One Foot in the World

"Miss Tibet" beauty contest in a devout culture once steeped in monasticism (AP)

Buddhist Approaches to Present-day Problems
Prof. Lily de Silva (WQ edit)

• Contents
• Preface
• A Layman's Happiness
• The Mechanics of Bondage and Suffering
• Understanding and Managing Stress
• The Buddhist Attitude to Gain and Honor
• Livelihood and Development
• Facing Death Without Fear
• The Human Body
• Sensualist Social Trends and Buddhism in Modern Times
• About the Author
• Footnotes

Preface
The dispensation of the Buddha includes not only monks and nuns, but male and female lay followers as well. All four groups, which comprise the Buddhist community, have but one ultimate goal. That goal is the attainment of nirvana (Pali, nibbana).

Though nirvana means "final liberation" from the world, while walking along the Path to liberation a Buddhist has to live in the world and deal with the conditions of worldly existence.

This problem is likely to be felt especially acutely by the lay Buddhist, who may find that the demands and attractions of secular life tend to pull away from the Path to deliverance. However, the Buddha was not unaware of or unconcerned about this dilemma confronted by lay disciples. He gave it his careful attention.

He taught lay followers to organize lay life in accordance with the ethical principles of the Dharma and how to lead successful lay lives without deviating from the Path of rectitude.

As lay Buddhists, we must be ever vigilant so that in our pursuit of worldly goals -- such as wealth, pleasure, and success -- we do not lose sight of our spiritual goal.

Care should be taken especially to avoid the violation of the basic moral principles summed up in the Five Precepts. Such violation leads to regression on the Path. We must often remind ourselves that the first two of the four stages of enlightenment or holiness can be attained by those still leading a married life; that there have been non-returners of the third stage who continued to remain in lay life though observing celibacy; and that the texts record instances of laymen who even attained arahatship prior to their deaths.

The Pali canon contains ample evidence of exemplary laypeople, such as Anathapindika, Visakha, and the parents of Nakula, to mention only the most prominent. Therefore, a layperson should make every endeavor to follow the way to the end of suffering in this very life, by leading a life of moderation and self-discipline and by practicing meditation with the aim of developing insight into the ultimate truths of life and death.

The essays here explore various facets of experience from lay life that require the attention of the lay aspirant to deliverance. They deal particularly with those that have become more pronounced and urgent in our contemporary materialistic and secularized world. My wish is to share these ideas with others who also may be attempting to follow the Buddha's Path in the lay life.

They are thus walking with one foot on the way to nirvana and "one foot in the world." I hope these essays will assist them to understand and overcome the problems they may face in their day-to- day lives. More>>