Introduction

Richard Jones, London Buddhist Vihara.

I am now 58 years old and have been interested in Buddhism since the early 1970s. My initial contact was with people following the Tibetan school, but in 1988 I moved to Chiswick in West London and came upon the London Buddhist Vihara, which follows the Theravada school.

I was attracted to Buddhism for many reasons, but particularly because it does not duck the issue of human suffering - why so many people experience so many problems in their lives. Buddhism addresses these problems directly, offers an explanation and a cause, and suggests a practical path, which we can follow in order to lead happier lives. The teachings are rational and non-dogmatic; we are not expected to accept anything as a matter of 'blind faith'. Much importance is attached to universal love and compassion for all sentient beings, including oneself.

Belief

The man we call the "Buddha" was born in Lumbini near the boundary between present-day India and Nepal. The precise date is not known, but some scholars have put the date at 623 BC, some choose a later date. He was born as Prince Siddhartha into a royal family of wealth and power. At the age of 29 he renounced this way of life and became a homeless wanderer, seeking an answer to human problems such as old age, sickness and death. After six years of arduous struggle he attained the state of Enlightenment, or Nibbana, which is the highest state of happiness and is permanent.

He spent the remaining 45 years of life teaching other people how to lead happier, more fulfilled lives and eventually to reach this same state. He was born as a man, lived as a man and died as a man. He never claimed to be divine, or to have divine inspiration. Although 2,500 years have now passed and the world has changed greatly in many ways during this time, his teachings remain relevant today because our minds are still troubled by the same negative states such as greed, hatred and ignorance, and we still need help to overcome them and replace them with wholesome states such as generosity, love and understanding. The Buddha said that all beings have the potential to attain the state of Nibbana, which can be gained by following his teachings.

The Theravada school of Buddhism is the most conservative, most orthodox form of Buddhism, which traces its origins back to a council attended by 500 monks, which took place 3 months after the death of the Buddha. Here the teachings were discussed, a definitive version was agreed upon and memorised by the monks. The teachings were then preserved and transmitted orally by successive bodies of monks until they were first written down in Sri Lanka in the first century BC. Theravada Buddhism is found today in Sri Lanka, Thailand, Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia and in the last few decades has spread to many countries in the West.

The teaching was summarised by the Buddha as Four Noble Truths. These are:-

• The Noble Truth of dukkha.
• The Noble Truth of the cause of dukkha.
• The Noble Truth of the cessation of dukkha.
• The Noble Truth of the path leading to the cessation of dukkha.

1. The experience of dukkha is universal to all beings. Dukkha is a word in the Pali language which means "that which is difficult to endure", and is often translated into English as "suffering", but the full meaning is wider and deeper than "suffering". Of course, it includes mental and physical pain, such as that caused by sickness, bereavement and old age, but it also includes the frustrations we experience in our daily lives when we do not get what we want. This could be impatience when the bus does not come on time, worry when we cannot pay our bills or the unhappiness experienced at the breakdown of a friendship. The Buddha taught that everything is impermanent and we are mistaken if we believe we can find permanent happiness in an impermanent world. The only state of permanent happiness is Nibbana.
2. The cause of dukkha is craving, thirst or attachment. This is mainly attachment to sense pleasures, but also to non-material things such as power, reputation and relationships.
3. The experience of dukkha can be brought to an end by eradicating craving from our minds. This state is called Nibbana.
4. There is a path which leads to the cessation of dukkha which is called the Noble Eightfold Path. These are eight factors which we need to practise and develop throughout our lives.

Sometimes Buddhism is characterised as being unduly pessimistic, but I do not think this is so for two reasons:-

1. The Four Noble Truths are to be taken together. If the first two are concerned with dukkha, the second two are concerned with its eradication.
2. The Buddha never said that there is no such thing as happiness in the world. There is happiness, but it is limited and impermanent. So we should be realistic in our expectations and not become disappointed when things change or deteriorate. The Buddha said that Nibbana is the highest happiness.

"Belief" does not play a big part in Buddhism. The Buddha emphasised that we should not accept anything just because some authority (even he) tells us to believe it. Instead we should investigate the teaching carefully for ourselves and see if it accords with our own experience and sense of reason. When we talk about "faith", we do not mean blind faith, but "confidence based on knowledge". When we know something to be true, then we develop confidence in it.

Belonging

The London Buddhist Vihara was founded by a Sri Lankan, Anagarika Dharmapala, in 1926 and it is the oldest Buddhist monastic institution in the Western world. For the past ten years it has been situated in The Avenue, Chiswick. There are five ordained monks living there. The role of the monk is to set an example of someone living a highly virtuous life and to be an inspiration to lay people. They are here to teach and help others to follow the Buddhist path. Buddhists do not have to seek converts, but if anyone wants to know about the teachings, then they will be given every assistance to learn and understand them. The monks are assisted by a number of lay helpers, who contribute both their time and material support.

There is no official membership or initiation ceremony. Becoming a Buddhist is a personal and private decision to follow the Buddhist path, usually marked by taking the Buddha, the Dhamma (his teaching) and the Sangha (the community of beings who have become enlightened) as a source of safety and security. This is known as Going for Refuge. A committed Buddhist will also undertake to follow 5 rules of training, or precepts. These are to refrain from the destruction of living creatures, to refrain from taking anything that is not freely given, to refrain from sexual misconduct, to refrain from using harsh, false or abusive speech, and to refrain from using alcohol or drugs which intoxicate the mind.

The Vihara is open to the public every day from 9.00 am until 9.00 pm and visitors are always welcome. Classes are held several evenings a week for students at all levels of understanding; they cover both doctrine and meditation. The monks chant "puja" on weekday evenings at 6.30 pm and on Sundays there is a longer service starting at 5.00 pm. Many people come in order to receive personal blessings from the monks, to make donations, to use the library or just to have a cup of tea and a chat. The main festivals are very popular and we get hundreds, if not thousands of people, coming to deepen their practice, listen to talks and enjoy a social gathering.

However, Buddhism does not require people to participate in collective acts of a religious nature. Many perfectly devout Buddhists are content to practise by themselves and never feel the need to join in social activities.

For me personally, involvement with the Vihara means helping with correspondence and writing talks and articles. The monks are from Sri Lanka so they are glad to have someone whose mother tongue is English. I also teach classes one or two nights a week, and try to make myself useful in whatever way I can.

Being

The Buddhist path can be best summarised as a path of purification - the purification of our minds of all unwholesome qualities such as greed, hatred and ignorance, and the development of their opposites, such as generosity, love and wisdom. Great emphasis is placed on the practise of generosity, together with the development of unselfish love and compassion. We try to be constantly aware of how we speak and how we act so as not to cause hurt or harm to other beings. This means that being a Buddhist is a full-time activity. It is a 'do-it-yourself' religion in that any progress depends entirely on your own efforts. Although you can get help and guidance from other people, especially monks, the Buddha said he was only a teacher. He is respected as the supreme teacher, but he is not worshipped as a god. There is no divine power which can affect our lives, either for better or for worse.

I have benefited immensely from the teachings. I have begun to understand myself and other people better, and thereby to develop more tolerance and patience. I am more realistic in my expectations. Buddhism has taught me that whatever happiness we find in this world can be only temporary and limited. This does not mean we cannot enjoy ourselves, but we should not expect to find permanent, lasting happiness among impermanent cause and therefore not to be disappointed when things change and the happiness fades. The monks whom I have had the privilege of meeting set an inspiring example of how our human potential can be realised by following the Buddha's ethical code and way of life.