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30 EASTERN HORIZON | TEACHINGS

One Dharma: Many

Buddhist Traditions

By Dr Wong Yin Onn

Dr Punna Wong is an Associate Professor in Internal Medicine at the
Monash University Clinical School in Johor Bahru. He has been sharing the
Buddha Dhamma the last 2 decades in Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia.
Encouraged by the Dhamma family, he wrote “Walking in the Buddha’s
Footprints” in 2016 and “Breaking Myths” in 2020. He considers the
collaboration of more than 10 Buddhist Centres in Malaysia every Friday
evening on the Internet for the series of “Breaking Myths” sharings his
happiest contribution to the Buddha sasana.

The teachings of the Buddha have spread to all over the the database of our ICs but what we did or not do in
world over hundreds of years. Many cultures, races and our lives! Our actions speak so loudly that few can hear
nations have adopted His message of Peace, Compassion what we say.
and a Noble life. With each assimilation, enrichment
takes place as the Buddha Dhamma is inclusive and Many years ago I was at a meditation centre in Burma.
much of the local culture become absorbed into its This particular tradition teaches a rigorous method of
practices. Breath meditation. The Sayadaw asked my companions
and I who had trained in various styles of meditation as
But we must recall that the Buddha did NOT start to “Which is the BEST meditation method!?”
any religion! He taught for 45 years on how we all
can lead a noble life, uplifting ourselves into higher It was a no win situation between being polite and Not
levels of Mental development, Morality, Compassion speaking the truth or being Truthful to ones feelings
and Wisdom. The religions that we see in the various BUT impolite!
traditions were created by His subsequent generations
of disciples. The Sayadaw laughed heartily when he saw our
confused faces and said “The best meditation method
The 3 Refuges, the Middle Path, the Noble 8 fold Path for you is the one Most suitable for you and only YOU
and the 5 Precepts are common to all traditions. Anyone KNOW IT!”.
who keeps the 5 precepts well, are good people, and
they may or may not even be formally Buddhists. Even within a particular “yana” is found many sub
Anyone in the various traditions and lineages who leads traditions, let alone when seen across the globe and
a Noble life adhering to the Harmless, Compassionate cultures. The uniting factors are the basic teachings, the
and Peaceful manner of life as taught by the Buddha is a CORE teachings of the Buddha. While much has evolved
good Buddhist irrespective of his tradition. across the centuries forming layer over layers like
the petals of the Lotus flower hiding the centre of the
It is Not what we call ourselves that is important but flower, we must understand that the many vehicles are
how we live our lives. Death recognises not what is in all transport systems to the CORE teachings.