Monday, July 19, 2004
Making Things Simple
The other day, Jah (not his real name) who worked in another division of our organisation came over to meet my colleague to discuss some work he was doing. Unfortunately, my colleague was not in, apparently on a sick leave. So Jah ended up having a chat with me.
Well, Jah was of South Indian origin and he belief in Hinduism. Jah said that in his religion, there were many Gods. There was a main God, a God of Health, a God for Happiness, a God for Love, a God for Education and a God for each major issue affecting human beings. They prayed to these Gods for their blessings. Jah explained that the system was something like the government cabinet, with a minister for each portfolio. I said that was great. Jah had explained his religion in such a simple way that I can understand.
Jah then asked me what about my God. I told him I am a Buddhist and hence had no God. At first, he was confused and said that he used to regard Buddhism as a very complex subject with so many books written of this subject. How could there be no God in Buddhism. Wasn’t Buddha my God, he asked? I told him that in true Buddhism, Buddha is not considered a God, but a Buddha, an enlightened teacher who showed us a way of life. Buddha taught during his times and the people followed his teaching. Buddha taught us to adopt the Eight Fold Noble Path to move from the suffering state of mind to the non-suffering state of mind. From generation to generation, the monks in the temples had been passing down those teachings. They were also written down in books called Sutras. Those who follow the teaching and practice diligently would ultimately attain inner calm and happiness.
It turned out that it was the first time he heard about the Buddhism in such a simple manner and he said he really appreciated the way I explained. Before he left my office, I promised to send him a simplified copy of the Diamond Sutra, which is the teaching of Buddha. Later that day, I sent a soft copy of the Diamond Sutra to him via e-mail.
Well, conversation on such very complex subjects very often ends in disagreement, as I have observed. Nevertheless, we were able to tackle this complex issue in light-hearted manner and in simple language without the mystified surround. Jah rang me two weeks later to thank me for the sutra, which he found generally interesting and thought provoking.
Well, Jah was of South Indian origin and he belief in Hinduism. Jah said that in his religion, there were many Gods. There was a main God, a God of Health, a God for Happiness, a God for Love, a God for Education and a God for each major issue affecting human beings. They prayed to these Gods for their blessings. Jah explained that the system was something like the government cabinet, with a minister for each portfolio. I said that was great. Jah had explained his religion in such a simple way that I can understand.
Jah then asked me what about my God. I told him I am a Buddhist and hence had no God. At first, he was confused and said that he used to regard Buddhism as a very complex subject with so many books written of this subject. How could there be no God in Buddhism. Wasn’t Buddha my God, he asked? I told him that in true Buddhism, Buddha is not considered a God, but a Buddha, an enlightened teacher who showed us a way of life. Buddha taught during his times and the people followed his teaching. Buddha taught us to adopt the Eight Fold Noble Path to move from the suffering state of mind to the non-suffering state of mind. From generation to generation, the monks in the temples had been passing down those teachings. They were also written down in books called Sutras. Those who follow the teaching and practice diligently would ultimately attain inner calm and happiness.
It turned out that it was the first time he heard about the Buddhism in such a simple manner and he said he really appreciated the way I explained. Before he left my office, I promised to send him a simplified copy of the Diamond Sutra, which is the teaching of Buddha. Later that day, I sent a soft copy of the Diamond Sutra to him via e-mail.
Well, conversation on such very complex subjects very often ends in disagreement, as I have observed. Nevertheless, we were able to tackle this complex issue in light-hearted manner and in simple language without the mystified surround. Jah rang me two weeks later to thank me for the sutra, which he found generally interesting and thought provoking.
