Uniqueness of Buddhism
(This is written in the spoken dialect)

Venerable Maha Sangha, Other Members of the Clergy, Excellencies, distinguished guests, Ladies and Gentlemen.

It gives me great pleasure to be present here to deliver this address and I am grateful to His Excellency the Deputy Permanent Representative and Charge de affaires Mr. Jayasinghe who on behalf of His Excellency the Permanent Representative invited me to deliver the Keynote Address.

International recognition of the day of Vesak, the day we celebrate the Birth, actually the final Birth, Enlightenment and Passing away of the Buddha is a matter of great significance not only for the Buddhists around the globe but also for the world as a whole.  Buddha is perhaps the greatest humanist the world has ever known. The idea for the international recognition of the day of Vesak was first mooted at the New York Buddhist Council which consists of all three major denominations of Buddhism, Theravada, Mahayana and Vajrayana. At that time our Ven. Dr. Piyatissa Nayake thero  was the president of the NY Buddhist council. Later he was a delegate to the International Buddhist Conference held in Colombo in 1998 where a resolution was adopted. Then the UN resolution was adopted in December 1999. I think it is fitting that on this occasion we remember with gratitude all those who helped to make it possible including the Sri Lankan Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hon Lakshman Kadiragarma who played an important role in winning support for the resolution, and also some 34 member states including the United States that co-sponsored the Sri Lanka resolution. We should always remember them with gratitude.

 My subject this evening is the “Uniqueness of Buddhism”.

 At the outset I must mention that all religions have a certain amount of commonality.  For instance all religions inculcate in their followers certain basic morals and ethics. Avoiding and abstaining from Killing, stealing, sexual misconduct, lying and slandering and drugs and intoxicants are all commonly found in all religions. From very early times these basic morals and ethics were prevalent in every civilized society. In fact some of the classical advocates of Morals and Ethics like Socrates and Confucius advocated that religion was not essential for observance of morals and ethics. Anyway all religions have these basic morals and ethics. Apart from morals and ethics, there are other similarities in the different religions. For instance if we compare the lives of certain religious leaders we find some similarities. For example, let’s take the case of Buddha and Jesus. Buddha as you know is an honorific. It’s a title. He was born Siddhartha Gotama. He was a prince. His father was the king of a small kingdom in N E India. His mother, Queen Maya was a daughter of a king of an adjoining kingdom. I think most of you know that Queen Maya who was expecting their first child, following the tradition in most Asian countries left for her mother’s palace for the first confinement. On the way she wanted to rest for a while in the Lumbini Park. The palanquin she was traveling in was set down under a tree. There she developed labor pains and gave birth to Prince Siddhartha. So even though Siddhartha’s father had palaces, mother had palaces, close relatives had palaces he was born under a tree. Let’s take the case of Jesus. Mary was the mother of Jesus. Whether one believes in the Immaculate Conception or not Mary was the mother of Jesus and Joseph was Mary’s husband. Joseph was a carpenter. In that society a carpenter, a skilled craftsman had a fairly high position in society. Hence it is reasonable to assume that Mary and Joseph had a comfortable house to live in. But Jesus was born in a cattle shed. Again, at the time of birth of Siddhartha and Jesus wise men predicted a bright future for them. Asita in case of Siddhartha and Simeon in case of Christ. So when you compare the various religious leaders, no doubt there are similarities. But when you examine these similarities closely, especially in relation to morals and ethics, you notice that these similarities are very superficial. Let’s take the case of Morals and ethics. In every other religion, when they say ‘Thou shall not kill’ or do not kill, it means do not kill human beings. But in Buddhism when Buddha said abstain from killing, he said abstain from killing any living being or any sentient being meaning any being that has sensation. So that it not only includes all human beings, but also the animal kingdom - all living beings.

 Something that is very unique about the Buddha is that he is the only religious leader who did not claim divinity. After attaining enlightenment, Buddha did not say that he was a god or a son of god or a prophet sent by god or a chosen person to whom the Truth has been revealed. Buddha said that he was a human being and that only human beings can become Buddhas. He said that through his own efforts he realized the truths and not through any divine intervention.

 In Buddhism there are no commandments or religious laws. Buddha Dharma is described as ‘Ehipassiko’ meaning come and see. It invites one to come and see for one’s own self. If they find it good and wholesome then accept it. There is a discourse in the scriptures called Kalama Suttra, which is regarded as the Buddha’s Charter of Free Inquiry. What happened was that Buddha during his missionary work came to a town called Kesaputra. The people of that community were collectively called Kalamas. When the Kalamas heard that Buddha was visiting their town, they all came to see the Buddha. The Kalamas said to the Buddha that so many religious teachers come to their town and each one of them says his is the true religion. That all others are wrong. They said we are confused. We do not know whom to believe. Please advice us. The Buddha said “It is quite natural that you are confused. But do not believe anything because someone says it is true, because it is fashionable to believe it, because it’s found in the books. You should only believe in something when you yourself know that it is true and wholesome. Buddha even admonished his own disciples not to accept anything through respect for him. They should examine themselves before they believe in something. As I mentioned earlier, there are no laws or commandments. For lay people Buddha prescribed five basic precepts called Panchaseela or the Five Precepts. These are precepts that we promise ourselves to observe. It’s a pledge we make to ourselves. When we recite the precepts, we promise ourselves, or pledge to ourselves to observe certain moral principles. We are not promising the Buddha, or our parents and elders or monks or anyone else. We are resolving ourselves to observe the Five Precepts. It’s not a religious law. It is not a commandment. It’s a precept we promise ourselves to observe. This is very similar to New Year resolutions that many people make. We resolve say to give up smoking from the first day of a new year. That’s a resolution we make to ourselves. Observing the Panchaseela is very similar. They are personal precepts that you promise yourselves to observe.

 Arising from this absence of religious rules or laws is another unique feature. In Buddhism there is no concept of sin. Now what is a sin? A sin means violation of a rule laid down by God or a religious law. Since in Buddhism there are no rules laid down by a god or religious laws, there’s no concept of sin. In this connection I must mention about Karma though not directly relevant. Karma is a term that is frequently used in everyday conversations. But there is a misconception about Karma. The law of Karma is not a doctrine of punishment and reward. Whenever something untoward happens, whenever some misfortune befalls it is called karma.  If something untoward happens, it’s a Karma phala or Karma vipaka or in other words consequences of Karma. However in ordinary conversations  the term Karma is used very loosely. When something happens you don’t like its called Karma. When even your favorite sports team loses they say it’s their Karma. When New York Yankees lost the World Series they said its their Karma. They don’t say bad pitching or poor hitting. They say it’s Karma. The Doctrine of Karma is not a Law of Punishment and Reward. Buddhism is not a religion based on fear and punishment. Karma is the law of cause and effect. It is one of the universal laws taught by the Buddha. Buddha said that there are five universal laws. They are Utu Niyama or Physical inorganic order, Bija niyama or organic or biological laws, Citta niyama or mental or psychological laws, Karma Niyama or the causal law and Dhamma Niyama or the law pertaining to natural phenomena. Law of Karma is the law of cause and effect. It is a universal law. It is very similar to the law of Gravitation. If we throw something up it falls down. In the same way if by word or deed we do something evil then unhappiness will come back to us. In the same way if we do something good, then happiness will return to us. So as I said earlier, in Buddhism they are is no concept of sin. What we have is good and evil, wholesome and unwholesome, skillful and unskillful and everything falls within those categories.

 Another unique feature is the absence of prayer in Buddhism. Although in normal conversations the word prayer is used, in actual fact there are no prayers in Buddhism.  I know that quite often here in New York, Buddhist monks are also invited to various Inter-faith functions and asked to offer prayers. Actually what they offer is a blessing but generally we also agree to the term prayer because people of other faiths do not know that we do not have prayers. Now what is a prayer. A prayer is a written or spoken petition to god. It may take the form of praise, or asking for favors or promising to be of good behavior or asking for forgivance. Whatever form it may take it’s a petition to god. We don’t pray to Buddha. Someone not familiar with Buddhist practices, will ask then what do these millions of Buddhists in Buddhist countries and else where do when they go to temple. We offer flowers, light lamps or candles, burn incense etc.  We pay homage to Buddha, we worship Buddha we take refuge in the Buddha. We do not pray. Our lighting lamps and offering flowers is similar to our laying flowers or lighting candles at the grave of departed loved one. But of course in case of Buddha we do it with greater reverence and meaning. But we do not pray to Buddha. In any case it does not make any sense to pray to Buddha. Buddha passed away 2549 years ago. I think today is the 2549^th year in the Buddhist era. I think most of you are aware that BE or Buddhist Era is calculated from the year of Buddha’s passing away. In case of the Christian Era or AD which stands for Anno Domini – Latin for “in the year of our lord”. It is calculated from the birth of Christ. As I was saying, Buddha passed away or attained parinirvana 2549 years ago never to be born again in this samsara. Hence it makes no sense to pray and ask Buddha for favors. We honor the Buddha, we pay homage to Buddha we don’t pray to Buddha.

Next significant difference pertains to the soul. Buddha did not say directly that there is no soul. What he said is Anatta – or selflessness. Every other religion believes in a soul. It may be in the form of a breath put into every human being by a special act of creation by god or descending from the breath put into Adam by god or any similar divine act or from Maha Brahma. In other words, within each individual is a soul-a permanent entity. Upon death there’s the transmigration of the soul. The Buddha used the term ‘Anatta’ meaning there’s no permanent entity in a human being. He said a human being is a composition of nama and rupa or mind and matter. Nama or the mind is divided into four elements called –vedana, sangna, sankhara and Vignana or in other words feeling, perception, mental formations and consciousness. These four elements and the body go to form a human being. Besides these five elements there is nothing permanent in a human being.

 In Buddha’s teachings Mind occupies a very important place. In a very simple stanza this is clearly emphasized. “Sabbha Papassa akaranam, Kusalassa upasampada, sachitta pariyo dapanam, etan Buddhana sasanam”. Which means, “ Abstain from evil, do what is good. Purify one’s own mind, this is the teaching of the Buddhas”. The importance of the mind is stated very clearly in the first two verses of the Dhammapada. The Dhammapada consists of 423 verses in Pali uttered by the Buddha on some 305 occasions for the benefit of a wide range of human beings. The first two verses state that Mind is the important factor. It is the originator of all actions. If someone with an evil mind, does something, then suffering will follow like the wheels of a cart follow the hoofs of the oxen. In the same manner, if one does something good, then happiness will follow one like one’s own shadow and never leave. Teachings of the Buddha rests on 3 important pillars namely, dana, seela and Bhavana meaning generosity, morality and meditation.  Bhanava or mental development is a very important factor in Buddhism and no other religion has given so much of prominence to an individual’s mind and mental development. There is a beautiful phrase in the Dhammapada ‘ “Appamado Amatapadam”. Appamado means heedfulness or mindfulness and Amatapadam means deathless way. Literally, it means   “ Mindfulness – the way to Deathless”

 Next important factor is the position of women in Buddhism. In order to understand this properly it is necessary for us to examine the social background in India during the time of the Buddha, that is the 6^th century before Christ. At that time, the code of ethics that existed in India was Manu’s Law. Manu was a relentless Law giver. He assigned a very low and inferior position to women. Women were regarded almost as slaves to men. Women were not allowed to read the Vedas-the religious texts. Women, however good and noble they were, could not go to heaven without the intervention of their husbands. The position of women in the rest of the world at that time was not very different either. Under those social conditions, Buddha gave an equal position to women as men. The Buddha first established the order of Buddhist monks or Bhikkhus. Later he established the order of Buddhist nuns or Bhikkhunis.  Over Two thousand five hundred and fifty years ago, over five hundred years before Christ,  Buddha admitted women to the Buddhist order and they were ordained as Bhikkhunis. The importance of this can be judged from the fact that even today some religions do not admit women to their order. Even 2000 years after Christ women are not permitted to be ordained in certain Christian denominations. I think the order of Bhikkhunis is the earliest women’s organization in the history of mankind and Buddha was responsible for that.

Another very important and unique feature in Buddhism is the attainment of the ultimate goal. In every other religion, the ultimate goal has to be achieved upon death. The ultimate goal is in the life hereafter. Whether going to heaven, or kingdom of god or to be in the arms of the lord or even association with Maha Brahma, all these have to be achieved upon death. The ultimate goal in Buddhism is to attain Nirvana. Nirvana has to be attained while you are still alive. Buddha attained Nirvana at the age of 35 years. He lived to the ripe age of 80 years enjoying Nirvanic bliss. He continued his missionary work after attaining Nirvana. So in Buddhism, the ultimate goal has to be achieved while you are still alive. There are instances of course where certain people attained nirvana just before death. But it has to be attained before you die. Sir Edwin Arnold in his “LIGHT OF ASIA” in a simple verse describes Nirvana very clearly. “If any teach nirvana is to cease -  say unto such they lie. If any teach Nirvana is to live say unto such they err”

 Today in this 21^st century we live in a society where science plays a very important role in our day to day lives and our thinking. Since the Seventeenth Century when the scientific revolution commenced scientific discoveries have exerted immense influence on all of us. The impact of scientific discoveries in the last two centuries has been particularly strong on certain religious beliefs. Some traditional religious concepts and beliefs have crumbled under the pressure of certain scientific discoveries. Now it has become almost impossible to assert truth derived merely through theological fiat or based on religious scriptures without consideration for scientific views and theories.

 But none of the major scientific discoveries or theories has conflicted with the teachings of the Buddha. Whether it be Darwin’s theory of Evolution or the Dust Cloud hypothesis about the origin of the earth, none of them is in conflict with Buddha’s teachings. That is why today the Theory of Evolution can be taught in schools in Buddhist countries without any controversy or opposition. But it is not so in many other countries. Here in the US, at this very moment, there is a huge controversy about teaching creation in Science classes. We must not forget that Buddha Dharma and Scientific thinking are both based on causality. On cause and effect.

 Perhaps someone especially if you have been brought up in the Judeo-Christian tradition listening to these remarks made by me might ask, “What is this religion? No sin, no prayer no god, no soul. So what is this religion”. I like to get a very eminent person, the father of modern science Albert Einstein to answer that question. In a Princeton University Press publication entitled, “Albert Einstein – the Human Side” it quotes Einstein this way.

 “The religion of the future will be a cosmic religion. It should transcend a personal god and avoid dogmas and theology. Covering both the natural and spiritual, it should be based on a religious sense arising from the experience of all things, natural and spiritual and a meaningful unity. Buddhism answers this description…. If there is any religion that would cope with modern scientific needs it would be Buddhism.”

That was Albert Einstein on Buddhism.

Thank you very much for your Kind Indulgence.

“Bhavatu sabba mangalam” May you all be well and Happy.