions, as well as to practice concentration through meditation. Wisdom, the Venerable said, arises when one achieves the above-mentioned tasks. When everyone attains the goal of cultivating precepts, concentration, and wisdom, world peace is a non-issue.
The Venerable gave a nod to the latest online teaching, recognizing its time efficiency and optimization of resources. He was happy to see that the participants focused on their studies and the questions they asked testified to his observation. It was hoped that the participants would benefit from the studies and apply their learning of Theravada Dharma to daily life to achieve peace and happiness from Buddha’s teachings.
Well-harnessed technology can be a plus for Buddhism as a whole
Myanmar has since long been admired as a Buddhist country of stupas. People in Myanmar abide by Buddha’s teachings for their code of conduct in economics, ethics, and societal virtues. The teachings are deeply rooted in the Burmese culture and assume a key role in people’s lives. The golden Buddhist country, however, has been impacted by changes over time propounded by ever-advancing technologies. Venerable Bhaddanta Dr. Therasabha, Deputy Dean of the School of Promotion for Dharma Education of the University, pointed out that there were four groups of Buddhist followers during the time of Buddha— Bhikkhus, Bhikkhunis, Upasakas, and Upasikas. But there no longer exist any Bhikkhunis in Myanmar, as female laities practicing precepts have replaced them. Buddhism that rested on a stand of four legs in Myanmar is nowadays supported by a tripod.
The Venerable went on to say that Buddhism in Myanmar rests primarily on the shoulders of Bhikkhus. The size of their population is a direct reflection of the popularity of Buddhism in the country. Therefore, to cultivate and groom new generations of Bhikkhus to disseminate Buddha Dharma is an all-important mission. The sense of urgency sharpens as Myanmar witnesses a shrinking populace of Bhikkhus that inevitably inflicts a crisis to Buddhism in the Country of Buddha. In the absence of Bhikkhunis altogether, the diminishing number of Bhikkhus poses a direct threat to the smooth operation of Dharma promotion in terms of interpretation and implementation.
The Venerable, however, remains optimistic about the future of Buddhism. He observes that an ever-revolving technology is here to stay and he does not agree with the viewpoint that technology would set Buddhism back. To the contrary, he argued, if technology can be put to good use for both the interpretation and the implementation of Dharma, Buddhism will continue to thrive in the future and create a win-win for both sides. The recent example of taking Theravada Buddhism online delivers a fine testament to outgrowing self-imposed limitations. There are, of course, disadvantages of technologies as noted in the instances of addictive surfing and online trafficking that spill over into the religious community, he cautioned, and these shortcomings and irregularities need to be readily remedied.
The Venerable expressed his regret at the loss of direct in-person contact with the participants in the scenario of online lectures to offer real-time input. He realized the inadequacy of technological infrastructure in the cases of unstable power supply and costly networking expenses that impact online courses negatively. Regarding the advancement of technologies, furthermore, lecturers on the giving end of the online courses need to keep up with their own learning curve as the teaching module has also changed from mostly one-way lecturing to mastering the art of multiway communication, relevant logistics for the lecture deck, and the use of high-tech teaching aids.
Venerable Therasabha said that he has no preference when it comes to lecturing. Adjustment to best suit both scenarios just described is called for. It is likely that even a third scenario can emerge that necessitates adjustment. He recounted the experience in which a power outage forced the online course to a halt and caused anxiety in his mind. But experiences always help him to understand the Internet better, and in the case of the online courses for Buddhas’ teachings, he appreciates the fact that the Internet was part of the solution to the adversities imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic for more than two years. The Venerable said that he was particularly happy to see participants online after two years of suspension and find everyone in good shape.
In wrapping up, Venerable Therasabha told the participants that there may be things that people should never do, but there isn’t any kind of knowledge that one should avoid. The Buddha’s teachings are worthwhile to anyone and it is hoped that what is learned will be spread out for promotion to make it possible that more people’s lives can thus become complete and full of joy and bliss.
The LJM rarely upholds the lineages that cover all the three Buddhist vehicles, which demonstrate respective tradition and inheritance of a glorifying mainstream Buddhism. Theravada Buddhism faithfully manifests life as it was during Buddha’s time, and it went through challenges of the time to grow and offer peace at times of chaos and confusion. Dharma Master Hsin Tao has been for decades actively involved in Myanmar for disaster relief missions, offering of daily supplies to monastics, charitable work for underprivileged children, and the education of young sramanas. Years of hard work also became a natural pavement for exchange of Buddhism between Myanmar and Taiwan, with the recent offering of online courses in Theravada Buddhism as a case in point. It is the power of vows and compassion on the part of Master Hsin Tao, Venerable Kumara, and Venerable Therasabha of Myanmar that made possible the revival of the lecture courses, which had been eagerly sought after by the participants, after a two-year break. We firmly believe that such a benevolent milieu consisting of special goodwill and positive energy will enable the monastics to achieve solid advancement in their study and help them attain the wisdom that will prove instrumental in connecting Theravada Buddhism to the world.