Dhamma Talks - Dhamma Not For Sale :: Buddhapadipa Thai Temple

The teachings of the Buddha are called “Dhamma”, which means the truths discovered by the Buddha. The process of discovering Dhamma took the Buddha almost six years. He passed through several hard processes; learning from a number of teachers, and practising a number of approaches. It can be proved that Dhamma is not just made up; it consists of a lot of faith, effort, mindfulness, concentration and wisdom. To say this doesn’t mean that mankind cannot attain it, we can, but not through laziness, sensual pleasure, desire, wrong view etc.

The world is luckier than in the past, as Dhamma has already been discovered for them. They just need to learn and put it into practice. The easier way may be actually more difficult, as it comes along with laziness and carelessness. Some might say, “OK, let’s do it later” and just postpone the time. They don’t really learn and practise it but just discuss or criticise, “This Dhamma is better than that Dhamma”, and then they end up with argument. This is not the way to learn and practise Dhamma. But it happens a lot, in this way, nowadays. The Buddha once said to Ananda, “Dhamma has no grounds for criticism for those who learn with the heart of investigation and fully practise with effort”. There may be misunderstanding about learning Dhamma and practising meditation nowadays. It is good to look onward and ask for what reason we learn and practise; is it for knowledge, wisdom or to criticize?

In conclusion, Dhamma is beautiful at the beginning, middle and end. It is beneficial to mankind who want to live a happy life. It may give rise to trouble if we either misunderstand or misuse it. It is similar to a weapon, for instance, a knife, if it is used in the wrong way, can be harmful to life. Be wise in using Dhamma, otherwise it can be harmful. And to be successful in Dhamma we must not just talk and discuss; the two main things to do are to learn with the heart of investigation and practise with effort. Remember that there is no Dhamma package for sale, we ourselves have to learn and put it into practice. Then we will see it with our insight eyes, and make use of it in daily life. there is NO BUY ONE GET ONE FREE IN DHAMMA.