Return to Tranquility: Buddhism Offers a Solution to Stress and Unhappiness

Return
to
Tranquility
By
Ven. Dr. Madawela Punnaji Maha Thera

BUDDHIST MAHA VIHARA
Continuing the spread of Buddhism in Malaysia
for over 119 years ……….
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Publication of the
Sasana Abhiwurdhi Wardhana Society
‫ڔ‬ ຋ ࢤ ၳ ީ ဟ ཿ ߽
Buddhist Maha Vihara,
123, Jalan Berhala, Brickfields,
50470 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Tel: 603-2274 1141 Fax: 603-2273 2570
E-Mail: info@buddhistmahavihara.com
Website: www.buddhistmahavihara.com
www.ksridhammananda.com
www.bisds.org
Published for Free Distribution
Permission to reprint for free distribution can be
obtained upon request.
May 2013 – 2,000 copies
Printed by
Uniprints Marketing Sdn. Bhd. (493024-K)
(A member of Multimedia Printing Graphics (M) Sdn Bhd)
ISBN: 978-983-3896-50-9

Contents
1. Introduction........................................................1
2. What is Buddhism? ............................................5
Religion: Theistic and Humanistic.....................6
The problem of unhappiness..............................8
Escape or solution............................................11
Becoming a Buddhist........................................14
Buddhism and Biological Evolution.................15
The Mind, what it is..........................................16
Growth and Maturity........................................17
Character Structure..........................................19
3. Harmonious Perspective...................................24
Appreciation of Goodness (saddha) ................25
Knowing Good and Bad Behaviour (sila)........29
Knowing what True Happiness is (samadhi)...30
Introspective Insight into the
True Nature of Life (pañña) ............................32
7KH2XWHURQÀLFW............................................32
7KH,QQHURQÀLFW ............................................37
The Solution .....................................................40
4. The Value of Tranquility ..................................46
Essence of Humanity........................................49
The Philosophy of Tranquility..........................54
Our Original State............................................55
Buddhism is Humanistic...................................57
God of the Buddhist..........................................58

5. Harmonious Disposition or Goal Orientation ..60
Worship and Prayer..........................................61
The Obeisance..................................................63
The Use of Images............................................65
6. Harmonious Behaviour ....................................66
The Social Attitude ...........................................69
Developing the Mind........................................71
7. Harmonious Practice ........................................75
8. Harmonious Attention ......................................78
9. Harmonious Mental Equilibrium .....................80
10. Nirvana.............................................................83
11. Conclusion........................................................87
Recommended references for further study .....95

1
1. Introduction
The well-known Greek philosopher Socrates is supposed
to have said: “The unexamined life is not worth living.” A
perfect example of a person who not only examined his life, but
also performed a drastic change in his life was Prince Siddhatta
Gotama. He was born in an extremely wealthy royal family,
was brought up in the lap of ultimate luxury, and enjoyed the
greatest of material comforts available at the time. When,
however, he became aware of the realities of life that every
one of us normally recognizes, but usually takes for granted,
he saw it as a challenge to humanity, which needs an adequate
response. So while the great majority was dozing in slumber
he decided to face the challenge alone for the sake of all living
beings. He took a drastic step in renouncing his princely life and
turning into a severe ascetic, ending up in ultimately becoming
the Buddha.
ManyofusarefamiliarwiththestoryofPrinceSiddhartha,
but how many of us, however, have even questioned ourselves
about the kind of life we live?
Some of us have heard the story
of the farmer forlorn who sold his
farm and went in search of a mythical
GLDPRQG¿HOGZKLFKZDVVXSSRVHGWR
lie far away from his home. Years later,
having lost all his wealth, in his futile
search, never having found the fabled
diamonds, having grown very old and
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home, he somehow happened to return
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of his farm had a diamond mine on his land.

2
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lost our way in the wilderness, while searching for a diamond
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ZHKDSSHQWR¿QDOOUHWXUQKRPHWR¿QGDVPDQSHRSOHGR
that the home we left behind is WKHYHUGLDPRQG¿HOGZHKDYH
been looking for.
This may be puzzling to the reader at this point. So let me
put it in another way: Are you in search of happiness? Do you
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unhappy? Where are you looking for happiness? Aren’t you
looking for happiness in the world outside? If, instead of looking
for happiness outside, you could only look within yourself,
RXZRXOGXQGRXEWHGO¿QGDZRQGHUIXOOSOHDVDQWcentre of
peace within you. This centre of peace is the equilibrium you
lost, when you were bombarded by the various stimuli in the
world outside. This loss of equilibrium occurs in everyone’s
life right from childhood. This is because we are attracted and
repelled and shaken about by a variety of sensations in the
world outside, even at birth. If now as adults we are still caught
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mess. In our original state as a child, we were quite restful,
comfortable and happy. But, in seeking pleasure and trying to
avoid pain in the world outside, we became restless, lost our
equilibrium and became miserable. Do you realize that in your
search for happiness, you are really struggling to get back that
lost equilibrium, which was so pleasant? This equilibrium is to
be found not outside, but at the centre of peace within you.
Religious symbolism labels this peace within, by the term
God, “Be still, and know: ‘I am God’” (Bible). Didn’t Jesus
say, “The Kingdom of God is within you?” Though religion

3
calls this stillness within “God,” some prefer to call it plain
STILLNESS.
While the Bible says, “Be still and know, ‘I am God,’”
Hindu yogis still the mind to realize, “I am Brahma” (Brahma
= God). The Buddha called this stillness NIRVANA, “The
Imperturbable Serenity” (akuppa ceto vimutti) or the absolute
freedom from emotional turbulence. It is wonderful that all
the sages of old reiterate this same notion of stillness as the
“Greatest Good,” or even God. Does the modern world value
STILLNESS?
The “work ethic” of the modern age, however, allows no
place for tranquility or stillness. Inactivity is often considered
to be a sin. One who is inactive feels guilty, and begins to suffer
from an inner compulsion to keep busy even against ones will.
No wonder the distinctive malady of the modern age is stress.
Hans Selye, who is considered to be the father of modern stress
theory, points out that stress is not what is going on in the world
outside us, but our reaction to what is going on outside, which
means stress is the inner turbulence of the body and mind. Isn’t
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hundred years ago?
When faced with the changing vicissitudes of life
If one’s mind can remain imperturbable
Free from grief, passion, or fear
This is the Greatest Blessing.
Putthassa loka dhammehi
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--- Buddha

4
Although excitement and activity have become the
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stress management and those in the helping professions have
begun to recognize the importance of calm and tranquility in
the life of human beings. In this search for tranquility some
have even discovered Buddhism. Psychologists and physicians
KDYH EHJXQ WR XVH %XGGKLVW WHFKQLTXHV LQ ¿HOGV VXFK DV
psychotherapy, stress management, and even in the treatment
of psychosomatic diseases.
The popularity of Buddhism and Buddhist meditation
is fast on the increase today, especially in the modern West.
Scientists are beginning to realize that Buddhism is the only
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Some question whether Buddhism would become the religion
of the modern world? Others are greatly grieved, however, that
the new generation of Westerners is turning East.
Amazingly, although Christianity spread in the East
through high-pressure missionary activity, Buddhism has
not come to the modern West through the efforts of Buddhist
missionaries. It was the Westerners themselves who brought
Buddhism to the West, having become interested in Buddhism,
and realizing its value.
Some members of the Western religious clergy have
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but they have even started interpreting their own religion in
the light of Buddhist thought. Some are even using Buddhist
meditation techniques in Western religious institutions to
complement their own practice. The interesting point is that
while Buddhist concepts are gaining access to the educated
Western mind at a tremendous speed, the Western missionaries
are struggling hard to convert the poverty ridden, uneducated

5
Eastern families through bribery and corruption, in fear of
the possible disappearance from the world of their favorite
religious dogmas.
In view of this new upsurge of interest in Buddhism in the
modern West interested students have expressed the need for
a short introduction to the practice of Buddhism in their own
daily lives. This book is a response to this call.
2. What is Buddhism?
Buddhism is unique in that
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usual pigeonholes of Western
thought. Buddhism is neither
a theistic religion based on the
belief in a Supernatural Creator,
nor an armchair philosophy based
on speculation. It is more like
an experimental science based
on observation, inference and
YHUL¿FDWLRQHWLWFDQEHVHHQDV
a humanistic religion, concerned
withthedevelopmentofthehuman
potential, to solve the human predicament. It can also be seen
as a pragmatic philosophy concerned with the solution of the
fundamental problem of life, which has been drawn attention
to by the modern existentialist philosophers. Buddhism solves
the problem of existence not through existential thinking,
however, but through a paradigm shift from existential thinking
to experiential thinking.

6
Buddhism can even be seen as an introspective science,
or a form of psychology that deals with the mind and its
functions. It is even more valuable, however, to consider it to be
a special form of psychotherapy that turns normal unhappiness
to supernormal happiness through perfection of mental health.
The best way to identify the teaching of the Buddha, however,
is to understand that it as a process of evolution, where the
human being goes beyond the biological evolutionary process,
in going through a psychological process of evolution of the
human mind, or human consciousness. Although the biological
evolutionary process went on unconsciously, this psychological
evolutionary process goes on consciously even addressing the
Problem of Mortality, which every religion is attempting to
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the teachings of the Buddha helps one fully comprehend the
Problem of Existence, which is the Insecurity of Life under
the threat of the ever-hanging Damocles sword of impending
death, which is ready at any moment to fall and crush every life
that is born.
Religion: Theistic and Humanistic
While monotheistic religion points out that religion came
down to earth from heaven carrying the message of the Creator,
humanistic thinkers realize that religion is something that grew
up on earth to satisfy a human need, to solve a human problem.
The human problem is this problem of existence, which is
mortality itself. This is why even monotheistic religions hope
to gain eternal life and eternal happiness in heaven after death.

7
Out of all the infants of all the animals the human infant
is the weakest. While the infant of all other animals will be able
WRPRYHDERXWDQG¿QGIRRGLQDIHZPLQXWHVRUDIHZGDV
the human infant needs a few years to be able to do so. When
the human child feels insecure, the child runs to the father or
mother for security. When these children grow up to adulthood,
they begin to realize that the parents are as helpless as they
WKHPVHOYHVDUH6RZKHQWKHDGXOWVDUHLQGLI¿FXOWZKHUHFDQ
they run? Culture has provided a solution. That solution is what
we call religion.
How does religion attempt to solve this problem of
insecurity in life? It runs into a dream world where there is an
all-powerful father God or a multiplicity of supernatural gods
who can use their powers to help. Humanistic thinkers have
begun to criticize this cultural solution. Sigmund Freud called
it a “collective neurosis,” and Carl Marx called it the “opium
of the masses.”
Yet religion is not something to be thrown away so easily.
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in supernatural beings. This is to throw away the baby with
the bathwater. Religion serves a very important purpose. It
provides a feeling of security, and it also provides an ethical
code of conduct to a culture. Religion does not have to be
theistic. It can also be humanistic. Humanism does not have
to be atheistic either. Theism can be seen as an earlier stage
in the evolution of religion. As religion evolves it can become
humanistic and more rational. Then religion begins to solve
the same problem of insecurity and morality in a more rational
way. Just as the child when mature stops running to the parents
for help, and instead begins to use his/her own intelligence to
solve problems; religion too can grow up, by giving up theism

8
and becoming humanistic and rational, in solving the problem
of existence.
Such an example of mature religion is Buddhism. Instead
of seeking help in supernatural beings to solve the problem of
insecurity the Buddha used his human intelligence to solve it.
He examined the problem, it cause, its solution by removing the
cause, and he found the way to remove the cause. This solution
is given in the form of the Four Sublime Realities.
Buddhism is not atheistic it is humanistic. It has its own
KXPDQLVWLFGH¿QLWLRQRI*RGDQGUHOLJLRQ$ERYHDOO%XGGKLVP
is religion in its fully mature form. Buddhism is not an escape
from the problem of existence into a fantastic dream world, but
a real solution of the problem within reality here and now. This
solution is a psychological transformation of the human mind
using a human growth technique.
The problem of unhappiness
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enjoying life? If you do, you
don’t need to read this book. If
you do not, you are like one of
us who can admit that we are
really suffering and unhappy.
The purpose of this book is to
show you the way to happiness.
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are unhappy. We must know that we do have a problem. Then
only can we begin to examine the problem and try to understand
its solution. Then we can even test the solution in the crucible
of our own experience. Only then does it become a truth or a

9
fact for us. Only then will we be willing to use our time and
energy and even our money to solve our problem.
Unfortunately this problem is not a physical problem but
a mental problem. If it is a physical problem, another person
can solve it, such as a physician or surgeon, by means of drugs
or an operation. A psychological problem, on the other hand,
the patient or client himself must solve it using his own efforts.
Another can only aid the individual through advice or other
means.
Fortunately all human beings have one basic problem,
which has only one basic cause because the human body and
mind works basically in a similar way. If this were not so, the
doctors would not be able to diagnose and treat patients for
their sicknesses.
What is this basic human problem we all suffer from?
“It is our inability to gratify our desires,” said the Buddha
DPSLFFDȘQDODEDWLWDPSLGXNNKDȘ Some call this poverty.
The way to overcome this poverty, they say, is to earn money.
Can money satisfy all our desires? If we can satisfy a hundred
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be happy? What are political problems? What are economic
SUREOHPV6RPHRQHGH¿QHGHFRQRPLFVDV³WKHVWXGRIKRZ
human beings attempt to satisfy their unlimited wants with the
limited means at their disposal.” Most of us attempt to maximize
the means to satisfy our wants. We call this, becoming RICH.
Are rich people happy? The solution that the Buddha offered,
however, was not to keep on increasing the means, but to learn
to reduce the wants. If we keep on increasing the means our
wants keep multiplying in direct proportion. Then we will
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10
Our problem then boils down to the method we can adopt
to get rid of our desires?” The Buddha pointed out that our
desires and actions begin with the thoughts we think. Thought
precedes one’s experience (mano pubbangama dhamma).
Modern cognitive psychologists have now begun to realize this.
This means, “As we think, so we feel, as we feel, so we act,
as we act, so we reap the results of our actions.” Our destiny
depends on the thoughts we think.
In other words, it is our philosophy of life and our sense
of values that govern our behavior, and our behavior governs
our destiny. Yes, our actions are governed by the thoughts we
think. If we think the wrong kind of thoughts, wrong actions
will follow, which will result in bad consequences. If we think
good, calm, and rational thoughts, we will act in the right way
and reap good results. This is why the Buddha told us that the
way to happiness begins with right thinking. This insight shows
that the right way to live is to constantly watch the thoughts we
think, and continue to think only good thoughts and not the bad
thoughts.
Most of us begin to cultivate wrong habits of thought in
childhood. Children learn to think good or bad thoughts from
their parents and elders, or they learn it from friends they
associate with. Sometimes the good or bad circumstances they
go through, force them to form wrong childish interpretations
of circumstances, and sometimes even of life in general. This
can be dangerous to themselves as well as to others. Wrong
concepts formed in childhood, which are carried into adult life,
can even lead to murder, or even suicide. These thoughts made
in childhood, with the child’s mind, are not necessarily correct.
When this way of thinking is carried into adult life, and one
begins to interpret adult circumstances in the wrong way, with

11
a childish mind, this type of thinking and behavior is today
known as neurotic behavior.
Escape or solution
Some children prefer to run away from problems by
IRUJHWWLQJWKHPWKDQWRVROYHWKHSUREOHPVE¿QGLQJWKHFDXVH
and eliminating the cause. As we become adults we tend to
prefer to solve our problems than to escape. Those who tend to
escape even as adults are the neurotics.
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the problem and its solution. When we have understood the
problem we are faced with, its cause, and its solution, our next
step is to bring about the solution by removing the cause.
9HURIWHQZH¿QGWKDWWKHSUREOHPLVDFRQÀLFWEHWZHHQ
our desires and the external environment. This is understood
by our intellect. The environment does not satisfy our desires.
So we want to change our environment. But the environment
is not under our control always. So instead of worrying about
the environment, which is not under our control, if we would
look within ourselves for the problem, we begin to realize that
the real cause of our problem is not our environment, but our
GHVLUHZKLFKLVLQFRQÀLFWZLWKWKHHQYLURQPHQW2IWHQLWLV
asking for the impossible. If this is the case, the real cause must
be understood to be our emotions, which are not only blind but
are also unconsciously executed.
Though unconscious, their occurrence is based on the
natural law of determinism. This means, it happens only when
the necessary conditions are present. In other words these are
not things that we do consciously or voluntarily. They are not
based on our willpower. Our emotional behavior is not based
on a freewill, though most people think it is. This is why

12
sometimes even if we are quite conscious of what is good
and bad, and also aware of the importance of good behavior,
we become angry, and begin to act in a very unseemly way.
3HRSOHGRIRUJLYHSHRSOHIRUWKHLUDFWLRQVLQD¿WRIDQJHU7KLV
is because they are aware of this fact about bad temper. The
bad act was not done consciously but unconsciously. If our
emotional behavior is unconscious, we are not responsible for
them. If so, the problem still remains: “How can we get rid of
this terrible emotional behavior?”
It can be done, only by becoming conscious of the
deterministic process that governs emotional behavior. We
have to train our selves to be conscious of the conditions
that start the emotional behavior. This procedure is what the
Buddha called satipatthana, which is incorrectly translated
today as mindfulness. Mindfulness is just being consciously
aware of our behavior in relation to the surroundings. What
is really needed here is not mindfulness but introspection.
The Pali term is Satipatthana (sati+upatthana), which means
placing the attention within, which is introspection. The words
of the Buddha in the Satipatthana Sutta: pari mukhan satin
upatthapetva means, “The attention that is normally focused
externally, towards the surroundings, is turned inwards.” The
English word that expresses this idea is introspection. The
Satipatthana Sutta constitutes a detailed explanation of this
introspective procedure, by the Buddha.
The purpose of this introspective procedure of the Buddha
is to become consciously aware of the unconscious process that
isgoingon.Itistheconsciouscognitiveprocessthatisbecoming
aware of this unconscious, autonomic, and affective process
called emotion. When this is done, the unconscious affective
SURFHVVVWRSV7KLVZDVZKDW6LJPXQG)UHXGFRQ¿UPHGDQG

13
wanted to ultimately bring about when he said, “In place of the
id there shall be the ego.” His id referred to the affective and his
ego referred to the cognitive.
Seen from a Buddhist perspective, it is unfortunate that
WKH1HR)UHXGLDQVLJQRUHGWKHFRQÀLFWEHWZHHQWKHid and the
ego, and started focusing attention on a personal ego with its
personal object. This way they turned from an experiential in-
look to an existential outlook. Apart from the many mistakes
Freud made, he did go on a line very close to the Buddha. This
was clearly recognized by Eric Fromm, in his book, Zen and
psychoanalysis.
It is important to realize that we are caught up in a mess,
a precarious situation. We are unconsciously carried away
by our emotional impulses, and we make ourselves as well as
others suffer as a result.
When we become conscious of
the unfortunate situation ZH ¿QG
ourselves in, and we also become
aware of the need to return to the
original stillness within that we have
lost. When we become aware of the
way we can return to the original
stillness, by right thinking. This
insight makes us aware of the true meaning of life and the
purpose of life. We become aware that stillness should be
our goal in life, and the only way to attain to this goal, begins
with right thinking. With right thinking we begin to visualize
stillness as the goal of life. In visualizing stillness we visualize
the example of stillness given by the individual who pointed
to stillness of mind and relaxation of the body. This means the
VHUHQH¿JXUHRIWKH%XGGKD becomes the means to visualize

14
our goal. The more we think and LPDJLQHWKHVWLOO¿JXUHRI
the Buddha, the more we become calm in mind and relaxed in
body. This then is the beginning of the Buddhist practice called
PHGLWDWLRQZKLFK¿QDOOOHDGVWRWKHXOWLPDWHJRDO±Nirvana.
Becoming a Buddhist
When one begins the practice that leads to the true goal
of life, one is on the way to become a Buddhist. One does not
become a Buddhist by birth, or by the practice of rituals, or
even by going through an initiation ceremony. One becomes
a Buddhist only by going through a personal transformation,
which solves the problem of existence. This needs further
FODUL¿FDWLRQ
There are two kinds of people who call themselves
Buddhists but are questionable. Some see themselves as being
Buddhists, because they were born into Buddhist families.
Others see themselves as practicing Buddhists, because they
practice Buddhist rituals. Both have no knowledge of what it is
to become a Buddhist. Quite different from both “being” and
“practicing” Buddhists are those who are making a genuine
effort to become a Buddhist. Both “being” and “practicing”
Buddhism in this aforesaid way, only makes a person stagnant,
without moving forward, growing, or evolving. Becoming a
Buddhist, on the other hand, is a dynamic process of change
and transformation, through growth and evolution. It is
through this process of evolution that the problem of existence
could be solved.
Those who avoid the questionable extremes, and begin
to study the philosophy, appreciate its value, and begin to live
DFFRUGLQJWRWKLVSKLORVRSKDUHWKHRQHVZKRUHDOOEHQH¿W
from the teachings of the Buddha. For them the term “Buddhist”

15
represents the goal, and the practice is the means to the goal.
The goal is the most important thing in the mind of the one who
wants to become a Buddhist.
This means, Buddhism is a technique of growth and
evolution. It is a path of action with an end and a means to the
end. One becomes a Buddhist in gradual stages. The ultimate
end is the total freedom from all suffering caused by oneself to
oneself, or by oneself to others.
According to modern psychological thinking, the purpose
of modern psychotherapy is to bring abnormal suffering to a
normal level of unhappiness. The purpose of this Buddhist,
technique of growth on the other hand, is to bring normal
unhappiness to a supernormal (ariya) level of happiness,
which is also a transcendent level. This is why the Buddha is
called the Transcendent One (Tathagata).
Buddhism and Biological Evolution
The real meaning of Buddhism can be understood only
when it is seen in relation to the modern theory of biological
evolution. It is quite clear that the present state of the human
species is not the ultimate level of evolutionary development
quite in spite of all the advances of modern science. This is
why there is so much crime, war, and terrorism prevalent in
the human world. The only way these problems can disappear
from the world is through the maturity of the human mind. This
maturity can be achieved only through further progress in the
evolutionary process, which means the human being has to
evolve further. This evolution does not have to be biological
and unconscious. It should be mainly an evolution of the
human consciousness, which means it has to be consciously
achieved. This means Buddhism offers the only real solution

16
to the problems of the modern world. This solution could be
fully comprehended only by understanding the philosophy and
psychology of the Buddha. This philosophy is a different way
of looking at life and our own mind.
The Mind, what it is
It is important to understand that what we call the mind
is not another entity separate from the body, but an activity
of the body. It is also an activity perceived from a subjective
point of view, rather than from an objective point of view. This
means every human experience is bifurcated into an objective
and a subjective. The objective
experience is seen as physical
and the subjective experience is
seen as mental. When speaking
of the human mind, we refer
to two activities of the body
both perceived subjectively as
mental: the cognitive and the
affective, this is also commonly
seen as reason and emotion. In
common parlance, however,
the cognitive is also referred to as the head and the affective is
referred to as the heart.
When we consider the path of evolutionary progress,
emotion is the more primitive part, and reason is the more
recent part that distinguishes the human being from the less
evolved animals. It is this rational faculty that has given rise
to modern science and technology. It is this more advanced
rational or cognitive part that has to evolve further till the
human being evolves to a superhuman level. Such a level is

17
described in detail in the sacred texts of the Buddhists. There
is even a higher level than the superhuman level mentioned
in the Buddhist scriptures. It is the ultimate evolutionary level
that the human evolutionary process can lead to or produce.
It is at this point that the problem of mortality is completely
solved, where the human being becomes truly IMMORTAL.
This immortality, however, is not eternal life. It is freedom
from the delusion of existence. Before one can die one must
exist. If one does not exist, how can one die. When the delusion
of existence is absent, death is absent too.
The process called life is an unconscious chemical
process that went on unconsciously. It was only when the
human being evolved that life became conscious. When life
became conscious, the human being became aware of the
problem of existence. It was Charles Darwin that became
aware of the struggle for existence and the (so called) survival
RIWKH¿WWHVW. It was the Buddha who realized that the struggle
for existence was only an unconscious impersonal chemical
process and existence was not a real existence of a static entity.
This unconscious struggle for existence was not only a futile
struggle, but also a painful one. It should be and can be stopped
by realizing that existence is a delusion and we do not really
exist. There is only a struggle to exist but no real existence.
Existence is a static concept in a dynamic reality.
Growth and Maturity
Evolution of the human being is a matter of growth and
maturity. The mature individual is dominated by reason to a
great extent, in relation to the immature child who is mainly
emotional rather than rational. This means, the immature person
andthechildaredominatedmostlybyemotion.Emotionisblind,

18
while reason only is aware of the reality around. This awareness
of the reality around us is what we call consciousness. But this
consciousness of reality is often obstructed by emotions. This
is why the emotions are taken to be hindrances by the Buddha.
:HRIWHQQRWLFHWKDWZKHQHPRWLRQDQGUHDVRQDUHLQFRQÀLFW
emotion always wins, even in a mature person. Emotion is
powerful but blind. In the immature person, reason becomes the
slave of emotion. In the mature person, reason guides emotion.
In the present age the human being is not fully mature. Full
maturity is a matter of the evolution of consciousness. This
evolution of consciousness does not occur on a mass scale. Only
a few individuals mature periodically. The time of the Buddha
was such a period. Maturity of mind was at a maximum level
during that period. It was the Buddha who reached this highest
level of maturity of mind. A few other individuals before him
had come close to the Buddha, and some reached the state by
following him. As time passed, the environmental conditions
that changed prevented people from achieving such a level of
maturity.
Biological evolution took place unconsciously, but the
evolution of consciousness involves conscious human effort.
The human effort has to begin with an understanding of a
problem and its solution. Very few human beings realize that
our normal life is a problem. Life began as an impersonal
chemical process that appeared to be an unconscious effort to
be permanent in an impermanent world, which took the form of
a struggle for existence. This struggle to exist is, however, an
unrealistic and futile effort, which cannot succeed. This world
and everything in it are impermanent, because everything that
exists depends on conditions. Even if one condition is absent,
the existence ceases. Therefore the struggle is a blind futile

19
struggle, which ends in dissatisfaction, disappointment, and
frustration, which is painful and unpleasant.
While all living beings continued this futile and painful
struggle quite unconsciously until the human being became
conscious of the problem, it is left for the human being to
solve the problem. It is this blind evolutionary process that
produced a nervous system with a brain. With the development
of the brain stem, the limbic system, and the cerebral cortex
that helped in becoming conscious, there appeared the human
being. It is this human being that became aware of a “world”
and a “self” in it. This means he became conscious. It is this
conscious human being, with the developed capacity to reason
logically, who became aware of the process of evolution and
also became aware of the futility and the painfulness of the
struggle to exist, and decided to stop it. In doing so, however,
he has to learn to overcome this powerful emotional urge that
keeps the futile struggle going. Even if one becomes aware of
WKHGLI¿FXOWRIWKHSUREOHPDQGHYHQLIWKHVROXWLRQLVVHHQWKH
solution of the problem is not an easy job. One has to learn to
stop being carried away by the blind irrational emotions. The
achievement of this goal is the awakening from the dream of
existence, or becoming a Buddha.
Character Structure
One becomes a Buddhist by beginning the conscious
process of evolution of consciousness. Who ever has studied the
teachings of the Buddha and has understood the importance of
the message of the Buddha can begin to practice with the hope
of reaching the goal, which is a return to the original tranquility
that was lost due to being bombarded by the environmental
stimulations. All one has to do is to understand what Buddhist

20
living is, and begin to live it. To do so, one has to learn the
character structure of a Buddhist.
$ FKDUDFWHU VWUXFWXUH FRQVWLWXWHV ¿YH SDUWV RQHV
philosophy of life, ones aim in life, what one speaks habitually,
what one does habitually, and how one lives habitually. Habits
are tendencies of behavior, which are perpetuated through
practice. Practice means repetition. What one repeats becomes
habitual. What one repeats habitually, becomes one’s destiny.
What one repeats is what one is destined to be. Therefore
what one repeats one becomes. One repeats, however, only
what one values. Therefore, one becomes what one values.
What one values depends on ones sense of values, which in turn
depends on ones philosophy of life. This character structure
creates a disposition. This disposition is what one becomes.
An individual’s disposition is an organized functional
ZKROHWKDWLVRULHQWHGWRUHDFKDGH¿QLWHJRDO(YHUKDELWRI
thought, speech and action is an integral part of this functional
whole, and necessary to reach this goal. The goal, however, is
always visualized as a “person” one wants to be. One wants
to become “someone.” To be more precise, the goal is a “self
image.” In fact, one has two self images; what one “thinks one
is,” and what one “wants to be.” If one focuses attention mainly
on what one is, one stagnates, but if one focuses mostly on
what one “wants to be,” one grows and develops.
The person one wants to be is always a person one
considers being “superior” in some form. One always wants to
move from a state of inferiority to a state of superiority. Ones
JRDORIVXSHULRULWWHQGVWREHWKH³IXO¿OOPHQW´RIZKDWRQH
considers to be lacking in oneself. What one wants is to be
complete. In being complete, one becomes superior. What one
considers being complete and superior depends on ones “sense

21
of values.” This sense of values again depends on ones view of
life.
If one wants to become what one wants to be, one has
to change ones character structure, which changes ones
disposition. If not, any practice will be only a temporary fad,
OLNH WULQJ RXW D QHZ GLHW RU ¿WQHVV SURJUDP ,I RQH ZDQWV
to change ones habits, one can do so only by changing ones
character structure. This is to become a different person, by
a personal transformation, a rebirth. In order to change one’s
character structure, one has to start changing ones philosophy
of life, ones sense of values, and ones goal in life. This will be
followed automatically by a complete reorganization of ones
thought, speech, action, and life to reach the desired goal.
One will then have a new way of thinking, a new way
of feeling, and a new way of speaking, acting and living. Old
habits not directed towards the desired goal will be dropped
off and new habits relevant to the goal will be formed. Habits
remain because they are relevant to one’s goal in life, held
unconsciously, and therefore cannot be dropped off because
they are essential to reach the goal. This means, a character
structure that is organized to reach a certain goal cannot be
broken without changing the goal. It is only by a goal change
and a character transformation that one can change habits. This
is the reason for the many failures in our attempts to overcome
habits like overeating, drinking alcohol, smoking, etc.
One becomes a Buddhist only when one comprehends
the Buddhist philosophy of life, the sense of values,
and achieves the goal reorientation, which results in the
reorganization of ones character structure to reach the Buddhist
goal. Then ones thought, speech, and action fall in line with
the goal. When this happens, one has become an evolving,

22
progressing Buddhist. This becoming a Buddhist is not an
end, but a means to an end. It is only the beginning of a process
of growth and evolution. It is the way to perfect mental health
and happiness, which is a supernormal state.
Some of the above concepts are found in Western
psychological thinking especially among the Adlerians, the
Behaviorists, Cognitive Psychology, and in the modern “self-
image psychology,” or psycho cybernetics. However, more
WKDQ WZHQW¿YH FHQWXULHV DJR WKH ³8QVXUSDVVDEOH 7UDLQHU
of Personality,” (anuttaro purisadamma sarati) the Buddha,
the “Awakened One,” formulated a technique of transforming
character based on these same principles and more. This
technique is called the supernormal “Sublime Eight-fold Way.”
This “Sublime Eight-fold Way” is organized as a path
of action that begins with the Harmonious Perspective. This
is a perspective because this is an uncommon way of looking
at life. This perspective brings about harmony between our
wishes and reality. The common way of looking at life brings
DERXWDFRQÀLFWEHWZHHQRXUZLVKHVDQGUHDOLWDQGVRSURGXFHV
normal unhappiness.
Normally we have two kinds of wishes. One is based on
conscious rational thinking. The other is based on unconscious
emotional thinking. It is this unconscious emotional thinking
WKDWFRPHVLQFRQÀLFWZLWKWKHUHDOLWSHUFHLYHGWKURXJKUDWLRQDO
conscious thinking. Our rational thinking is aware of the
impermanence of everything that is dependent on conditions.
Our emotional thinking is blind to the fact of impermanence.
Therefore it seeks permanence in an impermanent world. This
FUHDWHV WKH FRQÀLFW EHWZHHQ ZLVKHV DQG UHDOLW UHVXOWLQJ LQ
suffering.

23
So the Harmonious Perspective is to understand the
problem that we suffer from, to understand that the cause of
WKH SUREOHP LV WKH EOLQG HPRWLRQV WKDW FRPH LQ FRQÀLFW WR
understand that the problem can be solved only by eradicating
the cause. The next problem is how can we eradicate the cause,
which consists of emotions. If we can understand that the
emotions are not what we do, but unconscious occurrences due
to the presence of the necessary conditions. Then the emotions
can be brought to a stop by depersonalizing the emotions,
and becoming aware of the conditions that start them. This
procedure has been enumerated and named the Supernormal
Eightfold Way.
THE SUPERNORMAL EIGHTFOLD WAY
1. Harmonious Perspective
2. Harmonious Orientation
3. Harmonious Speech
4. Harmonious Action
5. Harmonious Life
6. Harmonious Exercise
7. Harmonious Attention
8. Harmonious Equilibrium.
This “Supernormal Eight-fold Way” is not a set of
commandments or rules of living as some writers mistakenly
think.Itisadescriptionofthecharacter-structureanddisposition
of the true and healthy Buddhist. This character-structure is,
in fact, a disposition or a functional whole organized to reach
the goal of imperturbable serenity, NIRVANA. If one is
to become a true Buddhist, one has to acquire this character
structure.

24
This harmonious character structure is not a sudden
acquisition, although sometimes it could appear to be so. After
a long period of struggle to understand the meaning of life,
the harmonious perspective may dawn upon one, as when the
pieces of the jigsaw puzzle suddenly click into place. When
the harmonious perspective appears, the rest of the structure
falls into place. The individual’s life becomes reoriented and
reorganized to reach the very special goal called NIRVANA, the
perfect mental health and happiness, the absolute freedom from
emotional disturbance or the ultimate stage in the evolutionary
process, which is Supernormal. This ultimate stage is the
awakening from the dream of existence.
3. Harmonious Perspective
Harmonious Perspective is the perspective that brings
about harmony within and without, and which does not create
DQFRQÀLFW7KHFRQÀLFWZLWKLQLVWKHFRQÀLFWEHWZHHQRQHV
emotional impulses (asava) and ones sense of values (hiri-
ottappa). 7KH FRQÀLFW ZLWKRXW LV WKH FRQÀLFW EHWZHHQ RQHV
emotional impulses and the physical and social reality outside.
The harmonious perspective can be understood in four
different ways at four different levels of emotional maturity.
The four levels of maturity are: (1). Appreciation of goodness
(saddha), (2). Knowing what is good behaviour (sila), (3).
Understanding true happiness as purity and tranquility of mind
(samadhi), and (4). Introspective insight into the true nature of
life as instability, painfulness, and impersonality (pañña).

25
Appreciation of Goodness (saddha)
$WWKH¿UVWOHYHOWKHKDUPRQLRXVSHUVSHFWLYHLVWKHULJKW
sense of values. This is the appreciation of goodness and truth.
What is good is true and what is true is good; they cannot be
separated. These two values represent the two parts of the
human mind: the thinking part or head (mano), and the feeling
part or heart (citta). In other words, it is the maturity of the
head and the heart. In technical terms, these values refer to the
maturity of the cognitive and the affective parts of the human
psyche. When we speak of the Buddha, we speak of the ONE
who has gained perfection in emotional and intellectual
maturity (arahan) (samma sambuddha). Therefore to value
goodness and truth is to value the Buddha. To value the Buddha
is to value his teaching, the Dhamma, and also the followers
of his teaching, the Sangha. These three values, the Buddha,
Dhamma and Sangha are therefore called the Triple Gem; gem
symbolizing value. It is the Holy Trinity of the Buddhist. The
Buddhists worship this Trinity as Christians worship theirs.
Buddhists do not pray, however, they only worship. Prayer,
as the Buddhists understand it, is a supplication for help,
while worship (worth + ship) is the appreciation of values.
This appreciation is also called saddha, which is the Buddhist
equivalent of faith. It is not based on blind belief but on an
understanding and appreciation of the value of goodness and
truth, and the belief in the possibility for a human being to
UHDFKWKDWVWDWHRISHUIHFWLRQH[HPSOL¿HGEWKH%XGGKD
The right sense of values is the appreciation of what is
good, pleasant and real. What is good, pleasant and real is
tranquility, and tranquility is NIRVANA. Therefore, the right
sense of values is the appreciation of Nirvana.

26
To appreciate is to value, to esteem, to hold in high regard,
or consider being superior. When one appreciates Nirvana,
one holds it in high esteem and considers it to be superior.
Nirvana is the mental state of perfection attained to by the
Buddha. Therefore to esteem Nirvana is to esteem the Buddha.
The teaching of the Buddha is an explanation of Nirvana and
the way to it. Therefore to esteem Nirvana is also to hold the
Dhamma in high esteem. The disciples of the Buddha are those
who practice the way to Nirvana and those who have attained to
Nirvana. Therefore one who esteems Nirvana will also esteem
the Sangha, or the community of followers.
In this way, the triad: Buddha, Dhamma, and Sangha
become a worshipped Holy Trinity of the Buddhist. To worship
(worth + ship) is to regard something to be of great worth, or
to hold in high esteem. This is why the Buddhist worships the
Buddha, the “Awakened One,” but does not pray to the Buddha.
A Buddhist does not pray to supernatural powers for help but
takes refuge in the Wisdom of the Buddha to solve the problems
in his/her life. To take refuge is to seek protection from the
troubles and tribulations of life. In taking refuge in the Buddha,
he/she takes refuge in the teachings, Dhamma. Because he/
she receives the teachings, inspiration, and guidance from the
Sangha, he/she also takes refuge in the Sangha. The “Buddha,”
“Dhamma” and “Sangha” are the most precious things in the
world for the Buddhist. The Buddhists regard them as their
Holy Trinity. As the Buddhists hold this triad in high esteem,
they call it the “Triple Gem,” (ratanattaya); because, “gem”
represents value. As they are also the refuge of the Buddhist
they are also called the “Triple Refuge” (tisarana). The one,
who appreciates TRANQUILITY, appreciates the Buddha, the
Dhamma, and the Sangha.

27
The appreciation of tranquility, or the Buddha, Dhamma,
and the Sangha, which is also the appreciation of goodness,
happiness and truth, is the Buddhist right sense of values,
called “saddha.” In Buddhism, saddha is the equivalent of
faith in theistic religions. The Buddha is comparable to the God
of theistic religions, but because Buddhism is humanistic, the
term “God” takes on a different meaning from that in theistic
religion. “God,” in the Buddhist sense, is the state of perfection,
which one worships and takes refuge in. For the Buddhist
then, God is not the Creator of the world, but the Savior of the
world, the Buddha. The Buddha saves the world, not through
supernatural power, but through natural wisdom.
This taking of refuge is what makes Buddhism a
religion. Every religion provides refuge from the troubles
and tribulations of life.
While Monotheistic
religionsproviderefuge
through the Almighty
power of one Supreme
Creator God, and
Polytheistic religions
do so through the
power of a multiplicity
of supernatural gods, Humanistic Buddhism provides refuge
through the natural wisdom of the Buddha, by developing the
human potential for tranquility, intelligence and goodness.
This is why Buddhism is called a humanistic religion. It is
a religion because it sets out to allay the anxieties and fears
of human existence, not by running into a dream world of
supernatural power, but by helping individuals realistically
solve the problem of anguish by understanding it.

28
The Buddha says in the Dhammapada:
Many a mortal does refuge seek
In forest groves and mountain’s peak
Temples, trees and images seek
In fear and trembling praying meek
Such refuge can safe not be
Such refuge can great not be
Such refuge can never be
Free from every fear there be
Who seeks refuge in the Buddha great
The Dhamma and the Sangha great
Four supernormal realities
Through harmonious awareness sees
Pain and how it comes to be
Then again what its end can be
The Supernormal Eight-fold way
That brings all pain to an end this way
This refuge, so safe it is
This refuge, supreme it is
This refuge, when sought it is
Free from every fear, it’s peace.
To seek refuge in the Buddha is to seek refuge in
oneself and human intelligence. It is not seeking refuge in
SRZHU ± QDWXUDO RU VXSHUQDWXUDO ,W LV VHHNLQJ UHIXJH LQ WKH
QDWXUDOZLVGRPRIWKH%XGGKDZKLFKLVKXPDQOYHUL¿DEOH
Buddhism is also the worship of goodness rather than power.
We seek power to control others and our circumstances. We
seek wisdom to control ourselves, which turns into goodness.
Buddhism helps us solve problems through self-transformation,
not through the transformation of the world. This is how

29
Buddhism differs from both theistic religions and Marxism,
which seek refuge in power, either supernatural or natural, to
control circumstances.
Although theistic religions worship supernatural power,
they also worship goodness. And when goodness and power
become alternatives to choose from, goodness becomes the
choice. For example, when the Jews accused Jesus of using the
power of the devil to perform miracles, Jesus invited the Jews
WRH[DPLQHKLVDFWLRQVWR¿QGRXWZKHWKHUWKHZHUHJRRGRU
bad. He pointed out that good comes only from God and what
comes from the Devil is only evil. Because Jesus did only what
was good through his miracles, his power had to come from
God, and not the Devil. This shows that according to theistic
thinking too, the essence of divinity is not power but goodness.
This worship of values matures into good behaviour.
What we appreciate we tend to become. Good behaviour is
XQVHO¿VK EHKDYLRXU DQG EDG EHKDYLRXU LV VHO¿VK 7KHUHIRUH
good behaviour is based on universal benevolence (metta). It is
not based on the principle of punishment and reward.
Knowing Good and Bad Behaviour (sila)
At the second level, harmonious perspective is the ability
to distinguish between good and bad behaviour. This also
means to know that it is possible to change behaviour and to
know how to change behaviour, which is essential to practice
good behaviour. This is the harmonious perspective that
helps good behaviour.
Behaviour is of three kinds: thought, speech and action.
Bad behaviour is that which leads to the unhappiness of oneself
as well as that of others. Good behaviour is what leads to

30
happiness of oneself and others. This is based on a consideration
of not only for oneself but also for others.
There are ten kinds of bad behaviour enumerated by the
Buddha, three of bodily action, four of speech, and three of
thought:
Acts of body:
1) Hurting or harming others
2) Taking other’s property without consent
3) Sexual misbehaviour, which is improper.
Acts of speech:
1) Dishonesty in speech
2) Discourteous speech
3) Harmful speech in another’s absence
4) Irresponsible speech that spoils others minds.
Acts of thought:
1) Desire for others property
2) Hatred of others
3) Harmful views that lead to bad behaviour.
One who has the harmonious perspective avoids these
10 bad behaviours and cultivates their opposites, the good
behaviours.
Knowing what True Happiness is (samadhi)
Learning how to purify the mind and to know the need
to do so is the harmonious perspective at the third level.
True happiness is not the stimulation of the senses, which
is considered to be pleasurable. True happiness comes through
purity and tranquility of mind. Normally, happiness is seen

31
DV WKH JUDWL¿FDWLRQ RI HPRWLRQDO LPSXOVHV 7KLV LV DFKLHYHG
through efforts to maximize pleasure and minimize pain. But
this, according to the Buddha, is the way to unhappiness.
This kind of effort is futile because it leads to frustration and
disappointment and constant dissatisfaction. It is not the way
to true happiness.
Emotional reactions are mere reactions of the body to
sensory stimulations or memories of them. They are mere
disturbances of the mind and body, which are experienced
as unhappiness. The only way to happiness is to learn to
cultivate calmness of mind and relaxation of the body. It is
done by cultivating the habit of thinking good thoughts which
are also calming thoughts. Tranquility of mind is the real
happiness. This is the meaning of meditation, which is an effort
to purify and calm the mind. It is the tranquil mind that can
gain insight into the true realities of life.
These emotional reactions are not thought-out deliberate
actions. They are not things that we do. They are things that
happen to us almost without our knowing how. This is why
WKH DUH VR GLI¿FXOW WR JHW XQGHU FRQWURO 7KHVH HPRWLRQDO
impulses are therefore unconscious, blind and impersonal
like thirst (tanha).
These emotional impulses are not static entities that can
be stored anywhere, as sometimes instincts are supposed to be.
They are impermanent, unconscious, dynamic processes. They
are transient activities that come and go, having a beginning
and an end, whenever the senses are stimulated. They can,
however,becomerepetitioushabitualtendencies.Theirapparent
continuity is due to their repetitiveness (pono bhavika).
Emotional impulses are basically of two kinds: those that
seek pleasure (loba) and those that avoid pain (dosa). These

32
two kinds of emotional impulses represent the positive and the
negative aspects of pleasure seeking (kamasukallikanuyoga).
Emotional impulses makes us blind to reality (moha). These
blind emotional impulses drive us towards the goal of pleasure
and they seek immediate satisfaction (nandi raga sahagata).
The object sought for pleasure can change from time to time
(tatra tatra abhinandani 7KHGRQRW¿QGVDWLVIDFWLRQRQOLQ
RQHREMHFWDOOWKHWLPH7KHDUHYDULHWFUDYLQJ±DVWKHVDLQJ
goes, “variety is the spice of life.”
Introspective Insight into the True Nature of Life (pañña)
The in-sight gained after purifying and tranquilizing the
mind is the fourth level of the harmonious perspective. It is
only the tranquil mind that can gain insight into the realities of
life: instability, painfulness, and impersonality (pañña). This
topic will be presented in more detail later.
7KH2XWHURQÀLFW
2XWHUFRQÀLFWLVWKHFRQÀLFWEHWZHHQWKHSOHDVXUHVHHNLQJ
HPRWLRQV DQG WKH VRFLDO DQG SKVLFDO UHDOLW 2XWHU FRQÀLFW
RFFXUV ZKHQ WKH VHDUFK IRU SOHDVXUH FRPHV LQ FRQÀLFW ZLWK
other people or the physical environment itself.
7KH EDVLF SUREOHP RI OLIH LV RXU FRQÀLFW ZLWK RXU
circumstances. The world around us is not behaving, as we
want. Even our body and mind do not behave, as we want. In
other words, we have no control over our circumstances. That
LVHYHQZLWKRXUPRGHUQVFLHQWL¿FWHFKQRORJZHDUHQRWDEOH
to gain full control over our circumstances. Modern science can
make a few of our jobs easy, but still we are not in control of our
circumstances. Man has been a toolmaker from the beginning.

33
New technology is only making better tools for us using
human intelligence. Still mankind is as helpless as before.
7KLVKHOSOHVVQHVVRIPDQNLQGLQDZRUOGWKDWLVGLI¿FXOW
to understand, coupled with mankind’s inability to gain control
even over the mind, has lead to the search for supernatural
power to control circumstances. When natural human power
fails, mankind seeks supernatural power. This much-needed
supernatural power, man conceives in the form of gods. By
believing in these supernatural beings, mankind gains hope
DQGFRXUDJHWROLYHDQGHQGXUHWKHGLI¿FXOWLHVRIOLIH:LWKRXW
this contrived world of supernatural beings, mankind would
be lost in hopelessness. This however is only an escape from
reality into fantasy. It is not a real solution of the problem but
a placebo.
:KDWWKH%XGGKDSRLQWVRXWKRZHYHULVWKDWRXUFRQÀLFW
with our circumstances is due to our irrational emotions. It is
UHDOORXUEOLQGHPRWLRQVWKDWDUHLQFRQÀLFWZLWKWKHUHDOLWRI
our circumstances. Our desires are unrealistic. We are seeking
permanence in an impermanent world. We are not able to accept
reality as it is. We cannot see ourselves growing old because we
are attached to youthfulness. We cannot think of dying because
we are attached to life. We cannot endure what is unpleasant
because we react to it with hate. We are loath to part from what
is pleasant because we become emotionally attached to it. We
FDQQRWEHDUIUXVWUDWLRQRIRXUXQIXO¿OOHGGHVLUHVEHFDXVHZH
seek immediate satisfaction of these desires.
,I XQUHDOLVWLF HPRWLRQV FDXVH XV WR FRPH LQ WR FRQÀLFW
with reality, then what needs to be done is not to change reality
to suit our unrealistic desires but to change our unrealistic
desires to suit reality. If we try to change reality it is likely
that we will only be escaping from reality into a dream world

34
ZKHUHDOOGHVLUHVZLOOEHVDWLV¿HGWKURXJKVXSHUQDWXUDOSRZHUV
and that is insanity. If religion was such an escape, it could only
be seen as a collective neurosis, as Sigmund Freud saw it.
Thisiswhy,fortheBuddhist,religionisatransformation
of self, and not an unrealistic effort to change reality with
the help of supernatural power. This is why, Buddhists do not
seek help in gods, but in the natural human potential, which is
the power of human intelligence (buddhi). To seek help in
human intelligence is to seek help in ones own intelligence
and that of others. The Buddha, the Dhamma, and the Sangha
symbolize this successful human intelligence in concrete form.
Buddha is the one who achieved perfection in intelligence,
Dhamma is his teaching, and the Sangha is the society of
followers. This was why the Buddha said, “Live with oneself
as light, oneself as refuge and no other refuge; live with the
Dhamma as light, the Dhamma as refuge and no other refuge.”
This is why the true Buddhist takes refuge in the Buddha,
Dhamma and the Sangha instead of supernatural powers.
7KHRXWHUFRQÀLFWFDQEHIXUWKHUHODERUDWHGDVIROORZV
Firstly, the pleasure-seeking emotional impulses clash
with the interests of others. These impulses are antisocial and
VHO¿VK7KLVLVZKWKHFRQWURORIHPRWLRQVLVGHPDQGHGE
society and why social norms, laws and prisons have been
instituted. Society punishes the individual who is unable or
unwilling to control these self-centered impulses. Pressures
from within, as well as from society, trouble the individual.
8QDEOHWRGHDOZLWKWKLVFRQÀLFWEHWZHHQHPRWLRQVDQGVRFLHW
an individual may become alienated from society and even
become mentally ill.
Secondly, the search for pleasure clashes with the
physical reality around. Changes in the physical environment

35
can frustrate the emotions and disappoint the person. On the
other hand, to seek pleasure always and to avoid pain is to
seek permanent pleasure. We know, however, that permanent
pleasure is impossible. We know that in real life we have to part
from pleasure and meet pain. Life is not a bed of roses without
thorns. We cannot always have pleasure and we cannot always
avoid pain. Sometimes our enjoyment of pleasure can hurt other
people. Often things do not happen, as we want. 7KLVFRQÀLFW
between emotional impulses and the external environment
creates, anxiety and unhappiness.
This clash between emotion and external reality is
painful. Our impulses are blind, irrational and insatiable. These
blind impulses drive toward an impossible goal. They seek
immediate and permanent pleasure. Naturally, frustrations,
disappointments, worries, anxieties, fears and dissatisfactions
are bound to occur in this kind of pleasure-seeking life.
Thirdly, this search for pleasure leads to personalization
and possessiveness. This means, we like to own our pleasures
and bring them under our control permanently. By owning or
personalizing, and identifying ourselves with what we own, we
build and extend the notion of “self,” or “ego.” “I” become
the center of the universe. Thus we build up a dream world
of selfness and ownership and struggle to live in it as “the
monarch of all I survey.” Yet, this often ends up in failure and
disappointment. First we are attracted to pleasant appearances
(kama tanha), and then it turns into a desire for ownership
(bhava tanha). Finally, it turns into boredom, disgust, and
the desire for riddance (vibhava tanha). This possessiveness
DOVR EULQJV XV LQ FRQÀLFW ZLWK RWKHUV 7KLV PD OHDG WR WKH
break-up of relationships, divorces, violent action, murder and
even suicide.

36
Fourthly, this pleasure seeking is accompanied by a
desire for the permanent existence of what we call, “ourselves”
and “our own.” Thus we begin to live in the dream world of
permanent “self existence.”We wish that what we personalize as
“mine” and “myself” should not grow old or die; this applies to
our own bodies as well as those of our loved ones. Youthfulness
is pleasant to us, while old age is unpleasant. Health is pleasant
to us, while disease is unpleasant. Life is pleasant to us, while
death is unpleasant. Parting from the pleasant and meeting
the unpleasant is painful. Not being able to have things as we
want is frustrating. The cause of this suffering is undoubtedly
unrealistic desires or blind emotional impulses, which result
in personalization and suffering.
It is this clash between emotional urges and reality that
the Buddha described in the form of the Four-fold Supernormal
Reality (Four Noble Truths), laid out in the form of:
1) The insecurity of life (dukkha)
2) Origin of insecurity (samudaya)
3) Ending of insecurity (nirodha)
4) The method of ending insecurity (magga).
The insecurity of life has been described as:
1) Grief, lamentation, pain, distress and exhaustion
2) Birth, aging, disease and death
3) Parting from the pleasant and meeting the unpleasant
4) Not obtaining what is desired.
The origin of the insecurity of life is described as the
emotional urge that is repetitive, comprising delight and lust,
RI¿FNOHQDWXUH7KHDUHDVIROORZV

37

7KHHPRWLRQDOUHDFWLRQWRSOHDVDQWVHQVDWLRQ±WKLUVW
for pleasure (kama tanha)

7KHHPRWLRQDOUHDFWLRQWRQHXWUDOVHQVDWLRQDV±WKLUVW
for existence (bhava tanha)

7KHHPRWLRQDOUHDFWLRQWRXQSOHDVDQWVHQVDWLRQ±WKLUVW
for nonexistence (vibhava tanha).
The desire to have pleasure and to avoid pain is a desire to
have permanent pleasure. The insecurity of life is the inability
to have permanent pleasure or permanent existence. In short it is
WKHFRQÀLFWEHWZHHQWKHEOLQGHPRWLRQDOWKLUVWIRUSHUPDQHQFH
and the reality of impermanence. The ending of insecurity is
the ending of this blind unrealistic emotional reaction or thirst.
Therefore the ending of insecurity is described as the
dispassionate eradication of the thirst without remainder; its
renunciation, relinquishment and abandonment with no more
hankering.
The method of ending insecurity is following the
Supernormal Sublime Eight-fold Way, which has been already
described.
The Inner Conflict
7KHFRQÀLFWZLWKLQLVWKHFRQÀLFWEHWZHHQRQHVHPRWLRQDO
moods (citta) and ones rational faculty (mano). In addition to
WKLVFRQÀLFWDQRWKHUFRQÀLFWDULVHVEHWZHHQRXUFRQVFLHQFHDQG
the emotional impulses. Our conscience (hiri-ottapa) consists
of habits cultivated in childhood during the course of childhood
disciplining by adults. This conscience becomes an internal
force that disciplines even adults. The conscience is a product
of culture. This conscience that comes up as an emotion within
begins to oppose the emotional impulses that seek pleasure.

38
7KLVFUHDWHVDQLQQHUFRQÀLFWEHWZHHQRSSRVLQJHPRWLRQV2XU
conscience seeks to be good. But this goodness is achieved
only through a denial of emotional impulses.
When this happens, goodness is seen to be not good. Our
thinking faculty takes the side of the emotional impulses by
personalizing them and defending them. If, the individual did
not have a strict upbringing, his conscience will not be very
strong. If ones pleasure seeking emotions are also powerful,
one might become a playboy (kâmasukallikânuyôga). Such an
individual can even become a criminal, because it may lead
one to crime, being carried away by emotions, and ignoring
the conscience.
On the other hand, if the
conscience is powerful, one may
take the side of the conscience.
If an individual has had a strict
upbringing, this conscience will
be very strong. Such an individual
can become very inhibited in
behaviour, and feel excessively
self critical and guilty over the
slightest lapse or error on his/
her part. He can become over-
critical of others too. This may
even result in an ascetic life of self-denial and self-
PRUWL¿FDWLRQ ZKHQ WKH HPRWLRQV DUH SHUVRQDOL]HG EXW QRW
JUDWL¿HGDQGLQVWHDGWKHPLQGDQGERGLVSXQLVKHGWKLQNLQJ
WKH IDXOW LV LQ WKH ERG RU ÀHVK 7KLV LV ZKDW WKH %XGGKD
called attakilamatânuyôga.
It seems that we are trapped between the horns of a
dilemma. If one is brought up strictly, one may turn into

39
an ascetic, if one is not, one may become a criminal. These
FRQÀ
LFWLQJHPRWLRQVFDQGULYHDQLQGLYLGXDOWKLVZDRUWKH
other depending on which side is stronger. If one cannot resolve
WKHFRQÀ
LFWRQHZDRUDQRWKHUDQGLWEHFRPHVXQEHDUDEOH
one may even become neurotic or psychotic, running away
IURPUHDOLWLQWRDIDOVHZRUOGRIIDQWDV7KLVLQQHUFRQÀ
LFW
becomes the cause of much unhappiness in our lives and it
can even lead to suicide.
As mentioned earlier, these blind emotional reactions or
thirst (tanha), which clashes with reality, is of three kinds:
1) The thirst for sensual pleasures (kama tanha)
2) The thirst for the presence of everything (bhava tanha)
3) The thirst for the absence of the unpleasant (vibhava
tanha).
It is the urge for sensual pleasure
WKDW FRPHV LQ FRQÀ
LFW ZLWK VRFLHW
and the conscience, and can lead to
mental illnesses such as neurosis
and crime. The urge for existence of
D ³VHOI´ DOVR FRPHV LQ FRQÀ
LFW ZLWK
other individuals, social norms, and
reality itself. This too can lead to
neurosis and crime. The urge for non-
existence resulting from anger toward others or oneself can
lead to crime, wars, suicide, and psychosis. The details of how
WKHVH XUJHV OHDG WR LQQHU FRQÀ
LFWV QHXURVLV SVFKRVLV DQG
VRFLDOFRQÀ
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QGLQJV
of Western psychology are a reiteration of the teachings of
the Buddha.

40
The Solution
It is quite clear that the blind emotional impulse is what
clashes with external reality and our reason, as well as with our
conscience. It is therefore this blind impulse that is the cause
of many of the troubles and tribulations in our lives. What is
worse is that these troublesome, blind emotions motivate our
actions. Our reason becomes a slave to these emotional motives,
and even defends them rationally, through rationalization. It is
these blind emotions that begin to dominate our lives.
Is there a way of eliminating emotions? Can reason
be made to dominate the individual rather than emotion?
Can reason guide the emotions? Can we get our emotions to
change direction? Some method must be found to bring about
harmony within the personality. Modern psychologists are
still struggling with this problem, while theistic religion is
praying to God for help. Mankind continues to suffer due to an
inability to gain control over emotions. To make things worse,
mankind, in confusion, worships emotionality and excitement.
They even confuse emotionality with humanity, thinking that
emotion is necessary to be human. However, emotion is not
what distinguishes the human being from the animal but the
ability to reason.
Buddhism points the way to a humanistic solution,
which has been successful for all those who take the technique
seriously. The Buddha discovered this all-important technique
WZHQW¿YHFHQWXULHVDJR,WFDQGLUHFWOKHOSRQOLQGLYLGXDOV
not societies as a whole, unless Buddhism is absorbed in to the
VRFLHW¶VFXOWXUH7KLV%XGGKLVWPHWKRGXQL¿HVWKHSHUVRQDOLW
bypointingtoDJRDOWKDWGRHVQRWFRPHLQFRQÀLFWZLWKUHDOLW.
This method is based on the principle that the human mind
is constantly seeking goals consciously or unconsciously.

41
They may be good or bad, realistic or unrealistic. Seeking
XQUHDOLVWLF JRDOV SURGXFHV FRQÀLFW 7KH %XGGKLVW PHWKRG
therefore, begins with consciously seeking a harmonious
goal. This is to seek the new and special goal of inner peace
(DMMDWWDVƗQWL), which is the tranquility of mind. How does
WKLVSXUVXLWRIWUDQTXLOLWUHVROYHWKHFRQÀLFW
In order to understand this we must understand how our
mind works. The well-known psychologist, Sigmund Freud,
discovered an important fact in the modern times. Our mind
is split into three parts, each part seeking a different goal. Our
emotional impulses seek pleasure. Our conscience seeks to
be good. Our reason, however, seeks to be realistic. He called
these three parts the id, the ego and the superego, respectively.
This was called the structural hypothesis. This split naturally
UHVXOWV LQ FRQÀLFW7KH SHUVRQDOLW WKDW LV GLYLGHG LQWR WKUHH
parts begins to pull in three different directions.
Freud saw this split as a split in the
personality. The Buddha, however, saw
thisasfourtypesofpersonalization.Itis
through the process of personalization
that the idea of “personality” is born,
which is the notion of an “individual
person” or “self “ (ego). To personalize
is to think of ownership, or to consider
something as, “this is mine.” What is
considered to be “mine” then becomes
a part of me. What is a “part of me”
then turns out to be “me.” This happens emotionally rather
than intellectually. Therefore it is an unconscious concept rather
than a conscious one, and it is also irrational.

42
The four types of personalization presented by the Buddha
were as follows:
1) Personalization of sensual desire
(kama upadana ±id
2) Personalization of views (ditthi
upadana ±ego
3) Personalization of morals
(silabbata upadana ±superego
4) Personalization of the sense of
self (attavada upadana ±the sense of self
7KH¿UVWWKUHHWSHVRISHUVRQDOL]DWLRQUHVHPEOH)UHXG¶V
structural hypothesis of id, ego, and superego very closely.
Freud saw them as three parts of the personality. The Buddha,
however, did not see them as parts of a “personality.” He only
spoke of the process of “personalization,” which produces
the notion of a personality or person. Freud did speak of the
notion of “self,” as it is formed in the infant, by a process
of personalization. But he did not see its connection to his
structural hypothesis. When he used the term “ego,” he did not
mean a real existing entity called “ego” or “self.” He saw the
personality as an energy system or machine. The term “ego”
was used to refer to the rational faculty probably following
Descartes,’ “cogito ergo sum,” (I think, therefore I am). He
also needed to show that the ego was the conscious part of the
personality, while the id (meaning “it”) was the unconscious
part.
The Buddha saw a fourth part of the process of
personalization. It is the formation of the notion of “self.” It is
this that Freud did not see clearly.The Buddha also saw that here
lies the crux of the matter. It is because we personalize the

43
emotions that we cannot get rid of them. If they are a part of
my self, to give them up is to give up a part of myself, which I do
not like to do. This was why Freud saw repression as an attempt
to reject a part of the self. His effort during psychoanalysis
was to restore what was thrown out into the unconscious. After
bringing it into consciousness, he also attempted to gratify the
emotional urge through sublimation, which means to gratify it
in a socially acceptable way. Freud thought that the instincts
could not be rooted out completely, they had to be expressed
in some form or other. Freud also seems to have had the hope
of eliminating the id altogether some day. Eric Fromm, the
well-known Neo-Freudian, often quotes Freud saying, “Where
there is the id there shall be the ego.” Yet Freud was not able
to eliminate the id during his lifetime.
The Buddha found the way to eliminate the id, which was
done by educating the ego. In other words, only educating the
rational faculty can solve this problem, because it is the only
part that can be educated. The emotional impulse is blind. So
is the conscience. Only the rational faculty can think and
reason out.
7KH ¿UVW VWHS WKH %XGGKD WRRN LQ WKLV GLUHFWLRQ ZDV
to point out that all parts of the personality, which had been
already personalized during the formation of a personality,
should be consciously depersonalized. This means, all parts
of the personality should be seen as, “this is not mine.” In
order to understand this, it is necessary to take seriously the
principle that Freud called “psychic determinism.” This means
that every thing that occurs within our mind does so only due
to the presence of the necessary conditions. If the necessary
conditions are absent, nothing can occur within us. In ancient
times, people thought that the natural phenomena that occurred

44
in the world were due to the control of supernatural spirits.
Today due to the progress of science people have begun to see
that they are controlled by the presence of necessary conditions,
and so the idea of gods and spirits were eliminated. This is the
meaning of determinism. It was Freud among other modern
psychologists who pointed out that the human mind is also
controlled by conditions in the same way. So the idea of self
or soul was eliminated. This means, there is no person to think,
feel, or act within us. Later Freudians, however, pressed for the
reinstatement of the notion of “self.” We read Paul Schilder
(1886-1940) and Paul Federn (1872 - 1950), both Freudians
who described the “ego” as the “omnipresent component of
consciousness.” This sense of ego was further elaborated as
“ego identity” by Erik Erikson in Childhood and Society (1950).
3DXO6FKLOGHULGHQWL¿HGWKH³HJR´QRWRQODVWKH³WKLQNHU´DV
Descartes did, but also as the “feeler,” “perceiver” and “actor.”
He says, “The ego thinks, feels, perceives, has a past and
present… every experience presupposes an ego” (Schilder, P.
Medical Psychology, pp 290-300, 1953). The Buddha seems to
have taken a position closer to Freud than to the later Freudians.
The next step taken by the Buddha was to show the way
to depersonalize the parts of the personality, and to understand
how things occur within the personality, in terms of the
QHFHVVDUFRQGLWLRQV$QFLHQWSHRSOHVDZWKDWELUGVFRXOGÀ
EXWWKRXJKWWKDWKXPDQEHLQJVFRXOGQRWÀEHFDXVHWKDWZDV
how God had created us. But as human thinking progressed,
WKHREVHUYHGWKHFRQGLWLRQVQHFHVVDUIRUÀLQJWRWDNHSODFH
6RWKHLQYHQWHGWKHÀLQJPDFKLQH,QDVLPLODUZDLIZH
learn how the human machine works, we can manipulate it
to our advantage. Some believe we are born with a free will.
)UHHZLOOEGH¿QLWLRQLVWKHIUHHGRPWRPDNHRQHVFKRLFHV
unconstrained by external or internal forces. We all know,

45
KRZHYHUKRZGLI¿FXOWLWLVWRPDNHFKRLFHVZKHQXQGHUWKH
power of our emotions, whether sexual, anger, fear, or worry.
The Buddha pointed out that this free will has to be cultivated
by proper practice. We are not born with it.
This is why in Buddhism there is no place for guilt
feelings. We are not held responsible for what we do, because
we are not born with a free will. It has to be acquired. This
does not mean, however, that we may do what ever we like. We
still have to know that wrong deeds have bad consequences for
our selves as well as others. It is this knowledge that points to
the practice of emotional control. This is like learning to drive
a motor vehicle. If we drive without following proper rules,
we can meet with an accident. The accident is not a punishment
but a consequence. We will be considered guilty only by the
police, but not by the hospital. The Buddha feels sympathy for
the wrong doer and teaches him how to correct himself, just
as a doctor does to a patient. The doctor does not punish the
patient, as the law does, but treats the patient.
,Q WKH ¿UVW VHUPRQ RI WKH
Buddha, called the “Revolution
of The Wheel of Experience”
(dhamma cakka pavattana sutta),
the Buddha states, “There are two
extreme ways of living that should
be avoided: (1) devotion to self
indulgence (kamasukallikanuyoga),
and (2) devotion to self denial
(attakilamatanuyoga). Avoiding these two extremes I have
awakened to a medial way, which provides, vision, provides
knowledge, leads to inner peace, super-knowledge, and the

46
imperturbable serenity, NIBBANA.” This medial way was the
Supernormal Sublime Eight-fold Way described earlier.
4. The Value of Tranquility
It is interesting to note
that Freud recognized that
the real purpose of the id is
to release the tension created
by the emotional excitement.
In other words, it wants to
return to the original state
of relaxation that it started
with. If this is so, what the
id wants is a state of relaxation and calm, not mere pleasure,
which is sensual stimulation and excitement. If we make our
goal tranquility, the idZLOOWKHUHIRUHEHVDWLV¿HG
When, on the other hand, we consider the interest of the
ego, we see that what the ego wants is to act realistically for
WKHEHQH¿WRIWKHZKROHRUJDQLVPDQGHYHQVRFLHWDWODUJH
without interference from the id. This too is achieved when the
goal becomes tranquility. Therefore the egoLVVDWLV¿HGZLWK
tranquility.
When we consider the purpose of the superegoZH¿QG
that what it wants is to follow the rules of social convention.
What interferes with this again is the id, which seeks pleasure.
If the goal becomes tranquility, the purpose of the superego is
also served. Therefore the superegoLVVDWLV¿HGZLWKWKHJRDO
of tranquility.
:KHQ DOO WKH SDUWV RI WKH SHUVRQDOLW DUH VDWLV¿HG WKH
FRQÀLFWFRPHVWRDQHQG0HQWDOKHDOWKHQVXHV7KHRQHJRDO

47
that brings peace to the individual personality as well as the
worldatlargeisthesureanduniversalremedy,TRANQUILITY.
,WZDVLQWKLVZDWKDWWKHFRQÀLFWZDVUHVROYHGEWKH%XGGKD
The Buddha did recognize the problem pointed out by Freud but
did not make the mistake made by Freud in personalizing the
id, ego, and super ego. He also saw the value of tranquility in
satisfying all three parts of the structural hypothesis. Avoiding
the two extremes of emotional expression and emotional
VXSSUHVVLRQRUUHSUHVVLRQKHIRXQGWKHPHGLDOZDWKDWVDWLV¿HV
HYHUSDUWRIWKHSHUVRQDOLWDQGUHVROYHVDOOFRQÀLFWV
It is important to understand that the true happiness is
tranquility. One should note that emotional excitement, which
is accompanied by tension, is not a state of comfort or pleasure.
It is only the release of tension, or the state of relaxation, that is
comfortable. Satisfying desire is experienced as pleasant only
because of this release of tension involved in it. This is why
)UHXGGH¿QHGSOHDVXUHDVWKHUHOHDVHRIWHQVLRQ7KHSUHVHQFH
of any emotion like anger, fear, or even sexual excitement is
unpleasant and uncomfortable, because it is accompanied by
tension. It is to remove this discomfort, and to obtain the comfort
of relaxation that we seek the satisfaction of our desires. If, on
the other hand, we consciously seek tranquility and relaxation,
which is the goal of the emotional impulse, we will be directly
attaining pleasure and happiness, without having to become
tensed and release the tension to obtain comfort.
This is exactly what we do when we are engaged in
VSRUWV:HEHFRPHWHQVHG¿UVWDQGWKHQZHUHOHDVHWHQVLRQ7KLV
release of tension is the satisfaction we get from all games not
only in sports. When we loose a match, we become tensed, but
our tension is not released. This makes us angry and worried,

48
but we can do nothing about it. This is how we become stressed
out. Stress is unreleased tension.
Tranquility is also the way to goodness. The emotional
LPSXOVH ZKLFK FRPHV LQWR FRQÀLFW ZLWK VRFLHW DQG JRRG
principles, is what is called evil. Sexual love, parental love
and brotherly love are emotions, and are in essence merely
attachments and not love. Contrary to popular opinion in the
:HVWVHOÀHVVFRQFHUQIRURWKHUVLVQRWDQHPRWLRQ6HOÀHVVORYH
however, is not an emotion. All emotions are self-centered, and
WKHUHIRUHLQWHUIHUHZLWKWUXHVHOÀHVVORYH7KLVPHDQVWKDWWUXH
love is possible only in a tranquil state of mind. If goodness
is love, then goodness is a state of tranquility. In other words,
the tranquilization of these emotional impulses is what makes
one good. This means that the aim of our sense of goodness is
also achieved by seeking tranquility.
Tranquility brings us into harmony with reality, because
tranquility helps us to think more clearly. Tranquility eliminates
WKHSOHDVXUHVHHNLQJHPRWLRQDOLPSXOVHVWKDWFRPHLQWRFRQÀLFW
with our thinking and reality itself. Tranquility is also rational
because it helps rational thinking. It is tranquility that makes
rational thought possible. The aim of rational thought is to be in
harmony with reality. Therefore, harmony with external reality,
as well as with our reason, is achieved through the cultivation
of inner tranquility. Despite the great genius of Sigmund Freud,
however, he did not see the unifying potential of the goal of
tranquility, which the Buddha saw.
7KH%XGGKDFDOOHGWKLVWUDQTXLOLWWKDWXQL¿HVWKHPLQG
±1,59$1$:ULWHUVKDYHPVWL¿HG1,59$1$WKRXJKLWKDV
DYHUVLPSOHPHDQLQJ±imperturbability (Nir = non; YƗQD
= shaking) or freedom from emotional turbulence (akuppa
ceto vimutti). A person who has reached this goal is called

49
XSDVƗQWD (one who is peaceful within) or VƗQWD (peaceful one).
It is interesting to note that the term “saint” in English seems
to be a derivative of “VƗQWD.” This term “VƗQWD” is still used as
WKH6SDQLVKHTXLYDOHQWIRUWKHWHUPVDLQW±³santo.”
This inner peace, or imperturbable serenity, is
regarded, in Buddhism, as the Greatest Good and having the
greatest value in the world, although the modern world wedded
WRPDWHULDOLVPDQGH[FLWHPHQW¿QGVOLWWOHYDOXHLQLW1RZRQGHU
stress has become one of the most serious problems today.
Essence of Humanity
The idea that tranquility eliminates emotions may come
as a surprise to those who believe that emotion is the essence
of humanity. In Eastern belief it is quite the contrary; emotion
is seen as the animal nature within man. What is special about
being human is the ability to remain tranquil and act rationally.
A Sanskrit poet expresses this idea thus:
Eating, sleeping, fear and sex
Common are they to man and beast
Thought complex is special to man
When low in thought, man is a beast.
7KLVLGHDLVFRQ¿UPHGEPRGHUQELRORJLFDOUHVHDUFKWRR
According to modern biology, the difference between the ape
and the human being is that, the ape is passively reacting to the
environment, whereas, man is able to delay the reaction, to get
VXI¿FLHQWWLPHWRGHFLGHZKLFKUHVSRQVHWRPDNHLQDJLYHQ
situation and then make the chosen response. Undoubtedly,
“delaying the reaction,” means staying calm before “deciding
the right response.” In other words, the human being has the
potential to stay calm and think rationally, where as the other

50
animals are incapable of doing so, as they get excited easily. Yet
how many human beings are really capable of acting rationally
when emotionally exited?
Normally people are not always calm and rational, and
it is this “normal” state of excitability and lack of emotional
control that we often mistake for the essence of human nature.
The Buddha points out that this ability to remain calm is only
a human potential to be developed. This means, true humanity
is an unrealized potential. We are not fully human until we
have learned to be calm and rational. Eric Fromm, in his
book, Psychoanalysis and religion draws attention to this fact.
This calmness and rationality is also the essence of emotional
maturity. The adult is generally calmer than the child.
The practice of the Buddhist life, in essence, is the
cultivation of this human potential and the gaining of
emotional maturity. The end result of the Buddhist practice is
to overcome our animal nature, and to enter the fully human
state. In other words, man becomes fully human by living in
the way taught by the Buddha. Although this fully human state
is “not quite a normal one,” it cannot be called “abnormal.”
Instead, the Buddha described it as “supernormal” (ariya) or
“divine” (brahma cariya). This is the meaning of “divinity” in
Buddhism. The aim of Buddhism is to bring the human being
to a “supernormal” or “divine” state. This transcendence of
the ordinary human state, is seen by the Buddha as the true
meaning of “union with God,” spoken of in theistic religions.
To unite with God is to become God. This is why the
Buddha and his perfected disciples are called “God Become”
(brahma bhuto). It is a gross error to say that the Buddha is
DQRUGLQDUKXPDQEHLQJ7KH%XGGKDLVEGH¿QLWLRQRQH
who has transcended the human state, in attaining the state of

51
unshakable imperturbability, NIRVANA. He is also believed
by “all Buddhists” (not only Mahayanists) to be Omniscient
(sabbannu), Omni-benevolent (mahakaruniko), and spiritually
perfect (arahan).
,WPDEHVXUSULVLQJWRVRPHVFKRODUVWR¿QGKHUHWKDW
these attributes of the Buddha seem to be the same as that of
God in theistic religions, except for one. The missing attribute
is Omnipotence. In Buddhism, Omnipotence is attributed to
Mara (vasavatti mara WKH'HYLOZKRLVDSHUVRQL¿FDWLRQRI
all that is evil in the world. Because the Buddha is supposed to
have defeated Mara, the Buddha is also called the Dispeller of
Mara (maranudo).
This puzzling situation could be interpreted by some as
an attempt to deify the Buddha, as some scholars have already
done. This is quite a misunderstanding. It is important to
understand the Buddhist way of thinking fully, before one can
draw such conclusions. What all this means is that Buddhism
is not an atheistic religion, as it is popularly known. It only has
a different way of looking at the concept of God. This different
way is the humanistic way. Buddhism is neither theistic nor
atheistic, but humanistic. Buddhism offers a humanistic
GH¿QLWLRQRI*RG
“God,” for the Buddhist, is a human concept. This means
that God did not make man in his own image, but man made
God in his own image. There is nothing wrong or funny about
this. Man made God for a useful and worthy purpose. God is
the human ideal of perfection that human beings conceive
and struggle to realize through the practice of religion. It is
very rarely that a person realizes this high ideal of perfection,
but when a human being does realize this ideal, he is called an
Awakened One (Buddha). In theistic religion, we hear of God

52
EHFRPLQJPDQKULVW±WKHDQWKURSRPRUSKLF*RG,QWKHVDPH
YHLQZHKHDULQKXPDQLVWLF%XGGKLVPRIPDQEHFRPLQJ*RG±
the “theopsychic” man, or “God-become” (brahmabhuto). All
theistic religions talk about uniting with God. What is “uniting
with God” other than “becoming God?” When one unites with
God, one loses ones identity, just as the river that enters the
ocean and loses its identity.
Religion, for the Buddhist, is not an institution that
came down from Heaven to Earth, carrying the message of
the Creator. It is an institution that has grown up on earth to
satisfy a human need, to solve a human problem, which is the
“problem of existence.” This problem of existence is that every
one who is born has to grow old and die. Everything we are
attached to is subject to change and separation. All pleasure is
impermanent. In spite of this, all animals, plants, and human
EHLQJVDUHVWUXJJOLQJDQGFRPSHWLQJWRH[LVWWKH¿JKWZLWKRQH
another to keep their temporary lives and to enjoy impermanent
pleasure. The purpose of all religions is to solve this problem
of unhappiness and insecurity in life. This is why all religions
seek eternal life and eternal happiness. Theistic religions pray
to an Almighty God for help. Humanistic Buddhism takes
refuge in the Wisdom of the Buddha who transcended all
human weaknesses and became Divine.
The Buddha offered a solution to mankind. That is to
fully understand this human predicament. In simple terms, it is
to understand what is called life. What we call life is a dynamic
biochemical process. Therefore life is an activity, not an entity
that exists. Existence is a static concept, while life is a dynamic
process of activity. Therefore life can continue as a process
but cannot exist. Continuity is an ever-changing process like
DÀDPH,WFDQKDYHDEHJLQQLQJDQGDQHQGEXWLQEHWZHHQ

53
is change. It is this misunderstanding about life as existence
that has created the problem.
Life is not as we want. We are born without knowing
why. We don’t know why we are born in a certain country, into a
certain race, with a certain colour, with certain bodily features,
with certain mental features. Often we don’t like the way we
are born. We cannot do anything about it. After being born we
grow up. Then we begin to grow old. We don’t like to grow
old, to fall sick or to die. We want to remain young always and
live without sickness forever. How many people have enough
money to buy anything they want? How many are really happy
about their situation?
We all want to exist, but life is not an existence. Life is
like a wave. A wave is only a motion, not an existence. If life is
not an existence, we do not exist. If we don’t exist, we do not
grow old or die. Then why do we think we exist? Is it because
of our emotions? Even if we are fully convinced rationally that
we don’t exist, we still feel we exist. Existence is a feeling
rather than a rational concept.
Because of feelings we also identify ourselves with
the body, the feelings, the sensations, the perceptions, and
the consciousness itself. We personalize these parts of our
experience. We regard them as “mine” or “myself.” Only
when we are able to relax fully, and calmly depersonalize all
experience, we will be free of the feeling of existence. With
that comes all our suffering, and the problem of existence to
an end. This is the transcendence of ordinary human nature,
or awakening from the dream of existence. Yet it is easily said
than done. This needs much relaxation and calmness through
meditation.

54
The Philosophy of Tranquility
It is possible for the philosophy of tranquility to be
misunderstood as the “philosophy of the turnip,” which is the
philosophy of inactivity or apathy. This, however, is not what
is meant here. Tranquility is not inactivity. Tranquility can be
very active. Tranquility is really the quieting of the emotions,
not the stopping of action. It is a state that makes it possible
to think clearly, and respond to a situation rationally, instead
of reacting emotionally. To cultivate tranquility is to learn
to stop reacting and to start responding.
It is important to learn to distinguish between a reaction
and a response. A reaction is emotional, irrational, blind. A
response, on the other hand, is calm, deliberate, rational, and
intelligent. It is important to note that a response is a calm well
thought out conscious action, and not an emotional, excited
unconsciousreaction.Areactionisdetermined,conditioned,and
dependent on external and internal forces, whereas a response
is a conscious action, which is determined, and conditioned,
but consciously directed, and not dependent on external forces.
It is natural, and intelligent, but not emotional.
A response is also a free action, but a reaction is not free.
Whenever we speak of freedom of will or action, we are not
referring to emotional reactions, but to rational responses.
When we react emotionally, we have no freedom to will or to
act. We are not really born with a free will; freedom of will
is something to be cultivated and developed through practice.
This is why one is never born a Buddhist. A true Buddhist is
a responsible person, who has learned to respond instead of
react. Therefore to become a true Buddhist, one has to learn
to stop reacting and start responding. This means, Buddhism

55
is the development of freedom of will, by learning to act,
instead of reacting to situations.
Therefore, the philosophy of tranquility is not inaction. It
is the avoidance of the two extremes: reaction and inaction. It
takes the intermediate path between these extremes, which is
calm and rational action, or response. The pursuit of tranquility,
WKHUHIRUHQRWRQOXQL¿HVWKHZKROHSHUVRQDOLWDQGEULQJVLW
to a harmonious state internally as well as externally, it also
EULQJVDERXWVXFFHVVDQGIXO¿OOPHQWGXHWRUDWLRQDODFWLRQ
Our Original State
Although we speak of the return to tranquility as if it were
something to be sought outside, tranquility is something to be
found within us. Tranquility is in fact our original state. From
an original natural state of tranquility, we have become agitated
and excited. What we need to do is to return to our original
state of tranquility or equilibrium.
All emotional excitements are agitations of the mind.
Excitement is a reaction to sensory stimulation. This excitement
also produces tension in the muscles of the body, which is
released in action to gratify emotion. Recurring excitement
and tension due to the continuous stimulation of the senses,

56
results not only in discomfort due to tension, it can also lead to
psychosomatic disease and the hastening of the aging process.
All this is a departure from the original state of tranquility.
All this agitation can be seen as a loss of balance or
equilibrium,andtranquilityasareturntothestateofequilibrium.
This return to equilibrium may be compared to the behaviour of
a balanced or a round-bottom-doll, which when toppled returns
to its original upright state and gradually comes to a standstill.
The pursuit of tranquility is the effort to return to the original
state of stillness by regaining equilibrium.
Tranquility, therefore, is the most natural state. To
pursue tranquility is to return to the natural state. This means
that agitation, tension, anxiety and worry are unnatural states,
whereas tranquility accompanied by happiness and comfort
is the truly natural state.
This means that becoming a Buddhist is the most natural
thing that can happen to an individual. It happens, however,
only with the arising of the harmonious perspective. The
harmonious perspective is understanding the problem of life,
ZKLFKLVWKHFRQÀLFWEHWZHHQHPRWLRQVRQWKHRQHKDQGDQG
reason, external and internal reality and conscience on the
other. It is, in other words, the understanding of the importance
of seeking tranquility. When this special perspective arises in
the mind, the right sense of values arises too. This gives a new
direction to life. Then our life is automatically reorganized to
reach the harmonious goal of inner tranquility, NIRVANA. In
this way, a complete transformation of the personality takes
place. The character of the individual is changed. Mental health
and happiness is gained. All this happens naturally with the
arising of the harmonious perspective.

57
Buddhism is Humanistic
Although Buddhism does not accept the belief in a
creator, it is neither atheistic nor agnostic. Buddhism does
KDYH D FRQFHSW RI JRG EXW LW KDV LWV RZQ GH¿QLWLRQ RI *RG
and religion. Some writers, who consider Buddhism to be
atheistic, call it a philosophy rather than a religion because to
them religion is the belief in a supernatural Creator. Buddhism,
KRZHYHULVDKXPDQLVWLFUHOLJLRQWKDWGH¿QHVUHOLJLRQDQG*RG
LQDKXPDQLVWLFZDZKLFKLVTXLWHGLIIHUHQWIURPWKHGH¿QLWLRQ
in theistic thinking. Religion as understood in Buddhism
is a consciously executed process of human psychological
evolution, and God is the state of human perfection.
To the Buddhist, religion is not centered on the concept of
a Creator and his problems; but it is centered on the concept of
the human being and his problems. Religion is not a revelation
of a Creator; it is a practice of the human being. Religion is not
VRPHWKLQJWKDWKDVFRPHGRZQIURPKHDYHQWRIXO¿OODGLYLQH
purpose, but something that has grown up on earth to satisfy a
human need, to solve a human problem. To the Buddhist, man
was not created by God; to him, God was created by man, to
IXO¿OOKLVQHHGIRUHPRWLRQDOVWDELOLW
“God,” to the Buddhist, is a human concept, is the ideal of
human perfection which man conceives and struggles to realize
through the practice of religion. The practice of religion is not
obedience to the commandments of a Creator; it is a conscious
human effort to solve the human problem of existence,
through the process of growth and evolution of the human
consciousness. This evolution results in a transformation of the
individual and the development of a perfect human being who
has transcended all human weaknesses.Aperfect being who has
transcended the human state is called Buddha, “the Awakened

58
One” or “God-become” (brahma bhuto). Man realizes the ideal
of perfection in becoming a Buddha. This Buddha is God, the
ideal of perfection realized. God, to the Buddhist is not the
Creator of the world but the destroyer of the illusion (maya) of
self and the world. This means that the world is a creation of the
human mind, through the process of perception and conception.
The Buddha sees through this process and destroys the illusion
of self and the world.
Seeninanotherway,thehumanbeingatbirthispartanimal
and part human. The animal part consists of the emotions and
the human part is the ability to reason. In religious symbolism,
the animal part is called the “devil,” and the human part is
called the “divine” nature within. The ordinary human being
is a transitional stage between animal and God. He possesses
both animal and divine qualities. Both god and devil are within
him. When the animal nature has been completely transcended,
man becomes God, the Buddha.
God of the Buddhist
To say that the Buddha is a
human being is a gross inaccuracy,
EHFDXVH WKH %XGGKD E GH¿QLWLRQ LV
one who has transcended the human
state. The “Buddha” may be compared
and contrasted with the living, existing
God of theistic religion. Of course the
Buddha is not a supernatural being, a
Creator, a controller, a judge, nor an
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The Buddha may, however, be described as a supernormal
or superhuman being (uttari manussa) whose essence is not

Return to Tranquility: Buddhism Offers a Solution to Stress and Unhappiness

Return to Tranquility: Buddhism Offers a Solution to Stress and Unhappiness

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