Most Venerable Bhante Walpola Piyananda's 80th Birthday Celebrating - Collected Essays
Collected Essays of Bhante Walpola Piyananda Celebrating His 80th Birthday. Ven. Walpola Piyananda Nayake Maha Thera has chosen to dedicate his life to sharing the teaching of the Buddha in the Western World, knowing that it has so much wisdom to offer; not an easy task for someone coming from a foreign background. However these articles reflect his ability to make a great impact on the American Community. He has helped many people and monks new to this country in many ways throughout the years, He has helped these monks to establish Dharma Centers in various parts in this country. Venerable Walpola Piyananda is an extraordinary monk and dharma teacher who exemplifies wisdom, compassion and selflessness. He has made a profound impact on numberous individuals and communities worldwide through his teachings and service. On his auspicious 80th birthday, I express my deepest gratitude to Venerable Walpola Piyananda for his remarkable contributions and limitless love. Ven. Walpola Piyananda Maha Thero has been a pioneer in establishing Theravada Buddhism in America and developing knowledge of the Buddha Dhamma through radio and promoting education to uplift the children of his native Sri Lanka. As a Theravada monk, he has manifested a sense of caring with wisdom and compassion by providing hospitable spiritual and physical shelter at his Los Angeles monastery. Bhante, as he is affectionately known, is a teacher with a great breadth of interests spanning from the origins of Buddhism to how Western people could apply the teachings, Dhamma, into their daily life. I have known Bhante since we were students at University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)…. This edition of his collected works is an important contribution for Western readers.
Collected Essays of Bhante Walpola Piyananda Celebrating His 80th Birthday. Ven. Walpola Piyananda Nayake Maha Thera has chosen to dedicate his life to sharing the teaching of the Buddha in the Western World, knowing that it has so much wisdom to offer; not an easy task for someone coming from a foreign background. However these articles reflect his ability to make a great impact on the American Community. He has helped many people and monks new to this country in many ways throughout the years, He has helped these monks to establish Dharma Centers in various parts in this country. Venerable Walpola Piyananda is an extraordinary monk and dharma teacher who exemplifies wisdom, compassion and selflessness. He has made a profound impact on numberous individuals and communities worldwide through his teachings and service. On his auspicious 80th birthday, I express my deepest gratitude to Venerable Walpola Piyananda for his remarkable contributions and limitless love. Ven. Walpola Piyananda Maha Thero has been a pioneer in establishing Theravada Buddhism in America and developing knowledge of the Buddha Dhamma through radio and promoting education to uplift the children of his native Sri Lanka. As a Theravada monk, he has manifested a sense of caring with wisdom and compassion by providing hospitable spiritual and physical shelter at his Los Angeles monastery. Bhante, as he is affectionately known, is a teacher with a great breadth of interests spanning from the origins of Buddhism to how Western people could apply the teachings, Dhamma, into their daily life. I have known Bhante since we were students at University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)…. This edition of his collected works is an important contribution for Western readers.
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others can be found in the suttas.
“One who has gone for refuge to the Buddha,
to the Buddha’s Teaching
and to the Sangha;
Penetrating the transcendental wisdom of the Four Noble
Truths:
There is suffering.
There is a cause for suffering. Suffering can cease.
The Noble Eightfold Path leads to the cessation of suffering.”
Dhammapada 190-191
5
Peace and the Five Precepts
A Performance Piece
(This performance piece was presented during the annual Peace
program at Hsi Lai Temple in Hacienda Heights, California, by
members of the Dharma Vijaya Sunday School class.)
Introduction (Presenter):
When the Buddha became enlightened, he reached the ultimate
state of Peace: Nibbana. The entirety of the Buddha’s teachings are
about sharing his discovery with all of us – giving us practical guidelines
that help us identify and eliminate the obstacles we would encounter on
our own path to Peace and enlightenment.
The most basic and fundamental set of these guidelines are
the Five Precepts. They seem so simple on the surface, and yet if
practiced consistently over the course of a lifetime, they can bring us a
long way toward our journey’s goal; and if practiced collectively by a
community – by an entire nation – or by the whole world – they would
most certainly elevate the planet to a blissful state of Peace.
Try to imagine an entire country basing its national policies
on the Five Precepts; think what would happen if it encouraged its
citizenry to adopt these Precepts as their personal policy for living their
individual daily lives. Since the Five Precepts are all based on respect
for oneself and others, and on protecting ourselves and others from
harm, it wouldn’t be too hard to imagine the peaceful outcome for the
greater society and its ripple-effect for the whole world.
Let us listen to each of the Five Precepts and explore the
opportunities they present for Peace:
(Five individuals come forward in order to recite the following.)
I am the First Precept: I undertake the precept to refrain from
taking life.
This means that I will respect life in all its forms, and protect it
with my words, thoughts, feelings, and actions – making sure that I am
free of all negativity and full of compassion and loving-kindness for all
– myself included. Imagine a world where everyone practices this First
Precept: There would be no war, no capital punishment, no slavery,
no need for national militaries, and no violent crime. We would all be
looking out for the least fortunate members of our societies – protecting
them when we can from poverty and hunger. All living beings would
be free from threat, and be at peace with one another.
I am the Second Precept: I undertake the precept to refrain from
taking what is not given.
This means that I will respect the property of others, and not
use any means to lay claim to that which is not mine. This includes
material things, intellectual property, being deceitful and cheating,
or taking an unfair advantage over others who are weaker than I am.
Imagine a world where everyone practices this Second Precept: there
would be no national border disputes, no colonial possessions, no
financial fraud, no cyber crime or computer hacking, no burglaries or
armed robberies, and no plagiarism. All living beings would be free
from the fear of something being taken away from them, and be at
peace with one another.
I am the Third Precept: I undertake the precept to refrain from
sexual misconduct.
This means that I will never force another to do anything
sexually that they don’t wish to do. It means that I will respect the free
will of all people to maintain their established relationships without
interference, their family and personal values, and sovereignty over
their bodies. It also means that I will strive to keep my own body pure
and clean for myself and for those with whom I have relations. Imagine
a world where everyone practices this Third Precept: there would be
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