| 30th October 2000 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Longevity John Wilmot (University of California,Berkeley, USA) and co-workers analysed Swedish national demographic data from 1861 to 1999. They found a gain in the maximum age at death of 1 year for every two decades until 1970 ( average maximum age=105 years) and 1 year for every decade ( 108 years) in the 1990s. This increases in maximum age are the results of advances on medical and public health made through out the century (Science 2000; 289: 2366-68). ‘Jeanne Calment, who died in France in 1997, lived to the age of 122 and it was well-documented. It is an interesting observation about some of the famous Buddhist Personalities living to the ripe old age of 120, more than 25 centuries ago in India. Their diet must have been pretty basic and they still survived natural infections without antibiotics.
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| 30th January 1999 |
| Kamma - Karma When Glen Hoddle, the England Coach, said the Karma was working from another lifetime for people with physical deformities, there was a public outcry. Actually that was what the Buddha taught more than 25 centuries ago. To millions of Buddhists, it is a basic concept. Whosoever kills any living being may be reborn in four lower worlds (hell, animals, peta and asura). Even when freed from there and reborn as a human, he or she may encounter the following evil consequences:-
Although born with deformities, these 'unfortunate' people have much better Kamma (Karma) than those beings who are still serving in the four lower worlds. Instead of feeling outraged about his remark, they should start building up Kusala Kamma for future existences. |
| 29th January 1999 |
| Similarities Susannah Herbert from Paris reported today (The Daily Telegraph, 29-01-99) that two scholars have found 74 verses by the Greek philosopher-poet Empedocles of the fifth century BC. According to legend, he was a self-styled god, convincing his followers of his divinity after flinging into Mount Etna's active volcanic crater. 'His thinking held that matter consists of the four elements - water, fire, air and earth - which are animated by love and strife. He also believed in life after death, reincarnation and punishment for evil deeds.' It makes me wonder. Had he reached a Jhanic stage after following the teachings of Gotama Buddha who was born in 624 BC? Pathavi, apo, tejo and vayo are the basic four elements as taught by the Buddha. Life after death and Kamma are also principle concepts in Buddhism for most beings travelling in Samsara . |
| 17th December 1998 |
| Buddhist Bible or Tipitaka A recent survey on Christianity in Britain indicates that most adults have a copy of the Bible at home, however nearly all say they never read it. (The Times, 15-12-98) The Buddhist equivalent of the
Bible is the Tipitaka which is said to be
11 times bigger than the original Bible ( There are 16000 pages of Canonical
texts in Burmese version). There is no abridged version yet. So most of us do
not have a copy at home and we are spared from more embarrassing questions.
Many Buddhist Institutions and monasteries usually keep the complete set of the
Tipitaka which is either in Pali or Pali version of the local language. It has
always been beyond the reach of ordinary lay people. In fact it is not
essential to own personal copies as most people can't read any form of Pali and
there is real problem to find a suitable space for storage. Most Buddhists in
Myanmar (Burma) study the Buddha's Teachings through the Members of the Order,
the Bhikkhus. There are numerous publications on Buddhism written by these
learned personages in local language. But the English translation is very few
and not easily available. |
| 14th December 1998 |
| Remembering Past Existences Dr. Ian Stevenson, a well-known Professor in Psychiatry, has analysed more than 500 cases of apparent reincarnation world-wide (Article by Robert Matthews, The Sunday Telegraph, 13-12-98). He declared that reincarnation was the strongest explanation for the best cases. |
Mahathera Ledi Sayadaw, D. Litt, confirmed in his 1965 Publication ('The Manual of Buddhism') that remembering previous lives was in accordance with the tenets of Buddhism. Such a person is called a jatisara puggalo ( jati, existence; sara, remembering and puggalo, rational being). The following persons are possessed of a knowledge of their past existences:--
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| 10th December 1998 |
| Violent Monks! There was a report from South East Asia about fights between two rival groups of Buddhist monks to gain control of the major Buddhist establishment. You may find this unbelievable. But you have to accept that these monks are just puthujjanas and they may have to face the usual course of justice in cases of criminal injuries in addition to procedures for violation of the Rules of Vinaya. Suddha Pacittiya Dhamma describes 92 offences requiring confession and absolution. Some of these faults relate to verbal and physical violence committed by monks (Pacittiya Offences).
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