Outlook of the Theravada Buddhism

Triple Gems in Buddhism

Who Was Lord Buddha?

Lord Buddha was extra ordinary person who was purified his mind from lust, ill-will & ignorance. He achieved this state via breathing meditation under the Bodhi Tree in India, in Gaya region about 2600 years ago at midnight on May (or Vesak month). This state of mind is so called as fully enlighten, entirely awaked or omniscient. However anyone can be attained enlighten state but different of Lord Buddha was he purified his mind with removing all habitual perceptions in lower mind in past incarnations . Lord Buddha's birth day, enlightened day & passed away day was same day & same month on separate years, it was fullmoon day on May months. There have nine virtuous characteristics of Lord Buddha that we want to recall every times as we can:

Lord Buddha were removed lust, ill-will & ignorance with habitual perceptions in lower mind via deep meditation, with help of infinitive merit powers which he accumulated in his rebirth cycle (Sansara).
Lord Buddha achieved enlighten without any teacher's guidance, which means his own effort.
Lord Buddha had especial mind powers: look infinitive past lives, identify where beings go after the death & own wisdom of removing dirty cankers in deeper mind. Also Lord Buddha had eight mind powers & 15 deep precepts. (also had ten powers & four steady experiences)
Lord Buddha chooses middle path called eightfold path & by using it he achieved enlighten. This path is called most beautiful path in rebirth cycle (Sansara).
Lord Buddha knows every facts & wisdom about worlds of lust, material & non-material. Since infinitive life times, he collected ultimate merit forces for achieve this omniscient state.
Lord Buddha can tame any being include gods, Brahmas, Mara, devil & humans. Also any one can't destroy life of the Lord Buddha.
Lord Buddha not only preaches humans, also he was teachers to gods too. Gods include Brahmas worship to Lord Buddha for their own refuge.
Lord Buddha preaches or helps to achieve enlighten to anyone according to their merit powers. Lord Buddha can make understand to others how to achieve enlighten.
Lord Buddha was getting rid from rebirth cycle & every pain. Also Lord Buddha suits to getting offerings or donations as alms by humans & gods or any other beings.

Sri Saddh Dharma

Lord Buddha was great researcher, who found all truths of the universe. Among such vast knowledgebase vital amounts which are helping to get rid from rebirth cycle are called as Dharma. We called it as Sri Saddh Dharma, because it helps to step into noble path toward nibbana. Among the Dharma Lord Buddha revealed skills for personal development, ways to maintain happy family life, about heavens, hells, ghosts, etc. Following characteristics have within Dharma:

Dharma were preached by Lord Buddha is helping to achieve nibbana via practicing from start level, middle level into end level. It is clearly & grammatically described.
Dharma can be understand in this life itself via observe precepts, practice concentration & develop wisdom or doing meditation of wisdom, which is also called as Vipassana.
Dharmas are not change with times. Means it steadily true in past, present & future.
Dharmas are open to anyone in human world or heavens, without any secrets.
Dharma want to be understand from own efforts via listening, remembering, pronouncing, thinking & practicing in daily life.
Dharma can be understood by any wise person in any country, any race or any education level.

Aryaya Maha Sangha

Monks who were asked Dharma from Lord Buddha or his followers, then achieved nibbana by practicing observe precepts, mind concentration and develop wisdom. Then they are called as Arahant monks. They are free from rebirth cycle and every pain. Sariputta Maha Thero was monk who had best brightness in mind, then Moggallana Thero had best mind powers and Anuruddha Thero had best divine-eye. But there lived large number of arahant monks since Buddha's time to now. Their common characteristics are:

Sangha are practicing for observe higher precepts, mind concentration and develop their wisdom.
Sangha are taming their mind under steady path or eightfold path.
Sangha always concentrate their mind to achieve nibbana in their current life time.
Sangha preach Dharma to humans & gods.
Sangha are practicing & finished path for steam entry, once-returning to lust world, non-returning to lust world & arahant, so they can be categorized as eight sub groups & four main groups.
Sangha have precepts to donate alms which are brought from long distance.
Sangha have precepts to treat well, give alms & help as visitors.
Sangha have precepts to donate alms which are brought as wishing earn merits for this life & next life.
Sangha have precepts to earn worshiping of humans & gods.
Sangha can be treated as field for cultivate seeds of merits for future life times.

Maha Mangala Sutra

Today people talk about the Law of Attraction, NLP, the Silva Method, and ways to personal development. When Lord Buddha stayed in Jetavanaramaya, wise people in India too had doubts about what are blessing facts. Some people said seeing white omens help to become a success, and some said worship to gods or devils needs to be a success. These arguments went to heaven too, so gods were also argued by considering what are blessing facts. Finally, the King of Heaven, Sakkra Devandra send a messenger god to Lord Buddha to ask about what blessing facts. Because Lord Buddha had universal knowledge about everything. That god came at midnight with illuminating Jetavanaramaya and then asked Buddha what are blessing facts. So Lord Buddha said Maha Mangala Sutra (which means sutra of great blessing facts) which had 38 blessing facts as below:

Avoid associating with evil people, always associate with wise people & worshiping suitable being such as your own teachers and deities,
Reside in good locations, had done good deeds in past incarnations & set yourself on the right actions,
Have good education in religions, and literature as well as desired subjects, practice particular skill and experience on it to earn money and training disciplines, and have pleasant speech avoiding lies,
Supporting one's parents, cherishing spouse & children, and doing the correct occupation without laziness,
Donate alms, stay with Dharma, support relatives, and always do the right actions,
Refrain from bad actions & all evils, avoid intoxicating drinks, and not lateness to practice Dharma,
Respect wise people, be humble, contentment and offer gratitude to your helpers, when have time listen to Dhamma peaching,
Be patient, obedience to Dharma, see monks & discuss Dharma when the right time comes,
Having self-control, persistence to achieve goals, leading noble life avoiding sex for few days, understanding noble truths & trying to get enlightenment in this lifetime,
Keep balancing mind with eight world conditions, remove sadness, live without the stress & be secure own self such as taking insurance,
Practice above all blessing facts in daily life also finally becomes one blessing fact.

Five Precepts in Buddhism

Main paths in Buddhism towards spiritual life are: donations, precepts & meditation. Lord Buddha told precepts are every important to rebirth in human world or heavens. Beings born in realms of animal, ghost, evils & hells because they didn't observe five precepts. Lord Buddha told five precepts are disciplines for laic; it is basic precepts towards eightfold path. Those are: avoid killing any beings, avoid from stealing, avoid from sexual misconduct, avoid from lying & avoid from taking alcohol or intoxicating drugs. People who have these five precepts are staying with happy & bright mind in their daily life. In Apayasanwaththnika Sutra (means sutra of facts which are friendly or related to drop down to hells after death), Lord Buddha preached what kind of negative incomes we gain in our next life, if we don't observe these five precepts:

Not observe - avoid killing any beings: Reason to born in hell, then animal realm, then ghost realm, then minimum income is get human life, with very less life time and with lot of sicknesses.
Not observe - avoid from stealing: Reason to born in hell, then animal realm, then ghost realm, then minimum income is get human life with lost their properties, lands, house, money, etc...
Not observe - avoid from sexual misconduct: Reason to born in hell, then animal realm, then ghost realm, then minimum income is get human life with lot of enemies & heard lot of blames from others.
Not observe - avoid from lying: Reason to born in hell, then animal realm, then ghost realm, then minimum income is get human life that get false complains from others.
Not observe - avoid from slandering: Reason to born in hell, then animal realm, then ghost realm, then minimum income is get human life without any friends.
Not observe - avoid from saying bad words: Reason to born in hell, then animal realm, then ghost realm, then minimum income is get human life with unclear pronunciations like stammer.
Not observe - avoid from saying useless words: Reason to born in hell, then animal realm, then ghost realm, then minimum income is get human life that others are not accept your words.
Not observe - avoid from taking alcohol or intoxicating drugs: Reason to born in hell, then animal realm, then ghost realm, then minimum income is get human life with mentally retarded.

References

4 Cankers Of Mind: desires to sense, desire to existences, wrong views & ignorance.
8 Higher Spiritual Powers: insight meditation, ability to create astral bodies, miracle powers, divine ear, penetration of other's mind, remembering former lives, divine eye, extinction of all cankers.
15 Deep Precepts: moral restraint, watching over sense-doors, limiting meals, wakefulness, faith, moral shame, moral dread, great learning, energy, mindfulness, wisdom & four absorption in meditation.
Eightfold Path: right views, right thoughts, right speech, right actions, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness & right concentration.
Eight World Conditions: gain - loss, honor - dishonor, happiness - misery, praise - blames, sickness - healthy.