[05]

Whenever we have problems, we approach others, and seek their advice. They may advise us to go and pray to certain gods in a temple or other places of worship or to recite certain mantras and to perform some rites and rituals.

But the Buddha's advice is entirely different. He never advises anyone to do anything without investigating the problems and analysing them to discover where the main cause of the problem is. The trouble with us is, whenever we face any problem, we suffer from fear due to ignorance and we create for ourselves unfounded fear, imagination and suspicion. After that we seek advice from others in order to get rid of them.

For example, when people face failure in their business they try to use magical power to gain good luck and success in their business. But they do not try to find out where the mistake or the weak point is and do not realise that many such practices are also based on superstitious beliefs. Some of these so-called 'seers' or astrologers exploit the ignorance of innocent people and make them believe that 'evil forces' are behind their bad luck.

The Buddha advised us to develop patience and understanding, without depending on superstitious beliefs, and to develop the rational way of life without wasting time and money on meaningless practices and also to use our own effort to overcome them in a reasonable way. Usually we cannot understand the causes of many of our problems because our way of thinking is clouded by suspicion and illusion. It is due to a lack of proper understanding that we give the wrong reasons for our problems and seek the wrong means to overcome them. We pray, we make offerings and vows by thinking that our misery is due to the working of an external force. Actually, most of our problems and worries are created by ourselves.

We do not strive to develop a correct way of life through moral and spiritual development. We think that religion is only for us to pray or perform certain rituals to get rid of our problems. If we maintain such beliefs, how can we concentrate on enriching our knowledge and understand things in their proper perspective?

The tree of civilization has its roots in moral values which most of us do not realize. Without these roots the leaves would have fallen and leave the tree a lifeless stump.

Today, we have developed our worldly life in such a way that we have no time to devote for self-discipline or to cultivate inner peace. Although we may have more than enough to satisfy our material needs like food, shelter and clothing, all the while we go on thinking of how to make more money and how to enjoy life in a worldly way even at the cost of others' rights. When we come across certain problems, we start to grumble, show our temper and create more disturbances not knowing that it is impossible to overcome our problems by adopting such an attitude.

People concentrate more on pleasure rather than on their peace and health. Some people worry by considering their future although they have more than enough at the moment. They worry about their sicknesses, old-age, death, funerals and also about heaven and hell or the next birth. Everyday they experience uncertainty in their lives. They run around searching for a remedy to end their problems. They worry when they are getting old. They worry when they cannot gain what they want. They worry when they lose their belongings or persons they love. After that, they create frustration, anguish, mental agony and suffer from mental disturbance and later these turn into physical ailments. Throughout their lives, they continue this search for peace and happiness until they die without finding the real solution.

Not knowing the real nature of life, we try to maintain it without experiencing any disappointments and changes. But life is changeable. It is a bundle of elements and energies which are always changing and the situation is always not to our satisfaction. Sometimes we feel life is not in our favour. When the elements and energies are imbalanced, we experience uneasiness, sickness, pain and many other problems. When mental energy is disturbed, we experience mental problems. After that our organs and glands also change their normal functions and affect the blood circulation, hormones, heart and brain cells.

We can avoid many of these problems if we can understand this conflict in our body and lead a natural life in harmony with natural forces which make up our physical existence.

Today many people lead an artificial life not knowing its danger. Many of our problems are created by us due to our crazy attitude caused by temptation.

Simplicity makes life run smoothly. Many of us realise and experience them only when we grow old.

For example, let us assume there is a pit about 100 feet deep and we put burning charcoal at the bottom. We then lower a ladder into it and ask people to go down one by one. Those who start to go down do not complain about the heat until they go further down to a depth of 30 to 40 feet. After 40 to 50 feet, they feel a certain amount of heat. When they go still further down to 70 or 80 feet and reach nearer to the burning charcoal, they will experience the sensation of burning. In the same manner, young people do not experience suffering although the Buddha says life is one of suffering. But it is a good analogy to explain that as we gain more experience we see the truth about suffering more clearly. The real meaning of suffering is experiencing unsatisfactoriness in everything.

Let us consider our families. How many families are there who live with mutual understanding and love? Here we think not only of our immediate families but also those who live around us. We can invite the whole world into our room through our T.V. but we are not willing to invite our next door neighbours into our houses to talk to them in a friendly manner. We have no time to look at the faces of our own family members but we spend many hours to see the faces of unknown people on the television screen. Even within one family we have no time to look at each other with smiling faces although we live in the same house. How can there be unity and happiness in such families? The sad fact is that this strange behaviour is very common in modern society.

Some people completely ignore their family members after their marriage. That is not the real way of life. We should maintain a community that lives by assisting each other and by giving moral support to those in need. Although they do not assist each other very often to the extent that human beings do, animals live together, sometimes protecting their group or their young from their enemies and their young always follow the elders.

It seems that today we are not living as real human beings. We have deviated very far from our natural ways of life. That is why we have to face so many problems and hence we feel lonely. We must understand that there are some natural problems and there is no way to escape from them. There are also many other problems which are man-made, some are mind-made, resulting from illusion and ignorance or selfishness.

Even educated people do not use their knowledge wisely when they come to superstitious practices that are performed in the name of religion. Try to get rid of this poor mentality by strengthening the mind and developing self-confidence. Then we can overcome many of our problems and in most cases, our imaginary problems will simply disappear.

According to some religious beliefs, there is a god who is responsible for all the good things that happen to us and if anything goes wrong, then the devil is to be blamed for it. To us it is not a very convincing belief.

Most of us simply do not try to understand why we are not happy and why we are not satisfied with our lives, and who is responsible for this situation. The Buddha teaches that we are ultimately responsible for every action of ourwhich leads to contentment or unsatisfactoriness.

Besides all major problems for which we are responsible and which affect us directly we also create some others which divide mankind and create problems such as racial arrogance, religious fanaticism, cultural and traditional discrimination, language problems, colour bar and superiority and inferiority complex by thinking the followers of other religions are their enemies and it is a sin to support the activities of another religion. They never think that the followers of every religion are trying to do some service to humanity and not do harm to others.Problems such as these indirectly contribute to our sense of discontentment.

The purpose of religion is to guide mankind, to develop unity and a harmonious life and to cultivate humane qualities and mental purity. However, religion is being used to discriminate against other religions and to develop jealousy or hostility. Actually people are not using religion to maintain peace but to disturb and hate others. This unhealthy religious arrogance and competition have even created violence and blood-shed in many parts of the world.

At the same time, while cherishing their own imagination or concepts as real beliefs as part of their valuable culture or traditions, some religionists ridicule the culture and traditions of others. In their beliefs and practices which they introduce as the only true religion, they promote selfish ideas for material gain, political power and self-glorification.

Manners may be defined as behaviour appropriate to living well in society. For various good reasons certain traditions have been handed down, and only very thoughtless persons would consider it worthless to follow those rules which guide us in our social relations to each other. Goethe wisely said, 'A man is really alive only when he delights in the goodwill of others'. An ancient motto, 'Manners maketh a man' still holds good even to this day.

The standards for what are considered good manners differ among people belonging to different ethnic groups and societies.

We discover the peculiarities of the manners and customs prevailing in other societies when we travel abroad. We should not prejudge other peoples' manners and custom too quickly, and decide what is proper or improper. In themselves, manners are neither good nor bad, but when they cause ill feelings in others, then this can be considered as bad manners.

We are living in an ever-changing world. We should not cling blindly to the traditions, customs, manners, rites and rituals practised by our forefathers or ancestors who adopted these practices according to beliefs and conditions prevalent during their time. Some customs or traditions handed down by our ancestors may be good, while others may be less useful. We should consider with an open mind whether these practices are congenial and relevant to the modern world.

Among members of the Chinese community emphasis is laid on continuity of the family tradition and there is great reverence for the wisdom of the elders. Ancestor worship is very ancient (dating from the second millennium BC). Life is essentially a family affair, involving prayers and offerings before tablets in the home and in ancestral temples, with an elaborate system of burial and mourning, rituals and the visiting of graves as a mark of deep respect. Ethically, their primary virtue is filial piety - an obligation to serve and honour parents and forebears without any sense of fear or gain. Such respect inevitably results in strong social solidarity within the family. Confucius, was very concerned with this reverence for the wisdom of the elders. Respect for the elders is another ancient tradition in India, China and some other countries.

On the other hand good conduct such as kindness, patience, tolerance, honesty and generosity also cannot eradicate certain problems because cunning people can take undue advantage of the good qualities of others. Therefore good qualities must be practised wisely.

Social welfare workers are trying to wipe out human problems. But their contribution also can only minimise certain problems. Some others try to settle human problems by distributing the wealth and revenue of a country equally amongst the public in so-called socialist societies. It seems that their method is also not very effective to settle human problems and has failed in many countries, since selfishness, cunningness, laziness and many other shortcomings can upset the situation.

Modern scientific education has in fact created more problems rather than promoting peace, happiness and security. Governments try to maintain peace and order by punishing those who disobey the law. But all over the world, evil and immoral practices are spreading rapidly.

Ignorant people resort to charms, magic, supernatural powers and mantras to overcome their problems. But nobody knows just how far they can succeed through such beliefs and practices.

Some use violent methods to gain what they need to settle their problems. Some others try to settle human problems by improving people's lives through financial aid.

Certain religious authorities on the other hand try to settle these problems by illustrating the concept of a paradise to create temptation and to frighten people by threatening them with hell-fire.

Whatever method people adopt to avoid their problems, they have to face more and more new problems in their day-to-day lives. The reason for this situation is that they have not realised that the main cause of most of their problems is the untrained mind and selfish desires or uncertain worldly conditions.

When we study the life of primitive people, we can see that they have to face relatively few problems. These problems are mostly related only to their need for survival. But in the so-called civilised societies of today many of our problems are due not to our desire to continue living but because we seek too much sensual pleasures. Many people believe that the purpose of their lives is only for self-gratification.

We usually create some other problems while trying to solve our existing ones. If the new problem is minor, we tolerate it to the best of our ability and do what we can to alleviate the pain. For example, when we have gastric ulcers and suffer severe pain, we consult a doctor. If the doctor says that we have to undergo an operation, we will accept the fact that we will have to suffer if we want to be cured. Since we know that there is no other solution, we decide to face the new problem of the operation to get rid of the existing pain. Then we get ready to bear the pain and uneasiness during the operation thinking that we can finally be rid of the pain.

In the same manner, we are willing to tolerate certain problems or pain to overcome the existing big problem. That is why we sometimes face suffering with smiling faces. We cannot overcome our existing problems without facing some other new problems or without sacrificing something. But one thing is clear, it is impossible to settle all our problems because problems are like waves. When one wave comes down, that creates the force for another wave to go up. Sometimes a 'give and take policy' also helps to settle our problems.

The Buddha has advocated a meaningful and practical method to settle our problems. He did not recommend a method just to patch up a problem here and there simply to pander us for the time being. Rather he taught us the way to penetrate to the root of the problem and find out the main cause of it. His method was not just to reduce the symptoms of the problem like some medicines which only suppress the symptoms of the sickness but do not cure the sickness itself. If a drug or pain killer seems to act beneficially for a while in one way, it is nearly always accompanied by one or more (usually more) deleterious after affects.

When we have a severe stomach pain, or headache, we take painkiller tablets. After that, we feel better for a short while but the pain may come back. Assume that we have a very painful wound on our body. After applying all sorts of medicine, we may manage to get rid of the wound. When the doctor or somebody asks 'How do you feel now?' we say 'we feel very much better.' But can we define this word 'better'? Can we show anything to prove what that better feeling is? Here it means that there is no longer any more pain. For anything in this world, we say we feel good or nice only to tell others that there is no problem for the time being. When we say we feel 'good', we must understand that this 'good' feeling is not permanent because when the effects of the pain killer drug wears off there will be pain again. This is the nature of life. The Buddha's method for gaining permanent happiness is to uproot the main causes of the problem and not by suppressing them. Of course, some people say it is difficult to practise the Buddha's teaching, because it does not provide short-term relief. The Buddha taught that the cause of our misery is so deep-rooted that we must take strong measures to root it out permanently, so that it can never return.

To the question on how to eradicate problems, the answer given by the Buddha is 'when a wise man, established well in morality (sila) has developed his mind and understanding (panna), then such an ardent and wise person succeeds in disentangling himself from this tangle.' A person who is diligent and understanding, by realising the real nature of existence, develops his moral behaviour or self-discipline. Sila means discipline of the senses, speech or action according to a moral code. When a man is diligent and wise, he knows how to face his problems and how to overcome some of them. Here the Buddha's advice for us is to be good, diligent and act wisely if we want to solve our problems. No other method can give a final solution to our problems.

The modern job-oriented education system produces students who are equipped with more academic knowledge which develop selfishness. It produces clever people without any moral development. Such people do not care what happens to others or to the world so long as they alone profit on a materialistic level. Through cunningness and adopting scientific methods to achieve their selfish desires they increase their own anxieties.

Human beings are more selfish in their craving for pleasure than any other living being. They enjoy worldly lives and sensual pleasures with no thought for the welfare of others or for the survival of the species. They also like to live long to experience pleasures. They develop craving towards the property they have accumulated and are scared of death because they do not want to depart from their properties but other living beings have no such selfish ideas. They use their senses only for their survival and lead a natural life without wilfully hurting others. It has been said that only man hoards more than he can eat. All other animals take only as much as they need for their survival. What they do not need they leave alone for others. Today we even neglect our relaxation but indulge in the senses to such an extent that we have become slaves to self-gratification.

What is euthanasia, one might ask? It is a word derived from two Greek words: eu meaning good, and thanathos meaning death. Put together, it means, good death.

There has been a long-standing debate on whether legalising euthanasia (where terminally ill people are allowed to commit suicide with the assistance of doctors) is murder or 'mercy killing'. The argument for legal voluntary euthanasia states that people ought to be able to die with grace, dignity and in a compassionate manner.

When a member of one's family or a relative becomes seriously ill and develops complications which result in an irreversible coma, he will invariably end up being in a 'vegetative state', or 'brain death', for the rest of his remaining life, causing much sorrow and concern to family members who will have to care and nurse him - a heavy burden indeed which will have to be borne with great courage and fortitude.

'Persistent vegetative state' is an expression which has recently come into use in the medical profession. The 'vegetative state' arises from a severe form of brain damage which results in the patient being unable to move voluntarily, speak or swallow. But he can otherwise breathe and the heart beats without assistance. If there are movements, they appear to be reflex actions rather than purposeful gestures.

As life-prolonging technology improves, society is being forced to confront a very basic question: When, exactly, does life end? While there is almost universal agreement that complete loss of brain function is equivalent to death, a debate rages among doctors and the general public alike, when it comes to patients in the persistent vegetative state (PVS).

The diagnosis of 'persistent vegetative state,' according to the Royal College of Physicians in Britain, can be made after a patient has been in an apparently 'vegetative state' for 12 months. As a description of a person suffering from this condition, 'vegetative state' is an unfortunate choice, for human beings are of an entirely different order of creation from vegetables.

The body may die but there is life after death. This belief was held even by the philosopher Plato, who had no idea of revealed religion, over two thousand years ago.

Added to the unimaginable suffering of being unable to move or communicate with their family or those caring for them, these unfortunate people have suffered the humiliation of being discussed and treated as if they were 'vegetative'. And worse, in a number of those cases, at the request of relatives, the sufferers were deprived of nutrition. The relatives described it as 'allowing them to die.' Others describe it as 'starving them to death'.

Surely there is a lesson here for all of us. Life is infinitely precious and there is no justification for taking away the life of a sick person. Indeed, we have an obligation to guard it and strive to make him or her well or, if that is not possible, at least as comfortable as we can.

There is a major distinction in principle between taking steps to end the life of a fellow human being and taking steps to eliminate or minimise pain, to give the sufferer comfort and to preserve his dignity until he breathes his last. Life is sacred and every human being is worthy of respect.

Is a person legally dead if he is in a coma and his vital organs are kept alive by an apparatus of some kind? The advanced medical technology and sophisticated procedures available in this century have posed a dilemma to many, as for instance, taking care of people in irreversible coma, commonly known as 'brain death'.

Before recent medical advances, when a patient's heart or lungs failed, his brain would also go 'dead' in no time. Similarly, when the brain failed, heart and lung failure would soon follow.

While medical opinion is more or less thus settled, the legal consequences of doctors' action or inaction in such cases remain questionable. Will they be liable to a charge of murder or manslaughter if they switch off the life-supporting machine in hopeless cases?

Euthanasia, or 'mercy killing' in crude language, is generally understood to mean the merciful act of painlessly terminating the life of a patient suffering from an incurable disease. It is legally and religiously prohibited in the case of humans. While permitting doctors to discontinue treatment, it is illegal for doctors to administer a lethal drug or injection to terminate the patient's life. It is so even though such course of action was prompted by a humanitarian desire to end the suffering.

All this does not however mean prolonging a life at any cost when it is plainly nearing its end. Allowing someone to die implies a recognition that there is some point in terminal illness when further curative treatment has no purpose and that a person in this situation should be allowed to die a natural death in peace and dignity. In no way, should this involve active or wilful destruction of someone's life. Rather, it involves a refusal to start curative treatment when no known cure is possible. While we should respect a person's wish and right to die, we need not assist him to die or commit suicide.

Where as the law considers that the discontinuance of life support may be consistent with the doctor's duty to care for his patient, it does not, for reasons of policy consider that it forms any part of his duty to give his patient a lethal injection to put him out of his agony.

The legal liability of a person who assumes responsibility for the care of another who cannot look after himself, for example, a baby or a frail person, and making the person who is in charge of the other liable for murder or manslaughter for his omission is the same as before. While we should welcome medical technology and the use of new devices such as 'miracle' drugs, organ transplants, haemodialysis machines and so on, we should guard against going down the slippery slope to the valley of euthanasia.

In disconnecting life-support machines after brain death, it is not an exaggeration to say this is a common problem for doctors and next-of-kin of the dying patient. The poser is: Is it better for death to be accelerated in obviously hopeless cases by disconnecting the life-supporting machine?' An immediate thought occurring to mind is, how can we be absolutely sure that the case is hopeless? Miracles can and do happen, although rarely. Whether right or not, one can only safely conclude that there are many unexplained mysteries in this world. This is a matter that has been agitating the minds of the orient for many years.

Buddhism does not countenance euthanasia for two reasons. The first is that every living being has the results of its own past karma to work out, and any interference with his situation will not be anything more than a temporary alleviation of the suffering it is bound to endure. The second reason for condemning the mistaken support for euthanasia concerns the doer and the deed. The very act of killing, whatever its apparent motive, may be related to separation of life from the physical body intentionally which goes against the natural formation of life according to the following five factors: mental - energy, karmic energy, germinal order, seasonal order and the order of natural phenomena. The feeling takes the form of repugnance towards suffering that is being witnessed. He disguises his real feeling as a morally praise-worthy action, and so rationalises and justifies it to himself. If he understood his own psychology better, the hidden forces of cruetly arise at the time of committing the deed.

This does not, however, prohibit the use of sedation and other therapeutic sources to allay the suffering of any person. To be able to relieve someone from suffering by any means and to create an atmosphere for healing should be considered as laudable. All those involved in the alleviation of suffering and in service of the sick should cultivate awareness in their everyday work not merely as an academic and humanitarian involvement, but also associate themselves in the truth that is a psychological process in eliminating selfishness, aversion and delusion.

Suicide is the act of intentionally and voluntarily taking one's own life. Suicides fall into two types; conventional and personal. The first type occurs as a result of tradition and the force of public opinion. An example is hara-kiri, the ritualistic suicide committed by abdominal stabbing by a Japanese man of rank when he faced disgrace.

Personal suicides are more typical of modern times. The theory is generally accepted that suicide is a result of failure to adjust to one's life stresses and strains.

Suicide is a way to solve various types of personal problems - loneliness, hate, desire for revenge, fear, physical pain, feelings of guilt etc. More men commit suicide than do women, and this applies to all age groups. However, women make more unsuccessful attempts than do men, either because of lack of skill in the art of killing or because of emotional differences.

Most people who commit suicide are depressed. The highest incidence occurs in those whose depression is accompanied by a pervasive sense of hopelessness and a loss of interest or pleasure in activities. In addition, people who are older, single, divorced or widowed, and especially those who are addicted to alcohol or drugs, are at higher risk. Those who are homeless are also more serious suicide risks than others.

Teenage suicide, on the other hand, is a frightening problem. Since 1950 the suicide rate has doubled in adolescent males. For various reasons, however, a similar rise has not occurred in females.

Some experts feel that the rise in teenage suicides is due to the complexity and stress of modern life. It is also known that television dramas and news stories about suicide produce a temporary rise in the number of youngsters who take their lives. Unemployment and pressure to achieve are also factors.

There are several warning signals to watch for, including withdrawal from the company of friends and from regular activities; neglect of personal appearance; radical changes in eating and sleeping habits; and abuse of drugs and alcohol. Some teenagers make their intentions even more obvious. They may give away cherished possessions or say: 'I won't be a problem much longer'. The actual act of suicide often follows some emotional loss such as a break with a girlfriend (or boyfriend) or a family divorce.

Hence, if you should spot any of these behavioural changes - and they must be taken seriously - you should immediately discuss your child's unhappiness with him. For instance, ask specific and direct questions about what he is planning to do. Bringing things out in the open may reduce his anxiety, and he will sense your support. Only then you may be able to attack the problem itself and seek professional help if necessary.

The permissiveness of modern society, which implies greater tolerance of deviant behaviour may partly be responsible for the increase in suicidal acts, especially of self poisoning.

Society's attitude toward suicidal behaviour has grown less moralistic and punitive. There is now a greater readiness to understand rather than to condemn, but a tendency to conceal suicidal acts still persists.

A fatal suicidal act tends to cause grief reactions and guilt feelings on the part of those who may feel that they could have prevented by caring and loving more than they did. Unsatisfied craving or failure to gain what people wanted become causes of committing suicide. No religion has ever condoned this cruel act.

The telephone is now commonly used as a means of communication among lonely and desperate individuals contemplating suicide, and seeking support and advice from members of a caring society. As in the case of 'Alcoholics Anonymous' and other similar organisations, voluntary workers serve as advisers round the clock and their services are available to would-be suicidal cases at any time. There is evidence that this kind of service does help to avert suicidal acts to a great extent.

Mental imbalance which we regard as madness is another big problem. By violating an ethical way of life, man disturbs his own peace and happiness and that of others. Then by bringing external incidents into the mind more miseries, excitement, fear and insecurity are created.

Many people have to suffer from frustrations and nervous breakdowns because they have not trained their minds to maintain contentment. They have developed only craving for sensual pleasures. To them development means development of craving.

As a result, they also develop unhealthy competition and violence. That is how they have turned the whole world into a chaotic situation. After that, everyone cries for peace. People accuse god or the devil of putting them in misery. They do pray and worship to escape from the problems which they themselves created.

We can understand now who actually creates problems and who can overcome them. The Buddha says the world is within you. When you discipline yourself, the whole world is disciplined and peace is maintained. It is not necessary to beg for peace from others. Good and bad, peace and violence, all exist because of the trained and untrained mind.

The word stress is borrowed from physics and engineering, where it has a very precise meaning; a force of sufficient magnitude to distort or deform. In psychiatric practice however, stress involves an individuals' physical and emotional reaction to pressure from his environment and from within himself. There are two major types of stress; the stress involved in loss of a loved one, or a job, or of self-esteem that comes when a person's level of aspiration is impossibly high; and the stress involved in threats to the individual's status, goals, health and security. Stress gets its bad name because it may become an unavoidable part of life, and cause one to be constantly agitated. When this happens, it is possible to become overloaded and suffer physically or emotionally, or both.

Stress can be caused by any number of factors, including changes, both good and bad, personal problems, physical difficulties, illnesses etc. Common sources of stress are: death of spouse or close friend, marital separation, divorce, sexual difficulties, change of residence, child leaving home, pregnancy, in-law troubles, impending foreclosure on mortgage, dismissal (from work), redundancy, change in work responsibilities or working conditions and trouble with the boss.

Each period of one's life has its own set of stresses. In early life, the child has to cope with the immediate family group and the demands of school, adjusting to the personality of the teacher and to the other children can be very stressful, as can the problem of boy and girl relationships in later adolescence.

Then there are the academic stresses of college years and worries over career choice. After college, for most there are the problems of the first years of marriage. These can be quite serious and often lead to early divorce. The problems of having children bear heavily on women, while men have early career problems.

Some of the stress-related illnesses include peptic ulcers, migraine headaches, depression, high blood pressure, stroke and heart attacks. Continuous stress can weaken the body's immune system, and as a result the system may become less effective in battling infections. Some authorities even suggest that chronic and excessive stress may contribute to the development and progression of cancer.

In times of stress the body secretes a cascade of brain chemicals and hormones, including adrenaline and hydrocortisone, that stimulate what is known as the 'fight or flight' response. Adrenaline increases the heart rate and rate of breathing, and prepares the body to fight an external threat, or flee from it. Hydrocortisone helps to maintain its readiness for dealing with stress. Thus when we hear bad news on the phone, our immediate reaction is one triggered by adrenaline, followed by an increased secretion of hydrocortisone.

The hormones that help us to cope with stress for a short period, however, can cause health problems if we are subjected to long-term stress. Constant stress causes the body to secrete adrenaline and hydrocortisone on a continuing basis, and in time their presence in the bloodstream may be erosive. Prolonged high levels of adrenaline, for example, force the heart and lungs to work overtime and keep blood pressure above normal level. In time these changes may contribute to strokes or heart attacks.

Anxiety is the feeling of apprehension, tension or uneasiness one gets when expecting danger. We all face some anxiety in order to perform difficult tasks well, but too much can be incapacitating. Anxiety disorders constitute the most common group of mental illnesses, including the phobias, panic attacks and post-traumatic stress disorder. Many people have a simple phobia -- a fear of specific objects or situations. Simple phobias are fairly common, affecting about 3% of the population.

The phobias are defined as obsessive, persistent, unrealistic, intense fears of an object or situation. Common ones are acrophobia (fear of heights); claustrophobia (fear of confined spaces); agoraphobia (fear of leaving the familiar setting of the home and being in a crowd or public place) and xenophobia (fear of strangers). They tend to avoid social situations lest they become humiliated or embarrassed. Insomnia, or difficulty in sleeping, is common in many people under many different circumstances. In fact more than 10% of people may have sleeping problems. If one is facing a temporary but important deadline at work or are under a lot of pressure, he may worry and therefore lose sleep. Our bodies prefer regular daytime activity, so shift workers have trouble adjusting their patterns of sleep.

Certain people, particularly war veterans, may suffer from what is known as post-traumatic events during the war such as explosions following artillery bombardment (shell-shock) and combat exposure, and often develop such long-term stress reactions. And the symptoms may appear or intensify long after the trauma had passed. One would experience recurrent, troubling thoughts, memories and frightening dreams or nightmares. One could be excessively irritable or anxious and may startle easily. At times he may seem to withdraw, lose interest in things he usually enjoys and feel detached from others.

The best thing one can do to cope with stress or stressful situations in daily life are perhaps obvious, but nevertheless important: eat a balanced diet, get enough sleep, exercise every day and take time to do the things you enjoy. Do not smoke or abuse alcohol or other drugs. People who are easily upset and acutely sensitive to stress can try to reduce their reactions by learning relaxation, meditation and behaviour modification techniques.

The extraordinary mental energy or intelligence that human beings experience cannot be found in other living beings. However this mental energy is wild and free and it must be trained and controlled for us to benefit from it. Otherwise, that mind becomes the main cause of our own problems. When the mind is harnessed properly through intense training, then harmony, understanding and peace will prevail and we can perform great good deeds not only for ourselves, but others also. Let us take an example of a great waterfall. Imagine the great energy that is wasted as the water falls thousands of feet over a high cliff. But when man controls that energy and changes it to electricity, then people benefit from it. But remember, even when the mind is trained, whatever precaution we take to avoid the unsatisfactoriness of our lives, the universal law of impermanence changes everything in this world. This is the nature of existence. Existing things change and disintegrate according to worldly conditions. The combination of elements and energies and their existence together produce objects which we can see and touch, thus giving them an illusion of solidity and permanence. The cause of their change is friction of the elements and energies. When a visible object disintegrates through time it is the dissolution of the elements and energies which have been compounded. The energy is not lost, but goes on into new forms and the process continues without end. This is a natural phenomenon and every component thing is constituted in this way.

There is no reason for us to regard this situation as a certain creation of a supernatural being or that it is the result of punishment for a primordial crime. Buddhists regard this as a natural phenomenon. But many others regard this situation as a problem because changes and impermanence disappoint this craving for permanent existence. The unsatisfactoriness of life begins when we realise that eternity in another life, in heaven or hell, is impossible.

The energies of our bodies are also part of cosmic forces which influence the elements and energies within our physical bodies. Some of our physical and mental problems are due to their influence. Some other unknown forces also disturb our lives which people regard as being caused by evil spirits. Fear, imagination, suspicion and superstition always feed on such beliefs to disturb the mind. When the mind is disturbed, we suffer from physical problems.

However, if our minds are well trained and developed through understanding, we can prevent many of these problems from occurring. That is why the Buddha has said, 'Mind is the fore-runner of all good and evil states, mind made are they.' Actually, we suffer from problems because they are the results of our hallucination. By following the Buddha's advice, we can eradicate fear and ignorance.

Another problem that people face today is how to come to terms with the death of their loved ones, and this includes parents. We must realize that death is a natural occurrence and however much we love our aged parents we have to realise the biological fact that human cells have a certain life span. A time must come when they stop renewing themselves. It is to be expected that in extreme old age, cells lose their ability to maintain the balance of the destruction and repair process and can no longer maintain the body in a healthy manner.

The history of man is nothing but how he tried to run away from death. Different cultures have tried to run away from death in different ways.

Mind needs a permanent life but life creates an impermanent physical body and we take this as life. After that unsatisfactoriness disturbs the mind.

For those who have lived a long and reasonably happy life and who have strong religious training impending death can even be a welcome phenomenon. When the time comes the dying person becomes composed and leaves the world peacefully, confident that he or she had lived a harmless life and contributed to the progress of man.In societies with deeply entrenched religious beliefs and unadulterated cultural patterns, the concept that death is inevitable and a natural part of the life cycle is accepted. When it does occur in such societies it is treated with philosophic acceptance of the inevitable and is always treated with dignity.

Human beings are the only beings who can understand that one day they will have to face death. That is why they worry unnecessarily about it. Worrying about death will not make it stop, so why not accept it calmly? Shakespeare makes Julius Caesar say:

'Of all the wonders that I yet have
heard and seen. It seems to memst
strange that men should fear.
Seeing that death, a necessary end.
will come when it will come.

On the other hand, there are those who do not bother at all about the end of their lives or about what happens after that. However, the majority not only worry about existing problems but also worry about the next life. All other living beings are free from that feeling.

We have to realise that whatever method we adopt to overcome our problems, it is impossible to gain complete satisfaction in our lives until we train our minds and reduce selfish desire. The teachings of the Buddha give us a very clear exposition of how to understand the nature of human problems and how to overcome them and how to face death without fear.

Remember the simple saying in Buddhism, 'Life is uncertain and the death is certain.' Death is not the end of a life. In fact death is the beginning of a life and birth is the beginning of death. The setting sun in this country is the rising sun in another country. Therefore, birth and death are interrelated.

'The birth of a man is the birth of sorrow. The longer he lives the more stupid he becomes. What bitterness. He lives for what is always out of reach. His thirst for survival in the future makes him incapable of living in the present.' (Chuang Tzu)

The Buddha reminded us that everything that exists is impermanent. With birth there is death; with arising, there is dissolving; with coming together, there is separation. How can there be birth without death? How can there be arising without dissolving? How can there be coming together without separation?

Birth and death are two ends of the same string. We cannot remove death and leave existence only. First, man struggles to avoid death. After that, he prepares for death. Actually we do not exist but struggle for existence which we call living.

Neither for the sake of oneself nor for the sake of another (does a wise person do any wrong); he should not cling to son, wealth, or kingdom (by doing wrong): by unjust means he should not seek his own success. Then (only) such a one is indeed virtuous, wise and righteous - 84

Though one should live a hundred years, immoral and uncontrolled, yet better, indeed, is a single day's life of one who is moral and contemplative. -110

Even an evil-doer sees good as long as evil ripens not; but when it bears fruit, then he sees the evil results. -119

Even a good person sees evil so long as good ripens not; but when it bears fruit then the good one sees the good results. -120

Whoever harms a harmless person, one pure and guiltless, upon that very fool the evil recoils like fine dust thrown against the wind. -125

Whoever, seeking his own happiness, harms with the rod other pleasure-loving beings experiences no happiness hereafter -131

So, when a fool does wrong deeds, he does not realize (their evil nature); by his own deeds the stupid man is tormented, like one burnt by fire. -136

He who with the rod harms the rodless and harmless, soon will come to one of these states according to his own evil actions:

He will be subject to acute pain, disaster, bodily injury, or even grievous sickness, or loss of mind, or oppression, or heavy accusation, or loss of relatives, or destruction of wealth, or ravaging fire. Upon the dissolution of the body such an unwise man will be born in suffering sates-138, 139, 140.

If one holds oneself dear, one should protect oneself well by guarding his mind. During every one of the three watches the wise man should keep vigil. -157

By oneself, indeed, is evil done; by oneself is one defiled. By oneself is evil left undone; by oneself, indeed, is one purified. Purity and impurity depend on oneself. No one purifies another -165

Whoever, by good deed, covers (overcomes, negates) the evil done, such a one illumines this world like the moon freed from clouds -173

Ah, happily do we live, without hate amongst the hateful; amidst hateful men we dwell unhating. -197

Victory breeds hatred. The defeated live in pain. Happily the peaceful live, giving up victory and defeat. -201

From craving springs grief, from craving springs fear; for him who is wholly free from craving there is no grief, much less fear -216

Conquer anger by love. Conquer evil by good. Conquer the stingy by giving. Conquer the liar by truth.-223

As rust sprung from iron eats itself away when arisen, even so his own deeds lead the transgressor to states of woe. -240

There is no fire like lust, no grip like hate, no net like delusion, no river like craving. -251

Easily seen are others' faults, hard indeed to see are one's own. Like chaff one winnows others' faults, but one's own (faults) one hides, as a crafty fowler conceals himself by camouflage -252

Beings who are ashamed of what is not shameful, and are not ashamed of what is shameful, embrace wrong views, and go to a woeful state. -316

Beings who see fear in what is not to be feared, and see no fear in the fearsome, embrace false views and go to a woeful state. -317

Beings knowing wrong as wrong and what is right as right, embrace right views and go to a blissful state.

If you do not get a prudent companion who (is fit) to live with you, who behaves well and is wise, then like a king who leaves a conquered kingdom, you should live alone as an elephant does in the elephant forest. -329

-ooOoo-

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH

VENERABLE DR. K. SRI DHAMMANANDA MAHA NAYAKA THERA

Venerable Dr. K. Sri Dhammananda, doyen among the Sangha ìn Malaysia, has served Malaysian Buddhism for over 42 years, as spiritual leader, pundit, counsellor, and friend. He was born on March 18, 1919, in the village of Kirinde, Matara Province, in Southern Sri Lanka.

He began his formal secular education at the age of seven and soon developed a keen interest in Buddhism. Helped in this early instruction by an uncle who was Chief Monk of the local temple, and the example of a devout mother, he was ordained a novice monk at the age of 12. At this time he was given the name "Dhammananda", meaning "one who experiences happiness through the Dharma"

Devoting ten years to a detailed study of the Buddha's teaching, at the age of 26 he received a diploma in linguistics, philosophy, and the Pali Canon from Vidyalankara Pirivena. He received a master's degree in 1949 from Beneres Hindu University in Indian Philosophy. After serving Budhism in Sri Lanka for three years, Venerable Dhammananda was selected to go to Malaysia.

During the 1950's and 1960's Malaysian Buddhism was poorly regarded by the better educated Chinese, who thought of it as nothing more than superstition. Venerable Dhammananda, through the Buddhist Missionary Society, published many articles and pamphlets on all aspects of Buddhism, and as a result, many became aware of the Buddha's real teaching. Some of the popular titles he published are "What Buddhists Believe", How to Live Without Fear and Worry", "A Happy Married Life", Whither Mankind", and "Meditation, The Only Way".

Though not a fiery preacher, Venerable Dhammananda was able to captivate the minds of both the young and the educated with his clear, simple and scientific exposition of the Buddha Dharma. Venerable Dhammananda has been conferred with Honory Doctorates by many universities around the world, and bestowed with the royal title of Johan Setia Mahkota by the King of Malysia. He also posseses what the Buddha described as the Seven Noble Qualities of a Great Man in the Saka Sutta (A.N. 4:31):

- He is lovable, respectable, cultured, a counselor and a patient listener, profound in discourse and never exhorting groundlessly".

-ooOoo-

Top | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05