Kittima's Dhamma for Steven.docx

by doing good deeds . They also believe that merit can be transferred to the next life and shared with someone who has passed away. But we believe that merit isn’t something that accumulates. Merit is the act of purifying ourselves from mental defilements. We don’t pursue Dhamma practice to build up merit for our next life. Our goal is to be liberated from defilements and suffering . The ultimate goal of our practice is to attain Nirvana. Nirvana is a state with no sense of self, happiness , or suffering. The Buddha taught that everything comes into being then passes away. Sensation s are like dew drops ; they linger for just a moment then fade away. Asoke monks observe the 43 precepts and nuns observe the 10. Ordination is taken very seriously here. Most people ordain for a lifetime. A practicing Buddhist must abstain from "the six base vices." The six base vices are intoxicants, night life, entertainment, gambling, bad company , and laziness. We abstain from killing, stealing, sexual misconduct, lying, intoxicants. We don’t kill or abuse animals, steal or take things without asking, commit adultery, have sex before marriage, lie or swear. Also, we don’t gossip or talk nonsense and don't use any intoxicants. Our daily routine is very simple. We greet each other by saying “Charoen Dhum.” Usually we wake up at 3.30 in the morning and attend the morning sermon at 4.00 - 5.30 AM. After the sermon the monks and nuns go for alms giving . For us, will go for exercise about 40 minutes, then go to a work base and take up our duties for the day. At 8.30 AM, everyone gathers together in the community hall to have their meal. We listen to a short sermon before our daily meal and after eating we get some rest and then return to work. Most people work 6 to 8 hours a day. We attend the evening sermon at 6.00 - 8.00 PM given by the Porkru, Samanas, or Sikkamats. We begin and end each day by listening to Dhamma. Asoke is a self-sufficient community. We have our own economic system called Boonniyom and have a unique system of communal consumption. The Buddhist precepts are the core principles with which we all live by. To become a member, everyone in the community at least observes the 5 precepts, abstains from the six bas ic vices , and eat vegetarian food. Everyone in the community is a volunteer and works for free. There are dozens of types of work in every community. The purpose of work isn’t production or the financial gain. We use work as a means of practicing Dhamma. Everything we earn goes directly into the central fund for the benefit of the whole community. Our Boworn has a hall where we usually have our meals together and where we study Dhamma, watching TV and enjoy various other activities. We have an artificial waterfall with pillars that imitate forest trees. The stupa contains relics of Buddha and spiritual masters who’ve attained enlightenment. There are also ancient boats that have been altered into house-boats . The monks and nuns living accommodations are built according to the Buddhist scripture. The largest Buddha image has hand gestures represents the three spiritual conditions: Lokuttara, Lokavitu and Lokahnukampaya. "Lokuttara" is a transcendent state where one is above worldly things. "Lokavitu" means having wisdom about the ways of the world and "Lokahnukampaya" means having compassion to help mankind. We have the central kitchen where food is made for everyone in the community. The B oworn has various stations to work such as a mushroom farm, a rice mill, a shampoo factory, a tailor, a tofu factory, a recycling station, a store, TV station, a recycling station, a garden, farmland, etc. The recycling station is where the natural waste from the whole community is collected and used to make compost. We also accept donation of recyclables and second-hand goods. Twice a week we allow wholesalers to come in and buy things from our recycling station. Second-hand goods in good condition are sold at the Din Oom Dow Store. The money that we earn from the recycling station will spend on our TV station, called Boonniyom TV. Most of our TV programs are Dhamma talks and shows related to agriculture and health. We don’t have any TV commercials and have to rely on money earned from the recycling station. Our TV station run by volunteers such as students, lay people and a TV crew. You can watch our TV on the internet by FB, You T ube and Boonniyom TV. We also have our vegetarian restaurant. Almost every ingredient we use is chemical free. Apart from food, we sell seasonal fruits, local vegetables and make smoothies from them . We also have a free lunch policy for those who have one dish with rice. Everyone who works at our restaurant is a volunteer.

WHAT PORKRU PREACH TO U S The Porkru preach 3 days a week. He teaches us to practice Buddhism with open eyes, serve others with humility, becoming poor willingly and courageously, giving up our wealth instead of building our wealth and reduce our greed, anger, and illusions . The Porkru also trains us to be selfless, sacrificing, diligent, efficient, and humble. We live according to the Buddhist precepts . Asoke monks and nuns practi c e austerity. Most people believe Buddha amulets and images have sacred powers. For Asoke, Buddha images serve as a reminder of the Buddha’s teachings. We pay respect to Buddha images to show our gratefulness and not to ask for things . Samanas and Sikkhamats eat only one meal a day and laypeople eat one or two meals during the day. We don’t emphasize meditation like the mainstream Buddhists. The Porkru teach us to accept criticism and trains us to be tolerant of criticism . We learn how to stop hoarding and to be creative and enterprising. He also shows us the direct path to Nirvana. The precepts are the basis for our Buddhist practice. The Porkru always mention "The five precepts". The first precept is to abstain from killing and harming living things . The second precept is to abstain from taking that which is not given to each of us. The third precept is to abstain from indulging in sensual pleasures. The fourth precept is to abstain from lying, speaking profanities, rambling speech and saying things that cause discord. The fifth precept is to abstain from intoxicants and things that make us less mindful. You will notice that the first three precepts relate to bodily conduct. The fourth precept relates to verbal conduct. The fifth precept relates to mental conduct.

Do you know "Pañca-sila" and "Pañca-dhamma"? For every precept the Buddha stipulated that there is also a counterpart. The counterpart to not killing ( the first precept) is having compassion. The counterpart to not stealing ( the second precept) is practi c ing the right livelihood . Right livelihood means abstaining from occupations that involve cheating, lying, deceiving, working for a wrong cause, or working for money. The counterpart to not committing sexual misconduct ( the third precept) is exercising restraint in sensual pleasures . The counterpart to not making wrong speech ( the forth precept) is making right speech . Right speech means speaking truthfully, politely, positively and speaking words that bring about unity. The counterpart to not taking intoxicants ( the fifth precept) is consuming only healthy things that do not alter your good judgement . The precepts aren’t just rules of good conduct but moral discipline that leads to your liberation from suffering. If you take the precepts to heart, they will lead to Nirvana. There are 10 benefits to observing the precepts: 1. Moral purity makes us free from remorse. 2. Moral purity makes us feel glad. 3. Moral purity makes us feel fulfilled. 4. Moral purity makes us tranquil and free of defilements. 5. Moral purity makes us happy. 6. Moral purity leads to concentration or firmness in the Dhamma. 7. Moral purity leads to understanding reality . 8. Moral purity makes us weary of defilements. 9. Moral purity makes us dispassionate. 10. Moral purity leads to liberation from physical and mental defilement s . W hen our eyes, ears or any of the sense doors contact mental or physical objects, our sensations arise . That’s why present moment sense contact s are so powerful . They cause your true feelings to arise . You must have a clear understanding of how to get rid of your mental and physical defilements. You have to identify and observe your defilements as they arise and o bserve them without becoming attached to them . You have to be keenly aware of what is happening without becoming attached to what is happening . You have to know whether you’re partially or completely liberated from defilement. All of this is perceiving reality as it is ; it is the attainment of Pañña. The Porkru emphasi z es that observing and understanding your sensation is the basis for practi c ing Dhamma. In other words, sensations arise from sense contact in the present moment. When sensations arise , this is the perfect time to analyze defilement s as the root cause of your suffering , and then work to eradicat e them from your mind. You cannot practi c e Dhamma without understanding your sensation. Without feelings and sensation s and knowing from where and why they come , you can’t investigate and d iscipline your mind. Sensations that arise during sitting meditation are limited because you’ve shut yourself off from all sense contacts. All you have is sensation that’s based on reasoning and reflection which isn’t real . The present moment is where you find reality . That’s why sense contact in the present moment is powerful and can cause your true feelings to emerge . You may reflect on the ill effects of anger and believe that you’ve truly forgiven someone . But when you come face to face with that person , you may find that you did not forgive that person . You can’t eradicate mental defilements simply through reasoning or reflection. You must observe and investigate the feelings and sensations a ssociated with your defilements without becoming attached to the pleasures or aversions that come with your defilements and notice how they arise and eventually pass away. You must observe with equanimity and observe their imperman ence. The Buddha taught that there are Three Characteristics of Existence that are present at all times : impermanence, suffering and non-self. An enlightened person observe s reality as it is. In other words, you have to observe the Three Characteristics of Existence as they occur in your daily life and not by practicing insight meditation. The Porkru teach us to observe the impermanent nature of happiness and suffering. They teach us that happiness and suffering are one and the same thing. Happiness is just an illusion. It lingers for a few moment s and then fades away. When we cling to this impermanent happiness , that th at causes suffering. Impermanence is the cause of suffering . The happiness we seek is the cause of suffering. When we perceive something as being real and form an attachment to it, we give it meaning, existence and a self. To realize this, you have to abstain from the object of desire. After practicing self-denial for the same desire, you will still have a craving for the same desire to gratify your senses. But if you’re strong-willed and refuse to give in to such craving, you will notice that your desire will eventually go away . That is because your desire is impermanent and an illusion . When you keep repeat ing this practice over time until you will become keenly aware of the impermanent nature of happiness and suffering . You will acquire Pañña or true wisdom and understand that the happiness you once perceived as real actually has no essence or permanence . Ultimately, you’ll become detached from the desire because Pañña has the power to eliminate defilements. The Porkru teach that happiness and suffering are two sides of the same coin. When we are able to satisfy our desires, w e are happy. When our happiness passes away , we become unhappy and begin to crave happiness again. Such craving and anxiety are suffering. That’s why our life is an endless cycle of desire and suffering. To end suffering, we have to let go of our attachment s to happiness and aversions . What is "Kilesa? ” "Kilesa" are things that are not necessary for life such as attachment s to pleasures and aversions . Our goal is to get rid of mental defilements. We try to let go of worldly attachments. We try to renounce sensual pleasures. Buddhism is a dynamic religion that involves human interaction and society . If you practi c e the Dhamma correctly, you will not become a hermit living in solitude. You will instead become more diligent and productive in serving others. So, not only will you benefit from practi c ing Dhamma, but society will also benefit . When you practi c e correctly, you will ex perience less suffering. When the Buddha became enlightened, he realized the Four Noble Truths : He realized that is nothing but suffering, which arises, lingers then passes away ; that the root cause of suffering is desire ; that by uprooting the cause of suffering , suffering ends ; and that the path to end all suffering is the "Noble Eightfold Path : " 1) Right view 2) Right thought 3) Right speech 4) Right action 5) Right livelihood 6) Right effort 7) Right mindfulness 8) Right concentration. Understanding these F our Noble Truths is the right view . The Porkru teach that anyone who practi c es the Noble Eightfold Path correctly will be able to end all suffering by eradicating the defilement s of greed, anger , and illusion. This "Right view" is the heart of the Noble Eightfold Path. The Noble Eightfold Path is a : 1. "Right view" means having correct understanding of the Four Noble Truths. 2. "Right thought" means having thoughts free from hatred and abuse. 3. "Right speech" means speaking truthfully, politely, positively and speaking words that bring unity. 4. "Right action" means abstaining from killing, stealing and sexual misconduct. 5. "Right livelihood" means abstaining from occupations that involve cheating, lying, dece ption , working for a n illegitimate cause. 6. "Right effort" means making the effort to eradicate defilements and unwholesome actions. 7. "Right mindfulness" means being mindful of feelings and sensations associated with defilements as they arise. 8. "Right concentration" means a mind that is equanimous and free of defilements. You must have the right view to begin your practi c e the Noble Eightfold Path. You must also observe the precepts with vigilant mindfulness. By constantly reflecting on the precepts, you will eliminate unwholesome action, speech and thought. Right livelihood is about having a proper occupation. The Porkru teach that we should practi c e Dhamma at all times , even while working. A practi c ing Buddhist should not only practi c e sitting meditation. If you only practi c e sitting meditation, you don’t practi c e right thought, right speech, right action, or right livelihood. You also have to practi c e right effort and right mindfulness at all times. First, you have to be mindful of sensations as they arise and distinguish them as pleasant, unpleasant , or neutral . Then analyze if there are any mental defilement s that are the root cause of suffering . T hen make the right effort to uproot the cause. By practicing these seven path factors, you will gain right concentration. Right concentration or Samma Samadhi is not just meditation, but the eight path factor s of the Noble Eightfold Path. It’s the result of practi c ing the seven other path factors. THE PORKRU ACCOMPLISHMENT S The highest form of merit is purifying ourselves from mental defilements. "Boonniyom" is a new term introduced by the Porkru. It can be broadly translated as “meritism ”. We use "Boonniyom" to describe many things such that values merit over wealth and worldly pleasures . M eritism is a non-capitalistic economic system which take s less and give s more. It builds strong characters and families and makes the community stronger. Boonniyom economics really does work. That’s why we believe that Boonniyom is a viable alternative to capitalism. The Porkru emphasize that competency and diligence are a person ’s most valuable assets . Anyone who has these qualities will be able to lead a sufficient life without the need to accumulate wealth. The commercial policies of the Porkru are: 1) Sell at low prices . 2) Refrain from exploitation . 3) Work diligently . 4) Be scrupulous and frugal . 5) Be honest and self-sacrificing . Also, the marketing policies are: 1) Sell quality products 2) Sell at low prices 3) Be honest 4) Be generous 5) Sell for cash only. Therefore, Boonniyom commerce occurs at 4 levels: 1) Selling below market price . 2) Selling at break-even cost . 3) Selling below cost . 4) Giving things away for free. We have two types of market: 1) the Boonniyom market where sellers engage i n one or more levels of Boonniyom commerce 2) Areeya Market where sellers engage in the third level of Boonniyom commerce , which is selling below cost . Asoke is fully committed to our social responsibilit ies . Every Asoke community has a recycling station. We don’t use chemicals for growing crops . We have a price tag to show the actual cost and selling price. Everything we do is about giving and sharing according to the Buddha’s teachings. All of our stores operate according to the Boonniyom principles. This means that every store sells below market price. Buddha said that food is the most crucial thing in the world. That is why the Porkru emphasi ze s the importance of agriculture, compost production and waste management. T hey believe that these occupations can help mankind.

Asoke has a unique approach to communal consumption called "Sataranapoki , " which is a system of sharing wealth and work responsibility. Everything we earn goes directly into the central fund for the benefit of the whole community. Sataranapoki operates on the basis that everyone is willing to work for free. Everyone sacrifices for the common good of the community. This creates a sense of ownership and belonging in the community. The communal property is managed by various foundations . We have a central kitchen that makes food for everyone. We have our own health care facility that provides basic medical care for me