Barusan saya sudah menerjemahkan posting yang di atas dan mengirimkannya ke situs Ajahn Brahm (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) dengan permintaan agar diteruskan kepada beliau. Kita tunggu saja respons beliau.
Dear Ajahn Brahm,
There has been a lively discussion among meditators here about your promotional tactics in spreading the Buddha’s teachings to Westerners.
Ajahn Brahm:
"We all know that the Lord Buddha said to teach the Dharma in ordinary language (e.g. Aranavibhanga Sutra). Let me give an example of what I think this means. Last century, Western priests and scholars dismissed Buddhism as pessimistic, saying that it only focuses on suffering. This was even repeated by Pope John Paul II in his controversial book on world religions. To avoid this misunderstanding one may rearrange the central Dharma Teaching of the Four Noble Truths as Happiness (Dukkhanirodho); the Cause of Happiness (the Eight-Fold Path); the Absence of Happiness (Dukkha); and the Cause for the Absence of Happiness (Craving). This shifts the focus onto happiness.
This is a simple re-packaging of the Dharma that retains the essence while being more attractive to modern audiences. It is justified by the Lord Buddha's statement that "Nirvana is the highest happiness" (Dhammapada 203, 204). When I present the Four Noble Truths in such a way, I find all generations listen and come back for more."
COMMENT:
It is not only in the West that human beings have been searching for happiness since time immemorial. Human beings have been doing that at all times, in all places.
Why did the Buddha not teach his spiritual findings as a "teaching of happiness" during his lifetime, as was done by Ajahn Brahm in the 21-st century CE?
Why did the Buddha say that his teachings are very deep and difficult to comprehend by ordinary human beings? Why did he say that only a handful of people are with very little dust covering their eyes?
Why did the Buddha not utilize modern promotional tactics to spread the Dhamma? Does it mean that the Buddha has less wisdom than Ajahn Brahm?
Which of these two statements describes the Buddha's teachings better: "The Buddha taught the cessation of dukkha", or, "The Buddha taught the attainment of supreme happiness"? Or, are the two statements completely identical with each other?
Response from an astute reader:
"to end suffering is easy ...
but to end happiness is difficult ..."
Yes, to end suffering is "easy" because the Buddha has revealed dukkha to us.
But to understand happiness is "difficult" because most people are unable to discern the me being imprisoned behind the happiness.
In my opinion, the Buddha's teachings can only be realized by one who starts to understand dukkha experientially in his/her own mind. If one is only enticed by the promise of happiness, he/she will get bogged down in the realization of the Buddha's teachings.
It is not necessarily so that "attaining highest happiness (whatever it is)" implies "cessation of suffering", but "cessation of suffering" itself IS "attainment of highest happiness". Simple logics does not apply here, like if A = B, then B = A.
WE DO NOT KNOW WHAT 'SUPREME HAPPINESS' IS, BUT WE DO KNOW EXPERIENTIALLY WHAT 'DUKKHA' IS. It is better to beat the me with the stick of dukkha, here and now, rather than enticing it with the carrot of an unknown happiness in the future. That is my understanding of the Buddha’s way.
Substituting ‘happiness’ for ‘cessation of dukkha’ in the Four Noble Truths greatly hinders the perception of the Three Universal Characteristics of aniccam, dukkham & anatta, which are indispensable in the development of a liberating insight.
Conclusion: do not change the sequence of the Four Noble Truths and do not substitute 'happiness' for 'cessation of dukkha'.
Hudoyo Hupudio
From: Indonesia
<hudoyo [at] cbn.net.id>