Buddhism Classroom Series 1 - Four Struggles

四門出遊

[This is the content of the Buddhism lecture at the Full Moon Sutra　Writing　Event]

As you know, Buddha was what we call a rich young man. No, not just any rich young man. He was a very rich young man. He was actually the son of a king, in other words, a prince. He was a prince of the Shakya clan and lived in a castle called Kapila Castle.

Was it normal for Buddha to go through a rebellious phase when he reached adolescence? He was dissatisfied with life only within the castle walls and selfishly demanded to go outside the castle.

When he stepped outside the east gate, he saw an old man staggering along. He was surprised to see this old man for the first time and asked, "Who is that?"

The servant replied, "He is an old man. As we grow older, our physical functions decline, our appearance changes, and our energy weakens.

This is called 'old age. '" Buddha was surprised and shocked by to see such an old man for the first time and returned to the castle.

The Buddha's adolescent selfishness knows no bounds, and now he wants to go out through the south gate.

This time, a sick man appears, emaciated and in pain. He again asks the servant, "Who is that man?" The servant replies, "He is a sick man."

"What do you mean by 'disease'?" the attendant explained. "All humans will eventually get sick and become like that." Seeing the harshness of reality, which he had never seen before, the young Buddha was devastated.

The next time,he left through the west gate, He came across a funeral.

When he asked, "Who is that?" the servant replied, "That is a dead person. All humans will eventually die and become like that." The Buddha, who had never known death, was so shocked that he fell into deep thought.

In the end, all humans grow old, get sick, and die. If so, what is the purpose of human life?

What is the point of a life that is all about luxury and chasing after fun? How can we be truly happy?

That's right, the origin of Buddhism was when the young Buddha pondered, "What can I do to become happy?" But if you think about it, the goal of not only Buddhism, but of all people in life is, "I want to be happy!"

It's the same for modern people. And yet, even though we study to become happy, work hard to have a happy life, and get married to have a happy family, passing time makes us selfishness and laziness emerge from ourselves .

The Buddha was troubled, and finally left through the north gate. There he encountered a monk who is in a religion. He was dressed very simply, but had a dignified and calm expression, and the Buddha suddenly realized something.

"Even though we are destined to grow old, suffer from illness, and eventually die, we can still live calmly and honestly like that monk. It all comes down to the heart! It all depends on the heart!"

Moved by this, or rather, deeply moved by it, the Buddha began to think about his own life and sought to become a monk.

In other words, the ascetic seemed happier than the prince, who lived a life of luxury. He found an answer to the question, "What is happiness?" that is relevant to modern people.

These four great sufferings of birth, old age, sickness, and death are the truth that Buddha realized before he became a monk, but if you think about it carefully, it turns out that his attendants and servants taught him these things! Buddha simply didn't know things that everyone knows, but even commonplace things can be learned differently depending on how you perceive them. Enlightenment is surely the ability to see and feel different things by looking at things from a different angle.

In addition to these four great sufferings, there is the suffering of separation from loved ones, the truth that one must inevitably part with one's loved ones; the suffering of meeting with hated ones, the truth that one must meet even those one hates and abhors; and the suffering of not obtaining what one desires, the truth that there are some things one cannot obtain even if one desires them so badly.

And finally, regarding the suffering of the five aggregates, it can be concluded that the seven sufferings mentioned above, which are "things that do not go as we want them to," are due to the existence of the five aggregates in us.

The five aggregates are as follows:

1. " Shiki ": the physical body including the sense organs

2. "ju" Aggregation": The ability to feel pain and pleasure

3. " Sou ": the ability to imagine

4. " Gyou ": Desires and intentional actions

5. " Shiki": the root of the mind

The five aggregates are what we are born with, so although people do not choose to be born, once they are born they have a physical body, consciousness, sensory organs, desires, and cannot avoid living a life filled with suffering.

Therefore, the teachings of Buddhism tell us how to live a life. The truth that explains that this world is a world of suffering is the eight sufferings .

This truth is the foundation and motivation behind the beginning of Buddhism.

If you think about it carefully, all of these things are things that everyone knows, but Buddhism takes these things that everyone knows and explains them from a different perspective, or shows how to solve them.

To borrow the words of Kobo Daishi Kukai,

"In the eyes of the King of Medicine, every weeds that seen on the road is medicine. Those who understand treasures see minerals as treasures."

( A good phermacist, even while walking along the road, can find medicinal herbs among the grass and flowers that he sees, and a person with an eye for gems can find treasures among ordinary pebbles .)

It's not that the ordinary things in front of us have no value, but rather that they are recognized as valuable because they are seen by someone who understands value. We too would like to be people who understand value.

写経会の様子

Anyone can participate in the sutra copying session held in Asakusa. It is held every month on the night of the full moon from 7:00 PM. The session includes meditation, etiquette, writing sutras, a tea communication, a basic lecture on Buddhism, and a moon-viewing session. Please feel free to join us. For inquiries, please call or contact us via our official LINE.