Why Were We Born? ❖ เกิดมาทำไม

~ By Buddhadāsa Bhikkhu ~

MUTUAL UNDERSTANDING BETWEEN RELIGIONS Series No. 11

[Introduction by Buddha-Nigama, Chiangmai, Thailand.]

In this booklet the Ven. Buddhadasa examines the perennial questions "Why was I born? what am I living for? What is the purpose of life? "

The answer he gives is that man's task in life is to break free from the bondage of his own mental processes.

The way the mind normally works just won't do. Each man's mind is a treadmill to which he is chained, and real freedom is an impossibility unless a man can break out of his old unsatisfactory thought patterns and develop a new consciousness of an entirely new order. In the Buddha's teaching, this mental treadmill is referred to as samsara.

The first step towards breaking free from samsara is to recognize its existence and realize the manner in which it enslaves. Close scrutiny reveals that our bondage in samsara is dependent entirely on ignorance of that very samsara. As soon as we recognize its existence and mode of working, it ceases to operate. We become free by realizing how we are bound.

The booklet is in two sections corresponding to two consecutive lectures given by Ven. Buddhadasa. The first section presents a picture of life as a struggle to break free from the vicious circle of samsara and move towards nirvana. The second describes this progress towards nirvana, this "walking the Path."

The attainment of enlightenment is presented as not merely a task facing each individual, but as a long-term project for the whole of mankind taken collectively. More than this, it is seen as part of the evolutionary process in general. Enlightenment, full self-knowledge, is presented as the final goal of all life, the climax, and the end of evolution. 

But more importantly, this attainment of enlightenment is presented as a thoroughly practicable undertaking, a feasible project, something that can be done.

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