Expert: Justin Choo - 9/29/2004

Question
I need this for an asignment, and given your high ratings, I picked you to ask. Any help in filling out these questions will be greatly appreciated.

1)Whom did you interview?
2)How did you find your subject?
   -Allexperts.com (search: Buddhism)
3)What is your subject's area of expertise?
4)What is your subject's background?

5)What is the highest aspiration of a devout buddhist?

6)How is this achieved?

7)What is the basic conduct policy of a Buddhist?
(central beliefs and expected behavioral policies)  

Answer
Hi Jeff,

Thank you for your high regards, and for asking me.
Answers to questions 1,2,3,&4 are partly answered and the rest can be found in my profile.

Question 5. What is the highest aspiration of a devout Buddhist?
Answer:  In order to understand the answer, one must have a rough idea of what Buddhist salvation is all about.  Otherwise, everyone's answer will be to go to heaven!  The Buddha revealed to us that the life that we are living is very unsatisfactory, due to its very nature of not being permanent. On this premise, it would not be very nice to exist in this world again.  If we want to have something which is not subject to change and not dependent on something in order to have perfect peace, then we have to seek another place where such limiting conditions do not exist.  To a Buddhist, even heaven is not permanent!  The ultimate goal or the highest aspiration of a devout Buddhist is to exist in a condition that is free from change, free from sorrow, and in perfect peace with no time frame.  The term used in the Pali language is Nibbana,or Nirvana in Sanskrit.

Question 6: How is this achieved?
Answer:  You have to understand the Buddhist concept of
rebirth in order to answer this question.  This "self" is made up of mind and matter.  So long as the mind is weak, this mind will seek a form (matter) to be reborn into, after the present body disintegrates.  So long as there is rebirth, we will be subject to change, resulting in unsatisfactoriness and sorrow, because the conditions of this type of existence are such that they carry with them all the ingredients of impermanence and unsatifactoriness.  
The cause of this weak mind is due to our ignorance of the true nature of our existence.  We do not realize the traps and dangers in our lives, blindly chasing after happiness to satisfy our unlimited cravings for the good things in life.  So long as the mind is deluded and is attached to this craving, it will exist like a magnet, to be attracted to reborn again and again.  And this cycle goes on and on ad infinitum.
The Buddhist practice is to tame this mind and train this mind to realize the futility of this craziness of chasing after happiness, or for that matter seeking revenge.  The ultimate mission is to demagnetize this mind so that in the final analysis, it is neither chasing nor resisting.  The mind is in such a pure state, that it has rid itself completely of the defilements of greed, hatred, and delusion.  When it is no longer magnetized, it no longer attaches to the sorrows of this type of existence.
That is why Buddhists practice meditation, which is mental cultivation to eradicate the defilements, and to really understand the true nature of this world and this self.  Apart from this mental culture, Buddhists practise good conduct in their daily lives.  This leads us to the next question.

Question 7:What is the basic conduct policy of a Buddhist?
      (central beliefs and expected behavioural policies)
Answer:  The Buddha's teachings can be summed up in 3    lines:   Avoid comitting evil
        Do good
        Purify the mind

The Buddha encouraged us to use our human intelligence and common sense to live our daily lives.  We do not need any religion to teach us what is good and what is bad.  It is up to us to come to terms with realities, that what we do not want others to do to us, we should not do to others.  What we want for us should also be given to others.  The Buddhist is more concerned with what we called "skilful living". As a practising Buddhist, I observe the 5 basic principles as suggested by the Buddha:
   1. To refrain from taking life
   2. To refrain from stealing
   3. To refrain from indulging in unwholesome sexual   
      activities
   4. To refrain from telling lies
   5. To refrain from taking intoxicants
These 5 precepts I undertake to live by, to the best of my ability, everyday.

Hope you are happy with my answers.

Smile from justinchoo :-))