To understand the real purpose of human being life, it is necessary for us to choose and follow a religious system; restraining from evil deeds, encouragement to do good action and enabling to purify our mind. For simplicity let us call this system “religious system”.

Religious system is expression of the striving human being. It is greatest power leading to self-realization. It has greatest power to transform one with positive qualities. It turns ignoble in to noble; the self-fish, unselfish; the proud, humble; the haughty, forbearing; the greedy, benevolent; the cruel, kind and so on. Religious system teaches us how to calm down the sense and make our heart and mind peaceful. The keynote of calming down the sense is to eliminate attachment which is the root of our disturbances. It is very important for us to have contentment. The more we crave for our property, the more we have to suffer. Property does not give real happiness to owner. Most of rich people in this world today are suffering from numerous physical and mental problems. With all the money belongs to them they cannot buy a solution to their problems. Yet the poorest men who have learnt to have satisfaction of desire many enjoy their lives for more than the richest people do.

If we realize the nature of human being life characterized by unsatisfaction, change and egoism as well as the nature of man’s greed and means of getting them satisfied, we can understand the reason why the happiness so desperately sought by many people is so elusive like catching shadow a moon bean in to the water. We try to again our happiness through accumulation of property again and again. But as far as we wish, we cannot get it. When we are not successful in accumulating wealth, gaining position, power and honor deriving pleasure from sense satisfaction, we go pained and suffered, envied others who are successful in doing so. Even if we are successful in getting these things, we suffer as well because we now fear losing what we have gained or our desires have now increased for more wealth, higher position, more power and greater happiness. Our desires never seem to be completely satisfactory. Therefore understanding the nature of human life we should not waste too much time doing impossible.

In this point the adoption of religious system becomes important, because it encouraged contentment and urge us to look beyond the demands of our flesh and ego. According to the religious system of Theravada Buddhism, by our selves we remind that we are the heir of our action and the master of destiny. In order to gain greater happiness we must be prepared to give up short-term pleasure.

According to the law of Kamma, rebirth will take place depended on qualities of our deeds; a person who has done many good deeds, may be born in favorable conditions where he enjoys wealth and success, beauty and strength, good health and meets good spiritual parents, friends and teachers. Wholesome deeds can also lead to rebirth in the heavens and other sublime states. Unwholesome deeds lead to rebirth in suffering states. Therefore understanding the law of kamma, we must make the effort to refrain from performing bad

As yet, we are still wrapped in ignorance. So we do not know what is expected of us. As result, we misinterpret every things and act on misinterpretation because we always pay our attention on sensual pleasure according to the nature of ordinary human being. In fact, our entire civilization cannot be built on misinterpretation. Our real peace and happiness been free from sufferings cannot be found based on our mind wrapped in ignorance.

According to the teaching of our Buddha, we must make an effort to overcome to arrive at realization and enlightenment; otherwise, we cannot be feeling real happy and peaceful. All great beings are born as human beings from the womb, but they worked their own way to their happiness and goal. Realization and enlightenment cannot be poured in to the human heart like water in to the tank. Every Buddha had cultivated his mind to realize the real nature of human life.

Of our human beings one can attain his goal where is free from several sufferings if he wakes up from the “dream” that is created by his ignorant mind and becomes fully awakened. He must realize that what he is today is result of an untold number of repetitions in thoughts and actions. Therefore we are not ready- made; we are continually in the life long process of becoming, always changing. According to the doctrine of our Buddha, we can always mould our character and destiny through the choice of our actions, speeches and thoughts because of significant human beings. Indeed, we must become in samsara by meaning of the cycle of birth and death in accordance with our destiny hold by our human being.

There are several aspects with regard to the nature of life. Some people understand it that life is not rose bed because of all of suffering in human life. Some religious teacher understand the nature of human life as a place where mix happiness with sufferings day to day. Any way, most of people dislike facing the true fact of life and prefer to lull themselves in to a false sense of security by sweet dreaming and imaginings. They mistake the shadow for the substance and consider false happiness as real happiness because they are slaves of craving for sensual pleasure. They fail to realize that life is uncertain but death is certain. Of the ways of understanding the nature of life, one way is to face and understand the death, which is nothing more than a temporary end to a temporary existence. But many people do not like even to hear of the word “death”. They forget that “life is not stationary. It is always moving. So they should know where we came from, we are going to now”.

Realization on death with the right method attitude can give a person courage and calmness as well as insight in to the nature of existence. We must understand that we are living a life that does not always proceed as smoothly as we would like it to. Very often therefore we must face problems and difficulties. We should not afraid of them because the penetration in to the very nature of these problems and difficulties provide us with a deeper insight in to our life.

The worldly happiness in wealth, luxury, respectable position in life which most of people are seeking is an illusion because of limitless felling. A progress of mind without limittation must change in to other position; negative or positive position. For instance- according to Buddhism one who indulges in sensual pleasure sometimes can satisfies his desire but indulgences in sensual pleasure can not give completely him satisfaction of desires because sensual pleasure are not ultimate truth and are like dream.

As yet, we are still wrapped in ignorance. So we do not know what is expected of us. As result, we misinterpret every things and act on misinterpretation because we always pay our attention on sensual pleasure according to the nature of ordinary human being. In fact, our entire civilization cannot be built on misinterpretation. Our real peace and happiness been free from sufferings cannot be found based on our mind wrapped in ignorance.

According to the teaching of our Buddha, we must make an effort to overcome to arrive at realization and enlightenment; otherwise, we cannot be feeling real happy and peaceful. All great beings are born as human beings from the womb, but they worked their own way to their happiness and goal. Realization and enlightenment cannot be poured in to the human heart like water in to the tank. Every Buddha had cultivated his mind to realize the real nature of human life.

Of our human beings one can attain his goal where is free from several sufferings if he wakes up from the “dream” that is created by his ignorant mind and becomes fully awakened. He must realize that what he is today is result of an untold number of repetitions in thoughts and actions. Therefore we are not ready- made; we are continually in the life long process of becoming, always changing. According to the doctrine of our Buddha, we can always mould our character and destiny through the choice of our actions, speeches and thoughts because of significant human beings. Indeed, we must become in samsara by meaning of the cycle of birth and death in accordance with our destiny hold by our human being.

There are several aspects with regard to the nature of life. Some people understand it that life is not rose bed because of all of suffering in human life. Some religious teacher understand the nature of human life as a place where mix happiness with sufferings day to day. Any way, most of people dislike facing the true fact of life and prefer to lull themselves in to a false sense of security by sweet dreaming and imaginings. They mistake the shadow for the substance and consider false happiness as real happiness because they are slaves of craving for sensual pleasure. They fail to realize that life is uncertain but death is certain. Of the ways of understanding the nature of life, one way is to face and understand the death, which is nothing more than a temporary end to a temporary existence. But many people do not like even to hear of the word “death”. They forget that “life is not stationary. It is always moving. So they should know where we came from, we are going to now”.

Realization on death with the right method attitude can give a person courage and calmness as well as insight in to the nature of existence. We must understand that we are living a life that does not always proceed as smoothly as we would like it to. Very often therefore we must face problems and difficulties. We should not afraid of them because the penetration in to the very nature of these problems and difficulties provide us with a deeper insight in to our life.

The worldly happiness in wealth, luxury, respectable position in life which most of people are seeking is an illusion because of limitless felling. A progress of mind without limittation must change in to other position; negative or positive position. For instance- according to Buddhism one who indulges in sensual pleasure sometimes can satisfies his desire but indulgences in sensual pleasure can not give completely him satisfaction of desires because sensual pleasure are not ultimate truth and are like dream.

Problems of Human World
There are so many problems that we are facing to as long as we are in Sansāra, the cycle of bath and death. Our Buddha preached these problems as suffering in his first sutta namely Dhammacakkapavattana sutta. They are as follows;

Birth is suffering; old is suffering; sickness is suffering; death is suffering; sorrow, lamentation and dejection are suffering. Contact with what is unpleasant and separation from the pleasant are suffering. Not getting what one wishes is suffering. In brief clinging to the five aggregates of the personality – body, feeling, perception, disposition and consciousness – as possessions of “my self” is suffering.

In addition we have also problems of industry, labor, wages, unemployment, angularity of opportunity, the gap between the have and the have-nots. Day to day we are finding out solutions of these problems. But we cannot do it completely because they appear very complicated as indeed they are. The aspiration of human being is a simple one; he merely wishes to be able to live in peace and happiness, with freedom to build his own little world in human dignity.


The Purpose of Human Being

It is necessary to understand the purpose of human being life. To know it, we will first have to study the subject through our experience and insight. We then will discover for ourselves the true meaning of our life. Guideline can be given, but we must create the necessary conditions for the arising of realization ourselves.

There are several prerequisites to the discovery of the purpose of life. First of all we must understand the nature of man and the nature of life. Next, we must keep our mind calm and peaceful through the adoption of a religious system. When these conditions are met, the answer, which we seek, will become like the gentle rain from the sky.


Understanding the Nature of Human life


Our human beings are clever enough to land on the moon and discover ponderous things in the universe but we have yet to delusion in to the inner workings of our own mind. Most of human beings have yet to learn how their mind can be developed to its fullest potential so that its true nature can be realized.

Dhamma

According to the Gandavamsa we say that Paramatthadipani plus 5 Tikas were written by Dhammapala but recently one Scholar, A.K Warder proposed the new theory that Dhammapala who is the author of Paramatthadipani and the Dhammapala who wrote Tikas on Visuddhi D.A, MA and SA, are two separate individuals. The reason why he proposed this theory is that Sariputta, who was one of commentatores during 13AD, whenever he makes reference to the commentaries of Dhammapala. But when he refers to one Dhammapala who supposes to be the author of Tika, he refers to him Acariya Dhammapala.

So on this basis A.K Warder believes that there must have been two Dhammapalas. One is Dhammapala who is the author of Paramatthadipani and another one is the author of Tikas but unfortunately it is rather difficult to prove that. In fact in the history of Pali literature we have more than one Dhammapala no doubt about it. In later period there was Cula Dhammapala. But he had nothing to do with Tikas. So this Cula Dhammapala excludes from our arguments.

A.K Warder had not done the extensive research on the commentaries by Dhammapala. In order to come to definite conclusion, one must be familiar with all commentaries and sub-commentaries that were ascribed to be the authorship of Dhammapala. Without having through investigation into all Athnakatha and Tikas, then one cannot come a definite conclusion.

At the moment we traditionally believe that Dhammapala who is the author of Paramatthadipani is also the same Dhammapala who wrote all these Tikas. So if that sanction goes on, then everything goes on.

The next question is here whether his commentaries were based on the sources of Mahavihara tradition. In another words whether Dhammapala represents Mahavihara tradition or others. In fact the basic sources on which Dhammapala wrote the commentaries were some of Sinhala sources such as Mahaatthakatha, Agama, A. Khandaka A, Porana A, Atthakathacariya, Acariya. These are definitely the sources belong to the Mahavihara tradition. Therefore we can definitely say that Dhammapala also represents Mahavihara tradition.

Then the next question here is whether he wrote his commentaries in Sri Lanka and his South India. Dhammapala does not mention any names of person or place in Sri Lanka in his commentaries. On this basis Prof.Mori believes that he wrote his commentaries in South India because had he come to Sri Lanka, he could have incorporated some of local elements of Sri Lanka in his commentaries as mush as Buddhaghosa did.

One possible reason is that not only Mahavihara but also “Abhayagiri had their branches in South India. Therefore it is quite possible that they would have sent manuscripts from Sri Lanka to India. Those manuscripts would have been available to Dhammapala when he was writing his commentaries. Unfortunaltely my knowledge is that Prof.Mari said no mention of Sri Lanka name of places and at the same time, we don’t also have any names of South India. How can you prove on this particular basis?