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FACE TO FACE | EASTERN HORIZON 13

Benny: The Buddha taught for Sangha, and His core teachings that I gained from my experience
45 years and his teachings are of the Thirty-seven Factors of in reading the Dharma books.
voluminous. What would you Enlightenment. Buddha’s countless Taking the approach of reckoning
regard as the essence or core times of skillful expositions of the historical records with the
message of the Buddha? sequential practice of The Path sequence cannot be disregarded

can be grouped into five roots, and distorted, otherwise the
The perfect supreme enlightenment five powers, seven factors of result of our study will be both
(Skt. Samyak-saṃbodhi ) attained enlightenment, four foundations of incoherent and inaccurate. This
by the Buddha can be explained this mindfulness, noble eightfold path, law of historical development is
way: from the perfect balance of etc. All the important teachings of also the conclusion of historians
body and mind, reaching the deep Buddha were actually summarized nowadays. Studying the origin of
strong balance of mentality, then by the later generations of Buddha’s the Buddhist teachings through this
manifesting the perfect awakening disciples. approach will broaden and deepen
of His dharma-body. There are our understanding and vision of
six types of awakening from the If someone wants to have a broad Buddhism.
point of body-and-mind balance: understanding of the theories of the
awakening of suffering, of pleasure, Buddha’s teaching and investigate What we have today are texts
of the middle way, of self, of others, them further, they have to study written many centuries after the
and the attainment of perfect and research the Tipitaka—the Buddha passed away. How do we
awakening. Only through the collection of the Suttas, Vinaya and know which texts are authentic
completion of these six awakenings Treatises—each of these collections and which are not?
by action, can we achieve the has its era background and
balance of body and mind, the distinctive essential theory. From Self-study of Buddhism can be
deep and profound observation an historical sequence perspective, practiced in this way: first by seeing
of the external phenomena, and the first is the collection of Āgamas and reading, second by listening,
the taming and ceasing of one’s (or Nikāyas in Pāli), followed by and third by contact with influential
own inner afflictions. Then we can the Early Mahāyāana Buddhism, leaders in Buddhism. In general, we
further develop loving-kindness Middle Mahāyāna Buddhism, shall learn with open-mindedness,
and compassion through action and Late Mahāyāna Buddhism. and broadly touch upon various
without hindrances. After attaining By understanding the historical aspects, in order to learn about
the perfect supreme enlightenment, sequence, we can perceive the some internationally well-known
the perfectly enlightened life of sequence of the establishment Buddhist scholars and Buddhist
the Buddha was manifested by of doctrines and the sequence of leaders. Through broad learning, we
the establishment of the Buddhist the practices. This is the insight can avoid the prejudice of self-view,