Dhammapada stanza

កោធំ ជហេ វិប្បជហេយ្យ មានំ, សំយោជនំ សព្វមតិក្កមេយ្យ;

តន្នាមរូបស្មិ មសជ្ជមានំ,                    អកិញ្ចនំ នានុបតន្តិ ទុក្ខា។

បុគ្គលគួរលះបង់សេចក្ដីក្រោធចេញ  គួរលះបង់មានះចេញ  គួរកន្លងសញ្ញោជនធម៌ទាំង​អស់​ចោល​ចេញ ទុក្ខទាំងឡាយតែងមិនជាប់តាមបុគ្គល ដែលមិនជំពាក់ក្នុងនាមនិងរូប មិនមាន​កិលេស គ្រឿងកង្វល់នោះឡើយ។

Dhammapada stanza

សុសុខំ វត ជីវាម,                     អាតុរេសុ អនាតុរា;

អាតុរេសុ មនុស្សេសុ,                វិហរាម អនាតុរា។

យើងជាអ្នកមិនមានសេចក្ដីក្ដៅក្រហាយ(ដោយកិលេស)រស់នៅជាសុខពិត ក្នុងពួក​មនុស្ស​មានសេចក្ដីក្ដៅក្រហាយ កាលពួកមនុស្សមានសេចក្ដីក្ដៅក្រហាយ យើង​ជាអ្នក​មិន​មាន​សេចក្ដីក្ដៅក្រហាយ។

Dhammapada stanza

ទុន្និគ្គហស្ស លហុនោ,    យត្ថកាមនិបាតិនោ;

ចិត្តស្ស ទមថោ សាធុ,     ចិត្តំ ទន្តំ សុខាវហំ។

ការទូន្មានចិត្ត ដែលសង្កត់សង្កិនបានដោយលំបាក ជាធម្មជាតិរហ័យ មានប្រក្រតី​ធ្លាក់​ចុះទៅតាមសេចក្ដីប្រាថ្នាក្នុងអារម្មណ៍ណាមួយ រមែងជាគុណញ៉ាំង​ប្រយោជន៍​ឲ្យសម្រេច(ព្រោះថា)ចិត្តដែលហ្វឹកហ្វឺនបានហើយ រមែងនាំមកនូវសេចក្ដីសុខ។

The Four Noble Truths (concise Buddhism)

The whole teaching of the Buddha can be resumed in four sections, which are called The Four Noble Truths. Each of these four sections was discovered by the Buddha and can be verified by anyone who practise dhamma correctly (the purpose of this whole site is to explain what is dhamma and how to practise it in day-to-day life).

1. The Noble Truth of suffering

All existing thing is subject to suffering or insatisfaction. No living one can avoid one or other kind of suffering: suffering of being separated from things or persons we like, suffering to be obliged to stay with things or persons we do not like, suffering of starving, chilling, or any kind of troubles in our life, suffering because of sickness, old age, death...

2. The Noble Truth of the arising of suffering

Each kind of suffering is bound to a cause, a reason, that makes it come out. Suffering is caused by mental impuritities: anger, desire, fright, jealousy, pride... All these impurities are formed because of craving (one wants to own something), aversion (one wants to escape from something) and ignorance (one doesn't know things as they really are). To eradicate suffering, we have to eradicate these bad elements which are like poisons for the mind.

3. The Noble Truth of the cessation of suffering

If desire, anger and ignorance are the cause of suffering, we have to destroy them, in the purpose to put an end to suffering. So the cessation of desire, anger and ignorance leads to the cessation of suffering. The experience who is able to destroy these "poisons" in the mind is called nibbána in Pali language, or is also called Awakening. To reach nibbána, we have to train to vipassaná (the direct vision in the reality).

4. The Noble Truth of the path leading to the cessation of suffering

To definitively eradicate mental impurities, which are cause of suffering, one has to follow the noble path (or way) of the dhamma. Here, the word "way" is used as a symbol. This is not like a path in the country, but it's a set of habits to get and develop. This path is a "noble" path, that is: a pure path, respectable and full of benefits, for it brings best results for all. This noble path is the path of the dhamma, which leads to the right understanding of the reality.
Practising dhamma leads little by little to nibbána, the end of suffering. In the purpose to be wholesome and lead to the end of suffering, this practise must be fully achieved. And for this practise to be achieved, one must follow an eightfold training (that's why the dhammadána logo is divided in eight parts):

1. right understanding (to understand correctly the dhamma),
2. right thought (thought with no craving, no jealousy, no ill will or no cruelty involved),
3. right speech (including no lies, no traducing, no vulgarities, no useless chatterings),
4. right action (i.e. no killing, no stealing, no sexual misconduct, no alcohol drinking nor drug ingestion),
5. right livelyhood (one has to honestly earn one's living, avoiding harmful actions),
6. right effort (overcoming et avoiding unwholesome things, and maintaining wholesome ones),
7. right awareness (direct observation in the reality),
8. right concentration (staying concentrated on a single thing).

The three characteristics (anicca, dukkha, anatta)

3 common properties

Everything in the universe have three common properties: anicca, dukkha, and anatta. People, animals, things, towns, mountains, planets, stars, joy, money, knowledge, memories, everything you may imagine, everything you can't imagine. Every possible thing is anicca, dukkha, anatta. These three words are Pali words (Pali was the language spoken by the Buddha). Let's together examine what they mean...

anicca

"anicca" (pronunciation: "anicha") means "unpermanent". Nothing possibly lasts forever without ending sometime, one day. When you enjoy eating a good chocolate cake, even if your pleasure lasts long, it can't last forever. It's the same for everything.
Some things do not last long, for instance: butterflies, flowers, batteries, handkerchiefs... Other things last long: houses, mountains, rivers... Nevertheless, even these things will come inevitably to an end.
That's why, if one is reasonable, one tries to know reality better and better to be less and less involved in clinging. That's the aim of practising dhamma (buddhist practise). More we cling, more we suffer. For instance, if you cling to a toy or a book, you will be desapointed or stressed if you lose it. If you cling to a place, you'll be sad when moving from there. If you cling to a principle, or an idea, you'll be frustrated if one goes the other way. If you do not cling to anything, you'll never be desapointed or irritated.

dukkha

"dukkha" (pronunciation: "dook-kha") means "suffering" or "unsatisfaction". Nothing can be wholy satifying, completely pleasant. Everything in life includes a part of suffering, even best ones, because of limits. Everything we can do is always unperfect. When a moment is pleasant, when all is well, it never lasts long. You enjoy something now because you were in pain before.
Even if the whole world was yours, if you could do everything you want, you will surely find something wrong.
The only way to always feel happy is to possess nothing, not to be involved in entertainments, and to be satisfied with very few things in life. Even so, you may be sick, injured, or get other trouble.
A wise person can see clearly that suffering, or insatisfaction, is everywhere. That's why one stays more quietly and knows how to feel good with few things.

anatta

"anatta" (pronunciation: "anat-ta") means "does not exist by itself". Every existing thing is only the combination of several things, is divided in several elements. When you admire a nice phone or a nice bike, this thing does not exist by itself: it's just a combination of small pieces. It's the same for everything.
Even you do not exist by yourself: you are the result of a natural process and your whole body is a set of particles, like pieces of a puzzle: there are eyes, teeth, hair, bones, flesh, blood, grease, and so on.
When one knows properly how to face the reality, one gets less involved in desires, because one understands that all existing things are nothing but succession of causes and results. One knows that nobody can force something to happen just as he wishes, because every happening things never depends of one single thing. In the other way, one cannot everytime avoid what he doesn't want.
More you long for things, more you get worry, because things almost never happen like we want. Better you get satisfied with situations as they happen, better you feel.

What is dhamma?

D hamma is everything which concerns reality and Buddha's teaching, which consists in understanding reality to free oneself from attachments (and then from pains).
Instead of "Buddhism" better use the word dhamma, because this one is more precise. There are many ways in Buddhism which are quite different from the Buddha's teaching. For this reason when you say " I do dhamma, you know you are talking about reality, about Buddha's teachings.
However, no matter what words are used, do not forget that the most important thing it is to practice immediately because the biggest vantage when we are young is that we can directly see things. Thereby we can easily understand reality. Getting older we easily may complicate matters for nothing. Sometimes we think hard. It is important to think over what you do but if you think too much you don't practice anymore.
No need to mull because there nothing easier than dhamma !

A real practice

You can see that there is nothing more down to earth than Buddhist practice. If there are some Buddhists who do rituals (offering flowers to a statue, praying spirits, making signs in a certain way thinking that this will bring luck...), that means that they do not understand what is the Buddhist practice, because Buddha has well explained that these things are vain.
That's why it is very important to understand precisely what you do, to practice what you can check yourself, and to not practice something just because everybody does it all around you or because you are told " That's the way to do it".

What does Buddhist practice means?

In summary, Buddhism is a clutch of good habits to make, this to reach understanding correctly the reality and at last to free oneself forever from of all sorts of pains.
Buddhist practice is most of all based on disengagement (because all the problems we can have are due to attachment). In fact there are three ways to practice Buddhism. We can choose one or more of these ways it depends on what we want or are able to do: generosity, virtue and meditation.

Generosity means to help other people. It is coming apart of what you have and giving it to those who need it more than you. It is also giving of your time and be able to listen to the others, to teach someone the things you know or do anything which can be good to other people.
Virtue is having a good behavior. It is avoiding doing anything that can hurt. If you want to have a good virtue you have to show respect to everything. If you want to have a topping virtue you just have to follow correctly the five precepts.
Meditation is most of all getting concentration and attention. From time to time you can practice paying close attention to the simple things you do. For instance you can be well aware when you walk without thinking to nothing else. You can do the same thing when you eat or when you clear out the table.
This can seem very simple but these little habits can only bring benefits: generally a better understanding of things, an internal welfare, respect and friendship from other people, easiness in whatever can be done, etc.

Buddhism is not a belief

If you do nothing else than study Buddhism this will only remain a hobby and a belief. This, is very conflicting because Buddhism is used to one self reality understanding. Making these notions your own that is precisely what prevents from understanding reality.
You must not "believe", otherwise it is just like being blind. If you do not see and that you walk just where you are told, you can walk into a hole. it is very important to know exactly where you are going.
You have to "see" to get your self understanding. "Understanding" is the main point in Buddhism. To do so, you especially have to observe, to be careful to what you do, to your circle and to practice to be as fair, honest and generous as possible.

What is Buddhism?

The word "buddhism" derives from "buddha". The one called "Buddha" is someone who has discovered nature of things as they are (among the whole of existing : life , universe, etc.) His was the only one able to understand completely and by himself all the life process: "Buddhism" is then Buddha's teaching, it is the way he suggests us to follow. Above all Buddhism is first a practice which purpose is understanding but it is in no case a belief.
Buddhism is not a religion, even if a lot of people say so and practice it as a religion.
This web site (dhammadana.fr) helps you to understand what buddhism exactly is. It is made by a monk who has abandoned everything to fully practice Buddhism and who respects the monastic code. It is not only somebody who is happy with just studying texts. He has fully devoted himself to practice to be able to experience things by his own.
It is very important to make this clear because it is only on this that Buddhism and its understanding are based: i.e. practice.