Foreword
As the title suggests, this book is not directed at readers with a particular religious affiliation but is meant for anyone who wishes to reflect on what famous thinkers throughout the ages have written about the human condition. No one can deny that despite temporary flashes of happiness, on the whole, the human condition is far from satisfactory. Human beings have always dreamed of attaining perfect happiness by transcending human problems, generally without much success. However some great thinkers, widely separated in time and space have pondered over how this human condition can be understood and how happiness can be attained. They were able to crystallise these thoughts into clear, apt sayings which sound simple at first sight, but which draw deep from the well springs of human experience. This book is a collection of these thoughts and readers are invited to share them and benefit from them. By reflection, the reader gains an understanding of his or her condition and is thus enabled to live a happierAmore meaningful life. Most of our problems arise from the fact that we do not understand the cause of our feelings of discontent and unsatisfactoriness.
Human beings are creatures driven by desires. They are constantly seeking to gratify the various demands made by their six senses: smell, hearing, taste, touch, sight and mind. In Buddhism these needs are classified, under four categories. It is stated that the human beings need four kinds of sustenance to satisfy:
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The body
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The senses
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The mind
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The consciousness
CONTENTS
Foreword
Acknowledgement
Humanity
1 Nature of the Mind
2 The difference between Knowledge & Wisdom
3 Who the Buddha is
4 Buddhism is the by-product of Dharma
5 Duty of a Religion
6 How Karma is Created
7 How to Act Wisely
8 Speech must be Guided
9 Definition of the Real Human Being
10 Life is Valuable
11 Nature is the Creator
12 Status of Women
13 How to lead a Married & Family Life
14 Life depends on Character Building
15 Meaning of Wealth & Success
16 War cannot bring Peace
17 Anger destroys Love
18 Serve Others to serve Yourself
19 Friendship gives Confidence
20 Death is not the End of Life
List of Abbreviations
Subject Index