Dhamma US: Spiritual Care

“Find yourself within yourself”

ORIENTATION & SPIRITUAL PROGRAM FOR YOUTH

Dear Young Devotees and Friends,

You are at your prime youth. Now the world is waiting until you take up the responsibility of bringing about the wellbeing to all walks of life in the world. Not only of your parents, but also of the whole world tomorrow, you are the hope. We need only two qualifications to make their hope a reality; and intelligent mind and a compassionate heart.

We are organizing a wonderful and meaningful Orientation and spiritual program especially for youth to achieve the above purpose. This program will be on April 10^th Sunday at 8:45am to 4:00pm. Those who are interested in experiencing inner peace and happiness to lead a non-stressful healthy life Please find the attached flyer for more information. We also encourage you to share this information with your friends and to invite them to take part in this wonderful rare opportunity without any religious boundaries.

We will guide you on how to broaden your mind and develop your wisdom with a compassionate heart through the teachings of the Buddha and other religious teachers.

All the blessings be with you.

Los Angeles Buddhist Vihara, 920 N Summit Ave, Pasadena, CA 91103 Tel: (626) 797-6144

Following is a bit of info about Eight Precepts for those new practitioners:

Eight Precepts

attha-sila

These training rules are observed by laypeople during periods of intensive meditation practice and during uposatha (lunar observance) days. The Eight Precepts are based on the Five Precepts, with the third precept extended to prohibit all sexual activity and an additional three precepts that are especially supportive to meditation practice.

The Eight Precepts:

1. Panatipata veramani sikkhapadam samadiyami

I undertake the precept to refrain from destroying living creatures.

2. Adinnadana veramani sikkhapadam samadiyami

I undertake the precept to refrain from taking that which is not given.

3. Abrahmacariya veramani sikkhapadam samadiyami

I undertake the precept to refrain from sexual activity.

4. Musavada veramani sikkhapadam samadiyami

I undertake the precept to refrain from incorrect speech.

5. Suramerayamajja pamadatthana veramani sikkhapadam samadiyami

I undertake the precept to refrain from intoxicating drinks and drugs which lead to carelessness.

6. Vikalabhojana veramani sikkhapadam samadiyami

I undertake the precept to refrain from eating at the forbidden time (i.e., after noon).

7. Nacca-gita-vadita-visukkadassana mala-gandha-vilepana-dharana-mandana-vibhusanathana veramani sikkhapadam samadiyami

I undertake the precept to refrain from dancing, singing, music, going to see entertainments, wearing garlands, using perfumes, and beautifying the body with cosmetics.

8. Uccasayana-mahasayana veramani sikkhapadam samadiyami

I undertake the precept to refrain from lying on a high or luxurious sleeping place.

Reference:

http://www.accesstoinsight.org/ptf/dhamma/sila/atthasila.html

AN 3.70 PTS: A i 205 Thai 3.71

Muluposatha Sutta: The Roots of the Uposatha

Reference to Eight Precepts:

One should not kill a being

or take what is not given;

should not tell a lie

or be a drinker of strong drink;

should abstain from uncelibacy, the sexual act;

should not eat at night, the wrong time of day;

should not wear a garland or use a scent;

should sleep on a pallet, a mat spread on the ground —

for this eight-factored Uposatha

has been proclaimed by the Awakened One

to lead to the end

of suffering & stress.

The moon & sun, both fair to see,

shedding radiance wherever they go,

& scattering darkness as they move through space,

brighten the sky, illumining the quarters.

Within their range is found wealth:

pearl, crystal, beryl,

lucky-gem, platinum, nugget-gold,

& the refined gold called 'Hataka.'

Yet they —

like the light of all stars

when compared with the moon —

aren't worth one sixteenth

of the eight-factored Uposatha.

So whoever — man or woman —

is endowed with the virtues

of the eight-factored Uposatha,

having done meritorious deeds,

productive of bliss,

beyond reproach, goes

to the heavenly state.

Reference:

http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/an/an03/an03.070.than.html

Virtue

sila

Sila (virtue, moral conduct) is the cornerstone upon which the entire Noble Eightfold Path is built. The practice of sila is defined by the middle three factors of the Eightfold Path: Right Speech, Right Action, and Right Livelihood.

Practicing Buddhists voluntarily undertake a particular set of training rules appropriate to their life-situation:

Lay men and women observe the Five Precepts (pañca-sila)

Lay men and women doing intensive meditation practice (as on Uposatha days) observe the Eight Precepts (attha-sila)

Novice monks (samanera) and nuns (samaneri) observe the Ten Precepts (dasa-sila)

A fully-ordained monk (bhikkhu) follows the 227 rules of the Bhikkhu Patimokkha; a nun (bhikkhuni) would follow the 311 rules of the Bhikkhuni Patimokkha.

The rewards of virtue

[Ananda:] "What, O Venerable One, is the reward and blessing of wholesome morality?"

[The Buddha:] "Freedom from remorse, Ananda."

"And of freedom from remorse?"

"Joy, Ananda"

"And of joy?"

"Rapture, Ananda"

"And of rapture?"

"Tranquillity, Ananda."

"And of tranquillity?"

"Happiness, Ananda."

"And of happiness?"

"Concentration, Ananda."

"And of concentration?"

"Vision and knowledge according to reality."

"And of the vision and knowledge according to reality?"

"Turning away and detachment, Ananda."

"And of turning away and detachment?"

"The vision and knowledge with regard to Deliverance, Ananda."

— AN 10.1 (Nyanatiloka, trans.; from Path to Deliverance, pp. 65-66)

Five faultless gifts

"There are these five gifts, five great gifts — original, long-standing, traditional, ancient, unadulterated, unadulterated from the beginning — that are not open to suspicion, will never be open to suspicion, and are unfaulted by knowledgeable contemplatives & brahmans. Which five?

"There is the case where a disciple of the noble ones, abandoning the taking of life, abstains from taking life. In doing so, he gives freedom from danger, freedom from animosity, freedom from oppression to limitless numbers of beings. In giving freedom from danger, freedom from animosity, freedom from oppression to limitless numbers of beings, he gains a share in limitless freedom from danger, freedom from animosity, and freedom from oppression. This is the first gift, the first great gift — original, long-standing, traditional, ancient, unadulterated, unadulterated from the beginning — that is not open to suspicion, will never be open to suspicion, and is unfaulted by knowledgeable contemplatives & brahmans...

"Furthermore, abandoning taking what is not given (stealing), the disciple of the noble ones abstains from taking what is not given. In doing so, he gives freedom from danger, freedom from animosity, freedom from oppression to limitless numbers of beings. In giving freedom from danger, freedom from animosity, freedom from oppression to limitless numbers of beings, he gains a share in limitless freedom from danger, freedom from animosity, and freedom from oppression. This is the second gift...

"Furthermore, abandoning illicit sex, the disciple of the noble ones abstains from illicit sex. In doing so, he gives freedom from danger, freedom from animosity, freedom from oppression to limitless numbers of beings. In giving freedom from danger, freedom from animosity, freedom from oppression to limitless numbers of beings, he gains a share in limitless freedom from danger, freedom from animosity, and freedom from oppression. This is the third gift...

"Furthermore, abandoning lying, the disciple of the noble ones abstains from lying. In doing so, he gives freedom from danger, freedom from animosity, freedom from oppression to limitless numbers of beings. In giving freedom from danger, freedom from animosity, freedom from oppression to limitless numbers of beings, he gains a share in limitless freedom from danger, freedom from animosity, and freedom from oppression. This is the fourth gift...

"Furthermore, abandoning the use of intoxicants, the disciple of the noble ones abstains from taking intoxicants. In doing so, he gives freedom from danger, freedom from animosity, freedom from oppression to limitless numbers of beings. In giving freedom from danger, freedom from animosity, freedom from oppression to limitless numbers of beings, he gains a share in limitless freedom from danger, freedom from animosity, and freedom from oppression. This is the fifth gift, the fifth great gift — original, long-standing, traditional, ancient, unadulterated, unadulterated from the beginning — that is not open to suspicion, will never be open to suspicion, and is unfaulted by knowledgeable contemplatives & brahmans. And this is the eighth reward of merit, reward of skillfulness, nourishment of happiness, celestial, resulting in happiness, leading to heaven, leading to what is desirable, pleasurable, & appealing; to welfare & to happiness."

— AN 8.39

Five blessings

"Five blessings, householders, accrue to the righteous person through his practice of virtue: great increase of wealth through his diligence; a favorable reputation; a confident deportment, without timidity, in every society, be it that of nobles, brahmans, householders, or ascetics; a serene death; and, at the breaking up of the body after death, rebirth in a happy state, in a heavenly world."

— DN 16

Admirable friends encourage the development of virtue

"And what is meant by admirable friendship? There is the case where a lay person, in whatever town or village he may dwell, spends time with householders or householders' sons, young or old, who are advanced in virtue. He talks with them, engages them in discussions. He emulates consummate conviction [in the principle of kamma] in those who are consummate in conviction, consummate virtue in those who are consummate in virtue, consummate generosity in those who are consummate in generosity, and consummate discernment in those who are consummate in discernment. This is called admirable friendship."

— AN 8.54

Recalling your own virtues

"Furthermore, there is the case where you recollect your own virtues: '[They are] untorn, unbroken, unspotted, unsplattered, liberating, praised by the wise, untarnished, conducive to concentration.' At any time when a disciple of the noble ones is recollecting virtue, his mind is not overcome with passion, not overcome with aversion, not overcome with delusion. His mind heads straight, based on virtue. And when the mind is headed straight, the disciple of the noble ones gains a sense of the goal, gains a sense of the Dhamma, gains joy connected with the Dhamma. In one who is joyful, rapture arises. In one who is rapturous, the body grows calm. One whose body is calmed experiences ease. In one at ease, the mind becomes concentrated."

— AN 11.12

Practice the precepts — and support others' practice, too

"Monks, these four types of individuals are to be found existing in the world. Which four? The one who practices for his own benefit but not for that of others. The one who practices for the benefit of others but not for his own. The one who practices neither for his own benefit nor for that of others. The one who practices for his own benefit and for that of others.

"And how is one an individual who practices for his own benefit but not for that of others? There is the case where a certain individual himself abstains from the taking of life but doesn't encourage others in undertaking abstinence from the taking of life. He himself abstains from stealing but doesn't encourage others in undertaking abstinence from stealing. He himself abstains from sexual misconduct but doesn't encourage others in undertaking abstinence from sexual misconduct. He himself abstains from lying but doesn't encourage others in undertaking abstinence from lying. He himself abstains from intoxicants that cause heedlessness but doesn't encourage others in undertaking abstinence from intoxicants that cause heedlessness. Such is the individual who practices for his own benefit but not for that of others.

"And how is one an individual who practices for the benefit of others but not for his own? There is the case where a certain individual himself doesn't abstain from the taking of life but encourages others in undertaking abstinence from the taking of life... (similarly with the precepts on stealing, sexual misconduct, lying, and intoxicants). Such is the individual who practices for the benefit of others but not for his own.

"And how is one an individual who practices neither for his own benefit nor for that of others? There is the case where a certain individual himself doesn't abstain from the taking of life and doesn't encourage others in undertaking abstinence from the taking of life... (similarly with the precepts on stealing, sexual misconduct, lying, and intoxicants). Such is the individual who practices neither for his own benefit nor for that of others.

"And how is one an individual who practices for his own benefit and for that of others? There is the case where a certain individual himself abstains from the taking of life and encourages others in undertaking abstinence from the taking of life... (similarly with the precepts on stealing, sexual misconduct, lying, and intoxicants). Such is the individual who practices for his own benefit and for that of others.

"These are the four types of individuals to be found existing in the world."

— AN 4.99

Reference:

http://www.accesstoinsight.org/ptf/dhamma/sila/index.html