Ven.

Dr K Sri Dhammananda
1918 – 2006
An Outstanding Buddhist Monk,
Dhamma Speaker
and Author of more than 47 Books

The last Dhamma Talk by the late Most Ven K. Sri Dhammananda, Chief Priest of
the Buddhist Temple in Brickfields, on the 7th July 2006 at the Buddhist Maha
Vihara, Kuala Lumpur.
_______________________

Human Life ( last talk by Chief Priest, Maha Vihara, 7.7.2006)

"Dear devotees actually I never thought I would have the chance to see and talk to you.
You see half of my body is dead, but my heart, my mind still has energy. What is this
diseased body? Is it life? No, it's not life. It's the house. Life is the energy, mental,
kammic and cosmic all joined together as "energy ". That is life.

Body is decayed and life goes away. Actually we must be happy when time comes to
depart without suffering. To crave so much for the body, we spend our whole life
decorating, looking after it, and one day it decays and when energy and the elements
dissipate, then mental energy will build another house. Life started with mental energy
and then birth occurs. Every single child cries, none smiles after birth. Life is suffering;
we are using whole amounts of energy to maintain this physical body, but one day we
have to depart. Then leaves solidity and fluidity ~ 2 elements only, heat and motion has
gone.

Christians and Muslims are particular about the body as they believe in resurrection; we
do not believe that there is anything in this physical body. Spend thousands on funerals,
but the departed never get anything! The only way to support the departed, you must
know how to make use of this life. That is why religion is needed to help us to cultivate
compassion, sympathy and kindness and supporting others.

David Morris sent me a letter, he said there are 2 reasons to be happy as an old man:(1)
he will soon be free from pain and suffering, (2) ever since he became a Buddhist he has
tried his best to maintain and uphold the 5 precepts, if there is another life it won't be an
unfortunate one as he departs with confidence.

In the end the dying man takes no solace in dancing and singing, only in meritorious
deeds will you get confidence and this will support the kammic energy in the rebirth. You
must know how to handle life, by doing service to others to help release their suffering.
Many die with fear and confusion in mind; can't take rebirth in upper realm. Meditation
is important to maintain purity. Prince Siddharta, when he was born, there were 5
astrologers invited to predict his fate. Four said that he would either grow up to be a sage
or monarch, and one said definitely a sage. When craving and attachment is completely
removed, the mind is then completely pure. This body is not life. It's a house built by
energy and 4 cosmic elements. Unfortunately in the past 2,500 years, Buddhists in Asia
have introduced a lot of rites and rituals, never introduced by the Buddha. Just keep
away from evil by reducing anger, jealousy, enmity, and try to do meritorious deeds, and
try to develop the mind through understanding. Try to purify the mind.

If you are cruel, hot tempered, or stingy, try your best to take this out. If you pray to God
to take this out do you think God can do that? Buddha can't also, but he can tell you how
to do that. War is declared by the human mind, peace also comes from our our minds, not
from heaven nor from God.

First by understanding without believing, when you develop a right understanding, then
you can carry on a religious way of life. When you doubt, you think, investigate, then
accept or reject. Others say if there is doubt, then God will punish you.
All over the world different schools have sprung up and they follow their own traditions
which they have maintained for a long time. Buddha had rejected old traditions, but it
was introduced to the primitive narrow minded people. People in Asian countries don't
study the dharma.

Next do Good. Reduce the anger and do something to train the mind through
right understanding. Change the mind - through your own experience you can understand
right and wrong.
I have been in Malaysia for 53 years, used to have even no room to sleep. The Chinese
were the main Buddhists here and through Buddhist societies we made them understand
what Buddhism is.

My mind mental and life energy is still active but I am half way dead. Although the end
of my life is now near, I have no fear. Arahants can disconnect mind from body to
experience nibbanic bliss and at that time you cannot tell if they are dead or alive, their
bodies are still warm and their complexions will remain ruddy. They can do that for 1
week at the most. Remember there are 4 kinds of happiness: (1) Happiness of
Possession - in owing your own property, your house, land, business, bank account. (2)
Happiness of Enjoyment - using what you have earned you can enjoy good food, nice
house, nice dress, without abusing, bluffing, cheating others. (3) Happiness of
Debtlessness - try best not to borrow from others, spend within your means; you gain self
respect. (4) Happiness of Blamelessness - try to lead life without doing harm to anybody.

These 4 kinds of happiness must be with you. Don't be lazy; do some work, do not
neglect what you have earned, maintain and protect what you have earned, then you can
decide what to do including adopting a Buddhist way of life up to arahant, know how to
adjust your way of life, how to associate with others. Associate with good people, not
harmful, wicked people. Support your father and mother, look after your spouse and
children, don't neglect relatives, help them. Develop your mind to the extent that you are
not shaken by the 8 winds of change: praise/blame, fame/shame, gain /loss, pleasure/pain,
and treat all the same, then at this stage nothing will affect you."

All meetings end in partings. That which rises must fall. That which is collected will be
dispersed. Birth ends with death.