Understanding the Wisdom of the Lord Buddha : หน้า 197/207

Since we must seek refuge in our own wisdom in times of sorrow and happiness, we can appreciate that the Lord Buddha's supreme wisdom (of how to lead one's life) is indeed comparable to none. His pure wisdom teaches us how to lead one's life in the right way. It is the best practice when we face vicissitudes in our lives. His wisdom can truly be a noble model for other teachings in this world for both Buddhists and non- Buddhists alike. The cause of life's vicissitudes Many people do not know the cause of life's vicissitudes. Some believe they are determined by astrology. Some believe they are caused by a god. And others believe they occur because of their own intellect and competence. However, the Lord Buddha discovered the truth about the unavoidable Law of Cause and Effect, which in Buddhism is the Law of Kamma. He taught that whoever performs good or evil deeds will receive the consequences of his/her actions. Thus, the Lord Buddha taught that when we encounter difficulties, we should carefully scrutinize them in three ways: 1) As caused by our violation of the precepts in the current lifetime. 2) As caused by our violation of the precepts in our previous lifetimes. 3) As caused by our carelessness. These three reasons are the main origins of our lives' problems, whether we remember them or not. For these reasons, when any serious problem occurs, the Lord Buddha taught us not to create more problems for ourselves. We must only observe the precepts as purely as possible. If we lead our lives in the secular world, we must observe the five precepts. Monks must strictly keep the 227 precepts. Nuns as well as those who reside at temples to assist with Buddhist works must strictly keep the eight precepts. Observance of these precepts will prevent us from creating new problems. The Lord Buddha taught these precepts so that we could meet the standards of morality. If we do not follow His teachings, it is possible that we will face endless problems. We may be able to solve one problem, but we cannot prevent the next one that occurs. They are never-ending. As soon as we realize a problem has occurred, we should quickly make corrections by observing the five precepts strictly and it will become easier to solve them. After that we can correct problems that arise according to various circumstances, looking to Buddhist principles for the solution. For instance, if the problem revolves around wealth or monetary gain, it can be solved with generosity. Misunderstandings can be solved by improving ourselves, by The Warm Hearted Family 392 The Lord Buddha-The Role Model of Wisdom The Warm Hearted Family 393 The Lord Buddha-The Role Model of Wisdom