Q18. Whom did the Buddha honor?

~ By Buddhadāsa Bhikkhu ~

The Buddha’s own answer was that he paid homage to Dhamma and to Saṅgha communities with exemplary qualities. Saṅgha communities that conduct themselves well and practice properly can be said to possess exemplary qualities. So the Buddha respected Dhamma and Saṅgha communities of exemplary qualities.

We ought to reflect how even the Buddha himself paid homage to Dhamma; and if all the members of a practice community conducted themselves well and behaved properly as a group, the Buddha paid homage to them as well. This can be applied to behavior at the present time, in our own Thailand and anywhere in the world. This means we ought to respect Dhamma. If even the most exalted person paid respect to the training rules and communities that practiced well, surely so should we today.

(From “Buddha-Dhamma for Inquiring Minds”)

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Buddha-Dhamma for Students (title of original translation) was composed of two talks given by Ajahn Buddhadāsa in January 1966 to students at Thammasat University, Bangkok. It was translated from the Thai by Rod Bucknell, and revised in 2018 by Santikaro Upasaka. To read/download as free ebook (pdf).

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For all English retreat talks, visit Buddhadāsa Bhikkhu.

For more information and free ebooks, visit Suan Mokkh – The Garden of Liberation.

Photo: Buddhadāsa Indapañño Archives D-125