Multi Faith Edinburgh 2008

‘Good evening ladies and gentlemen. First of all, on behalf of The Dhammapadipa Temple, I would like to thank you very much indeed for inviting us to join this meeting. What I am going to share with you all is loving-kindness - for, as the Buddha said, “Nothing is as uplifting as loving-kindness”. The Buddha himself taught people loving-kindness, aiming to build happiness for living beings in both the present and the future. This happiness is brought about through loving-kindness or the practice of not doing any evil, in five areas of life in particular:

1 To practise loving-kindness, by developing an attitude of care and consideration for living creatures, by considering that every life-form prefers comfort to pain, and by helping the needy in whatever way we can.

2 To practise generosity, which eradicates meanness and selfishness with regard to possessions. Practicing giving things away and most especially giving forgiveness, is very helpful in enabling us all to live together in peace and harmony.

3 Taking responsible for oneself, in one’s family, community, or wider society is a human duty which we should do firstly by feeling the pain that others feel when they are hurt, and then by having a sense of tenderness and consideration which replaces the tendency to act selfishly.

4 To be truthful to each other, by considering the great harm we are capable of doing to others through words, particularly lying. Words of wisdom or truth may be critical, but the practice of using words of praise, encouragement, and kindness support this process.

5 The advice not to get involved with any activity, which brings about carelessness and harm, results in a person being mindful, or careful, so that when any problem arises, he or she can deal with it with mindfulness, reflecting before acting.

All told, it is a great thing to share wisdom with one another, for we live in social groups. We should know each other so that we can live together in peace and harmony. And to help you understand this further, I would like to give you three questions and three answers which you can reflect on and apply in your lives. These are :-

1. When is the most important time?
The answer is: ‘Now is the most important time’.
2. Who is the most important person?
The answer is: ‘The person, with whom we are now, is the most important’.
3. What is the most important thing?
This question has three answers, as follows :- ‘To take care of each other is the most important thing’; ‘To take responsibility for each other is the next most important thing’ and ‘To be mindful of one own actions, not to harm oneself and others is the most important thing after that ’.