Master Ji Ru – Malaysian-born, received higher ordination as a Bhikkhu in both the Theravada and Chan traditions, and is an internationally renowned monk and dharma author. He is abbot for MABA, IBFA, and the North Shore Meditation Center. He resides at the Mid-America Buddhist Association (MABA) in Augusta, Missouri.

His preaching sites –•Mid-America Buddhist Association (MABA) in Augusta Missouri http://www.maba-usa.org/•International Buddhism Friendship Association (IBFA) in Chinatown Chicago•2754 S. Central Park http://littlevillagebuddhistmeditation.wordpress.com/

Why learn about Buddhism?

BirthAgingSicknessDeathSeparation from the love onesUnion with the ones we hateDo not get what we want

Buddha Shakyamuni

• He discovered the path to Buddhahood and got enlightened.

• He showed us the path so that we can also get enlightened.

• After 2500 years, there have been lots of different schools and sects formed. How do we choose which teachings to follow?

GoalTo gain the right view, right understanding in the course of studying Buddhism 每個人能夠得到正見的熏習

To build solid foundation 把基礎打好

To learn how to assess various Dharma teachings 法的抉擇

BenefitsNot to pursue an impractical and overly ambitious goal不會好高騖遠

Not to discuss the profound and the esoteric 不會談玄說妙 , 在一種圓融神話裡

Not to become an ideology, 不會只有理想化 , 圓滿的想像中

Not to speculate about the future? 不會想像於未來如何如何 ? Where to be in the future? 未來要到哪裡去 ?

Not to deify the Buddha as a god or heavenly being 不會把佛神化了 , 天化了

Will improve in every moment of our lives through right view 會在我們生命的每個當下依正見而昇華而提升 , change ourselves 改造自己, be able to get rid of greed, hatred and delusion 真正的能夠脫離貪瞋癡煩惱的束縳 .

Ekottara Agama states: 增壹阿含經說 : “All Buddhas came from the human realm 諸佛皆出人間 and are not enlightened in Heaven" 終不在天上成佛也

Return to our human realm 回到人的本位來 , return to our daily life 回到生活中 , return to our present state of the body and mind 回到當前的身心狀態來

Something Special about Buddhism• Not culture bound, not bound to any

particular society, race or ethnic group

• Practical oriented. Not interested in metaphysical theories or academic questions.

• Emphasize on internal practice rather than external forms of religious behavior.

• Emphasize on developing wisdom.

Prioritya man wounded by an arrow wishes to know followings before he will let the arrow be removed:•who shot the arrow•the direction from which it came•whether the arrowhead is bone or iron•whether the shaft is one kind of wood or another

Such people will die before they ever have the answers

to all their irrelevant questions

People who want to know about the origin of the universe

•Is it eternal or not?

•Finite in space or not?

What are the unique characteristics of the Dharma not found in any other religions

與外道 , 世俗不共的特質是什麼 ?

Centered on the Three Universal Characteristics 三法印為中心的思想 :

Impermanence 無常

Non-self 無我

Nirvana 涅槃寂靜

Major TenetInterdependent Rising•an idea of cause and effect which is at the heart of the Buddha’s teachings

Four Noble Truths•Concrete teaching of interdependent rising

Avoid 3 faults:

1. A container covered with a lid - listens to the teachings with a closed mind, a mind that is already made up. The Dharma cannot enter, fill the container.

2. A container that has a hole in the bottom - what we hear does not stay with us

3. A dirty container - listen to the teachings with an impure mind, with impure attitudes, with selfish attitudes or desires.

How to judge the truth of the conflicting

claims made by various religious

teachers?

Not to accept anything

• merely on the basis of purported authority

• because it is contained in sacred ( 宗教性的 ) text

• on the basis of common opinion• because it seems reasonable• because of reverence ( 尊敬 ) for a

teacher• Even with Buddha’s teaching, you must

verify its truth

to test whatever you might hear in the light

of your own experience• Things were harmful, should

seek to abandon them.• Things were beneficial,

conducive ( 有益於 .. 的 ) to peace and tranquility ( 平靜 ), -- should seek to cultivate them.

Self-reliance use our own minds as a kind of private test tube

when greed and anger are present in our minds, they lead to disquiet and suffering

when greed and anger are absent from our minds, it results in tranquility and happiness.

What to be on the look out?

As Buddhism became widespread 所有的佛法的推廣越來越廣 , culture and custom differs in every region 每個地區 ,每個文化 , 每個習俗都不同 , Buddhism had to adapt itself 需要很多的適應 . Such adaptions are not to deviate from the original teachings 適應跟方便是不能離開純正的佛法 .

What to Learn to Start?

• Right Views / Right Understanding

- Sets direction to one’s path

• Our Body and Mind- Makes up our world

What Needs to Know?Sangha People•Those who renounced the household life, seeking enlightenment, spreading the Buddha’s teachings.•We need to show respect and support

What Needs to Know?

• Lay PersonsThose who are looking for the truth of reality thru Buddhism.• Be humble, eager to learn, and follow the teachings