The ford to the other bank

The author, a Buddhist since 1948, presents a complete presentation of the Buddha's original teachings in the year of the golden jubilee of his teaching succession. After much preliminary work, it had become increasingly clear that the Buddha's system is a practical one, namely the eightfold path of salvation with its two fruits. Buddhism, like every religion, is a doctrine of salvation and not mere philosophy. The last word of the Awakened One was: "Tirelessly may you fight", and not "Tirelessly may you defend opinions". The first link of the eightfold path, right view, is indeed the indispensable foundation of the teaching, but it makes up only an eighth or a tenth of the whole. Delusionless right view compels us to follow the path of discipleship. A Buddhist view that does not do this proves to be a non-right view. The Eightfold Path is the implementation rule for the four truths of salvation, the applied truth. It applies to every follower, whether European or Asian, man or woman, layman or monk, man or God. The so-called Tathâgata passage is only the special application to members of religious orders, under the conditions of an India 2500 years ago. As timeless as the doctrine as such is, certain external forms, which are easily confused with the core, are nevertheless time-dependent. On the other hand, there is a danger that when external forms are stripped away, something of the core is lost and an abbreviated "Buddhism" is offered.