Gautam Buddha was born in affluence and wealth. But he preferred a life of severe asceticism after he saw the painful agony of human life. He felt his chosen path would remove the wrench from his heart. This path could, however, not satisfy him, and it was ultimately the simple message of the village girls that provided light to his restless mind seeking a vision of an ideal life. Buddha was resting under the cool shadow of a Bo tree, physically emaciated and torn with anxiety, as he pondered over the mysteries of creation, trying to find the meaning of life. He sat reclined against the tree, deep in his thoughts, when a group of dancing girls passed by singing a wonderful song the words of which came as a sudden revelation to him:
“Do not stretch the strings of your instrument so much when you strike them for a musical note, they break; nor keep them so loose that when you seek to strike a note, they do not respond.” The great Buddha opened his eyes and in the great excitement of a discovery cried: “I have found the way to good life — neither too much, nor too little, in brief, the ‘Middle path’.”
He defined the path thus:
The right conduct, the right living,
the right thought, the right speech,
pain no one, sin against no one,
love all life, otherwise you will
find life nothing but all pain.
At the heart of Buddha’s teachings are the three great truths know as the “Seal of the Tree Laws”: first, “All things are impermanent”, that is, all things and phenomena in this world constantly change; second, “Nothing has an ego”, which is to say, all things in the universe exist in inter-relationship with one another; and third, “Nirvana is quiescence”, that is, the ultimate freedom is to be rid of greed, aggression and self-delusion.
The law, or truth, “All things are impermanent” refers to the unceasing changes occurring in our minds, in all phenomena, and in such apparently solid, physical manifestation of matter as trees and stones. Modern science has proved that movement and change are continuous even within the atom, which was at one time considered the ultimate particle to which matter could be reduced. It is unnecessary to point out the unending changes taking place in our own bodies.
Buddha explained the transience inherent in existence, the inevitability of ageing and death, but he did not stop there. Instead, he taught that, since all things are constantly altering, man must exert his best efforts in every instant of life. Indeed, such striving lies at the heart of Buddha’s teaching, for knowing that all things are impermanent subdues the proud and gives hope to the wretched, encouraging them both to make spiritual progress. By his own action he showed the wisdom of moderation. He was born into a life of abundant luxury, but he soon got tired of it. Then he tried a life of excessive mortification, and before long he grew weary of that, too. At last he chose a middle course and found true happiness in the sensible doctrine of “nothing too much”.
