Creative Writings and Musings

Summary: This article summarizes the questions by Buddha and their answer by a young renunciate Sopaka. Introduction Also known called as   śrāmaṇera p annha, it is a collection of questions and answers. The words kumar/sramanera refers to a young renunciate, and pannha means questions.  Thus Kumar pannha is a collection of ten questions asked to a seven year old boy named Sopaka. Lord Buddha asks the questions and Sopaka answers them.  There is an interesting story about Sopaka. According to it a low caste poor lady was in labour, but she died before giving birth. Family members took her to cemetery to burn. But, it started raining, and family members returned home. In the meantime because of the rain she did not burn, instead she came back to life and gave birth to the young child. After giving birth she died. The cemetery watchman looked after the child and since the child belonged to low caste, he named him Sopaka.  When Sopaka was seven years old, Buddha came there. Sopaka took re

Summary: Dasshikapadam or the ten percepts are the collection of ten rules, which form the foundation of Buddhist "Kusal dhamma". In this article we learn the ten percepts and their significance in our daily life. I ntroduction The second chapter of Khuddakapatha (खुदकपाठ ) tells about the Dassikhapadam , or the Ten training rules, also known as the Ten precepts. These are the collection of rules to be followed by the (novice) monks and nuns.   The word Dassikhapadam (दस  शिखा  पदम )  is aggregate of three words: Das + Sikha + Padam meaning Ten Knowledge (learning/sheel) place or feet or base.   These are the ten conduct principles on which the foundation of buddhist monastery stands.  Unlike other religions, these are not commandments or rules instead they are part of conduct, they are the behavior a monk or nun should build inside himself/herself. Initially as we become aware and try to follow these sheels, we may fail. But as one continues the practice one gets into ha

Conscience is the intellect in us which help us to distinguish between “ right and wrong ”.   Society, our parents, teachers, friends and enemies they all contribute in developing our conscience. It is their response to our actions that tells us “this is right and that is wrong”.   As we grow this becomes ingrained, implanted in us, we go on repeating it. Society plays a very strong emphasis on conscience. Bur, is conscience worth? Is it a real thing? Consciousness, on other hand is the state of being aware within oneself, it does not have ready-made answers.   It takes every moment as it comes, gives us light and we know what to do. To elaborate the difference between the two, I tell a story. Mary Magdalene was a disciple of Jesus. She was very much in love with him. One day, Jesus came to the home of Mary Magdalene. His feet were dirty, to clean his feet Mary poured a very precious perfume on his feet--the whole bottle. It was rare and expensive perfume. Judas another disciple