Dear Piya, Liz and friends,

thanks for the well-researched reply, Piya. Liz, this last advice of
the Buddha may sounds uncomfortable to people used to John Donne's
words, as I quote:

No man is an Island, entire of itself.
http://www.online-literature.com/donne/409/

Please allow me to share my thoughts.

John Donne is not entirely wrong with his statement. No man can be
separated from the world in which he lives. An individual or even a
community cannot live in isolation. Forget about the capital 'I' in
Island, and put aside the Christology behind it, this statement is
compatible with the Buddhist concept of interdependence. Everyone
relates to each other, our very existence relies on others providing
the necessities of survival. And each one is a contributing factor to
the society we live in.

If Donne's statement explains interdependence, what about the
Buddha's advice: Be an island unto yourselves? The answer: it about
self-reliance. It is a very profound concept in itself. We can even
use it to explain the foundation ideology of Mahayana! First, be an
island unto yourselves, then be an island unto others. That's a
Bodhisatta, a person who seek liberation and happiness, not just for
himself or his flock, but for all.

Of course, as Piya has mentioned, it is 'island'. But, even if it
is 'lamp', the underlying concept here is self-reliance.


metta,
Yong Peng.

--- In Pali@yahoogroups.com, Piya Tan wrote:

> In the Buddha's final exhortation at his parinibbaana, he tells
us "...to be islands unto yourselves..." (Diigha Nikaaya 16, Pt. 2,
Verse 33)

The Diigha Commentary explains atta,diipa as meeting to "dwell,
having made the self [yourselves like an island in the great ocean]
in the great ocean" (mahaa,samudda,gata,diipa.m viya attaana.m
diipa.m pati.t.thita.m katvaa viharatha, DA 2:548, SA 2:268, 3:204).