Flower of Mankind – Ven Dr K Sri Dhammananda Thero

A flower is appreciated and admired by both young and old. It exudes its fragrance without preference or discrimination. It does not say, ‘I will bring joy to only those who follow me.’ Similarly, the Buddha is an enlightened teacher who is appreciated by everyone, including non-Buddhists who study the master’s message with open minds. The message of the Buddha is delivered out of compassion for the benefit of all living beings, and those who seek the Truth can benefit from it.

The fragrance of wisdom and the honey-sweet compassion of the Buddha are attested to by many well-known poets, scholars, philosophers, historians, scientists, psychologists, free-thinkers, rationalists and even by agnostics. They have recognized him as an enlightened and liberal religious teacher who had rendered a great service to mankind through his rational interpretation of the ultimate truth.

Albert Einstein has said in his autobiography: ‘If there is any religion that would cope with modern scientific needs it would be Buddhism.’ He also said that Buddhism has the characteristics of what would be expected in a cosmic religion for the future : it transcends a personal God, avoids dogmas and theology; it covers both the natural and the spiritual, and it is based on a religious sense arising from the experience of all things, natural and spiritual, as a meaningful unity.

[pdf]http://www.dhammikaweb.com/pdfs/FLOWER-OF-MANKIND-edited.pdf[/pdf]

.